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| old house-victoria park |
Saturday 13 October 2012
early light/calgary
Tuesday 9 October 2012
memoir-chapter II continued.
There came a time,soon after we moved that we took a vacation.I'm a bit uncertain as to exactly when that was,but I believe it must have been the first summer we arrived in Moncton because I was still a very small child.In fact,I don't recall a lot about what that vacation was really like,except for the story I'm about to relate.
As I recall,my younger sister was not with us.It was just my parents and myself.I think my sister must have spent the time at my grandparents place,when they still lived on the farm outside of Canterbury,New Brunswick.But my parents and I went to Nova Scotia,to Yarmouth and we got on the ferry that crosses the Bay Of Fundy to Bar Harbor,Maine.At least that's the way I recall the trip happening,though in really seems more likely that once we dropped my sister off,we would have gone over land into Maine,it being so much closer.
I have some memory of visiting some of my mothers family in Maine.They owned a restaurant,called Smith Farm,in a place called Gray,a bit north of Portland.From pictures I know the the restaurant looked very much like a big red barn.My mothers family lived in town,though,in Portland.The only real thing I remember of the place was that there was a huge stone fence on the street outside of their house,and that it looked very different from where we lived.
When we got to the boat that was to take us across the Bay,it was nearly evening,and the boat ride was to take all night.I really didn't get to see much of the boat,because I must have gone to sleep soon after we got on board.I recall though,that the boat was blue and very,very large.There were a lot of people there when we got on board,and I was amazed at the fact that you drove your car right inside of the boat,where it was quite dark.I have a vague memory of not liking that dark very much.
Once we left the car and started to wander around on the deck,I remember seeing a lot of people waving from down below as the boat started to move.Before I went to sleep,we went to a gift shop on board and my father saw a small sailors cap,something like the ships captain would wear.It was a crisp,clean looking white cap with a yellow braid going around it.My father bought the cap and placed it on my head,no doubt thinking that it was cute.I really wonder why they never took my picture in the cap though.For months I wore the cap,almost everywhere.But it's not so much the cap that I remember as it is what happened to it later.One day,in the fall as I recall I was sitting out at the curb in front of our house,and I was wearing my captains hat.My mother must have been nearby,in the front yard.It was a blustery day,very cool and windy.There was a lot of dirt blowing around in the street because none of the other streets around were paved.And,as I sat there,a big gust of wind grabbed my sailors hat,ripped it off my head and began to blow it down the street,towards Mountain Road.But my mother came along just in time to rescue it.To do so she had to go running down the street after it.She placed it back on my head,but no sooner had she done so than it was gone again.This time she didn't have to chase it quite so far.For a second time she placed it back on my head,where it stayed for a few moments.Then a really strong wind roared down the street,not so much of a gust as a steady,stormy blast.Once again my hat was gone.It started down the street,sort of rolling on it's edges right beside the curb,but going much faster than I could have run had I been allowed to chase it into the street.It rolled all the way to Willett,the first side street,but it didn't stop.It flipped over onto it's top and seemed to slide down the middle of the road,going faster and faster and getting farther away.By he time my mother noticed this time,it had blown almost all the way to Mountain Road,a really busy street at the bottom of our street.I could still see it rolling and flipping in the wind,but there was no chance of catching it,no matter how fast you could run.It began to look really small,but I could still see it.I suppose that it finally reached Mountain Road and was flattened as it blew out into traffic.It was likely no easier for a windblown cap to make it across Mountain Road than it was for a person to cross on foot.
As I recall,my younger sister was not with us.It was just my parents and myself.I think my sister must have spent the time at my grandparents place,when they still lived on the farm outside of Canterbury,New Brunswick.But my parents and I went to Nova Scotia,to Yarmouth and we got on the ferry that crosses the Bay Of Fundy to Bar Harbor,Maine.At least that's the way I recall the trip happening,though in really seems more likely that once we dropped my sister off,we would have gone over land into Maine,it being so much closer.
I have some memory of visiting some of my mothers family in Maine.They owned a restaurant,called Smith Farm,in a place called Gray,a bit north of Portland.From pictures I know the the restaurant looked very much like a big red barn.My mothers family lived in town,though,in Portland.The only real thing I remember of the place was that there was a huge stone fence on the street outside of their house,and that it looked very different from where we lived.
When we got to the boat that was to take us across the Bay,it was nearly evening,and the boat ride was to take all night.I really didn't get to see much of the boat,because I must have gone to sleep soon after we got on board.I recall though,that the boat was blue and very,very large.There were a lot of people there when we got on board,and I was amazed at the fact that you drove your car right inside of the boat,where it was quite dark.I have a vague memory of not liking that dark very much.
Once we left the car and started to wander around on the deck,I remember seeing a lot of people waving from down below as the boat started to move.Before I went to sleep,we went to a gift shop on board and my father saw a small sailors cap,something like the ships captain would wear.It was a crisp,clean looking white cap with a yellow braid going around it.My father bought the cap and placed it on my head,no doubt thinking that it was cute.I really wonder why they never took my picture in the cap though.For months I wore the cap,almost everywhere.But it's not so much the cap that I remember as it is what happened to it later.One day,in the fall as I recall I was sitting out at the curb in front of our house,and I was wearing my captains hat.My mother must have been nearby,in the front yard.It was a blustery day,very cool and windy.There was a lot of dirt blowing around in the street because none of the other streets around were paved.And,as I sat there,a big gust of wind grabbed my sailors hat,ripped it off my head and began to blow it down the street,towards Mountain Road.But my mother came along just in time to rescue it.To do so she had to go running down the street after it.She placed it back on my head,but no sooner had she done so than it was gone again.This time she didn't have to chase it quite so far.For a second time she placed it back on my head,where it stayed for a few moments.Then a really strong wind roared down the street,not so much of a gust as a steady,stormy blast.Once again my hat was gone.It started down the street,sort of rolling on it's edges right beside the curb,but going much faster than I could have run had I been allowed to chase it into the street.It rolled all the way to Willett,the first side street,but it didn't stop.It flipped over onto it's top and seemed to slide down the middle of the road,going faster and faster and getting farther away.By he time my mother noticed this time,it had blown almost all the way to Mountain Road,a really busy street at the bottom of our street.I could still see it rolling and flipping in the wind,but there was no chance of catching it,no matter how fast you could run.It began to look really small,but I could still see it.I suppose that it finally reached Mountain Road and was flattened as it blew out into traffic.It was likely no easier for a windblown cap to make it across Mountain Road than it was for a person to cross on foot.
Monday 8 October 2012
Happy Thanksgiving.
Here in Canada it is Thanksgiving day,and I live in a country that is well and truly blessed.I may complain about a lot of things,as I don't think our country is perfect and things are not always the way that I would like them to be,but I would never live anywhere else.For that I am thankful.
Yesterday's church sermon was about God's blessing.Firstly I want to thank God for all that he has done.Without him and his provision,I would not be able even to draw my next breath.I want to thank Him for sending His Son to pay my sin debt.I thank God too,that I live in a country where I am free to gather in His name and learn from and respond to His world,despite the many social pressures in our society to diminish those rights.Blessing,according to our pastor is not just about being blessed,it is about responding to that blessing and living our lives in such a way as we seek to pass that blessing along to others.
I am constantly amazed at ,and endlessly thankful for the fact that I have good food to eat and decent water to drink.That,when you think about it is a true miracle,which could only be sustained by a good and loving God.Year after year North American land produces food in abundance,when compared to other places.It takes the hard work of many people to maintain an abundant and safe food supply,and I ask God's blessing on each one of them.If you are not thankful for farmers,then just try to grow your own food.The same goes for all those people who handle,prepare and inspect our food.We have so much to be grateful for.
It seems odd to say this,after the blog I wrote yesterday,but I am thankful that I live next door to The United States Of America.They are good neighbors,though I do not always agree with Americans or their government.Still,because of the American presence on this continent,I live in relative safety as compared to other parts of the world.I have never really known anything other than democracy,which in it's most idealistic form,it's most developed form is uniquely American.For any other system of government,I could not be nearly as thankful.
I could not imagine saying anything on the subject of Thanksgiving without giving thanks to our military people,both here and in The United States, here,and in combat overseas.May The Lord bless you and keep you safe while you defend all that we value in our country.And when I mention military people,I am referring not just to soldiers in uniform,but to family members at home here as well.When a soldier gives the ultimate sacrifice,remember,those loved ones have given that sacrifice as well,and for that,no amount of thankfulness is sufficient.
With American elections at hand,I've taken some heat over my opinions on the subject of American politics.And to be honest,I have grave concerns about the quality of those seeking election.But,I am endlessly thankful for our political institutions,and the continuity of good government over the span of my lifetime,and long before.That applies here in Canada as well.I am grateful that I live in a country where I can,and should be politically engaged.The fact that I fear that we are headed into perilous times brings my thankfulness full circle.I am thankful that there is an all powerful and good God overseeing the world I live in,that can and will direct the affairs of all our leaders to His greater purpose.
Happy Thanksgiving and may God bless you.
Yesterday's church sermon was about God's blessing.Firstly I want to thank God for all that he has done.Without him and his provision,I would not be able even to draw my next breath.I want to thank Him for sending His Son to pay my sin debt.I thank God too,that I live in a country where I am free to gather in His name and learn from and respond to His world,despite the many social pressures in our society to diminish those rights.Blessing,according to our pastor is not just about being blessed,it is about responding to that blessing and living our lives in such a way as we seek to pass that blessing along to others.
I am constantly amazed at ,and endlessly thankful for the fact that I have good food to eat and decent water to drink.That,when you think about it is a true miracle,which could only be sustained by a good and loving God.Year after year North American land produces food in abundance,when compared to other places.It takes the hard work of many people to maintain an abundant and safe food supply,and I ask God's blessing on each one of them.If you are not thankful for farmers,then just try to grow your own food.The same goes for all those people who handle,prepare and inspect our food.We have so much to be grateful for.
It seems odd to say this,after the blog I wrote yesterday,but I am thankful that I live next door to The United States Of America.They are good neighbors,though I do not always agree with Americans or their government.Still,because of the American presence on this continent,I live in relative safety as compared to other parts of the world.I have never really known anything other than democracy,which in it's most idealistic form,it's most developed form is uniquely American.For any other system of government,I could not be nearly as thankful.
I could not imagine saying anything on the subject of Thanksgiving without giving thanks to our military people,both here and in The United States, here,and in combat overseas.May The Lord bless you and keep you safe while you defend all that we value in our country.And when I mention military people,I am referring not just to soldiers in uniform,but to family members at home here as well.When a soldier gives the ultimate sacrifice,remember,those loved ones have given that sacrifice as well,and for that,no amount of thankfulness is sufficient.
With American elections at hand,I've taken some heat over my opinions on the subject of American politics.And to be honest,I have grave concerns about the quality of those seeking election.But,I am endlessly thankful for our political institutions,and the continuity of good government over the span of my lifetime,and long before.That applies here in Canada as well.I am grateful that I live in a country where I can,and should be politically engaged.The fact that I fear that we are headed into perilous times brings my thankfulness full circle.I am thankful that there is an all powerful and good God overseeing the world I live in,that can and will direct the affairs of all our leaders to His greater purpose.
Happy Thanksgiving and may God bless you.
Sunday 7 October 2012
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