End-of-Summer Shenanigans - Part 2

And we’re back with more highlights from the end of summer 2008. When last we left our intrepid hero, he had just escaped the clutches of the evil Darth Vader and his nefarious henchman Boba Fett.

After returning from a galaxy far, far away, driving two hours north of Toronto was a pleasure – especially when it meant spending time with some dear friends. Chad, Janice, and their new baby Eric had traveled from Vancouver to Penetanguishene to stay with Chad’s mom and step-dad, who were kind enough to also invite us for a weekend.

Such gracious hosts were they (Chad’s mom knew of my love for cold soups and made vichyssoise) that I don’t know who was more coddled, us or baby Eric. Okay, Eric wins. But nobody could resist the little guy and the proud parents made sure everyone got a turn with him.

Never ones to miss a photo opportunity, Eric and I had pre-arranged to wear matching-coloured shirts.

When not showing off his son, Chad also proudly passed around his new iPod Touch. It was neat, but Eric definitely stole the show (even if I couldn’t check my e-mail on him). It was a relaxing visit in a peaceful setting.

As much as we were enjoying ourselves, we didn’t have time to linger. The next day we headed back to the city with a stopover in the town of Erin for dinner with our friends Alanna, Tim, and Max. We had invited Alanna, who teaches high school drama, to crash with us that week while she was taking a video production and editing course in Toronto. And so after dinner, we returned to Hogtown.

A short night’s sleep later I was on the road again. It was time for the second annual Father-Son Getaway! This year we decided to keep costs down by staying closer to home. We used Mom and Dad’s place (in Ayr) as our base camp and then spent one day in Niagara-on-the-Lake and the following day in Stratford. The weather was on our side and we enjoyed lunch the first day on the deck of The VIEW restaurant at EastDell Estates winery looking across Lake Ontario at the Toronto skyline.

After lunch we browsed some galleries and then worked up a new appetite walking the main street before a fabulous dinner at the Prince of Wales Hotel. After dinner we took in a production of Anne-Marie MacDonald’s play Bell Moral: A Natural History. Fortunately it was captivating enough to compete with a belly full of food and wine and I was rapt throughout. (The Shaw Festival has my permission to quote me on the poster). As an added bonus, after the show the stage director and main actors Fiona Byrne and Jeff Meadows stuck around for some Q & A. with the audience. Fascinating stuff!

Day two saw us off to Stratford for lunch at Fellini’s and an amazing dinner at The Old Prune. In between we visited another gallery and then had a long stroll and a good chat along the Avon River. That night’s theatre outing was the highlight of an already incredible couple of days: Hamlet. I have never seen Hamlet on the stage, but I found Ben Carlson’s portrayal of the dour Dane completely electrifying. Spoiler alert: most of the main characters die at the end. But that’s a rather downer way to end the fabulous second annual Father-Son Getaway, so let’s instead say it was the touching story of a young prince who loves his dad like crazy.

Before heading back to Toronto the following day, the core Wichman clan took advantage of our all being together and enjoyed a family lunch.

I can think of no better way to wrap up the summer before my next big adventure: going back to school.

And that adventure begins tomorrow morning, when I start my first of four six-week practicum placements in the Toronto District School Board. As of 9:00 AM I’ll be in a grade 3 classroom at a school in the downtown neighbourhood known as Cabbagetown.

In the afternoon, I’ll zip over to U of T for my first lecture. Stay tuned for my adventures in the Canadian education system.

End-of-Summer Shenanigans – Part 1

Phew! The end of our summer proved to be more crazy than lazy, but the company of good friends and family helped ensure the living was easy.

The first big event actually harkens back to the end of July. On a sunny Sunday we traveled to Guelph’s Victoria Park for a picnic with Jeanette’s family, including uncles and cousins and grandmas, oh my! The rain that has defined most of this summer briefly threatened, but otherwise left us alone. The young ones had a blast at the playground and riding the kiddy train, while we old folks made merry by eating, chatting, and playing a friendly game of croquet (it is my policy to keep any game involving large hammers as friendly as possible).

We capped off the day with a walk through the park’s beautiful gardens. And by walk I mean a mostly sitting on a comfy bench with my lovely wife.

I mentioned that it has been a rainy summer. Not being very outdoorsy, this hasn’t been a major issue for me. However, I sometimes worry that my lack of wilderness-savvy may be depriving Alfredo of the fresh air and outdoor adventure craved by boys the world over. Turns out, he’s not so much with the craving. Born and bred in the city, Alfredo isn’t a big fan of the countryside, with its bugs, odd-tasting tap water, and overall lack of plumbing.

Nevertheless, I cannot forget his delight at our snowshoeing adventure in 2004 and his excitement during our day of fishing in 2006. Therefore, I try to get us out on at least one significant outdoor outing a season (Canada’s Wonderland doest not count). This year, I chose a day of hiking atop the Niagara Escarpment at Rattlesnake Point in Halton east of Toronto. After several rained out Saturdays, we finally got our chance in mid-August.

It was a spectacular day and Alfredo seemed suitably impressed with the panoramic views, the dramatic cliff faces, and the derring-do of the groups of rock-climbers doing their thing.

But then I took us on a hiking path down into Nassagaweya Canyon. Bad idea. The wind up top of the Escarpment kept the bugs at bay, but down below they attacked with a vengeance. And there was mud. Alfredo didn’t care for the mud.

We beat a hasty retreat back uphill. Tired, hungry, and bug-bitten, we broke out the PB&J sandwiches and took in the lookout view. I feared my case for nature was in tatters, but with the bugs gone again and our bellies full, all it took was a little reminder of civilization to bring back the fun.

I’m telling you, if you haven’t played Mario Kart in the woods at the top of a cliff, you haven’t lived.

Okay, you may think that episode is enough to further re-confirm my nerd-for-life status. Well, I have news for you: I had not yet begun to geek. The following weekend I attended FanExpo Canada 2008, a three-day geekstravaganza of anime, comics, horror, and sci-fi creators, stars, and fans. My dear sister, who insists on trying to out-geek me, joined me for this surreal journey into the physical manifestation of my 15-year-old id. How surreal? I think this picture sums it up best:

Yes, there were fans in get-ups of all kinds – so many that Leighann and I began playing a game we called “Costume or Clothing?” Indeed, it was often difficult to tell whether certain outfits were simply typical street-wear for those turned to the geek-side or, in fact, homages to some super-obscure manga character. No matter. These were my people, and I wished for them all to live long and prosper.

And prosper many of the vendors did. We saw a Gene Autry cowboy comic on sale for $1500.00. More outrageous to me was the Lisa Simpson hand fan on sale for $10.00 bucks – it was basically a piece of paper stapled to a Popsicle stick (I’ll make you one for $8.00!). But the most outrageous of all was the $60.00 charge for an autograph by Battlestar Galactica’s Edward James Olmos. Maybe he would have brought down the price to sign some West Wing paraphernalia instead, but I doubt it.

Fortunately, the rip-offs were easy to avoid and there was plenty to enjoy for the price of admission. I had fun sitting in on the Star Wars presentations, including a workshop on how to build your own Imperial Stormtrooper armour (for only a few thousand dollars in tools and materials, and with only a few years hard work, you too can have your own set!), and an appearance by Jeremy Bulloch who portrayed Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back.

I was also fascinated by a workshop called “Writing Comics from Start to Finish” given by a guy named Matt Fraction. I hadn’t heard of him, but it turns out he’s a writer for the X-Men comic. He said he’d never given a workshop before, but you’d never have known it. He was charming, engaging, authentic, thoughtful about his craft, and with a quick wit that would make Joss Whedon chuckle. He also deftly handled every question tossed at him by the would-be comic writers in the crowd. Although writing comics is not something to which I aspire, I am fascinated by the fundamentals of how any creative product is put together. Fraction clearly laid out the basics and helped to demystify the process for me. I really enjoyed his presentation and am now interested in reading a comic he writes called Cassanova.

Whoah – didn’t mean to geek out on you there. Anybody still reading?

There are a lot more shenanigans yet to tell, but I’ll break here for now. For the best really. Witty X-Men writers and Darth Vader sipping juice are tough acts to follow. More tomorrow.