Category: History & Heritage
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How Did You Find Your Dream House?
ser·en·dip·i·ty/ˌserənˈdipitē/ Noun: The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way: “a fortunate stroke of serendipity”. – Merriam-Webster We never did look at another house. We were driving ever so slowly through the tiny rural village when we saw the real estate For Sale sign on the front lawn.… Read more
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Making Tangible Our Intangible Cultural Heritage
[pullquote]Cultural heritage does not end at monuments and collections of objects. It also includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts. UNESCO Culture Sector, 2003… Read more
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Shelter from the Storm
Fear. Mental illness. Apocalyptic visions. It’s so hard to tell the difference between them these days. In Take Shelter, Curtis, a young husband and father from the midwest, obsesses about building out his underground storm shelter. Times are tough, jobs are in short supply, and families teeter on the edge of survival. Not a great… Read more
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When Opportunity Knocks
I recently returned from a two week stint in Vancouver which was 98% critical family business and 2% my first solo vacation in thirteen years without kids. I was there to find a long-term living facility for my father, who now requires 24/7 care due to Alzheimers. I did, however, manage to fit in… Read more
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Does Your House Give You the Creeps?
Google never fails to surprise me. Seemingly innocuous searches yield the most curious results. This morning’s internet wanderings produced a YouTube video about paranormal activity in a house not a stone’s throw from mine. Burritt’s Rapids was founded by United Empire Loyalists in 1793 and is one of the oldest communities on the Rideau Canal… Read more
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You Can Go Home Again (Hint: Try Knocking on the Front Door)
For the past two weeks I’ve been back in Vancouver for my annual journey “home.” But this year was different. I returned to find permanent lodging and care for my father, whose Alzheimers has taken a significant turn for the worse. I simultaneously advocated for my dad and provided moral support to my mom.… Read more
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Living Inside the Belly of a Whale
A Thule Whalebone House, circa 1,000 a.d. “One thousand years ago, a group of people began a trek across the far north, up above the Arctic Circle. They were following the bowhead whales that they hunted for food. The whales gave them other things as well. The whale bones were the building materials for remarkable… Read more
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This is the House That Jack Built
A morality tale from 1967 that is, sadly, equally relevant today. Forty-four years have passed and the enormous difference between then and now is the accrued environmental and sociological damage as the world chases the (frequently unsatisfactory) “American Dream”. oehttp://www.nfb.ca/film/the_house_that_jack_built Read more
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A Tale of Two Hotels – The Drake (Part 2)
We checked out of the Gladstone, Husband headed to the financial district, and I strolled down Queen Street to the Drake Hotel. I didn’t want to leave the area without getting, at the very least, a cursory look at the Gladstone’s kissing cousin. The building began its life in 1890 as Small’s Hotel, catering to… Read more