-
Going to Work with Dad
From the time I was born till he retired, Dad worked at the department of highways as a clerk. Now a clerk for the department of highways may be an office job, but the offices them selves were usually one room buildings attached to bunk houses the department had set up in various working areas around the province. Sometimes, when I was young dad may have stayed at these locations overnight or worked later than is the norm now. One of the curiosities I remember was dad calling home on the old mobile phones and having to say over after we finished speaking.
As a kid one of the great things about Dad’s work, was that in summer time I could actually go spend the day at his work site, in many of the locations. When I was a small boy, he worked out of Shoal Harbour Pit, a pipe yard for making concrete ditch pipes. The old pit is gone now, but it was located where the ball field is now. I can’t really remember much about this location except the little white shack dad worked in.
For another summer at least he worked out of a similar camp in Robinson’s Bight, not where the community is now (there wasn’t one there then) but closer to lady cove, in an old gravel pit by a brook. As a kid I spent days there with him, playing around the area, catching trout in ice cream tubs, catching water skippers (I hadn’t remembered water skippers in years till I started writing this!), and of course sharing lunch from dad’s seemingly huge lunch can.
Mostly though, i remember dad working at the salt shed in Clarenville, first in the old style camps, and the later, as seen in the picture a better building, still with an attached kitchen and bunk house. As a kid I’d go to work with dad, and sometimes spend the day, exploring the yard, playing with the glass beads they used to add to paint for road lines, marveling at all the salt in the salt shed, making castles out of the sand blasting sand, and of course playing poker with the adults at lunch time :).
Other days tho, I got a kid’s delight, heading out on the old float (flat bed) with Ches Baggs, or on a dump truck with someone, perhaps Ted Ryan, I forget who did what now, or hanging out with Paddy Mitchell, though I complete forget what he did. Also trips on the grader, bulldozer, and god knows what else anymore; all in all a young boys delight.
So many characters were there too, with their many accents and mannerisms, and so much shared food and fun. Of course nowadays, you’d never get away with such things, nor would you likely trust your child to be gone for the whole day with a lunch can on heavy equipment with co-workers you really only knew from work. But it was a more trusting time, and a smaller world. And I was lucky to have got to spend so many wonderful days with such patient men who took a young scrawny kid and spent the day with him, as well as spending wonderful days with my dad.
Troutin’ with da byes Bare Mountain
But it’s not Monday!
Sunday mornings I usually get up and do my laundry, and of course today being Sunday, I did so today. It was a little easier than using the old wringer washer though. I just put it in, and turned it on, and then later threw it in the dryer. But …- Out on the SoundRandom Island is separated from the Bonivsta peninsula on the island’s north side by Smith Sound. This is about 1-3 miles across in most places if memory serves. Sometimes in my memory we’ve had the sound freeze completely over, and can remember people ski-dooing, skating to Harcourt, hauling wood on …
London Day 4
Today was the day I came to London for, the day of the Monty Python reunion show. But that wasn’t till 6 o’clock. So, as I wanted to see some things that I had seen on the bus in more detail, I bought a day pass for the London Underground …
Carry on and Mastodon

If you follow the tech scene at all, and likely even if not, you’ve probably heard a lot of buzz about Mastodon lately. I’m actually perhaps a little late to the scene, but I joined the bandwagon this past weekend, and thought I’d share my thoughts and tips. Sorry for any incoherence. And I’ll update […]
10 Channels, 2 Programs… why?

Was watching (or trying at least) to watch some sports last night. Harkening back to my love of curling, there’s a tournament in Toronto, and I was expecting coverage. Apparently they aren’t deeming to until Thursday, so be it. But for the love of god, between them TSN and SportsNet have 10 different feeds. Last […]
Picture Says it all Really

I can’t say I watch wrestling much anymore, but when I was younger I remember going to some bar or another to watch almost all the major events. I have a memory of this one motel bar out by what used to be the beginning of the divided highway, which was nearly into Kenmount road […]
Olympic Hockey Done

The NHL announced today it won’t be participating in the next olympics. I get some of the reasons, but I really think it’s short sighted. Yeah it’s in the middle of the season, yeah some of the players could get injured. But they could get injured walking to the rink too. To me the the olympics […]
Chess on Ice

I’m currently watching the men’s world curling championships. I know a lot of people laugh at the game and can’t seem to follow it, but to me it’s probably my favorite thing to watch. It sounds simple, get your rock as close to the center as you can, and prevent the other team from doing […]