JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

Photo taken on 3rd Concession, Kingsville, September 5, 2010 - JB

For the past several years, an afternoon of apple picking has been part of my Thanksgiving weekend. As long as the weather cooperates, it's a chance to relive a favourite childhood activity, when the entire family would head to orchards around Essex or Harrow. Recent pickings have been closer the latter, usually at one of two orchards on Ferris Road. This year, Amy, Sarah and I headed to Twin Oaks, a no frills spot where the only razzle dazzle is the van where pickers purchase bags for the fresh apple goodness to come. The trees hadn't been fully picked over, leaving us with plenty of fruit to choose from and clown around with . Even the ladybugs joined in the fun, though they failed to wrestle any apples off the trees. I'm still making my way through the x-number of pounds I picked. Most have wound up in lunchtime salads, mixed with cheese, mandarin oranges and other goodies. All photos taken October 11, 2009 - JB

Clark may be long gone from Harrow (though a street still bears its name), but "the tang of vegetables in the air" remains as fields surrounding the town produce tasty treats. I may not draw out my "a-ha-a-a-a"s like this disembodied head, whose sounds may be gasps for air as much as happy soup slurping, but my stomach is satisfied whenever I return to Toronto with roadside produce from Essex County. Source: The Evening Telegram , November 15, 1929 PS - Over on Torontoist, a plea not to steal White Glove Girls . - JB

Ever since I moved away from home, a running, slightly sick joke that crops up in family conversations is the question posed in the title of this post. It started due to there being spectacular blazes that wipe out some part of Kingsville every few years. One fire years ago destroyed one of the main commercial blocks downtown (though I forget if the Kingsville Bakery was affected or was already gone by that point. I still have cravings for their cookies and jelly doughnuts). A blaze at a plastics factory in 2002 sent a toxic cloud into the air. Dad usually informed me of smaller blazes in between, which led to the running joke Amy and I probably carry on in his memory. On my recent trip home, I didn't have a chance to ask the question before I received an answer, as the night I arrived a storage shed went up in smoke at the Kingsville Golf and Country Club , causing $1 million in damage. Since I was going to head back to Toronto via Kingsville (to take in the produce stand...

When I was little, we picked apples along Ridge Rd, outside of Harrow. By the orchards was this barn, which back in the day was a vibrant mural of a deified apple. Now, it appears the worshippers have moved on, as time has taken its toll. I've always been a font geek, even if I didn't hear the term until well after childhood. I also loved road signs as a kid. Put the two together and you have this picture. Street signs in Leamington and Wheatley had an unusual blocky font that I never saw anywhere else, instantly telling me where I was. Over time, these signs have been replaced, to the point that Robinson St, located near the Heinz plant, has one of the last survivors.

Kick out the jams, brother and sister politicians! Holidays are over, let the mud fly! Watch the campaign kick into gear and the shit hit the fan. One wonders if Jean Chretien is smiling these days, given the even-growing number of snafus and pieces of dirty laundry emerging from the Liberal campaign. Beer and popcorn. Questions about the timing of income trust policy. A blog that compared Oliva Chow to a similarly-named dog. A Toronto MP who appears to be in financial thrall to the poobahs in the recording industry. A flat tire for the PM during a wagon ride in Regina. Standing in the opinion polls going down. Did the little guy from Shawinigan laid a hex on his ambitious successor? Are we seeing the Peter Principle play itself out? Did somebody hire some long unemployed staffers from Kim Campbell's '93 campaign? Or, after 12 years at the helm, is the natural governing party pooped out? What to watch: as Conservative numbers rise (as we are led to believe, but really, ...

All summer, I've tried to visit Point Pelee . Lack of time or bad weather quashed most attempts, but Amy and I finally made to the southern tip of Canada on Saturday. We started off at the marsh boardwalk. This faded sign greeted us. (Note: picture altered to show text on sign - it was faded enough to be useless) The boardwalk was wobbly but busy. The furthest section and watchtower were closed due to decaying planks - a sign indicated discussion were underway as to its fate. The marsh itself was full of canoeists, which turned the gears in my head. We'd rented a canoe years ago and, other than one crash, suffered no mishaps. Attempts to convince Amy to rent one since were futile. This time, she was open to the idea, so we plonked down our $20 deposit and waiting for one to return (canoe rentals at Pelee are cheap - $10/hr!) I might have imagined myself as Pierre Trudeau, majestically paddling his canoe, clad in buckskin. The reality was Charles Tupper, John Turner or K...

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.

Old White Rose gas station sign at a former fruit stand (Murray's Orchards), east of Harrow, Ontario, Aug 5/04

Taken by my parents in the early 1970s, possibly around Cottam or Harrow .