Posted on October 16, 2014 under Thursday Tidbits with no comments yet

A golfer’s last gasp before the snow flies

 

 

It’s just about time to put away the golf clubs for another season, all you golfers. Spent a glorious day on Monday with my son, Peter up at Cabot Links. He played while I walked and took in the sights. Their sister course, Cabot Cliffs, is due to open next year. The golf gurus are already suggesting that the new course could be one of the top ten golf courses… in the world. This is great news for the local economy.

Quick. Which teacher had the most profound effect on your life? It could have been an elementary teacher or a university prof. Many of us were taught by Sisters. I think it is safe to say that most of them were stern taskmasters and didn’t put up with much nonsense. They were never reluctant to put you in your place. Sometimes that place was in the hallway or in the principal’s office. Most of them are long retired and it is my hope to get down to their retirement home in Cape Breton to see if I can get them to tell me what it was like growing up in a religious order and teaching young people. Sounds to me like either of these endeavours is a sure fire way to heaven. If they taught junior high, they’ve already experienced hell.

Obviously you were far too busy stuffing your face over the Thanksgiving weekend to respond to an earlier query. I didn’t receive many dieting stories but that didn’t stop me from “weighing in” on the subject. Just about everybody I know, has, at one point or other in their lives, tried to shed a few pounds. Coming up soon is my take on dieting. The story is called “ Lost and Found.” The pundits are already calling it a winner. Fat chance!

Betty and I are planning to drive to Florida in just over a week’s time. My guess is that you will be deluged with “stories from the road.” I will try and restrain myself from writing any more shopping stories. I think I’ve beaten that topic to death.

I was hanging out at the Farmer’s Market last weekend and was chatting with another male. We were occupying one of the picnic tables and just shooting the breeze. I says…” Looks like you’re not much of a shopper either.” He gave me that knowing male grin. He and his wife were on their way to Glace Bay to visit grandchildren. This was the first stop on the journey. He promised me that there would be several more stops and their ETA in “the Bay” was around midnight.

Oh, the colors. The drive to Inverness was absolutely stunning the other day. There was a lot of chatter in Cape Breton about Celtic Colors. Haven’t made it to that festival yet but that’s on the bucket list. Hope to launch my story, “Celtic Colors Celestial Choir” this coming weekend.

One more bowl of turkey soup and I think Thanksgiving will finally be over. There is one rather large piece of carrot cake staring at me from the fridge. I am weak in the knees. I know I will succumb any time now.

Have a terrific weekend.

Posted on October 15, 2014 under Storytelling with no comments yet

Photo courtesy of Antigonish Heritage Museum

 

 

I recently saw a screening of a short film on the exterior wall of the local theater. It was part of an arts extravaganza called “Art after Dark” or to locals, “Antigonight”.  It was an unseasonably warm evening and a small crowd had assembled for the viewing. It was an original film produced by an up and coming local artist that was thoroughly enjoyed by all.  It felt good to stand in this random cluster, drawn together by chance for a few moments of solidarity.  With the technology explosion of late there are countless other ways to entertain ourselves, many of them solitary activities experienced within the confines of our houses.

But it wasn’t always this way. There was a time when the movie theater was the beating heart of most small communities; an escape from the drudgery of everyday toil … when playing cards or tag or red rover was just not entertaining enough.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

I can still see Mary Poppins flying through the air in this 1964 classic film. I remember going to the candy store across from the theater, clutching my hard earned allowance of 50 cents.  Or down to Foch’s Corner Store to get a Macintosh‘s toffee (lasted longer than sponge toffee!).  Admission to see the show was 37 cents, which left 13 cents for treats.  And let me tell you, back then 13 cents could buy a young person a full blown bellyache.

Some people didn’t get an allowance and had to be creative. The community dump used to be located right in town, where the Public Works building now stands.  Saturday was important as much of the garbage was collected and dropped off on that day.  Industrious young guys would hang around and gather up beer bottles.  They would march right over to Pete Poirier’s Bottle Exchange.  They would make enough to go to the show with a bag of candy.  Pete, in his wisdom, was also a purveyor of sugar laced confections.

Going to the theater on a Saturday afternoon was as much a religious experience as going to Mass on Sunday. We couldn’t wait to see the next Western movie or watch the high jinks of Larry, Moe and Curly Joe.  And when Superman came to town; well, you could expect huge lineups.

Just about everyone has a memorable story to tell about going to the movie theatre. Four young girls from a staunch Catholic family were being treated to a movie by their grandmother.  For the seven year old, this was her first experience.  The grandmother marched them in like a battalion of well-trained soldiers, similar to the weekly parade to Sunday Mass.  She picked the aisle and pointed to the long row of red velvet seats.  The youngest was the first to go in and dropped to one knee, executing a perfect genuflection, much to the horror of her siblings.  Her grandmother stifled laughter and it was only years later that this child was told the truth of the matter.

And some of you will remember Nesbitt’s orange soda; you could gain admittance to the matinee if you could produce 5 Nesbitt bottle caps (or crowns, as they were called). For most of us that was a tall order but if your parents owned a restaurant that was almost a license to print money … in soda lids, that is.  One young enterprising lass showed up at a Roy Rogers/Dale Evans show with a brown paper bag stuffed to the gills with Nesbitt crowns.  On this day she was easily the most popular person in town.  She dispensed them to anyone who wanted free admission.  Even the manager, John B., saw the humour in this.  “Free for all” took on a whole new meaning.

Movie theaters today just don’t provide the same viewing experience, especially the large multi-screen behemoths that dot the landscape. The old theaters had character.  Most of them had a separate small cage where the ticket attendant sat.  The floors had thick, lush carpet.  I`m not sure if this was the healthiest choice of décor but it gave the place a unique feel.  And there was the unmistakable aroma of hot buttered popcorn.

Looking back, 1964 dished up an interesting melange of movies, most that I could attend but a few that were off limits. After hearing The Beatles produce hit after hit, we got to see them in the not so memorable movie, “Hard Day’s Night”.   I watched my first James Bond action movie that year with the release of “Goldfinger”.  And old swivel hips (Elvis the Pelvis!) himself starred in “Viva Las Vegas”.

Most thirteen year old boys begged their parents to see one movie, in particular. It wasn’t a “duster” as we called the Western genre, an action thriller or a comedy.  No, it was something much more intriguing and the title certainly got everyone’s attention: “Sex and the Single Girl”.  The only conceivable way to see this classic was to sneak in, something that the more adventurous guys did routinely.

It is still exciting to go and watch a flick on the big screen. A night out will always feel more special than an evening at home.  Back then, I couldn’t wait for the lights to go out so that I might be so bold as to hold a young woman’s hand, one of life’s greatest thrills.

Today, if I’m lucky, my better half will hold my hand at the movies. I’m not certain whether this is a sign of affection or whether she’s just checking my pulse to make sure I’m alive when I nod off.

 

Posted on October 13, 2014 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

The Landing – Thanksgiving 2014

 

 

This is going to be short and sweet. Many of you have already had your Thanksgiving dinner and are suffering turkey torpor. The rest of you will dine sometime today. Either way, don’t forget to set your scales back 10 pounds. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving.

It was a very busy weekend but not too busy to write some stories. I penned one for this week’s edition of the Cape Breton Star. It will appear on my website at a later date. With Celtic Colors on this week, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge this with a story. A festival of this magnitude did not happen overnight. In my story titled “ Celtic Colors Celestial Choir,” I pay tribute to some of the trailblazers from Cape Breton who laid the groundwork for this extravaganza.

My “celestial choir” is composed of John Morris Rankin on piano, John Allan Cameron on 12 string guitar and Buddy MacMaster on fiddle. The vocalists are Rita MacNeil and Raylene Rankin. As my dear old departed friend , Gary Thompson used to say, “ not too shabby.” If you’re in Cape Breton this week, pick up a copy of The Star on Thursday. It’s a free publication.

I also have another tribute piece coming up. I’m keeping it a secret for the time being but I am certain this one will be well received.

Waiting in the wings is my Halloween story and the one on dieting. It might make sense to run the dieting story this week after a weekend of heavy duty eating. I didn’t really need that second piece of homemade butterscotch cream pie!

My long awaited story (!) about the Capitol Theatre will appear on my website and in The Casket this Wednesday. On a recent trip to PEI, I was discussing the story with a friend and he commented that back in the day, the theatre was the only show in town. I thought that would make an excellent title for the story. “ The Only Show in Town.”

I’m sure many of you were taught by the sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame. They sure learned me good! I have shed the light on them in a few other stories and hope to do a full length piece in the not too distant future. All of them are retired and several of them reside in Sydney. I plan to make a trip down to visit with them.

Three of my four children were home on the weekend and they did a run through of the music they will perform at the fundraiser on October 26^th. They have an awesome lineup of tunes. You might want to get your tickets sooner than later, from Brendan’s Fairway, from a committee member or from yours truly.

So much for brevity. Have a great week.