The Squamidian Report – Oct. 28 / 06
Issue #230
Also in this issue:
Mellisa In Korea
Greg’s Tribute To Clyde
The Ontarion
Hi All,
Something kind of cool happens each Saturday morning as I attend to the finishing touches and publishing of the Squamidian. I look up through the skylight above my desk here at Squamidian Central and watch the sunlight illuminate the tops of the mountain peaks across the valley from us. As the sun rises higher, the lighted area expands down the slopes. Once it has reached about half way down toward the valley below, it also catches us on this side up in the Highlands. The valley bottom is last to be lit. It’s a nice thing to watch as I click the old send button.
*
I saw the results of a rather strange mechanical breakdown on the highway. We were having our lunch one day while working at Britannia and were just off the highway by the bridge. There was a rather loud bang, which caused us all to look over toward the highway where we saw an SUV that was about half way across the bridge veer into the side of the bridge. It then slid along the bridge and along the concrete barriers until it came to a stop. The steering components, and tie-rod had failed letting the right front wheel swing out. The force of movement caused the wheel to turn out about 90 degrees and then fold over. Sliding along against the barriers had flattened the side of the vehicle.
After assuring the occupants were OK, we set out safety pylons and left the driver to wait for a tow truck. Had the wheel failed anywhere else along the highway the results would have been very different. The SUV would have veered off the road and into either a rock-face or down a steep deep incline. The Britannia Bridge was about the best possible place for it to happen. Where he finally stopped was one of the few places where traffic could get past without too much trouble. So aside from a badly damaged vehicle, everything turned out a lot better than it might have under slightly different timing.
*
Well, we had our last motorcycle highway run of the season. We’ve had a beautiful Fall so far but any day now the rainy season should start. So fitting in one last run on the bike up to Whistler for lunch was kind of nice. The day was crystal clear with the bright sun highlighting the snowfields in the surrounding mountains. The ride up was a bit chilly, as mountain weather tends to be cold at night and during the morning this time of year. The sun warms things up nicely by midday so the ride back down was more comfortable. Our leaves are in full colour now so the overgrown abandoned logging roads up on the slopes appear as bright yellow zigzags. The moss and lichens on the rock faces are wearing their fall colours too so the scenery was extra nice.
Sue and I bundled up a bit and away we went. Wind proof jackets help to keep us warm and comfortable and the wind in our faces keep us feeling great. The highway winds and curves as it climbs and descends. There is however one section of the ride that is downright cold. Just north of The Canyon the highway follows the Checkamuss River for a few clicks and that ice-cold water chills the air above and around it. It’s like riding into a giant cooler, made to feel even chillier by the deep shadows cast by the tall trees. But then you break out into sunshine again just before Daisy Lake and its sunny the rest of the way.
We will probably have a chance for a few short evening rides yet but that will have been it for heading up or down the highway for this year. It’s been a great year for enjoying the old Virago and we are both looking forward to next year’s biking season. As for the next few months, my attention will turn to the dirt bike and that whole different kind of riding.
*
You may remember that Ryan and Emily did a Hawaiian cruise for their honeymoon. Ryan had promised that he would post a web site displaying the highlights (of the cruise). So, if you go to: http://www.brubacheronline.com/Honeymoon/Welcome.html you will be able to see pictures and text of their adventure. There is also a Quicktime movie that he has put together that is quite well done, but I suggest you only view it if you are on high-speed Internet because it is about 36 meg in size.
Doug
****
Mellisa In Korea (Passed on by
Carol)
Hi Doug,
Cousin Sharon's daughter Mellisa & Mellisa's friend Shawn have signed up for a 2 year stint in Korea teaching English (which is what the girl's cousin Andrea just came back from). Sharon thought it would be interesting for your readers - and I agree - if she occasionally passed on e-mails from Mellisa to you. Evelyn took Sharon, her 2 granddaughters, her daughter-in-law, her 2 grandson's girlfriends and myself to the play "Nunsense" 2 days before Melissa left. We had a great time but I think it was bitter/sweet for Evelyn and Sharon knowing their daughter/granddaughter was leaving so soon. Anyway here is the e-mail from Korea - hot off the press.
Carol
*
Subject: I'm In Korea!
Hello Everyone!
It's taken me a few days to
get internet, but finally, as I sit in a small hotel room in downtown Seoul, I
have found internet! Shawn and I are doing well. Our city is AWESOME! It's very
clean and is surrounded by mountains and farmland but it still has that big
city feel. Anyways, I guess I'll start
at the beginning. Well, the plane ride was very long, but very interesting. We
served wine (for free! Korean's love drinking!) and bibimbop (a rice dish with
beef and veggies and very HOT
dressing). We had interactive television where we could watch virtually any
movie and listen to any song. So that helped with the long flight. I still
can't fathom how far in technology Korean's are. We are lacking behind! Well, after the long and exhausting flight
and the 24 hours of travelling with not much sleep we finally set foot in
Korea. I felt excited, confused,
nervous, and alienated. Only knowing how to say hello ¤Çµð¤Ó¤À (ahnya ha say oh) and thank you
(¼Ò¹«¤¿¤Ë¤À¤Å) comsom nee dah it is quite hard trying to find a bus that would
take us to our city and also trying to buy a bottle of water. Thankfully the
airport wasn't that confusing and some signs were in English, so we found our
way. After an hour bus ride through the Korean country side we finally reached
our destination, Cheoungju! We met our director who had pizza and water for us
(we were very grateful) but she also could not speak much English. She drove us
through our new city, and I finally realized why I wanted to teach English in
Korea. Streets were filled with neon signs, a good smell of spices, and a world
that seemed very different yet very much the same as Canada.
We finally got to our new apartment. It is quite nice. It's very
clean. We have a very small kitchen and bathroom ( there's no shower, just a
long shower cord that comes out from the sink that you wash yourself with and a
drain on the bathroom floor). We have a large enclosed balcony, tv, dvd, a real
bed, and a small fridge. I guess we'll make the best of it. All I wanted to do was crash on the bed and
sleep for two days before we had to go to Seoul for training, but this wasn't
possible. Our director called other teachers at our school to show us around.
This of course turned into an all night party (we have to get acquainted). so
far we've met people from England, Ireland, Texas, Nova Scotia, London Ontario,
B.C., and South Africa. We started at a small Korean bar called "Garten
Bier" (sounds German to me!) where they have built in freezer coasters in
the table. your beer will always stay cold! 10 pitchers of beer only costs
34,000 won (that like 30 bucks Canadian) and they also give you lots of food
when you drink as well. By this point Shawn and I have been up for three days,
not knowing what time it is, what day it is, and still trying to realize that
we are on the other side of the world. so by 2:30am I’m thinking its time to go
home and sleep. I was mistaken. We were dragged to a small Karaoke bar where
you get your own room to sing in and soju (sweet potato vodka) is delivered to
you non-stop. Finally, by 6am (I think!) we get home. Shawn and I slept most of Korean Sunday (your Saturday, if I did
that math right). Sunday night it took us 5 hours to buy an alarm clock, an
umbrella, and a phone card!! The language barrier is ridiculous. I have a new
found respect for immigrants in Canada trying to get by. Power to you!!
Today (Monday) Shawn and I bused to Seoul for training for teaching. We're staying in a pretty nice hotel right beside the CoEx mall (Its huge!!) So far Korea has been awesome. I’ve met some very interesting people and it is my goal to learn as much Korean as possible. Simple tasks take forever to do, even with a phrase book. I would send pictures of everything, but the computer in this hotel room doesn’t have a usb thingy and quite frankly I’m too damn tired to figure it out. (jet lag is a bitch) Shawn and I should have internet in our place sometime next week. We'll be in Seoul until Saturday, so until then I can email people. Everyone let me know how you are doing and what you are up to. I miss everyone already and I still haven't accepted the fact fully that I’m here. Love you all.
****
The Ontarion Report
This past
month has been a very trying one for one of our Squamidian families and I would
like to pass this on to all of you who read the Squamidian on a regular basis.
With
unfortunate frequency the passing of relatives and loved ones of our Squamidian
group is announced in the weekly. Most of you know personally the people that
have been named over the past 4 years and reacted with concern and heartfelt
sympathy by writing a note of condolences to the family members directly
involved. I would like to bring to your attention something that I probably
should have mentioned at the time of her passing but wasn’t sure if it was my
place to do so. I know now that as a friend it would have been perfectly
acceptable for me to let you all know that Clyde’s mother Marjorie Gilmour
(Givens) passed away on September 5th, 2006. Clyde was very close to
his mother and was deeply saddened by her passing.
This past
week as well Barbara (Clyde’s wife) lost her mother after a brief and sudden
illness. Her name was Louise Hodgson and she passed away October 23rd,
2006. I hope you will all join me in extending heartfelt condolences to Clyde,
Barbara and their daughter Carrie for the loss of these two important people in
their lives.
Sincerely Greg.
****
Hello
everyone!
I was out
of bed in a flash this morning thinking we’d be heading for Niagara for a day
or two of gambling and frolicking along side one of the seven wonders of the
world. My enthusiasm was soon dashed on the rocks by a suggestion from Carole
that we spend the day packing the outdoor furniture etc away for the winter. I
guess when I think of it now, it was a good idea. We haven’t had too many nice
weather days lately and since today was dry, mild and overcast it was a good
one to spend being productive. We can head to Niagara some other time since it
doesn’t matter whether it’s dry or not down there.
So, I
spent the day moving, lifting, rearranging, stacking and hanging everything
that needed to put away. The MG is parked tightly to one side in the garage and
my motorcycle is stored in the shed this year. Adam’s motorcycle will stay in
the garage on a special stand he bought for that purpose. The shed also has the
patio furniture stacked in it and there’s still lots of room should I find
anything else that must be put away. For now, the job is pretty well complete
and I’m sure I’m not the only one that recently spent at least a day
accomplishing this task. It’s amazing how much “stuff” we have tucked up in the
ceiling of our garage. We’re lucky that we have open rafters and not a closed
ceiling. We have a mezzanine the width of the garage and about 4’ deep. It’s
loaded to the hilt and pretty much every joist has something either sitting or
hanging on hooks screwed into it. We do
accumulate a heck of a lot through the years. I think I’ve said that before if
I’m not mistaken. Anyway, it was a good day’s work and I’m glad it’s behind me
now.
Maybe I
can talk Carole into a couple of days away for a break in the next week or so.
We’ve enjoyed the Niagara area for years. We like to go there especially in the
summer then it’s warm and sunny and take in the sights of the amazing Horseshoe
Falls. There’s plenty to do in Niagara and if you’ve never done the touristy
things while there I suggest you give them a try sometime. It’s amazing to
descend through the cliff in the elevator to take a walk behind the falls. We
still after all these years have not taken the Maid Of The Mist boat ride to
the base of the falls but that’s on our list of things to do for next year. Our
latest activity in Niagara has been to attend the Casino. Since there is now a
second one there it makes it even more interesting to spend a little time at
the slots. Not only is the gaming fun but they have an incredible smorgasbord
restaurant in the new Casino. The last time we were there, we had a two for one
coupon for the buffet. I have never seen a more varied or delicious array of
food in my life. They had everything from seafood to vegetarian fare on table
after table. Carole loves Prim Rib and it just so happens they had that as
well. I found a platter, no, a veritable table of huge shrimp that was piled
high for the taking.
The table
was about 6’ long and 4’ wide and was piled from end to end and side to side
with shrimp. The heap of shrimp was at least 18” deep in the middle and was
never allowed to drop below the foot deep mark. I was shocked at how many
shrimp were on the table. People were taking them by the plate full and going
back for more. I like to try a little of everything when faced with such a
variety but that’s pretty much impossible. However, I do manage to get my share
and if I suffer from that bloated feeling afterward I have nobody to blame but
myself. The OLGC Lottery office sends out coupons to its patrons that include
everything from $45.00 worth the slot tokens to 2 for 1 meals and big discounts
on rooms in the adjoining hotels. We’ve got a batch of these discounts sitting
on the desk and I think it’s time we made use of them. I’ll have to have a
serious talk with Carole and point out that if we don’t soon use the coupons,
they’ll expire and we’ll miss out on all that good stuff. In fact, I’d better
stop typing and say goodbye for now so I can show her the expiry date on those
freebees.
Thanks
for tuning in and I look forward to talking to you all again next week in The
Ontarion Report.
Bye for now…. Greg.
PS:
Something To Think About>
Those of
you who were living and working in Ontario in the early 1990’s might do well to
remember the fiasco created by Bob Rae and his NDP ers. It looks like he’s got
a good chance of becoming the leader of the Liberal Party. If so, I hope the
liberal members realize that Leopards don’t change their spots. Can there be
anything more frightening than a Party of thieves led by someone with the
shitty track record of “Over Spender” Bob Rae? I think NOT!
However,
you are entitled to your own opinion but don’t say I didn’t warn you!
****
The Family and the Squamidian sites:
http://members.shaw.ca/doug_b/ and http://www.thedougsite.ca
Have a good one..
the
doug
The Fine Print!
The articles in these issues are the sole property of the persons writing them and should be respected as such.