SUZANNE, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DISTRICT, GROWING UP IN WINDERMERE, ON LAKE ROSSEAU, HAD A BIG ADVANTAGE OVER ME. HER FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED THE WINDERMERE MARINA, AND "THE SKIPPER," THE SNACKBAR IN THE UPPER LEVEL OF THE LAKEFRONT BUILDING. THEY SOLD LUCKY ELEPHANT, AMONGST OTHER TREASURE FILLED MERCHANDISE, AND PATRONS USED TO DONATE THEIR PRIZES, TO ADD TO A LARGE DISPLAY OF FOUND OBJECTS ADORNING A CAFE SHELF. WHEN WE WROTE A SMALL BOOK ABOUT THE SKIPPER, IN THE LATE 1990'S, MANY PEOPLE COMMENTED THAT THIS WAS STILL A VIVID MEMORY TO THEM……THE FAMOUS LUCKY ELEPHANT PRIZE PARADE.
SUZANNE AND I BOTH HAVE SOFT SPOTS FOR THOSE DAYS, AND THE PLACES WE WORKED, SHOPPED, OR VISITED OCCASIONALLY, THAT DIDN'T SIMPLY INSPIRE US AS TODAY'S COLLECTORS, BUT MADE US APPRECIATE THE QUALITIES OF WHAT MAKES SOMETHING COLLECTIBLE…..SOMETHING PERSONAL AND MEMORABLE. FOR ME, COLLECTING STUFF WAS ALMOST SECOND NATURE, AND IT SEEMED TO DEVELOP LIKE A PIMPLE. ONE MOMENT IT ISN'T THERE, AND THE NEXT, IT'S PART OF WHO YOU ARE. I DIDN'T THINK OF IT, AS THE BEGINNINGS OF A LIFE-LONG PROFESSION. I WROTE ABOUT IT LOTS, ESPECIALLY WHEN I HAD A COLUMN IN A PUBLICATION KNOWN AS THE MUSKOKA ADVANCE, BACK IN THE 1990'S. I DID A COLUMN ABOUT MY OWN YOUTH, GROWING UP IN BRACEBRIDGE, WHERE I DEVOTED MANY COLUMNS TO THOSE WONDERFUL CORNER STORES IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD…….WHERE TRUTHFULLY, I CUT MY TEETH AS A FLEDGLING COLLECTOR. I DIDN'T KNOW HOW SERIOUS IT WAS GOING TO BECOME. I CAN TRACE A LOT MORE INTERESTS IN ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES, BACK TO THOSE EARLY DAYS, STUDYING THE CORNER STORES, AND THE INVENTORY THEY USED TO STOCK. I PARTICULARLY HAVE AFFECTION FOR THE ADVERTISING SIGNS AND DISPLAYS, FROM GUM RACKS (WE HAVE A COUPLE), TO THOSE CARDBOARD BACKDROPS SENT BY COKE AND PEPSI FOR THE CHRISTMAS PERIOD. THERE WAS A CULTURE WITHIN THOSE SHOPS, WHERE SMALL WAS GOOD, AND IT WAS GOOD TO BE SMALL……AND WE WERE VERY SATISFIED SMALL CUSTOMERS.
LIKE I NOTED EARLIER IN THIS COLUMN, MY MOTHER DECIDED TO GIVE A LOT OF MY COLLECTIBLES AWAY, WHEN I REGISTERED FOR UNIVERSITY. THERE WAS AN ELDERLY WOMAN, WHO LIVED NEAR THE STORE, WHO HAD TAKEN IN TWO GRANDCHILDREN DUE TO DOMESTIC PROBLEMS. THE KIDS ADMITTEDLY HAD LITTLE TO PLAY WITH…..AND AS MY MOTHER USED TO SAY, "YOU'VE GOT WAY TO MUCH, AND YOU NEVER PLAY WITH IT ANYMORE." MERLE USED THAT ARGUMENT THROUGHOUT MY CHILDHOOD, WHENEVER SHE PLANNED A TOY CULL. THAT MEANT I HAD TO HIDE MY "A" QUALITY MATERIAL. ON THIS OCCASION, I WAS AWAY AT THE TIME, AND WHEN I ARRIVED BACK HOME, MY FAVORITE TOY…..GAME, WAS GONE. MY MUNRO TABLETOP HOCKEY GAME. SHE GAVE IT TO THE KIDS, ALONG WITH BAGS OF MY CORNER-STORE NOSTALGIA. I WAS FURIOUS. WHY COULDN'T SHE HAVE ASKED FIRST? ONE DAY, A SHORT WHILE LATER, WHILE ON MY WAY TO GRAB A COLD BOTTLE OF POP AT THE CORNER STORE, THE GRANDMOTHER CAME OFF HER PORCH TO MEET ME…….TO THANK ME FOR HELPING OUT HER GRANDSONS, WHO HAD LEFT THEIR PARENTS HOME WITHOUT MUCH MORE THAN A CHANGE OF CLOTHES. ALL OF A SUDDEN, WHAT HAD BEEN A GRIEVANCE WITH MY MOTHER, BECAME AN ACT OF BENEVOLENCE. I'D BEEN GIVEN TOYS IN MY TIME AS WELL, SEEING AS WE WEREN'T ALL THAT WELL OFF OURSELVES. I WENT FROM FEELING ANGRY, TO BEING QUITE CONTENT, THAT WHAT I HAD COLLECTED IN MY YOUTH, WAS GOING TO BENEFIT THE ASPIRATIONS OF TWO YOUNG FELLOWS, WITH A LOT OF DISCOVERY TIME YET TO COME. THIS PROBABLY DID MORE FOR ME, AS A HUMAN BEING, THAN ANYTHING ELSE, BECAUSE OUR WHOLE FAMILY HAS BEEN WORKING WITH CHARITIES EVER SINCE, HELPING THE LESS FORTUNATE…….AND FEELING VERY GOOD ABOUT SHARING WHAT WE HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE TO ATTAIN IN OUR LIVES.
I ADMIT HOWEVER, I WOULD LIKE TO GET A CIRCA 1967 TO 69 MUNRO HOCKEY GAME, WITH THE EXPANSION TEAMS, TO PLAY IN MY RETIREMENT. IT WAS A FANTASTIC, DURABLE, HIGHLY ENTERTAINING GAME, THAT THE HUNTS HILL LADS PLAYED OVER AND OVER, IN SOME INCREDIBLE PLAYOFF HOCKEY. I WAS KNOWN AS A TABLE TOP HOCKEY "SHARK." CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? MY MATES OUTSIDE OF CALLING ME DORK, JACKASS, DROOPY DRAWERS, AND PATCHES, BELIEVED ME TO BE A "HOCKEY SHARK." THE ONLY DISADVANTAGE OF ATTAINING THIS LEVEL OF ACHIEVEMENT, WAS THAT NO ONE WOULD PLAY ME ANY MORE. IT'S JUST THE NATURE OF A SHARK TO PLAY ROUGH. THAT'S WHY MERLE GAVE IT AWAY. OH WELL, I BET THOSE KIDS HAD A BLAST. I'D LOVE TO HAVE ONE TO PLAY OUR BOYS, ANDREW AND ROBERT……UNTIL, OF COURSE, THEY TOO RECOGNIZE "THE SHARK" RESIDING COYLY, IN OLD DAD'S CLOTHING.
No comments:
Post a Comment