CHRISTMASES PAST IN BRACEBRIDGE

ROAD HOCKEY, ALICE STREET, MANITOBA STREET WANDERINGS, AND THE TOWN I MISS

I BEGAN IN EARLY NOVEMBER, WRITING A SERIES OF "THANK YOU" BLOGS FOR MY "GRAVENHURST SITE", WITH EMPHASIS ON THE CHRISTMAS SEASON…..ONE OF MY MOST PROLIFIC TIMES OF THE YEAR. I BEGAN THE SERIES FOR ONE VERY GOOD REASON. WHILE I HAVE A LOT OF COPY WRITTEN ABOUT BRACEBRIDGE, AS MY HOMETOWN GROWING UP, I HAD NEXT TO NOTHING WRITTEN ABOUT MY PRESENT HOMETOWN…..THE ONE THAT HAS BEEN SO PERFECT FOR THE WRITER-ME. WHEN OUR FAMILY MOVED TO GRAVENHURST, FROM BRACEBRIDGE, IN THE LATE 1980'S, MY MAIN CONCERN WAS ABOUT MY ABILITY TO COMPOSE IN MY NEW DIGS. IN MY FINAL YEARS IN BRACEBRIDGE, I'D HAD SOME LESS THAN POSITIVE HOME SITUATIONS, THAT JUST DIDN'T HELP ME WRITE. AS A CAREER WRITER AND FORMER STAFF REPORTER WITH THE LOCAL PRESS, I CAN WRITE ON COMMAND, AND WORKING TO DEADLINE IS STILL AN OBSESSION. BUT WRITING OUT OF PASSION…..GEEZ, I WAS RUNNING ON EMPTY. I COULD WRITE FOR THE PAPER BUT WRITING FOR MYSELF, FOR OTHER PURPOSES, THESE DWELLINGS JUST DIDN'T INSPIRE ME. SO WHEN THE TRUE TESTS CAME, IN OUR GRAVENHURST ABODE, I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED AT THE WAY BIRCH HOLLOW, OUR MODEST HOMESTEAD, INSPIRED ME DAILY, TO CREATE UNTIL MIND AND BODY WERE TAPPED-OUT. SO I DECIDED THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO PAY TRIBUTE TO MY SOUTH MUSKOKA HOMETOWN, AND WRITE SOME STORIES ABOUT THE REASON WHY……I FEEL SO ENTHRALLED TO SIT DOWN HERE IN MY ARCHIVES OFFICE, AND USE THIS VIEW OUT ONTO THE GARDENS, TO MY CREATIVE ADVANTAGE. IN TRIBUTE TO THE KINDNESSES OF GRAVENHURST, IN SO MANY WAYS, I DECIDED TO CALL THE SERIES "CHRISTMAS IN GRAVENHURST," WHICH IS A DAY TO DAY JOURNAL OF OPINION, OBSERVATIONS, OBJECTIONS AND OVERVIEWS…..JUST TO BORROW A FEW "O" WORDS TO DESCRIBE THE BLOG'S INTENT. IT IS A SINCERE THANK YOU, DESPITE THE CRITIQUE OF SOME LOCAL POLITICAL ISSUES, FOR THE COMFORTS AND HOSPITALITY OUR FAMILY HAS BEEN SHOWN, FOR MORE THAN TWENTY YEARS NOW…….AND HEARTFELT RECOGNITION ABOUT HOW THIS HAS GREASED THE FLOW OF CREATIVITY. I'VE ONLY STOPPED WRITING ONCE, FOR ABOUT SIX MONTHS IN LATE 1990, WHILE I WAS RE-VAMPING OUR ANTIQUE BUSINESS WHICH WE STILL OPERATED IN BRACEBRIDGE. I COULDN'T EVEN BEGIN TO ESTIMATE THE HUGE VOLUME OF WRITTEN MATERIAL PRODUCED HERE AT BIRCH HOLLOW, BUT SUFFICE TO SAY, IT WAS A GOOD DECISION TO MOVE HERE BACK IN 1989, WHEN I WAS AT THAT PROVERBIAL CROSS ROADS…….WHETHER TO QUIT WRITING ALTOGETHER, OR FIND SOME PLACE, OR MEANS, TO REVITALIZE WHAT HAD BECOME STALE AND PREDICTABLE.

YOU CAN VIEW THESE SITES BY SEARCHING FOR MY GRAVENHURST BLOG.

AS FOR MY FIRST HOMETOWN, AFTER MOVING NORTH FROM BURLINGTON, IN 1966, I WANT TO SHARE A SIMILAR SERIES OF BLOGS, ABOUT MY EARLY YEARS IN BRACEBRIDGE…….A SMALL TOWN THAT CERTAINLY GAVE ME A GOOD AND PROSPEROUS YOUTH, FULL OF SPORT AND ADVENTURE. IT'S WHERE I ARRIVED AT ABOUT AGE ELEVEN OR SO, GRADE FIVE, AT BRACEBRIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOL, AND WHERE I WOULD GO ON, IN SCHOOL TO MEET MY WIFE SUZANNE, HAVE OUR BOYS, ANDREW AND ROBERT, AND BURY OUR RESPECTIVE PARENTS IN MORE RECENT HISTORY. WE HAVE A LOT OF HISTORY INVESTED IN BRACEBRIDGE, AND OUR FAMILY IS THANKFUL FOR THE YEARS WE RESIDED THERE, AND ENJOYED SO MANY WONDERFUL FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, WHEREVER WE LIVED……FROM MANITOBA STREET, QUEBEC STREET, ONTARIO STREET, OR GOLDEN BEACH ROAD. AS A KID, MY LIFE WAS ON ALICE STREET. I WAS SO THRILLED WITH THE MEMORIES OF THOSE YEARS, I WROTE A BOOK ABOUT IT BACK IN 2000. AND NOW, FOR MY FAMILY, I WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY WILL HAVE THIS KEEPSAKE COLLECTION…..TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THEIR OLD DAD…….WHEN HE WAS THE LEAD RAPSCALLION, IN A LOT OF NEIGHBORHOOD LEGENDARY MAYHAM. I WILL BE COMMENCING THE SERIES IN THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS, SO PLEASE REJOIN ME, IF YOU WANT TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT A SMALL ONTARIO TOWN LONG BEFORE IT GOT ITS FIRST BOX STORE…..OR ROUND-ABOUT, OR CRYSTAL PALACE……WHAT I CALL THE NEW COMBINATION REC. CENTRE AND HIGH SCHOOL. SEE YOU THEN.