The Squamidian Report – Oct. 30 / 04

 

Also in this issue:

North Nova News

The Ontarion

 

Hi All,

 

Last weekend was a busy one. Sylvia and Bruce dropped in Saturday afternoon. Sylvia is a friend of my sister Carol (and an honorary Brubacher) and lives up near Bracebridge back in old Ontario. Bruce is her friend. They stayed till Sunday morning before driving back to the city on their way home. Sylvia had been visiting family in Vancouver.

 

Ryan and Emily got here in time for supper last Saturday as well. They had quite a time with the winter driving conditions through the mountain passes and down the Coquihalla. As well the snowy roads had been sanded with coarse rocky sand and Ryan’s car got pelted by so many stones kicked up by passing vehicles that the windshield and hood are badly chipped. So we had a house full but that’s Ok. It’s nice to have Ryan and Emily here and I always have fun giving Sylvia a hard time.

 

Sunday dawned sunny and bright so Ryan, Warren, myself and Don (as in ‘get lost up on Brohm’ fame) decided to go for a dirt bike ride up the Ashlu. And yes, Don’s wife let him come along again. We trucked the bikes up to the bridge at mile 21 over the Squamish River and headed out from there. Perhaps at this point I should point out that in the excitement of loading up the bikes to head out I totally forgot to bid Sylvia and Bruce goodbye. Man, am I in trouble.

 

There was active logging taking place up ahead of us with loaded trucks coming down so we took an unused spur that headed in the direction we wanted to go. The logging was being done by helicopter, which was bringing the huge logs out of a high, inaccessible area to a staging area. Kind of neat to watch. The route we took followed the east side of the Ashlu River, which at times was deep in a canyon below us and at other times the valley bottom would open out with a flat bottom. The whole way was under the hanging ice fields and high peaks of the mountains across from us. There were giant cedar trees with stringy moss hanging down, pristine water falls and ragged slide areas. Spectacular.

 

I only took three pictures this time, one of a deteriorating log logging bridge where we stopped for some lunch and two looking up the valley from the bridge in the direction we were headed. Only took a few, a camera just could not do justice to what we were looking at.

http://members.shaw.ca/doug_b2/Pictures/ashlu.htm

*

Now that Ryan and Emily with us, we have spent the week getting used to having two other adults living in the house with us. So far the hardest things to deal with have been finding someone else using MY computer (Ryan’s is still on the moving truck somewhere in transit) and finding someone sitting in my chair watching their program on my TV instead of me sitting in my chair watching my program on my TV. Yogi seems quite happy with the return of the kids. He still remembers them as a source of cookies. The hot water heater is taking a beating. I had forgotten how many showers people can take in a given day. And speaking of Ryan’s computer in transit, I think it needs a video card and hard drive upgrade so that should give us something to do some rainy Saturday afternoon. Nothing like having a cool hobby in common with your own son to give you stuff to do together. Of course we have that dirt biking thing but you noticed I said it would be for a rainy day. Heck, it wouldn’t take too many rainy Saturdays before we will have replace the whole computer.

*

Our good buddy Clyde and his wife Barbara did some vacationing in New York a couple of weeks ago. Clyde has sent in this link to his trip, posted on his web site.

http://members.rogers.com/brandy0/NYC/

 

****

North Nova News

 

Here I am again finally.  I don't know where the time goes.  We had our computer at a friend's house to get it looked over.  We were having trouble getting into websites and we couldn't keep a home page.  He said our computer was in too good a shape to just take everything off and reload so he just cleaned it up and now it is working great.  We still have about half of our memory left after 4 years.  I can't believe how long we have had this computer but I do know how much it has taken over our lives.  I missed it so much when it was away that as soon as Andy called to say we could pick it up, I was over in a shot!!   I couldn't do my banking or find anything, print anything, do my books, and the list goes on and on.  I really depend on it now. Is that good???  

 

I sure am enjoying Doug and Warren's adventures on their dirt bikes.  It must be a much easier way to get around on those treacherous roads to explore.  I remember extremely narrow sections where the truck didn't look like it would fit.  And I can't imagine going up Brohm ridge or anywhere in the mountains in the fog!  I can see how it would give you a false sense of security but I don't think I would like being that closed in.  I'm always surprised how many people you meet in those so-called desolate areas.  Anyway I'm glad you are having fun.  

 

We had an adventure of our own sailing back from Charlottetown on our friend's boat.  Our friends have a 39-foot Corbin sailboat with 2 actual bedrooms, 2 heads (washrooms), galley kitchen, dining area and navigation area.  As you can see it is a very comfortable boat and great for cruising.  September is usually a pleasant month to get away so we decided to take 3 days off and sail over to Charlottetown to take in some good dining and entertainment.  It also was the yearly event of the Oyster Shucking Championships.  This is not normally our thing but after humming and hawing about having to pay $6.00 each to get in we decided what else will we do in the pouring rain.  So weighed down in our wet gear and boots we entered the big tent.  It turned out to be great fun watching contestants shuck and arrange 12 oysters in a pleasing manner on a silver tray as fast as possible.  We found ourselves cheering along with the rest of the crowd.  The fastest time was 1 minute and 15 seconds.  The tent was doing its best to shed us from the torrents of rain but there were drips everywhere and the floor was a steady stream of water flowing under our feet.  At least we were dressed for it.  The music was lively with Richard Woods (a famous P.E.I. modern fiddler) and The Boys in the Kitchen (a lot like Great Big Sea). 

 

Later we walked again in the downpour to a great restaurant, had a delicious meal, and then back to the boat for a night of games.  Inside the boat was warm and dry and we had a good nights sleep.  The next morning the skipper listened to the weather forcast as all good skippers do.  Well it was not good...gale force winds of 35 to 40 knots by afternoon and increasing for the next few days..... So we packed up and shoved off even before breakfast.  It normally is at least an 8-hour sail back to Pictou so we knew we would be getting into some heavy seas on the latter part of our journey.  I popped a gravol at that point.  I knew it would get pretty exciting before the day was out. 

 

Tune in next week for the final chapter on this high seas adventure,

 

Sus

 

****

THE ONTARION REPORT

 

OCTOBER 30, 2004

 

BOOOOOooooooOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOo!!!!!

 

It’s that time again everyone! Yes, Halloween is fast approaching. Time to dig into the piggy bank and rush right down to the grocery store and buy up as much sweet stuff as your little arms can carry. After all, someone has to keep the dental profession in business! Halloween used to be loads of fun when we were kids. Nowadays it’s an evening of suspicion and vandalism, unfortunately. Sorry if I seem a tad pessimistic. It’s just that nary a year goes by that we don’t hear stories of sabotaged candies or apples. Not to mention the bullies that get their jollies out of ripping off bags of candies from kids on dark streets. It’s a shame that this special occasion has evolved into something to worry about instead of something to look forward to. Let’s hope that this year’s event will be filled with fun and good weather for the kids.

 

According to our weatherman, October 31st is supposed to be acceptable weather wise.

 I guess it’s not all bad but we do have to be so careful these days that it does take some of the fun out of “Trick or Treating”. In our neighbourhood, we usually get around 75 to 100 kids coming to the door. A lot of them are really cute and many of the costumes very imaginative. However, have you noticed how big and old some of the kids are? Sheesh, last year we had people coming to the door that were or seemed to be 19 and 20 years of age. So much so, that I felt I should be handing them a beer instead of a mini bag of chips. LOL! Oh well, I guess big kids gotta have fun too!

*

On another note, Carole and I had an interesting visit to Doug’s favourite hang out the other day. We dropped in to Tim Horton’s for a decaf and a muffin. While sitting at our table we noticed the door open and in walked a girl (young woman) dressed in a beautiful sandy gold/beigie coloured floor length gown with a dark brown mink (possibly phony) stole around her shoulders. She headed straight for the washroom. We both commented that she looked like she’d just walked out of a wedding party. Not a minute later, 6 more women dressed the same entered the door and headed for the washroom as well. They were milling around at the entrance to and inside the can. I guess when you gotta go you gotta go! After watching this event for about another 2 minutes, in walked the bride with her 8th bridesmaid holding up her train so as not to wipe Tim’s floor with the hem. Along with the bride traipsed a tiny flower girl and ring bearer. She looked like a little fairy princess and he looked like a mini Fred Astaire complete with black top hat and tails. We were totally surprised that an entire wedding party would stop at Tim’s for a pee. Why wouldn’t they just do their tinkling at the reception hall? It wasn’t long before the photographer appeared complete with his camera and gadget bag. He started taking pictures of the girls in the washroom! We were in shock! There were so many of them that the door to the can was held open while they changed places to do their business. At this point, apparently it was no longer their business but public business! Can you imagine adding public washroom “Pee” shots to your wedding album? I can’t! As we watched, along with several other patron’s of Timmy’s we noticed that the male members of the wedding party including the groom were standing outside the door drinking beer out of long necked bottles. I said “I’m surprised the guys don’t join the women inside”. No sooner said than done! In came the groom and 8 groomsmen. They left their beers outside. They were all suddenly milling around in the main standing area of the coffee shop. The groom then proceeded to move around behind the counter with the employees and pretend to be serving the Bride (who had finally emerged from the can) a donut. As they performed their little act, the photographer captured the moment on film. The employees didn’t seem to mind but they didn’t seem to know this group of people either. However, it was then that I said to Carole that the colour scheme of the bridal party matched the colours of the Tim Horton’s uniforms perfectly. Carole said I wonder if “daddy” didn’t dig into his bank account and buy the happy couple this Tim Horton’s for a wedding gift? Hmmmmmm! Now that’s a thought for sure! After a good half hour of monkey business in and out of the washroom, the group thanked the staff and headed out the door. When they had all vacated the place, we got up to leave. I said to Carole that it would take a heck of a lot of limos to carry such a large wedding party. We got in the Jeep and headed out of the parking lot and as we rounded the building toward the exit we saw their “limo” parked at the rear. It was a huge YELLOW Ayr Bus Lines school bus. What a laugh we had at this display! I guess like I said earlier, when you gotta go, you gotta go! We watched the news and read the paper to see if there was any mention of the event but to no avail. I guess someone on the bus decided it was too long a ride to the reception hall to wait for a pee. Anyway, it was an entertaining time at Timmy’s for a change. Probably something we’ll never see again for sure. It’s the one time I neglected to carry my camera along. I usually take it when we go out because one never knows what photo op will pop up. Damn! Oh well, at least the flower girl and ring bearer got a box of Tim Bits out of the deal. I’m sure the bride and groom could have bought the Horton’s franchise with all the money spent on those dresses, stoles, tux’s and matching vests. At least the school bus was probably less costly than 6 limo’s would have been. LOL! Either way, “daddy” was a few dollars lighter after that wedding day I’m sure.

 

Got to go for now my fellow Squamidian’s.

Thanks for tuning in and I’ll talk to you all again next time in THE ONTARION REPORT.

 

GREG.

 

PS: Something to Think About

Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble.

 

****

The family site:

http://members.shaw.ca/doug_b/

The Squamidian Site:

http://members.shaw.ca/doug_b2/

 

Have a good one..

the doug