<– Day 36 – Sat. June 8th: Escape to the Movies | Trip Overview | Day 38 – Mon. June 10th: Trains and Planes –>

On Sunday we drove from Buffalo to Niagara Falls.

We are standing on the Rainbow Bridge. The trek to our new country wore on us, but we continued marching!

On Tuesday June 09 we drove from Buffalo to Niagara Falls,

For our entire stay in Buffalo, the weather has been wet in varying degrees. So, on Sunday June 9th we decided to defect to Canada.

As if Ulysses-like Sirens were wooing us, the closer we got to Canada, the better the weather became. We took it as a sure sign we were doing the right thing. Once Ann and I located a parking spot (free even!) on the American side of the border, we abandoned our car and our American lives to embark on a future as Canadians.

It turns out it’s easy to leave the US on foot. We just passed through a simple turnstile and we were home free! Like a couple of refugees, we packed light, carrying only the bare essentials (cameras and cash) on our forced march across Rainbow Bridge (we couldn’t bring the jeep across — it was too new and the bank that holds the loan wouldn’t give us permission).

Look at that great view!

Behind us is a Canadian playground awaiting our arrival. We left behind the sunny the rainy skies of Buffalo for the beautiful blue of Canada.

By the time we were halfway across the bridge, the sun was shining bright. The mist from the falls saluted our decision, welcoming us in a very friendly manner into the Canadian fold.

“OH CANADA” we bellowed as we approached the passport office. Behind the desk at the office was a pretty blond who greeted us (Canada was looking pretty good by that point!) — No wonder Canadian Dave loves his country so much!

The Canadian’s appear to be very neat and tidy. I wonder if all their lawns look like this?

After sizing up Canada’s two newest citizens, the immigration official let us in. We couldn’t wait to breathe the Canadian air, eat the best of Canadian food, and see the world through their eyes.

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<– Day 35 – Fri. June 7th: An Old Building and New Cars  | Trip Overview | Day 37 – Sun. June 9th: Defecting to Canada –>

No pics for today …

On Saturday Ann and I were asked to be special hosts at the Farny Wurlitzer house as part of a local house-tour event (multiple houses in multiple locations) to raise money for a local organization. Joining us at the Wurlitzer house was our new friend Jeff, who we’d gotten to know over the past couple of days (he was visiting North Tonawanda from Chicago).

A long story short, after about a half hour of greeting a few people, the three of us realized that nobody cared who we were or why we were there. Visitors just wanted to look at the house. Unfortunately for Jeff, he had no access to transportation, so was stuck there. It didn’t take use long to decide that we were totally wasting our time, so we all agreed it was time to bail this event (none of us had made specific promises as to how long we would be there — frankly, the event was poorly organized).

After a quick discussion, we decided to get some lunch and go watch a movie, as Jeff’s return flight didn’t take off until late Saturday night.

Our lunch stop was a highly rated Polish plate called K Sisters: Authenic Pierogi. It was delicious!

After lunch, we found a nearby theatre showing Star Trek Into Darkness. Jeff, a very busy guy, seemed to greatly appreciate the break. He said it had been quite a while since he’d seen a movie in a theatre. We equally enjoyed the time to decompress.

After the movie, we dropped Jeff off at his hotel. We hit it off so well that he offered to show us around his Wurlitzer restoration facility in Chicago on our way back home. We readily accepted the offer.

Tomorrow, we hit the road once again, bound to cross the border and interact with our Canadian brethren.

 <– Day 35 – Fri. June 7th: An Old Building and New Cars  | Trip Overview | Day 37 – Sun. June 9th: Defecting to Canada –>

<– Day 34 – Thurs. June 6th: Carousels and Awards | Trip Overview | Day 36 – Sat. June 8th: Escape to the Movies –>

Forrest Gump was right: Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get. When I began this trip I never expected to be on the front page of a town’s newspaper. As I mentioned yesterday, I feel fortunate it was a slow news day! I did note there were a few quotes attributed to me worded in a way that I’d never do, but that’s the good/bad of being interviewed.

On Friday morning Ann and I were scheduled to visit the Wurlitzer Building in North Tonawanda and enjoy a brief tour by the president of the company that owns and operates it. The building is huge (I can’t remember the exact size), but at one point it employed over 3000 people. You can read a fuller history of the Wurlitzer Company in North Tonawanda from 1892 to 1942 here.

While many square feet have been turned into office space that’s leased to companies, thousands of square feet remain empty, awaiting a reason to transform back into something leasable.

Below are a few photos:

This is only part 1/5 (?) of the Wurlitzer building in North Tonawanda, NY. It’s the entrance.

Here is organ restoration specialist Jeff Weiler and I in front of the entrance. Ann and I plan to meet up with Jeff and see his restoration shop in Chicago during our trip back home.

This is President of The Wurlitzer Building Tom Austen, who showed us around a portion of the building.

This is one wing of the 3rd floor that is empty (except for some file storage).

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