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"Happiness always looks small when you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and at once you learn how big and precious it is."
Maxim Gorky

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

remembering real winters...

It's funny, when it snows here, the first thing I want to do is 
grab my camera and go take pictures of the magic being created on the landscape.
Everything looks so pretty after the first fall of flakes.
Looking back on old photos from my childhood, I realized that the 
photos of the snowfalls always included people.
Most noticeably, us kids...
Here we are, circa 1969, in Riverdale Park, Toronto.
I remember the feeling of getting bundled up so tight that my dad had to
do up our boots, or skates because we couldn't bend over in all that winter gear.
That's me, front row center with the chipped tooth.
I remember that hat too. It was 'genuine sheep skin'
and man, was it warm! 
Toronto winters were white, long and cold...
My sister, me and my brother (probably freezing our little buts off)
But seeming like we were having fun no matter what the temperature was.
That's my dad's big shadow taking our picture.
I guess because I don't have little kids at home anymore, I tend to
take pictures of the leaves and trees and shadows of the weather...
I'm not sure if I lived back east again if I would be running out at the 
first sight of snowy down. 
Winter is different there. You're in for the long haul and the first snow
is the sign of the beginning of about 6 more months of it.
It's cold and predictable.
Here we can have mild temps for weeks at a time and snow
is a fairly short occurrence.
It never lasts long.
Here's my sister in her new winter coat.
It was bright red and black. 
And those boots!!
You go-go girl!
Now look at the snow beside her...
I remember making tunnels and igloos out of those piles.
Here we don't get that at all.
And the tobogganing!!
We were on the hill all the time.
Every household owned at least one toboggan.
I think I should like to spend at least one more winter in real snow.
Maybe I'm forgetting all the shite parts of real winters though...
the driving, the shovelling, the not getting out of the house for days.
But I guess that's the beauty of childhood memories isn't it?
All sugar and spice and coming in from the cold, leaving your winter
woollies in a pile in the basement and coming upstairs for hot cocoa...


4 comments:

gz said...

(o)

Suz said...

you are not going to believe me..but I just knew that one was you in the photo
and that photo of your dad's shadow...awesome!
I folow a blogger in Alaska and he speaks of that long winter...ug..keep blogging and posting these great pictures of yours
I know you already had your Thanksgiving..but Happy Thanksgiving again...

the wild magnolia said...

I love the wonder of your large family! The photo stories....memories...real life, true life...your love gave each other life to share forever. Your memories are forever.

Thank you, for sharing.

I adore the close ups of tree limbs.

Happy Thanksgiving.

farmlady said...

Like Suz, I had you picked out( but in the first family photo with the chipped tooth) before I knew it was you. Must be your amazing spirit shinning through.
Ice skating OUTDOORS is something that has always been my dream since childhood. Wanted to do it all my life but it never happened. Not sure I could even ice skate anymore, but would still love to try.
Those photos of the snow make me want to get on a plane and fly to Montana, to my friends house. She said I could spend a winter there if I wanted to. Your photos give me a reason to go north next winter.
Lovely post.