Truro Get Together at Donald's

Donald, AKA "the Duck" has been at the center of our class reunion for as many years as it existed.He is an old class mate of mine starting at grade one in the old Red Brick School in 1941. We more or less travelled through our educational journey in tandem although he was a better scholar and gained the attention of the teachers by his positive contributions. I had similar experiences with some of my teachers although I was demonized by a few who never took the time to understand my needs and untapped ability.

We attended teachers college and were in the same class along with 25 others and were even twinned for our long term practise teaching in Cape Breton. We go along way back and still communicate in a special way.When visiting Truro, Theresa and I become house guests and love our shared time with The Duck. This year there was a smaller number of people coming to the reunion. However when it came time for us to get tickets for the banquet and dance there were none available. Donald in his own way decided to turn in his ticket in a move to make a point.

A couple of well intended classmates jumped to the rescue and found some tickets and asked us to purchase them and keep the class united for the important final event of the reunion. I in my stubborn way did not accept the kind offer and instead decided to take Donald out for supper and join the group at his house immediately after.

The mood of our group is always great and this year it was no different as we usually think of our reunion as the pre festivities hosted by a class member. This year we visited Yarmouth and had a wonderful time experiencing the special hospitality in spite of the famous Yarmouth fog.

We are coming up to our 60th year and are trying to decide how to celebrate. With the exceptional celebrations our class has experienced over the years we will be hard pressed to match or exceed the past events. Our class is solid and whatever is decided I can assure you that it will still have that wonderful warm feeling you get when we share time together.

Wedding

This was not just a wedding but our first grand child's wedding. Harmony and Phil were married in an outdoor ceremony on Aug.12 joined by their family and close friends. It was special for Theresa and I as it was the first of what we hope will be many as we have eight grand children. The venue was perfect with a spacious outdoor area offering outstanding natural beauty with perfect features.

These weddings offer families with a great opportunity to mingle and over a period of hours have a quality visit, When one looked over the gathering you could not miss the large number of young people in the mix. We are so fortunate to have a rich number of talented people coming along to enhance the clan and provide a base for the future.

Harmony was well named as she radiates peace and harmony among her siblings and friends. It was a lovely affair bringing together two young people and families who support them in their life together. Facebook has produced beautiful pictures to keep safe this event but I wish to add a few just for good measure.

Seagull Rescue

One evening while in Yarmouth Theresa and I drove to the waterfront and walked the boardwalk along the shoreline. This is a busy working area and many boats were unloading catches of herring and mackerel. As we arrived on the waterfront we passed a group of three boys who were yelling and appeared to be up to no good.

We stopped and approached the excited young fellows and they blurted out their problem. They were hyper and pointing to a fish unloading device saw the head and one leg of a seagull. The seagull must have gone down the chute to get some food and got caught.

The boys were frantic and tried to climb up to help the bird but could not reach it. They shouted encouragement and as the bird struggled it made some headway to freedom.One boy climbed a ladder and made a banging noise ant the bird struggled more vigorously and cleared a wing. These boys were fully engaged in the rescue and as the bird made a final thrust it fell about twelve feet to the pavement. The boys thought the worst but the seagull caught its breath and stood stunned but alive.

The boys moved closer and the bird ran away and finally flew to a nearby island. What impressed me was the concern shown and the compassion expressed for this seagull.

What we thought was a bunch of boys getting into trouble turned out exactly the opposite. This event made our walk on the boardwalk memorable and as we passed go we received a happy ending to a bird rescue.

Yarmouth Reunion

Our teachers college class have a long tradition of having a couple of days together before we have our college reunion. This tradition has taken us to different and interesting places in our province of Nova Scotia and Cape Breton. This year we gathered in Yarmouth. This is a small port city which has suffered economic hardships has a beautiful location and shows very well to any visitor.

While in the area we were treated to tours around the town and everyone was surprised at the beautiful, historic homes. Many were built by ship captains as Yarmouth was a thriving ship building town at the turn of the century and later as well. Being on the Atlantic coast and subject to high tides give it a charm special to the Maritimes. The waterfront is thriving still and fishing is the mainstay of the economic life.

A festival was being held while we were visiting and the local talent was ever present . There were fewer in our group this year and I suppose at our age we can expect our numbers to diminish over the years. Our vitality was not lessened and everyone loved the hospitality provided by our hosts.

One special event was the visit to a famous lighthouse. Fog was present throughout the visit but on the time we were at the lighthouse clear weather gave us a chance to take pictures and enjoy the scenery and companionship . Yarmouth is indeed a colourful and interesting place to visit and we are richer for our couple of days in one of Nova Scotia's hidden treasures.

Are You From Away

The most frequently asked question  of me this time home in Cape Breton was "are you from away?" As Theresa and I mingled with the folks down home we were engaged in conversation numerous times with complete strangers. Walking on the boardwalk in Sydney or in the local stores people were so friendly that you become aware that maybe we stood out in the crowd. Maybe it was the way we walked or maybe we looked lost or needed help but in any case we became immediate friends with total strangers.

As we were going to breakfast one morning a lady asked us many questions in two minutes and was prepared to continue the conversation were we willing. The people with whom we were obligated to converse with such as the food servers were so friendly that we were impressed the Maritime people were always known as friendly people but since the economy has centered around the tourist industry the whole community seems to have taken the hospitality course.

We love to hear good things about ourselves and the comments we gleaned from people from away almost unanimously said the most charming thing about their Maritime trip was the people. Being from away causes the people from down home to put their best foot forward and it really shows. What is best about it is that it is not put on but genuine good manners and friendliness coming from the heart. I was so proud to be from away but still a down homer at heart.

Amazing Grace

Our neighbour Grace turned 80 the other day and her friends with the help of Renee' celebrated the occasion with a special block party. The weather was supposed to be fine but as it turned out became nasty and tried to dampen the occasion. Renee invited everyone inside to a decorated venue and the flood of friends and neighbours filled every space.

Neighbors mingled and united or reunited in a festive mood. Grace was not privy to the party and when she was escorted into the room was completely speechless for a few moments. I believe every neighbour within blocks showed up and and grace was showered with best wishes and gifts. Grace made it a point to give everyone a hug and made her way through the crowd to personally greet and thank everyone for coming.

Renee's committee provided tasty items for lunch but the main attraction was the beautifully decorated cake. Cheers rose as Grace made the first cut and the ladies began sharing the cake with the guests.

Grace is no ordinary lady. She is capable of looking after her large property and her landscaping is exceptional. She has an inner kindness which makes it easy for her to be generous with all the neighbours. As a crossing guard at a local public school she can name every student she keeps safe and most parents who come by to pick up their youngsters. Her memory goes way beyond as she also knows all the names of the dogs and their masters who happen to walk by her home.

You can be assured that you will see Grace working outside every day during summer and people walking by frequently stop to share a few minutes with her. On a personal note Grace has been a kind and helpful  friend to Theresa and I and when we travel she keeps a watchful eye on our home.

It is fair to say that we all wish Grace the happiest of birthdays and to have continued good health and to remain the person we fondly call Amazing Grace.

Baseball

Watching baseball on a beautiful evening with your grandson in the lineup is a treat for proud grand parents. Unfortunately the score was not too favourable for the home team. Oakville is right on top in the 10 team league but it seems that I watch their losing games. This league features 15 and 16 year olds and the calibre is excellent.

I cannot believe the size of these boys and the dedication of the players and coaches who make it all work. The team demands absolute dedication to play games and be at practises which may last three hours.

The parents are expected to do their part as well and my daughter rarely misses a game or is unavailable for driving. I personally get more joy from watching these kids then seeing our overpaid professionals go through the motions before huge crowds.

There is real character building involved when a kid takes on the responsibility to be a team player and develops skills within fair playing rules and regulations.

Busy Days Ahead

We call these days the dog days of summer but for Theresa and I they are the busy days of summer. During the next days we have many special events to attend. Parties for the 80 year old neighbour who works harder than anyone I have known. A crossing guard during the school year and works on her large property every day and misses her kids all summer. She built her double driveway with bricks a couple of years ago and tore it up and did it again because there was a little dip in one place. She is Scottish and proud of our neighbourhood. When I was unable to do much after surgery she wanted to do my work as well. Needless to say I got better real quick.

A wedding on the weekend is going to be a highlight and on Friday we are attending a party where we will meet the in laws for the first time.It looks like I will have to dress up three times this week and that will be a pleasant change. This wedding will be special as it will be our first grand daughter to get married. Theresa and I will be happy to share time with all our family and new folks from the other side of the family.

We then will be taking Doris to the airport who will fly away to New Brunswick to visit her family and friends. On her return we will be celebrating her 95th birthday.

We need a break so hope to have a great time at my teacher's college reunion in Nova Scotia soon after. At that time we will share time with my family in Cape Breton. Sounds hectic but we really look forward to the busy days of summer.

Pear Marmalade

Pear marmalade is a favourite spread that we make  about this time every year. Actually this is early for our pear tree to be dropping its fruit and I guess it is because of the extremely dry weather.

This fruit spread is great for the breakfast on toast or just as a sweet desert. Our pears are smaller this year but the squirrels do not mind as every one I see has a pear in its mouth or is sitting on the fence eating them as only squirrels can.

We have plenty so we could care less. Our pears ripen quickly after picking so we try to use them in a proper manner. Personally I prefer pears after peaches as my favourite fruit. Our tree has grown so quickly that constant pruning is necessary to keep it in order.

This year we plan to make a dozen bottles of marmalade and we will spruce up the recipe a little for a change.

Lobster Supper After Work

Last week we moved Doris into her new apartment and of course there had to be furniture and clothes as well as household items moved as well. Since Doris wished to have her own bed and familiar things we simply took her whole bedroom set and items from our home.

We knew she would be more comfortable in familiar surroundings and it turned out just like that. Daughter Glenda and her sons Adam and Troy helped us with the heavy lifting so we decided to treat them to a supper at the Keg.

Adam and I had their two and a half pound lobster and Theresa and Glenda decided on something more traditional. Adam as an Upper Canadian handled the lobster in fine fashion and actually ate every part  without hesitation. It probably helps that he works at the Keg as well as going to university and I feel that very little of the half eaten lobster gets thrown out.

We had a great evening and once again this summer Theresa and I have been able to share quality time with the family.

Summer Wine

Each year we go to our local wine making store and purchase two batches of wine. This year we repeated last years order as it appeared to be popular as we are fresh out. Bottling the wine is always a fun thing and it takes only a couple of hours.

We have a wine cellar of sorts under our basement stairs and the temperature is perfect for the storage of wine. I have spaces for 200  bottles but never have nearly that much. I was just dreaming when I over built the room.

Years ago I used to make wine from scratch and had some great successes. I also had produced some of the most expensive vinegar as well. One time I ventured into making peach brandy with my fellow worker Betty. I sold peaches at our general store and we thought we should try this for a change. I think Betty had the recipe but I am not quite sure so I will share the blame.

We made the brew in my pool room and after the allotted time we looked in the huge barrel and saw a golden liquid fit for the Queen. We were told that to make the brandy clear we should put in corn meal and we would be rewarded with the most beautiful brandy.

I had that product at my store and we put it in the barrel and waited for the right time to bottle. After the week Betty and I were ready to taste the liquid and much to our horror we discovered thousand of maggots in our brew. Drunk of course but probably happy. We were so disappointed. I realized after the fact that the meal was old and as was the case contaminated through age.

I tried to strain the maggots out of the brandy but ended up dumping it down the drain. We never talked too much about this lack of success but I was very embarrassed. It was after this event that I left the brewing to the professionals and became a specialist at bottling and drinking the brew.Actually we never had a bad batch after that disaster.

Evening Walk In Oakville Waterfront

After a very busy day Theresa and I decided to take a stroll on the busy but beautiful Oakville waterfront. It was so hot in the city but immediately the temperature dropped 20 degrees when you get out of your car on the shore of Lake Ontario. There were many people who thought as we did and the pier was crowded with fishermen and people just walking in the cool breeze.

We are fortunate to have so much of our waterfront in public ownership. There are several huge marinas on the shoreline and sailboats abound. We love to just sit or walk and view the boats tied up and every evening there is a race out on the lake. Colourful spinnakers on the sailboats and the boats tacking to gain position make a wonderful sight.

Walking paths lead to historic buildings and the cultural hub of our city. Within a few blocks of the downtown we have the arts center, community swimming pool, lawn bowling and one of the prettiest and most active down towns in Canada.

Many of our family frequent the waterfront and enjoy the freedom that only water can give. There is something endearing about a city on the water. The water opens up all types of activities and it is real estate which is owned by everyone. We take advantage of this geographic treasure and feel grateful for the opportunity to experience its beauty whenever we wish.