Touring Windsor with my parents

[vaneramos]

This portrait of me says something about Canadians, always curious about our noisy neighbours. Here is the only vantage point in thousands of miles of shared border from which we can watch their underside—from the south, that is. Dad took this photo in Dieppe Gardens, the waterfront of Windsor, Ontario, looking north at the Detroit skyline.

I'm just back from a brief and pleasant visit with my parents to pick up their second car, a gold Sunfire, which I'll be using while my daughters are on their summer vacation.

The train yesterday shuddered through heavy rain. I had taken the wrong book of the trilogy, His Dark Materials,— book three instead of two—so I had nothing to read, but needing to catch up on sleep after several busy days, I dozed most of the way. Mom and Dad picked me up at Windsor station and we went for a lunch of steak and shrimp.

By the time we got out of the restaurant, the sun had come out. It was a typical summer day in Windsor: insufferably humid. Fortunately it was not especially hot, still we could hardly bear to stay in the open. Content to ride around in the air conditionned car, we took a slight tour of the city. It was entirely unlike my parents to drive around aimlessly, and I enjoyed it. I took many photos, more of which I'll post tomorrow.

Mom recalled some memories of her father. That part I'll post, too. Some of it I had never heard before. It's nothing exceptional, but illuminates a different era. I want to record as many of these stories as I can. My tape recorder will come in handy. I plan to take it to the cottage to use with conversations on the dock this summer. Neither of my parents show any sign of losing their acuteness, but now would be the best time to start.

Back home on the north shore of Lake Erie, the air was predictably even more humid but a degree or two cooler. We sat and read under the flickering dappled shade of silver poplars, sipping iced tea and enjoying an onshore breeze as long as we could while distant thunder drew nearer. Nowhere else in Canada is so prone to thunderstorms. The lake lies beyond the background trees.

Comments

[wonderboynj.livejournal.com]

Hey that building looks familiar!

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Ya, it made me think of you!

[art-thirst.livejournal.com]

You look quite a bit like your dad. Both of you have nice hands too. Both parents look like they're in good health. Iced tea looks too good.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Dad is in excellent health, very fit for a guy who's 71. Two years ago Mom was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, for which the mortality rate is fairly high. Fortunately it was caught early and some other family members did research and found a new drug treatment, which worked well for her. She has been cancer-free fro 15 months.

Niether of my parents had ever had a serious illness or been hospitalized, so it was hard to see her sick from the chemicals; good to see her getting back her strength.

I have my dad's build and bone structure and the high Waffle forehead, although I also have a lot of my mom's features around the eyes and nose.

[art-thirst.livejournal.com]

I came back today and saw your pic again... damn, you're handsome. :-Þ

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I can't believe how much my belly was sticking out after that steak lunch, teehee!

[quirkstreet.livejournal.com]

Nice pix. Glad you're having a good time!

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

It was a good visit. It has sure been busy, though. I'll be ready for a few days of R&R at the cottage before I pick up the girls. At the same time I'm already starting to hanker for all that carefree summer stuff that gay men are so good at enjoying, which I tend to miss out on. I gotta remember how lucky I am.

[daisydumont.livejournal.com]

looking north toward detroit! i need to go study a map, pronto. ;)

what pleasant looking people your parents are. i'm glad it was a good visit. i think recording their memories now is a terrific idea.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Having been born in Windsor and raised in the area, I'm always interested to find out whether people know about that odd bit of geography. If your atlas has a good map of the Windsor (or Detroit) area, you'll be able to see that a bit of Ontario shoreline near the towns of Harrow and Colchester dips below the 42nd parallel, which is the same as the northern border of California and the city of Rome. I grew up on that bit of shoreline.

My parents are civilized, intelligent, generous and hospitable people. We're getting along okay just now.

[ubermunkey.livejournal.com]

what a woofy pic of you, and the one of your parents is priceless

great entry I am glad to read that you had such a nice day

be well

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

And WOOF to your new icon. :-)

Cheers.