One year ago, I wrote my first editorial in Sandy’s final publication of The Wayback Times. It’s hard to believe a whole year has passed and that this issue marks the completion of our first year as publishers of The Wayback Times. It has been a year of learning, adjusting, cooperating, and adventure! We hit a few bumps in the road and made a few mistakes, but how can you learn if you don’t mess up once in a while? Having never published before, we had new software to learn, scheduling to plan, and a lot of head scratching to be done. Overall, we’re impressed with ourselves!!
And now it’s the start of summer. No matter how old I get (and I keep getting older!) I always remember how it felt when summer holidays were approaching. That feeling of two months of endless summer days and nights stretching before me, with no plans and no commitments. I was lucky – my family drove across Canada over two summers, one summer east, the other summer west. I dropped a lost tooth in each ocean once I was assured the tooth fairy would know what I did and still leave my shiny quarter under the pillow. I think the rate is up to a toonie now! And after that it was summers spent at the cottage. Sunny days on the boat, swimming and skiing, and Saturday nights at the roller-skating rink. Bonfires every evening and on rainy days we sat in the cottage playing cards and board games.
Roll ahead a few years to university days. John and I started dating while we were both in university. It wasn’t quite the same endless summers of my earlier school days, but still seemed to last forever. I was lucky enough to work full time every summer, but really had no responsibilities other than saving enough for the school year. These were the years of camping trips! Portaging at Temagami and many, many camping trips to Algonquin Park’s interior. Nothing tasted as good as an ice-cold pop and a greasy burger after spending a few days camping at Algonquin’s Rain Lake. We’d come home sunburnt and exhausted, already planning our next trip.
That was one tradition that lived on after John and I got married. From the time our first child was born (aka Vintage Lizzie) until she turned 18, we never missed a summer camping trip to Algonquin Park. Our first trip we took our 3-month-old daughter to Rain Lake, but stayed at the Ranger Cabin rather than hike into the interior. A few hours after we arrived, and after we had set up camp, we were convinced we were the worst parents in the world as we looked at our little girl covered head to toe in mosquito bites! I sat her down in the lake to cool off while John packed up all our gear and by the time he was done, most of the welts were gone, and our baby girl was having a blast. The tent went back up and we had a great time introducing her to camping. Though we continued to go camping every year, after that trip we always camped on the Highway 60 corridor. There is something to be said for comfort stations and a quick drive to the store or restaurant.
As our family grew with the addition of our son, we continued camping at least once every summer. It wasn’t enough so we bought some land and put up a tent trailer so we’d have somewhere to go every weekend. And every weekend we went to enjoy swimming in the river, rafting, hiking, and paintball. Long summer evenings by the bonfire, telling stories and roasting marshmallows. Now it was our kids’ turn to enjoy those endless summer days.
Summers are a bit different these days but always looked forward to. Now it’s extended hours at the store, planning the next issue of The Wayback Times, delivering this issue, and as many days playing with the grandkids as I can manage. And it will be over too soon. I must admit, the older I get, the faster time seems to go. Now instead of endless summer days and nights, there’s not enough time to get everything done.
As summer rolls to an end, we have September. For me, September has always been about new starts, time of changes and planning for the future. I’m sure that started way back when I was in school. Those last few days before school started, wondering who was going to be in your class, what your teachers were going to be like, how the year was going to go – anticipation for a new start. Fast forward many years, and that new start continued when I got married in September. Again, a major change and lots of planning for the future! We’ve moved four times over the 35 years we’ve been married and somehow three of those moves ended up being in September.
Another September start – I took over at Antiques on 48 in September of 2019 and will be celebrating 4 years on Labour Day weekend with our Annual Outdoor Market. This year we’re trying a live auction! And our first issue of The Wayback Times got sent to the printer last September and we’ll be celebrating one year as publishers this September. September is definitely a month of changes and new starts for me!
What’s next? Who knows. But I’m going to do my best to enjoy this summer, all those long hot and sunny days and I’ll be tossing in a few bonfires as well. I know I won’t be camping this year – I’ve given up sleeping in a tent, but who knows, maybe the grandkids won’t mind grandma showing up in a camper van! Take time to enjoy this summer, whether it’s camping in the backwoods or checking The Wayback Times to see where your antiquing will take you this time, and I hope to see you back in the fall.