When my two brothers and I were kids our Dad was a long haul tugboat guy.
Which meant he was often away for three weeks at a time.
Which was crummy.
But when he was home it was fantastic.
Anyway...
It meant that he often didn't get home until a few days before Christmas.
Which meant that there was a whole lot of madness and last minute shopping going on the last couple of days before SantaFest.
One year, we didn't get the tree until the last minute.
In my memory the snow began to fall before we headed out the door on our way to the tree lot just past up past the old Oak Bay theatre.
Later, after much deliberating and branch twirling, the three of us carried the decidedly not Charlie Brownish Douglas fir, horizontally, all the way home.
It was one of the most fun things I can remember from our (mostly) pretty good childhood times.
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Coming back to the present...We came over to the Republic of VanIsle on one of the Spirits yesterday afternoon.
Because, as you may have already deduced, I avoid the KrautRock ferries if at all possible
The boat was not crowded and the sailing was quite pleasant.
The Whackadoodle II and littler e. were with us.
Bigger E. is coming over this morning.
We will pick her up and then head downtown.
Given HellTerm 3000, and all that entailed for the first three weeks of December, I will be pretty much starting my Christmas shopping this morning.
Just like old times!
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My youngest brother, the real musician in the family, turned 60 (very) recently...Last night, while we watched one of those empty-arena pre-World Junior games, I asked my Dad how it felt to have three kids who are all in their seventh decade...He guffawed.
For those who liked his stuff (and C. is crazy for it)...You can listen to pretty much all of Stuart McLean's Christmas stories, stacked on top of each other....Here.
Because, as you may have already deduced, I avoid the KrautRock ferries if at all possible
The boat was not crowded and the sailing was quite pleasant.
The Whackadoodle II and littler e. were with us.
Bigger E. is coming over this morning.
We will pick her up and then head downtown.
Given HellTerm 3000, and all that entailed for the first three weeks of December, I will be pretty much starting my Christmas shopping this morning.
Just like old times!
_______
My youngest brother, the real musician in the family, turned 60 (very) recently...Last night, while we watched one of those empty-arena pre-World Junior games, I asked my Dad how it felt to have three kids who are all in their seventh decade...He guffawed.
For those who liked his stuff (and C. is crazy for it)...You can listen to pretty much all of Stuart McLean's Christmas stories, stacked on top of each other....Here.
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5 comments:
I love the picture. remember the style of valance in the living room the lamp, couch. How wonderful to have such great memories and that your family gets together at Christmas. three generations of family getting together for Christmas! WoW. So who is cooking the turkey? Do have a great time.
Wishing you a great Christmas en famille and a long break from the tribulations of the past four months. Rabelaisien feasting for all!
eaf and Danneau--
Thanks!...You all have a great Christmas also.
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I grew up about 65 km north of you on a 20 acre plot of mostly fir treed land. After depleting the limited number of Christmas trees on our place, and having become accustomed to cost-free trees, we 2 boys and Dad jumped into the Volkswagen windowless van along with a saw and an axe, and went for a drive down rural roads in the Cowichan Valley. Heading down Richards’ Trail, we spotted a beautiful Balsam fir in a large sloped field, about 30 metres from the roadside fence, but more importantly, it was out of sight and sound range of houses. Each armed with a cutting tool, Dad and my brother were over the fence and at the tree quite quickly, pausing to look towards me, the lookout, back at the van.
After I gave the all clear signal, the cutting was quick, but when they were half-way back with tree in hands, I signaled that a car was coming from behind us. They dropped the tree and lied flat on the ground until I gave the all clear signal. I opened the van’s side doors when they got to the fence, grabbed the tree from them, stuffed the tree in, and closed the doors behind me as Dad and M climbed into the front seat, and we were gone, quite proud of our joint caper. DF
DF--
Now that is some story/caper...
C and I did that kinda/sorta, once, deep in the Sooke Hills (but way off paved road) back when we were young.
Windowless VW Van? Wow!...Our Dad bought a 1970 version in, I think, 1975...Had windows, but just a shell...Learned to drive on that very fine vehicle...Although pretty much as temperamental, mechanically, as the current crop of KrautRock ferries...
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