The Squamidian Report – Oct. 11 / 08
Issue #333
Including:
Out with the old - in with the new, PART TWO
The Ontarion
Hi All,
It’s only Thanksgiving and yet the mountains all around us are coated with a generous covering of new snow. Bright and white. You’d think it was almost winter or something.
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After it spent almost 3 weeks in the body shop, we finally got Sue’s car back. Oh, didn’t I tell you?… That nice new car she purchased in the spring got banged up not once but twice. First time was when she was parked in the parking garage of the Vancouver building that her audit office is located. She came out to find the front corner pushed in. However, the guy that backed into her car did leave a note on the window giving his name and other necessary info. Perhaps he left his name because someone saw him hit her car, or perhaps he was an honest person. We don’t really know, but it makes dealing with our stupid ICBC insurance easier when you have a written confession from someone.
So we had to jump through all the red tape hoops to get an approval for a repair appointment. The local body shops are pretty backed up so it would be several weeks before they could do the work. Then before that wait time was up, she was again in Vancouver, driving to the office. When she stopped for a red light a small sports car behind her didn’t and ended up creaming her back end. Again, there were witnesses so the guy that hit her couldn’t claim something stupid like “she backed into me” or some such thing. So again, she was not at fault but we still had to jump through the red tape stuff.
Because the car had quite a bit more damage than just the front corner the repairs were moved up a bit but it still took those 3 weeks to be completed. She had the use of a courtesy car but it was still a major hassle and now her ‘new’ car has had almost $9000 worth of body repairs making it an old, unwanted car. The damage was cosmetic, being things like sheet metal and plastic and glass but it was damage nonetheless and very frustrating.
There seems to be an overabundance of bad drivers these days and I blame it on the fact that most jurisdictions have gone to ‘no fault’ insurance. If no one is going to be held accountable, no one is going to care all that much. And to add to the problem, police these days won’t or can’t attend to a crash unless someone is hurt. Used to be that if you ran into another vehicle you could count on facing a moving violation charge. That doesn’t happen anymore. About the only thing the cops bother with anymore are speeding tickets. So drive as poorly and recklessly as you like, just don’t get caught speeding. That’s the message that has gotten through to way too many motorists.
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The wife and I did a motorcycle ride into Horseshoe Bay for dinner last evening. The ride in was nice, the ride back was spectacular. The sun was setting over Howe Sound and the Coast mountains, giving the water and the hills colour and texture. Only cravat was that the west coast is having single digit temperatures now and for the foreseeable future. So we had geared up in our cold weather riding cloths and were just fine. On the ride back we were happy to have our heated vests plugged in so we could turn them on as needed. They put out so much heat that I don’t just leave it turned on, I heat it up for a few minutes and it keeps me warm for quite a while. We could get thermostats for them but it just hasn’t seemed necessary yet.
Unlike the Ultra Classic Electra Glides like Paul’s, my Classic doesn’t have lower fairings to channel the wind away from my feet and lower legs. What I do have is engine chaps. They fit over the engine guard bars and block the wind from my feet and channel it over the engine. That keeps my feet warm and the re-directed air tends to come up toward me, helping to keep the rest of me warmer than I’d be without them. The only thing with engine chaps is that you shouldn’t use them when the temperature is above about 15 or so. No problem. At 15 degrees I don’t need them.
doug
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For many years Bobbie and I dreamed of building a new cottage. Plans
were drawn...........maybe not a "whole new cottage", just tear down
the oldest part and build a new sleeping area, and leave the kitchen as is. On
and on we planned.
Our frequent trips to the cottage took us past Royal Homes model displays near Wingham...........we often went in, looked at the models, then left with more dreams.........maybe, someday. And as we dreamed, the cottage, like us, grew older and began falling apart. We finally took the plunge and went in to seriously decide on selecting a new Royal Home. We went in to smallest model first (because that would be the only one we could afford if we DID decide on it), liked it very much! But went in to their medium size model and then into their largest one (which was a MANSION nobody could afford). Then, we went back to the small model, called the HURONIA (for Lake Huron), and went into the sales office started negotiations.
The sales agent, Chris, made ownership sound so easy and simple.........they would do the excavation, set the modular home (built indoors in their factory) on a foundation they would pour, and turn over to us the keys and we could move into our completely finished home. No painting to be done, no carpeting to lay, no plumbing or wiring to worry about............IT`S ALL DONE! Yeah, sure.!
First, we talked price. And because we didn’t like the porch on our selected home, Chris was able to knock off $20,000 if it were sold to us without said porch. (sounded like a good idea at the time, but we have since had second thoughts). We were able to make our own selections on style, colour and types of building materials for both inside and out.............that was the fun part! Then, we had to come up with the money.
A couple of visits with our financial planner resulted in MOUNTAINS of papers to sign........we literally signed our life away! But, we were able to get the money. We cashed in a few investments, and took out a mortgage. WHAT? A MORTGAGE AT OUR AGE? We’ll never be able to pay it off if we live to 100 years! But don’t forget, we have two sons with families and this is their inheritance..........OK?
Now, we’re committed. Our next job is to prepare the site. This meant cutting down mature trees, some 80 years old, and we hate to cut down ANY trees! Bobbie purchased her lot BECAUSE it was well treed, as was her parents property, which it abutted. At one time, my Sweet counted 32 Silver Birch on her lot.
Now, to hoist the new building in two sections, each 29.5 by 48 feet, will require a crane. And all the trees to the East of the site would have to be cut down. NO WAY, said my Darling, she was adamant that no mature trees would be destroyed. She would cancel the whole deal RIGHT NOW! You can always plant new trees, was Chris’s weak response.....I’d never see them mature in my lifetime! Was Bobbies retort.. The saw-off decision was not to saw off, but to trade in the contracted 60 T. crane for a 90 T. crane for a difference of $900, which we would have to pay. Reluctantly, we conceded. Still, several smaller trees yielded to the chainsaw, and our driveway had to be widened and strengthened in order to bring in all the heavy equipment. This meant bulldozing a 30 foot wide swath leading from the main road to our old cottage site, and building up the driveway with crushed gravel, pulling up our white gateposts and fence, and making a wide, gradual turn into the site...........and all this gravel has to removed and the gateposts and fence replaced when the job is done!!!!! Oh, well, out with the old, in with the new.
Those of you who have lived in the same home for decades will appreciate how much "stuff" you can accumulate. Deciding what to keep and what to "dump" was our hardest decision, as almost everything has sentimental value! Even the stuff with no sentimental value, one doesn’t want to throw away, because maybe you might use/need it some day. THIS IS THE CURSE OF THE PACK RAT. We just can’t keep everything we want or think we "may" need some day!
One of the things very difficult to part with was Bobbies 4 foot long, marble-top vanity with special brass taps........only three summers old. She generously, but reluctantly gave it to our friend, Will, the handyman/carpenter. Our Nephew, Dickson, who is like another son to us, was given the shower stall for use in his farm home nearby. The airtight woodstove went to Elmer Brubacher, along with everything else he cared to salvage. This whole exercise was like making a bequeath at one’s demise.
Bobbie wanted me to tell you how terribly sad she was having to take everything out of the cupboards and off the shelves and pack it up in boxes and boxes and boxes (you get the point). All wall hangings, mirrors and pictures had to be carefully "bubble-wrapped" for the "long-distance" move to our two-car garage, 30 feet away! But wait..........first we had to empty the garage which had an accumulation of stuff you wouldn’t believe. Two years age, we moved out of a large four level back-split in West Galt into a one level apartment in a high-rise in Preston.............with about 3/4 the space. So where do you think the overflow went? You guessed it, to the garage at the cottage, which was now bursting at the seams.
Fortunately, Bettie and Greg (who was between projects in his job in the oil fields of Alberta as a Petroleum Consultant) were on hand to help us pack. Hell, they took over the job or we’d still be puttering around!!!! Greg has a truck and a flatbed trailer, which he loaded, destined for either the dump or his own garage in Ripley for the temporary storage of the small stuff. MIRACLE! Greg was able to EMPTY our garage leaving ample room for all the furniture and appliances. Another stroke of luck was that our Great Grandson, Glenn and his cousin, Justin were on hand to help Greg carry out all the heavy stuff.... sofa, chairs, cupboards, bookcases, beds, appliances..................did I say we were moving?!
Bettie, Greg, Glenn and Justin sure helped us out and saved us a bundle........we1d have had to call in a mover, and what a costly shame that would have been, moving only 30 feet!!! This I can’t believe.........Greg moved the water heater, softener and brine tank out to the garage ALL BY HIMSELF! What a Gem of a son he is.......he’s surely a Godsend.
Early in August Elmer Brubacher arrived with a wagon, and a team of horses. His crew set to work dismantling the old cottage, starting with the living room. Surprisingly they took down only this portion, leaving the sleeping end of the "H" standing. Apparently the wood in this portion (Hydro home) was too old and brittle for re use, so they took only the windows.
We couldn’t bear to see our old cottage being torn down, so we were conspicuous by our absence, while Bettie took pictures of the "mutilation". But, as promised, Elmer B. left the original cabin intact, and because it was built by the Brubacher brothers, it will live on in a new location on his farm near Lucknow. This was the only bright spot in the demolition..........knowing the cabin will have a "new life".
After Elmer took what he wanted, our contractor moved in with his wrecking equipment and flattened the remaining structure, loaded it on trucks and hauled it (21.26 Tonnes) away to the dump for a shocking fee of $1,977.18. The dump fees cost more than the entire cottage to build! The dump fees in this area are "sinful"!
With the huge deck, and the entire cottage gone, the excavation for the foundation could begin. This was done in a matter of hours, but the real headache was, there was no place to pile the earth, so it had to be loaded on trucks and hauled away.... later to be reloaded and hauled back to back-fill the foundation. BUMMER! More cost $$$$$$.
On the 25th of September, we arose early to drive the 230 KM to be at Point Clark by 9:00 AM, when the new home was to arrive. We were very fortunate to have our son, Mac from Calgary home for a few days.............he’d been to Toronto on business, and brought his camera equipment with him as he planned to take in the excitement at Point Clark. We were twice blessed, as our other son, Greg was also on deck. Both Mac and Greg took sequential pictures of the whole operation, from the arrival of the trucks and 90 T. crane, to unloading and hoisting the two sections, one at a time, over the treetops and onto the foundation. Seeing the home clearing the tops of the tall trees we had saved, made the additional expense of the larger crane worthwhile.
The sections of the modular home fit perfectly, and once the slings were removed, the site Manager, Karl invited Bobbie and me into our "new home". It was all very exciting. Almost like a dream. We had brought some "bubbly" for the occasion, and our sons and all the workmen joined us in a "toast to the new home".
(we have some pictures we’d like to show at this point, but I don’t know how to insert them here, so I’ll send them in a separate E-mail. Doug, please feel free to include any or all the ones you choose)
Too bad we can’t show you any pictures of the old cottage..............we have plenty, but they were not taken with a digital camera.
Finally, we want the readers to know the new building is not much larger than the old one, being only 18 inches deeper and 48 inches longer, but it will have more of the "creature comforts" us older people have grown accustomed to and NEED. We’ll be able to take possession mid October, then another big job takes place.............moving back in............and life goes on.
Note: Here is a page of cottage pictures.
http://www.thedougsite.net/F&F/Pictures/Others/cottage1.htm
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Hello everyone!
I suppose that all the local members of the
Squamidian family are enjoying this beautiful fall weather. I know that Carole
and I certainly are! I’m not even tired of mowing the lawn yet and I’ve done it
approximately 74 times this year so far. It looks like I’ll be cutting it a few
more times before packing it in for the upcoming winter season. I really don’t
mind when it means we’re prolonging a lovely fall. As I said I would do in last
weeks Ontarion I got a pretty good start on the yard work for the upcoming
winter. I managed to take the pumping system apart and get the pond closed up.
I decided to cover it this year and make it easier for myself when it comes
time to open it next spring. CTC had the plastic covers of all sizes on sale
and they sure are handy for such things as winterizing the pond. I even have
one that I use for covering the garden swing. I wrapped the swing last season
for the first time and I’m happy to say it worked like a charm. Sure beats
taking a hundred screws out of the thing and trying to find them next spring.
The next project is cleaning up the garage and organizing it so we can store
the motorcycles in it for the winter along with the MGB. I guess the Jeep and
Adam’s Mini will be sitting outside for the winter this year. Oh well, they are
both undercoated and winterized and I’m sure they’ll handle it ok. We use them
every day of the winter anyway and they tell me it’s better not to keep them in
a garage as far as body rust goes. If your garage is warm enough for the snow
and ice to melt off of your vehicles it causes the rusting process to
accelerate. So far, the Jeep and Mini both don’t have a spot of rust on them
and they’ve been undercoated every year since new. I’m hoping to get another 5
years at least out of the Jeep. I’m sure it’ll last that long and who knows, by
then maybe Doug and I will have won the lottery with the group we’re in and we
can afford a new one! LOL! We’ve been in the same Lottery group for the past 8
years. Well, at least I’ve been in it that long! I think that Doug got in about
5 years ago or so and I must say, I thought adding his name to the club would
have brought us some luck but so far, we’re still keeping our fingers crossed
every week! LOL! What the heck, if that kid from Guelph can win 35 million ,
surely we can pick up an “Encore” or two!!!???
Hahahhaaaa……! Like they say, you can’t win if you don’t have a ticket so
we’re determined to keep trying and keep buying! Maybe this week! LOL!
Gotta go for now! HAPPY THANKS GIVING TO ALL!
Thanks for tuning in and I look forward to talking
to you all again next time in The Ontarion Report!
PS: Something To Think About>
Why did the turkey cross the road?
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Have a good one..
the doug
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