Napoleon Anecdotes 1822; Problems of Buying Antiques Over The Counter; Walden Pond

Taken from two small books on the life, exile and death of Napoleon dated 1822 and 1823 purchased at a local thrift
shop auction in Gravenhurst.

ONE OF THOSE DAYS - IN THE ANTIQUE TRADE THAT STARTS STRANGE AND ENDS WEIRD

VETERANS OF THE PROFESSION EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED AS NORMAL FARE -


     I ONCE AGAIN HAVE TO OFFER AN APOLOGY. I STARTED WRITING TODAY'S BLOG WITH THE BEST INTENTIONS. THE LATEST VISITOR TO THE SHOP WAS ONE OF MY LONG-TIME COLLECTOR FRIENDS, WE HAVE KNOWN FOR DECADES; AND, AS WE ARE FAMOUS FOR, ENTERED INTO AN AFTERNOON-LONG HERITAGE DEBATE. WE STARTED TO COMPARE ANTIQUE AND COLLECTABLE FINDS, AND NEAT HISTORICAL-TYPES WE KNOW, WHICH LED TO HOURS SPEEDING BY, WHILE WE SAT BACK IN THE STUDIO, ON VERY COMFORTABLE SOFAS, TALKING ABOUT EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING RELATED TO THIS COUNTRY'S PAST. SO WHEN YOU GET TWO STALWART ANTIQUE HUNTERS TALKING HISTORY, WELL, IT'S DRY, BORING, REPETITIVE STUFF TO MOST OTHER VISITORS TO THE SHOP, WHO TODAY, AMBLED, UNKNOWINGLY INTO OUR HERITAGE WORKSHOP; BUT A FEW PASSERSBY TOOK A TURN WITH US, TALKING ABOUT LOCAL HISTORY, AND THE NEAT STUFF THEY HAPPENED TO OWN. WHICH OF COURSE, DEVELOPED A WHOLE NEW PERSPECTIVE ON THINGS. WE SUDDENLY WANTED WHAT THEY HAD. CALL IT AN OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD, BUT WE ARE COMPETITIVE FOR THESE HISTORIC PIECES, RIGHT DOWN TO ARM WRESTLING. MY OLD FRIEND IS BOB BOOTH, AND THIS AFTERNOON WE HAD A BLAST CATCHING UP. BOB BOUGHT THE FIRST PIECE OF MUSKOKA MEMORABILIA SUZANNE AND I EVER SOLD. IT WAS A NAVIGATION COMPANY PLATE, SOLD AT A YARD SALE WE WERE HOSTING, BACK WHEN WE LIVED ON ONTARIO STREET, IN BRACEBRIDGE, IN THE MID 1980'S. BOB MADE THE PURCHASE, AND WE'VE BEEN FRIENDS EVER SINCE. WE DON'T MEET UP REGULARLY, BUT WHEN WE DO, IT'S GOING TO BE A BULL SESSION OF EPIC PROPORTION. WE BOTH LIVE HISTORY WITH ALL ITS ASSOCIATED ARTIFACTS. THIS WAS BOB'S FIRST TRIP INTO THE SHOP, SO HE HAD TO HAVE THE GRAND TOUR. HE'S STILL UP FRONT WITH ANDREW, VIEWING TOM THOMSON'S TENOR BANJO. HE MAY NEVER LEAVE. THAT'S OKAY. WE LOSE PEOPLE HERE ALL THE TIME. ACTUALLY, HE JUST NOW POKED HIS HEAD IN THE DOOR, TO SAY GOODBYE. SUZANNE ASKED ME IF I HAD ANY VOICE LEFT, AFTER FOUR HOURS OF STRAIGHT CONVERSATION. I THINK SHE'S BEING SARCASTIC BUT SHE KNOWS I LOVE TO TALK ABOUT THE GOOD OLD DAYS.
     I HAVE TRIED TO SETTLE DOWN WITH THIS KEYBOARD ON SIX OCCASIONS, ONLY TO BE INTERUPTED BY MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY. THESE OF COURSE ARE WELCOME INTRUSIONS. WELL, MAYBE HALF OF THEM. THE REALITY IS, THAT IN THIS BUSINESS, WHICH IS STREWN WITH VEINS OF WEIRDNESS ON EVEN THE SLOWEST DAY, YOU HAVE TO BE OPEN TO ALL EVENUTALITIES, EVEN IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT THROWS NORMALCY OUT THE DOOR. WHEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE HAULING ITEMS IN, WHICH THEY HAVE AN INTEREST TO SELL, YOU CAN GET BOGGED DOWN WITH OVER-THE-COUNTER APPRAISALS. WHILE WE BUY VERY LITTLE OVER THE COUNTER, BECAUSE WE ARE PICKERS OURSELVES, AT THE VERY LEAST, WE WILL TRY TO HELP FOLKS IDENTIFY WHAT THEY HAVE, AND GIVE THEM A BASIC VALUATION. THERE ARE TIMES, WHEN WE ARE OPEN TO ACQUIRING THE SUBJECT PIECES, OR TENDING TO AN ESTATE THAT IS OFFERED TO US, WE LIKE TO KEEP OUR OPERATION VERY SIMPLE. WE ONLY HAVE ONE PICKER, WHO WE HAVE PARTNERED WITH; BECAUSE WE DON'T LIKE THE IDEA OF CREATING ADDED COMPLEXITY, WHERE IT CAN SWALLOW US IN PAPERWORK. IN OUR PREVIOUS SHOP, IN BRACEBRIDGE, WE HAD TWENTY OR MORE CONSIGNORS, AND HONESTLY, IT'S WHAT GOT US THROUGH THE 1990'S RECESSION. BACK THEN WE CHARGED THE LOWEST CONSIGNMENT RATE IN THE REGION, AND THAT WAS TWENTY PERCENT. THE AVERAGE IS FORTY PERCENT WHICH IS A BIG BITE. WE HAD TO UP OUR FEE TO TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT, THIS YEAR, WHICH IS STILL PRETTY LOW AMONGST OUR CONTEMPORARIES. SO TODAY WAS ONE OF THOSE OCCASIONS, WHEN WE HAD MORE SELLERS THAN BUYERS. THIS SITUATION OCCURS ABOUT THREE TIMES A MONTH, AND MAYBE ITS COINCIDENTAL, OR JUST BECAUSE IT'S AT THE END OF THE MONTH, WITH RENT AND MORTGAGE PAYMENTS LOOMING. WE DO SEE A LOT OF SELLERS IN PANIC, BUT AS A RULE, THIS GIVES US REASON TO BE SUSPICIOUS.
     I HATE TO SAY THIS, BECAUSE IT WILL REFLECT BADLY ON THE COMMUNITY, AT LARGE, BUT WE DO HAVE A LOT OF DESPERATE PEOPLE SHOWING UP IN OUR COMBINED SHOP, TRYING TO SEEL ITEMS THAT ARE STOLEN. WHETHER IT IS TO PURCHASE BOOZE OR DRUGS, WE HAVE A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS ARRIVE AND STAGGER, TO OUR SALES COUNTER, WITH MATERIALS TO SELL, THAT THEY CAN'T (OR WON'T), TELL US WHERE IT CAME FROM; OR OFFER US ANYTHING THAT DEMONSTRATES CLEAR OWNERSHIP. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REPORT SUSPECTED THEFTS, BY THESE HAPPENSTANCE SELLERS, AND RE-UNITED THE PIECES WITH THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS. ON ONE OCCASION, WE HAD ABOUT TWENTY PIECES COME IN ON CONSIGNMENT, BUT WE KEPT THEM IN STORAGE, UNTIL WE COULD FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON. HAPPILY, FAMILY CONTACTED US, REPORTING THAT A SON HAD TAKEN, THE ITEMS FROM THE HOUSE, WITHOUT HIS FATHER'S APPROVAL. WE WERE ABLE TO GET EVERYTHING BACK TO THE FAMILY THAT HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM THE HOUSE.
      ONE OF MY MOST TROUBLING ENCOUNTERS, IN OUR BRACEBRIDGE SHOP, OCCURRED WHEN A GROUP OF PEOPLE SHOWED UP, ONE MORNING, AND STARTED YELLING BACK AND FORTH TO ONE ANOTHER, ABOUT FINDING PIECES OF INTEREST IN OUR COLLECTION. I STARTED TO WORRY ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING, BUT I JUST LISTENED AND WAITED FOR ONE OF THE CUSTOMERS TO APPROACH THE COUNTER. SEVERAL OF THE GROUP ARRIVED AT THE DESK TOGETHER, CARRYING FOUR OR FIVE SIGNIFICANT PIECES OF INVENTORY. THEY LOOKED MAD. WHICH SCARED ME. CONFRONTATIONS IN OUR BUSINESS HAPPEN ALL THE TIME, MOSTLY DUE TO MISTAKEN IDENTIFICATION. THE YOUNG MAN WAS FIRST TO SPEAK UP, WHEN HE ANNOUNCED THAT HE AND HIS MOTHER HAD FOUND "STOLEN" PIECES IN OUR SHOP. THE WOMAN, WHO HE IDENTIFIED AS HIS MOTHER, INTERRUPTED, BY CORRECTING THIS STATEMENT. "SIR, WE'RE NOT ACCUSING YOU OF STEALING THESE ITEMS. YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW THAT THE FELLOW WHO WAS HAVING THE YARD SALE, WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE SELLING OUR PROPERTY." THIS IS THE POINT WHEN THE DEALER FEELS BOTH ANGRY AND SMALL. VERY, VERY SMALL. SUCH THAT I FELT LOWER THAN THE SALES COUNTER. "I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU MEAN," I ANSWERED. "THESE ITEMS WERE BROUGHT IN BY A CONSIGNOR WHO I HAVE WORKED WITH FOR YEARS, WHO WOULD NEVER THINK TO STEAL ANYTHING AT ANY TIME."
     WHAT HAD HAPPENED, WAS THAT THESE FOLKS HAD RENTED A HOUSE, NORTH OF BRACEBRIDGE, TO A YOUNG COUPLE, WHILE THEY WERE OUT OF THE COUNTRY. WHEN THEY GOT BACK, THE COUPLE HAD MOVED OUT, AND REMOVED HUNDREDS OF ANTIQUE PIECES FROM THE HOUSE. THEY FOUND OUT FROM NEIGHBORS, THAT THE YOUNG MAN WHO HAD BEEN LIVING THERE, HAD BEEN DUMPED BY HIS GIRLFRIEND, AND HAVING LIMITED RESOURCES TO CARRY ON LIVING IN THE HOUSE, HAD DECIDED ONE SATURDAY MORNING, THAT SPRING, TO HOST A YARD SALE. THE PROBLEM WAS THAT HE DIDN'T HAVE ANY OF HIS OWN PROPERTY TO SELL. SO HE SOLD MATERIALS THAT DIDN'T BELONG TO HIM. ALONG CAME OUR CONSIGNOR FRIEND, MAKING THE YARD SALE ROUNDS, AND HE MADE SOME PURCHASES OFF THE YOUNG VENDOR. THEY WEREN'T EXACTLY HEIRLOOM PIECES, OR PARTICULARLY VALUABLE, BUT THEY WERE QUITE COLLECTABLE. HERE I WAS, WITH MY FACE HANGING OUT, STARING AT THESE POOR FOLKS, TRYING TO RECLAIM THEIR POSSESSIONS LITERALLY ONE SHOP, ONE ARTICLE AT A TIME. THEY HAD A REASONABLE IDEA, THAT DEALERS HAD PURCHASED NINETY PERCENT OF THE BEST PIECES OFFERED BY THE YOUNG MAN, ON THAT SUNNY SPRING MORNING. THEY HAD ALREADY VISITED TEN SHOPS IN TWO DAYS OF SEARCHING, AND RECOVERED ABOUT TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE ITEMS.
     I HELPED THEM AROUND THE SHOP, TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY MORE PIECES THEY HADN'T DETECTED, ON THEIR QUICK ROUND-ABOUT, AND I THINK WE RECLAIMED ANOTHER THREE VINTAGE CROCKS. I GAVE THEM ALL THE MATERIALS BACK, AND GOT THEM TO SIGN A RECEIPT FOR WHAT HAD BEEN TURNED-OVER. AFTER THEY LEFT, I IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED THE CONSIGNOR, AND TOLD HIM WHAT HAD HAPPENED. AT FIRST, HE FELT THAT HE SHOULD BE SOMEWHAT COMPENSATED FOR WHAT HE'D SPENT AT THE BOGUS YARD SALE. I POINTED OUT TO HIM, THAT HE SHOULD KNOW, THAT IT IS A "BUYER BEWARE," SITUATION, IN OUR TRADE; AND IN THIS CASE, THE ONUS HAD TO FALL OUR BOTH OUR BROAD SHOULDERS. WE COULDN'T BLAME ANYONE ELSE, BECAUSE QUESTIONS SHOULD HAVE BEEN ASKED, AND SUSPICIONS FOLLOWED UP ON! WE HAVE TO PERFORM DUE DILIGENCE TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL, IF WE WANT TO AVOID SITUATIONS LIKE THIS. WHAT COULD HE HAVE DONE UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES? FIRST OF ALL, ASKED A LOT OF QUESTIONS OF THE VENDOR. A TWENTY YEAR OLD WITH ANTIQUES IS NOT TYPICAL OR USUAL, AND ESPECIALLY ONE FLIPPING THEM FROM A DRIVEWAY IN THE HINTERLAND. WE TALKED ABOUT THE RISK FACTOR OUT THERE, AND WE AGREED TO BE MORE CAREFUL, ON BOTH ENDS, FROM THAT POINT FORWARD. I OFFERED TO COMPENSATE HALF THE LOSS, BUT HE WOULDN'T HEAR OF IT; WHICH WAS NICE OF HIM. ALTHOUGH WE TRY TO AVOID CIRCUMSTANCES LIKE THIS, EVEN VETERAN DEALERS CAN MAKE THE MISTAKE OF TRUSTING SOMEONE, WHO MAKES A COMPELLING ARGUMENT, BUT IS IN THE ACT OF COMMITTING FRAUD. THERE ARE A LOT OF TELL-TALE SIGNS, AND THAT'S WHY DEALERS HAVE TO PURSUE THE MATTER WITH A RIGOROUS LINE OF QUESTIONING. EVERY ONE WE DEAL WITH, HAS TO GO THROUGH THE SAME PROCESS, EVEN THOSE WE HAVE DEALT WITH FOR YEARS. WHILE I'M SURE IT'S ANNOYING TO THE POINT OF BEING INSULTING, THE END RESULT IS THAT WE MITIGATE THOSE UGLY POTENTIALS, OF HAVING THE POLICE SHOW UP AT OUR DESK, WITH A PICTURE OF A STOLEN ITEM, THAT WE MIGHT HAVE IN OUR SHOWCASE.
     THOSE SELLING ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES, INCLUDING VINTAGE GUITARS AND EQUIPMENT, WHO HAVE NO REASON TO HAVE THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE, AND WHO CAN'T TELL YOU WHERE THEY ACQUIRED THEM, ARE DISPATCHED IMMEDIATELY, BACK OUT THE FRONT DOOR. BY EXPERIENCE, MANY OF THESE CHARACTERS, AREN'T THE PERPETRATORS OF A BREAK AND ENTER, OR THE ORIGINAL THEFT. THEY ARE COMMISSIONED TO CARRY OUT THE DISPERSAL OF STOLEN GOODS, AND THEY'RE PROBABLY BEING HONEST, WHEN THEY CAN'T ANSWER, ABOUT WHERE THE ITEMS WERE PURCHASED, OR OTHERWISE CAME INTO THEIR POSSESSION. IF WE FIND SOMEONE TRYING TO FLIP A VALUABLE GUITAR OR PIECE OF SOUND EQUIPMENT, WE MAY ALREADY HAVE A LIST, OR KNOWLEDGE OF PIECES STOLEN IN THE REGION. THEFT VICTIMS EXPECT THAT THE THIEVES WILL VISIT A GUITAR SHOP, OR PAWN SHOP, TO UNLOAD THE ILL-GOTTEN GOODS. WHEN SOMEONE IS VIOLATED IN THIS FASHION, THEY OFTEN COME TO SEE US FIRST, AS WE ARE ONE OF VERY FEW BUSINESSES THAT SELL ONLY VINTAGE USED MUSIC EQUIPMENT (IN OUR MUSIC COMPONENT). SO WE PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO OPP REPORTS ABOUT STOLEN PROPERTY, AND WILL PHONE IN ANY SUSPICIOUS SELLER, WHO HAS WHAT WE BELIEVE, IS THE SUBJECT GUITAR ETC. WHILE IT'S NOT AN EVERY DAY SCENARIO, IT DOES OCCUR FAR TOO OFTEN, AND ALWAYS MAKES US UNCOMFORTABLE. THE OTHER GIVE-AWAY, IS WHEN THE INDIVIDUAL WANTS A RIDICULOUSLY LOW AMOUNT FOR WHAT COULD BE A THOUSAND DOLLAR GUITAR. WE ASSUME THIS IS DUE TO AN IMMEDIATE NEED FOR MONEY, AND THE REALIZATION, THAT A GREEDY VENDOR WOULD JUMP AT THE CHANCE TO CLINCH THE DEAL. VERY SELDOM DO WE SEE IT THE OTHER WAY ROUND, THAT A PERSON WITH A "HOT" ITEM, WILL WANT TOP DOLLAR. THEY JUST WANT TO GET IN AND OUT AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. THIS IS WHEN WE SHOW THEM THE DOOR.
     SOMETIMES, A PERSON ARRIVING AT THE DESK, WILL BE EITHER STONED OR DRUNK, AND TRY TO SELL US ON SOME GREAT "PROPERTY", OF VARIED DESCRIPTION, AND SKETCHY PROVENANCE, WHO WE BELIEVE ACTUALLY OWNS THE ITEMS, BUT IS TOO FAR OUT-OF-IT, FOR US TO DEAL MAKE ANY KIND OF BUSINESS DEAL. WE HAVE HAD SITUATIONS, WHERE ANGRY PARTNERS, SHOW UP AT THE SHOP THE NEXT DAY, TRYING TO BUY BACK THE FAMILY HERILOOMS THAT A SPOUSE OR SIGNIFICANT OTHER SOLD DURING A BINGE. THEY MAY HAVE BEEN THE RIGHTFUL OWNER, BUT THE CIRCUMSTANCE OF THEIR MENTAL CAPABILITY, SUGGESTED A DEAL COULD NOT BE CONDUCTED FAIRLY EITHER WAY. SO WE JUST TURN THEM AWAY, AND SUGGEST THAT WE COULD TALK TO THEM WHEN THEY SOBER UP. WE NEVER SEE THEM IN THE SHOP AGAIN. WHICH IS FINE FOR ONE AND ALL, AND MAY HAVE EVEN SPARED THEIR FAMILY RELATIONSHIP. UNFORTUNATELY, WE ARE OFTEN CONFUSED, WITH PAWN AND HOCK SHOPS, AND PEOPLE THINK THAT WE WILL GIVE THEM AN ADVANCE ON THEIR PROPERTY, THAT THEY CAN RECLAIM AT A LATER DATE, BY COMING UP WITH THE SET FEE. IT'S KIND OF SAD ACTUALLY, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT HAPPENS IN AND AROUND CHRISTMAS, WHEN FOLKS RUN OUT OF MONEY FOR GIFT BUYING. THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW WE OPERATE, AND THEY OFTEN GET MAD AT US, FOR NOT EXCHANGING GOODS FOR A TEMPORARY LOAN. I'M NOT KIDDING. THEY WILL EVEN YELL AT US, FOR BEING JERKS, WHEN CLEARLY, WE DO NOT ADVERTISE OURSELVES AS A HOCK SHOP. IT DOES CREATE SOME TENSE MOMENTS, ESPECIALLY IF THE INDIVIDUAL IS UNDER THE INFLUENCE. WE HAVEN'T BEEN PUNCHED-OUT YET, BUT WE'RE ALWAYS CAREFUL ABOUT HANDLING THESE CUSTOMERS, AND SHOWING THEM AS MUCH RESPECT AS WE CAN, IN USHERING THEM OUT THE DOOR. WITHOUT OF COURSE, BEING RUDE. THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW OCCASIONS WHEN THE VISITORS DO BECOME CONFRONTATIONAL, BUT ONLY BECAUSE OF THEIR PREVAILING CONDITION. A FEW HAVE COME BACK TO OFFER AN APOLOGY THE NEXT DAY, KNOWING THEY HAD MADE UNFLATTERING COMMENTS. EVERYBODY DESERVES A SECOND CHANCE.
     QUITE A FEW VISITORS TO THE SHOP, DON'T UNDERSTAND THE KIND OF PRECAUTIONS WE HAVE TO TAKE IN THIS BUSINESS, TO PROTECT OURSELVES FROM PERPETUATING THE SCOPE OF A CRIME'S AFTERMATH. FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE WERE TO BUY AN ANTIQUE SILVER TEA SERVICE, FOR A THOUSAND DOLLARS, ONLY TO FIND OUT LATER, IT HAD BEEN STOLEN DURING A BREAK-IN, WELL, A LOT OF MONEY WOULD BE LOST. OUR MONEY! EVEN IF THE THIEF WAS CAUGHT AND PROSECUTED, WE WOULD LIKELY BE OUT THE MONEY INVESTED. WE MADE THE MISTAKE SO WE HAVE TO SUFFER THE LOSS. IT'S THAT SIMPLE.
    IT DOESN'T MATTER WHETHER THE THEFT OCCURRED LOCALLY OR ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE COUNTRY. WITH LIGHTNING QUICK COMMUNICATIONS TODAY, AND THE ABILITY TO SEND A PHOTO IMAGE IN A SPLIT SECOND, WE COULD HAVE A PICTURE OF THAT SAME TEA SERVICE, TRANSPORTED FROM A ROOM IN OUR SHOP (AS TAKEN BY A CUSTOMER), TO EITHER THE POLICE, OR A VICTIM, SUCH THAT BEFORE THE VISIT CONCLUDES, WE COULD BE BUSTED FOR SELLING STOLEN PROPERTY. THE PENALTIES FOR THIS ARE SEVERE. AND, IT CAN CAUSE LASTING DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPANY NAME, AND PERSONAL REPUTATION. SO IF WE ARE DECIDEDLY DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH, ON OVER THE COUNTER TRANSACTIONS, IT'S BECAUSE OF THIS FEAR OF MAKING A MISTAKE, AND INADVERTENTLY BUYING STOLEN GOODS. IT HAPPENS TO A LOT OF FOLKS IN OUR PROFESSION. WHEN TIMES GET DIFFICULT ECONOMICALLY, WE ALWAYS SEE A PARALLEL INCREASE IN FOLKS SELLING ILL-GOTTEN WARES. AND WHILE MOST WHO APPROACH US WITH ITEMS TO SELL, ARE LEGITIMATE, THERE ARE STILL FAR TOO MANY TRYING TO MAKE A QUICK BUCK AND THEN EXECUTE A QUICK GET-AWAY. WE ALSO HAVE THE PROBLEM OF THEFT, LIKE EVERY OTHER RETAIL OPERATION, BUT WE MITIGATE THIS WITH MANY SECURITY MEASURES, AND MANY "EYES" AROUND THE BUILDING. BUT IT'S JUST PART OF THE BUSINESS, AND YOU LEARN QUICKLY HOW TO DEAL WITH IT, AND STAY ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE LAW.

THE JOYS OF SOLITUDE AND NATURE - THE INVIGORATION OF THE SENSES

     "THIS IS A DELICIOUS EVENING, WHEN THE WHOLE BODY IS ONE SENSE, AND IMBIBES DELIGHT THROUGH EVERY PORE. I GO AND COME WITH A STRANGE LIBERTY IN NATURE, A PART OF HERSELF. AS I WALK ALONG THE STONY SHORE OF THE POND IN MY SHIRT SLEEVES, THOUGH IT IS COOL AS WELL AS CLOUDY, AND WINDY, AND I SEE NOTHING SPECIAL TO ATTRACT ME, ALL THE ELEMENTS ARE UNUSUALLY CONGENIAL TO ME. THE BULLFROGS TRUMP TO USHER IN THE NIGHT, AND THE NOTE OF THE WHIPPOORWILL IS BORNE ON THE RIPPLING WIND FROM OVER THE WATER. SYMPATHY WITH THE FLUTTERING ALDER AND POPLAR LEAVES, ALMOST TAKES AWAY MY BREATH; YET LIKE THE LAKE, MY SERENITY IS RIPPLED BUT NOT RUFFLED. THESE SMALL WAVES RAISED BY THE EVENING WIND ARE AS REMOTE FROM STORM AS THE SMOOTH REFLECTING SURFACE. THOUGH IT IS NOW DARK, THE WIND STILL BLOWS AND ROARS IN THE WOOD, THE WAVES STILL DASH, AND SOME CREATURES LULL THE REST WITH THEIR NOTES. THE REPOSE IS NEVER COMPLETE. THE WILDEST ANIMALS DO NOT REPOSE, BUT SEEK THEIR PREY NOW; THE FOX AND SKUNK, AND RABBIT, NOW ROAM THE FIELDS AND WOODS WITHOUT FEAR. THEY ARE NATURE'S WATCHMEN, LINKS WHICH CONNECT THE DAYS OF ANIMATED LIFE."

     I HAVE THIS WRITTEN OUT, ON A PIECE OF PAPER POSTED ABOVE MY DESK; THE PAPER YELLOWED AND RIPPED, BUT CONTAINING THE MOST IMPORTANT PARAGRAPH, WHICH TO ME, IS AN ENDURING SOURCE OF DAILY INSPIRATION; ESPECIALLY WHEN AT TIMES, THE VIEW FROM HERE, HAS SEEMED DULL AND UNREMARKABLE……TIME FULL OF TURMOIL AND ANTICIPATION. THESE ARE THE WORDS CONTAINED IN THE CHAPTER, "SOLITUDE," AS WRITTEN BY LEGENDARY AMERICAN AUTHOR, HENRY DAVID THOREAU, IN HIS WELL LOVED BOOK, "WALDEN AND CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE."

     I CAME UPON THOREAU'S WORK QUITE BY ACCIDENT. IT WAS ONE OF THOSE ACCIDENTS, THAT HAD A GOOD AND POSITIVE SIDE, AND CAME AT THE RIGHT TIME IN MY LIFE TO BE APPRECIATED.

I FOUND THE BOOK IN A BOX GIVEN TO MY MOTHER

     When I was finishing up high school, in Bracebridge, I had some concerns about what field I would major in, when attending university. I didn't have a clue. I was interested in history and english, but I really didn't see myself becoming a teacher. I was too impatient. Too impulsive. I was above all, claustrophobic. Being confined to a classroom, was like being nailed into a coffin each day. And most important, I had hated school every year I had been enrolled, from grade one onward. Although family and friends thought I'd make a decent teacher, or possibly a professor, I was thinking more along the lines of "country philosopher," or a "bard," although I was pretty sure this wouldn't have been a very profitable pursuit. I was in a quandary because university was expensive, and I needed to make a wise investment in my courses of study. So I started to read more, in an attempt to loosen the old noggin, in order to consider all the possibilities….all the pertinent points of view. I have always felt writers knew about universal, philosophical stuff I needed to know, which explains why I have been drawn to books for most of my life.

     My mother picked up a bag of books someone had left in the laundry room, of our apartment building, and she found some titles that appealed to her reading interests, and even retrieved one for me……and yes, it was my strange, rather unremarkable introduction to Henry David Thoreau. From the laundry room to my room. So it seemed like a worthwhile book to invest some time, and I even took it to work with me, for lunch-time reading. I was working as a shipper /driver at Building Trades Centre, in Bracebridge, where my father Ed was manager. I used to take small deliveries out to cottage properties, around the lakes, and on occasion, I'd have to wait for a contractor or owner to show up at the site, to sign for the delivery. I wasn't allowed to leave an order without a signature. So I had a lot of time out in the woods. So this day, I decided to take the book along, because I knew there was a good chance, I was going to be spending some quality time out in the bush waiting. Other drivers had warned me about this job, and the contractor, who was missing in action a lot. I wasn't wrong.

     I remember going to this particular property on Healey Lake, just off the Fraserburg Road, (in Bracebridge), and having to wait more than an hour and a half, for the contractor to return from lunch. The small cottage was only missing the siding and the windows, of which I had some of both in the back of the truck. It was raining and I hated the idea of sitting in the truck for however long it was going to take, for someone to arrive back on site. So I wandered over to the cottage, with my book under my arm, and sat down just inside the front door, with my feet slung out on top of the first step, of the unfinished verandah. It was a beautiful setting, and the sound of the light rain on the leaves was so relaxing, yet strangely alluring at the same time. It was a contradiction as such; being an exciting solitude. A very inspirational place to spend time in contemplation. I contemplated a lot back then…..as my preparation for becoming a modern day philosopher…..which I actually thought was a profession.

     After enjoying the scene for twenty minutes or so, I began delving into the world this author had made at Concord's Walden Pond. Why were his observations so revered? What did he know of life and times that I didn't? What did nature mean to him? So for the better part of the next hour, I read my first chapters of "Walden Pond" and quickly understood how astute an observer he had been, in his era, and in his region of the hinterland. It was at times, as if Thoreau himself, was sitting beside me, on this doorless portal onto the nature of Muskoka. The lake in behind, through a second open door, looked like shattered glass, with the fall of rain rippling its silver surface. I was sensing Walden Pond, even though, regionally, it was South Muskoka, in the Province of Ontario. I could actually see the point he was making via the book he wrote. This was the visual beyond the print, and his words rang true to what was happening around me, in this din of natural sounds and myriad occurrences of insects, birds, and animals. It was a gentle occasion, but it was electric at the same time, with so much going on…..deer leaping down the road, a beaver coming up from the lowland, and fish breaking the surface of the lake, lunging for the flies that hovered over its surface. It was as if he had opened a door for me, to see the true philosophy of unfettered nature……all from a perch above the thriving ferns beneath, and the evergreens making up the border of the country lane. The scene was remarkable because I was seeing it, in company of a true country philosopher. Even though I had always been a wanderer in nature, resorting to the woods and lakeland whenever possible, often with canoe and paddle, I witnessed something on this day, that I can only relate to, what David Grayson, once wrote, of an opening of the closed mind, to see to the horizon and beyond, in the universality of personal discovery. I couldn't claim, to having become a scholar in the works of Thoreau, after reading only several chapters, but it became a heavily relied upon book that I came to latch onto, to explain my own deepening interests in rural philosophy, and engaging nature to suit my wild wanderlust. My mother gave me a head start in the domain of philosophy, when she handed me this discard book, of which I have never been separated from, in spirit, since that spring day back in 1973.

     This simple passage, that is posted by my desk, reminds me of that occasion, sitting in the doorway of a half finished Muskoka cottage, with the good company of Mr. Thoreau, at least in spirit. In some ways, it was my awakening to the possibilities that I could become a country philosopher after all……if however, I didn't measure the success of this career move, by the amount of money pocketed at the end of each week. My parents wanted me to be a teacher. A succession of wonderful girlfriends and male chums, bet I would become a teacher. I became a writer instead, and a sort of country philosopher on account of Henry David Thoreau…..and a book I consider my country bible. The pay sucks but the dividends are perpetually enlightening. All I have to do, is wander over to the adjacent woodlands, here at Birch Hollow, to regain my passion for discovery…..because I never return home, that I can honestly say, I didn't find anything to fascinate me. I could write a book about these "fascinations," with nature…..never once requiring an "app" to make the connection.

     Thank you for taking a little time today, with the good Mr. Thoreau and me……always in your debt, for your faithful visitations.

Christo Stefanoff painting in Quebec; A Tie With An Old Home Town

Paintings by Christo Stefanoff, Bulgarian Canadian Artist

CHRISTO STEFANOFF'S PAINTINGS ARE FULL OF VITALITY - FROM PORTRAITS AND URBAN SCENES, TO THE LANDSCAPE OF QUEBEC

SIGNED, PUBLISHED BIOGRAPHY, FOUND IN MUSKOKA

     I AM ALWAYS EAGER TO BUY GOOD QUALITY ART. IF I HAD MORE DISPOSABLE INCOME, I'D OWN A LOT MORE OF IT. I LOOK OUT FOR PIECES THAT WILL APPEAL TO MY CUSTOMERS, BUT FIRST, EACH PAINTING OR SCULPTURE, HAS TO PASS MY OWN CHECKS FOR QUALITY. I DON'T SKIMP ON THE EXERCISE, BECAUSE THAT COULD COST BIG-TIME, WHEN I SLAP A PRICE ON IT, FOR RE-SALE. I'VE GOT STUCK WITH QUITE A BIT OF "LESSER" QUALITY ART, ESPECIALLY IN MY EARLY YEARS, SOME OF IT I'M STILL LIVING WITH TODAY. IT PAYS TO BE THOROUGH ABOUT GRADING.
     IN THE ANTIQUE TRADE, I HAVE HAD A GOOD RUN OF LUCK, SELLING PAINTINGS AND SMALL SCULPTURES. IN FACT, GOING BACK TO MY FIRST DAYS IN THE PROFESSION, I COULD ALWAYS COUNT ON LITTLE PAINTINGS, OF MODEST VALUE, TO HELP PAY DOWN THE RENT. I KEPT BUYING THEM, AND MY CUSTOMERS WOULD CLEAR OFF MY WALLS QUICKLY. THESE WERE AFFORDABLY PRICED ORIGINALS, NOT TOM THOMSON LANDSCAPES. I PURCHASE ART BASED ON QUALITY AND COMPETENCE. BUT I'M NOT TUTORED TO BE AN ART BUYER OR CRITIC FOR THAT MATTER.
     I'VE PAID CLOSE ATTENTION TO ART AND ARTISTS, SINCE I WAS A STUDENT AT YORK UNIVERSITY, IN TORONTO. A FEW OF MY CHUMS IN WINTER'S COLLEGE, WERE IN THE FINE ARTS PROGRAM, AND OFTEN PAINTED IN THEIR ROOMS DURING OUR EVENING SOCIALS. (WHICH COULD GET PRETTY WILD). I WOULD PACIFY MY ART URGES, BY WATCHING THESE TALENTED PAINTERS EXPRESS THEMSELVES. I WAS KEEN TO WATCH THEM MIX THEIR COLORS AND TO STUDY THEIR BRUSH STROKES, AND STYLES. THEY DIDN'T SEEM TO MIND ME BEING IN THE ROOM, AND WOULD PUT ME TO WORK FETCHING SUPPLIES, AND DIFFERENT BRUSHES. MY FRIEND ROSS SMITH, AN EXCEPTIONAL LANDSCAPE ARTIST, EVEN PAINTED A SMALL SCENE FOR ME, BASED ON THE SONG, ABOUT SITTING ON THE DOCK OF THE BAY. I STILL HAVE IT HUNG IN MY OFFICE. HE PAINTED IT IN THE SPRING OF 1977. SO I LEARNED ABOUT ART FROM BEING CLOSE TO IT; AND WISHING I COULD HAVE PAINTED MYSELF. OF THIS PURSUIT, I FAILED MISERABLY, NEVER TO RETURN TO BRUSH AND PAINTS AGAIN. FROM AN ART APPRECIATION POINT OF VIEW, I'VE CARRIED ON THROUGH MY COLLECTING YEARS, HAVING A PARTICULAR AFFECTION FOR OIL PAINTINGS ESPECIALLY, THAT APPEAL TO MY GENERAL INTERESTS. I HAVE A WIDE RANGE, SO THAT DOESN'T REALLY LIMIT MY CHOICES. I LOVE FOLK ART AND HAVE SOLD LOTS OF PIECES THROUGH THE SHOP. ONCE AGAIN, DESPITE THE WORK BEING NAIVE, AND FROM HOBBYISTS, QUALITY IS STILL AN IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION, WHEN MAKING A PURCHASE. I ALWAYS BUY BASED ON THE POTENTIAL, I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SELL IT; AND THUS, IT WILL COME HOME WITH ME EVENTUALLY. IT'S MUCH MORE PALATABLE IF YOU LIKE THE WORK, AS RULE ONE. IF YOU'D BE WILLING TO PUT IT UP IN YOUR OWN LIVING SPACE, THEN CHANCES ARE, SOMEONE ELSE WILL FEEL EXACTLY THE SAME. IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT, WE'LL BE WRAPPING IT UP FOR YOU TO TAKE HOME. ALTHOUGH HUNDREDS OF THESE PIECE FALL WELL BELOW, THE KIND OF WORK BY CHRISTO STEFANOFF, THERE IS STILL SOMETHING TO BE SAID FOR THE AMATEUR ARTIST, WHO PAINTED REALLY NICE PANELS; ONES PERFECT FOR A LOW BUDGET, TO BE HUNG OVER THE LIVINGROOM SOFA. ON THE OTHER HAND, I'D KIND OF LIKE A STEFANOFF PAINTING TO GO WITH MY AUTOGRAPH.
     "CHRISTO STEFANOFF, BULGARIAN PAINTER, NATURALIZED POLISH, HAS LEFT THE ALARMING ATMOSPHERE OF EUROPE, ACCORDING TO HIS OWN EXPRESSION, TO ESTABLISH HIMSELF IN CANADA." THIS WAS NOTE IN AN ARTICLE IN THE PUBLICATION "NOTRE TEMPS," IN THE MAY 10TH, I952 ISSUE. THE ALARMING ATMOSPHERE HE WAS REFERRING TO, WAS THE SPREAD OF COMMUNISM, AND THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF RUSSIA, IN POST SECOND WORLD WAR EUROPE.
     IF YOU MISSED THE FIRST PART OF THIS REVIEW, YOU CAN ARCHIVE BACK TO YESTERDAY'S BLOG.
     THIS SIGNED ART REVIEW / BIOGRAPHY, WAS FOUND AT A SECOND HAND SALE HERE IN MUSKOKA. THE ARTIST'S WORK CAN SELL FOR OVER A MILLION DOLLARS AT AUCTION. SO IT WAS A NICE FIND, OUT ON OUR ANTIQUING ADVENTURE, TO FIND SUCH AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF ART HISTORY. YES, I WOULD HAVE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED FINDING ONE OF HIS CELEBRATED ART PANELS, BUT GETTING HIS SIGNATURE ON THE PUBLICATION WAS A PRETTY DECENT RETURN FOR THE INVESTMENT OF GAS MONEY. I HAVE SHOW SEVERAL OF HIS ART PANELS, PUBLISHED IN THE BLACK AND WHITE MAGAZINE. HE DID SOME EXCEPTIONAL WORK, DEPICTING THE LANDSCAPE IN THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC. HIS WORK IS WIDELY ACKNOWLEDGED AND REVERED INTERNATIONALLY, AS THIS IS WHERE HE WAS MOST ACTIVE, DURING HIS EARLY YEARS PAINTING IN EUROPE.
     "THE WELL KNOWN CRITIC OF ART, PAUL GLADU, WRITES IN A MONTREAL NEWSPAPER, 'LE CANADA,' ON THURSDAY, NAY 8TH, 1952, 'FOR ITS LARGE EXHIBITION HALL, ANTOINE'S ART GALLERY HAS FOUND A GREAT PAINTER IN THE PERSON OF PROFESSOR CHRISTO STEFANOFF'." THIS IS NOTED IN THE PUBLICATION, "COMMENTARY," BY WRITER ANTONIA J. VAN DUIVENBODEN, CIRCA 1958, THE YEAR THE ARTIST SIGNED THE BIOGRAPHY, POSSIBLY RELEASED AT A GALLERY EXHIBITION.
     THE ARTICLE PENNED BY ART CRITIC, PAUL GLADU, REPORTS THAT, "THE METICULOUS PAINTERS TIRED US WITH THEIR SMALL PICTURES, SURE PROOFS OF THEIR INDIGENCE. THIS ONE IS PERHAPS A LITTLE GRANDILOQUENT, BUT HE IS NOT SHABBY; DEMONSTRATIVE BUT CONVINCING. HIS AMBITIOUS WORKS HAVE A UNIVERSAL CHARACTER. THEY SAY GREAT THINGS, EITHER ABOUT NATURE, OTHER ABOUT THE FIGHTS OF WARSAW. PATRIOTIC DECLARATIONS ARE USUALLY EXCITING MY MISTRUST. BUT THIS TIME, I AM AFFECTED BY GENEROUS FEELINGS WHICH ARE DICTATED BY NO BOOK WHATSOEVER. THE UPRISING OF WARSAW WILL HAVE HAD A WITNESS WITH POWERFUL VERB, AND THE RUINS OF THE CAPITAL WITH A TRAGIC DESTINY KEEP ALL THE SAME DUE TO HIM, THEIR GREATNESS AND THEIR HOPE. HERE WE ARE FAR FROM ANALYSIS. IT IS PAINTING WITH BIG GESTURES, MORE ISSUED FROM HEART THAN FROM BRAINS. AS IN VICTOR HUGO, WE FIND GRANDIOSE AND SUMMARY, BIG STARTS AND NAIVETY, PRIDE AND MYSTICISM, BUT IN AN AMPLE AND LYRIC SUSTAINED MANNER. WHAT PLEASES ME OVER ALL IS THE IMPRESSION OF VIGOROUS HEALTH WHICH IS RELIEVED FROM IT. AT LAST FIRMNESS. THE COLLECTION IS ABUNDANT AND VARIED. IT INCLUDES MORE THAN SIXTY WORKS, FROM THE PENCIL DRAWING TO THE LARGE OIL PAINTINGS FORMING TRIPTYCHS.
     "ALMOST ALL THE PAINTINGS DEDICATED TO THE WARSAW DRAMA HAVE APPEARED TO ME MAGNIFICENT LIKE FRAGMENTS OF EPOPEE 'VERONICA CLOTH,' IS MADE IN AN EASY STYLE. 'THE LAST HOUR OF A GREAT MASTER,' IS HEAVY OF IRON AND CONVICTION. THE STILL LIVES ARE PARTICULARLY INTERESTING AND ARE EXECUTED WITH GAIETY AND VIGOUR! 'ETERNAL SYMPHONY,' SYMBOLIC COMPOSITION DEDICATED TO BEETHOVEN, HAS A NOBLE CONCEPTION AND IS WELL RENDERED. AS TO THE DRAWINGS, THEY ARE CLEAN, LARGELY MADE AND PRECISE. THE PORTRAIT OF MR. FR., MADE IMPRESSION ON ME, THE PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST'S WIFE HAS SEDUCED ME, AND AN EXTRAORDINARY POETRY IS RELIEVED FROM 'THE FOREST.' I CANNOT RESUME IN A FEW PARAGRAPHS A SO EXTENSIVE AND SO IMPOSING WORK. I WISH THAT ITS AUTHOR STAYS LONG AMONGST US AND I WISH THAT HE FINDS NECESSARY MEANS AND LIBERTY TO CONTINUE HIS GREAT WORK."
     "NOVEMBER 14TH, 1952, PROFESSOR CHRISTO STEFANOFF ORGANIZES IN ANTOINE'S GALLERY, EXHIBITION OF 'LAURENTIAN LANDSCAPE,' UNDER HONORARY OMER COTE, MINISTER OF CULTURE, PROVINCE OF QUEBEC," RECORDS THE BIOGRAPHY BY ANTONIA VAN DUIVENBODEN. "THE PAPER CONTINUES; STEFANOFF RECORDS - LAURENTIANS IN FALL. PROFESSOR CHRISTO STEFANOFF, WHO LAST YEAR SHOWED HIS PAINTINGS OF WARTIME ACTION AND RUIN IN WARSAW, RETURNS TO ANTOINE'S ART GALLERY, 939 VICTORIA SQUARE, WITH A COLLECTION OF VIGOROUS INTERPRETATIONS OF LAURENTIAN LANDSCAPES. HE HAS FOUND THE REGION RICH IN MATERIAL, SOME OF HIS MOST POWERFUL ITEMS BEING DONE IN THE SEASON OF VIVID LEAF. RESTFUL IN SPIRIT AND RELATIVELY SUBDUED IN COLOR ARE THE FOUR WORKS, UNDER THE GENERAL TITLE OF 'BROOK,' IN WHICH SUNLIGHT SPLASHES ROCKS AND UNDERGROWTH BENEATH TREES. TREATMENT IS BROAD AND DIRECT, AND THE EFFECT OF FALLING WATER CONVINCINGLY CONVEYED. EFFECTIVE, TOO, ARE THE ITEMS IN WHICH SUBSTANTIAL TREES ARE THE CENTRE OF INTEREST. THEY ARE DEEPLY ROOTED, BUT YEARS AND WEATHER HAVE LEFT THEIR MARK - AS IN AN OLD BIRCH, IN ANOTHER BIG, GNARLED HOLLOW TREE AND IN A TWISTED TREE WHICH LOOKS PAST REVIVING. BROADER VISTAS HAVE ENGAGED HIS BRUSH IN A SERIES OF PAINTINGS OF FARMS, WITH NEAR OR DISTANT BARNS, AND HE PAINTED AN EXTENSIVE REACH OF COUNTRY IN 'LAURENTIAN SUMMITS,' WITH ROLLING WOODED HILLS AND A GROUP OF BUILDINGS IN A HOLLOW SEEN FROM A HEIGHT. 'WILDFLOWERS IN ST. SAUVEUR,' FEATURES MOUNTAINS, SPRUCES AND A CLUMP OF YELLOW BLOOMS IN THE FOREGROUND. IN 'SIDE OF A HILL,' THE HUES OF AUTUMN ARE BEGINNING TO APPEAR IN THE TREES, A THEME REPEATED IN 'BEGINNING OF AUTUMN,' AND 'AUTUMN CONTRASTS.' PINK AND PURPLE CLOUDS FILL THE SKY IN 'SUNSET IN LAURENTIANS,' WITH ITS DARK, WOODED HILL ABOVE THE LAKE, THE DEPARTURE OF DAY IN VIVID SPLENDOR ALSO BEING EFFECTIVELY RECORDED IN TWO VERSIONS ENTITLED, 'SUNSET LAKE RENAUD.' A BEACHED BOAT UNDER TREES IS ANOTHER GOOD LAC - RENAUD SUBJECT. THE BUSH IS BECOMING OBSCURED BY MIST IN THE WORK CALLED 'BEFORE THE RAIN,' AND AN OLD BARN WITH A SHATTERED ROOF IS THE CENTRE OF INTEREST IN 'DECLINE OF AUTUMN.' COLOR AND BREADTH SEEM PUSHED TO THEIR LIMITS IN 'LAC RENAUD IN AUTUMN,' WITH ITS WOODED HILLS AND GLIMPSE OF WATER IN 'AFTER THE RAIN,' SHOWING BREAKING GREY CLOUDS ABOVE HOUSE AND BARDS, AND 'FOREST IN AUTUMN,' ALL EFFECTS KNOWN TO THOSE WHO VISIT THE MOUNTAINS IN THE FALL. CONTRAST SUPPLIED BY 'FARM IN WINTER CHRISTIEVILLE,' HOUSE, BARN AND HILLS, AND 'WINTER CHRISTIEVILLE,' MUCH THE SAME IN PICTORIAL CONTENT."
     IN THE SEPTEMBER 1954 ISSUE OF "L'HOTELLERIE MAGAZINE," AN ARTICLE WRITTEN BY HENRI-PAUL GARCEAU, NOTES OF THE ARTIST, "OVERHANGING VAL DAVID, AND VAL MORIN, A STUDIO LODGES PERHAPS ONE OF THE GREATEST PAINTERS OF THE MODERN ERA, FAITHFUL DISCIPLE OF REMBRANDT, VAN GOGH, CHRISTO STEFANOFF, OF BULGARIAN DESCENT. HIS EVERY WORK WORD DENOTES A CLASSICAL FORM AND LIGHT SPOUTS IN THE LESS DETAILS. HIS WORK IS ESPECIALLY CHARACTERIZED BY THE PORTRAIT. TRAGIC PERSONNAGES INSPIRED BY THE WAR PERIOD, BIBLICAL SCENES OR CHARACTER FROM MASTER PIECES OF THE LITERATURE TAKE LIFE IN HIS PAINTINGS, AND FORM A STRANGE WORLD OF LIGHT AND BEAUTY. THE STUDIO OF CHRISTO STEFANOFF IS AN ART SANCTUARY WHICH, BEFORE LONG, WILL ATTRACT THOUSANDS OF VISITORS AT VAL DAVID. HE IS NOW EXECUTING THE STAINED GLASS WINDOWS OF THE CHURCH OF SAINTE-AGATHA-DES-MONTS; THE CHURCH OF SAINT-JEROME HAVE ALSO RETAINED HIS SERVICES."
     "THE CANADIAN LANDSCAPE FASCINATES HIM," INDICATES THE MAGAZINE ARTICLE.
     NOW, ON THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT, WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO DETECT A STEFANOFF ORIGINAL PORTRAIT, CITY SCENE, WAR DEPICTION, OR QUEBEC LANDSCAPE, IF YOU WERE TO LOCATE ONE AT AN ESTATE SALE OR AUCTION. THE FACT THE SIGNED BIOGRAPHY WAS LOCATED HERE, MEANS THAT ONE OR MORE OF THESE ART PIECES COULD BE HERE (IN MUSKOKA) AS WELL. IT REALLY COMES DOWN TO KNOWING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ABOUT CANADIAN ART, AND ABOUT WHAT INHERENT QUALITIES, A PAINTING, THREE DIMENSIONAL ART, OR A SCULPTURE, POSSESSES OF INVESTMENT VALUE. ART CONFOUNDS YARD AND GARAGE SALE HOSTS, AS MUCH AS IT CAN PROVE ANNOYING TO ANTIQUE DEALERS; BECAUSE TO RESEARCH ARTISTS, IT CAN TAKE DAYS, WEEKS AND MONTHS, EVEN WITH INTERNET SEARCHES (WHICH GENERALLY SHORTENS MANY RESEARCH ASSIGNMENTS). WHAT HAPPENS TO EXCEPTIONAL ART, IS THE EXTREMES OF BEING PRICED EITHER TOO HIGH OR LOW. WHAT A THRIFT SHOP MAY CONSIDER HAS A SUBSTANTIAL PRICE, MIGHT PROVE EXTREMELY LOW TO THE ART COLLECTOR WHO KNOWS ITS TRADED VALUE. OFTEN WHEN SALE HOSTS SELL ART, IT IS PRICED LOW TO MODERATE, WHICH AFFORDS SOME GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR ART ADMIRERS. IF FINE ART IS PUT IN MONTH-LONG AUCTIONS, AT CHARITY SHOPS, CHANCES ARE, THEY WILL NEVER SELL FOR MARKET VALUE. THUS, IF YOU DO YOUR RESEARCH, AND PERFORM ALL THE DUE DILIGENCE REQUIRED TO APPRAISE THE SUBJECT PIECE, (IN THE SILENT AUCTION), YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO GO IN, DURING THE FINAL DAYS AND HOURS OF THE AUCTION, AND MAKE AN APPROPRIATE BID. ON THESE RESEARCHED PIECES, WHERE THE TRADED VALUE CAN BE ESTABLISHED, BID ACCORDING TO THIS APPRAISED LEVEL, INSTEAD OF GOING CHEAP, AND RISKING BEING OUT-BID. I HAVE BID ON PAINTINGS THAT SUZANNE AND I HAVE APPRAISED, WELL IN ADVANCE, AND WE SIMPLY AGREE TO "PAY THE PIPER" SO TO SPEAK; WHICH MEANS PLACING A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE ON THE PRECEDING BID. IF YOU DO THIS CLOSE TO THE END OF THE AUCTION, NO ONE IS GOING TO TRUMP YOU. WE HAVE MADE QUITE A SIGNIFICANT PROFIT FROM DOING THIS, IN THE PAST FEW YEARS, BUT SUCCESS DEPENDS ENTIRELY ON THE RESEARCH PERFORMED. KNOW THE HIGHS AND LOWS, AND JUDGE HEAVILY ON CONDITION AND QUALITY OF THE ART. I PURCHASED ONE PAINTING RECENTLY, AND AFTER A FEW MONTHS HUNG ON THE WALL, IN A HOUSE WITH ELECTRIC HEAT, WELL SIR, THE SKY FELL OFF. REALLY. THE THIN LAYER OF PAINT, ON A NICE QUEBEC SCENE, JUST STARTED TO FLAKE OFF ONE AFTERNOON. WHEN I TOUCHED IT, THE BLUE SKY, IN POWDER FORM, WAS MOSTLY ON THE FLOOR. I SHOULD HAVE NOTICED THIS BEFORE MAKING THE PURCHASE. SOMETIMES WHAT LOOKS GOOD, IS A SURFACE REALITY. YOU HAVE TO EXAMINE ART CLOSELY, LOOKING FOR DAMAGE. WHILE I OFTEN PURCHASE ART, DESPITE HAVING SOME MINOR FLAWS, I PRICE FOR RE-SALE, BASED ON THE "AS-IS" CONDITION. I WOULD HAVE PURCHASED THE QUEBEC PAINTING REGARDLESS, BUT WOULD HAVE CONSULTED AN ART RESTORER SOONER.

A Writer In Residence - A Watcher in My Neighborhood

A lot of readers, over the past 20 years, have asked me why I write so many retrospectives about my youth in Bracebridge. Do I have unresolved issues? An inner turmoil about things that didn’t work out? Didn’t go my way? Relationships that went sour? Is writing about these alleged good old days a sign of the opposite holding true? Instead of the good old days, were they awful? Confining? Frustrating? Or are my readers unnecessarily hung-up on the reality I did, in fact, love my childhood days growing up on Hunt’s Hill’s Alice Street? Heck, I’ve asked myself those same questions, and can’t really say what precisely compels me to think fondly upon days that were full of hardship, arse-kickings from my adversaries, and many, many disappointments. But then there were the moments that I didn’t want to end because they were all fountains of inspiration, and I drank of them freely. My childhood days weren’t so much different than yours. If there was any difference, it was in the reality that I began my jag as a writer / reporter long before I actually put pen to paper.

I won’t deny that there are some unresolved issues. Just a few. First of all, I remember being unsettled about being a kid. I was impatient. I wished away time, which by the way is one correction I’ve made in my life from those days. I wanted to move from the neighborhood because I felt that, to be successful, one absolutely required an escalation beyond the same place you knew as a child. I only ever gave my neighborhood credit as "a half-decent place," compared to all the places my parents might have selected to call home, including Burlington, the town we left in the winter of 1966. It wasn’t until I started my own writing retrospectives, in the early 1990's for the local press, that I amazed myself about a truth not recognized previously. If I was trying to identify where and when I started to experiment as a writer, it was in a small, third floor bedroom in the former Weber apartments, a plain brick building, amidst the blue collar abodes of east Alice Street.

The Hunt’s Hill area of Bracebridge, and Alice Street in particular, were like many small town neighborhoods in North America. It wasn’t pretentious. No one had a fountain on their lawn, except if a water line burst in mid January. Most folks had one car but not two. The homes were older, small, modest, and practical in most cases. It was a mix of old residents and younger, especially as the apartment catered to those of lesser economy, of which we fit right in, and a goodly majority were workers not business owners, although there were exceptions of course. We all kind of mixed at the local corner stores, Blacks Variety, and Bamfords, at opposite corners, and there were all kinds of casual gatherings out front, on hot summer evenings, when nobody was adverse to a slower pace and a cold pop, while sitting on the front stoop watching the world go by. My roost at the store began on Saturday mornings, and could stretch to noon and beyond, when us local lads cashed in our collected pop bottles from a week’s scavenging, plus any allowance money we could pull from the family coffers. The Hunt’s Hill chums would sit on the porch of Black’s Variety (later Lil & Cec’s) and savor the sugar-rush of cent candy, nearly choke ourselves to death, on the candy powder you had to suck through a licorice straw....ah, the black balls....how the dentists of town scolded us for eating those damnation candies. Geez for a buck even in 1967, you could get enough candy to last most of the day.

In Burlington, in order to acquire my cent candy, I had to hike quite a few more blocks uptown on Brant Street (Walmsley’s Variety), than was the case with our convenient shop situation in Bracebridge, where a short, fast hike would get you to the frozen treats, in just over a minute from place of departure. I wasn’t allowed the same liberties growing up in Burlington, that’s for sure.

I wasn’t the typical kid at school, the ordinary kid hustling the neighborhood for adventures and opportunity, and I wasn’t the kid to take for granted. I was aware of my surroundings and the people who made it interesting. While I didn’t write all these experiences down, I did make copious mental notes for a number of reasons. I was born with a reporter’s keen interest in stuff. What some would have ignored, I studied with unflinching curiosity. We had neighborhood folks who drank lots, and frequently, and partied until sunrise. I saw enough to satisfy my young curiosity. When I hung out at the train station, I watched bouncers at the adjacent hotel toss drunken patrons out on their ears, and I watched the hilarious episodes when the same beer swillers tried to get back in...not once, but sometimes for the rest of the afternoon or evening, always meeting with the same unceremonious exit.

I watched funerals for some of my chums, victims of misadventures and sudden illness, and I questioned life and these human frailties. I watched neighbors cope with tragedy, and I saw how it effected all of us partners in that ballywick of Alice Street. I observed wakes in one residence and a wedding party in another. I heard the skirl of bagpipes at one fete, and saw fisticuffs break out in another. I saw kids fall hard from trees, and I watched young lovers groping each other in the undercover of Bamford’s woods....that was, well, a view particularly unobstructed from a higher elevation.....such as my third floor window looking down through the shrubbery.

It wasn’t extraordinary at all. But I didn’t know the bounds of extraordinary. So when I began my half-interest effort to record this place for posterity, I did so initially, because it seemed this was all pretty amazing, movie-theme activity. Fodder for the writer who might eventually compile it all into a novel.....a sort of "Our Town," good and bad, happy and sad collection of intimate stories. But I wasn’t the novelist to do it, just an historian in training.

For me, this old street was the place where I decided to become a writer-kind. It was, to me, a nurturing, gentle place overall, where expectations weren’t above what could and should be accomplished by its citizenry. We didn’t want great honking swimming pools, the result of untold business successes. We didn’t need great luxury, extravagances, saunas, and gazebos. We pretty much, in those days, needed each other. The ladies in the houses down the street, needed to catch me stealing hot pies cooling in their respective kitchen windows. They needed the exercise running after me, and my mates, following yet another incident of "Nicky, Nicky Nine Doors," (not that I know the origin of this door knocking caper) and yet another opportunity of phoning my mother Merle, to relate the latest episode in my early years biography. I’d hear Merle exclaim on the phone, "Teddy did what? When I get my hands on him!" I was on the run a lot in those days from both friends and enemies.

I kept a lot of the neighbor folk on high alert, watching for me hustling through their backyards. If there were ripe tomatoes missing off the vine, they were either on the ground, where they had honestly fallen, or were in my hands, about to being flung at anybody, or any house I had previously targeted. Was I a bad kid? By standards at Bracebridge Public School, I was a tenth of the rapscallion of most. In my own mind I was a wild kid but on the grand scale, not so much. For those who knew me best, I was a pacifist. An uncompromising lover of life not a fighter. I’d surely put up my dukes but I never did so without knowledge of a sensible exist strategy, that was based more on a cunning argument than outright flight. I was mouthy above all else, just as today, and it got me into most of the dust-ups of the 1960's, when I was adjusting to rural life and times and a much tougher school than I was familiar with.

What separates me a wee bit from the rest of the old Hunts Hill gang, is that I’m doing much of the same things today as I did then, almost forty years ago. I’m still scavenging, collecting stuff, treasures from all over the place, (as an antique dealer), and I’m still observing from my front window (now my Gravenhurst abode), with the idea of writing soon again, about what I’ve witnessed out on The Bog, our neighborhood wetland. Back then I didn’t have a lot of friends, (the big mouth didn’t help) and I did spend quite a lot of time alone, wandering for much of that through the sand pits and woodlands that were in close proximity. Nature was always a good friend as it is now, and it would be pretty hard to confuse this after reading only a few blogs and websites I’ve penned recently.

The point is, I was living as a watcher in the woods, a watcher from many portals in our neighborhood, our town, because it was important to me then as it is now. I just wasn’t always aware just how much time I had dedicated, to memorizing the details of a place, I found so accommodating and enjoyable. It wasn’t that I didn’t need friends but truthfully, there were times when being alone wasn’t a great disadvantage. Maybe writing was a coping mechanism but it was an outlet I celebrated.

I remember much later in my teens, penning a short, humorous (at least I thought it was) play, with the characters being borrowed at the expense of friends. And I let them in on the connections, who they represented in the play, and after the laughs died down, at an informal reading (in one of the lead character’s recreation rooms), a few of the sections I thought to be hilarious, were the lines considered quite scandalous and outrageous. I never got the single manuscript back, and relations were cool for some years to come. I guess it wasn’t appropriate to have paired a few of them together against their respective wills, and when I suggested several of them later " made love," well, that destined the paperwork to disappear for eternity. Frankly, when I suggested the love making thing, I wasn’t really thinking of it in a pornographic sense but it may have been taken that way. I’ve been told it still exists after all these years, and may pop up one day when my ship comes in, and I get the long over-due Pulitzer. Then I’ll no doubt have to contend with this dog-eared play coming back to share the lime-light.

What made me different from that old gang of mine, was that they were moving forward while I was contenting myself being the last to leave a party, and in some cases having to be physically removed. When I have written about a wish to take up temporary residence in that apartment residence once more, to write and re-live those days, it’s not out of any great sadness or to overcome any great burden of days past. It’s more of a celebration of sorts, being able to relax with history instead of pursuing it for definition. I enjoyed being an observer. While admittedly I was impatient to move on in career and accomplishment, there was always a reluctance to discount experience as it related to capability. If I was a writer of any merit, it was necessary to have this grounding of experience to draw from, and I had a provenance that was full to overflowing. When I began writing about my Alice Street days, some folks who knew me from those days, assumed it was based on some kind of regret. The only regret was that I hadn’t put pen to paper sooner. I could have written columns about my youth in that neighborhood in perpetuity, as if they were freshly experienced. No, they weren’t being written with a tear in my eye, or sadness in my heart. They were being written because, like an artist works a panel with paint, these were my examples, warnings, sage advisories, to anyone who was interested, that we miss too much that is important in our lives, because like the billiard player, we play too many shots ahead of what is real and actual, set down in front of us, beside us, behind, surrounding us.

If there was any one message I had, inadvertently or intentional, with these column recollections, it was that we should all be taught, as my mother Merle etched upon me in so many ways......that you should pay attention to the glorious day at hand, and never, never wish away time......because there is always someone wishing they had more time, and none is left. Merle was a country philosopher but I know now she wasn’t wrong, and her wisdom has been appreciated.

I look at my own sons today and truly wonder if they have followed this same advice......because Grandma Merle surely extended it to the next generation, as she babysat them in her Bracebridge apartment. I ponder if they have been watching closely, how life has turned, with responsibility, and made them old, maybe before their time. It’s not an issue of age that concerns me, because time stops for no one, but rather my concern that they choose to live their days being insightful, aware, appreciative, educated and contented, as I have been over a lifetime.

I sometimes drive by the old apartment, and stop for a moment, and it is very much the case that I will feel the eyes of the watcher, staring down from that third floor window, onto what in his interpretation, is the will of the future. I am as much a vision of the future as he is a vision of the past. We meet in spiritual vibe somewhere in between, where there is at the very least, a subtle peace of mind.......that this was a positive start to a writer’s life, and still a source after all these years, for stories about the amalgamated truths and derailments of hard times, sad moments, determination and resolve, celebrations, get-togethers, new deals and better ones, handshakes and backslaps all the live long day.....and these were my neighbors.....good souls, old souls, friends to the end.

Maybe you were a watcher. A writer in waiting. Waiting patiently for the right opportunity to pen some memoirs. For your family, maybe it’s time to put memory to paper, and capture the essence of your own hometown in the years you knew it most profoundly. You don’t have to be an historian, just a story teller.....and there are no rules to fence you in.....like the ones I had to hurdle, pie and tomatoes in hand to escape my pursuers!

When I queried often this winter, about the meaning of life, following the death of my father,

(when I angrily questioned a lot of heaven and earth situations), I would find myself hanging over this keyboard for comfort, writing as a gentle means of transference. And low and behold, it was as if I had unlocked the holy grail, because for once, I understood that "experience" is of a far greater consequence, to a hungry, questing soul, than any merit characteristic of self imposed ignorance, avoidance or indifference, of which at some time or other, we are all guilty. The continuous line throughout my life, of being a "watcher" and interpreter, was as much a gift as the art of writing itself.....a conduit I have made use of many times when experience burdened down and grated most ungraciously. I have never once regretted the inherent burdens of authordom, as they have never been greater, or more daunting, than the experience I am writing about. The acceptance of circumstance, however painful, has always been my liberation. This keyboard has seen the voltage of rage, the gentleness of resolve, and the joy of discovery.

I think it’s necessary, now and again, to revisit the old places of our lives, not just to make the cliched "peace,"or satisfy a sentimental urge, but rather, to look upon one’s foundation to see if all the blocks are still in place after all the wear and tear of a long life. There’s something about a faulty foundation that haunts us with a precarious lean, and it’s altogether possible to make a repair.

When an old kindly neighbor of ours, a man I knew as one of the heaviest drinker’s of his clan, said to me one day several years ago, in a booze-influenced constitutional that, "Currie, you were a little bastard as a kid, you know," I nearly peed my pants laughing. "When something happened around here, your name always came up first, but there’s only one thing that ever saved your ass," What’s that, I asked my chortling bar-mate. "We liked to drink more than chase you." With that he laughed like a lumberjack, starting coughing, and had to excuse himself to the bathroom.

What a resume I had compiled.

Christo Stefanoff Internationally Acclaimed Artist and Canadian Landscape Artist; Help OPP Combat Crime

Art Biography, Signed by internationally known artist, found in Gravenhurst

ANTIQUE DEALERS HAVE TO WORK OUT THE NEGATIVES - OTHERWISE IT'S LIKE CARRYING AROUND A BOAT ANCHOR

WHEN YOU THINK YOU WON'T FIND ANYTHING - YOU WON'T!

     I HAVE HEARD SOME OF MY ANTIQUE DEALER CONTEMPORARIES, TELLING OTHERS, THAT THERE ARE NO BIG FINDS LEFT. ALL GONE. ALL PURCHASED AND PLACED IN COLLECTIONS. EVEN IN MUSEUMS. SO BASICALLY NO POIN LOOKING. WELL SIR, THE REASON THEY SAY THIS, IS BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT YOU HORNING IN ON THEIR ANTIQUE HUNT. IT'S THAT SIMPLE. THEY KNOW THERE'S LOTS OF GOOD FINDS TO BE MADE.
     I WAS JUST NOW, LOOKING AT THE CONDITION OF TWO VINTAGE FILMS, WE PURCHASED YESTERDAY, AT A CHARITY SHOP IN ORILLIA. ONE IS ENTITLED "WOODY WOODPECKER IN 'COO COO BIRDS'," AND THE SECOND, "PUDDY THE PUP IN A 'DOG WANTED'." BOTH FILMS ARE SILENT, AND WERE DISTRIBUTED BY "MODERN FILM SERVICE" OF TORONTO, ONTARIO. THE FILMS LOOK LIKE THEIR IN GOOD CONDITION, AND ARE BOTH PRESUMABLY A HALF HOUR IN LENGTH. THE VINTAGE PROJECTOR, FROM THE 1940'S, WAS BEING SOLD "AS IS," FOR A HUNDRED BUCKS, AND IT SMELLED REALLY BAD. THE INTERIOR PLUSH FABRIC WAS OBVIOUSLY CONTAMINATED WITH SOME TYPE OF UNWANTED VEGETATION, AND THE FACT THAT IT WAS RIDICULOUSLY OVER-PRICED, IS THE REASON WE PURCHASED THE FILMS THAT CAME WITH IT, WITHOUT THE MACHINERY; THEY WERE A BARGAIN IN COMPARISON. THE FILMS WILL LIKELY SELL FOR IN AN AROUND FIFTY DOLLARS EACH, BUT THEY STILL HAVE TO BE RESEARCHED, TO MAKE SURE THIS PRICE IS FAIR, AS COMPARED TO OTHER VINTAGE (CARTOON) FILMS ON THE MARKET. WE'LL CHECK IT OUT FIRST BY LOOKING AT THE MOST RECENT EBAY LISTINGS. THIS WAS A GOOD FIND, LIKE A HALF DOZEN OTHERS, WE MADE THIS PAST SATURDAY, AND SUNDAY, HUSTLING AROUND THE REGION. THERE ARE LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE MONEY OUT THERE, IF YOU HAVE THE INTEREST IN UPGRADING YOUR KNOWLEDGE, OF WHAT ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES HAVE SUBSTANTIAL VALUES. IT'S NOT AN EASY WAY TO MAKE A BUCK, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PITFALLS TO FACE, BUT A GOOD FIND COULD BRING IN A PROFIT OF SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS. SOME BIGGER, SOME LESS. BUT THE POTENTIAL IS REAL. AND IT'S EASY TO UPGRADE IF YOU HAVE SOME TIME TO INVEST. HERE'S HOW IT ALL COMES TOGETHER.
     IT'S A MISTAKE EVEN VETERAN ANTIQUE DEALERS CAN MAKE. HEADING OUT ON THE HUNT AND GATHER WITH A NEGATIVE OUTLOOK, JINXING THE WHOLE MISSION OF DISCOVERY. IT'S ONE THING TO BE SLIGHTLY PESSIMISTIC, BUT QUITE ANOTHER, TO FEEL DOWNTRODDEN, AND DECIDE RATHER EARLY IN THE DAY, THAT NOTHING GOOD WILL COME OUT OF YOUR EXPENSE OF TIMEM AND GAS MONEY. WHETHER IT IS ON A SHOP TO SHOP HUNT, THE ROUNDS OF REGIONAL YARD SALES, VISITING FLEA MARKETS, CHARITY SHOPS, AND THE OCCASIONAL AUCTION. IF YOU BELIEVE IT'S GOING TO BE A LEAN DAY, IT WILL TURN OUT THAT WAY. THE REASON? THE ANTIQUE DEALER REQUIRES TOTAL CONCENTRATION, AND THE PERCEPTION TO MATCH. HEADING OUT ON A PICKING EXPEDITION, DEMANDS UNFALTERING FAITH, THAT IF THERE IS A HOLY GRAIL OUT THERE, SOMEWHERE, YOU WILL FIND IT. IT'S REALLY A SIMPLE FORMULA FOR SUCCESS. YET I KNOW QUITE A FEW DEALERS AND COLLECTORS, WHO GET PISSED-OFF IN THE FIRST HOUR OF A TYPICAL OUTING, AND AFTER THIS, JUST GO THROUGH THE MOTIONS OF LOOKING LIKE AN ANTIQUE DEALER; YET WITHOUT THOSE LITTLE PERKS OF SUCCESSIVE GOOD FINDS, THAT AS THEY SAY, CAN "TURN A FROWN UPSIDE DOWN." COMPLAINING TO EVERYONE HOW TERRIBLE THE "OFFERINGS ARE," THIS GIVEN DAY, IS A STUPID ENTERPRISE, THAT CAN ONLY INSPIRE ASSOCIATES TO TURN AWAY QUICKLY, TO GET ON THEIR WAY TO THE NEXT SALE. WHILE THE UNHAPPY CAMPERS, WHO ARE DRAGGING THEIR ANCHOR, GRUMBLING ALL THE WHILE, THOSE WHO INSPIRE TO BE BETTER AT THEIR JOB, MOVE DOWN THE LINE, WITHOUT FEELING HARD DONE BY WHATSOEVER. A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION TRANSLATES INTO MENTAL ALERTNESS, FOSTERING THE PHYSICAL AMBITION TO DIG IN THOSE DEEP BOXES OF ODDS AND SODS, AT DISPERSAL SALES, AND SCHOOL FUNDRAISING EVENTS.
     FIRST OF ALL, WE ALWAYS SPY ON OUR COMPETITORS. EVERY DAY! THERE ARE NO HOLIDAYS, FOR US, TRYING TO FIGURE YOU (THE COLLECTOR OR DEALER) OUT. WE STUDY THE COLLECTORS WE KNOW. IT'S A NECESSARY INVESTIGATION. THAT IS, IF YOU WANT TO BE FASTER TO SNAG A BIG DEAL, OR UNCOVER A TROPHY PIECE BEFORE THE MOB MOVES IN, ON THOSE BUSY YARD SALE SATURDAYS. FRANKLY, YOU'D BE SHOCKED ABOUT HOW MUCH WE KNOW OF OTHERS IN OUR PROFESSION. IT'S NOT REALLY AS BIG AS FULL FLEDGED "CORPORATE ESPIONAGE," BUT HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE. AS UNDERDOGS FOR MORE YEARS THAN I CARE TO REMEMBER, WE HAD TO SETTLE FOR BEING APPRENTICES MORE SO THAN INDUSTRY LEADERS. OF COURSE, THERE IS A TIME, WHEN YOU HAVE TO STEP OUT FROM THE HANDIWORK AND SHADOWS OF ASSOCIATES, AND HEAD FOR THE HEIGHTS YOURSELF. IN OTHER WORDS, WHILE WE REMAIN REVERENT OF MANY OF OUR COMPETITORS, SOME WHO WE HAVE WORKED WITH FOR DECADES, WE KNOW NOW, WE CAN OUT PERFORM THEM IF AND WHEN, WE WERE MATCHED HEAD-TO-HEAD, IN A PICKER'S CHALLENGE. ONE OF THE REASONS? AND IT'S A BIG ONE! WELL, BECAUSE OF A TIGHT BUDGET, FOR EVERY SINGLE YEAR WE'VE BEEN IN THE TRADE, WE HAVE BEEN FORCED BY NECESSITY, TO BE SCROUNGERS; COVERT AGENTS, SLEUTHS, HUSTLERS, AND BARGAIN HUNTERS. WHILE SOME NEW AGE DEALERS, THINK IT IS BENEATH THEM, TO DIVE INTO MUSTY FLEA MARKET BOXES, AND RE-USE BUILDINGS AT LOCAL LANDFILL SITES, WE CONTINUE TO BENEFIT BECAUSE WE KNOW WHERE WE HAVE FOUND TREASURE IN THE PAST. THE MORE AMBITIOUS YOU ARE IN THE ANTIQUE FIELD, THE MORE POTENTIAL YOU ARE GOING TO FIND AN A.Y. JACKSON, OR A.J. CASSON SKETCH OUT THERE, ON "COLLECTABLE SCROUNGE." IT HELPS OF COURSE, IF YOU ARE FULLY AWARE WHAT EXISTS OF TREASURE, TO BE UNCOVERED. IF YOU BUY INTO THE B.S. (AND IT IS GIANT B.S. AT THAT) THERE ARE NO MORE GREAT FINDS LEFT, THEN THERE WILL BE MORE FOR OUR FAMILY TO FERRET-OUT. GO AHEAD, STAY HOME!
     THERE ARE VERY FEW WEEKS THAT GO BUY, IN THE ROLLING YEAR, WHEN OUR FAMILY WON'T VOLUNTARILY CONFESS, TO HAVING GOT DOWN AND DIRTY, TO RETRIEVE A PARTICULARLY SIGNIFICANT FIND. THAT CAN INCLUDE MUCK ON THE SHOES AND ELSEWHERE. SOMETIMES IT'S NOT A VALUABLE FIND, AS FAR AS RE-SALE, YET SPECIAL FOR ANY NUMBER OF REASONS. WE CONSIDER THIS A COUP AS WELL. BUT WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO HOW YOU APPROACH THE INDUSTRY, THE FIRST AND ONLY RULE I LIVE BY, IS THAT POSITIVISM, AND A CRITICAL APPROACH, WILL EARN DIVIDENDS IN ONE FASHION OR ANOTHER. THE FIRST CRITICISM MAY COME IN THE FORM OF A SELF-ADMINISTERED BOOT IN THE ARSE, TO BLOW YOURSELF OUT OF A PREVAILING FUNK. I GUARANTEE YOU, BEING FRUSTRATED AND ANNOYED, IS NO WAY TO ANTIQUE HUNT. IF YOU'RE MY COMPETITOR, AND WE'RE AT THE SAME SALE, THEN I HOPE YOUR FUNK SWALLOWS YOU WHOLE. AS YOU KICK STONES IN THE DRIVEWAY, BECAUSE THE GARAGE SALE HOST, ALREADY SOLD THE HOOSIER CUPBOARD, OR THE PINE FLAT-TO-THE-WALL CUPBOARD, YOU WOULD OBSERVE, IF YOU CARED TO, THAT OUR FAMILY WAS PICKING APART THE SALE LIKE EATING CORN OFF THE COB. ANY SALE THAT WOULD HAVE THOSE PARTICULAR CUPBOARDS FOR SALE, MOST LIKELY HAS A LOT OF OTHER NEAT STUFF FOR SALE. WHILE IT IS ALWAYS AN UGLY SITUATION, TO WATCH SOMEONE ELSE, CART OFF A BIG FIND, WHICH FOR ME WOULD BE A NICE LANDSCAPE PAINTING OR ABSTRACT, IT'S LIKE WHAT YOUR MOTHER, OR FATHER, TOLD YOU AFTER FALLING OFF THE BIKE FOR THE UMPTEENTH TIME. BRUSH YOURSELF OFF, AND JUMP BACK ON. NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU FEEL DEFEATED, IT IS ONLY A PRESENT STATE OF MIND, NOT A LIFE SENTENCE. THIS IS ALL CLICHE STUFF. IT'S THE CHARACTER STUFF OF BEING AN ANTIQUE DEALER. I DIDN'T MAKE THE RULES. I'VE PROBABLY RE-WRITTEN A HALF DOZEN TO BETTER SUIT OUR STYLE, AND INTERESTS, BUT WE STICK TO THOSE THREADBARE PROTOCOLS, JUST LIKE DEALERS DID TWO HUNDRED YEARS AGO, BEING CHALLENGED TO FILL THEIR LITTLE SHOPS, WITH DESIRABLE MERCHANDISE.
     I KNOW ALL ABOUT THE NEGATIVE ANCHOR. I SUFFER FROM A MISERABLE AFFLICTION, KNOWN AS TEMPORAL MANDIBULAR JOINT DYSFUNCTION, WHICH TO CUT TO THE CHASE, IS A WONKY JAW HINGE, (ON BOTH SIDES), THAT REACTS TO A SMIDGEON OF STRESS, AS IF HIT BY A SLEDGE HAMMER. IT CAN ACT LIKE A PAINLESS MIGRAINE, GIVING ME A FULL DOSE OF IMPATIENCE AND IRRITABILITY; SUCH THAT I MIGHT LIKE TO BITE-OFF SOMEONE'S HEAD, WHO GETS IN MY WAY. SUZANNE AND I BOTH SUFFER FROM THIS, AS DO MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS OF FOLKS, WHICH EXPLAINS WHY WE'RE SO TESTY WITH ONE ANOTHER. (A TEST FOR THIS, IS TO PUT A FINGER IN EACH YEAR, AND THEN MOVING YOUR JAW UP AND DOWN. IF IT IS NOT A SMOOTH MOVEMENT, BUT INSTEAD CLUNKS LIKE THERE IS A FLAT SIDE TO THE CONDIAL, IN THE JOINT OF THE JAW, THEN YOU HAVE TMJ. CONGRATULATIONS. NOW YOU KNOW WHY YOU'RE PISSED OFF ALL THE TIME. THE INFLAMMATION IT CAUSES IN THE JAW, WHERE MANY BLOOD VESSES AND NERVES ARE LOCATED, PLUS THE SPIN-OFF CONNECTION WITH NECK MUSCLES, CREATES THE SENSATION OF WEARING SAND BACKS AS EAR-RINGS. WITH STIFF NECK AND THE FEELING YOU ARE CARRYING THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD, IT CAN EASILY, AND WITHOUT WARNING, MIMIC THE FEELING OF DEPRESSION; BUT CONDITIONS IMPROVE IF ONE SIMPLY RELAXES, AND GETS PERSPECTIVE OF THOSE THINGS CAUSING ANTAGONISM. ON THESE OCCASIONS, I MEDITATE MY WAY BACK TO THOREAU'S "WALDEN POND," WHERE I REGAIN SENSIBLE PROPORTION. ONE DAY I WILL WRITE MORE ABOUT MY EXPERIENCES WITH TMJ. I WROTE A SERIES OF ARTICLES A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, THAT YOU CAN ARCHIVE BACK IF YOU WISH). IN A NUTSHELL, WE'VE LEARNED HOW TO DEFUSE ALL ANXIOUS MOMENTS, AND ESPECIALLY, IF WE FIND OURSELVES OVERLY STRESSED OUT ON THE ANTIQUE HUSTINGS. WE HAVE TO REMIND OURSELVES CONSTANTLY, THAT WE CHOSE THE ANTIQUE BUSINESS, AS A RETIREMENT ENTERPRISE, BECAUSE OF THE INDEPENDENCE IT OFFERS, AND THE LESSER PACE IN WHICH IT OPERATES; (WE DON'T FIND THE HUSTLE OF THE INDUSTRY ANY MORE DEMANDING THAN PADDLING A CANOE ON A MUSKOKA LAKE) UNLIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE KNOWN STRESSES OF RUNNING A CORNER STORE ON A LARK, A MOVIE THEATRE, OR BECOMING A HOUSE PAINTER TO FEATHER THE RETIREMENT NEST, WITHOUT FIRST KNOWING HOW TO PAINT ON AN INDUSTRIAL SCALE.
     WHAT I'M POINTING OUT, IS THAT EVEN THOSE MOST PRONE TO BECOMING ANGRY OR SUDDENLY DEPRESSED, HAVE TO FIND A WAY OUT OF THE QUAGMIRE, IF THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE A LIVING, HUNTING AND GATHERING ANTIQUES, AND COLLECTABLES. I MIGHT GET RILED UP OUT THERE, BUT NEVER AT THE EXPENSE OF INHIBITING MY INTEREST, IN SLEUTHING THROUGH EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY, OF A FLEA MARKET OR CHURCH SALE. IN FACT, THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION, AND ITS DEMANDS, TO BE "ON YOUR GAME" CONSTANTLY, HAS BEEN PERFECT FOR THE TMJ SUFFERER. IN ORDER TO MITIGATE ITS IMPACT ON OUR DAYS, WE FOCUS ON THE TASK AT HAND; AND BECAUSE WE FIND IT ALL MORE RECREATIONAL, THAN WHAT SUZANNE AND I WORKED AT, IN EARLIER TIMES. SO I KNOW A LOT ABOUT NOT ALLOWING EMOTIONS TO GET IN THE WAY OF DISCOVERY. AND BECAUSE WE REMAIN POSITIVE ABOUT POTENTIAL FINDS, NO MATTER WHERE WE GO IN THIS REGION, WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE DEFLECTED FROM OUR AMBITIONS, BECAUSE WE HAVE SOME MOMENTARY FRUSTRATIONS, OR UNSPENT ANXIETY. PATIENCE AND LOTS OF IT. LOSE IT, AND YOU MIGHT AS WELL GIVE UP ON THOSE BIG FINDS YOU DREAM ABOUT. NINE TIMES OUT OF TEN FOR US, THE TRULY BIG FINDS, REQUIRE INTENSE, AND INTRUSIVE HUNTING, BECAUSE BY TIME YOU GET TO THE SALE, THE OBVIOUS TREASURES HAVE ALREADY BEEN SOLD TO THE NEIGHBOR, WHO BEGGED TO SHOP THE NIGHT BEFORE. YOU MAY FIND THIS HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT THERE ARE BURIED TREASURE, BIG AND SMALL, THAT HUNDREDS OF OTHER SALE-GOERS WILL MISS; SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT WE DO, ABOUT CERTAIN COLLECTABLES, ART WORK AND BOOKS.
     THIS ADVANTAGE, AND IT'S A BIG ONE, COMES FROM YEARS OF STUDY, AND APPRENTICESHIP WITH EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELD. LIKE I NOTED EARLIER, WE STUDY OUR COMPETITORS, AND EVEN THOUGH THEY MIGHT NOT KNOW US VERY WELL, WE MAKE IT A POINT TO KNOW THEM, AND WHAT THEY PURCHASE OUT AND AROUND. I CALL THEM MY UNWITTING TUTORS. THEY'VE TAUGHT ME WELL. I GUESS THIS COMES FROM MY DAYS PLAYING HOCKEY AND BASEBALL. WE SCOUTED OUT OUR COMPETITORS BEFORE WE PLAYED THEM, TO FIND THEIR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES. IF THEIR GOALIE WAS POOR ON LONG SHOTS, OR FELL DOWN A LOT MAKING SAVES, OUR FORWARDS WOULD EXPLOIT THESE SHORTFALLS, BY FAKING SHOTS, OR LOBBING PUCKS FROM CONSIDERABLE DISTANCE. AS A GOALIE I HATED LONG SHOTS, ESPECIALLY IF THEY BOUNCED ONCE OR TWICE BEFORE GETTING TO ME. SO WHEN WE CHECK OUT THE COMPETITION IN THE ANTIQUE FIELD, WE'RE LOOKING TO SEE HOW AGGRESSIVE THEY ARE, AND WHAT THEY ARE ATTRACTED BY, ON THE SHOP SHELVES. THERE ISN'T A COLLECTOR OR DEALER IN THIS PART OF ONTARIO, (AT LEAST THE ONES WE'VE MET UP WITH ON OUR TRAVELS) THAT WE DON'T HAVE A MENTAL FILE ON, SO THAT WE CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE, IF WE HAPPEN TO BE AT THE SAME SALE OR SHOP, AND ARE POTENTIALLY GOING TO REACH FOR THE SAME ITEMS, AT AROUND THE SAME TIME. WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO OUT-DRAW THEM. THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS MIGHT BE ON THE LINE. I MIGHT BE SLOWING DOWN, WITH AGE, BUT THIS IS ONE AREA OF EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE, THAT I'M JUST REACHING MY PRIME. I NO LONGER PLAY SPORTS BUT I'LL BE PICKING ANTIQUES TO THE END. WE EVEN EMPLOY SELECT TRICKS OF DECEPTION, TO DRAW ATTENTION ELSEWHERE, WHEN WE WANT SOLO TIME IN A CERTAIN AREA OF A SHOP. NOTHING SERIOUS BUT WE CAN'T TELL YOU EXACTLY HOW, OR WHY, IN CASE WE HAVE TO EMPLOY IT ON YOU. NOTHING PERSONAL. WE ARE ALL TOMB RAIDERS, A LITTLE BIT, IN THIS PROFESSION, BUT ALL ABOVE BOARD. WE WILL NOT YELL FIRE, OR FAKE A PERSONAL EMERGENCY, BUT SOMETHING MUCH MORE SUBTLE. SUCH AS, "SAY, ISN'T THAT A REMBRANDT OVER THERE."
    AND BY THE WAY, VETERAN ANTIQUERS ARE WATCHING US AS WELL. IT'S PART OF OUR STORIED, HISTORIC PROFESSION. ALTHOUGH MOST OF US AREN'T GOING TO ADMIT, HOW CLOSELY WE STUDY OUR ASSOCIATES, THEY ALSO (WITHOUT A PUBLIC DECLARATION) APPRECIATE THE NEGATIVES OF HAVING TOO MUCH COMPETITION FOR THE PIECES OF MUTUAL INTEREST. WHEN YOU ATTEND AUCTIONS, PLAYING OFF AGAINST DEALERS AND COLLECTORS IS NECESSARY, JUST AS IT IS ANNOYING TO BE BID UP BY ANYONE; INCLUDING THE HOME DECORATORS WHO USUALLY HAVE MORE MONEY THAN WE DO. MIGHT WE TRY TO DISTRACT ANOTHER DEALER, OR TRY SOME SORT OF STEALTH MOVE, TO GET THE JUMP ON AN ITEM WE WANT? ABSOLUTELY AND WE WON'T OFFER ANY APOLOGY; CONSIDERING THEY WOULD DO IT TO US IN A HEARTBEAT. IT'S A TOUGH GRIND OUT THERE, AND THERE IS GREAT DEMAND FOR LEGITIMATE ANTIQUE ITEMS, BOOKS AND ART WORK. DOES IT EVER END IN FISTICUFFS. IT HAS COME CLOSE MANY TIMES, AND ONCE WITH SUZANNE, WHEN A SALE NIMROD TOOK ITEMS SHE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF PURCHASING, AND PUT THEM IN A VEHICLE WITHOUT FIRST HAVING BEEN PAID-FOR. SO AS FAR AS THE TUG-A-WAR THAT IS OUR BUSINESS, WE ARE SELDOM EVER SURPRISED HOW RIGOROUS IT CAN GET, WHEN THREE DEALERS GO AFTER THE SAME VINTAGE QUILT; OR THE ROLL TOP DESK THAT JUST SHOWED UP AT THE LOCAL THRIFT SHOP.
     I WANTED TO ILLUSTRATE, HOW MANY HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT PIECES, CAN SHOW UP AT FLEA MARKETS AND YARD SALES, JUST IN CASE YOU STILL DISBELIEVE ME ABOUT THE POTENTIAL, OF FINDING A "GROUP OF SEVEN" SKETCH ONE DAY, FOR TWENTY BUCKS. WHILE THIS FIND WASN'T IN THE FORM OF A MAJOR PAINTING, OR EVEN THE FAMOUS GROUP OF SEVEN, IT WAS THE KIND OF ACQUISITION THAT MAKES A DEALER FEEL THERE WAS A POINT IN ALL THOSE YEARS SPENT AS AN APPRENTICE. THE ITEM I'M REFERRING TO, IS SHOW ABOVE TODAY'S BLOG, A ND IS AN ART SERIES PUBLICATION ON THE ARTIST, "PROFESSOR CHRISTO STEFANOFF," WHICH IS SIGNED ON AN INSIDE COVER PAGE, DATED "JAN. 17, 1958." THIS IS A SHORT BIOGRAPHICAL GLIMPSE OF THE REVERED HUNGARIAN / CANADIAN ARTIST, WITH WORK IN PRIVATE AND PUBLIC GALLERIES AROUND THE WORLD. HIS PAINTINGS CAN ATTRACT PRICES OF OVER A MILLION DOLLARS. THE MAGAZINE, KNOWN ONLY AS "COMMENTARY - BY WELL KNOWN EUROPEAN AND CANADIAN CRITICS OF FINE ART," WAS RESEARCHED AND WRITTEN BY ANTONIA J. VAN DUIVENBODED, OF BREDA, NETHERLAND; INCLUDING THE REPRODUCTIONS OF 27 PAINTINGS, BOTH IN OIL AND PASTEL.
     "SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE; THE BALKAN PENINSULA, A COUNTRY WITH A LONG HISTORY OF INCESSANT STRIFE, OF TURMOIL, POLITICAL INTRIGUES, THE OUTCOME OF WHICH IS A WORLD WAR, FLAMING PASSIONS. YET, AT THE SAME TIME, A BIT OF EUROPE WITH MAGIC COLORS; RAPTUROUS MUSIC, A COUNTRY RICH IN EMINENT MEN AND WOMEN; CARMEN SYLVA, PEACEFUL PLAINS, PICTURESQUE MOUNTAINS, GENTLY SLOPING HILLS, RADIANT VALLEYS ABLAZE WITH ROSES IN FULL BLOOM, EXTRACT ROSES, FRAGRANCY, A LAND OF SURPASSING BEAUTY AND JOY INSPIRING COLOURS," WRITES ANTONIO VAN DUIVENBODEN. "THE PLAINS OF WALACHIA, WATERED BY THE DANUBE, FROM WEST TO EAST, ON THE SOUTH OF THE BALKAN MOUNTAIN BELT WHICH PROTECTS, ALSO FROM WEST TO EAST, THE MARITZA VALLEY FROM THE COLD AND TEMPESTUOUS WINDS THAT MIGHT COME FROM THE NORTH. ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE BALKAN MOUNTAIN CHAIN, PARALLEL WITH IT, THERE IS A SMALLER BELT: KARADZJA. IT IS REACHED FROM THE NORTH THROUGH THE FAMOUS SHIPKA-PASS. CLOSE TO IT LIKE KAZANLIK, DROWSILY ASLEEP, SURROUNDED THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ROSE GARDENS IN THE WORLD."
     HE WRITES, "IT WAS HERE THAT CHRISTO STEFANOFF CAME INTO THE WORLD, IN APRIL 1898, ON A RADIANT EASTER MORN, WHEN THE FIRST ROSES OF SPRING WERE ALREADY EMITTING THEIR FRAGRANCE, IN THE ROSE GARDENS ON THE SOUTHERN SLOPES OF THE BALKAN MOUNTAINS. DERIVING INTENSE PLEASURE FROM THE ORGY OF COLOURS ON EVERY SIDE OF HIM, WHEN STILL A YOUTH, HE TRIED TO SET DOWN ON PAPER AND IN COLOURS THE WONDROUS BEAUTY HE GAZED UPON. AFTER ATTEMPTING THE ELEMENTARY AND ANOTHER SCHOOL AT KAZANLIK, HE WENT TO THE GRAMMAR SCHOOL AT RUSTSJOCK. THERE HIS DRAWING TEACHER, CHRISTO G. TZOJEFF, ENCOURAGED THE YOUNG MAN TO STUDY ART. YOUNG STEPHANOFF HIMSELF FELT COMPELLED TO DO SO."
     "IN 1920, AT THE ART ACADEMY IN SOFIA HE WORKS UNDER PROFESSOR IVAN MARKWICZKA, A CZECH. THE MASTER IS EXACTING, THE PUPIL'S WORK GAINS HIS APPROVAL. STEFANOFF LEARNED A GREAT DEAL FROM MARKWICZKA, WHO ALSO HELPED HIM CONSIDERABLY IN LATER YEARS." THE ART HISTORIAN WRITES, "1924, HE CONCLUDES HIS STUDIES WITH PROF. MARKWICZKA; THE FOLLOWING YEAR HE IS ALREADY SPOKEN OF IN HIGH TERMS. 1925, STEFANOFF PAINTS A PANORAMA OF THE BATTLE OF STARA-ZAGORA IN 1877-1878. BULGARIA HAD BEEN UNDER TURKISH DOMINATION FOR FIVE LONG CENTURIES. BULGARIA IS FREE ONCE AGAIN. KING BORIS III HIMSELF, THE MINISTERS FO ART, OF WAR, PAY HOMAGE TO HIS TALENT. THAT SAME YEAR KING BORIS  CONFERS UPON STEFANOFF THE TITLE OF PROFESSOR, FOR THE 'MOST BEAUTIFUL WORK.' 1926, HE GOES TO VIENNA, IS RESTLESS, AND WORKS. THE SEEKER FINDS A NEW TECHNIQUE AFFORDS HIM PLEASURE; HIS PALETTE KNIFE TECHNIQUE. 1927, HE GOES TO BUDAPEST, WHERE HE WORKS IN THE STUDIO OF THE FAMED HUNGARIAN PORTRAITIST, PHILIP LASLO. THE BULGARIAN'S TEMPERMANT COMPELS HIM TO GO EVER FORWARD INTO THE WORLD. HE VISITS ONE COUNTRY AFTER ANOTHER. BUT FIRST HORTHY, REGENT OF HUNGARY, BUYS A PICTURE OF STEFANOFF. HE THEN GOES TO BUDAPEST, BELGRADE, TRIESTE, VENICE, ROME; (KING VICTOR OF ITALY BUYS A PICTURE) MUSSOLINI POSES FOR HIS PORTRAIT. SPANISH PRESIDENT, ZAMORA BUYS A PICTURE. THE PRESIDENT OF SWITZERLAND BUYS A PICTURE. THE HINDU POET RABINDRANATH TAGORE SITS FOR STEFANOFF. 1931 HE EXHIBITS HIS WORKS IN CHICAGO WHERE THE WEALTH OF COLOUR, THE RESPLENDENT ORIGINALITY OF HIS ART ARE THOUGHT HIGHL OF; HOLLYWOOD, GRETA GARBO, CONRAD VEIDT, FILM STARS, REMARKABLE CONTRASTS WITH THE HINDU POET TAGORE, WHO SAT TO THE MASTER AT CAIRO. VICISSITUDES OF AN ARTIST'S LIFE."
     AFTER BEING IMPRISONED BY THE GERMANS AND THEN RELEASED, WHICH INCLUDED A STAY IN THE NOTORIOUS CAMP, BERGEN-BELSEN, AND HAVING TAKEN SEVEN YEARS AFTER THE WAR TO TEST THE NEW REALITIES OF LIFE IN EUROPE, STEFANOFF WAS ALARMED BY THE RESTRICTIVE POLITICS MOVING INTO THE BALKANS, VIA RUSSIAN INFLUENCES, AND MADE UP HIS MIND TO EMIGRATE TO CANADA.  A CANADIAN REVIEW OF HIS WORK, AT HIS FIRST SHOWING, PUBLISHED IN 'NOTRE TEMPS,' IN MAY, 1952, READS, "CHRISTO STEFANOFF, BULGARIAN PAINTER, NATURALIZED POLISH, HAS LEFT THE ALARMING ATMOSPHERE OF EUROPE, ACCORDING TO HIS OWN EXPRESSION, TO ESTABLISH HIMSELF IN CANADA. ARRIVED IN MONTREAL A FEW MONTHS AGO ONLY, THIS ARTIST NOW HOLDS HIS FIRST EXHIBITION AT ANTOINE'S ART GALLERY. BY HIS ROMANTICISM, HIS LYRICISM, HIS PATRIOTISM, WHICH HE EXALTS, CHRISTO STEFANOFF REMINDS US OF THE POET OF 'LES CONTEMPLATIONS,' AND HE INVITES US IN THE SAME WAY OF THE GRANDILOQUENCE BY HIS TOO SONOROUS ACCENTS AND BY EXAGGERATED SENTIMENTALITY."
     MORE ON CHRISTO STEPHANOFF'S ART ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN CANADA, IN TOMORROW'S BLOG. PLEASE RE-JOIN ME FOR MORE OF THIS STORY; FROM A SIGNED BIOGRAPHY, FOUND IN MUSKOKA.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

REPORTING CRIMINAL ACTIVITY AND CRIME TO POLICE WOULD BE HELPFUL

MANY REFUSE TO GET INVOLVED

     THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT THERE, HAPPILY RESIDING IN OUR COMMUNITY, WHO COULD TAKE A BITE OUT OF CRIME BUT THEY OUTRIGHTLY AND ADAMANTLY REFUSE TO GET INVOLVED. THEY DON'T WANT TO MAKE TROUBLE OR BE SINGLED OUT AS A SNITCH. THERE ARE HOMEOWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THEIR CARS AND TRUCKS BROKEN INTO, AND OTHERWISE DAMAGED, WHO DECIDE TO SWALLOW THE LOSS, AND VOW INSTEAD TO LOCK THE DOOR OF THE VEHICLES FROM THAT POINT ON……UNTIL THE NEXT TIME THEY FORGET TO LOCK UP.

     AND THERE ARE BUSINESS OWNERS WHO WRITE-OFF SHOPLIFTING, AND SIMPLY REFUSE TO MAKE A CALL TO THE POLICE, TO LET THEM KNOW WHAT HAS HAPPENED, OR BEEN HAPPENING FOR SOME TIME. THERE ARE THOSE WHO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT THEY BELIEVE TO BE CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, AND WHILE IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE TO BE RELUCTANT, TO STEP OUT ON THAT THIN BOUGH, OF SPECULATION, THERE ARE OCCASIONS WHEN A SIMPLE HUNCH, HAS STOPPED A MAJOR CRIME BEFORE IT COULD TAKE PLACE. MOST ARE CONCERNED ABOUT RETRIBUTION, AND WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN IF DRUG DEALERS GET WISE, ABOUT WHO PASSED ON A TIP TO THE POLICE. CRIMINALS TODAY COUNT ON YOU BEING INTIMIDATED. IT'S PART OF THEIR BUSINESS PLAN.

     THE PROBLEM FOR THE ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE, IS THAT THEY DON'T HAVE A COMPLETE PROFILE OF THE CRIME THAT GOES ON IN THIS TOWN, BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE KEEP THESE EVENTS TO THEMSELVES. I'VE TALKED TO NUMEROUS PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO CALL THE POLICE, EVEN THOUGH THEY'VE SUFFERED A MAJOR LOSS OF POSSESSIONS FROM THEIR CARS. "IT WON'T DO ANY GOOD," THEY SAY. "THEY NEVER CATCH THESE PEOPLE ANYWAY." OR, MY FAVORITE, "IF THEY DO CATCH THEM, I DON'T WANT TO GO TO COURT TO TESTIFY AGAINST THEM." SHOPKEEPERS WILL OFTEN REMARK THAT GOING TO COURT TAKES TIME AWAY FROM THEIR BUSINESS, OR THAT PROSECUTING THE THIEVES COULD MEAN SERIOUS RETALIATION AGAINST THEIR STORES. ARGUABLY, THEY HAVE A POINT. IT'S MORE THAN POSSIBLE, THAT CRONIES WITH THE PERPETRATORS WILL TRY TO SETTLE THE SCORE. ON THE OTHER HAND, WE CAN'T LET THE CRIMINAL ELEMENT TAKE OVER DODGE.

     THIS ATTITUDE, AND THE DESIRE TO SUCK-UP THE LOSSES, OR WRITE THEM OFF AS A COST OF DOING BUSINESS, MEANS THAT THE OPP DON'T GET THE DATA THEY NEED, TO GET AN INSIGHTFUL PROFILE ON WHERE THE CRIME IS OCCURRING, THE FREQUENCY, MATERIALS BEING STOLEN, AND HOW THE THIEVES OPERATE. THIS IS ALL IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO POSSESS, IN ORDER FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS TO KNOW WHAT THEY'RE UP AGAINST OUT THERE. WE'VE ALWAYS REPORTED THEFTS, AND WE'VE HAD TWO MAJOR ONES FROM OUR VEHICLE, AND SEVERAL FROM OUR MAIN STREET SHOP. IN ONE OVER-NIGHT RAID ON THE SHOP, A THIEF MANAGED TO ESCAPE WITH GUITARS AND SOUND EQUIPMENT, WORTH MANY THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. WORKING TOGETHER WITH THE POLICE, WE WERE ABLE TO GET NINETY-EIGHT PERCENT OF THE STOLEN PROPERTY RETURNED. BUT IT TOOK A CO-OPERATIVE EFFORT. WE DID OUR PART, BY CONTACTING EVERY HOCK AND PAWN SHOP IN THIS REGION OF ONTARIO, AND SLIGHTLY BEYOND. THE OPP FOLLOWED UP ON ALL INFORMATION WE COULD GATHER, AND EVENTUALLY, WE FOUND THE RIGHT VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM THE PAWN SHOP OF CHOICE, THE THIEF SELECTED TO UNLOAD THE HOT MERCHANDISE. ANDREW AND ROBERT WERE ECSTATIC TO HAVE FOUND THE EQUIPMENT. A MAJOR LOSS LIKE THAT, ON A NEW BUSINESS, COULD HAVE PUT THEM IN SERIOUS PERIL. THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER THEFTS THAT WE COULDN'T RESOLVE AS EASILY OR EFFICIENTLY, BUT THIS PARTICULAR STORY DID HAVE A HAPPY ENDING……AND THE BOYS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO KEEP THEIR GRAVENHURST BUSINESS UP AND RUNNING. AND THEY'VE MAINTAINED A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE OPP, EVER SINCE……AND THEY WILL TELL YOU, THAT IT IS A GOOD AND SOLID NETWORKING TO PREVENT CRIME. OCCASIONALLY THEY DO GET FOLKS TRYING TO SELL THEM STOLEN INSTRUMENTS, AND THIS IS RESOLVED QUICKLY, AND INSTRUMENTS ARE RETURNED TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS. THE FREQUENCY HAS INCREASED OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, AND DESPERATION FEEDS CRIMINAL AMBITIONS.

     THERE ARE TOO MANY CITIZENS IN OUR COMMUNITY, WHO REFUSE TO GET INVOLVED, IN CRIME BUSTING. THEY WILL COMPLAIN TO NO END, ABOUT THE LACK OF POLICING THAT APPARENTLY CONTRIBUTES TO THESE BREAK-INS AND GENERAL THEFT, BUT THEY WON'T TAKE ANY PROACTIVE MEASURES TO STOP THE ESCALATION OF CRIME IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS. IF WE BANDED TOGETHER, AS WITH THE FORMER "NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH" PROGRAMS, WE COULD CERTAINLY LET THIEVES KNOW, WE INTEND TO PROTECT OUR ASSETS…..AND WORK HAND IN HAND WITH THE OPP……TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF HISTORY FOR THE BETTER.

WE DON'T LIKE TO ADMIT WE HAVE A PROBLEM IN THIS TOWN WITH CRIME, DRUG USE AND UNDERAGED DRINKING

     As we often are out late at night, driving between entertainment venues, where our sons work, as sound technicians, you get to see some of the ugly moments most only read about. We've seen so many impaired teenagers out there, and watched donnybrooks right in plain view, between those who have had a lot to drink, and those who have had an enormous amount to drink. We had our front window of the store smashed out by several intoxicated young lads, who wanted to see what a shattered window would look like, in the middle of the night. We've know people who saw it happen, and ran the other way, thinking they might get blamed for it. For most of the night, our inventory was exposed to whoever wanted to risk putting their arm through the openings between shards of glass still clinging to the frame. Neighbors heard the smash, and we know they suspected it was our window that was broken, and yet they did nothing. It wasn't until the next morning, that another tenant of our building, phoned to let us know our store was open to the elements. It was pretty disheartening, and yes we did wonder all that day, whether we had made the right decision to locate our shop in Gravenhurst. What made us most concerned, was that so many knew about it before we did, but wouldn't phone either the OPP or us. They left it to someone else to look after, and if it hadn't been for another tenant, we might have gone most of that Sunday the same way……grab what you can……smorgasbord style.

     There are drug deals taking place all over our town, and it's been happening for a long, long time. The problem is that the OPP don't see everything that goes on in our town…….and if we want to control this brisk trade, and keep our town safe and law abiding, it is necessary to, at the very least, phone in a tip…….to reveal what you saw, or think you witnessed. Maybe it goes nowhere. On the other hand, potentially it can be used to map out and prepare a strategy for an eventual drug raid. And where there is a brisk drug trade, and budding addicts as a result, so goes break and enters, petty theft, and physical assaults. We've had customers arrive at the store, so stoned and intoxicated, we've had to usher them right back out……with a warning not to return. We advise police if we are concerned the item they intended to sell may be stolen property. As the OPP helped us in a time of crisis, we feel it is incumbent to work with them, to stamp out this undesirable criminal core.

     We had a resident in our neighborhood a few years back, who was not only using drugs, and buying them locally, but was drinking and driving absolutely hammered. He was a menace on the road, and he simply didn't care about threats, of phoning the police. I stood in the middle of the road one night, to get him to slow down, and he sped up. He wasn't a very bright fellow, and after giving us all the middle finger, over about three weeks of residency, we waited for the night he left "pissed to the gills," and knowing he always returned home shortly after he left (for his nightly drug pick-up), the OPP were called by his neighbors, and all they had to do was await his return trip. With priors, he was no longer a resident of our street. He needed treatment, but it was jail as a first step. The citizens of the neighborhood took action, to co-operate with the police, and our road safety was conserved.

     I'm not sure what Gravenhurst councillors know about the crime situation in this town…..it's true measure, and how the drug trade is affecting our youngsters. I think it's something worth their time, to companion research with the OPP, especially appreciating the spin-off violence and crime that comes from drug addiction. I'm sure there are a few who don't believe the problem is all that serious. These folks need to wake up and smell the proverbial coffee. There are mini gangs operating in town, and they have a hand in questionable activity, and certainly violence inflicted on those who cross them. There are many social problems interconnecting here, and they are not getting any better. Alcohol abuse in town is substantial, and it leads to drinking and driving, vandalism, petty crime and domestic violence. We see a sunny, historic little town, during the day, but we don't always view what is going on in the bewitching hours……..but the OPP do. Big city crime is in our fine Muskoka town, and we aren't going to have any choice, but to either live with the consequences, or fight back, by helping the police do their job effectively.

     Is Gravenhurst worse-off than Bracebridge, Huntsville, Parry Sound or Orillia, based on population? That's a question Gravenhurst Council might ask of the OPP some time, to see if this blogger knows his stuff, or is just another "sky is falling" kind of guy. We do need to know the crime breakdown. The public should have this information. Maybe it would stir a few more stalwart homeowners to get involved, and re-establish the foundation of Neighborhood Watch, to protect our community from the criminal element. It doesn't mean you contact the OPP every time someone you don't know, knocks on your door…..or just because you see a stranger in your neighborhood. But when you see someone in your neighbor's car, who apparently arrived there by bicycle….I think then it's worth a call. We spotted a thief in our neighbor's car in the wee hours, and we contacted the police immediately. Guess what? Just missed him / her by seconds. But we know how they carried out their house to house visits, which began with an early evening scouting mission, to see what was available. These folks are still operating on our streets. Time to take that big bite out of crime. Please help the OPP help us.

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