Chris' latest GF

This terrible picture was likely taken on some one's cell phone at school. The young lady is Jessica and she is Chris' most recent girlfriend. He has asked her to go with him tonight to the Halloween dance at his cadet corp. I reminded him that this will require him to actually dress in costume since it is a costume party/dance. I guess he figured that going out on this date is worth the effort of dressing up for the occasion. He plans to be a "Captain Jack Sparrow" for the evening.

Old St Thomas Church Graveyard

These are a few of the many varied stones which can be found in this old graveyard. The black one is known as the "Witch's Grave". Many local (and Internet) legends abound about this stone. The facts are that the stone was imported from the Toronto area and it turned black over the years due to exposure to pollution from the rail traffic nearby. The black color can be found in many Toronto area graveyards but it is unique in this area. Click on that link to read the supernatural type legends. A volunteer who explained the facts and legends to us also mentioned that many Wicans come to this site to bury there crystals in order to recharge them. The other two pictures were of tree trunk type cast headstones which caught my eye. This old large graveyard is very well documented by the church and restoration volunteers. A beautiful site on the edge of a large cliff leading to one of the many gully areas in St Thomas.

Doors Open Ontario-St Thomas view

I can't believe that I didn't get a shot of the outside of this church. This "Old St Thomas Church" was our first stop today. This is the oldest church in St Thomas and the graveyard beside it has been fully documented. The church has complete records of births, marriages and deaths. Very knowledgeable volunteers were on site to give us lots of local history and answer our questions. The top picture here shows the upper level doorway where I went to get a better shot of the pews below. I was surprised by what looks like an old large archway which had been filled in to create regular door opening.Below that the left hand picture shows the church which is filled with "family boxes". we were told that families paid $2/year for the small box and $3/year for a large box. This ensured that the minister would get paid and have money to run the church. we were also told that the upper left hand side balcony type box was used by prisoners who were led down the street from the jail to be saved by the Sunday sermons. The box has a small ladder attached on the front and it is thought that another ladder led to that which allowed the prisoners access to the box. We were also told that there remains graffiti in that box which would not have been made by a true Christian. Deb is standing inside a large family box to give us an idea of the spaciousness. The doors on the boxes were designed to keep out drafts in the unheated building. The stained glass is framed by large prints showing the lord's prayer. Outside that wall of the church is the edge of a very large gully.

Princess Avenue Playhouse

Our second stop found us checking out this partially restored church now finding new life as a theatre. It appears to be a fantastic small venue, run by a group of passionate actors. It is one of those gems that Deb and I will definitely be seeing again. We hit at a slow time and were given a behind the scenes private tour of areas not normally seen by the public including the old church tower and a view of the attic space. Another beautiful old building, tucked away in St Thomas.

DOORS OPEN -ELGIN COUNTY RAILWAY MUSEUM

Elgin County Railway Museum was our last stop on the tour today. Chris especially enjoyed checking out the inside of the steam engine which he is seen standing beside. It was a very large train and had an auger feed for the coal. The engineer had very little view of what was ahead of the train and simply ran on faith that people would get out of the way.

Chris' weekend Adventure

What do you do when the whole world is against you? Teachers, cadet leaders, parents, everyone keeps harping that you have to do your work, have to be responsible, have to be accountable. This is grade 12! It is supposed to be fun! If your name is Chris, you say I want freedom and here he has chosen to make his own life and choices. This is Chris' piece of "blue sky" freedom to do what he wants. Unfortunately, when he discovered the price of freedom after a few cold nights in the piece of paradise pictured here, he came pleading to be allowed back into our home. After much discussion with his regarding his responsibilities at school and his agreement to fully participate there(not just when it is convenient for him) we told him this will be his last chance to live with us. If he chooses to leave again, he can simply stay gone from our lives.

It was sad to note the huge mess he left behind in the woods. In his defence there was plenty of other garbage and junk scattered throughout what is obviously a local party area, but still I thought we had raised a more Eco-friendly child. At this point, Chris doesn't know that we have discovered his weekend lair but I am sure he will see it here someday.

Our Dusty is gone

We had to put our Little Dusty dog down last week. She had been diagnosed with a nasty form of throat cancer, Squamish cell carcinoma . The vet felt that she wouldn't survive surgery and prognosis was not good enough to attempt that anyway. She was having difficulty breathing, not feeling too well as seen in these sad last pictures and this type of cancer is very invasive and had likely already gone into her bloodstream. A sad day for sure.