Welcome to TK's Roadtrip, the official journal
of my roadtrip from Vancouver, BC to Toronto, ON. This page is number
four in a series.
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Deedee, my aunt, is feeling somewhat left out
as I write this and has informed me that I must speak of her as well.
We have had a great evening discussing Dick and Deedee's houseboat business.
Actually, these houseboats are 40 to 50 foot long steel ships that customers
charter for a week at a time. The ships include a stove, fridge,
and sleeping acomodations for up to eight people. It is a business
they started 29 years ago. Dick designs and builds the ships.
For them it has been a lifestyle as much as it is a business. Kaslo
is located on Kootenay Lake, a 100 mile long lake.
(a picture of a brochure complete with a kitchen background)
The trip to Kaslo has been a destination of this roadtrip for quite some time. It is between Calgary and Vancouver, but is not on the way. One has to make a big detour to get here. Vancouver to Calgary is about an 11 hour trip. Vancouuver to Kaslo is 9 hours and Kaslo to Calgary is 8 hours. The extra 6 hours has been well worth it. We have had a number of great conversations across the dinner table. Speaking about dinner, we had a fabulous prime rib roast dinner.
I left Vancouver this morning at 10:30 a.m. Actually, I left White Rock, just a little south of Vancouver. White Rock is just a little out of the Vancouver digital area, so my phone worked only in cellular mode, without e-mail capability. However, as I headed toward the highway, I got a 10 minute window while the phone went into digital mode. The phone chirped up and there was an e-mail. I was pretty excited. The e-mail said "conditions you know. Have fun kbe" Great e-mail but who the hell is kbe?
As I left today, I wondered what kind of response
I'd get in the regular e-mail....
Tom how can I get to your new website?
Okay I found it....It was only infront of me....dah
Hi Tom
Well the Coast is sad to see you go - of course its a different story
in
Victoria, but people are pretty snobby here (except Al and I - or is
that
Me? I can never remember that one!)
Hope you have a safe trip, and I'll check the webpage for your updates.
Take care,
Heather
xox
Dear Tom,
Just a short note to say have a safe trip and we're looking forward
to
your new entries of your travels. We have not forgotten you and
would
like to know what's going on in your life. Life is still excellent
here
in Manhattan and we're heading home for Christmas in about a month.
Safe journey!
Love,
Kris, Rick and Alaina
Tom,
Good luck to you and be safe out there. Hope to see you up here
in Edmonton
on your way through if possible.
My comments: Tentative plan..... leave Kaslo Tuesday morning, arrive Calgary Tuesday evening, leave Calgary Wednesday Noon eastbound... Edmonton is not in the plan.
T.K.
Fare well ye intrepid traveller! Will watch for your exploits
from my
laptop. Unfortunately I may not be in Calgary as you voyage through
as I
am leaving tonight for Atlanta. I will not be back until next
Friday.
Take care, keep in touch.
Tom
Well Bro,
Hey from down south! Have fun on this voyage, & thanks
for letting
friends in on it. (EH?) (Oops, sorry- slip of the keyboard)
:)
-Eldon Epp
Manhattan, Kansas
Catherine Purcell@QMBA
11/16/97 11:28 PM
Great news!! Good to have you coming back this way. I'll keep in touch.
Catherine
It is 11:30 p.m. and I am visiting Dick and Deedee's
daughter's home in Kaslo. We had chicken parmigana for supper.
Thanks Lorna. By the way, has anyone wondered where Kaslo is. It
is on the west side of Kootenay Lake in south eastern BC.
Here are a few pictures taken this evening.
Lorna Smith (Dick and Deedee's daughter, my 1st cousin)
l to r, Shannon, Marty, and Chyvonne (Lorna's children and husband)
l to r Shannon and Chyvonne
Deedee ( my aunt and my mother's sister)
Dick
Below are some pictures of the ships taken today. Dick designed
and built these ships. They are really cool ships. Someday
I want to to a business case on Kaslo Shipyard.
Today was laundry day. Deedee did my laundry for me. The last time my own mother did my laundry was over 20 years ago when I was 14 years old Thanks a lot Deedee. While Deedee was doing my laundry, I went fishing in Kootenay Lake. I fished Kootenay lake on summer vacations in the late 1970's. I did not catch a fish then and I did not catch a fish today. I am consistent, if nothing else.
Tomorrow I drive to Calgary. Anne Marie, I am staying at your house.
I have noticed a few absences from TK's Roadtrip so far. Anyone
seen John Morrison, Redoak, or the infamous Mike Hannnon?
Good day Tom
Glad to hear from you .Hope you have a
good trip I will watch your
progress
with intrest. I have started to build a new machine
called The RETREEVER .
Should have given You some brochures on the INCHWORM
you could give them
out as you travel . Anyway Take care!!
Al Kingston
What were you doing in Vancouver, and why would you want to leave "God's
Country" for the "Big Smoke?" I hope the weather co-operates with you
-
I've done that drive a few times and the weather sucked! Are you going
to
detour down into the States to take advantage of the cheaper gas?
Usually
I cross the border just south of Winnipeg and stay south of Lake Superior.
Duluth, Minnesota is a good stopover point about 8 hrs from Winnipeg.
If
you are still feeling ok in Duluth, you can continue on for a few hours
and
stay in Iron Mountain - there's a great bar there featuring "live"
entertainment. Have a great trip, and keep me informed on your progress.
Cheers,
Justin
Kevin McCafferty@QMBA
11/17/97 08:45 AM
TK...
Sorry to hear that Collins has booted you out!! Looking forward
to tipping
a few with you in the Big Smoke.
Good luck with the Sprint in the snow.
Smooth.
Hey Tommy,
Good to hear you're on the road again, now I'll have something to entertain
me while I have my morning coffee. So, what is your ETA in Toronto?
We're
having a big .4% club meeting on Nov. 29 and we're going to send out
the
announcement this week. I want to
make sure you're really going to show. Bull is also going to
be here and
maybe Norine too. Anyway, RSVP so I can send out the message.
See you
soon!
Ciao
Sheela
My comments: If my car makes it, I will be there. The 29th is my deadline, but I expect to be there a few days before.
Tom,
Good luck. I look forward to seeing you continue to further our
understanding
of what's possible in today's mobile digital world. Oh, and enjoy
the trip too.
Best wishes on the job front!
Raymond
Debbie Beaubiah@QMBA
11/17/97 10:29 AM
Good Luck on your trip. Hope that car of yours is in A 1 condition,
because the weather is getting very nasty. Hope to see you sometime
when
you are in Kingston.
Hey Tom, hope the weather is holding out for you. Anyway, I was looking
through the Vancouver Sun and possible found you your ultimate job.
Canadian
Airlines in Richmond (6001 Grant McConachie Way) is looking for a
Engineer/Financial Analyst. Vancouver and Calgary positions are available.
It says you need a finance degree and understanding of mechanical/industrial
engineering processes.
Get out of bed and give them a call. Later, Al.
P.S. Phone interview with KPMG (Toronto) today at 11:00, they called
last
night. This is the second one, third one is in Toronto! Wish me luck!
My comments: Yeah right, Al, the jobs are piling up just as I leave.
Check out the e-mail address below.
Tom, Good to hear from you. I heard that galavanting around North
America
trying to find yourself. Your e-diary is awesome. During
the school year,
I managed to witness many flashes of brilliance and
creativity, but these flashes were never sustained to the same degree
as
this project of yours. But what is really confusing me is the
length of
your diary for someone who always wanted to know the minimum word count
required for any project or essay.
When does the dune buggy take you to Toronto?
What is the comment from the "you should have read my stock analysis
3 months
ago"
stock analyst on the recent stock market volatility ?
Erik
PS Sorry I had to send this via Notes. Those @#&%@!! firewalls.
My comments: Get that Al guy (above) a job. In 3 years, I predict market volatility will be almost wiped out. Ask yourself this question? Has the fundamental future earnings of a, say Nortel, changed significantly over the last few months? The stock price has. Answer this. If a person checked the price of Nortel at 3:00 p.m. each and purchased a share only if the current price was lower than the previous day's close, would the person achieve a higher rate of return than if the stock was purchased every day over a ten year period?
Hi,glad to see you had an entertaning time with Dick and DeeDee .They
have
always provided a warm welcome and great food. Tell them to give me
a call
whenever they get to Calgary. You should have clear driving but crisp
weather on your way to Calgary. Glad to see your page is up and running.
Nice to hear from your friends in the mail bag .
Take care,
AM
Hi again! John is behind you he hasn't updated the travel map. Iguess
time
is an issue despite his agruements this summer.
Dear Tom
Good luck on your next leg of your journey. Sorry
to hear there were no
biters in Vancouver. We may see you in Calgary. Please come up if you
want
to! I have to warn you that The spare room is a bug factory now so
you'd be
on the couch. I'm in the spare room sewing every day now till Christmas.
Hope to see you though bye for now.
Drive save
hk
My comments: Bug Factory? Tell John I need him to send me
a copy of the map he has been using with my trip to TO over Lake Superior.
Hey Tom, I am flying to Calgary on Tuesday nite (Nov 18) are you going to be there then??? Maybe we could get together with Tim Winn etc. maybe take the 0.04% club on the road so to speak.
If so, call me on my cell phone tomorrow, 604 831-8860
See ya, Jim
My comments: Jim, I am driving to Calgary tomorrow. I lose an hour heading east. It will be late when I get there. The 0.4% will be tough. I'll call you. Also, Jim has a ClearNet phone too. You can e-mail him too using the same link I have, but you'll have to use his number.
Around 1 o'clock I decicded to check my voice mail... two messages - one from Kelly Holman wishing me good luck on my journey and looking forward to getting together in Toronto. Thanks Kelly!!. The second message was from someone who had received my name from Catherine Purcell (Queen's MBA Career Manager) requesting I return his phone call with a Calgary number. I mused again. Who might this person be? I wasn't in a strong cellular area so I decided I would call him after I made it through Crow's Nest Pass in the mountains. I waited until I actually got to Calgary. I arrived at 5:20 p.m. local time and called him. The job he is looking to fill is in Investment Banking and it sounds like exactly what I want. I have an interview at 9:00 a.m. Ya know, this seems to be working well. Catherine, I will be driving through Regina on Thursday. See what you can line up, say Noonish? Actually, thank you Catherine.
My plan is to leave Calgary directly after the interview tomorrow.
As I was approaching Calgary today, I was looking forward to have my phone go from cellular mode to digital mode. I had the phone on and glanced at the display from time to time in hopes of seeing the "D" icon light up. Right now, I am 5 km by air from downtown Calgary and I have yet to see the "D" icon light up, so if you e-mailed to my phone in the last day or so, I haven't received it yet.
I called Tim Winn in Calgary this evening. He said he was on his way out the door to have a beer with Jim Porter. I would have liked to have made it too, but I had too much to do and it had been a long day. We said our goodbyes, he wished me good luck, and I promised to send him an e-mail updating him on my interview tomorrow.
And that's the kind of day it was for Tuesday, November 19, Nineteen hundred and ninety seven!
Dear Thomas,
What the hell are you doing? Are we going to call you Thomas Cook
instead of TK? He was a homo, you know. All those treks
with little
companionship. I hope you will be in T.O. on the Sat, Nov 29th.
Of
course if you weren't, I would understand.... not wanting to be pushed
around the pool table like a grocery cart. Anyhow, my job sucks.
Working nights this week and next. Be careful out there.
Later
My comments: Now Billy!!! You really have to bone up on your political correctness. You used to be such a nice boy. I had to change the "hell" word above from something else. I considered deleting the homo part but allowed it just this once. As for your job, quit and go on a road trip.
Hey TK,
PCX files attach to email that use a rich text header (i.e. Lotus
Notes). In addition, some email signatures that are scanned also
use PCX as the file format used.
r
threeisl wrote:
> Why do some e-mail attachments come with .PCX files attached?
My comments: Another reason to support my dislike of Lotus Notes. If you read between the lines, Ronny is really trying to say good luck and hope to see you in Toronto. Sometimes Ronny has a hard time expressing himself.
Hey TK,
I sent you an e-mail to your cell-phone yesterday, but didn't see it
on
your web page mail-bag - looks like you may be having some kind of
a
technology problem there bud? Hopefully you and the white
rocket stuck
aren't stuck in a snow drift somewhere in the Rockies (maybe you should
paint your car some other color so people don't think your a snow ball
with
wheels?) Anyway good luck with the job interview in Calgary.
Hingo
My comments: How did you know about my job interview? I knew at only 5:30 and received this e-mail at 6:30. The white rocket? - I drive a blue sprint. Were you drinking and e-mailing?
Glad to see ur up and going again via Roadtrip 4.
About a minute ago sent a wee message to you via ur cell phone. If I
did it
correctly you will have it by now, since Calgary must be digital.
We should have contacted you when u were at Dee Dee and Dicks. Dick
had a
favorite saying, when you asked him how everthing was, he would say
" I am
tapping her light". Dick besides being many things, (Naval Architectual
Draftsman ?)in Glasgow Scotland, before Emigrating to Canada, taught
himself to be an excellent welder. He worked for years welding natural
gas
pipelines in the field all over Canada. Was project manager on some
of
these jobs. Then moved to Kaslo and not only built four ships singlehanded,
he also worked for many people in and around Kaslo on ships, barges,
ferries tugboats ect. The tug boats, barges etc are all gone from the
lakes.
Hi, glad you had a good visit with the Deedee and Dick - all is well
here -
Carmel started chemo on Friday - she is still in Moncton but will be
home
in a day or so -
It is cold here but no snow - Saint John and Moncton had some on the week-end
Say hello to Anne Marie - Martha and little Laura
Michael called on Sunday - he sounds great - He got his car back - there
was some damage to the tune of $2800 - he says it is working well -
all he
had to pay was $100 damage deductible - the Insurance Company didn't
want
to pay for all the repairs but through his MLA it was settled - he
said you
had seen him last week - his job is going well and he is happy and
keeping
busy
Take it easy on the road and listen to the WEATHER REPORTS
Love MUM & Dad
My comments: Carmel is my dad's sister. Give her my best wishes. I dropped in to see Martha, Mark, and Laura earlier this evening. My brother Michael's car was stolen and recovered five days later. In most of your e-mails you use "ur" for "your". Where did you pick up that habit? What kind of an upbringing did you have?
Hello Tom,
I drink about two large mugs of coffee each morning which is about 4
to
5 cups on the machine. For the third morning in a row since your
departure, I brewed ten cups today. I find I am having to relearn
food
and beverage preparations with just me living here.
Another neighbour called to say they found Max. Heard another
car
screeching on the street today and saw him darting away. Max
still
lives for now.
I was transferring files into the server when it told me access
denied..file full...it then said there was an illegal operaiton...I
reopened server access and deleted some files...My upper netscape icon
still works and surfs however when I call up my site it indicates
illegal operation performed and netscape shuts down..tried other
netscape icon and when it tries to come up with my sight, it pulls
up a
blank....all that work on my site..hope its still around...appreciate
your advice
jv
My comments: I stayed with John for the past seven weeks while
I was on the west coast. Once again reading between the lines, John
is really trying to say he misses me. Max is John's 3 month
old cat. I don't like cats as a rule, but I did get used to Max.
W.r.t. to your computer operation, sounds normal to me - your work is lost.
I showed John how to make a webpage. Check out his efforts thus far
here. Here is a
picture of Max and Heather Slauenwhite taken 2 months ago.
In response to the question, "How did the interview go?", I would have to say it was a 7 out of 10 (+/- 1.25 19 times out of 20). An 8 is req'd for an offer. We'll see.
The weather today was overcast and foggy for the first four hours and only overcast for the last four. I saw mild snow flurries for about 1 minute of the 8 hour journey.
The big news of the day is that the next ClearNET digital service area on the way to Toronto will be Toronto. Redoak, I was shocked too! I called ClearNet and was told ClearNet would not have digital service in Calgary until March of '98. I tried to see if they could at least forward my mail from 4169372219@msg.clearnet.com to threeisl@nbnet.nb.ca. We played telephone tag for awhile after which they said it couldn't be done. Bullshit, I say. If you have sent me a message to my phone, I won't receive it until I get to Toronto. I apologize for my mistake. I'm going to call them and give 'em hell tomorrow - (squeaky wheel gets the oil technique).
Here's a picture taken two months ago that I meant to add to Page
3 but never got around to.
l to r Mark Fournier, Sara Fournier, and Tom Fournier
Dear Thomas,
If only I had had shares in Mobil, what with two gallons of oil
to the pint of petrol---gasoline to you---
It will not be long now before work overtakes
you so enjoy the remainder of
your journey, all the best.
Chas
Tom,
Are you really going up to the NWT? With that little car of yours,
it sounds
like something out of a Simpsons cartoon or an X-Files episode (take
your
pick). Great to hear about the interview: go get 'em!
Raymond
My comments: Check the old roadtrip links to hear about my trip to NWT. I modified the map to indicate that this latest roadtrip is for Vancouver to Toronto.
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 1997 20:51:04 +0000
From: Precise Communications <precise@interlog.com>
X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01 (Macintosh; I; PPC)
To: threeisl@nbnet.nb.ca
Subject: Greetings from Toronto
Dear Three Island Investments:
Greetings from (snowy) Toronto! Just stumbled on your website after
doing a search via altavista under "financial writing." It was one
of
219 entries, most of which were, of course, irrelevant.
Your service sounds interesting and useful. You seem to have found
an
excellent forum for marketing your services. You also achieved a
monumental feat by graduating the CSC with flying colours! I have
researched the course for my own professional development and found
it
quite a challenge.
I'd like to introduce you briefly to my company, Precise Communications.
We help banks, investment firms and insurance companies produce
information that is easy to read, understand, use and process.
Most of
our work has a direct impact on business operations, customer service,
and staff training and productivity. We use proven techniques of
usability and readability for all our projects.
If we can help out in any way with Three Islands, give us a dingle at
precise@interlog.com. We'll be developing a website in January that
invites financial service companies to ask us questions about usability.
It will be interesting to see the response.
It will be a while, however, before I can boast your 2000 plus hours
on
the Internet. But we're working on it.
Yours very truly,
Laurie Soper, Director
Precise Communications
My comments: A possible job lead???
Dear Tom:
Glad to hear from you. On the road again, eh? Aren't you happy in Ontario?
We
need you here Tom. Face it the deficit may be a thing of the past in
some
provinces but there is still this pile of debt to pay down and we need
all the
help that we can get. So, come back here Quickly, Please.
I am sorry to hear about the difficult weather conditions that you have
been
encountering. Here in Kingston, we are still in the midst of a very
intense
Indian Summer. I tell you. This micro-climate thing is really paying
us
Kingstonians handsomely. Not a snow flake on the ground. Paradise.
That is what
you left behind Tom.
Have a great trip (and stay away from Asian currencies will you?)
Cheers.
Louis
My comments: Yes I agree things have gotten out of hand since I left. Ontario Hydro! The Teachers Strike! I'll have to straighten Ontario out again.
Through Regina! Boy ur burning up the road and not smelling the roses.
Take
it easy the first thing you know u will have to go to work and will
only
occasionally have a chance to get where you can smell the roses.
U asked why and where did I pick up using u for you and do this
interchangeablely without thinking. I do not remember but have used
it a
long time. I don't think I was the inventor, but I do know I am one
of the
worlds worst spellers, and perhaphs deep down, I use it is in self
defence.
You will have to ask my shrink.
We had a sprinkling of snow overnight. This is the second snow fall
we have
seen, we were away for a couple of weeks there may have been some we
missed.
Partridge hunting was not great according to reports. I did not even
get a
licence this year. Must be getting old. Did go hunting with Aloysius
once.
He took his 12ga.
I see Charles Loggie in Australia sent u an email. I emailed some
information on an Audrey Loggie this past Sunday to Charles, I hope
he
received it ok. Charles is one of our cousins, I will have to check
the
family tree to see how far removed he is relationwise. He is one of
our
good relatives, since he always seems to be invited to dinner when
the
queen of England visits Australia. The Australians I knew at Clinton
Creek
and in the Air Force were a devil may care bunch and would fearlessly
take
on any task. Good People.
Hi, it is great having the map to follow your trip - the weather may
be a
factor in your progress along Lake Superior -
Carmel gets home today from Moncton - will keep you posted -
Do you plan to stop in Winnipeg or are you going to Dryden? Are
any of
your friends still in Dryden or Terrace Bay? There is always
Jack and
Louise Hanna in Espanola - they would be happy to see you -
Ur mother entered above at the Hi.
See ya Bon Voyage Dad
My comments: Listen!! For the last six months all I've been doing
is smelling roses. It's about time I started smelling paychecks.
Hi Tommy
Take care on your trip east. Ottawa has a thin blanket of snow that's
having trouble deciding if it's staying or not. I imagine if you can
survive Northern Ontario everything will be grand. Any guy who can
survive the Plaster Rock highway in dead of winter should be fine.
House sell and move went well, we are very happy in our new place.
JetForm continues to do well, I am moving to Research & Development
in
December to take over as Development Director for maintenance releases/
service packs/ FIX THAT BUG kind of stuff (so I'll have software
developers, tech writers and testers reporting to me) for the software
we create. The sheer irony that an Arts grad from St. Thomas is their
boss continues to make me smile. Ah well.
Is it investment banking or hi - tech you are looking to get into? If
it's high tech check out www.careerbridge.com - local outfit that does
headhunting for major hi-techs via the Internet (Newbridge, Nortel,
us,
Cognos, etc.).
Will check in periodically, if Ottawa becomes an option you want to
check out let me know.
Thanks
SK
My comments: I was very careful to read your e-mail closely. Although I am heading to Toronto, I will probably spend some time in Ottawa pursuing some jobs in high tech. I'll let you know when I'm going there.
Hello TK
There are a few things that puzzle me: how a 3 cylinder - 1990 Srpint
is
taking you all over North America, and how the hell are you paying
for
your trip: did you win the lotto, did you marry a rich widow, oh not,
I
got it, ClearNet and Chevrolet are paying your trip!
Well, if you get something out the MBA was a group of friends and a
stinkpad.
Listen, good luck, don't drink and drive, and never jump without wearing
a parachute.
I'll be following your trip and I'll see you on November 29th in
Toronto!!
Cheers
Jose
My comments: I think my sponsor is VISA.
TK:
I am writing to you from Anwerp Belgium. Global roaming
with UUNET really seems to work. You obviously did not
receive my prior e-mail sent via Clearnet (Nonet?).
I'm sure I'll see you in TO. If you need any help in
career management, resume writing or interviewing
skills you know I'm always available for consultation.
Good Luck,
Mike
PS: Whatever happened to the Netscape fanatic? I never did
see an intelligent response. I saw in the WSJ recently that
Microsoft will pass Netscape in Browser market share in February.
PSS: Will Al really be on his way to TO with KPMG E&Y?
Looks
like its time for a Blackacres reunion.
Cheers.
My comments: He's back!! Anyone seen John Morrison?
Hey there Tom, how are things going? I phoned White Rock on Tuesday
and found out that your road trip is not over. John said you
planned
to be in Calgary on Tuesday/Wednesday and then you are Ontario bound.
He also gave me your cell phone address, however I can't seem to get
it to work. Anyway I have a new home and the phone # is 613 567-0985.
My email at work is donald_cole@qmail.ca.newbridge.com. Send
me a
note regarding how your new phone works. Anyway gotta get going lunch
is almost over and I have to go ensure operations is running smoothly.
If you're in Ottawa, you'll have to stop by.
See ya Donald
My comments: You finally have an e-mail address
Hi, surprised at how far you traveled Wed. Like the diffrent dots. Was
reading an article on Marshall Mcluhan today. The gobal village exists
given the virtual community this page has created. We are all
particpating in a virtual trip . You the only one who has to suffer
the
reality of the long drive and changing weather .
Take care
AM
My comments: I wish I had a virtual VISA.
Morning Tom. I was just reading page 4 of the trip and for the life
of me
can't figure out why you don't have a job yet. Especially with comments
such
as "I have an interview today with an investment bank in Calgary and
the
minute it's over, I'm heading for Toronto". Now if that doesn't show
how
confident you are in a second interview in Calgary, I don't know what
does!
What are these companies thinking ??
Good Luck in the job hunt (for the 213th time!)
Al
My comments: Al included a few other encouraging comments that I, as the editor in chief, deleted.
HOWDY TK, I've just returned from a road trip myself.
I went with a buddy along the U.S. east coast visiting Philly,
Washington, Myrtle Beach, etc., basically driving my dad's car
from Toronto to Fort Lauderdale. Hope your return to the East
goes smoothly. Give me a call when you arrive in T.O. ... You
are
welcome to stay at either my folk's place or at my condo downtown
while you're visiting...It should give us some time to catch up!
HAPPY TRAILS.................ALDO
My comments: I wish more roadtrip e-mailers were as hospitable
in offering me a place to stay.
Today Joanne took Don and I to lunch. I
also met Don and Joanne's son, Andrew. He is 5 years old and is really
sharp. He's not shy either and talks up a storm. Here's a picture
of him.
And the family...
l to r Joanne, Andrew, and Don
And one of Don
And a picture of 95 Princess Street, my home for 8 months
Shortly after we left that house (we may have been the last residents), the house was converted and now has a sign saying "Patricia House - A support Service for Families). How aptly named considering I have a sister Patricia who has four children under 7 years old.
Don is service manager at the local GM dealership and Joanne manages a local travel agency. They have a good life in Dryden. Today I bought a fan belt for the old Sprint and tonight Don and I put it on. It was one of those 20 minute jobs that turned into an hour and a half. We took the car to the GM dealership to unthaw the windshield wash system. I reminded myself before I hit the Rocky Mountains to switch over to winter windshield wash. I forgot. It's working fine now. Many thanks to Don for the work on the fan belt. He got his hands dirtier than I did.
Tonight we thawed some pickerel and had it for supper. Don and Joanne werern't too happy with how it turned out but I thought it was just fine. By the way, I didn't give Don or Joanne much notice on my visit. I called last night at 9:00 to say I would be there in 1/2 an hour. I hadn't planned on driving all the way from Regina to Dryden in one day. Thanks for the short notice.
Hey TK,
Did you get a job yet? I did!!!
Al
My comments: I'm sure I'll never hear the end of this
Hello Thomas,
Glad to hear you are on your way back to the heartland, sorry for the
reason (no jobs). Will you be here until you find a job or just passing
through? I won't be able to go to the 29th 0.04% because it is the
same
day as the work Xmas party but would like to get together to share
a few
brown pops & fishing stories at some other point in time.
Take Care
My comments: We can certainly do the fish story and beer thing. Looking forward to it.
Since Clearnet technology has failed you, I'll have to repeat myself.
Look out for that deer!!!!
Go Tommy go!!!
Ron
My comments: I wonder how many e-mails are waiting for me in Toronto. Don't worry, I will publish them all... time stamped.
Hey Guy..
You must be in Northern Ontario country by know. Another record
here in
White Rock yesterday at 16.7 degrees. Managed to give the lawn
one last
cut for winter. CBC news reports in Ontario make the place look
like
Siberia. Hope your car has a good heater.
cheers
jv
My comments: John, I expect better than this from you. What about another story?
I hope the snow ends tomorrow so I can get back on the road.
Tomorrow I continue on to Toronto. My ETA in Toronto is Tuesday Noon... Can't wait to see the "D" icon light up.
The Storm
Tom awoke on day seven of the "Blizzard Of 97" and without opening his
eyes, could detect the storm continued to rage as his room windows
were
rattling ceaselessly.
He knew he couldn't take much more of the Nipigon Inn. First he
had
discovered there were no phones. Then on the third day of the
storm, the
heat went and hotel management announced they could do nothing until
the
storm subsided.
The power went on the fifth morning. To make matters worse, he
was
informed later in the day a bucket loader trying to clear a path for
an
emergency vehicle had unknowingly picked up and deposited his Sprint
into
the back of a large dump truck. The truck had subsequently dumped
its load
into Lake Nipigon.
"Lake Hell", Tom mumbled aloud as he slowly began to remove the mounds
of
clothing he had piled onto the bed to keep himself warm.
Fate however was about to take a positive turn.
While eating breakfast, which consisted of white bread and hard butter,
he
noticed a job opportunity sign posted near the kitchen entryway.
(Five Years Later)
"Mr. Kingston, line two sir", echoed the soft voice over the phone
intercom. Removing his gaze from the Manhattan skyline, Tom Kingston
slowly wheeled his office chair around and picked up the reciever.
"Yes", he responded.
It was his director of hotel operations in Japan. The Nipogonee
Tokoyo was
losing money for three years now and Kingston was getting impatient.
"Hi ho ha ta pa nea wa", he said calmly. He had learned how to
say 'YOU
JERK - YOUR'RE FIRED" during a meeting at the Japanese embassy when
a
busboy had accidentally spilt coffee.
He hung up the phone and looked out at the dark gray clouds forming
along
the distant horizon.
"Reminds me of the horizon as I drove into Nipigon back in 97" he said
aloud. "Yep", he continued leaning back in his chair, "that's
where it all
started"...
My comments: Now that's what I call an e-mail
The snow storm you were in has not reached the Miramichi as yet- Sunday
morning.
We expect some snow today according to the forcast, it is bright and
sunny
here now, perhaps the storm went south of us like the last one. There
is a
sprinkling of snow in some shady spots, we have really no snow.
The motel/cabin??? you stayed in, obviously would not have a TV, radio
or
even a shower. This makes you appreciate the other not so posh motels
where
u stayed in the past. There is a saying by someone which partly states
"Any
old port in a storm"
and now my mother....
Hi. its my turn now - this must be the first time you have been in
a storm
for quite awhile - I keeping thinking of our trip to Clinton Creek,
Yukon in 1971
- Pink Mountain and then having to stay an extra day in Watson Lake
- but
our accomodations then were deluxe compared to yours in 1997 in Northern
Ontario!!! hope you can move on today but after looking at the weather
map
there seems to be still snowy and windy conditions in your area today
-
take it easy
Suzanne called this a.m. there is snow in Saint John - she still keeps
saying you would love it in Saint John - maybe you should set your
sights
in this direction - Suzanne and Howard are planning to spend Christmas
here
this year -hopefully you will be here too - Tricia and Dennis will
come
after Xmas for a few days -
See ya Love MUM & Dad
TK, TK, TK.
I hope you realize the power and influence you have in this part of
the
world. because of you the dec .4% promises to be a complete and awesome
success. you are the drawing card, bringing more people into the big
smoke than the U2, wayne newton, and barnie shows did combined.
hope your love machine is chewing up the miles with no problem and we'll
see you the 29th or sooner. I expect a front page story in the Star
the
day you arrive complete with ticker-tape parade coverage.
as always,
shiny top
My comments: The 0.4% refers to our social night of drinking when we were doing our MBA. There have been a few 0.4% night outs in Toronto since I left but I was always out of town. I'm close enough to TO that I can officially commit to being there on the 29th of November. It's not going to snow for five straight days and if my car breaks down, I can take the bus. I'm not going to miss it.
Hey Tommy,
How are you doing? Still on schedule? Give me a call when
you get to
Toronto, a bunch of us would love to see you before Saturday.
See you soon
Ciao
Sheela
My comments: Still on schedule... will call when I arrive. Now remember, TK is unemployed and you all have jobs - you're buying!!
Need weather reports for your roadtrip, eh? Always glad to oblige.
Kingston,
Jamaica..................................................Sunny, Warm
30C
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands..........................Sunny, Warm
30C
Havana,
Cuba..........................................................Sunny,
Warm 30C
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic....................Sunny, Warm 30C
Los Cabos,
Mexico.................................................Sunny, Warm
30C
What's a funny white easterner like you doing way the #$%& up there
anyway? See you when you return to your senses!
My comments: Nice weather reports :-)
I had lunch at the turnoff to Espanola, a place I lived for 1969 and 1970. I moved there in Grade 3 and left when I started Grade 5. I did not drive into Espanola.
As I drove into Toronto, I looked forward with great anticipation to the e-mails that had been sent to my phone over the last week. I saw the "D" icon light up and checked for new messages. It said zero new messages. I waited for another five minutes, still no new messages...another five minutes and still no new messages. I was mad!!! Those bastards at ClearNet lost my messages, I thought. I envisioned myself walking into ClearNet's head office and throwing my phone at them! But then... BEEP, BEEP 1 new message and it had a Nov.16 date on it. For the next hour, my phone chirped up with a new message every five minutes. After awhile, I got a message to clear the old messages because the memory was 75% full. I didn't want to clear any messages because I wanted to save them so I could write them on this webpage. Below is a list of messages that were saved. I did receive some other messages but they weren't saved. I do remember receiving one from Erik saying he had a ClearNET phone and giving me his phone number. I think that if the memory is full, you see the message displayed once but it lost after that.
From Mike 8:01 p.m. Nov.17
CU (centre off the universe) as TO is known welcomes you for perhaps
your longest stay yet
From Kevin McCafferty 10:06 p.m. Nov.17
WWW: Don't poop your pants while driving. Love, Smooth
From ???? 6:51 p.m. Nov. 18
TK I hope the trip and the weather is fine. I'm trying hard not
to exceed 280 characters
From Ron Hankewich 6:55 p.m. Nov.18
...because your phone will self-destruct. Ron. P.S. Look out for that
deer on the road!
From John Vickers 9:43 p.m. Nov.18
Hi Tom.. having problems again figuring out how to make more link gages
to go.. tried setting up in explorer but they don't seem to work well..
how is the drive? jv
From Mom and Dad 10:55 p.m. Nov.18
An e-mail off to roadtrip4, I was busy doing nothing. See ya
Dad and Mum
From Anne Marie Kingston 12:02 a.m. Nov. 19
What do you want to do about supper? Will be great to see ya!
AM
From??? 3:43 a.m. Nov. 19
tom,,, how goes it? And wash your own clothes
From Chris Halsted 2:40 p.m. Nov. 19
Hey TK, good to hear you are coming back to the heartland
From Chris Halsted 2:43 p.m. Nov.19
Give me a call when you get in
From Bill Mullin 3:07 p.m. Nov.19
Tom, Can I reach this weekend for a voice conservation? Bill
Mullin billmullin@usa.net
From John Vickers 5:29 a.m. Nov. 20
December. See my web update? It's cool. jv
From John Vickers 5:33 a.m. Nov. 20
you e-mail me the instructions again... thankx buddy.. jv
Thanks to all who phone e-mailed me!!
Hi Tommy!!!
Nipigon, ON. eh? I stayed there on my journey to the
eastern megapolis they like to call Toronto. Sounds like
you got hosed. I didn't stay at the Nipigon Inn (in fact I
don't know what the hell it was called), but it did have a
phone and a shower that didin't try to peel the skin off
your back. It only cost $32. Clean and cheap. Ya
gotta
like it.
Sounds like you are being forced to put in shorter days than
I did on my trip east. My first day I drove from Edmonton
to Bonnyville and ended up in Portage La Praire (60 km west
of Winnipeg). The second day I drove to Nipigon. The third
day I drove to Sudbury and then I had a short hop (3 1/2)
hours to Toronto.
BTW did they finally pave the road (TransCanada) between
Winnipeg and Thunder Bay. When I drove through it was a
total @$@#$%#@%$#^%!! goat path. It wasn't a very good
impression to get of Ontario seeing as I was used to the
lovely black ribbon of highway I was used to in Alberta -
the land of milk and honey - or at least lower taxes and
better roads.
I'm looking forward to hoisting 2 or 12 pints on Saturday.
As for all of us buying - why should anything
change.......? <grin>
Later,
Ronnie
My comments: 12 Pints? That is a little excessive Ron! How about 11?
Hello Tom:
How are things going? You must have gone out of range the other day
when you
phoned. Was on your web site the other day, went to the newsgroup but
it did
not look like anyone was using it.
Rick
My comments: I checked the newsgroup only once and did not see anyone using it either. Ah well!
And so ends the series of roadtrip web pages. I really want to thank everybody who sent me e-mail and made this so much fun. I had no idea when I started May 23 what "TK's Roadtrip" would be or where I would end up.
And a special thanks to all those who fed me and gave me shelter over
the past six months. Actually, it has been exactly 6 months and one
day since I left Kingston, ON.
Bye for now and hope to see you all soon
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