Getting There…

As I have said before, getting there can be half the fun! I hadn’t been to Keswick in many years. This was where the “Rise To Rebellion” re-enactment was going to take place and Judi and I wanted to be part of it. Rather than drive the boring highways, we (I) decided to take the back roads to Keswick. In the past, any time I had traveled to Keswick I had taken Hwy. #48 from Toronto straight to Keswick, no problems! Being the “Festival Nomad”, I, of course, know all the correct route to get to any Ontario festival or event!!?? With this confidence, Judi and I set out for Keswick and the re-enactment. All was going well, the sun was shinning and the roads were clear of traffic, so what could go wrong? Nothing until we turned from Hwy #12 onto Hwy #48. This is where I encountered my first “Brain Lapse”! I assumed (you know what that means!) that we were south of Keswick. Imagine my surprise and concern when signs started telling me that we were heading “SOUTH” to Toronto! It couldn’t be! I pulled over onto the shoulder of the road and stopped the car! I took my road map out to see where we were! No help! I turned the car around and started to retrace our steps! Then I got “cold feet”, I turn around again and headed “SOUTH”! One of the signs I had seen earlier had said “this way to Keswick”! I decided to trust the signs and not my brain! At each indecision, Judi just “sighed”! We continued traveling “SOUTH”! This is where my second “brain lapse” took place! I mistook “Sutton” for “Keswick”. Don’t ask me why, I just did! I turn down the road that said “this way to Sutton”. We traveled through Sutton towards Jackson’s Point. I was sure we were on the right track! When we reach Jackson’ Point there was a “T” in the road. Judi suggested that we should turn left. I confidentially said “no, we should go right”. We turned right, followed the road and eventually came back to Hwy #48. We had just traveled in a big (scenic!) circle! Now I was REALLY lost! Fortunately, this time I followed Judi’s advice and turned right. We followed Hwy. #48, passing the “Sutton this way” sign and headed south towards Toronto. A few kilometers south of Sutton we saw a sign saying “this way to Keswick”. We turned right and followed the sign’s directions! We eventually came to Woodbine Avenue and another “Keswick” sign. We turned right again and this time drove straight in to downtown “Keswick”. From there it was easy to find the re-enactment! It was being held at the Georgina Pioneer Village which was part of the Georgina Community Centre complex. The way to this complex is very well marked, we couldn’t go wrong! The sad ending to this story for the “know-it-all Festival Nomad” is that if we had turned left in Jackson’s Point, as Judi had suggested, we would have driven directly to the complex and the re-enactment. We would have arrived a half hour earlier and would have saved a quarter tank of gas! The moral - “The Nomad isn’t (sigh) always right, but his trusty side kick (Judi) is!”

“Lights… Camera… Action!”

A few weeks ago a friend of mine asked me if I have ever thought of videoing the festivals we visited, and then put them on “You Tube”. He figured that people would be interested in seeing video of an event. He also thought it might increase traffic to our www.ontariofestivalsvisited.ca website. I told him that I hadn’t, but that I’d like to give it a try! So, here we were at the Bowmanville Maple Festival & All That Jazz. I had taken a lot of still photographs, but no video. I told Judi what I had in mind and she said “Give it a try, what’s the worst that could happen?!” I switched the camera’s mode to “movie” and started “shooting”. We had just entered the Midway area and one of the rides was about to begin. I pointed my camera in that direction and started to videoing. I videoed the ride for a few seconds and then stopped. Next I videoed a kids’ train ride, then the Midway’s arcade area. Each time I turned the camera on and off, thereby creating a disjointed series of videos. From the Midway, I took to the main street, shooting video scenes along the way. As I walked along, I gave a running commentary of what I was seeing. It was easy and it was fun! Even though each clip was quite short and disjointed, I know I can piece them together into a longer more cohesive video, one that will be fit for “You Tube”. The only challenge is, I have idea how to put everything “together”! Fortunately I have an instructional CD that was included with my camera when I purchased it. Until I figure everything out, the “Festival Nomad’s” debut on “You Tube” will have to wait! In the meantime I will continue to “shoot” videos at each of the festivals we visit and will include some of the video clips in my festival article. The first will be the Bowmanville Maple Festival. So, “when you least expected, SMILE, you’re on Nomad’s camera!"

“Bury All Your Horses…”

When I was a kid, traveling distances with my family, we use to play all sorts of games to pass time. These days the kids play with video games, watch DVD’s or listen to their iPod, but back in my day we only had each other for entertainment! My Mom and Dad had a number of games they used to use to keep us occupied and make the journey seem shorter! Some of the games we played included: “I spy with my little eye something that begins with…”, “I packed my bag and in it I put…” and “Name that tune…”. Perhaps my favourite was “Bury all your horses…”. This is a game where you find and count all the horses you see on your side of the car. The object is to see who has counted the most horses at the end of the game! One catch! If a cemetery is passed on your side and the other players see it and call out “Bury all your horses!!” you lose the count and have to start all over again. A tricky game, but a lot of fun. Judi and I play variation where you can only lose 10 horses at a time! Speaking of Judi and games, she tells me that when she and her sisters where kids they use to play board games to reduce the monotony of long drives. One game in particular that they use to play was “Clue”. It seems incredible that Judi was able to win (or lose) at will!! I told how great that was until she told me that she use to mark the Clue cards and knew right from the start of the game who the murderer was, what room and with what weapon!! I don’t think her sisters or parents knew until later in life! With all the long distances we drive today, we still use games to pass the time! However, I refuse to play, with Judi, anything involving cards!

Memories…

The other night I was talking with my Grandson and telling him about a new event I wanted to take him to in August. As we spoke I started to think about other adventures we had undertaken together and the fun we had! Our first adventure together was actually with his whole family - Mom, Dad, Brother and little Sister. The festival was the “Spring Toad Festival” held at the Toronto Zoo. I marveled that he and his brother and sister could find fun sitting and playing on stone carved animals or climbing through cave like structures, but they did! Even the delight of having their faces painted at the “Toad” marsh was inspiring. The first event he and I attended alone was the Antique and Classic Boat Show held in Gravenhurst. We traveled the back roads to get to the show and talked excitedly about what we might find there. We stopped along the way for a “Tim’s” treat and then at the Muskoka Trading Post to see if we could find presents for his brother and sister. It was a “no go”, but we did manage to score 2 free buckets of “Nibs Ice Cream” bits. Then it was on to the show to admire all the antique and classic boats. It was great fun talking about the boats and showing him which ones I drove when I was his age. To me, of course, they were neither classic nor antique, but to my Grandson they were! That’s age for you! We argued which ones we liked best, but in the end we both agreed that they were all pretty “neat”. After lunch we drove home companionably, happy to have had such a great day! Our last outing was the Lang Pioneer Village for their “Christmas by Candlelight”. We arrived early so that I could take some pictures in the daylight. Darkness and night arrived quickly and we headed for the village’s Visitor Centre. There we were greeted by staff who gave us a village map and an agenda of the evening’s festivities. Our first stop was in the gallery at the back of the centre. Here kids could decorate gingerbread cookies with icing. From there we went into a side room to talk with “Father Christmas”. Then it was outside into the cool of the night. A horse drawn hay wagon was waiting to take visitors on a journey around the village square. My Grandson climbed aboard with other adventurers. I waited and listened to Christmas carolers. When the trip was over we walked the village investigating each building. At the Fitzpatrick House we learned how to make rag dolls. At the Keene Hotel we had cookies and hot chocolate. We sang carols in the town hall and made a Christmas cracker in the old school house. We took it all in with quiet enthusiasm! After our Christmas tour we traveled to Peterborough for a well earned dinner. These were wonderful memories, ones that I will always keep and will build on in the future. Of course, as our other Grandchildren grow a little older, the memories will for all of us!

Life in the Midway…

Every time I visit a festival that features a midway, I am transported back to my childhood! These memories are quite vivid as midways played a large part in my past. My first recollections of a Midway are of the long gone “Sunnyside” which was located in Toronto along the Lakeshore west of the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) grounds. I can remember as a little boy being taken there by my parents. I was allowed to ride the kids rides by myself, but I think the biggest thrill was climbing into the bumper car s with my mother. I’m not sure who had more fun. She loved crashing into other drivers and encouraged me to help her! Later on when I was allowed to drive by myself, my mother would still climb into a bumper car herself. It was always a challenge to see who could out bump who! I think my mom likely won more time then lost! Another wonderful Midway memory was at the CNE. As a youth my friends and I were allowed to visit the CNE on our own. The excitement of trying to win a big stuffed animal as the barkers yelled out “You ring one, you win one!”: the challenge of riding as many thrill rides as possible to the loud pulsating music and the determination to outsmart the age and weight guessers even though they could win any time they wanted to, all added to the mystic and charm of the Midway. And then there was the “FLYER”! It had been a feature of the CNE forever and it attracted kids, big and small! We all tried to see who could ride the longest with our hands held over our heads. We always fought to get the front car! It was the scariest position of all, and the most fun! When I see the excitement in the faces of today’s kids enjoying a Midway, I see myself. I hear my mother say “Have a great time, be careful and I’ll meet you at the Bingo Hall when you are through”.