The Squamidian Report – Aug. 16 / 08
Issue #325
Including:
The Ontarion
Hi All,
Hey, remember that job site I was telling you about quite a while ago where we were putting in new water mains and other services. The one where I was having to dig along side the old existing fragile AC (asbestos concrete) pipe. Well, we have been working on it on and off all summer and it is pretty well finished now, finally. The last things that had to be done was a bit complicated because we had to keep the old main active until the new one was tied in. The old main was feeding several houses so it could only be shut down for short periods.
We had to do a tricky tie-in that included connecting up a small side street that is serviced by AC that T’s off of the main. It included a three-valve cluster and a whole whack of 45s and restrainers. We had to cut out a section of the old main in order to run a new line across the street and to hook onto the side streets line. In order to put the old main back into service we capped our cut and placed a thrust block behind the cap to hold the pressure. After that we backfilled and compacted the excavation. The only glitch we could see was that the old valve that fed the side street line was leaking. However, that is almost normal for old valves that have been turned off and on if they haven’t been cycled occasionally over the years. And besides, once we did the tie-in at the other end and connected the existing homes to the new line, the old main would be abandoned and that leaking valve buried and forgotten about.
So the next morning we started to swing the house services over to the new line. To do this, we had to dig down to where the service was in order to access the service pipe, and also expose our saddle, then simply cut the old service line and reconnect it to the new main. We do this kind of thing ‘live’, with the water pressure still on.
Now, remember how I said that if we hit or broke the old AC main we would have an instant flood? Well, we didn’t do quite that, but as I was digging along the old main to find a house service, I had to gently remove a very large boulder. That area is nothing but large boulders if you recall. There were two spotters down in the hole watching but to no avail. That boulder was right on top of the service line and when the boulder came free, so did the line. It pulled right out of the main. With a whooshing pop, the excavation hole immediately filled with cold water. The two spotters, soaked to the skin, scrambled out.
We had to get the water turned off to the main and then pump out the hole before we could repair the main. A temporary clamp did the trick because the next day we would be doing the other tie-in and abandoning the main forever. Then, just as we were finishing that service hookup we noticed that water was gushing out of the road at the spot we had done the three-valve tie-in so we had to shut down the old main again. Only thing we could figure is that the water from the leaking old valve had saturated the ground to the point where the thrust block holding the cap could no longer hold. That new situation meant we had no choice but to do the final tie-in and abandon the old line right then and there. It was early after noon by now and that would be a day’s work but that’s how it goes. We worked at it until we were done.
And just to keep things interesting, a momma black bear with two teddy bear cubs in tow crossed the road right in front of us as we were working. She seemed to be concerned about traffic, but paid no attention to us at all. That was cool.
*
Sometimes I need to babble just to hear myself type, but that’s the price I pay for being me. So along that line, I’m going to expand on the motorcycle theme that so often fills my section of this newsletter. If you are a rider, you already know some of the attraction to riding. But if you are not a rider, the whole sport is probably a boring mystery. I know you’ve heard all about the feeling of freedom and the ‘wind in the hair’ stuff. There is a lot more to it than that. There is an almost symbiotic relationship between the bike and the biker.
Now keep in mind, there are subtle differences between a symbiotic relationship and a parasitic relationship, although the bike is libel to argue that point. In a symbiotic relationship, both entities benefit and often can’t live without each other. A motorcycle that is capable of climbing mountains, or one that is capable of cruising down a fast highway simply can’t do it on its own even though it may think it can. A rider clinging to the back of said bike is in the same boat. He or she simply can’t do it without the bike. They may be capable of doing other things, but not those specific activities in the same way. The dirt bike that thinks is could do better on its own and tries its best to buck you off every chance it gets is not even aware of the fact that it needs your throttle, transmission and balance input. The price it pays for that human input is to carry that human weight along on the adventure. And yes, if it does manage to buck off the rider it may indeed proceed for a short distance on its own, but at some point it will loose its sense of direction and balance, only to fall over and lay there in a state of confusion and helplessness.
The rider is in basically the same situation. His or her contribution to the journey is that control input as well as the navigational input needed to get somewhere. But he’d get nowhere without the bike to except the input and carry him along. If bucked off (much to the bikes delight), the rider would also lay there in a state of confusion. It would be only after the rider re-exerts his presence that the adventure could continue.
So whether a bike and rider is cruising along some roadway or bouncing up some rough trail, they are as one, a single entity made up from two separate and totally different entities. The adventure, the air, the smells and the scenery are shared equally, mutual advantage. We ride for that relationship between person and machinery.
doug
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Hello everyone!
Where is the summer going anyway?
I guess it just seems to be passing by too quickly.
With all the rain we’ve had you’d think we’d be ticked off but when you come to
realize that we’ve had absolutely beautiful weather in between the raindrops,
it’s now so hard to take. The only problem I see with it is that we don’t get
many complete days that have no rain. We always seem to get at least a couple
of hours of rain every day. This means if you’re out somewhere riding your
motorcycle, you’re bound to get caught under on of those nasty clouds somewhere
along the line. I guess we just have to try to ride in between the times when
it’s raining.
*
WELL, I finally did it! In fact I did it twice in
the same afternoon!
I managed to fly my kite to well over a mile and cut
it loose! Carole and I went to spend a couple of days at her cousin’s cottage
in Long Point Beach. We went down on Monday and came home Tuesday evening.
While there we had a nice relaxing time and spent a few hours around the
campfire singing songs and telling stories. There were five of us there, her
cousin Heather, her hubby Perry and a friend of theirs by the name of Norm.
Come Tuesday, we were up early and enjoyed a morning tea at the waters edge.
Lake Erie is very calm most mornings. So much so that it almost has a total
lack of character. This particular morning it was very calm with absolutely no
breeze blowing at all. To look out over the lake with it’s complete lack of
movement and very little cloud cover was like looking at a thin line across the
a blank white artists canvas. With a shade of beige and blue below the line and
a very pale blue sky above, it was less than stimulating to the eye although it
was nonetheless very soothing to the soul. There’s something about an early
morning hour or two beside a body of water that is very appealing. I really did
enjoy that hour of serenity by what can be a very volatile lake at times. I
hope I have the opportunity to enjoy another day at the lakeshore before the
summer is over.
After the rest of the occupants finally awoke and
migrated to the lake shore we all headed back into the cottage for a hearty
breakfast. Carole treated us all to what is known as an Ulster Fry. This is a
traditional Northern Ireland breakfast of bacon, eggs and home made potato
bread. With a pot of tea and an order of toast this was indeed a delicious
treat for all. After breakfast we headed back to the beach with our chairs and
towels for a dip and a day on the lakeshore. I decided to bring my kites with
me and see if I had enough wind to fly them. I had told all of you that my
desire was to fly my kite to the mile high point and cut it loose just to see
where it would land. That was 3 years ago and as luck would have it this trip
to one of our Great Lakes was the perfect opportunity to accomplish my dream.
The kites I had along with me were not expensive. The first one to make the
flight was a $3. 99 triangular shaped “Sponge Bob” kids kite. I wasn’t sure it
would have enough lift to take over 5,280’ of string along with it but I
decided to give it a try. Norm held the kite aloft and I let out about 50’ of
string and told him to “Let ‘er go”! Sponge Bob was no slouch he headed for the
great beyond like a pro! Up, up and away he went with that goofy smile on his
face while peeling the line off my winder at a furious rate. I had to stand out
in the lake up to my thighs since the wind was blowing out of the southwest on
to the shore. The kite rose over the trees lining the shoreline in front of the
beach cottages and continued to rise for approximately 15 minutes. I let the
string out at a pretty fast rate and at an elevation of what we all figured to
be over a mile, I cut Sponge Bob loose and away he went. I guess I had
seriously under estimated the amount of line I had wound on to the string
holder. When I cut Bob loose I am sure he was over a mile out. It was a mere
speck against a huge white cloud and after the string was cut he disappeared
into that same cloud. I had fastened a zip lock bag onto the kite with the
date, time and location of launch and my e-mail address with a request to
contact me if the finder of the kite was able.
The second kite was my Pirate Ship. I had bought it
from Zehrs store on Ottawa St three years ago. It was originally priced at
$39.99 but was on sale for $4.99 and was a very cool ship with 6 sails on it.
The kite was about 2 feet in length and about 20” to the top of the masts, it
was red and grey striped with skull and cross bones on the flags on each mast.
Pretty cool indeed! I had done a preliminary launch of it to make sure it would
be stable in the air. I found it needed a tail to give it more stability. I
made a tail out of strips of plastic garbage bag approximately 2” in width and
a total length of about 20’. This was enough ballast on the bottom end to make
the ship rise smoothly into the afternoon sky. I had also attached a baggie
inside the ship with the same information as on the other note inside. The ship
took about 15 minutes to peel the entire remainder of the line off the winder.
The ship didn’t climb as high vertically as the Sponge Bob kite did but it was
a little farther out than the first one. With all of the line at full extension
I gave Norm the honours of cutting the line. He did so and everyone on the
beach applauded as the ship sailed off into the great beyond. I figured it was
out well over a mile and was sailing in the direction of Port Dover to the
north east of Long Point and on the north shore of Lake Erie. That was our best
guess as to a possible landing area for the kites. It’s been two days now and
no word on my e-mail as of yet. I’m beginning to worry that nobody will find
these wayward messengers. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that neither of them
landed in the waters of Long Point Bay and that someone will eventually find
them and contact me with the results of the distance they have traveled. Until
then, all I can do is imagine just how far they might have sailed before
touching back to earth. Let’s hope they made landfall somewhere where they can
be found intact. I’ll be sure to keep you all informed as to any results as
soon as they come in.
That’s it for this week!
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>
Next time someone tells you to “Go fly a kite!” Take
their direction and do so, its lots of fun!
****
Have a good one..
the doug
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