SHOVELLING, PILING, CLEARING, BANKING, UNCOVERING, AND THAWING OUT - AND THEN THE RAINS CAME
I HAVE BEEN ON SNOW CLEARING DETAIL AT BIRCH HOLLOW, AS I'VE BEEN WRITING ABOUT, AS A HALF RECREATION, IN RECENT DAYS. IT HAS BEEN KIND OF REFRESHING. I LIKE BEING OUTDOORS ESPECIALLY AROUND BIRCH HOLLOW. IN THE EVENING, WITH A BIT OF SNOW IN THE AIR, IT'S QUITE PEACEFUL. UNTIL THE SNOWBLOWERS ENGAGE. I HAVEN'T DISLIKED THE SHOVELLING DUTIES, BECAUSE THE SNOW, WHILE IN SIGNIFICANT VOLUME, HAS BEEN FEATHER-LIGHT, AND THE TEMPERATURES, WITHOUT FACTORING IN THE WIND CHILL, HAVE BEEN REASONABLE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. YESTERDAY, I CLEARED THE BIRCH HOLLOW LANE, SIDEWALKS, AND DRIVEWAY FOUR TIMES, AND STILL, THIS MORNING, I HAD TO DO IT ALL AGAIN. THE MOST DIFFICULT TASK, IS CLEARING THE LAYERS OF SNOW OFF OUR PORTABLE SHELTERS, WHICH IF NOT DEALT WITH, WILL OF COURSE COLLAPSE THEM INTO THE SNOWSCAPE. THEY WILL SUPPORT ABOUT TWO FEET OF LIGHT SNOW, BUT IF THERE IS ANY RAIN IN THE MIX, THE WEIGHT WILL PROVE TOO MUCH FOR THE ALUMINUM FRAME. THE PROBLEM OF POSITIONING, OF THE SHELTERS, MEANS THAT WHEN I CLEAR THE TWO SLOPES, FACING THE HOUSE, I WILL ALSO HAVE TO CLEAN THE MOUNTAIN OF SNOW THAT CASCADES DOWN ONTO THE PATHWAY TO THE BACKYARD. IT TOOK ME OVER AN OUR TO CLEAR THE ROOF-TOPS OF BOTH SHELTERS, AND THEN ANOTHER THIRTY MINUTES, TO CLEAR THAT SNOW OFF THE PATHWAY. I'VE ALREADY RUN OUT OF PLACES TO THROW THE SNOW. I LOOKED AT MY NEIGHBOR'S YARD, AND THOUGHT IT WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE, TO THROW BACK WHAT HE SNOWBLOWS IN OUR DIRECTION; THEN A COOLER HEAD UNDER MY TOQUE PREVAILED, AND I STUFFED SCOOP-FULLS DOWN TO THE BASE OF OUR BORDER EVERGREENS. NOW, MY WORRY, IS TO CHANNEL OFF THE MASSIVE MELT, WITH RAINFALL EXPECTED FOR SUNDAY. I CAN'T EVEN FIND THE STORM SEWER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, BUT I KNOW IT WILL BE NECESSARY TO EXCAVATE THE SNOWBANKS, TO FIND THE DRAIN OR ELSE. OR ELSE MY DRIVEWAY MAY WIND UP IN MY NEIGHBOR'S YARD AS WELL.
OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IS NOTORIOUSLY BAD FOR WET BASEMENTS THE RESULT OF SEASONAL EXCESSES, SO I'M NOT TAKING ANY CHANCES WITH THESE WEATHER INCONSISTENCIES. THERE'S A LOT OF WATER IN THAT SNOW, AND WITH THE GROUND STILL A LONG WAY FROM BEING FROZEN, TEMPERATURES ABOVE FREEZING ARE GOING TO SPAWN FLOODING DOWN INTO THE BOG, AND THEN INTO MUSKOKA BAY. GOSH, IT'S SNOWING RIGHT NOW. I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH ENTHUSIASM I CAN MUSTER, TO HEAD HOME, FOR A LITTLE MORE PREVENTATIVE SHOVELLING, TO BUILD-IN SOME DRAINAGE CHANNELS, SO THAT WHEN THE VERY EARLY SPRING MELT OCCURS, BIRCH HOLLOW WILL BE ABLE TO DRAIN OFF ITS EXCESS MOISTURE; WHICH NOW APPEARS COULD BE IN THE THOUSANDS OF GALLONS. WE ARE DOWNHILL FROM A LOT OF OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS, SO WE GET THEIR'S AS WELL AS OUR OWN.
I REMEMBER ONE YEAR, WHEN A PROPERTY OWNER, ON THE HILLSIDE ABOVE OUR STREET, DECIDED TO DUMP THE WATER FROM HIS ABOVE GROUND POOL, AND IT CAME DOWN WITH SUCH A THUNDEROUS CASCADE, THAT IT TOOK OUT A LANE, A DRIVEWAY, A COUPLE OF INNOCENT GARDEN GNOMES, AND FLOODED THE BASEMENTS OF TWO NEIGHBOR HOUSES. WHAT IS LAYING IN THE HIGHER CLIMES, OF THIS CLUSTER OF NEIGHBORHOODS, IN THE WAY OF SNOW, WILL INEVITABLY WASH DOWN INTO THE BOG. TOO MUCH MELT, TOO SOON, AND OUR HOUSE WILL ALSO BE FLOATING IN THE BOG, LIKE NOAH'S ARK. IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS THE BOG IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT URBAN WETLAND, BECAUSE OF THIS FILTERING OF THE WATER BEFORE IT GETS INTO LAKE MUSKOKA. IN THE RUN-OFF, THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF CONTAMINATES WASHING OFF THE STREETS OF GRAVENHURST. WE HAVE A MYRIAD OF SPRINGS IN THIS AREA KEEPING THE WATER-TABLE HIGH, AND MAKING EVERY SPRING A DANGEROUS AFFAIR. WE'RE BUILT UP ON A CONCRETE PAD, BUT MOST OF THE HOUSES ON THE BLOCK HAVE BASEMENTS, AND A HIGH THRESHOLD OF PATIENCE, FOR MOPPING UP AFTER THE HIGH WATER HAS RECEDED. ALTHOUGH BY WATER CONTENT, THIS SNOW ISN'T A HUGE AMOUNT, THE PROBLEM HERE, IS WHEN THERE IS A THREE OR FOUR DAY MELT, WITHOUT NIGHT-TIME FREEZING. THE WATER DRAINING FROM THE UPPER LEVELS OF THE BLOCK, POSES A PROBLEM IF THERE ARE ANY BLOCKAGES. YOU DON'T WANT THAT, SO IT'S WORTH THE EXTRA ATTENTION TODAY, TO DIG SOME TRENCHING AND FIND THE STORM SEWER, IN PREPARATION FOR WHAT IS LIKELY TO START ON SATURDAY, AND CONTINUE UNTIL TUESDAY. AH, THE PLEASURES OF HOME OWNERSHIP.
CHRISTMAS IN MUSKOKA - SO MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT CHRISTMAS PAST
CELEBRATIONS ON THE MUSKOKA HOMESTEADS
EVERY NOW AND AGAIN, SON ROBERT, SENSING HE CAN BEST ME, IN SOME UNEXPECTED Q AND A, WILL CRADLE HIS COFFEE CUP WITH BOTH HANDS, PUT HIS FEET UP ON THE LITTLE RED TABLE IN THE STUDIO, AND BEGIN, (BUT WITH AN ANSWER IN HIS MIND) "DAD, I WAS JUST THINKING." AN UP AND COMING RURAL MUSIC HISTORIAN, THIS TIME, HE ASKED HIS MOTHER AND I, OVER DRAWN-OUT MORNING COFFEE, IF IN OUR RECOLLECTIONS, COUNTRY MUSIC HAD BEEN A MAINSTAY IN MUSKOKA, BACK IN THE ICE AGE OF OUR YOUTH. HE TRIES TO STUMP ME JUST ABOUT EVERY DAY, SO THIS WASN'T OUT OF THE BLUE. WE BOTH CAN'T REALLY ANSWER THIS QUESTION, BECAUSE IT'S NOT POSSIBLE TO SAY, WITH ANY DEGREE OF ACCURACY, THAT THE MUSKOKA CITIZENRY, FOR EXAMPLE, WAS SEVENTY-FIVE PERCENT COMMITTED TO COUNTRY MUSIC, AS A SOURCE OF ENTERTAINMENT. VERSUS, FOR EXAMPLE, TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT COUNTRY, AND TWENTY FIVE PERCENT GOSPEL MUSIC. THERE ARE VERY FEW SOURCES TO DRAW ON, IN THIS REGARD, BECAUSE OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE HAS BEEN VERY LOOSELY RESEARCHED AND OTHERWISE POORLY DOCUMENTED. SUZANNE AND I HAVE TO CONCLUDE, ONLY THAT, MUSIC APPRECIATION IN MUSKOKA WAS AS DIVERSE, AS IN MOST OTHER COMMUNITIES IN ONTARIO; WITH A PREDICTABLE MIX OF INTERESTS, IN GENRES, JUST LIKE THE CHOICES MADE BY THE CITIZENRY TODAY. THIS DOESN'T MEAN TO SUGGEST, THERE WEREN'T LARGE POCKETS AROUND THE REGION, THROUGHOUT OUR HISTORY, DEVOTED TO A PARTICULAR TYPE OF MUSIC; FOR EITHER COUNTRY, GOSPEL OR FOLK MUSIC. IT WOULD BE A LOT EASIER TO COME UP WITH AN INFORMED GENERALIZATION, IF I COULD OPEN UP MY NOTES FROM HISTORICAL RESEARCH, FOR THE PAST THIRTY-FIVE YEARS, AND QUOTE SOME RELEVANT STATISTICS. IT COULD BE AS SIMPLE AS A NEWSPAPER REPORT, FROM THE 1930'S, FOR EXAMPLE, NOTING THAT A COUNTRY AND WESTERN CONCERT, HAD SOLD OUT; MAYBE THERE WAS A PICTURE PUBLISHED WITH THE ARTICLE, SHOWING A LINE-UP STRETCHING AROUND THE BLOCK, IN ANY ONE OF OUR COMMUNITIES. IF IT WAS A VENUE OF OVER THREE HUNDRED, IT WOULD BE A SIGNIFICANT SHOW OF SUPPORT FOR THE COUNTRY ARTISTS, WHO WERE PERFORMING ON THAT OCCASION. THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY PATRONS WOULD FILL THE GRAVENHURST OPERA HOUSE AND BE CONSIDERED A GOOD CROWD. CONSIDERABLE RESEARCH WOULD HAVE TO BE EMPLOYED, TO LOOK AT ALL THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE VENUES, WHERE MUSICAL ACTS TOOK THE STAGE, IN A GIVEN YEAR, AND REGION OF MUSKOKA; SOUTH, OR NORTH, EAST OR WEST. THERE ARE LOTS OF DETAILS TO BE GATHERED, TO FIGURE OUT TRENDS IN MUSIC APPRECIATION, WITH A HERITAGE THEME. IT WOULD BE EASIER BY FAR, TO STUDY THE PAST FIFTY YEARS, THAN TO START FROM THE LATE 1850'S, WHEN THE FIRST FIDDLE OR MANDOLIN WAS INTRODUCED TO THE BACKWOODS OF MUSKOKA. EMIGRANTS DID BRING MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS WITH THEM, FROM EUROPE, JUST AS THEY BROUGHT CLOCKS, ORNAMENTS AND ART WORK TO IMPROVE THEIR LIVING CONDITIONS IN THOSE RUSTIC CABINS.
I HAVE READ STORIES ABOUT COUNTRY TRAVELERS, COMING UPON CABINS TUCKED INTO THE WINTER LANDSCAPE, AND HEARING THE SWEET SOUND OF A FIDDLE PLAYER, OR TWO, AND THE SINGING OF INHABITANTS, PERFORMING THEIR FAVORITE HYMNS. THESE HOMESTEADS WEREN'T SILENT PLACES.
I'D REALLY LOVE TO KNOW THIS INFORMATION ABOUT OUR IMBEDDED MUSIC HERITAGE. WHILE THERE IS SIGNIFICANT DETAIL ABOUT HISTORIC ENTERTAINMENT VENUES LIKE THE KEE TO BALA, THAT JUST NOW CAME TO MIND, WHAT ASKEWS SOMEWHAT, THE STATISTICAL OVERVIEW, IS THAT THE KEE PLAYED LARGELY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE SUMMER SEASON POPULATION. INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN PERFORMERS PLAYED AT THE KEE, AND AT OTHER VENUES IN MUSKOKA, INCLUDING AT AREA RESORTS, BUT TO MAKE AN ATTEMPT, TO ANALYZE AND DEFINE THE CULTURAL INTERESTS OF MUSKOKA'S PERMANENT RESIDENTS, OVER THE CENTURIES, WOULD BE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE. AT LEAST IN TERMS OF AN ACCURATE PORTRAYAL.
IF I WAS THIRTY YEARS YOUNGER, MAYBE I'D TAKE A CRACK AT THIS QUESTION OF FOLK AND SOCIAL / CULTURAL HERITAGE, OF THE MUSKOKA REGION. IT WOULD REQUIRE YEARS OF GOING THROUGH EVERY NEWSPAPER FILE, AND ARCHIVE MICROFILM, READING EVERY LOCAL NEWS PIECE, FEATURE COLUMN, ADVERTISEMENT, SOCIAL AND PERSONAL COLUMN, AND PHOTO CAPTION, ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE FIRST NEWSPAPER TO SERVICE THE PIONEER AUDIENCE. THE RESEARCHER, HAVING LOTS OF PATIENCE, WOULD SOON UNCOVER REFERENCES TO COMMUNITY CONCERTS, HOME PARTIES THAT FEATURED MUSICIANS, CHURCH AND FRATERNAL CLUB CONCERTS, CHURCH PICNICS, MUSIC FOR CHURCH RAISING (BUILDINGS), BARN RAISING, MUSIC INSTRUCTION, MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT, SPONSORED BY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES AT THEIR ANNUAL FALL FAIRS, AND ANY FAMILY RECORDS, CONTAINED IN PERSONAL COLUMNS, ABOUT KIN FOLK WHO PLAYED INSTRUMENTS FROM THE PIANO, ORGAN TO FIDDLE AND ANYWHERE BEYOND THIS. CITIZEN BANDS. MUSKOKA HAD A NUMBER OF "CITIZEN BANDS", IN BRACEBRIDGE, AND HUNTSVILLE, ONE BEING KNOWN AS THE ANGLO-CANADIAN BAND, AS RELATES TO THE ANGLO-CANADIAN TANNERIES IN BOTH TOWNS. BANDSHELLS WERE AMPLY EMPLOYED IN PARKS AROUND MUSKOKA. MUSIC WAS ADORED THAT'S FOR SURE.
TO GET A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF THE TOTAL MUSIC PROFILE, THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE A CAREFUL, ALMOST FORENSIC EXAMINATION HOW, FOR INSTANCE, VICTROLA SALES THROUGH THE YEARS OF THEIR POPULARITY, WITH RECORD AVAILABILITY, BEGAN INFLUENCING THE TASTE FOR MUSIC. THE ARRIVAL OF ELECTRICITY AND THE RADIO? TELEVISION AND HOME STEREOS? EVEN AFTER YEARS OF STUDY, THERE IS A STRONG POSSIBILITY, THE NET RESULT OF ALL THE WORK, COULD HAVE BEEN HANDLED BY THE GENERALIZATION, THAT WE LIKED OUR MUSIC AS MUSKOKANS; BUT GENRE INTEREST WAS AS DIVERSE AS ONE MIGHT EXPECT OF ANY RURAL COMMUNITY IN ONTARIO, ESPECIALLY INFLUENCED BY THE TOURIST INDUSTRY. IT'S COMPLICATED IN THIS REGARD. THE INFLUX OF TOURISM, CREATED MANY CONTRARY SITUATIONS, TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF CULTURAL TRENDS. MANY WELL OFF FAMILIES, RETREATING TO COTTAGES AND RESORTS IN OUR REGION, BROUGH MUSIC WITH THEM IN ITS MANY FORMS. THERE WAS A MIXING WITH THE PERMANENT RESIDENTS, AND IT MAY SURPRISE READERS, HOW INFLUENTIAL THESE INTRUSIONS WERE ON LOCAL CULTURAL TRADITIONS. WHAT WERE THE MUSIC EXTRAVAGANCES OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS, WHO VISITED MUSKOKA? HOW DID THIS IMPACT THE BARN DANCES AND COUNTRY FIDDLERS, ENRICHING THE NEIGHBORHOOD MUSIC SCENE?
I HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY INTERESTED, IN ALL THE WAYS MUSIC WAS IMPORTED TO MUSKOKA, INITIALLY FROM THE EUROPEAN SETTLERS, IN THOSE FIRST TWENTY YEARS OF EMIGRATION, (THE PERIOD OF THE 1860'S AND 70'S), TO THE FRONTIER OF ONTARIO. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHAT MUSIC, FOR EXAMPLE, WAS BEING PLAYED IN THE FIRST FARMSTEAD LOG CABINS. WHAT KIND OF INSTRUMENTS AND CHOICE OF MUSIC DID THE ICELANDERS AND IRISH BRING TO THEIR ISOLATED HOMESTEADS? WHAT WAS CONSIDERED OF MUSICAL SIGNIFICANCE, BY THE DANES, THE NORWEGIANS, SWEDES, GERMANS, BRITISH, AND SCOTTISH? CONSIDERING THAT THEY CAME TO LIVE SIDE BY SIDE, OVER THE YEARS OF SETTLEMENT PROGRESS, HOW DID IT ALL MERGE? WHAT WAS THE INFLUENCE OF HYMNS, POPULAR IN EACH OF THE RELIGIONS REPRESENTED IN MUSKOKA, DURING THIS PIONEER ERA, AND DID FOLK MUSIC FROM THEIR CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS, GET AS MUCH PLAY TIME, AS HYMNS? AT CHRISTMAS? WHAT WAS BEING SUNG AND PLAYED INSTRUMENTALLY, IN THOSE EARLY MUSKOKA HOMES AND NEIGHBORHOODS? HOW DID TIME CHANGE THESE INTERESTS? DID INTER-MARRIAGE BETWEEN THE CULTURES ALTER THE FOLK TRADITIONS, SUCH THAT THE MUSIC OF ANCESTRY PLAYED A LESSER ROLE? THE ONLY ENTITLEMENT, I FEEL AS A SOCIAL/CULTURAL HISTORIAN, IS TO SUGGEST, THAT RELIGIOUS THEMED MUSIC DOMINATED THE CULTURAL SCENE, DURING THE ENTIRE 1859 TO 1900 PERIOD. OBVIOUSLY, THE AFFORDABILITY OF THE MUSIC MACHINES OF THE DAY, AND THE MUSIC AVAILABLE ON CYLINDERS AND 78 RPM RECORDS, CAUSED A PROFOUND SHIFT TOWARD THE POPULAR MUSIC OF THE DAY. THINK ABOUT THE INFLUENCES OF THE ST. LOUIS WORLD FAIR, CIRCA 1904, WHEN THE SONG "MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS," BECAME INTERNATIONALLY POPULAR. THE SHIFT AWAY FROM RELIGIOUS MUSIC AS A FORM OF MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT, CERTAINLY BEGAN ONCE PHONOGRAPHS BECAME AFFORDABLE, IN MODEL CHOICES, FOR EVEN MODEST ECONOMY HOUSEHOLDS. FOLKS WANTED A LIBERATION OF SORTS, IN TERMS OF THE MUSIC THEY WERE ABLE TO LISTEN TO FROM THE LATE 1800'S. IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT RELIGIOUS THEMED MUSIC HAD TAKEN A BACK SEAT, TO MORE CONTEMPORARY MUSIC, BUT IT DEFINITELY HAD TO SHIFT OVER TO MAKE ROOM FOR ALTERNATIVES.
THE OTHER REALITY OF MUSKOKA, IS THAT OUR REGION HAS BEEN INFLUENCED BY THE GROWTH OF THE TOURIST INDUSTRY, WHICH WAS ACTUALLY SEEDED IN THE EARLIEST YEARS OF THE HOMESTEAD LAND GRANTS. FROM THE BEGINNING OF MUSKOKA'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FLEDGLING TOURIST INDUSTRY, MORE PERMANENT RESIDENTS EACH YEAR, PLAYED A SUPPORTING ROLE IN ITS DEVELOPMENT. THEIR FAMILY ECONOMIES OFTEN RELIED ON THIS CO-OPERATION, WHETHER IT WAS IN THE PROVISION OF FARM PRODUCE, VEGETABLES, MILK, CREAM, BUTTER, CHEESE, OR MEAT FROM THEIR LIVESTOCK, TO LUMBER FROM LOCAL MILLS, TO CONSTRUCT RESORTS, AND SOME OF THE FIRST LARGE LAKEFRONT COTTAGES. EVEN TODAY, I'D LIKE TO KNOW THE ACCURATE STATISTIC, AS TO THE NUMBER OF PERMANENT RESIDENTS, WHO HAVE SOMETHING OR OTHER TO DO, OR BENEFIT FROM THE TOURISM INDUSTRY. IN OUR FAMILY OF FOUR, ALL OF US ARE CONNECTED TO TOURISM. IF YOU'RE MUSKOKAN AS WELL, HOW MANY MEMBERS OF YOUR FAMILY HAVE CONNECTIONS TO THE TOURIST ECONOMY? IT'S SUBSTANTIAL THAT'S FOR SURE. THUS, EVEN WHEN IT COMES TO MUSIC CULTURE, IT'S NECESSARY TO APPRECIATE HOW THE TOURIST COMPONENT, AS RELATES TO THE PERMANENT POPULATION THROUGH THE CENTURIES, CROSS INFLUENCED AND EVOLVED FROM THEN TO NOW. THERE ARE SO MANY ASPECTS OF OUR SOCIAL / CULTURAL HERITAGE THAT NEED TO BE MORE THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED, BECAUSE EARLY HISTORIANS DIDN'T WORRY THEMSELVES ABOUT THESE DETAILS. YES, WE HAVE BEEN SHORTCHANGED IN THIS REGARD, AND IT HAS DENIED TODAY'S GENERATION, MORE FACT BASED ANSWERS, TO THESE RELEVANT QUESTIONS; SUCH AS THE ONE SON ROBERT ASKED EARLIER THIS MORNING, ABOUT THE INFLUENCE OF COUNTRY MUSIC ON THE POPULATION HERE. WE HAVE A PRETTY FAIR IDEA AND CAN GENERALIZE TILL THE COWS COME HOME, BUT IT STILL WOULD BE A LOT BETTER, TO HAVE SOMETHING TO FALL BACK ON THAT HAS A LITTLE MORE FOUNDATION THAN "WE THINK SO."
MUSKOKA WAS AN EARLY CULTURAL MELTING POT, BECAUSE OF ALL THE ETHNICITIES ENCOURAGED BY GOVERNMENT LAND AGENTS, WORKING ABROAD, TO MEET EMIGRATION QUOTAS. IT WAS CULTURALLY RICH, THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT, AND THE FOLK LORE THAT GENERATED THUSLY, MUST HAVE BEEN SOMETHING TO BEHOLD. CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS IN THE EARLY YEARS OF MUSKOKA? IT MAKES ME CRAZY THAT WE DON'T KNOW MORE THAN WE DO, ABOUT HOW THE CULTURES CAME TOGETHER TO MARK THE FESTIVE SEASON. WHILE CERTAINLY NOT AS EXTRAVAGANT AS TODAY, IT WAS UNDOUBTEDLY ENRICHED BY FAITH IN RESPECTIVE RELIGIONS, MUSIC, TRADITIONS, GIFT CREATION AND GIVING, AND OF COURSE, FOOD AND BEVERAGE. FASCINATING HERITAGE YET TO BE FULLY HARVESTED FOR THE POSTERITY OF THE MODERN GENERATION; QUESTIONING THE TRUE, NON-COMMERCIAL, MUSKOKA LIFESTYLE, AS IT EVOLVED FROM THE EARLIEST DAYS OF SETTLEMENT, AND THE BEGINNINGS OF THE DIVERSE TOURISM ECONOMY, WHICH QUILTED TOGETHER IN THE SAME PIONEER PERIOD. THIS IS WHAT TRULY MAKES MUSKOKA UNIQUE; THE CO-OPERATIVE EFFORT BETWEEN THOSE WHO HAVE LIVED HERE PERMANENTLY, AND THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN SEASONAL RESIDENTS, GOING BACK MANY GENERATIONS.
WE'VE HAD MANY CHRISTMASES AS ANTIQUE SHOP PROPRIETORS; WHAT GOOD FUN
There may be the misconception that only rich folks hang around antique shops. The whole antique shop aura, is by tradition, suggestive of high prices for really old wares. I concur. It's why we always add "collectables," "keepsakes," and "nostalgia" to our advertising. Suzanne and I began this traditional dance with ghosts, at our first main street shop, in uptown Bracebridge, back in the late 1980's, through until the middle of the 1990's. When I use the reference to "ghosts" it's because, ninety percent of the pieces we've had as part of our shop inventory, have been acquired by us, following the deaths of the original owners. It's kind of morbid, I know, but it's also very true. It has always made us a little humble, and reverent, of all those lives we are touching, even in retrospect, by handling previously enjoyed items; that have become antiques by the sole reason of age.
It's very difficult to explain the allure of antiques, and what draws people to visit antiques shops; but surprisingly, it has very little to do with big money. There's something character-filled about the antique business, and all those unique individuals out there, and believe me, there are a lot of them, who thrive amongst the icons of history; but haven't got the money to buy all that appeals to their collecting interests. They settle for just visiting antique shops, and sharing stories with the clerk / proprietors. Sometimes they have money to make purchases, and at other times, they have items to sell us. Truthfully, they represent the personality of our store, and always have, whether it has been in our home shop on Bracebridge's Ontario Street, circa 1986, in our garage, in 1987, or at Birch Hollow Antiques, below Martin Framing, by the end of the decade.
It was a strange, but endearing gathering place, but Suzanne and I both loved the kindly aura most of all, that prevailed in that modest basement shop. We never made a lot of money, but we always covered rent, gas, groceries, and a few perks for Andrew and Robert, our boys; who spent a lot of time with me behind the counter, running the store. That's right, the boys now operating a pretty successful vintage music shop, in Gravenhurst, got their start in the business, in that ramshackle basement room, sharing good times with some of our old cronies, like Asgar Thrane and Jack Keirnan. It was especially character-filled at Christmas, and with modest quantities, we always had cookie treats and apple cider for our guests, even back then. As I'm finishing up today's blog, Suzanne is making cookies for our regulars, who wander into the Muskoka Road shop for a visit, like clockwork, every Saturday morning. Well, some things never change. Now our sons are the proprietors, and I'm the gopher running errands. Suzanne has her own antique enterprise at the rear of their store, and it still operates on the same tradition as Birch Hollow, which is the name I've carried proudly for all these years; attached to numerous houses and business locations.
The social aspect of antiques, and what are now known as "vintages," is still the reason we remain in the business. When I point out, that my interests in local history, are in the vein of social / cultural heritage, it's precisely what we practice and enjoy about the business, of buying and selling old stuff. We interact. All the time. We like meeting guests, and sharing stories about our collecting interests. Sometimes we just talk about regional history or even town politics, with an antique shop background. It's not the way every antique dealer operates, but it has always been our way. We could think of hundreds of other retail activities to get up to, if we only thought about the bottom line, in terms of profit pocketed. Life's too short. We feel successful, when we can look over the counter, and see some of our good friends, who have come for a visit, and a little chat about their collecting interests, and in Suzanne's case, general and enthusiastic talks about home cooking, sewing and knitting, all her own passions. It's a lot like the television show, "Cheers," but we don't serve booze. We do encourage good natured conversation, and it doesn't hinge whatsoever, on whether there is any business transaction made or not. When I suggest that our shops have been "storied," and full of interesting occurrences, and fascinating conversations, I'm not kidding. In the new year, I want to write more about the antique trade, and bring it down to a more modest interpretation, and representation, so readers won't feel alienated by the subject matter. I will probably use it as a template for a future book. I'm a little worried about forgetting some of the stories I've held onto for so many decades. Many have never made it to print, or this blog before.
Here is one of the stories about our former antique shop, that has become another of my most actively archived blogs, which were officially begun, by the way, five years ago; but it's been three years now, as a daily blog. Christmas is our favorite time in the antique business, because of the many happenstance gatherings here in Gravenhurst, that may or may not have a darn thing to do with selling a blessed thing. Not having this neighborly relationship, would be to lose everything we hold near and dear. And we still make money, so don't feel sorry for us. Here now are a few ghost stories, and memories of our original antique shop in Bracebridge.
I wanted to share some stories from our antique shop collection, which may one day be published in book form.
HANGING AROUND THE ANTIQUE SHOP - THE DEBATES, THE POLITICS, AND THE HISTORY LESSONS
LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER FOR YEARS AND YEARS…..ABOUT WHAT MADE US TICK-TOCK
NOTE: THE VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPHS POSTED ABOVE, WERE FOUND IN A CHARITY SHOP IN BARRIE, ONTARIO, THIS PAST WEEKEND, AND SHOW A FIRST WORLD WAR ERA PARADE, PRESUMABLY IN MONTREAL, AS WELL AS A MUSTER, IN A SPORTS FACILITY, PLUS AN ACCOMPANYING PHOTOGRAPH OF A GRADUATING BUSINESS SCHOOL, IN THE LATE 1920'S, ALSO FROM MONTREAL. IT IS PRESUMED THERE IS A FAMILY CONNECTION TO EACH PHOTOGRAPH, AS THIS WAS AN ESTATE COLLECTION, THAT HAD BEEN DONATED TO THE CHARITY SHOP. THE PURCHASE PRICE FOR ALL THREE WAS $60.00, AND THE IMAGES ARE IN GOOD AND CONSERVED CONDITION. THE PARADE PHOTOGRAPH IS OF COURSE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT OF THE THREE. THERE IS A TAVERN SIGN VISIBLE ON THE TOP RIGHT SIDE OF THE PHOTOGRAPH.
THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION, ESPECIALLY THE WAY SUZANNE AND I HAVE LIVED IT, HAS BEEN A COMMUNITY, KINSHIP, SHARING KIND OF RELATIONSHIP WITH ALL OUR CUSTOMERS AND VISITORS. I CAN REMEMBER BEING BORED AND FRUSTRATED, AND BECOMING INSTANTLY PLEASED, HEARING JACK KIERNON'S FAMILIAR FOOTFALL, DOWN INTO OUR BRACEBRIDGE SHOP. HONESTLY, I DON'T THINK I WOULD HAVE SURVIVED THOSE YEARS OF THE EARLY TO MID 1990'S, IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR THE BIRCH HOLLOW LIAR'S CLUB, WHICH HAD A MEMBERSHIP OF REAL CHARACTERS THAT'S FOR SURE. JACK WAS THE UNOFFICIAL CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, AND HE WAS A PASSIONATE COLLECTOR OF MILITARY ITEMS AND TOYS, PARTICULARLY VEHICLES ATTACHED TO COMPANY NAMES LIKE LESNEY, CORGI, MATCHBOX AND ANY HOT WHEEL THAT STILL HAD ITS WHEELS AND PAINT. HE LIKED ANY TOYS FROM THE 1960'S BACK, AND HE KNEW A LOT ABOUT EACH OF THE MAJOR MANUFACTURERS, RIGHT DOWN TO THE COLOR CODING OF PAINT ON LIMITED EDITION TOY VEHICLES. WHAT I ENJOYED SO MUCH, DEALING WITH JACK, OFTEN SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK, FOR MANY YEARS, WAS THAT HE WAS LIVING A RETIREMENT DREAM……AT LEAST THIS IS MY OPINION AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT HIS CHARMING WIFE THOUGHT OF HIS PRE-OCCUPATION WITH TOYS AND MILITARY COLLECTABLES. HE HAD SUCH A GOOD WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF EVERYTHING HE WAS CONNECTED, AND COULD DISCUSS ANY OF HIS COLLECTING INTERESTS WITH OTHERS WHO CAME INTO THE STORE, LOOKING FOR SOME NEIGHBORLY CONVERSATION, OR BECAUSE THEY KNEW I LIKED TO DEBATE LOCAL POLITICS. I'M STILL DOING THAT TODAY, NOW FROM OUR BOYS' MAIN STREET SHOP HERE IN GRAVENHURST. I ROAST GRAVENHURST COUNCIL DAILY. THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING COOKING!
IT'S ONE OF THE FASCINATIONS I'VE HAD ABOUT THE ANTIQUE TRADE…..THIS SHARING OF INFORMATION, ANECDOTES AND TALL, TALL TALES. EACH OF US BACK THEN HAD A PLETHORA OF AMUSING AND ENTERTAINING STORIES, THAT INVOLVED COLLECTING ADVENTURES AND MISADVENTURES. NONE OF OUR GROUP EVER DENIED THAT THEY HADN'T BEEN BURNED IN THE BUY AND SELL, AND HONESTLY, NOT ONE OF OUR REGULARS, TO THE SHOP, POSSESSED EVEN A SMIDGEON OF EGOMANIA. THE BOASTFUL WERE SHOT DOWN IN DUE COURSE. WE WERE ALL ABLE TO KID ABOUT OUR FOIBLES IN THE FIELD, AND IT WAS NEVER THE CASE, THAT WE FELT EMBARRASSED TO ADMIT OUR PROBLEMS. EVEN GENERAL PROBLEMS. WHAT STARTED AS WEEKLY AND EVEN DAILY "ANTIQUE TALKS," MORPHED INTO DISCUSSIONS ABOUT EVERYTHING ON EARTH AND BEYOND. POSSIBLY IT WAS KIND OF A LONELY HEARTS CLUB, FOR SOME, A BAR WITHOUT BOOZE FOR OTHERS. JACK WAS SO ENTHUSED TO TALK ABOUT HIS COLLECTING INTERESTS, THAT HE ALWAYS LOST TRACK OF TIME, AND HIS POOR BRIDE WOULD HAVE TO COME DOWN TO THE BASEMENT SHOP TWO OR THREE TIMES, OVER THE COURSE OF AN HOUR, TO HAUL HIM OUT. VISITORS LOVED TO TALK WITH JACK AS WELL, WHO WAS, IN MY OPINION, THE UNOFFICIAL MAYOR OF BAYSVILLE, AND AMBASSADOR OF THE GOOD LIFE IN THE TOWNSHIP OF LAKE OF BAYS. YOU KNOW, AT TIMES, IT WAS LIKE "CHEERS" IN THAT SHOP, AS MEMBERS OF THE LIARS CLUB (TAKEN FROM PAUL RIMSTEAD'S BOOK) ARRIVED FOR THEIR VISITS, AND WERE IMMEDIATELY GREETED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STAIRS, AND A SHIFT OF FEET AND BODIES, ALLOWED ANOTHER MEMBER TO SADDLE UP TO THE SALES COUNTER…… WHICH WAS ACTUALLY A DINING ROOM BUFFET FROM THE 1940'S, TURNED AROUND, SO I GOT THE DRAWERS ON MY SIDE, AND WE SIMPLY WHITEWASHED THE BACK SIDE. WE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF MONEY WITH THAT FIRST SHOP TO BUY FIXTURES. WE WORKED WITH WHAT WE HAD, AND IT WAS THE RIGHT HEIGHT FOR ELBOWS AND COFFEE CUPS. I DIDN'T HAVE A CASH REGISTER. JUST A TIN BOX THAT WORKED WELL…..IN PARTNERSHIP WITH A BEAT-UP CALCULATOR SOMEONE HAD KINDLY GIVEN US. WE WERE A NO FRILLS SHOP THEN, AND NOW. BUT IF YOU WANT A LITTLE EXTRA, WE'VE GO SOME CONVERSATION FOR YOU…..THAT WILL MAKE UP FOR THE SHORTFALL IN GLITZ AND FACADE.
IT'S WHATS I LOVE ABOUT THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION AT ITS WARM, SOULFUL CORE
The charter members of the LIARS CLUB, back then, including debating chums like Asgar Thrane, Tom MacFarlane, Brian Milne, Art Campbell, Rick Krist, Rob Bound, and Dick Ivey, plus Jack of course, were a wonderfully compassionate lot, and they brought me more coffee than I should have ever consumed, and this explained why for those years I was up until 2:00 a.m. most nights trying to go to sleep.
Asgar Thrane taught me about life in Denmark during the Second World War. He let me know what it was like to face a German soldier's gun, late at night, while biking home form work at a bakery I believe…..with a trace of light coming from a headlamp. Living in a black-out environment at night, during this occupation, was a law and your life was at risk, for failing to comply. Asgar's wife Mary is an outstanding Muskoka artist, and he would be so proud to tell me about her latest art projects. Tom MacFarlane was a hobby "picker," and economic survivalist from Port Sydney, and over the years of our friendship we sold lots of his antique and collectible finds. He was also a pretty fair musician, but used the stage name "Tommy Farr," and we sold some of the cassette tapes he produced at that same LIARS Club desk. So we talked about all things Muskoka, life in small communities, the music industry, and oh yes……the buy and sell which he really enjoyed. Tom could talk about anything, and was always interested in the conversation going on at the particular time he dropped into the store with bundles of new antique finds.
Brian Milne was the spouse of our business partner, Sharon, (her father was Jimmy Hillman, who I wrote about recently, regarding his Bracebridge sugar bush) and he and I spent hours talking about anything and everything. Brian taught me about chair caning, and on summer Sundays, he'd do his re-caning workshops in the open air, at the entrance to the shop. He was our boys stand-in father, on occasions having to fetch Andrew and Robert from Bracebridge Public School, if I had customers at the time I was supposed to leave. I once complained to Brian, who had been in the phone business at one time, how frustrating it was to have such a short cord on the receiver of our wall phone. He came in the next day with about ten yards of coiled cord, and said, "Ted, I'm here to answer your wish. Stand aside man, I've got work to do!" I could walk upstairs I had so much chord. He was a Mr. Fix It, and a wonderfully kind and caring human being. Like the others, we met as a direct result of our involvement in antiques and collectables. Many of us antique veterans don't spend a lot of time thinking about our associates in the business, until it's too late. I had two of my store buddies pass, and I had never told them how much their friendship had meant to our family……and how their contribution kept me in the antique trade….and yes, right up to the present.
Art Campbell, of course, was our auctioneer friend, and former employee of Brewer's Retail, if memory serves. Art had a lot of fascinating stories about collecting vintage Canadian glass, and I once had the pleasure of seeing his massive inventory, during a luncheon at his Bracebridge home. I was speechless. It must have been worth a fortune…..but he didn't collect it all for the money. It was a pleasurable investment but he didn't really have much interest in selling it. He could have written a guide book about it however, and I remember thinking that I should have asked him about cooperating on a project. We would talk for hours on end about auctions and strange occurrences he'd experienced working estate sales. Rick Krist refinished steamer trunks beautifully, and we went on to have an interesting relationship with him, when he joined the sports card craze of the early 1990's. In fact, we rented him a room in the shop, where he entertained hundreds of kids a week, needing to build their hockey, baseball and football card sets……plus others, like Marvel collections. We got into these cards as well, by one toe, then the other, but we never fully immersed ourselves, for fear the boom in sales would falter…….as it did. In the antique trade, you get used to this happening frequently, but the folks in the card business, at this time, weren't privy to what we knew as fact…..and an ever-lurking danger. Booms that go bust! We still got stuck with a lot of cards but one day, our grandkids will carry-on where we left off. Rick was a good woodworker, and refinished antiques with great attention to detail. He helped us with inventory, as a consignor, when frankly, I was about to close up the shop, due to the fiscal burdens of the recession of the 1990's. We sold quite a few of his restored trunks, and other collectible pieces, and we co-operated on some other interesting joint projects that earned us a wee profit when it was needed most. We both had young families. Times were getting worse as the recession matured, and it seemed like all we did was hustle, work and hustle some more, to get only the smallest gains. It took courage, let me tell you, to fly a business through that recessionary cyclone.
Dick Ivey was the husband of a financial advisor, who lived in Orillia, and at least once a month he'd show up for another history lesson. Dick knew his military history that's for sure, and he loved to get into these discussions with Jack Kiernan, and then with anybody else who came into the shop, with an opinion and an interest in war heritage. I used to place my elbows on the desk, head in hands, and let the masters educate me. It was like having drop in professors on a daily basis. There were many others who came in once a month, or so, like Harry Ranger, who loved to talk hockey……as we had been two of the original Herald-Gazette Rink Rats. Harry was a career printer / pressman, and I was one of the writers who benefitted from his services, as I wrote a couple of books. Harry liked to remind me that he was related to Paul Rimstead, who like himself, had roots in Sudbury, Ontario. There were many others who liked to saddle up to the backwards buffet desk, like Mrs. Rice, and Audrey Judd, two of my favorite ladies, back then, who regaled me with some highly entertaining stories about life and times in Muskoka. We sold antique and collectable items from both ladies, and they had very fine heirloom pieces to offer through our shop. They were very good at spinning stories, at that same counter, and I was the beneficiary.
There was very seldom, back to back days, when someone wouldn't break the monotony. In the days of the early 1990's, from the end of October to the end of April, you might only see upwards of ten customers in six days, so honestly, as a preserver of sanity, it was always great to see these antique shop chums show up for a wee debate about this and that. Asgar Thrane used to arrive with coffee, chocolates, donuts, and even soup, to add to our bull sessions. He'd even bring clothing for our two boys, that his sons had grown out of……and I can't describe the feelings then, because for most of our time in the shop, we hung on by a thin strand of available cash, and sometimes it meant having to stretch everything including the clothing budget for the whole family. He was just a generous guy, and I don't think I ever fully thanked him for being so kind at a difficult time. All of our friends, made in the antique business, were special to us, but I fear they never knew this before we had to shut the shop down, in the mid 1990's, due to Suzanne's transfer to Gravenhurst High School, and my public relations job with the newly established Crozier Foundation, working for former Detroit Red Wing goaltender, Roger Crozier. We didn't have much time to react, when these changes occurred, and I have many regrets over the years since, that I hadn't really paid proper respects to them all, for kindnesses bestowed. It's a little late now, but this is how we both feel……that it would have been impossible to get along in the industry without them……and their cheerfulness and optimism when mine had run out.
The sense of community in the antique profession, has followed us to this newly opened wing, of our son's vintage music business, and it was just before Christmas this year, when I looked up over the counter, and saw this huge outstretched arm, from old friend Rod Bound, another member of the club, who used to sell his restored window-frame mirrors through Birch Hollow. I always looked forward to his visits, and even after a nearly two decade hiatus, he's come back. I'm hoping to see some of the other old guard sooner or later, once they know we've got our second wind in main street retail. Art Campbell passed away many years ago now, and Jack Kiernan passed away a few years back, and I felt as if a chunk of my past had just fallen away into time. Jack and I shared a lot of our personal tribulations, during those hard years of recessionary blues, and we both managed to climb out relatively uninjured…….both still happy to buy and sell and well……collect. He was a dear friend and confidante, who used to watch the store on afternoons when I had to pick up the boys from school, and could make me laugh on even the most difficult, uninspiring day. I have never found a customer quite like Jack. He was stubborn as the most stalwart mule, but I liked that about him. The day he got a flat tire, in a parking lot up the street, I thought I was going to die laughing. Not at his folly, because that would have been cruel. We all tried that day to change his tire, but the nuts were rusted so badly, nothing but an air-wrench would free them up. It would have been cheaper to call a tow truck and get the tire professionally looked after, because it wound up costing him a new rim and an alignment, after he decided to drive all the way home on a flat tire……..and home was Baysville. I had the bottom freight door open that summer afternoon, and the remaining members of the LIARS club heard him coming down the block……which was a resounding, and ongoing, "flap, thwack, flap, thwack, flap, thwack," all the way to Lake of Bays. He wasn't very happy when his Baysville mechanic let him know what the repairs were going to be……for that bit of stubbornness. Hey, that was my friend. It's just who he was, and damn it, we were glad to know him.
It's been a nice visit with you folks as well, today, and I hope you will visit again, to share some more insider stories, about the antique profession, "The LIARS Club," and the social networking that makes this industry so darn enjoyable……when not particularly profitable.
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