Time Melts in Rain in Quebec City

September 29, 2018September 29, 2018 by Woody

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Woody Woodburn

400 Roosevelt Court

Ventura, CA 93003

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Time Melts in the rain in Quebec City

Gentle showers fell, and we were not dressed for them, and it was wonderful.

My wife and I were strolling through Quebec City on the eve of autumn, but it might as well have been Paris in the rain in the springtime. Cobblestone streets, narrow as alleyways and lined with cafes, and everyone but tourists speaking French all enhanced this impression.

Indeed, replace black umbrellas with colorful ones and turn the pedestrians’ formal attire to casual, and the famous 1877 painting “Paris Street; Rainy Day” by Gustave Caillebotte comes to mind.

We had planned to visit Canyon Aainte-Anne, a steep-sided gorge with a spectacular waterfall and three suspension footbridges 200 feet above the river. But, as John Steinbeck wrote, “People don’t take trips, trips take people.”

Salvador Dali’s “Danse du Temps I”

The rain, promising to erase the breathtaking views, caused our trip to take us in a different direction.

Instead, we walked from Lower Old Town to Upper Old Town where, soaked as duck-hunting dogs, we ducked into the lobby of the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. Built in 1893, this 18-story fairytale-like castle of a building is said to be the most photographed hotel in the world. I added to the record tally.

Inside the lobby, which is open to the public and seems as crowded as Disneyland, the luxury is stunning. Perhaps the over-the-top opulence is best illustrated by describing one of the handful of gift shops, rather, boutiques.

Actually, it was not a boutique so much as an art museum. On display were a full dozen bronze sculptures by Salvador Dali and nearly as many original cubism paintings by Pablo Picasso.

The sculptures were especially striking and included a series featuring melting clock faces, a surrealist image Dali returned to – no pun intended – time and time again. Explained the artist: “The mechanical object was to be my worst enemy, and as for watches, they would have to be soft, or not be at all!”

One such bronze, titled “Profil of Time,” portrayed a melted clock hanging across the branches of a barren tree.

One of numerous Picasso paintings in the chateau’s high-end gift shop.

Additionally, “Dance of Time II” and “Dance of Time III” in the boutique/museum were smaller versions of the original seven-foot-tall “Danse du Temps I” on display outside the hotel. Crafted by Dali in 1984, the green-faced melting clock with gold hands and numerals is valued at nearly $1 million.

Yet perhaps my favorite sculpture was “Horse Saddled With Time.” As the name suggests, it is of a horse with a melted clock serving as the saddle.

Dali noted: “… it is time which controls all of man’s passage. Man believes he is in control of the voyage, but it is always ‘time’ who is the ultimate rider.”

Rushed for time on our way back to the cruise ship to resume our voyage, we managed to step out of the rain once more and into a café. As they say, “When in Rome . . .”

And when in Quebec – that’s “kee-BEK” not “kwe-BEK” according to the locals – one must try the signature dish “poutine.” Basically, it is a messy pile of French fries, gravy and cheese curds.

My review: I prefer my fries with ketchup and thus had only one bite. My wife, however, gave it two thumbs up – until later that evening when she fell seasick on calm waters. She blamed the poutine and felt saddled with slow-passing time for a while.

“ ‘Sail on!’ it says, ‘sail on, ye stately ships!’ ” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote in his poem “The Lighthouse.” Sail on we did for our next port and a tour of some historic beacons.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Wooden & Me Kickstarter Front Photo Check out my memoir WOODEN & ME: Life Lessons from My Two-Decade Friendship with the Legendary Coach and Humanitarian to Help “Make Each Day Your Masterpiece” and my essay collection “Strawberries in Wintertime: Essays on Life, Love, and Laughter” …

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Discovering a Dickensian Dessert

September 22, 2018 by Woody

Is your Club or Group looking for an inspiring guest speaker or do you want to host a book signing? . . . Contact Woody today!

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For a Personalized Autographed copy of “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME” or “WOODEN & ME” mail a check for $25 to:

Woody Woodburn

400 Roosevelt Court

Ventura, CA 93003

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Serendipitous Menu Item in Montreal

It was the best of times, not the worst of times, as my wife and I strolled the Old Port streets of Montreal recently.

Celebrating our 36th wedding anniversary, we were at the launching point of a cruise that would take us to four more Canadian port cities before a stop in Bar Harbor, Maine, and ending in Boston.

The cherry on top of our travels, for me, would be a post-cruise visit to Mark Twain’s House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut. As I’ve chronicled previously, I collect visits to famous writer’s homes the way others collect antique clocks or baseball cards.

Author Charles Dickens

Touring where Samuel Clemens penned some of his most important works – including “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” – promised to be well worth a three-hour drive each way from Boston.

In Old Montreal, in a restaurant we stumbled upon while looking for another, serendipity winked and whispered: “Follow me across the room, Woody, and add another gem to your collection right now.”

The wink. At the bottom left corner on the front of the menu at L’usine De Spaghetti appeared this small headline: “DICKENS GRIFFONNE.”

The whisper. “In May of 1842, Charles Dickens visited Montreal and wrote the notes for A Tale of Two Cities in the back room of this very restaurant.”

When our waiter arrived, instead of inquiring about the specials of the evening, I asked: “Is the back room still around?”

“Oui,” came the answer and he pointed me in the right direction.

Instantly, I excused myself and less than 30 paces away arrived at a stone wall bearing a wooden plaque reading “PLACE DICKENS.” Nearby was a gild-framed portrait of the wild-bearded author.

The serendipitous item on the menu.

Through connecting the doorway awaited a pub-like room that also had the feel of a library thanks to numerous built-in bookcases filled with leather-bound volumes. While the tables and booths were too crowded for me to peruse the specific titles, a waitress assured me the shelves included a copy of “A Tale of Two Cities.”

What a perfect place, a distant cousin to a modern coffee shop, for a writer to write. In my mind’s eye, in the corner booth in the far rear, I could see Dickens working on his most famous masterpiece.

Already well known for penning “The Pickwick Papers” and “Oliver Twist,” in the late spring of 1842 the literary Londoner traveled to Niagara Falls, Toronto and Queenston before spending two weeks in Montreal.

At that time, this back room actually comprised the entire restaurant. Dickens, meanwhile, was staying next door at Rasco’s Inn, which he called “the worst hotel in the whole wide world.”

Is it possible this lovely pub and loathsome inn inspired the famous opening line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . ”? It is pleasing to think so.

On the other hand, because “A Tale of Two Cities” was not published until 1859 – nearly two decades after Dickens’ Montreal visit – assertions of the novel’s origins reaching back to this room could be seen as a fanciful “George Washington Slept Here” claim.

No matter, I choose to believe.

I also choose to add Charles Dickens to my writerly collection. Technically, of course, the back room of L’usine De Spaghetti was not his home. Also, he purportedly only wrote the notes for “A Tale of Two Cities” here, not the full manuscript. All the same, with an asterisk, I am counting it.

My tale of six cities will continue next week.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Personalized signed copies are available at WoodyWoodburn.com
Unsigned paperbacks or Kindle ebook can be purchased here at Amazon

Part III: More Typewriter Notes

September 15, 2018September 15, 2018 by Woody

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For a Personalized Autographed copy of “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME” or “WOODEN & ME” mail a check for $25 to:

Woody Woodburn

400 Roosevelt Court

Ventura, CA 93003

* * *

More Notes from the Bookworm’s Typewriter

The response from readers to last week’s column filled with notes from a public Remington typewriter in Mrs. Figs’ Bookworm in Camarillo was so profuse and positive, an encore of more messages in the bottle from bookstore patrons seems merited.

“If you haven’t noticed already, its hard to use a ty-pewriter. YOUL write a lot of jum bles before it wo-rks out. But somehow, i am ok with that.”

“I do like the carriage return. It reminds me of the slot pull handles in Vegas.”

“Life. Give it a whirl! Love Yourself Forever. Peace love and happiness”

“Give of yourself. the results may surprise you.”

“Letters – Seconds / Words – Minutes / Sentences – Hours / Paragraphs – Weeks / Chapters – Months / Essays – Years / Novels – Decades / Series – Centuries / The written/typed word – Timeless”

“Please be kind to everyone you meet. You don’t know what kind of day they are having.”

“PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

“It is a very challenging disability. It is a very misunderstood disability. It is a very illusive disability. Not visible except through behaviors and how I physically am affected.

“Some of my behaviors while triggered can easily be mistaken as those of a person who has poor social skills and graces, some people have mistaken my being triggered as being drunk.

“Seldom is there someone who truly recognizes that I am deeply in pain emotionally and to avoid judgment or condemnation, but to say to me they see I am struggling, and ask me if I need assistance, and if so, what they can do.

“For the general public: The smallest acts of respect can make a world of difference.”

“have hope and smile”

“Note to self. When the ink on this typewriter seems to have run out, before asking Mrs. Figs for a new ink ribbon, first check the right side of the typewriter where the tab with three colors is, and ensure it is NOT set on white or red.

For those not familiar with the term “ink ribbon”, that is the precursor to things like “toner” and “ink cartridges”.

“Is the ink in this fading? Do we need more toner? A new ink cartridge is needed for this ; ) ”

“dude be nice”

“How you treat those in need reflects your true colors.”

“I had a trip on the Amtrak train from Camarillo to San Francisco; it reminded me of those old black & white movies and TV shows where train was the main source of transportation.”

(The note writer’s train of thought continues on for quite a while.)

“dreams and dedication are a powerful combination.”

“I am blessed with many friends, but my dogs are just as dear. Dogs give and give and give long past common sense. They believe in us long before we might believe in ourselves as children. ADOPT IF YOU CAN. Blessings to you.”

“Love Molecules

“I miss the molecules that make / up our friendship and the tiny / space between our heartbeats / when we hug.”

“This is a magical place! Filled with magical stories and people. xo”

“annabelle loves the bookworm the bookworm is amazing reading is fun the bookworm is the best”

“go outside instead of going on an ipad. and read a book.”

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Personalized signed copies are available at WoodyWoodburn.com
Unsigned paperbacks or Kindle ebook can be purchased here at Amazon

Part II: Bookworm’s Typewriter

September 13, 2018September 15, 2018 by Woody

Is your Club or Group looking for an inspiring guest speaker or do you want to host a book signing? . . . Contact Woody today!

* * *

For a Personalized Autographed copy of “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME” or “WOODEN & ME” mail a check for $25 to:

Woody Woodburn

400 Roosevelt Court

Ventura, CA 93003

* * *

Part II: Notes From a Bookstore’s Typewriter

The vintage Remington typewriter on display in Mrs. Figs’ Bookworm, an enchanted independent bookstore in Camarillo, could not be more irresistible were it to have a “Do Not Touch” sign on it.

Instead, a note invites patrons to sit down and type. As further encouragement, a sheet of paper always awaits in the carriage. Hundreds of people, many of them youngster who have never before used such a relic, have accepted the invitation.

Typing my own message on Mrs. Figs’ typewriter.

Some typists take their messages with them as keepsakes, but most tuck their “Notes from a Public Typewriter” – that being the title of the book that inspired this special nook – into a memento jar.

Connie Halpern – dear “Mrs. Figs” herself – recently allowed me to open the stuffed jar and read its contents. Some of the notes are silly, others heartfelt. Many are like short fortune-cookie adages, others much longer. Some have the typist’s name, but most are anonymous. More than a few have endearing typos and misstrikes.

Here is a sampling . . .

“me and my sister rachel are in a book store and i found this awesome typewriter and i am sooo fascinated with how this works and i love it.”

“hello. Typing on a typewriter is fun.”

“hello my name is eli and I am awesome. This typewriter is cool.”

“Hello world i am here”

“Ben the Incredible was here.”

“Sometimes you see a friend . . . just see their face, and your entire world brightens.”

“Some days feel like they may be an ‘upside down’ day, but then life happens and the day turns out to be just beautiful and ‘upright!’ Thank. You. Life.”

The one and only Mrs. Figs — Connie Halpern.

“i LOVE u”

“ ‘I love you.’ Language is a beautiful thing, isn’t it?”

“I LOVE THIS TYPEWRITER”

“Click, Clack, Moo, Cows That Type Why do people still have typewriters?”

“this is an old piece of technology. this thing does not always make the letter appear you must press hard.”

“memories of the past this typewriter brings each finger presses a key to create the words my fingers are tired.”

“The most valued gifts to someone are: Your time, your attention, and your respect : ) ”

“KNOCK ME OVER WITH A FEATHER

“I am a disabled veteran who went to In-N-Out Burger on Independence Day to avoid the fireworks because the sound and sight and shockwaves put me in a bad place emotionally. And, while there, wearing a hat which identified myself as a veteran, I had two teens approach me. I had never met them before. They both said ‘Thank you for doing all you have done’.

“Then each of the two young men shook my hand. It was a very good feeling, being recognized even in the high-paced and crowded place that is In-N-Out. Thank you to those two young lads who made my Independence Day”

“I love reading. I love books. I love Mrs. Figs!”

“hi im a geek I love harry potter.”

“Do you REALLY want people to treat you the way you treat them?”

“Sometimes we don’t think things are working out, but they are.”

“Don’t forget to sing. Please.”

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Personalized signed copies are available at WoodyWoodburn.com
Unsigned paperbacks or Kindle ebook can be purchased here at Amazon

Bookworm’s Readers Also Type

September 11, 2018September 11, 2018 by Woody

Is your Club or Group looking for an inspiring guest speaker or do you want to host a book signing? . . . Contact Woody today!

* * *

For a Personalized Autographed copy of “STRAWBERRIES IN WINTERTIME” or “WOODEN & ME” mail a check for $25 to:

Woody Woodburn

400 Roosevelt Court

Ventura, CA 93003

* * *

Bookworm’s Readers Encouraged to Type

Visitors to Mrs. Figs’ Bookworm, a magical independent bookstore in Camarillo, take in a wonderful greeting upon entering. I am not talking about a warm hello, although always they receive this as well.

Rather, three steps inside the front door and straight ahead so as not to be missed, The Typewriter Nook beckons.

Specifically, a grey 1955 Remington Quiet-Riter manual typewriter rests on a small table with a chair before it. There is always a sheet of paper in the vintage machine.

Also on the table, to the right of the typewriter, is a small, thin, red hardback titled: “Notes from a Public Typewriter.” The book is about a typewriter set out in a similar fashion for patrons of a bookstore in Ann Arbor to type messages. It was the inspiration for this special nook 2,300 miles away. FIGS_Typewriter

A few months past, Connie Halpern – also knows as Mrs. Figs – sent a copy of the little red book to Michael Mariani. She thought Michael, a Venturan who collects vintage typewriters, would relish it.

Connie, as usual with her book recommendations, was spot on. As a thank you, Michael gave the Quiet-Riter from his collection to Mrs. Figs’ Bookworm so its patrons could have a similar opportunity to express themselves on a public typewriter.

“It was a huge surprise,” Connie says of the refurbished antique gift. “It brought tears to my eyes.”

And so The Typewriter Nook came to be.

As a further welcome and enticement to sit down and express oneself, on the table just to the left of the typewriter is this message: “Valued Friend. You are important. Please enjoy this space. Take your message with you. Or leave it her to be shared with others.”

For the latter, there rests on the table a square jar labeled: “Messages in a Bottle!” Hundreds of notes, many brief and others quite lengthy, have filled the glass vessel to overflowing.

“Mrs. Figs” aka the wonderful Connie Halpern

“At least once a day, someone sits at the typewriter,” Connie says. “Always with a big smile on their face!”

She adds: “I would say the majority of the typists are youngsters – who have a giggling parent standing by, sharing how they used to type on one.”

Nostalgia for the grownups is new-fangled for the kids.

“Most will ask for help,” Connie shares. “Some frequent and repetitive – and precious and priceless – questions have been:

“How do you turn it on?” (You don’t need to, she answers.)

“Where is the number 1?” (You have to use a lower case “L” on this model, she tells them.)

“Where is the exclamation point?” (You have to use a period, then backspace and use an apostrophe over the period, she directs.)

“Where is the delete button?” (Mrs. Figs tries not to laugh.)

Connie continues: “There has not been one face that is not smiling, ear to ear, while exploring the typewriter.”

Has this enchanted reaction surprised her?

“To be honest, no,” Connie answers. “Because when I sat down to type on it the very first time – it had been almost 35 years since I had used one – I nearly cried tears of joy. I squealed! So I immediately knew that joy would be the overwhelming reaction.”

Always a lovely place to be, when someone sits down at the Quiet-Riter and the clickity-clack-click typing begins, Mrs. Figs’ Bookworm becomes even more so.

“If I were asked to describe the melody of the typewriter,” Connie says, “I would say it sounds like Yo-Yo Ma playing Bach Cello Suite No. 1.”

Next week, I will share some of the “musical” notes played in the Bookworm to date.

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Woody Woodburn writes a weekly column for The Ventura County Star and can be contacted at WoodyWriter@gmail.com.

Personalized signed copies are available at WoodyWoodburn.com
Unsigned paperbacks or Kindle ebook can be purchased here at Amazon

WOODY WOODBURN

Writer, "Streaker" & Speaker

Monthly Archives: September 2018

Time Melts in Rain in Quebec City

Discovering a Dickensian Dessert

Part III: More Typewriter Notes

Part II: Bookworm’s Typewriter

Bookworm’s Readers Also Type