I found a pleasant surprise when I woke up this morning; it was actually extremely cool out, verging on cold! I knew the weather would end up being a comfortable temperature for my short ride to Meaford, so I was pretty pleased. I was packed and on my way through the crisp morning air by 7. I only had about 60 KM to go today, so I would arrive in Meaford nice and early, leaving lots of time to look around my old town.
The ride to Meaford was pretty relaxed and scenic. I passed through several small townships; merely small collections of houses and shops below large oak and poplar trees, whose branches reached accross the road in greeting. Between these villages were more fields of long grass, crops, and cattle; as impolite in their stares as ever.
About halfway to Meaford, I reached Owen Sound, and began to see things I remembered from 12 years ago. Certain buildings and street corners began to remind me of times long ago when we would come here. Much in the way that Oromocto residents go to Fredericton for shopping and services, so do Meaford residents go to Owen Sound or Collingwood. I didnt stay longer than it took me to pass through however; I was much more interested in the town I actually lived in.
The peaceful country road continued from Owen Sound to Meaford, but now I had some pretty sizeable hills to climb. I had no recollection of there being such large hill between the two, but I made my way over them easy enough. I spotted the road that led to the base where dad had been posted, but it would be too much extra biking to go look around so I didnt. One last big hill, and there it was below, the Georgian Bay, which Meaford hugs the coast of. About 10 KM of torn up roads in a construction zone seperated me from it, but I soon found my way into town.
Right away I was struck by just how little Meaford had changed in the 12 years since I left. The quiet downtown of brick shops looked the same as ever, even boasting few of the exact same shops owned by the same people as before. The town hall and old fire hall looked identical to their painted twins I saw everyday back home. The harbour, the parks, the giant red apple; everything just as I had left it. It was quite the nostalgia trip. I took a jaunt down to my old house, which also looked almost the same, and down the Georgian Trail that ran behind it. That was the only place that actually changed. The once wide and open trail was now a narrow corridor through a canopy of overlapping maple boughs, and the once open backyards of my neighbours were now obscured. Sadly, the tree house that dad built in our backyard was also gone. Satisfied, I continued on my nostalgia tour, going past old friends houses, the pool I used to frequent, and a nice park/ beach down the far end of town I used to love. I also stopped by the Lambe's house to say hello, but unfortunately they werent home.
Next it was time to head to the Macnamara's, but due to communication issues, I hadnt been able to clarify if they still lived in the same house as before, and I hadnt been able to reach Shawn to ask. I decided to just show up at their old house and hope for the best, so I headed down the highway out of town, looking for the house I frequented so often as a kid. I soon found it, looking just as timeless as the rest of the town, and I was pretty excited and nervous. The dog who noisily greeted me at the front door was new to me, so I was still uncertain of who currently resided there, but once I knocked on the door, I was soon greeted by adult versions of Shawn and Nikola, whom I had seldom seen pictures of since leaving. Shawn was soon off to work for the afternoon unfortunately, but Nikola and I hung out until Shawn and his mom returned home. It was great seeing everyone, and we stayed up late talking. Just before bed, Shawn's dad returned from his work trip, so I got to say hello to him as well.
Tomorrow will be a relaxing day off, and I have arranged to swing back and visit the Lambes in the morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment