JAMES SNOW GAVE ME A GREAT PHOTOGRAPHIC OPPORTUNITY - AT FRANK MILLER'S EXPENSE
WHEN I'VE MENTIONED THE PHOTOGRAPH ABOVE, IN PREVIOUS BLOGS, SOME HAVE DOUBTED THE STORY. SO HERE IS THE PHOTOGRAPH. I WAS MOVING SOME BOOKS BEFORE WE HIT THE ROAD THIS MORNING, FOR A LITTLE SIGHTSEEING, ANTIQUE PICKING MOTOR TRIP, AND THE OLD PHOTOGRAPH, FROM THE 1980'S, FELL OUT AND LANDED ON MY FOOT…..FACE UP. I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS IMAGE FOR THE PAST YEAR. THIS IS HOW IT HAPPENS FOR THIS LESS-THAN-NEAT ARCHIVIST.
BRIEFLY, I WAS AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF A NEW HUNTSVILLE OVERPASS, BACK IN THE 1980'S AND THE RIBBON CUTTING WAS TO BETWEEN THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORTATION, JAMES SNOW, ON THE LEFT, AND MUSKOKA MPP, AND TREASURER OF ONTARIO, FRANK MILLER. JIM CAME UP TO ME A FEW MOMENTS BEFORE THE OFFICIAL RIBBON CUTTING, TO ASK A FAVOR. HE WANTED TO SURPRISE FRANK BY CUTTING OFF HIS TIE, INSTEAD OF THE RIBBON, PULLED TIGHT ACROSS THE ON-RAMP OF THE OVERPASS. HE TOLD ME TO WATCH FOR HIS SIGNAL, AND SNAP THE SHOT. I HAD A MOTORWIND ON THE CAMERA SO I PROBABLY GOT FIVE OR SIX WITHIN A FEW SECONDS, OF JIM SWITCHING FROM THE RIBBON, TO FRANK'S TIE. SO HERE IT IS…..MY FAVORITE AS A NEWS PHOTOGRAPHER. THE ONLY ONE BETTER THAN THIS, WAS A PHOTO OF MUSKOKA MP STAN DARLING, GETTING A HAIR OR SOMETHING IN A HAMBURGER, AT A LOCAL FALL FAIR, AND LOOKING AT THE HALF-EATEN BURGER WITH GREAT CURIOSITY…..AND SOME CONCERN. WE RAN IT. ACTUALLY, WE RAN A SEQUENCE OF THREE IMAGES OF STAN EATING THAT HAMBURGER. AS REPORTERS, WE LOVED TO CATCH SOMETHING DIFFERENT, WITH OUR POLITICAL REPRESENTATIVES, BECAUSE THE USUAL "GRIP AND GRIN" STUFF WAS SO BORING AND PREDICTABLE. SO JIM SNOW DID ME A REAL FAVOR THAT DAY, AND I'VE NEVER FORGOTTEN IT. HE HAD A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR. FRANK ROLLED WITH IT, AS USUAL. BOTH MEN HAVE SINCE PASSED, BUT I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU, BEING IN THEIR COMPANY MADE REPORTING SEEM SO MUCH MORE EXCITING, THAN THE USUAL DAY TO DAY PHOTO-CALLS, AND FEATURE STORIES WITH NO MEAT ON THE BONES. THEY SUFFERED FROM BOREDOM JUST LIKE US, AND SO, SOMETIMES, WE JUST DIDN'T FOLLOW PROTOCOL. IN THIS CASE, JIM LED THE WAY.
A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL - BUT WE STILL WORKED ON A DAY OFF
WHEN WORK IS A JOY, IS IT STILL WORK?
FROM THE VERY EARLY DAYS OF OUR RELATIONSHIP, BEFORE OUR WONDERFUL AUTUMN WEDDING, SUZANNE AND I WERE TRAVELLERS. NOT WORLD TRAVELLERS. NOT EVEN CROSS-CANADA ROAMERS. EVEN PROVINCIALLY, WE WERE MORE REGIONAL IN OUR MOTOR TRIPS. IT'S NOT THAT WE HADN'T TRAVELLED FURTHER AFIELD IN OUR LIVES, BUT WHEN WE BEGAN MAPPING OUT OUR FUTURE TOGETHER, WE DECIDED TO DO WHAT SATISFIED OUR INTERESTS FOR ADVENTURE. SURE, WE DID THE RELAXING, COTTAGE-DOCK THING, AT THE FAMILY COTTAGE ON LAKE ROSSEAU. BUT WE WANTED MORE. WITH THE ANTIQUE TRADE BEING AT THE HEART OF IT ALL, WE TRAVELLED AS PICKERS IN THE MID-1980'S, AND HIT ALL THE NEAT HOLE-IN-THE-WALL SHOPS FROM PENETANG, MIDLAND, OWEN SOUND, COLLINGWOOD, MEAFORD, WYEVILLE, AND OVER TO SUTTON, JACKSON'S POINT, BEAVERTON (WE'VE GOT A SOFT SPOT FOR BEAVERTON WHERE WE SPENT LOTS OF TIME), KESWICK, PFEFFERLAW, LINDSAY, FENLON FALLS, AND THEN UP TO MINDEN, HALIBURTON, DORSET, DWIGHT, HUNTSVILLE, AND UP TO MAGNETEWAN, BURK'S FALLS, BACK OVER TO ROSSEAU, AND THE REST OF THE MUSKOKA EXPERIENCE. BUT THERE ARE A THOUSANDS MORE PLACES WE LOVED TO VISIT AND STOPOVER FOR A PICNIC, LIKE BAYSVILLE, AND STOUFFVILLE, AND THE LIST GOES ON AND ON.
OUR MAIN LOVE IS MUSKOKA - AND WE WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT IT
Admittedly, we always loved coming home at the end of the day, exhilarated, with lots of stories, and pretty much exhausted from the long drive. We'd arrive home with a vehicle stuffed with the finds of the day, and feeling as if we had thoroughly combed the countryside for Canadiana. We were excellent pickers in those days, when there were a lot fewer antique dealers to compete with…..and far more second hand shops with exceptionally low prices. The important aspect of these motor trips, was that we had a chance to experience our region, Ontario, and the people who reside and work in these fascinating little communities we got to know. As I have written about a thousand travel pieces, and still do for "Curious; The Tourist Guide," and the "Great North Arrow," I need trips like these to gather editorial material for future feature stories. So there are no wasted trips, even if we do come back with a lesser selection of collectibles than we did once upon a time. Suzanne and I have had some great fun out there on the road, and met up with many interesting folks, at museums and historic sites, antique shops, flea markets, at churches and community centers, where charity sales were being held. Sometimes I hate the fact it has come the time of day, when we have to head back home. Not that I don't want to come home, because I love our region of the province. Just that I don't want the good times to end.
For those who know us, you'll appreciate that we took our boys, Andrew and Robert on the outings from the time they were newborns and they can say, if asked, they've had thousands of travel miles in this province, and a lot of it by canoe in Algonquin Park. We used to leave early on a Saturday, for a day trip to Algonquin, but before we got there, we would have hit every antique shop, yard sale and flea market found along the way. If we stayed for a few days, we even crossed the park to the east gate, and hit the antique shops on the way to Ottawa. They began buying as well, with their allowances, and it's how they got into the vintage music industry today…….finding old vinyl and musical instruments from a very young age, on these same mild but interesting regional adventures. But it wasn't work in the traditional sense. It's why their business today isn't a burden to them generally……because it was honed by our many picking trips, north, south, east and west.
On our day off, Sunday, of the Labour Day weekend, we were off traveling again as a family, after all these years. It is always a treat when the four of us can get together, on a weekend, especially if it involves a road trip, good food (we love dining out), and hunting the kind of neat stuff we sell at their Gravenhurst shop. We have never found it a hardship in this way. Even though "taking a day off" should mean laying on a sunny dock somewhere, listening to the waves washing against the shore, we find recreation in our occupations. Picking! Buying and selling old stuff. When I was editor of the former Herald-Gazette in Bracebridge, the only thing that kept me sane, was our weekend automobile tours, and general antique hunting. I looked forward to it all week. I had to grit my teeth a lot, in the newspaper office, because I didn't get along with my overseers, who felt I should work more for less, as well as deliver newspapers. Can you believe that? It may have been the one time in my life, that I actually felt I was about to catch fire, by spontaneous combustion, and if I was right, I planned to dive onto the manager's desk, and spread the carnage. Antique hunting lowered the core temperature, whenever I felt a meltdown was coming.
Some folks relax by fishing, hiking, or biking but what has worked for us, has been a togetherness thing, and all tied up into the business of antiques. Today we had a blast and got really neat stuff in some intriguing places. I arrived home with a large 1970's model plane, minus the working engine, mid 1800's rope bed, with just the boards front and back, that I'm going to make into a quilt rack for my partner to display her latest finds. Suzanne got a circa 1909 ceremonial menu, for a celebratory dinner, in recognition of the opening of the South Falls power supply to Gravenhurst…..(I don't have it in front of me at the moment, but will present in on this blog tomorrow…..so tune in). What a gem. Found it in Orillia. Suzanne got some vintage handmade dresses from the 1950's, a bag full of sewing collectibles, and a toy sewing machine she'll place in her store showcase. The lads got lots and lots of vintage records, an acoustic guitar and some drum gear. But it wasn't work. It was just a shopping adventure. When I write about working seven days a week…..well, technically, this is work, "hunting" these pieces. It just doesn't seem like work, and it never has, since their mom and pop got together, and had some of the most enchanting, wonderful motor trips through this beautiful countryside. I always like the harvest season trips the best. Today was no exception. The first stop. Egos Farm, southwest of Orillia, toward Medonte, where we once again, got our fresh peaches and cream corn, beautiful small potatoes, beans, late strawberries, peppers and the most incredible butter tarts. Wow. A culinary work of art. Yup, it was a good start to the day, and it ended just as it began. Us wishing for the very next opportunity, to have another sightseeing trip throughout our picturesque part of Ontario.
We have always maintained the same attitude, that if this antique hunting and picking thing, ever becomes boring, or too much like work, we'll quit and take up something else. So far, knock on a big chunk of wood, we haven't run out of the zeal we have for travel and discovery. How about you? Do you enjoy an automobile trip through the hinterland? A chance to see how the rest of Ontario's rural population lives and works? I have always enjoyed re-reading the biography of the comedian / actor, W.C. Fields, who was a great enthusiast of motor trips without having any destination planned…..that might limit the spontaneous connections with places and the people who lived there……and there were many examples of trips that lasted days and weeks longer than was originally assumed by those close to the actor. He and mates loaded the automobile with food and beverage, and all the comforts that would fit onboard, and they travelled to the horizon and beyond, stopping for fabulously elegant picnics, a favorite of the eccentric Fields. And then they were off again, to destinations unknown……where the road took them. We have a little tighter budget of time, in which to enjoy this recreation, but we jam a lot into a short period of time. I hope the boys will think back fondly on these great family adventures, and it would please us to know end, to think they will offer their future families the same opportunities, to explore the province and country they reside.
We've got some real work to do at the shop tomorrow, and it will involve lifting, shoving, repairing and getting ready for the fall season in the retail environs. Ah, it's still a pleasure to be working at something you enjoy this much. A young person we know, was complaining some time ago, about not enjoying his present job. I'm sure it's true, and I suggested he look at making improvements in his life, and working toward the establishment of his own business…….which, admittedly, is one of his choices but finds it hard to afford. Since my boys began their shop, on a shoestring budget, they have known the difference, between having a job to pay the bills, and having a way to pay the bills……and it's the same for us, that we occupy ourselves in a field we know we can excel, and profit, without feeling the weight of any ponderous length of chain, dragging behind. So many working stiffs feel this way. It's unfortunate but possibly, not irreparable.
Thanks for joining this Labour Day weekend blog. Hope you're having some time to recuperate after a busy summer season. Maybe you've taken the summer off, and are already relaxed and raring to go on autumn projects. Good for you. Please join me again soon.
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