I got a surprising note today from a man named Brian. It’s about a place I wrote of in 2014, when I got lost and came upon an amazing house in a strangely beautiful neighborhood.
Here is Brian’s letter:
“Cynthia, I just stumbled on your blog because I live on the same street as Ebor House in the beautiful historic area called Bond Head and I’m doing some research to fight the Clarington Town Council’s plan to redevelop our area.
They are planning street widening, curbs and sidewalks. Classic paving of paradise. They are even considering a splash pad and monkey bars at the little parquets where the fishers do their thing.
Does everything need to be developed? What is wrong with having a few gems left untouched to remind us of the past?”
And here is “Lost Without A Clue” — the first post in a series that became by far the most widely-read story on my blog. You can read this post alone or the entire series:
Cynthia Reyes 
Yes I remember your lovely series of posts on Ebor House, Cynthia and the love that Ron poured into the restoration, this news does not seem like progress.
It is a crime to alter these historical masterpieces.
Not just historic districts that could be left alone in my opinion. We are obsessed with growth and development. I’m glad your adventures with Ron and the hood are continuing. You do have a lovely way of exploring and writing about places Cynthia. 🙂
Older sections of neighbourhoods are like memoirs. They keep us in touch with who we were.
… like your pink house in Jamaica in your own memoir.
That is a shame. I loved your posts on that house.
Thank you for responding to this.
Someone should complain to the town about the proposed “improvements.”
Cynthia, how special to receive a letter regarding a place in one of your posts. I appreciate more and more heritage societies that strive to preserve history. You can’t go back once you’ve bulldozed beauty.
Now I’m going to go read the link. 🙂
Blessings ~ Wendy
Thank you, Wendy.
I like that line: “You can’t go back once you’ve bulldozed beauty”. Well said, Wendy.
Better is the enemy of good. Hope some come to their senses and realize once an area is destroyed, the flavor that drew people drains away.
So true. Thanks for responding.
This was a wonderful series. I am so glad it is appreciated by so many.
Thanks, my friend. It has received thousands of views.
I remember the posts about this lovely house. I do hope the lovely area will be left as it is.
Stop–are they really going to mess around with this unique setting? That would be so wrong . . .
Having restored a house from the early 1700’s, I too wonder if everything needs to be developed? The historic buildings do remind us of the past and there is a place for them in our world…everything doesn’t have to be modern. I hope the plans don’t go through, it will change the character of the entire area.
Lovely how blogging can create such connections between people!
That is a special house with a long history and a beautiful area. Sorry to hear of the “improvements” to the area being planned. Some things should stay as they are.
Recently ‘they’ plowed the wild growth on a nearby hillside under and planted rows of trees where the deer used to pause and look down on us as we passed. There seems to be a need in some to change the world around them to conform to their own notion of order, a need to tame and change and ‘improve’. I hope the beauty survives this time.
I too, remember your series of posts about this lovely historic area. I am always disappointed when places are ‘improved’ to fit in with someone’s perceived idea of how things should be. If the area had been run down and unappreciated or if there had been a number of safety problems where people had been involved in accidents I could see that some work would need to be done but this is palpably not the case here. I hope that there will be a public meeting before the work is begun.
I missed your first posts but glad you re-introduced them. What a beautiful place to get lost in! I am all for preserving when possible. I wish them luck!
Improvement is not always an improvement.
I particularly remember Ebor House because it sounded so amazing.
Thanks, MT.