About Time Walker

I was maybe ten years old when I was first allowed to venture out on my own in downtown Peterborough.  I remember taking a book of historic pictures on a walk one Saturday; The 1967 Centennial Committee Peterborough Land of Shining Waters.  I tried to find as many places as I could that were still standing, and I saw how they had changed in the past hundred odd years.  I was totally jazzed that I found as many as I did.  I never stopped this hobby, and I continued with it on through the neighbourhoods of Toronto.

                I’ve always been fascinated with the history of people and their architecture.  I was raised in a succession of late Victorian and Edwardian houses, and my primary and high schools were Victorian and Edwardian respectively.  I feel extraordinarily blessed to live in a town where so much history has survived.  Unfortunately, Peterborough’s architecture is still gradually disappearing.  Many buildings from my childhood have vanished through new construction, fires, neglect, and the ravages of time.  Others have been re-muddled and lost many charming features.  We do, however, have an enormous wealth of photographic images to show us what once was.

                I wanted to contribute in some way, no matter how small, to preserve and perhaps point out the beauty of what’s still here.  I’m a writer and I love to research.   When I first moved back to town I was a bit discouraged that I could not seem to find a niche.  Peterborough has an abundance of collections, archives, museums, historians, writers, and volunteers who all cover the topic so well.  What was left to do, and what could I offer?

                Recently I was blessed with the gift of an iPad.  I also suddenly found myself both out of work and facing some health issues.  Walking became the order of the day, and of course, my eye continues to spy all kinds of old things.  Why not record them and share them?  How cool would that be?!  Why not do a blog?!

                A friend once told me that I am, "Such a willing time traveller".  Unfortunately, I don’t hold the secret to time travel, but I think what I am is a Time Walker.  I walk around today and I see yesterday too.  I hope you enjoy it even a smidgen as much as I do, because I have a blast.

More to come...


Follow your bliss. 



Unless otherwise noted, all text and photographs presented on this blog are ©2017 by T. K. Rouse, all rights reserved.

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