Labour Day Weekend

The extended break from school ends in a few hours, or one more sleep.  I can't remember exactly, it was around January 26th or so, but that was the last day I was at work and still in the routine of waking early, getting lunches ready, and the daily events of work.  It all ends, but Shelly and I are both signed up again.  February 1st in 2021 will come sooner than I think.

The Labour Day weekend starts with a Bluesfest/Pub Crawl around Goderich.  On Friday night a few of us hopped from this place to that listening to a combination of rock'n  roll, and traditional blues music too.  I think 8 different establishments host some sort of act, and they are all within 800m of one another.  So for $15 you can't do much better for some live entertainment.  

On Friday night Shelly's band was playing, but not on The Square in Goderich.  They played at a restaurant in Lucknow.  Despite missing their fiddler, maybe she wants to be known as a violinist, they sounded great.  Dames Rocket is still rocking the scene from time to time.

On Saturday morning the Huron District Labour Council hosted its annual parade and bbq around The Square.  I've been involved with this for about 4 or 5 years.  This year I quarterbacked most of it as the main organizer over the past 15 years was away on a much deserved retirement holiday.  I wouldn't say I'm second in command, but rather I said I'd take over the planning of it all.  All in all it isn't too much to take on, and we had the event.  I thought the turnout was pitiful, although it is a long weekend and people are out of town.  In saying that there are just about 300 public elementary teachers who work in Huron County, and only 1 was there - that would be me.  However I was glad to be the face of this year's parade and Shelly, Molly and Wally marched too. Maybe if our collective agreement gets stripped and butchered this fall elementary teachers may pay a bit more mind to union activism, or maybe they won't care.  

On Sunday I did some construction repairs out at the farm.  We have an 8x8 shed that had been run into with a tractor.  It was all dented and busted up and looked like hell.  We keep 2 or 3 full cords of wood in it, along with a few axes, kindling, paper, and a sundry of other useful and useless things we need out at the cabin - fire pit things and such.  So I had it in my mind to rip out the damage, rebuild it up, and put barn board on it....  To make a long story short I am absolutely terrible at any and all endeavours related to cutting, sawing, screwing, fixing, measuring, hammering, nailing, caulking, and so on.  I can tear stuff apart like an animal, but I have no ability to recreate.  I am dangerous because I have some tools, not enough of course, but an uncategorized assortment, and I have enough stupidity that I think, and want to tackle these projects that I clearly can't do.  

To make a long story short after everything was clearly ripped apart, beyond any point of return, I went at my recreating.  Now would be a good time for a picture.  By and by I mocked up, and scrambled together a new "face" on my shed.  It looks like it was put together by someone without 1 bit of competency or iota of a construction background.  (Which clearly I don't.)  It looks something like the first project a kindergarten student would bring home during the first week of school.  Parents may say, "That looks great Drew," but really they are wondering what the hell is going on.

Anyway - I will post a picture.  I don't think it will fall down, and I do think it will keep everything tight inside....

Monday was off to Lake Wawanosh Conservation Area on Creek Line for a family canoe.  It is only about 15km from our farm and about 8km from Brookside.  Right in the heart of Ashfield township.  The lake would be almost round-ish, give or take.  At it farthest points you would be about 1 mile from where you put in.  We went for a 40 minute easy paddle and explored some of the far off inlets.  It really is a great spot.  The water is very shallow, yet also very much filled with plant live.  I would assume its bottom is very much soft and mucky.  The water was very warm and we saw lots of painted turtles and a number of herons.  We saw a few fish, but nothing very big.  It was an overcast day and a bit windy.  But there is no ripple or waves to speak of. 

We were out here a few weeks ago and attempted a big walk.  We got stopped rather quickly by a complaining Wally, and also the trail kind of fizzled out.  I'm sure with a bit more spirit we could find some neat adventures.  This place seems like it is way off the beaten trail and hidden, but the last two times we have been there, there has always been a number of other like minded enthusiasts scouting it out.

Wheeling Around

It is pretty easy to convince everyone in the house that we should get out to the farm and turn over the two dirt bikes and go for a rip.  The country roads are absolutely baron except for that procrastinating farmer who was just combining wheat and running his grain bins up and down the road.  There was no traffic to contend with at all.  We took off to our go-to spot outside of Dungannon and down at The Mill.  I tell Molly this is where Joel and I used to go when we were in high school.  And not so long ago it was a pretty common Friday afternoon post school stop to skip rocks and to have an impromptu staff meeting with Mike, Larry and Leisa.  There may have even been a drink or two consumed in the process.  But those days seem like eons ago, they were pre-kids for the 3 of us, not Larry, and we haven't really been back regularly.    

It is a leisurely ride for sure.  We don't get up past the 30km/h range at all.  The bikes just putt-putt away with little effort.  Wally rides in the front, and Molly generally rides pylon with me. 

Playing Mozart Sideways

Summer

There has been no shortage of beach days and opportunities to jump off the pier in Goderich.  July and August has been very, very warm.  It has been a great summer all in all.  There is no lack of water, that is for sure, in Goderich.  The end of the pier, which you can't quite see in the video, is submerged in 2 feet of water.

A few friends and I went to a Def Leppard concert in London back in July.  It was a really fun night.  I suppose the original band from the early 80s is still altogether and touring to make ends meet.  They must all be in their 60s.  They started playing at eight and they were done by ten.  A band called Tesla opened for them, but we didn't get to our seats to hear their set.  So if Def Leppard played 16 songs, 12 were from the Hysteria and or Pyromania albums. I knew most of the songs.  And sure enough the one armed drummer, who I can't recall his name, was beating the skins with all the enthusiasm and capabilities of someone with two arms, and of 30 years of age.  It was a really good time.

Other then that my travels haven't taken me too far away lately.  I did go and attend ETFO's Provincial Annual Meeting a few weeks ago as a delegate.  My new awareness of Robert's Rules of Order and certification as a Parliamentarian served me well, but there were a few occurrences where a delegate called a point of order on another, and it was past me initially, but the chair ruled in favour, and reminded the delegate to be in order....  We got the business of the union complete.  There was an election with a bit of turnover, and lots of solidarity, and the odd cry of "shame" too.

Backyard

To sum up Vegas, it was a good trip.  I was glad to go.  There might even be another opportunity to go back, and if that is the case, I'd go.  It was the type of trip that started out inexpensive at $400 CDN for the direct flights from Toronto, and about $350 CDN for 3 nights hotel, but once you get rolling and going, it added up with food and drink money, with more food and drink, with incidentals like cabs, and resort fees, the basketball was $60 CDN.  So it finished on the tad-ish expensive side..... (a glass of wine at the casino was $18 US, coffee was $3.50 US, breakfasts would get up to $20 without indulging too much, a bit for parking at the airport of course, and just the other stuff there is...).  The company with Bill, Brad and Rich was priceless however.  I ended up playing in a $50 buy in Texas Hold'Em tournament with 22 people or so, and I was probably the 7th or 8th person eliminated.  That was all I gambled away and contributed to the lore of Las Vegas.

The backyard is looking decent these days.  The pond is 70% covered with different plants like lilies, duck weed, and a lettuce type aquatic plant.  Surrounding its perimetre is a whole bunch of yellow geraniums.  The eight fish within are quite content and swimming happily as far as I can tell.  A number of water lilies have bloomed and they are either pink or yellow.  They show themselves proudly during the day, and wrap themselves up at night and on cloudier days.

Noticeably missing are our 3 chickens = no more backyard chickens for us until we sort out a few issues such as keeping them contained.  And as it is the word from Ashfield Township is that our ladies have been targeted by a raccoon and have died.  They weren't laying eggs anymore anyway.

The other part of the backyard is presentable.  There isn't too much going on except some tomato plants, a few more geraniums that are red, and some lilies.  The basil I had tucked in the mix did not take to its location whatsoever.  It could have been the soil, the sun, the water, a combination, but the basil wilted yellowish brown before any of it could be plucked off and used.  However, as I recall this wasn't the first time this plot proved poor for the garnish, so I must find a different location in the future for it.

Last weekend Shelly and I dropped off the kids in Guelph and went to Toronto for a wedding reception.  The couple had gotten married on the Friday, and on Saturday there was a 100 person party at the Ward Island Association clubhouse.  The afternoon was to be a relaxing day playing different yard games and enjoying drinks and hors d'oeuvres.  There was an opportunity to explore Toronto Island too.  We had parked our truck at a buddies and biked the 10km to the ferry dock.  It was a terrible go as my sense of adventure and excitement was nearly thwarted by my companion's fear of the volume of Toronto traffic.  It wasn't without incident and scornful looks, I'll tell you that, but we made it alive, both ways even.  Shelly is not one for city biking. 

Fremont Freaks

One of many iconic Vegas attractions is the half mile block of Fremont Street.  It is at the far north end of Downtown Vegas.  It is also known as Old Vegas.  It is nothing like The Byward Market in Ottawa or Les Rambles in Barcelona.  It is a constant carnival of sounds and sights.  The old casinos still have lettered advertisements that would remind you of a drive in theatre.  There is nothing contemporary or cosmopolitan about this area, but neat nevertheless.

While Rich played in a poker tournament, Brad and I walked and got off this trail.  We got over the Container Park, which is incidental a-new-fangled eatery and social area with some kids playground stuff. From there we walked up to the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop which has the TV show, and then we walked another mile up to a the Arts District.  The Arts District was really neat, and we spent a good hour in and out of vintage clothing shops, antique stores, and a cool oddities store.  Surprisingly it was not busy.  All of the store owners were super friendly and chit chat was the norm.  I didn’t buy anything, but there was a lot of really cool stuff.

But back to Fremont Street.  Things are a bit cheaper and less refined.  In the south end of the city the “show girls” who insist on photos with tourists such as myself are more attractive and not so pushy, where as the girls down here have significantly less clothes on, are pushier, and not nearly as photogenic, perhaps.  In uptown Vegas there are many shows and entertainment is a big deal at the casinos, on Fremont no such luck.

First Few Days In Vegas

There isn’t anything more opposite within a two week time frame from being in Gettysburg, to Las Vegas.  But I have managed....  Bill, Brad, Richy and I boarded an Air Canada flight on Saturday morning and in four hours we touched down in Las Vegas.  We immediately lost on the first bet with an unscrupulous cab driver who hosed us on the fare, but we eventually got to the New York New York Hotel and Casino which would be our put off point for the next few days.

The impetus for the trip was different for everyone.  Bill is really into NBA basketball and the league’s rookie tournament is in play at the UNLV campus.  So that is going on.  Rich and Brad and not only interested in basketball, but some cars play as well.  I was invited and tagged along for both of the listed reasons, as well as wanting to just check it out as I’ve never been to Sin Cory before.  Needless to say, but so far everybody has been able to check some done items off the list, and done a few extras.

The basketball was busy.  It starts at noon, and there are continuous games in two gymnasiums until eleven at night or so.  The games are a bit shorter in length, and there are special rules about which players can and cannot play, but the gist of it all is what you’d expect.  There are a few sloppy plays from time to time, and it can all look a bit disheveled, but there are a tone of guys grinding it out to make the big leagues.  It is not uncommon to run into players in the lobby or walking through the arena.  I mention this not being star struck, but in awe of their size!  They are just massive people who do well to make the court look small.

As for the sightseeing, that is a sizeable event to.  The fountains at the Bellagio and its interior is incredible and well worth seeing.  We have also walked through Ceaser’s and the Flamingo.  The Luxor is cavernous, and Excalibur is also quite impressive.  We have been in and out of a number of the common shops on South Las Vegas Boulevard, but haven’t gone north up to Fremont Street yet.  Undoubtedly everything is big.  Vegas is go big, or go home for sure.