On this holiday weekend in Canada the weather changed from heat wave to a wind and rain storm raging at this moment and getting worse all day...
Holiday or not, regular maintenance and chores go on. Would you rather paint, sew, bake, or plant grass (isn't that last one like coals to Newcastle...) ??
For your weekly garden update, the butterfly-lovin' echinacea is full bloom. Otherwise, the veggies are peaking with tomatoes, beans, zucchini, and fennel.
On the bay there's been an increase in pleasure boating, they say because you can social distance easily out there. But there's still quite a size range ---- freighter to fisher!
In the air, another contrast. The tiny hummers are whipping around even in the pouring rain. But what are these spotlights in the sky? UFO's? It's a real photo out the window --- any guesses?
In normal times this weekend is jumping with the lively colourful Caribbean Festival drawing a million to Toronto. But it's also Emancipation Day, commemorating the end of slavery in the British Empire 1834. A nice coincidence that we now live near the northern end of the Underground Railway that brought freedom to slaves fleeing from the USA. The cairn here is full of symbolism, from the bleak window of a jail cell to the inspiring stones donated by many of the northern states.
It takes me back to growing up at the other end of the Underground Railway, in Windsor Ontario. The Emancipation Parade was a huge part of summer in the '60's. Thousands came from Michigan, Ohio, and further to celebrate in Canada what they couldn't in their own country --- freedom. Whites and blacks mingling and enjoying bands, floats, and Walter Perry's huge open-air charcoal bbq of ribs with famous "secretive sauce".
As a kid, I didn't fully understand what I was seeing. Passing by among the marchers were notables from Stevie Wonder to Martin Luther King Jr. I was in that crowd at the bandshell, grooving to early Motown and ogling the girls vying for Miss Emancipation! That could have been me on the merry-go-round.
The festival ended with the riots in Detroit in 1967, as no permits could be issued for the parade. Yet today the world is awash with new cries for freedom, justice, and especially Black Lives that matter. Amid the Covid pandemic and gross incompetence among governments, will this time be different? Will there be a new and long lasting Emancipation?
Holiday or not, regular maintenance and chores go on. Would you rather paint, sew, bake, or plant grass (isn't that last one like coals to Newcastle...) ??
For your weekly garden update, the butterfly-lovin' echinacea is full bloom. Otherwise, the veggies are peaking with tomatoes, beans, zucchini, and fennel.
On the bay there's been an increase in pleasure boating, they say because you can social distance easily out there. But there's still quite a size range ---- freighter to fisher!
In the air, another contrast. The tiny hummers are whipping around even in the pouring rain. But what are these spotlights in the sky? UFO's? It's a real photo out the window --- any guesses?
In normal times this weekend is jumping with the lively colourful Caribbean Festival drawing a million to Toronto. But it's also Emancipation Day, commemorating the end of slavery in the British Empire 1834. A nice coincidence that we now live near the northern end of the Underground Railway that brought freedom to slaves fleeing from the USA. The cairn here is full of symbolism, from the bleak window of a jail cell to the inspiring stones donated by many of the northern states.
It takes me back to growing up at the other end of the Underground Railway, in Windsor Ontario. The Emancipation Parade was a huge part of summer in the '60's. Thousands came from Michigan, Ohio, and further to celebrate in Canada what they couldn't in their own country --- freedom. Whites and blacks mingling and enjoying bands, floats, and Walter Perry's huge open-air charcoal bbq of ribs with famous "secretive sauce".
As a kid, I didn't fully understand what I was seeing. Passing by among the marchers were notables from Stevie Wonder to Martin Luther King Jr. I was in that crowd at the bandshell, grooving to early Motown and ogling the girls vying for Miss Emancipation! That could have been me on the merry-go-round.
The festival ended with the riots in Detroit in 1967, as no permits could be issued for the parade. Yet today the world is awash with new cries for freedom, justice, and especially Black Lives that matter. Amid the Covid pandemic and gross incompetence among governments, will this time be different? Will there be a new and long lasting Emancipation?
Rick, While sorting some things today, preparing for a move at the end of the month, I came across a writing that Bob Konopasky sent me back in 2004. Seventeen pages of thoughts or expectations on attending the 75th KCI Reunion. Of course, you were one of the people he wrote about. That was a mere 16 years ago; a blip in time compared to the lifetime of memories we have all accumulated throughout our journeys.
ReplyDeleteSo, after putting a second coat of paint on a chair; and putting my toys away for the evening; I typed your name and enjoyed looking at your pics, (congrats on your and Pat's marriage), love all the nature shots, and of course the cars, as well. When you two are back in Windsor sometime, it would be nice to get together for dinner. Wishing you both, health and happiness. Marlene