The card arrived two weeks before Christmas, 1987. The handwritten message from my Mom and Dad read, “Merry Christmas Henry, Olga, Nicholas & ?” The answer to the question mark was expected on December 25. We had moved into 12 Sigmont Road on November 30 after selling the condominium, riding the wave of escalating values,Continue reading “The Power of Love”
Tag Archives: #memories
Scrabble
I expect when Mom and Dad immigrated to Canada in 1958, their grasp of English would have been quite limited. Sure, they had learned some very elementary words years earlier in grade school, mandatory language lessons along with German and French. They may have even picked up a few classes in preparation for their flightContinue reading “Scrabble”
Welcome to the End of the World
Finesterre. It was the end of the world as they knew it. Back then. Predating Christianity, people journeyed to Cape Fisterra on the Costa da Morte (Coast of Death) where they believed the sun died, bringing the worlds of the living and the dead closer together. Finisterre is now the traditional end of the CaminoContinue reading “Welcome to the End of the World”
Santiago de Compostela
“We made it.” My voice cracking, my eyes welling up, Olga crying in joy. “We made it.” An emotional moment that overwhelmed us. We asked a fellow pilgrim to snap a photo in that instant to capture the end of our journey so we could send it out immediately to our family. Then Olga andContinue reading “Santiago de Compostela”
Bricks and Souls
We had gone around the table, asking each of my cousins from the van der Weil family for one word to describe Oom Cees. Finally coming to Margaret, she proclaimed, without hesitation, “modern ideas”. Olga and I were in the Netherlands in part to meet with my relatives and to conduct some research into theContinue reading “Bricks and Souls”
Imprints
The Ones Beatles show began with three questions for the Roy Thomson audience: Where were you when John F. Kennedy was shot?Where were you when man first landed on the moon?Where were you when the Beatles played the Ed Sullivan show for the first time? November 22, 1963. I have no clue, the tragedy notContinue reading “Imprints”
Baseball and Popcorn
We were delayed in leaving for our very first trip together. Not thinking, our car was left unlocked, exposed to the shenanigans typical of weddings at the time; confetti jammed into the air vents, Vaseline smeared on the steering wheel, the door handles, the gas tank. It all had to be cleaned before we couldContinue reading “Baseball and Popcorn”
The blond guy and a girlfriend
My book collection became accessible again so I began a slow survey of those shelves which had been blocked for a couple years. I happened upon a thin memoir entitled, alfabet/alphabet, winner of the Governor General award in 2022. It reminded me of a specific passage forever stuck in my memory because it explained aContinue reading “The blond guy and a girlfriend”
Cold as Ice
The minus 18 temperature is not going to deter me. I have spent the last week coddling the ice, keeping the snow from accumulating, shoveling everyday, defining the contour with scrap wood, flooding the rink at dusk to take advantage of overnight cold. Grab the skates, stick and puck, pull down the toque a littleContinue reading “Cold as Ice”
O’ Tannenbaum
It was my Dad’s job to purchase the tree every Christmas. Accompanying him on the quest to acquire the best possible tree for the lowest conceivable price was a lesson in frugality and gamesmanship. Too early in the season would result in paying the posted price. Not enough snow would reduce demand, providing an opportunityContinue reading “O’ Tannenbaum”
Wonderings 