Andy Bathgate.....who?

re-run January 2008

Growing up in Chilliwack .............. 1963

When we were married we lived in Richmond....I worked in Vancouver for four years learning how to be a sign writer.We lived in Richmond, and rented a nice 3 bedroom bungalow for ninety dollars a month.....ouch! that was a lot ....father-in-law shook his head when he heard that...it was ridiculous....but we were the younger, mindless, spender generation and had no regard for a buck..... we were married 3 years, Shelley was a baby and money was tight........on many, many weekends we headed for Chilliwack....back to the rural area...and out of that busy city. I quite often "snapped" a job (moonlighting) to make extra money for traveling to Chilliwack and to get a 1.00 pass for the Deas Island tunnel, which was a toll in those days. A trip to Vancouver Island was just a dream....but it came true for me when I met Jack Lewis.....He was a plywood pirate.....he sold plywood that was a bit off grade...The mill wants to dump this plywood in one spot and have it out of their system...the plywood had a few delaminates and bumps....but was great for the sign business as it could be cut up and the best taken out of it....That was a very reasonable deal for the sign shop....It was a sideline for him...he was a retired wheeler dealer in real estate .....this kept him busy.........anyway....we hit it off...we talked fishing every time he came to call...I guess he could tell that I was pretty keen for fishing Steelhead , eventually he said..... why don't you let me take you to my cabin near the "Little Qualicum" river on Vancouver Island.....Hey man...I'd like that, but I can't afford it ...yeah....wow....sounds so good but I can't......hey, hey, relax...don't worry about it , your my guest....it won't cost you anything......I want to show you this set up...yeah, but....hey, I have a cabin. ....on the river.....oh jees......sounds great ...I will get back to you tonight......I told my wife at supper of the offer.....What, no cost... yeah...just overnight....back Sunday evening...... maybe a few bucks...but he insists, he says its on me, umm him ......well...heck of a deal, you should go...yay......So, early Saturday morning...real early....we head to the ferry in Jack's nice pick up....I am feeling a little embarrassed about him paying my way.......he always had a cigar sticking out of his face.....hey, relax.....this is on me......"money is only good for what it buys you...otherwise it is just useless paper"....Jack always said that....so I did....relax.....I did that....lets go fishin...the ferry docks in Nanaimo, from there we motor up Island........about an hour and we get to the Little Qualicum river, turn left just passed the bridge and after a short drive up a gravel road...here is the "cabin"......hmm, it is a nice bungalow type house......He turned things on and got it ready to live in, then, let's go....further up the river......we bumped up the road and soon came to a official looking Keep Out gate.....he has a key....(he knows somebody)......we drive right to the top end where most fishers have to walk a few miles too...there were no other vehicles there...not a soul....we had it to ourselves. He parked the truck in a clearing , we got out and put on our waders and jackets etc. It was a nice mild, overcast March day, I could hear the river...it wasn't very far away.......I follow Jack along a trail....man I am syked .....the sweet smell of Cottonwood trees is in the breeze....geeze this is livin......I wasn't disappointed when we got to the river.....it was in sparkling clear condition . The river drains out of a lake only a mile above where we are, then rambles through mixed pasture and forested land.....our first job was to get across the river and get to the pasture land side of it. The river crossing area had a huge Cedar tree laying half way across the water and the end of it rested on gravel where the water was knee deep...a very convenient natural bridge.....just below that log jam the river settled into a nice pool and run of fishy looking water.We work that pretty river hard for a few hours and are both rewarded with a Steelhead and lost a couple of others ......what a deal...and he is so good about it...offers me the best spots...and he lays back a while on all the pools before he starts to fish......how many guys will do that.......Jeez Jack , this is great......he was really enjoying me enjoying.....that was a great morning and we looked forward to a repeat the next day........ after we fished his favorite runs Jack looked at his watch and suggested we clean our fish and head for the Big Qualicum river, 6 miles up the highway ......yeah....the tide is starting in, I want to show you some cutthroat trout fishing......and he sure did....there was a log dump just up from the mouth of the river and for some reason the cutties liked that ...where the river came out of the forest into clear area and a deep run when the tide moved in.....the fishing was hot for about half an hour......we caught a few and missed a lot with the heavy duty steelhead gear....anyway that was fun and I tucked it away in my memory box for future trips to the Island.We had a coffee at a handy cafe then headed for the cabin......Jack was looking forward to the Hockey game at 5 o'clock..the Rangers were playing Boston......My son in law plays hockey.....Oh, that's cool.....I knew nothing about hockey........Where does he play.....PLAY...he plays here .....on TV.....yeah....really...wow....who does he play for........the New York Rangers.....yeah......Andy Bathgate.....who? Andy Bathgate .......I've heard of him, he is pretty good eh?.....and I go back and start to dry the dishes.....Jack is bug eyed watching the play...the cigar dancing back and forth in his mouth..... are you nuts....huh......don't you watch hockey....jees Jack .......hmm...I can see he is whacked out on this game....I guess it was a close score ......he said it's only weeks to the playoffs .....an yer drying dishes?...umm.....so I sat down and watched the game ....He went yahoo......so I went Yahoo.........I asked him brilliant questions ...like, who is that number 4 playing for Boston......he is pretty good eh........he must have thought I was hopeless......I got interested in Hockey 9 years later in 1972 ( the great Canada - Russia series) and became an avid fan......only then I realized that having a son in law super star, was just about the biggest deal ever ......He said he would introduce me sometime when Andy was home.....It did not happen....the years flipped by.....moves took place.....I met him for the last time about 10 years later...It was on the Big Qualicum river......yep, we had a great talk.....then he faded out of my life, but always a really cool memory and a great learning experience.

no. 4 was Bobby Orr

the 'ofishin hole'

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neat kayaking site.

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Today I took my grandson up the Vedder river to see the fish hatchery, which was very cool because there were about 500 Chinook Salmon in the creek waiting to be taken for brood stock....on the way we stopped at this really neat kayaking site.

moretoons

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yes you can

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While out to the Fraser river on a can collecting expedition, my friend caught a fine Chinook salmon . He took a few minutes out to barfish and came up with this fine specimen......

mortoon

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retired faller

Jim is out for a walk in the woods .....he likes to return to the haunts of his boyhood and frolic in the area where he first learned his trade.

moretoons

toontime

another flat earther

Charlie had a great day

Charlie is on the left

Growing up in Chilliwack..........1951

It was spring...for the last few years I had spent a lot of my spare time fishing the creeks I could ride my bike to....some times I met a few other kids that liked to do the same thing...and had some enthusiastic fishing partners...One April day I was fishing for trout in the Little Chilliwack Creek near Prairie Central Road and .....I met Charlie Fowler, same grade, same school....for ever......He was alone and the creek wasn't giving up many trout that day...he said...Let's go to Elk Creek...well okay, where is that...just out to the end of Prairie Central Road.....hmm, yeah....I had a crapper of a bike that I used for my paper route ..it had a huge carrier and was front heavy....at was also fitted with an old rusty (pinching) seat....we got to the Semiault creek crossing on Prairie central road (about a mile)..where I had excellent luck...caught a few 12 inch trout ..then we headed on to Elk Creek....after about 7 or 8 miles of riding my old bike standing on the pedals..I was really ready for a stop......(I remember the ride ...owwtch...Charlie had a nice bike) well, we finally get to the Creek...wow, this is nice... a clear stream tumbles out of the mountains.. under the road bridge.....then through the farmland to Big Ditch Road....Charlie says we can fish all below this bridge...so we start in a big pool that has a man made wooden falls below it..I never did find out why that obstruction was built...We did not think any fish could make those falls but we gave it the pool a few casts...hey..I feel my line jerk ..I am tossing a spinner and a worm...the pool is deep...I see this flash then realize I am onto something that is not a small trout....I can see the fish twisting after he stopped my spinner...I hardly got time to faint and the fish came off....I was in shock....oh no....then the the big fish jumped 7 times...we counted....what a site....hopping around in this little pool....then silence...we go into a nutty conference about this event.....that was a Steelhead ....about 7 lbs......I had not caught one yet but I sure knew what they were......what was a Steelhead doing in this little creek...how did it jump up those falls...We try for a while longer and decide to fish below the falls....Right away I get a bite...It is a big trout about 15 inches...it looks suspiciously like a rainbow as well...then I caught a keeper Cutthroat trout....Well it's all in the bag for Chuck..he is havin a bad day....we head back and my trip is miserable.....what a crate....I had no Idea it was that far to Elk Creek...anyway ...........we stop again at that Semiault bridge....jees I catch a couple more.....this is crazy...( no catch and release in those days ...I kept em all.....)...Well..... that's it I guess...let's go home ...I can feel that Chuck is bummed out....we head home.....At airport rd....the Semiault Creek crosses the road again.....it has never been any good for fishing ...nobody fishes there.....but we decide to try it.....I am fishing below the bridge.....it sucks....but I hear Charlie HOOP..and a splashing hollow sound coming from under the bridge...I put my rod down and rush to the top side of the bridge....Charlie comes up the bank holding probably the cleanest, brightest, large cutthroat trout I have ever seen in those creeks....what a beaut....(I wonder if he got a picture)....I don't know how big it was but it was a wonderful trout....and all of a sudden we got very smiley and babbly ...and Charlie had a great day...we have talked about that many times over the years.....one of those precious days that we will never forget..............I will send him this.....Chuck and I seemed to be in the same room all through school.

boom

Growing up in Chilliwack..............1952

14 years old...We live in a old house at the corner of Broadway and Yale Rd....The house has a large old basement with a big coal and wood furnace .....the wide pipes stuck out of it and reached out for various rooms in the house....it really was an ugly old brute....and it took up lots of room...the basement was a base ment for storage of stuff....preserves, coal ,wood and all the things the old place needed for its maintenance....it was a dark musty place.....there was a part of it that was dirt...there were a couple of pull cord lights and they were sorely needed to get light in there ,even on bright days....and there was stuff in there from past tenants...jars , old dishes, assorted tea cups , nick nacks, boards .....junk that might come in handy some day...That's the way old basements were for the most part. There was a sort of room at the back that I cleaned up and I used as stinky rumpus room...I think I even slept there a few times.....Well, one rainy Fall day Mum asked me to go down and put some coal on the fire....okay,okay...I go down the stairs from the back porch and approach the beast, then I open the heavy door....Oh...It's out...the fire is out...hmmm...what would a good player do...whats this ?..in this jar...smells like coal oil...hey...I will get this puppy going......I stand on my tippy toes so I can peer in the opening better...yay....there is some red......I won't have to light it...ok...ok...we'll just toss a bit in there...toss, toss.....no........ ok a little more then....hmmm ....why won't it catch.....pause...wats goin on in there, as I stick my dum face closer to the hole................BANG...or BOOM would be more like it...jees it blew me backwards....Mum came running down the steps.... Gary.....what...... Yow its hot....I run by her and head up to the bathroom sink....ohh ,nice cool water......... ohh, that's goooooooooood...Mum is bumping into herself...but manages to get it together...she phones Dr. Patten and he says to come right to his office....meanwhile I pour on the water....I look in the mirror...gawd who is that dirty red faced baboon with no eyebrows .......we had great neighbors there and mum quickly got a car ride for us....Doc has his usual dry humor and made me sure that I knew exactly how stupid I was....Good ol Doc....he patched me up many times over 18 years...he put this wonderful white cream on my face...ooooooooooooo it felt so good...cool ,cool...the sting went away immediately....then out come the bandages ...he does me up like a mummy....complete with nose and eye holes...I don't care...it feels so good....Well you gotta wear that for two or 3 days kid... you will have fun explaining this to your pals....was he right...oh ya..Hey Scaley what happened to you?.Did you see Gus..he looks like a mummy.....I really should have a Darwin Award for that caper.........but luckily the burns were of a minor nature and my eyebrows grew back in a week or so...I don't know if that was a good lesson.......but it was a lesson

these guys get around

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Flat earthers show thier versitality as they are pictured here having a lunch break.Today they are donating thier time to building an addition on the Chilliwack Library...... well maybe that is not all true but it makes about as much sense as the idea that workmen would be sitting there chowing down while working on the Empire State Building........beware of the pictures sent in email letters as being some wonderous happening....most of them are fiddled with photo shop.