Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Figuring out the sights and smells of 1912



Before I can write the next scene of my flycatching book, I need to picture the Hamilton Farmers' Market some 98 years ago.
What does it smell like? What are the sounds? What do they actually sell there. So I drove to Hamilton Public Library and visited the archives. The librarians produced many photos and a book with stories of farmers who went there over a long period of time.
Some things I just have to let my imagination fill in. For example a fire in 1917 caused them to rebuild the market. While the building burned, hundreds of rats made a break for it. So I'm guessing my character might spot a rat when he visited the mrket or my fly catching Jack Russel might. Of course chasing it would cause potatoes to be spilled, crates of chickens to crash, horses to bolt and my character to flee.

Monday, September 01, 2008

A day at the beach and the wedding couple returns

Sunday of Labour Day Weekend and it turned out to be the most beautiful sunny warm day--too beautiful for actual labour.
So I googled for the most pet friendly beach on our Provincial Parks Pass and that turned out to be Rock Point near Dunnville.

The beach felt a little rocky under my feet but the waves and water felt great. Mortie went for one swim more than Bob although after rolling in fish, he went for a forced dunk.

Monday, Craig and Eireann returned from Greece. We stood waiting at the airport just long enough for me to imagine worst case scenario honeymoons--happily all were wrong. They loved their two weeks away and wished it could have been longer. They stopped back at our house for a welcome home feast complete with corn from the little bent over lady's farm--we bought it on the way home from the beach. Adam and Jen joined us with baby William.