The Squamidian Report – June 9 / 07
Issue #263
Also in this issue:
North Nova News
The Ontarion
Hi All,
I hate cleaning things like cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Not because I don’t want them to be clean, but because I can never seem to do a very good job of it, and when I do get them clean and polished, they just get dirty again. Very frustrating. And to add to the frustration, no matter how hard I try I always end up putting tiny little scratches in the paint. I know, you are supposed to gently rinse, then gently wash with the right soap, then gently rinse again before drying. Then you apply the polish and shine it up. But no matter how careful I am, I miss spots and leave marks.
Now because there always seems to be bugs hovering at windshield height along the highway one tends to end up with bug splats. The windshield on a motorcycle is made of lexan, not glass. That means you must not use any kind of glass cleaner on them. Stuff like Windex highlights even the most microscopic scratch, and turns the whole thing hazy. So the only way to get the bugs off a windshield is to gently wash it with the right soap and then rinse and gently dry with the right cloth. But doing so slops soapy water onto the front of the bike so then you are stuck with washing the whole thing.
Unlike cars and trucks, which are basically covered with a sheet metal shell and are still a pain to do, bikes have a zillion nooks and crannies, engine fins, chrome pieces and do-dads. So you (or at least I) sit there for hours (or it seems like hours) jamming my fingers into places they won’t fit as I try to clean and polish. When all the washing and drying and polishing of painted parts are done, you have to polish the chrome parts with a different cleaner. It never ends. The makers of this stuff sure see you coming.
When everything is done, you hop on the bike and go out for a well-deserved ride. Within nano-seconds a big juicy bug has splatted itself right into the center of the windshield and there is new dust on the paint again. To add to the frustration, we have hardly any bugs here at all, but those we do have hang out right in the middle of the highway, at about windshield height.
*
Parts of BC are flooding right now. Not here, the Squamish area is fine right now. Our local streams are running high and fast and interesting but our river system is able to handle the flow. The interior and the north are having the problems. After a winter that dumped anywhere from 150 to 200 percent more snow than normal, snow that didn’t start to melt until a couple of weeks ago, the melting has begun in earnest. Towns along some of the rivers and streams are already cut off by rising water. The upper Fraser is flooding, and that crest will work its way down stream and into the Lower Fraser Valley. The authorities have been madly shoring up and rising dykes in hopes of averting major flooding in the highly populated areas. As well, farms have been evacuating their livestock to higher ground. Quite an endeavor when you think about the amount of agriculture that takes place along the Lower Fraser.
So far the extensive dyke improvements have worked, with just minor flooding in some areas between Hope and the river mouth. Our current spat of wet weather isn’t helping, but then the hot weather we just had didn’t help either. In fact, that’s what got the whole thing going in the first place. But the snowmelt is inevitable no matter how you look at it, unless of course we drop back into an over due mini-ice age again. No matter what, always something interesting to keep an eye on.
Our rivers and steams here on the coast tend to react immediately to rain storms or fast melt events. There is simply very little chance for water to soak into the ground, most of which is very steep and solid rock. But its kind of funny, the fastest I’ve ever seen a river rise was back home on Hidden Valley. We had endured a very cold stretch of winter where the river froze over quite thickly. When the ice broke up it headed down stream. The river makes a sharp turn at the bottom end of the section that flows past the bluffs along Hidden Valley, as it enters the Cressman Woods area. There was a massive amount of ice floating down and it jammed on that bend, down by the golf course. Once the ice jam had formed, the water backed up behind it like water filling a bathtub. Watching from our place overlooking the river valley, we could see the water rise, scarily fast. Within less than an hour the valley was under water, then the ice jam gave way and the torrent headed on down stream. The valley emptied like a flushed toilet.
doug
****
Here it is June already and time I updated everyone on the family reunion that is about to happen in August (3rd to however long you want to stay). First of all we are very excited about hosting such an event and welcome all that can come. We will do our best to accommodate as many as possible. Some have already booked into other locations but if anyone wants to tent, park an RV/van, or bunk in and around the property they are most welcome. I can get tents and sleeping bags and we have some very nice areas to camp out. Some of the rooms in Dad’s house and ours have been spoken for but just let me know and I will try to arrange something for you. I have arranged to get picnic tables from the Scotsburn Fire Hall to give lots of seating space for eating and just plain fun. I also bought, from a local farmer, lots of hamburger that I already made into patties and put in the freezer. I plan to buy a large bag of potatoes for baking and potato salads. I figured if I stocked some food ahead of time it would save everyone running into town so much. Everyone can bring his or her own drinks and snacks.
We have been busy painting walls in my Dad’s house. After him smoking for twenty years in the house the walls had become very brown. We decided to wash the walls first before painting. Not my most favourite pastime but it is so rewarding to see the house so bright and cheery again. And it will also be great to see the house bustling with people. The pond is full to the brim and I hope it stays that way because it looks so beautiful. If we have a dry summer it may look like a crater by August. Well so far the weather has been cool with enough rain. Those of you coming from Ontario may welcome a break from the hot, sticky weather but we are still hoping for some hot stuff. Either way we will have a great time. My brother Warren decided to come for a visit this past March instead of August because of his work schedule. It would have been great to have Warren and Janice at the reunion but we did have him all to ourselves for about 9 days. He managed to do almost everything while he was here: ski Fitzpatrick Mountain, carve wizards, sing, play guitar, party, eat lobster, re-connect with family and friends, rest/relax and talk over old times. Wish we could do it all over again. Love ya Warren!!
Ward’s two sons, Ben and Chris, are coming from Alberta. Ben is bringing his girlfriend, Rin, who we haven’t met yet. They plan while here to take a trip around the Cabot Trail. We are hoping Ward’s daughters; Danielle will make it home from Calgary and Brooke and family from Cambridge. Amber is expecting a baby around the beginning of July so there will be a newborn to pass around and hold. My niece, Heather and her family, from Edmonton will be here. She is my sister, Dianne’s first child whom we only met a few years ago. She has visited us every year since. I will be so happy to introduce her to the Brubacher family. She has a lot of catching up to do. I know you will all just love her! I still haven’t had a confirmed visit from Gilbert and Michelle in Switzerland but I’m still hoping they will come. Doug, Sue, Ryan and Emily will be here all the way from B.C. I hope all my aunts and uncles will make it because it wouldn’t be the same without them. My Dad wanted this reunion and always wanted everyone to enjoy his beautiful place that he created to share with family and friends. So let’s celebrate his life by bringing everyone together for this family reunion.
I look forward to hearing from all of you.
****
Hello
everyone!
I’m not
liking how these weeks are flying by so quickly, are you?
Oh well,
there’s not much we can do about it! When we were kids the summer would zip by
to darned fast as well. It seems we were no sooner out of school and mum was
buying school supplies again. Of course it’s that same old story that no matter
what season it was you can always tell what’s coming up next by what the stores
are promoting. They sell spring stuff in winter and summer stuff in spring etc
etc etc. I guess that’s just marketing but somehow it tends to take all the fun
and newness out of whatever season we are truly in. Guess the only way to avoid
seeing it is to stay out of the stores as much as possible.
*
About two
years ago I told you about having to haul my precious BBQ to the curb one
Sunday night for garbage pick up the next morning. We’ve managed to do without
one since then by using our George Forman grill in stead. Well, the other day
Carole commented on how great the smell of our neighbour’s BBQ wafting in the
breeze was and I agreed. I said at that time that we should maybe go get
another BBQ since I do miss tending to the steaks or whatever out on the patio
with my cold drink in one hand and the tongs in the other. It wasn’t 20 minutes
later that I remembered purchasing a portable unit to take along with us on
driving trips. I asked if I was dreaming or had we actually bought one. She
said I’m sure we did get one at Zellers about 5 years ago. So off I went into
the depths of the garage to search out the little black unit. I found it on the
top shelf covered in dust. I even found a small canister of propane on the
shelf next to it. I dusted off the lid and looked inside. It was virtually
brand new! We had never used the thing. I hauled it into the kitchen and showed
it to Carole. She said “I suppose I have to find something for you to cook on
it now do I?” LOL! By the time I took it out to the patio she had delivered a
couple of nice steaks on a tray to my side. I spent the next 20 minutes or so
Q-ing up the steaks for us and a couple of veggie burgers for Adam. It sure was
fun to be back at the grill. I enjoyed it immensely and found that this little
grill is all we really need for the amount of outdoor cooking we (I) do. It’s a
fun unit and it stores neatly in the shed once it’s cooled down. I’ve used it
twice now and it reminds me of the old “Hibachi” we had when we were first
married. That one used to need charcoal for the heat and was a lot messier to
use. It did the trick though and was in use for about 4 years before it rusted
through and I had to toss it too! I’m sure this model will last a few years so
it just saved my having to lay out hard earned cash for one of the patio sized
monsters. No need to overdo it when we’ve already got this handy dandy little
cooker. Next move is to find a conversion hose so I can hook it to one of the
“Free” full 30 lb tanks of propane I picked up last week. I think I told you
all about that last week but if not, I’ll make it short. Adam and I were
cruising through town one evening and I spotted two propane tanks on a boulevard
in front of a house. They had a sign on them reading Free and Full! I grabbed
the sign and went up to the lady who was in the garage of the house and asked
if they were really free or did she want something for them. She said that they
had a new Natural Gas BBQ and I could have the tanks for free if I could use
them. Little did I know that I’d actually have a use for them but I figured I’d
take them anyway since they were free. Actually Adam has a portable heater that
fits on top of the tank that he uses to heat the garage when he’s working out
there in the winter time. So now we have two uses for the tanks and they
certainly won’t go to waste. It pays to keep your eyes open when your cruisin’
the streets. You never know what sort of bargain you might happen across. It’s
almost worthwhile taking a drive around the neighbourhood the night before
garbage day. Just to see what’s on display! LOL!
Gotta go
for now!
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>
The
colder the x-ray table, the more of your naked body is required to be on it!
****
The Family and the Squamidian sites:
http://members.shaw.ca/doug_b/ and http://www.thedougsite.ca
Have a good one..
the
doug
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