Growing up in Chilliwack, B.C.

http://kantpoop.blogspot.com/

2011-03-10T23:04:00.000-08:00

GUS

I HAVE A NEW BLOG AT http://kantpoop.blogspot.com/ ....

WELL ACTUALLY A CONTINUATION OF THIS ONE....so give it a shot if you feel inclined...thanks

chilliwack flat earth society gag

2010-08-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

clik to enlarge

I had their attention

2010-08-06T12:35:00.000-07:00

1957
Pete was 18 and Merv and I both 19....We were on our way to New Zealand .....a few days out of Vancouver and let the Chips fall where they may.....Little did Pete know he would live there for 27 years...New years had just passed...Mervin had his passport stolen from his jacket at a club in San Francisco on New Years Eve....It was called the Monkey Inn.....people carved their names in the wall with a screwdriver.... San Francisco was the first port of call of the Orient Lines "Oronsay" a big time passenger boat from the stock of "The Orient Line"...I think there was about 4 or 5 ocean liners ....There was tourist class and first class fares on the Ship..tourist class was smaller and at the back of the boat, it had a small pool and a fair amount of deck room for games and laying around in the sun....not as swank as the accomodation of today but we thought it was wonderful.You could lean on the back rail and stare into that beautiful Pacific Ocean as the props stirred up a turquoise , blue and white wake to be seen as far back as the edge of the earth ..The second port was Honolulu.....that port was tremendously tourist trendy...there was at least 7 hotels on Waikiki beach......a hundred people were milling around but that was okay there was lots of grassy parks and nice lawn areas between the hotels....there were major stores like Woolworths and ....umm I remember Woolworths ... I bought a shirt there.....they took any country's money.We used the pound sterling on the English liner,Hawaii was not a state then. We rented a 54 chevrolete convertible...drove all over...swam in waves as big as a house...dive into them or expect a pounding....I learned that in a hurry......a hotel bar that evening...It was first time I had watercress....it was good.......Mervin bought a bottle of the most gawd awful drink....Sake.... Honolulu was beautiful...but we thought it was crowded (If only we had any notion it would get so popular)...the weather was perfect...hey, we had just left a crappy winter drive with our folks to Vancouver... bye mum, bye dad........ Okay off to Suva, Fiji.....Its getting hot...whew...the rooms were to hot to sleep in..air was pumped in at outside temperature....so they gave us deck cots...set em up anywhere.....we usually went out on the side promenade decks.....we had formed an amazing group of friends by then and it was party night every night......sleep seemed like a good idea at the end of a long singing and drinking session, so out we go to the deck....I grabbed a cot and put my stuff underneath it and quickly went to sleep....wotta life....I woke up to the sound of sailors....hey let's go...we are washing the deck.....I looked ...yeah they were...ok, I will take this cot into the bar, right here through this door.....ahhh that's better....back to wonderful sleep.......later there is commotion around ....I wake up and realize the scene ..oh, okay...another morning, hmm .....where is the lavatory...BOING it hits me....my wallet..comb...where is it ...oh gawd,.... I left em on the deck...those sailors....jeez those underpaid sailors....I just bought that comb......now I feel sick...everything in my world is in that wallet....52 bucks and travelers cheques....what to do.....panic.....okay for a while anyway......so we talk it over ..what?......the cheques.....I don't know ...you will get the travelers cheques back....I think...I hope...it will take a long while?...I did not know but I knew I was broke ......I asked ranky sailors and tried the lost and found, I stewed and fretted...finally that evening I left the party and made my way to the sailors area.....hey, they were having a party...right in the pointy part of the ship........there was a lot of sailors...dancing..yeah...some had on wigs and lipstick...that looks like fun...the band was some guitars, ukuleles and a drum made from a tub.....they sounded pretty good...they looked pretty good ..haha....I was away above them...I climbed on the railings and ropes.....I could see everyone down there......I yelled out.....HEY.....the music stopped ...I had their attention.......then I went into a have pity story.....It's all I own in the world .....I'm so screwed......I told them all where I was and at what time it happened ,how would they feel if they were miles from home and ...they were miles from home...and Broke...I gave it my best.....and then I was done...If that does not work...why would it...just pick up the wallet ..pull the cash...throw it overboard........hmmm......anyway....back to our party ....we three were called the Chilliwacks.....I think it sounded to Kiwis and Aussies like the Maori language....Except for a few Scots and an Englishman, our new friends were returning Aussies and Kiwis....everyone was 5 or 6 years older than us.......that did not matter.The next morning , I go to the pursers office as I had many times by now,...Wots up today?...........Is this yours...ohh.... WOW...I take it and slowly open the wallet......yep my travelers cheques are there...oh man.....450 dollars.....I'm not broke.....okay the 52 bucks are gone but my personal stuff is also intact......what a feeling........I cash a cheque and pay back the few bucks I owe.....ok, let's get on with this journey.....It took 16 days on board ship.....we were well looked after...good meals and entertainment every night or we made our own.....the group of people we hung out with were a terrific bunch...and we all became closely knit....many raved about that crossing as the best one they were ever on.....yep, that left memories burnt in our minds...we still talk about it.Many connections were made on that Oronsay crossing ...The stolen passport in Sanfrasisco led to other adventures in New Zealand as Wellington was the home of the Canadian Council and Merv had to go there to get things straightened out. After reaching Auckland that was first on his to do list. Okay, I joined up and we decided to hitch hike to Wellington...that was about six hundred miles... its not that far?...yes it is if you take the east coast route like we did. Peter stayed in Auckland and went to work.

Trouble on the Chilliwack Vedder Trail

2010-06-24T22:10:00.000-07:00

click to enlarge

While out relaxing on our beautiful Rotary Trail on the Vedder river....we ran into a bit of a problem....lucky I brought our emergency kit along and soon the potential disturbance was eliminated..........maybe..

Eureka...they are makin movies in downtown Chilliwack....

2010-06-17T22:24:00.000-07:00

Hey.......... they are makin movies in downtown Chilliwack.....I reckon they have used this old part of town for a lot of filming in the last few years....We never took it in until a few days ago...wow that's interesting stuff...they spent quite a few hours making this 20 second clip..we were lucky to get there when something was happening..a bunch of swat guys come barrelling down Wellington Avenue in a couple of SUVs..they stop and jump out ....under orders from a uniformed gal swatter about 5 ft tall they take aim in the sky ....the handsome sherrif says .....that's not an plane....then orders them to turn about and aim at the cafe..evey one gets outta the way....boing thats it ....it's a wrap....there are about 20 extras walking about and sitting in the cafe.....When we( my wife and I ) were in the way they politley asked the civies to move down a bit out of camera range....one of the tecks said they would have to pay us if we got in the scene.....I have no idea what an extra makes ...but it does not look like a brain surgeons knowledge is needed....in the scene the extras had to panic and get out of the cops way......I think it is a TV series called EUREKA.......I guess we will have a look for it in TV land....yup

gus

someone has to go out with him.........Guess who

2010-05-27T17:28:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Chilliwack.......................1955

We were finished school ...it was the end the end of June.....Graduation day is over....Its time to look for a job....I knew the Gas pipeline would be a major project in B.C...but that was not until next year....There was an office for Bechtel Co. in Chilliwack...that is a company that will be doing the surveying as well as other jobs that are connected to the pipeline project......It is a big deal....a lot of people will get work from that pipeline job....I was 17 and I wanted to get to work and make some serious money....I will give Bechtel a try.......I went into the office and must have caught them on a good day.....They needed someone to complete a survey crew up in the Coquihalla River area.....okay.....I felt really lucky......the right place at the right time...Do you like working in the bush?.....ya...ya...ya.....I can't believe I'm going to get this job....We were to be paid by the month.....it was a job that they expected done.......Go in the woods with a crew of 7 and stay there a few weeks until it was done.....then out a few days and back to work on another route.The pay was good...about $500 a month...tramping up a river and setting up camp every day.....Hey what a great experience........Most of the crew was up at the Coquihalla Lake Fish Camp.............The Lil-Joe Lodge it was called.........I was driven to Hope.......stayed in a motel....then the next day a railroad guy took me up the tracks on a speeder....those little gas powered putt putts they use for railway maintenance....He was a friendly guy and readily answered all the questions I was firing at him....The speeder zipped along sending its echo sounding putt putt out across that huge valley.....that country looked so big and we must have looked like a small noisy bug spitting along the railroad tracks........ We had to get off the line twice......that was a tricky maneuver......a short set of tracks butting near the rail line...a lift and a twist....the speeder was off......then wait for the train to go flying by a few feet away from our noses...... Mr. friendly was always looking at his watch...I was glad about that ....We get to the lodge and we find out the crew were up the Coldwater River....Joe told Mrs. Joe who then told Mr. Friendly to take me 1 mile to the Coldwater River bridge and there would be a crew member waiting at the river......Now Mr.Joe, the lodge owner, was an interesting guy..... He had a pipe in his throat....his throat was a pipe.....a medical device inserted because of whatever......when he talked he roared.....Mrs. Joe (Lillian) could understand him, and decoded the message.....that was very memorable.....I had no idea what he was roaring......Anyway...away we putt putt our way up tracks to the river......Sitting by the side of the bridge is an Indian man...he introduces himself as Peter, he is also waiting to join the crew, he has just come from the lodge as well....Okay...thanks Mr. Friendly.......he leaves ......we hear the putt putt echo all the way back to the lake.......After a few hi how are ya's....I head to the bridge for a look down into the water.....Man it is beautiful around there.....the river is super clear..... a big creek would describe it better.....hey ...I can see a fish.... there is large fish laying in shallow water under the bridge....hey Pete....have a look....so he does.....Oh...a Dolly ...that's a Dolly Varden....hmmm a good one....that guy is about 6 or 7 pounds....Oh yeah....look at that.....and look at this Pete...here is a pike pole laying along the tracks......so there is...he grins at me.......lets see that thing........I go over and pick it up.......that's a dandy deal Pete, ya think you can get that big bugger.......He takes the pole and lays down on the bridge, reaching down as far as possible. Yep, yep, he is trying to get the point over the fishes head.......The fish is not alarmed, and that has me stumped. Pete even touched the big guy and it just moved over.....he should have moved out because Pete nailed that guy right behind the head, then held him down until he was expired......he then worked it over and out and up....We had a big fish....ok now what, Pete......We'll give him to the work train......there was a couple of caboosy railway cars just a ways back down the tracks.......a work train....they live there...... a railroad crew...so we quickly ran it back and gave it to the cook...he was delighted....great...we quickly returned to the bridge..... we wait a few hours and one of the guys comes walking out of the woods.....His name is Frank and he is the cook...... I remember he was about 5' 2" tall.......built like a little prizefighter... He talks a lot and there is no lack of conversation.......so I guess we are the camp set-up-movers and off we go into the woods, mostly following the river upstream.....it is not to bad going as there are game trails to follow....man it is beautiful here...after two miles we come to a camp setup...... I guess we are replacing a couple of guys....or they did all this themselves....I dunno.....but here we are anyway...... The tents have to be set up and the camp organized, that is Pete's territory and we do what he says....so far so good, these guys are going to be cool to work with...There were a few different survey lines being considered for laying the pipe.....Our crew consisted of a boss and his assistant....they figured out the surveying part...with the instruments etc . A couple of guys with them to hack the line and mark it with tape ...they were the smart part of the crew......now there were the 3 of us on the camp end of it......Pete, the big native guy for the woodsy part ....he knew all about the camp set up ...he was the guy with the outdoors experience....then the yappy cook type guy......then me......I helped all these people....my main job was to help with the camp.....relocating it every day...not cooking though.....Frank did all of that..... at about 7 pm the 4 front guys roll in......the surveyor and three university students......hey, how are ya ....yadda yadda.....Ron the surveyor guy has kaki pants, kaki shirt and a Indiana Jones hat.....he looks like a surveyor.....he is about 35.......the 3 guys are in there early 20s.....We moved the camp everyday...two trips...it was hot, hard work, packing over the deadfalls and logs ....there were lots of no see umms and mosquitoes, and deerflies.....geez they can take a piece of meat right outta your arm.......we had the odd encounter with bears....well...bear poop.....sometimes it was still warm...I did not pick it up and put it to my cheek....but Pete said it was warm and fresh, I took his word for it.....and he wisely said... if you come across a bear....get out of my way........ Well...no bears happened...I like no bears............I had a hand line and some hooks and tackle with me....just in case.....there were lots of really nice looking fishing spots in that wilderness....no go...but I could fish for a while after camp was set up.....and I did.....I managed enough Rainbows and a few Dollies for a feed. Once , while packing.....I came across a large pool with some bigger fish in it....this was in July.......the pool was hard to get at ...kind of a swampy area....I don't know what they were...still don't...it has me puzzled.....I recall red on them...and they were all over 5 lbs.....that has always bugged me...what were they....I wish I could have had a better look..... Spawning Steelhead? Spring Salmon?......I dunno.... maybe. One day in August the crew came back early......Razz, one of the line cutters had cut his hand....he really whacked it with a machete......they did all the medical work they could ......Ron said ...Razz has to go out....to go to a Doctor in Hope and get it attended to...and quickly.......someone has to go out with him.........Guess who....so we round up the stuff we need to get out with.....it was five or six miles....Oh joy.....the wound was bleeding off and on...we took lots of bandages.....we used them all.....it was kind of hairy....and also it was getting late......that was a tough walk, we had to dress that hand and try our best to keep the bleeding to a minimum.....it got dark....damn.....that was worrisome ......I lit matches to deal with the dressing, geez what a mean gash....we stayed with the river and bumped our way in the dark for a mile......that was not fun......wow.......a high stress level and Razz had to hold his hand out of the way of branches and keep from slipping and falling.....man, was I glad to see the tracks.....what a relief....the work cars were less than 1/2 mile now...we were okay......The first aid man worked on Razz......dressed his hand properly and cleaned him up ....good news... there was a passenger train coming in the morning..... Mr. First Aid had someone radio it to stop.......We had a few hours sleep, then the train picked us up and in an hour or so we were in Hope.....Razz went to the Doc....I said goodbye and left for home......that was it ...they never called me back ...the job was over for now.......there was not much else doing so I decided to go back to school.On a beautiful day a few weeks into September....... I was in the Twin Peaks after school with some friends .... Hey...there is Ron having coffee....howsit goin ...good, howsit with you......Hey........do you want to go back to work?.....( here comes one of my dumber deeds) .....geez I'm going to school....Oh...to bad.....well ...it's there if you want it.....thanks I uhh...geez...I guess I am going to school..... ok...hey take it easy....yeah....Bye.DUM DUM DUM.........why did I let that go?...I left school at the end of October ...Nertz...I could have gone to work....I goofed ... 1955 was one of the meanest winters ever...It started cold and snow on the 11th of November and went through until February.... I only worked at a few short crappy jobs until April........Then I started in on the 30 inch natural gas line that was being laid in the valley.... that was a good thing

Logo design

CANUCKS IN PLAYOFFS

2010-05-17T00:48:00.001-07:00

someone has to go out with him.........Guess who

2010-04-24T07:56:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Chilliwack.......................1955

you put er en there pretty good

2010-04-17T20:54:00.000-07:00

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

Winter 1958

It was raining hard again......Mervin and I had made arrangements to take old Pete Toms Steelhead fishing in the Vedder.....Pete was the owner and operator of Deluxe Recreations (our favorite pool hall).....he was a experienced and cunning Steelhead fisherman and I jumped at any chance to learn from this old master.....anyway, it rained ....it poured ...by the time it came to go fishing the river was shot.....but maybe not the upper part...away up......a place called the Ranger Run.......we could drive up there....what about the road....it should be okay....so.....let's go......Pete could teach us something......He called himself "the old man", he bragged he would show us how to catch one of those steelhead......We are in my old 1947 Cadillac......it's a fairly dependable car...what the heck......we go to pick Pete up early in the morning and we have to wait at his house while he finishes his 8 pieces of toast....Then soon we are grinding up the infamous mud hill...we made it..(damn hill always scared me)....no problem tho...but it is still pouring rain....the river is still dirty and we hope it will be cleaner up at the top end.....there is water everywhere....the road was not to bad ....but...... the water on it, yikes.....it was hard to see it in some stretches........what was road and what was not ..try to figure out where the edge was....we finally got to a place could see the river....and hurray....it was fishable........and the road got better...things are looking up.....it was draining a lot better...I could relax until we had to go back......there was just nobody up there....nadda...no one........another mile, we park and walk in to the Ranger Run........it 's a bit more than a few blocks.....it is still raining....we are gonna fish......we get to the run....the weather lightens up a little.........man the river is high ......it was big and angry compared to its normal fishy flow..... there is an edge though.....it is not impossible....Pete and I bait up and start casting in what we think is the best piece of water ....the river is fishable....not too dirty, but a lot of leaves and forest stuff was drifting down .....it looked pretty hopeless.....Man, what er we doin here..........Mervin moved upstream towards the top end.....We actually were not there long and there is a loud yelp ....geez , Merv has a fish on.....yahoo.....The flow is really heavy...the fish is a good size.....it is pulling hard and forcing him to give it line....down past Pete, who just lets him go by, then casts out again.....I put down my rod and join the fun......the fish is in really heavy, heavy water and is the boss at this stage....Merv is now at the tail end of the run and that fish is not gonna stay put....using its body to it's advantage in the heavy current, out it goes and around the bend.....geez Merv........we will have to pass the rod....it's the only way to get by these sweepers.....the flow was so high it forced us in the trees......we had to stick the rod out far as possible.....without falling in the river...the boughs are pushing at our heads......we pass the rod about 6 foot at a time......take the rod , hold the reel snug........is the bugger still there...ya ...somewhere...it is exciting....pass the rod ....We can feel him moving down the river.......jeez.....this is exhausting......another 20 ft..........finally, we get through that mess...we have come way around the corner......the Steely is not so full of it now.......and we are really tired as well....but Merv was not to tired to play the last out of the fish and slide him heads up on the bar...I gave it some help with by boot....and the big buck is Mervin's......Well, that is a beaut.....We dispatch that guy....about 12-13 lbs.....and walk back to Pete ...he is still casting , he gives a big no toothy smile......way to go boys......and we have another whack at it as well...but, well....that was it...nothing doing.....We figure 1 fish under these conditions is a miracle......so, back to the car and head home......here we come to the crappy part again...Oh man.......it seems worse than when we came in.....I just guess where the road is........and hope we get through this flood.......nope.....I put er in...a wheel goes off the road and in we go...hey, in we go..the car is like, on a 45 degree angle...there is water inside it........we will be here for life.....We climb up and out......Pete says, geez Gus ...C.....wow....look at that, it's damn near tipped ....now what...we start walkin?.......I don't think we were stuck more than 10 minutes before we could hear a motor running from the direction we had come ...sure enough .....here comes a truck..a good sized truck, with duo wheels on the back ......it was God..............no, it wasn't ....it was a couple of guys.....Shake Spliters ? I guess....they had a chain.......man....they pulled me out like I was no weight at all.......how lucky could we be.....oh yes....that was ......like .......we won't be here all night....so lucky.....thanks ...thanks.....hey, no problem....we make it to drier ground and then home........Mervin is a hero......I remember Merv's dad smiling from ear to ear when Mervin showed him that fish.......life is good.......another one to remember.

I thought I heard a rumble

2010-04-02T23:17:00.000-07:00

1966

It was raining ...rain .....rain....there hardly a clean creek in the Valley.....Lew and I were out fishing again......We went fishing every Saturday.....somewhere.....but this weekend was a bust...the rivers and creeks were swollen and dirty....it was raining ...did I say that.........ok...rain ....what....let's go and see if there is any clean water at Waleach...(a small hydro station where the water is piped out of Jones Lake a few miles down the mountain into the Fraser River creating hydro electric power) it is located a few miles towards Hope from the Trans Canada Waterslides. The used water gushes out of a large pipe then runs as a short creek into the Fraser River...That will take any amount of water without getting dirty......Ok..that sounds good.....We drive there and of course it is windy and raining but there is some clean water that is not flooded. We park right at the outlet and we commence trout fishing....it is noisy from the rain rattling on our waterproof hoods and I am intently watching my bobber anticipating just one bite for the day....After a bit, I glance over at Lew, he is about 15 feet away and looking up the mountain, the rain is biting in his face....What are you doin..... he turns to me..I dunno ...I thought I heard something...huh...hmm....I am back at it, I make another short cast .......the drift is only six feet wide......jees.... just a bite, this day is just about over..c'mon.....Lew is looking back again, his face is scrunched up from facing the downpour...Hey what's up....I dunno..hmm...I dunno...but by then I suggest ....hey Lew...this is stoopid !...Ok, lets go he says....Oh yeah.....That's when you appreciate dry things and coffee...and food....and roofs.So we throw out rods and rain gear in the van and head home ....another good fishing, bad catching day behind us....another day of experience ...we learned that standing in pouring rain on the last miserable piece of water in the valley, trying to catch at least one trout for the day is really quite .......oh well, we really liked fishing.So we drive straight to my place........ahhh.....anticipating the cozy warmth.....My wife is at the door right away ....she is distressed.....we are perplexed.... "I have been so worried" ..and she sure was...she was trembling...Hey... what's the matter....."there was a slide, I heard it on the radio."..a slide...what's that got to do with us....where was it....up the road...towards Hope...."the mountain slid in"...huh...Lew and I look at each other....but ...what...."You did not even know where we were"...how did....I know but ..I don't know...Jeez Lew...Jeez Gus....that is exactly where we were...that's what you heard...the mountain rumbling ...I know.....Gawd.....you were looking......I wonder where it was exactly.....Well .........we found out exactly....where we were is exactly ...right across and out into the river.....that happened in about 5 seconds.......minutes after we left......but we were on the way home ......and Lew and I are very happy to say we were not there to see that..This story is true...and I have the bobber I was using that day to prove it.. naw...that's a joke....but yes ...even to my wife being so psychic about it. She had no idea that we were going there ...we could have been anywhere.

way to go Gustav

2010-02-23T00:44:00.000-08:00

Hey...other Gus raised a nice little 6 lb Steelhead from the Vedder today....the fishgods are approving and reluctantly released a fish from the Vedder River today......Its not for lack of trying ....but good for Gus to pick one off in a tough river and such a bright sunny day......Actually I think it is his cunning choice of bait.....

cultus lake...1950

2010-01-26T22:55:00.000-08:00

Flat Earth Cartoon Update..............

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Chilliwack Flat Earth society in Action

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Growing up in Chilliwack......1950

Cultus Lake was a big part of summer life in the our house....It was an annual thing, we stayed at the lake for 2 weeks in the summer...Mum loved it ...and was swimming every chance she had...dad wasn't much on that ..he proffered to rest and relax in any of his spare time...I remember him driving to Chilliwack to work in the morning...so I guess he usually left the fun stuff for us....Faye was a teenager, we passed at times, horsed around a little but were so into our own stuff, but I do remember a profitable little scam when those big teenage guys and girls were around...If I hung around long enough I could get paid to go away...what a deal....It worked practically every time...hey, 25c would buy a coke and cardboard dish of fries from the Pavilion...The Pavilion...I can remember what it smells like...the aroma of hot french fries, sun tan lotion, wet towels and all the other things connected with people having fun at the beach....In the early days of camping in a tent or our great RV dad made from the ice truck.......the Pavilion was a short run....a Wurlitzer in the covered outdoor area droned out music at 5 cents a pop..or 6 for a quarter......Frankie Lane was wailing "Mule Train" or "Flight of the Bumble Bee" by "Piano Roll Cook" was banging away......"I'm a Big Girl Now" seemed to be every third selection.....and " 5 Salted Peanuts".......I could hang around there for ages and watch the big teenagers....they fascinated me....There were initials with hearts and arrows carved in the posts and railings.........hundreds and hundreds of them...eventually mine were in there as well....on Saturday night there was always a dance..they could dance right out to an opened screened off area ...O man, was that entertaining ...It was hard to leave and head home ....that is usually when the action started....but I saw more as I got older and stayed out and watched later, then eventually I was one of those people and not a kid looking in from the shadows.....In the daytime, summer people...most in bathing suits...milled all through the Pavilion...it was walk through.....the stools would usually all be taken and stand up ordering was sometimes 4 deep.....they made great milkshakes served in wax cardboard containers and they were fifteen cents at that time...chips, fifteen cents......... we carried a towel with all our stuff wrapped in it... ......like shoes and pants ... we never thought to have a soft case or satchel...I don't know why...it was always so awkward...the shoes falling out..etc....hmmm..I don't know what the girls used except for the little purple seagrams whiskey bags, the gals all seemed to one of them.........girls were not on the radar yet.......we could take a chance and leave our stuff the wharf...but it was packed with people at the tower area....that just would not work well...there was about four, five cent pin ball machines ....supposed to be 16 to play them but that was never enforced....there was some rods across the rafter ceiling in the outdoor area...when would I be big enough to jump and give a swing on them?......emerging from the Pavilion to the front area was paved and a welcome space after the crowding in the Pavilion ...then there was the skating rink..with a grass boulevard in front of it........they had afternoon skating and I remember taking that in often....but as we got older and girls became people...night skating was the order...every year there was always teenage girls with bootskates and short nifty skirts.....They would always be first in the line up....most people rented skates...clamp on skates....try and get a good pair....the guys working in the shack and the skate boys were all usually teenagers who lived at Cultus lake...the skate boys fitted your skates on with a strap from back over your instep, then winched the toe clamps with a skate key then put a strap around the toe of the shoe..there ya go....next? it always amazed me how fast they were and I wondered if I could do it.....or we could watch people skate from a bench seat surrounding the rink ..........on one side, cars could park and people could watch the show....There was always a hot shot skate cop at centre stage....The skate shack pumped out the same music, probably some since it was built in 1938........... All skate, boys only...girls only, couples only, trios only (2 boys and girl or 2 girls and a boy) then sometimes skate to lights off except for a colored wheel light that blew different shades across the concrete floor.....it was wonderful. A few years later we were old enough to drive our parents cars ...some of us bought crates of our own....We went through the same short wonderful years as the teenagers before us .

bright yarn and florescent stuff

2009-12-31T08:24:00.000-08:00

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

Every fisherman can remember their First Steelhead..... like where were you when Canada beat Russia in 1972......We were in Charlie Smith's bike shop.....umm, no..not then, when I was 14 in the bike shop....what a way to start writing this....anyway....Charlie told Terry Valjean and I we had to learn how to fish properly.... We had been riding our bikes out to the Vedder River and harassing the Pink Salmon and the Chums.....kids......what are ya gonna do....enough snagging humpies, you guys need some guidance.....meet me here in the morning at 6.......bring a lunch....I will bring you back here and let you off at the end of the day.....Hey.... what a deal...so it came to pass....that Fall and Winter , Charlie took us fishing many times.....I was with him in October and caught my first Coho....one warm sunny day at a place we called the Cooper run, Charlie had come across a fresh dead Sockeye, he cut the roe out of it making ooew and awwing noises how this was really great bait.....and it was, for me...I thread tied a small chunk on my hook , cast it upriver , and right off the bat my bobber dived with a 7 pound buck twisting on the end of my line....that was my first Coho...he said I was the kingfisher that day....O ya....I felt like one....it was miracle to take a fish on that bright morning in that super low water.....He would pile three and four of us in the back of his little Thames truck...usually his good friend, Bob Carruthers was in the front seat with him. December came...there was a few Steelhead showing up at the B. C. Electric Bridge at Yarrow....at six in the morning December seventh three of us kids pile in the back of that little panel truck and we head to that area......there were lots of fishermen out, every run was covered....we were working our way down towards the bridge and split up.......I was with Bob Carruthers and Terry Valjean and Jim Willis were with Charlie, walking down below us.......I was directly under the bridge on the south side....Fishers had just walked out of the first spot at the bridge....a good looking hole right behind the structure. It was a short cast to the bridge abutment, the river flowed past it forming pocket and ripple , the water was fairly deep......I happened to glance down and there on the gravel were three large bright red colored salmon eggs...I had never seen that bright a color before.....someone had dropped them from a jar of fancy single eggs............hmmm, there must be some Americans fishing...I could remember reading about bright yarn and florescent stuff in Field and Stream magazine .... that's the only place something like that would come from.......wow, they looked good to me....I impaled two of them on my bait hook, lengthened my depth .....and flipped it out behind the abutment.....the riffle grabbed my bobber, drifted it about 4 feet then slowly it buried in the water......my gawd , wake up........hit it stupid.....reaction finally took over...I hit it ....something alive had my bait...oh gawd bless America, it gave a couple of headshakes (man, I can still feel that 50 years later) then up to the top.....there was bright silver in that boil......o man......I yelled at Charlie.....he turned , looked back and waved....o man......I want this fish so bad....why does he pull like that....don't come off, please don't come off.....this piddly little line is all I have connected to you.....I wish it was a rope...a cable ...a gillnet....easy.....don't panic......buck fever...don't do something stupid Gary...please don't come off........All the time I was getting encouragement from Bob Carruthers...I don't think I heard him....but I was glad he was there when I got the Steely's head on the bar and he expertly put his foot under the fish and flipped it well up on to the beach.........I pounced on it....that bugger was mine......I was in the club.....what a day.....I tried to calm down.... woah...a beautiful 10 pound buck Steelhead. I spent a lot of the rest of the day going back and forth where the fish lay just yappin and lookin. I think I was driving Bob nuts....Charlie also took a fish that day and that was his first of the season.....Us old pros felt good......We are back at the store about three o'clock....It is a nice December day and I have to walk home , my bike had a flat.......I did not mind.......I was proud as punch dragging that critter 3/4 mile home to Yale and Broadway....horns honked.....Roy Gleig came out of his house to congratulate me and reminisce about his first Steelhead.Dad always made a point of thanking Charlie for taking me fishing and teaching us to fish the Vedder River properly.....and over the years I thanked him many times and we often talked about that day......

A Chilliwack Daydream

2009-12-19T00:28:00.000-08:00

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Daydream of an August day in old Chilliwack.

I have been very lazy with the blog...but last night I got an idea to write this while sitting at a light in the west area of Chilliwack. It occurred to me it was a very nice winter evening ...not raining and about 8 degrees Celsius ( that's approx. 46 F) and that is very acceptable ...what is maybe a little less acceptable is the snarly traffic we have in our once little town......it seems like yesterday that the spot I am am sitting at was a soggy hop field and would be covered in barren posts and wires for many acres around at this time of year......what I mean by hops are like... hops....the little buddy plants that go in to the making of that fine beverage - beer.....this area was covered in hundreds af acres of em......people came from far and wide to pick hops ......the local first nations had rows of small cabins that were used to house them in hop picking season..I think where I am waiting at this light is on the very spot.....many transient people were attracted....a lot of wives and children took to this part time summer work.....most of us kids picked hops at one time or another....how much we made was entirely dependent on how much we goofed off.... the days were long ...mums lunches were good .....and riding my bike out to the fields at 5 am on an August morning is memorable....we got five cents a lb at that time....A really good picker (not us) could make 5 dollars for about a 10 hour day......you pick em off vines into huge baskets and it takes a whopping lot of them to make a pound......a buck or a buck and a half was about our speed.....they left your hands stained and you smelled hoppy......I guess that I am thinking like that was 1950....ooow....that's a long time a go...I hate when that happens.

I think I wrote something about this about 200 posts ago.....it seems familiar as I read it over....oh well...a senior moment I reckon.

fixer upper

2009-12-18T09:23:00.000-08:00

skyhi

2009-12-16T22:18:00.000-08:00

gag and a cupple photoshop

2009-12-04T07:42:00.000-08:00

clik photo to enlarge Har de har

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our busy library

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Ol' Fishin Hole

lots of rain in Chilliwack

2009-11-23T07:28:00.000-08:00

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The month of November is always a heavy duty rainfall time ......although it does make for more fishing opportunities ......because of the crowded conditions on the local rivers these days some fishers welcome the downpour because they can fish right close to home and not have to endure the bad manners and poor sportsmanship that seems to be happening too often on the local flows.

wot's rong with this picture?

2009-11-16T01:20:00.000-08:00

repeat

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Last Saturday I was cooling off at Cultus lake and decided to try a little flyfishing.....well...the flys were not biting at all but I did manage to hook a nice Marlin...unfortunatly the big guy broke off when I tried to land him.....a bystander took this picture just before it happened. I tried it again for about an hour but nadda ...that was it...and I never had anymore Tom Thumbs that looked nice and bushy like the one the fish took.....you would not think it makes a difference but sometimes ...who knows......maybe I will tie up a few fat ones and try them again maybe.....

funones

2009-11-13T13:04:00.000-08:00

Ya never know..

2009-11-09T10:24:00.000-08:00

Ya never know.....who you will see at the local cafe

Chilliwack sundown pictures

2009-11-08T07:42:00.000-08:00

Taken from back yard of a friends home.....Cheam Mountain

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Vedder River last cast.............

Taken looking out the Chilliwack Airport Coffee Shop window..........

Downtown Chilliwack

2009-11-07T11:38:00.000-08:00

Wots rong with this picture?

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The minute hand on the clock is missing.......

wot's rong with this picture

2009-11-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

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Answer....shoes must be worn in restaurant

wot's rong with this picture

2009-11-05T08:30:00.000-08:00

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Answer...no smoking allowed in the library

Wot's rong with this picture?

2009-11-04T08:33:00.000-08:00

what's rong with this picture

2009-11-03T07:10:00.000-08:00

ckik to enlarge picture

Wow have I been lazy or what......no postings for a few weeks..ok....I think I will try try something like whats rong with this picture....maybe for a while...pictures in our local area,,,,,,,yup

The land of milk and honey

2009-10-19T07:18:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Chilliwack...........1945

Mum told me a bit about the trip out to B.C., in 1936...some relatives and a lot of friends had pulled up and immigrated from Manitoba to B.C. where jobs, weather and coastal living were a great attraction....for most it was a very positive move....I don't know of anyone who wanted to move back....Dad had lost his legacy in a business that went sour in Carberry, Manitoba...he had worked and learned mechanics in Crystal City and Winnipeg....He bought a Dodge dealership and the main road was diverted around the city and of course he depended on traffic......bummer...but I for one am glad it happened because I always thought Chilliwack was a great place......when they lost just about everything they packed it up and drove on the better road through the states out to the land of milk and honey , I think it was November and Manitoba was cold.....Dad, Mum and Faye, my four year old sister ...... Mum told me that after a harrowing trip with all the flat tires those old vehicles had....they finally got to Seattle.....she said that was when they new it was a good thing....the weather was balmy, the mountains and ocean coastline were like a new world .....they had relatives in Rosedale and friends in Vancouver, providing a base to work from...I was born December 10, 1937 in Vancouver. Dad worked at Begg Motors then after a year, moved to and settled down in Chilliwack in the spring of 1938. They rented a house, or part of a house in one of the nice old homes on First avenue...close to Young St. on the south side....From there they moved to Reece avenue at the north end of Fletcher St. (I don't remember those places at all) Dad's first employment in Chilliwack was at Empress Motors across Princess Ave. from the Empress hotel. They kept close with the home friends ..the Besticks (they had Ace Tire shop located in "Chinatown"). Dad worked a bit there as well. Dads sister.... Alice, or "Aunt Ally" as we called her and Uncle Bob Johnston...cousins Willard, Joe, Tom, Lorne, Buck, Merva and Lila lived in Rosedale.....Buck's name was Roy ( after my dad).....they had a farm on Castleman road...Oh how I loved to go out there...and we did,often...My folks would let would stay there...the girls were young teenagers and treated me like a prince...I used to watch them get on the yellow school bus...as soon as they went in the door...they stepped on a moving platform and it took them to the back of the bus...at least that is what it looked like to me when all I could see was the body part going by the windows...I always slept upstairs ..and had to learn to use a pot that was kept under the bed...In season there were always pheasants and ducks hanging in the woodshed...the shed had the smell of wood and leather harnesses, a hard packed dirt floor, tools and implements hanging on the wall and a 2 foot round knotted chopping block with a million axe marks in it...I liked being in the woodshed and thinking about the stories it could tell.There was also a root cellar that fascinated me...I visited it many times....a mound in the ground...open the dirt covered door and a blast of musty smell would happen ...then look at all the stuff...home canned fruits, vegetables ...apples and fruit wrapped in newspaper....it was really cool....thats why they had it .....Aunt Ally would cook great Sunday feasts of chicken, ducks and pheasant...apple and lemon pie....and there would be 10 to12 people at the table... oh yeah .....heaps of potatoes and the best gravy ever....who never had bread and gravy at the end of the main meal....all the boys did...that was good enough for me. The Browns lived across the road...yes....Farmer Brown....he really did.....a guy in a car came and put mail in the mailbox....I think there was an outhouse...there must have been an outhouse, I'm not sure. I will add stuff to this later......I think there are some pictures somewhere...........ya there was an outhouse....and an old Eatons catalogue in it..... It was tricky slippery stuff. The old house was unpainted, the weathered siding was grayish...Uncle Willard played baseball, he was very good at it......We watched him play at the Rosedale Ball Park. Rosedale apparently had great ball teams in those days....I remember after supper, the men gathering in the front room and listening to them talk about everything...especially fishing and hunting......How could life get better than that.

Andy Bathgate .......I've heard of him

2009-10-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

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.

happy thanksgiving

2009-10-09T17:21:00.001-07:00

AMAZING SIGHT IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC

2009-10-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

click to enlarge

The yacht 'Maiken' was travelling in the south Pacific when the crew came across a weird sight - ..... It was sand in the water, and the sand was floating ON TOP of the waves... Look at these photos and try to imagine the feeling, the thrill of experiencing this phenomenon close-up.

This is not a beach, it is volcanic stones floating on the water.

The trail left by the yacht... through the sand And then this was spotted... ash and steam rising from the ocean...

Awesome! Can you imagine the thrill of being the first & only people to see a new island being created ... where there was nothing before?

The yacht 'Maiken' was travelling in the south Pacific when the crew came across a weird sight - ..... It was sand in the water, and the sand was floating ON TOP of the waves... Look at these photos and try to imagine the feeling, the thrill of experiencing this phenomenon close-up.

hardehar

2009-10-01T11:06:00.001-07:00

hahaha

2009-09-29T16:42:00.000-07:00

Logo design

airport cafe

2009-09-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

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Pie maker and waitress at the famous Chilliwack Airport Cafe enjoy their break on a beautiful late September day.

lunch at the river

2009-09-23T10:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took our lunch to the Vedder River.......what a gorgeous late September day....I reckon it went to 30 degrees today....the river is low , very clear and full of Pink Salmon....we could see hundreds of not thousands of "humpies" passing through the run we were at and heading on up through the shallows....every second year or "odd" year we are treated to this usually large run of salmon.....as you can see many fishers attepting to catch a few for the barbeque. Since the DFO opened them to sportsfishing a few years ago many new anglers have come on to the scene as they are rather easy to catch.

gags and a dreamer

2009-09-14T22:41:00.000-07:00

Logo design

chilliwack airport cafe

2009-09-08T01:05:00.000-07:00

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girls became people

2009-09-05T11:41:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Chilliwack......the 50s

A pot that was kept under the bed

2009-09-02T00:20:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Chilliwack...........1945

Andy Bathgate.....who?

2009-08-30T10:22:00.000-07:00

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'

2009-08-22T00:16:00.000-07:00

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neat kayaking site.

2009-08-21T00:15:00.000-07:00

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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.

2009-08-20T00:08:00.000-07:00

moretoons

2009-08-17T23:17:00.001-07:00

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yes you can

2009-08-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

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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

2009-08-14T23:43:00.000-07:00

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retired faller

2009-08-13T17:13:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-12T01:25:00.000-07:00

toontime

2009-08-11T01:21:00.000-07:00

another flat earther

Charlie had a great day

2009-08-10T01:03:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-01T11:06:00.000-07:00

clik to enlarge

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.

fishermen

2009-07-31T14:23:00.000-07:00

othergus is a good guy.....sometimes we just cant get enuf of him.....

Logo design

associate flat earther

2009-07-28T01:10:00.001-07:00

flat earth and associates update

2009-07-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

click to enlarge

flatearth president

2009-07-26T06:32:00.000-07:00

big aint it?

2009-07-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

Flat Earther Mel Mceachren with a lunker from Sheridan Lake......the Rainbow trout is 15/12 lb.......and the largest one known of this year (2009) from the lake....it also rates with largest of all time.......not sure where exactly but probably in the top ten....that is one big trout......

the way grama does

2009-07-24T01:00:00.000-07:00

This little guy is the grandson of good friends of ours.....grampa sent me a few pictures taken on one of their weekly outings to our surrounding countryside ......

I thought this one was very special and I would like to share it with whoever happens to tune into this blog of mine...it is not staged or photo shopped like most of my pictures....

He is taking in the surroundings the way grama does it because that obviously is the way to really learn stuff.....

rerun from jan 2008

2009-07-22T11:15:00.000-07:00

Something was biting my leg

Growing up in Chilliwack............1955

Don Reimer and I sat in front left two rows in social studies class in grade 12...I found everything he did immensely funny and he felt the same way.....Mr. Foubileer was our teacher...I always thought he was kind of like a robot......a robot with egg on his tie.....he always had egg on his tie.. ..we used to howl about that....we could see what he had for breakfast.....and in a brown suit......it was hard to be serious in that class....and Fooby did not seem to notice.....just teach the lesson ...gaze out intothe class.....like he had done a thousand times......needless to say our marks were not great......That is where we came to the idea to start the car hoppers club.....After school we always went to the Twin Peaks...that was part of a tradition established long before we were in grade 12......and kept up with every senior grade following....at 3:45 school was out......into the parking lot....Don had a 33 ford and my car was a 33 Chevrolet....they were both painted blue.....Don's dad had painted them both...I guess he had lots of blue, they both looked great........people would pile in till there was no more room.......we thought that a ride had to be worth something so we hatched out an idea for the Car Hoppers Club...we made cards up to that effect.....Honorary member.... etc.....it would appreciated if holder would contribute 10 cents towards the gas for a ride in this can... ....well the idea was great....but the results sucked...it worked at first but membership quickly dwindled......so we just had to whine and hope someone would cough up once in a while........the cafe was packed after school....kind of like "Happy Days".....the Wurlitzer could be played from the booths at the song selector.....5 cents for a song....6 for a quarter.....the selector had double sided pages that could be turned to look at the selections.....This was pre Elvis Presley times.......Johnny Ray was big with..... Little white cloud that cried.....and..... It's Cherry pink in apple blossom time....Silhouettes in the shade ......16 Tons.....Mr. Sandman.....we jived to big band music......the new music explosion came in 1956 when Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis , Johnny Cash and the Everly Brothers.... a whole bunch of people livened things up a little........anyway.......The Twin Peaks....coffee or a coke was 10 cents.....We usually didn't buy much more than that.....I guess money was tight...we could eat at home for free......we carried loose leaf binders in high school...our school world was kept in there...the subjects sectioned off..........Girls packed a Seagram's whiskey bag for their personal stuff if they could get one......it is a purple felt bag with yellow trim drawstrings......long plaid wrap around skirts with a huge silver safety pin in them were in style........also bobby sox and saddle shoes. If she was wearing a ring on a necklace she was "going steady". Guys wore trousers or jeans.....white corduroy pants were popular, V neck sweaters.......lots of plaid shirts. Guys wore shoes....runners were for Gym.On night in the fall, Mervin borrowed his dad's car and he drove Russ and I to a basketball game ....we decided to go out for a smoke.....to the corridor between the high school and the Gym....It was one of those pitch black nights, you really could not see your hand in front of your face........We had been out for about 5 minutes.......I guess there was no tell tale burning butts by then and I was standing , minding my business waiting for these two guys to go back to the game.......all of a sudden something was biting my leg.....geez.....It was burning.......I slapped at it....a couple of times and "hey"...it was Mervin......he was standing 2 inches away from me and he was peeing all over my leg.....Hey....!#$%^#* look..*^%$!# at.....all ........over me ....O man..........Mervin had no idea.....but he caught on fast....and of course it was the funniest thing he had ever done....Russ was roaring.....oh gawd ...I guess it was funny....but I was not laughing .........I went and sat in it the car and waited ...after the game they came to the car with tears in their eyes......then they went to the Twin Peaks......I sulked and waited patiently in the car..... fuming ... ...then finally a ride home to a bath and clean pants......they thought that was pretty funny........they still do.

pretty funny

2009-07-18T07:43:00.000-07:00

ATTENTION: ALL BORDER PATROL AGENTS...

Be on the lookout for a 1951 Chevy, red with white top - thought to be transporting illegal immigrants!

flat earth character

2009-07-16T23:37:00.001-07:00

this ol house

2009-07-15T21:13:00.001-07:00

click pix to enlarge

We lived in this house .... in 1943-44-45 .......I don't think there has been anything done to since then....anyway, I reconstructed it to what I think it may have looked like when my family lived in it so long ago......it is all cedar shingles and as you can see kinda yellow.......I can remember standing behind that picket fence and discussing the exciting end of the war with my neghbourhood friend, Gary Hogg........We were 7 tears old. There really was a pretty Lillac tree in front. When Mr. Weeden( a local realtor) came to collect the monthly rent, mom would have 13 dollars cash ready for him....I thought that was pretty reasonable....I suggested that to mum and she said that it was plenty. Dad mechaniced in a Plymouth dealership up the block....Johnson Palmer Motors.....the post office is there now.....I think about him coming home for lunch at noon and always a lie down for 15 minutes before heading back to work....there was a whistle blown at 12 noon ...the source was Valley Laundy at Mary st. and Wellington ave. ... Dad often kept a few chickens in a pen right behind the garage...not many regulations then....the house is right behind the post office on Fletcher st.....The garage was used to store sawdust...the fuel of preference in those days......I thought I would find a picture of a sawdust burner, to give an idea to the youngsters what that is about....hey, I could not find one anywhere....I reckon they were only popular in our area...sooo I have illustrated the thing.......a hopper is fastened to the side of the stove ....then sawdust gravity feeds into the burn box...yup it was a chore to fill the sawdust pails and keep a couple handy.....dad would lift em and pour it into the hopper ..it's a cool way to use all that sawdust that was produced by local mills.....people used them until 1957 when the natural gas pipeline came through to the south....

hardehar

2009-07-14T07:26:00.000-07:00

we were really dirty guys..... 2

2009-07-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

today is a rerun from Jan.30/08

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ya..why not...I'm allowed......

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Growing up in Chilliwack....... 1958

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We all needed work...all four of us.....Don McFarlane, Billy K, Don Reimer and I.....It was April 1958.....we decided to head out to Alberta or Saskatchewan...and see if we could find work on a pipeline somewhere out there....It was a tough goodbye for Bill...he was already married and S and I had been going steady for about 8 months and that was not easy either. Anyway we head out ....Bill has a really nice car...a 56 ford fairlane....so dependable travel was not a problem.....we had an old guitar and sort of sang our way back to Alberta......We stayed in cheapo motels and chased around southern Alberta with a little success...Pincer Creek, Drayton.......a few days work is all we could muster and we kept on hitting sites until we landed jobs in Estevan Saskatchewan....Billy worked with a bending machine.....Don Mcfarlane had a job on the doping crew....Don drove a little tractor and pulled a welder...I was a welders helper and ended up working on that same machine ...Hey ...that was pretty cool.....We were doing fine ......we stayed at a boarding house that belonged to a great lady...Mrs. Yonner.....She supported herself and her daughter by taking in about 8 or 10 guys and feeding us and doing our laundry....that was part of the deal.....She was a great old gal ( about 45)...and looked after her charges with the best care she could muster under those conditions.....We had beds in the basement...a bed and a dresser kind of partitioned off with sheets on wires...it was great......the food was unbelievable...what we missed in fancy was made up in the cooking.....breakfast and supper was something to behold....supper was a loaded table of roast beef...a turkey ...all the veggies...oh ya we had it made in that department....She also made lunches for everyone and always had something washed and clean for us.....the ironing was like a mountain of clothes piled up into a endless corner , that's what she did in her spare time.....there was one bathroom and the water was running steady......the guys hollering out their number for who was next.....the tub water turned the color of mud...it was so windy and dusty ....we were really dirty guys.....The car could be washed and the next morning a film of thick brown dust all over and inside it.......the dust got in everywhere.....but still all in all...we made the best of it and had a pretty good time living there..... I think it was 70 dollars a month.......I dunno what got into Don Riemer and I....It got really windy......we had been going to work for about a week and sent home because it was to windy to work....even though we started at 2 in the morning to try and beat the weather. Anyway....we screwed up......after missing work for a week and not getting paid any show up time...we get all huffy and are gonna go to Ontario...there is work out there...ya sure.....The guys tried to persuade us to stay but being a couple of stoops we say , yup were goin to Ontario....So we hop a bus and away we go.....all we accomplished was to burn up our reserve money and have a long boring bus ride....thanks to Don's sense of humor we didn't go bonkers....We visited and stayed at Don's brothers place in Toronto...and my sister's in Petawawa, that was a good thing , but.....we tried hitchhiking to find Pipeline work but it was hopeless..and then we bussed.......finding a friendly jobsite was also hopeless.......it seemed like no one was interested in hiring anyone...you had to be connected...Gawd it was a terrible place.....we were used to the warm attitude of the west...that was a cultural shock to be in that people cold country....I could not get out fast enough....who needed that......So....we hop a bus with our tail between our legs and head home......It took about a month to cross Canada...that's what it seemed like......then after we got back to Chilliwack....Don gets a call..like right away...come back to Toronto ....there is a job for you....(Don's brother contacting Don)....I remember seeing him off and pitying him that long bus trip again...anyway...he went back for about a year.......he worked at Continental Can ltd...The Estivan job petterd out in a few weeks and Don M and Billy came home...A flooky thing happened on the bus about the Regina area......A gal got on and sat in the front...I knew I had seen her somewhere and it dawned on me...Mirah, her name is Mirah.....I went up and sat with her and she was surprised and puzzled about who is this that was being so forward......I said, hey......... remember...Chilliwack....pause..."Oh the 3 Chilliwacks".......so we shook hands began to talk....Anyway....Mirah was just heading to Vancouver after a trip completely around the world that she started in December 1956........Myself and 2 other Chilliwack boys (Mervin and Pete) were on our way to New Zealand and met her on the Oronsay (ship) when it departed Vancouver......She was travelling with another Gal (already back in Van.) We had all become part of a group that hung out together for over 2 weeks on board ship........We had made many contacts through that great bunch group and used them in our travels.

rural gags

2009-07-12T10:27:00.001-07:00

like he was going to pounce

2009-07-08T00:42:00.000-07:00

.....Wow I have not written diddly in the way of stories for about a year ...maybe a little less.....I think the last one was about 1943 or 45 when my friend Gary Hogg and I took our collected bottles to sell.....no.... not the last story but that was the time the story took place.....anyway.....I can't find it but its back there somewhere...so this is kind of continued..........Gary and I had sold our pop bottles to Kenny at the Orchard Park then towed the wagon and dog up to the Marshal Wells hardware beside the old post office.....there we unloaded our whiskey bottles for 1 cent each.......we crossed the Young rd. corner ...Barber Drugs to Langley Greenhouses then up Wellington ave.....then jaywalked Wellington avenue at the Blue Star Cafe.........we had change in our pockets and Spencer's Department Store as our destination to do a little shopping........(Spencer's was later Eaton's and now a bowling alley )Spencer's ...wow...a big place ....we left the wagon and Tippy at the door and went into this amazing store...that was always a thrill........the first thing was to gawk at the change boxes zipping around on tracks...very cool...they sent the customers money up somewhere..... to make change I guess....I don't think there were any tills at the checkout counters....the money was sent off from the clerks in these little tin boxes that zipped away with a clatter and then zipped back to complete the transaction.....well, this delighted the kids ...it was like a minature railroad...that was always a main attraction when we went to Spencer's.....I can't remember exactly what it was all about , except the tilling must have all been done upstairs......It can't have been a very convenient way of doing business but it sure was entertaining......I wonder if anyone reading this remembers that....or was it our imagination....anyway, yup ...the huge magazine section at the front of the store (we were little kids ...it looked huge) was our main destination...they had comic books ...well .....all kinds of magazines and books....galore.....a great selection...comics were 10 cents each....they also sold what we called big little books.....I think they were about two bits.....big little books were neat.....about 4 x 5 inches and 1 1/2 inches thick....hard covered , with black and white copy ...... 1 frame comics or print per page .....quite often a 1 inch square character in the top corner of each page would generate a "movie" when the pages were flipped......very cool......but expensive......kind of different characters were featured like Don Winslow of the Navy and others not featured in the regular comics....I guess my favorite comics were Superman or Captain Marvel and his brother Captain Marvel Jr...and sister Mary Marvel.....the bad guy was usually Dr. Savanna.......After hanging around and being told 5 times to not read the comics we picked out a couple and happily paid for them at a counter with little tin boxes buzzing about...then we went out front ...grabbed the wagon and my dog and headed for 5 corners...crossed from Cunningham Drug store to the bank then across to Hipwell's Drugs and east a half block to the 15 cent store (Woolworths)......a great place to browse....they had a great toy section .....plastic soldiers and fighter planes were a great seller ...and yo yos .....and marbles .....wow ...all kinds of stuff......the floorwalker watched us like a hawk..... man I can remember him so clearly ...one scary dude ....his hands behind his back ...kind of bent forward like he was going to pounce...those steely eyes penetrating our every move...ain't nobody gonna pinch a plastic soldier on his watch.... the black oiled floors stand out in my memory...and the name of the manager is there somewhere but I can't dredge it up right now.......I remember the displays being just at my eye level and hard to see without going tiptoes...... I wanted a green Spitfire but I did not have the fifteen cents to buy it, neither did Gary...oh well...maybe next time I will skip the comic. After daydreaming about the toys for a while we left ...crossed Yale at the post Office then cut between it and the Progress office to the back alley ...from there it was 10 stone throws to our homes on Fletcher Street..... Our playground was within 2 blocks of Five Corners....where Gary lived is now the Post Office parking lot......our old house is still there ...barely....it was a neat little place but just sat there for 63 years and maybe the grass was cut occassionly ......

lazytoday

2009-07-06T00:49:00.000-07:00

go figure

2009-07-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

golfingags

2009-06-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

Problem solved

2009-06-24T00:43:00.000-07:00

With so much vehicle theft on the river these days a guy has to be careful where he parks when out for a bit of fishing..........

rerun

2009-06-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

Yup...sometimes I just run outta gas on this posting thing ....so I thought why not just insert some reruns ..what the heck ...TV does it all the time ..and there are 280 or so going back to January 2008.......sooooooo

I reckon once in a while I will just do that....so starting next blog...or the one after.... I will put in a rerun.....

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If ya want to see a really neat invention that never made it ..........

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,213971.0/topicseen.html

tourists

2009-06-23T00:34:00.000-07:00

The Airport Cafe gets its share of tourists..........here are some folks having pictures taken right beside our table...

Timber

2009-06-19T23:28:00.000-07:00

Jim is a senior member in good standing of the Chilliwack Flat Earth Society...here he is seen taking a leisurly drive through the local rain forests ..........Jim retired 20 years ago and still enjoys looking at the area he last worked on as a standout timber faller...Yes you can see for yourself the fine job those rugged individuals did...Trees have not been a problem for a long while in this area...... if they get out of hand again we would be hard pressed to find craftsmen of the magnitude needed for that dangerous job.

1957-------------2009.... yipes

2009-06-16T22:20:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago an old friend of mine visited for the day.....Mervin Vance....In earlier blogs I have mentioned Mervin a few times about things we did 50 tears ago......anyway...all the way from Edmonton , he picked up his brother (Gordon..Lives in Chilliwack) and we had an afternoons visit...yup it was pretty cool....I think there are a few people who read this would like to see Merv and Gord's Mug shot so here we go.......We talked about Peter Jillings quite a bit...it is almost like he was there...

There will only be a few who look at this who understand any of it......this little blurb contains some great memories and far more fun in a short time than anyone most have ..ever...yup....well maybe thats stretchin it ....but pretty darn good.

merv pete gus

Before and After

2009-06-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

Before

After

I guess the inflooence of the Flat Earth Society has encouraged Charlie to change his ways....he is all spified up now ...constantly on his cell making deals .....seems to be an impotent person ...and quite often in the company of attractive influential people.....he may be up for a permanent position with the Flat Earth Society....

busy model A picture

2009-06-03T13:17:00.001-07:00

clik pix to enlarge

rustyred

2009-06-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

click pix to enlarge

another fixer upper

2009-05-31T02:09:00.000-07:00

click pix to enlarge

rusty bucket I found in the woods

2009-05-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

Here is a rusty bucket I found in the woods while driving around on the Internet...so I took a box of digital tools and paint and spruced the old can up a little....it took a lot of cyber bondo and a pail of surfing blue but it looks not too bad now....amazing what can be done with these dang computers.....yup

click pix to enlarge

I have no idea what the make of the car is...umm I think its English...but I put the steering wheel on the left anyway...just in case someone wants to drive it in Canada.....

whats that noise?

2009-05-27T19:57:00.000-07:00

This big ol dandy is a 47 caddilac....I had it for about a year in 1957-8.....It was fun but just cost to much to drive it......some kids just don't learn....I had it for a few months before I discovered where the heater was....I did not think it had one but in the Fall I discovered a button I had not pressed yet.....low and behold two of em under the seats with great big fans ...what was that humming all about?....oh ...that's where the heater is.....duh......in 1958 I traded it on a 50 plymouth....

for a while

2009-05-26T00:18:00.000-07:00

I found a red 47 chev and photo shop painted it to resemble a green one that I owned
in late 1956......I replaced the 47 plymouth that was stolen ( a few blogs back) and drove it for a few months before selling it to have some funds to travel to New Zealand with....I bought it and sold it for 500 dollars

some cactus

2009-05-18T08:47:00.001-07:00

Heres that Charlie entertaining some of his friends at the Coffee Shop......What a guy....he always has been known for his generous nature ...as you can see these people are benefiting from his good advice.

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Hey ...get a load of this cactus in my wifes bag of botanictic beauties.....this little guy flowers and croaks in one evening....and it is one georgeos phenonemonemem.....hmm...we caught it on camera last night and I thought it would be a cool thing to blog on....

2009-05-18T08:45:00.000-07:00

cactus wonders

2009-05-18T08:30:00.001-07:00

klic to enlarge...

The plant has had its few hours of glory and is starting to wilt....

Hank shaved

2009-05-18T01:59:00.000-07:00

go canucks go

Hank,s turn

2009-05-14T00:32:00.000-07:00

Hank has a beard right now..grown for the hockey playoffs..he may shave it off now that our Vancouver Canucks are knocked out of the race to the Stanley Cup.....

not so broke

2009-05-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

I had this car (47 Austin) for a few months around January 1956...things were pretty skinny that miserable winter. 55-56 was a bit of a record breaker for a period of long cold weather...I remember it started cold on November the 11th 55 and it was unseasonable freezing, east wind and snow through until March....I remember that as a bummer, depressing few months... which is unusual because for the most part it was a fun time to be a kid.....there was very little work available and I sold that little car to my friend because I just could not handle the cost of having it...A huge gas pipeline project went through B.C. at that time and it started in big time in our area April 56.....Everything changed with the good paying jobs it provided and if you were fortunate enough to be hired it was a new world......It did not take long and I had much better set of wheels ....my 47 plymouth...that was one nice car. Life was good...I could pay my folks board and was not so damn broke all the time....We worked every day so the fun had to be crammed in on the weekends ...its good to be young and survive the body abuse a 18 year old heaps upon himself....there was a lot of sorry looking faces on the work bus at 6 oclock Sunday mornings ....the best to hope for was a hold up or problem on the line so one could grab a truck seat or soft spot and get a little shut eye.....when there was shut down to wait for blasting ditch or whatever they had no problem with guys goofing off...but be prepared to highball when the crew was moving or hit the road....they called that running you off.....I seen a few machine operators and welders run off for being undependable...or dumb mistakes...

33 chev

2009-05-07T17:55:00.000-07:00

I

I bought this car in July 1954....it cost 75 dollars.....it looked pretty good after a friends father (a house Painter)...painted it for me......he even had left over paint...wow.. the price was right....a gift......I was one grateful kid.......16 years old and a car to drive to grade 12....does it get any better....oh yeah....Dad was a mechanic....a very good thing to have a dad mechanic when trying to keep a 75 buck car on the road.......sometimes it would climb big hill to Cultus lake in high gear...but i needed a good run at it..

1956

2009-05-05T10:05:00.000-07:00

I Had a great car in 1956........The natural gas pipeline provided some great paying work for the construction workers...wow 1.30 an hour for laborers. We worked at least 10 hour days and 7 days a week....it took about week of waiting in a labour pool of men that would turn up every morning and with pleading eyes hope that a forman would need a hand.....yep...they looked us over and said you ,you and you ...that's it, lets go........finally one morning I was picked and ended up on a crew that put pipe through road crossings and creeks etc.....I was lucky ....that tie in crew was a great bunch to work with....in a while I was a welders helper and made 1.50 per hour......with all the hours piling on (sometimes 12- 4 hours a day ......I was earning some pretty good coin.......what's the first thing an 18 year old might get....yup a car.....Dad had just bought this 47 Plymouth....He was a mechanic and serviced this car regularly for the nurses at a Federal Hospital (Coqualitza)...it was a beaut.....Good old pop sold it to me for 500 bucks......what he paid for it........it was like new...it had been cared for so well....I proudly drove the car for 4 months and then unfortunatley it was stolen from a Dance 4 of us were attending at the Legion Hall....It was found the next day piled up...totaled ....yipes.... I had insurance ...got full price .....but lost a honey of a car......Shortley afer that episode I found a place to invest my new wealth and joined my pals and went to New Zealand.

coffee toons

2009-05-02T00:43:00.000-07:00

coffee pals

2009-04-28T21:54:00.000-07:00

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A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word processor. She told him she was writing a story. "What's it about?" he asked. "I don't know," she replied. "I can't read."

GAG FER TODAY

2009-04-27T23:14:00.000-07:00

clik pix to enlarge

New Toy

2009-04-22T23:45:00.001-07:00

clik pix to enlarge

David H's new airplane is a beaut....just delivered to Chilliwack on Tuesday ....I caught this picture on a flyby where he came very close to a pesky seagull....Flyers are ever aware of birds near the airport as they can be very dangerous if contact is made....Ain't that a purty airplane....

I had one like this many moons ago

2009-04-21T00:23:00.000-07:00

I found this old crate while cruising around looking for pictures to use with my photoshop program...it happens to be just like one I owned when I was17.....The body of the car I owned was actually in pretty good shape ....but it needed cleaning up real bad.......a half a dozen school pals and myself painted the car one school evening ...it came up pretty good with a few coats of primer grey and then we finished off the wheels in pink. One of my friends folks had a small out of town gas service station and they let me use the bay to paint the car....o ya.....we got after it with brushes and its amazing the sin we hid with that grey primer paint....it looked pretty sharp for a fast job....the primer is flat finish and really cleaned the old car up....(36 plymouth)... in the bottom picture I did major repairs ..... I can truthfully say that is what the old car looked like after we gave it a couple of coats of charcol grey....... the paint was expensive ...2 quarts at 7 bucks each.

click pix to enlarge

dogon

2009-04-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

Hilarious times in Chilliwack

2009-04-17T02:45:00.001-07:00

more toons

2009-04-13T01:05:00.000-07:00

Another of our coffee clutch that has been gathering and giving knowledge for going 20 years now...my, time does fly.

our most active fisherman

2009-04-11T01:07:00.000-07:00

Our friend other Gus loves to fish and is famous for stories

about Steelhead fishing in the Vedder...o ya

big Jim

2009-04-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

Jim is noted for falling the last tree when the Sahara Desert was cleared.......

quiet type

2009-04-07T00:10:00.001-07:00