Saturday Serenade
There's something about old town Elgin Street in Ottawa that churns up the memory machine for me.
Last night, I had the chance to spend a few hours with my brother Adam and our friend Dave at a local haunt we all have come to love and despise equally - the Fox and the Feather. The Fox is one of those pubs that looks the same inside as it did in early 90's. Not much has changed - including the menu. Dave is one of those characters who seems like he could have been a Seinfeld character in a different life, and my brother and I ping-ponged comedic at him and each other like a writing room roundtable.
There was no hint of worrying about our appearances or putting on airs to impress anyone. We were just three dudes who enjoyed the company of each other, ate some steak slowly, watched some hockey and let the night unfold.
Oddly enough, it was the three of us who used to hang out on a regular basis (Adam and Dave much more than me) with our friend Dale who passed away from a nasty battle with Leukemia in July of 2013. His name even came up a few times last night, both in admiration and in laughter. But in a way, his memory warmed us on a cold January night. Our steps were a bit heavier but we were also a little more reflective - seeing the busy Saturday night scrambling around us, as well-quoffed dudes with no toques and scantily clad gals scuttled through the main artery of downtown. But we didn't care about anyone else.
We were there to be there with each other - and no one nor nothing else mattered.
