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

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

gag and a cupple photoshop

clik photo to enlarge Har de har

clik photo to enlarge

our busy library

clik photo to enlarge

Ol' Fishin Hole

Ya never know..

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

Downtown Chilliwack

Wots rong with this picture?

clik pic to enlarge

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

the 'ofishin hole'

clik to enlarge

HEY.....the music stopped

clik to enlarge

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.

then finally we bust through

The sign business was very different before 1985.....the days of hand lettering.....it was only the odd duck that learned this trade....A town the size off Chilliwack only required a few sign painters....certainly not like most trades....electricians, carpenters etc...anyway......when I watched my friend ,Chuck Earl, painting signs it facinated me, and I decided that is what I would like to do...I had knocked around since high school and it was high time to get with it....there was no room for work at Chuck Earls Sign Shop on Nowell st.....Chuck already had an apprentice ...Joey Barris....and he was a good one....Joey eventually went on to good things in California....Joey's artistic ability is where he shone....Have you heard of photographic memory...well...he had one for painting pictures or scenery or whatever.....it is an amazing thing......whatever he saw ...he could reproduce ....the work was beautiful...and he used anything he thought that would work as a medium........even Chuck was in line to get paintings Joe would give away........Chuck told me he did very well in California ...his talent must have taken him far.......When Joe left ....Chuck struggled for a while without any help, then he offered me a job.....that's where we fit in the picture. After working in Vancouver since 1960... we moved back to Chilliwack in December of 64 and we still live at the same location in 2008....that's about 44 tears.......oh man....back in the country again...that was great...I did not like living in the city...but you gotta do what ya gotta do...I am happy the doin was in Chilliwack....What a change....work only a mile away...not 40 minutes...the country is only across the road...we are on one of the last town roads , on the other side is farmland, all in the agriculture land reserve...cows lived over there...our street was gravel and ended in a cherry orchard. It was very quiet compared to now, as it becomes Airport road and is a main route outskirting town..... .......We rented until 1969.....the owners came around and put a for sale sign on the house....yipes .....panic....now what..... look for a house and try and buy one....so we did......look....for a house.....at first we never even thought about this one....but after looking at homes for a while, and getting educated.....this seemed like an okay deal....so....we talked to the owners and agreed that if they do not sell it .......we will make an offer at the end of the listing......next, we sweat through pontential buyers that were invited in to see the house.....please don't buy it ....nothing works ...it leaks....there is rats....naw....we did not do that, but finally it came off listing and they took our offer......whew.......now somehow we gotta get through 140 dollars a month for a while....
in a short time we knew all our neighbors (only houses on the west side in those days) .........hey, a pretty good group.......A lot of people in and out of those houses over the years...and some of them were part of our lives.

The second winter was another snow blaster.....the road was drifting in fast and by morning would surely be plugged.....well, the power was on so we could be comfortable anyway...I got up early this day, because I could hear Shelly was up...she was two years old...I go in the kitchen and she is sitting on the counter, smiling happily and devouring a bottle of baby aspirins....they are all but gone...o man......Shirley is up...how many were in th...lots..oh.....the road is plugged ...We gotta get her to the hospital....jees the road,.....I know...I'll go see if Roy can get us through......so I slog over to Roy's place...at least the storm quit.......He was up...I told him...and he ran to his Jeep....what wonderful words..Jeep....I ran back and Shirley had Shelley wrapped up , Roy was getting the Jeep out....He stopped out front and I jumped in with my bundle.....Okay let's go...We get to the corner....this is a mess...can we make it...hang on...and Roy rammed the Jeep....j...e...e...p.....who the hell had a jeep......well....Roy did....... he rammed into the drifted opening in the road...there were walls on each side eight feet high and it had partially filled in the opening ...every time he took another whack at it we made ground then finally we bust through.....oh ya........It was not long to Emergency then...it was never long to anywhere with him........the Doctors gave her some kind of formula to make her throw up...Shelley wasn't having that.....she just sat on the bed ...looked at me and went.... tooie....tooie...tooie....It wasn't going to happen, so they did the stomach pump thing . Okay...that worked.....settle down......thanks Roy....o boy...I phoned a much relieved Shirley......The doc said....... hey, we just have to do that...not knowing how many she took...her tolerance.....just don't know....but ....anyway.....we came through another tense time and one of lifes many surprises...

kind of a grumpy lookin sort

Early December, 1964..............I really wanted to get back to the rural life and gladly took a job with my friend and Mentor Chuck Earl, who owned a small sign business in Chilliwack. Things were out of hand for him ...he was just to busy and he need help...That fit into my plans just fine as I had 4 years working and learning hand lettering in Vancouver as an apprentice etc. I was happy working in Vancouver but not living there....you can take the boy out of the country but you can't take.....yeah I reckon that was true with me.....I thank Shirley for agreeing to us moving and raising our babies in Chilliwack as she was okay with the city as a home.
We were busy, busy moving to our rented house on Broadway st. in Chilliwack......I wave to a guy one empty lot over, and I can see he is looking us over carefully and I am sure he is wondering what in heck his new neighbors would be like.......I was in the carport eyeballing him back and I called over hello , he was at his vehicle doing something.....He had a hunting cap on and a 4 wheel drive Jeep....hmm...he may like to fish, that would be cool....kind of a grumpy lookin sort tho...after I knew him a few days he said he was going to put up a fence with blades on it to keep my kids out.......He never did that but he had a couple of dogs in a fenced kennel that warned off intruders... As it turned out Roy Huband liked to fish.... plenty.....he was also a director on the Fish and game club that I was soon to join.....he told me about this lake fishing that he liked to do .....fly fishing ...I did not know much about that.....I never had the opportunity and was strictly a fan of river fishing at that time.......anyway we get settled in and make it through a brutal January, we were busy raising a family, getting on with the new job . When May first rolled around Roy headed for some lake near Kamloops.....after being away a weekend in mid May he called me over to look at some trout he had caught...okay...great...let's have a look...jeez, he had a cardboard box with a whack of brute trout in it....my eyeballs klanked around .....wow, where did you get those.....Tunkwa lake....Tunka Lake?.....where, what ,how......so he told me about it...oh, how he told me about it......O man...you get em on a fly...a halfback...wot's that ...a good fly......yeah...it was pretty good this week....I guess....you want to go next week?...Oh hell no....It could not come fast enough....Shirley and I decided we could afford it...money was so tight.... go for a couple of days...Roy had a little tent trailer and apparently it was parked at the lake so the price was affordable....split the gas......take some food.....I got no flies...I got nuthin ....Spin and glows, spinners, floats and salmon eggs...I got that ....nope no good...I can get an outfit together for you....great....and flies and a boat...hey........music to my ears....the weekend came.....away we go in the Jeep...I learned how to get to Cash Creek in 57 minutes....naw...not that fast...but pretty fast........We get to the lake, the trailer is parked out on a spit right across from and near the fishing resort.....he has this camping spot all to himself....it was great, the weather was great...life is good.....We went to see Grant Sommer, the resort owner...my first meeting of many with a really likable man......it was interesting listening to the banter back and forth , the latest fishing news ....you shooda been here last week....Roy was.....fooled him that time. The digs were not the Hilton, but.....that little trailer and the food was just the way I liked it. The next morning.... oh boy...let's go...how do ya do this?.....well most of the fishing was done by the slow boat row and wind drift, dragging a fly on a light monofilament line ....that can very productive. We stopped and flung flies around a bit but could not stay at it without someone taking a hook in the nose......and besides that the fish were off...off....oh so off....
We were skunked...unbelievable.....I was wondering if he really was at this lake last week.....he musta bought em...hhmmmmm.......we were so skunked.....nobody caught anything....oh yeah...one ..we seen one fish.........5 boats went to that spot.....a miller moth? you got a miller moth...naw...something white.... try this......forget it...so we did....to tough...so back home early on Sunday....that's fishing.....but thanks to Roy I was shown Tunkwa lake ....little did I know then how many, many times I would be out on that pond....It is a fine fly fishing lake with lots of nooks and crannies and the Rainbow trout certainly can test ones patience and smarts...also as crowded as it gets, one can find a place to fish with hope in their soul.
In 1965 Roy and Jerry built a cabin on the lake ...they built it out of used 4'x8' 3/8" plywood . The Chilliwack Golf Driving Range(Cherry Motors location) was dismantelled and a great supply of building material was at hand....very reasonably priced......with a deal on rough lumber they packed the stuff up there and chainsawed together the best fishing cabin one could hope to have. A room with a bed and bunks on each end and a bigger room in the middle .... that had to be heaven on earth...they put in a propane fridge and the cookstove provided cozy heat to frozen fishers when the weather was bad.
There was a shed on one end and the outhouse was a telephone booth. I cannot believe I don't have a photo...
The Cabin was there until a few years ago....now a big house stands on the location ......for many years I looked forward to the first of May...opening day ......to a 4 or 5 day stay at the Cabin with Roy , Jerry and other pals....my... what great times ...Tunkwa lake has a special place burned in this old guys memory.

often come down from Cheam mountain

This is the Airport in Chilliwack.....Jon, a Co-owner of the Airport Coffee Shop is seen confronting a moose at the front of the building....These creatures often come down from Cheam mountain and make a nusance of themselves.....Jon tried in vain keep the animal away......eventually it was removed by the RCMP who have a detachment close by.


There is a possibility this story is not true.

..."A Pike" she said..what? ..a pike..a Jackfish...

clik to enlarge

1944


Dad decided to go back to La Riviere.....A small town in south Manitoba..(that is the area he is from,10 miles or so from mums town of Crystal City)..anyway he took Faye and I with him..wow very exciting...A TRAIN...2 days and 2 nights....the trains were something in those days...they carried lots of passengers.....a regular choo choo...steam engine...that time was probably close to the last of them...the cars were quite posh...thick upholstery, carpet floor.......they were passenger cars ...built to keep lots of travellers happy....Conductors....guys shouting " All Aboard"...Newsies (selling newspapers and treats) waving candy bars and comics books at the kids... the kids making life miserable for parents who did not respond...oh boy...Faye and I were excited that day....g'bye mum ...waving out the window , we could hear..CHUG...then another CHUG....then another, only faster..until it was full steam ahead and we were ripping up the track at 50 miles an hour...there goes Chilliwack...there goes fields and cows..there goes Rosedale...uncle, aunt and cousins live on a farm there...(Johnsons)..away we go...ok where do we sleep..oh right here..ok that works for me...don't even have to get undressed...some people had berths...that's kind of a bedroom ..only lots of people in it ...beds with curtains on them...they cost more...we stayed in our seats..they were just fine...cushioned..rent a pillow from the newsy...... 2 days later,educated to the ways of a train and lots of scenery stored in our heads, we reach Winnipeg....We stayed at relatives who drove us to La Riviere....(100 miles)...That's where I met Grama Legg (her remarried name)...she looked about 100 years old and had a Hardware store in town...the hardware,cafe and bus stop was the town,only a block away to her house...it was warm summer , with lots of hills, trees, and a river...it was called the Pembina river...Grama liked to fish...and she took me fishing...that was so cool...she had an extra pole for me...we walked lots more than a few blocks to the river..through the nice countryside...I plastered her with questions cuz I was syked to go fishing...like bursting...this is where this whole fishing thing started...our poles were long bamboo canes..probably 14 feet...they had a line of pre determined length (braided nylon) tied to the hook...that was it....ok... she pulled out a jar of pickled minnows ,took one out and showed me how to thread it on the hook...now..watch me cast she said...and held the pole back with the line dangling and some laying on the grass...ok gently just swing it out there..and away it goes..whoa..that's cool...ok my turn...oh man ..hey I did it..oh gawd this is cool...But think it. don't say it to loud...cuz gawd could get me a bar of soap in the mouth from that old gal..fishing is what she liked best after religion...I learned the soap thing on another occasion.....
Wow we are fishing...The river is like, very slow, kind of a tea brown color,high bushy banks..except her fishing spot was grassy with no bush in the way for about 100 feet...well as luck would have it ...my fate was sealed when my pole jerked down and I hollered I got one....lord have mercy (Quietly)...this is oogly boogly time , look at him splash..."Go back, go back, go back ..and I did..dragging the prize up onto the grass..Grama kicking at it to get it higher on the bank..oh boy that's a beauty..and she was excited too..a smile I will not forget..."A Pike" she said..what? ..a pike..a Jackfish...its 3 or 4 lbs ..it's a pike....oh this was better than she expected...apparently she rarely got em that big at that place...oh gawd..oops..gosh.....I was going nuts......
Well a couple of happy fishers walked home that afternoon and we announced to everyone we seen of the great deed performed that day....My aunt did the cooking at Gramas home..She lived there...and I followed her all around the big kitchen while she prepared the great fish for supper....
I guess that was it for me...if all I ever had to do in my life was fish..that would be fine...and we could go fishing again tomorrow...


That Aunt Emma...just as lone tribute ...could make the best donuts in the world...and holes too..she just didn't make some she made lots...a big brown crock full.

easy traffic day

only memories

click pix to enlarge

These pictures are bit of a stretch when the British Columbia Electric Rail Passenger Station was built...(about 1910) through to the late fortys when the Bus Building replaced it ...up until the 80s and 90s....then the whole area was covered over with The Rhombus Hotel, Salish Park and pond , a road and large shopping area. There only memories of the former.

you shoulda flipped a penny

clik pix to enlarge

Growing up in chilliwack

We finished our newly discovered pomogrants , we let Tippy lick the last of them and then ran to the back of the post office and chucked the rinds in one of the animal pens at the auction barns ...that took only a few seconds ...Okay ...a few doors down and into the Hardware.....Hey Gary...my mom is in here...Hi mom....were here to sell our whiskey bottles.....yeah mom....where are you going....hmmm....okay, see you.....I guess she is in a hurry, Gary...yeah ...anyway the clerk counted out the bottles and gave me 16 cents. I asked for 2 nickles and six pennies so I could give Gary his half plus 2 cents for the pomogrant...Okay, but Im short 1 cent...naw, half a cent Gary....okay, but how do we do that....I asked the clerk ...he thought about that then said he was busy....Okay .....out we go...Tippy is waiting patiently at the door, drooling on the glass.....Well, if I give you a penny then I am short....well ya.... that's okay....o sure it is...naw, we can flip for it......what's that....flip ...flip.....if its heads I win and the other side you win.....win what.......who gets the extra penny ......oh.....when you are in grade two you get to know this stuff......right now I have the penny....but it cost me a nickle ...I know but I gave you 2 cents ...I know that...it's not enough.....ohh here, you take the penny ......okay ,that sounds more like it, now lets flip.......oh boy, okay.......I toss a nickle up and when it lands it rolls along the sidewalk ....we are not far behind it when it falls off and into a drain by the bike stand...... we are on our knees, looking at it ... not far down , but a grate covers the drain....you shoulda flipped a penny......hmmm, yeah, I guess.......Gary , you and Tippy stay here ...I am going to find something to get that 5 cents with. I took off down between the Post office and The Progress building and quickly checked all the garbage cans I could see along behind the stores.....no luck at first until I got to the U and I cafe....there was a couple of chopsticks in with their stuff....I got a brainstorm and lit off back to my pals......ok......hey,... it worked ...easy too...just pinched the sticks over that nickle and I was reasonably wealthy again.......I was so relieved I just gave the penny to gary....then we talked about what we were going to buy today.........

we have to sell our bottles

click pix to enlarge

Growing up in Chilliwack 1945

One bright sunny Saturday morning ...I was just finishing breakfast of hot coco and a bowl of bread with milk and sugar on it......Mum asked me where I was going....Over to get Gary Hogg...we have to sell our bottles......In the last few days we had collected some bottles after school and it was time to sell them and divy the money....That was okay with mom...she knew we would be busy doing something on a nice Saturday morning......I go out the back door and into the attached shed,I say to Hi to my dog Tippy ,..he is dancing about and trying to lick my face , he seems to know we are going on an some adventure....
I grab my wagon and I pull the cargo out to the front gate......yoicks, the road had just been tarred .....they used to do that to keep the dust down......a truck with a pot load of hot tar oil would spray the gravel roads.....oh man, that fresh stuff is sticky....we'll have to walk on the path sidewalk to the town road and back down the other side to Gary's place...but that was only a short block ...anyway that's what we did.....Gary is at his front door and saying bye to his mum.....Next door to Gary's place is Johnson Palmer Motors .....I wave to my dad through the big side door as we pass, ...he is working over the fender of a new 1942 dodge (there were no cars made in 43, 44 and 45) We head down to Kenny's at the Orchard Park....that is another block on the sidewalk alongside the paved town road, its called Yale road...and we cross at the end of Fletcher St....so we don't have to walk on that sticky tarred road.....we have 12 beer bottles and 9 pop bottles and Kenny cheefully gave us 38 cents ....He is laughing and says...I guess you two Garys will have to take the whiskey bottles to the hardware....yep Mr. Wilkenson....we know that ...they sell turpentine in them.....we have collected 16 bottles and were gonna take em to Marshel Wells .... we only get 1 cent each for them, but we've got enough now to make it worthwhile....We say "so long" to Kenny ....Gary says....not bad.. eh, Gary .... thats 17 cents each so far, and we head back down town yaking back and forth... pulling my wagon and Tippy running along with us... We pass Johnston Palmer Garage , cross Nowell st. and stop at On Lees Vegetable market.... hey Gary .... what are those roundy things in that bin.....I dunno....so I ask the old Chinese man and he says.... Pomogrants.... Pomogrants, Gary.....wanna try one? Very good, very good and On Lee hands me one.....5 cents, ok.....We shrugg, ok...why not.....He takes the nickle from Gary and goes to the till table and cuts the fruit in half for us.....Hey, thanks a lot and we clumsily work on those until we get to the Post office where we got comfortable sitting on the middle steps to the outside letter slot....That was a great place to watch the people go by and the parade of cars that stop at the angle parking for a quick run to the post office. Tippy sat at drooled at us while we dug away at the pomogrants with our jacknives. Marshell Wells hardware is just a couple of stores away... towards 5 corners...

her nose was nearly touching the tire

Chilliwack, British Columbia is a city of 70,000 located 60 miles inland from Vancouver, in the Fraser valley on the banks of that same famous salmon river. Snow capped mountains, the Vedder River and Cultus Lake are some of a few things that enhance this rural agricltural area......less expensive housing and outdoor activities as well as proximity to the city contribute to this areas fast growth.

1957

I had a job working at Butchart Motors....I am the lot guy ....I clean up the used cars so they look clean and bright for resale.....Jobs are tough to get but when the last lot man quit my dad got me on at Butchart's working with him....Dad fixed the used cars up and got them running properly...he was very good at this and could use his bag of tricks to keep those old cars in shape..... I worked there in the fall of 57 and spring 58.....There was a separate garage at the back of the Plymouth dealership to work on the used cars....One day in Feb...58 this little female Labrador like dog shows up...just a pup.....maybe 6-9 months old......I really take a shine to this mutt..she looks just like a lab but only half the size .....so I make a fuss and we make friends right away.....We leave after work and the dog is still there...oh well...she will go home now...somebody must be worried about a good dog like that.....Back to work the next day and after a short while guess who shows up....Hey... you rascal...you still here....what's with you....she is excited to see us and I am starting to think dog....I like this dog....hmmm what is going to happen here? I get the feeling I am going to own a dog....she hangs around all day and follows me everywhere....I take her home that night (I am living at home ...with mum and dad)...the little black lab passes inspection with my mum......But it is your dog and you will have to look after it...you know...that stuff...Okay mum..thanks .....that is great.....but let's not get to positive on this, that little pooch could run home tomorrow..........but...... she did not....I took her to work everyday ...nothing ...I heard nothing...I turned off the radio and listened for ads...nope...nothing...hey I owned a dog....and a fine dog she was.....she had 1 litter before I had her spay.......I was as excited as an expectant father.....that was sure fun......she was with us 11 years....what a great pal...the kids were born and grew up with "Pepper"...she went everywhere with me.......even to work.......When I apprenticed at a sign shop on kingsway Street in Vancouver I often left her in the building overnight....she was okay with that and seemed to know that was her job....she always looked for me out the front door, on busy Kingsway......one morning I came around to the door ,but decided to go to the hangout coffee shop across the road.....I seen out of the corner of my eye that she had watched me cross....just then a co worker, Max, went into the sign shop.......I was across the road ...there were cars, lots of cars swishing by on the wet pavment ...Oh gawd...I seen her bolt out of the door when Max opened it.....to follow me.....then a big car came to a sliding screeching halt...that was it...I had lost her......my god...the traffic stopped...I ran over to the front of that car and she was flat on the ground ...like flat, with her head between her paws...her nose was nearly touching the tire.......she did not move....like she was frozen....I reached down and picked her up.....she was not touched...not even a bit.....I could not believe the luck....Wow, I thanked the shook up young man driving and carried her back to the shop.....a close call.....she had an extra life that day.....she was a knowing little mutt.....
We were fishing hundreds of times...she would cross the river anywhere....If I lost track of Pepper out on the river ...she would go back to where the car was parked or head to the Riverside Coffee Shop...other fishermen friends would pick her up and take her to the store....that was one of her bad points ..she loved to wander on the river....she knew she would get in trouble but she wandered anyway....but it did not worry me too much, she always returned to either the car or coffee shop....she probably did that one out of 10 trips....she learned quickly and loved to please...........I could tell a lot of Pepper stories...It was a very sad day when she was too sick to go on....My friend Lew took care of the "arrangements"..I could not do it....and Lew had a pretty tough time too.

the old post office

click pix to enlarge

When I was 8 years old we lived very close to town...practically in town I guess...the garage where my dad worked was only a 3 house block away....It was where the post office is now......but I wanted to talk about the old post office, vintage 1911.....another great building ...and in hindsight I am sure that some people wish it were still there.....It was a fine red brick building , as you can see.....but somehow in the name of progress was torn down in the seventies and replaced with another structure...(people got a heck of a deal on red bricks and I bought a wooden beam about 16' x 4"x 12" for 2 bucks).....well that is spilt milk I reckon, but I have good memories of that building. Every time we (my pals) went downtown we would usually hop up the steps and go in and see what was doing...read the wanted posters on the wall and check things out ...the floors were white tile and people clip clopped about...it was cool to look at the glass windowed mailboxes..... there were hundreds of them..... I liked run errands for the mail and open the numbered mailbox with a key....of course we could always see if there was mail because of the glass.....actually you could look right through and see the workers on the other side...then out the other door and hop down those steps....or maybe take a run at the outside steps and give the brass letter slot box a flip...I dunno why we did that but there was something about looking in that thing.

quite a story

click pix to enlarge

Chilliwack's first businesses were located at Chilliwack Landing, located at the foot of Wellington Avenue on the Fraser River. Beginning in 1858, at the time of the Fraser River gold rush, Chilliwack Landing was where the riverboats landed and served a small farming community growing nearby. It just was not a big enough area.....so about 1890 they moved a church from the top end of Harrison lake (Port Douglas) and then plopped it down where the Landing road connected with the new Yale road.
Now that must be quite a story.....I have to find out more about that, but I have read somewhere that it was moved on large canoes and pushed and pulled it to Five Corners.... okay....40 miles down the Harrison Lake ....across the Fraser River and then about 5 miles overland.....wow.....this became St. Thomas' Church. Soon after, a blacksmith shop, public school, several houses, a flourmill, a general store and McKeever's Hotel clustered around the church. This section of Chilliwack remains the commercial heart of the community....Five Corners.

In 1909 it was then moved about 4 blocks to its present location...Gore and Princess Ave.

The new court house is at Five Corners now.

The new Yale road to the interior shut down the water route up the Harrison Lake and Port Douglas became a ghost town , apparently there no signs of a town there at all now.

A Building To Be Proud Of

click to enlarge

The old Chilliwack City Hall still stands proud after almost 100 years...I reckon us locals take it for granted but it must be a fine site to newcomers as it graces the western entrance to the main part of the city.

This building is now a fine museum. http://chilliwack.museum.bc.ca/

--------------------------------------------------------

5 corners

click to enlarge

the Hart building

Click pix for large view

The Hart building was built in 1910 one of a few cool accomplishments at this time ....It was the key building situated at our famous five corners...

The building was taken down about 15 tears ago and a parking lot awaited the construction of the new court house...It was completed in may 2002

These pictures show some changes over the years. yup