The garage is well cared for, it is painted, its roof doesn't leak and it is unused except for storing patio furniture. Most vehicles today are too large to be maneuvered around the bend in the driveway and eased into the small garage. And if the skillful driver got the car in, it might not all fit inside. Many cars are too long for the aging structure.
This Stratford home does not have an historical plaque. I think it needs one. I love the small roof extending out over the porch and front steps from above the front door. The semi-circular window surrounded by decorative shingles is a nice touch.
What I find most amazing about this heritage neighbourhood is the mix of early owners. Some of the original owners were wealthy and the homes show this if you are attentive to detail. But other homes were owned by factory floor workers. The detailing is restrained but by today's standards it is great.
More and more Stratford is a town where retirees are going to enjoy life in their senior years.
The ski hill has greeters positioned at the entrance to the facility. The number of lift tickets available is severely curtailed. Only two skiers are allowed on a chairlift seat. Four are only allowed when all four riders are family members living at the same residence.
With freezing rain expected overnight and a forecast high of seven degrees Saturday, forty-five in Fahrenheit, skiing season is going to be very short.
If you are thinking that's not London, that's Chicago. You're right. I'm posting this not just because it's a great image but as evidence of the amazing tonal range captured by today's smart phones, especially in the highlights.
Recently I was given three cameras. One was an old Leitz film camera. The other two were simple point and shoot digital cameras. Thanks to the ever-present smart phone, I discovered these cameras have no value. The bottom has fallen out of the used camera market, at least here in London.
The Ontario government has loosened the covid-19 lock-down restrictions. One result is that the local ski hill is finally in limited operation. My granddaughters had all their ski lessons canceled. There is simply not enough winter left. But, they did get three hours in on the weekend. They had three hours of semi-private ski lessons. The snowboarder shown was hitting the hill alone and appeared to be enjoying being back on the slopes.
The two Michaels, Michael Kovig and Michael Spavor, have been imprisoned in China for more than two years with no release in sight for either. Macleans, Canada's newsmagazine, reports:
They were detained by Chinese officials in December 2018, in implicit retaliation for Canada’s arrest nine days earlier of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese tech giant Huawei, and the two men have since been formally arrested and charged with espionage, which means a virtually certain guilty verdict.
Canadians are incensed but finding the action that will free the two men and bring them home to their families is proving elusive. Signs are appearing in windows calling for the freeing of the two Michaels.
The Grand Trunk Railway relocated their locomotive repair shop from Toronto to Stratford in 1870. In the early 1900s the repair shops were expanded and Charles Heppler moved to Stratford looking for work as a machinist.
In 1905, Charles married Ann Hansuld, a Stratford dressmaker. in Stratford. The couple bought a lot on Water Street and their future home was completed in September of 1907. Within two years the couple was looking for another place to live. They sold their large home to the former owner of the Queen's Inn and moved to another Stratford home.
Architecturally, the home is a good example of the style of home being constructed throughout Ontario at that time.
