The
Squamidian Report – Feb. 13 / 10
Issue #403
Including:
The Ontarion
Hi All,
I’ve been using this Mac computer for almost two months now and I’ve come to some conclusion. For starters, Macs do seem to be somewhat more stable than PCs. For the most part Mac software seems to get along pretty good with other Mac software, which is something I sure can’t say about Windows software. There is some software that is open source or converted from PC that has the occasional bug but none I’ve run into so far has taken down the whole machine. As for being easier or more intuitive than a PC, that’s up for debate. If you are proficient on a Mac, the Mac is easier. If you are proficient on a PC, the PC is easier. It has taken some real struggling to find software to do exactly what I need to do. There just isn’t the same scope of software available. And once you find a program that will do what you need to do, it doesn’t necessarily do it by what would seem to be the easiest way. There are PC programs that do things that just don’t exist for Mac, can’t be done. I would imagine that is due to market demand, there are 10 times more PCs out there than Macs. Macs do some things better, PCs do some things better.
However, generally speaking I’m happy with the switch. It has forced me to learn new stuff and new ways of doing things, and I sure don’t miss all the MS intrusions and re-boots. I’m now relatively fluent on both systems so I guess from a computer point of view, I am now bilingual. In politically correct Canada, that is a good thing.
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Remember that new Harley I told you about? Well, she has been delivered. Delivery was a good way to do it for a couple of reasons. Most important was that our roads are sandy this time of year from being sanded. Funny thing is there is no winter and therefore no ice or snow to deal with but I guess they need to use up their budget. Anyway, like I’ve said before, riding on two wheels on sand on top of asphalt is a bad idea. Then there is the new, unfamiliar bike thing to take into account. This new bike is even heavier than the old one and sits half an inch higher. I need some practice time on quiet streets before I head out into traffic. And face it, even though there are lots of bikes out around here it is only February and there is simply no need for me to be out there on a bike for a little while. Not for another month yet.
Anyway, ‘Blue’ came in a nice enclosed trailer up from the dealer in Langley along with another bike being delivered to Squamish. I helped the guy release her from the restraints and then I backed her down the ramp and out of the way. The delivery guy had not been told that he was also picking up old Black so I offered to keep her but he didn’t think that was a good idea. We brought Black down out of the garage and ran her up into the trailer and tied her down. I still hadn’t worked up the nerve to tell her she was leaving so I just let her think she was going off to some fun bike camp. Heart breaking, when you think of it.
I had never even heard Blue yet run so as soon as the delivery trailer pulled away I fired her up. She has the familiar Harley rumble and so she should. As part of the deal I had the dealer include a full Stage-1 kit, which includes Screaming Eagle air filter and pipes as well as the computer download. I won’t have her licensed for the road for another month yet so I couldn’t take her out for a spin but I did ride up to the end of the street using the excuse that I needed to get turned around before running her into the garage. That was cool, she felt pretty good.
Once in the garage I attended to some of the details that needed to be done. First thing was to raise the passenger footboards to their top position for Sue. Then I installed my rider backrest and the windshield trim. I’ll remove the tall stock shield once the weather warms up and replace it with my short custom shield. I adjusted the foot shift levers and set some of the radio stations. Checked her over and that’s pretty well it until I get my registration sticker. All the paper work is in place, I just don’t need to pay for insurance that I can’t use yet. (Fire, theft and vandalism stay on all year.) I’ve got highway pegs on order.
Took some pics as usual: http://www.thedougsite.net/EG-Blue/delivery1.html
doug
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THE ONTARION REPORT
Hello everyone!
Well, here I am again taking time out of my beach
time to write my column. Things are going well here but today actually, we’re
having a cold and rainy day. It’s blown from Texas and is
carrying some, believe it or not, SNOW! I guess
they’ve got an inch or two that’s stayed on the ground about 20 miles north of
here and to the west as well. They almost never see snow in these parts and
people in Alabama are sending pictures of their kids standing beside snowmen
they’ve built in their yards to the local TV stations. You’d think they were in
the North Pole the way they are carrying on. LOL! About 13 years ago they had a
few flakes of snow here in Pensacola Beach and some heavier stuff up in
northern Alabama and Mississippi as well so I guess I can’t blame them for
being thrilled when they do get some of the white stuff. We’re looking at a
couple of days of colder wet weather here on the island but then it’s supposed
to warm up again to the high fifties and low to mid sixties. That’s a heck of a
lot better than the temps back home. I must admit that the weather here isn’t
what we expected but it’s an improvement most days over back in Kitchener.
We’ve had sun and 55 to 64 f temps since we arrived but we’re hoping for more
sun and higher temps in the next few weeks. Folks around here tell us that they
usually have temps from 60 to 70f in February so there’s hope yet!
Carole and I have spent quite a few days on the
beach and it’s been lots of fun. She sits in the cabana and I do my wandering
down the beach playing with my metal detector. I’ve been finding loads of coins
but nothing valuable so far. I found a ring that is promising for sure and I’ll
have a jeweler check it out when we get home. It’s silver from what I can tell
and it’s got a daisy shaped flower on one side with five bright red petals
surrounding a lone diamond in the middle they aren’t very large but I can’t
wait to find out if they are real. There is also one single red stone beside
the flower cluster as well. The ring is the “split” type so it may be a “toe”
ring or maybe a child sized ring. I’ll find out when we have it checked. It was
exciting to find it at any rate and makes me want to keep on detecting. I spoke
to a local beach maintenance guy as he drove up the beach in his mini truck. He
told me that there is a ship wreck about 150 yards off shore from our beach
that his buddy used to dive on with friends when he was a teenager back in the
60’s. He said it’s a wooden vessel and the last time the guy dove down to it
was about 15 years ago so it’s still out there for sure. It would be cool to go
out and check it out but the water is so cold this time of year that you’d need
pro gear to swim let alone dive in 20’ of water to take a look. He said after
the wreck, the water suddenly takes a deep drop and the bottom is over a
hundred feet down not far past the wreck site. I think I’ll pass on that one
but it does show that there’s a possibility that the storms might wash up some
artifacts from the ship and maybe others on the beach when they happen.
I feel like Ernest Hemmingway sitting here
writing my column. The surroundings are so tropical and interesting and to top
it all off, in the beach village that’s about three kilometers to the west
along the road there is a restaurant that’s called Ernest Hemmingway’s
Hideaway. It’s a cool looking place and we’ll head down there for supper one
night for sure before we head home. I can see how someone can get hooked on
living here and never want to leave. The one drawback I’ve been told by locals
is that in the summer it gets unbearably hot and humid. They say it’s one of
the most humid parts of Florida even thought it’s in the north west part of the
state. I think I’ll stick with visiting this area rather than moving down for
good! Although this condo is spacious and luxurious and is definitely livable
I’d miss my garage and basement and back yard space too much. Maybe when I get
old………. I mean REALLY old, I might consider moving into something similar but
until then, our house in Kitchener will remain our castle of preference!
This beach town and a couple of others that
inhabit the island have been hit by vicious hurricanes over the years and in
particular Pensacola Beach which is the west end of the island where we are had
over 650 houses and many businesses destroyed back in 2004. I believe it was by
Hurricane Ivan. They are still picking up the pieces and rebuilding. There are
many beautiful summer homes here but there are also many empty lots in between
them that used to have homes on them. I guess many of the victims decided not
to rebuild. The twolane road that runs the length of
the island and divides it into two beaches one on either side was lifted and
smashed into tiny bits of asphalt and spread over the dunes on the north side
of the island. Keep in mind that this island is very narrow. Its average width
is about 400 to 500m wide. In some parts like the west end where Pensacola
Beach town is, it’s maybe 1km wide but that’s only a stretch of about 2km then
it narrows down for about 25km to the next town called Navarre Beach. In
Navarre Beach there are about 200 homes and maybe 10 small businesses like bars
etc and then it narrows down again and stretches further east for about another
25 km to the Pensacola Naval Air Station. The island housing the air station is
about 5km wide and 10 km long. There is a naval shipyard there and a huge air
base of course and it houses a Naval Air Museum. We are going to venture down
for a visit and tour before we leave this island paradise. It’s supposed to be
a very cool museum. They have a Navy F4 Phantom jet on a pedestal in front of
the main building. I’ve always liked planes so I’m sure I’ll enjoy a visit to
this place. Speaking of flying, I forgot to bring my kites along so I’m going
to have to get out and buy a couple so I can have a kite day on the beach.
There is plenty of wind here on the island and it should be perfect for kite
flying.
I found a huge crab on the beach yesterday but it
was washed up after a night of heavy surf. The surf is usually very small here
and to have 4 to 5’ waves pounding the shore was unusual and I guess it takes a
toll on the marine life. I was talking to that beach attendant the other day
again and he told me that there are huge fish out past the second sand bar
that’s visible on calm days. He said that out past where the shipwreck is the
fish get huge indeed. He told me that last September, two marine biologists
from Texas that come here three times a year to tag fish for tracking came into
the Beach Authority Office and had pictures of some of the fish they had
tagged. They showed him and the other employees pics
of a 150 lb Grouper they tagged and also a 6’ 10” 390 lb Tiger Shark they
tagged as well. Now that baby can stay out in the deep water if you ask me! He
also said that hey have never had a shark attack here in Pensacola Beach so he
said it’s totally safe to swim here. Ya sure! I think
I’ll stick to twiddling my toes at the edge of the surf thank you very much! Hahahaha… ! I don’t like the
thoughts of being a shark’s meal so I’ll stick to the beach and metal
detecting. Who knows, maybe I’ll find a Rolex off the shark’s next victim in
the sand! LOL! (I hope the arm isn’t still attached)
Guess that’s about it for this week folks!
Thanks for tuning in and I look forward to
talking to you all again next week in The Ontarion
Report!
From Portofino Resort in the Florida Panhandle
I’ll bid you adieu for now!
GREG.
PS: Something To Think About>
Most shark attacks take place in less than three
feet of water!
PPS: I think (and Hope) that the red stones are Rubies and that the “diamond” is real too! I’ll let you know when I find out for sure.
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Have a good one..
the doug
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