Nice to see the pictures. Greetings to Clara and Dusty and all good wishes.
I am free for dinner and bridge on Wednesday September 7. Sometime I will need Betty's address. Travel safely. Jim
Hi Zircon!
Very pleased that you are able to join us at Betty's. Durstons send their best wishes to you as well and suggest you visit. They need a fourth for bridge!
Had a wonderful ride to Brereton Lake/Rennie yesterday. Didn't leave until just before noon to try to better the 103.33K ride I did this past Tuesday. It has been so dry these past few months that there are literally no mosquitoes or even the dreaded horseflies, as big or bigger than Bluebottles! (Fire hazard is Extreme, of course and we had thunder and lightening early, 4:00am, Thursday morning!) Although I'm heading to Rennie, (along the so-called La Verendrye Trail/Historic Manitoba #1 Highway, [We traveled this route back in the early '50's when it was still a gravel road, I recall.), will take a 5K dipsy doodle about 1K from town's limits, to Brereton, lake where I spent some time camping with the family of a school chum during the summer between Grade 7 and Grade 8. There was a government dock at the beach there and all the kids would swim from it. I remember our stay happened to coincide with the height of the horsefly season and there were thousands of them swarming over the dock, all day, every day. We would run the length of the dock, as fast as we could propel ourselves, our soles literally scrunching the hundreds of corpses of the unlucky ones we'd batted out of the air, our arms flailing about our heads in protective reflex, as we revved up for take-off. We'd leap off the end of the dock, screaming/shrieking, "Geronimo", and try to stay submerged as long as our lungs would allow for as soon as we surfaced, clouds of the nasty, unbelievably aggressive insects would descend and proceed to bite our scalps through our matted, wet hair! We tried to imitate harbour seals, popping up in different locations but the horrid beasties always seemed to know where to be to continue our torment.
It was quite overcast so although it was muggy, with breeze, it was very comfortable. Headwind was as strong as it can be out near Iona so I made pretty slow progress for first 40K or so, struggling to log 12KPH at times. At one point, I frightened a doe by the roadside. With strong wind she couldn't smell me, since I was down wind from her, or hear me, (my well-oiled machine running silently!), and when I came upon her, quite suddenly, under circumstances, she exploded through underbrush to track me, once she was on forest's edge, near the railroad track running parallel to road, until I moved past. Struggled on, cursing Aeolus under my breath, and by time I was on turnoff to Brereton, I had the wind at my back and I quite literally sailed along.
As I approached the beach/campsite I did recognize the local store, (Structure was identical to one I had in my mind's eye, although it now sported an attractive metal roof, much like one sees on dwellings in ski resorts), and some other landmarks, particularly a huge rock outcropping we used to scamper over and around. Given that I had last been here more than 50 years ago, I wasn't sure what I'd remember. From road I couldn't see any evidence of the large dock we had played upon so I asked a young man walking to store if there had been one there in early '60's. He said that there had been one but that it had had to be removed due to ice damage. Pleased that I had not imagined the dock, I headed back towards Rennie, fighting the head wind once more, as I approached the main road.
Just a quick trip through town, (really little more than a small strip of commercial enterprises on each side of highway, a number of garages/marine supply outfits, a general store, a hotel with obligatory Beer Parlour, and a couple of restaurants, to put 61K on odometer and then I made for home. Since wind was really giving me a push now, I put bike into 3rd gear, 8th, (top of the top!), and zipped along, churning up the distance, spitting out the mileage, so to speak, (after all I was back in a time when measurement was in English units!), enjoying the feeling of having my legs respond without feeling over taxed. I noted that there were 351 geese currently in residence at the Alfred Hole Goose Sanctuary, just outside of town, according to the sign posted out front, and wondered if we should donate some of our honkers from Granville Island to beef up the Whiteshell numbers and help with the guano, to put it politely, problem on the Seawall!
I believe I averaged about 25kph, (oscillating between 20K and 29K+ right until I reached Penniac Bay, about 6K from West Hawk, sun breaking through menacing cloud cover, now and again. A bit of a dipsy doodle into townsite at West Hawk to put odometer at 98K before I made for finish line. At sign for Falcon I came upon my second doe but she didn't flinch at all while grazing on the shoulder, having probably sighted me quite a distance off. Near Toniata Beach, (8K from home), I swerved to avoid a tiny turtle making its way across the road. I thought it was a rock at first, so wonderful was its camouflage, so slow its progress! Hope it made it, unlike the poor garter snake, a few kilometers on, crushed by the side of the road. No more wildlife until I saw a fat black caterpillar with an incredibly vibrant yellow "vest" around its middle, accordioning itself across the thoroughfare. I could examine it quite closely as I was climbing Faloma Beach Hill and wind was gale force so I was barely moving, just panting!
Had 110K on odometer by time I was near Shell station in town so it was a piece of cake to put 113.33K on clock, (10K, Dear Reader, above previous long ride, should you be keeping statistics!), by time I pulled into driveway. Those who had remained at home had not been idle: Giorgio and Dusty were just finishing putting some paneling in George's hallway, while Clarisse and Cora Lee were in the process of pouring paraffin wax to seal the nine small jars of cranberry jelly, (fruit picked from bushes in back garden), they had been working on since I left. As well they had managed to put up nine quarts of preserved, pickled beets and readied ingredients for ripe tomatoe pickle, today's project!
All I had to do, after showering, was to open a white and a red! Roast chicken, new potatoes and squash from Dusty's garden, green salad by me, and we had a fabulous dinner. After clearing up, Cora Lee and The Dustman took on Giorgio and I, winning a slow rubber. Lads were tired after long day so we said goodnight at 8:45pm! George and Barb went home, Clarisse went to read in bed, Dusty to snore, Cora Lee to watch TV and I to digitate. Had a snort of Laphroaig before I headed upstairs to read! Another wonderful day. Quite pleased with ride and hope to log 130K before we leave, probably on Sunday, given weekend's planned activities. Gang will start to arrive this afternoon so it'll be a three-ring circus shortly. Cora Lee sends her regards. Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizio!
Pics: Kenricia Hotel in Kenora and what I believe is the original site of the Bijoux Cinema. We stayed in former in early '50's, en route to Schreiber, Ontario, to visit relatives, when on leave from Cyprus. My Grandfather, Adam, took me to see Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in Elephant Walk. I was terrified! I was probably about 4 years old. This trip has been a veritable time travel experience, what with Brereton Lake yesterday.
Good morning!
Great tomatoes! Sorry that such beauties were sent off to the ketchup factory.
I am on day 4 in my new office and settling in nicely. My new boss Darren took me for sushi my first day so clearly he already knows that feeding my raw fish addiction will get the very best out of me. He's quite a bit of fun, sarcastic like me, married with a two year old son and teaches karate to kids two nights a week after work.
The rest of the team has been very welcoming too. There are about 8 of us in all on the programming side. I took the senior analyst on the research team to lunch yesterday since I will have needs from time to time and it's always good to have an ally on that side of the fence. The analyst was actually an intern at Sony when I was there. It's very strange not to be to mining the data myself but I am sure I will get over that very quickly. The VP of research here, Donovan Batiste, was an analyst at Paramount Studios when I did my internship there and the woman who runs the web-site for the channels here, Erin Doyle, was also at Paramount when I was there. Small world indeed!
My primary task will be to schedule movies for The Hallmark Movie Channel which reaches about 42 million viewers in the US compared to its parent network The Hallmark Channel which reached more than 80 million viewers. Our latest venture will be our new cooking show with famed chef Emeril Lagasse titled "Emeril's Table" which launches in late September.
My office is very nice with light sage green walls which will off-set my large Diego Rivera print nicely and I look out onto Ventura Blvd. Plenty of restaurants to choose from each day in Studio City...to give you a point of reference as to my location I am off the 101 freeway between Coldwater Canyon and Laurel Canyon. It's a great part of the city and I plan to move here next spring when my lease is finally up in Northridge. With Alex feverishly looking for a place to rent with his fraternity brethren there's no reason to stay any further and I am more than ready for a change of scenery. I will have time to scout neighborhoods etc in the meantime during lunch breaks.
I leave for Austin on Saturday morning and will fly back to LA next Tuesday night. Looking forward to seeing the Lonestar state for the first time and we hope to do a bit of sight-seeing. Gerard is still fairly new to the city himself having moved there from Dallas last winter for a promotion at the W hotel where he manages the security team. I also have a friend there, Jarrod Lawrence, a writer who I became good friends to when we both worked at NBC several years back. He chose to leave the hustle and bustle of LA for a slower paced life in Austin and says it was the best decision he ever made.
Pierre is doing well at school with the exception of a little tendonitis which caused some swelling in his right knee recently but he has no pain. Alex just started back to school and is working three days a week at the bank branch on Balboa and Parthenia.
Wish we were all at the lake this weekend to celebrate MY BIRTHDAY...ha ha ha!!
Love to all, Ayn
Hi Tinsel Town!
Very pleased to learn that you are fitting in so nicely at Hallmark! Move next year, sounds exciting as well! Los Horridos will be dreamin' about living in Northridge! Say hello to The Banker. Trust Xavierino's knee is better. Enjoy Austin. Try to arrange a time to Skype on weekend. Love and Cheers, Dad!
Patrick,
Thanks for the update on the wine pick up and your latest
adventures in Winnipeg. Do you keep track of the actual miles (oh, I
guess you call them kilometers) you travel each year by car, not to
mention by bike? You should get some kind of an award. I'm dieing to
know why your sister in law is called Spumoni...could it be simply that
she loves spumoni? So you have a brother in Winnipeg? Trying to keep
track :-).
~Pat
Hi Pat!
Have been here, at the lake, since this past Monday. No, I don't have a brother, (I'm a "perfect only son", according to my dear Mother, much to the disbelief, not to say, disgust, of my wife and offspring!), in Winnipeg. Spumoni is Cora Lee's youngest sister. Her real name is Pamela and one nickname was "Spammer" so I transformed it into "Spumoni", in spite of the fact that her favourite ice cream is French Vanilla!
Don't really keep track of kilometres driven, except for oil changes, regular maintenance, and the like. Even depend on my dealership to do that as Ford is always ready to remind me when to bring vehicle in for service. Do have more of an interest in distance traveled on the bike however. My odometer cumulates total distance covereed but I am rather more keen to know how far I have ridden on a given day so that is main reason I own such a device. Helps as a training tool, I find. Cheers, Patrizio!
Patrizio:
We made it to the border at 7 AM and there was no cars in line. Quick chat about what brought us from Vancouver to the middle of no where. We carried on south until 9 AM and then headed east along Lake Superior through Wisconsin and into Michigan. We made it to I75 at about 6 15 PM and after another quick crossing into Carmen's at 1030. We went to the Tiger game today and they lost 11 to 8. Of to St John's tomorrow. Wayne Sutherland
Hi Sarge!
Glad trip went well! As soon as I've sent a few more messages, I'm planning to vacuum interior of my newly washed car! Thanks again to both of you!!!
Will go for a shorter ride once that's done. Probably to West Hawk and then to the east shore of Caddy Lake, past Fish Hatchery, and then on to small town of Ingolf, former railroad town.
Enjoy St John's. Hello to Peggster and Mr Fixit. Cheers, Patrizio!
Pat,
Postman delivered a rugby World Cup review from friends in NZ today which will keep me occupied for some time. Also pleased that the addition of TSN 2 is only going to cost me an additional 12 cents a day and can be cancelled at the end of the tournament. Reading Purge by Sofi Oksanen. There are questions at the back as a reading group guide which I thought was a new idea but a friend tells me it is quite common these days - not with the type of novel I usually read. One of the locations in the novel is Tallin in Estonia which was a favourite place for friends on Baltic cruise recently. They also said that St. Petersburg was a wonderful spot.
Hope Jim is OK with the physical problems he encountered on the ride. When we rode together in Wetherby, he went up the hills faster than me but seemed very out of breath at the top. Seymour may not be as steep as some of the hills one can come across in England. They are probably not as long but perhaps steeper. I think I mentioned 2 I drove that were 25 and 20%. Sylvia is off to Seymour with Pauline tomorrow, driving there and doing the 22 K return trip.
Great that Corinne managed a good ride. A bit of riding might be a good idea with her pending surgery and weeks of immobilization.
Clarrisse and Dusty look well. Farmers' market produce looked first class. My tomatoes are slow in ripening but the forecast is good for a few more days at least so hopefully they will turn red on the vine.
Wayne Sutherland was in the newspaper with comments regarding the transfer of the RCMP facility to Surrey a few days ago.
My pal in HK corresponds regularly. He asked me to forward the journal from our trip and seemed a bit miffed he hadn't received more at the actual time. I have been sending one daily and he seems to be enjoying them. Might be someone you'd like to contact at some stage prior to your trip. He probably wouldn't be able to provide accommodation as he lives in an apartment but probably would be able to make recommendations. Jim (another one) is a UBC grad with an MBA from Queens and works in Human Resources in several Asian countries.
Painted today on Peter's job on 5th Ave., Kits. Weather is still very good here, with an especially good forecast for Saturday.
Will soon be able to produce my own odometer evidence! Unable to solve the mysteries of installment, so have booked the bike into MEC for Tuesday.
Safe journey back, Ray
Pat,Recent efforts to enlarge the veg. patch spurred on by a neighbour who has sold his house and wants me to transfer his topsoil. Sent a copy to Jim who remarked - You two are not doing more gardening! Ray
Hi Sylvia and Raymundo!
Very impressed, as is Dusty, with extension to your vegetable garden, Mr Green Thumb! Only disadvantage will be that you will be too, too busy to ride next year!!! That's okay as perhaps you'll give me your new odometre! Do people at MEC help you install device or do you just pay them for work? I understand that there is a bike shop, on Ontario, not far from Olympic Village, where one can pay a fee to use tools there, more to receive some help and more again to have work done. I've been meaning to stop by and take a look but that would mean stopping, of course!
Was a bit concerned about Jim, hearing about incident on C2C. Maybe he could take care of your garden while you bike up Seymour or else he could join the Sisterhood with car to parking lot at top of Lilloet! In fact, Cora lee might well be persuaded to join Sylvia and Polly, The Latte Crowd, there, at some point. She would be far more comfortable on the bike path through forest, in spite of some of the grades.
Would be very keen to make contact with your friends in Hong Kong to tap local knowledge so perhaps we can exchange contact info when back. Thanks.
How is Rod? Will you be cycling in paint spattered shorts from now on? Whirlygig and I will probably not want to be seen with you, given our rather elegant togs!
Unfortunately, my reading has suffered since being on road. No time. Too busy playing bridge and socializing, of an evening. Your book, Purge by Sofi Oksanen, sounds interesting. I like that part of the world and would like to know more about it, both through reading and travel. I'm hoping to start Bill James tonight, after polishing off Krakatoa this afternoon/evening. As soon as I've sent a few more messages, I'm planning to vacuum interior of my newly washed car! Sarge and Prince Valiant scrubbed it, and I do mean "scrubbed", along with Ryan's, shortly after they arrived. Quite a bit of elbow grease required with all the bugs encrusted, nay imbedded, (At 33 St Michael, wasps were literally feeding off carcasses pasted to hood and grill work!), on front as well as windshield!
Will go for a shorter ride once that's done. Probably to West Hawk and then to the east shore of Caddy Lake, past Fish Hatchery, and then on to small town of Ingolf, former railroad town. About 60K round-trip, I estimate, never having been as far as Ingolf before. Cheers, Patrizio!
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