Souvenirs of the world deserve better treatment by those who hunt and sell antiques; Muskoka souvenirs

Each day new life forms unfurl in the lowland we call the bog. Rob Currie photos

Souvenir, Victorian era, promotion of the industrial potential of Bracebridge; the rail line means that it was after 1885. The building to the right of the tracks is the Bird's Woollen Mill and the building to the right is the short lived Hess Furniture Company. On loan from Chris Thomspon

Not sure where exactly these bovines were located but the photograph was given to me by Audrey Judd of Juddhaven Resort on Lake Rosseau

This photograph was found in Gravenhurst but I can't place the location exactly. Photo from the early part of the 1900's.

VINTAGE SOUVENIRS HAVE BEEN GROSSLY UNDER RECOGNIZED -

AS RELATES TO THEIR HISTORICAL RELEVANCE TO THE PLACES OUR ANCESTORS TRAVELLED, AND KEEPSAKES TO REMIND THEM OF THOSE OCCASIONS

     WE CURRIES HAD A LOW KEY CELEBRATION LAST NIGHT, WITH A NICE CHOCOLATE CAKE SUZANNE WHIPPED-UP, TO MARK THE OCCASION OF OUR LAST MORTGAGE PAYMENT. BIRCH HOLLOW IS FINALLY PAID OFF AND WHAT AN ADVENTURE IT WAS OVER TWENTY-FIVE YEARS. THERE WERE TIMES WHEN I DIDN'T KNOW IF WE WERE GOING TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THE VERY NEXT PAYMENT, AND OTHER TIMES, WHEN SUZANNE AND I WONDERED IF IT WOULD BE BEST, ALL ROUND, TO SELL, AND TAKE WHATEVER WE COULD GET, FROM OUR ORIGINAL, AND LARGE DOWNPAYMENT. WE DID ENTERTAIN THE POSSIBILITY OF RETURNING BACK TO BRACEBRIDGE, WITH TAIL BETWEEN THE LEGS, WHERE OUR FAMILY MEMBERS STILL RESIDED. BELIEVE ME, WE HAD A LOT OF FRIENDS, WHO THOUGHT WE WERE CRAZY, MOVING SOUTH TO GRAVENHURST. WELL, TODAY, WE KNOW THEY WERE WRONG. THERE WAS ONE THING THAT WAS UNFALTERING, EVEN WHEN WE WERE DOWN TO OUR LAST FEW DOLLARS; WE POSSESSED A HUGE POSITIVE ATTITUDE. WE WEREN'T QUITTERS IN ANYTHING WE SET OUR MIND TO DO! IT WAS ABOUT GRAVENHURST. TIME AND AGAIN, IT WAS PROVEN TO US, THAT WE HAD MADE THE RIGHT DECISION TO RE-LOCATE FROM OUR FORMER HOME IN BRACEBRIDGE. IN SO MANY WAYS, THE COMMUNITY OF GRAVENHURST CAME THROUGH FOR US, WHEN EVERYTHING ELSE SEEMED TO BE GOING WRONG. AND WHEN I SUGGEST "GOING WRONG," I MEAN THAT, IN EVERY WAY, SHAPE AND FORM. WE HAD SO MANY THINGS GOING SOUTH AT THE SAME TIME, WE ACTUALLY HAD TO WRITE IT ALL DOWN, SO WE COULD KEEP IT STRAIGHT. WE HAD A CAR THAT SHUT ITSELF OFF AT SIXTY MILES PER HOUR. NOW THAT MAKES DRIVING SLIGHTLY PRECARIOUS. THE ONLY KARMA WE COULD COUNT ON, WAS WHAT BENEFITTED US, AND KEPT US ENCOURAGED, IN OUR NEW HOMETOWN. IT CERTAINLY HELPED TO HAVE PURCHASED A HOUSE ACROSS FROM A TWENTY ACRE GREENBELT, WE CALLED THE BOG. IT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS WE FOUGHT TOOTH AND NAIL, A FEW YEARS BACK, WHEN COUNCIL, IN THEIR NON-WISDOM, WANTED TO SELL IT OFF, AND PAVE THE WAY FOR AN EVENTUAL CLEAR-CUT, FOR MORE UNNEEDED RESIDENTIAL LOTS. TO HELL WITH THE ECO SYSTEM OF A LOWLAND.
     IN FACT, OR A VERY PERSONAL LEVEL, IT'S THE SAME REASON WE GET PISSED OFF WITH MANY OTHER TOWN INITIATIVES, OR LACK OF, THESE DAYS; WHEN WE CAN LOOK BACK TO PREVIOUS COUNCILS, DATING BACK TO THE LATE 1980'S, AND FEEL THEY WERE SO MUCH MORE IN-TUNE WITH WHAT CONSTITUTED A PROGRESSIVE COMMUNITY, HAVING MUCH MORE TO DO WITH QUALITY OF LIFE THAN EXPANSIONISM. I FIND MYSELF AT ODDS, A LOT THESE DAYS, AND IT'S BECAUSE OF A LOYALTY OUR WHOLE FAMILY FEELS, ABOUT OUR ADOPTED HOMETOWN. IT'S THE WAY OF LIFE WE LIKE HERE, THAT KEEPS US HERE, BUT THERE ARE STRESSES COMING FROM ALL OVER THE PLACE THESE DAYS. SO WHEN WE REAR-UP FROM TIME TO TIME, BELIEVE ME, IT'S IN REACTION TO PERCEIVED COMPROMISES, SUCH AS THE EVER-SHRINKING RELEVANCE OF THE GRAVENHURST OPERA HOUSE, AS COMPARED TO THE WAY IT WAS, WHEN WE MOVED TO TOWN. I BELIEVE IT IS A SHADOW OF ITS FORMER SELF, AND WE'VE TRIED OUR BEST TO ENCOURAGE COUNCIL TO INVOLVE CONSTITUENTS, TO HELP FORGE A BETTER FUTURE FOR THIS ICONIC UPTOWN VENUE.
     ALL IN ALL, WE ARE PLEASED WITH THE DECISION WE MADE BACK IN THE FALL OF 1989, TO BUY A HOUSE HERE IN GRAVENHURST. OUR BOYS ENJOYED THE EVER-PREVALENT RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE, IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, AND WE OFTEN SPENT MORE TIME AT THE WHARF, WATCHING THE COMINGS AND GOINGS OF THE R.M.S. SEGWUN, THAN WE DID PLAYING IN OUR OWN YARD. WE COULDN'T AFFORD TO TAKE FREQUENT CRUISES, BUT ALWAYS MANAGED TWO STEAMSHIP OUTINGS, EACH SUMMER SEASON. BUT IT WAS THE FAVORITE LOCATION FOR PICNICS. IT WAS FREE, WITH EXCEPTION OF THE PICNIC FARE. THE BOYS BENEFITTED FROM ATTENDING GRAVENHURST PUBLIC SCHOOL AND GRAVENHURST HIGH SCHOOL, FROM THEIR EARLIER START IN BRACEBRIDGE. WHEN THEY GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL, THEY WENT RIGHT INTO BUSINESS AS MAIN STREET RETAILERS, AND TEN YEARS LATER, WE'RE STILL IN THE SAME LOCATION IN BUSINESS, AND THE SAME, A FEW BLOCKS OVER, AS A HOME ADDRESS. AND WHILE WE GET ANGRY OCCASIONALLY, AT SOME FOIBLE OF TOWN COUNCIL, AND ALL THE ASSOCIATED POLITICS THAT GO ON AROUND HERE, MAKING ADVERSARIES OUT OF PEOPLE WHO SHOULD BE WORKING TOGETHER, WE STILL FINISH A DAY, AT THE SHOP, AND FEEL SATISFIED WE ARE IN THE RIGHT LOCATION FOR OUR BUSINESS. WHEN WE ARRIVE HOME, (ALL OF US ARRIVE AT DIFFERENT TIMES), WE FEEL WELCOMED AND COMFORTED BY THE MODEST APPOINTMENTS OF OUR BIRCH HOLLOW. RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING, IT HAS BEEN THE OLD HOMESTEAD, THAT HAS HEALED THE WAR WOUNDS OF A TOUGH DAY, WEEK AND MONTH. FORGIVE US IF WE SEE IT AS A MINOR BUT SIGNIFICANT VICTORY, TO HAVE FINALLY ARRIVED AT THIS POINT IN TIME, WHEN WE CAN LOOK ABOUT THE MODEST, TREED YARD, WITH BASIC BUNGALOW, AND TRULY FEEL, WE INVESTED POSITIVELY IN HOME AND TOWN, WITH NO REGRETS.
     SO I ATE A VICTORY DINNER, AND A LATER PORTION OF MEATLOAF, PREPARED FOR ANDREW AND ROBERT, AND LOTS OF CAKE. A MAN WITH A HIATUS HERNIA SHOULD NOT DO THIS AT ANY TIME. DID I MENTION A BIG BOTTLE OF CARBONATED SODA WATER. I NEARLY EXPLODED LIKE THE CHARACTER IN THE FAMOUS MONTY PYTHON SKIT. SO I HAD LOTS OF AWAKE TIME, TO THINK ABOUT OUR PAST TWENTY-FIVE YEARS HERE, IN THIS LITTLE HOUSE, ABOVE THE SHADY BOG. I THINK THE MEMORIES ARE ALL SO MUCH MORE POIGNANT FOR ME, BECAUSE OF THE NEAR MISSES WE HAD, AND THE RECESSION OF THE EARLY 1990'S, THAT SHAVED ABOUT THIRTY THOUSANDS DOLLARS OFF THE APPRAISED VALUE. WE KEPT OUR FAITH THAT THINGS WOULD WORK OUT. IN THE YARD, BURIED HERE AND THERE, ARE THE REMAINS OF PET CATS AND A DOG, ALL MARKED BY LITTLE STATUETTES. AS WE INTEND TO PASS THE HOUSE DOWN TO OUR BOYS EVENTUALLY, SUZANNE AND I HOPE THE MEMORIES OF THOSE GREATLY LOVED CRITTERS, WILL BE PART OF THE STORIED YEARS OF A FAMILY OCCUPATION, OF A WONDERFUL PLACE AMONGST THE LEANING BIRCHES, AND VENERABLE MAPLES IN THE YARD.
     AS SUZANNE AND I HAVE WORRIED ABOUT MAKING MORTGAGE PAYMENTS, FOR TWO AND A HALF DECADES, WE WONDERED ALOUD LAST EVENING, WHAT WE WOULD WORRY ABOUT NOW. WELL SIR, A NEIGHBOR HAS RECENTLY RE-DIRECTED A PRETTY FAIR WHACK OF RUN-OFF WATER, FROM HIS PLACE, TOWARD OURS, SO THAT'S ONE TO THING TO BE ANXIOUS ABOUT, RIGHT OFF THE BAT. I HAD TO DIG A CANAL A WEEK AGO, TO SAVE OUR LAWN FROM BECOMING A SINK-HOLE. GOOD TIMES. BUT YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE WHOLE PICTURE, THERE'S NO WAY A NEWFOUND WATER ISSUE, IS GOING TO SPOIL OUR OPINIONS OF HOME. IT'S NOT FANCY, BUT IT IS WONDERFULLY FAMILIAR, AND EASES OUR LIVES GENTLY, AND IS ALWAYS OUR PROTECTOR, AS IF IT WAS A FORTRESS, MORE SO THAN A 1980'S BUNGALOW. THANK YOU BIRCH HOLLOW. THANK YOU GRAVENHURST.

SOUVENIRS AND THE LIKE

     WHEN OUR BRACEBRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL BAND, LANDED IN LONDON, ENGLAND, IN THE EARLY SPRING OF 1974, THE MOST POPULAR SONG WAS "BILLY DON'T BE A HERO," "REBEL-REBEL," AND "JET." WE DIDN'T CARE ABOUT THE MUSIC, EXCEPT THAT IT WAS A NOTTINGHAM GROUP, THAT MADE "BILLY DON'T BE A HERO," A BIG DEAL, AT LEAST IN ENGLAND, AND WE WERE HEADED TO THAT CITY FOR THE BEST PART OF A WEEK. AFTER OUR LONDON STAY, OF COURSE, WHICH WAS SPENT SIGHTSEEING AND WELL, WHAT ELSE, BUT BUYING SOUVENIRS. IT TOOK US CANADIAN LADS ABOUT TWO HOURS BEFORE WE HAD PURCHASED PEAK CAPS, LONDON FOG OVERCOATS, AND BLACK ENGLISH UMBRELLAS. I'M NOT SURE, BUT I THINK SOME OF OUR FEMALE BANDMATES, DID ROUGHLY THE SAME THING. I BOUGHT MY GIRLFRIEND, AT THE TIME, A CHARM BRACELET WITH ALL THE BRITISH BOBBLES ATTACHED, I COULD AFFORD. MANY OF THE GIRLS PURCHASED LACE FROM COMMUNITIES LIKE "LUTON," TO TAKE HOME TO THEIR MOTHERS, AUNTS AND GRANDMOTHERS. WE ALL TOOK PHOTOGRAPHS TO EXCESS, AND SPENT THOUSANDS OF POUNDS ON FILM AND FLASH BATTERIES. NINETY-NINE PERCENT OF WHAT I BROUGHT BACK, WAS OF THE SOUVENIR KIND, BUT INSTEAD OF HAVING "BRITAIN" OR "ENGLAND" PRINTED ON SHIRTS OR HATS, MOST OF US WERE SATISFIED TO HAVE CLOTHING ITEMS MADE IN ENGLAND. THE CHARMS FOR THE BRACELET, I BOUGHT FOR LINDA DAWSON, (AT HOME IN CANADA), WERE OF THE TOWER OF LONDON AND BUCKINGHAM PALACE, AND POSSIBLY THE TOWER BRIDGE.
     WHEN MY FAMILY ARRIVED IN DAYTONA BEACH, EACH YEAR, FOR OUR WINTER VACATIONS, USUALLY IN EARLY FEBRUARY, (I WAS TAKEN OUT OF SCHOOL, AND EXPECTED TO DO A MONTH'S SCHOOL WORK INDEPENDENTLY), IT TOOK ME ABOUT A HALF HOUR OF GETTING CLIMATIZED, BEFORE I HAD CROSSED OVER ATLANTIC BOULEVARD, TO THE "PICK & SAVE" STORE, ACROSS THE ROAD, (LIKE A SMALL DEPARTMENT STORE) AND MADE MY FIRST SOUVENIR PURCHASE OF THAT YEAR'S TRIP. I PURCHASED A NEW "DAYTONA 500" WINDBREAKER EVERY TRIP, FROM THE LATE 1960'S THROUGH MOST OF THE 1970'S. I WAS REMINDED OF THOSE JACKETS, (DON'T KNOW WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THEM) WHEN I SAW A CUSTOMER AT THE SHOP, THE OTHER DAY, WEARING A RED ONE, UNMISTAKABLE BECAUSE OF THE FULL LAY-OUT OF THE DAYTONA SPEEDWAY, PRINTED AS A LOGO ON THE BACK. SORT OF MAKES YOU STAND OUT IN A CROWD. WITH MY NEW JACKET, I THEN MADE THE ROUNDS OF THE SEA SHELL SHOPS, UP AND DOWN THE OCEAN FRONT STRIP, PURCHASING SOME OF MY FAVORITE SOUVENIRS, OF WHICH THESE SHOPS WERE FAMOUS. I'D PURCHASE THE POSTCARDS, I WANTED TO SEND MY GIRLFRIENDS BACK HOME, FROM THE SUN TAN SCENTED LOBBIES, OF WHICH EVER OCEANFRONT RESORT, WE WERE STAYING AT FOR THE MONTH. WE STARTED OFF AT A NEAT LITTLE 1930'S VINTAGE MOTEL WITH CABINS, CALLED "THE SUN DOG." IT WAS A SIMPLE, NO FRILLS ACCOMMODATION, ON THE OCEAN, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, FIT OUR TIGHT VACATION BUDGET. I BOUGHT ALL MY POSTCARDS AND STAMPS (FROM A NEAT MACHINE) AT THE HOTELS AND MOTELS WE STAYED, AND THAT INCLUDED ALL THE LODGINGS WE HAD ON THE WAY SOUTH FROM BRACEBRIDGE. I WAS A BIG POST CARD MAILER IN THOSE DAYS. AND I HAD ONE OF EVERY SEA SHELL MOTHER NATURE CREATED, FOR THE ATLANTIC OCEAN IN THAT REGION OF FLORIDA. I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THE SHELLS EITHER. I HAD BINS OF THEM. OF COURSE, MY MOTHER WAS A NEAT FREAK, AND SHE MAY HAVE DECIDED I'D OUTGROWN THE NEED FOR KEEPSAKE SHELLS AND OLD POSTCARDS. I HAD A FEW CONTAINERS OF DAYTONA SAND IN MY BEDROOM. CAN'T EXPLAIN WHY, BUT I DID. IT WAS AN AFFORDABLE SOUVENIR.
     WHEN SUZANNE AND I WENT TO VIRGINIA BEACH, FOR OUR HONEYMOON, WE BROUGHT BACK LOTS OF SOUVENIRS, THAT WERE, OVER THE COURSE OF OUR LIVES TOGETHER, SUPPOSED TO MARK THOSE HAPPY DAYS, AND BE THE HARBINGER, IN PART, FOR OUR ADVENTURES TO COME. WE STILL HAVE A SMALL REMNANT OF FRAMED LACE, WE PICKED UP AT A CRAFT MALL, IN NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, AND LOTS OF BITS AND BOBBS, BROUGHT HOME FROM COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG. I EVEN HAVE A SMALL PUBLICATION, ON THE CRAFT OF BOOKBINDING, THAT I PURCHASED FROM THE MUSEUM. IT WAS A REPRINT FROM AN ORIGINAL LATE 1700'S PUBLICATION, AIMED AST APPRENTICE BOOKBINDERS.
     THE POINT IS, IN THE ANTIQUE TRADE, MANY DEALERS LIKE VERY LIMITED CONTACT WITH ANYTHING OF THE SOUVENIR CLASS OF COLLECTABLES. THEY MAY KEEP SOME OF THE SOUVENIRS, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT HAVE SOME HISTORIC CONNECTION TO THEIR RESPECTIVE COMMUNITIES, OR FROM THE REGION, BUT ON OUR TRAVELS, WE FIND THAT WE HAVE PROBABLY TEN TO TWENTY TIMES MORE SOUVENIR-TYPE PIECES, IN OUR OWN SHOP, INCLUDING COLLECTOR SPOONS, THAN OUR ASTUTE CONTEMPORARIES. AS WE STOCK WHAT WE CAN SELL REGULARLY, WE WOULDN'T BE CAUGHT WITHOUT VINTAGE POSTCARDS, COLLECTOR SPOONS OF ALL AGES AND REGIONS INCLUDED, AND ALMOST ANYTHING ELSE OF VINTAGE THAT WAS ORIGINALLY PURCHASED AS A SOUVENIR BY A VISTOR / TRAVELLER. SOME OF THESE ANTIQUATED SOUVENIRS ARE OUTSTANDING, AND LOOK GREAT IN THE SHOP.
     AS AN EXAMPLE, OUR COLLECTOR FRIEND, CHRIS THOMPSON, OF GRAVENHURST, HAS OFFERED US THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXHIBIT SOME OF THESE VINTAGE SOUVENIRS, IN HER POSSESSION, INCLUDING THE BRACEBRIDGE CUP AND SAUCER PHOTOGRAPHED ABOVE TODAY'S BLOG. THIS IS AN INTERESTING PROFILE OF MANITOBA STREET, LOOKING NORTH FROM JUST ABOVE THE FALLS OF THE MUSKOKA RIVER, CAPTURING THE BUILDINGS OF THE BIRD'S WOOLLEN MILL, (ONE OF THE MILL BUILDINGS STILL EXISTS ON THE RIVER BANK TO THIS DATE), AND THE SHORT LIVED "HESS FURNITURE COMPANY" BUILDING, THE PROMINENT MULTI-FLOOR ARCHITECTURE JUST BEYOND THE MILL. WHAT MAKES THIS CUP AND SAUCER RARE, IS THE FACT THIS FURNITURE COMPANY STRUCTURE WAS IN PLACE, FOR THIS ARTIST'S DEPICTION, BECAUSE IT BURNED DOWN SHORTLY AFTER IT WAS CONSTRUCTED; AND BUSINESS HAD BEEN FAILING WELL BEFORE THIS EVENT. THE ARTIST HAS TAKEN SOME LICENSE WITH THE PLACEMENT OF THE BUILDINGS, BECAUSE THE DOMINION HOTEL, A LITTLE FURTHER NORTH ON MANITOBA STREET, SHOULD HAVE BEEN VISIBLE AT THIS POINT IN TOWN HISTORY. I'VE HANDLED A LOT OF VINTAGE IMAGES, OF BRACEBRIDGE, BUT THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME, I'D SEEN THIS ANGLE PRESENTED, WITH THE FURNITURE BUSINESS SO PROMINENT. THE MOST USUAL VANTAGE POINT FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS, WAS SNAPPED FROM THE HILLSIDE OF WOODCHESTER VILLA, ABOVE BOTH THE WOOLLEN MILL AND THE HESS COMPANY BUILDING. OBVIOUSLY THE CUP AND SAUCER WERE FOR DUAL PURPOSES, OF REMINDING VISITORS OF THE RISING PROMINENCE OF THE RIVERSIDE COMMUNITY, AND SECONDLY, THAT IT WAS A GOOD TOWN WITH MANY PROSPECTS, SHOULD ONE, BUYING OR RECEIVING THE CUP AND SAUCER, WISH TO MAKE AN INVESTMENT IN INDUSTRY, OR BUSINESS GENERALLY.
     THERE WERE MUSKOKA SOUVENIRS FOR SALE ALL OVER THE PLACE, BACK IN THE HOTELS AND RESORTS OF THE LATE 1800'S, THROUGHOUT OUR REGION. I HAVE SEEN EARLY PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE MUSKOKA NAVIGATION COMPANY TICKET OFFICES OF OLD, AND THERE ARE CLEARLY SOUVENIRS OF ALL TYPES FOR SALE ON THE SHELVES. I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THE TRAIN STATIONS OF OUR REGION, BUT CERTAINLY YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO FIND THEM IN THE NEARBY BUSINESSES, WHERE TRAVELLERS WOULD NATURALLY VENTURE, AFTER ARRIVING BY TRAIN OR STEAMBOAT, AT FOR EXAMPLE, THE WHARF ON BRACEBRIGE BAY. IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO HAVE THE STATISTICS ON HOW MUCH VISITORS SPENT ON SOUVENIRS OVER THE YEARS, SINCE THE LATE 1870'S, WHEN MUSKOKA'S FIRST RESORTS, BEGAN MAKING A NAME FOR THEMSELVES, AMONGST INTERNATIONAL TRAVELLERS.
     OF COURSE, IN MY YOUTH, ONE OF THE NEATEST PERIODS IN BRACEBRIDGE, WAS THE VICTORIA DAY HOLIDAY, WHEN ALL THE GENERAL GIFT SHOPS WOULD SET OUT THEIR STOREFRONT WINDOWS, WITH A TANTALIZING ARRAY OF TACKY SOUVENIRS, AND OF COURSE, THEY WERE OF MUCH LESSER QUALITY THAN THOSE PROMOTIONAL PIECES OF A BYGONE ERA, SUCH AS THE HIGH QUALITY CUP AND SAUCER SHOWN ABOVE. THERE WERE TOMAHAWKS WITH BRACEBRIDGE, MUSKOKA PAINTED ON, WITH A LAKE SCENE OR FACSIMILE, AN ARRAY OF PENNANTS WITH MUSKOKA THEMES, WOODEN TRINKET BOXES WITH MUSKOKA NAMES PAINTED ON THE TOPS AND SIDES, CAPS, HATS, DECALS AND BUMPER STICKERS, WITH THE USUAL COLLECTION OF MUSKOKA THEMED T-SHIRTS. A MINUTE AFTER LABOUR DAY, AT THE END OF AUGUST, THE WINDOWS WERE CHANGED OVER, TO A MORE SUITABLE AUTUMN SEASON DISPLAY. NOW, DON'T GET ME WRONG; NOT ALL SHOPS HAD THESE MUSKOKA SOUVENIRS ON DISPLAY. BUT THE PLACES I FREQUENTED, LIKE ELLIOT'S FIVE AND DIME, WAS LOADED TO THE HILT WITH THIS TACKY NOSTALGIC STUFF, THAT I EVEN BOUGHT MYSELF; AND I WAS FROM BRACEBRIDGE. ALL THE OTHER MUSKOKA COMMUNITIES HAD THEIR SHARE OF SOUVENIR MATERIALS, HIGHLIGHTING THE LOCAL ATTRACTIONS, LIKE BOAT CRUISES, EG. "THE MILDRED,"  AND OF COURSE "SANTA'S VILLAGE," IN BRACEBRIDGE. NOW THERE WAS A PLACE, LOADED TO THE HILT WITH SOUVENIRS. I BOUGHT MY SHARE. I'M BET THEY HAVE A GOOD SELECTION EVEN TODAY.
     SOME OF THE SOUVENIRS WE HUNT FOR NOW, TO SELL IN OUR SHOP, LIKE THE BRACEBRIDGE CUP AND SAUCER (ON LOAN), INCLUDE ANY OF THE HIGH QUALITY PIECES, FROM AS FAR BACK AS THE 1870'S, RANGING FROM RUBY GLASS PITCHERS (SMALL), WITH PAINTED-ON TOWN AND VILLAGE NAMES, GLASS WHIMSY CANOES, WITH COMMUNITY NAMES, POTTERY CANOES, FROM THE 1950'S AND 60'S, GLASS PAPER WEIGHTS WITH HISTORIC IMAGES OF BUILDINGS AND COMMUNITY LANDMARKS, SOUVENIRS ESPECIALLY MADE FOR CERTAIN TOURIST ATTRACTIONS, LIKE "COWBOYS AND INDIANS" ADORNMENTS, THAT WERE FOR SALE AT ROSSEAU'S WELL KNOWN "FORT KAWANDAG," WHICH OPERATED FROM THE MID TO LATE 1960'S. WE JUST RECENTLY SOLD A HEADRESS FROM THE SHORT-LIVED THEME PARK, AND A FEW YEARS AGO, WE SOLD A LARGE FORMAT PLAQUE, WITH AN IMAGE OF THE FORT BUILDING AND SITE LAYOUT PRINTED AS A NOVELTY MAP. WE EVEN LIKE TO HAVE A SELECTION OF VINTAGE CANADIAN COLLECTOR SPOONS, AND BUTTONS, BECAUSE WE ARE CONSTANTLY RUNNING OUT. OBVIOUSLY, WE LIKE THE BEST QUALITY SPOONS, AND ANYTHING STAMPED STERLING SILVER. WE ALSO LIKE TO HAVE A SELECTION OF VINTAGE POSTCARDS, USED AND UNUSED, AND IT BLOWS US AWAY, HOW MANY COLLECTORS DROP INTO THE STORE LOOKING FOR THESE TOURIST-ASSOCIATED KEEPSAKES. WE BUY THEM ALL IN BULK WHENEVER WE GET THE CHANCE. QUALITY OF COURSE, IS STILL THE MAIN CONSIDERATION. GOOD QUALITY VINTAGE SOUVENIRS ARE EASY TO SELL, TO CUSTOMERS, OF ALL WALKS OF LIFE, REPRESENTING ALL THE REGIONS ON EARTH. IT IS SURPRISING TO US, THE DISTANCES TOURISTS TRAVEL, TO VISIT OUR LAKELAND REGION. THE OTHER ASPECT OF THIS, IS THAT THESE OLD-TIME SOUVENIRS CAN BE ACQUIRED CHEAPLY, AND SOLD CHEAPLY, WHICH IS THE BEST PART. WHETHER IT IS A COLLECTABLE BELL, OR PIGGY BANK, WITH NAMES PRINTED ON.  WE CAN PICK THEM UP REGULARLY AT YARD SALES AND CHURCH FUNDRAISING EVENTS. THRIFT AND CHARITY SHOPS DON'T VALUE THEM PARTICULARLY, SO THE RETAIL PRICES ALLOW US TO STOCK-UP, ON ALMOST EVERY BUYING TRIP. I DON'T THINK THAT SALES OF ANTIQUATED AND COLLECTABLE SOUVENIRS REPRESENTS MORE THAN A HALF PERCENT OF OUR ANNUAL SALES, BUT IT SURE IS NICE TO HAVE REGULAR TRANSACTIONS, IF ONLY FOR ONE OR TWO DOLLARS AT A TIME, FREQUENTLY OVER A MONTH. EVERY ANTIQUE SHOP NEEDS A SELECTION OF AFFORDABLE INVENTORY, AND FOR US, IT IS THE INTERESTING VARIETY OF SOUVENIRS, FROM ALL OVER GOD'S GREEN EARTH. IT'S WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS WANT. AND THAT'S WHAT THEY'LL GET.
    TOMORROW OUR FRIEND CHRIS, WILL SHARE SOME OF HER CRESTED HOTELWARE WITH US, FROM HISTORIC LANDMARKS, LIKE THE ALBION HOTEL, PRESUMABLY FROM GRAVENHURST, ELGIN HOUSE, IN PORT SANDFIELD, BIGWIN INN, FROM LAKE OF BAYS, AND ONE OTHER CRESTED HOTELWARE CREAMER FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY. ALL NEAT STUFF TO SEE. PLEASE JOIN ME TOMORROW. AND THANKS FOR JOINING ME TODAY. WHILE IT'S NOT GOING TO BE MUCH OF A CELEBRATION, ESPECIALLY AFTER LAST EVENING'S DEBACLE, AND ALL NIGHT INDIGESTION, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOLKS HEARTILY, FOR HELPING THIS BLOG HIT A NEW MILESTONE, OF 220,000 VIEWS, TALLIED IN LESS THAN THREE YEARS. AND WITHOUT USING CELEBRITY NAMES LIKE JUSTIN BEIBER, TO INCREASE MY AUDIENCE. GEEZ, CAN YOU BELIEVE I JUST SOLD OUT? SO IF FANS ARE SEARCHING BEIBER, TONIGHT, MAYBE I REGISTER A MILLION MORE VIEWS BY MORNING. ONLY THING, I SPELLED IT WRONG ON PURPOSE. I'M NOT A SELL OUT AFTER ALL!

WALDEN - MY TIME TO WRITE

I have never written well or often in the summer months. Maybe I’m a little like Canadian landscape artist, Tom Thomson, who enjoyed painting Algonquin scenes from the fall to the spring but found the summer months too green, and without the dramatic contrasts he most admired about the lakeland vista.

I don’t enjoy the heat and humidity and I only own one small fan that is more annoying than refreshing. I prefer being outdoors, perched lazily on the lakeshore, or sitting comfortably beneath one of my wonderful maples in our homestead forest. This year the shade didn’t help relieve much more than the direct sunlight, as the humidity was impossible to escape. I did what they do in a lot of tropical countries, and got my work done around the property before late morning, when the temperature and closeness began to rise. I’d venture into the Bog with my mate Bosko, my canine companion, and we’d take a slow walk to nowhere in particular. It always seemed cooler down on the level of the marsh grasses and deep fern cover, and while the dog rolled on the hard-packed path, I’d satisfy myself by leaning up against the tree that has been my stalwart support for the past 20 years, its curvature perfect for my aching back. Dog and human spent a lot of time pondering this summer.....when would the heat end, and “I can’t wait for the chill of nightfall.”

It was one of the hardest working summers in recent memory, despite the hot climate, as there were many projects of homestead repair that simply couldn’t wait for completion. Most often the summer is when my wife (a teacher) and I, set out on daily antique hunts, searching for those evasive pieces to offer our customers......who have long known us in the profession, as folks who can come up with unusual, unique and even strange art pieces and primitives. This summer, we simply had to put it all on hold, except for travels locally. We’re pretty happy about improvements here, and new shelving to hold our thousands of books. Around here, moving one table or buffet, can displace about a thousand items on and within, and surrounding, so considering we moved about one hundred pieces of furniture at Birch Hollow, in the past two months, you must surely be able to appreciate the widespread chagrin of being obsessive collectors. We were the poster kids for a hoarding reality show.

As a writer, my biggest problem has been keeping old clippings, manuscripts and reference material. I’ve had to bring this volume down considerably, in order to have any place to sit and work in my office. I’ve even gotten rid of my small collection of old manual typewriters that I used up until a few years ago, before my son Robert got me to switch to the computer keyboard. Now he uses the old manuals in his recording studio, to get those historic sounds mixed with contemporary music creations by string and drum. What used to be my vehicle to creation, is now a sound effect device. Well, glad it could be of some use in this era of high tech everything.

I have found the Bog very peaceful this summer season, and I have very much needed it to ease the inner turmoil of change. I like commonplace, and even the change of the chair I sit in daily, is enough to throw me off my stride for a couple of weeks. I’ve had a plethora of new chairs around here, and much more, so when things have gotten too crazy for an oldtimer, ....well, I retreat, sometimes often........where my wife and curious neighours can find me standing out on the brink of the Bog, listening to the overhead owls and the distant loons, and the gentle wash of wind through the tall grass and ferns. These sojourns have been enough to soothe the savage beast within. Actually, it wasn’t all that savage, just disenfranchised from that stuffy, stale old way of living, my wife was determined to revamp. She was quite right, and I now very much enjoy the additional space and ease of movement, without fearing an askew stack of books may, at the slightest nudge, domino wildly across the parlor.

I will attempt to write more this autumn season, which by tradition, has always been my most creative time of year. I need my Walden, away from all this work and stuff.