It’s been an annual ritual for my wife Jane and I to visit Port Elgin, which is a town of about 17,000 in southern Ontario that has a great public beach and some interesting stores and restaurants.
Normally we do it early in summer to hopefully take advantage of the weather, though this time we did it on Labour Day weekend.
I decided to turn the trip into a work vacation because I planned to meet Christine Mitchell, The Car Lady, who lives in Port Elgin.
It takes close to three hours to drive from our home in Mississauga, and once we escape the city traffic it’s like we are in another world, one that is tranquil and scenic and full of farmlands.
We arrived on Friday and I arranged to meet Christine Sunday morning at the hotel where Jane and I were staying.
Christine told me that there would be a fireworks display on the beach Saturday night. Jane and I went there and saw a magnificent display that truly lit up the sky. I texted Christine we were there, and as Jane and I were walking out Christine spotted me. There must have been 500 people in attendance, what are the chances she sees me, especially in the dark?
The next morning we talked about some ideas for the columns she contributes to the site, principally keeping your car in good condition inside and out because it helps with the resale value.
I also asked her about the long drive to and from the dealerships for her Know Your Car Night presentations. She calls the drives “down and backs” and says she enjoys doing it, depending on the weather. She says the worst part is coming back at night in January and facing whiteouts and the wind. We hit a wicked rainstorm on the way into Port Elgin and could barely see in front of us, so I can only imagine what it’s like in a whiteout at night.
Christine says she loves driving because of the “freedom” of it, and if she’s going to do a presentation she spends a lot of the time thinking about it in the car.
“My job involves me being on all the time, the moment I walk in the doors,” she says.
If you’ve ever seen Christine doing a presentation, she exudes electricity.
I also showed Christine a photo I took of an apple red Chrysler 300 convertible with the roof down that I photographed Saturday night in front of a restaurant in town. It was absolutely gorgeous, and I knew Christine, being a car lover, would appreciate it.
After we ended the conversation and left, Jane and I headed to the beach. The day before the sun was out and while the water was cold it was a great day to be at the beach. A day later the wind was whipping, and there weren’t many people in the water. The waves hit the nearby breakwater and created a mist. Some brave souls, mainly teenagers, positioned themselves to be sprayed.
Another image were seagulls hovering over everybody waiting for food. It made for some interesting photos.
When we returned to the hotel, I saw a car with a Connecticut license plate. It made me laugh because in the trip Jane and I took a month earlier to Maine, we saw all kinds of license plates from the U.S. with some interesting mottos. Connecticut’s is Constitution State, which is rather benign compared to New Hampshire, which is Live Free Or Die.
It was interesting to see a car with an American license plate, but like I said Port Elgin is a great place to spend a few days in the summer no matter where you are coming from.
On our way home, we stopped off in Wingham, which is about a half hour away, to visit the headstone of Jane’s father Don. Wingham is where Jane and her three elder brothers were raised. Though the family later moved to Toronto, there is still a connection to Wingham. So going to Port Elgin offers Jane and I chance to pay our respects to Don. Jane always leaves flowers, though this time she placed a plant.
On our way to and from Mississauga, we saw several Mennonites in horse and buggies. At one point when I stopped at a light, there was a horse and buggy directly behind us. It was such a contrast to my Mazda 3.
All and all, Jane and I had a great time. It was the perfect way to essentially say good-bye to summer.
I highly recommend visiting Port Elgin. You might just spot The Car Lady.
Perry Lefko is the Content Manager of The Car Magazine. He can be reached at [email protected]. Feel free to forward any story suggestions or comments.
