Was thinking how that most people I meet find out I’m really American, and not a Canadian, when they have just finished saying something derogatory about that land where I was born, and lived in a tiny trailer till I was 2 1/2. I will smile and just say I’m American, and watch their expression change – ah, yes, it is those simple things in life that keep me amused. Continue reading By The Dawn’s Early Light
Hope Swan was 12 years old when she was sent to Canada, and her name haunts me still, as I know little more about her. I first found her in this database from Collections Canada when I was researching Home Children for the Heritage Book I was working on, back in 2013. Hope came over on a ship called the Dominion, the year was 1907. … Continue reading Children Of An Uncertain Tomorrow
With its grand tower soaring high above the tree line, it has always been an iconic landmark on the cityscape that surrounds this village on all sides, having embraced it almost a century ago. When my Great Aunt Helen stepped through those doors it would have been in the final years of the 1920s, perhaps early 30s, and what she learned within would take her … Continue reading Touching The Future
It stands at the heart of this village within a city, with its high Victorian style and lofty spires reaching towards the sky, it cuts a grand presence. Built in 1899, locals refer to it as ‘The Normal School‘, as it was part of a movement at that time to ‘normalize’ the curriculum, and therefore a fleet of teachers was required. Basically, it’s one of … Continue reading An Iconic Beauty
A couple weeks ago found myself cross-legged on the floor washing off the dirt of the winter from my front door, and suddenly I had tears running down my face. They were brought on by this beautiful rendition of Simple Gifts, performed by Yo Yo Ma and Allison Krause. It speaks to something, I suppose. Some vision, more faery tale, I have of the land of … Continue reading The Comfort Of Historical Knowledge
There is a certain freedom, independence really, that I enjoy that I have to say that I do take for granted. Even the little daily things, my job in a male-dominated field, for instance – logistics/receiving. I ride every day to work and back and I have a nice view. And, strangely, you know, it never occurred to me, and I forget that my Grandma … Continue reading On The Bicycles Of My Grandmother
Lately, my binge-watching of history docs has had more focus. Being a total history geek anyways, I’ve found a new fascination with ancient civilisations. I’ve always been interested in ancient societies. However, there has been a shift in our understanding, often gained from our ever advancing own ‘tool use’; and that’s what I find interesting. That, and sometimes it’s perhaps the tools themselves that get … Continue reading What Doth The Earth Conceal From Us?
Lost in the mists is a whole aspect of humanities past that we are only now beginning to understand, or even acknowledge. Continue reading Of Queens And Amazons
Blackfriars Bridge – Wrought Iron Truss bridge, build in 1875. “At 216 feet (65.8 meters) it is the longest working span of that kind in North America“, and as a Bowstring style, one of the rarest. Closed to pedestrian-only traffic since 2013, it remains the entrance to the Blackfriars neighbourhood of London. A pedestrian pathway runs along the Thames, through Harris Park, where you may … Continue reading Blackfriars
The three-storey brick building was designed in the High Victorian style by architect Francis Heakes and was constructed in 1898-1899. All exterior elements of the building, and the ground and second floor of the central hall and stairways inside the building, as well as the aesthetic character of the property are protected by an Ontario Heritage Trust conservation easement. The property is also designated by … Continue reading The Normal School
[in the photo – L to R – Great Grandpa and GrandmaC, in behind them my GrandpaD, Aunt Jo, Uncle Burt and Aunt Lex (the bride and groom), GrandmD of course front and centre, no idea who that is over grandmaD’s shoulder, but beside him is Uncle Jack, and the next are also unknown, but I assume the guy with the collar was the minister] … Continue reading Why an Irish Catholic Priest was in an Anglican Church
Great Aunt Helen was Grandma’s younger sister, and a world traveler. In her 90 years she managed to criss-cross quite a bit of this planet. She had been to China & Russia a couple of times, all over England, Scotland, Ireland, and most of Europe. She traveled to Africa, parts of South America and all over North America. Born in 1913 in rural Ontario, the … Continue reading A Postcard from Russia
From the beginnings of recorded history there has been an attraction to this spot. Archaeological digs have unearthed three sites used by the Neutral Native people’s from back when a stream flowed down to the river. The first Mill was built on the site in 1853, and remained until the main building of that Mill burned in 1964. The original plot was purchased by a … Continue reading The Mill Pond @ Dodge
by PaulaB 