Daytripping Fall 2023

Lake Huron
Mon-Sat
9-5
The
Daytripper
Laurie Clark Designs
9 Victoria St., Thamesville
Antiques
& Artisans
Local
519-692-3322 or 5519
Full Service Floral & Gift Shop
www.laurieclarkdesignsflowers.com
When Geese and Ducks
Fly South
By Spokeshave
A farmer's son - with father, T'was on an autumn day,
Stood on their farmland hilltop, the valley to survey.
The harvest was completed, on the land that lay below,
They watched the bowing cornstalks, as cold fall winds - did blow.
The ducks & geese flew over, heading south, where land was warm,
Migrating to a climate, away from winters storm.
"A question, I have father?" the father's son, quoth he,
"Why do ducks fly in two lines, and form the letter Vee?"
"Why one line is much longer? Has always crossed my mind."
The father smiled and told the lad, "More ducks are in that line!"
Blueberries
are our focus:
Preserves & Sauces
Single jars or
Gift boxes
Frozen Blueberries
er
ries
Always in Store
And now we’ve made it to THAMESVILLE & BOTHWELL
PARKS
Blueberry e
Farm Bakery ·
Country Store
www.parksblueberries.com
b OUR CAF
• Fresh Creative Recipes p • Blueberry Accents
OUR BAKERY
~ FAMOUS for Pies,
• Seasonal al Specialities
ities
Muffins, Scones
• Gluten Smart Scratch-Baked ch-Baked Goods
• ‘No Sugar g Added’ Selections
OUR STORE
All the treasures of Earth
cannot bring back
one lost moment.
• Kitchen Gadgets, Tools, Accessories & Cookbooks
• Women’s Apparel & Accessories • Lang Calendars
• Wall Art • Gift Baskets & Certificates
• One-of-a-Kind Accents • Children’s Toys • Prints
• Personal Pamper Products • Wedding Favours
•
Cards • Christmas Corner
Cookware
from
Emile
Henry
Photo credit:
Phil Collins
(for real)
MI
ONTARIO SHOP
NY
LOCAL
My Lefthanded, Backwards,
Upsidedown Life & Assorted Short Stories
Like most young boys my age back in
that other time, my parents signed me
up for Wolf Cubs, which was sort of the
junior partner of Boy Scouts and was part
of that organization. I remember going to
a meeting room over the Hanover Legion
where we held our little gatherings. And I
learned how to “Dib, Dib, Dib” and “Dob,
Dob, Dob” and it was an okay time.
I had just moved to town, I think, so I
was meeting new friends and, as I said
earlier, every young boy in town was in
Cubs or Scouts….
Cub Camp was likely the most
interesting part of my scouting experience.
The first year I went, I was terrified out of
my shorts, never having done anything
like it before in my life. I got there all right
and things were going okay, until we went
to the beach on Lake Huron – a place
called Inverhuron. We horsed around in
the water a bit so we took off our shoes
and our big high scouting socks and got
in our bare feet so as not to get the shoes
and socks wet. When the horsing around
came to an end, and it was time to head
back to camp, away I went, following
along with the other Cubs. I went only a
short distance, though, and I realized that
I had foolishly forgotten to retrieve my
shoes and socks. So, I broke off from the
rest of the kids, and headed back toward
the beach on my own.
I found my shoes and socks okay and
got them on my feet, then started after
the rest of the troop. Only I couldn’t
find them for love nor money. I looked
and looked and looked and tried several
different paths. In the end, though, I was
hopelessly lost – had no idea where the
rest of the troop was – or where the camp
was. Yikes! So, I stood there a moment,
collecting my thoughts, then decided I’d
better try for civilization. I headed for
the main road, feeling that was my best
chance to find someone who might be
able to help me find my way back to the
camp…..
So, there I was, nine or ten-years-old,
and lost in the wilderness for the first
time in my life. I got walking along the
By John Gardiner
The following is an excerpt from “My Lefthanded,
Backwards, Upsidedown Life & Assorted Short Stories”
by Wallaceburg writer John Gardiner, who grew up and
came of age in Hanover, Ontario during the 1950’s and
1960’s. In this memoir, Gardiner tells the story of his
growing-up years with a series of colourful anecdotes
about the way life used to be. More of the writer’s work is
available at www.johngardinerstories.com or by contacting
the author at gardiner@kent.net.
My Life as a Boy Scout
road away from the beach, feeling pretty
uncertain and frightened. As I walked, a
huge, black car glided up beside me and
stopped. The back window went down,
and an old woman looked out at me.
“Where are you headed, young fellow?”
she asked. I explained my dilemma to
her, that I was lost and trying to find my
way back to Cub Camp. “Well, you poor
dear…you climb right in here beside me
and we’ll get you back where you belong.”
Now think about this happening in today’s
world. Yea, right….So, I climbed into the
huge car, which was actually a limousine
with a guy in a uniform sitting in the front
and driving the old lady around.
She said something to the driver and
away we drove. She asked me a few
questions like where I was from and what
grade I was in in school, but I wasn’t
really in the car for that long because
I guess the Cub Camp was fairly close
by. So, this big limousine rolls into the
camp and everyone in the camp comes
running, wondering what extremely
important person is arriving in such a
huge, glamorous car. And, of course, I
climb out, feeling fairly sheepish about
the whole thing, but thinking back on
it, I’m realizing it was a pretty strange
experience that could have turned out
differently. These days, everybody would
have panicked. Back in those days, it was
just the sort of thing that happened and
nobody gave it a second thought.
I went back to Cub Camp for the second
year the next year, but my stay that year
didn’t last too long. My first night there, I
developed a brain-crushing ear ache and
my dad had to drive all the way there in
the middle of the night to pick me up and
take me home. I didn’t die from it and it
was more embarrassing than anything
else. The next year, I graduated to actual
Scouts and that also didn’t last too long.
All they wanted you to do in Scouts back
in those days was tie knots – or at least
that’s what it seemed to me. And I’m not
good at stuff like knots and the like, so
I gradually dropped out and ended my
Scouting career.
Stay Cozy in Style!
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ideas, comments, stories and photos!
Send them in!
Open Daily 8 to 6 • 519-692-5373 • 1-866-901-5373
Located 7 km East of Thamesville on Hwy. #2
And
Christmas is
Amazing!
Daytripping, P.O. Box 430,
Bright’s Grove, ON N0N 1C0
email: info@daytripping.ca
OUR READERS are OUR WRITERS!
Page 12
“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” -Albert Einstein
FALL/WINTER
2023-2024