The Squamidian Report – April 3 / 04
For the ‘ON LINE’ version of this newsletter, go to:
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Also in this issue:
Cuba Sue
The Ontarion
Hi All,
Our local mob of Stellar Jays have changed their behavior a bit. All winter and spring they worked as a coordinated group as they harassed everyone and everything. When one found a supply of food it would call all the others and they would invade that location both physically and vocally. Now it is nesting season and they are displaying self interest rather than group interest. There was always a pair that seemed to be assigned to keeping an eye on us so they could broadcast to the rest when we put out fresh food. I don’t know if it is the same ones but now when we put out food they quietly offscound with as much of it as the can before any others spot it. They are nesting in the cedar right behind our back fence so they don’t miss much.
Sue has put out her hummingbird feeder. Those guys are starting to turn up now. It’s the males that come first to stake out territory. The ladies will follow in a little while. Once the hummers are all back and settled in they become our equivalent of bubbly bees. They will be swarming over all the flowering bushes and shrubs.
The majority of the eagles that had wintered here have long since departed for the more remote areas up the coast. All that are left here is the ‘local’ population. We still see a few souring high above and sitting in the trees on the far side of the Squamish River. You know how it is common to see a smaller bird harassing a crow as it is flying along, I looked up at the sound of some excited crows and saw them harassing an eagle as it flapped its way above us. But even the ‘locals’ are getting harder to spot as they are nesting up in the inaccessible valleys.
I was out on the deck scanning the mountains with my small telescope, looking at the avalanche trails. My timing hasn’t been right lately so I haven’t seen any happening for a while but you sure can see where they have happened. There have been hundreds of them up in the areas where the snow piles deep on the very steep slopes. One thing that really blows by mind are the cornices. They are the lips of snow that form when the wind blows the snow over a ridge or peak. They stick way out into thin air. With the scope you can see just how big these things can get. There is now way of getting a proper prospective but you can compare then to the height of the trees that are only half the distance away. They have to be hundreds of feet high and must be sticking out incredible distances horizontally. I’d love to be watching when one lets go.
I seem to have some time on my hands right now. Don’t know why but both companies that want me to work for them are a bit slow at the moment. That gives my time to go for nice long walks in the sunshine and take Yogi down to the river. It also gives me time to vacuum the house and experiment with BIOS setting changes on my PC. Worst that could happen is that the computer wouldn’t boot so you’d just re-set everything back to ‘default’. That hasn’t happened probably won’t. I’m pretty conservative with the settings I choose.
Almost ‘did the Chief’ on Friday. It was one of those days where you just had to get out there and do something. However, I’m not sure I’m quite in shape for that right now and it’s not the kind of thing you should do alone. There would be lots of other hikers on that trail but I’d prefer to climb it together with someone. So instead I walked down to the post office to get the mail. No big deal there except that it is several clicks down hill all the way and then the same distance back up the hill. I do it every once in a while just to see what new aches and pains I’ll have to deal with. The round trip to the post office and back takes about the same amount of time as one way on the Chief. And it’s a lot easier.
We stood out on the deck last evening star gazing again. The sky was clear and starry with the almost full moon illuminating the snow on the mountains. They seemed to glow. Buy this time Venus had moved to a point where it looked like it was sitting right on the peak of Alpha, like a bright search light.
I’m moving my ‘publishing’ time back to Saturday morning from noon (Pacific time of course). It had been moved by request to my mid day to give people in Ontario a noon deadline for sending stuff in. No one is using that deadline, my regulars are easily meeting the Friday evening deadline. So by moving back to morning I am freeing up my Saturdays for other things. The only difference anyone will see is that you will be 3 or 4 hours younger when you get your issue than you would have been.
****
Cuba, yes, yes, yes!!
This is as close to the colour of the water as I could find on my computer, it's called Aqua. Our trip was everything it could be. Cuba must be the place to go as flights are coming and going at an incredible rate from all parts of the world. We even met (without prior knowledge) our own neighbours staying in the same villa. From the time we got on the plane, Air transat, made sure the holiday had begun. On their screen we could follow the flight plan, keep track of: temperatures outside the plane, at our destination, flying elevation, speed, minutes into flight and miles travelled. I've never been so well informed while flying. Arriving in Cuba was also a nice experience, (only a little unnerving going through customs) we were served cocktails immediately after stepping onto the bus that was to take us to our resort.
Over the next few days we spent our time walking the beautiful beaches and exploring the town of Varadero. First of all the beaches go on forever. You pass resort after resort but it is not crowded. The sand is so soft on your feet and the water came rolling in sometimes in huge waves. There is very little tide difference so there is always lots of beach. I was surprised at first that the water seemed cool but once in and swimming in the big waves we found it warm. The lifeguards put out flags everyday to warn swimmers of the conditions. We had a red flag for two days meaning no swimming at all. The winds were so strong the waves would knock you over. Luckily most days the yellow flag was up so we could swim with caution. I would have loved to see a green flag so we could have used the kayaks and catamaran but the weather can't be controlled. They told us the winds are usually strong in March.
The town of Varadero is very interesting with lots of outdoor markets to visit. We walked everyday for blocks and blocks as this town is on a narrow peninsula and stretches along it with only a couple of streets wide. The people were so friendly and tried to answer any questions we had about the area. A real pleasure was seeing all the old cars from the 5o's and 60's. Some were well kept and others had been patched up just to keep them going. We had a beautiful horse and carriage tour taking in all the sights. Also there is a double decker bus that goes from one end of the peninsula to the other (22 km.) for only $5.00 American for a day's pass. Our resort also provided us with bicycles so we found another route that wasn't so busy to try them out.
Villa Tortuga is a small 3 star resort with two restaurants, a pool, night shows, and 3 bars. We were delighted with everything. The rooms were great and comfortable. The buffet restaurant became a little boring after awhile so we spent more time in the little pasta restaurant where one waiter served 20 tables all by himself. He started to recognise us and had our wine waiting for us at our table before we could ask for anything. The menu was fairly limited but the dining experience was worth it. We also tried a couple of restaurants outside the resort. One was Al Capone's castle which was just a km. up the road from us. Situated right on the beach, the view from every window was to die for. I took many pictures and when I figure out how to get them off the camera I will send one along. (Peter knows how) Outside the castle, on the street, is a sugar cane stand. They crush the cane right in front of you, run the juice through a sieve and serve it up, plain or with your favourite rum. We stopped there often for our sugar cane fix. We also tried coconut juice but I can't say I like it. We were told it was a great laxative, that may be what turned me off!!
I would like to write more about Cuba if you would like to hear but I must close for now. We could call this part one. Hope you enjoyed this part. It's hard to believe the Squamidian is coming up to it's 100th edition. Congratulations to Doug and Greg for keeping it going. What would we do without it!!
Until next time,
****
THE ONTARION REPORT
April 2, 2004
Hello everyone! Time once again for a nostalgic look Back in time.
In 1955 a family comprised of one single mother and two young
boys moved into our neighbourhood. They lived in a two story house six doors
from my childhood home on Floyd St in Kitchener’s North Ward. It didn’t take
long before they were part of “The Floyd St Gang”. They had moved to Kitchener
from Calgary Alberta. Their names were Michael and Gordon Foster. Their mother
Florence soon got a job at Burn’s Meats plant on Guelph St. Mike and Gord were
very likeable kids. They were very well mannered and fun guys to hang around
with. Floyd St is a short street that runs between Guelph St on the south end
and Fairfield Ave on the north. There are 24 houses on it and they were all built
between 1940 and 1952. The kids on the street were all between the ages of 5
and 12 years when the “Floyd St Gang” seemed to first take shape. There was my
brother Brent and sister Lynda and myself of course. The other members were
Doug and Bruce Dunnington, Ross, Keith and Sharon Wells, John Kruse, Shirley
and Francis Heck, Volker and Rita Hasselman, Debbie and Dennis Richter, Marylou
Bowling, Tom Turner, Alan and Patsy Haskins (they lived on the corner of
Fairfield and Floyd facing Fairfield but we allowed them in to the “Floyd
Street Gang”), David and Audrey Goetz, Mike and Gord Foster and Kenny
Miskaewicz (not sure of the spelling on this one). A little younger than most
of us but nonetheless part of the gang was April Johnston.
We also had a couple of kids from just around the corner on Guelph
St by the names of Terry and Tim Schnarr and three brothers Bruce, Brian and
Ron Seifried who lived on the corner of Floyd and Guelph Sts facing Guelph St
(also allowed in the “Floyd Street Gang”.
We never seemed to have a problem
finding someone to play with as kids. The only time the street was deserted was
lunch or supper time. I must say at this time, there were a few more kids than
I’ve mentioned here but they were much younger and I can’t remember their names.
Anyhow, we were a typical 50’s neighbourhood. We used to play ball and road
hockey on the street in front of someone’s house most nights and weekends. We
used to try to avoid playing in front of the Dunnington’s house because their
neighbour Jimmy Johnston used to come out and give us heck whenever our
football hit the overhead hydro lines leading to his house. I guess it made a
booming noise in the house. My dad was the one father on the street that would
load as many guys as would fit in the ‘54 Buick Special on Saturdays and take
us up to the Shand Dam to do some fishing. I’m sure we still have a few
pictures of “The Boys” lining the steep wall beside the floodgates of the
Fergus “Shand” dam with their fishing poles in hand. I’ll have to visit my sister
and dig out these photos sometime. Mike and Gord were always part of the
fishing trips. It wasn’t long after they moved to Floyd St before their mum met
a gentleman by the name of Howard Beal and shortly after, the boys became Mike
and Gord Beal. Back then, not much was said publicly about anyone’s divorce or
second marriage etc. These things just weren’t talked about because they were
considered nobody’s business back then. I’m sure the gossip was rampant in
private but we as kids didn’t know or care about such things.
We only knew that Mike and Gord and their mum were “neat” people
and that’s what mattered. Fishing trips were a part of the regular routine in
the summer time back then. If my dad wasn’t loading the car on a Saturday, Mike
and Gord’s new dad Howard was and we fished with him lots as well. The Beals
always had some new gadget or toy. They had bicycles that you could eat off
they were always so clean. These were two boys that appreciated what they had
and took good care of their stuff. We used to go to their house on a Saturday
afternoon and watch “Inner Sanctum”. This was a TV show about spooky stories.
There was always a guy in a black cape and black wide brimmed hat that was
skulking around a haunted house or something. It was pretty scary stuff on the
black and white TV. I remember learning to play Monopoly in the Beal’s house.
They had such neat stuff! In the winter time Howard built Mike and Gord a
bobsled. It was a really cool bobsled! It was about 6 or 8 feet long and had a
steering section on the front. We used to take it over to Prueter Public School
and use it on the hill out back. This thing could almost fly! We’d pile as many
kids as we could on the sled and head down the hill at breakneck speed. I
remember one time when Gord asked if he could try my “Flying Saucer”. There
were steps that lead from the playground up to the school at one end of the
hill. There were about 6 flights of stairs and each lead to a landing. Beside
these stairs of course were a series of humps and ledges in the grassy hill
that matched the shape of the steps. They were only about six feet wide and
were tight against the railing of the steps. Well, Gord decided to take the
“Flying Saucer” down these humps. He got about half way down and was airborne.
He landed on his back across the railing for the steps and crashed down on the
concrete landing. He rolled to the bottom of the steps and of course was in
terrible pain.
We loaded him onto the bobsled and
hauled him home to Floyd St. I don’t remember if his mum took him to the
hospital but he was out of commission for a few days. One of the other fun
activities we used to do at Mike and Gord’s place was to build a snow fort in
the back yard in the winter. Burn’s Meats sold a product called Fray Bentos. I
believe it means Corned Beef in Spanish. This product was shipped in wooden
boxes about the size of a large cement block. My dad brought home a few of
these boxes from Burn’s where he worked with Mrs Beal. We used to take the
boxes and pack them with snow. This process yielded perfect blocks for stacking
to make the walls of our snow fort. We had a 3 room fort built of these blocks
in Mike and Gord’s back yard. It was the coolest (literally) fort in the
neighbourhood. I could go on and on about the adventures of The Floyd St Gang
but I’m sure you all have similar memories of your heighbourhoods as kids.
As in all cases, the kids of Floyd St grew up and moved away. Some
before reaching their teens and some long after. Mike and Gord moved in the
early 60’s to a Trailer Park called Martin’s in north Waterloo. Actually I
guess it’s in St Jacob’s area on the north edge of Waterloo. We continued our
friendship for a couple of years after they moved. We used to bike up to see
them and spent many hours playing in the hay of the barn on Martin’s property.
As you can imagine, it was a good couple of hours bike ride to get to their
place. A couple of hours in the barn and it was time to head home. We enjoyed
the visits but since it was such a long way to go the visits eventually petered
out. Mike and Gord were eventually “someone who used to live on our street.”
Many years went by and Carole and I were living in Linwood. We moved
there in 1990 and moved back to Kitchener in 1998. Linwood has what they call a
Winterfest every winter. They have games etc at the local community center. In
1996 we attended a “Casino” night at the community center as part of the
Winterfest. As I walked into the main hall where the games had been set up, I
noticed a familiar face behind the gaming tables. It was Gord Beal! Amazing to
see him after all those years but he still looked pretty much the same. At
least he was recognizable after so long. We talked for about an hour or so and
he told me he’d been working for the City of Kitchener works dept for many
years. He said he was going to retire in a couple of years. Amazing how the
years fly by! I asked Gord about Mike and he told me that Mike was the owner of
a One Hour Sign business in Cambridge. He said that Mike had one son and one daughter
and that he and his wife had three sons. It was great to see him again for sure
and we vowed to make plans to get together soon. Well, time want past and we
bumped into each other a few more times over the next 5 or 6 years continuing
to talk about that get together. The last time I saw Gord was at a “Home Depot”
Cruise Night two years ago. I asked about Mike again and he said look over your
shoulder, he’s standing right behind you! I turned and Mike held out his hand
to shake mine. What a nice surprise it was. Mike was 6 years older than me but
looked 10 years younger! He was always a handsome guy and still had his dark
wavy hair and boyish good looks. He proceeded to tell me that he had his 1965
Mustang fastback in the show. He had ordered it from the factory before they
were even in production and was the owner of the first one delivered to
Ontario. I walked over and took a look at the car.
It is in amazing shape and even has the plaque on the dash from
Ford with the inscription dedicating the custom vehicle to Michael Beal. He had
ordered some custom racing features from the factory that made it a unique
vehicle. The vehicle was immaculate! I turned to Mike and commented that it was
exactly as I would have expected it to be, belonging to him. He cared for it
just as he had all of his possessions when we were kids. He just laughed and
said he likes to keep things in good shape. Once again we talked about getting
the “Floyd Street Gang” together for a reunion. And like anything else you
figure you’ll have plenty of time in the future to plan and attend such a
function.
Last Monday March 29th 2004 was the next time I would hear
Mike’s name. I was reading the KW Record and happened on an article about a two
vehicle accident that occurred on Hwy #24 and Guelph Ave in the Hespeler Area
of Cambridge. The accident had occurred on Saturday and the names of the
victims was only released in Monday’s paper. Killed by an impaired driver who
crossed the center line of Hwy #24 was Michael Beal, age 61 of Cambridge. The
driver that hit him head on was also killed in the mishap! He was a 25 year old
drug addict and dealer who was driving under the influence of either alcohol or
drugs! Other drivers at the scene told Gord and the police that they were
following this criminal from Guelph and trying to contact the OPP to tell them
that this guy was swerving all over the road and was a danger to others. It’s
unfortunate that the OPP caught up with him a few minutes too late to save
Mike! Mike was literally 2 minutes from arriving home after driving all the way
to Mexico and Guatemala without incident when this CRIMINAL took his life.
My brother Brent and I attended a
visitation and memorial for Mike in Hespeler last night. Both meeting Mike’s
wife for the first time, only to say how sorry we were for her loss. From both
our understanding and that of many who knew Mike, his passing was not only a
loss to his family but to everyone who came in contact with this “Floyd Street
Gang” member.
We’ll miss you Mike!
Greg Payne.
PS:
Something to Think About>
I
think I’ve just given you all something to think about.
PPS: Florence Beal, Mike’s mother is 82
years old and still lives in Cambridge. Gord and his wife live in the
Bridgeport area of Kitchener.
****
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the
doug
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