En route to a second family reunion, that of the “Langlois”
clan, Christine’s family, we took time to stop in Smiths Falls. Our son Jeff
was born in this town’s St. Joseph’s Hospital in 1970.
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| Gina meeting Martin & Jennifer for the 1st time |
Driving along Hwy #15 I was not prepared for my own
emotional feelings in coming back into this area. The sunny skies enhanced the
visual delight of travelling on old highway #15 to Smiths Falls. Christine and
I lived in Smiths Falls from 1969 – 1974 when I pastored Calvary Bible Church.
So many landmarks, names of towns and roads and so many buildings, houses and
farms evoked the memories of our trips up and down this highway to go to and
from Toronto or St. Catharines for business functions or family
gatherings.
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| Robert, Jeff and Cathy |
Before arriving at Smiths Falls we took a chance that we
might find the cottage where our dear friends, Ken and Frances Maley once
lived. We and our children had spent many happy summers with them. They were
known to our children and numerous others in town as Uncle Ken and Aunt
Frances. We knew that Frances passed away a couple of years ago. Upon locating
the cottage, a neighbour lady saw us and she had known the Maleys very well.
Her mother was sitting on a dockside deck and she was happy to speak about the
past, friends we had in common, and current news. It was a lovely serendipity.
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| Cathy, Richard & son Arthur & Patty |
We booked into our registered rooms at the Best Western and
then drove to the church I once pastored. Cars outside indicated someone was inside
even on a Saturday. We gained the attention of Georgina MacIntosh who
remembered us from those distant years. She was in her late teens when we were
working in that church 40 years ago. She spent time with us rehearsing names
and histories of many people we had known. We toured the sanctuary and the
rooms downstairs and made the acquaintance of a few people whom we met for the
first time. We dropped by our old home at 46 Daniel, looking no better than it
had four decades earlier. We popped into Lockwood Electronics looking for Dave
Ryan, proprieter, son of Al Ryan the original owner Al Ryan but he was not in
on Saturday. Al and Marg Ryan were good friends to us. Marge passed away a
couple of years ago. We were told Al and his new bride were on an Alaskan
cruise.
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| Cousins |
The town of 9000 residents doesn’t have a particularly
attractive main street and sections of the town look very poor and worn out,
but the town still has a character due to some stately stone and brick
buildings and largely due to the Rideau river and the Rideau canal that identify
it with history and current convenience for pleasure craft that ply the waters
between Ottawa and Kingston and other places along the way. They move leisurely
through hand-cranked locks. We noticed
that many businesses and landmarks were gone and new businesses and housing had
been constructed.
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| Christine with neices Jennifer and Tara |
Jeff and Gina and their children Kale and Kadence arrived a
few hours later, joined us for a swim and later for a dinner at Gerbos Greek
Restaurant.
O Sunday we drove in tandem to the reunion of the Langlois
Family, meeting Christine’s two brothers Robert and David and their wives Gloria
and Patty and their children and grandchildren. This was a hot but pleasant
time shaped by the discomfiture of updating personal news with people we have
not see for 5, 10, 15, 20 years. It was nonetheless a worthwhile idea.
We all went our own ways at the supper hour, with us driving
back to Smiths Falls and Jeff and Gina and the children visiting the Parliament
buildings and then hurrying back to us for a late night swim on a very warm
evening.
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