Lenah Field Fisher and Victoria Hall

I recently popped into Victoria Hall to take care of some business. As I walked by an open door, I was startled to hear a voice which seemed to summon me into the lovely council chambers.

Upon closer examination, I was fascinated to see a woman standing off to one side in the chambers. She wore a long dress and a large flowered hat and introduced herself as Lenah Field Fisher. I had no idea who she was but I immediately noticed a portrait of a woman with similar features on the wall. Could they be one in the same I wondered?

I stood in fascination as she described herself as a long time Cobourg citizen who had been born in the Dressler house, the same house where actress Marie Dressler had been born. In fact, Lenah's family had owned that very home. Her great grandfather had been an MPP for Northumberland West.

Despite seeming very lifelike, the figure that was speaking to me was not real, but rather an avatar. It was a projected image of an actress with recorded voice. How unusual it was to see this and to watch her describe her life.

I have since learned more about Lenah. She was a highly educated woman, graduating from OAC Guelph as a dietitian and completing post graduate studies in the U.S. In the 1950's, Lenah was a member of town council and eventually deputy reeve. In 1972, she began her campaign to save Victoria Hall, built in the 1850's, by donating $15,000 to a restoration fund. She essentially saved the building and the site from becoming a parking lot. Upon her death, her estate was donated to continue work on the lovely Victoria Hall.

I won't go into too much detail because most of it can be found on Google, but, during her lifetime, Lenah was awarded the Canada medal, becoming a member of the Order of Canada, and she was Cobourg citizen of the year.

As I left the historic building, I had a new appreciation for the large entrance way/rotunda of the hall, named after Lenah in recognition of her work. I now look at the wall plaques, the art and the architecture, with new appreciation.
                                                                                       


















Northumberland News shared an interesting article on Lenah and the actress who created her likeness.

Cobourg activist Lenah Field Fisher comes to life in heritage avatar   (copy and paste - I can't figure out how else to make this work)

http://www.northumberlandnews.com/news-story/5566908-cobourg-activist-lenah-field-fisher-comes-to-life-in-heritage-avatar/#.VYiMf6Xp3yw.blogger

Cobourg Street Pianos - Year 2

Last year, I wrote a blog and shared photos of our street pianos (May 20, 2013  Street Pianos - Cobourg). Well, they're here for another year. Downtown Cobourg has pianos available for the enjoyment of its citizens. This year, they returned, fewer in number but nonetheless imposing in their beauty. The artists have once again outdone themselves in the re-furbishing of these instruments

Not only that, one of our locals has made quite the youtube splash with close to 200,000 views. Last night, Michael Mcnamara was even featured on one of the news channels which hubby often watches.

I first saw this clip on Facebook. It was posted by the proprieter of a nearby restaurant  a week ago. I was so fascinated that I asked when the next performance was going to take place. I hope I'll be able to catch one in the upcoming days and that Mr. Mcnamara won't have already been snatched away by Ellen or booked by another of the many daytime talk shows.

In case the video doesn't work, here's the link.
                        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_cjSGt5j40&feature=share

Hollywood Comes to Town

They're making a movie in our town. It's going to be called "Pixels" and it stars Adam Sandler and Michelle Monaghan. I read about its making quite some time ago.There appears to have been a delay in the June filming schedule. Instead, the props and scenes have been gradually appearing one by one over the past few days and word is that there'll be action beginning at 7 a.m. tomorrow.

The movie has an unusual premise involving aliens, video games and the 80's. The genre is labelled as comedy sci-fi. I first noticed downtown preparations with the appearance of flags, strange flags, alien flags in the poles outside of local storefronts.

Some buildings have been assigned decorative posters while others are listed for sale. Note the Hollywood telephone number beginning with the usual 555 digits.

As I walked by some of the shops today, I was envious of the 1980's prices.

The Bargain Shop, which went out of business during the winter has been transformed into a video game arcade, the Electric Dreams Factory. Our local Park theatre, also out of business, has been renamed and advertises Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

                                                                                               

Yes, all the action begins tomorrow morning...and you can be certain that yours truly will be there, front and centre to watch!

     

______________________________________________________________________________

Sites for more info about the movie -

http://cobourginternet.ca/cobourg-news/news-2014/206-another-movie-to-be-filmed-in-cobourg

 and also

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2120120/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Feeling the Love

For the Valentine's Day edition of the local newspaper I wrote this column entitled  For the love of Cobourg  at this link. You need to copy and paste because try as I might, I can't figure out how to steer you there directly.

http://www.northumberlandnews.com/opinion-story/4362621-for-the-love-of-cobourg/

Today, I ventured out to participate in some of the town's wonderful winter weekend festivities. Hubby dropped me at a local hobby shop called "Bear's Beads" where one of the special weekend activities was bracelet making.  I entered and immediately bumped into someone I knew. We pored over the trays of beads trying to make a decision on which five to select for our bracelets, then we went to work. I thought that the selection process was the hardest part until I attempted to co-ordinate two pairs of needle nosed pliers. After much trial and error, the heart shape clasp was attached, as were my five charms and my bracelet was done.

The proprietor gave us lovely organza bags containing chocolate hearts and we were able to secure our bracelets in the bags.

Next, I wandered down the street to a shop called, "A Matter of Taste" where I accidentally ate a free sample cupcake created by a local baker, "Cakes by Tammy". It was sooooo delicious. The store had a special day of discounts because of the downtown events. I visited the antique market in another futile search for chrome chairs. The cashier made me laugh by suggesting I go to cottage garage sales. She said that all good old furniture is in cottages. I dropped in to my favourite clothing store, "From the Bottoms Up" in search of lightweight summer wear. "Next week", I was told.

After meeting hubby again, we went to participate in more events near the ice rink. I had noted that there were bright pink sheets with the heading "Take Me" posted all around town. I didn't immediately realize why since I wasn't wearing my glasses. It was poetry, written by locals and offered as a way of not only showing off local talent and promoting April poetry month, but also to add to town spirit.

We enjoyed the ice sculptures and saw that one very intricate work was carved into a table. A young lady was pouring maple syrup onto snow atop the table and swirling it onto a stick. That certainly explained the growing lineup waiting for the sweet delicacy.

Of course, there were the usual ice skaters twirling to the music. Children climbed the massive snowbanks of heaped up snow laughing with glee as they rolled and slid down. Parents, grandparents and children waited for a turn to tour the town by horse and carriage, while others played with the ice sculpture tic tac toe board.

Then there was the throne. Ah yes, every child's dream...a royal throne carved from ice. Who could resist a quick, frosty sit on this wonderful huge chair? Why oh why did I forget to bring my crown?

To warm up after the adventures, there was hot chocolate and a cookie. In fact, the youngsters were allowed to decorate their cookies with icing and sprinkles as they warmed up and enjoyed their treats.

Cobourg truly is the "feel good town".

Street Pianos - Cobourg

This is an amazingly cool idea.

Some time ago, I had read about it http://cobourgmusic.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/street-pianos/, but had forgotten until I was downtown recently. There I saw a piano on the street. It was the first one I'd noticed. The back was covered in pink tulle and the front, well, the front was just too cute for words. As I went near to take a photo, some giggling girls scurried away, having played their rendition of chopsticks.

Location King St. near Division on north side

Of course, as soon as I'd seen one, I wanted to find the other four. I looked up details about locations, donations and artists on the Cobourg tourism website and hoped that it would be relatively easy to add more to my blog and photo collection.  http://www.cobourgtourism.ca/cme/street-pianos.html

Today, I packed up the pup and went downtown. I checked the streets claiming to have the pianos in question. Perhaps they aren't all out yet. I found one more, just one, but it was spectacular...absolutely phenomenal. Here it is complete with a tree stump bench at the edge of Victoria Park.



On King St. south side across from the Park Theatre

Once I discover where there other three pianos are located, I will add the pictures. In the meantime, here is some further interesting information -

http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/2013/05/09/cobourg-music-experience-rolling-out-street-pianos-soon

Found another one this past May 25th weekend while walking on the pathway near the water. That makes three. This particular one is covered with faces of musicians. The Beatles are on the top and I have as yet to figure out some of the rest.



Near the condos and road to the lighthouse

And then there were four. Today, June 10th, I removed the tarp from a piano on King St. outside Victoria Hall and I took these photos. I immediately replaced the cover after taking my pictures in order to protect the instrument from the ominous looking skies. The piano was colourful and had an appropriate opening curtain theatre theme painted on the front. The top and sides had posters depicting various live shows which have been performed at Victoria Hall.

King St. at the west side of Victoria Hall

I then went to Northumberland Mall in search of the final piano. I was told at the administrative offices that although it was supposed to arrive last week, nobody has seen it as yet. I await  number five in eager anticipation.

 

June 20 - Still waiting although I have recently heard a rumour that the mall piano had to be repainted because of a spelling error.

 

July 20 - One month later - I wanted to entitle this "Yes, We Have No Piano", but alas, that heading would be more entertaining for seniors, familiar with an old song. I was at the mall today. There's still no piano. I have no idea what happened to numero cinco, but I shall go to the administrative office on a weekday to check. I feel the need. I remember a time when my mother pulled up to a police officer directing traffic and asked him what the problem was. She wanted to know. I was embarrassed then. I understand it now. I think the understanding came along with my 60th birthday.

 

 

Today Is The First Day of What's Left of My Life

Today, is my birthday. I recently took an online survey which takes into account my fatness, physical features and other factors. It said I would live to be 88 years 2 months and 45 minutes old and die on January 29th, 2038. Sounds ok to me. I wonder if there's any recourse if the site isn't accurate and I die sooner.

My day was relatively uneventful. It began quite early and was full of travel and appointments. I did manage to have some fun and a few chuckles along the way. There were chats, body pains, memories and a meal. Here are some details.

At the breakfast table, hubby asked, "What time of day were you born?"

I answered, "I don't remember."  We laughed.

As I moaned about my aching kindergarten teacher knees, I remembered the words of my Scottish friend, "Pain is the price you pay for not dying young." I love quotes about old age.

For a landmark birthday a couple of years ago, another friend gave me a book by my favourite author Robert Fulghum. The book, "What On Earth Have I Done?" is full of comments which she added just for me. It described some of my better character traits (with emphasis on the word "character") and several of my escapades over the years. It was a wonderful, memorable and amazingly thoughtful present. I can't believe all that she remembered. I look through the book often and did so again on this birthday. It makes me feel as though I have actually accomplished a few things in my life.

This evening, hubby and I had dinner in jail. Yes indeed. My birthday dinner was at a historic building, in MacAllister's pub, at an old jail in town. The food was abundant, delicious, unpretentious, and in my case, free.

                              


                                                                                                          

                                                  

                                            

So, I shall end my birthday blog with a few fitting quotes by unknown authors, "We are only young once, after that, we need some other excuse."

And here's a really good one. "You can't hide your true colours as you approach the autumn of your life."

It's certainly nice to reach an age when we no longer feel the need to please anyone but ourselves...unless we want to that is.
  

Why I Will Vote

Is anyone other than the family and friends of the candidates actually interested in municipal elections? I know that voting is a right and even a privilege. I also believe that it's a choice, not a duty. Having said that, it's a sad fact that the voter turnout at this level of government, depending on where you live, can be anywhere from 17% to 40% although tendencies are usually toward the lower end of this percentage spectrum. Even when people are informed about the candidates by reading newspaper items, door to door literature and so on, voting has not always felt essential or been very simple.

During the last municipal election, I was eligible to vote in Oshawa. I lived in a fairly dense community of townhouses, apartments and quite a few seniors. My little voter postcard arrived so far in advance of polling day, that when the election came, I had already misplaced it. Not only that, I wrongly expected ballot casting to take place in the area's clubhouse. Previous polling stations had been located there. I got home from a typical long day at work. There was about an hour left to vote. I parked the car, grabbed a bite to eat and strolled to the clubhouse. Not a person was in sight. When I finally saw someone, she said, "Oh, people have been coming in here by mistake all day. Voting is at (insert name of distant school here) ." Imagine my shock when I realized that this particular school was not anywhere even remotely close to my neighbourhood. In fact, it was impossible to reach by foot before polls closed without being a marathon runner and I was barely familiar with it's location. I had to make a decision. Would I get into my car and drive 5 km in order to make it on time, or would I give up? I chose the latter option. Then I sent a letter to the mayor's office wishing him luck and my regrets about not being able to vote for him. I received no reply. He won anyhow.

There is another municipal election coming up and I'm in Cobourg now. I have had little interest in voting particularly since I'm not familiar enough with the area or the candidates. I would also be away on election day. I recently saw an article in the paper about the mayoralty prospects. "Hmmm", I thought. "I don't really care for how the one person is presenting himself."

Another article compared the council candidates. I gave it a cursory glance, looked at the political rhetoric and noted that some candidates actually managed to speak plainly and honestly. Five are to be elected. Eight are running. I poured over the info a little more carefully and found that I was instantly able to delete two from the list of people I would consider. I easily found videos of all candidates on the internet thanks to COGECO. Then I happened to be in the library where I saw a bulletin board with answers to library funding questions given by the councillor hopefuls. "I thought there were 5 to be elected. Why do I only see 4 sets of responses?" I mumbled. (see earlier blog about talking to myself).

I walked up to the information desk and asked "Aren't there supposed to be 8 council candidates?"

"Yes" said one of the librarians.

"Did only 4 reply to the library questionnaire?"

"Yes" she answered yet again.

"Well I guess that tells me something doesn't it?" I said, and received a smile in response.

It was becoming easier and easier to decide how to vote if I actually chose to do so. Perhaps I was beginning to change my attitude. Two candidates then came to my door. I appreciated their obvious enthusiasm and desire to win. Now, I just needed to get some information on where voting would take place.

A letter came in the mail. "Municipal Election 2010, Town of Cobourg"..."E-vote now" with instructions on how to vote electronically using only my computer and a PIN number. Not only is this method available, but the option to vote by telephone was also explained. And all this is on the same document that allows me to vote in person and gives me choices of several locations. Computer and telephone voting can be done anytime between today and election day.

Finally, someone has figured it out. There are several methods for voting and no time constraints! E-voting, telephone voting or "in person" voting! I'm looking forward to seeing what the percentage is of voter turnout in my town this year.

I am informed. Voting is simple. I am opting to cast my ballot by computer today.

Honk if You Like Geese and Ducks

I have a history with ducks. Ever since I hatched my first ducklings in the late 90's I have had an affinity for the feathery little creatures.

I'd like to think that over the years, I've become quite the duck expert. For example, ducks take 28 days to grow and develop inside their little orbs. They can instinctively swim upon hatching and need very little instruction to locate food. Clever.

A couple days ago I happened to be down by the lake. At the marina, there's a lovely area with a large sandbank. I saw dozens upon dozens of ducks, geese, swans and seagulls in the water. I've never seen so much wildlife in such a small area. In fact, counting them would have been impossible.

I wandered along the sandy beach, took a few photos and observed for a time. It was a lovely day and the sky was blue. I was amazed at the sight of all these magnificent groups of birds. As I turned to walk back toward the parking lot, I had the sense that I was being followed. I turned and saw a few ducks behind me. Although I was well aware of the concept of "imprinting" these ducks were not babies. Then, I noticed that the throngs, or gaggles as it were, of geese on the lake were also pointing in my direction. I became a bit unnerved but continued to walk gingerly across the sand trying to avoid soiling my shoes with the assorted droppings.

When many of the birds, left the water and began closing in, I decided to back away, rather than walk away from them. It made me feel more secure somehow and allowed me to be more aware of the goings on behind my back. I realized too, that I was having a brief flashback of a Hitchcock movie and didn't like the eerie feeling I was getting. On the other hand, it was kind of unusual. There were people in the parking lot looking somewhat perplexed when they spotted my following.

My feathery friends couldn't be dissauded and continued getting closer. At this point, I was close enough to the car that I turned, ran and leapt into the auto. I'm not certain how I created this hypnotic effect on the wildlife. Maybe they just liked having their pictures taken. On the other hand, I would be flattered if someone wanted to call me "The Duck Whisperer".
"Don't Get One Webbed Foot Closer!"

Streetwalking For Profit and Pulchritude (an update)

Today was a beautiful day for strolling along the lakefront with my town map and highlighter pen. Imagine my excitement when I found a folded piece of purple currency with a likeness of the Queen on it. I picked it up and gingerly unravelled it barely believing what I had in my hand. I can now finally report that I have made $10 streetwalking.

I also learned something today. When I was young, I remember singing a song at school and not having much of a clue what it meant. It contained strange words, a few of which I recognized as flowers. The word "garden" was about my only clue. It went something like this.

"How many kinds of sweet flowers grow in an English country garden?
I'll tell you know of some that I know and those I miss you'll surely pardon.
Daffodils, hearts ease and phlox, meadowsweet and lady smocks,
Gentian, lupin and tall hollyhocks, roses, foxgloves, snowdrops, blue forget me nots,
In an English country garden."

By definition, an English country garden is "a style of garden (made popular in the 18th century) involving statues, water features, lush greenery and a mixture of colourful flowers".

I believe that during my walk today, I spotted a real English country garden. It was in the front of a house near the beach and could only be described as a mansion. The entire front yard was heavily planted in contained, controlled segments. Hidden amongst the greenery were low ornamental statues. There were some mature trees and a gazebo. Just gorgeous.

I have also seen many attempts at something similar in front of smaller houses around town. Amazing how many people here seem to enjoy this type of yard. I don't recall seeing these anywhere that I've lived in the past...tall weeds and tacky lawn ornaments yes, a front yard covered in plantings, no. Most yards of this "country garden" ilk have a random assortment of perennials where many of their neighbours prefer to see grass. I'm not certain that these qualify in terms of the official definition, but it sure saves on mowing.

"There is joy in the spring when the birds begin to sing,
In an English country garden".

Streetwalking Update...what I've learned.

I read that people who set goals for themselves, with deadlines for completion, have an 89% lower risk of developing alzheimer's. I read this in a women's magazine, so it is probably about as valid as an article that would suggest that I'll be the next Prime Minister of Canada. On the other hand, where's the harm? I have now set an end of the year deadline for my streetwalking (see February 2/10 blog). This is a good thing because circumstances have caused me to slack off in the last month. Part of my new found motivation is a fear that with the rapidly encroaching housing developments, new streets will be built before I am able to conquer the current ones. Another worry is that the dreaded winter season might be a bit more aggressive next year than the previous, thus providing fewer hiking opportunities. Finally, and more honestly, if I don't get on with this, I might lose interest. So now I have a deadline. To date, I have completed walking about one fifth of the town's roads.

I have learned a few things during my journey.

After climbing over an assortment of mudpiles where roads were supposed to be, I learned that maps are not always accurate. There are many streets that have "no exit" but show great promise (in some mapmaker or developer's imagination that is).

My map did however help me with a challenge that I've experienced ever since moving here. I finally solved a mystery.

There is a clearly visible water tower with our town's name etched across it just before our highway exit. This same water tower sits a few streets north of here. In the past, I have walked downtown on numerous occasions, "attempting" to use the tower as a landmark. Obviously, I thought, turning in the opposite direction of the water tower would send me on a southerly path where 3.8 km later, I would arrive downtown. Apparently, obvious is not always so obvious.

Over and over again, on every trek, I walked in circles, making no progress toward my destination. How would I ever get to the library, the bank, or any store that might be having a sale? I've heard one definition of insanity as "repeating the same behaviour and expecting a different result", but in my defence, I knew I had to be correct. It had to work one of these times didn't it? The water tower was north and downtown was south. Obvious. When I would eventually pass the local elementary school for the third time, I'd usually resort to asking a lawn mowing local for help. I would immediately be directed to streets that couldn't possibly work, nonetheless, I listened to the instructions and magically, they always got me downtown.

So when I began my formal streetwalking in February, I started on some of the familiar roads in my own neighbourhood. I suppose I could have cheated and crossed off the ones that I had toured so often with and without the dog. Nope, I decided to start fresh. Map in hand, off I went. I highlighted every step I took so that I knew precisely where I was. And where I was when I saw it, was definitely, unequivocably, without a doubt, facing east! There it was, looming large, right in front of me...the water tower. How was that possible? Baffled, I turned north to go around the block and back home. That's when I saw it, through the bare trees, looming large, right in front of me...the water tower. I almost gave myself whiplash flipping my head back and forth, back and forth to confirm my discovery. Suddenly, my many circular trips made sense.

Heading home, I grumbled to myself, "What town needs two water towers anyhow? Stupid. Confuse me all those times. Hmmmph". So here ends, "The Tale of Two Water Towers".

Streetwalking, the oldest....

I haven't always liked walking. In fact, I hated it. I'm not certain at what point I developed an appreciation of this seemingly pointless activity. I know it wasn't during the winter of my formative years when I lived in the north and crossed a frozen lake to attend school. I'm also pretty certain that it wasn't in the spring as I ran home through the woods while encountering assorted mid sized wildlife.

Perhaps it was during the car-less years in the suburbs before my children were born. It was an experiment...one year, no car, let's see how we survive. The ex and I were fed up with the all too frequent and expensive repairs and maintenance, not to mention insurance. We disposed of the vehicle at a dealership in a neighbouring town, trekked home approximately 5 miles and the rest is history. We became physically and fiscally fit.

The experiment lasted not one, but three years. During that time, walking became the main form of transportation. When it was absolutely necessary, we rented. After buying a house some distance from work, I hiked there and back. Sometimes, laundry would accompany me. I transported it in my car trunk, aka a suitcase, washed dried and repacked it before marching it back home.

It was great when I found a colleague interested in joining me. Each day, I met her part way and we hoofed it to work. Hard to imagine that our feet plowed through some of the most inclement winter weather and, just as when driving, we compensated by leaving home early. Snowshoes might have helped, but I'm not sure where we might have parked them. Eventually, as the weather improved, walking turned to jogging.

Fast forward many, many years. I was a busy single parent. As an inexpensive exercise regimen, I took daily walks with two of my neighbours. We had all joined a weight loss group and enjoyed our evening strolls and gossip fests. The further the hikes, the more successful we were at keeping out of the kitchen and away from snacks.

When I moved from that neighbourhood, I was forced to create a new route for myself. At first, it was somewhat boring and the frequency of my walks decreased dramatically. It was around this time that I discovered the joys of talking books. These became my new walking partners. Besides that, when I became overheated I was forced to stop at the local pub to cool down before continuing on my jaunt. It was liberating, it was literating and it was libationating. Invented words, but it worked for Dr. Seuss.

Last weekend, I saw the movie "Julie and Julia" where Julie tried to cook every recipe in Julia Child's cookbook. It gave me an idea. I picked up a map of Cobourg from the library. There are exactly 250 streets in this town. My plan is to walk the length of every street...just walk. I do not have a set time goal. So, here comes the challenge. Do I also have to walk "to" every street thus repeating some roads over and over, or do I allow myself the luxury of driving to some of them, then walking? At this point, I'm leaning toward option A, walking from my house to and along each street. But then, at this point the weather is terrific for walking.

So the oldest form of transportation, my old hobby, has become a new goal. I'm looking forward to finding out what I learn.