Click on the pic for full-sized view I found an "artsy" picture on the internet by looking through Google Images. This particular picture is not protected by copyright as it is stated in Wikipedia. Click here to go to the original picture. .
I downloaded the picture, brought it into Pixlr.com and played around with various effects. You can click on any picture to enlarge it.
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There are all sorts of effects that you can achieve with this on-line program that does a lot of the things found in the more daunting Photoshop. .
I then became curious about the source of the picture so I looked it up on Google Map. .
You can imagine how surprised and delighted I was to find the very spot where the picture was taken. .
Looking across the street, you can see the same scene as in the original picture. The world is growing smaller every day. All this is from a place I've never been before and would never have gone to... but now I might if I'm ever in the neighborhood.
If you've been following this blog, you may recall the harrowing rescue of a man who suffered a heart attack while we were on a Hawaiian cruise aboard the Norwegian Wind back in 2007. Click here to travel back in time to the blog entry.
The amazing follow-up to this initial blog entry came a year later when Ken Hughes noticed the rescue on YouTube and contacted me. Click here to read the follow-up blog entry and pictures of Ken and his recovery.
Ken's wife Lesley recently emailed us with this news:
From: Ken Hughes
Subject: RE: The Man From The Helicopter Rescue on the Norwegian Wind To: Tim and Wendy Date: Thursday, September 30, 2010, 12:22 PM
Hello Wendy, Hope you remember me, I'm Lesley, Ken Hughes wife who was rescued on the ship in Hawaii. I'm afraid that ken passed away on the 30th June this year after suffering another heart attack which left him brain injured and paralyzed this time. He was in ITU for 6 weeks and died of complications. Sorry to have to email you this but thought you would like to know. Take care Lesley x
And here's my response:
Dear Lesley, We were so happy when we learned Ken had survived the rescue. In this huge world, who would have thought we would ever find out? What were the chances Ken would find us in Canada on the internet? We really appreciated your sending the newspaper clips etc.
All of us that witnessed the evacuation on the Norwegian Wind near Hawaii, 3 1/2 years ago send our deepest sympathies and our hearts go out to you and your family.
Sincerely,
Tim and Wendy (London, Canada) Peter and Donna (Orillia, Canada) Holly and Barry (Waubaushene, Canada) John and Cheryl (Toronto, Canada)
This month has been busy for us but not a lot of the stuff of great interest for a blog. At the condo we have had a persistent and worsening leak in the ceiling of the main living room. The remedies to date have proved ineffective and include the replacement of the skylight and sealing and repainting of the ceiling - twice. We believed in the beginning that the leak was not at the skylight but was in the roofing as a direct result of workmen tromping around on the brittle, cedar shakes. This was evidenced by the fact that the situation seemed to worsen after they replaced the chimney earlier this year. Unfortunately at least two other condo units nearby have also had roof water issues. .
Finally, this month, we arranged with our condo manager Priscilla to have our (almost resident) condo repair-man "John the Handyman" come in concert with the reps from Imperial Roofing (who replaced this entire roof in 1998) to take down part of the ceiling to positively identify where the water was intruding. Pretty bad for a roof that is only twelve years old.
We moved all the furniture into the family room to make room for the repairs.The trouble spot identified, the ceiling will have to be completely re-done. Luckily this costly remedy is covered by the condo association and the burden shared by its 41 members.
Wendy has the table all set for lunch. Too hot to eat outside.
With temperatures rising above 33 degrees Celsius (90F) and very little breeze with high humidity it felt like 100F. We were expecting guests for lunch and a boat ride so we spent the morning with chores and errands. By noon, as planned, Greg and Patricia (from London), and Jim and Judy (from Grand Bend) arrived but it was so hot in the sun, we couldn't sit outside. We headed to the condo and completed our lunch in air conditioned luxury. It's this kind of weather that makes a summer, but also proves the worth of an A/C Unit.
A small cruise ship, Clelia II passes us going up-river with Sarnia in the background.Click hereto read about Clelia II
Patricia (left) Judy, Greg, Captain Jim at the helm and Wendy. Click the picture to enlarge.
After lunch we moved down to the dock and boarded the Phoenix. I had started the A/C earlier so the cabins were nice and cool and provided our guests with a spot to stay cool until we were able to get under way and then the breeze off the lake took over and we enjoyed a nice 3 hour cruise out on Lake Huron and around Sarnia Bay and Port Huron Michigan. . . .
This weekend we drove 220 miles from Point Edward up to Orillia to watch our good friends John and Cheryl participate in two very strenuous events. Cheryl was doing a triathlon swimming 750 meters, then riding her bike 33 km, and if that’s not enough, finally running 7 km. John, not a floater or a great swimmer, was biking and running in a duathlon (run 2km, bike 33km then run 7km) I could never, even when I was young, do any of these so I was amazed that they still had the energy left to host a barbeque party the afternoon after this early morning race. They started the contest at around 8:15 and were all finished before 10:30.
We had reservations for a room at the Quality Champlain Hotel right downtown, close to the waterfront park and all the action.
Saturday night, before the big race, we enjoyed a sumptuous meal at Theo's Restaurant. From left to right - Wendy, Cortney, John, Cheryl, Tim, and Jeff (Cortney and Jeff are members of Cheryl's running club). Pete and Donna had an evening wedding to attend so they couldn't come.
The lot with all their stuff is called the ‘transition’ and it’s where they change from one part of the race to an other. A light drizzle has little effect on this race and may be better that sweltering heat.
I timed things wrong and missed a great shot of John and Cheryl at the finish line - together!
Cortney and Jeff pose together after the event.
There isn’t really a lot to see on a race that covers miles of open country, but we enjoyed seeing them when they got back. I think just being around this energetic gang helps Wendy and I keep younger, at least in our minds.
John enjoys some energy food, peanut butter and jam on a pita.
Wendy, Teresa, Ed and Me after a long lunch at Studabaker's. (note: spelled with an 'a' unlike the car 'Studebaker') (Mariposa 'guitar art' in bg) Click any picture to enlarge.
Since we figured John and Cheryl would be resting after the race, I invited my old high-school buddy Ed and his lovely wife Teresa to come over from Wasaga Beach to join us for lunch at the beach bar Studabaker's Beach Side Bar and Grill, 211 Mississaga St. E.
Ed had read my blog last year (see blog Orillia from last year) and said if we ever come back to Orillia we should let him know. Of course I had their house special 'Pint and Pound'. A pint of Coor's light and a pound of wings (10). I must say they rank right up there with the best. They offer over a dozen different sauces and also battered or plain.
I was actually worried that I couldn't keep a productive conversation going for very long. How much could we have in common, being out of touch for so long? Wendy hasn’t seen Ed since 1971, and I since a school reunion 15 years ago, and neither Wendy nor I had met his wife.
Obviously I was wrong about running out of things to talk about. Three hours went by in a flash and there was still more stuff to cover, but as it turned out we ran out of time. We hit it off as if we only missed a few months and his wife Teresa was great. The meeting ended with all of us vowing not to let years pass without linking up again. I promise!
Above, John and Myron ham it up at the barbeque. Below, Wendy, Barry and Holly.
Bye bye - Donna (tonight's non-sipping dd) driving with Francis and Pete riding. (kids in back with their dad)
Off to the BBQ at John and Cheryl’s. Pete and Donna were there along with Donna’s sister Francis and her husband Myron, with their two children, and Holly and Barry from Waubaushene. Tall tales abounded and the steak and scallops were superb, cooked to a turn by John and Pete and aided by John's new digital read-out thermal fork. Lots of drinks and talk.
We're not sure about a fall cruise this year since Cheryl and John are off to China, Pete and Donna are working and Holly and Barry haven't solidified any plans yet. Apparently Chris and Deb have already boked a 7-day Caribbean. Maybe we'll wait 'til spring???
John and Cheryl live in Toronto but have a condo in Orillia. Pete and Donna and Francis an Myron live in Orillia and as I mentioned, Ed and Teresa live in Wasaga Beach.
All in all we had a great weekend, in spite of a little rain. Departing at 9:30 am, I set the Garmin GPS on 'shortest distance' and took a long (5 hr) scenic drive back to Point Edward on Monday arriving without incident around 2 pm. . . .
There ought to be a law… And nowadays there likely is!
In our complex world with high paid lawmaker politicians, it seems every elected official feels compelled to “leave his mark” by introducing some new legislation. I for one have had enough of the micro-management of government.
Because there are so many laws covering each and every minute aspect of one’s life, the danger; as I see it, is that everyone has been forced to be “a criminal” one time or another. There are so many laws that I doubt there is anyone, other than a new born baby, that hasn’t intentionally or non-intentionally broken some law at some time. If there are so many laws on the books that many of them become unenforceable, then more and more of them will become disregarded. Once, everyone is in the habit of breaking trivial laws, it becomes easier for that person to break yet another more serious law. Criminals don’t make great citizens.
People should be persuaded to “do the right things” by education, encouragement and positive reinforcement rather than police enforcement. Of course there are always some people who “don’t get it” and do things that are dangerous, irresponsible or encroaching on the lives of law abiding citizens. But there always will be those types, regardless of whether or not there is a specific law against what they are doing. Usually some broader law is already in place to cover these eventualities. Leave it at that!
Our country was settled by people who had had enough of the oppressive laws of Europe and elsewhere and came to North America to start over. Unfortunately, we have few places to go this time so let’s all press for less government and take control of our own lives. . . .
FLOATING A PLAN: Participants float in Lake Huron on Sunday afternoon as part of the Float Down. It was estimated more than 1,000 people participated in the event.(Times Herald photos by WENDY TORELLO)
BEERS TO YOU: Participants float down the St. Clair River on Sunday afternoon during the Float Down.
WATCHING THE TUBE: Pam Harrin of Yale gathers tubes on the sand Sunday afternoon at Lighthouse Beach in Port Huron during the Float Down in the St. Clair River.
One of our favorite places is the Fanshawe Pioneer Village on the outskirts of London, Ontario. We often come here to see our friends from Orillia, Pete and Donna perform their War of 1812 reenactments. Today the ceremonies were not at all acrimonious as we were invited to a lovely wedding ceremony for Christine and Mark in this picturesque and peaceful setting. Although very hot and humid, the rain stayed away all day and the overcast sky allowed good, shadowless photos. (More to follow - check back) Later that evening, the bride and groom's parents hosted a lovely reception at the Delta Armouries Hotel downtown. The groom's great-uncle Bill (77) is a real character and sure can kick it up as you can see in this video. His dance partner Cindy is no slouch either.
"It's not sanctioned, but the annual float down event in Port Huron is still expected to happen. There is no official organizer, so marine officials and the U.S. Coast Guard have no idea how many people might jump on inner tubes and other makeshift floating devices and make their way down the St Clair River to Marysville. St. Clair County Sheriff Marine Division Lieutenant Dennis Maurey says they'll be keeping an eye on things. More than 22 hundred people have signed a Facebook page, indicating they could take part in Sunday's impromptu event this Sunday. Last year, over 6 thousand people took part, but dozens didn't make it all the way to Marysville. Some had to be rescued after developing hypothermia or drifting into the shipping channel while others suffered alcohol related problems."
You can click here to read my blog entry about the float down from last year. I thought they banned it after last year but I guess thanks to Facebook, thousands are planning to go. I plan to take the dinghy or the Phoenix out to watch. Stay tuned for pictures etc soon.
I was curiously amused earlier this month when, on returning from my Tuesday feast of half price chicken wings, I saw a small group of people gathered in front of my dinghy at Sarnia Bay Marina. (If you’ve been reading my blog, you will know that I use the dinghy to ‘commute’ from my slip in Bridgeview Marina to Stokes By The Bay on Tuesdays and Thursdays.) I was amused because it is rare to see the ‘general public’ on the docks since there is a ‘controlled access’ door restricting use to registered boat owners and their guests. They always let me tie up for dinner, I suppose because my home marina is affiliated and has the same manager, Dave Brown.
You can see the old Thompson 27 and the back of Captain Brill. I took this picture Aug. 3
On this particular evening I could see that this motley group of tourists, complete with Styrofoam coolers and picnic baskets were waiting to board a scruffy looking old Thompson 27 motorboat which had, I noticed, for the past week or so been moored near the end of ‘A’ dock. This is a spot normally reserved for transient yachts. Any time I happened to see this boat it was being attended to by a black man wearing a crisp white captain’s shirt, complete with gold epaulets. On other visits I‘ve seen this handsome captain and one time he held the door for me as I returned to the marina. As I left the marina this time noticed that the boat’s registration number was foreign so I snapped a picture. I assume the number C154130N is a Caribbean registry since it is not Canadian or American.
Here's a close-up of the registration number. See the blue ropes tied to the rail?
Obviously this man dressed in a captain’s garb was taking people out for charter on his tired looking old boat. "How does he get away with that at a municipal marina?" I mused. "Probably has no license and no insurance." I speculated.
I never thought too much more about it until last Wednesday August 4th I heard a ‘low emergency’ call come in on the marine radiotelephone. “Pan-pan, pan-pan, pan-pan. This is Captain Brill. Over.” “Captain Brill, this is Sarnia Coastguard Radio. What is your location? Over.” “My location is a finger dock at Sarnia Bay Marina. Over.” “What is the nature of your distress? Over.” “The nature of my distress is that the harbour master has asked me to leave the marina. He has called the police. I have no money, no fuel and no place to go. I was hoping that the coastguard could advise me of a place to tie up. Over.” After some waiting the girl on the radio returned to the air. She said “I have spoken to my superior and must advise you that the Coastguard does not have any docking facilities and this is really not a coastguard matter."
After an hour or so I decided to take the dinghy over to Sarnia Bay Marina and see if Captain Brill was still there. On my way over I saw the OPP patrol boat leaving the government dock area over by the grain elevators and PaddyFlaherty's restaurant. (this is where Captain Brill's boat was found) I continued on to Sarnia Bay and saw that the old 27’ Thompson had left. I looked around the bay but didn’t see anything, so I figured Captain Brill must have moved on. Knowing that he had no fuel I figured he’d just drifted away down the river.
This morning I saw the news article on the internet and my Captain Brill story is nearly complete. I doubt I’ll ever see him again but I’ll watch for more news coverage and post it here. (In the news picture you can still see the blue ropes tied to the rail.)
Bye bye Captain Brill
Sarnia Police don't think there is any criminal element linked to an early morning incident at Sarnia Harbour. A 27 foot sunken pleasure craft was discovered, with its bow pointed skyward just before 6 am. The incident and task of raising the power craft to the surface has been left to the Harbourmaster.
I'm asking the same question. I've been at the condo most of the month and my camera interface to my computer has been down. So.... I have quite a few pictures stored up and I'll attempt to add some to the July gap. Let's just say I've been busy doing nothing. Sorry!
Still alive and well though. Hope you are having a great summer. Where DID July go? Check back in a few days.
One of my favorite yearly car events is the huge show at the Fleetwood Farms Mansion on the outskirts of London Ontario, hosted by owner Steve Plunkett. Click here for more details.
I love to cruise my 1948 Oldsmobile along listening to the radio tuned to an oldies station. I tell people the amazing tube radio only receives the classic old music of the past.
Click on the picture to enlarge Sixty-two years old, this '48 Oldsmobile predates me by one year. I think it has more original parts still working than I do and it certainly has fewer wrinkles. I keep it over the winter in heated parking at our condo near Sarnia. I anxiously wait until all the salt in rinsed off the roads before I venture out.
A few years ago this grand old 1948 Oldsmobile won "Best of Show", first place in the Canadian Oldsmobile Summer Nationals held at Fanshawe Park in London Ontario.
Here's my Oldsmobile later on the cover of the Oldsmobile Club magazine. I was at the Oldsmobile Summer Nationals held at the Plunkett mansion in 2007. Click to enlarge.
I’ve enjoyed this “art deco” example of 1940’s styling for 13 years having purchased it from the Guelph area. I believe it came from Quebec. I love my Oldsmobile because of the unique period styling. Walt Disney had a Model 66 and his cartoon characters like Donald Duck sported a stylized cartoon version of the convertible model of this very car. (although I never realized it as a kid) The only time I’ve ever seen one almost exactly the same was when I drove mine over to the hundredth anniversary of Oldsmobile at LansingMichigan back in 1997.
The post war models, were very popular and in high demand with a lot of them produced. The body sheet metal was shared by Chev and Pontiac. However since the grill was in such high demand by the custom car guys of the fifties, these cars disappeared relatively quickly from the vintage car market. Postwar examples such as this are becoming increasingly rare.
This Oldsmobile model 66 is equipped with a 4 speed Hydramatic automatic transmission coupled to a 238 cu. in. L-head 6 cylinder engine. As a remarkable show of appreciation in the states, General Motors offered a new Oldsmobile equipped with the revolutionary Hydramatic automatic transmission free to any returning war amputee. This was the first automatic as we know them today, first produced in 1941. During the war, they were coupled with Cadillac engines and used in army tanks. The experience GM had with the military versions, gave them time to work out the bugs and this strong gear changer went on to be used in the Allison division in medium and heavy trucks. A strong transmission indeed!
Except for paint and some trim items and replacements like tires, this car is completely original and in showroom condition. An older "frame off" reconditioning has preserved this spotless beauty so that you might enjoy it for many years to come. Although it was recently professionally appraised conservatively at $26,000, you can own this lovely 1948 Oldsmobile at a price well below the market value. Proudly enjoy this vintage Oldsmobile for only $20,995 but don't wait until someone else makes an offer.
Please click the comment button below to inquire. I'll be glad to answer any questions you may have. Leave your email address and we can schedule a time when and where you can view this incredibly beautiful survivor from the past.
Note: I will never publish or reveal your email address to anyone.
