Smaller Ontario Communities Have Holiday Spirit

I heard the Mayor of Tillsonburg on the radio the other day urging residents to decorate their homes for the holidays. The aim was to make things inviting for folks from surrounding areas and larger centres, who may want to take in some small town Christmas shopping or sight seeing. 

Mayor John Lessif has the right idea.

Smaller Ontario communities have much to offer when it comes to shopping for clothes, furniture, fresh baked goods and more. Walk into just about any clothing shop on Main Street Ontario and you’ll often find the old original plank flooring, along with friendly staff and top name brands at reasonable prices. You’re also likely to come across things you wouldn't normally find at a chain store or in a mall. Although the big box stores, and chains have their advantages, it’s where everyone goes and often when they’re in a hurry. Meantime you won’t have to elbow your way through desperate shoppers on a mission to nab that coveted item. Chances are unlikely you will be tasered by a competitive or crazed individual while shopping in say: Aylmer, lovely Lambeth, St. Thomas, Paris, Dundas or Waterdown to name a few.  Black Friday in locales such as these is relatively safe, peaceful and placid. Visits to these communities tend to leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling that takes you back to the good old days. After all, isn’t that what the holidays should be all about?

Just about every small town in Ontario has a bake shop with aromas and treats to die for. Many also have farmers markets where fresh and one of a kind items can be purchased directly from the grower or craftsman.

After your small town shopping spree, why not take in a local Christmas light display? Brantford features the Joysey Lights at Glehyrst Gardens where spectators can watch an elaborate outdoor light show, and then visit the Glenhyrst Art Gallery for some hot chocolate, and take in the art displays.

 Complete with horse drawn wagon rides and hand built displays, the Simcoe Panorama of Lights has been in existence for well over 50 years. It's a must see for anyone who’s never been.

http://www.simcoepanorama.ca

Many communities have wonderful Christmas concerts featuring symphonies and choral talent.

Christmas Bells-a-Ringing Dec 7 watch the video for details http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0fawqkAQiA …

These are just some examples of small town offerings I’m familiar with personally here in southern Ontario. Examples like this abound throughout the entire province, in a neighbourhood near you.

The holiday season can bring peace and joy, if you know where to look.

Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture

My husband,who once lived above an architect’s office, became enamored with the work of the legendary architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. Subsequently so did I, which led us on many trips to view Wright’s buildings throughout the U.S. I like to refer to Wright as the “father of modern architecture”.  Born in 1867 in Wisconsin, he spent much of his life in the U.S. southwest. Before Wright came along, architecture was based on; ornate, traditional, old world styles. Wright came of age when the Victorian style was all the rage. However, his designs consisted of; straight lines, flat cantilevered roofs, corner windows, and unorthodox building materials pulled directly from nature.

Wright designed; synagogues, churches, museums and many homes. The most famous of these homes is arguably Falling Water, which we visited in the rolling hills of Bear Run Pennsylvania during one of our trips in the nineties. Some have argued if Wright revered nature so much he should not have built a house over a waterfall. Many others consider it a masterpiece. 

Other trips to view Wright’s architecture took us to Phoenix Arizona, Spring Green Wisconsin, the Chicago suburb of Oak Park Illinois and Buffalo New York.

He built many homes for the elite, but Wright’s so called usonian home for the average person, reminds me of the one story ranch style that began to spring up in the late fifties and continues to be popular today.

Wright was also known for being a forward thinker. I was struck by an interview he did with Mike Wallace back in 1957.

 One of the greatest architects of the 20th century, talks to Wallace about religion, war, mercy killing, art, critics, his mile-high skyscraper, America's youth, sex, morality, politics, nature, and death. Thanks to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation for their cooperation in presenting this interview here.   Watch Video

While watching the Hitchock thriller “North by Northwest” on Turner Classic Movies one day, I couldn’t help but think the house perched on a hill near Mount Rushmore looked to be a Wright creation. It turns out it was in fact inspired by Wright.

One of the best known houses in the history of Modernism is not a house at all, but an elaborate movie set. Created entirely at MGM studios in Culver City, California for Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film, North by Northwest. In 1958, when the movie was in production,Frank Lloyd Wright was the most famous Modernist architect in the world. His magnum opus, Fallingwater, was conceivably the most famous house anywhere. His renown in the Fifties was such that mass-market magazines like House Beautiful and House & Gardendevoted entire issues to his work. Hitchcock instructed the set designers at MGM to design a house in the Wright style, by its creation, the image of the Vandamm House became an icon of Modernism in architecture. Jet Set Modern  Monday, August 4th, 2008.

Although Wright is respected for his work, his son recounted in a television interview how his father left his first wife and ten children with no means of support, leaving them to turn to a local church for food.  His second common law wife died in a fire, when a disgruntled servant set the home ablaze after being dismissed.  Many of his homes leaked due to his use of experimental materials and designs. He also designed furniture for many of his clients and was known to drop by unannounced and rearrange it as he had intended.

Regardless of his faults, Wright's work left an enduring impression on the world of architecture. It also gave us an excuse to travel to many interesting spots, including Oak Park Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, as seen in the photos below.

Province Targets Tonsorial Talent

My husband “Al the Barber” owner of “Al’s Place” will have been cutting hair for 50 years as of September 2014. That includes a three year apprenticeship, and 20 weeks of training at what’s now known as Toronto’s George Brown College. He began the  trade when he was 16 years old. For most of his life he’s called himself a barber. However, there is some confusion about the title these days due to the recently created Ontario College of Trades (OCT). Since 1998 there has been no formal classification for barbers. That’s when they legally became known hairstylists. “Al the Hairstylist” doesn’t have quite the same ring.

For many years trades people of all sorts including; barbers, mechanics and plumbers, have been charged a licensing fee of 60 dollars every three years.  Now, under the OCT, they will be charged $120 every year.  Enforcement officers have been hired by the OCT to travel around and check that licenses are up to date. Barbers however, are off the hook for now at least. They are exempt from paying the increased fees until “barber” is once again named as a trade under the Ontario College of Trades Apprenticeship Act. Many, including Toronto Sun columnist Christina Blizzard see the new system as provincial money grab.

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/straighttalk/archives/2013/10/20131022-193313.html

There is also word barbers may have to go back to school to learn hairdressing techniques including, colouring and perming.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ontario-barbers-forced-to-learn-women-s-styling-techniques-1.2326264

There are just four barbers left in the city of Brantford, none of which offer perming or full scale colour jobs.  They do however, offer beard and moustache trims and the trimming of nose and ear hairs. There are special tools for the latter. Really.

Some trades folk on the other hand feel the new tactics by the OCT aren’t entirely a bad thing.  During a visit by an OCT inspector to a local mechanic’s shop,  it was explained the stepped up scrutiny will help police unscrupulous trades people who don’t follow the rules, such as mechanics who issue phoney safety checks, or charge for unnecessary work. It would also target those who work in the underground economy. The new licensing fees will only apply to those tradespeople who work directly with the public. A millwright for example would not see a fee increase.

If barbers were still performing blood- letting and surgery as they did in ancient times, there might be more acceptance of a 300 percent fee increase. As it stands, many see it as unfairly targeting tonsorial talent.

Below: class of 64 with a 16 year old “Al the Barber" second row fourth from the right.