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The Squamidian Report – May 5 / 18
Issue #832 Including: From Karl From Lorne From Russ From Lauren The Ontarion Hi All, One late evening this past week we were sitting quietly in the living room when our peacefulness was interrupted by a bunch of crashing and banging. It sounded like it was coming from right out in front of the house. Turns out is was. We keep our garbage bin and recycle bin inside the garage but our compost bin normally sits out at the front corner of the house on the driveway. The bin was empty and locked but I guess it didn't smell empty because a big old black bear was doing its best to break it open. He (or she, I didn't ask), had the bin on its side and was banging it on the concrete drive like it was a melon or something. Plastic bins make a lot of noise when handled suchly. It was too dark to see the bear at first because black bears don't show up all that well in the dark but as soon as we shaun a light at it, well, there it was. Upon being thusly disturbed it lost interest in the bin and wandered up the front steps, across the front of the house and over the retaining wall onto the neighbor's front walk. We brought the bin in, no more unwanted visitors so far since then. Thursday morning I had to do a ride into the city, bright and early on the Harley. My bike is a 2009 touring model and Harley had used DOT 4 brake fluid in those bikes. Turns out after several years that stuff goes bad, because, its a water based concoction and in fact will absorb water. It can turn to goo, or cause the inner workings of a brake system to seize right up, especially the ABS parts. Face it, brakes are a good thing and you tend to want them to work, each and every time you use them. My bike's system wasn't showing any issues (yet) but the recall applies to all those bikes. So, Harley sent out a recall that stated owners must take their machine in to a dealer and have the brake system flushed, and any deteriorated parts replaced, on Harley's dime of course. I got to my appointment at the dealer nice and early because I didn't know what the city traffic would be like. It can and usually is a nightmare with stop and go and gridlock and so on. However, the commuters heading in from Squamish fly right along so no problem there. On the other hand, the ones headed for the north shore that are coming in from the valley are something else. As I rode eastbound I could watch the traffic in the on-coming lanes. Congestion barely describes it. Traffic headed into North Van must come over the Second Narrows bridge as well as through the Tunnel and it gets backed way up into Burnaby and by the time its coming up the Cut and onto the Upper Levels its barely moving. Glad there is a barrier between the different directions or some jerk would pull into on-coming traffic in an attempt to pass. With so much traffic comes onto the north shore every morning that I'm amazed the whole of North Van doesn't some how tip over and sink into Burrard Inlet. It only took an hour and a half for the recall work to be done and by then traffic had eased off and my ride home was fine. Of course, what do you do at a bike dealer when having to wait a while for a service to be performed? You look at bikes, naturally. I think I got a young sales woman all hot and bothered as she pointed out all the things about the bikes (that I already knew) and worked out prices for a couple of them outfitted just how I'd like them. Don't tell her, but she waisted her time. I'm not in the market for a new machine. Firstly, I like my old bike and will probably spend a few bucks on her this season doing some things she could use or I would like to have done. Secondly, Harley revamped its lineup for this year and I don't know who does their designing but all their new bikes are drab, blacked out, very little chrome and way over priced. There is simply nothing that I like the looks of. I've only put a couple of thousand kilometers on mine so far this year but I'm looking forward to a whole lot more than that by the end of the season. As the weather warms up on a consistent basis I intend to do my share of rumbling along these mountain highways, a smile on my face and bugs all over the bikes windshield. Doesn't get much better than that. doug
**** From Karl Thanks for a great read Doug ,about your hair cuts why not cut your own hair? I do, been doing it for years now and its not about the money HA ,I like to do it ,We have planed our trip to Canada for July 17th -to Sep 19th cant wait to catch up with old friends and family ,last time i was there was in 2003 ,We will be making plans as we go so far we have a wedding to go to on 21 July my Cuz daughter is getting married ,Haven’t seen my Cuz for 25 years he just retired from Guelph Police Department ,so will be nice to catch up with them all ,Also about the hard drives have you thought about taking out the Magnets they are VERY powerful and come in good use around the workshop ,Great story Russ on the black Bears ,Unfortunate there are more and more houses going up in cottage Country and you will always run into Wildlife ,We here in Australia have sort of a problem where as it gets so hot and dry in the outback that wildlife encroach in to the City looking for food ,Birds mostly and its a beautiful sight and SOUND ,we have had a few small Kangaroo’s hop through the streets ,last week I came across a Tiger snake catching the last rays of the sun on my walk through the bush ,very dangerous snake ,best to leave alone and just stop in your tracks and let it go by ,they will not hurt you, only if provoked , Nice car Greg, hope you have lots of fun with it this year mate , If and when we come to Kitchener we can catch up OK, I will post a few photos from this past week that’s it for now. Karl..
  **** From Lorne Driving along minding my business and the road, stopping at a traffic light, another motorist on my right was trying to draw my attention. At first I had no idea what he wanted but before the light changed to green, the light in my head told me to wind down the window. As I did, he shouted 'your driving in 2018 with 0nly a 2017 sticker on your plate'. I thought he had to be wrong but upon arriving home, and checking the license plate, revealed no blue 2018 sticker but a green one showing 2017 I know I renewed. Was it stolen or did I just loose it? Searching through papers and my wallet showed no evidence of what I did or did not do. So off to SERVICE ONTARIO. My question was 'what is the current status of this vehicle'? showing ownership papers. The attendant went on the computer and said 'the license has expired, did you wish to renew? I replied, 'Ya, I might as well while I'm here'. I wonder how the camera on Hwy 407 read the license on my recent trip to Bellville. Lorne
**** From Russ Here is another offering for consideration. I call it “Sounds that hurt”, and will be in three Parts. I’ve been writing about Point Clark in winter when “there’s not a lot going on”, but now it’s SPRING and the “week-enders” are returning in droves! Suddenly this sleepy place comes alive with the sounds of people and gasoline powered stuff.....each with it’s own abomidable NOISE!! >hedge trimmers >lawn edgers >chainsaws >wood-splitters >leaf-blowers >power-washers And then there’s the fine collection of gas-driven recreational vehicles; >golf-carts >mopeds >motorcycles >motor scooters >off-road vehicles And out on the lake we present; >out-board motor boats >in-board motor boats >jet-skis >cabin cruisers >etc....and not only do we suffer from noise pollution, but also air pollution!! *
There sounds that hurt us physically, and sounds that hurt us emotionally, but the pain is just as real, and the scars just as deep. It’s painful to hear a baby cry....and you are unable to help. It’s equally painful to hear it’s mother cry if she can’t help either. It hurts to hear the kid in the shopping mall bawling because his/her mother is lost. But, what hurts even more, is to hear the pitiful cries of an infant animal when it feels it has been abandoned by mom......or a grown man cry.....when that grown man is you. Which brings me to........ It hurts to hear the phone ring when it’s the dental office calling to remind you of your upcoming appointment for a root canal! And on “the day of execution”, while sitting in the chair, frozen in total fear, you listen for, but hope you never hear, the dentist’s approaching footsteps. “How are we today?”, he asks knowing you lie, when you reply, “F-f-fine”. Now you begin to hear those dreaded sounds as they pour over the instruments of torture. But, do you know what hurts me most? The big fat lie, when the dentist says, “This may pinch a little”, as he gently pushes that freezing needle through the roof of my mouth...into my nasal passage! The excavation itself may not hurt....BUT, the sounds of the drilling, grinding, and pic & shovel make me wish I were “deaf” (or maybe even dead). “I don’t want to hear it! I’ve had enough pain!” She ignores me, and in her sweetest voice, purrs, “That will be $1,580.00 for the work today, please” “OUTCH!” ......and me with no dental coverage Part Two, “The sound of a slamming door” and “The sound of silence” Your old Uncle Russ.
**** From Lauren We recently got back from a 7 day Caribbean cruise. It was a lot of fun, the weather was amazing, but very humid! The ship we sailed on was called the MSC Seaside, it was brand new & very beautiful & held about 5000 passengers, so quite large & very busy as you can imagine. Below is a brief description of the first half or our trip. The second half will be next week. DAY 0: VANCOUVER TO MIAMI We left home very early on the morning on April 6th to head to YVR airport in Vancouver. The girls (Kyra & Olivia) were still sleeping, but we had forewarned them the previous night that it was going to be a very long day & that we would basically pick them up & put them in the car on the morning of our trip. After waking up just before 5am, Ryan & I got the car packed & everything ready & put two very sleepy girls into the car & headed for the airport. We arrived there on time & made our way to check-in. This proved to be a very smooth process, thanks to Ryan’s “super elite” status which is a result of him racking up so many air miles from all of his world travels for work. We proceeded through security, which was also very smooth (because of Ryan’s priority status, but it also helps having a toddler in a stroller, which seems to get you better & faster service). After being processed, we headed to the lounge, where we had about an hour to relax & eat some food/drink some much needed coffee before proceeding to board. Fortunately, we were in the first group to board the airplane (because of Ryan’s priority status), it seems that most airlines have done away with the “families with small children” board first rule, now everyone is left to fend for themselves in whichever “zone” you are assigned to. After settling in to our seats, we took off & had a somewhat peaceful flight to Toronto where we would connect for our second flight to Miami. The girls were very good, & entertained themselves with IPads & drawing board gifts from Gramma & Grampa. By the time we boarded our second flight, the kids were really tired & cranky, so thankfully it was slightly shorter. We finally arrived in Miami & caught the shuttle to our hotel. This is where the real “fun” began! Olivia was extremely tired & cranky & was melting down completely. She was very unhappy & dinner almost ended up not happening. After finally finishing our meal, we all settled into our hotel room for a short night’s sleep. DAY 1: MIAMI Although we were still on BC time in our heads, we were actually 3 hours ahead on Miami time, so we technically had to wake up at 6am in order to get the girls ready, get breakfast & go down to the lobby to get our shuttle to the port. We got to the port at around 11:30am & checked in & waited for our turn to board the ship. Once onboard, we had to get the girls ship bracelets which they had to wear for the entire cruise (they looked like watches & were pretty ingenious, because they allowed the girls to open the cabin door (it doubled as a room key card). We also decided to activate the GPS feature for an additional charge which would enable us to track the girls in case we lost them on the ship. We thought this was a no brainer, because on a ship of that magnitude, it would have been so easy to lose one of the kids. We ate dinner in the buffet that night, one of the features on our ship was a huge deck with outside tables & chairs which was very nice, because there is nothing quite like watching the ocean pass you by instead of being stuck inside a dining room & missing the views. We ate dinner & then went to the cabin just in time for our departure time of 7pm (this is later than the usual departure times, but because this is a European cruise line, they had to allow for passengers arriving on the day of the cruise from various different countries). It was sunset by the time we set sail, & because we had a balcony cabin, we got to see downtown Miami with an incredible sunset behind all of the buildings. Shortly after departure, we all went to bed & the girls never woke up all night, which is rare! DAY 2: AT SEA This was a full day at sea, so we woke up quite late, & headed for breakfast. After breakfast, we went to the pool area & spent the day relaxing & having fun. It was a great day, but the girls (especially Kyra) never wanted to get out of the pool (not even for food), so this was why most of their meltdowns occurred! We managed to finally get them out of the pool by bribing them with promises of ice-cream in order to go to dinner in the dining room! We had a great time, the girls were so well behaved (which we were not expecting at all, in fact we had envisioned eating every meal in the buffet), we had a great waiter & assistant waiter & the food was good (on a side note, the pizza onboard was amazing). Ryan & Kyra returned to the pool after dinner & Olivia & I stayed in the room so we could go to bed. DAY 3: OCHO RIOS, JAMAICA We arrived in Ocho Rios at approximately 9am on day 3 of our cruise, which also happened to coincide with my birthday. Just some useless information, but I used to work on cruise ships many years ago, & the itinerary that we were sailing on (western Caribbean), was one I have sailed many times before. Anyway, why I am mentioning this is because all those years ago, I was supposed to celebrate my birthday in Ocho Rios, but unfortunately, due to the weather, we were unable to dock in port & I never got the chance to get off the ship that day! Fast forward nearly 20 years, & Jamaica is not one of the safest tourist destinations at the moment, so we decided not to venture very far into town, or go on any excursions. Instead, we went to a little beach which was within walking distance of where the ship docked. The kids had a great time, Olivia was quite content playing in the sand, while Kyra obviously wanted to do nothing more than swim! We headed back to the ship around lunchtime & spent the rest of the day on the ship swimming & relaxing. That night we went for dinner in the dining room again where we met a nice couple who we were seated next to us. They spent that night & the rest of the dinners on the cruise entertaining the girls because they were missing their grandchildren so much. After dinner, we wandered around the ship for a bit before heading back to our cabin. DAY 4: GEORGETOWN, GRAND CAYMAN This port is always quite an interesting one, because the ships have to anchor out at sea (due to the shallow waters close to shore which aren’t deep enough for big ships). All passengers are tendered to the port on small boats which probably hold up to around 200 people. This was the only port which we had booked an excursion for. At approximately 11am, we tendered ashore, & got on a small bus which took us to a turtle sanctuary after a short drive through the town. The Cayman islands, for those of you who don’t know, have no taxes, & is also a tax haven for many foreign investors who have offshore bank accounts in the Caymans, so there certainly is a lot of wealth on this very small island. The girls absolutely loved the turtle sanctuary, we got to see all sizes of turtles, as well as hold & get into a wading pool with them. We then headed to the restaurant for a quick lunch before Ryan & Kyra went snorkelling with all sorts of sealife in a man made river. While Ryan & Kyra were doing that, Olivia & I chased lizards & iguanas! This excursion definitely was the highlight of the trip. The last remaining 4 days and our return home will be in next weeks issue. Lauren
  **** THE ONTARION REPORT Hello Everyone! Well, it finally happened! My baby was assaulted earlier this week in the parking lot of Tim Horton’s at Ottawa and Fischer-Hallman Rd. I had backed out of a parking spot and put the MGB in first gear to drive away after having a tea and suddenly “WHAM”! I got slammed square in the trunk by a monster Chevy Equinox driven by an older lady from St Catherine’s Ontario. She had backed her huge SUV out of the opposing parking spot without looking and struck me square in the license plate! Her huge bumper was just high enough to clear the low bumper of the MG and she caved in the trunk lid of the MG as well as the panel below the lid and of course the License Plate holder and plate on my car. I was ready to kick her in the shins when I got out of my car. She said “Oh I guess we met in the middle”! I said, “NO, I was stopped and you backed into me!” Her bumper had a small scratch on it and the back end of my MG was caved in considerably! She said, “Do you want my insurance information?” As if I’d say no lady it’s ok, it’s only a scratch!” I still haven’t received a call from the insurance adjuster but he’s supposed to be in touch soon to come and assess the damage to the MG. It looks like we’ll be without R WEE B for a while, as it’ll take a few days at least to repair the damage once I get the car into a body repair shop. The paint job on the MG has always been several different shades of green when you look closely at it. I guess someone over the years had done a little bodywork on the car and not bothered to paint the whole car. Trying to match the colour of paint is always a major effort and never seems to work out well. This time if I can get a good price on painting the whole vehicle I think we’ll just have it done right along with the bodywork needed to put it back to normal. I’ll just have to wait until I hear from the adjuster. He’ll have to make a date to come look at the car and then I’ll look after arranging the repairs. I have a good friend who was in the body and paint business for years in his own business but he’s now retired. I asked him to recommend a place to have the MG fixed and he gave me the name of a friend of his who will do a great job on the repairs and at a fair price as well. I know the insurance co will pay for the damage at no cost to me but if I have the whole car painted I’ll have to pay the difference myself. Oh well, I’ve been wanting to repaint the car for years now and this is my chance to get it done. I still have the paint code number from the factory in England. It’s stamped on a label that’s on the underside of the trunk lid so I’m looking forward to having the vehicle match the original colour after all these years. She should look like a new car when the job is done! I’ll be sure to send out some new pictures of the MG once it’s finished! Anyway, that’s where things stand for now and I hope it won’t take long to get the job finished and the MG looking like new again! I’ll be sure to keep you posted! It’s always disappointing when you get involved in a collision. I won’t call it an accident because it’s obvious that woman didn’t look where she was backing! An accident is something that happens beyond anyone’s control and if she’d been paying attention the collision would not have happened! Most collisions are the result of somebody not paying attention or making a wrong decision such as drinking and driving and then it is NOT an accident it’s a foolish move on the part of someone! Guess I just happened to be the unlucky recipient of her lack of attention! The only fortunate part of this whole situation is that nobody got hurt as a result! Lucky I guess! Well, I did it; I managed to mow the lawn yesterday and without any physical problems! I wasn’t sure I’d be able to complete the job without feeling poorly but everything worked out well. I stopped every few minutes and rested so I wouldn’t push myself to far! I had only a little feeling of what I call being winded but with a few minutes rest every once in a while I was ok and enjoyed mowing the lawn once again. The Dr at the heart clinic of St Mary’s Hospital said to do such activities a little at a time and eventually I’ll build my stamina once again! I’ve been told it’ll take up to a year to get back to some semblance of normal activity so I guess I just have to be patient and do everything in moderation. I’m feeling better each day and of course am very happy to be able to do anything that takes some effort to do. It’s a tad scary to think how close I came to not being here at all so I guess I’m lucky to have progressed so far in only 7 months. My thanks to the doctors and nurses that helped me along the way and of course to my team at home, Carole and Adam who have been my supporters for sure! Without them I wouldn’t be as well as I am! That’s for sure! That’s about it for this week folks! Thanks for tuning in and I’ll look forward to talking to you all again next time in The Ontarion Report! Bye for now … Greg PS: Something To Think About> Check that rear view mirror before you back out of your parking spot! **** 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. |