Back to Ontario 🇨🇦

“HOMES” is the first acronym I remember learning in elementary school. It is the example I reach for when explaining mnemonic devices to my school-aged kids. But “HOMES” is much more important to me than a handy learning trick. For me, “HOMES” is home. If aren’t aware, “HOMES” stands for the names of the five Great Lakes of North America - Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior. The lakes are the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total area and the second-largest by volume. They contain 21% of the world’s surface fresh water. Traversing the shoreline of all the lakes would cover a distance roughly equivalent to travelling halfway around the world at the equator. I grew up 17 miles from Lake Erie, my “home” lake. Going into Cleveland as a kid always meant two things: seeing the big buildings and seeing the lake. I would pick my seat in the family van so that I could be on the side with the lake view as we rolled down the I-90 Shoreway. There were windy autumn days when…