Today I am flying home to New Brunswick with the boys for the month of August. Ah the perks of being unemployed...
I mentioned in my interview with
Barbara that even after 13 years of living in Toronto (and loving it!) I still call New Brunswick home. Very few of the friends I grew up with are still there, my sweet dog Rufus and beloved Gran are gone, and even the house where we stay is not the house on Maiden Lane where I lived from 1984 until leaving for university in 1993 (and returned to every summer). My parents built a new place on the river, literally just down the street in 2004, and it is the only place in Rothesay my boys have ever known. But the town is still my town. My elementary school is still there - where my father, grandparents, and even great-grandparents went - and although the brook and paths through the woods seem much smaller, they are mostly intact. And most importantly, it is where my parents are, with all the possessions and paraphernalia that have been collected through their lives and mine.
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| Looks the same today! |
Is that what 'home' is? What makes this my home and not Toronto? Or do I have two homes now? My poor boys get quite confused when I talk about going home, and who can blame them!
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| Rothesay Corner, ca. 1910 |
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| My Great-Grampy, Grampy, and Dad (all Malcolm Mackay FYI) |
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| My gorgeous Gran on her wedding day |
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| Me and my brother (also Malcolm) on the steps to Granny and Grampy's old house |
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| On the river looking at my folks new place |
All this is to say that posts may be light for the next little while, but I have twisted the arms of a few amazing bloggers to do some guest posts for me, and help figure out what this "going home" thing actually means.
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| Graffiti I found in Saint John last summer. (Pretty sure it's a beer slogan...) |
If you care to shed any light on the subject, or would be willing to guest post for me, shoot me an email, I would love to hear from you - you don't have to be a blogger at all! And be warned, I may yet be sending you an email request ... :)
Totally know that feeling I have been living in Toronto for 10yrs not but I grew up in Northern Ontario (3hrs outside of Thunder Bay) In the beginning we went back but since my parents moved up here we no longer go to visit. I keep on telling my husband that one day we have to make the 14hr drive so he can see where I grew up!
ReplyDeleteHave a great time, Lisa! I've never been to New Brunswick, but it looks gorgeous. I have been to PEI and Newfoundland, though, and loved both. Any place with beautiful scenery and fresh fish and seafood is tops in my book!
ReplyDeleteWhat great historic photos you have of your hometown. I have to say I've always wanted a hometown as I grew up in Suburbia and that just doesn't cut it and I've always wanted to come from the Maritimes - love it down there. Have a great time.
ReplyDeleteThanks Keira! It really is beautiful - I am lucky to have people to visit there! :)
ReplyDeleteWow that's about the same distance as New Brunswick! There is something special about going back to where you grew up. You should definitely take your hubby!
ReplyDeleteWow, I guess I had never looked at it that way! The older I get the more I realize how special a place it is, and how unique it is to have grown up in the same small town my family has been in for 5+ generations. My husband was amazed the first time we took a walk around and I pointed out the house where my dad was born, the house where he grew up, the houses where my grandmother, grandfather and great-grandfather, uncle, great-uncle, and cousins of every description lived and still live!
ReplyDeleteOh I'm so jealous! I'm not able to get back to NB this summer- it will be the first summer I've never been back. Enjoy your time and take in the feeling of nostalgia. It's a lovely way to recharge and get inspired by the good life.
ReplyDeleteLooks amazing!! I can totally see why you refer to New Brunswick home - Toronto doesn't hold a candle to the pics you showed!
ReplyDeleteSo happy to hear that you'll be going "home". This is so exciting! You must be thrilled!! Take lots of pictures and updates us on how your trip is when you can ;) Can't wait to see what New Brunswick is like. By the way, VERY lovely family photos. I love looking at vintage photos, brings back so much memories :) Have an amazing trip Lisa!
ReplyDeleteOh no! A summer without NB is a difficult thing to bear! I will try to post lots of pics for you. :) It is inspiring me already - I love it here!
ReplyDeleteIt is a complicated comparison, as you can imagine Sarah. Moving back here would mean giving up the Gap, for example, as well as just about every store except Winners and Old Navy. :) I guess I will have to remain conflicted!
ReplyDeleteI adore old family photos - esp when they are my family. :) But I do love old photos in general - I always have wished for a time machine so I could experience the life shown in some of these photos, even if just for a little bit! Thank for your kind comment - I will try to post lots of pics! :)
ReplyDeleteI have never been to the Atlantic Provinces but those photos make me want to go! What a beautiful post Lisa, what a gorgeous place to have had the chance to grow up in and to have such a deep rooted family history. I wish I had that. I am first generation Canadian and my hubby and I have moved around alot! But I love my husband's and children's family history, as my mother-in-law is as American as it gets, her family coming on the Mayflower and settling the east coast. She is also a DAR {Daughter of the American Revolution} as history my kids learned to appreciate when we lived in Virginia. To them Virginia felt like home because of their ancestry!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your trip home Lisa.....and I can't wait to see all the other bloggers ideas of "going home"!