Recently, I traveled to Toronto, Ontario, to visit my nephew, David, to give him an antique pocket watch that my dad had been given by his father (and my grandpa).

The watch was given to my Grandpa St. Andrews when he began his career working for the CN Railroad.

My dad was born in 1921, and he had several older brothers and sisters who were older than him – so I estimate that Grandpa got the watch during the 1890s.

For whatever reason, he decided to leave it to my dad.

And I know it was one of Dad’s most treasured possessions.

Dad wanted me to have the pocket watch – but not because I was his favorite son.

He left it to me because I promised to give it to his oldest grandson, who bore the last name St. Andrews – David St. Andrews, my brother Ricky’s (Eric) son.

It has been one of my most treasured possessions. Mom’s paintings are my other most treasured possessions, and I am leaving them to Ricky’s daughter, Jennifer St. Andrews.

I had included David in my will and last testament to receive the pocket watch.

However, when I finally leave this plane of existence and travel to the hereafter, I worry that he will not understand the significance or the history of the watch.

So, during the Christmas Season, I decided to contact David to see if he would like to see me so I could give him a treasured family heirloom and explain its history to him.

He replied immediately that he was excited at the prospect of seeing me.

But I never told him I would arrive in the next few days because I wanted to surprise him.

I also wanted to see my friends in Ontario and the Maritimes, but only in a public place without hugs or any form of physical contact.

I did so because visiting a few people in Ontario was a long way, but I also missed my buddies and gal pals in the Maritimes, so I extended my trip to include Halifax.

By traveling on full fare, I could cancel my flights without penalty and receive a full refund.

So, I booked my flights and hotel rooms in Toronto and Halifax in early January.

These would be the two cities that I would use as the anchor destination because I planned to visit my close friends in other cities in Ontario and the Maritimes.

Toronto, Ontario

I arrived in Toronto on January 14th after taking the red-eye flight (overnight).

I paid full fare, Business Class, so I could be seated in a private pod—not beside another person.

I also wore an N95 mask on the flight and took all the necessary precautions to be safe during the COVID-19 era, which we now live in.

But I did not sleep on the plane and took a limo to the hotel.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel

I had not told David that I had arrived in Toronto until I was checked into the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in the downtown area.

I used my RBC Avion Platinum reward points to pay for the hotel – and had chosen the Ritz because I had stayed in their properties in Laguna Beach and Marina Del Ray.

I had also stayed at their property in Montreal in the mid-70s.

They were immaculate and well-staffed.

They are a 5-star rated hotel in Toronto, and comments I read from previous guests indicated that the cleanliness was also rated very high.

However, I checked out a day early because of the ignorant hotel manager and his inability to manage.

It turned out that it was not the Ritz-Carlton level of service or competency I had experienced at their other properties.

But that will be a story I will write in the coming days or weeks.

My Nephew David St. Andrews

David and I communicated by Facebook Messenger because he indicated that he seldom used email.

It seems that the younger generation(s) no longer use snail mail or email because they are too slow to send and receive essential and non-important communications.

They require an immediate reply to their instant messaging, or they will automatically assume you are mad at them.

And that might generate hostility between each other, or even worse – you might get unfriended!

The first thing I planned to do after I contacted David was to phone my childhood friends, Alice and Peter Hrehoruk, who now live in Cobourg, Ontario.

Neither Alice nor Peter is on Facebook or other social media platforms and only uses email and the phone to communicate with friends and family.

Next, I emailed my other best friends in Ontario and the Maritimes, explaining the reason for my trip and to see if any of them were interested in seeing me under the strictest of COVID-19 rules.

I got replies from many of them and silence from others.

When I phoned Alice and Peter to let them know I was in Ontario, they were thrilled to hear the news.

They wanted me to stay at their place for my stay in Ontario.

However, I explained that I was also traveling to the Maritimes to visit friends in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and returning home on January 31st.

I do not have a recent photo of Alice, Peter, and me together, so I included my wedding photo (January 20, 1978).

Although we have been separated for a few years, we stayed together until we sold the house last year.

It would have been our 44th wedding anniversary on January 20, 2022.

Annette stays at my place while I am traveling because Holly doesn’t like anyone else, and I could not leave her in a cage at a vet hospital.

But I am happy that we have remained the best of friends.

Thanks, Annette!

I planned to write a journal about the trip with daily updates on a future story I intended to publish on this website, but this is the story!

I spent most of the Friday I arrived in Toronto in bed because I was exhausted and could not sleep on the plane.

And that was despite the fact I had a lie-down seat in Air Canada’s Business Class.

The next day (Saturday), I took the Go Train to Oshawa to get Annette’s SUV, which she was kind enough to let me use.

Annette provided the key to her apartment and the use of her vehicle.

I will stay at her place after completing the tour’s Maritime leg.

Visiting Mom and Dad

Visiting my parents has always been the first thing I do whenever I come to Ontario.

The cemetery is on Thorton Road North, and it was covered in light snow, so I couldn’t tell where their grave marker was until I saw the letters ‘rews’ – I brushed the snow away, and there they were!

I told them what’s been going on in my life and then cried on my way back to the hotel in Toronto.

Gee, Danny, why would you visit your parent’s grave? It’s not like they can hear you or know that you were even there!

Spanky

Well, Spanky, if you were a little older than 50 years and a lot more mature, you would understand the link between our hearts and souls that remains with us forever and ever.

I used to always sign my love letters to them and girlfriends as “All My Love, Forever and Ever, Danny“.

Danny

The following day (Sunday), I traveled to Cobourg to visit David at his mom’s, Lynn’s, and Michael’s place.

Afterward, I planned to drive to Alice and Peter’s home (also in Cobourg).

It was a beautiful, sunny day when I drove to David’s mom and stepfather’s home, and I was very excited to see everyone when I got to their lovely home.

I could not remember being there before, but Michael reminded me I had visited them several years ago with my brother Freddy.

I did not tell David until I got it unwrapped what it was that I was going to give him.

All he knew was that it was an exceptional heirloom that my dad, who passed away on November 11, 2001, had given me.

Here is a video clip of the visit and the pocket watch presentation to David.

After our visit, David and Celeste drove in their vehicle and met me at Alice and Peter’s.

Visiting Alice and Peter Hrehoruk

They stayed for a few minutes and left because they had work the next day.

David is a lab technician and travels an hour to Lakefield, where he works.

During my visit to Alice and Peter’s, I received one of the longest and most loving hugs I have ever shared with a man.

It lasted for a good two minutes!

I also asked them if they were on Facebook or Messenger – because I had never found them anywhere on social media.

I have other friends, not on Facebook or social media, including Norm (the northern one) and his wife, Dorean.

Norm and I met in September 2011 when I volunteered at the cancer center in Surrey, BC.

He is also a cancer patient but is currently in remission.

He and I have been meeting weekly for coffee on Fridays ever since.

Although Alice and Peter wanted me to stay for the remainder of my time in Ontario – I explained that I no longer felt comfortable driving at night or in wintery conditions, so I left before it got dark to return to Toronto.

When I looked outside the following day, I was shocked to see that a foot of snow had fallen!

I also learned that the Maritimes were digging out of their snowstorms, so I decided to fly back home and arrange a flight for the next day.

Facebook Messenger and Social Media Platforms

I sent everyone a message on Facebook, but it bothered me that some people I had intended to see were not on Facebook, Messenger, or other instant messaging apps.

And that is when I got a sudden flash of inspiration – I have always hated Facebook and canceled my membership twice but signed up one last time to use it to announce my latest stories.

But I never planned to use Messenger because it is not the communication I feel comfortable with.

I prefer written emails or phone texts to instant messaging apps because writing them requires more time and thought and tends to be less impulsive.

So, to make life easier, I have decided to remove all instant messaging from my life.

However, I will still be on Facebook and LinkedIn platforms, so I am not going anywhere I cannot be easily found.

Instead of announcing my plans on each platform, I will not use instant messaging.

And people can still comment on my Facebook and LinkedIn platforms.

I realize I may not be a close enough friend to respect my wishes, and I have no problem if you delete me as a friend.

The last Vancouver Venturers Walking Club president has requested that I stop sending her messages in the past year.

The same happened with the president of the BC Volkksport Association, who wanted me to take her name off my distribution list, too.

I immediately respected their wishes by removing their names from my distribution list and unfriending them on Facebook—with no hard feelings.

Ditto is the same with two past presidents of the Northwest Tulip Trekkers walking club in Washington State, although I am still friends with many club members.

Writing a story about dogs is difficult when the dog you love and miss terribly is 2,000 miles away.

Anyway, I also delayed writing the story about some dogs and their caregivers until I got home to my dog, Holly Golightly, in White Rock.

That story will be written in a few days.

So, as of midnight tonight, I will no longer be using instant messaging.

Please continue posting comments about my stories on my Facebook page or website.

All other communication forms should now be emailed, texted, or by phone.

UPDATE: January 20 – 4:30 a.m.

Although I tried to delete Messenger from my Facebook account – it is almost impossible to do – unless you are a tech expert. I cannot even use my cell phone camera properly, so trying to deactivate or delete Messenger means, I have to deactivate my Facebook account first.

So, I have decided to get someone knowledgeable to help me. In the event, that my Facebook account becomes deleted,

I will update this story again and perhaps be able to open a new Facebook page.

~ Danny St. Andrews

UPDATE: 7:35 a.m.

When I signed on to my website this morning, I read a coment on this page, from Doug Jackson, who is one of my best friends ever.

He was hurt by one of the things I wrote about my being asked by former presidents of my walking club (Verni and Brenda) and the club that I used to be a member of in Bellingham, WA (Tim and Tom).

You can read his comment and my reply in the comment section.

Doug, you are one of my closest friends and I love you like a brother.

And there is nothing you can do about it!

I also got unfriended by a gal from my past (Pauline Servinis) and the gal that my screenplay story was based on.

I now hope to publish the screenplay on my website because I cannot write the final chapter – because the story itself is fiction – although it was based on an actual event in her life.

~ Danny St. Andrews

UPDATE: January 26, 2022

Since returning home from my trip to Ontario, it has been a hectic week, and I have not had an opportunity to update this story.

I am also behind on reading and replying to my email and text messages – but I am getting there!

Annette is flying back to Ontario tomorrow, and Holly and I appreciate all her help and support over the past few months.

We are best friends and plan to stay in touch in the future.

I plan to spend a couple of days going through the stuff in my storage locker, but I hope to find a few minutes to catch up on my correspondence.

I will not delete my Facebook page or use Messenger to send or receive messages. 

If you would like to contact me, please email or text me. Or, if you prefer, you can send me a snail mail.

And if you are a gal pal wanting to join my upcoming pajama party, please call me.

I’m sorry, Spanky. This is for gal pals and me only (and if you believe this, I have some swampland in Squamish for sale).

~  Danny St. Andrews

Here’s a photo of Annette’s sister, Liz.

Liz passed away at her home on January 19th from liver cancer that she had been bravely fighting for several years.

Dedicated to Annette and her sister Liz.

I hope my stories are a gift to your head and heart.

Hugs,

Danny

Today’s tune from Danny’s library (purchased):

I know your life
On earth was troubled
And only you could know the pain
Weren’t afraid to face the devil
Were no stranger to the rain

Go rest high on that mountain
Son, your work on Earth is done
Go to heaven a-shoutin’
Love for the Father and the Son

Oh, how we cried the day you left us
We gathered ’round your grave to grieve
Wish I could see the angel’s faces
When they hear your sweet voice sing

Go rest high on that mountain
Son, your work on Earth is done
Go to heaven a-shoutin’
Love for the Father and the Son

Go rest high on that mountain
Son, your work on Earth is done
Go to heaven a-shoutin’
Love for the Father and the Son

Go to heaven a-shoutin’
Love for the Father and the Son

Songwriters: Vincent Grant Gill
Go Rest High on That Mountain lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Here’s a link to what Danny is listening to now: Drowning in a Tub Full of Tunes