The Squamidian Report – Aug. 15 / 15
Issue #690
Including:
The Ontarion
Hi All,
From my viewing perspective, the Perseid meteor shower was a bit of a
bust. Not at all the fault of the shower, but due to the fact that our
clear skys were washed out. All that was visible of the night sky was
the very brightest of stars. You'd think it was a full moon night but
no, the culprit was smoke. We've been enduring forest fire smoke for
most of the summer. This time it wasn't smoke from the Elaho our some
other local blaze but smoke from large fires down in Washington State.
The sky is a constant milky grayish colour. I did manage to see half a
dozen meteors and the ISS but that was all. Bummer.
On Friday, we hooked up with other riders from my club and headed into
the Interior. We had planned a 2-nighter ride where we ride to our
destination on one day, spend the second day riding and exploring the
local roads, then ride home on the 3rd day. We had a great time. The
forecast was for showers and thunderstorms for both Friday and
Saturday. Go figure, after months of heat and almost no rain, it all
changes when we plan a ride. Somehow however, we managed to ride all
the way to our motel in Clinton without seeing or feeling a single
drop. At the same time, there were storms all around us. And those
storms contained a lot of lightning which set the southern Okanogan
ablaze. Not good. We talked to riders who had ridden though what looked
like snow falling but it was ash.
On the Saturday we headed out on an easy 200k day-ride. We took back
roads up and over the high country in the Caribou Plateau area.
Wonderful country. On our way back to our motel we ran into the only
rain we would find, a very heavy downpour that lasted only about 15
minutes. We were almost back to Clinton so it really didn't matter.
That evening as we hung out at the motel we watched several riders pull
in, they all looked like drowned rats. They had ridden up from
Vancouver in pouring rain the whole way. They had even had to dodge
falling rocks on the Duffy that the rain was washing down. By late
evening the sky had cleared. Sunday's forecast was sunny and warm. We
hit the road Sunday morning and headed back. Traffic was light all the
way to Pemberton. From there on it got increasingly heavy, and the
temperature continued to rise. By the time I tapped out in Squamish it
was very hot and traffic was miserable. My riders had to endure that
back to the city. But, overall, it was a great weekend. We saw deer on
the road, cows on the road, grouse on the road, bad drivers on the road
and so on. The dog was happy to see us, at least for a few minutes,
then she went and had a nap.
A bit more about the forest fires, the one thats doing the most damage
currently has wiped out 30 or so homes in and around Rock Creek. At
first it was thought to be started by lighting until they found the
cigarette butt and even have it on video from a security camera as he
tossed it out a car window. Its time to bring back lethal injection if
they can identify the idiot. This kind of thing just keeps on
happening. A message needs to be sent.
doug
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THE ONTARION REPORT
Hello everyone!
I visited my friend Frank the other day and as we sat at the picnic
table out on his back patio he made an off the cuff remark that hit me
right between the eyes. He said, “Yeah, it’s hard to believe we’ve
almost hit the 70 mark eh?” I was so rattled I didn’t know what to say
in reply! I finally looked him in the eye and said “Piss Off! I’m not a
day over 45!” and we both laughed like a couple of 10 year old girls at
a pajama party! What a helluva way to start a visit between to guys
that have been friends for over 50 years! WOW, did I just say over 50
years? Guess that tells the true story right there? It sure is a
shocker when reality smacks you right between the eyes! Oh well, since
we’re both able to laugh about the fact I guess being alive to do so is
a bonus indeed. We met when we were 16 and now we’re heading for 67
just after the New Year so hopefully we will both make it to the 70
mark or older! The one thing that we don’t waste time talking about
when we do see each other for our monthly visit is the condition of our
health. We’ve both been through enough challenges so far in life that
we’ve most certainly helped our Doctors pay cash for a luxury vehicle
or two over the years. There’s no sense crying over spilled beer and we
should continue to celebrate the fact that we’re both still on the
right side of the grass! When we finally came to our senses we both
agreed that just forgetting the reality of our age and keeping on
keeping on is the best way to handle what years we have left on this
beautiful planet! I always enjoy my visits with Frank and he seems to
feel the same. He is one of the most interesting characters I’ve known
in my life and our conversations always take us on to topics that tend
to teach either one or both of us something about the other or life
that we didn’t already know. I guess having two totally different
occupations has given us such diverse experiences in life that there’s
always something old to talk about that’s actually something new to one
another. Anyway, there’s a lesson to be learned from visiting old
friends now if I could only figure out what that lesson is???
If any of you Squamidian members can clue me in, please feel free to do
so! It’s always nice to hear from our members young and old and who
knows, if you take a few minutes to write in to either the Squamidian
or The Ontarion we both just might learn something from each other!
*
I’m sure that Doug will be addressing the Perseid
meteor shower of last night but I just want to comment on the viewing I
had of the spectacle. I got my Lumberjack shirt and my tweed peak cap
on to ward off the 10c chill of the midnight air and headed out to the
back yard to see how many “falling stars” as I call them I could count
in an hour. I stood with my neck cranked back and my eyes surveying the
night sky for a good half hour and managed to spot one half-second
streak of light and one even briefer flash with no streak behind it.
What a disappointment after all the hype about the spectacle that would
be visible between midnight and 4am according to the CTV News. I guess
I must have picked the least meteoric time to be watching this
phenomenon because all I got was a crick in my neck and a couple of
dizzy spells during the time I stood out in the yard. I finally gave up
and went back in to watch a bit more TV before heading off to bed.
Maybe next year I’ll be smart enough to either sit slouched in a comfy
chair or lay on my back on a sleeping bag so I’m not risking toppling
into the garden when I lose my balance. With the moon not visible last
night, I’m sure that someone here in Waterloo Region got a good view of
the streaks from outer space but that someone wasn’t me this time
around. Oh well, maybe next year!
Guess that’s about it for this week folks!
Thanks for tuning in and I’ll look forward to talking to you all again next week in The Ontarion Report!
Bye for now … Greg
PS: Something To Think About>
Are you all looking forward to the upcoming Federal Election? Just
remember one thing as you consider whom to vote for, “Budgets Do NOT
balance themselves!” Especially when the Finance Minister is Toking up
with the Prime Minister in the Men’s washroom on Parliament Hill
instead of attending Finance Meetings!
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Have a good one..
the doug
The Fine Print!
The articles in these issues are the sole property of the persons writing them and should be respected as such.
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