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The Lounge |
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What a sight old Tod must have been around the neighbourhood! The historian Bancroft, who interviewed Tod for his 1878 book Historic Explorations Northward, describes the
sight of Tod about town:
"He called himself 84, and was clear-headed and sprightly at that, though his friends insisted he was nearer 94. The old fur trader lives about four miles from the city, and regularly every day, in a flaring cap with huge ears, and driving a bony bay hitched to a single high-seated, rattling, spring wagon, he made his appearance at our hotel, and had said his
say" (Cited in Mackay, The Beaver June 1948).
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Cherry tree |
Tod had a fine garden. Ivy covered one side of the cottage and found its way between the walk, which took considerable effort to remove when new tenants tried to remodel it in the 1930s. But today there remain two ancient-looking apple trees in the garden. An old English gardener once thought them to be cider apples, or English "sweetins." Nearby is an old cherry tree, supposedly a Royal Anne variety.
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Apple Tree |
With a young family and lots of grandchildren, the Tod farm and property were a great place for kids to play. Tod was a kind man, who gave kids milk after they had snacked on his fruits and berries. Sometimes for a treat he would play his fiddle for them. He had a funny way of keeping time with his foot, which the children loved to imitate! He just pretended not to hear all those giggles!
Ahhh, the great times and changes I've seen in the oldest house in British Columbia. I hope to talk to you again someday. Perhaps there's a "ghost of a chance" you will help to figure out some more about the secrets of this old house!
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