CHRISTMAS IN MUSKOKA - THE PLACE I WAKE UP TO EACH MORNING - THE URBAN, WALDEN POND OF SOUTH MUSKOKA
A STRANGE SOLITUDE FOR THE CONTEMPORARY VOYEUR
I WROTE TODAY'S BLOG BASED ON A FEW STORIES, I'VE HEARD RECENTLY, THAT I DIDN'T FIND AT ALL FLATTERING TO THE OLD HOMETOWN. ACTUALLY, A LITTLE TROUBLING, AS FAR AS ALL THE STORIES I'VE HEARD BEFORE. OUT OF HUNDREDS, I AM EXPOSED TO, BY THE SIMPLE REALITY WE RUN A MAIN STREET SHOP IN GRAVENHURST, AND OPERATE THE KIND OF BUSINESS THAT ENCOURAGES CASUAL HERITAGE CHATS. I HEAR A LOT OF CRITIQUES ABOUT GRAVENHURST EVERY YEAR, AND AT LEAST SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK, ONE OF OUR CUSTOMERS WILL OFFER-UP SOME NASTY OVERVIEW, REGARDING A LESS THAN PLEASING ENCOUNTER WITH THE TOWN'S POLITICAL WING. I HEARD ANOTHER ONE TODAY, AND IT REALLY BOTHERED ME. WHEN SOMEONE SAYS, THEY CAN'T WAIT TO LEAVE THIS TOWN, YOU CAN INTERPRET IT ONE OF TWO WAYS. EITHER THERE IS A REALLY WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY ELSEWHERE, OR THERE IS SERIOUS DISPLEASURE WITH THE TOWN FOR SOME SIGNIFICANT PERSONAL REASON. OF COURSE THERE ARE ALWAYS UNFOUNDED CLAIMS IN THE GUISE OF HARD LUCK STORIES, WHICH ONE HAS TO WEIGH AGAINST KNOWN FACT. WE'RE NOT ADVERSE TO CORRECTING ANYONE WHO, WE BELIEVE, IS PASSING ALONG INACCURATE INFORMATION. WE DON'T DO THIS IN A RUDE FASHION, BUT WE ALSO CAN'T TOLERATE HURTFUL GOSSIP, THAT IS BASED ENTIRELY ON FALSEHOODS. WE'VE BEEN THE SUBJECT OF MANY OF THESE IN THE PAST, OURSELVES, SO FORGIVE OUR SENSITIVITY.
WHEN I LIVED IN BRACEBRIDGE, I HEARD ROUGHLY THE SAME KIND OF CRITIQUES. I THINK THEY'RE PRETTY COMMON IN THE MUNICIPALITIES OF THIS BIG OLD WORLD. THERE ARE ALWAYS THOSE WHO FEEL UNFAIRLY TREATED. WE RAN AN ANTIQUE SHOP BRACEBRIDGE AS WELL, AND HAD AN ALMOST CONSTANT "HOT STOVE LEAGUE" COUNTER-SIDE GATHERING, OF POLITICAL COMMENTARY, WHERE LOCAL GOVERNMENT WAS CRITIQUED FOR HOURS ON END. EVEN LIVING AND WORKING IN GRAVENHURST, I STILL HEAR SOME OF THESE NEGATIVE OVERVIEWS ABOUT MY FORMER HOME TOWN, BUT AS A LONG-TIME BRACEBRIDGE HISTORIAN, I ASK THEM TO GIVE ME THE REASON THEY FEEL THIS WAY. I REALLY WANT TO KNOW. AND, AS I NOTED PREVIOUSLY, I WILL CORRECT ANY HISTORICAL INACCURACY. I'VE HAD MANY OF THESE SELF PROFESSED EXPERTS, ARGUE THESE POINTS WITH ME, BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY PROBLEM COMING UP WITH HARD EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT MY POSITION. I DO THE SAME WHEN SOMEONE COMPLAINS ABOUT GRAVENHURST, IN A SIMILAR OUTBURST, AND IN ONE HUNDRED PERCENT OF THESE INTERACTIONS, WHERE I PRESS FOR SOME SUBSTANCE TO THE CRITIQUES, THE ANSWER COMES BACK THE SAME, TIME AND AGAIN. "POLITICS." "MEAN POLITICS." AND BY THE WAY, THE SUGGESTION OF "THE POLITICS OF THE TOWN," DOESN'T MEAN IT ALL COMES FROM TOWN COUNCIL OR TOWN HALL. IT DOES REFER TO WHAT A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF OUR CITIZENRY FEEL ARE POWER PLAYS BY THE FEW, TO SUIT THEIR OWN AGENDAS. A PRETTY COMMON COMPLAINT. AND WHAT ARE SEEN AS POLITICAL ALLIANCES, THAT HAVE IN SOME WAY, EITHER CAUSED INCONVENIENCE, OR OBSTRUCTED SOMETHING FROM EITHER TAKING PLACE, OR EVER TAKING PLACE, BECAUSE OF A PRESUMED HUMAN BLOCKADE. WHILE I AM WILDLY LOYAL TO MY PRESENT HOMETOWN, DESPITE THOSE WHO WILL CRITIQUE THIS AS THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE, (THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO DESTROY IT INSTEAD), I DO FIND MYSELF THESE DAYS, DISTANCING MYSELF FROM ANYTHING THAT SMACKS OF POLITICAL POSTURING. IT'S NOT EASY TO DIVORCE OURSELVES FROM POLITICAL CURRENTS AND INITIATIVES. THERE ARE THOSE RESIDENTS NOW, WHO ARE FEELING AS IF THEY ARE OUTSIDERS IN A TOWN THEY HAVE RESIDED-IN FOR DECADES, WITH FAMILY ROOTS GOING BACK GENERATIONS.
IT ISN'T THE CASE, THAT I PLAN A ONE PERSON CRUSADE, TO STOP OPPORTUNISTS FROM ASSUMING WHATEVER AUTHORITY, THEY THINK WILL MAKE THEM MORE POWERFUL IN THIS COMMUNITY. GO FOR IT, IF THIS IS WHAT PLEASES YOU! THOSE WHO WANT THIS POWER, WILL HAVE TO LIVE WITH THE CONSEQUENCES, OF THEIR FAILED MISSION; BECAUSE THERE ARE A FEW OF US KICKING AROUND WHO CAN'T ABIDE SOCIAL / POLITICAL GAMESMANSHIP. MY SOLID OPINION OF GRAVENHURST, IS BASED ON THE NEIGHBORHOODS IN WHICH WE LIVE AND WORK, AND HOW THEY RELATE TO US AS PARTNERS IN THE MUNICIPALITY. WE SEE THIS REGION OF SOUTH MUSKOKA, AS THE BEAUTIFUL PLACE IT IS, AND HAVE LEARNED TO IGNORE THE POLITICAL MANIPULATIONS, OF THOSE WHO WISH TO BE OUR NOVEAU ROYALTY. THERE IS NO POWER ELITE IN GRAVENHURST THAT HAS ANY MORE INFLUENCE THAN THE AVERAGE CITIZEN, RESIDING IN A SMALL BUNGALOW, IN A QUIET NEIGHBORHOOD, WHO WALKS THE DOG THREE TIMES A DAY, KINDLY FEEDS THE BIRDS, AND STOPS THE CAR TO HELP AN INJURED SQUIRREL, THAT THEY MAY HAVE ACCIDENTALLY HIT ON THE ROAD. I HAVE COME TO KNOW THE CITIZENRY OF THIS TOWN, BEYOND THE VEIL OF POLITICS, AND FOUND A WONDERFUL, SHARING, GENEROUS, AND FORGIVING COMMUNITY, WHERE THERE IS NO NEED TO DECLARE SELF IMPORTANCE, JUST TO BE ONE OF THE GANG.
IT WILL READ FAMILIAR, I SUPPOSE, BECAUSE I TYPICALLY COMPOSE FOUR BLOGS EACH YEAR, AS A MODEST THANKS, BACK TO THE HOST COMMUNITY, THAT HAS BEEN A GOOD HOME FOR OUR FAMILY SINCE 1989. I WROTE THE FOLLOWING BLOG, ON THIS OCCASION, ON THE BACK OF TWO NASTY STORIES I'VE HEARD IN 24 HOURS, THAT REFLECT BADLY ON THE GOOD NATURE OF THE TOWN AS A WHOLE. OF COURSE THERE'S ALWAYS MORE TO THE STORY, AND I DON'T BELIEVE UNSUBSTANTIATED CRITIQUES, TOLD OUT OF FRUSTRATION AND ANGER. VENTING IS NOT ALWAYS IN THE VEIN OF ACCURACY. BUT THESE ARE UNSETTLING CLAIMS NONE THE LESS, AND NEVER SOLICITED BY US, FOR THE SAKE OF SPECTACLE. IN FACT, IT DISCOURAGES US VERY MUCH. IN EACH CASE THIS WEEK, I UNDERSTOOD THE STORIES, AND WHY THE FOLKS INVOLVED WOULD BE UPSET AT THEIR RESPECTIVE SITUATIONS. BOTH, BY THE WAY, WERE CLEARLY AWARE, THERE WAS NO RECOURSE FOR THEM, AND THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO LIVE WITH THE PREVAILING CIRCUMSTANCE. I AM NOT QUALIFIED TO JUDGE WHETHER THEIR CLAIMS WERE RIGHT OR WRONG, BUT I AM ABLE TO WEIGH THEM ACCORDING TO ALL THE OTHER STORIES I'VE HEARD. SOME MORE UPSETTING THAN OTHERS. SOMEONE SAID TO ME ONE DAY, THAT LIVING IN GRAVENHURST WAS LIKE PLAYING A LARGE SCALE GAME OF "SURVIVOR," WHERE ALLIANCES MAKE POWER PLAYS TO GET WHAT THEY WANT. IT IS NOT A TOWN HALL THING. I BELIEVE IT IS A SORT OF CHANGING OF THE GUARD SCENARIO, IN HISTORICAL TERMS, WHERE A NEW SOCIAL LEADERSHIP HAS TAKEN THE REIGNS FROM THE FORMER MOVERS AND SHAKERS, AND IT HASN'T BEEN A SMOOTH TRANSITION.
IT IS A MANIFESTATION OF AWKWARD POWER MONGERING, THAT WILL EVENTUALLY DIMINISH, BECAUSE OF ITS OWN IRRELEVANCE. THE RESULT OF ITS FAILURE TO ACHIEVE WHATEVER IT INTENDED IN THE FIRST PLACE. THERE ARE TOO MANY SELF INTERESTS GOING ON, TO CREATE ANY REAL ARROW-HEAD. IT WOULD SEEM THAT EVERY SOCIAL / POLITICAL CLIMBER WANTS TO BE AT THE TOP, AND YOU KNOW HOW THAT WORKS OUT. IN THE MEANTIME, IT IS A DISTRACTION FROM ONGOING WORK TO MAINTAIN OUR COMMUNITY DYNAMIC AND ECONOMIC VIABILITY. THOSE WHO DON'T TAKE THIS GENERAL CRITIQUE SERIOUSLY, ARE THE VERY ONES WHO ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THE ILL-WILL, THAT FLOURISHES HERE QUITE UNABATED. IT'S A SHAME IT HAS TO BE THIS WAY. BUT NO MATTER HOW MANY NEGATIVE COMMENTS WE GET ABOUT OUR HOMETOWN, IT IS STILL THE PLACE WE CHOOSE TO LIVE AND RUN OUR FAMILY BUSINESS. WE HAVE FOUND A LOT OF KINDRED SPIRITS IN THIS COMMUNITY, THAT ONLY RE-ENFORCE OUR POINT OF VIEW; THAT AS IT HAS BEEN FROM ITS PIONEER YEARS, GRAVENHURST HAS AND CONTINUES TO BE A SOLID, STALWART HOMETOWN, THAT WE CAN BE PROUD OF. DESPITE THE NEGATIVE COMMENTS, AND THE EFFORTS OF FOOLISH PEOPLE, TO ATTEMPT TO CHANGE THE TOWN, TO MIRROR THEIR OWN VALUES AND AMBITIONS, IT WON'T HAPPEN. THIS IS A TOWN WORTH FIGHTING FOR, AND WHILE IT MIGHT NECESSITATE SOME FUTURE SKIRMISHES WITH ADVERSARIES, WE'D RATHER FIGHT THAN SWITCH.
I WROTE THE BLOG TODAY, BECAUSE OF THESE LATEST COMMENTS, ABOUT OUR TOWN. I HAVE NO CAPABILITY OF CURTAILING THE POLITICAL GAMES THAT GO ON HERE, BUT I WON'T BACK DOWN FROM MY MISSION, TO PRESENT A THOUSAND AND ONE REASONS, WHY THIS IS A HOME TOWN THAT DESERVES BETTER FROM ITS LEADERSHIP. A LOT BETTER.
I REMEMBER SITTING UP ON THE SAND EMBANKMENT, OF PONCE INLET, JUST SOUTH OF DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA, WATCHING THE OCEAN WAVES TUMBLING AND CRASHING DOWN ONTO THE SHORE, AND THINKING, THIS WAS THE PLACE TO INVEST MY FUTURE INTERESTS IN WRITING. AS I HAD ALWAYS BEEN DRAWN TO THE WORK OF AMERICAN POET, WALLACE STEVENS, ESPECIALLY HIS POEM "THE IDEA OF ORDER AT KEY WEST," I FOUND THAT THE OCEAN-SCAPE WAS POWERFULLY LIBERATING. IF YOU ARE AT ALL FAMILIAR WITH WRITER'S BLOCK, THE STALEMATE AUTHORS FEAR WILL KILL THEIR CAREERS, PONCE INLET, FOR ME, WAS THE ONE NATURAL PARADISE, I HAD ACCESS TO, THAT HELD ME SPELLBOUND. EVEN THOUGH I HAD NO REASON TO FEEL WORLDLY, SITTING COMFORTABLY ON THE SAND BEACH, LISTENING TO THE WAVES POUNDING ONTO THE HARD PACKED SHORE, WAS ENTIRELY THERAPEUTIC, AND WRITER-FRIENDLY. AT ONE MOMENT, IT COULD INSPIRE A SHORT STORY, A DOZEN POEMS, EVEN A NOVEL, AND THEN, IN ANOTHER, DRAW ME INTO ITS SOLITUDE, SUCH THAT I WOULD GRADUALLY SINK INTO THE TRANCE OF NEAR SLUMBER. IT WAS AN EXCITING PLACE, YET IT COULD BE TRANQUIL AT THE SAME TIME. IT WAS MY PLACE TO SEEK IDEAS FOR WRITING PROJECTS, AND IT WAS A RESPITE WHEN I WAS EXHAUSTED FROM TRYING TOO HARD TO BE A WORLD REKNOWN AUTHOR. IT WAS A FORGIVING PLACE, AND I COULD DAYDREAM OR EVEN SLUMBER IF I FELT SO INCLINED. ONCE I NEARLY LOST MY FATHER'S OLDSMOBILE, WHEN IT GOT STUCK IN THE SAND, AFTER BEING HIT BY A LARGE WAVE AS THE TIDE WAS CHANGING. I WAS LUCKY TO SAVE THE VEHICLE, BUT IT DEMONSTRATED CLEARLY, JUST HOW POWERFUL NATURE WAS, AMIDST THE ATMOSPHERE OF RELATIVE TRANQUILITY.
AS MY PARENTS USED TO WINTER EACH JANUARY AND FEBRUARY IN FLORIDA, I WAS ENCOURAGED TO JOIN THEM, EVEN WHEN IT INVOLVED SOME HOME TUTORING WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL. MY PARENTS, WHO I NEVER FELT WERE OVERLY PHILOSOPHICAL IN ANY OTHER WAY, BELIEVED THE EXPERIENCE OF TRAVEL AND EXPLORATION, WOULD HELP BROADEN MY KNOWLEDGE. RIGHT THROUGH UNIVERSITY, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE CHRISTMAS SEASON VACATIONS, IN FLORIDA, AND I'D ALWAYS FIND TIME DURING THESE VISITS, TO TRAVEL DOWN TO PONCE INLET, TO SIT ALONG THE SHORE OF WHAT I FELT WAS A MODEST PARADISE, AND SANCTUARY FOR A BUDDING WRITER. I SUPPOSE THIS WAS MY ERNEST HEMINGWAY PERIOD. I WOULD SIT ON THE BEACH WITH A NOTE-PAD, AND MAKE COPIOUS NOTES ABOUT STORIES AND EVEN BOOKS I WANTED TO PURSUE. I WROTE SHORT POEMS, BUT MOSTLY MADE OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE OCEAN AND THE TIDES, AS IT IMPACTED THE SHORELINE. MY LAST VACATION TO FLORIDA, AND FINAL VISIT TO PONCE INLET, WAS DURING MY CHRISTMAS SEASON HOLIDAY IN 1983. WHEN I RETURNED HOME, THAT WINTER, I MET SUZANNE, WHILE COVERING AN EVENT FOR THE MUSKOKA WINTER CARNIVAL, IN BRACEBRIDGE, AND BY THE FALL, WE WERE MARRIED. I WAS THEN INTRODUCED TO A BEAUTIFUL HILLSIDE LOCATION ON THE SHORE OF LAKE ROSSEAU, IN THE VILLAGE OF WINDERMERE, WHERE SUZANNE'S FAMILY HAD AN ELEGANT OLD FAMILY HOMESTEAD, BUILT EARLY IN THE 1900'S, OPPOSITE WELLSLEY ISLAND (DIRECTLY ACROSS THE CHANNEL), AND FLORENCE ISLAND TO THE EAST. WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME THERE, THROUGH THE FOUR SEASONS, AND MY NEW PONCE INLET, WITH A MUSKOKA BACKDROP, WAS THIS MAGNIFICENT LAKEFRONT, WITH AN AMAZING PANORAMA, AS WE ENJOYED DAILY FROM THE FRONT VERANDAH. THE HILLSIDE LOCATION AFFORDED AN EXCEPTIONAL VIEW OF THE ISLAND ACROSS THE LAKE ROSSEAU CHANNEL. IT WAS NO HARDSHIP ADJUSTING FROM A SEASCAPE TO LAKE ROSSEAU. I HAVE BEEN SMITTEN BY MUSKOKA EVER SINCE.
AS A MATTER OF SOME GOOD FORTUNE, I HAVE NEVER SUFFERED FROM LONG BOUTS OF WRITER'S BLOCK. I HAVEN'T BEEN SPARED ITS INFLUENCES, AND FRUSTRATIONS, BUT NEVER TO THE POINT, I WOULD CONSIDER QUITTING THE PROFESSION BECAUSE OF A MINOR OBSTACLE; OR THE PROVERBIAL DRY WELL OF INSPIRATION. IT IS WHY I WAS SO CAREFUL IN PICKING OUR PRESENT PROPERTY IN GRAVENHURST. SUZANNE, FROM HER YEARS AT THE COTTAGE IN WINDERMERE, AND OUR NEWLYWED DAYS CANOEING ALL OVER LAKE ROSSEAU, FOUND OUT VERY CLEARLY BY TOTAL IMMERSION, WHAT A HINTERLAND VANTAGE POINT, AND CLOSE ACCESS TO UNOBSTRUCTED NATURE, COULD MEAN TO DAILY LIFE. WHILE I WAS TRAINED TO WRITE IN A BUSY NEWS ROOM, IN LATER YEARS, I STARTED TO LOSE THIS CAPABILITY, SIMPLY BECAUSE I COULDN'T CONCENTRATE WITH A WILD DIN GOING-ON AROUND ME. I'VE DESCRIBED A NEWSROOM MANY TIMES IN THESE BLOGS, BUT NOTHING CAN DO IT JUSTICE WITHOUT A COMPANION SOUND TRACK.
AFTER SON ANDREW WAS BORN, IN 1985, I STAYED HOME TO LOOK AFTER HIM, AND DID MY EDITORIAL WORK FROM OUR ONTARIO STREET HOUSE, TWO BLOCKS FROM THE HERALD-GAZETTE OFFICE. AFTER SECOND SON, ROBERT, WAS BORN, WE MOVED TO A NICE LITTLE 1960'S ERA COTTAGE, ON GOLDEN BEACH ROAD, NEAR BOWYER'S BEACH. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE, WITH LAKE MUSKOKA ACROSS THE ROAD, COMFORTABLY NESTLED INTO A PINE FOREST IN THE BACKYARD. IT WAS JUST BECAME AN INCONVENIENT LOCATION WITH A YOUNG FAMILY, AND MOM AND POP BEING INVOLVED IN SO MANY COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES. SUZANNE AND I RAN WOODCHESTER VILLA AND MUSEUM, AND BECAUSE WE HAD A HUGE NUMBER OF PROBLEMS WITH THE BUILDING'S ALARM SYSTEMS, I WOULD HAVE TO DRIVE BACK TO BRACEBRIDGE AFTER MIDNIGHT, SOMETIMES THREE TIMES A WEEK. GOLDEN BEACH WAS AN INSPIRING PLACE, BUT IT DIDN'T SUIT OUR LIFESTYLE AT THE TIME. SO WE SOLD IT AFTER ONLY A COUPLE OF YEARS, MOVED BACK TO WINDERMERE FOR THE FALL SEASON, WHERE THE DAILY COMMUTE ALMOST KILLED US (NEAR MISSES WITH HEAD ON COLLISIONS, DRIVING BACK AND FORTH TO BRACEBRIDGE). THIS IS WHEN WE DECIDED TO LOOK AT A COUPLE OF HOUSES IN GRAVENHURST. AS SOON AS I SAW BIRCH HOLLOW, AND THE LOWLAND ACROSS THE ROAD, BOTH OF US WERE SOLD ON THE POTENTIAL OF THE PROPERTY. IT WAS CLOSE TO THE MAIN STREET, A THREE MINUTE DRIVE TO THE HIGH SCHOOL, WHERE SUZANNE WAS TEACHING AT THE TIME, AND WE COULD WALK TO GET OUR GROCERIES IF WE WERE WITHOUT A VEHICLE AT SOME POINT. WE ARE STILL ANCHORED COMFORTABLY TO BIRCH HOLLOW, AND I HAVE NEVER SUFFERED FROM WRITER'S BLOCK. I HAVE, WITH PURPOSEFUL INTENT, OPTED TO TAKE HIATUS PERIODS FROM DAY TO DAY WRITING, ONCE FOR MOST OF A YEAR. NOT BECAUSE THERE WAS SOME SHORTFALL OF INSPIRATION, PROVIDED BY THIS LOVELY LITTLE CRANNY IN THE LANDSCAPE, WHERE OUR TINY BUNGALOW-COTTAGE-LODGE, SITS COMFORTABLY APPOINTED ABOVE THE MOOR.
EARLY THIS MORNING, ROBERT WAS OVER IN THE BOG TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE ICED-OVER BOG, AND HE AGREED TO CAPTURE SOME IMAGES OF THE LITTLE CREEKS, AND CATARACTS, FOR ME, THAT I OFTEN WRITE ABOUT, BUT SELDOM SHOW READERS TO BACK UP MY OBSERVATIONS. ROBERT HAS BECOME A NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF SOME ACCLAIM, BECAUSE OF THE PROXIMITY WE HAVE, TO THIS DIVERSE WETLAND, WITH ITS TALL PINES AND BORDER FOREST; THE DOZENS OF LITTLE CREEKS THAT CRISS CROSS OVER THE TWENTY ACRES, EVENTUALLY DECLINING INTO THE BASIN OF MUSKOKA BAY, OF THE WIDER LAKE MUSKOKA. IT'S AN URBAN OASIS WHICH I THINK, IS WHAT MAKES IT SO UNIQUE. THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS ARE BUILT RESPECTFULLY AROUND IT, WITHOUT SERIOUS COMPROMISE, AND THERE ARE TIMES, DEEP WITHIN, THAT YOU CAN'T HEAR MUCH URBAN INTRUSION WHATSOEVER.
WHILE THE SPLENDOR OF OUR NATURAL RESOURCES IN GRAVENHURST, ISN'T POWERFUL ENOUGH ON ITS OWN, TO STIFLE THE POLITICAL TUG-OF-WAR THAT RAGES ON, BEHIND THE SCENES OF A CHARMING LITTLE TOWN, IT IS AN EMPOWERMENT FOR ME; THE ENVIRONMENT THAT HAS NEVER FAILED ME, OR ALLOWED ME TO SUFFER WRITER'S BLOCK. I HOPE THE PHOTOGRAPHS ABOVE, ILLUSTRATE, THIS POINT OF VIEW. POLITICS? JUST A SILLY DISTRACTION FROM WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT. QUALITY OF LIFE OUTWEIGHS EVERYTHING ELSE. WHEN I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING, AND TAKE MY FIRST LOOK OUT THE FRONT WINDOW, I KNOW I AM IN THE RIGHT PLACE. IT'S NOT PONCE INLET. BUT IT IS GRAVENHURST, ONTARIO.
NORM STRIPP PORTRAIT BY GEORGE MARQUIS
ANTIQUE BOATS IN MUSKOKA, AND THE GUY WHO USED TO REPAIR THEM
NORM STRIPP, THE WINDERMERE MARINA, AND THE DITCHBURN KNOWN AS THE "SHIRL-EVON"
A NOTE OF EXPLANATION:
AS HARD AND LONG AS YOU LOOK OUT THERE, IN THE BOOK PUBLISHING INDUSTRY, PAST AND PRESENT, ONE THING IS FOR SURE. YOU WILL FIND VERY FEW ATTEMPTS, THAT BOAST BEING LESS THAN SERIOUS, BORDERING ON THE ANECDOTAL, AND ENTIRELY COMEDY-LADEN. BIOGRAPHIES OF ANTIQUE DEALERS? INTERESTING BUT NOT LIKELY TO MAKE YOU LAUGH. HERE THEN IS A DEVIATION FROM THE NORMAL, WEIGHTY, "LIFE'S A GOOD STORY" DIATRIBE, DECKED BENEATH A HARD COVER AND A FANCY WRAPPER.
HERE NOW, IS A BIOGRAPHY THAT IS BRUTALLY HONEST, FULL OF THE WILD AND WHACKY ADVENTURES, AN ANTIQUE DEALER / WRITER / HISTORIAN LIKE ME, CAN GET UP TO…..FRANKLY, WITHOUT TRYING VERY HARD. IF I ONLY PRESENTED THE HIGHLIGHTS AND THE BIGGEST OF THE BIG ANTIQUE DISCOVERIES, THEN YOU WOULD FIND THIS LIKE ALL THE OTHER BIOGRAPHIES…… THAT WHILE REMARKABLE, AND FULL OF CURIOUS ACCOMPLISHMENTS, WOULD BE MUCH LESS HUMOROUS, AND ENTIRELY VOID OF THE INTIMACY YOU'RE GOING TO GET IN THE FUTURE. I GUARANTEE THIS. AND I DON'T HOLD BACK, WHICH MAKES MY ULTRA CONSERVATIVE WIFE CRINGE. SHE ALWAYS REMINDS ME, "TED, MY MOTHER USED TO TELL ME, YOU DON'T NEED TO TELL EVERYTHING YOU KNOW." I FIRE BACK, THAT THIS WOULD CONFINE ME TO THE RANK AND FILE OF THE "DULL" AND "PLEASANTLY SATISFIED." I TELL HER BLUNTLY, "I CAN'T LET THE TRUTH GET IN THE WAY OF A REALLY GOOD STORY." SHE LOOKS AT ME, AS IF I'VE JUST HAD A STROKE. "WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING," SHE BARKS, IN THE NETHER REGION OF EITHER A STATEMENT OR A QUESTION. I JUST SMILE, LOOK LIKE I'M SMARTER THAN HER, BECAUSE I GOT IT AND SHE DIDN'T, AND RETURN TO WHAT I DO BEST…….LAY OUT THE FAMILY SECRETS FOR PUBLIC SCRUTINY. "WORTS AND ALL," THEY SAY.
AS I'VE OFFERED, AS AN EXPLANATION EARLIER IN THIS BLOG COLLECTION (AND PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ROAM BACK IN THE FILE OF BLOGS), IN ALL MY 35 PLUS YEARS WRITING, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF REGULAR COLUMNS ON ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES, FOR SEVERAL PUBLICATIONS, I'VE NEVER EVEN CONSIDERED A BIOGRAPHICAL COLLECTION OF STORIES FOR MY FAMILY……AND THEY DESERVE AN EXPLANATION AFTER THESE MANY YEARS DEALING WITH THE MADNESS OF THE COLLECTOR. SO WHEN I WRAPPED UP MY LAST FEATURE SERIES, ON MUSKOKA ARTIST ADA FLORENCE KINTON, THAT I'D BEEN PUBLISHING OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR IN "CURIOUS: THE TOURIST GUIDE," (YOU CAN READ IT ONLINE EVERY MONTH), I ANNOUNCED THAT IT WAS TIME TO WRITE ABOUT MY EXPERIENCES…..BETTER STATED, "ADVENTURES," IN ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES, FOR THE COMING 2012 PUBLISHING SEASON. WHILE IT WASN'T ALL THAT UNUSUAL TO WRITE AN ANTIQUES RELATED COLUMN, AS I'VE HAD DOZENS OVER THE DECADES, THIS WAS GOING TO BE THE FIRST BIOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT OF MY YEARS SPENT IN THE PROFESSION. I ANNOUNCED THAT I WOULD BACK IT UP, WITH A YEAR LONG COLLECTION OF BLOGS, ALSO BIOGRAPHICAL. THE COLUMNS ARE ALL DIFFERENT THAN WHAT APPEARS ON THIS BLOG SITE. MY PRIMARY REASON, AS THE REASON FOR MOST BIOGRAPHIES….., GEEZE, I'M GETTING OLD LIKE THE ANTIQUES I COLLECT. I STARTED TO WORRY THAT I HADN'T LEFT OUR BOYS ANYTHING TANGIBLE, AS REFERENCE MATERIAL, ABOUT HOW I BEGAN COLLECTING IN THE FIRST PLACE. IT WAS WHEN I STARTED THINKING ABOUT THEIR GRANDFATHER, NORM STRIPP, MY WIFE SUZANNE'S FATHER, THAT I FOUND MY WRITING MOJO, TO START HAMMERING THESE RECOLLECTIONS DOWN…..BEFORE THE GRIM REAPER STARTS CHASING ME AROUND BIRCH HOLLOW TO FILL OUT THE NEED FOR OLD SOULS.
THE REASON NORM STRIPP CAME TO MIND, SPECIFICALLY, IS THAT WHAT WE FEARED WOULD HAPPEN….DID SO. SUZANNE AND I HAD BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT FOR YEARS AND YEARS, BEFORE NORMAN GOT SICK. WE WANTED TO TALK WITH HIM ABOUT HIS LONG-TIME WORK RESTORING THE OLD WOODEN BOATS ON THE MUSKOKA LAKES. WE WANTED HIM TO TAKE US THROUGH HIS JAMMED BOAT HOUSE, AT THE FAMILY COTTAGE ON LAKE ROSSEAU, AT WINDERMERE, AND INTO THE MYSTERIES OF HIS WORKSHOP AT HOME, JUST A FEW MILES AWAY…… A SOLID HIT WITH A ONE WOOD, (AND A COUPLE OF BOUNCES) FROM THE FIRST HOLE AT THE WINDERMERE GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB. WE WANTED HIM TO EXPLAIN THE MATERIALS HE HAD IN THE GARAGE. THE TOOLS HE CUSTOMIZED TO SUIT HIS REFINISHING CHALLENGES, ON DIFFICULT WOOD WORKING PROJECTS, TO FIX SOME OF THE MOST DISTINGUISHED VINTAGE WATERCRAFT IN THE AREA. HE WAS WELL KNOWN AS A HIGHLY SKILLED CRAFTSMAN, WHEN IT CAME TO REPAIRING THE OLD MAHOGANY LAUNCHES, WITH LEGENDARY NAMES LIKE DITCHBURN, MINNET-SHEILDS, GREAVETTE AND DUKE. SOMEWHERE IN THAT MAZE OF CONTRAPTIONS, BOAT PARTS, TOOLS, OUTBOARD AND INBOARD ENGINES, WAS, FOR EXAMPLE,…..(IF YOU CAN BELIEVE), PIECES OF THE 999TH FORD ENGINE (OF THE FIRST EVER PRODUCED), THAT HAD ONCE BEEN USED AS A BOAT ENGINE BY A FAMILY FRIEND. NORM HAD SCAVENGED IT, WHEN IT WAS NO LONGER NEEDED. WELL, NORMAN WAS A TAD RESISTANT TO THIS KIND OF INTERVENTION, AND I SUPPOSE, FIGURED THAT OFFERING THIS KIND OF BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION, MIGHT HAVE BEEN A SORT OF JINX……BAD KARMA, AS IF HE WOULD HAVE BEEN RELENTING TO THE RIGORS OF OLD AGE, BY LAYING OUT HIS PAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS. HE MAY HAVE THOUGHT IT UNLUCKY TO ADMIT REACHING RETIREMENT AGE. TRUTH WAS, NORMAN NEVER REALLY RETIRED, AND PASSED AWAY IN HIS LATE-EIGHTIES, NEVER ONCE SAYING "I'M RETIRED." SO THE REALITY IS, WE NEVER GOT A CHANCE TO DO THAT BIOGRAPHY-THING, AND WHEN WORKING ON THE DISPERSAL OF HIS ESTATE, AFTER HE PASSED AWAY, HAD NOTHING MORE THAN A SURFACE KNOWLEDGE, OF THE ITEMS HE KEPT IN HIS UNBELIEVABLE COLLECTION……INCLUDING THE FORD ENGINE, THAT WAS NEVER IDENTIFIED AS SUCH. SOMEONE FROM THAT ESTATE AUCTION, OWNS PARTS FROM THAT ENGINE AND DOESN'T KNOW IT!
I DIDN'T WANT MY BOYS TO GO WITHOUT, YOU MIGHT SAY, SO THIS BIOGRAPHY SIMPLY HAD TO BE WRITTEN. IT INCLUDES STORIES ABOUT THEIR MOM, AND THEIR GRANDPARENTS AND EVEN BEYOND……WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY LINK WITH A FAMILY TREE SUZANNE IS WORKING ON AT PRESENT, THROUGH ANCESTRY.CA, WHICH FILLS IN A HUGE NUMBER OF DETAILS ABOUT WHERE THE HECK WE CAME FROM……AND WHY, OH WHY, WE'RE SO WILDLY OBSESSED WITH OLD WAYS AND OLD STUFF. IT'S AS MUCH A RIGOROUS SELF EXAMINATION, TO OFFER OUR YOUNG LADS, A WEE EXPLANATION ABOUT THEIR OWN CURIOUS COLLECTING HABITS…….THAT JUST POSSIBLY MAY RUN IN THE FAMILY. THIS MATERIAL WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO ALL POTENTIAL DAUGHTERS-IN-LAW, WHO MAY WISH TO INFORM THEMSELVES PROPERLY, ABOUT WHAT LIFE CHALLENGES THEY MAY FACE……BEING PART OF THE CLAN "CURRIE." WE'VE CHASED A FEW AWAY ALREADY, EVEN BEFORE THEY HAD ANYTHING TO READ. I'M TELLING YOU. WE'RE "THE ADAMS FAMILY," OF COLLECTING. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING TO SHOW YOU, ON A HOME VISIT. OF COURSE, IF WE DON'T LIKE WHO THEY BRING HOME, I WON'T LIE TO YOU. I MAY WHIP OUT MY COLLECTION OF TRIBAL MASKS WITH HORRIBLE GRIMACES…..OR SHOW THEM MY COLLECTION OF NATIVE (STONE) SCRAPERS. NOT SCARY. JUST TO LET THEM KNOW WHAT TURNS US ON AROUND HERE. THE LAST THING YOU'LL SEE OF THEM, IS THE SOLES OF THEIR SHOES, AS THEY'RE RUNNING DOWN THE LANE AS FAST AS THEY CAN……TO GET AWAY FROM THIS STRANGE ABODE, AND STRANGER CURATOR. KEEPS OUR VISITORS TO A MINIMUM, BUT IT'S NOT HELPING OUR BOYS' SOCIAL LIFE. KNOW WHAT? THEY'RE JUST AS WHACKY IN THE COLLECTING GAME AS MOM AND DAD. THEY NEED TO FIND, AS I DID IN SUZANNE, A VERY ACCOMMODATING INDIVIDUAL, WHO THINKS OF EXCESS AS AN ADVENTURE FULFILLED.
NORM STRIPP AND HIS MUSKOKA BOATS
ONE AFTERNOON, SHORTLY AFTER SUZANNE AND I BECAME ENGAGED, HER MOTHER HARRIET, DECIDED TO ARRANGE A CELEBRATORY BARBECUE OVER AT THE COTTAGE…..SITUATED ON A CHANNEL OF LAKE ROSSEAU, OPPOSITE WELLESLEY ISLAND….NOT FAR FROM THE BEACHFRONT IN WINDERMERE. WHEN SOME OF THE FAMILY MEMBERS LEFT THAT DAY, HARRIET TURNED TO NORMAN AND SAID, "GIVE TED THE KEYS TO THE S.S. SO HE CAN TAKE SUZANNE FOR A BOAT RIDE." WELL SIR, I THOUGHT NORMAN WAS HAVING "THE BIG ONE," AS REDD FOX USED TO SAY ON HIS TELEVISION SHOW. HE SPUTTERED, CHOKED A LITTLE, GOT RED FACED, AND LOOKED AT HARRIET, AS IF SHE HAD SAID THE MOST DRAMATICALLY SILLY THING, IN ALL THE YEARS THEY'D BEEN MARRIED. "GIVE HIM THE KEYS," HE ASKED, POINTING A SHAKING FINGER AT THIS FUTURE SON-IN-LAW….WHO HE ALWAYS SUSPECTED WAS KIND OF A KNOB. "NO, I DON'T THINK THAT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA," HE ANSWERED. "IT HASN'T BEEN RUNNING FOR AWHILE, AND I'D BE SCARED THEY'D GET STRANDED OUT ON THE LAKE. I'LL TAKE THEM OUT IN IT MYSELF."
FIRST OF ALL, THE BOAT HARRIET HAD REFERRED TO, WAS A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE MAHOGANY SPEED BOAT, NORM HAD BUILT WITH HIS FATHER SAM. THE "S.S" REFERRED, WE BELIEVE, TO "SAM STRIPP." NO GREAT MYSTERY. IT WAS A POWERFUL WATERCRAFT, AND WHEN HE TOOK US OUT, I FELT AS IF I WAS SITTING IN A WIND-TUNNEL, AS BOTH MY CHEEKS WERE HITTING MY EARS. TO THINK THAT HARRIET FELT I COULD HANDLE THE "S.S." WAS EITHER A MASSIVE SHOW OF CONFIDENCE IN ME, TO LOOK AFTER HER DAUGHTER AND ANTIQUE BOAT, OR JUST THE EXCITEMENT OF THE MOMENT TO WELCOME A NEW MEMBER OF THE FAMILY. NORM READ THE SITUATION CORRECTLY. I'D HAVE WRAPPED THAT BOAT AROUND A ROCK, AND ENDED OUR COURTSHIP. I THINK I HEARD NORM MUMBLE, SOMETHING OR OTHER THAT SOUNDED LIKE, "THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL, THAT GUY IS GOING TO DRIVE MY BOAT." FAIR ENOUGH. WELL BY GOLLY, THAT'S HOW OUR RELATIONSHIP CONTINUED FOR MANY YEARS. MY FACE PRESSED UP AGAINST THE WORKSHOP WINDOW……HIS DETERMINATION THAT THIS IS THE WAY IT HAD TO BE. ME AT ARM'S LENGTH OR FURTHER AWAY. I COULDN'T REALLY BLAME HIM, AS I WAS ABOUT AS "HANDY AS A FOOT," OR AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT SUZANNE HAD BEEN TELLING ME SINCE WE GOT MARRIED…….AS I TRIED TO FIX THINGS AROUND THE HOUSE, INCLUDING THE CAR…..AND CONTINUALLY FAILED.
NORM WAS JUST POSSESSIVE ABOUT THE THINGS IMPORTANT TO HIS PROFESSION. I WAS THE PAIN IN THE ASS SON-IN-LAW, ALWAYS LOOKING OVER HIS SHOULDER. "CAN I HELP NORM," I'D OCCASIONALLY ASK, BUT KNOWING THE ANSWER BEFORE I MADE THE INQUIRY IN THE FIRST PLACE. "NO, IT'S OKAY TED. JUST SIT DOWN AND RELAX……," ALWAYS POINTING TO THE FURTHEST LOCATION IN A YARD OR A ROOM….WHICH WITH ME, HE ALWAYS FOUND A LITTLE CONFINING. I WAS OKAY WITH OUR RATHER DISTANT RELATIONSHIP. HARRIET SEEMED TO LIKE ME. WE EVEN CO-AUTHORED A LITTLE BOOK, ENTITLED "THE LEGEND OF TALL PINES." WE SOLD THEM OUT WITHIN MONTHS. NORM SEEMED HAPPY I WAS PRE-OCCUPIED WITH OTHER THINGS, AND PROJECTS, SUCH THAT I NEVER ASKED TO BORROW ONE OF HIS BOATS AGAIN.
WHETHER NORM WAS WARY OF ME CALLING MYSELF AN "ANTIQUE COLLECTOR," OR PART-TIME DEALER, OR NOT, I DON'T KNOW. BUT FROM VERY EARLY ON IN OUR MARRIAGE, SUZANNE BECAME A PARTNER IN THE PROFESSION….AT FIRST RELUCTANTLY….KICKING AND SCREAMING MIGHT DESCRIBE IT BETTER. SO FOR MOST OF THE TIME I SPENT WITH NORM, FOR YEARS AFTER MARRIAGE, "HE KNEW WHAT I KNEW, AND WHAT SUZANNE HAD KNOWN FOR YEARS AHEAD OF ME." NORMAN WAS SITTING ON THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF HIGHLY DESIRABLE, EASILY MARKETED MARINE COLLECTIBLES. BUT I CAN TELL YOU ONE THING, IT WAS A SUBJECT NOT EASILY WORKED INTO A CONVERSATION. NORM HAD A PRETTY EFFECTIVE WAY OF LETTING ME KNOW IF AND WHEN I WAS GETTING INTRUSIVE WITH MY QUESTIONING. THE NEWSPAPER WOULD GET HIGHER AND HIGHER, SUCH THAT HE NO LONGER HAD TO STARE AT ME. HARRIET WAS FAR MORE PATIENT AND INTERESTED IN TALKING ABOUT HISTORY, AND HER UPBRINGING ON THE FAMILY FARM IN UFFORD. IF SHE THOUGHT I WAS A PAIN IN THE BEHIND, SHE NEVER SHOWED THAT SIDE, AND WITH SUZANNE, WE HAD QUITE A FEW MEMORABLE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT LOTS OF THINGS. THIS GAVE NORMAN A CHANCE TO SNEAK OUT TO HIS GARAGE…..AND WORK AT SOMETHING OR OTHER, OR JUST SIT AND RELAX AWAY FROM THE INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, HUNKERED-DOWN IN HIS LIVING ROOM.
THE REASON FOR INCLUDING THIS BRIEF GLIMPSE INTO THE STRIPP AND SHEA FAMILY, IS TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA HOW DEEP OUR INVOLVEMENT IN THE HISTORY OF MUSKOKA;…… FROM HAVING FAMILY MEMBERS WHO CLEARED THE PINE OFF THOSE ROCKY ACRES, ON THE FIRST CULTIVATED FARMSTEADS, TO THE CORE-HISTORY OF BOAT BUILDING ON THE MUSKOKA LAKES, AND ALL THE INTRICATE WEAVING OF FAMILY ACTIVITIES IN SO MANY CLUBS AND ASSOCIATIONS THAT MADE UP THE SOCIAL / CULTURAL FABRIC OF OUR DISTRICT. AS MY RESEARCH PARTNER, ON MANY HISTORY-RELATED PROJECTS, SUZANNE AND I STARTED AS NEWLYWEDS, IMMERSING OURSELVES EVER-DEEPER IN REGIONAL HERITAGE, AND THERE WAS NO TELLING WHAT FIELD THE NEXT BIG ADVENTURE WOULD PRE-OCCUPY, BUSYING THE PARENTS OF TWO YOUNGSTERS, WHO HAD LITTLE CHOICE BUT TO JOIN-IN. SOMETIMES IT WAS SPORTS RELATED, AS WITH THE N.H.L.'S ROGER CROZIER, AND IRVIN "ACE" BAILEY, AND AT OTHER TIMES IT WAS BIOGRAPHICAL, IN THE ART WORLD, SUCH AS IN THE CASE OF THE TOM THOMSON MYSTERY…….AND THE STORY OF ARTIST / MISSIONARY, ADA FLORENCE KINTON, OF HUNTSVILLE. SO IT WAS THE SAME SORT OF STUDY OF NORM STRIPP, WITHOUT HIM REALLY KNOWING ABOUT IT……CAUSE I CAN TELL YOU, HE WOULDN'T HAVE APPROVED. SO ALTHOUGH WE COULDN'T REALLY SIT DOWN AND POUND OUT A MEANINGFUL BIOGRAPHY OF THE BOAT RESTORER, SUFFICE TO SAY, THE INFORMATION HE PROVIDED US, BY SHEER ASSOCIATION AND KINSHIP, HAS HELPED US IMMEASURABLY IN THE ANTIQUE TRADE IN MUSKOKA.
WHILE WE AREN'T PUSHY ABOUT WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT OLD BOATS, AND THE WORK NORM USED TO GET UP TO IN ANY GIVEN WEEK, SUZANNE IS THE KEEPER OF QUITE A STORE OF INSIDER INFORMATION, THAT WE BENEFIT FROM WHENEVER WE'RE OUT ON THE ANTIQUE HUSTINGS, HERE OR ANYWHERE REALLY. NOT ONLY DO WE KNOW ABOUT MUSKOKA COLLECTIBLES AND HOMEGROWN ANTIQUES, WE CAN IDENTIFY TOOLS AND BOAT HARDWARE FAIRLY QUICKLY…..AND HAUL AWAY A MARINE ARTIFACT WITHOUT CAUSING A RIPPLE IN THE WATER. CALL IT STEALTH PURCHASES. A LOT OF SECOND HAND TRADERS HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THESE BOAT PARTS AND TOOLS LOOK LIKE, OR HOW TO SPOT AN ORNAMENT OFF A DITCHBURN, MINNET-SHIELDS, DUKE, OR SEABIRD. SUZANNE DOESN'T NEED A GUIDE BOOK. WHEN SHE WAS ALLOWED INTO THE BOAT HOUSE WORKROOM, OR IN THE GARAGE, SHE WAS PAYING ATTENTION TO DETAIL. SHE'S GOOD AT THAT. I'M MUCH SLOWER ON THE UP-TAKE. HER KNOWLEDGE OF THE INDUSTRY, FROM THE RESTORER'S POINT OF VIEW, HAS ENTITLED US TO GRAB UP A LOT OF PIECES OVER THE YEARS, FOUND AT OUT-OF-THE-WAY ESTATE SALES, FLEA MARKETS, AUCTIONS AND AT ANTIQUE SHOPS UNFAMILIAR WITH LOCAL MARINE HERITAGE.
SUZANNE GREW UP IN THE MARINE INDUSTRY. HER FATHER WAS ALWAYS WORKING ON SOME TYPE OF BOAT RESTORATION IN HIS WORKSHOP. AT A YOUNG AGE, HER FAMILY PURCHASED THE WINDERMERE MARINA, IN THE MID 1960'S, AND THE BOAT THAT CAME AS PART OF THE SALE, WAS THE LARGE, MAGNIFICENTLY APPOINTED DITCHBURN, KNOWN AS THE "SHIRL-EVON," A SLEEK MAHOGANY LAUNCH STILL CRUISING LAKE ROSSEAU. THE SHIRL-EVON WAS USED THEN, AS A LIVERY BOAT, TAKING FOLKS TO THEIR COTTAGES, MANY ON TOBIN'S ISLAND. HE ALSO USED IT AS A DELIVERY BOAT, AND ON OCCASION, IT WAS HIRED BY ONTARIO HYDRO, TO FERRY CREWS TO LOCATIONS AROUND THE LAKE NOT ACCESSIBLY BY ROAD. IT MAY HAVE SEEMED AN EXTRAVAGANT BOAT FOR THIS KIND OF SERVICE, BUT WE HAVE A SLIDE, FROM THE ESTATE OF NORM'S FRIEND, AND NEIGHBOR, BILL SKINNER, SHOWING A WATER-SKIER BEING TOWED BY ONE OF THE WIGWASAN LODGE, DITCHBURNS, KNOWN AS THE "WIGGY I" (AND THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHERS IN THE LODGE FLEET). BILL SKINNER IS DRIVING THE "WIGGY" IN OUR PHOTOGRAPH. SO DITCHBURNS WERE USED AS COMMON WATERCRAFT IN THOSE YEARS, AT THE SAME TIME AS THEY WERE PRIZED LAUNCHES, STORED SAFELY IN THE BOATHOUSES OF MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR COTTAGES. NOT MANY PEOPLE THINK OF THIS CONTRAST OF USES, WHEN THEY SEE THE BEAUTIFUL ARRAY OF RESTORED WOODEN BOATS, AT THE ANNUAL BOAT SHOWS IN MUSKOKA, EACH SUMMER SEASON.
SUZANNE IS QUITE AN AUTHORITY ON THE BOATS OF LAKE ROSSEAU, FROM HER TIME SPENT LIVING AND WORKING IN WINDERMERE. SHE KNEW THE NAMES OF THE BOATS, FROM THEIR LANDINGS AT THE MARINA, AND THEIR USAGE AT THIS TIME, FOR RECREATION, GENERAL USE, RESORT TOURS, AND THOSE WITH A MORE UTILITY FUNCTION, WORKING IN AND AROUND THE MARINA AND VILLAGE WHARF. THE FAMILY ALSO OWNED A LARGE HUNTER-MADE LAUNCH, WITH ENCLOSED CABIN, THAT HAD BEEN FORMERLY USED AS A REGATTA BOAT, TO START SAILING RACES, SPONSORED BY THE MUSKOKA LAKES ASSOCIATION. THERE WAS A SPECIAL BRACKET, MOUNTED ON THE WOODEN TOP OF THE BOAT, WHERE A SMALL CANON HAD BEEN PLACED, WHICH WAS FIRED TO START THE EVENTS.
SHE AND HER MOTHER HARRIET, RAN THE SNACK BAR ABOVE THE MARINA, KNOWN AS "THE SKIPPER." SHE HAD AN IDEAL VANTAGE POINT, TO WATCH THE LAKES AND THE BOAT TRAFFIC COMING INTO THE MARINA. THE TIME WASN'T WASTED. I REMEMBER HER TELLING ME THAT BOB BOYER HAD PHONED HER ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, AFTER WE WERE MARRIED, TO ASK FOR ASSISTANCE ON A MATTER OF LAKE ROSSEAU RESORT HERITAGE, FOR SOMETHING HE WAS WRITING FOR THE MUSKOKA SUN. THIS IS FUNNY, BECAUSE I WORKED WITH BOB AT THE HERALD-GAZETTE, AT THE SAME TIME, BUT HE PREFERRED TALKING TO THE PERSON WHO INTIMATELY KNEW THE COMMUNITY'S HISTORY….WITHOUT HAVING TO FIRST CONSULT A FORMAL TEXT, OR GO SEARCHING THROUGH RECORDS. HE'D PHONE HER TO REFUTE INFORMATION PUBLISHED IN OTHER BOOKS, SUCH AS THE DEMISE OF WIGWASSAN LODGE…..WHETHER IT WAS TORN DOWN, OR BURNED IN A FIRE. BOB, AT THE TIME, WAS ONE OF THE BEST KNOWN REGIONAL HISTORIANS, AND HE WAS VERY MUCH MY TUTOR, DURING MY TENURE AS EDITOR OF THE HERALD-GAZETTE. HE PREFERRED MY STRAIGHT-SHOOTING, FACT-PERSNICKETY WIFE, SUZANNE, TO CLEAR UP MISINFORMATION, BEFORE HE'D INSERT A FRESH PAPER INTO THE TYPEWRITER CARRIAGE. NOT MANY PEOPLE KNOW THIS ABOUT MY WIFE. SHE BITES HER TONGUE A LOT, AT WORK AND WHILE WE'RE ATTENDING COMMUNITY EVENTS, WHEN HEARING FALSEHOODS ABOUT LOCAL HISTORY…..AND NOT WISHING TO START THE GREAT DEBATE, WITH FOLKS WHO ARE RELATIVE NEWCOMERS TO THE REGION.
WE HAVE LIVED AND BREATHED LOCAL HISTORY FROM THE FIRST DAYS OF OUR MARRIAGE. I HAVE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THE EARLY DAYS IN MUSKOKA, BY READING THE BOOKS HER UNCLE BERT SHEA WROTE, ABOUT PIONEERING IN MUSKOKA…..SPECIFICALLY THE THREE MILE LAKE AREA OF THE PRESENT TOWNSHIP OF MUSKOKA LAKES. I'VE SPENT MANY ENJOYABLE HOURS IN HER GRANDFATHER, JOHN SHEA'S FARMSTEAD, IN UFFORD, VISITING WITH SUZANNE'S AUNT ADA, AND HUSBAND JACK, WHO INHERITED THE PROPERTY WHEN JOHN DIED. I'VE STOOD IN THE BARN THE SHEA FAMILY BUILT, AND WANDERED THE BEAUTIFUL LITTLE PROPERTY WITH EYES WIDE OPEN, TO THE HARSH REALITIES OF FORESTS AND ROCKY TERRAIN THEY WERE FORCED TO CONTEND WITH, IN THOSE EARLY HOMESTEAD YEARS. I'VE SAT WITH NORM AND HARRIET, AND TALKED ABOUT THEIR EARLIER DAYS, LIVING IN THIS LITTLE PARADISE KNOWN AS WINDERMERE. I LISTENED WITH GREAT INTEREST, TO NORM DESCRIBING THE PAINTING WORK HE AND HIS FATHER DID FOR THE EATON FAMILY, REFURBISHING THEIR STEAM YACHT, "THE WANDA" NOW PART OF THE FLEET OF VESSELS ON DISPLAY, AT THE WHARF, ON GRAVENHURST'S MUSKOKA BAY. HE TOLD ME ABOUT THE TIME HE WAS COMING BACK FROM GRAVENHURST, ON LAKE MUSKOKA, AT THE TIME OF THE GREAT WIND STORM, THAT OVER-TURNED THE SMALL STEAMER "WAOME," RESULTING IN A LOSS OF LIFE. HE SAVED THE BOAT HE WAS OPERATING, AND HIMSELF, BY CAREFULLY TARPING OVER THE LAUNCH, TO MAKE IT LESS WIND RESISTANT….WHILE STILL HEADING HOME TO WINDERMERE. HE MIGHT NOT HAVE LET ME PLAY AROUND IN HIS WORKSHOP, AND DOWN AT THE COTTAGE BOAT HOUSE, BUT TRUTH IS, HE WAS ENORMOUSLY GENEROUS WITH THE STORIES HE SHARED WITH BOTH OF US….AND HIS GRANDSONS, ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCES WORKING ON THE MUSKOKA LAKES, IN SO MANY DIFFERENT CAPACITIES. AS ANTIQUE DEALERS, LET ME TELL YOU, WE HAD A MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF EDUCATION, BECAUSE OF THESE REGULAR, COMFORTABLE LIVINGROOM TUTORIALS.
WHEN SUZANNE OCCASIONALLY INTERJECTS HER OPINION, WHEN ONE OF HER COLLEAGUES MISREPRESENTS SOME ASPECT OF MUSKOKA'S MARINE HERITAGE, SHE EXPECTS THE LOOK OF "OH SURE……OF COURSE YOU HAD A DITCHBURN….RIGHT…..I HAD FIVE OF THEM!" IT'S WHY SHE HAS A SORE TONGUE A LOT. "SOMETIMES IT'S JUST BETTER TO LET IT GO," SHE ADMITS. "THEY WOULDN'T BELIEVE ME ANYWAY."
THANKS FOR JOINING TODAY'S BLOG. PLEASE JOIN ME AGAIN FOR SOME ANTIQUE AND COLLECTIBLE ADVENTURES……YOU HAVEN'T READ BEFORE.
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