Cheers,
Alexandra and Derek Graham
North Aboyne Farm
Elora, Ontario
Canada
Wait. Do you have July 4th in Canada, too?:);)
Holy Cow, post: 379911, member: 50 wrote: Wait. Do you have July 4th in Canada, too?:);)
Yes, we call it Canada Day !
And, it's on July 1.
Cheers,
From the Supra Latitudes.
Derek, there is a very old joke where someone asks if there is a July 4th in England. The impulse is to suggest there isn't. The response is that there definitely is and it always falls between July 3rd and July 5th. The question in the joke does not mention the idea of any kind of celebration, simply if there is such a date in England.
BTW, the calendar on the wall two feet from me shows July 1 to be Canada Day in Canada. I suppose it's just July 1 most everywhere else in the world.
Happy belated Canada Day, my friend.
Canada has weird holidays...like that one the day after Christmas where every gets in a fist fight. Weird.
Thank you Alexandra and Derek, hope you have a nice day too.
With respect to the fourth of July, I have an old GrandfatherÛªs Clock (tall clock) hand constructed by a fellow named Cornelius Miller (his father, Aaron Miller was a well known clock builder). The clock always makes me think about the American Revolution in 1776. The clock was built around 1760 and has been in my family for as long as I can remember. It has been jounced, bounced, nicked, scratched, ransacked (gold embellishments stolen from face) and moved scores of times but still keeps perfect time. To me it is still a marvel of human ingenuity. There are apparently very few, if any of these clockÛªs still in existence. The Smithsonian Institute has expressed interest in our donating the clock to them. None of my offspring have shown much interest in it so SWMBO and me will most likely donate it to the Smithsonian
Cheers to Y`all !!! 😎
FL/GA PLS., post: 379934, member: 379 wrote: ..There are apparently very few, if any of these clockÛªs still in existence. The Smithsonian Institute has expressed interest in our donating the clock to them. None of my offspring have shown much interest in it so SWMBO and me will most likely donate it to the Smithsonian..
That's cool. A beautiful 'survivor'.
I guess I've got an overactive imagination. I've never been able to look at an old object (machine, painting, etc.) that was hand made and not think about not only the person that put it together, but also all the folks over time that have used or enjoyed it.
How many people have looked at the face of that clock since it was built? How many times has someone noted the time of a birth, death, significant event or anything by looking at that clock? Someone glanced at that clock when they heard that President Lincoln had been shot. Someone looked at that clock when they herd the Hindenburg burned in Jersey. Someone looked at that clock when they heard the news on Dec. 7, 1941. Someone looked at that clock when we stepped foot on the Moon. I get entranced in those thoughts. It amazes me.
(on to humor, now) Speaking of the Smithsonian...I happen to own the hatchet that George Washington used as a child to chop down his father's cherry tree. It's had the handle replaced three or four times and the head replaced twice...but it still occupies the same space as the original. I've offered it to the Smithsonian but they have shown to be less than interested....
paden cash, post: 379935, member: 20 wrote: (on to humor, now) Speaking of the Smithsonian...I happen to own the hatchet that George Washington used as a child to chop down his father's cherry tree.
I admire you so this is difficult to say, but that hatchet is a Chinese knock off. I know because I bought the real thing at "FLEA WORLD" several years ago. AND it has a GENUINE CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY! !!! Besides the red plastic case it came with has George Henry Washington stamped on it. 😉
paden cash, post: 379935, member: 20 wrote: That's cool. A beautiful 'survivor'.
How many times has someone noted the time of a birth, death, significant event or anything by looking at that clock? Someone glanced at that clock when they heard that President Lincoln had been shot. Someone looked at that clock when they herd the Hindenburg burned in Jersey. Someone looked at that clock when they heard the news on Dec. 7, 1941. Someone looked at that clock when we stepped foot on the Moon.
Yeah, Pearl Harbor, lightbulbs, radios, atomic age, lasers, drones...........
Have a great 4th amigo!
Thanks, guys. You have reminded me to take a special look at my most recent addition of furniture to my home.
The 2000 mile trek I mentioned in my thread about why so many towns across Tennessee and North Carolina end in "ville" was to obtain said item of furniture.
This is the secretary that spent many years in my grandparent's home. They were married in 1913 and moved in 1915 into the house they occupied until my grandfather's death in 1963. My grandmother was moved to a recently constructed nursing home about 10 miles away. Although my father was an only child, he had to go through the full probate function for my grandfather and was appointed guardian for his mother until her death about a year later. The attorney recommended that my grandparents things be sold to provide a fund to ensure payment of the nursing home expenses. A large farm auction was held to clear out 50 years of acquisitions. Everything from farm implements, chickens, sheep, tools and stored grain and hay to everything from inside the house. A wise young man, about 26 years old at the time, purchased the secretary and moved it into his parent's home a few miles away. Eventually, he moved it into his home and took it with him in successive moves, finally landing in Locust, North Carolina about six months ago. Many years, around Memorial Day, he would return to his boyhood neighborhood for a visit. Sometimes we would run into each other and have a nice chat. About 10 years ago during one of those visits he mentioned that he had something that I might like to have someday. He told me the story of buying the secretary at the sale and moving it around the country. As it had belonged to my family and his children had no particular attachment to it, he offered to sell it to me sometime in the future. The future arrived this past Friday, July 1, 2016.
I really wish I could tell the full story of the secretary, but I can't. There is no one left to tell me how my grandparents acquired it and in what year that happened. It is possible that it was owned by my grandmother's family and it went to her when the rest of the family moved from Missouri to Idaho over 100 years ago. It is possible that it was owned by her aunt and uncle who lived a few miles from her. She was very close to them and had lived with them for some time until marriage. The wedding was held in their house. Of course, it is possible that they simply purchased it at some time over the nearly fifty years of living in the same house. If it came through her family, it is possible that it could have been constructed in West Virginia. If it came through my grandfather's family, it might have been constructed in Missouri or Illinois. There are no markings to provide clues. I need some of those experts they employ on Antiques Roadshow to do their magic.
DEREK G. GRAHAM OLS OLIP, post: 379908, member: 285 wrote: Cheers,
Alexandra and Derek Graham
North Aboyne Farm
Elora, Ontario
Canada
I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't know when Canada became independent and had to look it up. That momentous day was April 17, 1982 when HRH QEII officially declined to exercise any further authority over the former British North America.
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/constitution-act-1982/
I suppose that the Dictionary Reformation Act that will remove all needless letters such as the "u" in "colour" above the 49th is slowly wending its way through Parliament, eh?
Maybe we can start calling those geese "Canadian Geese" now instead of "Canada Geese"...
DEREK G. GRAHAM OLS OLIP, post: 379908, member: 285 wrote: Cheers,
Alexandra and Derek Graham
North Aboyne Farm
Elora, Ontario
Canada
I enjoyed "Canada Day" in Vancouver. A beautiful city.
Thank y'all fr your best wishes.
We too, have grandfather clock similar to our unnamed Altamonte Springs colleague's that was my parent's..
It is fascinating to think ours has been 'bonging' for so many years (hundreds) with so little maintenance except we had a 80+ year old jeweler/clockmaker 'tune it up' this early summer.
To hear it bong on the hour in the night, one knows how much more one can relax.
PS-
Mon Ami Kent, fear not, we are clutching on to our "U"s with the same tenacity that you do when gripping your snow skis crossing the International Border in July ! 😉
When may we expect you and yours so we can go to the sub basement in time to bring up the ski wax ?
Remaining YOS,
TNAI
