Onwards into the Heart of Ontario

Just as Montreal was home to me for my adult years in Canada, Toronto was the city of my teen years. Montreal was a time to visit with friends, Toronto is a time to visit with family and friends from high school. Driving around Toronto was like driving around a clean, orderly US city, and driving around Montreal is a cross between a typical North American city with forages into the Europe culture. I love the architecture of both cities – old stone houses, brick mansions, Victorian houses with gingerbread balconies, and a canyon of new apartment and business buildings.

While in Toronto, I got to spend time with family, visit old haunts, and reconnect with nieces and their children who have grown into young adults themselves.

Christine and Donna - my Toronto hosts
Donna and I went to high school together

My niece Pat's son, Sean, and myself

relaxing at their pool

Then hitting the road again, I headed up to Thornbury on Georgian Bay, a part of Lake Huron. What fun it was to take back roads, through the Caledon Hills, and into Mennonite country. One has to drive very carefully here… at every hill I had to slow down (having seen sign that warned of horse driven vehicles) and sure enough, there I was toodling along, and then I realized that the car in front of me was not a car, but a horse driven buggy clopping along. Luckily he pulled over and I went on. Then as I came up and over a hill and Georgian Bay opened up in front of me, and, as Liam puts it, I knew I had reached my destination. Thornbury is a small town, with no McDonalds or any evidence of the chains and franchises that dominate the retail culture, just local businesses and lovely old homes. I went for a walk today and there is a dam and a fish spillway where the salmon can come to go up river to spawn. It is so rustic here.... you can walk to downtown, the harbor and up and down tree lined streets to see 200 year old houses with widow walks on them.

Canada in Bloom

Lilacs, they're everywhere

Bleeding hearts and lilies of the valley

Ever since I arrived in the North East, I have been surrounded by lilacs in bloom, lilies of the valley and bleeding hearts, all the flowers of my childhood that I have missed. As I was driving from the Laurentians to Toronto I passed fields of dandelion puffs, that made the fields look misty and huge hedges and gigantic bushes of lilacs. It is so very green here, as I look out the window of the apartment that I am staying at, all I see is the tops of trees. In the winter, you can see all the houses, but now, just trees.

Being back in Toronto, the city of my high school years, I have gotten to re-visit teen memories. My old house, my high school, my old neighborhood. I keep driving by streets and thinking "I had a friend, a boy friend, a cousin, who lived on this street", but sometimes I can't remember who exactly. Today, my youngest brother came to see me, and we went out to lunch, then went to visit my parents at the Mount Hope Cemetery. We stopped and got flowers and put them on their graves. I must admit to feeling a little sad at living so far away from them. Tomorrow I am having lunch with one of the dearest persons in my life, my godfather. Donley Mogan has been a big part of my life. When my father died, I was 21, Donley became my go-to person, and has been there for me through my divorce and other ups and downs that came my way.

Being Beyond Technology

Undermount - Somewhere in the Laurentians

North West of Montreal

Don and Pam, My hosts

On Monday, when I left Montreal, after the most wonderful time spent with dear friends, and my special hostess Cornelia, I headed off into the Laurentians (the oldest and most ground down of the mountain ranges in North America) to visit a friend who is a international business man, and imagine my surprise when I arrived at their farm and the only technology was the telephone. What a great escape from the modern world. They have created an oasis of hospitality, civility and good friendship. On Tuesday, we went into the Village of St. Sauveur, or what used to be a village, having grown since I was here, to once again have smoked meat for lunch. What a treat! I was very torn, because they also had poutine, but the smoked meat won out. then we walked around the village.... where years ago, we had rented a ski house for the winter. Francois went to Baby Bears ski school here.

Cousin Murray and Patsy

Now on Thursday, I am on the road again, having passed through Ottawa, the nation's capital, yesterday to visit a dear cousin and his wife that I had not seen for many years. (again, no wifi) We had a wonderful time, and as it starts to warm up, Canadian, being Canadians are all outside. I, for many years, lived in a country where the moment it gets warm, everyone goes outside and lifts their face to the sun.

Crevier, my name in Quebec

I took the above picture, mostly for Steph and Francois. This was my name when I lived in Quebec and I forget that no one here knows me as Donley. Next stop was Belleville, Ontario, just outside of Toronto visiting my neighbors who lived across the street when my children were born. The great bonus of this trip is and will be the reconnecting with friends and family that has taken place. Tomorrow I am off to Toronto to stay with a friend from high school.

Cornecopia of Blessings

Monique, and Habs Fever

Sam Keene once said that life is a series of beginnings without endings. This trip has really driven that home as I meet up with friends, some new, and some that go way back into the dark reaches of my life. I have had a lifetime of friendships with some truly wonderful people and am so grateful for the circumstance has brought them into my life.

Since I arrived in Montreal, I have been having a busy time just connecting with old friends. I had a lot of phone numbers, but in a couple of cases, I just rang doorbells and it was fun to see the surprised, then happy reaction. Lots of big hugs. Needless to say that after seventeen or more years, we have all changed some, and some more than others. I always wonder, if I am thinking that they have changed, aged, what are they thinking when they see me. We all say the same thing..... "You have hardly changed, I would have recognized you anywhere." What has changed is that we are all now grandparents and the children I knew years ago, are now themselves parents. Some of the children have changed so much, I would not recognize them.

Driving around Montreal has been an adventure. It is spring and the road repair from winter is well underway.... construction everywhere. Every time I set out on one of my well travelled routes, I get detoured and taken down all different side streets. The bonus of that is that I will go by a street and thing... "that's where Mon Oncle George lived" bringing back memories of many New Years day parties with the French side of the family, and I have seen all the houses that I lived in. I have driven by the schools my son and daughter went to, including the Marcelines, that was totally by accident...actually I was lost at the time.

Today we went shopping downtown to Ogilvys and Holt Renfrew, two establishments for Montreal retail therapy. They look the same from the outside, buy they are so chic and trendy inside I did not feel that I was in the same stores

I knew years ago. Fashion here is very European, and the shoes, though costly, are beautiful. Very tempted. I have to keep reminding myself of what I have at home, and the fashion differences between Montreal and San Jose. On thing I will be doing is raiding the grocery store for things I cannot get in California. Off to have dinner with more dear friends.

MONTREAL

Yesterday morning, we left Mansonville. as we drove away, I could see all the fields and hills, covered in snow looking absolutely gorgeous. The trails on the ski hills as we drove by the different ski centers were sparkling white. Coming into the city, I followed Cornelia in her car, I saw so many sites - some strange, some sentimental:

• a fence made entirely of old bicycles - quirky but novel
• first St. Hubert siting - yummy
• sign for the Granby Zoo - family outings
• the Montreal skyline - I almost cried..
• the Atwater Market - going strong

Once we settled in, I took Cornelia's dog, a little Australian Terrier - Jack, out for a walk and went over to my old neighborhood, just a few blocks from where she lives. Our house is still there, looking as cute as ever. I wanted to knock on the door, but not exactly a Canadian thing to do. Wandering around I saw that although some things had changes, a lot had not. what fun.

I have been getting through to old friends, and the reconnecting has started. Dinner tonight with a dear family friend, lots of catching up to do. I am properly armed for these encounters, thanks to Stephanie, who put together a "Brag Book" for me before I left San Jose.

To add icing to the cake, last night the Habs won their home game, and there was celebrating in the streets near by. Although I do like the San Jose Sharks, my heart will always belong to the Montreal Canadiens (the Habs) and it is very exciting to be in Montreal right now. Many are driving around with Mtl Cdn's flags flying from their car windows. Off to see more of Montreal.........

Snow on Mother's Day

Snow and blossoms in May

(click to enlarge and see the snow)

Well it has been four weeks on the road, and here I am on Mothers Day, happily watching it snow ,while we are inside, cosy with lovely classical music, hot tea and good books. Just another quiet country day.

I must admit, I do miss my San Jose family on Mother's Day. I miss getting a hug from those who still hug, which at the moment is everyone. I missed not going to church this morning and seeing many familiar faces and sharing in the worship. This year I did get to spend a pre-Mother's Day with the Connecticut branch and that was a treat.

That aside, I am having a great adventure that just gets better all the time. I have spent the last few days with people who have known me for a very long time, and it has been such fun catching up and sharing how our lives have been going. We have all, naturally, aged, but only a little, and everyone is, thankfully in reasonably good health. And now it is on to Montreal, and more reunions.

Mansonville and Surrounding Sites

Side by side - Canada & Quebec co-exist

Typical French Canadian house with painted tin roof,

Built 1850's, Mansonville, Que

Covered Bridge Road



As advertised, the Covered Bridge

Inside the Covered Bridge

I went into Mansonville today to get a smoked meat sandwich, unique to this area. It is delicacy introduced to this area by the Jewish delis, instead of corning the beef, they smoked it....yummy. The other big regional treat is poutine but that is so-o rich, I'll have to work up to it. http://electron.mit.edu/~gsteele/poutine/

After running errands and I took lots of pictures of Mansonville- with no hint that it is within miles of the US border, no fast food places, no US franchises, just a sleepy little French Canadian town, stuck somewhere in the last 150 years. Then I headed off onto some of the local country roads and found a covered bridge.

It is all very quaint and picturesque, everywhere I look it is so beautiful, and seems timeless. Mostly, I just love the greenery. After the big storm that blew in yesterday, things are so crisp and clear.