A lonely walk

Looking down Cooper Street on a cold fall day. Hell Winter hasn't even begun yet and already it is too cold for me!

The Passing of time

The Hespeler girls at little dam 1942.
Mary McLaughlin[Hillis],Betty Roscoe[Rabb],Betty Garside[Brueckner],Shirley Connor[Beatty],Irene Kendry[Constant]

Hespeler Girls at the old damn. Early 1940's
Hespeler Girls 60 odd years later.

A winters morning

Looking Down Cooper Street towards Hammet, Yep, Winter's here.

Skidmarks

What does a young man just about to turn 16 wait for the most? A hot girlfriend? maybe, but in reality it is the DRIVER’S LICENSE. The right of passage to manhood, the ultimate freedom sign. No longer having to beg for a ride somewhere, no longer having to hoof it from Hespeler to a party in Galt [remember folks in 1973 there was no Cambridge transit] no more watching the cool guy’s driving up Cooper Street with the latest Led Zeppelin 8-track blaring while i sit on a 10 speed bike drinking my Fanta Cream Soda and day dreaming. It was August of 1973 and i had just successfully passed my drivers test and as i was driving home my dad explained to me how much responsibility i now held in my hands, don’t play the radio too loud and remember watch everything around you. I dropped my Dad off at the house and away i went to pick up the girlfriend and head to the A&W drive in for a burger and a root beer and to meet my friends who were already there waiting for me. As i pulled in to the parking lot everything was going good, no embarrassing problems with the Strato Chief and then i got cocky. A quick acceleration into the parking slot and over went two garbage cans, and i received a standing ovation from the gathering of my friends. No wonder my Dad used to call me Skidmark, and it wasn’t because of my underwear!

Some more Cooper Street Relics

Now these are real COOPER STREET RELICS. It is a picture taken in 1935 of my Maternal Uncles as well as my Grandfather and his brother. they all lived on cooper street in the same house that i would eventually reside in during the 1960's. While everyone in the picture is gone now i still remember them and take pride in being a Cooper Street Relic just like them!

What i learned from my Dad

Our Mothers teach us things but we learn valuable life lessons from our Fathers. My dad was no exception, as i learned some things from him that my Mother could never have taught me.
Don't watch the Clock at work, the end of the day will come soon enough. I learned from him that fish can see you if you lean over the boat and that they can hear you if you talk too loud. I learned that which does not kill you will hurt you like the dickens. Oh yeah, i learned the word dickens from him as well. I learned that objects in the mirror are really closer than they appear and not to test the theory while he was in the car. Time travel was learned from him" If you don't smarten up i will knock you into next week". I learned to travel the back roads as often as possible and also where the good spots were to have a pee break. I also learned to question authority[unless it was him]. I learned that i wasn't born in a barn and that he had to walk 5 miles to school.uphill, both ways. I learned that "because i said so" makes sense to adults and that i would lose my head if it wasn't screwed on. I learned that Tabasco sauce and Limburger cheese won't kill you. I learned that i am lucky to have Parents and an extended family that really care.
Oh and i also learned one important thing.....FLATULANCE, and how to use it.

Hespeler's last Police Chief

Fred Stewart at his desk. He was the last Police Chief of Hespeler! He chased me a few times, and caught me once or twice!

The kid and me

On Halloween one of my employees decided to dress up. But as what? Well, like me! Gotta give Hespeler kids credit, they think cool!