This is my second story since my family and I began our early summer vacation in our old stomping grounds of southern Ontario. Generally, it is not an advisable practice to advertise on social media sites that you are travelling. In the wrong hands, that information could lead to unscrupulous sorts visiting your residence and borrowing, in a permanent fashion, things that are valuable or even worse, things that you value.
People who violate the sacracy of our homes not only steal our possessions, but they also rob something that is far more endearing, our peace of mind. I often wonder what would I do should that ever happen to me? Would I take it upon myself to track down these villains, so that I could be the self-appointed judge, jury, and executioner? Probably not. Would I feel empathy for the conditions that befell these hapless souls and necessittated them to take such drastic measures in order to merely feed and clothes themselves? Probably not. Perhaps that is one of those questions that will only be answered when it is lived.
I'm betting that my home is safe and sound while Lynda, the kids, and I frolic in the heat and gridlock of T.O. In fact, in may be more secure with me not being there. The reason for that is I have a very unique home security system. It is a super smart system that has been refining and improving itself for over seven decades. It is one that will deter and thwart any would-be invader who would dare to climb my cliff-like driveway and storm the vinyl clad walls of my castle. Even if a sinister sinner should try to breach my home by using stealth, they would not stand a chance. That security system is ferocious, a real pitbull, and as tenacious, alert and at-the-ready as a team of US Navy Seals. I wouldn't want to chance it and neither should anyone else. To perspective B&E demons, you have been fair warned, Grammie is on guard. Oh yeah, please give Jasper a rub behind the ears when he comes to meet you. That big, black, bear of a dog wouldn't hurt a fly.
Our trip has been wonderful so far. We are at the half way mark and have experienced many of the awesome sights and sounds that big cities have to offer. There have been a couple of things that seem to stick in my mind. Not surprisingly for me, they are not your typical tourist trap memories, but rather just things about people and how we seem to live and experience life. I'd like to share them with you:
- My daughter, 8 year old Avery, was ready to tackle anything that this trip had to offer. No big city was going to intimidate her. After landing at the Toronto airport, we were walking up the jetway to the terminal when Avery made the following comment about the illuminated sign above the first door that we encountered: "Hey daddy, why does that sign say ENTER SHORTY?" It was as if Avery had her guard up and was determined not to be demeaned because we were Newfies. In her defence, she hasn't had any French language training, so I can see how SORTIE could have been confusing to her. But, not in her defence, similar doors in Newfoundland have the exactly the same sign hanging above them. Avery hasn't beaten up any mainlanders (yet), so I think she has calmed down somewhat.
- My older daughter just completed grade 5. During the school year, Kendall and her classmates from St. Francis of Assisi School in Outer Cove, Newfoundland were pen pals with a grade 5 class in Mississauga, Ontario. Individual students were matched and wrote to one another, telling about school and family life in their respective communities. Photos of the classes were also exchanged. Kendall's teacher told us that her students were amazed to discover that their pen pal friends were all kids of colour. The teacher of the Mississauga grade 5's is my friend, Mr. P, so I also learned that his class was as equally amazed to discover that their pen pal friends were all white kids. These were nothing more than accurate observations. The kids had a fabulous year corresponding back and forth and many asked to continue writing even after school finished for the year. The experience has been particularly rewarding for Kendall. Yesterday, she visited her pen pal class in person and met her pal, Mya. Kendall stayed with the class for the afternoon and she tells me that she really enjoyed it. I told her that those kids are in school for another week before getting off on summer holidays and I asked if she would like to go back for a full day. I knew the answer before I even asked the question. Kendall is quiet, thoughtful and she's no dummy - she already graduated from grade 5.
- So many people here. We've been on the subway and walked Yonge Street. No one looks at you, rather they stare straight ahead or down at the ground. At home, we commonly give a nod of the head or a little wave to all who we meet. It's a simple but ingrained act to show respect and fellowship. Maybe it's all just as well that they don't do that here. With so may people, it would be impossible to drive with two hands of the wheel and everyone would have a perpetually sore neck.
- On Tuesday, I took my kids and my two nieces to Canada's Wonderland. All four girls are similar in age and I knew they would spur each other on to try the various rides and roller coasters. I was quite content to keep my feet firmly on terra firma. All was going as planned, until the kids pleaded with me to join them on the Bohemoth. The crowds weren't large, so the kids were able to ride this spectacular looking roller coaster four times with little time wasted in line ups. I finally gave in and agreed. It would be great for any dad to have such a shared experience with his children. The kids strongly suggested that I sit behind them. I wondered if it was because they were afraid that dear old dad may toss his cookies and they didn't want to be in the line of fire. Smart kids. The ride was unreal! I laughed for the entire three and a half minutes as that contraption tried everything in its power to buck me off. I'm not sure if my laughter was brought on by enjoyment or terror. In any event, my laughter caused my eyes to water. Okay, maybe I was crying. My body was experiencing things that it never had, so I'm not exactly sure what was going on with it. I guess my tears weren't just a little drizzle, but were more like a stream. I know this because, over my laughter, I could hear the teen aged girl directly behind me exclaiming over and over to her coaster companions "Guys, it's raining, it's raining!" When the ride stopped, I didn't have the heart to tell her. Perhaps she figured it out herself when she realized there was not a single cloud in the sky. If anything, all you readers can take one thing away from this experience - always sit in the first row of a roller coaster.
With one more week of vacation before we head back east just in time to catch some caplin, I hope to have at least one more opportunity to write while sitting outside in warm breezes and with no black flies looking at me like a buffet. Bye for now.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Leaving Ontario Behind
Lynda, the kids, and I landed in Toronto yesterday to begin our spring vacation. Sure, we may be late in starting our trip, but officially, it's still spring for a few more days. Unofficially, at least at home in Newfoundland, judging by the 5 degree temperature and several days of the cursed RDF that we left in our jet stream, we'll be foregoing spring this year. If we waited for Mother Nature to tell us it was time to take our spring vacation, it may never happen. We have learned to rely solely on the calendar to tell us what season is supposed to be taking place outside. In any event, we made it just under the wire and are already enjoying our respite from the clutch that winter still has over our beloved Avalon Peninsula.
It is said that "Home is where the heart is." I must have a big heart. My arrival back in Southern Ontario yesterday felt very much like coming home. Why shouldn't it? I lived here for fourteen years. It was the first place that I settled after finally leaving the protective nest of my parents. I began my career here. I proposed to Lynda when she visited me at my first apartment in Thorncliffe Park, which is not far from downtown Toronto. We eventually bought our first house together in Oakville and moved twice when transfers took us to Kingston and Burlington. My children were born at Oakville-Trafalgar Hospital and spent the first few years of their lives by being blessed to live in a beautiful Burlington neighbourhood. Our first two family dogs, Nickie and Reno, were "Ontarions".
Of course, getting off the plane to sunny skies and 25 degree temperatures also felt extremely welcoming. But even that didn't compare to the warmth we felt when we finally pulled into the driveway of the Mississauga home of Doug, Dallas, Devon, and Delaney. No, they aren't a musical troop, despite the catchy name they could have - The Four D's. They are the Pendergast family. They are our dearest friends. Their story is very similar to ours. Doug and Dallas are Newfoundlanders who came here in the early 90's to begin careers. I've actually known Doug since we played hockey together as 10 year old kids, so he is a townie like me and Lynda. Dallas, as some of you may have guessed by the unique name, is a Bayman. She is from the Northern Peninsula - River of Ponds, to be exact. I was there once. Such a colourful name for a town. I do recall seeing a river, but I don't remember any ponds nearby. There were a lot of small, wind bent trees, plenty of poached salmon, tasty moose that may have poached, and the rocket fuel of beverages called moonshine. A few drinks of that stuff and I was poached!
We are staying at the Pendergast residence while we are in Ontario. Their place is a proverbial hotel for wayward Newfoundlanders. They have always been gracious and such hospitable hosts. The rate they charge us is pretty reasonable too. I also enjoy experiencing the new things that come with staying at some place other than my own home. Doesn't it always seem that the towels smell so much fresher and are softer than your own; the taste of the grub, even if it's just toast or KD, is so much sweeter to the palate; and even the softness of the pull-out couch is just right. Such visits also allow me to try new shampoo brands when I shower and Doug and Dallas have lots of choices. They'll never know because my follicley challenged head doesn't require me to steal very much of their shampoo. They also splurge and buy the high end Cottonelle, which is probably the biggest treat of my vacation thus far. I may have a big heart, but a certain other part of my large body really relishes three plies.
There has been no sign thus far of any rain, drizzle, or fog and none in any of the long range forecasts for the Southern Ontario region. The nice weather here just makes everything and everybody so much more cheerful. We hope that by the time we return to Newfoundland later next week, we will be greeted by beautiful summer weather and everyone will be is good spirits there too. Just in case, I have a backup plan that will make people forget about the bad weather. I'll be handing out rolls of Cottonelle toilet paper to everyone I meet, compliments of The Four D's.
It is said that "Home is where the heart is." I must have a big heart. My arrival back in Southern Ontario yesterday felt very much like coming home. Why shouldn't it? I lived here for fourteen years. It was the first place that I settled after finally leaving the protective nest of my parents. I began my career here. I proposed to Lynda when she visited me at my first apartment in Thorncliffe Park, which is not far from downtown Toronto. We eventually bought our first house together in Oakville and moved twice when transfers took us to Kingston and Burlington. My children were born at Oakville-Trafalgar Hospital and spent the first few years of their lives by being blessed to live in a beautiful Burlington neighbourhood. Our first two family dogs, Nickie and Reno, were "Ontarions".
Of course, getting off the plane to sunny skies and 25 degree temperatures also felt extremely welcoming. But even that didn't compare to the warmth we felt when we finally pulled into the driveway of the Mississauga home of Doug, Dallas, Devon, and Delaney. No, they aren't a musical troop, despite the catchy name they could have - The Four D's. They are the Pendergast family. They are our dearest friends. Their story is very similar to ours. Doug and Dallas are Newfoundlanders who came here in the early 90's to begin careers. I've actually known Doug since we played hockey together as 10 year old kids, so he is a townie like me and Lynda. Dallas, as some of you may have guessed by the unique name, is a Bayman. She is from the Northern Peninsula - River of Ponds, to be exact. I was there once. Such a colourful name for a town. I do recall seeing a river, but I don't remember any ponds nearby. There were a lot of small, wind bent trees, plenty of poached salmon, tasty moose that may have poached, and the rocket fuel of beverages called moonshine. A few drinks of that stuff and I was poached!
We are staying at the Pendergast residence while we are in Ontario. Their place is a proverbial hotel for wayward Newfoundlanders. They have always been gracious and such hospitable hosts. The rate they charge us is pretty reasonable too. I also enjoy experiencing the new things that come with staying at some place other than my own home. Doesn't it always seem that the towels smell so much fresher and are softer than your own; the taste of the grub, even if it's just toast or KD, is so much sweeter to the palate; and even the softness of the pull-out couch is just right. Such visits also allow me to try new shampoo brands when I shower and Doug and Dallas have lots of choices. They'll never know because my follicley challenged head doesn't require me to steal very much of their shampoo. They also splurge and buy the high end Cottonelle, which is probably the biggest treat of my vacation thus far. I may have a big heart, but a certain other part of my large body really relishes three plies.
There has been no sign thus far of any rain, drizzle, or fog and none in any of the long range forecasts for the Southern Ontario region. The nice weather here just makes everything and everybody so much more cheerful. We hope that by the time we return to Newfoundland later next week, we will be greeted by beautiful summer weather and everyone will be is good spirits there too. Just in case, I have a backup plan that will make people forget about the bad weather. I'll be handing out rolls of Cottonelle toilet paper to everyone I meet, compliments of The Four D's.
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