It may be hard for you to believe, but a very passionate group of game players are still contesting video game records, new and old, and vying to become champion in their particular game of skill in order to be immortalized in the on-line video game record bible “Twin Galaxies”.
Go check it out.
Maybe it’s time to limber up those fingers and go for the record. Every great wrestling match is predicated on a simple concept that holds for the ages: A ‘babyface’ (good guy’) with a seemingly overwhelming challenge vs. a ‘heel’ (bad guy), who has the cards stacked, usually unfairly, in his favor. As humans, we have an innate need to create an emotional investment in our favorite character, which in turn makes the outcome of the contest be something that we care about seeing.
That tried and true formula is fully rendered in a great documentary that I regularly watch called “The King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters”. Instead of wrestlers though, we’re dealing with elite-level, arcade-version Donkey Kong players facing off for the world record. As well, and unlike a wrestling match, our outcome is not predetermined and this reality adds oh-so deliciously to the drama as it unfolds.
Now, bring in the chief combatants in our story: social pushover Steve Wiebe, a stuck in second place, life-long loser that just can’t seem to get a break in life vs. chicken-wing sauce kingpin Billy Mitchell; he of the hypnotizing mullet and Charlie Sheen-type zeal.
Here we’ve got classic good guy vs. bad guy at its finest!
Watch how Wiebe finds great difficulty becoming accepted into the ranks of high level players even though his skill and scores are right up there with the best of the best. Billy Mitchell and his team of disciples manage to cheapen and disrespect Wiebe throughout, holding him back, and in turn making the viewer desperate for a little ass-kicking payback. Can Wiebe come through? The answer will surprise you. The climax is better than any made for Hollywood movie, and will keep you on the edge of your seats.
It doesn’t matter if you like video games or not, the emotional pull of this story cannot be denied, and I guarantee that you will dig it. “King of Kong” gets my five silo rating. There’s the full movie up above but the DVD has some great extras that get right to the root of some true video game nerd-dom. For the Silo, John McIntosh.
If you’ve spent time in rural Southern Ontario you know that there are many unique cultural identifiers. You may have noticed that things move a little slower…except for certain classic cars that continue to amaze with horsepower and style. I sure have, and it is a joy to cross paths with all of the “sweet rides” of Norfolk County nestled along the Lake Erie North Shore.
Jeff’s Gran Torino Sport is, like many classic cars, an icon.
This model of car starred in a funky 1970s show (and later a Stiller-Wilson movie) that needed a car with character. A car that would be believable chasing after a pimped out Lincoln or Caddy. And though formulaic in this simple premise of cops + cool car= fun, Starsky and Hutch just wouldn’t be the same were it not for the Gran Torino.
It is safe to say that the classic Gran Torino succeeded in showing that muscle, style and comfort catches the viewer’s eye, as well as the bad guys. Look for Jeff’s wheels in and around Port Rowan, Ontario. For the Silo, Jarrod Barker.
Supplemental- Port Dover’s Scott Misner talks about rescuing an El Camino and more-
What will the next fitness trend be? Has it already arrived?
Master Moy Lin shin
According to Bruce Frantzis, it is Tai Chi. Frantzis, called one of the Westʼs greatest living masters, holds authentic lineages in Taoist energy arts.
He calls Tai Chi an über-exercise because you can do it for health, healing, martial arts and meditation. In China they say, “Tai chi (a Qigong form) can be done by anyone, male and female, young and old, strong and weak, intelligent and slow, healthy or ill.”
An über-exercise for everyone.
Studies show that Tai Chi Qigong reduces stress, heals illnesses, increases mental and physical performance, and is an effective tool for aging well. This is of particular interest to Baby Boomers as they enter their 60s. It enables them to heal or prevent the aching joints, sore muscles, memory lapses, and many other issues that come after middle age.
This evidence is what is powering the surge of interest in the Chi arts. In my own experience, typical aches and pains related to aging disappeared when I resumed my Tai Chi practice after a lapse of years: achy sore knees are almost restored to normal; lower back pain is easily managed; migraines are rarer and deflected in minutes; sleep is deeper; eating properly is easier; and I have more energy. In fact, I have almost no physical complaints at all, and when something minor does arise I am more effective at self-healing.
Shoot-Hawk-with-Bow- the author demonstrating Tai Chi
These things are significant; but, even more important to me is the pure joy I feel from the movement, the rhythm, the flow, as I practice my set. And the fun and satisfaction I get in teaching others.
Many people try Tai Chi, enjoy it, but quit in frustration complaining that it is complex and hard to remember. It is complex. There are many subtle skills to remember and perform all at the same time: slow, relaxed, smooth, continuous, movements performed in a state of mental relaxation with slow, deep breathing; careful attention to the alignment of all joints; proper foot placement and and weight shifting; outer and inner focus.
In traditional teaching the student tries their best to follow along with the teacher, soaking up like a sponge all that the teacher has to offer. The teacherʼs curriculum is more important than students goals and needs. For some people this ‘teacher led’ style works well. But for many it does not.
As Tai Chi enters the mainstream this method is giving way to new learner friendly approaches. Older students respond with enthusiasm to methods which take into account their life experience and individual needs. Trained teachers are developing systematic ways to teach these subtle skills so that students know exactly what they are aiming for and when they achieve it. Students gain competency sooner and nearly every one notices benefits even from their first class. For the Silo, Jackie Davies.
As we get older we get wiser. It’s just part of the deal. We have all heard the expression that knowledge is power, but power can also be corrupting. Sometimes, it’s good to get a reminder that as smart or as knowledgeable as we think we might be there is always something new to learn.
I had one of those moments recently when I looked closely at a computer called the “Super Brain” that has been sitting out at a computer museum. I had never really spent much time with this machine but when I did I found out that it had a “Here Is” key. It’s enough to make you do a double-take. At first I thought it was a joke.
The most common keyboard joke in existence is the one about the “Any” key. Back in the days when computers ran text only operating environments (like DOS) it was common practice to put a message such as “Press Any Key To Continue” while waiting for the user to finish reading. The joke is that some people would literally spend time looking on their keyboard for a key marked “Any” rather than just literally pressing any key on the keyboard.
I had to do research on this key and discover what it is used for. It turns out that it is used for radio teletype identification. The key transmits a code 22 characters long that identifies to another teletype machine just which machine is sending a message. In other words, this old computer has a key that means only something in the context of a technology that is even older than itself.
Speaking of bizarre keyboards- what do you think of the layout on this vintage example of Orange Computers Inc keyboard? Makes me sort of hungry for starburst candy. A teletype (or more accurately a teleprinter) in case you don’t know or don’t remember is an electromechanical typewriter that can be used to send messages from point to point. They were used at the beginning of the twentieth century for many purposes ranging from spreading news to stock information and more. Variants were (and still are) used as telecommunications for the deaf and the aviation industry still have them around in small numbers.
The joy for me was that the day I discovered the “Here Is” key was a great reminder of how wonderful it is to learn something new. It’s almost self proclaiming (if only it were a “Here It Is!” key) and now, most likely, you too have learned something new today. For the Silo, Syd Bolton.
It seems that every where you turn these days, it is becoming incorrect to celebrate the Christmas holidays in “the manner in which you have become accustomed”- at least in the matter in which I have become accustomed.
To truly celebrate the Christmas season, and that’s what it is, no matter what anyone says, I have become open-minded and willing to accept EVERYONE’S ideas for the holiday season. If you disagree, please refrain from attending any “holiday” parties or dinners, taking the day off on December 25th or 26th (should you work for a company that still acknowledges these days as holidays) and carry on as usual. Should you happen to work for the government you are safe (for now) as they would never legislate against their own days off, although when it comes to politicians, I don’t believe never is in their vocabulary (particularly when it comes to matters involving taxes).
The true “spirit” of the holiday season (oops, I meant to say Christmas) is for people to pause and give thanks. According to the man-made calendar of months and years, we are getting ready to start a New Year.
We give thanks for the things we have received in the past (not to be confused with Thanksgiving, another man-made tradition) and offer gifts to the people that have blessed us over the past year.
Being the humble (not humbug, Mr. Scrooge) creatures that we are, we also accept gifts from others (although for most it is not OUR birthday), all the while muttering that we aren’t worthy. Once these gifts are exchanged, a significant amount of “Why would she buy me this?” and “I don’t NEED another scarf” or “Does he think I’m that big?” are voiced in private, to be repeated over the next month or so. In the days immediately following Christmas, our thankful spirit has usually been diminished significantly.
The greatest reason for pausing at the end of the year (and any time, for that matter) is to be grateful for what you have. Being grateful does not mean that you have to thank every one in your life personally, and you DON’T have to buy them a gift. If you are expecting a gift from someone you are probably going to be disappointed, and if you don’t reciprocate in kind you are going to be REALLY disappointed. If you have chosen to be open-minded I want to thank you for getting this far. I hope that you will also be open to a spiritual suggestion that will make you feel happy inside even though you may have received nothing outside.
Whether it is Christmas, Rosh Hashanah, the Chinese New Year, Hanukkah or Guy Lombardo’s Rocking New Year’s Eve, let those people who enjoy these festivals enjoy them. When someone acknowledges you with a holiday greeting that you are unfamiliar with, don’t believe in or if it makes you blow a gasket, pause for a moment and reply with a hearty “That’s The Spirit!”. Unless they have an aversion to ghosts, that reply should be fairly safe no matter what the season.
Let others grumble and complain that Christmas is too commercialized, the spirit of giving has been lost (or is too expensive), kids are spoiled today, no one appreciates anything and the holidays are just too much of a hassle anymore. Bellowing “That’s The Spirit!” right back at them is a great stress reliever, and at the very least will allow them to walk away from you (quickly, perhaps) in much the same way Lucy was bowled over by Charlie Brown’s enthusiastic “That’s It!” in “A Charlie Brown Christmas”.
At the risk of revealing my upbringing, I wish everyone a “Merry Christmas”, “Happy New Year” and a “God bless us, everyone”. By the way, for me it truly IS a wonderful life… For the Silo, Rick Fess.
Shoe tossing and shoe posting are seen in most Canadian cities and rural motorways.
Its history and its symbolism are remarkably complex.
Shoe tossing is when shoelaces are tied and tossed over telephone or power lines so that the shoes hang loosely above the ground. Yet shoe tossing does not accurately describe shoes that are affixed to telephone poles or other inanimate objects using nails and staples. It seems that “shoe posting” would be a more appropriate terms for such occurrences. Nevertheless, each tossed or posted shoe represents either personal or cultural meaning.
There is a cultural meaning to each and every ‘tossed’ shoe- but what is it?
It may come as some surprise that shoe tossing holds a distressing history.
For example, many have noted that tossed shoes indicate the specific location where drugs like crack and heroin are used or sold. Moreover, others have mentioned that tossed shoes signify the physical boundaries of gang territory. For this reason the mayor of Los Angeles, California launched a campaign to remove tossed shoes from the city altogether. Further still, shoe tossing may be the product of bullying, theft and other forms of civil disobedience.
Is it safe to say that shoe tossing is primarily a form of civil disobedience or is there more to it?
On the other hand, there are some positive aspects of this mysterious phenomenon.
Shoe tossing, for instance, has been known to represent a rite of passage associated with graduation from an educational institution or a discharge from military service. While tossed and posted shoes mark our social environment in negative and positive ways they also call to mind images from the not so distant past.
Could there be a deep rooted collective unconscious meaning to shoe posting/nailing? H Joie Crockett Photos – Near the entrance to Rangeley Lake State Park you will find this oddity of a telephone pole with shoes nailed to it. The question is “Why?”
The pilfering of clothing and other possessions in extermination camps by Nazi forces during World War II included the shoes of men, women and children. These shoes were generally thrown on top of each other one by one. The result is a dense heap of shoes that were once filled with Jewish feet. Now, these shoes piles exist in Holocaust museums around the world as evidential markers of Nazi atrocity.
Holocaust shoes
Can tossed or posted shoes be thought of without considering the indelible Nazi shoe piles?
This is an idea that has not been explored and deserves further attention in visual culture discourse. It is difficult to deny that the formal appearance of tossed and posted shoes in contemporary society reference past images of Nazi piles of Jewish shoes during the Holocaust. This may arguably be a far stretch for some; but for others, the sight of tossed and posted shoes may trigger the painful memories and agonizing reminders. Shoe tossing is at once close to life but never far from death. The meaning one subscribes to these curious objects is, like most things, one’s own. However that does not suggest that particular objects seen in everyday life, like tossed or posted shoes, cannot allude to the images of history. For the Silo, Dr.Matthew Ryan Smith.
One of my newest cheese loves is not a new cheese at all, but, actually, the traditional cheese of Spain. Manchego is a smaller wheel of Spanish sheep’s milk cheese that just makes the mouth water. It is regulated by Spain under the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), which was granted through the European Union. (in a nutshell, PDO allows for exclusive food/geographical production so for example, in Europe, Parma Ham can only be sold and labelled as Parma Ham if it originated in Parma see link below for more CP ) This means that it must meet specific regulations in order to be called Manchego. It must be made from whole sheep’s milk taken from animals that have grazed in autumn in La Mancha province. Finished cheese must be aged from 60 days to 2 years. The milk must contain at least 6% fat and each stone, or wheel, of cheese must weigh between 2 and 3.5 kg.
There is a distinctive pattern engraved in the inedible brown rind of the cheese.
Originally, the Manchego curd was hand pressed in plaited esparto grass baskets. The grass was taken from the same fields where the sheep grazed, and the grass-flowers pressed into the top. Today, however, press moulds are formed using the traditional pattern and the grass baskets have been phased out of production. Still, the traditional zigzag is how you can recognize Manchego at your favourite cheese shop—and always look for the PDO label.
The inside of the cheese, or the paste, is an off-white that hints at golden. As the cheese gets closer to the rind, the colour progresses to more of an umber. Very small pockets of air are produced as the cheese ages and releases co2.
But enough of all this—the important part of Manchego is the taste. It has a wonderful, mellow flavour that is rich and subtle at the same time. There are slight hints of smoke, woody nuts, tobacco, honey and leather, and it finishes with the distinctive taste that only sheep’s milk can give you. Manchego can be served with olives, sundried tomatoes or hearty crusty bread. It pairs easily with a fine Rioja red wine or a fruity sherry—a wonderful way to stay warm on a winter’s evening.
Recently I heard that Manchego, cut in smaller chunks and dipped in honey poured on a plate, makes a fine conclusion to full meal. I tried this desert idea and the flavours of honey and cheese together are just wonderful. The smoky taste that coats the taste buds is a joy.
For the more daring, this traditional dessert of Spanish Manchego and honey also pairs well with a fine Cuban cigar. Enjoy your cheese.
Waaay back in 2007 the “Govinator” raised a few eyebrows at Ottawa’s Westin Hotel. After taking in a Sen’s hockey game, Arnold made an unscheduled stop for a 16$ Partagas Cuban
The Obelisk- MacKinley Monument near Buffalo City Hall
If you’re looking for a spur-of-the-moment day trip from Niagara, Canada side, I have the answer for you.
A visit to downtown Buffalo can be your answer. It’s about an hour away nestled on the American side of the Peace Bridge and it’s a place still oozing with charm. The older downtown area offers a step-back-in-time experience. Forget the Chicken wings; the historic buildings here make a statement about style and sophistication.
Canalside Fireworks, Fourth of July, Fireworks in Buffalo NY
Cool Architecture and Art Deco Stylings
Fantastic architecture abounds in Buffalo- here is Buffalo City Hall, a fine example of Art Deco styling
Old City Hall
Start your day of exploring with a visit to Buffalo’s Art Deco City Hall. It dominates everything in the downtown area. Built during the early 1930’s (at the height of the great depression) this is a must see. The building is open free of charge Monday to Friday between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm. Take the elevator to the 22tnd floor, and then walk the stairway to the observation area. You’ll feel like you’re on top of the Empire State building in New York City. You’re rewarded with an awe inspiring view of the city, Niagara River and nearby Fort Erie. Free tours of City Hall are offered Monday to Friday at noon. Just meet in the lobby and a volunteer will put you through your paces as he or she walks and talks about the history of this Buffalo charmer. I was convinced, I was in a time warp. Docent (an American term which usually refers to a historic tour guide),
The term docent is an “Americanistic term” but has roots in the Germanic language
Rick Smyth, a retired teacher explained the meaning behind the many murals and statues that adorn the inside of the building. He said, “They tell about the friendship between Canada and the United States that has extended since the end of the War of 1812″. Niagara Square
Outside City Hall is Niagara Square .Dominating the square is a monument built to honour the memory of William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States (1897-1901) who was assassinated in Buffalo at the Pan American Exposition in 1901. If you love old architectural buildings and their history you’ve hit the jackpot. Take your pick, the perimeter of the square beckons you. All of these century old buildings have stories to tell. Escorted walking tours can be arranged at www.buffalotours.org or 716-852-3300. Lafayette Square
Lafayette Square is three blocks to the east of City Hall. It’s a park in the centre of the downtown. The block, which was once square, is lined by many of the city’s tallest buildings including the Liberty Building, and Rand Building. The Buffalo and Erie County Public Library (www.buffalolib.org) is an interesting place to explore. You can a get a first hand glimpse of the manuscripts of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. by Samuel L. Clemens, better know by his non de plume, Mark Twain lived in Buffalo between 1869 and 1871. The library is open daily at 8:30 am, except Sunday, free of charge. This block is surrounded by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority’s Metro Rail light rail rapid transit, which runs about 12 blocks above-ground along Main Street in what is called the Free Fare Zone. Try it you’ll love it. The ride really is free. Live Theatre
You’d be hard-pressed to leave this area without visiting one of the many historical theatres that offers touring Broadway shows, concerts, opera, dance and classic film series. Shea’s Performing Arts Center (www.sheas.org) on Main Street, built in the style of 1926 European Opera House, has an outstanding line-up of live entertainment. Greats like George Burns and Frank Sinatra have performed here in the past.
Find a tall building downtown (like the City Hall building) for a great panoramic look of the skyline.
Where to Eat
When the hunger pains start to come on I recommend the Spot Coffee Restaurant (www.spotcoffee.com) at the corner of Delaware Avenue and Chippewa Streets. This independently owned coffee shop is more authentic than places like Starbucks. They have good reasonably priced food and plenty of it. Uneven floors, wood tables and exposed brick make this the perfect neighbourhood eatery. They open at 7 am and close at 11 pm. It’s where I like to hang out during the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade takes place this year on Sunday, March 18 and begins at 2pm. Downtown Parking
Street parking is reasonable here. Be sure to carry lots of American 25 cent coins to feed the $1 an hour meters. Lot parking is about $8.00 for the day. For More Information TELL ’em The Silo sent ya ;> www.visitbuffaloniagara.com or 1-800-283-3256.
“It’s the tiny town of Defoy. Only a gravel road from the main highway, but about a half a mile down there is the wonderful “antiques dump” of Rene Boudin and his freres.” photos: P. Ross
By the winter of 1982, we had been going to the Harbourfront Antique market every Sunday for about a year, and were making a pretty good living selling things we had bought at local auctions and garage sales. Then one day, I read in the excellent and entertaining “bible” of Antique dealing “The Furniture Doctor” by George Grotz , that the village of Defoy, Quebec was mecca for the antique picker.
To quote “there’s a wonderful secret wholesale place up in the province of Quebec. It’s the tiny town of Defoy. Only a gravel road from the main highway, but about a half a mile down there is the wonderful “antiques dump” of Rene Boudin and his freres. And here under enormous sheds you will find literally acres of antique furniture, chests, and tables piled three to five pieces high”.
“…it wasn’t hard to find because it was near town, and his name was painted boldly on the barn.”
The book had been out quite awhile so there was no telling if this situation still existed, so I asked the old guys at the market if they knew of such a place. I got several reports of it’s glory days, followed by “of course that was years ago and nobody goes anymore. That being said they also all encouraged me to give it a go, and gave me “leads” as to who may still be active. We gathered up our courage, our baby, and what cash we had, and set off.
That first twelve hour drive felt like an eternity. It was a tired crew who pulled in late afternoon to a tiny motel in Victoriaville, Quebec.
Our first move was to look up Marcel Gosselin in the phone book because he was one of our most promising leads. To our delight he was listed, and he answered and told us where and how to come the next morning. It wasn’t hard to find because it was near town, and his name was painted boldly on the barn. Marcel greeted us warmly and proceeded to lead us to his main barn. There, behind the red and white cross doors was the biggest pile of dining chairs I had ever seen. About thirty feet across it reached to the top of the barn.
Through the hatch work of legs I could see tantalizing glimpses of a cupboard and some chests. Then he took us upstairs where in a loft he had sorted hundreds of chairs in sets of four, six, or more. Some were painted and some varnished. It was $45cdn each for simple painted chairs, $65cdn each for nicer pressbacks and/or varnished ones. We got a couple of sets knowing we would get about $150cdn-$250cdn each for these when refinished., Next I asked him about that cupboard I had seen in the giant pile downstairs. He told me all about it including the age, condition and reasonable price of $250cdn and told me he would extricate it and have it ready for my next trip if I wanted it.
I said I did, and then he didn’t even want a deposit.
“That’s not the way we do it down here. Your word is good enough, until it isn’t” Marcel (R) Phil (L)
“That’s not the way we do it down here. Your word is good enough, until it isn’t. I liked him immediately and knew he was a man I would enjoy doing business with.
Next he took us to the garage attached to his 100 year old frame house. The downstairs was filled with every kind of “smalls” including small boxes, glassware, pottery, antique clothing, folk art, etc, etc; and the tiny, about to collapse, upstairs loft was filled with hundreds of pottery washsets. There were some beauties, and this was a hot item at the time in Toronto. Prices ranged from $45cdn-$75cdn per set. We bought 8 of the nicest sets knowing we would get between $145cdn to $375cdn back home.
This was getting truly exciting.
We spent a terrific four hours or so with Marcel that first day and pulled away from his place, with half our money spent, and half our truck full of interesting, excellent quality, and reasonably priced stuff, not to mention the overwhelming sense of warmth, excitement and wonderment of that first glimpse into a Quebec picker’s life. We were hooked, and we knew it was the first of many more trips to see Marcel. For the Silo,Phil Ross.
Featured image courtesy of tourismecentreduquebec.com
Screenshot from waaaay back in 2010 and from an Ontario Lottery Gaming commercial. The premise? You’re stuck in a desert in a stalled car with a giant robot attacking. But then you remember what’s in the glove compartment…watch the video below and realize that counting on a lottery win is not the best way to financial security.
Maybe you’ve seen the ad, or one like it? For example-an Ontario Lottery Gaming commercial that depicts an attractive woman climbing out of bed, enjoying a leisurely cup of coffee before climbing into the cockpit of a sailboat, the implication being that if one wins a multi-million dollar jackpot, one can have the “yachty” lifestyle.
As I write this, I am sitting in the cockpit of my sailboat sipping a cup of coffee while enjoying the morning sun, and I have never won the lottery. In fact, I will be going to work at my average-guy, average-wage job shortly. Then, at the end of the workday, I will be returning to my sailboat, to enjoy the sunset.
For several years my wife, and I, and our dog, have spent the spring, summer and fall aboard our small sailboat. We return to our “dirt-home” only occasionally, to do laundry, mow the lawn so the neighbours don’t complain, collect mail and make sure the place hasn’t burned down.
This is the view that Bryan enjoys along with his ‘dock coffee’ at the Port Dover Harbour Marina. photo: B. Jones
After all, we need some place to live when the water is too hard and too cold to float a sailboat.
When new acquaintances find out that we are sailors and dock-rats, we often hear, “Oh, I have always wanted to sail!” or “I have always wanted to live on a boat!” What follows is often an enjoyable conversation about how to make it happen, how to “live the dream.”
I will confess, though, when hearing “Oh, I have always wanted to…” that the curmudgeonly little voice in the back of my head wants to retort, “No, you haven’t. If you really did, you would be doing it.”
Because it ain’t that hard to do.
We’re not rich. As I mentioned, my wife and I are pretty average people. Average age, average income, average credit scores, average sized mortgage, kids in college… look up “average” in the dictionary, and you don’t see our picture, because there are millions of folks just like us, and somebody way up the line got the honour.
We made a choice. We chose to buy a good, old boat for a mid-four- figure sum, invest a few hundred bucks a year on maintenance and a few hundred more on a slip to dock it in.
Our boat cost less than the annual membership at many golf clubs, and our slip fee for 6 months is less than a two week cottage rental in Turkey Point.
Bryan’s solution to beating the heat is to leave the dock and sail into the wind.
(Okay, before you start pelting me with hate mail, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with golf or vacationing in Turkey Point. Really. Except the clothes. KIDDING!)
It isn’t all fun and games and Jimmy Buffett tunes though.
Before you dash out and buy an old boat, here’s ten things my wife and I have learned over the past few seasons:
1. The stuff that bothers each of you about each other in 2000 sq ft on land does not magically go away in less than 200 sq ft on water. Learn to communicate, consider and compromise.
2. If you take it out, put it away. Now.
3. Each new item onboard means an old item has to leave.
4. Its okay to not talk.
5. One cooks, one does dishes. Helping doesn’t help.
6. When the dog needs shore patrol, the dog. Needs. Shore. Patrol. Now.
7. Find your own quiet spot, whether it is the v-berth, quarter berth, foredeck or cockpit.
8. You don’t have to get there today. You don’t even have to get there tomorrow.
9. When docking, mooring, anchoring, tacking or damn near anything goes awry, talk it out, and then hug it out.
10. There is a difference between being heard, and yelling.
We live in a slip on a dock with no services. No electricity and no water (aside from that which the boat floats in, smart-alecks,) means we have to refill our onboard water tank from 6 gallon water jugs hauled up the dock a couple of times a week, heat water on our alcohol stove to wash dishes, use solar panels to keep our batteries topped up and we don’t have air conditioning, or a microwave, or a big flat screen TV. A shower is a 10 minute dinghy ride or 15 minute walk away.
And we’re cool with that. We have become better, more creative cooks, we read more, we talk more, and the sunsets here and the characters we share them with more than compensate. We have talked more, laughed more and shared more with our dock-side neighbors than we ever have with our neighbors “on the dirt.” Our house is a house, but this is our home. For the Silo, Brian Jones.
I am sure that many of you will agree that the streetcars that rumbled through Toronto from 1800s until… let’s say 1990’s helped shape many neighborhood. They were the most effective way to connect Toronto’s core with its suburbs and greatly encouraged development of the communities as new grocery stores, restaurants, galleries, shops and banks as amenities have been built near the streetcar lines.
Standing in the middle of road, going nuts being stuck behind a streetcar, it is sometimes difficult to appreciate how important role they have played in the city’s history.
First Streetcars in Toronto
Inspired by the success of horse-drawn streetcars in the U.S., Alexander Easton’s Toronto Street Railway company started operating in 1861. New rail lines played a vital important role in connecting the city centre with its sleepy suburbs. What started as an enterprise with 6 miles of track and 11 cars, turned slowly into 68 miles of track with 361 street cars. The company expired in 1891 and the management was turned over to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).
The next company to take control over the system was the Toronto Railway Company, under which first electric streetcars were introduced. All services were later taken over by the Toronto Transportation Commission, which was later renamed to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).
Building street car tracks on Bay St. Toronto circa 1918
However, even streetcars had their bad times. In the 1960s they were almost abandoned when people thought of it as an outdated mode of transportation. Thirty years later it fell upon hard times once again because of budget cuts, the recession and its inability to service the rapidly-growing parts of the city.
It took months for the TTC to pull itself out of its bad times, but streetcars somehow managed to return back to their previous fame. Since then, the company’s services have been improving every year, but there are still some issues. Let’s take a look at the current state of the streetcar rail services in Toronto, its advantages and the most annoying faults.
The Ashbridges Bay street car line 1917.
Present
Although the number of streetcars crossing the city declined in the latter half of the 20th century, they never disappeared completely. In fact, streetcars have become a vital part of Toronto’s history and nearly every citizen’s life. Nowadays, the city owns 247 streetcars, of which 52 are higher-capacity articulated streetcars. These operate over 11 routes, serving a total of 617 stops over a system length of 75 kilometers. These numbers make it by far the largest surface rail system in North America.
Public transportation in Toronto relies heavily on streetcars in the downtown core which is the thin red lines you see on the TTC map above. Technically, they’re light rail trains, but locals refer to them as streetcars. Each line usually follows a street e.g. 501 Queen St., so it shouldn’t be too hard to get on the right vehicle.
Done right, streetcars can really encourage the overall development of the city, they are able to define whole neighborhoods, reduce traffic congestion, reinforce retail, bring life to streets and fit easily into the surroundings without disruption to existing businesses, residents or traffic.
Pros
One of the main advantages of streetcars is its high passenger capacity. Streetcars carry between 75 and 100 people per vehicle.
Regarding energy efficiency, streetcars are believed to do a little bit more for the environment that other public transport systems. Because every streetcar user means one less car on the road, words such as clean air quality, for environmental sustainability, for climate protection are often associated with streetcars. In fact, nothing drops greenhouse gas emissions faster than effective rapid transit, so if we truly want green for Toronto, streetcars might be the answer.
Another argument made in favor of streetcars is their long lifespan. The vehicles are designed to be very durable and can keep running for over 30 years. In contrast, buses wear out after just 8 – 12 years.
One of the “last” Toronto street cars. image: blogto.com
Since they are longer-lasting than other means of transport, the cost of repair and replacement is typically also much lower.
One ride costs $3.25, making it a very cheap transit option across the city. At the same time they are relatively fast to build, without impacting the city for a long period of time and resulting in minimal disruption to the neighborhood.
Streetcars can be so charming. Well, this is a subjective opinion, but have you seen vintage trolleys in San Francisco or New Orleans? They’re so awesome.
Cons
There are two sides to every coin so we have to mention disadvantages of streetcars, too. Once again, let’s talk about their passenger capacity. Even though they carry a relatively high number of passengers, the difference between a streetcar, LRT and subway is noticeable. Just for comparison, a subway train can hold up to 1500 passengers and an LRV can hold up to 255 people in a single vehicle (depending on speeds, frequency and actual vehicle length and capacity).
Next, streetcars require “loops” to turn around, which slows them down. This is not the case with cars, LRVs or subways.
Streetcars are noticeably slower than cars as they are travelling at speed of about 17km/h. LRVs run at an average of 27km/h and subways at 32km/h.
Streetcars are said to contribute to traffic congestion greatly. Imagine a situation when a streetcar stops to let passengers load on or get off. In such situation, both lanes at of traffic are blocked. This causes delays and angst among riders. If you’ve ever driven behind a streetcar, you know how much of a problem this is. You have nowhere to go, unless you stand far back enough to turn your car around.
At certain times they may pose danger to both passengers and pedestrians. For example, when cars try to pass them before they stop.
When it comes to costs, it is important to distinguish between the cost of laying down streetcar tracks, maintaining the streetcars themselves and maintaining roads. Streetcars require a whole lot of special mechanics and thus the cost of maintenance is much higher.
And let’s not forget about pollution. You might disagree with a statement that streetcars are a reason behind increased pollution in our city, but if you think about it for a second, you will realize there is some truth in it. Since it creates traffic congestions, it also adds to pollution.
Future of Streetcars
Even though many people are getting more and more angry at streetcars, they are not going anywhere. When (then Mayor) Rob Ford tried to cancel the Transit City light-rail-plan and build tunnels underground in some parts of the city, city council decided to keep new transit lines above ground. The main reason behind this decision was the cost of tunneling and powering subways.
And for those unhappy citizens who are queuing up behind streetcars every morning, the least Toronto could do is indicate that they are keeping an open mind about new subway lines. And let’s not forget that the city intends to build and operate new light rail transit lines, which means that people will be able to travel in new dedicated lines, separated from motor vehicle traffic. For the Silo, Jamie Sarner.
IRVINE, Calif. – Waaaay back in Summer 2011, BenQ America Corp. announced that as the official gaming monitor sponsor of Major League Gaming (MLG), the world’s largest competitive video game league, it would be supplying monitors for the then upcoming 2012 MLG Pro Circuit Summer Championship that were held in Raleigh, North Carolina. At the tournament, hundreds of the top gamers from around the world competed using BenQ’s RL2450HT and GL2450HM monitors, designed specifically for professional gaming and engineered to meet the specific needs of eSports athletes. The GL2450HM was also featured in the Virtua Fighter(TM) 5 and Skullgirls(TM) Exhibition Tournaments, alongside the Pro Circuit competition.
At the 2012 MLG Pro Circuit Summer Championship, gamers — including BenQ-sponsored Team Dynamic and Manuel “Grubby” Schenkhuizen — competed for their share of nearly $215,000 in prizes playing the real-time strategy (RTS) games StarCraft(R) II: Wings of Liberty and League of Legends(R) on PC, and fighting games Mortal Kombat(TM) and SoulCalibur(R) V on the PlayStation(R)3 (PS3(TM)).
[Then] 26 year old Dutch professional videogamer Manuel “Grubby” Schenkhuizen and friend Cassandra. How good is he? Check out- http://www.sk-gaming.com/player/90-Grubby image:courtesy MechWarrior onlineThousands of spectators watched the tournament at the Raleigh Convention Center, and hundreds of thousands of fans watched the action online at www.majorleaguegaming.com/live.
For those retro system fans, there was even a Summer Championship that let fans get in on the action with Virtua Fighter 5 and Skullgirls Exhibition Tournaments, played on the good old PS3.
Anyone with a Raleigh Spectator or Competitor Pass could participate in these tournaments, which were sponsored by PlayStation. Winners of the best-of-three matches held the station until defeated and could re-enter as many times as they wished. The two players for each game with the longest winning streaks battled it out for $2,000 per tournament in the Finals on the
Fighting Games Main Stage.
Crowd shot from the MLG #gamerompfest
“The Summer Championship in Raleigh [was] sure to provide an exciting culmination to an amazing summer season, and we [were] honored to have our RL2450HT and GL2450HM in the middle of the action,” said Bob Wudeck, Director of Retail and e-Commerce at BenQ America Corp. “The fast response times of BenQ’s monitors result in high-action competition, while features such as the RL2450HT’s Black eQualizer help eSports athletes not just play the game, but conquer it. In addition, the incredibly low lag of the GL2450HM provides perfect timing in fighting and shooting games.”
Delivering a supreme RTS gaming experience, the RL2450HT was used for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty and League of Legends PC games tournaments at the Summer Championship. The RL2450HT was engineered with input from the world-class StarCraft II professional gaming team, STARTALE, which is sponsored by BenQ. For top-level RTS gamers, the monitor features a 60-Hz refresh rate for smooth movement, an LED light engine for great color and low power consumption, and a 2-ms GtG response time with 12 million to 1 contrast ratio.
The RL Series RTS Mode maximizes StarCraft II visibility and optimizes color, while its Black eQualizer enables total visibility by allowing gamers to adjust the screen brightness without over-exposing white levels — revealing critical combat details with improved visibility in darkened areas. The RL Series Display Mode allows gamers to interchange between monitor screen sizes, while the Smart Scaling feature gives them the freedom to scale the screen manually to any custom size — from 17 to 24 inches — depending on their preferences. In addition, the unit’s adjustable height stand allows for optimal screen positioning.
The 24-inch-wide GL2450HM monitor is an ideal choice for console gaming platforms, featuring brilliant LED backlighting, a dynamic contrast ratio of 12 million to 1, and a 2-ms GtG response time that yields high dynamic videos without ghosting or other artifacts.
At a later MLG Summer Championship, console games Mortal Kombat and SoulCalibur V were played on the GL2450HM, in addition to Virtua Fighter 5 and Skullgirls in the Exhibition Tournaments sponsored by PlayStation.
Supporting competitive and competitive retro gaming, BenQ offered the monitors used in the tournament at special discount pricing available to all MLG tournament fans.
Once again I find myself Down in the Southern U.S checking out beautiful un-restored classic cars in their usual (usual here) worn out aged condition. With very little rust. It never ceases to amaze me the sheer quantity of classics down here. I look at such a wide array of any make or model. (people actually think that they have all been picked already!). One short cruise down one back-road down here and I guarantee that you will spot at least an old Chevy truck parked out back behind a house, in a barn, or just barely sticking out of an old garage that is coming down around it.
As an extreme car enthusiast, all I can say is that it is unreal.
This, not planned, but longer than expected trip to Georgia, brought me to see a sweet 1968 el Camino SS, with a 383 stroker engine and nice black interior. I almost got to look at an original, untouched 1963 split window Corvette, parked in a carport for like 20 years. Apparently under a couple inch thick layer of dust. Go figure it was gone before I even got there.
A teaser sneak-peek at the back end and side of the 1968 ElCamino. Complete with black interior and a 383 Stroker engine.
A couple of the more odd-ball cars I looked at were a 1985 Corvette on 20inch 140spoke knock-off rims ( I don’t understand this one!), and a metallic orange 85 Monte Carlo SS jacked up about 14 inches sitting on 24’s, and featuring real bullet holes that it received in a police shootout (the guy who had it, bought it from a police auction). Neat looking car.
I also met a man down here who had to have had about 6 or 7, 58-60 Corvettes in different stages of repair. With one I believe, 1959 Corvette completely restored, in a high-gloss black, with a mint convertible top, and factory 4speed standard (manual to our UK and European friends) transmission. He also had one 1958, close to finished. They were both sweet cars. I must also add that the other 4 or 5 were scattered around his property among scrap, building supplies, and bushes. It was quite a sight.
These very rare cars in abundance on this property.
I walked out behind his shop and he had a 1957 Chevy 210 Station Wagon with no engine, but complete interior down to the factory radio! This car just parked, with bushes and weeds growing around it. (I think I am going to buy this one to build with my son and daughter and keep as the Sunday cruiser). I’m thinking a nice, loud, built small block, flat-black paint, and white wall tires on gloss-red rallys. I love these cars!
You probably noticed the first photo in this post right? Well, on a previous trip down here about two years ago I caught wind of a guy in Tennessee who apparently had 19, (that’s right!!! 19!) 1957 Chevy cars.
I couldn’t believe it when I got there and I don’t think too many people can say that they’ve seen nineteen 1957 Chevys all in one spot. It was incredible.
This guy had acres and acres of farm with cars tucked away everywhere you looked. 1951 Fords, A 59 Chrysler, 38 Chevy coupe, 59 International pickup, a 1929 Chevy Hot-rod, an I think 1930 Nash, all kinds of cars and trucks that you never see. In nearly original condition. My actual favorite here though, was his personal “parts getter” 1929 Chevy Truck Rat-rod, it was clever right down to the piston rad cap that stuck out of the hood. I really liked this one. The cool thing about finding all these cars is meeting their owners and hearing all of their stories. Car people are usually fun to hang out with, especially in the south.
1929 Chevy Truck “Rat Rod”.
I’m coming back with a friend who bought a 1966 Big back window, Chevy custom-10 short-box. Its not a half bad truck. He’s gonna fix it up. Maybe add a small block V-8. We’ll see. I’m heading back to Canada tomorrow. Goodbye t-shirt days in January, goodbye five dollar all-you- can eat buffets, goodbye three dollar smokes and goodbye constant, rare car sightings. Oh well, I always know that there will be future adventures in the deep south. Checking out sweet old cars for people, and telling them where they’re at. It’s always cool to have someone ask if I know of an old car they have been looking for and can’t find, and I can tell them “I can give you the phone number of a guy who’s got one of those”. It’s always very cool to have someone bring you a new project. So many possibilities with every car that rolls in…
A sample of Syd’s arcade and home platform collection. Note the original Sega Genesis retail display ‘arcade machine’
Most of us have hobbies.
When I was growing up stamp collecting seemed like it was on the verge of dying out but I started a collection anyway. I had a lot of fun with it and although I no longer have that collection (I really wish I did) it provided many hours of entertainment and gave my brain a chance to think.
Today, I collect video games.
It’s a hobby that is becoming more and more popular as more and more generations are born with gaming as a normal part of everyday life. One of the best things about game collecting as a hobby is that you can diversify your collecting in various ways.
For example, you can be an “everything” collector like I am. You collect all video game systems and games from the mid-1970’s to today. This is the most challenging (and dare I say it, expensive) of the choices but it doesn’t have to be. You could concentrate on the oldies, starting out with a system like the Atari 2600 or you could try to focus on the “16-bit era” and focus on systems like the Super Nintendo which came out in 1991 and produced a great library of titles.
Another great aspect of game collecting is that it can fit any budget. Frugal gamers can find the best of deals at garage sales and far, out of the way retailers or you can loosen your wallet a bit and find easier pickings at the bigger retailers.
With collecting, it’s all about the hunt.
It doesn’t matter where you live. You can take the family for a drive on the weekend while you look for buried treasures. For Canadians, there is even a website dedicated to classic game collectors where you can connect with like-minded individuals. Just head over to Canada’s Classic Game Collectors Website.
I think it’s important to define the parameters of what you are collecting (for example, are you collecting boxed items or “loose”) and so on. It gives you guidance when going shopping. I know some collectors who only buy sealed games (very expensive) and others who only collect certain game series (for example all of the Zelda games or all of the Pokemon titles). The possibilities are quite endless. Regardless of what approach you take, collecting can be almost as much fun as playing. For the Silo, Syd Bolton. Featured image- Commodore Vic-20 computer and modem used by the author to conduct the world’s first tweet from a Vic-20.
As a technology writer for the Silo, I am always focusing and thinking about the evolution of technology. I write about how computers and video games have changed over the years, but of course, many other things change around us and the one I have been thinking about a lot lately is shopping. ( Consumers Distributing may be back, the relaunch namesake follows us on Twitter )
CD had some serious PPMP’s (Portable Personal Music Players)- notice how the colour and graphic schemes are totally late 80’s/early 90’s?
When I was a kid, I remember getting the Consumers Distributing catalog and taking it into my room to read thoroughly. Of course, I tended to go directly to the toys section and more specifically I looked at the video games and computers. I dreamed about the day I would own some of these items, and I patiently saved my pennies from my job as a paper route carrier. Life can be tough when you are 12.
Started in 1957, Consumers Distributing tried to save costs for consumers by creating a warehouse like environment that allowed them to operate in smaller locations.
Customers would typically shop through a catalog (which they could take home or use in-store) and fill out a request form. This form was taken to the counter where a customer service representative would go fetch your item(s) and ring up the sale.
At its peak the chain would grow to 243 outlets in Canada and 217 in the United States. By 1996, however, the customers were fading as frustration grew with items being out of stock (or, more accurately, the customer perception was that items were always out of stock). In 2006, the company appeared to emerge from bankruptcy protection but little has been done to revive the stores to the way they once were.
Nothing says vintage or captures the ‘aura’ of shopping in a Consumers Distributing store quite like a polaroid.
Even though the end of the chain could be considered a failure, the evolution of the concept continues to this day. Stores like Home Depot and Costco operate in a warehouse-like environment, there are just no catalogs.
Canadian retail giant Hudson’s Bay Company also thought it was a pretty good idea since they purchased and ran a competitive chain of stores called “Shop-Rite” that were open from 1972 to 1982.
.At its peak, Shop-Rite had 65 stores in Ontario before conceding defeat to Consumers. It wasn’t the competition that was really the problem, it was the concept.
With the recent closing of the retail operations of Blockbuster and Rogers Video, we are seeing another step in the evolutionary process. Decades from now, people will probably think it was quite strange to obtain our movies from a retail store because everything will be digitally beamed into our homes and the physical disks and tapes we use now will be completely gone.
My friend Dave Thielking is a lot like me and he remembers the days when we were kids flipping through those catalogs.
So when he obtained some old catalogs I knew we could work together to put them online and share with our other friends who remember the old days of shopping and the great toys and items we wanted to save our pennies for. The result is a new website called the Consumers Distributing Archive and you can find it at http://www.cdarchive.ca.
We are never going to be able to stop evolution – of any kind – but it doesn’t mean we have to like it, or that we can’t go back to the way things were even just for an afternoon or two. For the Silo, Syd Bolton.
In 1981 RCA introduced Selectavision even though they knew they had little chance of getting these things into most people’s homes. Laserdiscs had been on the market for several years and video cassette recorders were starting to become more affordable and popular. But RCA had invested millions of dollars and spent 17 years engineering a way to extend the playing time of the LP record and embed full color, full motion video. The fact that they were successful seems incredible given the age of the vinyl medium. It had been around for a long time.
That’s part of what makes this format so wonderful.
It’s an analog medium and when properly set up and viewed it can create a rich, warm viewing experience, far closer to a movie theater showing film than DVD. Yes I said that and I know there will be many that will think I am wrong. If you are one of them leave a comment at the bottom of this post and I will be happy to send you screen shots and a couple of reasons why what I’m saying makes sense. This is what family cinema was meant to be. It isn’t about lines of resolution and eight channels of sound, it’s about experiencing film as nostalgia, as fun, as intimacy, together as a family, even as art. Consider how a painting compares to the print or the digital copy of that painting. The original painting has a richness and a vivid quality that is difficult to describe in words. It has an immediacy and a temperature. Prints and digital images, although fine for technical analysis, do not create the same connection with the viewer.
There are other ways that collectors of CED’s (Capacitance Electronic Discs or Selectavision for short) connect with this unique format. They take special pride in the jukebox like mechanism that extracts the vinyl disc from its protective plastic jacket. They appreciate the fantastic sound quality of stereo transfers- most stereo discs carry the Dolby Stereo/Surround information signal which can be decoded with modern receivers. They admire technicolor movies that have a certain ‘glow’ on this format. (Still image screenshots do not demonstrate this strength because the effect is accumulative via moving images and scene transitions.) They enjoy watching classic movies on classic 4:3 television screens. They reminisce and appreciate a time when small screen sizes meant watching movies and shows from a physically closer position- circled around a TV in a cozy nook.
These folks probably never gave up their vinyl record collections and who can blame them? They’re laughing on that one, by the way. For the Silo, Jarrod Barker.
The manufacturing process.
-Unaltered CED Movie Screenshots-
The Thomas Crown Affair 1968 director Norman Jewison
Rocky2 1979 director Sylvester Stallone
TRON 1982 Director Steven Lisberger
Black Orpheus 1959 Director Marcel Camus
Superman The Movie 1978 Director Richard Donner
The Hound of the Baskervilles 1959 Director Terrance Fisher
Playboy Collectors Video #2
Star Trek: The Motion Picture 1979 Director Robert Wise
It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a decade since I did some work recording for Statistics Canada. The job required door-to-door visits to all the homes in a designated area, interesting because I had a chance to see what people do in their yards. One residence in particular left a strong impression on me and it continues to resonate now in 2021 all these years later.
It was a beautiful home, probably 40 years old, on a fairly large estate.
The lawns were nicely manicured and the architectural evergreens were tastefully placed. It looked like a photo in a 1970’s Better Homes and Gardens.
This architectural sketch of a late 1970’s “Dream Green Home” at least shows a bit of “greenery” and a tree. image:public domain
But as I walked to the front door, I realized that there was no movement.
Nothing swayed in the afternoon breeze. There were no herbaceous plants, no flowers, and worse, no bees, no butterflies, no birds. This place had as little movement as my imaginary magazine photo. It struck me as being uninteresting and unnatural. Land without life.
In my experience we show ourselves at our best when we interact and connect with nature and even find a kind of fulfillment in it. This completion has been lost for many of us, but paradise can be regained at any time.
There are all kinds of small ways to re-connect and to bring restoration, not just to the land, but to ourselves as well. I encourage everyone to put in a garden of some kind. A vegetable garden is of course the most practical and immediately useful. Start small and easy if you have never had a garden before.
If the practicality of a vegetable garden isn’t appealing, then plant something in to nourish your soul.
A couple of years ago I put in a no-maintenance garden specifically to attract hummingbirds. The thank-you’s come at dusk when increasing numbers of my little buddies do their end-of-day rounds. Scarlet runner beans, red monarda, salvia, tithonia, and crocosmia – they did the trick.
And copying the garden of a friend , I have also put in a small butterfly garden.
Milkweed, Echinacea, and butterfly bush (Buddleia) are good starter plants. I’m doing my small part to help save the monarch butterfly population. The nice thing about both these gardens is that they require almost no attention, just observation and enjoyment.
I’ve often thought about theme gardens. “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance…” Ophelia’s mad scene in Hamlet is a great starting point for a Shakespearean garden and a study of plant symbolism in literature. A biblical garden would also be an interesting exercise, though the plants themselves would be local approximations of Mediterranean species but the life lessons would be endless. Consider the lilies of the field. What about a cutting garden, a scented garden, a night garden?
Poets and painters have found inspiration in gardens. Like them, let nature take your breath away. Start small. To quote the American poet, Emily Dickinson:
To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee. One clover, and a bee. And reverie. The reverie alone will do, If bees are few.
It doesn’t take much to make a prairie – or your own personal sanctuary. For the Silo, Rick Posavad.
SUP- Stand up paddling is a popular sport along the Grand River system. image: grandriverrafting.ca
Is the water level in the river going to be okay for canoeing or kayaking on any given weekend?
This is a common question that people call the GRCA to ask. It is also an important question. Usually what they mean is ” will there be enough water?”, but occasionally, there is actually way too much water for most people to canoe or paddle safely.
Fly fishermen too need to check river levels so they are safe and don’t get swept off their feet by a strong current.
An angler will likely move to a different area rather than take a chance. As an organization, the GRCA does not make recommendations as to appropriate water flows for recreational activities along the Grand River and its tributaries because there are many variables to consider. Some people have the expertise and training to enjoy high flows that could be fatal to inexperienced and ill equipped paddlers.
Very low flows make for slow going as there may not be enough water for the canoe to float and it may need to be pulled to deeper water at certain times. A skilled paddler will be able to read the water to find the deepest water and will have fewer problems. Some people have a bad day if they have to step out of their boat even once, while others are more tolerant of low flows. That is why there is no definitive answer to this question.
Appropriate water levels are a favorite discussion among paddlers. Those who paddle regularly have their own personal chart, whether it is in their head or on a spreadsheet.
Checking flow information
Many avid river recreation enthusiasts in Southern Ontario bookmark the River Data section of the GRCA’s website and check it when trip planning. This is one of the most visited sections on the GRCA’s website and provides hourly updates on river flows from 39 gauges on the Grand and eight tributaries. Some gauge information is also posted on an Environment Canada website that includes rivers in other parts of Canada, but the GRCA site has data for more gauges from this
watershed.
The main chart here is called the Flow Summary.
Recreational users should pay attention to the column headed “flow.” This one is measured in cubic metres per second or cms. If the rate is 10 cms, that means that 10,000 litres of water is moving past the flow gauge each second at this part of the river. The cms gets bigger as the river moves towards Lake Erie. There are huge changes in river flow due to seasons, weather, ice jams and dam operation.
Compare this to the “summer lowflow” which is the average flow during the dry summer months and you will see in relative terms how much water is flowing down the river. Following this Flow Summary is a list of sections of the rivers and tributaries with graphs. For example, one of the most popular sections of the river for a day trip, Cambridge to Paris, a paddler would check the Galt gauge on the “Middle Grand River“section. The graph will tell you if the level is going up, down, or holding steady. Occasionally a flow gauge does not operate and the information can be inaccurate, so the information is provisional. There is also a River Flow Information line that is updated regularly and can be reached at 519-621-2763, ext. 2511.
Photo by Judi Thompson
Outfitter information
There are several local outfitters in the area and they have cut off levels, when they stop canoe rentals. Canoeing the Grand in Kitchener has a safety section on their website with a five step rating chart for paddling. This scale goes from “Excellent” to “No Go” with five levels, depending on the paddler’s age, skill, expertise and river conditions.
Grand River flow rates chart
When river flows skyrocket
As the graph above shows, the Grand River may not give much warning of a sudden increase in river flows, which is why the GRCA must sometimes issue high water safety warnings to the public. This is the flow information from the week of May 2 to 9 from a few years ago. Note that it shows heavy rain on Thursday night May 3 in the northern part of the watershed meant flows ballooned from 8 cms to 120 cms within a couple of hours, as the data from Marsville shows. The GRCA issued a warning after the storm. The rainwater gushed down the river and by the afternoon of Friday May 4, flows were dropping at Marsville but skyrocketing at West Montrose. By Saturday May 5, the river flows in Brantford were extreme and then they peaked at York on the southern Grand on Sunday.
A final important note, Dams can make the impact of a rainstorm less severe but they don’t eliminate flooding or high flows.
For the Silo ,Janet Baine, GRCA Communications Specialist
This time around in comic news we are looking back at the Journey into Mystery comic auction from Heritage Auctions.
What made this auction particularly interesting is the fact that pricing was reasonable and grading conditions were meticulous. Not always the case on other online auction sites (E-something, Kiji-something), Heritage Auctions or “HA” take great pride in the fact that their faculty includes not only comic fanatics but also experts in antique books and printing. It’s safe to say that ‘what you see and what you read’ here is ‘what you get’.
What about the comics?
In my opinion, Tales of Mystery starring the Marvel character Thor is still an undervalued comic book, even with all of the Marvel movie appearances. Consider that the first run Thor series was benefited by the pencil skills of Mr. Jack Kirby. Jack is an icon in the comic book collector world. Unique style? Check. Quality character poses? Check.
Sure, we all know the main reason for the comic was to set the stage for Thor (introduced by the way in 1962’s Tales of Mystery #83) but there’s also the less considered crossover appeal of major stories (and covers) utilizing such Marvel characters as Magneto , The Incredible Hulk and even Hercules.
Tales of Mystery, like other comics from the early 1960’s, has a naivete and a simple message: Good guy half-god deals with life and an identity crisis. And that’s the fun factor.
It’s been almost sixty years since Marvel introduced the comic character Thor.
That’s a long time. Thor is still around, starring in major motion pictures and wielding the mighty mjolnir. He’s not going away. So if you have the money, investing in one or more of these books is not only a fun move, it’s a wise move. Sure to increase in value. For the Silo, Jarrod Barker.
Attachment parenting (AP) is a philosophy that basically means: the closer you keep your children to you, you provide a security, a centre. When children grow up, they are very compassionate, loving human beings. Parts of this style include extended breastfeeding, a safe sleep environment (close to parents) and baby-wearing and balance (martyrdom is not a requirement). The tenet of AP is that by meeting your baby’s needs, the child feels secure in their world.
One can practice AP while working. One can also practice AP while bottle feeding (dads don’t nurse). What matters most is meeting your baby’s needs and bonding. A newborn, a child, has basic needs. They need to eat (as humans, meant to drink Mamma’s milk), they need to poop/pee, they need to sleep, and they need to feel loved. Babies feel love by contact and closeness.
Hubby and I said that our babies would never sleep in our bed. From 6-9 months, my eldest and I barely slept. He woke up often to nurse, and with the stringent rules the nurses gave me at the hospital about nursing (rules which I now don’t agree), I was sleeping maybe 40 minutes between nursing sessions. In desperation, I brought him into our bed and ‘hid’ him there until he was around a year old. When Jeff finally discovered him, he said, “That’s why you have been so much nicer lately?” “Yes, because I could finally sleep!”
[The Big Bang Theory’s Mayim Bialik says attachment parenting is “a style of parenting that basically harkens to the way primates parent — things like natural birth, breast feeding, sleeping safely near your child, holding your child. ” CP]
I should say that the Canadian Pediatric Society says not to sleep with your child. But, there has been research the past 6 years that clearly shows that if certain precautions are in place (no smoking, drinking or drugs that put you into a deep sleep, never on a couch, and no pillows/blankets around baby’s face), sleeping with a parent is safe. Most babies who die sleeping with their parent had at LEAST one of those risk factors, if not more. A great website that will give a fully informed choice is (http://www.isisonline.org.uk/). Sleeping with your children is a contentious topic in western culture, but quite normal overseas.
I was a full time midwifery student when my baby girl (last of 4 children) was 7 months. I still was an AP’er. We both slept better at night. She stayed connected to me even though I was gone during the day or days. Of my 4 children (now ranging from 8-16), none have been bullies. They all left our bed. They all stopped nursing when we both chose. It worked for us.
This Digital Dad could use a sling… “Ever since my baby boy was born on February first, everyone keeps asking the same thing. How is it that I can find so much time for video games? Having a baby is very time consuming and, even with my generous 6 weeks of parental leave, I still found it hard to find time for myself (ie: gaming time). That is, before I discovered that my shoulder is more comfortable to a newborn than any bed, pillow, blanket or hammock made by man” from http://tinyurl.com/2qlcm4
Baby-wearing is AWESOME in a mall. Strangers do not enter your private space to look at your child, as they would if your child was in a stroller. They see the world from the safety of mom or dad’s arms. This type of parenting may not work for everyone. No judgement. Like breastfeeding, the choice is with the parent, not society. My children are very resilient and loving human beings. For the Silo,Stephanie MacDonald.
Maybe Groundhog Day can become a National or Provincial Stat Holiday because February 2nd isn’t officially known as Groundhog Day. Technically it isn’t a National Holiday. It isn’t a Provincial Holiday. [Is Quebec the only province with a Provincial Holiday? CP] But maybe it should be. Groundhog Day isn’t an exclusive celebration that targets a specific demographic such as Family Day. It isn’t religiously or politically motivated. It doesn’t specify Muslim, Buddhist, Marxist, agnostic or atheist beliefs. It is inclusive, quirky, wacky and fun. There is no need to worry about political incorrectness.
Caddy vs Gopher…i’m betting on the gopher
Maybe Groundhog Day can become a rallying point for Ontarians. Groundhogs are robust creatures. They handle our long winter with style. Groundhogs might be cute but they are also tough!
Maybe the Groundhog can become Canada’s national animal. Does anyone remember the politician who wanted to make the polar bear our national animal? Most of us aren’t likely to run into polar bears. It’s that old adage: “Out of sight, out of mind” and since we’re more likely to see a groundhog and associate with a groundhog it is an ideal choice. Incidentally Canada’s national animal is the beaver. Another obscure animal that most of us have never seen.
Maybe Groundhog Day is spiritual after all. If a Holiday need to be justified on a basis of spirituality or community consider the following short list:
Mysticism (Shadow casting or lack their off = Long range weather forecast)
Fatalism (Let everyone believe that an animal can come out of the ground on a specific day and tell us how the next six weeks will turn out)
Anthropomorphism (Groundhogs can really see? Can they talk? How do we know if they have seen their shadow?)
Human/Animal Communication or Telepathy (Groundhog interpreters/ Groundhog whisperers? Are they specific to Wiarton, Punxsutawney?)
For the Silo, Rick Fess. By the way, groundhogs are no joke. They can carry rabies and pose a direct threat to our crops.
There are many reasons to plant a tree – to shade your home, help the environment, or just for the pleasure and beauty it brings. There are many questions when it comes to choosing the right tree. What kind of tree will thrive in my community, and on my property? How fast will it grow? Should I worry about choosing a native Ontario tree?
The Tree Atlas
You can get answers to those questions and much more information from an online Tree Atlas (ontario.ca/treeatlas).
The Tree Atlas shows you which trees will work where you live, your soil type, and other conditions to consider. It can also help you find the kind of tree that helps you achieve other goals, like offering shade to keep your home cool in the summer, attracting birds, or a fast-growing, bushy species to hide an unsightly view.
The Tree Atlas describes trees that are native to Ontario, so you’ll be planting a tree that’s adapted to the province and supports a healthy environment. You’ll also find tips on when and how to plant a tree to give it the best chances to thrive on your property.
Trees clean our air and water, help fight climate change, increase wildlife habitat, provide shade and help prevent flooding. When you plant a tree, you’re helping the environment.
The Tree Atlas was developed by the Ministry of Natural Resources, so you can be confident that the information provided is accurate and reliable.
Many Ontario towns and cities have tree planting programs – check with your municipality for tree planting information and assistance in your area. For the Silo, Emmilia Kuisma, District Strategic Officer Ministry of Natural Resources.
When I think back to the 1980’s I have mostly fond memories. It was time of great fun and discovery for me personally. I had both Commodore and Apple computers and a hairstyle that is happy to remain in my past. I listened to cool groups like “Twisted Sister” and wouldn’t publicly admit that I enjoyed “Culture Club”. Being in high school, I was painfully shy and didn’t have a lot of success with girls.
Apple had a pretty similar experience if you think about it. They were a little shy and reserved, but very much loved by those who understood them. They didn’t go out much – choosing to stay in schools and in a very few select homes. They had their share of identity crisis’ in the early 80’s and tried to break free with a whole new persona called “Macintosh” in 1984.
They walked around confused between educational, business, and recreational use and staggered out of the fog towards the end of the decade.
The 1990’s brought about a new confidence and independence. I had started a business just at the end of the 80’s and took my experience to heart as I tried to find the right niche for me. I knew that computers was where I was meant to be and grew a business from nothing to exceptional sales in a short time.
Steve Jobs and Apple’s Macintosh Computer.
I also saw the market hinge and my sales erode and I wasn’t quite able to move fast enough to recover my previous glory.
Apple saw their market share grow and decline in the 90’s as well. They knew that computers were where they were meant to be, but they couldn’t decide if they were the company to make them. They tried licensing out their operating system to others in a move that ultimately
muddied the market and left their loyal customers wondering just exactly where they were going next. Following graph courtesy of www.saypeople.com
The 2000’s became a year of maturity for me. More confident in the path I was following, I followed my dreams to open a computer museum and finally saw it through in 2005. I refocused my energies with my passion for video games to acquire the largest collection in Canada while at the same time educating others along the way.
I worked my way towards a global following for those that have shared my vision. Apple made the move from niche computer to dedicated
music device, to a more advanced smart phone in the 2000’s. They grew their loyal following in the computer market by making some radical
changes to their core operating system and integrating their new consumer devices flawlessly. They became the company they had always
dreamed they could be.
Today, I ’m following my dreams and am no longer the shy, awkward guy I was in high school. I ’m successful and I ’ve moved on from “Culture Club”. My life is very interesting because I like to keep one foot in the past to enjoy the good times, while putting another foot forward into the exciting future.
The best is yet to come, and I think the same is true for Apple. For the Silo, Syd Bolton. Check out www.pcmuseum.ca in Brantford,Ontario.
We’re too lazy. They say that too. And North Americans in general are pretty unhealthy. I’m saying that. Yet at the same time there are daily press releases about eating healthier, supporting local agriculture, the 100-mile diet, and buying organic produce. Of course, that requires some thought and decision-making. The default setting is to support economies of California or China, which we do, pay for the increasing cost of importing,which we do, and wonder what residual chemicals are in our salad greens, which we should.
I was at a high-end organic market in the GTA recently and I hate to say it, but the organic vegetables were a great disappointment. I felt it was a misrepresentation of what organic produce should be. But what if you grew your own? Or at least tried?
You don’t need a degree in agriculture, and don’t have to be intimidated by those who have been gardening for years. It’s OK to be new. It’s fun to be new. There are all kinds of health benefits derived from gardening, aside from the produce itself. And it gives you some time alone with your thoughts.
My advice is to just do it.
Time and experience will be your best teachers. Start simple, start small. I had mini-gardens in townhouse patios and on apartment balconies for years. At this point, I’m a big supporter of raised bed gardening for almost endless reasons. If you don’t want to go it alone, find a friend or two and have a competition. Like – who will have the first ripe tomato, (Grow the heirloom variety called stupice to win), or the biggest carrot, (oxheart will win, if you can find seed). The first thing to do is select your site. Simply, the more sun the better.
The second step: Prepare the bed.
If you are going to put in a raised bed, you can just mound up the soil into a kind of plateau, or actually construct a container. Avoid using pressure treated wood since the chemicals could leach out into the soil. I’ve seen beds built with bricks and patio stones stood up on their edges. I am
experimenting with various-sized lumber.
The next step is to add or amend the soil.
The key is to add organic matter, and not just fertilizer pellets. I think of it like feeding a child – you would never give your kids just water and vitamin pills and expect them to thrive. Mixed organic matter (leaves, composted kitchen waste, composted manure, old straw…) builds the soil, feeds the worms, and adds the micro-nutrients that will eventually find their way into your vegetables. Shortcuts are not sustainable. The most important rule is this: feed the soil, and the soil will feed the vegetables.
If the soil is healthy, the plants will also tend to be healthy and be less susceptible to infestation by insect pests. It’s one of the laws of nature that the sick and the weak are targets for the predator. So it is in the garden. Also consider “companion planting” for plant health. Among other things I plant strategically-placed marigolds, nasturtium and herbs for insect control.
In selecting the plants for your garden, in the beginning start with what your family likes. Even for the small garden you can get a pretty good yield in a small space. For early spring grow leaf lettuce. You can extend the season by picking off the outer leaves or cutting off the entire head about an inch above ground. It will push more tender leaves until the summer heat arrives.
Love peas?
Try early bush snow peas, inter-planted with carrots and radishes. All of them are great for small spaces. Grow herbs for your salads and seasoning. You’ll decrease the desire for salt and sugar on your plate which will help you stay healthy. You just have to grow tomatoes. Locate a source for an heirloom variety. Nothing compares with the taste of an old-fashioned vine-ripened tomato still holding the sun’s heat. For the Silo, Rick Posavad.
Norm Lewis was just twelve years old in 1958, a student at the old South Public School, when he saw the film A Night To Remember, a straight forward rendering of the Titanic disaster based on the book by Walter Lord. The film was a pivotal experience for Norm, and the beginning of a life-long fascination with this most infamous nautical event.
In 1993 Norm attended a Boston conference of The Titanic Historical Society, meeting enthusiasts from all over the world. He began polling Canadian delegates on the idea of starting their own group and got an overwhelming response. In 1998, this former locksmith and transport driver became the President, Founder and CEO of the Canadian group. Radio stations from Calgary, Kitchener and Toronto all called for an interview, and within a week The Canadian Titanic Society was receiving more letters than Norm could carry.
Norm has collected a great deal of Titanic memorabilia over the years, including 110 underwater photographs taken by Ralph White, the Society’s official “Explorer in Residence” and 2nd Vice-President, who at the time of his death in 2008 had made more dives to the wreck than anyone else in the world. A pioneer in deep sea photography and cinematography, Ralph was the expedition leader for James Cameron’s 1997 epic movie. And you know the name of that one.
With the help of some volunteers, Norm also researched Norfolk County connections to the disaster, finding Titanic crew members, survivors and passengers from the rescue ship Carpathia living like Norm, in Simcoe Ontario though all have now passed away.
But perhaps most impressive, Norm Lewis is the sole architect of a twenty-foot scale model of R.M.S Titanic that has appeared in parades and exhibitions all over the province. Detailed, historically accurate, and made almost entirely out of wood, the model is the only one of its kind. It has working propellers, smoking funnels and a truly impressive digital recording of the actual titanic whistles. It took him eight years. You might call that obsession, but if you think of a twelve year old boy, rapt in fascination at one of the most spectacular and terrible stories in nautical history, you might just call it a labor of love. For the Silo, Alan Gibson.
Feel Cooler Than You Really Are. If you want to learn to dance the tango the place to be is Buenos Aires, Argentina. This is a city that expresses its passion and national pride through their music, soccer, dancing, horses, and writing earning it the title of “City of Cool”.
Buenos Aires, (English meaning Fair Winds) Argentina.
With a population of 2.7 million people this capital city of Argentina is a place oozing with charm and things to do. From the moment you begin wandering downtown streets you know it’s going to be interesting. It’s a place to be cool even if you aren’t. Okay, let’s make it clear, I’m not cool, but for some unknown reason I started to feel this way when I mingled with the Argentineans. They spoke, what sounded like to me, an exotic language (Castilian Spanish), and looked and dressed like they were right out of the pages of Vogue magazine. It’s a city that never sleeps, populated by residents obsessed with fashion and image. Slim is beautiful is an established and largely uncontested fact.
Curvy architecture emphasizes the ‘tango’ speed and ‘coffee’ streamlining of Buenos Aires culture
Architecture
The downtown architecture is quite different from the rest of Latin America. It is strongly influenced by European styles with more than the half of the city buildings being French style. Countless museums, historical buildings, shopping centres, and hotels are yours to discover. And if you do get the urge to learn to tango there are plenty of tango-dancing schools (known as academias) throughout the city.
Bueons Aires is also known as a “city of buildings”
The Tango
Tango music was born in the suburbs, notably in the brothels of poorer suburbs. Its raw sensual dance moves were not seen as respectable until adopted by the Parisian high society in the 1920’s and then all over the world. There are loads of places with free tango shows in restaurant-bars such as Gitanos, where you can also try the national drink. I found it more like herbal tea than anything and its drunk out of a pot-like container through a metal straw. Even though it was foul-tasting, Argentineans say, it’s more addictive than coffee. To each their own.
Walking and Safety
When you walk in any largely populated area don’t be silly and carry an expensive camera slung over your shoulder and don’t ever wear an expensive watch that sets you apart from the crowd. It’s like saying rob-me, rob-me. Use common senses; err on the side of caution. I hid my camera in a plastic shopping bag. Always cross street at crosswalk. I’ll say it one more time to be sure it sinks in…Always walk at crosswalks and don’t begin until all vehicles have come to a stop.
Streets are busy but have marked crosswalks and are well laid out
Recoleta Cemetery
Don’t pass up the chance to visit to the Recoleta Cemetery established in 1822. It’s the final resting place for Argentina’s wealthiest and most famous families and people. The mausoleums are fairly small, befitting the size of the cemetery in an urban setting, and it’s common for many members, and generations even, of the same family occupying one mausoleum. One grave that I did seek out was that of Eva Peron who was the wife of Juan Peron, 3 time president of Argentina. Both are idolized for their efforts to eliminate poverty and to bring dignity to the labour movement. Because of this they were despised by the oligarchy of Argentina’s wealthy and powerful. I found it strange and a bit sad that her neighbours in death are those that despised her in life. Her husband is buried in another cemetery in the city.
Mausoleum at the Recoleta Cemetery
Art and Craft Museums
These museums are all the rage here, with the top attraction being the Malba, which is dedicated to Latin American modern art, the Museo National de Bellas Artes (National Museum of Fine Arts) and Recoleta’s Cultural Centre. You’ll find the general atmosphere in most of these places is more snooty than sincere. If art and crafts is not your thing, you’ll want to bypass all of these places and scout out somewhere to eat or sit on the grass in Plaza Francia. It’s easy to while away a few hours people-watching. I did both.
Where ever you travel, remember to take time to meet the local people. You will learn much about the culture of a place by watching and talking with citizenry.
The Obelisk
Another must see is to join the gaggle of tourists (and pigeons) that flock to the Plaza de Mayo. This is the site for some of the country’s most important historical occasions, including the revolution in 1810 which led Argentina gaining independence from Spain .If your legs are willing, take a stroll along Avenida Corrientes. When you get to the junction with Avenida 9 de Julio, which claims to be the world’s widest road where you can’t miss the famous Obelisk monument. For goodness’ sake use the pedestrian crossing if you don’t want to die! It’s the cities icon and the place the very spot where the Argentina flag was raised for the first time. For the Silo, George Bailey.
This is the most famous painting in the history of art. It is titled the Mona Lisa but it’s original name was Monna Lisa- a short form of “Madonna” or “my lady” but thanks to a spelling error we know this work as the Mona Lisa. Painted by Leonardo Da Vinci in the years 1503-1507, there are actually three different versions painted beneath the visible version. In one hidden version (discovered using xrays) she is seen clutching the arms of a chair. image/info courtesy of prlog.org
Every year 8.5 million visitors see the renowned work of art that is the Mona Lisa. It is a vision that graces t-shirts, calendars, coffee mugs, and art history books worldwide. Still, among those millions, I would wager that few are those that have left Paris remarking on the wall on which Mona is placed. More on this later….
Did you know that the Mona Lisa is the only work of art to be stolen from the Louvre( in 1911) and recovered? Not only that, but in 1956, it was attacked with acid and, in that same year, cut open with a rock thrown at Mona’s elbow. It would seem that times haven’t changed much either. In 2009 a coffee mug was thrown at it by a gazing woman.
Art hygiene: the Mona Lisa is protected by bulletproof glass while on display at Paris’ Louvre photo: Gilli8888/flickr
Time has provided the foresight to maintain Mona’s beauty. With 2 centimeters of bullet proof glass and an inner casing protecting against heat and humidity the artwork seems safe. But what about the wall ‘holding’ the Mona for all of us to admire?
Take a look at these choppers…are they healthy enough to support a Mona Lisa smile? Pay attention because we’re about to switch gears and talk a little oral health.
As a dentist I am prone to notice the wall and that famous Mona Lisa smile. That smile, seen on TV and used in advertising everything from vacations to toothpaste, would be worth little without considering the healthy gums and bone that keep it in place. In other words, without noticing the wall. Years spent in my business have taught me, that if not protected properly, a smile can be stolen from us, chipped, and worn away with acid leading to very costly repairs. If you value your smile then the bullet proof glass is a worthy investment.
By focusing on in-office prevention and care the need for extensive intervention is often averted. It is more time and cost effective to put up and maintain a very impressive wall for your work of art than it is to meticulously rework the masterpiece. This analogy holds true for your teeth, gums and your smile. Maintenance is the greatest security from acid and coffee alike and with it, your smile can continue to break the ice… but I wouldn’t count on 8.5 million visitors. That may be a little more than any of us can chew. For the Silo by Dr. Peter Gunn. Dr. Gunn’s practice is in Port Rowan, Ontario. www.facebook.com/caredental
In my lastSilo travel column, I featured five of my favorite travel destinations in Ontario within 250 kilometres of Niagara. Here’s another five, but this time “on the other side of the ditch”. First, I’d suggest if you travel into the United States frequently like I do apply for a NEXUS pass (www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/nexus). This pass is available to Canadian and U.S. citizens and costs around $50.00. It allows you and every other occupant in your car that has the pass to quickly cross over the border and return. It’s saved me hours of waiting at the border. Also be sure to carry health insurance for travel outside of Ontario.
[The nexus card will save you time at US Canada border crossing but part of the application process involves finger-printing and the completed card uses the same controversial RFID technology used across parts of the US Mexico border CP]
Now let’s get down to business…….and in no particular order ;> Ellicottville, N.Y.
(120 kilometres from the Canada/U.S. border)
This is a place I go to two or three times a year because there’s always something happening. They have 11 festivals spread throughout the year. Ellicottville has a compact pretty-as-a picture postcard downtown. It’s void of big-box retailing. There are plenty of historic brick and wooden buildings that have been re-born as unique, quirky, crayon-coloured stores and restaurants www.ellicottvilleny.com or 1-800-349-9099
Ellicottville NY- top- late Summer bottom- mid Winter
Randolph, N.Y.
(140 kilometres)
Not far from Ellicottville you’ll find the tiny village of Randolph. This village and the outlying countryside are deliciously peaceful. You’ll find a large thriving population of Amish families. As you drive the back roads, you’ll pass numerous styles of Amish horse and buggies. Loose your camera for this part of the trip. The Amish don’t like to be photographed. We spent all day visiting and speaking with these fine people who operate numerous businesses along, “The Amish Trail” that are open to the,” English”. Some of the places we visited specialized in toy making, farming, jams, pies, cheese making, quilting, pillows, and rugging. Forget your credit card. The Amish only accept cash and they’re closed on Sundays. www.NYAmishTrail.com or 1-800-331-0543
Stay cabins along the Amish Trail in Randolph
Hammondsport N.Y.
(250 kilometres)
I was originally trying to find Watkins Glen when I got lost and stumbled upon Hammondsport N.Y. What a hidden gem it turned out to be. This small community is nestled at the southern end of Lake Kueka and set in a protected valley in New York State’s Finger Lakes region. You can’t be in a hurry here. An old-fashioned town square anchors the village. Historic buildings snuggle side-by-side around its perimeter. The star attraction here is pristine Lake Kueka. There are also well maintained homes on the tree-lined streets date back to the 1800’s.Just on the outskirts of town is the Glenn H. Curtis Museum. It pays tribute to Glenn Curtis a pilot who took the first preannounced flight in America on July 4, 1908.In January of this year Budget travel voted Hammondsport the, “Coolest Small Town in America”. Well, so much for my hidden gem. www.hammondsport.org
Heritage architecture and vintage ooze at Maloney’s Pub in Hammondsport
Medina, N.Y.
(69 kilometres)
I have known some great breakfast joints in the past but Rudy’s Diner (closed Sundays) found in this friendly village along the old Erie Canal is one of the best. Just about everything here is made from scratch and reasonably priced in this converted 1940’s Sinclair Gas Station.
This town founded in the 1820’s echoes of the nineteenth century. Check out these things. Their beautifully restored downtown is very walkable. Don’t pass up seeing the Oak Orchard River Gorge and Medina Falls. It’s hard to find so ask a local. On the outskirts of town is the Culvert Road Tunnel. It’s the only arched roadway running under the Erie Canal. This narrow tunnel is like going through the eye of a needle! One must, is a visit to the Medina Railroad Museum (closed Mondays and major holidays).If you have kids they’ll love it and so will you. Tell owner Marty that George and The Silo sent you. www.medina-ny.com
So there you have it. Enjoy the remaining bit of Summer holidays and remember September and October are beautiful months. For the Silo, George Bailey.
The true “spirit” of the holiday season (oops, I meant to say Christmas) is for people to pause and give thanks. According to the man-made calendar of months and years, we are getting ready to start a New Year.
