An updated brief sharing of the life of Steve.

 

 

Born in St. Catharines, oldest of 4 siblings. Family moved to Niagara Falls in grade 10 year. A quiet / shy boy.

 

Decided that career would be architecture or engineering, although school was always University of Waterloo because of Co-op to help pay for schooling. Parents not in a position to help. To make choice, he arranged to visit both Architectural and Engineering faculties at Waterloo. Also visited and met with local Architect in Niagara Falls who was less then encouraging. Architects rather close association, at the time only 3 universities taught Architecture (Waterloo, Toronto and Carleton) to limit numbers in field. However, lots of engineers.

 

Graduated in Engineering in 1982. Big recession with interest rates hitting 19%. Not a lot of jobs.

 

In 1983 received two offers, one from Canadian military. With a degree going in would start as second lieutenant and learn to blow things up.

Second was 2 year contract to go and work in Saudi Arabia.

 

Decided not cut out for military so chose Saudi Arabia. Very new culture, religion and climate. And no taxes, just a 5% social security deduction.

 

Meanwhile, Steve met Allison in December 1980. Turned out she started at Waterloo in Arts in 1981 and through mutual people we knew, Allison ended up boarded at same family Steve and 2 other engineers were renting from. Allison living with 3 senior engineering students says she held her own and Steve doesn't deny it.

 

Allison and Steve became serious, and she had said she wanted a year to plan wedding, Steve took job in Saudi Arabia and gave her 2 years to plan while she completed her degree.

 

Steve returned from Saudi Arabia in late May 1985. Steve and Allison married June 29, 1985, took long honeymoon to Greece, spent August visiting friends and family. In September headed for London England where Steve was studying Environmental Engineering at Imperial College, part of the University of London. We lived in student residence 'Lillian Penson Hall' on Talbot Square. Walked across Hyde Park / Kensington Gardens to school. Allison got a job with Westminister City Council initially for 6 weeks which she turned into year.

 

A year in London was best. Student during week and tourist on weekends, largely during off-season.

 

However, Allison did have her doubts about whether she made right decision marrying Steve. Good thing she could run home to mother. Steve and Allison very different in ways. Allison always asked how Steve's day went on coming home and would tell him about her day. However, in truth, Steve didn't want to think about the day past. Then Allison tested Steve. She didn't ask about his day. Test was to see if he would ask her about her day. Steve failed test.

 

Yes, Allison still has doubts at times about Steve.

 

School in London was very global with classmates from around the world (Mexico, Brazil, Egypt, Greece, Hong Kong, etc. and of course some Brit's).

 

In fall of 1986 Steve and Allison returned to Canada and family.

 

Allison taught Steve to love to read, also to enjoy live theatre.

 

While being a tourist in England, we often stayed at Bed & Breakfast homes. This took some convincing of Allison as her view of B&B's came from movie 'European Vacation'. She enjoys B&B's now.

 

We annually take in theatre weekends each year at Stratford and theatre and Niagara-on-the-Lake for Shaw Festival. In 2016 with no big summer plans, Allison decided she would like to visit Pelee Island in Lake Erie as a weekend get a way. Pelee Island is the most southern part of Canada, and many years ago we partook in a meal at the Trenton Ramada paired with Pelee Island wines. However, being an island you need to book ferry to get there. Because we were late organizing plans, ferry was booked and we could not go in 2016. Instead, we went to small town in southwestern Ontario and took day trips of north shore of Lake Erie towns etc using B&B as base. On the Sunday afternoon, we stumbled upon little village of Port Burwell. They have a small lighthouse you can tour, a naval museum and the treasure, HMS Algonquin Submarine. An old Canadian submarine on dry ground that you can tour. We got the last tour of the day and it was fantastic. Great guide, took us through the sub from one end to the other with tales of how the sub-mariners lived and worked. A trip to Port Burwell is highly recommended.

 

In 1997 Steve and Allison made it to Pelee Island. Most of the island is 6 feet below Lake Erie. It was bought in 1880's and swamps were bermed off and drained. Not something you could do today.

 

In 1998, Steve and Allison took another similar weekend get away. This time with small festival theatre of Blyth as focus. They stayed in a century home in small town of Clinton Ontario. There they discovered a Railway Car museum commemorating a partnership between railway company's and norther school board between about 1926 to 1966 when school teacher with their family lived in half of the rail car for 10 months of the year, using the other half of the rail care as a classroom. The Railway would shuttle the rail car from siding to siding along rail lines where the teachers would teach area kids for few days, leaving month of homework before moving to the next siding, then starting all over again. One particular teacher and family were from Clinton and raised their family and taught in the rail car for 40 years.

 

Steve recommends exploring our own back yards because there are treasures out there we don't know about.

 

In 2019 trip didn't happen because Allison's father passed early summer and all plans changed. Now in 2020 we have COVID. However, Steve and Allison plan to resume these annual weekend get aways when they can.