After awakening from hibernation in South Carolina, after regaining our beloved northern dwelling, after grappling with the annual blizzard of income tax papers and sending them to the accountant, after a close friend’s grand birthday celebration, and after reinstating the mundane routine of familial duties (particularly for my elderly mother), I am at last at loose ends and beginning to settle down.

Interspersed with these broadly described reunions were a haircut, routine automobile maintenance, dental and medical appointments and the expected rallies with friends, not to mention the unanticipated event of a funeral for a highly respected member of our community and the blind-side news of impending death of a relative.  Small wonder the waters are whirling about our feet as they recede from their former turbulence. The pressing details of the past week have at last subsided but the current pacific state was hard-won. Several mornings for example I was awake and at my desk no later than 3:00 a.m. attending to some irksome detail.

The condensed flurry of activity is consistent with the way I have always operated.  Never have I approached modification or transition with anything other than irrepressible fervour.  I admit to the thrill of it!  I regale in the accomplishment of what needs to be done! It nonetheless astounds me to come out of a twirl still dizzy from the traffic.  The revival of innumerable habits  quells the readjustment.  It matters to have your own bed and your own things, to park in your own space, to know your neighbours, to have the familiarity of shops and streets, to recognize the radio personalities, to read the local newspapers – in a word, to be at home and to settle down.

It further buoys me in this reclining state that I have commenced a project of acquisition which has been poisoning my conscience for months. The prospect of such material reward keeps me going, like it or not!  Though this wouldn’t be the first time I’ve said, “This is it!  No more!  Enough after this one last piece!”  Oh well…it’s likely just more of that Pavlovian conditioning from my early school days.  Or maybe it’s my obsessive personality at work.  Who knows!  Who cares!

This morning I noticed from a casual review of historical records on the Millstone News that last year I advertised the closing of my law office effective April 30, 2014.  Unquestionably the commotion in my life for the past year has kept me unbalanced or at least hopping.  I have yet to throw away the relics of my professional past which have been stuffed into closet corners and desk drawers. From time to time I find myself reopening my  office computer for information. Occasionally I get a call from a former Client. But it is safe to observe that the general populace has accommodated my retirement and has borne the deprivation of my counsel.  My absorption into oblivion has been seamless.

Now with the office gone, the house sold, my late father’s estate settled and the first year of wintering south behind us, I begin the comparatively less adventurous business of settling down.  I suppose one never attains a perfect pitch of frequency but we’re damn close to it. In my mind I have cut myself off from all that has passed.  Everything is new, at least my approach to it.  My finger nails and toe nails have been trimmed. I have a new haircut. I have buffed my silver jewellery. I’ll get my teeth cleaned.  The car is washed and polished. The cleaning lady has come and gone and will come again.  I haven’t any clothes that don’t fit (not because I’ve lost weight but because I’ve thrown out the other stuff). To my knowledge I have no outstanding personal disagreements. I am reconciled to perpetual sobriety (not least for the reason that my ancestors reportedly embraced the condition). While I wouldn’t go so far as to say I couldn’t give a damn what others think, conformity is certainly not a knee-jerk reaction (this isn’t so much a matter of intellectual liberation as the product of removal from the commercial stream). In short I am settling down.  Everything on the horizon excites me, just doing whatever we do!  I want to read and write, go for Vietnamese lunches, sip coffee and opine on subjects of personal and national interest. I relish the thought of spending time with family and friends, strengthening bonds and perhaps severing others. The spectre of inadequacy, insecurity and incompetence no longer threatens me even if still lingering.  The ramification of personal shortcomings is now without its consequence.  As with any commitment to settling down there are choices to be made, paths to follow, exclusions that will inevitably result.  It is logically part of the process to abandon some things while embracing others, all part of settling down.

About four years ago in an effort to reverse a lifetime of profligacy I met by appointment with an estate auctioneer on a dark and rainy weekday evening in the late Fall at the Château Laurier Hotel and consigned to him for sale all my expensive jewellery (much of which had been custom made) – gold and platinum rings, bracelets, necklaces, cufflinks and mechanical analog watches. Contrary to what one might imagine the undertaking wasn’t unpleasant.  It was refreshing because it not only provided the benefit of anticipatory capital but also signalled a fresh start.

Having made that catastrophic manoeuvre I wasn’t about to enter upon an immediate reinvention of the trinket experience.  My pleasure in jewellery was for the time being modestly confined to a gold signet ring, a pair of antique gold cufflinks (which were virtually worthless as an estate piece) and a gold pocket watch, chain and bejewelled fob inherited from my paternal grandfather. Eventually however the deprivation was too much to bear and I began to slip back into the ornamental market but only hesitatingly and with much restraint.  It started cautiously with the purchase of a Bulova sport watch (stainless steel) with a black rubber bracelet, a trendy purchase I philosophically excused as mandatory when riding my bicycle for example. This extraordinarily large and heavy watch ignited my unquenchable appetite for more. I subsequently purchased two similar Bulova watches, one quite plain with an azure face, the other more complicated like the first but with a steel bracelet.

I had hoped to restrict my sybaritism to watches, fashioning in my mind that it was a cultivated gentlemanly thing to do and therefore an acceptable dalliance. But incrementally I found myself trolling the internet for heavy bracelets and necklaces, this time however in sterling silver not gold.  For purposes of this account it matters not what I succeeded in acquiring over the next year or so; suffice it to say the inventory swelled.  The Balinese craftsmen know the silver trade and my acquaintance with their work was more than adequately rewarded.

What however persisted to hum in the background was the recollection of the exposure I had had as a child at the Empress Hotel in Victoria, BC to the sight of gentlemen sporting a “pinky” diamond ring.  At the time I imagined that diamond rings were the exclusive territory of women but I nonetheless grasped that the gentleman’s diamond ring was not without its propriety and import.  I decided I must have one.

Like so many fanciful desires it would be years before the realization of it. The embers were meanwhile brightened at undergraduate University when I observed a crony wearing what he described as a “Tiffany” six-claw setting for his brilliant cut diamond.

Apparently the price he had paid for this unusual extravagance was the untimely death of his alcoholic parents in a fire in their extensive Northern Ontario summer home where they tragically fell asleep in bed while smoking cigarettes.

The closest I first came to getting a similar ring was upon my graduation from law school.  My parents bought me a diamond ring; however the setting was sadly not what I had harboured in my mind. Sentimentality prevailed for the longest time before my adhesion to the ring let go and I began what was to become a pattern of swapping jewellery. Once again the intervening details do not bear repetition.  Of particular interest only is my encounter in Provincetown, Cape Cod with an antique jeweller who had a piece very close to what I had always fathomed.  As is most often the case the setting took the back seat to the diamond itself which was a “mine cut” diamond, a distinction I understood to be indicative of a less modern method of shaping the stone. In the end it was the failure of the setting to capture my imagination that led me to unload it as I had done with so many other pieces before.  Instead I commissioned a jeweller to make a setting in the manner I recalled from my prior experiences.  By this time I recognized that it was all about the metal so the direction of the exploit was clearly the setting and its substantive fabrication and appearance.  Significantly that piece too was ultimately relegated to the slag heap for auction; it had failed to attain the apogee of perfection I envisaged notwithstanding its unmistakable merit.

The work of a Master Jeweller is like that of any other creative artist. Specifically it is not merely size that matters (though I am quick to add it is very important); the elements of colour, texture, polish, contrast and detail must combine to make a truly compelling piece. Men’s jewellery is traditionally lacking in imagination and certainly there is a case to be made for simplicity just as there is the advantage of a dark blue suit. If however the piece is to excite the mind and be more than purely functional it must demonstrate a heightened level of artistry.

At my now advanced age I haven’t time for prolonged dithering when it comes to the fulfillment of a lifetime ambition.  Only yesterday as a result of my conversations with my mother about her own diamonds I set my mind to closing the circle on this lingering matter which has so haunted me for decades. As a necessary refinement to the process I reaffirmed in my mind that the setting was paramount, not the stone. I concluded that for practical reasons alone I had no especial determination to acquire a diamond by inheritance or otherwise and that I was perfectly satisfied with a simulated diamond. Today I rallied at length with a reputable jeweller on Sparks Street in Ottawa to commence the creation of what I fully expect to be a first-rate piece of jewellery. I have the advantage of having worked with his father years ago on another piece which was a complete success notable for its buttery texture and significant weight. Pointedly during our discussion we literally tossed about a three-carat cubic Zirconia as evidence of the marginal importance of the stone.  We have since settled upon a Moissanite man-made stone known for its hardness. I confess that while I may yet be disappointed there are occasions in life where the singular achievement of a scheme is undeniable.  We’re reaching for that lofty objective.

First Rendering by Dixon Design Studio

First Day of Spring, March 20, 2015

To be precise the hotel of which I speak is properly called Fairmont Château Laurier Hotel, a label I am more accustomed to incorporate when referring to its Executive Fairmont Gold floor (the so-called “hotel within a hotel”).  The change of ownership of this hotel from Canadian Pacific Hotels appears not to have hurt the hotel in the transition – no doubt for the added reason that, “In 1999, it was renamed the Fairmont Château Laurier after Canadian Pacific Hotels bought the American Fairmont hotel chain and changed its name to Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.”  Essentially a distinction without a difference though I object to the marketing of the grandeur of the hotel as the product of the Fairmont cunning at the expense of the former railway owners of the hotel including Grand Trunk Railway (1909 – 1923), Canadian National Railway (1923 – 1988) and lastly Canadian Pacific Hotels (1988 – 1999), proprietors which for me have always hearkened back to the spirited days of Canada’s formation.

Yesterday I was reminded why I adore this hotel.  We checked into the Fairmont Gold floor shortly after noon then proceeded immediately to Wilfrid’s dining room for lunch.  Everything about that experience epitomizes the hotel.  Certainly the hotel succeeds in its mission of “turning moments into memories” for its guests.  Specifically it is the unrivalled elegance of the hotel and insinuating sense of permanence and sophistication which perpetually move me.  Granted it may be an atmosphere more appealing to the older generation but that for me is perfectly serendipitous. I have always marvelled at the service, whether it is a scotch on the rocks, a martini or tea. The calibre of food at Wilfrid’s is undeniably high and never disappoints.  I might add that I can say the same for Epic Restaurant at the Royal York Hotel, another link in the chain which we patronize as regularly.

The breakfast on the Gold floor is unique, silver service and white linen.  The small, cozy lounge is ideally suited to a pleasant and incremental awakening. We have also taken advantage of the lounge at the end of the day by returning with our dinner guests for pousse-café.  To its everlasting credit the bar is on the honours system, a decided refinement we most lately encountered in Montepulciano, Tuscany at the family owned Villa Poggiano.

As we checked out of our room this morning after breakfast in the lounge I remarked how far even the finest American hotels would have to go to exceed the lavishness of the Château Laurier Hotel, referring at that moment in particular to the elevators with their solid brass doors and mahogany panelling.

My introduction to the Château Laurier Hotel was exactly forty years ago, March, 1975 when I began working for the law firm Macdonald, Affleck at 100 Sparks Street, Ottawa.  The convenience of the hotel and its reputed attraction to local parliamentarians and senators recommended the hotel to me more especially as it housed a magnificent indoor swimming pool, steam bath and sauna.  I was a member of the Château Laurier Health Club for the next 35 years (sadly until Canadian Pacific Hotels merged with Fairmont Hotels and Resorts and pointedly closed the steam bath and sauna – which they have promised ever since to renovate and reopen).  Forty years ago the Health Club was managed very efficiently and professionally by Madam Juneau, assisted by Madam Chartrand.  They manned the now extinct long wooden counter around which guests were required to pass for admission to the Club.  For each guest Madam Juneau or Madam Chartrand would provide two towels and a locker key.

My personal memories over the years at the hotel include a congregation of the local Ottawa Bar in a suite with former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker; the annual Canada Permanent Saturday luncheon for the local Ottawa Bar (a tradition which not surprisingly ended when the Bar became too large to stuff into one of the ballrooms); birthday party gatherings too numerous to mention; wedding celebrations; brunches and dinners at Wilfrid’s and afternoon teas at Zoe’s; private jewellery exhibitions; estate auctioneer meetings; retails services; dining and dancing at the Canadian Room (now gone); profound cocktail rendezvous at the Cross Keys lounge; summer al fresco drinks on the terrace overlooking the Canal Locks; surreptitious viewing of the July 1st fireworks on Parliament Hill from the secret turrets of the Hotel; and innumerable points of convenience for meeting family and friends when heading elsewhere in downtown Ottawa or the By Ward Market.  Lately the Hotel has afforded a pied à terre for us country folk when visiting the Capital for dinner.

Oddly I have never felt compelled to photograph the Château Laurier Hotel. As much as I am attracted to architecture generally (for example I spent hours sketching the lines of the National Arts Centre following its construction), my absorption of the Château Laurier Hotel is confined to its staid atmosphere and provision of upscale visceral delights.

The Château Laurier Hotel is like a grand old lady, deserving of the utmost respect.  I always make a point of entering or leaving the Hotel by the front door, not its side entrance on Mackenzie Avenue.

Numerology intrigues me, the occult significance of numbers. More specifically the mystical relationship between numbers and events.  Without engaging in pseudo science allow me merely to observe that I am fascinated by the gulf between 1955 and 2015, there is something solid about it, something round and fulfilling, as I suppose turning 60 years of age is.

The obvious peril in turning sixty is the hackneyed jest about becoming a senior citizen.  This is plainly pig swill.  A moment’s reflection illustrates my point.  For example in 1986 when I first met you, Franz, you were a mere 31 years of age, handsome and tall as you are now. The only distinguishing feature was that you were then clad in a wolf fur coat.  Quite honestly the imperceptible patina of life has done little or nothing to erode that lingering memory of you. In fact I prefer to say that time has rather imparted that gloss or sheen produced by polishing.

Franz, while there are features of living which I and many others share with you – for example, the pleasures of the table, literature and travel – there is one shared element which I feel may go unnoticed, and that is the attraction we have to people who are older and who by strength of their age are wise and cultivated.  Our initial overlap of this quality was our mutual friendship with Louis de la Chesnaye Audette, QC, OC.  Others include your Greek friend George, Mel Ralph, Tommy Cavanagh and of course the very dear and erudite Charles Fisher. In short you have unwittingly pronounced your approbation of age by courting the company of certain of those who possess it in abundance. You will no doubt be wont to observe that the driving force of those people is not their age but their personal richness.  It is of this similar character that I now speak of you.

You have provided your family and friends with an abundance of compassion, genuine interest, beneficence, generosity, laughter and elevated intellectualism for as long as I can recall.  You are at very real risk of becoming as irresistible as those octogenarians you so admire!  Naturally you are many years from attaining that advanced age and a fortiori your prospects are thereby enlarged! Think of the opportunities yet to be afforded you!  For the time being it is your privilege to relish the pungency of life, all that it has given you and all that you have given it.  Many happy returns of the day!

L. G. William Chapman, B.A., LL.B.
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

“Home! Sweet Home!” (also known as “Home, Sweet Home”) is a song that has remained well known for over 150 years. Adapted from American actor and dramatist John Howard Payne’s 1823 opera Clari, or the Maid of Milan, the song’s melody was composed by Englishman Sir Henry Bishop with lyrics by Payne. The words are as follows:

Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home;
A charm from the skies seems to hallow us there,
Which seek thro’ the world, is ne’er met elsewhere.
Home! Home!
Sweet, sweet home!
There’s no place like home
There’s no place like home!

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Exactly 48 hours ago (after a steady and thankfully uneventful three-day automobile drive from Hilton Head Island, SC via Amelia Island, FL) we at long last arrived home from our 4-month hibernation.  As I walked into our little apartment it was an episode of unreserved pleasure!  Instantly the deep colours of the Persian rugs, hardwood floors, dark green leather chairs, mahogany furniture, brass lamps and original artwork overwhelmed me!  I knew in a flash that it was grand to be home!  Whatever one may say about rental accommodations (whether  hotel rooms, villas, houses or whatever, whether on the beach or in an historic plantation) their furnishings are characteristically not of the first order. Last year’s sale of my law office and our house involved critical downsizing but we purposively retained our prized possessions. As wont as I am to opine that material things are of fleeting interest only, there is no denying that it was uplifting suddenly to find myself reacquainted with quality stuff.

Our first stop on home turf was actually not our apartment but rather a quick visit with my elderly mother who remarkably greeted us as though we had never been away.  Instead she couldn’t have been more enthusiastic to rid herself of months of collected “papers” as she calls them, essentially financial reports which of course are particularly prolific at this time of year (tax time). As her Power of Attorney I am likewise anxious to relieve her of these concerns and to put my own incremental apprehensiveness about the matter to rest.  In the past two days I have collected “papers” from her on two occasions and have devotedly forwarded or delivered them to my mother’s accountant.

As far as due diligence goes, apart from a modest bit of accounting work for ourselves, the next item on the agenda was arranging a luncheon with our close and dear friend JCH with whom we had been in regular communication throughout our lengthy absence.  In spite of the on-going remote communication it was nonetheless necessary to rally and to recapitulate to put the lid on the temporary estrangement.  This tryst was preceded by a hurried in-and-out with my hair architect Simone from whose new emporium I emerged much revitalized.  The combination of our recent endeavours and an exceedingly bright but cool sunny day contributed to a welcome bounciness which was reflected in our subsequent luncheon, characterized as always by lively repartee.

One needn’t but scratch the surface of my transparent personality to know that my automobile is very dear to me.  Accordingly after a prolonged period of neglect it was but the work of a moment to organize a routine maintenance gander by the dealership.  The check-up was scheduled for 7:00 a.m. this morning.  In preparation we were seated at the breakfast table no later than 5:00 a.m. and I was on the road to the City by 6:30 a.m.  After delivering the car and collecting a “loaner” of the latest Lincoln product I sped back home where we rallied to conduct a further routine attendance in nearby Carleton Place.  Afterwards His Lordship was delivered to and later collected from his dentist who conducted a cleaning and examination.

Interspersed with the performance of these necessary duties we have shared the latest news with my sister; unpacked and restored our vacation accessories, miraculously found a harbour for my new electronic keyboard and bench, replugged all the electrical appliances, reinstalled and reconnected our various electronic devices and computers and shopped for groceries.  The windows of the apartment were of course temporarily thrown wide open to ventilate the place.  And there were the expected dalliances with neighbours in the building to share briefly the adventures and tragedies of the winter, yet another reminder to seize the day.

The completion of the winter absence signals the start of another fresh step in our lives.  We have now closed the circle of our latest modifications and we thus begin what we hope will be the new routine for many years to come. On a more mundane level we also face the prospect of reorganizing the volume of stuff which we randomly stored in the apartment when we moved here one year ago.  The time has arrived to do what we promised to do “one day”.  We do however have a reprieve from such tedium; this evening we dine in the By Ward Market with my physician and his friends and family to celebrate his sixtieth birthday.  We’ll park ourselves overnight at the Château Laurier Hotel and enjoy a preprandial swim. We’re home!

Since we arrived on Amelia Island, FL last Saturday it has been nothing but work, work, work!  In fact the toil began that morning when we left Hilton Head Island, SC and first headed to St. Simons Island, GA. After some consternation we succeeded in locating our preliminary destination, The King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort, an historic hotel reminiscent of 1930s splendour:

Celebrating over 75 years of hospitality
The King and Prince Club opened as a seaside dance club in 1935. Six years later, on July 2, 1941, the main hotel building opened to the public as the King and Prince Hotel and was immediately praised for its modern features and magnificent ocean views.

During World War II, the hotel served as a naval coast-watching and training facility, reopening in 1947 to resume its popularity as a favorite island resort with its gracious Mediterranean architecture. The hotel enjoyed extensive renovation and expansions in 1972 and again in 1983, becoming a member of the prestigious Historic Hotels of America in 1996. In 2003, the Resort’s cherished core–the historic main building–underwent a stunning restoration and enhancement project, resulting in 57 new guest rooms and signaling a new era in the guest experience. In 2005, the Resort was named to the National Register of Historic Places. Throughout the many changes over our 76 years of service, one thing has remained the same: we provide our guests superior service, outstanding accommodations, and unrivaled Southern hospitality.

Our luncheon of local seafood at The King and Prince was fitting compensation for our jarring GPS conundrum, setting in motion what we hoped would be an equally pleasant experience in the ten days to follow before our return to Canada.

Buoyed by a fine example of southern hospitality we trundled off to Amelia Island which is only about an hour and a half from where we were.  Our distracting challenges reignited here almost immediately.  Upon checking into our villa at the 1,350-acre Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort we discovered two problems: there was no heat and no internet service, amenities which we take for granted and the deprivation of which we do not suffer happily.  When the maintenance crew arrived within the hour they confirmed that we were not imagining either of the complaints and they proceeded to do what they could to repair the systems.  We were told however that the engineering team would have to return the next day to repair the heat problem (and of course we meanwhile debated whether we would go to all the trouble of relocating ourselves but decided against it).  The internet problem was repaired.  We put our day’s work behind us and went to dinner at Verandah Restaurant which conveniently was within short walking distance. Our meal there was superb!  We started with a dozen fresh Cape Cod oysters on the half-shell followed by local catches for the main course.  And the most exquisite Key Lime Pie for dessert!  His Lordship started it all with a Bombay Sapphire martini worthy of its own short story!  Even the corn and yeast breads were exceptional.  This good fortune was made all the cheerier when we returned to the villa to find the heat reinstated.

The next morning we deferred our resort duties only long enough to put on the nose bag at Sunrise Restaurant where they serve a very acceptable buffet including raw honey from their own apiary, in-house croissants and homemade strawberry jam, along with all the usual choices of fresh fruit, breakfast meats and made-to-order omelettes.  After breakfast the first item on our agenda was to arrange for bicycle rentals. The rental agency managed to turn us against them when they informed us their policy did not include delivery of the bikes to the villa.  We were spoiled by the experience on Hilton Head Island where delivery and pick-up is standard fare.  When we attempted to explain to the clerk the extent of the inconvenience (because the villa was at least a mile if not more from the shop), she was unmoved. Fortunately another young male staff member was in attendance and he volunteered to deliver the bikes on a golf cart to the villa.  We took him up on the offer and rewarded him accordingly.  Subsequently we have learned that we could easily have availed ourselves of the complimentary tram service provided by the resort but surprisingly the supervising clerk never thought to mention it at the time.

As one day passes to another on these resorts it is impossible to recall the details of what happens and when.  I know however that apart from bicycling around the extensive acreage of the resort and purchasing some clothes at the golf shop we also enjoyed a steam bath and swimming.  Somewhere in the mix we encountered further problems with our internet connection.  We thought the matter would have been corrected upon our return from yet another first-class dinner but not so.  All told we had contacted the front desk no less than three times about the faulty internet service.  When at last a maintenance clerk arrived late last evening he informed us that he had rebooted the modem.  This appeared for the time being to correct the problem.  But by three o’clock this morning the internet service once again failed.  This was the limit!  Both of us are accustomed to having internet service at our fingertips at any time to the day, not the least of which is very early in the morning when I for example often compose my literary pieces.  This recurrent internet problem, along with the initial heating problem and other problems (which I have not so far mentioned) relating to faulty drapery tracks and screeching sounds when the shower is in use, compelled me to make a call to the Front Desk at 3:30 a.m. this morning.

The long and short of it is that thanks to the understanding and initiative of Jessica of the Front Desk we’re now in a room in the main hotel.  Here is a photo I took from our balcony around nine o’clock this morning:

Too bad Mr. Apple has not yet discovered how to include the sound of the Ocean surf  with the photo;  it is alluring!  Anyway this business of moving from the villa to the hotel was not all fun and games.  Apart from having to repack, remove and transport,unpack everything we also had to arrange to collect the bikes and relocate them.  We have nonetheless assuaged the labour and annoyance of the affair.  For my part I spent several hours by the pool, swimming and lounging in the sun:

His Lordship meanwhile cultivated a thoroughly relaxed afternoon including some wine and cheese compliments of the Front Desk.

We have now regained what we expect to be the leisure of the resort.  Our dinner reservation this evening is at Oceanside Restaurant where the menu includes Oysters Rockefeller in addition to creative turns on local catches.