Tag: Burritt’s Rapids
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A Sign
This week I received a sign I’d been waiting for. I wrote here and here about the McCarney family that owned my house between 1918 or so and 1976. Patricia McCarney, one of four siblings, lived in the house – nicknamed Rustic Manor – until she entered the convent. John, her nephew, spent summers at the… Read more
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The View From Here
Waiting for the thunderstorm, which didn’t much materialize. But it did leave us with some gorgeous light and a rainbow. Read more
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Official Opening of the Burritt’s Rapids Summer Social Season
The stars aligned yesterday for a community idea I’ve wanted to try out for awhile: the spontaneous Front Yard Happy Hour. We live in a village which sports a tiny public library, a Community Hall, a small public beach, but no economic activity. The closing of the lovely old General Store, with its beloved seasonal… 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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Autumn Walkabout, In Town & Out
(Click on each photo to see full image.) [nggallery id=20] Read more
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Parks (By and) For the People
New Ruralism is as applicable as New Urbanism for creating usable, meaningful public spaces and associated public life which suit a variety of purposes for people at varying stages of their life. It is not an ‘and/or’ proposition, but about enrichment for everyone. Read more
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The More Things Change
This past summer I spent way more time than I cared to attending council meetings, writing letters and talking to neighbours about a proposed Heritage Conservation District (HCD) for our tiny historic hamlet, when I really needed to be up on the scaffolding. I am hardly anti-heritage but I also don’t believe that the benefits… Read more
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Cheerios in the Floorboards and Other Assorted Commonalities
Most people pick their friends based on sympathetic personalities, socio-economic similarities, common interests, or the age of their children. But we seem to be collecting friends who, like us, live in old and partially renovated houses. I can’t decide whether our rural roots or similar value sets are bringing us together or whether there is… Read more
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Old Gal Gets Naked
Stripping on the main street of any village is usually frowned upon except, perhaps, in the most liberal enclaves. In our little microcosm of the world at large, structural nakedness – the disappearance of siding and the appearance of paint swatches – can set gums a flappin’ and opinions a flyin’. It’s good for at… Read more