Mid-July Rant

Seems the Biebs at 18 is already discovering the downside of the fame game. Whether or not he has also discovered a newfound maturity to deal with the stress is another question. God forbid you get what you asked for. Already he has been charged with assaulting a paparazzi and reckless driving attempting to allude one; can trashing a hotel room be far behind. Welcome to the wonderful world of the American Tort System Biebs. Some woman in Oregon has found a lawyer willing to sue for hearing damage at one of his concerts. If she went to a rock concert without hearing protection what was she thinking. Can’t believe the bitch has any chance of winning but Biebs legal department will still sustain the cost of defending against the charge.

My addiction to Farmville is getting out of hand. With now 6 farms it would be possible to spend one’s entire day playing just that one game. Imagine attempting to visit all 300 neighbour’s farms.Whatever was going on yesterday, July 11th Internet service was slow, unpredictable, and crash ridden. Getting my game to load took 10 to 15 minutes if it would load at all and the game crashed incessantly. Since I have two screens to work on here at home I spent my day finding other things to do while I waited, even housework! Today it opens almost immediately, go figure.

Must remember to get out for a walk before it gets too hot to be out of doors. How do people cope with living in multiple dwellings? Now that I’m back in Oakville everything I use on a daily basis is in my RV parked in a parking lot 1000 ft from my apartment down 4 flights of stairs, two locked doors plus two others, and several smaller sets of stairs away.

Do other people wake up feeling itchy all over? Was it something I et, does my bedding need washing, my clothing the laundry? The calluses on my feet are getting out of hand. They seem to be wearing through my socks at an alarming rate and more recently they’re wearing holes in my fitted bed sheet and right through the mattress cover as well. How do other people deal with Dandruff? I’m tired of creating a dust storm every time I brush my hair.

Don’t get me wrong, at nearly 63 I’m grateful that I’m still around. Unlike so many I still have all my hair and it isn’t going grey; but I was not prepared for the fact that hair would start sprouting in other unlikely places. I know they say that finger nails keep growing even after death but I don’t remember having to scruff off layers and layers of dead skin every time I climb into the tub. Where is it written that hair should start sprouting from one’s ears and even from the lobes themselves; or from one’s nose like the bugger lugs described in Robertson Davies Fifth Business. And what’s with those eyebrows bristling like spines on a porcupine?

Did you hear the joke about the bed? It hasn't been made up yet. Did you hear the joke about the ceiling? It's above your head. Did you hear the joke about the floor? It's beneath you.

Ontario Place is gone. A gambling casino has been ruled out but more condos may be on the way. I have many fond memories of catching the Go Train after work to wander the site beside the lake, try out German fare at Zum Rhein, walk the old lake freighter break-wall, then sit with a book and wait for the Toronto Symphony to play on the revolving stage at the forum. Line up to see the latest movie at the Cinesphere or look at the Toronto Skyline from the roof of the pods. The exhibits were cutting edge when the place opened and Ontario Northland’s movies evoked Northern Lights, shooting stars, and fireflies. I even got back to watch movies in winter on the giant screen, Top Gun was a standout. Alas I was too old to enjoy the children’s village but it was fun to watch. I remember Andrew Davis quip about shooting the geese out of the park with the playing of the 1812 Overture. Who could forget the tens of thousands who showed up to see millions of dollars worth of fireworks shot off to music during the Symphony of Fire. Alas, things went downhill for me with the replacement of the Forum with a venue with ‘mosh pit’. I never had taken in many events at the second stage. Contract issues with the symphony players killed those summer concerts. Without Bill Davis tapping his feet on the grass in those movies and his interest in keeping the place up to date attendance slumped and governments lost interest. Now the place is a relic of history like the Sunnyside Amusement Park of old. The magic is gone and Toronto is the poorer for its loss.

Unfortunately while good things tend to disappear old problems just keep coming back to haunt us like the mercury poisoning in the Grassy Narrows First Nation. The mining industry released mercury contaminated slug into the Wabegoon English River System. While the companies that caused the problem have long since disappeared and left no one to be held accountable for the sins of the past, the pollution they caused continues to dog the residents of the area. Way back in the sixties it took doctors from Japan to diagnose the problems experienced here as minamata disease. The vector for spreading the disease is the fish that live in the local streams contaminated by the mining industry. While it may seem a simple matter to say don’t eat the fish and there won’t be a problem it’s another matter when it’s a choice between not eating a food source that is readily available at no cost and starving. We know all to well about poverty on reserves.

Southern Nova Scotia, it seems, can’t catch a break. The tourism industry in Yarmouth and surrounding areas has taken a hit from cancelling of the ‘Cat’ Ferry. The large tourist bureau beside the dock area is moribund and nearby hotels and motels are going bankrupt. Now comes word of the permanent shut-down of the Bowaters Pulp and Paper Mill in Milton near Liverpool, Queens County. If you wonder why this happened look no further than the state of the Wall Street Journal, market for 90% of its paper production. Lay-offs and down time led inexorably to the present demise.

Being away for a month leads to a backlog of E-mail. By yesterday I’d whittled it down to below 100 new messages but keeping caught up is an ongoing battle at the best of times.

Visiting the East Coast brings back memories of the local dialect. Have you ever been firked?

Note to self, don’t accept any more appointments on Friday the thirteenth. Oh, I got there and back without being hit by anything or colliding with anything but my doctor unbeknowst to me accepted a stint at hospital emergency and I was forced to walk over there to see him. Actually saw him on time but now I have to go back for another appointment at his office. I returned to Ontario specifically for this appointment. Bugger!

So much for Northern Lights. With a solar flare sending a massive ejection of charged particles earthward making it possible for aurora to be visible as far south as the Southern US States it’s all moot from my observation point due to heavy overcast. Alas, the rains, if they come are said to be too late to save this year’s crops in the field. Yet another season of increased prices for fresh fruit and vegetables is in the offing. This on the heels of a premature spring that saw blossoms freeze when the late frosts came.

From the pages of Reader’s Digest quoted from Facebook. No words in the English Language rhyme with depth, month, orange, silver, or purple.

Hollywood claims the life of yet another young actor, this time Sage, 36-year-old son of Sylvester Stallone.

Everyone should already be aware that hospitals are bad for your health but did you know that the food in Canadian Hospitals fed to heart patients contains dangerous amounts of salt?

East Coast Annals

Got back in Oakville Monday after just over a month on the East Coast plus going and coming. After two days have gotten the backlog of E-mail below the one hundred mark. With the heat wave that has been plaguing Central Canada I really didn't want to leave Rivière-Du-Loup with its cool breezes, sunny skies and views of the Saint Lawrence. The campground there is also the cheapest and has the best internet service in my travels.

I set off at 3:30 AM on Tuesday, June 12th making it as planned across the top of Toronto before rush hour traffic would make the highway a parking lot. Stopped at a rest area East of Toronto for breakfast then drove on to Kingston and the Fort Henry parking lot. Heavy rain and strong, gusting winds were not part of my plans but the Union Jack that rose over the Fort snapped loudly in the gale. Since I arrived early I got to see the college kids who form the Fort Henry Guard stumble to work in their civilian garb, they change into their woolen uniforms inside the fort. Unlike their historic counterpart these lads and ladies get to change back into their civvies at the end of the day. I stayed and took the tour but it remained so wet that even the noon-day gun was canceled. David X the Sanan Goat Mascot had the good sense to remain in his pen. We did get to hear the 'men' practicing hymn and folk singing and practice their fifes. Drove over to camp at the Saint Lawrence Thousand Islands Park System's Ivy Lea Campground part of which is crossed by the suspension bridge of the same name. The promised Wi-Fi was a non-starter, the first campsite I was offered mired in mud I dared not attempt.

Next morning the sun came out and I drove over to find a campsite at Riverside Campground in Morrisburg. I've stopped many times at the Morrisburg 1867 Rest Stop Restaurant over the years, now closed and replaced by Tim Hortons/Wendy's but this was my first visit to Upper Canada Village after decades of seeing the signs. I was somewhat peeved at the idea that they'd offer me free admission but nickel and dime me for parking. After I got over my snit managed to enjoy a wonderful day touring the various historic buildings and industries rescued when their original homes were flooded to make way for the Saint Lawrence Seaway back in 1958. Private homes were moved to the planned communities of Long Sault and Ingleside. Some of the exhibits were dumbed down; I see no reason why Semaphore shouldn't be called what it is. The site being quiet I was afforded the opportunity to go behind the ropes and see inside a box piano and to play a reproduction Melodian in the Methodist Church--I even got compliments. The Harvest Barn where I had lunch was built from lumber sawn on site. The campground was nearby.

Next morning drove down the 401 to Hwy 20/Quebec. Stopped at the Tourist Bureau and allowed myself to be talked into taking the Valleyfield Route South of Montreal. It proved to be a maze of detours, small towns and broken highway--ill-marked en Français. I was glad to make Camping Aloutte and this time round prepared for the fact that my GPS thinks it's on the wrong side of the highway. On a hillside facing south I was glad to find the place had a cooling breeze this day. Next morning drove up to Rivière-Du-Loup stopping for gas and then groceries at IGA Extra in town; then St Hubert Chicken before setting up camp. Managed a walk out to the point before bedtime and reveled in the cooling breeze off the St Lawrence. Pierre Noel's Chateau still sits opposite.

Next morning the drive down to Edmondston was along uneven, broken highways under construction for most of the length. It was a relief to reach HWY 2 in New Brunswick and stop at the Welcome Centre which is actually located on Quebec Soil. Drove down to Saint John making it only slightly late--I lost an hour when I crossed the border. All of Quebec is in the Eastern Time Zone, even the parts of the Gaspe that are East of New Brunswick. Met my friend Tom before settling into Rockwood Park's Campground up the street.

Next morning I walked to church. I'd offered to sing at service but I hadn't expected their organist to be a no-show. We all muddled through somehow. Cooked Sunday Dinner for my friend. We went for drive next day. Two days of sunshine marked the first time I've witnessed Saint John without cloud and rain. The rains arrived for my departure Tuesday Morning. Drove around looking for a gas station which I found before I ran out, barely. Stopped at the Nova Scotia Welcome Centre for a chilly greeting. Then paid the $4.00 toll to cross the Wentworth Valley. Stopped to buy Maple Syrup at Masstown and made Halifax and sunshine once more well before dinner. It's somehow troubling that my younger sister should be turning rapidly gray, though I applaud her for not attempting to hide that fact. I do wish I didn't bristle so when I get treated like one of her offspring rather than her older brother.

Over the next couple days I got to see my niece's home in Windsor but only because she needed help moving to Falmouth. Enjoyed the United Church Pastor Sunday Morning but soon learned he was preaching his farewell sermon. Monday Morning found me headed South-West through heavy coastal fog to Bridgewater. There I spent the day with my soon-to-be 94-year-old Aunt.

Made the short drive into Lunenburg deciding that although the signs may have said 80 KMH Speed Limit the roads and my 8-ft high vehicle did not. The Lunenburg Board of Trade Campground is located on Blockhouse Hill beside a replica Blockhouse that acts as Tourist Centre. Just down the hill is the former Smith and Rhulands where the Bluenose II is being rebuilt from the keel up. Since the original keel was put through the chipper this would be more like # III. Being a government project it is months behind schedule and the noise from the site was all-pervasive. The rest of the town is little changed from past memory except for the fact that modern sewage treatment and the demise of the inshore fishery have all but nullified the odour that once assaulted the nose at low tide like a fist to the face. The day I'd planned to spend wandering the town was spent looking at torrential rain sluicing down my windshield. Pity the RV Touring group who lined up at 1:00 for a tour of the area. I suppose fog is an authentic East Coast Sight but probably not what they drove all those miles to see, the fog horn blew all day.

I've been thinking a lot lately about Lunenburg because I've been watching the US TV Series Haven in which the town figures prominently along with neighbouring Chester and Hubbards. Town Hall doubles as a police station and an old rusting dragger moored along the docks as Duke's boat--it's for sale if you want a fixer-upper. Watching the series has given me goose bumps showing views of the harbourfront from the golf course across the way and aerial shots of the town.

June 27th was old age pension day, how soon one forgets, it used to be important to my well-being to know that cheques arrived on the third-last business day of the month. Why is this important? Every mall in the Town of Bridgewater was crowded with seniors whose money was burning a hole in their pockets making parking impossible.

The back-road up to Midville Branch was all potholes and washboard, the bush along side the road encroaching to a degree that made it a one-lane road. Parked at the entrance to a narrow laneway and walked up over the hill to check out the health of my woodland. Then drove out to the corner and up to the cemetery where most of the people I grew up with lie buried. Walked back of the graveyard to look at my home now for sale I hear for $378,000. Stopped to visit my nearest neighbour, new to the community meaning he wasn't born here. Then stopped to catch the gossip from a third cousin I haven't seen in years. Caught him seated in his pickup listening to the funeral announcements. On my way back to Halifax stopped to show my Aunt the pictures I'd captured.

That weekend got to go strawberry picking in the Annapolis Valley at the farm of one of my brother-in-law's childhood friends, stop for a cone of ice cream and then sit around an umbrella table and hull them--25 boxes. Sunday after church we went for Clams and Chips at John's Lunch near the Dartmouth Ferry Dock. Third generation of the same family still run the place. Spent the afternoon touring Pier 21 an immigration centre that between 1917 and 1980 processed 1,000,000 people who arrived on 80 different boats, most catching a train on the adjoining tracks for Upper Canada and the prairies. The place has searchable digitized records for the entire period. Excellent views of the harbour from a second floor walkway. Picked up a solar panel for my RV at Canadian Tire in Downtown Halifax. Monday morning my RV got waxed. I supplied the old socks and the wax and then attempted not to get in the Joudrey's way. They make an intimidating team. In the afternoon thundershowers beaded off the newly polished chrome.

Hit the road for points west on Tuesday morning. The gal at the Coboquid Tollbooth charged me the RV rate, everyone else has classed my van a car. Made it to Oromocto on fumes before filling up on cheaper New Brunswick gasoline. Seems I chose the right place to stop. Camped near Fredericton at Hartt Island RV Resort. The place has been renovated to the point that had I not trusted my GPS I would not have recognized the place. Wednesday drove up to camp again at Camping-Du-Quai in Riviere-Du-Loup. With news of a heat wave in Montreal hung around enjoying the cool winds off the Gulf of Saint Lawrence for three days. At 7:00 AM with fog lifting off the river and the temperature hovering around 62 looked out to see a young Quebecois sprawled in only his shorts on a reclining lawn chair in the sun reading a book while his "wife" cooked breakfast. They'd set up a tent trailer the night before. Before the day was out I was considerably warmer.

Decided to brave downtown Montreal traffic after taking the tunnel on Hwy 15 to Hwy 40 which passes right past Queen Elizabeth Hotel which lies above Gare Centrale. All would have been well but for two serious collisions which caused painful slowdowns. Despite that made Pleasure Park near Mallorytown before closing though I found $50/night rather steep--especially since they have only central Wi-Fi. After watching ping pong balls bounce off my laptop walked back up late at night and was met at my picnic table by the owner who was out on security patrol. We had an interesting discussion. Sunday Morning drove down to Gananoque and fueled there, 12¢/L cheaper than the night before as I drove in. Stopped in Kingston to visit Fort Henry with the sun shining since I had several free passes. The goat was out, the cannons fired, and the FHG drilled. Drove a short distance to camp at the Kingston KOA though I was in for a bigger sticker shock at $55/night. Poor Wi-Fi at that. Went for a walk and met a couple from Rose Bay in Nova Scotia, he a retired Letter Carrier. His hospitality did not extend to offering me a beer though he sat and drank three while we talked.

Monday Morning stopped in Whitby and after finding a line-up at Denny's made my own sandwich before completing the journey across the top of Toronto sans traffic tie-ups. Decided I wasn't up to a visit to the RV Dealer. Made it home by 2:30 and found my parking space open.