Christmas In Muskoka; My First Ever Barn Jam And It Was Great

My Favourite Major Oak In The Bog. Rob Currie Photo

AH! NOW WE HAVE A CHANCE TO SEE HOW OUR SEMI-NEW GRAVENHURST TOWN COUNCIL, WILL FARE IN ITS FOUR YEAR MANDATE

     I'M HEADING INTO THE NEW FOUR YEAR TERM OF GRAVENHURST COUNCIL, WITHOUT A SINGLE EXPECTATION. AS A CITIZEN OF THIS TOWN, SINCE 1989, I HAVE LEARNED TO TOLERATE WHAT THEY GET UP TO, OR DON'T, AND THEN I'M NEVER DISAPPOINTED. I DIDN'T GO TO THE SWEARING-IN CEREMONY, BECAUSE; WELL, JUST BECAUSE. I DON'T WANT TO DO ANYTHING, THAT WOULD GET MY HOPES UP; AS IF SOMETHING OTHER THAN STATUS QUO IS GOING TO OCCUR OVER THE NEXT FOUR YEARS. I CAN'T SAY FOR SURE THEY WON'T DO SOMETHING SIGNIFICANT BUT IT IS USUALLY SAFE IN GRAVENHURST TO JUST SIT ON THE FENCE WITH EVERYONE ELSE, AND WATCH THE SPECTACLE UNFOLD. I READ A REPORT IN THE LOCAL MEDIA BEFORE DINNER TONIGHT, ABOUT THE OPERATION OF THE GRAVENHURST OPERA HOUSE, AND SOME OF ITS PLANS FOR 2015, AND I STARTED TO LAUGH; I MEAN REALLY LAUGH, AND THANK GOD I WASN'T DRINKING MILK AT THE TIME. THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A SPECTACLE. HONESTLY, THESE PEOPLE DON'T GET IT. INSTEAD OF GIVING THEMSELVES A COLLECTIVE SHAKE, AROUND THE COUNCIL TABLE, THEY HAVE GONE RIGHT BACK INTO THE TRAP OF MAKING THEATRE THEIR WAY OUT OF THE RED. A SUMMER OF THEATRE IS GOING TO SAVE US. GOSH THAT'S NAIVE. BUT THEN WHEN YOU HAVE A SUBSIDIZED THEATRE, ON THE TAXPAYERS BACK, WHAT'S WRONG WITH LOSING MONEY? THE TOWN OF GRAVENHURST NEEDS TO HAVE AN ELECTED BOARD OF DIRECTORS, TO ACT ON THE TAXPAYERS' BEHALF; AND GET COUNCIL OUT OF THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS. AS FOR THE REST OF THE MUNICIPAL FOLLIES, WELL, I'M HOPING THAT SEVERAL NEW COUNCILLORS WILL SPRING INTO ACTION, AND GIVE US LOCALS, REASON FOR OPTIMISM. I'D REALLY LIKE TO BELIEVE THIS IS POSSIBLE, BUT ONCE AGAIN, WHY GET OUR HOPES UP?
   


CHRISTMAS IN MUSKOKA - SHARING MEMORIES ALL DAY LONG - THIS IS THE ANTIQUE AND COLLECTABLE BUSINESS WE'VE COME TO ADORE

WHEN WE SAY WE'RE HAVING AN OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS, LEAVE IT TO ANTIQUARIANS TO GET IT RIGHT!

     THE LEAVES OF THE VENERABLE, GNARLED OAK TREE, SITUATED PROMINENTLY AGAINST THE PINES, ALONG THE BORDER-LANE OF THE BOG, RATTLE IN THE WIND THIS AFTERNOON, AS THE SUDDEN, VIOLENT SNOW SQUALLS PUSH ACROSS MUSKOKA BAY. THE LEAVES RATTLE EVEN IN A LIGHT WIND, BUT TODAY IT'S ALTOGETHER, AN AUTUMN SYMPHONY OF SOUNDS, RISING FROM THE DARKNESS OF THE HOLLOW. THERE WAS A PERIOD OF DRIZZLE IN THE EARLY MORNING, SO THE LEAVES ARE COATED WITH A THIN LAYER OF FROST, MAKING THE SOUND MUCH LOUDER AND MORE INTRUSIVE. YOU CAN'T STAND AT THE END OF OUR LANE, AT BIRCH HOLLOW, FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME, WITHOUT HEARING THE CRISP CHATTER OF THE LEAVES, ON THE ENTICEMENT OF EVEN THE MOST MODEST CURRENT OF AIR. THE TREE HAS HELD MANY OF ITS LEAVES, AND WILL RATTLE LIKE THIS THROUGHOUT THE WINTER SEASON. IT'S STRANGE TO HEAR THIS IN THE MIDDLE OF JANUARY, ON A BITTERLY COLD NIGHT, WITH A SLIGHT BREEZE. IT IS, FOR A VOYEUR LIKE ME, A NOSTALGIC REMINDER OF AUTUMN, LASTING THROUGH THE GALES OF THE EARLY WINTER. IF TREES COULD BE STALWART, IN CHARACTER, THEN THIS OLD OAK IS OF THIS STAUNCH DEGREE OF ATTITUDE. SINCE WE ARRIVED AT BIRCH HOLLOW, I'VE STUDIED THIS TREE ALMOST DAILY, THROUGH THE SEASONS. IT'S A FRIENDLY CHARACTERISTIC OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, AND WITH EVERY WIND STORM WE GET, I WORRY SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN TO THIS NATURAL ICON, THAT ENHANCES THE ENTIRE STREET. IT IS A CURIOUS TREE AND SOMETIMES, I THINK IT'S TRYING TO COMMUNICATE IN THE WINDSONG OF RATTLING DRY LEAVES; THAT LOOK, AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR, AS IF THEY WERE HUNG AS DECORATIONS.

THE INFLUENCES OF MY GRANDPARENTS' GRAND OLD HOUSE

     MAYBE YOU CAN RELATE TO MY CHILDHOOD STORY. GRANDPARENTS ARE POWERFUL SOURCES OF INFLUENCE. POSSIBLY, IN MY CASE, YOU WILL UNDERSTAND HOW EASY IT WAS FOR ME, TO GET BITTEN BY THE ANTIQUE BUG EARLY IN LIFE. A BITE SO DEEP, THE IMPRINT, EVEN TODAY, IS SOCIALLY AND CULTURALLY UNMISTAKABLE. I WEAR IT LIKE A SHADOW, BUT NOT ONE THAT IS BLACK WITH EVIL. MY EARLY INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY, IN THE FORM OF ANTIQUES, IS STILL INFLUENCING ME, ALL THESE YEARS LATER. BUT I'M GOOD WITH THAT! WHAT I SAW, WELL SIR, I WON'T FORGET. IT WOULD BE A PERSONAL TRAGEDY TO LOSE THE INSPIRATION, I GOT AS A PROFOUND GIFT, AT ONLY FIVE YEARS OF AGE.
     MY PARENTS USED TO MAKE REGULAR VISITS TO MY GRANDPARENTS' (MERLE'S PARENTS) STATELY BRICK, THREE LEVEL HOME, IN TORONTO. AT THE TIME, WE WERE LIVING IN BURLINGTON. THROUGH MANY SUNDAY VISITS, WHEN I HAD TO WEAR MY WOOLEN CHURCH PANTS AND SWEATER, I CAME TO KNOW QUITE INTIMATELY, THAT BEAUTIFUL OLD HOUSE, MY GRANDFATHER, STANLEY JACKSON BUILT; WITH ITS HUGE VERANDAH AT THE FRONT, AND PICTURE WINDOWS, AS IT APPEARED OVER THE FOUR SEASONS, OF THE MANY YEARS WE VISITED. IT ALWAYS LOOKED LIKE A HAUNTED HOUSE BECAUSE OF ITS HERITAGE ARCHITECTURE, AND THE INTERIOR WAS FULL OF DARK WOOD FURNITURE, HEIRLOOMS OF THE VICTORIAN ERA, THE FAMILY HAD INHERITED. BUT I DON'T REMEMBER EVER BEING FRIGHTENED OF BEING LEFT ALONE IN THE PARLOR, OR UPSTAIRS, ALTHOUGH I WOULDN'T ENTER THE BASEMENT WITHOUT AN ADULT ESCORT. IT WAS A FRIENDLY PLACE, IF YOU JUDGED IT ON THE ATTRIBUTES OF THE KITCHEN, WHICH TO A LAD MY SIZE SEEMED HUGE AND THE BIG WINDOWS ON THE SIDE, MADE IT MUCH BRIGHTER THAN THE OTHER ROOMS.
    WHILE IN THE SUMMER SEASON, WE WOULD ALL START OFF OUR VISIT, SITTING OUT ON THE VERANDAH, IN A VARIETY OF ROCKERS AND SETEES, THE MOST INTERESTING PART, WAS WHEN WE GOT TO SIT INDOORS, WITH ALL ITS VINTAGE ATTACHMENTS. IT WAS AMAZING WHAT BLANCHE AND STAN HAD IN THAT HOUSE, IN THE WAY OF ANTIQUE FURNISHINGS, AND ART WORK ON THE WALLS. IF I WAS LUCKY, STAN WOULD BE IN ANOTHER PART OF THE HOUSE, PLAYING HIS VIOLIN. I LOVED HEARING HIM PLAY, AND MY MOTHER USED TO TELL ME ABOUT HIS DAYS PLAYING WITH A QUARTET IN THE HOUSE. HE WAS A VIOLINIST-CARPENTER. I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT WAS A NEAT COMBINATION OF PROFESSIONS, LIKE BRACEBRIDGE'S BILL ANDERSON, WHO HAD BEEN A BARBER / ARTIST, BOB EVERETT, A PHARMACIST / ARTIST, AND ROSS SMITH, A GAS JOCKEY / ARTIST. IT WAS A VERY CULTURED HOUSEHOLD, BECAUSE MY GRANDFATHER ADORED HIS CLASSIC MUSIC, JUST LIKE MY MOTHER DID, WITH HER SMALL COLLECTION OF LP'S, WHICH WERE NINETY PERCENT, RECORDINGS OF THE GREAT SYMPHONIES SHE HAD GROWN UP LISTENING TO AT HOME. I COULDN'T HAVE TOLD YOU WHAT AN ANTIQUE WAS, AT THAT POINT, OTHER THAN TO SAY I COULD CLEARLY IDENTIFY, THAT WHAT STAN AND BLANCHE HAD AS POSSESSIONS, MADE THE SPARTAN COLLECTION OF HOUSEHOLD ITEMS, IN OUR BURLINGTON APARTMENT, LOOK LIKE WE WERE LIVING IN A MONASTERY. WHEN I LOOK AT OLD BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THAT BURLINGTON APARTMENT, I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW FEW PIECES OF FURNITURE WE OWNED, WITHOUT MUCH IN THE WAY OF ORNAMENTS, OR ART WORK ON THE WALLS. MY INHERITANCE INCLUDED TWO VINTAGE PAINTINGS, ONE THAT WAS GIVEN TO MY MOTHER BY AN ARTIST SHE WORKED FOR, AT THE ONTARIO COLLEGE OF ART, (WILLIAM KRANLEY) ONE SUMMER; AND THE OTHER WAS A SEASCAPE SHE PURCHASED, WHEN WE LIVED AT THE NAGY APARTMENTS IN BURLINGTON. TWO PAINTINGS. THAT WAS IT. BUT I LATER LEARNED, THIS WAS MY MOTHER'S WISH, THAT THERE BE NO CLUTTER IN HER HOUSE. SHE EVEN HATED IT WHEN MY ROOM LOOKED PLAYED-IN, WITH MY FEW TOYS SCATTERED ABOUT. SHE OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T APPRECIATE THE WAY HER PARENTS HAD FILLED THEIR HOUSE WITH SO MANY FAMILY HEIRLOOMS, AND IMPRESSIVE ANTIQUE PIECES. IT DIDN'T RUB OFF ON MY MOTHER, BUT IT DID ON ME. I LOVED MY GRANDPARENTS HOUSE, AND I SUPPOSE, I HAVE TRIED TO REPLICATE IT EVER SINCE. SUZANNE CAME FROM A SIMILAR BACKGROUND, AND INDEED, THE TWO OF US TOGETHER ARE DANGEROUS BECAUSE OF OUR INSATIABLE PASSIONS FOR OLD THINGS WITH PROVENANCE. I'VE GOT MORE ART ON ONE SMALL WALL, THAN MY MOTHER HAD IN HER ENTIRE APARTMENT, COLLECTIVELY, FOR HER ENTIRE MARRIED LIFE. SHE FELT IT WAS LESS TO DUST. I LIKE DUST. YOU KNOW? THE DUST OF AGES THING?
     WHEN YOU WORK ALL DAY, IN A SHOP THAT STOCKS OLD STUFF, YOU HAVE TO POSSESS RESPECT FOR HISTORY. OR YOU'D FAIL FOR SURE, OR GO NUTS. YOU CAN'T BE SUCCESSFUL IN OUR CHALLENGING ENTERPRISE, WITHOUT BEING WELL INFORMED, AND EDUCATED, ABOUT THE HISTORY, THAT PLAYED A PART IN THE CHARACTER ENHANCEMENT OF PIECES, IN OUR RESPECTIVE STORE COLLECTIONS. I CAN GO AS FAR AS SAYING, THAT MOST DEALERS I HAVE KNOWN IN MY PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH ANTIQUES, HAVE BEEN COMPETENT HISTORIANS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT. POSSESSING A KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROFESSOR, THE FERVOR OF A CARNIVAL BARKER. THEY HAVE ALL, IN MY OPINION, BEEN EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELD OF INTEREST, BUT QUITE KNOWLEDGABLE ABOUT MOST OF THE MATERIALS IN THEIR SHOPS OR MALL BOOTHS. I'VE NEVER YET MET A FULL FLEDGED ANTIQUE AND COLLECTABLE DEALER, WHO WASNT'T THRILLED TO BE ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR COLLECTIONS, AND SPECIALTIES. THEY'VE ALWAYS BEEN WILLING TO MENTOR THOSE INTERESTED IN COLLECTING, AND IF THEY'RE IN A TALKATIVE MOOD, THEY CAN ALSO GIVE AMAZING HISTORICAL LECTURES, IF CUSTOMERS ARE INTERESTED IN HEARING, FOR EXAMPLE, MORE ABOUT THE HOST COMMUNITY AND THE REGION IN WHICH THEY RESIDE. MOST ANTIQUE DEALERS TAKE A PARTICULAR INTEREST IN THE HOME REGION. IT'S PART OF THEIR HUNTING GROUND, SO THEY NEED TO BE INFORMED ABOUT ITS HERITAGE CHARACTER. WE SELL A LOT OF MUSKOKA MEMORABILIA IN OUR SHOP, AND SUZANNE AND I ARE BOTH ACTIVE HISTORIANS THIS REGION OF ONTARIO. DEALERS MAKE IT THEIR BUSINESS TO KNOW ABOUT LOCAL HERITAGE, BECAUSE THEY ARE OFTEN THE ONES WHO REPRESENT LOCAL COLLECTIBLES FOR SALE IN THEIR SHOPS. SO IT MAKES SENSE TO BRUSH-UP ON WHAT MAKES CERTAIN LOCAL RELICS MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN OTHERS. AND BY THE WAY. LOCAL COLLECTIBLES SELL FOR A PREMIUM PRICE, SO IT IS A GOOD INVESTMENT TO READ LOCALLY PUBLISHED HISTORIES, BEFORE YOU OPEN AN ANTIQUE SHOP IN THAT LOCALE. INEVITABLY, A LOCAL DEALER WILL GET LOCAL ANTIQUES WITH LOCAL PROVENANCE. IT'S THE BOON OF THE TRADE, AND SOME OF THE EASIEST PIECES TO SELL OFF FOR A FAIR PROFIT.
     AT OUR FORMER ANTIQUE SHOP, ON UPPER MANITOBA STREET, NORTH OF BRACEBRIDGE'S MEMORIAL PARK, I'D START GETTING ANXIOUS ABOUT THE CHRISTMAS EVE WEATHER, AT ABOUT THREE IN THE AFTERNOON. ALMOST ALL THE CHRISTMAS EVES WE HAD AT OUR BASEMENT STORE, INVOLVED SOME TYPE OF INCREDIBLE WEATHER EVENT. I CAN REMEMBER ONE WICKED SNOWSTORM, ON CHRISTMAS EVE, WHEN I HAD TO DELIVER A LARGE, HEAVY, AWKWARD, GRAIN SCALE TO A BUYER'S HOME IN THE VILLAGE OF PORT CARLING. IT WAS A DANGEROUS DRIVE ON ICY ROADS, WITH SNOW SQUALLS MOVING IN OFF GEORGIAN BAY. THE DELIVERY WAS ARRANGED BY A PARTNER AT THE TIME, WHO I NEVER FORGAVE BY THE WAY; HE WAS SUPPOSED TO PUT THE MONSTER SCALE IN HIS STATION WAGON, AND GET THIS! I WAS DRIVING A "FESTIVA" AN ADULT VERSION OF A DINKY TOY. I COULDN'T GET THE HATCH COMPLETELY DOWN, WITH THE GRAIN SCALE HANGING OUT THE BACK, AND FOR THE ENTIRE WHITE KNUCKLE TRIP TO PORT CARLING FROM BRACEBRIDGE, I INHALED EXHAUST FUMES, AND HAD SNOW BLOWING INTO THE BACK, CONTAMINATING OTHER ITEMS, INCLUDING WRAPPED GIFTS, I ALSO HAD STASHED TO BRING HOME FOR THE BOYS. I MADE IT TO THE CUSTOMER'S HOUSE, WAS HURRIED IN, SO HER HUSBAND WOULDN'T CATCH ME IN THE ACT (WHICH MADE ME A TAD NERVOUS), AND THEN WITHOUT A PECK ON THE CHEEK, SHE GAVE ME THE BUM'S RUSH OUT THE BACK DOOR. SHE DIDN'T EVEN OFFER ME A COOKIE FROM SANTA'S PLATE, OR A HOT BEVERAGE, IN THE FESTIVE TRADITION. AS FOR A TIP, SHE YELLED THROUGH THE INCOMING SQUALL, "HAVE A NICE CHRISTMAS." I DROVE HOME THROUGH BALA, INSTEAD OF GOING BACK THROUGH BRACEBRIDGE, TO GET BACK TO GRAVENHURST. I COULD SEE ABOUT TEN YARDS AHEAD ON THE ROADWAY. THANKFULLY, I WAS ABLE TO FOLLOW A SNOWPLOW MOST OF THE WAY HOME. I TALKED TO MYSELF THE WHOLE WAY. "TED, YOU ARE A STUPID, STUPID MAN." THAT WAS MY LAST CUSTOMER DELIVERY ON CHRISTMAS EVE. BAD KARMA, BECAUSE SNOWSTORMS KNOW WHEN I'M AT THEIR MERCY.
     MOST CHRISTMAS EVE BUSINESS DAYS, ENDED WITHOUT SERIOUS INCIDENT, THANKFULLY, AND I'D HAVE TO MAKE SURE I HAD TIME TO GET TO THE GROCERY STORE, AND POSSIBLY ANOTHER RETAIL OUTLET, TO BUY SOME LAST MINUTE GIFTS. THIS DEPENDED ON THE GENEROSITY OF MY LAST MINUTE SHOPPERS, WHO PROBABLY SAW THE DESPERATION IN MY EYES. WE VERY SELDOM EVER HAD A GOOD CHRISTMAS SEASON, BUT BREAKING EVEN WORKED FOR US. FORTUNATELY, FROM A VERY YOUNG AGE, ANDREW AND ROBERT, BECAUSE OF OUR INVOLVEMENT IN THE COLLECTABLE TRADE, DESIRED VINTAGE TOYS UNDER THE VINTAGE TREE, VERSUS ANYTHING NEW. WHICH WAS GREAT FOR US, BECAUSE WE WERE ALWAYS BUYING COLLECTABLES (AND OLD TOYS) OVER THE COUNTER, AND TRAVELING OFF TO AUCTIONS, WHERE WE COULD PICK-UP AFFORDABLE DINKY TOYS, LESNEY TRUCKS AND CARS, CORGI MILITARY VEHICLES, MATCHBOX CARS, AND OF COURSE, THEIR FAVORITE "HOT WHEELS"; THE BEST ONES COMING FROM THE LATE 1960'S OR EARLY 70'S I BELIEVE. THEY LIKED HOCKEY CARDS, BUT MOSTLY THE OLD ONES. THIS WAS RIGHT UP OUR ALLEY. SO WE OFTEN MADE PURCHASES OF VINTAGE TOYS, RECORDS, AND SPORTS CARDS, KEEPING THEM ASIDE FOR THE BOYS AS CHRISTMAS GIFTS. BY THE WAY, THEY ASSUMED SANTA COULD HAND OUT COLLECTABLE TOYS AS WELL AS NEW, SO IT WAS NEVER THE CASE, THEY WERE SUSPICIOUS ABOUT WHAT APPEARED UNDER THE TREE. IT'S NOT THAT WE DIDN'T GET THEM NEW ITEMS FOR CHRISTMAS, BUT AS THEY REMAIN TODAY, ANDREW AND ROBERT ARE STILL MORE IMPRESSED BY FINDING VINTAGE MUSIC GEAR UNDER THE TREE, AND ENTERTAINMENT MEMORABILIA, THAN NEW ITEMS. WE'VE BEEN DOING THE "OLD IS BEST" THING FOR SO LONG NOW, IT'S A DEEPLY ROOTED TRADITION. THE GOOD THING ABOUT GIVING THESE ITEMS OF AGE, WITH ANTIQUE AND COLLECTABLE VALUE, IS THAT THEY SHOULD, AT THE VERY LEAST HOLD THEIR VALUE. IF THEY SHOULD DECIDE TO GET RID OF THE PIECES WE'VE GIVEN THEM, (OR FROM SANTA), THEY ARE FREE TO DO THIS, BECAUSE THEY ARE FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, ANTIQUE DEALERS LIKE US. WHAT A NICE GIFT THEN, FOR THEM TO ACTUALLY PROFIT FROM WHAT THEY WERE GIVEN, A LITTLE DOWN THE ROAD, WHEN THEIR INTERESTS HAPPEN TO CHANGE. THE GIFT THAT GIVES A LITTLE BIT EXTRA.
     WHILE MANY GIFT ITEMS GO DOWN IN VALUE ONCE OUT OF THE SHOP, WHERE THEY WERE PURCHASED, (WHICH IS OKAY) ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES, PURCHASED SENSIBLY ACCORDING TO APPRAISAL, SHOULD GO UP IN VALUE. SOME MORE THAN OTHERS. WHILE CHRISTMAS TENDS TO BE AN EXPENSIVE TRADITION, FOR EVERYBODY TO GET WHAT THEY WANT (OR SORT OF), OUR GIFT PURCHASES AS A FAMILY, ARE AT LEAST NINETY PERCENT INVESTMENT GRADE; MAYBE IT'S A 1960'S GIBSON GUITAR, A VINTAGE PEDAL STEEL (INSTRUMENT), A BOX OF OLD STAMPS (FOR DAD), CRANBERRY GLASS (FOR SUZANNE), OR A REALLY NICE TOM THOMSON LANDSCAPE FOR MOM AND DAD. I'M KIDDING HERE. BUT I'M ALWAYS OPEN TO A BOOK ON THE GROUP OF SEVEN, OR THE ARTISTS WHO MADE UP THE CANADIAN ART SCENE AT ITS MOST TRANSITIONAL POINT. THE OLDER THE BOOK THE MORE DESIRABLE, AND THE MORE VALUABLE, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S ABOUT TOM THOMSON.
     I USED TO CLOSE UP AT AROUND FOUR ON CHRISTMAS EVE, AS I WORKED THE SHIFT ALONE; SUZANNE KEEPING THE HOME FIRES BURNING, LOOKING AFTER THE BOYS. I'D SHUT DOWN THE LIGHTS AND GRAB UP THE FEW COINS FROM THE TILL, AND HEAD TO THE BOTTOM OF THE STAIRS. I HAD THIS TRADITION, YOU SEE, OF STANDING THERE FOR A FEW MOMENTS OF SILENT CONTEMPLATION, (EXCEPT MY GRUMBLING STOMACH) AND THANKS, FOR THIS MODEST SHOP'S CONTRIBUTION TO OUR FESTIVE CHRISTMAS. NOT ONLY HAD IT BEEN THE CONDUIT FOR US TO MAKE ENOUGH MONEY TO HAVE A NICE CHRISTMAS, BUT IT HAD BEEN THE PLACE WHERE WE HAD ENJOYED THE COMPANY OF OUR LOYAL CUSTOMERS, AND THOSE SIGNIFICANT OTHERS, WHO USED TO HUDDLE, ALMOST DAILY, BY THE SALES COUNTER, TO TALK ABOUT COMMUNITY LIFE AND TIMES; AND OCCASIONALLY, ABOUT THE OLD STUFF WE SOLD AND THEY COLLECTED.
     WE HAD SO MANY INCREDIBLE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ANTIQUE GUNS, TOYS, GLASS, POTTERY, CHINA, HATS, YOU NAME IT. I LOVED THOSE PRECIOUS MOMENTS, WITH TRULY REMARKABLE CUSTOMERS, AND SAVY COLLECTORS, WHO HELPED ME UNDERSTAND AREAS OF COLLECTING I WASN'T TOO FAMILIAR. IT ALL HAPPENED IN THAT CLUTTERED LITTLE BASEMENT SHOP, AND IT BECAME OUR SOCIAL / CULTURAL TRADITION, AND VERY MUCH A PART OF OUR CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION. WHILE I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS NEAT WHEN WE TURNED A PROFIT, THE FELLOWSHIP WE ENJOYED WAS PRICELESS. IT IS WHAT MOTIVATED ANDREW AND ROBERT TO OPEN THEIR OWN VINTAGE MUSIC AND COLLECTABLE SHOP, A DECADE AGO, AND CERTAINLY WHY WE CAME BACK INTO THE STORE-FRONT ANTIQUE BUSINESS AGAIN, THREE YEARS AGO; AFTER A LONG STINT SELLING OUR OLD BOOKS AND ART ONLINE. THE PERSONAL CONTACT WAS AMAZING THEN, AND IT STILL IS. YOU CAN'T RUN AN ANTIQUE AND COLLECTABLE SHOP, WITHOUT BEING HISTORICALLY INTIMATE WITH CUSTOMERS. IT'S PRETTY REVEALING STUFF, LIKE A HOSPITAL X-RAY. ESPECIALLY WHEN TALK TURNS TO FAMILY HISTORY, AND BOY OH BOY, THE SKELETONS I'VE HEARD ABOUT. THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT SHARING HERITAGE, THAT PULLS US TOGETHER, AND I BELIEVE IT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH SHARED PROVENANCE. MANY OF THE PIECES WE SELL, HAVE STORIES ATTACHED TO THEM. AND ALWAYS ENHANCES THE VALUATION. IF THEY'RE HAUNTED PIECES, YOU GET THE GHOST WITH OUR BLESSING. WE HAVE ENOUGH ALREADY. IT'S FASCINATING TO CELEBRATE THESE PIECES, WITH A PROVENANCE WE ARE DELIGHTED TO PASS ON; AND SOMETIMES WE LET GO OF OUR COLLECTION WITH CONSIDERABLE RELUCTANCE. HISTORY AND ITS STEWARDSHIP, ISN'T ONLY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF A MUSEUM CURATOR. IN OUR PROFESSION, WE'RE ALL CURATORS, AND ALWAYS STEWARDS OF OUR IRREPLACEABLE HEIRLOOM RESOURCES.
     AS WE STILL DO TODAY, AS A CARRY-OVER TRADITION, EACH IN OUR OWN WAY, WE WILL TAKE A LAST CHEERFUL GLANCE BACK, A FEW MOMENTS BEFORE CLOSING THE DOOR OF THE SHOP BEHIND US, ON CHRISTMAS EVE; TO PAY A LITTLE HEARTFELT HOMAGE, TO ALL THE ANTIQUARIANS WHO HAVE KEPT US IN GOOD, AND ENTERTAINING COMPANY, DURING THE YEAR. WE OFFER A SILENT BUSINESS-OWNERS' PRAYER OF THANKS ALSO, TO OUR CUSTOMERS, WHO HAVE TAKEN AN INTEREST IN OUR PRESENT COLLECTION, AND WHO MAY HAVE PURCHASED VINTAGE ITEMS TO GIVE FOR CHRISTMAS PRESENTS. AND A SPECIAL THANKS TO THE SHOP, ITSELF, SET COMFORTABLY IN AN HISTORIC BUILDING, THAT NICELY FACILITATED THE RELATIONSHIP FOR ALL OF US PARTNERS, IN THE HISTORY GAME. IN OUR BUSINESS, THERE IS ALWAYS A HAUNTING FEELING OF PAST TIMES AND FORMER LIVES, BUT IT IS IN NO WAY, A BURDENSOME QUALITY TO POSSESS. WE ARE THE CONDUITS OF CONTINUING RESPECT AND ENJOYMENT OF SOMEONE ELSE'S HEIRLOOMS. IT'S A NEAT FEELING, TO BE ABLE TO CONNECT AN ANTIQUE WITH PROVENANCE, TO A NEW OWNER, WHO IS THRILLED TO HAVE A "STORIED" PIECE IN THEIR HOME. IT'S A "COMPLETION" FEELING FOR US, KNOWING THE PROVENANCE WILL BE CONSERVED AND ADDED TO, BY THIS NEW OWNER. WE CAN'T HELP BUT TAKE THESE PIECES VERY SERIOUSLY, AS IF GREAT WORKS OF INTERNATIONAL ART; WE WANT TO SEE IT (THEM) GO TO A GOOD HOME. AND YES, IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING, WE HAVE REFUSED TO SELL PIECES, WHEN WE FOUND OUT, THE SOLE PURPOSE WAS TO REPURPOSE THEM, THUSLY CHANGING THEIR ANTIQUE CHARACTER FOREVER. SO I SUPPOSE, WE HAD, WITHOUT KNOWING IT, MORPHED INTO "GUARDIAN" ROLE, WELL BEYOND BASIC STEWARDSHIP, WHILE STILL PART OF OUR COLLECTION. I REMEMBER AN INTERIOR DECORATOR, TELLING ME THAT THE BEAUTIFUL, HAND PAINTED 1880'S ZITHER, I HAD JUST WRAPPED-UP FOR HER, WAS GOING TO LOOK GREAT PAINTED PURPLE; TO BE HUNG OVER A CLIENT'S PURPLE PAINTED GRAND PIANO. I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO BE SICK TO MY STOMACH. SHE WAS GOING TO RUIN A WONDERFUL PIECE OF MUSIC HISTORY, TO FIT A DECORATING SCHEME. BUT, I HAD ALREADY ACCEPTED HER MONEY, AND WE WERE BROKE AT THE TIME. WE WON'T HESITATE REMOVING ITEMS TODAY, IF SOMEONE WAS TO COMMENT, THAT THEY WANTED TO RIP AN 1850'S TABLE APART, TO RE-ALLOCATE THE PEDESTAL. WE WOULD PUT A "STORE FIXTURE, NOT FOR SALE" SIGN ON THE TABLE. LIKE THE ZITHER, THEY MAY ONLY TELL US AFTER THEY'VE PAID FOR THE PIECE, THAT IT IS TO BE RE-CONSTITUTED, AND IN THIS CASE, WE HAVE TO CONTEND WITH DISMAY, FEELING WE'VE FAILED AS ANTIQUE DEALERS, TO STEWARD ANTIQUES IN OUR CARE. SOUND RIDICULOUS? MOST OF US ENTERED INTO THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION, BECAUSE OF OUR LOVE FOR HISTORY. SOME OF US ARE MORE HISTORICALLY ARDENT THAN OTHERS, BUT MOST OF US AREN'T IN IT, JUST FOR THE BIG PAY-DAY. WE WANT TO REPRESENT THE ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES WE FIND ON OUR HUNT AND GATHER MISSIONS, WITH SOMEWHAT THE SAME VIGOR, AS THE MUSEUM CURATOR, WANTS TO SHARE THE COLLECTION WITH PATRONS. SO WE CAN GET PRETTY FUSSY ABOUT MATTERS OF ACCESS, AND WHO GETS TO BUY SELECT PIECES. THIS IS WIDELY KNOWN, BUT IT'S REAL. IF WE CAN STOP YOU FROM MAKING A TABLE OUT OF A PRIMITIVE DULCIMER, BY GOLLY, WE WILL GO ABOVE AND BEYOND, TO SPARE ITS HERITAGE INTEGRITY. IF A BUYER DECIDES, DOWN THE ROAD, TO MAKE IT INTO A TABLE, OR AN ELABORATE PIPE RACK, OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE TO LIVE WITH THE OUTCOME. WE JUST HOPE THE SAME CUSTOMER WON'T ARRIVE IN THE SHOP, BRAGGING ABOUT WHAT THEY'VE INFLICTED. WHAT WE DON'T KNOW WON'T HURT US. OR AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT THEY SAY. I STILL HAVE ISSUES ABOUT LETTING SPECIAL PIECES I'VE COLLECTED, LEAVE OUR BUILDING WITHOUT A TUSSLE. EVEN WHEN WE GET THE ASKING PRICE, I HAVE A FEW UNHEALTHY EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENTS. MANY ANTIQUE DEALERS SHARE THESE "OF COURSE IT'S FOR SALE, BUT MAYBE NOT," PERSPECTIVES. THESE PIECES ARE HARD TO FIND, AND OFTEN COME FROM ESTATES, AND POSSIBLY TRAGIC CIRCUMSTANCES, WHICH WE ARE ABUNDANTLY AWARE AT THE TIME. IT CAN MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO PART WITH THEM, IN THE SHOP SETTING, BECAUSE OF EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENTS, NOT APPRECIATED UNTIL THE MOMENT OF PURCHASE. LIKE UNLOADING A RING THAT A GIRLFRIEND OR BOYFRIEND GAVE YOU, IN RECOGNITION OF A SPECIAL OCCASION. SOME ONE WANTS TO BUY IT, BUT EVEN THOUGH IT'S IN THE SHOWCASE FOR A REASON, IT CAN TURN IN A HEARTBEAT, TO BEING A FLASHBACK MOMENT THAT ENDS BADLY; WHEN YOU PULL IT FROM THE CUSTOMER'S HAND, ADVISING THE RING IS NO LONGER FOR SALE. THAT'S THE WHOLE PROBLEM OF OUR BUSINESS, IN A BIG NUTSHELL. WE GET ATTACHED TO INANIMATE OBJECTS, BUT WE DON'T ALWAYS NO WHY. UNLIKE THE EXAMPLE OF AN OLD RING WITH A CASH VALUE. EMOTIONS RULE OUR BUSINESS MORE THAN BASIC ECONOMICS. I'VE MADE A LOT OF HAPPENSTANCE DECISIONS TO HANG ONTO ANTIQUES THAT MADE SUZANNE ANGRY. AND SHE'S DONE THE VERY SAME, TO SOME OF OUR COLLECTION, THAT HAVE A FAMILY CONNECTION. NEEDLESS TO SAY, IT IS OUR EMOTIONAL DOWNFALL, BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF ATTACHMENTS VISIBLE ALL OVER OUR HOUSE, THAT ONE DAY, OUR BOYS WILL HAVE TO DETACH FROM OUR ESTATE. WILL THEY FEEL THE SAME? I THINK SO!

PLAYING MUSIC IN THE BARN - MY MOST MEMORABLE FARM EXPERIENCE IN MUSKOKA

"THE FARM IN GOOD ORDER"

     "GRADUALLY BUT SURELY THE WORK OF IMPROVING A NEW FARM GOES FORWARD, UNTIL IT IS ASTONISHING WHAT A CHANGE IS BROUGHT ABOUT IN A FEW SHORT YEARS. THE WILDERNESS IS TRANSFORMED INTO A FRUITFUL FIELD. ONE BY ONE THE STUMPS HAVE ROTTED OUT, AND GIVEN THE PLOUGH FREE SCOPE TO WORK. INEQUALITIES IN THE SURFACE OF THE LAND HAVE BECOME SMOOTHED DOWN, AND ALMOST THE ONLY EVIDENCE THAT THE COUNTRY IS NEW, IS FURNISHED BY THE RAIL FENCES. THE LOG BUILDINGS HAVE GIVEN PLACE TO STRUCTURES OF FRAME OR STONE. A GARDEN ON THE FARM WHICH WE ARE SUPPOSING TO HAVE REACHED A STATE OF COMPLETENESS. THE FRONT FENCES HAVE CEASED TO BE THAT OF RAILS. A NEAT, ORNAMENTAL PALING OR HEDGE, SKIRTS THE PUBLIC ROAD, AND A TASTEFUL BIT OF SHRUBBERY ENVIRONS THE HOUSE AND OUT-BUILDINGS. ALTOGETHER THERE IS AN AIR OF BEAUTY AND ATTRACTIVENESS ABOUT THE SCENE, BUT RECENTLY SO WILD." THUS THE APPEARANCE OF THE WELL LAID-OUT, AND NEATLY KEPT CANADIAN FARM.  THE PASSAGE ABOVE WAS FROM AN EARLY SETTLERS' GUIDE BOOK, THAT WAS, WITHOUT SHAME, OR REGRET, PUTTING A GENEROUS SPIN ON HOW WONDERFUL HOMESTEAD LIFE COULD BE....JUST AS THOMAS MCMURRAY DID MUCH LATER, IN HIS GUIDE, "MUSKOKA AND PARRY SOUND," RELEASED IN THE EARLY 1870'S. THERE'S NO DOUBT THE DESCRIPTION, AND THE ACCOMPANYING WOOD CUT ILLUSTRATION, OF AN APPARENTLY SUCCESSFUL FARM NESTLED INTO THE PICTURESQUE COUNTRYSIDE, INFLUENCED MANY IMMIGRANTS TO HEAD TO THE ONTARIO FRONTIER....WHERE THERE WERE FORESTS TO FELL, WETLANDS TO BRIDGE, THE FILL, ROCKS TO CLEAR, AND A LANDSCAPE TO TAME. AND THEN CAME WINTER. ONCE AGAIN, YOU CAN READ JUST HOW ADVENTUROUS AND ROMANTIC THIS HOMESTEADING THING COULD BE.....AND WHAT A FEW YEARS (BACK-BREAKING) LABOR COULD GET AN AMBITIOUS FAMILY. THEY DON'T SPEND A LOT OF TIME TELLING THE TRUTH, BUT WE'VE ALREADY EXAMINED THE MISINFORMATION AND LIES THAT MADE UP THE CAMPAIGN TO POPULATE THE RURAL AREAS OF OUR PROVINCE AND COUNTRY. NOW LET'S MOVE AHEAD A CENTURY PLUS, TO A NEW ERA, AN OLD FARMSTEAD, AND AN HISTORIC BARN THAT WAS BEGGING TO BE RESTORED.

     I USED TO REFER TO MYSELF AS A CITY KID. THAT WAS BACK IN THE LATE 1960'S, WHEN I TRIED TO IMPRESS MY NEW TOWN FRIENDS, IN BRACEBRIDGE. ONE DAY ANOTHER KID, WHO HAD ALSO MOVED NORTH FROM THE BANANA BELT, TO BECOME MUSKOKAN, CORRECTED ME WHEN I SAID THIS TO IMPROVE MY STATUS AMONGST THE LOCALS. "WHERE ARE YOU FROM AGAIN?" THE KID ASKED, AS WE STOOD IN A SMALL GROUP AT THE BASEBALL DIAMOND AT JUBILEE PARK. "BURLINGTON," I BLURTED BOLDLY, AS IF TO SAY...."I'M SO MUCH MORE SOPHISTICATED THAT YOU HICKS." THE KID ANSWERED, "I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU WERE FROM THE CITY." "BURLINGTON IS A CITY," I ANSWERED, A LITTLE FLUSTERED AT BEING CHALLENGED ON THIS BIT OF PERSONAL BIOGRAPHY. BURLINGTON ISN'T A CITY-CITY," HE LAUGHED. "IT'S JUST A BIG TOWN." WELL IT WAS MORE LIKE A SMALL CITY WHEN WE MOVED NORTH IN 1966, BUT IT JUST DIDN'T SOUND LIKE A DECENT BOAST, TO SAY I WAS FROM A "SMALL CITY." IT WAS "CITY" STRAIGHT UP OR NOTHING. YOU KNOW, FROM THAT DAY, I STOPPED SAYING THAT I WAS FROM THE CITY, OPTING INSTEAD TO REFER TO MY PLACE OF ORIGIN AS "SOUTHERN ONTARIO," INSTEAD. IT COVERED ALL THE BASES.

     IN THE FIRST TEN YEARS, LIVING IN MUSKOKA, I DID POSSESS A STRANGE RELUCTANCE TO LET GO OF MY URBAN PAST. MY CHUMS, MANY WHO WERE MUSKOKA-BILLIES, (AND PROUD OF IT) BY THEIR OWN ADMISSION, WOULD GET ANGRY, WHEN I'D SLAP THEM WITH THE "CITY-RAISED" THING, AND EVENTUALLY, IT JUST WASN'T A STATUS-BUILDER, IF IT EVER HAD BEEN. I'D JUST GET STRANGE STARES, WHEN I'D MENTION IT, AND MOST OF THE KIDS HAD NO IDEA WHERE BURLINGTON WAS ANYWAY. SO OFFERING IT UP, AS A STATUS MARKER, WAS A LITTLE INSULTING TO THESE MATES, WHO WERE PROUD OF THEIR OWN HOME REGION. SEVERAL OF MY BUDDIES WOULD SUGGEST I SHOULD RETURN THERE, SEEING AS I MISSED IT SO MUCH. THIS WASN'T THE CASE AT ALL, BECAUSE FROM THE MOMENT WE ARRIVED HERE, SHORT OF A BRIEF HIATUS PERIOD OF ADJUSTMENT, I FELT HONESTLY, THAT THE BENEVOLENT GOD HAD GIVEN ME A SLICE OF HEAVEN, AS A SPECIAL GIFT BEFORE MY ULTIMATE DEMISE. HERE I WAS SEEING FIELDS OF CATTLE, CLOSE TO WHERE WE LIVED, DEER AND MOOSE IN OUR WOODLAND, VERSUS WITNESSING, AS I HAD DAILY, THE URBAN THRUST OF PROGRESS, WITH ITS VAST ACREAGES OF SPRAWLING INDUSTRY AND COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENTS. WHERE I'D COME FROM, WAS NOT WHERE I WANTED TO BE. MY SOUL WAS CONTENT TO BE MUSKOKAN.

      OF COURSE I LOVED MUSKOKA, BUT IT WAS JUST A JUVENILE REACTION OF SILLY BANTER, TO CALL MY SELF A CITY SLICKER, THAT MEANT NOTHING. I CAN REMEMBER MY FAMILY CONSIDERING A MOVE BACK TO THE CITY, AFTER SEVERAL EMPLOYMENT DEBACLES, EARLY ON IN BRACEBRIDGE, AND MY VEHEMENT OBECTIONS TO LEAVING WHAT I CONSIDERED A PARADISE ON EARTH.

     BUT I STILL HAD SOME URBAN RESIDUE ON MY SOUL THAT WAS SLOW TO FADE AWAY. WHEN MY GIRLFRIEND GAIL, WANTED TO TAKE ME TO A NEWLY MOVED, AND REFURBISHED CENTURY-OLD BARN, WHERE HER FATHER AND SOME OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS WERE GOING TO JAM, THAT NIGHT, I TRIED EVERY EXCUSE SHORT OF FAKING "NEAR-DEATH," TO REMOVE MYSELF FROM THE BARN-FEST. IT WASN'T THAT I DIDN'T LIKE MUSIC OR BARNS, BUT AS A SPECTATOR, I WOULD HAVE RATHER WATCHED A ROLLER DERBY, OR GONE TO THE MOVIES INSTEAD. I HAD BEEN IN THE HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC PROGRAMS WITH GAIL, HAVING LINKED UP, WHEN THE BAND, UNDER JOHN RUTHERFORD, TRAVELLED TO ENGLAND BACK IN THE SPRING OF 1974. BUT I WASN'T BEING ASKED TO BRING MY BARITONE (SMALL TUBA LIKE INSTRUMENT) TO THE BARN JAM, BECAUSE IT WAS AN ALL-GUITAR EVENT. GAIL AND I WERE TO BE SPECTATORS WHILE HER DAD, GORD, AND RELATIVES, ROD FORTH, AND KEN PEARCEY MADE UP THE JAM PART OF THE BARN SOIREE. I'D LISTENED TO THESE FINE MUSICIANS MANY TIMES IN THE PAST, AT THE SMITH FAMILY HOME, BUT THIS WAS SOMETHING MUCH DIFFERENT; MUCH MORE EXCITING. THIS WAS ABOUT TO BE MY FIRST TRULY RURAL, FARMSTEAD EXPERIENCE, SINCE ARRIVING IN MUSKOKA.

     THE HISTORIC "JACKSON" BARN HAD BEEN MOVED BOARD BY BOARD, BEAM BY BEAM, ACROSS A FEW MILES OF MUSKOKA COUNTRYSIDE, FROM A PROPERTY ON HIGHWAY 118 IN THE AREA OF THE PIONEER COMMUNITY OF ZISKA, TO ACREAGE ON THE BEATRICE TOWN LINE, BELONGING TO MODERN DAY FARMER, KEN PEARCEY. HIS GRANDPARENTS HAD OWNED AN OLD FARM LESS THAN A MILE WEST, FROM THE FORMER JACKSON PROPERTY, ACROSS FROM THE ENTRANCE TO WHAT WAS CALLED, BACK THEN, PIER 100 MARINA. KEN HAD BOUGHT QUITE A LARGE ACREAGE AND WANTED AN OLD BARN TO GO WITH IT! HE WAS A FORMER CITY KID HIMSELF, WHO DECIDED TO RETURN TO THE RURAL AREA THAT HAD BEEN FARMED BY HIS KIN LONG BEFORE HIM....A REAL CITY TO HINTERLAND SUCCESS STORY. SO THE JAM SESSION WAS TO CELEBRATE THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE BARN RELOCATION. A SORT OF REDEDICATION OF THE LANDMARK BARN THAT WAS SO RECOGNIZABLE ON THE CORNER OF ZISKA ROAD FOR SO MANY DECADES. I THINK IT HAD BELONGED TO HARRY JACKSON ALTHOUGH I STAND TO BE CORRECTED.

     KEN INVITED GORD SMITH, HIS DAUGHTERS GAIL, GLENNA AND JUNE, AND ROD FORTH, PLUS SOME SIGNIFICANT OTHERS, TO THE LOW-KEY JAM SESSION, TO PLAY SOME OF THEIR FAVORITES. I REALIZE NOW, IN RETROSPECT, ESPECIALLY HAVING TWO LADS DEEP IN THE MUSIC BUSINESS, HERE IN GRAVENHURST, SPECIALZING IN GUITARS, JUST HOW REMARKABLE AND STRANGELY PROVIDENTIAL THAT NIGHT WAS, FOR ME.....AND BY GOLLY, HOW MUCH ANDREW AND ROBERT WOULD HAVE ENJOYED PLAYING ALONG WITH THESE GUITAR VETERANS. WHILE I HAD BEEN RELUCTANT TO GO THIS FARM "COUNTRY" JAMBOREE, AND GET INVOLVED IN SOMETHING AS INTIMATE AS A JAM SESSION WITH REAL MUSICIANS, I WAS SO PLEASED GAIL HAD DRAGGED ME ALONG.....DESPITE SOME WHINING AND PROTESTATION.  IT MADE A LIFE-LONG IMPRESSION, THAT'S FOR SURE. IT DIDN'T MATTER, YOU SEE, WHETHER I PLAYED A GUITAR OR NOT. I WAS INVITED INTO THE INNER CIRCLE TO EXPERIENCE AN AUTUMN EVENING IN MUSKOKA, WITH THE BARN DOORS OPEN, AND THE MOON SHINING BRIGHT; THE MUSIC WAS SPIRITUALLY INTOXICATING, AND WE DIDN'T NEED A DROP OF BOOZE TO GET THIS WAY.

     I WAS USED TO THIS MUSICAL FAMILY HAVING REGULAR JAMS, WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY, PLAYING IN THE SMITH FAMILY'S LIVINGROOM, SEATED AROUND THE ROCK HEARTH, ON NIGHTS JUST LIKE THIS. BUT THE SENSATION OF BEING IN THIS MASTERFULLY RECONSTRUCTED MUSKOKA BARN, ON THIS AMAZING PIECE OF DISTRICT LANDSCAPE, IN THE AUTUMN OF THE YEAR, WITH THE SENTIMENTAL BATHING OF MILKY MOONLIGHT ON THE EVERGREEN FRINGE, WAS A TREAT FOR THE SENSES. LISTENING TO THE COUNTRY SONGS BEING PLAYED BY THESE THREE LADS, PUT ME BACK IN HISTORY LET ME TELL YOU.....SUCH THAT IF EVER THERE WAS A PIONEER FEELING IN THIS URBAN PHYSCHE, IT WAS ON THAT NIGHT THAT I OFFICIALLY, IN MY MIND, BECAME A COUNTRY BOY. GORD, ROD AND KEN, AS I REMEMBER THEM, WERE FABULOUS MUSICIANS, AND LOVED ANY OPPORTUNITY TO WHIP OUT THE GUITARS, AND MAKE MUSIC. THEY DIDN'T NEED ANY MORE URGING THAN A WINK OF AN EYE, AND A PLACE TO SIT AND PLAY. I ENJOYED MANY OF THESE CASUAL JAM SESSIONS, INDOORS AND OUT, AND EVERY TIME, IT MADE ME MORE MUSKOKAN THAN I WAS THE HOUR BEFORE. I THINK HONESTLY, MY EXPOSURE TO THESE COUNTRY MUSICIANS, DID MORE TO IMMERSE ME IN MUSKOKA CULTURE THAN ANYTHING ELSE I'D EVER DONE, IN THOSE YEARS OF ADJUSTMENT, FROM SMALL CITY LIFE TO SMALL TOWN CELEBRATION.

     GAIL HAD A HARD TIME GETTING ME OUT THE BARN THAT NIGHT. I WANTED TO STAY ALL NIGHT. YUP, I WAS CONTENT TO SLEEP IN THAT BEAUTIFUL HERITAGE BUILDING, WITH THOSE HUGE HAND HEWN BEAMS, MADE FROM THE BOUNTY OF HALE AND HARDY TREES, HARVESTED FROM A PRIMAL MUSKOKA FOREST. I LAPPED UP THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE; THE AROMA OF THAT SEASONED WOOD, THE SMELL OF HISTORY INGRAINED, THE CRACKLE OF WOOD IN THE STOVE, THE MOONLIGHT SPARKLING THROUGH SOME OF THE CRACKS BETWEEN THE BOARDS; THE COOL NIGHT AIR AND THE AROMA OF A SMALL POT OF  COFFEE, STEAMING ON THE STOVE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT OF HEAVEN, WHEN I FINALLY GET THERE, BUT I REALLY THOUGHT, ON THAT NIGHT, THAT I WAS CLOSE TO THE PERFECTION THAT WOULD SERVE ME WELL IN ANOTHER EXISTENCE. IT WAS A NIGHT THAT INSPIRED A THOUSAND POEMS AND JUST AS MANY SHORT STORIES, WRITTEN IN OLD JOURNAL BOOKS, I'VE KEPT IN MY ARCHIVES SINCE THE LATE 1970'S. IT WAS THE NIGHT I FELT I'D HONESTLY ARRIVED, AT AN UNDERSTANDING ABOUT WHAT IT TRULY MEANT TO BE, AND WHAT JOHN DENVER NOTED IN THE SONG, "A COUNTRY BOY." I WAS HOME. AND I WAS BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND ALL THE JOYS AND BENEFITS OF BEING A COUNTRY HUMAN BEING. MY SPIRITS WERE LIFTED PRETTY HIGH, AND I FOUND THAT YOU COULD HAVE A GREAT TEENAGE-PARTY WITHOUT THE BOOZE. NOT A DROP. NOT EVEN A WINE GUM. THIS WAS A PURE, HONEST, UNCOMPROMISED, UNFETTERED RELEASE INTO A WORLD I WAS NOT FAMILIAR....EVEN THOUGH I HAD BEGUN TELLING PEOPLE I WAS FROM BRACEBRIDGE, BY THIS POINT......FEELING BURLINGTON WAS THUSLY A DISTANT MEMORY, AND NO LONGER A BRAGGING POINT. THERE WAS A ZEN-LIKE QUALITY TO THIS NIGHT IN THE BOSOM OF MUSKOKA FARMLAND, AND IT WAS EVEN A LITTLE TRANSCENDENTAL AT THE SAME TIME. I'D BEEN OFFERED AN ILLUMINATION, TO SEE MORE CLEARLY, WHAT MY LIFE COULD BECOME.....IF I WAS TO CHOOSE TO LIVE HERE, AFTER GRADUATING UNIVERSITY. WELL, I'M STILL HERE, AND I NO LONGER CALL MYSELF A CONVERTED CITY KID. I AM A CONTENTED MUSKOKAN, WHO HAS NEVER, SINCE THAT JAM SESSION, EVER DOUBTED THAT MY PARENTS HAD MADE THE RIGHT CALL, TO STICK IT OUT IN THE RURAL CLIME OF ONTARIO, DESPITE SOME RESIDENT HARDSHIPS THOSE FIRST FEW YEARS. ACTUALLY, MY MOTHER HAD GROWN UP ON A FARM NEAR TRENTON, ONTARIO, SO SHE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED THE PULL OF THE HINTERLAND ON THE HEART STRINGS. IT WAS HER SON'S TURN TO RESTORE A FAMILY TRADITION, AND LIVE RURALLY. I JUST WOULD HAVE MADE A HORRIBLE FARMER. I CAN'T EVEN GROW DECENT GRASS IN MY FRONT YARD, TO EVEN THINK ABOUT GROWING A CROP OF ANYTHING. CURRENTLY I AM BEST KNOWN IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD FOR DANDELION CULTIVATION AND HARVEST.

     RECENTLY, MY PHOTOGRAPHER COLLEAGUE, FRED SCHULZ, OF GRAVENHURST, HAS BEEN CAPTURING SOME INTERESTING IMAGES OF MUSKOKA BARNS,  MOST OF THEM NOW IN RATHER POOR CONDITION. I THINK WE PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE INITIATED THIS MUSKOKA HERITAGE PROJECT TWENTY YEARS AGO, AS MANY OF THESE FARM BUILDINGS HAVE BEEN LOST TO DECAY OR TORN-DOWN FOR SAFETY CONCERNS; THE FORMER FARMS RETIRED FROM ACTIVE SERVICE, LIKE SO MANY THOUSANDS ACROSS THIS COUNTRY. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO HAVE PROTECTED MORE OF THESE BARNS, LIKE THE ONE KEN PEARCEY SAVED FROM ROTTING INTO THE GROUND....GIVING AN EXTENDED LIFE FOR THE BEGINNING OF A NEW FARM VENTURE. THERE'S IS A LOT OF SOCIAL / CULTURAL HERITAGE CONNECTED TO THESE FARM PROPERTIES IN MUSKOKA, NOW MOSTLY JUST RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES. FRED WILL BE OFFERING OTHER IMAGES OF MUSKOKA BARNS, AND INTERESTING OUTBUILDINGS, THAT HE ENCOUNTERS ON HIS JAUNTS AROUND THE DISTRICT THIS AUTUMN, TRYING TO CAPTURE THE ESSSENCE OF THIS BEAUTIFUL REGION ON FILM. I WISH HE COULD HAVE BEEN IN KEN PEARCEY'S BARN THAT NIGHT, BACK IN THE 1970'S, WHEN I WAS CONVERTED.....FROM A SMALL CITY OFFSPRING, TO THE REAL COUNTRY THING; COURTESY AN AMAZING COUNTRYSIDE, AN ENCHANTED AUTUMN NIGHT, AN HISTORIC BARN, AND SOME MUSICAL FRIENDS, WHO TO ME, REPRESENTED THE OLD PIONEER LIFESTYLE, OF BEING MUSKOKAN.....WHICH FROM THAT NIGHT ON, I CONSIDERED A GREAT HONOR. "I'M FROM MUSKOKA," I BEGAN TO BLURT, WITH THE STANCE OF SOMEONE RIGHT AT HOME SAYING SO! I'M SO DARN PROUD OF OUR HISTORIC FAMILY ROOTS, DATING BACK TO THE 1860'S,  MY MUSKOKA BORN WIFE, SUZANNE (BORN IN HUNTSVILLE, AND RAISED IN WINDERMERE), AND OUR LADS, ROBERT AND ANDREW, BOTH BORN IN BRACEBRIDGE. LIVING RURALLY? IT'S BEEN A CHARM WE'RE STILL BENEFITTING FROM AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. THOSE COURAGEOUS PIONEERS, ARE THE ONES WHO REALLY DESERVE THE CREDIT FOR WHAT WE HAVE TODAY.

     THANKS SO MUCH FOR VISITING WITH FRED AND I TODAY, AND WE'RE PLANNING A GREAT WEEK OF THANKSGIVING RELATED BLOGS, AND COMPANION PHOTOGRAPHS, COMING YOUR WAY......SO PLEASE PLAN TO VISIT DAILY, FOR A TRULY MUSKOKA CELEBRATION. MAYBE IT WON'T BE QUITE AS ENTHRALLING AS MY NIGHT JAMMING AT THE PEARCEY BARN, BUT WE'LL DO THE BEST WE CAN TO REPLICATE THAT SENSORY BONANZA THAT FINALLY PUT ME IN MY PLACE. THANK GOD!