Category: Archives
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In the House With Sir John A.
Did some macro- to micro-Habicurious time travel this weekend in celebration of Canada Day. Spent July 1st (the launch of confederation) in Kingston (the first capital city of the united Canadas), touring the house of Sir John A. Macdonald, the country’s first Prime Minister and a Father of Confederation. Bellevue House was built in the… Read more
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Welcome to Quintland
UPDATE: August 5, 2018: Annette visited her birth house in North Bay today. Cecile was supposed to join her but cancelled due to health reasons. The story is here. UPDATE: As of November 19th, 2017, the birth house and museum of the Dionne Quintuplets has been moved to the North Bay waterfront, installed on Oak… Read more
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CurioCabinet: “Dame Marjorie’s School” 1894
Much to my delight, Library and Archives Canada continues to post more and more of their fascinating materials online for public access. Just in time for Halloween, they’ve posted a set of 52 costume/Halloween pics here on Flickr. Seems Lady and Lord Aberdeen, Canada’s Governor General from 1893 to 1898, ran an enviably entertaining and… Read more
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What My Grandmother Was Doing 79 Years Ago Today
My paternal grandmother, Antoinette, was the illegitimate child of a French-born Count living in Switzerland and his mistress-employee, Francoise Mallet. Neighbours described Francoise as having fallen victim to “droit de seigneur,” and soon after her birth in 1907, Antoinette was brought to Montreal to be raised by a governess, Aldea Hogue, under the loving eyes… 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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You Can Go Home Again (Hint: Try Knocking on the Front Door)
Note: this entry was written in mid-February but posted today. 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… 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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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