Visiting the Scottish Rite in Hamilton

Heather is a member of the Association of Administrative Assistants, presently serving as the national treasurer. Before we came down, she asked us if we were interested in joining them for the Hamilton Chapter Christmas gathering at the Scottish Rite Club in Hamilton, the place where they hold their regular meetings. This would include a brunch buffet and a play, A Christmas Carol. We said we'd like that and she ordered tickets for us.

We left Woodstock about 10:00 AM and drove into Hamilton on the 403. One of the great things about Woodstock is that it sits almost equidistant from the Tri-Cities, London and Hamilton and is joined to each by a first rate divided highway. We arrived early at the building and had no problem finding parking.

The Hamilton Scottish Rite building is awesome. It was originally built in 1895 as the home of the Tuckett family who made their millions in tobacco. It was bought by the local Masonic Scottish Rite leaders, substantially added to, and dedicated in 1923. The old stone architecture imparts an air of solid elegance and they rent the club out for a number of social activities.

After meeting some of Heather's compadres from the AAA, we sat down to some fine food and good conversation. Following the meal, the club offered a tour of the building and we took advantage of it. We even got to see the Masonic meeting room up on the top floor. My father and grandfather were Masons but I never felt the calling.  I almost feel now that I missed out on something.

The tour complete, we adjourned to the theater for a good rendition of Dickens' famous Christmas play. Most of the actors carried it off well and Scrooge was particularly excellent. The interludes featured Christmas carols sung by the club choir. I'm not sure why, but the strains of the old English ballad Barbara Allen seemed to keep finding their way into the organ interlude.

After the festivities, we returned to Woodstock via Cambridge, where we dropped off two surplus bats of insulation and a couple of unneeded tools at Rona.

At home, we spent a quiet evening watching TV before turning in for the night.