Saturday, January 31, 2009

WHERE IS EVERYONE FROM MY VERDUN DAYS?

Childhood friends, classmates and neighbours from 3rd Ave and Bannantyne School...The Wattie family, Sandra Crawley, Billy Rodgers, Liane Sowery, Marilyn Gourley, Butchie Royston, Margaret Whitton, Gail Page (found her on VC), Roberta Brennan, Lorraine Lapierre, Gail Rankin etc etc.  Teenage pals and beaus from Prince George restaurant, the Pav and the dances... Andre (Butch) Poirier, Johnny Bourgouin, Phil Romandini, Malcolm Alsop,  Eddie Lowson, Pat Duyns and Brian McCallum (good friend of Pat's), Diane Castonguay, Chickie Barnett, Carl Powis etc etc.  I remember a large family called O'Neills from 2nd Ave...Frances, Peggy, Monica, Ann, Jackie, Brian etc. I'll continue to rattle the old brain cells for more names from the past!  Does anyone remember "Rabbit" who passed away at a young age, but boy could he dance up a storm at the YMCA or Pointe dances!  AAH, they were the good ole Verdun Days!

 

 

Willibrord School Pics

Only a few pictures here of the old StWillibrord's school, but one of them shows a miltary parade , on the old VC site ,Peter mentioned that they used to parade in that same yard ,as a member of the Air Cadets.........so here's a few shots,might spark some memory's:

 

 

............................Have Fun & Remember Verdun....................

                                                      photo's from StWillibrord Church site.......

Willibrord School Pics

Only a few pictures here of the old StWillibrord's school, but one of them shows a miltary parade , on the old VC site ,Peter mentioned that they used to parade in that same yard ,as a member of the Air Cadets.........so here's a few shots,might spark some memory's:

 

 

............................Have Fun & Remember Verdun....................

                                                      photo's from StWillibrord Church site.......

Verdun Fire on Galt

In this day of economic woes etc etc ,,,,,,I wonder about the cause of some fires,Could it be 'Financial Combustion" .......it's been known to happen before......but this company has been around for 40 years apparently........this sure puts a lot of people out of work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.................All photo's from the Messanger Newspaper........           hf&rv

Old Photos of Verdun Posted in The Verdun Messager

I have made arrangements with The Verdun Messager who will  published old photos of Verdun on a regular basis. Go to http://www.messagerverdun.com/ and the following section:

Voir tous les articles de Martine Mimeault.

The old photos of  George Brown Cartage are published along with the photo I took of the present building wich is at the corner of Hickson and Cool. Your comments are welcome.

Guy

 

 

Montreal by Night

I thought I had posted this video here,but instead I put it on my site,with a few other videos from NFB,  I guess I hadn't switched btwn: the sites,although the Natatorium

 Watch this one, we've had a look at it quite sometime ago,on the old site, and we were waiting for the release of a film by Luc Bourdon,which he called the Memorie's of Angels,.in it can be seen plenty of really good shots aounf Montreal,with some that are sure to make your memory bank open for business.......

        http://www.nfb.ca/film/montreal_by_night/      I will post the other videos here on this site in the video section, or you can view them on my site,...this switching back & forth btwn: personal sites & this site,is easy enough,but sometimes I forget which one I'm on....  Seniltiy I guess.............hahahahaha    Enjoy the Montreal shots:   HF&RV

Friday, January 30, 2009

Montreal by Night

Watch this NFB Montreal by Night

http://www.nfb.ca/film/montreal_by_night/                 HF&RV

Montreal by Night

Watch this NFB Montreal by Night

http://www.nfb.ca/film/montreal_by_night/                 HF&RV

40 years ago today

The Beatles performed their last live session on the rooftop of their Apple Studios

......A lot of years ago ,4 decades

             YIKES !!!!

40 years ago today

The Beatles performed their last live session on the rooftop of their Apple Studios

......A lot of years ago ,4 decades

             YIKES !!!!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Corner Church and Wellington

Now here is a corner that all Verdunites are familiar with, corner Church and Wellington. The old photo dates back to 1934 and we can see People's 5c to $1.00 department store. Above was the O'Sullivan College where I took an accounting course in the middle of the 50s. I took the new photo last Saturday while in the area so we now have then and now photos. Looks like the same building that was renovated. Of course, the Notre Dame des Sept Douleurs church was directly in the back of me. Brings back memories, does'nt it.  

Guy

 

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Rocky Beach in LaSalle

The following text wich is with the photo of the beach that was in LaSalle below the dam gives us new information such as the official name (Rocky Beach) and the year of the photo(1934):

Sunday afternoon at Rocky Beach in 1934. Adjacent to it was the Power House, wich before it closed down in 1931, used to blow a horn to warn people before opening its gates. Indeed, the strong current created by this opening would have been dangerous to the bathers. There were also restaurants on the beach (owned by Messrs. Dumas Lussier and Bélanger), when two hot-dogs sold for five cents and a soda for three. Policemen were especially hired to maintain order.

At one time I heard that there was question of re-constructing a dam at the same place. I am adding this new information to the photo in my Album no. 38 on my site.

 

Guy

Source: LaSalle Then and Now by Denis Gravel and Viviane Bouchard

Photo  from Collection Conrad Poirier

Archives of the Société d'Histoire et de Généalogie de Verdun (SHGV)

 

The Global Economic Mess aka: Monkey Business

*MONKEY   BUSINESS*
        
Once upon a time,.. a man  appeared in a village
and announced to the villagers  that
he would buy monkeys for $10  each.

The villagers, knowing there  were many monkeys,
went to the forest and started  catching them.
The man bought thousands at $10  and,
as supply started to  diminish,
the villagers stopped their  effort.
He then announced that he  would
buy monkeys at $20  each.
This renewed the villagers  efforts
and they started catching  monkeys again.
Soon the supply diminished and  people started
going back to their  farms.
The offer increased to $25  each
and the supply of monkeys  became so scarce
it was an effort to even find a  monkey,
let alone catch  it!

The man now announced that he  would
buy monkeys at $50  each!
However, since he had to go to  the city on some business,
his assistant would buy on his  behalf.
The assistant told the  villagers,
"Look at all these monkeys in  the big cage,
that my boss has already  collected.
I will sell them to you at $35  and when my boss returns,
you can sell them to him for  $50."
The villagers rounded up all  their savings and bought all the
monkeys for 700 billion  dollars.
They never saw the man or his  assistant again,
only lots and lots of  monkeys!

Now you have a better  understanding of how the

 
WALL STREET BAILOUT PLAN WORKS  !!!
It  doesn't get much clearer than  this................

The Global Economic Mess aka: Monkey Business

*MONKEY   BUSINESS*
        
Once upon a time,.. a man  appeared in a village
and announced to the villagers  that
he would buy monkeys for $10  each.

The villagers, knowing there  were many monkeys,
went to the forest and started  catching them.
The man bought thousands at $10  and,
as supply started to  diminish,
the villagers stopped their  effort.
He then announced that he  would
buy monkeys at $20  each.
This renewed the villagers  efforts
and they started catching  monkeys again.
Soon the supply diminished and  people started
going back to their  farms.
The offer increased to $25  each
and the supply of monkeys  became so scarce
it was an effort to even find a  monkey,
let alone catch  it!

The man now announced that he  would
buy monkeys at $50  each!
However, since he had to go to  the city on some business,
his assistant would buy on his  behalf.
The assistant told the  villagers,
"Look at all these monkeys in  the big cage,
that my boss has already  collected.
I will sell them to you at $35  and when my boss returns,
you can sell them to him for  $50."
The villagers rounded up all  their savings and bought all the
monkeys for 700 billion  dollars.
They never saw the man or his  assistant again,
only lots and lots of  monkeys!

Now you have a better  understanding of how the

 
WALL STREET BAILOUT PLAN WORKS  !!!
It  doesn't get much clearer than  this................

Power House Dam

Finding photos over the years of the old power house,have proven difficult,but we have managed to find several old ones,but I can't help but think that someone must have shots of the dam and the old building that stood in ruins for decades,I know we've posted these before,but I'm hoping it will spark a memory or two out there & someone might find some othere pics to share....HF&RV

Power House Dam

Finding photos over the years of the old power house,have proven difficult,but we have managed to find several old ones,but I can't help but think that someone must have shots of the dam and the old building that stood in ruins for decades,I know we've posted these before,but I'm hoping it will spark a memory or two out there & someone might find some othere pics to share....HF&RV

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Queen's Park

I have found another photo of Queen's Park. It is a photo of a miniature locomotive wich was owned by U.H. Dandurand and run by his 7 year old son Henri-Ucal on the grounds of Queen's Park in 1899.  I am adding it to the Queen's Park photo Album No. 31 in my site.

Guy

This was started on the old site seems like a good one

Cool Clothes From The Avenues

Biking 2006

 

 googled the old style school pants my mom forced me to wear one winter day to the 1950s Bannantyne school but no luck. I was about 7 or 8, and I refused to be dressed as such again. Not sure what the correct term is but they billowed somewhat at the waist, gradually tightening to my ankles, and if I remember correctly, they had leather knee patches. Yuk! How about the jeans with the bottoms folded up? That was considered way cool provided the fold wasn't too large. Along with the jeans (maybe they were called Levis then), there were the billy boots with their upper edge folded down. Also uncool with a big fold. Some of us wore tuques and this item had to be rolled up so only the back of the head was covered. Had to flaunt the greased down hair. Good old days huh. I think so.
Bill (Second Avenue)

 

Winnie3rdave

Bill. So help me God, I had the same kind of pants, with argyle socks, and black boots. To this day, I am still traumatized. What a thing to do to a yound kid. I don't think I have ever forgave my mother for that!!!!
 
Mattmullaly
 
The Brits called those pants BREEKS, as we did in Newfoundland, where I was born. They were mainly used by the hunting set (e.g. foxhunting) in the UK.
In Verdun, we called jeans DUNGAREES.

And when the tops of those BILLY BOOTS wore before the bottom parts, we cut them off around the ankle and wore them until the soles gave out. There was also a name for those which I don't recall. GUM BOOTS???

Matt
 
Les--F
 think I remember mu oldman saying that they wore them when he was a kid,(in the 20's) and that they were handy for for 'relocating surplus apples from peoples apple trees'.......lol.
aka: stealing apples:
              here's your BreeksClick anywhere to close this window
.................Matt the GumBoots you mention weren't they also called 'Wellington's ...............we oknew them as rubber boots , or gum boots................   hf&rv
In case Matt, Winston & Bill, wan to relive those old days ,you can apparently buy some Breeks still..here's the address......

Fully cut in wool/polyester mix fabric. Side pockets, one hip pocket, zip fly, VelcroTM straps with built in gusset for added weather protection. Pleated fronts for additional movement. Half-lined as standard unless waterproof drop-liner is requested, then the garment will be fully lined.

Prices from £49.50 - Select your size below for details.

Long and short fittings available, standard fitting will fit up to 6 ft.  Any size made to measure; please contact us for details.

If your delivery address is outside the United Kingdom, please contact us before placing your order so that we can quote for delivery.

 www.brianholdenltd.co.uk/<WBR>breeks_derby_tweed.htm

...........Somehow I doubt there's a waiting list..........lol

                                                                    HF&RV

       Nothing could be more strange looking than the 'Bell Bottoms or Elephant Pants in the late 60's .......YIKES !!!!

 

Yes dungarees. Also my cousin says those pants were called breeches, on 2nd Avenue anyway. I had straight fine hair so I would comb it with water so that after a few minutes on the way to V.H.S. it would freeze, usually around the lane on 3rd. In class it would all fall apart of course, but I was semi cool for a bit.
Bill

 

 

Hi
 
Bell Bottoms and Elephant pants...or stovepipes..the stovepipes there was a guy on St.Catherine near Atwater who sold them in different styles.denim,cords,flannel type material..think the name of the place was Grerory's..I had a pair man you could not see your feet..great when you wore the water buffalo sandals.  you know the ones with the strap down the middle...five bucks at A.Gold and Sons when they first came out...loved those things..looking back now...hmmmmm
 
Hey remember Flight Boots...unzip the fronts so the flap hung down...made you look cool and tough at the same time......good times...
 
Lad
 
 
 
 
Gum Boots.
I wore gum boots in the spring when there was plenty of water around, they were made of rubber, tied up with laces , and  were higher than the ankle . found them very confortable.
 
Breeches.
Suits came with 2 sets of pants, one long and one short , for summer . For winter one long and one britches.  Long ones were for Sunday go to church ,  and britches for school.
Look at pictures of African hunting safaris, Motorcycle , Harley Davidson had them, police,, horse people,  Etc.
 
 
 

 

Friday, January 23, 2009

Presidential SUV

Ever wonder about those Black Chevy Suburbans ,that are in the Motorcade,but noone ever gets out of ??    Watch this flick on YouTube ,by the manufacturer

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=omk9FoyXoTE    

.....I would seriously recommend not 'blowing your horn' if stuck behind one of these slow moving vehicles   4000  thousand rounds per minute............"Ay Caramba"

                                                                                                                    HF&RV

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Mistery Solved

With the help of members of our society (SHGV), I have strong evidence that helps me solve the mystery of the street photo dating back to the 50s. As the present photos will indicate, the intersection was the corner of Richard and Verdun avenue looking east towards Montreal. I have referred to the Lovell directory of 1955 for Verdun ave. betwen Richard and Manning. The academy was LASALLE HALL BOWLING ACADEMY having no. 5855 and further on at the corner of Manning the drugs sign was the VERDUN WEST END PHARMACY at no. 5789. Across the street at the same corner is the building with the 3 arches having no. 5810. Notice the 3 large white bricks above the building wich appear on the old photo also appear on the new one athough hard to distinguish but if you look closely they are there behind the post and the tree. In their eagerness to modernise the building, it looks like the new owners did not see the beauty in the 3 arches and replaced them by 4 plain supports, My thanks to Gilles and Ghislaine for their help in helping me solve this mystery.

Guy 

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

DO YOU REMEMBER STREET GAMES?

REMEMBER PLAYING MARBLES AND DOING TRADES WITH YOUR FRIENDS, COLLECTING HOCKEY CARDS AND ELVIS CARDS ETC AND BEING SO EXCITED IF YOU MANAGED TO GET A ROCKET RICHARD OR JEAN BELLEVEAU CARD.  IF YOUR COLLECTION HAD DOUBLES OF THE SUPER STARS, YOU COULD MANAGE A GREAT TRADE FOR 3 OR 4 OTHERS!  PLAYING HOCKEY IN THE STREET, BASEBALL IN THE LANEWAYS, POP FLYS WITH YOUR BALL AGAINST THE ROAD CURB, TRUTH OR DARE, SIMON SAYS AND OF COURSE SKIPPING FRENCH ROPES!  ROLLERSKATING DOWN THE CENTER OF THE STREET AND HOLDING ON TO THE BACK OF CARS,  PEA SHOOTERS!  I USED TO LIE IN WAIT ON THE SECOND FLOOR GALLERY AND AIM MY PEASHOOTER AT THE MAILMAN (HE NEARLY CAUGHT ME, BUT NEVER DID!).  HALLOWEEN NIGHT...WASN'T THAT A SIGHT TO SEE AND THE PAPER SHOPPING BAGS YOU COULD FILL UP, DUMP AT HOME AND START OFF AGAIN.  HEAVEN HELP THE ODD PERSON WHO TRIED TO CHASE US AWAY ON HALLOWEEN...EGGS ON THEIR GALLERY, GLUE IN THEIR LOCKS ETC ETC  (AS YOU CAN SEE, I WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A TOMBOY AND A LITTLE NAUGHTY, BUT HAD A WHALE OF A TIME.  HOPE YOU DID TOO!....DIANE

Monday, January 19, 2009

Bob's 56 Buick tempted by sign???

Bob look at the billboard, and the car being advertised seems to be similar if not the same as your '56

 

 

 

......now checkout the Billboard:

 Fairly close .........though maybe a year apart,.yours also looks like an Oldsmobile,my oldman had an Olds with simialr tailights up high on the fender like that.

                                                                                          HF&RV

Bob's 56 Buick tempted by sign???

Bob look at the billboard, and the car being advertised seems to be similar if not the same as your '56

 

 

 

......now checkout the Billboard:

 Fairly close .........though maybe a year apart,.yours also looks like an Oldsmobile,my oldman had an Olds with simialr tailights up high on the fender like that.

                                                                                          HF&RV

DOES ANYONE REMEMBER?

SKATING HOME THROUGH THE LANEWAYS FROM WILLIBROD PARK AFTER DARK...USED TO BE A LITTLE SCARY!   GOING TO THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH ON SATURDAY MORNINGS TO SEE THE MOVIES...INCL 3D OCCASIONALLY!   SITTING AT THE COUNTER, EATING WONDERFUL HAMBURGERS FROM A LITTLE JOINT ON VERDUN BETWEEN 4TH AND 5TH (I THINK), MADE BY A  FRENCH LADY.  WHAT WAS THE NAME OF THE STORE ON VERDUN BETWEEN 3RD & 4TH THAT WAS LIKE A DEPANNEUR, BUT AS I RECALL, THERE WAS A POOL TABLE IN THE BACK?  THE PASTRY SHOP BETWEEN 3RD & 4TH ON VERDUN THAT SOLD THE MOST DELICIOUS MEAT PIES, MERINGUES JOINED TOGETHER WITH WHIPPED CREAM ETC ETC...WAS THE NAME LEITH'S?  THE VERDUN LIBRARY ON THE CORNER OF VERDUN & CHURCH AVE WHERE MANY KIDS USED TO DO THEIR HOMEWORK. I LOVED THE PLACE!  CHIP WAGON PARKED ON 3RD AVE DURING GOOD WEATHER AND WELCOMING US WITH THE ENTICING AROMA OF HOT FRENCH FRIES ON THE WALK HOME FROM BANNANTYNE SCHOOL!  NO WONDER I WAS A CHUBBY KID! ....DIANE

   

 

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Lachine Rapids Hydraulic Land Co. Ltd

Les,

Here are the photos you previously posted on the old site. I had made some copies for our society (SHGV) wich I retrieved yesterday. I have also added these to my site Album no. 38. Thanks again for your help.

Guy

 

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Verdun,,could it be the next Plateu

Take a stroll down Wellington Avenue, Verdun's main street and if you are a Montrealer you will be surprised by what you see.

The area is slowly becoming gentrified. Cafés and chic restaurants are opening up all over the place.

There's talk that Verdun is going to be the next plateau. Its close proximity to downtown and the Lachine Canal, its waterfront-park and reasonable rental prices make it great place to live, or to simply go and eat.

It is the perfect place to eat for people who are on a budget. Since it is a lower income area most of the restaurants are not too expensive, although I did spot some really nice, more pricey places, but no one was in them.

A great place for breakfast is Chez Kim located at 4030 Wellington. A meal of eggs, bacon or ham or sausage, home fries, toast and endless coffee will only cost you $2.49. For $3.50 you can get a huge plate of French toast with fruit. There's nothing fancy about the restaurant, but the service is always friendly and the food is served up hot and fresh.

For lunch or dessert try Café Delirium, 3900 Ethel, located on one of the side streets, so it is easy to miss. It is a change from your run of the mill

Starbucks or A.L Van Houte. It is really the atmosphere that makes it so great. The chic decor makes you feel as if you are sitting in a café in France. There is avant-garde artwork on the walls, which are painted a warm dark berry colour. There are cool light fixtures and artsy tables and chairs.

The menu, written on a chalkboard, is typical for a café with sandwiches, salads and quiches.

They have a wonderful dessert menu though; some items are home made and others commissioned by a special bakery. Try the Delirium cake. It's a gooey confection made from tiramisu, cookies, chocolate ganache all layered together and sprinkled with dark chocolate... delicious. They have a large selection of hot and cold beverages including selling loose teas, as well as a variety of coffees en vrac.

In Verdun, there is no limit of places to go for dinner. I went and checked out a couple of restaurants and was surprised by the variety. There's a great Peruvian restaurant called The Villa Wellington at 4701 Wellington that features traditional Peruvian fare for really cheap. Part of the menu is under four dollars for dishes such as calamari, their specialty onion salad chicken brochette and club sandwich.

One of two in Montreal, Le Gout de la Thailande at 3865 Wellington is a fantastic Thai restaurant. For $7.95 you have a choice of vermicelli, rice or vegetable dishes. You can chose from a variety of flavors; coconut milk and red curry, basil leaves and lemon grass, oyster sauce and sweet and sour sauce. It is BYO, so you can keep the meal at a reasonable price. Portions are generous, but if you're dining for two, order three dishes because the food is really light. This way, you can eat a little more and not feel uncomfortably stuffed.
So for all you poor starving students, next time you feel like trying something new, just hop on the metro, it's only four stops away from Concordia (get off at De l'Eglise) and head on down to Verdun.

.This article was witten in 2002,I wonder who took advantage of the low property cost back then,,....... as we know Verdunis a nice place too live,& it's far nicer nowadasy with all the improvemnet along the waterfront,and the restaurants etc etc........

 ...article from the Concordia ...written by Carole Dandurand:

 

Verdun,,could it be the next Plateu

Take a stroll down Wellington Avenue, Verdun's main street and if you are a Montrealer you will be surprised by what you see.

The area is slowly becoming gentrified. Cafés and chic restaurants are opening up all over the place.

There's talk that Verdun is going to be the next plateau. Its close proximity to downtown and the Lachine Canal, its waterfront-park and reasonable rental prices make it great place to live, or to simply go and eat.

It is the perfect place to eat for people who are on a budget. Since it is a lower income area most of the restaurants are not too expensive, although I did spot some really nice, more pricey places, but no one was in them.

A great place for breakfast is Chez Kim located at 4030 Wellington. A meal of eggs, bacon or ham or sausage, home fries, toast and endless coffee will only cost you $2.49. For $3.50 you can get a huge plate of French toast with fruit. There's nothing fancy about the restaurant, but the service is always friendly and the food is served up hot and fresh.

For lunch or dessert try Café Delirium, 3900 Ethel, located on one of the side streets, so it is easy to miss. It is a change from your run of the mill

Starbucks or A.L Van Houte. It is really the atmosphere that makes it so great. The chic decor makes you feel as if you are sitting in a café in France. There is avant-garde artwork on the walls, which are painted a warm dark berry colour. There are cool light fixtures and artsy tables and chairs.

The menu, written on a chalkboard, is typical for a café with sandwiches, salads and quiches.

They have a wonderful dessert menu though; some items are home made and others commissioned by a special bakery. Try the Delirium cake. It's a gooey confection made from tiramisu, cookies, chocolate ganache all layered together and sprinkled with dark chocolate... delicious. They have a large selection of hot and cold beverages including selling loose teas, as well as a variety of coffees en vrac.

In Verdun, there is no limit of places to go for dinner. I went and checked out a couple of restaurants and was surprised by the variety. There's a great Peruvian restaurant called The Villa Wellington at 4701 Wellington that features traditional Peruvian fare for really cheap. Part of the menu is under four dollars for dishes such as calamari, their specialty onion salad chicken brochette and club sandwich.

One of two in Montreal, Le Gout de la Thailande at 3865 Wellington is a fantastic Thai restaurant. For $7.95 you have a choice of vermicelli, rice or vegetable dishes. You can chose from a variety of flavors; coconut milk and red curry, basil leaves and lemon grass, oyster sauce and sweet and sour sauce. It is BYO, so you can keep the meal at a reasonable price. Portions are generous, but if you're dining for two, order three dishes because the food is really light. This way, you can eat a little more and not feel uncomfortably stuffed.
So for all you poor starving students, next time you feel like trying something new, just hop on the metro, it's only four stops away from Concordia (get off at De l'Eglise) and head on down to Verdun.

.This article was witten in 2002,I wonder who took advantage of the low property cost back then,,....... as we know Verdunis a nice place too live,& it's far nicer nowadasy with all the improvemnet along the waterfront,and the restaurants etc etc........

 ...article from the Concordia ...written by Carole Dandurand:

 

Surfin by ,looking for Verdun Stuff

Come and visit the Verdun Connections site on the Multiply network,it's the one we have chosen to run with ,for the forseeable future,........We still have several other outlets ,lying in wait, but they all lack something, on the other hand they all have their own upsides too.
 but for now , We invite you to come by & checkout the Verdun Connections site on multiply
 Of course we would appreciate participation ,in the way of your own personal memories of Verdun or growing up around Montreal, and any photo's would be welcome from your time there,.but We also Welcome anyone to just surf by & read the posted messages & look at the many photograph albums being shared there........We understand that some ,don't like to jump in and post an actual message, but don't feel like you cannot 'Join' this group & still enjoy it's content ,which we try to keep focused to some degree on Verdun . Montreal Quebec stuff,.as well providing a Good Spot to Start 'Looking For' some old friends, or schoolmates,or just familiar names from the past,......You maybe surprised at who pops up, or Knows someone who knows someone  that we all know..............  Come & Visit, if you like it , stay & join if you want to: but crusie by and check t out,.sign the guestbook if you want ,just to say Hi....
  I know there are plenty of sites avaialble on all sorts of different group Hosts, some advertise certain topic themes,& then when there you find everything 'but' what you were looking for,when you set out to find something relative to Verdun......Verdun, Montreal , Quebec . Canada................if it's some memories you started out to find, prompted by perhaps a Nostalgic thought,.then We believe this site  We call Verdun Connections will fit the bill, for you, & it will also hopefully help you make an old 'Verdun Connection'  
                                       
http://verdunconnections2.multiply.com/
                        ..So Come Have fun & Remember Verdun...
   Here's also Our old address at MSN Communities, iff you would like to see some of the stuff that's been posted over the last 6 and a Half Years,..........   
                             
http://groups.msn.com/VerdunConnections   
  ..You will also have directions from there to the new Multiply site as well,but hit the 'What's New Button, and then go through some of the old messages or photo albums etc etc You may like it,.........................................................................that MSN site will cease to operate as of Feb 21st , 2009 .......                          

Visit Verdun Connections on the Multiply website :

 
 
   Only 3 more weekends until the shutdown of MSN Groups
          try out the new site, and anyone there will be more than happy to help you, should you need it,....it's different ,Not impossible   ..as with everything ,doing something slightly different is at first difficult but then quickly becomes second nature,....Even if you do not join the Multiply Network or the Verdun Connections,you can still read the Topics , and you can still read the 'comments' on those topics which are marked at the bottom right hand corner of each response,or photo album
You also can (if you want to) sign the Guest Book & say Hi.
 
Do Not Hesitate in the least to ask any questions you like,and we will try to HelpYou..............
 You can also look at aall the Photo Albums that we have on here, as well as some of the new ones we have posted oon Multiply Verdun Connections.........
  If you are unsure ,as to what you are going to do,.then I suggest that ,maybe you 'Bookmark' the new address,.as it may become difficult to see this page in a few short weeks:
 
 You are always Welcome to participate, or just read the messages ,while staying in the background ,W e appreciate you visiting.......   Here's that web address again:
                     http://verdunconnections2.multiply.com/
 
          Come on Over & Have Fun & Remember Verdun
                                 We'll keep that light in the window for you.........
              Do you recognise it,....it's the Beacon that Welcomes all Montrealers each night with it's constant sweeping of the City.......................HF&RV

Friday, January 16, 2009

10 Bridges of Verdun

Why not make a short tour of the Aqueduct and it's 10 bridges in  the photo section of my site. At one of the meetings of the group Verdun Memories, someone brought up the subject of how many bridges there were over the Aqueduct. No one seemed to know the answer so I decided in June 2007 to take my bike and my camera and drove along the bicycle path along the Aqueduct and took pictures of all the bridges. This fitted in well with my own involvement with the SHGV. To my surprise, I discovered 10 bridges, including the LaSalle Boul. complex (10 a-b-c-d) wich consists of 4 photos of the road and the pumping station complex. I also discovered that a major pipe wich runs along the aqueduct burst in 1913 requiring major repairs as shown on the photos wich ocurred facing the Douglas hospital where there is still a narrow bridge called the Cow Bridge (6A). The Knox bridge (8) at Bishop Power boul .has to be the best kept secret as it is the most beautifull bridge around Montreal, bar none. My research led to my writing an article for our society's magazine Les Argoulets. I have also added a 1918 photo of the Aqueduct wich I think Les posted on the old site. The Latour bridge (9) was renovated last year but I did not see it since. So take the short tour and if you have any comments, I would like to hear from you.

Guy

The Streets of Winter

I just got this book today from the local library,& I'm told it's set in & around Montreal,.I have no idea if the book is any good,but I think sometimes we can relate to certain books if they are walking around on streets that we recognise,(sort of like taking a walking tour of the city,sometimes) Here's the back & front cover,

the Title is "The Streets of Winter" by Stephen Henighan  ISBN: 1-894345-76-2

....................I hope the book is good,but who knows.............       HF&RV

              PS: If you annot read the breakdown of the story on the back cover from the pics in this message ,you may be able to from the pictures posted in one of my photo albums on my site...................hf&rv

Cold Montreal

This photo of Montreal shows the Clock tower at the port of Montreal, the skyline and the Mount Royal with it's communication tower and the cross. It is also an indication of the cold weather we are having here. I hear southern California is having a heat wave.

Guy

 

How's that Global Warming coming............hahahahaha

Cool it on the heat, Hydro warns

 

We're expected to set a record for demand, and utility wants us to lower thermostats

http://www.montrealgazette.com/Cool+heat+Hydro+warns/1182648/story.html 

..........................This must be a real cold snap,?? I Remember us always having a January cold snap usually lasting a couple of weeks.at those real cold bone chilling days,.......but as kids we still went out each day & skated for as long as we could.

ps: the Global Warming scare is over,..we now have a Global Economic Crisis,

I wonder what's next..........there's always some 'end of the world' 'the sky is falling scenario to scare us,............scary boys & girls ,very scary.........hahahahaha

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Counter

Maggie and Les,

The symbolic number of 41,000 has been attained on the old site. Is there any possibility of having such a counter on this new site ?

Guy

Verdun & Montreal Stuff

Hi , if you've surfed by here, then Welcome & if your an ex-pat from Verdun or Montreal & like to hear stories of the area, & perhaps share old pictures (you know that shoebox under the bed ,full of old B&W's) dig it out , and Come & visit the Verdun Connections site (on Multiply Network)......   http://verdunconnections2.multiply.com/
..Check it out, & if you like that sort of stuff, then Join in,.........they'd love to have you particiapet, & for the people who don't like to actually join in and realay story's ,You might like to just read the posted messages, . Who Knows you may run into some old friends, family, schoolmates,..or whatever.......
          Remember the old 'What ever happened to what 'er name'........well maybe you will find out,

                                                                      Have Fun & Remember Verdun

Flight 1549 Down in Hudson

An american A-320 a huge aircraft has gone down in the Hudson River off Manhattan,..it's sitting in the water ,as I type this, It may have hit a flock of birds,.??? It's still floating on te river ...Tune in to any channel & you will see this Breaking News story...............  no word on passengers. 

How Economy's work

a simplistic breakdown of the different outlooks on How to maintain a business/ economy....................................hmmmmmmm I wonder

SOCIALISM
You have 2 cows.
You give one to your neighbor.

COMMUNISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and gives you some milk.

FASCISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and sells you some milk.

NAZISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and shoots you.

BUREAUCRATISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both, shoots one, milks the other, and then throws the milk away...

TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM
You have two cows.
You sell one and buy a bull.
Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows.
You sell them and retire on the income.

SURREALISM
You have two giraffes.
The government requires you to take harmonica lessons

AN AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows.
Later, you hire a consultant to analyze why the cow has dropped dead.

ENRON VENTURE CAPITALISM
You have two cows.
You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption for five cows. The milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island Company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to your listed company. The annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more. You sell one cow to buy a new president of the United States, leaving you with nine cows. No balance sheet provided with the release. The public then buys your bull.

A FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You go on strike, organize a riot, and block the roads, because you want three cows.

A JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. You then create a clever cow cartoon image called Cowkimon̢۪ and market it worldwide.

A GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You re-engineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves.

AN ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows, but you don't know where they are.
You decide to have lunch.

A SWISS CORPORATION
You have 5000 cows. None of them belong to you.
You charge the owners for storing them.

A CHINESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You have 300 people milking them.
You claim that you have full employment, and high bovine productivity.
You arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.

AN INDIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You worship them.

A BRITISH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
Both are mad.

AN IRAQI CORPORATION
Everyone thinks you have lots of cows.
You tell them that you have none.
No-one believes you, so they bomb the *F* out of you and invade your country.
You still have no cows, but at least now you are part of Democracy....
 
AN AUSTRALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
Business seems pretty good.
You close the office and go for a few beers to celebrate.
 
A NEW ZEALAND CORPORATION
You have two cows.
The one on the left looks very attractive

 

.......................HF&RV......................................................................

How Economy's work

a simplistic breakdown of the different outlooks on How to maintain a business/ economy....................................hmmmmmmm I wonder

SOCIALISM
You have 2 cows.
You give one to your neighbor.

COMMUNISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and gives you some milk.

FASCISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and sells you some milk.

NAZISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both and shoots you.

BUREAUCRATISM
You have 2 cows.
The State takes both, shoots one, milks the other, and then throws the milk away...

TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM
You have two cows.
You sell one and buy a bull.
Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows.
You sell them and retire on the income.

SURREALISM
You have two giraffes.
The government requires you to take harmonica lessons

AN AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You sell one, and force the other to produce the milk of four cows.
Later, you hire a consultant to analyze why the cow has dropped dead.

ENRON VENTURE CAPITALISM
You have two cows.
You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption for five cows. The milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island Company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to your listed company. The annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more. You sell one cow to buy a new president of the United States, leaving you with nine cows. No balance sheet provided with the release. The public then buys your bull.

A FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You go on strike, organize a riot, and block the roads, because you want three cows.

A JAPANESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. You then create a clever cow cartoon image called Cowkimon̢۪ and market it worldwide.

A GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You re-engineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves.

AN ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows, but you don't know where they are.
You decide to have lunch.

A SWISS CORPORATION
You have 5000 cows. None of them belong to you.
You charge the owners for storing them.

A CHINESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You have 300 people milking them.
You claim that you have full employment, and high bovine productivity.
You arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.

AN INDIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You worship them.

A BRITISH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
Both are mad.

AN IRAQI CORPORATION
Everyone thinks you have lots of cows.
You tell them that you have none.
No-one believes you, so they bomb the *F* out of you and invade your country.
You still have no cows, but at least now you are part of Democracy....
 
AN AUSTRALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
Business seems pretty good.
You close the office and go for a few beers to celebrate.
 
A NEW ZEALAND CORPORATION
You have two cows.
The one on the left looks very attractive

 

.......................HF&RV......................................................................

Three Arch Building

Les

I will nevertheless keep an eye open for that 3 arch building when in Verdun as it may not be near Manning. I did notice other buildings with arches but not the 3 shown on the photo. These are good old well constructed buildings that are still standing today after close to a century of construction.

Guy

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Photos

I have accumulatied mainly old but a few new photos of Verdun in the photo section of my site. These photos come from our archives (SHGV) and many were posted by Les, JM and others so take a few moments to view these photos. I have grouped them into albums according to their subject so you can follow the evolution of the subject. You can visualize different sizes by clicking on the photos and using the zoom feature. I have posted a short history of each photo for your convenience. The photos are mainly about Verdun and I add new photos practically every day so visit my site often. I also want to mention that each time I go to Verdun, I bring my camera and take new photos to compare the old and the new.

Guy

Changin my name to 'Chrysler'

I always thought this was a neat song ,when it first came out & told the tale of 'bailout's for big businaess,...now I will say Lee Iaccoca paid back this 'loan' much to his 'credit' (pun intended) ...but it seems this song apply's more now than ever...............

                "So if your failure, is Gigantic & your a Corporate Titanic --------

              -------------Down in Congress, there's a Safety Net for You"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daBx_PBrvSE               song done by Arlo Gutherie (Alice's Restaurant etc etc ).........

                                                                     HF&RV

....one feature on this site ,is we can edit our own post,.so I am now adding this version of the same song,written by Tom Paxton (protest singer from way back) should be called 'awareness ' singer ratherthan protest ,ah but that's another topic....

  Here's the same song with updated names of today's Corporate Welfare Bums

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etUq7IY_7Mc&feature=related                  

this link also appears in one of the 'comments to this thread' (my post right beneath this one)...................................................

NORTEL Bankrupt

Well it was only a matter of time , today Nortel files for bankruptcy(protection),,,,,,,,shares dropped to .38 cents............   it seems any company regardless of it's country of origin these days ,are taking the oportunity to unload massive debt,at the cost to their shareholders,.almost like a Global Robbery of Savings & Investments,.seems to be quite coincidental that every country in the world has decided in the last few months ,that we are in an economic global crisis..................................
 and so it rings true again that if you had of bought $1000 dollars worth of Nortel Shares the other day, or bought $1000 dollars worth of Beer,........your empties would be worth more than your stocks today...........YIKES ,............hahahahahaha
                                                                                                       Cheers !!   hf&rv
..........just added this big stubby bottle from a sign on a store in Chicoutami,...this guys business ,is probably in better shape than Nortel...........hahahahahahah

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Less than a Month to go:

Ok less than a month to go on the old MSN Group.............Did you save your stuff ??? & the pictures you wanted,? We had some neat old stuff, & some interesting posted messages over the Six plus Years ,that we shared over there...

You may want to Remind your friends that we've moved over here, (or maybe you don't) hahahahahaha but in anycase ,We are calling this place home for now,So enjoy the old site while it lasts,,...........but it's "Winding Down" quite quickly nowadays & I almost sense a 'collective sigh' of relief,.Now we can make the decision to carry on here,or take a break..................................................................You Decide:        HV&RV

Monday, January 12, 2009

George Brown Cartage

George Brown Cartage was situated at 1100 Hickson Ave. corner Cool and was founded in 1911. George Brown was a Verdun city counsellor. I took a photo of the same building on saturday morning and you will notice that it is basically the same building that was renovated as the windows and doors are in the same place. i estimate that the old photo of the fleet of vehicules is around the 1930s. This company must have given much needed jobs to many Verdunites specially during the depression years. I posted the old photo on the old site and a member mentioned that the company was sold to another cartage company with other interesting details. Perhaps this same person will respond as I would like to add to the history for our archives. Check out my photo album no. 14 for further details.

Guy