Posted on March 30, 2015 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

A jewel on the Main

 

 

Some businesses go out of their way to ”put their best foot forward.” This window display at Cameron’s Jewellers just makes a person want to go in and shop. Kudos to Donna Macpherson for this beautiful creation.

Yup. It’s official. This has been the winter from hell. I managed to fall on the ice for the fourth time yesterday after shoveling for a couple of hours. The combination of fluffy snow and a big ass,  prevented me from injuring anything except my pride. I would like to propose a motion that winter officially end. Any seconders?

I was one of the lucky 580 or so people who enjoyed a beautiful lobster dinner at St. James on Friday. These folks know how to put on a lobster dinner. The food was awesome, the service excellent and the volunteers couldn’t have been nicer.

I got around to writing a new story this weekend. It’s called “Paperback Writer.” I can already imagine that this will cause an earworm with at least one person today, humming this old Beatles classic. It’s the story of someone who gets locked in a bookstore midday while an inattentive clerk leaves for lunch and locks the door from the outside. Of course, I have taken great liberties to embellish this true story. I got to thinking after I wrote this: I wonder what would happen if I got locked inside a grocery store over night? Or, how about the liquor store?

I was telling you a few days ago that I was going to publish the story about the bagpiper who plays at a committal ceremony for a homeless person. I confessed up front that this was not an original story. I can’t for the life of me find out who wrote the original. I think I will publish it anyways with a disclaimer. It’s a funny story and,  after the latest snowfall, I think we could all use a laugh. The story is called “The Pipes Are Calling.”

Later this week, Wednesday actually, I will be publishing the story about a train trip from Antigonish to Montreal in March of 1971. It happened during the “storm of the century” in Montreal. It coincided with the marriage of Pierre Elliott Trudeau and Margaret Sinclair. ( two storms of the century,  one might suggest! ). The story is called “The Habs and the Hab Nots.” And, no, you Leaf fans, it’s not a story about the Montreal Canadiens so put your prejudices aside and read it. It’s a pure nostalgia piece for those of us who took the train back in the glory days. I’m sure most of us over 60 have a train story.

As some of you know, the Chamber of Commerce is having its annual president’s dinner on Thursday, April 9^th. The guest speaker is well known CBC investigative journalist and author, Linden MacIntyre. If you are going, you might want to get your tickets early. This could be a sell out. And yours truly will be the MC so I’ll have a bit of fun.

Just a friendly reminder. The fundraising campaign sponsored by Friends of Antigonish Library ( FOAL ) is wrapping up soon. If you want to make a donation, pop into People’s Place library with a cheque made out to Pictou Antigonish Regional Library. This will ensure that you get a receipt for tax purposes. Or, if you are still snowed in ( a distinct possibility ), go to www.parl.ns.ca and make your donation on line. Go to the “donate” button at the top right hand of the page.  Thanks.

Almost done so that you can rush off to work! I will have a table at Saltscapes this year ( April 24/25/26 ). I will be selling books and might ask you to tell your friends to drop by and see me.

Have a great Easter week.

Posted on March 28, 2015 under Storytelling with one comment

The starting point for our return trip on April 11th.

 

 

Tip # 19: Do not announce your arrival at a border crossing

Crossing the border into the United States or Canada always provides a small amount of angst for most travellers, even if you have nothing to hide. When you are traveling with a car loaded down with music equipment, there is always the possibility that you will be noticed.  But occasionally it’s not what’s inside the car that draws the attention of border officials.

In the space of 24 hours, I had spoken with two fine young gentlemen who trace their routes to Heatherton, Nova Scotia.  Go figure.  After a tasty breakfast, Pete, Dave and I walked the streets of Portland.  What we discovered is that this city is known as the craft brew capital of the U.S.  It also has more food trucks than anywhere on the planet and, per capita, must have the most strip clubs in the galaxy.  And … it is the home of Voodoo Donuts.  Apparently this is a must see while in Portland, and being good sports, we thought it best to support the local economy.

We passed through Seattle during supper rush hour.  This is the home of the reigning N.F.L. champs, the Seahawks.  Lots of vehicles had flags attached and you could tell that this was a source of civic pride.

And finally, after close to 10,000 kilometers, we could see “our home and native land” off in the distance as we neared the Peace Arch border crossing into Canada.  We stopped momentarily at the Duty Free shop and then queued up in a very short lineup.  It is about 50 feet from the Duty Free to the border and it was there that the muffler decided to give up the ghost.  Rather than announcing our arrival like a purring kitten, we pulled up to the booth with a deep throaty roar.  It was almost like we were proclaiming “We’re back!”

We arrived in Vancouver, in the rain.  A welcome shower to cleanse the dust of many miles off the car!

Tip # 20:  Choose your travelling partner wisely

Travelling with anybody for 17 days, with much of it confined to a car, isn’t easy.  It requires a lot of patience and compromise as you learn about each other’s idiosyncrasies.  If you choose the wrong partner, it may be a very long trip.  But if you choose well, it can very well be the trip of a lifetime.

We had a fantastic supper with my brother Don, at a small Indian restaurant in his neighborhood.  I think Vancouver may have the best selection of ethnic restaurants on the continent.

The final leg of our trip started with a detour into Delta so that Peter could pick up a couple of speakers.  The purchase had been arranged a few weeks earlier online.  I was wondering how on earth we could possibly fit a single sheet of paper into an already jam-packed vehicle, let along two fairly large speakers.  Obviously I am not a professional musician, as they are used to finding ways to make gear fit anywhere.

After a short ferry ride, the city of Victoria emerged on the horizon.

Not everyone gets a chance to drive across a continent, and even fewer have the opportunity to do it with one of their children. It takes a confluence of events, perfect timing and a very understanding spouse.

I am one of the lucky ones and I am proud to say that Pete and I completed the trip of a lifetime with our friendship still intact!  Make no mistake.  It was a gruelling journey and even the best of friends will have moments of frustration, especially when there is a generation gap involved.  As usual, we found much more common ground than disparity.  The apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree.

It was a wonderful history and geography lesson combined.  We saw a lot, did a lot and ate a lot.  There is a basketful of memories and some gorgeous pictures documented through Peter’s eyes and camera lens.

Yes indeed.  As Tom Cochrane so aptly sings, “Life is a highway. I wanna ride it all night long”.

( We will be making the return trip from Vancouver to Halifax on April 11th. through the Northern U.S.  Stay tuned for pictures and stories. )

Posted on March 26, 2015 under Thursday Tidbits with no comments yet

Strumming a tune at Days Gone By Restaurant in Guysborough

 

 

Have you noticed the signs of spring? Did you see your first robin? Is the water running freely in the brook beside your property? Have you noticed the lengthening of the days? Yes, these are all sure fire signs of spring but I know conclusively that spring is on its way. I encountered the first dead skunk on the road the other day while driving down to Guysborough.

Ok. You can all stop laughing now. My face plant last weekend has had close to 1000 views… hardly viral but respectable. I think my kids laughed harder than anyone. Did you miss it? Want to see it one more time? Click… and laugh. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv5gSmeTfs8

There’s always a first for something and the other day, I travelled to Port Hawkesbury at the invitation of a book club. This group of people have been meeting every month for fifteen years. They read a book and then get together for a cup of tea and a cookie and discuss the book’s contents. I was honored that they chose my first book “ Living and Laughing @ MyWeek 45” for their last meeting. I was laughing before I even got to the back door of the hostess’s house. I noticed that their driveway had been sanded with… wait for this, kitty litter! Yes, just days after publishing the story, “ Don’t Rain ( or Snow or Sleet ) on my Parade,” there was a trail of kitty litter. I am no expert but I think it was of the clumping variety.

I spent a delightful hour and a half with this wonderful group of women. We had plenty of laughs. We were just about to disburse when one of the women, Karen, told us this story of her getting locked inside a bookstore. I won’t spoil the story but an inattentive clerk locked the store to go to lunch and didn’t notice that a customer was crouched down looking for a book on the bottom shelf. Five minutes later , I was scratching out as many details as possible. This has the makings of a fine story indeed. Stay tuned.

This Saturday ( mercifully ), I will be publishing the final chapter of my travel saga called “Transcontinental Travel Tips.” That’s the good news. Do you want to hear the bad news? Peter and I are going to travel across the continent again in about two weeks time, by a different route. I’ll fly out and meet him in Vancouver and we’ll head to Washington State and take the northern route through the U.S. re-entering Canada in Windsor. We only have 6 days to do the trip so there won’t be a lot of stopping for sightseeing. I’m sure Peter will get some great pictures and no doubt, I’ll get some new story ideas.

And coming up next week, keep your eye out for the story “ The Habs and the Hab Nots.” No, it’s not about the Montreal Canadiens but rather a story about a train trip to Montreal some of us took in 1971. We arrived in Montreal the day of “the storm of the century.” It was also the day that the nation was surprised to find out that Pierre Trudeau got married. This is a nostalgia piece for those of you who ever took the train from Antigonish . Ah, the good old days.

Have a great weekend.