The Lansdowne Letters: Making the Rounds in a Small World

Flickr:  J.H.   license

Sometimes in the North, 
brief lovely days, 
unseasonably warm, 
linger 
before the cold hammer of winter strikes.

I always loved such days,
even though my father considered them unhealthy.



Friday, October 28, 1960 
My father wrote:

Hi There Everyone:
Here we go on another week, and it does not even look or feel 
like we are going to have the freeze-up for a while yet.  
The weather has been unseasonably mild, 
and I don’t like it, because unseasonable weather is never healthy.

Black Spruce and Larch in the Autumn Taiga

wikimedia

I am writing this on Sunday evening, 
but I am going to try to make it sound as if it was written 
on the day it was supposed to be written – 
on Friday to be exact.  

The reason that I didn’t write it on Friday 
was that we had another freeze-up scare again Friday, 
and there was another ‘last plane’ in Saturday morning, 
so I spent all Friday getting some official correspondence 
done and individual letters out before freeze-up.

Fueling a Norseman for a Flight into Lansdowne House
Austin Airways, Nakina, 1960
Photo by Donald MacBeath
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved

I said earlier that it doesn’t seem like we will ever have 
a freeze-up, and then I talk about freeze-up scares. 

This freeze-up scare was at Nakina, 
the southern terminus of our mail run.  
The lake at Nakina is supposed to be over half frozen over.  

We not only have to worry about the lake here, 
but we also have to worry about the lake at Nakina, 
because the plane has to be able to land and take off 
at Nakina as well as at Lansdowne House.

Flying Over the Albany River

Halfway between Nakina and Lansdowne House.

You can see the Albany River down to the right.

Photo by Donald MacBeath, Fall 1960
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved

There was a nice bunch of mail today, 

though not as bountiful as some I have received.  
Of course the ‘last plane’ that was in Monday 
bought some mail to me, and this naturally 
cut down on the volume that I usually receive.  

However, it wasn’t too bad.  
I received five letters from Sara, 
one from Mac, 
and three from Mother.
  
I still am waiting for one from you, Aunt Maude.  
I will be so glad when you are able to drop me even a short line.

Coming in for a Landing at Lansdowne House

The Father's Beach is in the middle right.

Photo by Father Maurice Ouimet, c. 1960

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved

I spent a very quiet day in school today.  
Just had regular classes in the morning, 
and the first part of the afternoon, 
but I spent the last part of the afternoon getting ready 
for the Halloween party Monday afternoon.  

The kids spent the last hour and a half getting ready 
the decorations for the party.  
It is surprising just how artistic some of these kids are.  
I just have to give them paper and crayons and set them loose, 
and I am usually quite pleasantly surprised with the results.

I did spend a very busy social afternoon after school though.  
Just as I was passing the nursing station, 
Mike stuck his head out of the door and invited me 
in for a cup of tea; and after I left Mike’s, 
Maureen called to me from her front window 
and asked me in for a cup of coffee.  

After I left Maureen’s, I cut through the DOT yard, 
and just as I was passing MacMahon’s back door, 
Milt sang out to me to come in, 
so I did and had another cup of coffee.

MacMahon's House

with the community path in front

Photo by Donald MacBeath, Fall 1960
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved

  

By this time I was getting pretty well waterlogged, 
and it was a real hard time to handle the cup of tea 
that I was offered at Mitchell’s after I left MacMahon’s, 
but I squared my shoulders and stuck with it.

Map of Lansdowne House

by Donald MacBeath

Dad's School (25)  The Nursing Station (24)

MacRae's House (20)  MacMahon's House (19)

Mitchell's House (12)  Dad and Uno's Cottage ( 7)

The Father's Beach (27)

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved

  
It’s a good job that I take my coffee black 
and have started drinking my tea black 
or my diet would be all shot to h---.  

In a place like Lansdowne House, you are so hungry 
for companionship that you accept every invitation.

Friday night I spent writing the letters that I mentioned earlier 
and played a couple of games of chess with Dunc 
who dropped over about ten p.m.  

After the chess and letters were through, 
I went to bed because I was very tired, 
and that pretty well winds up Friday.

Bye now,
Love,
Don.


When we joined Dad in Lansdowne House,
we children were always on the go from house to house.
I don't remember ever being lonely!

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue



Boars Head Lighthouse
Tiverton, Long Island, Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

Links to Earlier Posts:

TLL: Neskantaga

TLL: Kikinoamagewinini, pintiken


Notes:  

1.  Aunt Maude:  
     Maude Cox, sister to my father's mother.
     She had been gravely ill.

2.  Mac:  Mom's mother, Ella MacDonald

3.  Friends and Socializing:
     The few people in the White community of Lansdowne House
     were all good friends and looked out for each other.
     The only social life they had was what they created.
     
4.  Mike Flaherty:  The nurse at the nursing station.

5.  Maureen MacRae:  
     Wife of Duncan MacRae (Dunc).
     Duncan was one of the Department of Transport employees
     who worked in the DOT Work Building (23) and ran
     the DOT Weather Office (21) and DOT Powerhouse (22).

6.  Milt MacMahon:  The other DOT employee in Lansdowne House.

7.  Bill Mitchell:  The manager of the Hudson Bay Post.