No Title Needed!

As much as I would like to think spring is just around the corner the 50 cm + (around 20″) of snow we got in the last 5 days says otherwise. Lots to do in the next few months to get ready for what I hope is our first full season of boating. Once I get going on the work I will update the blog. Promise.

This will be the 89th post since I started this blog in 2019. Over those years—and I can’t believe I can say “years”- I have had viewers from all over the world (China, Sweden, the UK, France, to name a few). Still, the overwhelming majority are from the U.S. It has always amazed me that my little blog, which I started so my Dad could follow along with the renovation, actually had a bit of a following.

I thought it was cool.

I had several positive comments on the work we were doing and many of those were boaters from south of our border.

I thought I would quickly highlight some of our amazing experiences travelling to the states over the years.

First of all, this is a photo taken in a little town called Peekskill, NY, sometime in the summer of 1971. It would have been in the summer, and we were celebrating Donald’s 9th birthday. I would have been 6. Yeah … I know … cute kid.

We were visiting my Uncle Peter and Aunt Peggy. They had a nice little house in the country. I vividly remember the cornfields behind their house and the smell of their cellar.

Funny the things you remember.

My Aunt Florence on the left … then my Mom … my Dad … me … Donald … my Aunt Kay …. and then a neighbour of my uncle and aunt that I think was named Charlie. If anyone knows him, let me know. We were most likely singing Happy Birthday.

I have great memories of the visits we made. They would give us a $5 bill (obviously American), and we got to go buy whatever we wanted. It was simple, but those memories stick with you.

During the early 1980’s we lived in Niagara Falls and Donald and I would take his Pontiac Fiero across the border to go to Wing King in Niagara Falls, NY. So easy to cross the border. Reason for visiting the US? Wings! Ok … go ahead.

In 1989, I traveled to NYC with a friend from college (we were taking photography). We were helping a photographer move into her studio in Tribeca. I drove because my friend wasn’t old enough to drive the rental panel van.

We took a tunnel into lower Manhattan (I think it was the Holland tunnel). I white knuckled it the entire way … as I remember it was a bit of a windy road … and then we popped up into the city. I loved it.

We spent 7 days there and did a fair amount of sightseeing. A few things stick out from that trip.

One evening, we walked about 2/3rds across the Brooklyn Bridge, and then, as we were coming back and were about a few meters from where the walkway opened up, we saw a little old man hanging onto the railing on the roadside. He wasn’t far from getting to the end of the railing and stepping onto the median but he wasn’t moving.

We helped him the rest of the way. He seemed disoriented, so we asked if we could help him return to his apartment. He told us his address, but we had no idea where it was. There happened to be a mounted police officer nearby, so we walked over to him and asked for directions.

Immediately, he was suspicious and asked why we wanted to know. We said we were just visiting from Toronto and had no idea where it was.

His demeanor changed instantly. He directed us to the apartment, and we left the gentleman with the concierge. At the time, it was obvious to us that he felt we were okay since we were Canadian.

The other memory from that trip was walking around the Twin Towers. I took many photos of the city that week and they dominated the background. On that horrible Tuesday morning in 2001, none of my co-workers could comprehend what was happening. I remember thinking they were just so big.

We have been back to NYC three times over the years. We saw the Blue Jays play the Yankees in one of the last games at the old Yankee Stadium.

We loved the city.

In 1992, Leanne and I spent our first Christmas married, visiting my parents in Zephyr Hills, Florida. We drove down, and I can still remember leaving our hotel in McDonough, GA, at around 5 am on a chilly morning and rolling down our windows after getting into Florida.

It was warm and soft and beautiful.

We remember the Spanish moss hanging from the trees.

Since then we have been to Florida four more times. Twice with Maddie and Alex at Disney.

The happiest place on earth.

We have been to Alaska with Maddie and Alex. An amazing trip.

In 2011 the four of us drove from San Diego to San Francisco over 11 days with Leanne’s sister Erin and her husband Giles.

That was easily one of my favourite trips ever. We did so much over those 11 days.

A Segway tour of the city.

The obligatory photo with the Hollywood sign in the back.

We loved it all!

A tour of Alcatraz…. so cool. I wanted to do the night tour but Giles was scared.

A nighttime ball game with the fog coming in. The atmosphere was so much better than watching a Jay’s game.

We have so many unforgettable memories of our trips to the U.S.

Our countries have so much in common, yet so many things make us distinct.

America started with revolution and war.

Canada started by treaties.

There is a saying here that … in a pinch Americans go for the gun and Canadians call the cops.

We are different and we wouldn’t want it any other way.

I have no idea how many will read this, but I needed to do something.