Standing Into Danger: October 2018

Friday, October 26, 2018

The Lansdowne Letters: Swan Song

All things come to an end,
a fact that I'm understanding more and more, the older I get.
In late June 1961, my father was winding things up at Lansdowne House,
and my mother and we five kids had already departed for Lac Seul.

On Sunday, June 25, 1961

My father wrote
to our extended family:

Hi There Everyone:
This is the swan song
of the Lansdowne Letter
~ the last edition.

Back to Typing in the Mission Cabin
Landsdowne House, Northern Ontario, Canada
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

I hope everyone got as much fun out of reading it, as I did out of writing it.
All in all, it has been quite a winter.

My Father Tramping through the Bush
Landsdowne House, Northern Ontario, Canada
December 11, 1960
Photo Likely by Mike Flaherty
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

It is with very mixed feelings that I take leave of Lansdowne House.
I enjoyed the winter, and I made a lot of nice friends,
not the least of which were the Brother and the Father.
I will always remember my stay in Lansdowne House with feelings of pleasure.

Father Ouimet, Don MacBeath, and Brother Bernier
Landsdowne House, Northern Ontario, Canada
Fall 1960
Photo Likely by Uno Manilla
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

If it wasn't for the nice promotion and the exciting challenge
of the new job in Sioux Lookout, I would sincerely regret leaving this place.
I will always remember the children as among the nicest that I have ever worked with.
It was always a pleasure to be with them, even if they did exasperate me on occasion.

Halloween Fun
Landsdowne House, Northern Ontario, Canada
October 1960
Photo by Uno Manilla
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

My Father's Students
Landsdowne House, Northern Ontario, Canada
September 1960
Photo by Don MacBeath
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

I received official notification of my transfer to Sioux Lookout in the last mail.
It is effective the first of the month (July),
so when you read this I will probably be the new Supervising Principal
of the Sioux Lookout Indian Agency or very close to becoming same.

It was a great load off my mind when I received the notification
and saw that it was effective the first of July.
When I left North Bay after my interview, Mr. Waller,
the departmental representative who interviewed me said that he would TRY
to get me employed as a supervising principal for the summer.

Normally, this position is only filled ten months of the year,
and they rarely have supervising principals for the summer schools.
However, they wanted me to take up my duties as soon as possible,
so I would be familiar with them and my district come September.
Well, anyway, I wasn't 100% sure that I would be employed this summer.

As the first of July came closer and closer
and I was hearing nothing from the department,
I was getting more frantic with every passing day.
I was sure, when I heard nothing from them last week,
that they had not been successful in getting me hired for the summer.
But everything turned out O.K., and I won't be unemployed for the summer.

The Office Building That Contained

the Sioux Lookout Indian Agency

Flickr ~ Seán Ó Domhnaill License

There is one catch to the deal though, but it isn't too serious,
and I can't really complain too much.
I won't be receiving my full salary for the summer months.

Supervising principals are paid as ordinary teachers for their basic pay,
and in addition, they receive supervisory pay
in accordance to how many classrooms they supervise.
The maximum number they get paid for supervising is fourteen classrooms,
even though they may, like myself, be supervising over twenty classrooms.
Since there are only nine summer schools in the agency,
I can only draw supervisory pay for nine classrooms for this summer.

I will, however, get my full pay come September.
Even without my full pay, I will be making $610.00 a month for July and August.
That is better than a kick on the ass for damned sure.

I don't think that I will be doing too much supervising this summer though.
I think I will be spending the majority of my time getting to know my district
and getting familiar with departmental files, policy, regulations, etc.

I expect to spend at least a week in North Bay and possibly some time in Ottawa.
This, coupled with the extensive traveling I expect to be doing
around the agency will keep me away from home quite a bit this summer;
but by fall, my traveling will have tapered off somewhat,
and I shouldn't be spending more than a third of my time away from home this winter.

Getting to Know His District
Meant Many Flights by Bush Plane
Flying over the Albany River, Northern Ontario, Canada
September 1960
Photo by Don MacBeath
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

One of the main parts of my new job will probably be public relations,
or at least that is what I have been led to understand.
I wouldn't be surprised if it was on account of my ability
to meet and talk with people that I was hired,
as much as for my ability as a teacher.

I don't for a moment think that there aren't other teachers in the department
as skilled as and more skilled than me,
but I imagine that you would have to look around a lot to find anyone
who is better able to meet and talk with strange people.
I really enjoy it while other people,
who no doubt are just as good, if not better teachers,
dread meeting new people and having to talk to them.

Oh, I guess also, that my administrative and supervisory experience
in the Air Force stood me in good standing also.
I also like to think that I was chosen partly for my teaching ability too ~
professional pride you know.

My Father with His Friend Duncan McRae
Outside the Roman Catholic Church

Lansdowne House, Northern Ontario, Canada
Fall 1960

Uno has taken a job as a cook for the survey party for the summer.
He will make $340.00 a month and found.
He hopes that with what he saves this summer, along with what he saved this winter,
he will be able to finance a year at school to finish his grade twelve.
He was only teaching on a permit this winter, and it has run out.
He can't teach any more till he gets a regular license.

It is a shame for he is a wonderful teacher, especially with the beginners.
He has to finish grade twelve and take one or two years
at Teachers College, Toronto to get his license.
His father says that he will help him go to Teachers, if he finishes grade twelve;
but I guess that aside from giving him free board at home, his father
will not give him any assistance till he proves himself by finishing grade twelve.
Apparently, when he was in school he just wasted his time.

Uno with Dad and Baby Duncan McRae
In the Bedroom of the Two-Room Cabin They Shared
Lansdowne House, Northern Ontario, Canada

Winter 1960

Well, I have done enough bragging about myself and my new job.
If I am not careful, you are liable to get the impression
that I am conceited or something.
I'm not, but I am awfully pleased with myself just the same.

This has been a wonderful promotion that I have received;
and, apart from the increased remuneration that I will receive
and the added prestige that will be mine,
there remains the intense satisfaction that one gets
from doing a job well enough to impress one's superiors so favorably.

Added to this is the fact that my superiors came to me with the offer.
I did not solicit it in any way at the beginning.
I will admit though, that once the initial offer was made,
I did everything in my power to secure the position.

Maureen McRae, Another Good Friend
In Front of the Roman Catholic Church and Dad and Uno's Cabin
Lansdowne House, Northern Ontario, Canada
Winter 1960

There is at least one sphere of activity in which my proficiency
hasn't increased one iota, and that is canoeing.
I am afraid that if anything, it has deteriorated during the long layoff.
I upset the cotton picking' thing last Thursday, and it was dead calm yet!!!

I still don't know just what happened.
One moment I was going along without even
the slightest premonition of disaster,
and the next moment I was swimming.
It is most disconcerting I can assure you.

Oh well, all was not lost.
I had acquired a pair of drip dry pants, and I had never had the opportunity to test
if they were really all they were cracked up to be.
They were. They dried beautifully.

You should have heard the roar of laughter
that came from the Indians on the mainland when I went in.
It was the biggest "HAW HAW HAW" that I have ever heard.

Not that I blame them in the least, for it was a rather stupid thing to do.
If I am not careful, I will get a reputation as a damned poor canoe driver.
As it is, whenever I take to the water, the Indians stand around and watch,
hoping no doubt that I will do something stupid and provide them with some amusement.

Crossing to and from the Father's Island
Sometimes Required Snowshoes ...
Lansdowne House, Northern Ontario, Canada
Winter 1960

... And Other Times a Canoe
Looking toward the Mainland and the Hudson's Bay Post
Lansdowne House, Northern Ontario, Canada
Fall 1960

There are not too many young men left in the community these days.
There are some serious forest fires burning in the Pickle Lake-Thunder Bay region,
and they have been hauling the Indians out by the plane loads to fight these fires.

They love to get out on these firefighting expeditions.
It gives them a chance to see the outside world,
and they earn eight or nine dollars a day and keep.

Some of the poor wrenches are out of pocket after one of these trips though,
for they go to a beverage room and get all sloshed up on beer,
and then they usually start acting like real Indians,
and the next thing they know is that the long arm of the law has snared them.

When this happens they end up in jail and have to pay a whopping big fine,
said fine usually being more than their total earnings from the firefighting.
You'd think the poor fools would learn, wouldn't you?
But I guess there are many white men who exhibit
the same lack of astuteness when dealing with this problem.

Forest Fire

Location and Date Unknown

Pixabay

I am busy packing and getting ready to leave on the plane Thursday afternoon.
I have most of the necessary paperwork done, and believe me that was some job.
There is always a lot of red tape connected with closing any school,
and this being a Federal school, you can appreciate
just how this usual load of red tape has been compounded.
Tut, tut, Donald: you must not criticize the government.
In a week or less you will be expected to enforce
the very rules that you are complaining about now.

Incidentally, if anyone should ask you just whom I am working for,
you are going to have quite a mouthful to get out when you attempt to tell them.
I work for the Education Division of the Indian Affairs Branch
of the Department of Citizenship and Immigration.

I am classified as a principal level ten.
Level twelve is the highest that you can reach.
There is only one level twelve in the department.
There are only two or three level elevens and a like number of tens,
so you can see that I have a fairly high rating.

If I can ever get time off to finish my B. Ed.,
I could get my level eleven and possibly my twelve.
The winter after next, I am going to try to take some courses by correspondence.
I won't be taking any next winter though,
for I feel that my time will be fully occupied with my new job.

My Father's School
Typical of Indian Day Schools in Northern Ontario
Lansdowne House, Northern Ontario, Canada
Fall 1960

I just succeeded in getting Uno off to church,
and believe me that is some accomplishment,
for he doesn't wake up easily on Sunday mornings.
He doesn't wake up easily on any morning for that matter,
but he is particularly difficult on Sundays.

This time next week I will be with my family and the bears in Lac Seul.
I expect to leave here on Thursday afternoon,
spend the night in Nakina, and catch the morning train to Sioux Lookout.
When I arrive in Sioux, I will have to spend some time house hunting.

A Last Flight, A Last Night
Austin Airways and the Nakina Hotel
Nakina, Northern Ontario, Canada
Fall 1960

Then a Long Ride on the Morning Train to Sioux
Nakina Train Station
Nakina, Northern Ontario, Canada
Fall 1960

I will fly in to Lac Seul on Friday evening or Saturday morning
and spend the weekend with them.
I expect to come out again Tuesday
and spend some more time house hunting and starting my new job.

As soon as I find a house, I will bring my family out to Sioux Lookout,
for I can't afford to commute by plane every weekend,
not at $15.00 a flight for sure.
That would be $30.00 a week!!!!

Well, I have to sign off and get back to the packing.
It's been fun writing to you all.

Perhaps when I get to Sioux Lookout and get settled,
I will be able to start writing a Sioux Lookout Letter.

Bye for Now,
Love,
Don

It is with very mixed feelings that I share the last
of my father's letters from Lansdowne House.
It took me a while to ease into typing and publishing his letters,
and I dragged my feet near the end of the process.

When I started I was mired in muskeg
and hiding from painful experiences and memories.
As I worked slowly through my father's letters,
I worked slowly through heartache and mental anguish,
not all of which bled into my posts.
By the end I had found perspective and healing.

During the process I came to a deeper understanding
of my father and mother as people, not just parents;
and I came to a profound appreciation
of how much they loved the five of us
and of how much they were willing to struggle and to sacrifice
to achieve their dream of getting all of of us through university.
They'd be so pleased to see what we all have become.

Bertie Joins the Family
Donnie, Barbie, Louise (Me) with Bertie, and Roy with Gretchen
Margaretsville, Nova Scotia, Canada
April 1959

Barb and I, Back in Margaretsville
Fifty-Nine Years Later
Margaretsville, Nova Scotia, Canada
July 2018

I relived happy days spent in school and out with my Ojibwa friends,
and I learned more than I wanted to know about the darker side
of Canadian history
and the treatment of its First Nation peoples.

I've never forgotten the time I spent in Lansdowne House,
the amazing, unforgettable people I met,
and the beautiful solitude of the wilderness.
I desperately hope to return in this lifetime.

Meanwhile, I've got a memoir to finish
and more northern stories to share!

Thanks for accompanying me on my journey so far!

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue.

Bay of Fundy out of Westport
on Chad and Sisters Two
Mariner Cruises Whale and Seabird Tours
July 31, 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

Don and Sara MacBeath

on Their Honeymoon

Sandy Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

September 1948

For Map Lovers Like Me:

Map of Canada

Highlighting Ontario

Wikimedia

Location of Lansdowne House

Wikimedia edited

Friday, October 19, 2018

Malvasia dell'Adriatico Mar, or Adriatico Mar for Short

What do you think of when you think of Venice?

Canals, masquerades, gondoliers, art?

Gondoliers row under the bridge where

Fondamenta Condulmer crosses over Rio Del Magazen.

Venice, Italy

May 22, 2016

I think of Malvasia dell'Adriatico Mar, or Adriatico Mar for short.
It's a friendly locals osteria serving wine and simple food
located in the Dorsoduro sestiere (neighborhood) of Venice.

Adriatico Mar is located on the canal

at the wooden bridge on Calle Crosera at Dorsoduro 3771.

Salizada S. Pantlon is the street leading to the other end of the bridge.

Venice, Italy

September 12, 2018

Yes, of course, like most people, when I think of Venice,
I also think of its unique canals, masquerades, gondoliers, and art;
but it's Adriatico Mar that I remember with fondness and pleasure,
and it was Adriatico Mar that brought my husband and me back to Venice this fall.

For me, traveling is all about making connections with people in other places,
and we will never forget the friendliness of Francesco and Sira,
the owners of Adriatico Mar whom we met in the spring of 2016.

Francesco (left) and Andrea discuss wines with a customer.

Malvasia dell'Adriatico Mar

Venice, Italy

September 12, 2018

My husband Terry, a determined travel sleuth, learned of Adriatico Mar
while researching our first trip to Italy in May 2016.
He found it well-reviewed on Trip Advisor,
even though it had opened only eleven months earlier.

My Travel Sleuth finalizes his plans for the next day.

Malvasia dell'Adriatico Mar

Venice, Italy

September 21, 2018

If you've wandered around Venice, then you know
what a labyrinth its canals and streets form.
We knew that our Hotel Falier on Salizada S. Pantalon
stood in the vicinity of Adriatico Mar,
but as we tramped all over from the Basilica del Frari,
to the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, to the Chiesa di San Pantalon,
the osteria's location escaped us.

Hotel Falier on Salizada S. Pantalon

Venice, Italy

May 22, 2016

We must have crossed this wooden bridge over the Rio de S. Pantalon
a half a dozen times in both directions.

Wooden Bridge over Rio de S. Pantalon
Venice, Italy

May 22, 2016

 
Then one rainy morning, Terry stopped in front of a nondescript open door
at the foot of the wooden bridge and asked, "Could this be it?"

"Let's go in and ask," I replied. "If it isn't,
maybe someone can tell us where the osteria is."

Calle Crosera, 3771
Venice, Italy

May 23, 2016

"Is this Adriatico Mar?" Terry asked as he entered a warm, white-walled space
with dark wooden beams spanning the ceiling
and a scattering of benches, tables, and chairs on the floor.

"Yes it is," answered a bespeckled man, who stepped out from behind the bar
and shook my husband's hand. "I'm Francesco, the owner."

"We've been looking for this place for days!
I'm Terry, and this is my wife, Louise."

"Well, I'm glad you found us! Welcome, welcome!
What brings you to Adriatico Mar?"

"I've read that this is a friendly place with good food and reasonable prices,
so I thought we'd check it out," Terry replied.

"You've come to the right place. Would you like something to eat or drink?"

"Yes!" we both answered at once.

"I'd love some hot coffee for starters," I said.

"Make that two," Terry added.

"Have a seat," Francesco said, ushering us to a table.
"Americano, cappuccino... ?"

 "Cappuccino!" we chorused.

 It felt great to sink into a chair and get out of the rainy, chilly weather.
While Francesco hustled up cappuccinos, I had a chance to look around
and take in the ambiance of Adriatico Mar.

I loved the old wooden beams, perfect in a building centuries old,
and the door near our table opening out to a jetty on the canal.
The interior of the osteria was tiny, but its kitchen, bar, and seating area
were efficiently laid out, and the spaces were tastefully decorated.

A window looks out on the canal.
Adriatico Mar, Venice, Italy

May 23, 2016

"How about something to eat?" Francesco said,
as he placed two frothy cappuccinos on our table.

"What would you recommend?" asked Terry.

"That's our menu," Francesco said, pointing to a blackboard on the wall behind us.
"We have sandwiches, salads, meats, and cheeses.
Our fresh vegetables are local, from the islands in our Lagoon;
and our meats and cheeses come from farms and producers around Italy,
places I know and have visited."

Terry enjoys his cappuccino.
Adriatico Mar, Venice, Italy

September 23, 2018

"I don't even know where to begin," I said, eyeing a display case
stuffed with an array of savory snacks, whole cheeses, and cured meats.
"Those meats and cheeses look scrumptious."

"Would you like me to make you a cheese and meat board?"

"That would be awesome, Francesco.
After a morning filled with Renaissance art and sculptures,
my brain is too tired to make decisions," I said.

 "We'll share it," Terry added.

 "Leave it to me!" exclaimed Francesco,
heading behind the bar to the tiny kitchen space to prepare our lunch.

We gratefully relaxed, sipping our coffee and listening to the soft jazz music.
We had a little time, because almost everything at Adriatico Mar
is sliced and diced on demand.

 "That's not food!" I said when Francesco placed a board
loaded with with vegetables, meat, and cheese in front of us.
"That's art!"

 "That looks so good," Terry said.

Edible Art
Adriatico Mar, Venice, Italy

May 23, 2016

 "And bring us wine, please!" I added.

 "Red or white?"

 "Red!"

 "Light, bold, something in between?"

 "Definitely bold!"

 "Bold," Terry agreed.

 Francesco brought us two glasses filled with red, rich, full-bodied wine
and said, "Let me tell you about what you are going to eat and drink!"

A Cooled Selection

Adriatico Mar, Venice, Italy
September 22, 2018

 There is no way I can remember all the details he shared;
but Francesco knows his food and wine, and he takes great pride
in the quality of his fresh, organic, and authentic Italian wares.

It was a quiet, late morning in the osteria, and we were Francesco's only customers,
so he reached for a framed map of Italy on the wall
and sat down with us to spin a delectable tale
about the sources and histories of our food and wine.

Francesco's Storytelling Map

Adriatico Mar, Venice, Italy

September 22, 2018

We were delighted with this gregarious Venetian
and his passion for hospitality and excellent food and drink;
so we kept returning and returning, in 2016 and 2018.

 Sometimes people packed the small osteria and crowded the jetty on the canal.
Plates of food balanced on knees or passed overhead from person to person.
Wine flowed by the bottle or glass, and laughter and conversation drowned the jazz.

 At times like that Francesco, Sira, or Andrea would wave and smile,
until they had a chance to stop by and speak to us briefly.
They made a point of connecting with all the customers,
helping them to choose a wine and perhaps an appetizing snack or small meal.

Other times we relaxed in an oasis of calm and warmth
and traded life stories and adventures big and small.
Not every customer had two legs!

Canine Visitors

Adriatico Mar, Venice, Italy
2016 and 2018

Conversations on the Jetty

Adriatico Mar, Venice, Italy
May 24, 2016

I have a jumble of memories of this special place in Venice:
delicious food, smooth wines, strong coffee, friendly locals,
engaging conversation, and chilling on the jetty.

More Conversations on the Jetty

Adriatico Mar, Venice, Italy

But most of all, I have fond memories of Francesco and Sira.
If we're lucky enough to return to Italy, for sure I'm going to Venice,
and I know right where we're headed after we drop our bags:
Malvasia dell'Adriatico Mar!

To Hospitality and Friendship!
Adriatico Mar, Venice, Italy

September 22, 2018

Till next time ~

Fundy Blue

Crossing Petit Passage to Tiverton

Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, Canada

All Rights Reserved

Notes:
1. Osteria:
All the different names for Italian eateries can be confusing. An osteria, as explained
to us by Francesco, is a small, bar like establishment that serves simple food and a
smaller selection of wines and other drinks. It typically does not have a full kitchen to prepare
hot dishes like pasta, although it may have small appliances like a panini press to make hot
paninis. The most important characteristic of an osteria, says Francesco, is its focus on
hospitality, an aspect he takes very seriously. Authentic, traditional osterias are disappearing in
Italy and being replaced by fast, efficient, tourist-money-oriented businesses. Adriatico Mar
"is old Venice, before the tourists, a true osteria that hasn't sold its soul for money," one local
empathically told me.

For Map Lovers Like Me: