THE ABOVE GREETING CARD, WAS PRODUCED BY GRAVENHURST ARTIST, AND OUTSTANDING PRINT MAKER, FRANK JOHNSTON. THIS CARD WAS MADE IN THE 1980'S BY JOHNSTON, AS ONE OF HIS MANY HISTORICAL THEMED PAINTINGS, AND THIS ONE FEATURES PIONEER VILLAGE IN HUNTSVILLE. WHAT MAKES THIS ONE SPECIAL FOR ME, IS THAT IT CAME FROM MUSKOKA MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT, FRANK MILLER, AND FAMILY. THERE IS ALSO A SKETCH ON THE INSIDE OF THE HUNTSVILLE TOWN HALL. I RECEIVED THE CARD AS EDITOR OF THE HERALD-GAZETTE. FOR YEARS FRANK AND I SEEMED TO MEET UP ON MOST "WORKING" WEEKENDS OF THE YEAR, TO VISIT MUSKOKA CONSTITUENTS WHO WERE CELEBRATING MILESTONE WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES AND BIRTHDAYS……FRANK PRESENTED CONGRATULATIONS FROM THE PROVINCE, M.P. STAN DARLING, REPRESENTING THE JURISDICTION OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AND I REPRESENTED THE WILLINGNESS OF THE LOCAL PRESS, TO COVER ALL OUR COMMUNITY ACCOMPLISHMENTS. SO EVERY YEAR I GOT A CARD FROM FRANK, (I'M NOT SURE ABOUT STAN) AT CHRISTMAS, AND I HUNG ONTO THEM……AND I'M GLAD I DID. THIS IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF THE OUTSTANDING WORK BY FRANK JOHNSTON. AS I PLAN ON COMPLETING A BIOGRAPHY OF FRANK JOHNSTON THIS YEAR, I WOULD BE DELIGHTED TO SEE ANY CARDS OR PRINTS (ORIGINALS WOULD BE NICE), OF HIS ART WORK, THAT CAN BE USED WITH THE FUTURE ONLINE BIOGRAPHY. I DON'T WANT GRAVENHURST FORGETTING WHO THIS TALENTED MAN WAS, AND HOW HE CONTRIBUTED TO THE ARTS AND CULTURE OF THE COMMUNITY, FOR THOSE YEARS HE LIVED AND WORKED A BLOCK FROM THE MAIN STREET.
WHAT FINDS YOU CAN MAKE AMONGST ALL THE CAR PARTS
MEMORIAL SHADOW BOX AND ANOTHER BIRD COLLECTION
I ARRIVED HOME LATE, SO I DON'T HAVE TIME TO WRITE ABOUT MY EXPERIENCES AT THE "LITTLE BIT WET" TWICE ANNUAL AUTOMOTIVE FLEA MARKET AT BURL'S CREEK PARK, NORTH OF BARRIE ON HIGHWAY ELEVEN. I DID GET A FABULOUS FOLK ART PIECE……A SHELL ENCRUSTED MEMORIAL CROSS, MOUNTED IN A SUBSTANTIAL VICTORIAN-ERA SHADOW BOX, FROM THE LITTLE BRITAIN AREA OF THE PROVINCE. IT'S A BEAUTY. IT WILL BE ON DISPLAY THIS WEEK AT OUR FAMILY SHOP. I ALSO MANAGED TO BUY ANOTHER SMALL BIRD DIORAMA, WITH FOUR WELL PRESERVED FEATHERED FRIENDS, AND WITH A LITTLE CLEANING, WILL BE ON DISPLAY AT OUR MAIN STREET SHOP, ALONGSIDE THE OTHER LARGER VICTORIAN CASE WITH TWELVE BIRDS, I PICKED UP A MONTH AGO IN DOWNTOWN WASHAGO. THE PROBLEM WAS, THAT THE CASE WAS TOO BIG TO CARRY ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE CAR, SO SUZANNE BOUGHT THE SAME KIND OF WAGON, SHE USED TO PULL OUR BOYS IN, BACK IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS, WHEN THEY USED TO HIKE UPTOWN FOR ICE CREAM TREATS IN THE SUMMER. SHE WANGLED THE WAGON FOR TWENTY BUCKS, FROM THE FORTY DOLLAR ASKING PRICE. IT WAS LATE IN THE DAY AND THE GUY WAS WET AND MISERABLE. ANDREW GOT A NICE BASS GUITAR, WITH CASE, AND ROBERT PICKED UP FOURTEEN HARD TO FIND RECORDS. YUP, ALL AT AN AUTOMOTIVE FLEA MARKET. I LOVE THAT SALE. THE NEXT ONE IS IN EARLY JUNE 2013. I'LL TELL YOU MORE ABOUT THE SALE, AND WHAT YOU CAN FIND THERE, IN TOMORROW'S BLOG.
PICTURE OF A GHOST?
This is a photograph of a ghost? It was taken at the former McGibbon House, on Manitoba Street, in Bracebridge, Ontario. (It was torn down a number of years ago). You can read more about the ghost(s) of McGibbon House by referencing back in this collection of blog entries. The black and white image above was one frame of dozens taken with a motor-wind on my news-issue 35mm camera back in the early 1980's. But it was the only frame showing the arc of mist just above and overlapping the door frame itself. It was taken of a doorway into a small hall, where every night at about the same time my cat "Animal" would jump off the small sofa, and stare up at the kitchen wall.
After many months of this happening, and not being able to figure out what was attracting the cat’s attention, I set myself up this particular evening, with a camera, flash and some patience. Within only minutes of my setting up, Animal jumped down and wandered toward the open door, sitting beside the old rocking chair, and on cue looking up. If you see the cat, follow its glance upwards and you will see the misty and curved vapor on the door frame itself. If you draw a line from the cat’s nose to the vapor it’s not far fetched at all to believe this was the object of its curiosity.
I remember shooting about a full roll of 24 frames on this occasion but when my photo technician processed the film the next day, there was only one frame that contained this peculiar half ring of mist. It was determined not to be a light flare or lens flaw as all the other photographs taken with that same camera and lens were perfect......even the ones shot at the same time from the same position.
The event only ever lasted a few moments and just as I was scrambling in my camera bag for another roll of film, Animal had turned and trotted back to the couch to resume his cat-nap. The same thing happened many more nights that year and Animal reacted the same each time. What is curious, if you cross reference stories about the McGibbon homestead, is that my first major paranormal encounter in the house, was experienced on the back stairs several years earlier, just a few feet from where this photograph was taken. I went through the back door into a dark stairway one night, after working at my typewriter in the attic office, and was preparing to head down one more flight of stairs to a lower apartment,.....when without any warning, I walked into a literal wall of damp, chilled, blinding white vapor......contrasted so starkly from the blackness on this second floor landing. It was quite an experience and is detailed in the larger story about the McGibbon House. I suppose this vapor could have been a repeat performance in a very haunted back section of an historic Bracebridge house. Only Animal knew for sure.
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