Down by the River: Stream of Dreams Brings Back Memories for Dearness 糖心直播 Residents
This spring, the beloved Stream of Dreams program came to Dearness 糖心直播. Over 500 fish will be painted by residents, their loved ones, visitors to the day program, and staff. In June, the fish will form a beautiful mural outside of Dearness, representing the residents鈥� hopes for the Thames River.
Herb, a 91-year-old resident of Dearness, took the time to write down and share his memories of the river. 鈥淎s kids, we all had our dreams. But you know where they all went to? We all spent our time at the river,鈥� he began.
When Herb was a child, he remembers having good clothes, school clothes, and hiking clothes. Suited in his hiking clothes, he would head down to the river with his friends to explore. 鈥淎ll the time we had a backpack ready,鈥� he said. His bag would be equipped with everything needed for a riverside feast, including a pot, pan, matches, can of beans, salt, and even eggs fresh from his family farm. 鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing like a hardboiled egg out there when you鈥檙e hiking 鈥� and a saltshaker!鈥�
Beans and eggs weren鈥檛 the only thing on the menu, though. 鈥淥n our way to our big hike, we would pass the bakery shop. For a nickel, we could get day old cookies and those sticky little buns,鈥� he shared. 鈥淭hat bag full lasted us all day鈥�.
At the river, Herb and his friends constructed fishing rods from sticks and string. They would spend the day fishing and searching for other animals to admire. 鈥淭ake a little notebook if you want to figure out what kinds of birds hang around the river,鈥� he suggested. A magnifying glass was another treasured tool he would use for investigating 鈥減olliwogs鈥�, toads, and crickets.
鈥淪o have a good time, take a walking stick, pack up your ol鈥� kit bag… and you will fill your full dreams down by our good ol鈥� Thames River,鈥� he concluded.
The Stream of Dreams presentation and painting project brought back many memories for Herb, as well as other Dearness residents and staff, and we were grateful to hear their stories. Thank you to the City of London for their support of the program.
You can listen to Herb first-hand in our video and find photos of the program in our album.