THE NEAT TRAVELOGUE ASSOCIATED WITH COLLECTING NOSTALGIA MATCHBOOK COVERS - NOTHING AS LIBERATING AS THE OPEN ROAD AND A TANK OF GAS
MY PARENTS LOVED TO TRAVEL, AND THEY TURNED ME ON, TO THE ALLURE AND ART OF THE MOTOR TRIP
I GOT AN EARLY CHRISTMAS PRESENT THIS YEAR, AND I'M DELIGHTED BY ITS REFLECTION BACK ON MY OWN PAST. IT'S ONE I CAN CONTINUE TO EXPAND ON, AND EVEN BRANCH OUT, FROM THE STARTER, HALF-FILLED BINDER, OF KEEPSAKE PROMOTIONAL GRAPHICS; FAMILIAR TO ME, FROM WHAT I USED TO COLLECT AS A TEENAGER. IT'S THE NEAT ASPECT OF COLLECTABLES, THAT THEY MAKE US FEEL CONNECTED TO THE ERA WE FEEL ATTACHED FOR ANY NUMBER OF REASONS. SOMETIMES, COLLECTORS ARE SECRETIVE ABOUT WHAT THEY STASH AWAY IN THEIR PLAYROOMS. I UNDERSTAND THIS. I KNOW LOTS OF FOLKS WHO COLLECT MCDONALD'S TOYS GIVEN AWAY IN HAPPY MEALS, AND OTHER THEME FIGURES FROM MOVIES, SUCH AS BATMAN. THERE ARE MILLIONS OF COLLECTORS WHO HAVE ALL TYPES AND VINTAGES OF SPORTS RELATED CARDS, MAGAZINES AND OF COURSE COMICS, WHICH ARE HUGELY POPULAR. I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT THE TELEVISION SITCOM, "BIG BANG THEORY," HAS A PROMINENT THEME OF COLLECTING, IN EACH SHOW, AS EVIDENCED BY THE TIME THE CHARACTERS SPEND IN THE COMIC BOOK SHOP, AND SHOWING OFF THEIR SUPER HERO COLLECTOR FIGURES. IT'S BECOME PRETTY MAINSTREAM THESE DAYS, BECAUSE OF SHOWS LIKE THIS, THAT GIVES HIGHER PROMINENCE TO THESE FIELDS OF COLLECTING. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE WITH MY INTEREST IN COLLECTING, IS THAT IT CHANGES EVERY FEW YEARS, WHEN I FIND SOMETHING NEW TO PURSUE. THIS IS ALLOWABLE BY THE WAY, AND ISN'T STRANGE AT ALL, TO CLEAR OUT ONE DISCIPLINE THAT ONE HAS GROWN WEARY OF, TO RE-INVEST THE MONEY FROM ITS DISPERSAL.
FROM AS FAR BACK AS I CAN REMEMBER, EVEN A SCHOOL KID, COLLECTING ITEMS ON THE WAY TO AND FROM SCHOOL, MUCH OF THE EXPERIENCE OF HUNTING AND GATHERING HAS BEEN AS MUCH, ABOUT THE TRAVEL ADVENTURE BETWEEN HOME AND DESTINATION; AS WELL AS OPPORTUNITIES BY HAPPENSTANCE, ENJOYED ON EACH RETURN TRIP. NOT NECESSARILY EXOTIC DESTINATIONS EITHER. I ENJOY MOVING ABOUT, AND ALWAYS HAVE FOR REASONS I'M NOT SURE ABOUT, OTHER THAN MY FAMILY LIKED TO DAY-TRAVEL ON MOST "GOOD WEATHER" SUNDAYS. BOTH MY PARENTS LIKED VARIETY IN THEIR LIVES, AND PRACTICED THIS RIGHT UP TO THE END OF THEIR OWN LIVES. I GET AS MUCH OUT OF TRAVELING ACROSS THIS BEAUTIFUL REGION OF ONTARIO, AS I DO MAKING INTERESTING DISCOVERIES WHEREVER WE COME TO SHOP, OR SLEUTH ABOUT. IT'S OF COURSE, ONE OF THE REASONS WE DON'T BUY AS MUCH OVER THE COUNTER, AS SOME ANTIQUE BUSINESSES. WE LIKE TO "PICK" OUR OWN ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES, BECAUSE IT'S PART OF THE ANTIQUE PROFESSION, THAT WE'VE ESTABLISHED FROM THE BEGINNING OF BUYING AND SELLING OLD STUFF. HERE IS A STORY OF ONE OF MY FIRST FORAYS INTO COLLECTABLES, THAT HAD ABSOLUTELY NO HINGE ON AN EVENTUAL PROFIT.
WHEN I WROTE YESTERDAY, ABOUT GOING BACK TO MY FIRST SERIOUS MUSIC APPRECIATION DAYS, OF THE 1960'S, IT COINCIDES WITH THE FIRST SERIOUS ROAD TRIPS I TOOK WITH MY PARENTS, ON THOSE INAUGURAL, EXPERIMENTAL WINTER VACATIONS, IN FLORIDA. MERLE AND ED DIDN'T KNOW IF THEY'D LIKE IT OR NOT, AND TRIED A NUMBER OF PLACES IN FLORIDA, SUCH AS ST. PETERSBURG, BEFORE SELECTING DAYTONA AS A GOOD PLACE TO STAY FOR AN EXTENDED VACATION. THIS IS WHERE I STARTED COLLECTING TRAVEL AND FLORIDA RELATED SOUVENIRS. BOY OH BOY DID I HAVE A LOT OF SEA SHELLS.
I CREDIT MY FAVORITE SIT-COMS FOR A LOT OF PRESENT DAY QUIRKS, LIKES AND TRAVEL INTERESTS. THERE'S A GOOD REASON FOR THIS, SEEING AS, FIRST OF ALL, I WAS AN ONLY CHILD. I DIDN'T HAVE ANY BROTHERS OR SISTERS TO PLAY WITH IN OUR APARTMENT, AND MY FRIEND RAY GREEN, WASN'T ALWAYS AVAILABLE, WHEN I FELT THE URGENT NEED TO HAVE SOME FUN. SECONDLY, I WAS A LATCH-KEY KID, FOR MUCH OF MY YOUNG LIFE, WHICH WAS OKAY BY ME, BECAUSE WE OWNED A WONDERFUL BLACK AND WHITE TELEVISION. SEEING AS BOTH OF MY PARENTS WORKED, AND THEY OFTEN DIDN'T GET HOME UNTIL LATE IN THE AFTERNOON, MY SUBSTITUTE BEST FRIEND, WHEN RAY WASN'T AROUND, WAS THIS RCA CABINET UNIT; THAT WHEN WORKING, WAS A WAY OF GENTLY PASSING THE TIME. IN BURLINGTON, IN THOSE EARLY YEARS, I DID SPEND QUITE A BIT OF TIME WITH ANNE NAGY, WHO LOOKED AFTER ME IN THE YEARS BEFORE I WENT TO SCHOOL FULL TIME. EVEN WHEN I WAS OLD ENOUGH TO STAY IN OUR APARTMENT ALONE, ANNE WAS ALWAYS CHECKING UP ON ME, JUST IN CASE I DECIDED TO FIRE UP THE ELECTRIC KNIFE, TO CUT SOME PORTIONS OF ROAST BEEF, FROM THE DINNER THE NIGHT BEFORE, TO MAKE A SANDWICH. I USE THIS EXAMPLE, BECAUSE ON ONE UNFORTUNATE SANDWICH MAKING VENTURE, I WAS CUTTING TOWARD MYSELF WITH A BUTCHER KNIFE, AND I CAUGHT A SECTION OF THE TWINE USED TO HOLD THE ROAST TOGETHER, WHICH CAUSED ME TO LOSE CONTROL. THIS WASN'T THE ELECTRIC KNIFE. I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO PUT IT TOGETHER ANYWAY. THE NET RESULT OF THIS SLIP WHILE SLICING ACCIDENT, WAS THAT THE KNIFE SLICED FAR INTO THE CORNER OF MY THUMB, AND DEEPLY SO. THERE WAS BLOOD EVERYWHERE. TO ADD TO THE PROBLEM, I WAS WEARING MY HOCKEY EQUIPMENT, MINUS THE SKATES. I HAD BEEN PLANNING TO PLAY A PRE-SUPPER GAME OF SHINNY, OVER AT MY FRIEND'S HOUSE, ON THEIR FRONT YARD RINK, WHEN I DECIDED TO MAKE MYSELF AN ENERGY BOOSTING SANDWICH. I WASHED THE WOUND, WRAPPED IT WITH A CLOTH I FOUND, ATE THE SANDWICH, AND LEFT THE APARTMENT TO PLAY HOCKEY. MY MOTHER WOULD COME HOME TO FIND BLOOD ON THE KITCHEN TABLE, AND THE ROAST SITTING OUT IN THE OPEN. LET'S JUST SAY, SHE RAN ACROSS THE FARM FIELD TO FIND ME AT THE BOOSEVELTS HOUSE, AND YANKED ME BY THE EAR MOST OF THE WAY HOME. "TEDDY CURRIE, HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO TOUCH THE BUTCHER KNIFE?" I CAN STILL SEE THE SCAR CLEARLY. I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE GOT STITCHES THAT DAY. POINT HERE? MY YOUNG LIFE WAS A CURIOUS AND TROUBLING COMBINATION OF CHARACTER TRAITS, SUBLIMINALLY BORROWED FROM MY FAVORITE SIT-COMS OF THE DAY. EVERYONE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, FOR EXAMPLE, KNEW ME AS THE LOCAL "DENNIS THE MENACE," BUT IN SO MANY WAYS, I WAS MORE OF A CARTOON CHARACTER, LIKE BUGS BUNNY OR THE ROADRUNNER. THIS HAD A FAIR AMOUNT TO DO WITH THE FACT, I WAS RAISED BY TELEVISION. IT'S WHY I QUOTE OLD TELEVISION SHOWS SO FREQUENTLY. AT THIS TIME, HOWEVER, IN THE EARLY 1960'S, IT WASN'T KNOWN AS A PARTICULARLY BAD THING, BECAUSE THERE HADN'T BEEN ANY SERIOUS STUDIES, AT LEAST THAT MY FAMILY WAS AWARE OF, OR WORRIED ABOUT IN ANY WAY, TO SUGGEST THAT A HIGH DOSE OF TELEVISION WOULD HURT AN IMPRESSIONABLE KID LIKE ME. HOW COULD ORIGINAL SIX HOCKEY GAMES BE IN ANY WAY ADVERSE TO A YOUNG CANADIAN BOY'S CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. GORDIE HOWE AS A ROLE MODEL? GOSH, HE WAS A ROLE MODEL TO MILLIONS JUST LIKE ME. BUT THEN THERE WAS LUCILLE BALL, AND THE SHOW I WATCHED MOST, "I LOVE LUCY." I WAS THE MALE VERSION OF LUCY, AND I GOT INTO SO MUCH TROUBLE, FOLKS JUST STOPPED RECORDING PRECEDENTS. I JUST NEVER BURNED ANYTHING DOWN. OR THAT I KNOW OF!
WHY THIS IS SIGNIFICANT TO THE BLOG TODAY, IS BECAUSE IT WAS THE "I LOVE LUCY" SHOW THAT INSPIRED MY TRAVEL ASPIRATIONS MOST OF ALL. WHEN FRED AND ETHEL, THE APARTMENT BUILDING OWNERS, WHERE LUCY AND RICKY LIVED IN THAT FICTIONAL SETTING, JOINED THE RICARDOS FOR A TRIP TO CALIFORNIA, (FLORIDA AS WELL) IT WAS JUST FABULOUS RECREATION, FOR A KID, STUCK IN AN APARTMENT WITH WORKING PARENTS. I LIVED VICARIOUSLY THROUGH THIS SHOW, AND THEY HAD OTHER TRAVELS AS WELL; SO WHEN MY FAMILY DECIDED TO FOLLOW SUIT, AND TRY A FLORIDA VACATION, I BEGAN WRITING MY OWN SITCOM IN MY IMAGINATION. THERE WERE A LOT OF STRIKINGLY FAMILIAR PARALLELS. I LOVED ANY OPPORTUNITY TO GO ON A MOTOR TRIP WITH MY PARENTS, EVEN IF IT WAS A SUNDAY AFTERNOON DRIVE TO NIAGARA FALLS, OR TO MY GRANDPARENT'S HOME IN TORONTO. I WAS SMITTEN BY THE AUTOMOBILE, BUT AS IT RELATED TO MY FAVORITE TELEVISION SHOWS, THAT DEMONSTRATED ALL THE ADVENTURES ONE COULD GET UP TO, ON A MOTOR TRIP ACROSS THE CONTINENT.
THE VACATIONS TO FLORIDA BEGAN IN THE EARLY 1960'S. PROBABLY IN 1962, THE YEAR BEFORE PRESIDENT KENNEDY WAS ASSASSINATED IN DALLAS. I REMEMBER GETTING CAR SICK ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE ROAD TRIP, WHEN THE CHINESE FOOD, ESPECIALLY THE BATTERED SHRIMP, FROM THE DINNER THE NIGHT BEFORE, CAME BACK ON ME WITH A STOMACH CHURNING VENGANCE. MERLE AND ED SAID I WAS CAR SICK AND THAT IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH BAD SHRIMP. TO THAT POINT IT WAS THE LONGEST AUTOMOBILE TRIP I HAD EVER EXPERIENCED. IT HAS BEEN ONLY IN RECENT YEARS, THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO EAT BATTERED SHRIMP. I THINK IT WAS BAD SHRIMP, BUT THEY NEVER GOT SICK. I'VE NEVER BEEN CAR SICK BEFORE, OTHER THAN ON THAT ONE OCCASION.
IT WAS DURING THIS BOUT OF STOMACH PROBLEMS, THAT I BEGAN MY FASCINATION WITH NOT ONLY TRAVEL, BUT WITH THE GOOD STUFF YOU COULD ACQUIRE ON SUCH VENTURES; ESPECIALLY, THE FREEBIES AT MOTELS AND RESTAURANTS, VISITED ALONG THE TRIP SOUTH AND THEN, ON THE RETURN TRAVEL NORTH. I GRABBED UP EVERYTHING THAT WAS FREE TO ME AND OUR FAMILY. I THINK AT ONE POINT, AFTER ABOUT FIFTEEN TRIPS SOUTH, I HAD AMASSED ABOUT FIVE HUNDRED BARS OF MOTEL SOAP. NOW HERE'S SOMETHING BULKY TO DISPLAY AS A COLLECTION. SMELLS NICE THOUGH, AND YOU CAN ALWAYS USE THEM IF YOU EVER RUN OUT OF STORE-BOUGHT SOAP. I SUPPOSE COLLECTORS JUST KEEP THE PACKAGING IN FOLDERS AND USE UP THE SOAP IN THEIR BATHROOMS. I HAD SOAP COLLECTABLES TAKEN FROM MOTELS BETWEEN MICHIGAN AND FLORIDA AND BACK, INCLUDING ALL STOPS ALONG THE WAY. I WAS NEVER INTO MATCHBOOKS BUT I DID HAUL THEM HOME ANYWAY. I LEFT THE GIDEON BIBLES AND THE TOWELS, BUT ANY BROCHURES FROM THE LOBBY, OR COMPLIMENTARY SOAP AND MATCHES, ALWAYS CAME BACK TO CANADA. IT WAS A WAY OF REMEMBERING THOSE GREAT VACATION TRIPS, JUST LIKE LUCY, RICKY, ETHEL AND FRED, TRAVELING THROUGH THE CITIES, TOWNS AND VILLAGES OF THE UNITED STATES, AND HAVING LOTS OF ADVENTURES AT STOPS FROM HERE TO THERE. WHICH BRINGS ME TO THE RELEVANCE OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS PUBLISHED ABOVE. SEEING AS MY MOTHER GOT RID OF MY CHILDHOOD POSSESSIONS, WHICH I HAD COLLECTED SO DUTIFULLY, AND PATIENTLY, FOR ALL THOSE TRIPS, POSSIBLY YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT A THRILL IT WAS, TO THEN GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO PURCHASE SOMEONE ELSE'S TRAVEL COLLECTABLES IN A BIG, WELL ORGANIZED BINDER. THAT'S RIGHT. MATCHBOOK COVERS, AND LOTS OF THEM, FROM ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. THEY ARE FROM THE SAME PERIOD, AND EVEN A LITTLE BEFORE THE YEARS MY OWN FAMILY BEGAN TRAVELING THROUGH UNITED STATES, TO THEIR WINTER RETREAT, IN AN OCEAN FRONT MOTEL IN DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA. THEY ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO WHAT I WAS COLLECTING, BACK IN THAT PERIOD, TO GIVE ME THAT FUNNY, NOSTALGIC FEELING, THAT THESE ONES I'M STUDYING IN PLASTIC SHEETS, ARE ALMOST THE SAME AS I USED TO COLLECT, AND HAUL HOME, IN STUFFED, HARD TO FASTEN SUITCASES. MY PARENTS ON OCCASIONS WERE AS BAD AS ME FOR BRINGING HOME ITEMS PURCHASED AS SOUVENIRS.
FLORIDA, AND DAYTONA BEACH, FOR US CURRIES, WERE WHAT MUSKOKA IS TO OUR SUMMER COTTAGERS AND VACATIONERS. I NEVER REALLY UNDERSTOOD WHY MY PARENTS SELECTED DAYTONA BEACH, OVER OTHER SMALLER OCEANSIDE LOCATIONS, BUT SUFFICE TO SAY, WE ALWAYS MADE THE BEST OF OUR TIME IN THE SUNNY SOUTH, WHETHER FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS OR A COUPLE OF MONTHS. AT THAT TIME, EVEN UP TO THE EARLY 1980'S, THEY COULD ENJOY TWO MONTHS IN FLORIDA FOR A FRACTION OF THE COST IT WOULD TAKE TO VACATION IN CANADA, OR ELSEWHERE, DURING THE WINTER SEASON. MY FATHER WORKED IN THE LUMBER TRADE WHEN WE MOVED TO BRACEBRIDGE, AND HE COULDN'T TAKE TIME OFF IN THE SUMMER MONTHS. BY CHOICE THEN, IT WAS JANUARY AND FEBRUARY, WHEN THEY WOULD LODGE AT THEIR FAVORITE LITTLE MOTEL, ON ATLANTIC BOULEVARD, MAKING ALL THEIR OWN MEALS IN THEIR EFFICIENCY UNIT, AND ACTUALLY COME HOME AFTER THE TRIP WITH MONEY IN THEIR POCKETS. IT WAS WHY SO MANY CANADIANS BACK THEN VACATIONED IN FLORIDA DURING THE WINTER MONTHS. IT WAS A CHEAP RESPITE.
SEEING THESE NEAT VINTAGE MATCHBOOK COVERS, WITH MATCHES REMOVED OF COURSE, BRINGS BACK A LOT OF FOND MEMORIES OF MY OWN FAMILY'S AMAZING ROAD TRIPS, THAT WERE ALWAYS EVENT-FILLED. USUALLY, IT WAS CAR RELATED PROBLEMS, LIKE FLAT TIRES, AND ESPECIALLY BEARING BREAKDOWNS. WE OWNED A BRITISH IMPORT, KNOWN AS A VAUXHALL VIVA, WHICH WHILE A NICE LITTLE CAR, AND HAD BEEN BRAND NEW WHEN WE BOUGHT IT, WAS NOT A RECOGNIZED OR SERVICED CAR IN THE UNITED STATES AT THAT TIME. WHEN THE WHEEL BEARINGS FAILED WHILE DRIVING THROUGH JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, ON OUR WAY BACK TO CANADA, A MECHANIC HAD TO ACTUALLY GRIND A LARGER BEARING DOWN, BY MACHINE, SO THAT IT WOULD FIT OUR SMALLER THAN USUAL WHEEL. WE HAD TO STAY IN A MOTEL THERE FOR THREE DAYS, TO HAVE THIS REPAIR MADE, SO I WAS OUT AND ABOUT COLLECTING ANYTHING I COULD TO HAUL HOME WITH US, IN OUR SMALL CAR. YES INDEED, THE SIGN OF THINGS TO COME. WHEN I BEGAN SCANNING THROUGH THE COLLECTION OF MATCHBOOKS, KNOWING THEY HAD COME FROM A COUPLE OF STAGE PERFORMERS, WHO HAD TRAVELLED ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES TO STAR IN SHOWS, I COULDN'T HELP FEELING THE PANGS OF MY OWN YOUTH, VISITING ALL SHAPES, SIZES AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF MOTELS, HOTELS, RESTAURANTS, CAFES, AND GAS STATIONS. NOW THIS WAS A COLLECTION THAT DID, WITHOUT COMPROMISE, REMIND ME AGAIN, THAT COLLECTING SOAP, BROCHURES AND MATCHBOOKS, WASN'T SO FAR OUT THERE, AS TO BE CONSIDERED STRANGE BEHAVIOUR. IN FACT, THE BINDER THAT THESE MATCHBOOK COVERS ARE PRESENTLY DISPLAYED, WAS DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS HOBBY, WITH INSTRUCTION SHEETS IN FRONT, SHOWING HOW TO CAREFULLY REMOVE MATCHES FROM THE COVERS, WITHOUT DESTROYING THE GRAPHIC AND PAPER INTEGRITY OF INDIVIDUAL PACKAGES. THAT'S RIGHT. HOBBY SHOPS SELL THESE MATCHBOOK COVER BOOKS, WITH SPECIAL SHEETS HAVING NARROW POCKETS TO FIT THE FOLDED-OUT COVERS. AND HERE I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE TOO BULKY AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS TO HAVE SUCH A COLLECTION, MATCHES INCLUDED. WHAT A NIMROD I WAS! IF I HAD PACKAGED THEM LIKE THE ONES IN THIS BINDER, MERLE MAY NOT HAVE TURFED THEM OUT, AS BEING CLUTTER IN HER HOUSE. THE BINDER IS AN EXCELLENT WAY TO SHOW THE NOSTALGIC, AND ATTRACTIVELY DESIGNED MATCHBOOK COVERS. NOW WHEN I WANT TO TRAVEL WITHOUT THE GAS AND MOTEL EXPENSE, I CAN BROWSE ALONG MEMORY LANE, IN THIS HANDY BINDER INSTEAD.
ALONG WITH A MINOR INTEREST IN STAMPS AND POSTAL COVERS, I'VE NOW DECIDED TO UPGRADE THE MATCHBOOK COVER COLLECTION, BECAUSE THERE ARE STILL SOME EMPTY PAGES AND SLEEVES AT THE BACK OF THE BINDER. BUT I'M GOING TO GO AFTER COVERS FROM MY OWN MAGICAL ERA OF BEING ON THE LONG WINDING ROAD TO (NOT MOROCCO WITH HOPE AND CROSBY) FLORIDA, AND ALL THE CURIOUS MOTELS AND RESTAURANTS WE VISITED WITH THEIR FAKE PALM TREES, AND EXOTIC LOOKING SWIMMING POOLS THAT SMELLED HEAVILY OF CHLORINE, MIXING WITH THE SMELL OF NEIGHBORHOOD RESTAURANTS FRYING THEIR ONIONS AND BURGERS. MY MOTHER TOLD ME ONCE, IN THE FINAL YEAR OF HER LIFE, THAT "I HAD BEEN A GOOD SPORT FOR ALL THOSE YEARS, RIDING IN THE BACK SEAT ON THE LONG HAULS TO THE SOUTH." IN ALL FAIRNESS, MY FATHER WOULD START EARLY IN THE DAY, BUT ALWAYS FINISH AT AROUND FOUR EVERY NIGHT. IT WOULD TAKE US THREE DAYS TO MAKE THE DRIVE FROM CANADA TO FLORIDA. I COULD HAVE BENEFITTED FROM MORE FREQUENT BATHROOM STOPS, BUT THE TRUTH IS, I SLEPT A LOT OF THE WAY BURIED UNDER COATS, AND LUGGAGE, IN THE BACK SEAT. I CREDIT MY PARENTS FOR TAKING ME WITH THEM, WHEN IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LOGICAL AND PRACTICAL, TO LEAVE ME WITH FRIENDS OR FAMILY. I HAD TO BE HOME SCHOOLED IN THE MOTELS AND OCEAN FRONT COTTAGES WE STAYED AT, WHICH MEANT THEY HAD TO NEGOTIATE WITH TEACHERS, FOR LESSON WORK IN ADVANCE, BEFORE I COULD BE TAKEN OUT OF SCHOOL LEGALLY. FOR ONCE, I DIDN'T HATE DOING SCHOOL WORK. SOME OF THE BEST MARKS I EVER GOT ON ASSIGNMENTS, WERE THE ONES I DID ON THE ROAD. NO, MY PARENTS DIDN'T DO MY HOMEWORK FOR ME.
THERE ARE AN INCREDIBLE NUMBER COLLECTABLE PURSUITS OUT THERE, FROM HAIR COLLECTIONS, SOME SNIPPED FROM CORPSES, TO COLLECTIONS OF MOURNING KEEPSAKE PHOTOGRAPHS, FROM THE VICTORIAN ERA. WEIRD BUT IT WORKS FOR SOME PEOPLE. I PICKED UP THESE MATCHBOOK COVERS AS A LITTLE CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR MYSELF, BECAUSE SUZANNE NEVER KNOWS WHAT TO GET ME; THE FELLOW WHO HAS A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING. I LIKE COLLECTIONS THAT SERVE AS WARM REMINDERS OF TIMES I MISS, AND ADVENTURES I MIGHT NEVER AGAIN EXPERIENCE. SUZANNE AND I, WITH OUR BUSINESS RESPONSIBILITIES AND PETS, HAVE GROWN ACCUSTOMED TO "STAY-CATIONS," HERE IN MUSKOKA; THEY'RE GREAT, BUT I'M THINKING THAT ONE DAY I MIGHT BREAK OUR OWN PROTOCOL, AND TAKE ONE OF THOSE "FOR OLDS TIME'S SAKE" VACATIONS, TO SOME DESTINATION SOUTH OF THE MASON-DIXON, WHERE I MIGHT ONCE AGAIN, SWIPE THE COMPLIMENTARY SOAP, BROCHURES, AND, OH YES, MATCHBOOKS. YOU KNOW, I'M NOT EVEN SURE WHETHER THEY STILL OFFER THEM, AS THEY ONCE DID, BACK IN A TIME WHEN SO MANY MORE TRAVELERS WERE HOOKED ON CIGARETTES. BOTH MY PARENTS WERE HEAVY SMOKERS, SO THEY NEEDED A HECK OF A LOT OF MATCHES TO KEEP THEM LIT-UP.
THE MUSIC WE PLAY IN THE SHOP? SOME LOVE IT, SOME ENDURE IT, AND A FEW HATE IT!
When we had our antique shop in Bracebridge, I used to play cassette tapes of my favorite music. We had a small rotation of tapes that Suzanne and I found we could live with, being repeated over and over. We couldn't get radio reception in the basement, where we had our antique shop on upper Manitoba Street. We wound up doing a happenstance survey, of what music, of several genres, helped to boost retail sales. It was quite interesting in fact. The most appreciated music we played, was anything from the era of the big bands. We had about four tapes of 1930's and 40's big band music, and we never had a single complaint about the background sounds in the shop. We had a similar number of classic recordings, including Mozart, and we found that a third of our customers, didn't like it at all. It was not the type of music that encouraged spending that's for sure. But when I started to play several tapes I had, of Barber Shop quartette music, oh my God, the number of complaints I received at the sales desk, forced me to withdraw the tapes for the sake of our business future. I loved the music, but ninety percent of our visitors didn't and it was a very obvious dislike. Some of them would even come up to the counter to ask if I would please lower the volume, or put on another tape entirely while they were shopping in the store. Our shoppers back then didn't want anything particularly intrusive, or that beckoned them to listen to the words. It took away their concentration from what they were doing in our shop, in the first place. Today, at our combination music and antique store, we have six different sources of music, but only two are actually from vintage vinyl, spinning on shop turntables. The rest are radios tuned into different regional stations, including CBC II in the book room. We have a few complaints now and again, but nothing that threatens business prosperity. Music is a strange bedfellow, but we still couldn't imagine a day at the shop without a variety of the music we find works well, as a companion for our history and nostalgia theme. It pleases us, which makes hanging around this place a lot more enjoyable.
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