JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

As mentioned previously, I never finished the tale of my spring swing through New England and Montreal. We go to day 6 on the road, as the intrepid traveller leaves Boston to head back to the Great White North. Today's tale begins a few miles north of Beantown... Wandered into Lowell. I checked the Boston guide book and discovered this was where Jack Kerouac permanently left the road. I wasn't in a hurry and there wasn't a downpour. Why not look for it? The graveyard was listed in the guide book, so I checked a map in a grocery store for directions. Found Edson Cemetery, but the office was as lively as the folks in the ground. I drove up and down the numbered streets within the graveyard, looking for any unusual adornments to the graves. All I found was a giant elk. I asked him for directions. "What are you, some pinko from Soviet Canuckistan? Go away kid, ya bodder me!" Deciding it was best not to ask him any more questions, I continued criss-crossin

Finally getting a chance to explore the city by bicycle again... This week's long ride started off in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. I usually discover one well-known tomb passing through - this time, pioneer hockey announcer Foster Hewitt, located close to the Eaton crypt. I couldn't get the Hockey Night in Canada theme out of my head for 10 minutes. From there, went along the crowded Belt Line trail. My internal radio switched from hockey to traffic reports. Thanks, John. Eastbound Belt Line is very busy, with walkers backed up between Avenue and Oriole, you may want to switch to Chaplin Cr to avoid delays. Westbound Belt Line is moving smoothly, but watch out for fresh gravel between Eglinton and Bathurst. Now over to Mary to check in on the Don Valley... Along the way, I discovered a new trail I'd never heard of, the York Belt Line, which runs from west of the Allen to a fence near Caledonia and Eglinton. Paved, fairly flat and relaxing. Several parks along the way ful

In an optician's window at Duluth and St, Denis, more than eyeglasses were on display... Inside were two women with short black hair in white lab jumpsuits arranging mutilated/mutated baby dolls. The piece appeared to a statement on genetic manipulation, with videos of "ultrasounds" with deformed fetuses. It was credited to "Frank Ketchup", which isn't turning up in net searches. At St. Denis and Duluth, the mutated babies grow Between the plastic dividers Row on row - JB

Recent headlines surrounding the arrest of marijuana activist Marc Emery and a post on Blamblog yesterday stirred memories of some of my favourite family roadtrips of my early teens. Many moons ago, Emery ran City Lights book store in London. Two hours away from home, it was an excuse to get away for a whole day. We'd hit the road early, usually stopping for for a snack at the West Lorne service station (the Tim Horton's being a radical improvement over the 1867 restaurant that was there on childhood trips to Toronto, which I only remember for its dinginess and smelly clientele - no wonder we used to picnic on the way to my grandmother's house). Until we grew out of it, our usual first stop was the Superstore Mall on Wellington, due to the plastic ball room in Loblaws. Most of the day was spent downtown. After leaving the car in the crazy parking lot at Wellington Square/ Galleria , we'd split up - Mom sticking to the then-thriving mall, Dad and I wandering off to R

Ah, summertime in Essex County. Time to hop in the car and head east of Essex on old Hwy 3 to the North Ridge Dairy Freez. Open since 1954, it's the last drive-in food stand in the area, a relic that hasn't gone mock-retro. Folks lined up for dairy goodness, while a carhop grabs an order. I don't recall ever ordering food, or ever figuring out what the "Charlie Special" was. This time round, Amy went for a sundae with fresh local peaches, while I had a Boston Cooler - traditionally made with Vernor's, in this case regular ginger ale and soft serve mixed together. Why is this gnome smiling? Is he proud of his ice cream? Is he surveying a backyard of of picnic tables filled with satisfied customers? Has he snapped from beheading his friend? pictures taken July 31/05, Dairy Freez, North Ridge, ON - JB

Soaking up some rays. Taken at Mersea Park, Leamington, Aug 1/05.