This Simcoe Day Long Weekend, we went to Burlington, explored Lakeshore, Trails, Historical monuments, had some meals together and walked through some trails in a more relaxed pace.

I first started coming to the Burlington area more frequently when I joined an imaging group of Halton, Hamilton area. Exploring local histories, going for walks in monuments has been a habit which has taken me to interesting places like the Italian cemetery of Ghargharish Tripoli, the Xlendi sea fronts in Gozo, Malta or the Historical post office and St.Lawrence waterfronts of Gananonque -Kingston area or the Laura Secord Monument in Niagara region (Lundy’s lane).

LOCAL HISTORIES -through art, places of worship, indigenous people and forts

Veterans Square-Burlington-Sketch study drafts help see nuances

We sat and reflected in Veterans square. Later made a sketch study and remembered together the times we have visited here.

Reading Journal– Alternative view of Jesus and Religious traditions

Spent the long weekend exploring the Gnostic movement, their concept of spiritual human being and the material human body, their approach to Genesis, Adam and Eve and events such as the spread of Christianity to Mesopotamia and India by the Apostle Thomas.

Hell does not exist in Gnostic theology; the equivalent is being stuck in unknowing and ignorance. This means that they also view Jesus differently. Since each human has the ability to save themselves and lead themselves to salvation, Jesus’s role on earth seems to be obsolete. However, Gnostics believe that Jesus was a teacher who came to show mankind back to their own divinity and that his teachings are a guide on how to achieve self-knowledge.- Source- https://www.thecollector.com/gnostic-views-jesus-christ/\

Reflection-Rest Stop

The personal,direct and immediate knowledge of places such as Veterans square made me remember the Remembrance Day parades I have attended here, the Christmas spirit and many conversations and interactions with local residents for the past decade.

Earlier Perspectives

Remembrance Day Parade-Burlington -November 2023

ROM 100 Years- 1914-2014- Summer 2014

Many Lovely Hours spent exploring these galleries, how cities evolved, how education concepts are imbibed in our daily life and the concepts such as Indian prints, Jodhpur, Indian photography are displayed in these galleries

Indian Prints- October Fall-2020

Ummayad Mosque-Damascus-Syria- A place of worship for millenia, where the head of St.John the Baptist is still said to be present. (ROM walks-2014)

Food histories- Caldense Symington Toronto to Highland Hurantorio Mississauga to Torchy on way to Dehradun (2024-December) to Burlington-Country Club – Nov 2024, French Bakery in Dundas Mississsauga, Tim Hortons, to a coffee in front of Butterly Museum of Niagara region (March 2025) to community meals made with care and connection…

SUMMARY-END NOTE

Around Simcoe Day-August 2024- three friends had met at Symington Caldense and talked about life. This year, 2025, four families met in Mississauga Valley Boulevard and we talked about food, our immigration journeys, and experiences in Canada. The meeting made me look at some local histories through walks, parades, trails, associations with museum societies and food.

Trail for reflection- Tanslay Woods area- Burlington : Twinning of Itabashi and Burlington-in 1989, thirty years anniversary- the Itabashi gardens were made

Etienne Brule-Humber-August 2025 : Walks with a trusted friend- One Breath at at Time, One Day at a Time…exploring local histories