The Squamidian Report – May 28 / 05
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Hi All,
The wet weather of our long weekend has left and in its place is rather sweltering heat. Like 32 in the shade. That’s hot enough to melt your earwax. Don’t have much energy left at the end of a day in this stuff. Luckily there is virtually no humidity and it cools off nicely at night.
I’m not going to tell you about another great bike ride even though we did have one last Saturday and I’ve posted pictures from it on the dirt bike section of my .ca web site. Instead, I’ll tell you about our walk around Stanley Park in Vancouver. On the holiday Monday Sue and I and Ryan and Emily went into the city to walk the park again. We have done it in the past, kind of nice to do it about once a year. The sea wall winds its way around about ¾’s of the way and there are walkways and paths that cut back across the narrow piece of land that joins the park to the rest of the city.
Stanley Park, named after the same guy that the cup is named after is about 800 acres so walking around it is quite a hike. Like about 12 miles. That’s like walking around Hidden Valley 3 times in a row. Sections of the walk take you past the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club with the downtown as a backdrop. Then you pass the navel academy. Just pass there is where all the totem poles are standing. As you round the bend the whole of Burrard Inlet opens out before you as well as North Van over on the north shore.
The Lions Gate Bridge is prominent for quite a while as you work your way westish toward English Bay and the St of Georgia. Once past the bridge the sea wall is at the base of fairly high cliffs. Once past the cliff area there is a long section of sandy beaches. The tide was out during our walk so the beaches reached out quite a ways. Lots of locals and tourists on the walkway. Some spots we had to ourselves for a short time, others were crowded. The sea wall walkway is divided into two lanes, one for people on foot, the other for bicycles and roller blades, that kind of thing. By the time we got back to the car we were understandably tired, and my ankles were hurting. Guess that’s old age creeping up on me. Good walk though, have to do it again sometime.
Oh yes, took way too many pictures. Posted some of them on one of my web sites. I’ve divided the pictures up into 3 pages of about 7 shots each for anyone with lots of patients. They are at: http://members.shaw.ca/doug_b2/Stanley/stanley1.htm and the link to each next page is at the bottom of each page.
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Took a drive up to Whistler one evening this week in my little truck. I’m not a big fan of Whistler but the drive can be enjoyable if you don’t have to do it very often. Ryan had traded something called a ‘dat machine’ for a huge old mixer board. He has friends in the audio and theater tech industry there and one had what he wanted, he had what they wanted. So we went up and picked up the board. It was all we could do to lift it. Should have been four of us instead of two. Struggled it down several flights of steps and into the back of my truck. I would guess it weighs more than one of our little motorcycles.
We conscripted some extra help to carry it into his apartment where he now has it set up to do whatever it is he does with that kind of thing. He has more gear set up in there than most studios. Quite impressive.
Anyway, getting back to the drive itself, there is a weird visual illusion as seen from the highway along Daisy Lake as you head back down toward Squamish. The Black Tusk can be seen towering over the surrounding peaks, but much closer to the highway and way up on a ridge is a communications tower. Because of how the tower is placed in relationship to the Tusk and the highway, it tends to look like it is standing beside the Tusk and just as tall as the tusk when in fact it is clicks away and only a fraction of the height. It creates the impression that the Tusk is very much smaller and closer than it actually is.
d
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No news is good news they say. So I guess I have lots of good news to report since I have been very slack at writing in the Squamidian. I do enjoy my weekly read. That seems to be all the time I have for reading. Like Jackie says, where is the slow pace living in the country? There is always so much to do between business, home, clubs and activities. We are blessed with amazing people in our community who give loads of their time to create and run programs for us all to enjoy. Our community school is not only for the students who go there. Every night of the week you will find inside the doors tons of outdoor shoes indicating how many, young and old, are involved in courses, exercises, meetings, cap site (computers), and gatherings for quilting, gardening, gourmet meals etc. You can play basketball or volleyball for $2.00 every week. I take Yoga twice a week and last winter Peter and I started Fencing. We are now a part of the Pictou County Fencing Club. Fencing is great exercise for the legs as well as the rest of the body. It also improves reflexes, balance and requires strategy. The type of fencing we do is called Foils. The foil is not sharp in any way and has a ball at the end that can still bruise a person. We have the proper helmets and jackets to protect us but it does nothing for the leg or the arm. We plan to do some demonstrations for the tourists this summer down by the waterfront. It really is impressive to see.
April was a beautiful month weather wise so we were able to spend time getting the boat ready for sailing. We have so many friends in the boating community; most days at the water were spent chatting with a little work involved. We actually had our first sail of the season on April 30th, which is almost unheard of here. We have attracted over the years a young and hardy crew who are always ready and willing to sail. Zane, our little brother and friend, is our faithful crew. He will be working with Peter this summer as crew for our Sunshine Sailing cruising business. He has grown into a big strong boy and at 15 years old he is already able to do the job. About a month ago we went to the Big Brothers, Big Sisters banquet where he was awarded “Little Brother of the Year”. Our caseworker gave a wonderful speech about Zane and how he has been so helpful and respectful of his Big Brother and Sister. And it is all true. He’s a great kid!
The weather in May was so depressing with rain almost everyday and cold temperatures. I wouldn’t ever recommend anyone coming here in May! Gardening was a chore. It took a lot of discipline to go out and work in the dirt but I actually accomplished more this year. At least the ground and sod is softer to dig when wet. Removing all that sod for a new patio reminded me of working for Doug years ago laying sod. Doug told us the average roll of sod would weigh pretty much the same as my amp, 30 pounds. It nearly killed me. The sod weighed more that time too because of all the rain we had. I remember Sue (Windover) and I just lying in the mud by the end of the day, too tired to get up. Good memories though!
Not to bore you too much but I must tell you about my business adventures. I think the last time I wrote about my hairdressing shop I had lost my long-time employee of 16 years and had hired a nice young aesthetician to do the manicures and pedicures. By August I was working way too hard being the only stylist and was very worried I would not be able to take the pace. And then I found Teri, another young ambitious person. Teri had about 6 years experience and was eager to work. She had been through some bad experiences in the hairstyling profession but thought she could give it another try in a smaller rural setting such as ours. She had worked in mostly chain shops that are so structured and competitive they stifle the growth of the artist resulting in very little self-esteem and money. My ideas are quite different as she found out. Basically you work for yourself…. Pick your own hours and stick to them, wear what you want as long as it is professional, and the cleaning and receptionist duties are all shared equally. Anyway we now have a good team and I can relax somewhat. Not to sound old, but working with two young entrepreneurs has inspired and energized me. It is such a pleasure to go to work! Change is good!!
In the past year our business has been growing faster than I can almost comprehend. We formed an alliance with a nearby mountaintop resort called Stonehame Lodge and Chalets. Their guests request pampering while enjoying their peace and solitude so we are called upon to give groups of ladies manicures, pedicures, facial, waxing etc. We haul our equipment in my station wagon and set up in one of the chalets or the lodge. The future plan is to have two of everything and our equipment can stay up there, hopefully when they expand we will have our own room. This lodge is one of the fastest growing businesses around here and we are growing with them. They have become a popular site for weddings and they recommend us. As a result we have more wedding parties booked this year than ever. Another business, Massage Therapy, in Scotsburn has joined our alliance. We are continuously getting calls about massage so this is a great addition to our group. We are finding out that business’ working together have great rewards. A website was the next logical step. www.scotsburnhairgallery.ca if you would like to check it out.
Last of all I am sooo looking forward to seeing everyone in Kitchener this June. To top it all off my brother Warren from the west is coming with Doug!!! Also my brother Ward and his wife, Mae, managed to get on the same flight as me and my Dad is planning to drive up. So our family will be well represented. Also it will be a great time to jam with all these musicians. I’m afraid the week won’t be long enough. I hope this wasn’t too long for you. I always enjoy talking about my work even after all these years.
See you soon!!!
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Welcome to the last weekend in May everyone!
We’ve definitely had a good week. The weather has
been very nice and it’s given us an opportunity to spend some time outside. I
did get the license for the MGB and we’ve used the little British car a fair
amount. On Saturday, Carole and I took a ride in the MG up to Elora. Carole has
a favourite ladies store up there that she likes to drop in to once a month or
so. It’s called “Magic Mountain” and sells a line of cotton ladies wear that is
both dressy and casual. I must say the fashions in that store are appealing,
even to me. Not to wear of course but when I see them on Carole I like them
very much and can see why she likes to shop there. There is a “Magic Mountain”
on King St in Waterloo as well but we usually enjoy the drive to Elora as part
of the outing. Although she was unable to find anything she wanted this trip,
the MG ran very well and with the top down we had a nice wind in our hair run!
LOL! Hey, even guys with no hair can enjoy the feel of the breeze! Once we
finished Carole’s shopping, we tooted up to the Grand River Raceway for lunch.
I must say, they have the best hamburger in Waterloo Region at their
restaurant. It’s called, what else, “The Raceway Burger” and it’s 6oz of pure
Canadian beef. Sure is a nice change from the likes of what McDonald’s likes to
call a hamburger. It’s more like the gargantuan home made burgers we used to
concoct at the fire hall on our weekend shifts. The patties turn out to be
about ¾ of an inch thick after they are cooked and we could never get buns
large enough in area to accommodate the whole patty. Mmmmmmmmm………just thinking
back on those whoppers makes my mouth water! If there was one thing that stands
out when I think of the many years I spent in the fire hall, it is the memories
of the great meals we cooked up. We sure did have a few good cooks on our
shift. Speaking of BBQ’s, I still haven’t refurbished my barbeque. It’s been
out there under the cover for over a year now and I really don’t miss it. I
used to really enjoy doing the BBQing while having a beer or two. We bought an
indoor George Foreman type grill and since then the BBQ has been all but
forgotten. The grill really does a nice job of whatever we put on it and it
seems a lot quicker than the BBQ ritual. I guess I’ll have to take the cover
off the BBQ sometime soon and see if it’s worth fixing up. It was a Father’s
Day gift from Adam about 15 years ago and I’ve rebuilt it no less than 3 times
since but it may be that it’s passed it’s prime and should just be wheeled to
the curb. Actually, it’s gotten that the new BBQ’s are so inexpensive that it’s
hardly worth rebuilding the old ones. The burner for the model I have is in the
$80 to $100.00 range and I know that I need new grills and lava rock as well.
So, by the time I buy all that I’d be further ahead just investing in a new
grill. I’ll have to see what’s what when I check under the cover this weekend.
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We had an interesting thing happen this week. Carole
likes to rearrange the furniture once in a while and decided to do so in our
family room. On Tuesday she moved the couch away from the wall beside the
doorway entering the family room and placed it on an end wall. The two chairs
that were on the end wall of course took the place of the couch. A few other
things got moved along with the bigger items too, like the coffee table etc. Well,
you would have thought we had moved to a new country the way Bailey (the 12 lb
poodle) carried on. We were sitting in the newly arranged room that evening and
finally noticed that the dog was no where to be found. He’s usually the first
one to take his place on the couch all wrapped up on a blanket after supper to
enjoy the evening TV line up. Carole had to go looking for him and found him
lying half way up the stairs looking all dejected. She finally coaxed him to
come down into the family room but after 2 minutes he was gone again. The same
scenario took place the next night as well. I said that Carole must have
disrupted his routine and he was pouting over it. Well gosh, If I didn’t get
summoned to the family room yesterday to help Carole move the furniture back to
it’s original position and also remove the coffee table completely from the
room. I said “didn’t you like the room in the new configuration” and Carole
replied “It’s not me that doesn’t like it, it’s “King” Bailey”! LOL! She said she didn’t like to see him so upset
so she decided to put things back the way they were! LOL! No sooner had we
moved the couch back to its normal wall when the “Boss” himself came screaming
in and hopped up onto his favourite spot! Talk about the tail wagging the dog!!!!!!!
Makes you wonder who’s the pet and who’s the master doesn’t it? Hahahahaaa….!
Oh well, anything to keep peace in the family I always say! Seems there are
always two people that need to be kept happy in order to have a smooth running
household and they are the lady of the house and the family pet and not
necessarily in that order!
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We are looking forward to having a busy weekend this
week. KCI is having it’s 150th anniversary and reunion and we’ve
decided to attend. On Friday we have to go up to the school in the afternoon
and pick up our registration packages. This consists of our coloured wrist
bands that allow us into whatever venue’s the activities are taking place at.
They are having an opening ceremony at 2pm Friday at the school. They have divided
the celebrations into decades. Each decade from the 60’s on up has a place to
meet and greet old friends on Friday evening. I was there in the 60’s so our
place to socialize is the Transylvania Club. It’s just a get together for
anyone that wants to show up and see who else they may recognize. On Saturday,
they have a line up of activities that you can attend, such as a basketball and
volleyball game in the afternoon. They have tours of the school and displays of
memorabilia in the girl’s gym. Then on Saturday evening there is a huge get
together and dance at Rim Park in Waterloo. They have the band “Gravity”
playing for the 60’s and 70’s decades combined. That is the group that my
friend Rich Wamil plays in and it’s made up of former members like Rich from
the Copperpenny and Major Hoople’s Boarding House. I’m sure it’ll be one heck
of an evening. The final bash is being held at the Kitchener Auditorium on
Sunday afternoon. Anyone that ever attended KCI is welcome for that ceremony
and it’s free. I’m sure there will be a lot of nostalgic feelings in that place
come Sunday. The last reunion was held 25 years ago and I didn’t attend at that
time. I heard afterward that it was an amazing event and I regretted not going
to it. I’m glad to say that I’m not going to miss this one and Carole is
accompanying me for the 3 days as well. She didn’t attend KCI but is looking
forward to meeting many of the “kids” I went to school with. I’m sure it’ll be
a great weekend and if all goes well the weather won’t dampen the KCI Spirit!
Heck, I even remember the school song and look forward to singing it once more
on Sunday with the other 8,000 people that will fill the Aud. If anything
interesting happens at the event, maybe I’ll talk about it a little next week.
I know that none of the Squamidian members attended KCI (at least I don’t think
you did) but sometimes these events yield funny stories that are interesting to
anyone. We’ll see!
Better go for now! Thanks for tuning in and I look
forward to talking to you all again next week in The Ontarion Report.
Bye all…….. GREG.
PS: Something to Think About>
Be nice to people on your way up, you might meet
them again on your way down!
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The Family and the Squamidian sites:
http://members.shaw.ca/doug_b/ and http://www.thedougsite.ca
Have a good one..
the
doug
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