A Day of Wandering

I woke up in the strange and sterile hotel room and went to perform my morning ablutions. This is what greeted me:

Now if I can only find the food court. I'm hungry for Swedish meatballs and Lingonberry tea.

Now if I can only find the food court. I'm hungry for Swedish meatballs and Lingonberry tea.

I still think I’m staying in an IKEA. There’s no one to help me, and my door key is an Allan Wrench.

I had to make a lot of telephone arrangements today (an activity that is bleeding over to tomorrow). Since the only must-do on the itinerary was dinner with Barb and her family (the late Joe Showler’s sister), I took it upon myself to make use of the third largest public transit system in North America and do a little book hunting. Mike decided to tag along, despite his still-tender sprained ankle. What a trooper! So we ate a great breakfast at the greasy spoon across from the hotel and hopped on the light rail.

We took a spin through Chinatown. I showed Mike how to kick the gong around. Hi-dee-hi-dee-hi-dee-hi.

We took a spin through Chinatown. I showed Mike how to kick the gong around. Hi-dee-hi-dee-hi-dee-hi.

This town is really starting to grow on me. Thousands of little dives and places to eat that don’t break the bank, a hugely diverse set of neighborhoods playing host to every nationality, great shops and little places to explore, and all of it easily accessible via public transportation. Lovely. Just lovely. I can see why this is the arts and Bohemian capital of Canada.

We didn’t even make it to The Monkey’s Paw (and how cool is THAT for a bookstore’s name?), so we’ll try to cover it on Saturday, before we leave. But we did hit up BMV books (thanks to Jay for the suggestion), where I found two books that I simply HAD to have within thirty seconds of entering the store. Dangerous place, man. Dangerous.

Gettin' artsey on the building. There was street art all over the place.

Gettin' artsey on the building. There was street art all over the place.


Mike and I made it back in time to meet up with Pat and Diane, and we all trucked out to one of the quaint, picturesque neighborhoods that I associate with Toronto. The “typical” house seems to be a two story townhouse-style house, with a finished basement and a deceptively deep back end that either terminates in a small yard like a dog run, or a patio porch that drops off into a ravine. It’s a cool style, in that the house resembles a walk-up flat, but actually has tons of room inside. These are the houses that people are always fixing up on those real estate shows that dominate HG TV.
Pat, Diane, and Barbara

Pat, Diane, and Barbara


The first time we met Joe’s sister, Barbara, they were under heightened circumstances, obviously. We certainly didn’t realize how close to the end Joe’s time was, and it was just such a jarring shock when we heard of his passing, literally a day after we returned to the states. In the intervening years, she and I have gotten to know one another a little better as we busied ourselves with separate ends of this lengthy project. But this was the first time we were able to sit down and just visit about what-have-you, and it was really wonderful.
Mike and Erin listening to one of Pat's anecdotes about Italy

Mike and Erin listening to one of Pat's anecdotes about Italy

Barb and Steve met in Italy when they were both studying art. Pat and Diane had visited Italy several times, and so stories were swapped, as we were treated to a homestyle pasta dish that they discovered while over there. Steve is an amazing artist who worked as an animator and so we had some very art-nerd discussions on our end of the table. They also served us Moosehead beer. I love Moosehead beer.

Steve ponders the brilliance of the Fleischer superman cartoons while Pat keeps a lookout behind us

Steve ponders the brilliance of the Fleischer superman cartoons while Pat keeps a lookout behind us

Barb, her husband Steve, and their daughter Erin made us feel very welcome and they treated us to a wonderful meal, great conversation, and much laughter and cross talk. Afterwards, we signed papers and passed keys and checks back and forth, and that was that. Such a simple transaction, but oh so many years in the making. It was almost anti-climactic, really. But it’ll all be real tomorrow. That’s when we load the truck.

Meet Jackson, the new trip mascot

Meet Jackson, the new trip mascot

And lest I forget: Barb also gifted me a moose. I had real trouble finding one the last time I was here. So, I’m one moose up on the deal. And we’ve got a totem animal for the trip back. Thanks, Barb!

A Day of Travel

I knew this was going to be a long day. We basically traversed the country, flying right over lunch hour, and then it was a two-hour odyssey to the hotel, creeping along the 401 and the 404.

See that? On the building, there? That's a Maple Leaf. A CANADIAN Maple Leaf. You just can't fake that kind of thing.

See that? On the building, there? That's a Maple Leaf. A CANADIAN Maple Leaf. You just can't fake that kind of thing.

We’re staying at the Bond Place, a downtown, swanky hotel that has ZERO sense of humor. I asked for the Goldfinger Suite and they just stared at me. Maybe that means something else to Canadians than it does to Ian Fleming fans.

Hotel room or Ikea Floor Display? You decide!

Hotel room or Ikea Floor Display? You decide!

This place is an Ikea catalog come to life. I’m afraid to touch anything. Tomorrow we have some logistics to take care of, so everyone is taking it easy tonight. I may just order a pizza. With shrimp on it. Yeah, they do that in Canada.

Oh, and I figured out what’s wrong with my cell phone. I have NO data capabilities here, because there’s no Canadian carrier that recognizes US Cellular’s authoritah. So I’ll be uploading the old fashioned way, at night, until we get on the road. I hope you’ll all be patient as we struggle through our technological limitations.

Everyone keep thinking good thoughts. I’ll have some more to talk about, and some more pics, tomorrow.

We’re in Canada!

But my technology doesn’t want to cooperate with Toronto. I’ll try to figure it out and post some pics. We’ll be picking up the truck on Friday. I’m so freaking excited–I can’t believe this day is finally here!

Track the Collection?

Yep. We’re heading to Toronto next week to load up and relocate the Joe Showler collection. And you can follow our progress, as I will be blogging daily to let everyone know where we are. Subscribe to our feed and stay tuned for more updates!

At Long Last, an Update

Folks,
We are making preparations for the trip to Toronto to acquire the Joe Showler collection. If you’re interested in the trip, we’ll be documenting and updating it as we go! That’s right, you can watch the collection make its way home to Vernon, Texas, right here on this blog. Please stay tuned!