Wendy At Age 20

This is another portrait of Wendy taken by her brother Brad. I experimented with colour on the tattered old black and white photo. Unfortunately the original was printed on textured matte paper so the results are less than perfect.

 Here's the original photo which was 11 x 14.
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Lunch at New Sarum

Greg and Patricia picked us up at 12:30 and we headed off to New Sarum for lunch with "The Circle Of Friends" ladies group at the New Sarum Diner.

We arrived right on time at 1 pm and met 8 others in our group.

Not a smile anywhere in this picture but I can assure you everyone had a good time eating and gabbing.  I photoshopped myself in to scene. Hope you don't mind . Ha ha!

Barry brought his beautiful '37 chev and snapped some pictures of his car posed near the antique gas pump.

Trish, Wendy and Mary-Helen pose for a picture.

Barb and Barry in their 78 year-old car.
 

Since Barry retires soon, as a gift I gave him a framed 20 x 16 print showing the Supertest Garage picture with him and his car. It should look good in his "man cave".
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Wendy Circa 20

"Wendy Circa 20"       Click pic to enlarge.

My artsy picture today features my beautiful wife Wendy, before we were married, when she was about twenty years young. What is she thinking about?

Rather tattered original b&w picture

Her brother Brad took the shot in black and white while he was attending the brand new Sheridan College, (Photography)  in either its inaugural year 1967 or soon after, maybe 1968.

CONGRATULATIONS ERIN!!!

It's official! Our daughter Erin has significantly advanced in her career. One of the more gratifying things a parent can experience must be when their children finally "make it" in their chosen fields. In the case of Wendy and I, both our kids seem to have found satisfaction in what they do and for this we are very pleased. Working a job you hate is not only a great waste of one's potential, but also mentally and physically unhealthy.

Fortunately Erin loves her work at the St Clair Region Conservation Authority (SCRCA), especially her outdoor endeavours.  Whether it's wading in a creek, tagging fish; walking a trail, counting creatures; or partaking in a controlled burn of invasive Phragmites, she thrives on the interesting projects she gets involved in. She says some days she can't believe they pay her to do this "work".

Effective at month's end, her boss Muriel retires and Erin has been selected to take her place. This is a move up from her "Aquatic Biologist" position to that of "Acting Manager of Biology" and has been promised that in 2 years she will take the title of a brand new position being created: tentatively known as "Director of Biology". For several years now, Erin, (with her rather unique academic background which includes not only an Honours degree in Biology but also an Master's degree in Business Administration) has also been charged with the job of going after grant money to fund the numerous projects at the SCRCA. Every year she brings in millions of dollars crucial to their conservation work. She says now that she is "the boss" she looks forward to even more of the outdoor field work that she loves. We are so proud of Erin's latest achievement. For the web page of the SCRCA CLICK HERE.

That's "Doctor" Taleski-Steele To You!

Left to right: Wendy, Erin, Sarah, Calvin, Doug, Daphne, Lindsay, Doug, and Me. I forget the dog's name.

Sunday we drove out the twenty or so miles northwest of here to Thorndale, Ontario to the beautiful home of Wendy's brother Doug and his lovely wife Daphne. The occasion was a close family celebration in honour of their daughter Sarah's new job in Capetown, South Africa and her graduation as a Doctor. After 8 years of grueling study she finally gave her Dissertation which leads to her Doctorate in Epidemiology.

Wendy brought the cakes. The dog got the corner we think.

Calvin and the new Doctor.

Cakes and sparklers rah rah rah.

Wendy reads a speech/tribute.

On Thursday she and her husband Calvin embark for Africa and she starts a work term with "Doctors Without Borders". Her job entails the analysis and recommendations as to the direction of healthcare programs in South Africa relating to Tuberculosis and HIV. She explained that the two diseases are linked due to the vulnerability of the immune system in HIV patients. They have already picked out a lovely condo on the beach within commuting distance of her new workplace. Because of the vast distance, we won't be seeing too much of them for the next while. They will be missed but what an amazing experience she has in store!


Daphne gave an emotional recounting of the challenges of Sarah's great accomplishments.
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No Pictures Please.

Ooops! I can't believe I didn't record any pictures of a very nice visit by my sister Pat and her son Alexander when they were here. I guess I was so carried away in conversation that I forgot all about my camera.

Over 500 km each way, so its a long drive.

 They live in Brockville which takes in excess of 5 hours to drive. This means we don't get to visit with them too often. Today they were in London to see a specialist at University Hospital regarding a health issue. After the appointment they dropped by our house and I grilled up some good steaks on the barbeque for dinner.

Time flew by with lively conversation and before you knew it they were gone. I feel badly, for not one picture did I snap!
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Bummer! More Snow?

Oh no, I thought we were done with this.

The flowers and birds must wonder what's up.

Oh well, spring is still springing I guess.

L&PS Railway

L&PS RR To The Beach Terminal (1954).  Both cottages are still standing.      Click to enlarge.

The artsy picture for today is my rendering of the electric train that used to run between London and Port Stanley. L&PS was one of the first railways in Ontario. This scene shows the train crossing Bessie Street, heading west to cross William Street and then running parallel with the shoreline, ending at the Port Stanley Beach Terminal near the Stork Club. Thousands of people used this efficient mode of transport until passenger service was scrapped in 1957. What a shame! It was a great way to get to the beach and no worries about having to have a D.D. Read about it HERE.
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STUPID: Bumper Sledding.

If summers seemed to drag on and on when you were young, winters seemed to be endless. In spite of this, and maybe because I was a little bigger than other kids my age, I sometimes got into more than my share of "activities" with the older, local kids. One such questionable activity was a more or less accepted practice back in the 1950's I called Bumper Sledding. Looking back now I can see that being towed on a toboggan or sleigh behind a 3000 pound automobile, on city streets, through a snowstorm, with no way to communicate with the driver, is probably not a great idea. This was however, popular at the time and one of the most fun of all the questionable activities in which I partook.

Click on my Rockwellian artsy picture to enlarge it.

Bumper sledding (not to be confused with bumper jumping)
Our dear next door neighbour, Helen Clarkson was one of the few suburban housewives of the time to have her own car. I think it was an old 1938 or so Chevrolet "bustleback" sedan. The car was large but not big enough to carry everybody so she devised a simple, yet effective plan. Aunty Helen as I called her, was big on good times, if not a little short on good sense. Who couldn't love a woman who would tow all the neighbour kids a mile or two from the park at Colville Boulevard all the way over to the London Ski Club, now called Boler Mountain. She patiently waited while gabbing with her sister or another neighbourhood housewife while everybody tobogganed and sledded to their heart's content. Then after, she would tie us all back on and tow the whole collection back home where she would feed us fresh, hot popcorn and hot chocolate. At least I always made it home, but there was no checklist of names so it's possible someone could have gotten left behind if they were tardy.

Did Helen Clarkson actually invent Bumper Sledding?
In spite of the obvious risks like being run into by a vehicle from behind, or someone falling off and freezing to death, or being gassed by the adjacent tail pipe or... Hey! We never thought of these! Bad endings were only things you read about in the newspaper, and as for Bumper Sledding, there was no law against it that any of us knew about. It was really a different world back then. Even drinking and driving was more or less the norm, no one would ever think of suing another person and insurance was for house fires. As I've said before, parental supervision also seemed to me to be a relatively new concept for the 50's.
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Artoon: Afraid OF Them Or Afraid FOR Them...

 

Original picture of the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club from the 1953 movie "The Wild One"

 While driving back from Erin's place in Strathroy, a group of Harley Davidson riding senior citizens passed us on the highway. We used to be afraid of these motorcycle gangs like Johnny Strabler (Marlon Brando) and his fellow tough-guys in the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club in the 1953 movie "The Wild One". The sight of these sexagenarians and even septuagenarians roaring past us inspired my "artsy" rendition for today 

My coloured, updated and aged over-the-hill gang as they might look now. Click to enlarge.

As Wendy said as they passed: "We used to be afraid of them; now we're only afraid they'll kill themselves." What a difference 50 or 60 years makes.
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Artoon: This Is A "MUST HAVE" Item.

Guaranteed to work immediately. Completely safe and effective.

You need to click on the "ad" picture to see this amazingly simple device.
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Artoon: Electricity - Who Needs It?

"Wind Powered Fans"

Wind powered, belt-driven fans. I knew there must be some use for wind turbines. What will they think of next? A cool invention and just in time for global warming too. Oh oh, pinch me, could I be turning green?
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You Can Never Go Back.

"You Can Never Go Back"                              Click pic to enlarge.

Another "artsy" composition. The Food n Foam is a couple miles south of Talbotville and is still standing. (sort of)  It was quite the meeting spot before the days of McDonald's and Tim Horton's. I can imagine cute, young, waitresses serving these old Chevys on roller skates. Only in my mind though, because I added the 1958 Chevrolet  (left) and 1957 Chevrolet (right) from my some pictures of old wrecks I found in cyberspace.

This is the original photo I snapped the other day on our drive on the way back to London from Port Stanley.

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A YouTube Video as local resident takes his movie camera around the abandoned Food n Foam Restaurant site.

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U.S.A. From Canada

"U.S.A. As Seen From Canada"         Click the pic to enlarge.

My "artsy" picture for today.
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This Is Too Good To Be True!

Watch this:  (I just HAD to post it)

Tundra Swans Are Returning Late This Year.

One of several viewing towers overlook the ponds.

We took a drive to Aylmer to see the Tundra Swans as they migrate north. They usually are finished by now but I guess the cold weather systems have slowed their progress. There appeared to be a few hundred of the birds on the ponds but someone told us that yesterday there were over 3000. If you like, you can read an article from last year. They were late then too but the news clip was from early March and this year they are a full month later. CLICK HERE.

This guy looks like he got into some engine oil or some pollutant at one of his stops. It didn't seem to bother his appetite.

Wendy views the scene from the observation tower with her new binoculars.

The flapping of wings sends a signal to the other swans. I think he's saying "Keep away, I'm with her".
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A Drive In The Country

You never know what you'll see:

Click to enlarge

My artsy pics from just north of Aylmer Ontario.

Some people have a real knack for classy yard crafts.South east of Glanworth, Ontario.
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