FoodShare Fundraiser

My friend and I attended a fundraiser for FoodShare here in Toronto (Bloor and Dufferin area). It was in memory of our former co-worker, Shelagh Gordon, who passed away a year ago from a brain aneurysm.

The fundraiser was supposed to be a lunch that ran from 12 noon to 4:00 p.m. What I didn't realize was that it was to be a sit down lunch and that everyone would be served. So I made plans to go with my friend after church and after I had had lunch in Chinatown. We didn't arrive there until about 2:30. Just in time to have dessert.

When I first went in I saw a couple of former co-workers, Sue Norman and Nancy Lutz. They were a couple of the original Auto Trader photographers/salespeople from when I first started back in 1989. As well, Dave Wilson, (another one of the original Trader photographers/salespeople) was there as was Shelagh's sister Heather Cullimore and brother-in-law Jay Cullimore. Those two were also photographers/salespeople, but they started later.

It was great seeing them all again and catching up. Sue has been doing a variety of things since she left Trader seven years ago. If I remember correctly she said she ran a bicycle touring company for awhile and was also involved with trade shows (I have such a bad memory). Nancy is involved with interior design. She mentioned something about her company importing Scavolini kitchens. Jay is involved with some former Trader employees who publish other magazines. And Dave is one of the very few original Trader employees still there. He's been there for 34 years so far. Incredible.

It was a wonderful, unexpected surprise to see them. Out of the bunch only Nancy and Dave are on Facebook. So I haven't seen or heard from most of them in at least 5-10 years I believe (I left in the summer of 2009).

Guess who I bumped into?

I was downtown after church last Sunday with Tony and Iris and her brother Tae Hoon. We had just finished lunch in Chinatown and Tony was on his way to meet a friend of a friend to watch the St. Patrick's Day Parade. I believe the parade started at, if not close to, Bloor and St. George. It wound itself down Yonge and across Queen to University Avenue.

After we finished eating we made our way across Dundas, through Grange Park to McCaul and down to Queen. At Queen and University we could see some of the parade going by. So we stopped for a few minutes to let Iris and Tae Hoon take a few pictures. Tony called Max's friend (I forget her name) on the phone and found she was at the Starbucks at Queen and Bay watching the parade from inside with her friend.

It took us longer than it should have to get there. We kept stopping along the way to watch the parade go by. As well, I bumped into my friends and former co-workers Hilda O'Connor and Dave Wilson. They were there with their son, Patrick, on the south side of Queen near City Hall. I think Dave said they attend the parade fairly regularly. It was great seeing them again.

When we finally arrived at the Starbucks we chatted for a few minutes... then the parade was over. We came way too late unfortunately. So we headed out to look for another coffee shop to hang out at. We wanted to go to the Second Cup in the Eaton Centre off Queen, but it was too busy. Tony suggested another Starbucks in the basement of The Bay department store, but it wasn't there any longer.

We ended up at some tables in the PATH underground system. Tony bought a few bottled drinks and we sat for an hour or so and had a nice chat.