Traces
The overnight rain has left pictures of the dawn and the amber glow from streetlights scattered in the puddles in the driveway of my father’s house. The murmur drifting out of surrounding pines and cedars is that of rising new families of yellow finches, downy woodpeckers and cardinals that have been learning the ropes of […]
Rhymes with barley
One of the challenges the County faces is that even though it is a single legal entity, its constituent communities don’t necessarily feel that way. Wellington residents are dismissive of Picton; yet jealous of the perks—like that roundabout— their eastern cousins enjoy. Ameliasburgh is said to view any County expenditure that does not involve resurfacing […]
Pride
Pride. Yup, we decided to be in Toronto on Pride Weekend. Don’t get me wrong. I have no problem with Pride Weekend. I’ve got lots of Pride in my family. But Toronto, in the summertime, is always a congested place. This weekend, it was the usual construction, oceans of tourists, buses full of commuters, orange […]
Almost a great Yankee
More than 18,000 ballplayers have donned uniforms to play Major League baseball. One of the milestones considered important in the game is the 3,000-hit plateau. Only 29 players have managed to reach that height. The latest is New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez. He joined the 3,000-hit club recently by smashing a home run off Justin […]
Trading in stereotypes
This coming weekend, County food entrepreneur Darren Frump will celebrate the opening of his daring new gastronomic bastion—right in the heart of downtown Toronto. The Duck, as it will be called, is to be a County-themed restaurant/pub. It will appeal principally to visitors from the County who find themselves, for reasons best left unstated, in […]
Carefree days
As I sit down to write this, I don’t know the names of the victims of the horrendous collision on Highway 33 this past Saturday. The collision of a car with a group of motorcyclists. What follows isn’t a finger-pointing or blame-placing article. I don’t know the details of the accident. I do know lives […]
Road rage
I’m not the best driver in the world, I can admit that. A few years ago I was involved in a collision. It was not devastating, but it was my fault. I didn’t react fast enough, I didn’t make the right decision in the moment. The greatest cost to me was to replace my car […]
Hot fuzz
Summer is nearly upon us. It’s the season of skin— bathing suits and short sleeves prevail as we attempt to avoid overheating. At the gym, folks try their best to Zumba and bench press their way to beach bodies. And women everywhere are confronted with a winter’s worth of hair to slough off so legs […]
In the beginning
There may not have been a sports collector’s world had it not been for the efforts of Sy Berger. Berger passed away late last year. I was unaware of his passing until I recently received an article about it from my sister. Berger was born in 1923 on Manhattan’s Lower East Side and moved to […]
Ancestral vineyards
We would not recognize ancient vineyards. They were not grown in the trellised rows we expect, but were allowed to cover up to an acre of land with new root systems forming wherever the vines touched the ground. The clusters of grapes were supported by wooden props to allow airflow, prevent rot and, most importantly, […]