The
Squamidian Report – Feb. 27 / 10
Issue #405
Including:
The Ontarion
Hi All,
Allergy season is here again, already. Hard to believe its back. A week or so of warm sunshine gets the alders and other early trees all excited and polleny. Then the early spring breeze blows the pollen all over the valley in general and into my nose in particular. So its wheezing and sneezing and blowing, the usual stuff. And of course there are more pollinating plants than just the alders. There are flowers up, green grass and buds and blossoms.
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Warren and I often get together and jam with out guitars and other instruments as we accompany our attempts at vocalizing. It’s just something we do. Probably a genetic thing when you think about it. We used to play in public at some of the local spots but we have not done that for a while now. We were suddenly confronted with the opportunity to play at a reception being held up at the Quest University for the biathlon volunteer workers, all those people who were running the biathlon events up near Whistler. The party being held for them was being organized with very short notice and we were asked the day before it was to be held if we would supply some background music. That was our first hint that things weren’t all that well thought out. Our music is not ‘background’, its more like ‘camp fire’. The next hint was that there was no sound system and that if we needed one we would have to find one somewhere. Keep in mind that this whole thing would be on a volunteer basis.
However, even though we felt some misgivings about the poorly thought out event we decided to go ahead and accept the invite to play. Then, just a couple of hours before we were to be there and just as Warren got down to my place so we could hastily pick through our repertoire to choose some stuff to play we found out that in the same room and at the same time we were to be playing, one of the Olympic hockey games would be playing on the big TV screens that had been set up. Also, the room would be open to the general public for viewing of the game. No one would want the annoyance of live music happening somewhere over in the corner and we certainly would not be able to compete with a hockey game even if someone wanted us to.
Now that put a whole new and even stupider slant on the ill-conceived and poorly thought-out idea of having background music. We called the organizer back and told her “thanks but no thanks”. We didn’t need to put ourselves through that kind of an ordeal. As it turned out after talking to one of the volunteers who attended the party, it was so loud and chaotic in that room that the people there couldn’t hear themselves think let along talk to each other. Any attempt at performing ‘background’ music would have been both futile and embarrassing. And besides, we weren’t really prepared so it would have been embarrassing on a personal level as well. So, I guess we dodge the bullet on this one.
doug
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THE ONTARION REPORT
Hello Everyone!
Well, it’s been a thoroughly enjoyable four weeks we’ve spent in Florida and it’s coming to an end this Sunday. We’ll be sad to leave but we are still looking forward to getting home to Kitchener. I must say this vacation has been one of the best we’ve had in many years. With all the exciting events we’ve experienced we’re already talking about coming back to Pensacola Beach next year. We’ve spent the last week basking in the sun and searching the beach for more treasure but alas the search was in vain. I’ve found many a coin but none of any value other than their face amount. The largest of these were quarters! Most of the coins are encrusted with sand that’s been compacted to them for many months or even years. I’ll have to devise a method of cleaning them once I get them home. Only then will I be able to check the date of each coin and try to determine if any of them are indeed special. I think people must stroll the beach and just empty their pockets at random by tossing their loose change across the sands secretly thinking “Here’s some treasure for those old buggers that wander these beaches with metal detectors hoping for riches to appear!” I guess in reality I should thank them for giving me something of monetary value to dig up along with all the beer cans and useless metal objects that are of no value at all. At least I can have some fun cleaning them and checking the dates once we get them back to Ontario. I’m really looking forward to having the gold ring and crucifix with chain evaluated by my jeweler friend. It’ll be fun for sure.
Although the weather has had it’s ups and downs over the past month we’ve had plenty of opportunity to get out on the beach and enjoy the sun. We’ve both managed to secure a tan and a much healthier appearance than we came south with. At least we’re not white and pasty looking like we were back in KW. The sun does a nice job of giving one a healthy sheen to one’s skin. It’s just too bad the tans won’t last very long after leaving the paradise of the south. Oh well, it’ll give us a reason to come back again next year when our Canadian winter has us looking pasty and white once again. I would seriously recommend this vacation spot to anyone that is looking for a really great place to spend some winter weeks. We’ll certainly return for another month of fun in the sun.
Carole has most of the items we brought down with us already packed and also all of the new items we purchased while here in Pensacola Beach. Come Sunday evening we can pack the car and then Monday morning it’s just a matter of having a good breakfast and we’re on the road to home!
I must say that one of the most enjoyable parts of our vacation this time has been the Garmin GPS system that Adam bought us for Christmas last year. This is the first trip we’ve really used it on and it truly is an amazing piece of equipment. We’ve found our way around Pensacola City without so much as a hiccup! Today we wanted to head into the city to pick up one more item that we want to take home. I looked up the address on the computer last night and after we had lunch at a little sports bar on the beach that boasts THE Best Hamburgers and Wings on the island we entered the address of our destination into the GPS device. We started out in the right direction and our trusty GPS went nuts. The Voice of “Mini” as we call her was telling us to turn where there was no turn and naming streets that didn’t exist as far as we knew. It was ok at that point since I knew how to get to our first stop. However, Carole suggested I leave her at the store she wanted to spend some time in first and that I go to the other destination myself and then pick her up afterwards. I decided to stop in to the Best Buy electronics store across the street to ask them if they could tell me what was going screwy with our GPS. Since Adam had purchased it at a Best Buy in Kitchener, I figured they might be able to help me out. If not, I’d be looking for a map to read to help find out way home the old fashioned way! LOL! The Best Buy worker was only too happy too help me solve my problem. He fiddled with my GPS for about 15 minutes and when he came back out to me on the store floor, he said, “I’ve tested it every way I can and there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with it. He did tell me that sometimes they form a glitch and you have to turn them off for 2 minutes and then turn them back on and it reorients itself with the satellite. Apparently this is all that happened to ours this time. I got back out in the car and it was working perfectly. I made it to my destination and back to pick Carole up about an hour alter. I’m just glad he was able to get “Mini” working again for our trip home. Here’s a GPS joke……..”If she wasn’t working for the trip home, we’d be lost without her!” LOL! Hahahahahahaaaaa…….!
Oh ya, I guess I should tell you why we call her “Mini”. The make of the device is Garmin so we shortened it to Mini since she speaks to us in a female voice!
Enough said!
That’s it for this week folks and the next time you hear from me I’ll be back home in Kitchener.
Thanks for tuning in and I look forward to talking to you all again next time from home in The Ontarion Report!
Bye for now… GREG.
PS: Something to Think About>
When you travel, take a trusty old map along with your GPS just in case!
PPS: Carole and I wish to say that our thoughts and prayers are with Sue and her family members while her dad is in hospital.
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Have a good one..
the doug
The Fine Print!
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