January 17, 2023

Canadian Sports

I knew my nephew John is a fan of hockey so I figured he would appreciate the opportunity to see a Kitchener Rangers game with me and my brother -- one of those 'Canadian touristy' events I was able to do while in Canada this Christmas, thanks to another nephew Jeremy who scored some tickets for us. 

So between helping at Mom's apartment and visits with friends and family, I went to a hockey game one evening at the local auditorium.  It was great to be able to watch a game again so close to center ice.

I can't really remember the last hockey game I attended but it sure brought back memories of how I would spend Saturday evenings as a youth in the 70s.  Besides the increased price of tickets, lack of organ music and obvious sophistication in technology, not much has changed including the 'goal' of the game (sorry).



On another occasion, I was able to watch a college volleyball game with friends whose granddaughter is recognized for her sporting talents and resultant scholarships.  



It was not only wonderful to spend time with another friend John and family at a pre-game lunch at the local Chick Filet, but then see how they spend many Saturday afternoons throughout the season.  It became obvious why colleges want their talented granddaughter on their team when watching the action on the court!


January 07, 2023

Childhood Memories

This was the first time I stayed with family in Guelph Ontario since some of my immediate family live there and were gracious to let me stay with them!  I actually really grew to like the city even though I knew very little about it when I arrived.  

It dawned on me at one point during my stay that the smaller city of Guelph reminded me of Kitchener-Waterloo some 40 years ago only with modern day conveniences making life a little easier -- like cars with heated seats, GPS systems and electronically controlled radar.  The twin cities in southern Ontario are located about a half hour west of Guelph where I spent the first 20 years of life.  

Speaking of where I spent my youth, thanks to my niece, I was able to visit the home where I spent my childhood!  My niece arranged a visit with the current owners so I was able to travel back over 50 years to remember life at Linton Place.  


Summer view of our home on Linton Place

The house has changed a little (ha) over the past 5 decades including ripping out the green shag carpet and removing rot-iron decorative railings that separated a couple rooms back in the 60s version.  Actually, I had to 'look past' the upgraded changes of modern kitchen and big screen TV downstairs while remembering life back in my childhood.  At the same time, I have to commend the current owners for doing an impressive job bringing this home into the 21st century! 


Remembering my friend Val standing by the tree we just planted - barely 8 feet high at the time

My goodness, everywhere I looked while visiting the house was another memory -- Christmas tree over here, my sister in a wedding gown over there, laying on the stairs as a 3-year-old watching Romper Room, getting a buzz-cut from Dad downstairs (with the hot electric razor sometimes touching the scalp), blowing out candles on my birthday cake in the dining room, etc, etc.

It actually took me by surprise, but I could also visualize my parents in the former office we had in the basement.  Dad adding invoices at his desk using the manual-levered calculator and Mom at her desk punching the manual typewriter.  Too funny: when I searched the internet for a picture of an antique calculator, they had images of battery-operated handheld calculators from the 70s which were generations later!  I finally found one similar to one Dad used...


Needless to say, visiting my childhood home was not on my to-do list in Ontario this year.  But, unbeknownst to my niece, it was on my Bucket List to do at some point before I exit this world.  How awesome to be able to revisit memories that are still very much alive and well! 

January 05, 2023

Niagara Still Going

It doesn't matter how many times I visit Niagara Falls, I am always reminded why it is included as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  It is simply spellbinding to stand by the edge of the falls, witnessing the continuous flow of water over the cliff at the rate of 680,000 gallons every SECOND, all day, every day, year after year, decade after decade, century after century.  

No one is expecting the falls to be frozen when the winter temps go well below freezing, but I was surprised to learn that Niagara Falls was only frozen over once in the past 175 years!  According to historical records:

The only time Niagara Falls has technically frozen solid was on March 29 1848, 
when Lake Erie froze and created an ice dam that prevented water from reaching the falls, according to World Atlas.

 


When my niece and nephew agreed to go with me to the Falls, I asked whether it was possible to visit my Mom's sister Rita who now lives in that area.  I'm so glad we were able to connect with her.  Like they say, "grab the opportunities while you can!"

Our time together ended up being a wonderful trip down memory lane as we learned from her, our 'primary source', about the sisters in the early years before marriage. I didn't realize my aunt and I shared similar experiences -- I guess I should have expected it, being the youngest in our families having older siblings on the dating scene.

While my aunt told us about the time she kept my Mom and Dad company in the living room when they were on a date, I couldn't help thinking of the numerous times I conveniently walked by my sister and future brother-in-law in the front hall as they tried to say goodbye at the end of the evening =)  Ah yes, the job of the youngest sibling.

As if those memories were not enough, we drove past the former location of Eden Christian College where I attended high school for a short while in the Niagara region.  Only now the property where the school once stood is an apartment complex and the dorm, that once held about 50 kids (including me) from all over southern Ontario while attending school, is now being renovated as an historic building from 1782.  

Apparently, this building is part of "the oldest estate in Ontario”. We knew the dorm house was old at the time, but not that old!