Familiar Faces in Faraway Places

Lowcountry Voices.  One of those things in my life I wouldn’t sacrifice for anything.  A dynamic, talented Gospel Choir of near 100 voices, I feel completely honored to be a part.  Always loving to sing, I never thought I would qualify but found an accepting, encouraging home in this group.  Having been a part of this group and its predecessor since 2007, connecting with them in Toronto was a special treat.

The feeling of our journey coming to an end left my mind completely when we drove into Toronto and were greeted by familiar faces.   The RV was a hit and, within hours, we loaded up a crowd of 15 to take our illustrious director to the mall to acquire forgotten tennis shoes –  a fun and funny adventure after thousands of miles traveling solo. 

The group was in Toronto on tour to sing at the St. Michael’s Basilica and at historic Casa Loma along with other chance opportunities.  Traveling on their chartered bus, our first concert was St. Michael’s Cathedral/Basilica in Old Town.  Surprising and sadly enough, no one had done any marketing of our performance and we sang a private concert for our traveling companions with the magnificent sound filling the cathedral. 

The day continued with enjoying the St. Lawrence market, a wander through the financial district and finishing in the Distillery District where our impromptu “flash mob” drew a REAL audience!  We enjoyed the cooler temps and the new surroundings, had a beer with our Charleston neighbor Bobbie who also sings in the choir and were back to the hotel in time to catch happy hour and have a casual evening.

With rain showers in the morning and Rob and I used to more adventurous wandering, we didn’t go with the group the following day.  Staying in the RV on the street in front of the hotel located near the airport and a good distance from downtown, we took the hotel shuttle to the airport, the train to the city outskirts and the subway to the city center. 

We wandered the university and parliament areas, China Town and connected with the choir at Eaton Center, City Hall and the Music Gardens.  We happened to be passing the Toronto Blue Jays arena just as the game was ending.  In the bottom of the 10^th, the Blue Jays were at bat with bases loaded and a 1 and 3 count.  Progressing to a full count as we continued past, the final pitch brought a grand slam just as we peaked through the doors!   Such fun!  We beat the sea of fans to a great pub, The Elephant and Castle, where Bobbie joined us and we had a few beers and some great people watching. 

Our final day with the choir took us to Casa Loma, Toronto’s version of the Biltmore Estate.  Built by an electric power tycoon before the utility became public, it is another tribute to wealth and excess.  Of course, that includes spectacular grounds and beautiful meandering as well as a very special venue for us to sing.  Singing in the garden with visitors watching from the building’s balconies was a special treat.

With some of the crowd returning to the hotel and others still feeling adventurous, the bus dropped a group of us at the Kensington Market where we could while away our Friday evening.  A bohemian area with a multi-ethnic population, it was just what we were looking for.

The server at the rolled ice cream shop made quite an impression as he demonstrated the unique confection despite our not being quite ready to consume.  Instead, we chose an offbeat bar for a mojito, a specialty burger place (make mine a veggie!) and ended at Pie in the Sky, a fitting finale.  Rob had his favorite strawberry rhubarb while I had a delicious peach raspberry before we all ordered an UBER and returned to the hotel.

With the group headed to Niagara Falls and us needing to return to Buffalo and Rob’s recovering mother, we said our goodbyes the next morning and were back on the road.  The next two weeks bring family time in Buffalo before our journey’s final chapter to home.  Who knows what adventures we’ll cook up along the way?