We moved in the summer before I was to begin Senior Kindergarten. I remember being in awe of the huge expanse of naked wood floors and enormous windows. It wasn’t until later that I appreciated how unique the features of our home were…. a quiet lane where my brother and sister and I learned to ride our bikes; the secluded trails into High Park where we could disappear for hours without the eyes of adults on us; and the feeling of entering a secret oasis when you descended the steep hill from Bloor Street – and the feeling of entering a hidden lair when you drove in from the bottom end…. “The Bat Cave” my friend Jim called it.
I shared the small second bedroom with my sister until I was 17 or 18 years old. Many secrets shared, and many sisterly fights. One of the best things about that room was the slide lock on the door, which guaranteed us privacy, until the day our dad broke it down because we had locked out our brother.
The house had so many doors. Everywhere. I think the previous owners had divided the house for rental purposes… there is a tiny kitchen in the basement, even still to this day.
The house hasn’t changed much. My parents still live in that house, and it makes me smile to see my kids and my nieces and nephews playing there in the same way that we did. I still feel like I’m going home when I walk down that steep hill from Bloor Street…
Habitation: 1974 – 1995
House bought for $65,000
