Barry Dahl dot com

While getting started in my new job at Desire2Learn, I enjoyed an extended stay in the Kitchener/Waterloo area to get oriented to the company and meet some of the hundreds of new employees (new to me, anyway). Rather than tell you about the great corporate culture that they have developed at D2L (here’s a recent story (May 2012) about that), I want to tell you about where I stayed while I was there. This isn’t the normal kind of post that I make at this site, but it may prove interesting for other remote D2L employees as well as anyone else who might be traveling to Kitchener.

Queen’s Landing Guest House is a great Bed & Breakfast and only about a 20 minute walk from D2L Headquarters in the Tannery Building. Your hosts are Wilma and Brian Skipper. They share their beautiful home with people like me who enjoy a home away from home. This home was built in 1920, and “features ten foot ceilings, large porches, stained glass windows, etched french doors, hardwood floors and walnut trim.”

There are three bedrooms upstairs, each with separate baths for plenty of privacy. The rooms are very nicely furnished, as is the rest of the home. I stayed in the Imperial Suite which was very comfortable; but all three rooms/suites are very nice. It’s located on a quiet street, but just a few blocks from major roadways. It’s not completely quiet if you keep your windows open – since the birds will be chirping early in the morning and the squirrels will be wrestling with each other for the best positions to rob the bird feeders.

They take the second B in “B&B” very seriously. Wilma and Brian work together to get your day started with a very enjoyable breakfast. Wilma cooks and Brian does something or other to help out (not really sure what that is, but I’m sure he’s integral to the operation in some way ;). One morning she’ll serve you her should-be-world-famous Apple Pie French Toast and the next day it might be a great omelette with all kinds of goodies mixed in. She had told me about the special hot cereal that she makes, and on my last morning I got to give a try. This will be the first recipe that I’ve ever posted on any of my websites. Here is Wilma’s Cereal:

• Sesame seeds (freshly ground, don’t buy them already ground)
• Flax seeds (ditto on the fresh ground, as above)
• Chia seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Stone ground oatmeal
• Wheat germ
• Almonds (whole)
• Raisins
• Lecithin
• Barley oats

Mix them altogether and keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Take the amount desired and pour boiling water over it. Let stand 5 minutes and serve. It’s great with a litle maple syrup drizzled on it, and cut up fresh fruit adds a bit more flavor and color. Some people mix in some milk. I tried it both ways and liked it both ways. Very healthy, and more tasty than you might think just from the list of ingredients. I’ll be trying to replicate this. Those are fresh mangoes with the cereal in the photo below.

To top it off, Wilma and Brian are extremely nice people who really care about your comfort and satisfaction. I highly recommend that you check it out if you are in the market for accommodations in the Kitchener/Waterloo area. I’ll certainly be back. I “Like” them, and you should too.

A few more photos are available in this Flickr set.