'On the Waterfront', On Wolfe Island

After putting together several Zoom presentations on varying facets of the Hanley Spur and Kingston's industrial waterfront, modelling and prototype, it's been nice to get out in person post-pandemic and do more! Today's was a short three-mile cruise to be with the Wolfe Island Historical Society. The day was warm, though the vibes were cool, and the welcome warm. Consider this a bit of a travelogue, because one does not simply drive to the hall here and do a talk. It's an experience!

My wife drove me downtown and though running late, I stopped at the Visitor Information Centre (formerly the Kingston & Pembroke station) sidewalk piano to play a bit of Bach. Afterwards, a man approaching with his camera asked why I'd stopped. I told him I had a ferry to catch! But I'll be Bach! Boarding the ferry (above) as a walk-on, I found an upper-deck seat with a view and a shadow shade. Fort Frontenac (above) and the LaSalle Causeway bridge (below) recede astern.

Kingston's waterfront: more condos than coal, more touristy than workaday, but ever-changing:

Arriving at the winter dock at Dawson's Point, now the main dock on the island during the ongoing, lengthy construction of the new dock purpose-built for the Wolfe Islander IV. Prospective (above) and retrospective (below). Now to board that school bus for the two-mile ride into Marysville.

The new ferry dock in Marysville is still off limits, fenced at this vantage point, but that didn't stop at least two drivers from looking for a place to line up. Hey, if you're not familiar with the situation, there's a dock AND a ferry, so this must be the dock for the ferry! Well, no...not yet. It looks like an English Channel crossing, very big and organized!

There followed a short tour of Marysville, in which I chatted with a former neighbour now living on the island. Then I met WIHS mover-and-shaker Shauna Kingston and her mother, on their way to the 1:30 meeting. They, and I, were lured by the siren song of baked goods.  This surprisingly suspecting scribe followed them into the Wolfe Island Bakery. While there's no danger of this becoming a foodie blog, ever, but there were creamy cheesecakes, bodacious butter tarts, truffles not to trifle with, giant chocolate-chip cookies, stuffed sausage sandwiches, and of course coffee. Escaping with my life safe from dashing on the rocks of copious carbs, my coffee and at least four different types of baked goods in my book bag, I settled at a patio-front table to enjoy my large lemon bun in the shade before proceeding to the Wolfe Island United Church hall. The rest of the baked goods made it home unscathed!

The monthly (warm-weather months-only) meetings are held in the church hall. I'd met Brian Johnson's wife Cathy on Victoria Street, telling me she'd already put him in there! Brian is a retired Captain with 50 years in the marine trade, and was the founding president of the WIHS in 2006, currently Vice-President. Brian contacted me back in March about this opportunity. Hot on his heels soon thereafter was Shauna Kingstone, currently WIHS President and fellow Board member since 2019, and her kind assistance in preparing for today's meeting has been invaluable. 

Shauna, Brian and me with the WIHS sign. I need to come back and visit that museum! My presentation not only included part of the title of both my books, but also described the parts of Kingston that were visible from Wolfe Island like CLC and the Kingston Shipyards, as well as lots of archival photos of ferry crossings over the years.

This nice lady, Joanne Mahendran came all the way from Malaysia - thought not just for this meeting! We had a nice chat and she showed me this woodcutting that encapsulated my talk and its title, 'On the Waterfront'. She'd brought it with her, donating it to the WIHS as a potential fundraiser. What I really liked about it was not only did it show the Spirit of Sir John A, and a ship likely the M/S Wolfe Islander, but also tank cars near the feed mill buildings just to the right of City Hall:

The meeting went well, the tech co-operated, thanks to Shauna and fellow Board member Hank Connell, and I stayed on schedule to have time for the bus/ferry connection. I left the final five copies of 200 of my second book on Kingston's industrial waterfront with meeting attendees. Dennis, you got the last one - congratulations! I heard some interesting stories, made some more unexpected connections, and the audience was warm and welcoming. Photos by Shauna Kingstone/WIHS Facebook group:

The Blue Cottage, opposite the town hall/craft store/ice cream shop/school bus-stop. Very photogenic and even associated with a local bard! A single scoop of cookies n' cream really hit the spot just before it was time to board the bus shuttle.

Back on the boat, Cathcart Tower (above) and Fort Henry (below) hove into view.

Skyscapes on the ferry are unparalleled:

The boat was fully loaded both ways, here passing Royal Military College:

My presentation included the grandiose 'Foot-of-the-Lakes Terminal' and here's the only vestige of it that was built, now itself a vestige of history (the sidelined bridge - below!) Thanks to Brian, Shauna, the WIHS and all the attentive attendees who made this day an island adventure, especially Mike who bought a book but first alerted the room that U.S. President Joe Biden had stepped down halfway through my talk! Live updates! I'll post a Here's a link to the video of my presentation.

I must also acknowledge the generosity of the WIHS in their speaker honorarium. Thank you!