The Word from Waterton Park
December 2005

A Note From The Editor...

Welcome to the twenty-second edition of "The Word From Waterton Park!" Thank you for expressing interest in our friendly internet newsletter. If you would prefer to be removed from our mailing list, you can e-mail us at info@watertonpark.com and we will take you off our list. If you have any feedback or if there is something special you would like to see in the newsletter, please let us know. Please note the address from which this newsletter is sent is for sending purposes only and messages addressed there might be missed. We look forward to seeing all of you in Waterton Park sometime soon!

In this edition...
1. Since We Last Spoke...
2. Monthly Draw Winners
3. Once Upon A Time in Waterton
4. Kilmorey Tasting Country
5. A Light Moment
6. Wok with James
7. Introducing...

1. SINCE WE LAST SPOKE...

Only 11 sleeps left until Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

December is such a great month!  We have a ton of fun here with great food, Christmas parties, gourmet dinners, weddings, great food, family getaways and did I mention the great food?!  The weather has also been cooperative, providing us with just enough snow to put everyone in the Christmas mood.  Get away to Waterton Park, a Grinch-free zone!

This seems like a good opportunity to mention Kilmorey Lodge gift certificates or our trademark Saskatoon Jam can make fantastic Christmas giftsso much for subtlety!  Still, it IS an idea for that really hard to shop for person.  Certificate values can start at $25 up to any value you like.  Lunch for two, an amazing Romantasy Weekend or Mountain Luxury Package, whatever suits your budget.

For Christmas Eve and Christmas Day only all our staff will be gone to spend the holiday with their friends and loved ones.  We look forward to welcoming plenty of guests on Boxing Day, if only just for a break from leftovers! 

Then there is the night of the year!  For New Years Eve our dining room will be featuring a five course dinner menu.  If you call soon, there are some reservation times still available!  This will be an excellent opportunity for our talented chefs to flex their creative muscles and for all our guests to enjoy the fruits of their labour!

 As the end of Albertas Centennial year, New Years Eve will also be the end of judging for our 100 Years Of Colour Artist Showcase.  All the entries from our talented Alberta artists will be on display until next spring on the Aspen cottages.  We are very excited to have received entries in all our categories and we will award some great cash on prizes to some very deserving artists!  Voting forms are available at the front desk of the Kilmorey Lodge for any guests who would like to judge the paintings while staying in the park.

If you would still like your vote to be counted for the painting competition, check out the online judging at http://www.watertonpark.com/shutter-vote.html  you will be impressed at the variety of paintings submitted.  It is also possible to order prints, should any painting(s) strike your fancy.  As Robins Southern Printing is donating printing, there will only be a charge for shipping and handling.  Alternatively, you can always order a print then come to Waterton Park and pick your print up in person free of charge!

We also welcome everyone to check out the watertonpark.com website and vote for our online photo contest.  One visitor to the website said, I have never been to Waterton Lakes, but after looking at the photos for the contest, I am definitely going to vacation there soon!  Thank you so much to all of the talented photographers who are sharing their greatest Waterton Park moments with all of us.

Finally, we are bringing back our Newsletter Readers Package!  As a thank you to all of our supportive readers, we are offering a fantastic deal just for you.  Available January 2 to January 9, 2006 only, your package includes two nights accommodation, a three-course dinner for two, two breakfasts for two, lunch for two, all taxes and gratuities.  For the meals we will provide you with anything you like off our menu, including non-alcoholic beverages.  This package will be only $319.00 per couple!  To upgrade to a suite will be only $359.00 per couple.  In addition, if you would like to extend your stay we will provide a 40% discount off our regular rates on the room of your choice.  If you can only make it for one night, we will still give you 40% off the regular room rates.  This will be a great stress relief getaway after a busy Christmas and New Years.  First come, first served!  Thank you readers!

2. MONTHLY DRAW WINNERS

Two guests were rewarded for filling out their comment cards in the Lamp Post Dining Room.  Lisa Koster visited Waterton Park in October from High River, Alberta.  J. Madge in November from Airdrie, Alberta.  Both visitors from the north have received a gift certificate for lunch for two in our award winning Lamp Post Dining Room.

We would like to thank everyone once again for filling in his or her comment cards.  The feedback regarding your service, your meal and your overall dining experience is extremely valuable to us in maintaining and improving the quality of our product and service. 

We look forward to welcoming everyone, especially our two winners, back again soon!  

3. ONCE UPON A TIME IN WATERTON

Strange Animal Encounters and Other Fun Stuff! by Kristin Roblick

Waterton Park is covered in a beautiful blanket of white sparkly snow and it is getting to look a lot like Christmas.  The deer are wandering the village streets and are looking quite furry and full of food.  The big horn sheep also grace us with their presence occasionally when they come to lick the cars clean in the parking lot and search for salt on the doorstep.  There is nothing better than a complimentary carwash at the historic Kilmorey Lodge. talk about making history! 

For a few weeks in November we had a fluffy fearless fox roaming the streets and yards of the town site.  It was small in size and had a beautiful coat of soft, light coloured fur.  One of the front desk agents, Laura, was even followed home by the fox.  It was waiting outside the hotel door when she finished work and then it walked right beside her the entire way to her house (which isnt that far, but I personally would have been scared and creeped out by it).  She says that it was calm and not aggressive and just trotted along by her side for the ten minute stroll.  When she reached her home the fox just stood in the driveway and then wandered back down the street.  Maybe he was trying to protect her from something in the bushesmaybe he was lost or maybe he just needed a friend!  Who knows, but after numerous staff members had surprising, pleasant, and brief encounters with the fox it disappeared and moved on to new surroundings. 

It has also been interesting and amusing to watch some of our new team members get used to our delightful Southern Alberta climate.  Tara came to us from Ireland and Melanie is from the great downunder and these girls had never really been immersed in the snow before!  On one of the first snowfalls of the year the girls were extremely excited to build their first snowman and get bundled up in their new winter gear.  They successfully created their snowman and then sadly watched it melt away with the chinook. Needless to say, however, making the snowman was not an easy task as they tried to stick and pile the soft snow together.  Afterwards when they were telling us their experience they were disappointed that no one had previously told them that it is much easier if you roll the snow into balls.  I guess they will know for next time!  They are loving Southern Alberta life and all it has to offer.  They plan to spend lots of time snow shoeing, skiing and exploring the park.

Even though the Kilmorey Lodge maintains a pet-free environment we seem to have found ourselves a new pet.  Well, I am not sure if we found it, but it found us and seems to be quite content here.  It is of course an outdoor pet and we call him Chicken Little.  This Prairie Chicken frequents our staff area outside the back door of the hotel and hides out in the woodpile (which was also home to the Pine Martin last winter).  This chicken-like bird is medium sized and has dark brown and tan feathers.  Apparently we are lucky to have it visiting us because it is a species of concern.  They are decreasing in number due to the change of their dwellings (prairie habitat and forest areas with long grasses).  In the mornings you can find Chicken Little sitting up on the roof buried in the snow, with just his head sticking out.  Then mid morning (usually when someone is outside having their coffee break), he will decide to switch places and take a swoop and dive towards the ground, sometimes coming quite close to onlookers heads.  He will then sit on the woodpile or the picnic table and coo contently.  One of the most amazing things about these animals is the sounds they make.  It is like a gurgling noise our chef can imitate really well.  We are happy that Chicken Little has found a nice home at the Kilmorey Lodge and we hope that he stays around for a while. 

I hope that everyone has a festive holiday season!  Here are some Christmas jokes to impress your friends with at parties;

What do snowmen eat for breakfast?
Snowflakes!

What do you call people that are afraid of Santa Claus?
Claustrophobic

Why does Santa have three gardens?
So he can ho-ho-ho

Why was Santas little helper depressed?
Because he had low elf esteem

What do you call a cat on the beach at Christmas time?
Sandy Claus

What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?
Frostbite



4. KILMOREY TASTING COUNTRY

The Summer Hill winery site in central Okanagan, British Columbia, is home to Sumac Ridges Black Sage Vineyards - the creator of the nations first Meritage. Black Sage Vineyards creates an unfiltered Meritage of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc and 25% Merlot.  I would recommend opening this wine in advance or decanting for an optimal flavour experience.  This is a rich red wine with a pleasant nose of lemon, blackberry and pepper.  It has a silky approach on the palate with full tannins, light hints of ripe fruit, as well as an oak finish. Highly recommended accompanied with food.  I would suggest enjoying this delicious blend with a variety of red meats in delicate sauces, light appetizers, or with a nice dark chocolate dessert.  Happy Holidays!

 Cheers!

Natasha Chapman
Dining Room Manager
Certified in Wine Service



5. A LIGHT MOMENT

All I need to know about life I learned from a snowman

1. It is okay if you are a little bottom heavy.
2. Hold your ground, even when the heat is on.
3. Wearing white is always appropriate.
4. Winter is the best of the four seasons.
5. It takes a few extra rolls to make a good midsection.
6. Theres nothing better than a foul weather friend.
7. The key to life is to be a jolly, happy soul.
8. We are all made up of mostly water.
9. You know you have made it when they write a song about you.
10. Accessorize!  Accessorize!  Accessorize!
11. Avoid yellow snow and too much sun.
12. It is embarrassing when you cannot look down and see your feet.
13. It is fun to hang out in your front yard.
14. Always put your best foot forward.
15. There is no stopping you once you are on a roll.

6. WOK WITH JAMES

The recipe I have chosen for you this month is an item we have prepared for our annual Christmas party.  This recipe is a very nice appetizer and can be prepared quite quickly.

16  < inch slices of daikon
16 fresh scallops
sprinkle of vegetable oil
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
3 = oz. leeks cut in julienne shreds and fried in olive oil

Vinaigrette
1 = oz. salted black beans
= oz. finely diced red onion
1 oz. ginger very finely chopped
= clove garlic finely chopped
3 oz. extra virgin olive oil
2 oz. rice wine vinegar
= tablespoon light soy sauce

Whisk all vinaigrette ingredients together and set aside.  Dry scallops and smear a non-stick pan with olive oil and sear the scallops on both sides taking care not to overcook them.  Place the scallops on the sliced daikon.  Spoon a little of the vinaigrette on the top and garnish with the fried leeks.

Bon Appetit!
James Rowley, Chef - Kilmorey Lodge
 

  7. Introducing...

She is blonde, short, funny, adorable, her nickname is B Nutz, and she had the best Flame Dancer Halloween costume ever!  We call her Bristol Lee Clarke, Kilmorey Lodge Senior Front Desk Agent and Pleasant Person.  Please note that the B in front of her name is not a typo, her name actually is Bristol with a B, although many people continue to call her Crystal.  Bristol was born on April 7, 1973 and was actually named after the pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers as her mother was a nurse in the operating room.

She was born in Guelph (according to Bristol, the sound your shoe makes when you step into a bucket of yogurt), Ontario.  For a long time she thought that she was adopted because her parents never really talked about the day their first child, Bristol, was born.  After the birth of Bristol her parents decided to move to Ospringe, Ontario, a small town outside of Guelph.  Bristol has fond memories of country life and going to her grandparents farm to help out, her brother on the tractor and Bristol helping her Grandma in the garden with her Trilliums.  According to Bristol, when she was younger she was very studious, quiet, played the clarinet, soccer and carried a big backpack.  She was also very interested in travelling.  When she was ten years old she received a postcard from her aunt who was in Greece and she knew that from that day on she would live to visit many different places.

After graduating from high school in Flesherton, Ontario she moved to Toronto and attended Ryerson Polytechnic University to study Business Management.  During her degree program, Bristol had the opportunity to nurture her travelling seed and study in Scotland for a semester.  This provided her an amazing opportunity to travel, grow and try life in a different country.  After returning to Toronto she was hired by the university to work part time in the Finance Office while she was attending classes.  After four years and a bit of studying she finished her degree program and started her next adventure.  She was offered an office administration position in Belgium in a computer company that was updating computer systems for the Millennium and the Euro. 

So off she went with an open-ended plane ticket.  Bristol lived downtown in Brussels and spent lots of time indulging in chocolate, waffles and french fries with mayonnaise.  She also met a group of amazing friends from all over the world and joined a hill-walking group.  She stayed there for over three years and either traveled to or worked in England, Ireland, Portugal, Latvia, Sweden, Norway, Greece, France and Italy. 

This woman of the world then returned to Canada and went to stay with her mom in Vancouver.  From there she decided to go travel and work in Australia for a while.  She entered in the SWAP program and took the longest flight of her life!  While in Australia, Bristol worked in several jobs such as washing dishes in an Indian restaurant, working in an elections office and finally at a Business Centre in a resort.  This is where Bristol had her first taste of the working in the hospitality industry and she loved it.

After spending ten months in Australia, Bristol returned back to Canada and ended up in Waterton Lakes National Park at the Kilmorey Lodge.  She was drawn to the lodge because of the training opportunities and her desire to further herself in the industry.  Bristol loves mountain life and taking daily walks around the lake and town site (unless it is too cool and slippery) and plans on being here for a while.  This makes us happy because she is always cheerful, well organized, working hard, smiling and making others laugh. The next time you come to the Kilmorey Lodge remember to ask for Bristol with a B Clarke.  Maybe if you are lucky she will have her air guitar with herand that is something that you must see! 

Thank you for reading our friendly Internet Newsletter! If you have any feedback or if you would like to contribute to our newsletter, please e-mail us at info@watertonpark.com, attn: Nicki. For more information on Waterton Lakes National Park and links to many other area attractions,
check out our website at www.watertonpark.com