New Site Location

While i have enjoyed being on blogger, i have decided to move Cooper Street Relic to a new site on Wordpress. It gives me a few more options that i can experiment with. Here is the link and thank you for reading.

Cooper Street Relic

The Garden

"They paved paradise and put up a parking lot"..Joni Mitchel's paradise may have been paved over but mine had 2 houses put on it. This is a story about that.
Last weekend was the McLaughlin family's annual reunion and as always happens when family gets together in our advancing years, we talk about many things but the past is always prominent. A subject that a few of the cousins and i discussed was the "Garden". And as Joni wrote in her song "Woodstock" "We got to get back to the garden".
Now this garden sat beside the old family home on Cooper Street and during the 60's it was like a haven to many of us, and it seemed to go on forever and ever, and to everyone in the family it was paradise. There was everything in it,peas,beets, raspberry and strawberry bush's,potatoes, onions, tomatoes, rhubarb and just about anything else you could think of. And come August corn stalks so tall we little ones could hide in them, and we used to play constantly in the garden eating the fresh veggie and fruits much to our Grandmother's chagrin, and the big Cherry tree beside it was just the icing on the cake.
Sunday dinners always meant fresh veggies and plenty of fruit for desert, and i never thought that we were an ordinary working class family, i thought we were farmers, Gawd those were beautiful day's and during the summer the sun setting on the garden would have made a beautiful postcard.
Ah, but those day's are gone and as the Sixties came to an end so did the garden. First the far section was sold to build a house and for a few years the garden still survived and produced great product. But after Grandma McLaughlin's passing things rapidly changed and a few years later we moved out of the big house and built another one right beside it that took up most of what was left of the Garden, even though my Uncle Alex stayed in the big house and kept a little version going, it was never the same. Now as i walk or drive past the property and i see flowers growing in the property's i feel that we had a little something to do with that, even though Paradise has been paved over. Lord on day's like this i miss that garden!

----------------
Now playing: Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi
via FoxyTunes

From the Original Hespeler Herald

HESPELER HERALD-JAN. 27, 1922

Ed. Cutting had the misfortune to have two fingers of his right hand amputated while at work on a press at the Stamped and Enamelled Ware plant yesterday afternoon.

Ed Cutting had various jobs in Hespeler. He delivered coal by horse and wagon and he worked at the Stamped Enamel. His son Clarence recalled that during his employment at the "Stamp" Ed lost part of his finger. When the doctor arrived, he took the severed finger and through it out the window into the Speed River. Ed and Margaret lived across from the mill out by "Blackbridge". They also lived on Henderson Street in Hespeler. In later years, they lived in Puslinch , past the golf course.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Summer(past and present)

Just a small video of Summer. Pictures from my past and present.

Hot Potato #7

The summer is always a slower time but i still have a few weird thoughts and things to get off my mind so here are some more. Enjoy!

My Lawyer is an idiot, he got me into the Jehovah Witness protection program
4 out of 5 doctors recommend i go see another doctor
Virus is a Latin word meaning"your guess is as good as mine"

As i said before, i never repeat myself
There are no Stupid Questions, just inquisitive idiots
Honk if you like peace and quiet

There is no "Ctrl" button on Chuck Norris's computer...chuck Norris is always in control
Is a stolen Yam a Hot Potato?
I have a new pen name...i call myself BALLPOINT

My wife complains about how long it takes to water the plants..hey my bladder is only so big
I signed up for an Origami class, but it folded
Murphy was an optimist

My ex Mother in law buried 3 husbands and 2 were just taking a nap
Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names
The day after tomorrow is the third day of the rest of your life.


Well that is it for now but remember
I still have a full deck, i just shuffle a little slower now.

Powered by ScribeFire.

The Throne Room has been invaded.

I've had it, my space has been invaded, let me tell you about it. You know, they say that a man's home is his castle(don't tell my wife that though)and in my castle i had everything where i wanted it, or at least did until the grandchildren started to get older and discovered a few things. Now when i turn on my computer the first thing that comes up is the latest Miley Cyrus news, when i go to my music, somehow Jesse McCartneys music has found it's way onto my playlists. I go to get into the shower and i have to clear out a rubber duckie or two, and if i watch another eposide of "Wizards of Waverly place" it will be too soon. I went to get my lawn mower out of the shed and had to dig thru 4 soccer balls and a ton of badminton rackets and birdies, plus untangle the net that was put away"neatly"(yeah, right.) Now my beer can't go in the main fridge, as it has been replaced by Kool-Aid Koolers, my cheese mysteriously get's eaten and i have rediscovered the taste for Pop Tarts. Buy some oranges for a late night snack? Nope, they are gone before i even get close to them and i swear the one granddaughter should be swinging from trees as she eats bananas like there is no tomorrow. But the final straw occurred this past weekend, for in every castle is a throne room and of course for the modern man his throne room is the bathroom. And so Saturday night i went in to do what i do and as i reached into my Newspaper basket to grab some intellectual reading material i blindly opened what i thought was a book of mine i realized that what i had gotten a hold of was in fact one of my granddaughters Dr. Seuss books. I let out a blood curdling scream as i realized that the last Bastien of my privacy had been toppled, i now shared my bathroom reading material with an 8 year old. How would i explain this while having a beer at the Fish with my friends" Guess what guy's? i had a great movement and read Green Eggs and ham while i was at it. No more maxim's in the crapper..oh, life can be cruel.
Cambridge Conversations

James Robert Hillis..June 25 1924-August18 1997

Last Month the Hillis family celebrated our Mothers 85th Birthday, and needless to say it was a happy time, even though my Father was only there in spirit as he had passed away in 1997. On Thursday June 25th he also would have turned 85 and i am sure a good party would have happened.
In a past story i wrote humorously about things my dad had taught me and while many were based in truth, obviously they were meant to bring a smile to everybody's face,however there were many things that i learned from my dad that were very important to who i am.
He taught me to admit when i was wrong, something that is very tough for many people to do. He taught me to drive, and to respect the road and others on it. He also made sure to let me know that you don't try to be somebody else, just be yourself. He taught me to be careful about what you say about other people, as it could come back to bite you. He taught me the importance of family, even though i didn't know it at the time. And while my Dad was big on involvement in sports, when he realized that i liked watching hockey but was not big on playing organized shinny, he was cool with it and told me to do what i liked. He tried to get me into hunting, but soon came to the conclusion that shooting animals was not in my blood and again was okay with it. But i think the most important thing that i learned from my dad was how to laugh and make people around me laugh as well. Oh, and if you have read the column on things my dad taught me, well, Flatulence and how to use it is still one thing he taught me that i still use well to this day. Happy Birthday Dad.

The Hespeler Communication Network.

One of the things about growing up in a small town like Hespeler during the 60's and 70's was the communication network that existed in the town. A lot of it was good, as a small town we had a volunteer fire department and since my dad was a volunteer the only way to get the information about a fire was for each member to have an assigned person to call. So when the fire was phoned in the system would start. The first fireman would call the next on the list and so on and so on, until everyone was notified, and no matter what time of the day, this would occur. It was never a surprise to hear the phone ring at 2:30 in the morning. If someone was sick or got hurt everyone would find out quick enough, and really anything that happened went through the communication network. Even things that would get you in trouble, trust me i know.
In the day's before Ernie's the building was known as the Queens Hotel and was a regular spot for many of the locals, including my Dad and his cronies and since it sat at the main intersection in town they could sit and watch the town(and the Characters} go by. And that is how they got me. One warm summers evening i pulled up to the lights in my Dodge Coronet, the 8 track spitting out some raucous Zeppelin tunes, and as i was prone to do, i revved the engine a few times and when the lights turned green i spun out, squealing the tires and headed up Queen Street and headed home. Now this was no more than a two minute drive to my place and as i pulled into the driveway i saw my dad standing there with his arms folded and glaring at me like i had let in a game winning goal or something. Upon parking the Dodge and slipping out the door my Dad made it clear in no uncertain terms...don't ever squeal your tires in this town, go to Preston or Galt or even better Kitchener, but do not ever, ever do it in HIS town, and while i am at it turn the music down as nobody else downtown wants to hear that metal crap and wear a seatbelt goddamn it. I stood there stunned! How in the hell did he find out in 2 minutes what i had done? There was no such thing as cell phones in those days, he didn't have ESP, so how? As he explained it later, one of his chums was sitting at the bar and saw me there revving my engine and was on the phone to the old man when i peeled away from the corner, so by the time i got home the whole story was known. And you know what was worst? Later that day i went over to a friends house and his dad laughed at me for getting in trouble doing what i did. That Damn Hespeler Communication network had nailed me and their was nothing i could do about it.

Cooper Street Relic: A Hespeler Rock band from the 70's

Cooper Street Relic: A Hespeler Rock band from the 70's

Hespeler Hideout photos

The Hespeler Hideout

I always wanted a fort and in the summer of 1974 at the age of 17 i got one. The fact that it was shared with about a dozen other guys was not a problem as it became our little hideout. A place where we could go and drink our beer and smoke our silly cigarettes without being bothered and of course entertain girls.
It sat on what is now Holiday inn Drive across from Jacob Hespeler High School and back by Hwy 401. The beauty of it was the fact that back then Holiday inn Drive stopped at the Holiday Inn and past that all the way to Townline Road was nothing but Forest, Tress and brush, plenty of trees and brush. The only way in was by foot and that suited us just fine as the Police could not get in without us seeing them and by the time they did we could be long gone. As for the OPP coming up from behind on the 401 they would be as visible as my receding hairline is now. And besides, i think the local Constabulary's were quite happy knowing that we were not bothering the citizens of the village.
I don't remember who built it or how we found it, but it was there and on any giving Friday or Saturday night you could find us sitting around the fire and just carousing and enjoying the waning day's of our youth, and if it rained, so be it we had a good roof on it. One winter we even used it despite the danger of having a fire inside of it, of course trekking up there on a cold February night was a chore but the rewards were worth it. So what brings this story on, well let me tell you.
I drive past the spot almost every day and think about the good times that were held there but had not set foot up there in almost 35 years, until yesterday. With my wife working and myself having a day off, no yard worl to do i took my camera and went for a drive and for some reason i pulled into the little parking area and stood facing the hill that the fort was on, and i began the walk up there. And the walk was just as i remembered, arduous but enjoyable, and when i got to the hill and found the spot where it stood i felt peaceful. I thought of friends that had were no longer with us and friends that i never see but for some reason i saw them there. I saw the fort, even though it was long gone, i saw the fires and i saw the forest. I know it sounds corny but i enjoyed those 20 minutes i spent there like none that i have in a long time. And as i left, reality hit me as i looked around and saw an open field., industrial malls,factory's and a busy road that at one time was deep in trees and dirt and steeped in nostalgia. Why did we stop going to the fort? I guess we thought we outgrew it, but now i am not so sure.


Photos of the remains including some of the tin and rocks used for the structure are on the previous blog.

Smiles from Above

Sometimes it seems that the mind can play tricks on you, or does it?
Baseball has been a big sport in my Dad's family as far back as i can trace. My Great-Grandfather, my Grandfather, my Father and his brother all played at one level or another. My brother myself and 4 of my cousins all played at the amateur level and reached the highest levels possible.My Younger Sister still plays on a regular basis as does her daughter, and the next generation now plays as well as my Grandson and one of my granddaughters play the game and enjoy it. And here is where i am leading up to.The sky was a little overcast as Ben and Monica's game began, and as i watched the game i lay in the grass and looked into the clouds and for a brief minute could have sworn that the clouds formed the faces of my Great-Grandfather, Grandfather and my Dad and they were smiling to see another generation of ball players in the family. After Ben singled in a run i looked again but the clouds were gone and the game went on.
Were they really looking down or was my imagination wanting them too? It really doesn't matter because i know in my heart they were there.

Powered by ScribeFire.

When i Was a Teen

When i was a teenager growing up in this town words had a slightly different meaning:

Memory was something you lost with age
An application was for employment
A program was a television show
A cursor used profanity

A keyboard was a piano
A web was a spiders home
A virus was what you caught
A CD was a bank account

A hard drive was a long drive with my family
A mouse pad was where the mice lived

And if you had a 3 inch floppy, you just hoped nobody ever found out!

My how times have changed!

Powered by ScribeFire.

What i hated as a kid, i still hate today.

The following list is a compilation of things i hated as a kid and i still hate today.

Being Nagged
Cleaning my room and making my bed
Just getting started on a trip and having to go pee
My Mom yelling at me, now she just does it by phone.
Brussels Sprouts
The voices in my head telling me I'm a goat
Getting dressed up
Still not old enough to 'Know it all"
First my Mom and now my wife won't let me run with scissors
Being spanked because i am a bad boy.,.wait..sorry wrong list for that one.


That is just a few of the things i hated then and now.

You've lost that loving feeling

The radio on my boyhood dresser was an old tabletop model with tubes. The top was cracked and at high volume, the busted brown plastic made it screech. My father got it when a great-aunt died i think, and it looked like the type of thing you would get at a junkyard. It was the greatest treasure he ever gave me. For with that radio he opened a new world that was hard to forget. As a ten year old the sounds that came out of that cracked jewel on my dresser changed my world. The Everly brothers, the Righteous Brothers, Simon and Garfunkle,Marvin Gaye came pouring out of that box like Angels from heaven. I had discovered music that my parents did not listen to. Sure my older brother and sister played their records and listened to their radios, BUT, THIS WAS MY RADIO,and no one was going to tell me what to listen to anymore. Elvis was the other generation and when i heard She Loves You by the Beatles and the first scream by my Dad and Mom to TURN IT DOWN i knew i had found my calling. Music,MY MUSIC, would be my salvation, it would set me free and make me different from my big brother and sister,it would allow me to define myself and create a world that i could call my own. It was CHUM,CHAM,CKWR,CFTR, all radio stations playing MY music. The Beatles, the Monkees, Neil Diamond, songs like Louie Louie, Gloria, Satisfaction,Go all the way and Moondance would be my break from reality. I could drift away in a Rock and Roll Lullabye. And as the '60s morphed into the '70s, music defined my teenage years. Pink Floyd,Led Zeepelin and Rush may have replaced the Doors, the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkle, but that radio, even though long gone,still held in my soul a very special place. Now in 2006 and i am listening to my CD's on my surround sound system, i still think back to that night when i first turned on that radio in 1967 and the strange noise began to emerge from that box. The voice sounded so sad,the sound so rich, the melody's so tight i was dumstruck by it all"You've lost that loving feelin". I can tell you i have never lost that loving feeling for the world of music. All thanks to my Father and that old cracked music box. Somewhere out in the stratosphere and the cosmos an old radio is playing"bring it on back,baby please, brink back that loving feeling"

Swinging Babes of my younger day's

One thing that no man can agree on is what makes a woman hot. some like
legs, some like figure and some like personalities. No guy can agree on
anything, what i am putting forth here,is my list of the ten
swinginest woman of my youth. They all have a little something
different and some may not be what turns others on but, it's my list so
here it goes.

10.Marilyn Monroe--The ultimate pin up girl

9.Ann Margaret--oozed sexuality

8.Raquel Welch--Nobody could beat her in a bathing suit

7.Bridgett Bardot--Even Elton John thought she was sexy

6.Ursula Andress--Or as we used to call her Ursula Undressed

5.Aretha Franklin--Made big woman and gospel sexy

4.Barbara Eden.--rubbed many a bottle trying to find one like her

3.Nancy Sinatra--Those boots could have walked all over me

2. Goldie Hawn--Sock it to me, baby

1.Elizabeth Montgomery--Man did she make witchcraft sizzle.

So there you have it, now let the debates begin.

Powered by ScribeFire.

A Cooper Street Relic's 85th Birthday Video

Some old relics

This is a picture of my Mother, my brother and my two sisters. It was taken on may 24th on the occasion of my Mom's 85th birthday. We are truly relics!

Doing it Right[A Hespeler Video]

Just something i threw together for the Residents of Hespeler

{Sort of} A Ghost Story

I
grew up in a big old house in Hespeler, that to me was haunted. And
this is one of those story’s that could have been a great Ghost
Story, but since that would spoil the ending i will start a the
beginning.

It was a warm spring Sunday evening in 1967 and i had just finished
watching my Television programs in the living room with my family,
Gentle Ben,Ed Sullivan and Bonanza were the programs of choice. Off to
bed i went for a relaxing sleep, or so i thought. At around 3 am i
awoke to take a whizz when i caught out of the corner of my eye the
rocking chair under the window in my room was moving and a white clad
figure was occupying the chair. Frozen in bed and now unable to pee i
pulled up the sheets on my bed over my head and shivered, hoping that
the ghost would leave soon. No such luck. Every 1/2 hour it seemed i
checked and that ghost was still there and rocking the chair back and
forth. Unable to scream or even mouth “HELP” i waited for
morning and eventually dozed off thankfully.
As dawn arrived and i
opened my eyes my fear of the ghost turned to embarrassment and then
shame at what i had gone through the night before.

You see, what had happened was this. Being that it was a warm evening
my Mother had opened the bedroom window before laying a freshly cleaned
white bed sheet over the rocking chair, that just happened to have an
arched back, that created a head like shape. That and the wind nicely
blowing in the window kept the chair moving and the newly dried sheet
flowing. So it was not a ghost at all and i made it clear to my Mother
that she should never do that again. Her only comment on the
situation…how did you hold your pee so long? And now that i
think about it..how did i? Amazing the things you can do at 10 years
old.

Powered by ScribeFire.