East Coast Photo Files - In Conclusion

Trip Day 17 - June 25, 2014

 ["My regal accommodation - the Ottawa Jail on Nicholas St."]

From Ottawa to Fenelon Falls

["My bicycle route to The War Museum, west of downtown"]

I conclude this 'East Coast' series (of photos from my trip to PEI, Halifax) with snaps from Ottawa because as soon as I left the capital on Wednesday, June 25 I was almost home. I subsequently spent one lovely day with my older son, David, on his dock in Fenelon Falls (no need for you to see 400 photos of my twin grand-daughters) before landing home to London to sit - very gratefully - with my patient wife in comfortable chairs on our front porch. She handed me a cold beer and said, "So, tell me about your trip."

Well, it was a good one and will lead to more because the journey I'm on - which includes retracing some of my father's steps during WW2 - doesn't come with a neat, final destination. And next time I head off I will invite you along again.

Some photos from along the way (all from Ottawa) that help reveal the highlight of the trip:

["The museum accepted a copy of my father's WW2 memoirs for their collection"]

["A poppy grows on the museum's grass-covered roof"]

["I visited Memorial Hall on Monday after donating father's memoirs"]

["I was invited back on Wednesday to meet a volunteer and WW2 veteran"]

["In Peace Tower: My father participated in the invasions of Sicily and Italy"]

["Wednesday: The veteran was late, perhaps not coming, so I prepared a

note to insert into the last copy of my father's book of WW2 memoirs"]

Nelson Langevin arrived just as I was about to sign my name to the note. He noticed the photo of my father on the book and said, "I know Doug." He too served in North Africa, Sicily and Italy, but on a different barge. "But I knew most of the guys ," he said. "There were only 80 of us." (Eighty in the 80th Flotilla? I'll try to find out. My research, related to my dad's Navy days is not complete!)

Not only had he visited with my father (at my parents' house in Norwich) during a Navy reunion but still had a photo from my dad of the large tree that covered the house. He quickly rattled off the names of other veterans, friends of my fathers. I turned to their photos in my dad's book and we both had a glorious walk down memory lane together. 

He was very surprised when I said I had recently received WW2 photographs from another veteran. I mentioned the man's name.

"You know Lloyd?" he asked. "Lloyd is still alive?"

I said, "Yes. He lives in Markham with his wife."

"Where is Markham? How far is it from here?"

I was overwhelmed with Mr. Langevin's energy and enthusiasm, and I promised to send him Lloyd's email address and phone number.  

["My sister says I look pretty emotional in this photo with Nelson.

I say emotional, stunned, silenced, and on Cloud Nine"]

I walked to the museum's parking garage shortly after the above photo was taken and looked at my watch. It said 8:30 and I knew it was wrong. It had to be much later in the morning. 

I asked a man for the correct time and he said 11:11.

Pretty darn fitting, I say. 

The way I see it, one search leads to another and another, so I have many roads to travel by motorcycle, bus, car, planes and trains. Why, by the time I'm 105 I'll have quite the collection of stories and photos.

I hope you'll continue to join me along the way.

PS Nelson and Lloyd connected by phone last week. Lloyd now wants me to come visit to tell me all about it.

Please link to East Coast Photo Files

Photos GH