Posts from — June 2008

Note

From this view, you can the Reynolds tower, the Winston Towers, and the 1 Fourth St West buildings

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I have never made any secret of being a proud Newfoundlander. All of my formative years was spent growing up in the towns and outports of the province surrounded by people immersed within a culture several hundreds old and people that have endured many trials and tribulations from nature and fellow man. It is a culture that has been blended from many sources but there are three dominant ones: English Catholic (Cornwall, Devon, Dorset) English Protestant, and Irish Catholic. There is also a smattering of Scotch and French as well. Yet is the Irish culture that influences much of the way Newfoundlanders talk and their outlook on life and the arts despite the fact that a majority of Newfoundlanders do not have an Irish ancestral heritage.

Newfoundland culture has influenced me deeply and is part of my identity. But there is another component of my cultural background that also important to me.

My surname is Leon, a distinctly French name though where my father comes from is a heavily anglicized area of Quebec where whuch has more in common with Newfoundland than with Quebec.

When you enter my home, there are one or two items that reflect a Celtic origin but they are far outnumbered by items of a distinctly Gallic nature: the rooster, the prints on items like the utensil rack or tablecloth, even the calendar displays places in France rather than Ireland. I do not know why I have more Celtic items in my home. When I think of travelling to Europe, it is always about France more than anything else. Perhaps it is the accomplishments in history and culture especially the arts of France more than Ireland’s that make me feel more proud. I like speaking French and took many classes in it in high school and university. Napoleon is a hero of mine; I have no comparable one from Ireland.

Locally here in Winston, there is a annual Celtic celebration where all things of Celtic origin predominantly Scotch-Irish is proudly displayed. I have a great time there especially listening to traditional Irish music with a distinct bluegrass twist to it. A local organisation, the Fiddle and Bow Society, brings in traditional Irish music acts to the area at a local club. The Celtic Cafe has a good selection of Irish cuisine. There is a Irish literature and poetry group centered around the Literature department at Wake Forest University which puts on a literary celebration annually which includes Irish step dancers which I immensely enjoy. So it is being here in Winston that more than anything else that has rekindled my interest in my Celtic heritage. This does not mean I have abandoned my French roots either. While the name, Leon, originates in the Gascony region of France, I would like to believe that my line of the Leon clan originated from the Brittany region, home of many of the early French settlers to Quebec. Brittany is considered to be one of the Celtic regions of Europe which includes, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

I can not escape my heritage nor do I want to escape it. I do like all things French and perhaps that is more of a function of my personality rather than a cultural impulse. But what trumps it all is that I am undeniably a son of Newfoundland and it is her culture that lives within me and if it is Celtic in origin then my culture is Celtic too.

Background of the Leon Family

Origins Available: French, Italian, Spanish

Where did the French Leon family come from? What is the French coat of arms/family crest? When did the Leon family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the history of the family name?

Most surnames have experienced slight spelling changes. A son may not chose to spell his name the same way that his father did. Many were errors, many deliberate. During the early development of the French language, a person usually gave his version, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Prefixes or suffixes varied. They were optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, there a many spelling variations of the name Leon, including Léonard, Léonnard, Léonhard, Lénard, Liénard, Lenard, Lienard, Lionard, Lionhard, Léonart, Léonhart, Lénart, Liénart, Lionart, Lionhart, Lenart, Lienart, Léonardy, Léon, Léone, Léonne, Lion, Lione and many more.

First found in Gascony, where the family was seated since ancient times.

France was active as a cultural leader in the early 16th century. One particular area in which they lead was the exploration of the New World. The explorers, like Jacques Cartier in 1534, led the way to North America. Champlain, in 1608, made the first of twenty voyages to France to attract settlers and brought the first migrant in 1617. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec, and the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Leon has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Leon were Jean Baptiste Léonard, who lived in New Orleans with his two sons in 1727; Frédéric Léonard, who was a property owner in New Orleans in 1732; Nicolas Léonhard, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1749.

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Germany versus Spain today. Looks like a cracker of a game. Caught the second half of the MLS game between DC United and LA Galaxy playing in Washington DC. Great crowd that got into the game.

It’s a great day for soccer.

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It has been several days now that the family has been gone for their annual vacation to Florida. While I appreciate the quiet around here and the ability to do anything I want around the house, I do miss them but especially I miss Madeleine.

She is at an age now that every moment with her is special because she can talk and think for herself but in a way that is somewhat endearing, funny and also inspiring.

When she was an infant and toddler, there were some fond memories to be had of diaper changes and baby throw up I guess but the ages between 2-4 will always be the special ones, the years I always looked forward to . Seeing the sparkle in her eyes when she pronounces a new word, the questions she asks when she explores her environment, her dragging her favorite doll around , dancing to Hannah Montana. Magical memories. Of course there are less fond memories from this time as I endure a head splitting tantrum when she does not get her way like watching some television show or sampling our food or drink but I will smile through it all for she is everything to me.

When I became her father, I swore I will be her teacher, her guide through life. I will be her protector when she runs into the bedroom when she hears an unfamiliar sound. I will be her support as I perch her on my shoulders so that she can see the floats go by during the Christmas parade. I will be her comfy pillow as she nestles beside me as I read to her filling her imagination with stories of princesses in faraway lands of a faraway time so that when she dreams, she will dream of being that princess and that her life will be a story where everyone lives happily ever after.

She is my precious one and these innocent learning years will be the ones I will recall whenever I am asked, “What is your favorite memory of Madeleine growing up?”. No doubt, I will say in turn “When she was my little princess”.

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Note

His second cover of the year.

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This past Sunday, I  watched the final episode of When We Left Earth. A great series that told the history of the manned space program in beautiful HD.

One thing that stuck me as the various clips wound through the years from the late 50’s to the present decade was the changes in men’s wardrobe. The early clips showed the standard dress for men, white shirt & narrow dark tie. Being engineers in Florida meant that many wore short sleeve shirts. It looked a bit startling to see so many men wearing ties and what is today more formal wear. Even in what we think are more casual settings most men were wearing the shirt and tie.

As the 60’s wore on, we start seeing more relaxed approach. The hairstyles become a bit longer, the shirts start to be a more varied palette but the ties remained. Then in the 70’s, hair was even longer, the pattens on shirts and ties became more pronounced. Even the pants took on hideous bold checkered patterns and colours. Finally, in the 90’s and present time, the tie was chucked, the shirts were mostly polo shirts and everything became more relaxed.

Recently, a trade organisation dedicated to the neckwear trade had to give up the shop as the number of men who wear ties as part of their everyday business wear had diminished to just 6%. Of that 6%,  I suspect that it mostly business executives, media personalities and politicians. Very rarely do I encounter people wearing ties as part of their attire.

It was a different scenario 15-20 years ago when I entered the workforce. As an assistant manager at a Kmart store in Canada, a tie was mandatory. When I switched careers as an IT specialist, even working in a cubicle, the tie was required as it was when I lived and worked in Germany. It was not until I returned from Europe back in 1998 that my company adopted a five day a week casual wear which meant mostly no ties.

These days, we seem to have moved further down the casual dress scale. Wearing shorts and t-shirts to work, sandals on the feet seem to convey a lack of seriousness sometimes. I must confess that I do that too especially in the heat of summer.

Still, for most of the week, I try to adhere to a better sense of dress. In fact, it was brought up in my annual review that my everyday appearance was rated quite highly as I usually come to work in dress khakis, long sleeve dress shirts and shoes. In summer time, I would rotate out to short sleeve shirts but that is the only change I would make.

Lately, I wonder sometimes I should wear on occasion a tie  to work. For Nicholas’s funeral, I wore a tie for the first tie I think in years. Yet it did not feel uncomfortable or out of place for me. There is a feeling out there and one I share to some degree that perhaps we have taken casualness in our business attire too far. In today’s Winston-Salem Journal, there is an article on how the city is setting standards for business dress including having manager wears ties on every day except Fridays. People were going too far in their dressing habits.

It is unlikely that the majority of men who work in the white collar world will revert back to the shirt and tie apparel of yesterday. Still, I think back to the way men used to dress where a shirt and tie convey s sense of purposeness and also an acknowledgement of when their work life ended and their home life began. Just a few days ago, I caught a bit of the movie The Long, Long Trailer with Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball and in one scene, Desi and Lucy were driving with said trailer in tow and Desi was dressed in a suit with a tie. When I travel now, I am wearing a t-shirt, shorts and sneakers. We have certainly come a long way since then.

The semifinal game between Turkey and Germany should be a cracker of a game even with the fact that the Turkish side is somewhat crippled by injuries and players out on yellow cards and suspensions. The long association between Turkey and Germany with turkish workers in Germany for decades doing the more menial type of jobs and not getting easy access to citizenship will make this an emotional game for sure. However I expect a total domination by Germany in this game. With the Netherlands out, the Germans are the ones to beat for the tournament.

In the other semi final between Spain and Russia, it is difficult to say who will prevail.  I would give the edge to Spain based on their group play rather than their quarterfinal effort.

Just hope, the game today is rebroadcasted later this evening.

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Note

Part of the collection on our annual trip to the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro.

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