ARSENAULT & GAUDET LTD.

 

My grandfather, Emmanuel Gaudet, is the ‘Gaudet’ in the company known as Arsenault & Gaudet Ltd. People of my vintage and earlier knew it as one of Wellington’s most prominent landmarks and a thriving business in its heyday. I have my grandfather’s copy of the agreement that formed the joint stock company in 1906. I’ve decided to incorporate it into this blog, although it makes for labourious reading.

The agreement was drafted by Albert C. Saunders of Summerside. My research indicates that he was a four-time Mayor of Summerside and sixteenth Premier of Prince Edward Island; serving from 1927 to 1930 when he was appointed to the provincial Supreme Court. A smart man he may have been, but punctuation was not his strong suit!

Here’s a bit of context. Prior to the formation of Arsenault & Gaudet Ltd. two stores operated in Wellington: one owned by Fidèle T. Arsenault, the other by Joseph-Félix Arsenault. Fidèle T., nephew of Senator Joseph-Octave Arsenault, managed his uncle’s store from the time it first opened in 1874 when the railway arrived in Wellington. Shortly after Joseph-Octave’s son, Joseph-Félix, entered the family business in 1897, Fidèle T. crossed the street and opened a store of his own.

In 1900, Joseph-Félix Arsenault opened the magnificent three-and-one-half storey structure pictured below. A healthy gathering of village citizenry appears in the photo, and lumber strewn about indicates the store is barely finished. An advertisement in the November 23, 1899 issue of the Pioneer states:

“In a short time we will be moving our large stock of general merchandise into one of the largest, if not the largest, and best finished country stores of this Island. We have no hesitation in saying that when our goods will be displayed in their respective departments in the new store it will please the eyes and tastes of the most fastidious.”

Unfortunately, the business soon fell on hard times. It was acquired in 1904 by James A. Sharp of Summerside, probably for the amount owing on the mortgage. James’ son, Herbert (pictured below), a shareholder in the new company, was an 1890 graduate of Mount Allison University.

 

 

Emmanuel Gaudet (pictured below), a native of Miscouche and graduate of the Charlottetown Business College, worked as a clerk and bookkeeper in the store when it was owned by Joseph-Félix Arsenault. He stayed on in that role when the Sharps acquired the business.

 

 

In 1906, Fidèle T. Arsenault (pictured below at his granddaughter's wedding), his son, Edmond, and the Sharps decided to merge their two mercantile businesses, and to take in Emmanuel Gaudet as a fifth partner. According to the agreement Fidèle T. and his son owned 60 shares, or one-half of the new company, and the Sharps owned 55 shares between them; Gaudet owned the remaining 5 shares. The new company was valued at $12,000, incidentally, the same amount it cost to build the Mont-Carmel Catholic Church. In today’s dollars, the business was valued at approximately $300,000.

 

 

The agreement indicates the Sharps were interested in getting their money out of the business as quickly as possible. The full value of their stock was to be determined according to a formula, and anything over $6,000 was to be secured by promissory notes from the new company to James A. Sharp at 6% annual interest, to be paid in full within one year. The same rule applied to stock owned by Fidèle T. Arsenault; anything worth over $6,000 was to be secured by a promissory note, payable within eighteen months.

The agreement includes a few other interesting details. For example, stock in both stores was valued at 80% of the invoice price, except for grain, flour, coal, cheese, corn meal, egg cases, and goods on order, which were valued at 100% of invoice.

James a. Sharp's shop furniture was to be priced separately and acquired by the new company "at a price to be agreed on between the parties." His safe and Simpsons Computing Scales were not included in the agreement.

 

Interestingly, dress-making supplies and equipment were exempted from the agreement. I suspect this was because they were owned by someone other than the partners, possibly my grandmother, Mannie (Cormier) Gaudet. Also, the new partners agreed that they’d buy fire insurance from Herbert S. Sharp, but only if he offered it at a competitive price!

The final clause in the agreement specifies that neither Fidèle T. Arsenault nor James A. Sharp can offer merchandise at a reduced price between the date of the agreement and the date of the granting of letters patent. In other words, they agreed that neither could liquidate his stock for a quick buck before the new company was up and running! Just in case ...

The picture below may have been taken at the time of the official opening of the new business in 1907.  It shows the Wellington Cornet Band and dignitaries gathered for the occasion..

 

Dated 29th Octob 1906

 

 

Fidele T. Arsenault

Emmanuel F. Gaudet

James A. Sharp

Herbert S. Sharp

and

Edmund Arsenault

 

Agreement respecting formation

of Joint Stock Company and

Sale of Stocks in Trades

 

This agreement made and entered into this twenty ninth day of October AD 1906 between Fidèle T. Arsenault of Wellington in Prince County in Prince Edward Island Merchant Emmanuel F. Gaudet of the same place Clerk Edmund Arsenault of the same place Clerk Herbert S. Sharp of Summerside in Prince County aforesaid Accountant and James A. Sharp of Summerside aforesaid Merchant trader whereas the said mentioned parties have agreed with each the other of them respectively to form a Joint Stock Company under the name and style of Arsenault and Gaudet Limited under the Joint Stock Companies Act of this Province with a paid up capital of twelve Thousand dollars divided into One Hundred and twenty Shares of One Hundred dollars each for the purpose of carrying on a general mercantile business at Wellington aforesaid with all the parties hereto as directors of the said proposed Company. And whereas the said James A. Sharp is at present engaged in a mercantile business at Wellington aforesaid and has a large stock in trade of the value of Six Thousand dollars and upwards and whereas Fidèle T. Arsenault is at present engaged in a general mercantile business at Wellington aforesaid and has a large stock in trade of the value of Six Thousand dollars and upwards and whereas the said James A. Sharp has agreed with the said Fidèle T. Arsenault, Emmanuel F. Gaudet, Edmund Arsenault and Herbert S. Sharp to sell and assign his said stock in trade to them on the terms hereinafter mentioned and the said Fidèle T. Arsenault, Emmanuel F. Gaudet, Edmund Arsenault and Herbert S. Sharp have agreed with the said James A. Sharp to purchase his said stock in trade on the terms hereinafter mentioned and whereas the said Fidèle T. Arsenault has agreed with the said Emmanuel F. Gaudet, Edmund Arsenault and Herbert S. Sharp and James A. Sharp to transfer all his stock in trade to the said proposed Company on the terms hereinafter appearing and whereas it is understood and agreed between the parties hereto that the stock in trade so sold by the said James A. Sharp and purchased by the remaining parties hereto and the stock in trade so to be transferred by the said Fidèle T. Arsenault shall form the paid up Capital of the Company and the Capital Stock of the said proposed Company shall be held in the following proportions by the parties hereto namely the said Fidèle T. Arsenault fifty six shares and the said Edmund Arsenault four shares the said James A. Sharp thirty five shares the said Herbert S. Sharp twenty shares and Emmanuel F. Gaudet five shares now this agreement witnesseth that in consideration of the premises the said parties hereto doth hereby covenant each with the other of them in manner following. The said James A. Sharp will sell and assign to the said Fidèle T. Arsenault Edmund Arsenault Emmanuel F. Gaudet and Herbert S. Sharp and the said Fidèle T. Arsenault, Edmund Arsenault, Emmanuel F. Gaudet and Herbert S. Sharp will purchase the said stock in trade for the sums or prices following namely Eighty percent of the invoice price for the goods wares and merchandise including costs of transportation excepting thereout grain, flour, coal, cheese, corn meal, egg cases, and goods ordered and in transitu which are to be taken at invoice price including cost of transportation (it being expressly understood and agreed that p heads, trimmings and dress stays are not to be included in this agreement) and to be paid for in manner following that is to say the surplus over and above Six Thousand dollars of the consideration money is to be secured by two promissory notes to be made by the said Company when duly incorporated in favor of the said James A. Sharp one of the said promissory notes to be for the sum of Nine hundred dollars and to be payable on the first day of July AD 1907 together with interest thereon at the rate of Six percent per annum from the first day of January AD 1907 and the other promissory note for the residue of the said consideration money and to be payable on the first day of January AD 1908 together with interest thereon at the rate of Six percent per annum from the first day of January AD 1907 and also the said James A. Sharp will sell and assign to the said Fidèle T. Arsenault Edmund Arsenault Emmanuel F. Gaudet and Herbert S. Sharp and the said Fidèle T. Arsenault Edmund Arsenault Emmanuel F. Gaudet and Herbert S. Sharp will purchase the shop furniture of the said James A. Sharp excepting the safe and Simpsons Computing Scales at a price to be agreed on between the parties hereto and also the said Fidèle T. Arsenault’s said stock in trade to be purchased by the said proposed Company when duly incorporated excepting any dead or unmerchantable stock for the sum or prices following namely Eighty percent of the invoice price for the goods wares, and merchandise including cost of transportation and to be paid for in the manner following that is to say the surplus over and above Six Thousand dollars of the consideration money is to be secured by a promissory note made by the Company when incorporated in favor of the said Fidèle T. Arsenault and to be payable on the first day of July 1908 together with interest thereon at the rate of six percent per annum from the first of January 1907 and also the said Fidèle T. Arsenault Edmund Arsenault Emmanuel F. Gaudet and Herbert S. Sharp further understate and agree with the said James A. Sharp that the said proposed Company when duly incorporated will give to the said James A. Sharp the free and exclusive use and enjoyment of one of the two sections of the warehouse at present in the occupation of the said James A. Sharp and more commonly known by the name of the Railway warehouse situate at Wellington aforesaid until the first day of June AD 1907 and also the said parties hereto when the said Company is duly incorporated will keep the stock in trade fully insured against loss or damage by fire and also the said parties hereto when the said Company is duly incorporated will do their insuring in a company or companies represented by the said Herbert S. Sharp provided the rates of the said company or companies so represented by the said Herbert S. Sharp are equal to those of other good and reliable insurance companies and also stock taking of the said James A. Sharp’s stock in trade is to begin when and as soon as letters patent are issued by the Lieutenant Governor in Council authorizing the said proposed Company to do business and delivery of James A. Sharp’s stock in trade is to be given by the said James A. Sharp to the said Company immediately on completion of the stock taking and the giving of the said promissory notes by the said Company to the said James A. Sharp and also the James A. Sharp will not from the day of the date hereof until the letters patent are issued as aforesaid sell any of the goods wares and merchandise at a reduction of his usual and regular price and also the said Fidèle T. Arsenault will not from the day of the date hereof until the letters patent are issued as aforesaid sell any of his goods, wares, or merchandise at a reduction of his usual and regular price. In witness whereof the said parties to these presents have hereunto their hands and seals subscribed and set the day and year first above written

Signed sealed and                                                          F. T. Arsenault

delivered in the presence                                               Emmanuel F. Gaudet
of                                                                                    Edmund Arsenault
Albert C. Saunders                                                         Herbert S. Sharp
                                                                                       James A. Sharp

I don’t know what the Sharps or Fidèle T. were paid, if anything, for stock valued over and above $6,000 since the company’s books have not survived. Neither do I know when the Sharps sold their 55 shares to Emmanuel Gaudet. What is clear is that Gaudet owned 50% of the company by the mid-1920s when the value of its capital stock was increased to $48,000.

Arsenault & Gaudet Ltd. operated until 1972. Like many other rural country stores, it succumbed to competitive pressures from other businesses. The Wellington Co-op gradually increased its share of area customers, and residents were attracted to new stores in Summerside where they travelled increasingly to work and to shop.

My grandfather died on May 30, 1949. According to my late Aunt Bernice, he visited the store for the last time on May 17, 1949, the day the picture below was taken during the federal election campaign. It shows the local MLA, J.W. Arsenault, Prime Minister Louis St.-Laurent, and the local Member of Parliament, J.W. MacNaught.

 

 

When my grandfather’s will was probated in 1949, the estate’s 24,000 shares of Arsenault & Gaudet Ltd. had an audited value of just over $37,000, approximately $350,000 in today’s dollars. For the sake of argument, assuming he bought Sharps’ shares for $8,000 in 1915 and invested an additional $18,000 when the capital stock of the company was increased in 1921, his return on equity would have equalled approximately 9% per year by the time of his death in 1949. Not bad!

THE YEAR THAT WAS

 

I’ve decided to record these few thoughts on the year that was for me and mine.  As my New Years resolution I decided to start blogging, and posted eighteen entries in 2012.  I don’t know if anyone else is enjoying them, but I am!

Our family began 2012 by spending a week together in Cancun in February.  My memories are of leisurely breakfasts followed by mornings in the pool with Samuel and Natalie, walks on the beach with Elva, and family dinners where we shared details of our lives and reminisced about good times growing up together.  The week went by too fast and soon we were back to the reality of four busy households.

 

 

I travelled to Peterborough my first week back to work.  While there, I decided this would be the last stop in my seventeen-job career.  Something about flying to Toronto, hopping a bus to Peterborough, staying in an ugly hotel, and slogging around in the snow made me realize that I should reflect on how to approach the rest of my time on this planet. 

So I asked myself two questions.  How many good years do I have left to do the things I want to do?  How much money will it take?  I know the answer to the second question.  No one knows the answer to the first.  I’m anxious about adjusting to life after a busy career, but I’m going to give it a try and follow the example of many of my friends and relatives who’ve made the transition successfully.

As I near the end of my career I look proudly on those of my children and their life partners.  Sylvie began working with the Canada Revenue Agency last spring and just completed her first Accounting course.  Ghislain is applying for a new job at NB Power’s Point Lepreau nuclear plant.  Clément now works for Van Leeuwen Pipe and Tube, a Dutch-based supplier of steel pipe to petroleum refineries.  Julia began her new career as a Nurse Practioner in September.  Jacques continues to pursue his dream of a career in opera and Isabelle is taking time away from being a radio broadcaster to be a full-time Mom.

On May 26 we welcomed the newest addition to the Arsenault clan, Lucie Camille, daughter of Jacques and Isabelle.  She’s a doll.  I’ve met her a couple of times and see her on Skype regularly.

2012 was marked by minor health setbacks for me.  In May I suffered a detached retina and almost lost the vision in my right eye.  Fortunately, I was able to have the retina reattached in an operation performed by Dr. O’Brien in Halifax.  I was laid up for six weeks and prevented from riding my cherished bike for the months of May and June.  All I was allowed to do physically was walk.  I’ve recovered about 60% vision and am still hoping for some degree of improvement, possibly following cataract surgery.

To top it off, I had carpal tunnel surgery on both hands, the left on December 21.  I’ve been putting it off for a while, but now it’s done.  On the bright side, my blood pressure is that of a teenager, I have no signs of arthritis, and the prostate’s fine!  I’m like a used car: the body needs work but the motor’s in good shape.  So I figure I’ve got a few good years in me yet as long as I get the oil changed regularly.

Because of the eye, I wasn’t able to ride as much with the Over the Hill Gang and only cycled 2,500 kilometres in 2012, about half what I usually do.  We did have a great ride in Québec in August though.  I was able to get back in the saddle in time to train for the Gran Fondo Garneau and keep up to the boys.  It was one of the best rides we’ve ever had.  I also bought a new bike, a Specialized Tarmac, which should keep me going until I’m 65.

 

 

Last Christmas I readied myself for a busy spring of trout fishing.  But the eye problem interfered.  In early July, before the water got too warm, I was able to get in a few good days at the trout.  I re-acquainted myself with tried and true spots on Barlow’s Pond in Wellington and left many happy, well-fed mosquitoes in my wake.  Closer to home, I discovered the joys of mackerel fishing from the bottom of the Hillsborough Bridge.  Now, I can’t wait for spring!

I pursued my passion for history by putting together an illustrated lecture on Wellington entitled Remaking the Image of Quagmire.  I gave two talks, the first in Abram-Village in April and the second in Miscouche in July.  The research was a lot of fun and feedback from the lectures was very positive.  I also wrote a family history booklet for a reunion of the descendants of Aubin-Edmond Arsenault and Bertha Gallant.  Arsenault is the only Acadian to have served as premier of this province.

I shared my first two attempts at fiction with the readers of this blog: The Bamboo Drum and Growing Up with Jacky.  The feedback from you was encouraging.  I decided to submit the children’s story and an abridged version of Jacky to the Island Literary Awards and won first prize for the Drum and second prize for Jacky.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Jacky will be published in 2013 in an Island literary review.  I’ve also started work on a historical novel based on a fictional Island community called Green Valley that will remind in-the-know readers of my home community of Wellington.  I may include a few excerpts from the draft in future blogs.

I’ve enjoyed sharing my thoughts about things that are important to me like religion, history, travel and education.  Because of my work, I’ve been unable to comment on politics, but that will likely change after I retire.

Every week, I receive emails from travel agencies and discount cruise sellers, and I drool as I peruse the list of exotic places, many of them on my bucket list.  Elva and I plan to travel as much as we can afford to and for as long as our health will permit.  Speaking of Elva, she was jealous of my new bike and decided to get herself a new convertible, a 2012 Mazda MX-5 hardtop.  It’s in storage for the winter and we can’t wait to take her for a spin in the spring.

 

 

Happy 2013 everyone!

MY THIRTY FAVOURITE MOVIES

I just finished watching one of my all-time favorite movies on Netflix, The World’s Fastest Indian.  Sir Anthony Hopkins gives a marvellous performance as Burt Munro, a 67-year-old Kiwi from Invercargill, New Zealand, who broke the speed record for his class of motorcycle at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in 1967; the record still stands.  Hopkins is best known for The Silence of the Lambs but I like Indian the best.

It’s time to list my top thirty movies.  Not all of them won Oscars and not all made it into the big cinemas.  Elva and I have been avid patrons of City Cinema for as long as it’s been in operation, and we’ve seen many excellent movies there that would not have made a nickel for Empire Theatres.  Whittling down all of the excellent movies I’ve seen over the years to make a top-thirty list is not easy. 

I had to include a movie directed by the Coen brothers, those masters of ironic comedy.  My favorite is O’ Brother Where Art Thou with George Clooney. 

When it comes to low-budget independent movies, the list includes The Straight Story and Amal.  The Straight Story is about a man, played by Richard Farnsworth, who must travel to see his dying brother on a lawn tractor because a visual impairment prevents him from obtaining a driver’s license.  Amal is a touching love story of a poor auto-rickshaw driver, Amal Kumar, and the young beauty he hopes to marry.  It’s set in crowded, chaotic New Delhi. 

The Rocket falls into this category as well, starring the intense Roy Dupuis as Maurice “The Rocket” Richard.  It offers as good an explanation of Québec’s Révolution tranquille as I’ve seen anywhere.  Then there’s Les Intouchables, the story of a down-and-out African immigrant who finds his calling as caregiver for a wealthy French quadriplegic.

I chose the Deer Hunter because it’s one of the first big-budget movies to question America’s participation in the Vietnam War, and because of Robert De Niro’s Oscar-winning performance (Meryl Streep played his girlfriend).  Good Morning, Vietnam is on the list because of Robin Williams, and also because of the way it deals with the Americans’ failed war effort. 

Deliverance is the first movie I saw that deals with sodomy, including overtones of incest, as well as how easy it is for a group of good ole’ boys to get themselves into a heap of trouble.  By the way, Burt Reynolds is damn good in this movie, and the tune Dueling Banjos must be both seen and heard to be appreciated fully.  

The first Australian movie I saw was The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.  It’s on my list because of the way it employs humour to deal with the then-sensitive subject of trans-sexuality.  Other Australian films that impressed me are Rabbit-Proof Fence and Muriel’s Wedding, the latter featuring Toni Collette.

Dustin Hoffman’s Rainman ranks as one of the best performances I’ve ever seen by an actor, and Tom Cruise doesn’t do too bad a job either as his brother. 

I love it when Clint Eastwood spits tobacco juice on the dog in The Outlaw Josey Wales.  Caught in flagrante delicto with a much younger woman, Chief Dan George is priceless peeking out from under their shared blanket.  If I had a top-one-hundred list, it would include several more of Eastwood’s; at least The Unforgiven and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

One of the most powerful movies I’ve seen is One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.  Jack Nicholson didn’t win an Oscar for his role as Randall Patrick McMurphy – Louise Fletcher did as Nurse Ratched – but he was amazing.  So was the Chief, played by Will Sampson.  Nicholson’s obsessive-compulsive character in As Good As it Gets did win him a much-deserved Oscar.

Meryl Streep can pull off any role.  I had a hard time narrowing down all of her great movies to two: The Devil Wears Prada and Hope Springs.  I also love Julia Roberts’ movies; she gives an amazing performance in Erin Brockovich. 

I had to include a James Bond movie, and the newest one is the best in my view.  There have been many good 007s over the years (and some awful ones), but no character has impressed me more than M, played by the incomparable Dame Judi Dench.  Too bad Skyfall will be her last.

Few consider Sylvester Stallone to be a serious actor, but I loved his first Rocky.  He wrote and starred in the movie, made on a shoestring in 28 days.  It won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1976. 

To Sir, with Love is an old movie; 1967 vintage.  It starred Sidney Poitier and was the first movie I saw with a black actor in a lead role.  The Cider House Rules is on the list because I love John Irving’s novels.  This movie adaptation is over-the-top, thanks to a superb performance by Michael Caine.

I’ve seen many biopics over the years; the Iron Lady and Walk the Line are among my favourites.  But the one I liked best was Ray, with Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles.  The music score is incredible.

I chose The Shawshank Redemption for one reason: Morgan Freeman.  I also loved him in The Bucket List and Seven.  I’ve included Invictus because of Freeman and an incredible performance by Matt Damon.

The Godfather is my favorite Marlon Brando movie, although I loved his character in The Missouri Breaks.  I’m not attracted to movies about the Holocaust, but Life is Beautiful is the exception to this rule; Roberto Begnini is incredible as the director and lead actor. 

Al Pacino gives a command performance as a blind man in Scent of a Woman.  The Dirty Dozen features an all-star cast, including some of my old favorites: Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Telly Savalas, Charles Bronson, George Kennedy and Canadian Donald Sutherland.

I chose M*A*S*H because it was one of the first movies I watched as a young university student, and it left quite an impression on a teenager who’d led a sheltered life until then.  My Left Foot with Daniel Day-Lewis is one of the most inspiring stories I’ve seen in a movie.  It’s the true story of an Irish boy afflicted with cerebral palsy who learned to write with his left foot and became a famous author.

Here’s my list!

1.    The World’s Fastest Indian

2.    O’ Brother Where Art Thou

3.    Amal

4.    The Straight Story

5.    The Rocket

6.    Les Intouchables

7.    The Deer Hunter

8.    Good Morning, Vietnam

9.    Deliverance

10. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

11. Rainman

12. The Outlaw Josey Wales

13. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

14. As Good As it Gets

15. The Devil Wears Prada

16. Hope Springs

17. Erin Brockovich

18. Skyfall

19. Rocky

20. To Sir, with Love

21. The Cider House Rules

22. Ray

23. The Shawshank Redemption

24. Invictus

25. The Godfather

26. Life is Beautiful

27. Scent of a Woman

28. The Dirty Dozen

29. M*A*S*H

30. My Left Foot

AN OPEN LETTER TO MY AMERICAN ACQUAINTANCES

　
My ‘take-away’ from yesterday’s election is this: old white men will never again decide who will become President of the United States of America!

Exit polls show that the guy who won got more votes from women, young people, visible minorities, gays, lesbians, and people who do not attend church regularly. Those who say the Republicans lost because of Romney’s gaffes are, in my view, ignoring some very important facts. Many people don’t like what the Republicans stand for. Those people came out in droves and stood in line for hours to make their views known through that most important democratic institution, the ballot box.

Up here in the Great White North, we once had a party that called itself the ‘Natural Governing Party’. It was in power for so many years that it believed it could do no wrong. The opposition was split and disorganized, so the Natural Governing Party was able to govern badly and get away with it.

One day, along came a few brave souls who wanted to form a party of the right. But their main problem was that they only appealed to old white men. The Natural Governing Party knew this and took advantage at every turn.

Well, lo and behold, the party of old white men transformed itself. It got rid of the fringe element that pissed off women, young people, visible minorities, gays, lesbians, and people who do not attend church regularly. And, guess what, it’s been in power for quite a while now and, despite a few annoying traits, is not doing that bad a job of governing us through challenging times that have crippled other countries.

We have stable financial institutions, universal medicare, and a well-funded social security system. Interest rates are low, our dollar is strong, and we have lots of natural resources. And, what I’m most proud of, we do a decent job of redistributing income between rich and poor, both at the provincial level and at the individual level.

We’re happy your election is over. But we wish you hadn’t spent so much money needlessly on a campaign which seemed to do nothing to bring about meaningful change.

We know you’re facing a fiscal cliff, and we’re hoping your leaders will put aside their differences and get on with the job of bringing your deficit under control and addressing the critical issues facing your economy. We say this because, in economic terms, when you sneeze, we catch cold!

When it comes to priorities in the months and years to come, we hope you’ll focus on what‘s important. Your young people need to be innovating and producing wealth, not fighting in far-off wars. People cry when someone is killed by an IED; no one cries when a drone is shot down in the middle of nowhere. By the way, the guy you elected is a master at killing those you hate from a distance, and with minimal loss of American lives. He's come out looking a lot smarter than the guy who declared, from the deck of that aircraft carrier, that you’d won the war in Iraq.

And, oh, by the way, if called upon, we’ll be there to fight beside you. But it’ll be on our terms and when we feel it’s just and necessary. No one fights better than a Canadian soldier. Don Cherry says so, and I believe him!

American innovation and know-how have brought me many of the things I value most: cinema, rock and roll, sitcoms and reality shows, world-class institutions like the Smithsonian and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Disneyworld, wonderful books, your particular take on freedom of speech, technological advancements and, of course, NASCAR. I want you to succeed because I want more of this.  Americans are, quite simply, the greatest innovators in the world.

Please learn from what happened yesterday.

Good luck, my friends!

BOSTON, NEW YORK & NASCAR

We left home on September 16 after a too-short visit with Jacques, Isabelle and Lucie.  What a cutie she is!  We drove to Bangor on Sunday and settled in for the night.  The next morning, we drove to our hotel in Newton, which happens to be where my mother’s first cousin, Sadye, and her husband, Charles Galloway, lived.  I have fond memories of them both.  They visited Wellington on at least one occasion and, more importantly, they sent me $1 for Christmas every year!

We bought our five-day subway passes and followed the map from the Boston Common to Faneuil Hall and the Quincy Market the first day, also strolling along the city’s impressive waterfront.  The Market is a great place to eat, with an abundance of culinary choices, all at reasonable prices. 

The second day in Boston, we went to Harvard University where we took a guided tour and visited the natural history museum.  It was impressive to imagine how many world leaders had passed that way, and how many spoiled brats! 

We then walked from downtown to the USS Constitution historic site and took a tour of the ship and the interpretive museum.  Unfortunately, my feet were blistered already, and the damn things would plague me the whole trip.

After a hectic first day, we slowed our pace, going into the city at lunch time and taking in one attraction.  

On Wednesday, we drove to Weymouth to visit my cousin, Steve Demaggio.  Steve and I met through a genealogical forum.  I was looking for descendants of Germain Gaudet, my grandfather's brother, and he responded to my post.  It was our first meeting and, hopefully, it won't be our last.  He drove us around his hometown of Quincy, and took us to meet his mother.  It was a special day for me.

Our last evening in Boston, we went to see a play, Paris Commune, the story of a peasant uprising in Paris in 1871 which was brought to a violent end by the French authorities.  The play was just OK, but I found the story interesting.

We left Boston on Saturday morning and drove northward to Gloucester.  I wanted to see the town as it had once been home to the main US East Coast fishing fleet.  I knew the challengers to the Bluenose sailed out of the port and that the movie The Perfect Storm had been set there.  We had a pleasant walk along the seawall and boardwalk and ducked into a restaurant which turned out to be the eatery of choice on a Saturday morning, Sugar Magnolia’s. 

After a delicious brunch, we continued our drive around Cape May, arriving at a charming village called Rockport.  We stopped there just long enough for Elva to do a bit of shopping and to take in the sights.  It’s a place we’d like to visit again.

We continued our drive along the coast, crossed into New Hampshire and passed through the ugly beachside towns of Salisbury Beach and Hampton Beach.  As with past trips, it made us appreciate what we have on our island even more.  At our Days Inn in Kittery, ME, we were immediately struck by what we saw: the shittiest room I’ve stayed in in a long time!  It was gross, and I couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there.  We hit the road as early as we could on Sunday morning for the drive to Loudon.

The New Hampshire International Speedway is located in the middle of nowhere.  Traffic going to the track was heavy, and it took us at least an hour to get into the parking lot.  The wait was worth it, however, as we saw a very interesting race.  My driver, Jeff Gordon, finished third; the race was won by Denny Hamlin.  Leaving Loudon, I thought I had the route to our next stop, Stamford, CT, memorized.  But I didn’t.  So, we took out the GPS and punched in the address.  After driving through heavy race traffic for an hour or so, we stopped at one of our favorite restaurant chains, Cracker Barrel, for a late supper.  We hoped to get to the La Quinta in Stamford by 11:00, but we hit a couple of traffic jams, thanks to paving crews working on a Sunday evening.

The next morning, we drove to Port Chester, NY, parked the car and took the train into the Big Apple.  Arriving at the massive underground terminal at Grand Central Station, we found our way to 45th Street and walked a few blocks to our hotel, the St. James.  Our room was not the greatest, but $200 a night doesn’t get you much in downtown New York City!  Finding ourselves less than a block from Times Square, we went for a stroll, found Broadway and walked up to 59th Street where we crossed into Central Park.  It was everything I’d seen in movies and on TV and more; an 850 acre oasis in a world-class city.

The next morning, we took the subway to Battery Park and boarded the ferry for a visit to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.  We found the audio tours impressive and were moved by the stories of immigrants arriving in the US at Ellis Island.  Next, we walked to Ground Zero and toured the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, shedding more than a few tears at the stories told there.

We got in line at the TKTS site at Times Square and bought tickets for that evening’s performance of War Horse at the Lincoln Centre for $145, less than half the regular price.  The Centre is a huge complex featuring the finest entertainment New York has to offer: opera, ballet, symphony orchestra, theatre, and cinema.  It’s across the street from the famed Juilliard School.  The play was incredible.  Elva had seen the movie; not the type of story that appeals to me.  However, the colt and full-grown horse puppets were unbelievable.  They’re a challenge to describe because of their uniqueness.  It’s hard to imagine that a structure could be designed to resemble a full-grown horse, and be manipulated by three operators, two underneath and one holding and moving the head.  The legs move naturally and in sync, and the structure is strong enough to hold a rider!  I was in awe.

The next day we took the subway to Coney Island, New York’s original beach and amusement park.  It was a cloudy day and not too many people were there, the high season being past.  The place has obviously fallen on hard times as people’s entertainment preferences changed, but one could imagine how it must have been at the height of its popularity.  We had lunch at Nathan’s Famous Frankfurters and took a stroll on the expansive boardwalk.  Along the way, we encountered many well-dressed people who I thought were speaking Russian.  We asked a group of ladies what the occasion was, and it turned out they were celebrating Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish religious calendar.  The celebrants were speaking in Hebrew and killing time after attending a service at the local temple.  The day calls for fasting from sunrise to sunset.

Thursday was our day to visit the American Museum of Natural History, located on the western edge of Central Park.  We’d decided that Elva would take a guided tour and that I would go off on my own.  Elva is not particularly fond of museums but, since they figure among New York’s major attractions, she agreed to accompany me.  After her tour, we met for lunch, and I listened as she excitedly related her many discoveries.  She took me to the displays that had most impressed her, especially the dinosaurs and the undersea hot sulphur springs.  We parted again and I rushed through a number of anthropological displays featuring indigenous peoples from around the world.  It is a fascinating place, but would require several days to see properly.

On our last day in the big city, we walked to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the eastern edge of Central Park and joined the hoard of people visiting that incredible place.  We rented an audio device and took the Director’s tour which provided a fascinating glimpse of the immense collection.  There are dozens of individual galleries in the Museum, each one containing a collection worthy of its own museum.  The history of the building is fascinating, as are the collections themselves, not to mention the lengths to which the Museum has gone to collect and display items. 

For example, Egypt donated a temple to the Museum when it built a dam on the Nile River, flooding the valley where the temple was located.  The Museum dismantled the temple on the spot, transported it piece-by-piece to New York, built a new section onto its building at a cost of many millions, and set up an incredible display featuring the reassembled temple.  The things that impressed us at the Metropolitan Museum of Art are too numerous to mention, and it deserves a visit lasting several days. 

We’d definitely go back to New York.  It’s a crazy, chaotic and exciting place, and with so many attractions, it’s hard to resist.  There’s lots of good food to be had for a reasonable price in small cafés and delis, and getting around is cheap and easy by subway.

Saturday morning, we took the train back to Port Chester, picked up our car, and headed towards Newark, DE; not to be confused with Newark, NJ.  Next morning, it was off to Dover International Speedway.  The site is easy to get into and out of, compared to Loudon, and we parked at the nearby mall.  The track is impressive, simple but effective is how I’d put it.  The banking is higher than Loudon’s, making for much higher speeds in the corners, and the surface is concrete.  But the noise level is deafening, so much so that we had to buy earplugs halfway through the race. 

The only negative comment from my corner is that I couldn’t find a smoked turkey drumstick for love nor money!  The race was good, if rather uneventful, and we left with about fifty laps remaining in order to get ahead of the traffic.  At that point, it looked like Denny Hamlin was headed for his second victory in a row.  Gordon was in fifth but running well; he’d short-pitted and had enough gas to make it to the end.  As it turned out, Gordon finished second behind Keselowski when three of the leaders had to stop for fuel.  It moved him up to sixth in the Cup chase, but still too far back in points to contend for the championship.

We made good time and stopped for a bite along the New Jersey Turnpike.  It being a Sunday evening, we thought we might make it through New York unscathed.  Wrong!!  It took us over an hour to navigate a monumental traffic jam caused by the Washington Bridge toll booths.  Getting through the Bronx wasn’t too bad, but then we hit another big one in, of all places, Stamford, CT.  We stewed for an hour there and, by the time we got to our hotel in East Hartford, it was almost one o’clock in the morning.  Needless to say, we were zonked. 

But, we had a good breakfast and got on the road by eight.  Things went well until we hit yet another jam just outside Boston but, mercifully, this one wasn’t too bad.  I was finally able to turn the wheel over to Elva when we reached the calmer confines of the I-95 in Maine, and the rest of the 1,300 km. trip to Halifax went well.

So, once again, a busy, interesting vacation.  Lots to remember and some places and attractions we’d like to see again.  However, note to selves, we need better navigating technology to avoid the major traffic tie-ups.  I just don’t have the patience for that anymore!