Yankee Doodle “Dandy”

Although, I was born in Australia, the lucky country, I grew up in the back woods of Massachusetts. A large town 20 miles west of Boston. A place I enjoyed and schooled until I left for Australia. If you were to speak to me now, my Framingham accent subtly makes an appearance every so often. Back in the 70s and 80s, I developed that nasal bitter tone, a familiar sentence with that JFK sound. “Did you parrrrk the carrrr in the parrrrking lot”

When I think back to those years, I remember the places and the people I met. But can’t remember one meal I had at home. Oh I recall going to the Italian restaurant in Ashland for Sunday dinner, or wagging school to go to Macdonald’s, or “where’s the beef” juicey burger from Wendy’s, or the high school Saturday football game and escaping to the Subway across from Bowditch field for a steak and cheese roll before our marching band performance, or the sundae “Big Dandy” at Friendlies. It’s amazing that for so many meals, I can’t think of one family dinner. I supposed that’s the way life is, remember the special occasions and not the norm.

Our European trip ended in Geneva, but that familiar colony, that community I once called home, was waiting across the sea, soon the memories will be fulfilled and of course the food to be consumed. We traveled to Ottawa, Bracebridge, Nashville TN, Palm Springs CA, Vancouver and Nanaimo BC. Unfortunately had to miss my home state. c’est la vie.