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Eight Girl Scout adult volunteers from Norman were among the 19 adults from Girl Scouts--Western Oklahoma council who recently returned after spending a week in Toronto and Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
In 2005 Oklahoma adults attended a "Taste of Mexico"--an international session at Our Caba?a in Cuernavaca, Mexico, southwest of Mexico City. There were 16 Canadian Guiders (leaders) at the same session. Last Labor Day an invitation was extended for the Oklahoma group to come to Ontario, experience home hospitality and also connect with Canadian Girl Guide troops and adults.
"The best kept secret was that two English Guiders from Lancashire, Christine Barnes and Lesley Cowling, were waiting at the airport when we arrived," said Pam Moser. "We have an enduring relationship with Christine and Lesley that started when a Norman leader, Carolyn Ahern, met them while she was in England on one of Dr. Belknap's Boy Scout trips. Those two brought girls to Norman in 2005, joined us at the Caba?a later that year, and then toured with us in the UK last summer.
"Several times during the past year we had asked Christine and Lesley if there was any way they could meet us in Canada. Always the answer was that they had too many work commitments. It was amazing that the secret had been kept by a group of many women in Ontario, and we had no idea until we made it through customs at the airport and saw them. From then on we laughed with them for a week."
Time was spent doing very "touristy" things like going up in the CN tower in downtown Toronto, exploring Casa Loma (Toronto's own "castle"), eating at the Hard Rock Caf?, visiting the Royal Canadian museum, riding trains and subways and doing a little shopping. The group spent an entire day at Niagara Falls, riding the Maid of Mist and going in the tunnel behind the falls. A day was spent in Oakville, a quaint town right on the banks of Lake Huron. Another day was spent in the Georgian Bay area about 80 miles north of Toronto. The group visited St. Marie among the Hurons, a Jesuit outpost from the 1640s, and Wye Marsh, where the fall colors were at their peak.
Girl Guide activities included a potluck supper with Guiders and their spouses, reconnecting with almost all the women who were at the Caba?a in 2005. The group attended Guide and Pathfinder (girls) meetings, exchanged swaps with girls and adults, visited and shopped at the national Girl Guide headquarters, and also "geocached" with several of the Canadians.
The Okie Scouts are hopeful that some Canadian girls and their leaders will visit Oklahoma in the future. Already ideas are being considered about doing another trip with Canadian friends. Barbara Thompson, Cadette/Senior leader in Moore, was the "mover and shaker" behind all the planning for the trip. Norman Girl Scout adults on the trip were Wes and Kim Burks, Donna Jackson, Amy Logan, Katherine Logan, Bob and Beverly Hall and Pam Moser.
