4 ~ Sunday, March 20, 1988 - North Shore News

Bos HUNTER

® strictly personal ©

AS FATE would have it, your correspondent found himself
landing with his family during an Ice Age in a smail but tidy
house in a Suburb of big bad old Toronto.

Clambering from a jet that was
an hour late. the Swiss Family
Hunter ventured forth with 12
suitcases and three boxes into —
my worst fears realized! — a line-
up outside at the taxi stand, rush
hour, and a killer wind from the
North Pole. ;

Grey light. An echoing concrete
labyrinth. The little girl crying as

heard the name, I sensed we weren't
going to have too much of what

Vancouver types would tradi-
tionally call a ‘‘view."’ Y'know?
But as it turns out, we can in
fact see, over the rooftops of the
bungalows across the street, sever-

al mountains made of poured con-

crete and glass — filled, amazing-

ly, with people!

EF ee ee)

«JT have to say that Toronto is unquestionably big
and cold. That's about all I'll commit myself to saying

so far.”

Meth Et he alt

ay Tr teem Beta fe Moe
ind pitilessly whipped he
re der litle West Coast checks,
still warm from the West Coast
sun, her toes Still happy from
touching the Warm, moist West
Coast soil... ;

We did, cventually, get a taxi.
Actually, two taxis, what with all
the suitcases. One of the taxi
drivers refused at first to take us
because he didn't want any suit-
cases going inside his brand-new
cah, 1 sGuie Gamage the uphol-
stery. some king ‘of sign?

However, this av:Jul stage soon
passed. We founda McDonald's.
My Lttle girl, Seeing a plastic life-
sized statue of good old Ronald
McDonald, rushed over and em-
braced it, since it obviously
recainded her Of home.

Thanks to 4 cousin in real estate,
we had a rented house waiting for
us the next day, in a nice middle-
class neighborhood not far from
the 14-lane ‘spaghetti intersec-
tion’? where Highway 401 in-
tersects the Don Mills Parkway.
The rent, which is a good price,
given the famous Toronto housing
crisis, is still..-gulp. ;

Still, it is considered a luxury to
live in a house in Toronto.

We happen to have beamed
down, as it were, On a street called
Skyview Crescent. As soon as |

WHY PAY MORE?
List with Green Acres Realty
the Home of
3%% Commission

Mullipte at 512%

e: 872-8586 (24 hrs.)

Mcsrvornd pectneeliy-recogn?
cree og [ompreinesion ot rocabsiey} or mach (competeoe of opptiatoa}

If one stands outside, one hears
the roar of distant traffic. t is
rather like living beside the
Capilano River during spring
flood, But who stands outside,
unless you're crazy?

The homes are heavily insulated,
of course, with three layers of
window, so when everything is
closed, you can't hear a thing out-
side.

Great. Dunno what'l! happen
come summer when the air
becomes an all-enveloping camel's
tonguc. But one crisis at a time,
right?

At the moment, it's like living
on once of the methane moons of
Neptune with the atmosphere
frozen in dirty grey sheets over the
ground. And where the grass
shows through it is the color of
Ieeched manure a year later...

Stop it, boy! Steady!

What amazes me is how quickly
kids adapt. Wish I could do it. My
son Willy learned the very first day
of school, for instance, that it was

SCULPTURED NAILS

So thin, and natural tooking.

ALL WAXING
SUNTANNING

10 Suntan sessions.

Also Europzan Facials, Lash Tinting, :

not ‘‘cool”’ to wear carmuffs or
gloves.

My God, it was freezing! His
ears burned bright red in the bitter
February air, but he absolutely
would not put the earmuffs on un-
til we had safely rounded the cor-
ner and Ieft the other kids behind.

By contrast, your correspon-
dent, remembering climatologically
horrific childhood winters in Win-
nipeg, Icaves the house only if
shod in Mustang arctic survival
boots, regardless of how ‘‘cool"’
anybody thinks or doesn't think it
is.

Maybe that’s what growing up is
all about — finafly not giving a
damn about what anybody thinks,

But stop again, boy! Just
because it’s a Jittle chilly outside,
no need to plunge immediately and
totally into existential despair, is
there? Think positive!

Still, speaking as a reporter —
calm, cool (no, that’s not the word
I wanted) and collected — J have
to say that Toronto is unques-
tionably big and cold. That’s
about all I'll commit mysclf to say-
ing so far.

Things will get better. 1 said this
to myself this morning, waiting in
the wind for a bus to take me to
the subway.

A funny thing happened. My

+ words turned into vapor in the air

in front of my mouth. They use
the same quaint phrase here |
remember from the Prairies. They
say they can ‘sce their breath.’
That’s not your breath, sweet-
heart. That's precious bodily
warmth experiencing moleculitr cx-
tinction as the vacuum of space
presses down against the near-dead
earth, and your own doom lies on-

“- ty one layer of thermal underwear

away.
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Learning
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Becesse soccass bogins with the basis.
201-1217 Lonsdale Ave., N.V. :

he Committee for the North Shore Schools’

Dog-A-‘Thon would like to express our sincere
appreciation to all parents, children and dogs who
braved the ghastly weather on Saturday, March 5th
to walk in the Third Annual Dog-a-Thon. This year
the Dog-AThon special event raised more than five
thousand dollars for the Variety Club Telethon
March 26th & 27th. Well done everybody!

We would like to give a very special “thank you

7

to the following for their kind donations of goods

or services.

Balmoral Junior High

( for the clowns )

Dogwood Shop

Harmony Do-Nut House

John Bishop, Jewellers

McDonalds

Mt. Seymour Pet Food
(Natura! Love Gourmet Dog Food)

North Varicouver Buy-Low

FEATURE

1988 E
AM/FM cassette

a steal at (with ins ad)

1988 E.D.D. MICRA
2 dh. spris, coe Paaaraet
. lor.
fern ins age Fe D4. %7,969

North Van. Pet Centre
Queens Stationery
Queens SuperValu

St. John Ambulance
Sandwich Tree (Burnaby)
S.PC.A. .
Success Dog Grooming
Violet Fader

Westlynn SuperValu

THE WEEK

'D.0. PATHFINDER axa

1988 ED.D, SENTRA XE
4 8031, Sports Coupe, thia gorgeous,
blue sports car commsete with sunroot &
t be
the kaw price of pein tes ac) °12,769

We still have a large selection of 1987 new vehicles
in stock. (Priced to sell for immediate delivery).

USED CAR FEATURE OF THE WEEK

A greal family

is fully equipped

value for the un
AUDI AND F

sii

fs
1982 SUPRA G7S.
Lovely blue racy spits. car — this vehicle
is extra, extra clean wilh fo abuse
whatsoever. Over $30,000 {04
replace. Yours for (with this ad) 11,969

1985 SENTRA WAGON
Allordable tarnily car with no repairs
needed. This popular selling burgundy
wagon is a good deal a! (with
this ad) #P1027 56,969

We have over 60 of the finest preowned sports
and family vehicles on the market today. Come
in for your best deal today!. ‘We have courteous
professional staff who will take the time to earn

your business.

Q Yinedle

RAY SASSEVILLE

GENERAL SALES MANAGER

NISSAN NO-COST WARRANTY
6 YEARS, 100,000 KM