Ottawa 5, Ontario, Canada

Yesterday was a nostalgic day – I returned to Uplands Air Force base which is in the process of being decommissioned.  It is no longer an official military base but still has a large contingent of personnel living there in the PMQ’s (permanent married quarters).  I went to the elementary school where I attended school until I was 12 – Elizabeth Park School.  It is now a Catholic School and classes were in session and the vice principle asked if we could come back in a couple of hours and she would give us a tour.  We then drove to Brookfield High School where

I attended school before dropping out.  I spoke with the vice principle there and she gave us a tour of the school.  In the library I asked the librarian if they had a collection of all the school yearbooks – they did.  He showed me the archives and we found my picture in the 67-68 yearbook.  It was great to visit the auditorium where I attended so many pep rallies, student plays and talent shows.  Wow!

We drove around the base and into the parking lot of the hanger where worked in the weather office when I was stationed at Uplands.  I was in the Royal Canadian Air Force for 3 years as a meteorological observer.  As I mentioned earlier I lived in the barracks across a field from the row housing where I lived many years previous.  All the row houses (probably 12 of them with 6 units each) were all gone – they were torn down with trees and grass planted in their place.  The barracks across the field was also torn down.  Sad to see them gone.

As the time approached we went back to the elementary school and the vice-principle walked us through all the classrooms, teachers’ lounge and auditorium.  I visited some of the classrooms I sat in and reminisced about the classes I took.  The desks were so small, the classrooms were much smaller than I remembered – they still had chalk boards with real chalk.  The rooms all had smart board however but chalk boards on either side – how’s that for the old world vs new age technology.  Both of us were amazed at the size of the backpacks the little kids were carrying when they left school – when I was a kid I don’t think I owned that much stuff.  Our timing could not have been better – as we walked through the school you could see it was visibly in bad shape.  After June 30 the school was scheduled to be shut down and probably demolished so my visit was just in time.

 

There was a brand new school next to my old school and they have named it Elizabeth Park School.  And next to that there was the old protestant church that I attended every Sundays.  When I lived there was a Catholic Church right across the street but it was no longer there.  The church that is there is now a protestant chapel and a catholic church combined – what happened to the Catholic Church across the street?  The existing church was locked so I could not go in but I did get a good look at the interior through a window.

 

There was one last thing I wanted to do and that was visit the Civic Hospital where I was born.  Thanks to GPS we found it quickly, parked and walked in the main entrance.  I asked if they still had a maternity ward and the front desk said yes.  I told the lady I was born there 68 years ago and we gabbed a little bit and she asked me what room number I was looking for – I said I didn’t remember – she laughed and said which room and who are you here to visit.  I told her I was just strolling down memory lane.  We gabbed some more.  The maternity ward was now on the 4^th floor however it was on the 3^rd floor when I was born.  I did not go to either floor because there a slim to none chance that anyone would remember me.  We ate dinner in the hospital cafeteria which is still where it was then.

The drive home was horrible – the rain was the worst it has been since we arrived.  Amazingly the whole day while we were visiting my old places the sun was shining and the weather was beautiful.   PRC

Video from our Amphibious Tour on Sunday May 28, 2017

This was Peter’s day. As previously indicated we are in Cumberland, which is about 30 minutes from Ottawa where Peter was born. So, we found his grade school and high school.  The school administrators were very kind. The vice-principals in each school gave us tours. While Peter walked down memory lane I had the opportunity to talk to the school staff. I asked about the school’s relationship with juvenile probation.  Some schools do have Resource Officers (police), not so much for enforcement, but positive community relations. We also drove around the air force base where Peter and his dad were stationed. There was a Catholic Church and Protestant Chapel who share the same building. We were going to go in to light a candle but the doors were locked of course. To top off the day and come full circle, we went to the Civic Hospital where Peter was born.  It was an emotional, but satisfying day for Ottawa’s native son.

We are home and in for the night. This afternoon was warm and sunny, but when we headed “home” at 6 pm, it was pouring rain, in fact a deluge. Apparently it is rainier than usual for this time of year.

Tomorrow we will start packing up as we leave on Thursday for Quebec City.

I am pleased to be learning a few expressions and vocabulary in French. Nous sommes maintenant sur la route pendant  trois  semaines.  (With a little help from the translator app on my phone.) We have now been on the road for three weeks.

Bonne nuit.  Jusqu’a demaine.       JY