Celebrate Life!

27 Feb 16
07:50 hrs.

     Celebrate life.
     Every day and in every way do what you have to do to feel alive. Albeit as long as your are not risking your life or the lives of others. In other words, enjoying a glass of wine or two is great ...driving while impaired is not.

     There is a reason behind this counsel.

     On Tuesday night I received a call from one of my former sargeants. Immediately it caught my attention as he never calls me unless it's important.
 
     "Hey flatface." (Always a term of endearment from him)
     "What's up?"
     "Bob passed away in Mexico."
     "You're kidding right?"
     "I wish I was."
     "What happened?"
     "Not sure. But I think it was a heart attack."
     "Thanks sarge. I'll be in touch."

     This Dear Friend, who has left us on this plane did so very unexpectedly. And as tragic as it seems it is only tragic for those of us who were touched by his presence and we're better for it. Here's a bit of background.

     Bob Trombley was a member of the Canadian Armed Forces. He joined when we still had three distinct services and first served in the Royal Canadian Navy as a submariner on HMCS Ojibwa. At some point he remustered to become a photo tech. Again, this was many years ago when equipment, procedures and techniques required skills and ability. None of this auto-digital-push button no-brainer shit we have today. After retiring from the regular Forces he became a reservist at CFB COMOX and that is where I met him when I joined the reserves.

     Bob was one of the instructor Cadre in the Readiness Training Flight. Made up primarily of reservists and lead by a former Buffalo pilot the section was tasked with training service members in first aid, NBCD, weapons handling, orienteering and general camp protocols (good to know stuff). At times the pace was pretty hectic but through it all Bob was one of those who made coming to work a pleasure.

     Bob and I shared birthdays, June 4th. Sure, he was 15 or so years my senior but we still shared many interests. Good food (we swapped recipes), an interest in firearms, fishing and good jokes.

     Bob did have his standards. Did you know that he had a simple test to check the capabilities of a pub's chef? He would order a club sandwich! Creating a club sandwich is a fairly simple task but it can be screwed up by having too much mayo or over crisp bacon or burnt toast. If the chef failed to meet Bob's standards he would often not dine there again. Hell, if you can't make a simple club sandwich then obviously everything else on the menu is likely to be crap too. Good point Bob.

     Even though we did not often see each other in the past few years, Bob and I kept in touch through phone calls and emails. I'll miss hearing from his voice and his counsel.
   

And She's gone Again!

20 Feb 16
11:25 hrs.

     The whirlwind just keeps on turning here at the Wayward Inn. 

     Last month my Better Half had to take off to the Nation's Capital due to the passing of her father. In total she was gone for nearly three weeks.  After a brief couple of weeks back at the Inn she had to attend some job training sessions held in the Left Coast's largest city. Two days after that jaunt she is now winging her way back to the Nation's Capital for a shortened version of the trip she that had originally planned. As much as I miss her, I know the continual travelling is wearing her down ten fold. The one thing that I have also noticed is that without his Lobster around Chef Blaine's creative zest in the kitchen has waned significantly.

      And what about the Couch Monkeys?

     What about them? Their life pattern reveals little or no impact when either one of us is gone for any stretch of time. I swear that we could leave the house, drive to Nanaimo, shop, have lunch, watch a movie and return home before they even know it. And to ensure that they don't even look for us all we have to do is ask if they could tidy their rooms for a bit.

     "Yes Dad!"

      Guarenteed, on our return they'll be in the same place as when we left.

21 Feb 16
07:05

     It's going to be a lovely day here in the Valley.  The sun is rising and there's a nice pink hue in the sky. Now, the old adage says "Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning." This is supposed to point to a change in the weather. A red sky at night does not mean it won't be windy. Traditional sailors like wind so I think that the adage denotes that winds, if any, will be sustained allowing ships under sail will be able to move about effectively. A red sky in the morning points towards winds and weather that will be unstable which may not be beneficial for traditional sailors.

22 Feb 16
09:05 hrs.

     BEEP! .... beep!

     BEEP! .... beep!

     BEEP! .... What the hell is that?

     At 0-Dark 30 this morning I was woken up by the double beeps of both smoke alarms going off. It wasn't the actual fire alarm that was sounding but the notice alarm telling me that the batteries were toast. But that couldn't be it because our smoke alarms are hard wired. I couldn't tell what time it was because my clock was blacked out. I tried a lamp switch... nothing. Somewhere, someone must hit a hydro pole and knocked out the power.

     So, why the beeping?

      Surprise surprise. Even hard wired smoke alarms have a battery back up. Well, there was no way I was going to sleep with that frickin beeping going off all night long.

     Now the decision was do I get dressed, find a flashlight,  go outside to the shop and get a ladder or do I risk elevating myself on a kitchen stool to reach the alarm on the ten foot ceiling? I get the stool of course. Minutes later both alarm units are removed and disabled until later in the morning when I would be able sort this shit out. And the two Loin Fruits slept peacefully through it all.

     Later today I will be taking those two sleeping beauties down Island to VIU. It would seem that Loin Fruit #1 has an appointment for an info session about his post secondary choices. Great stuff. The fact that he is planning to move forward is every parents dream. Which means the Wayward Inn will be remodeled for The Oma! Not a problem. Stay tuned.

    

Artistry in Action

16 Feb 16
21:30 hrs.

     There a great many "reality" shows that are out in TV land but one that came out earlier this year was Forged in Fire. Take four blacksmiths and first have them create an edged weapon of their design in a set amount of time. After two stages of judging and testing two individuals are then tasked to create a historically accurate edged weapon of the judges choice. That work is also judged and tested before one is declared the champion.

     I am happy to announce that a second season has been created. Tonight's offering : the War Hammer!

Surprises!

13 Feb 16
07:45 hrs.

 

      My Lobster doesn't know it yet but the countdown has begun.

    

     Two days ago she turned the Big 50 which is a perfect reason to throw a surprise party for her at the Wayward Inn. Other venues were offered but to maintain a great deception I opted to keep it on the home front. Collusion between friends and guests is at an all time high will Elric the Stalwart picking up the cake from Hot Chocolates, while his Better Half and others are doing the decorating at the Wayward Inn. My job, in all of this, is to misdirect the Guest of Honour's attention for as long as it takes for all the pieces to come together.

    

     Speaking of guests, there are a number of them from my Lobster's former work site and I have decided to liven things up with people from across the Rock. My Cuz'n and partner are coming from the Island Capital, our friends from Over the Hump will be staying the night as well. Then there is the Artist and her spouse, The Ratchet and her wacky Sidekick. In all in should be a successful bash. Chef Blaine will have his hands full so it will be non-stop applies for this stand up crowd.

 

 

14 Feb 16
18:05 hrs.

    

     Happy Valentines Day.
     Today, Chef Blaine created Eggs Benny for six at the Wayward Inn. A fine breakfast for the residents and for the two guests, my Cuz'n and her Lobster. They stayed over after the party had ended. And to say the least the party was a huge success. My Lobster was thoroughly surprised at the decorations and the stream of people who continued to arrive all afternoon. Over twenty well-wishing individuals attended. Sorry to see that my Single Malt sipping friend did not make an appearance. 

 

15 Feb 16
20:55 hrs.

    

     A very rainy day here in the Valley. In fact it was so wet that it reminded me of my last trip Out in the Weeds where the rain drops were the size of dogs and everyone expected an Ark to float in on the lake. Speaking of being Out in the Weeds,  my buddies, the Big Swede and Jake Youngblood, were supposed to come over last weekend for a little bit of snooping around the Duncan area but a turn in the weather set them back on their heels. Better luck in a couple of weeks and maybe they will drop into the Wayward Inn.

    

Valley Driving

04 Feb 16
11:45 hrs.

 

     Have you driven in the Valley lately? Have you driven in the Valley at night?

    

     Why in the hell aren't the roads properly illuminated and, more importantly, properly marked. It's one thing to drive down a street that has few, if any street lamps but couple that with road markings that must have been initially painted with poster paint is just crazy. Try driving down Anderton Road in the pouring rain. Do you see any road markings? No. How about on Fitzgerald in Courtenay? Again, no. I day the townships in the Valley are doing a piss poor job of keeping drivers safe with their shoddy road maintenance. If you have any issues with this matter please contact your local administration and lodge a complaint. Maybe if enough of the public starts to bitch something might get accomplished.

    

     Has anyone been to the Rialto theater lately? What a run down piece of crap that place has become. Overpriced snacks, well that's part for the course I guess but the seats haven't been maintained since the place first opened. I think it's high time someone speaks up and says something about it. I'd rather be sitting on a rickety wooden bench than those chairs. I wonder if you could bring in a camp chair and just sit in the back. Hell, they could rip all the seats out of one theater and let people bring in their own chairs like an indoor drive-in. A bare floor would be easier to clean too. Or even rent a wheelchair and roll it on in. It may be a problem getting in there but at least you would be comfortable.

    

     So, any thoughts on a third bridge across the Courtenay River? Some of the numptys want it off of 6th or 10th Street. I think it should be off of, I think it's 21st by the ambulance station. Just punch right across to the old mill site and be done with it. But, what about the boats across from the CVRD? Personally, I think that this boat basin should be closed. Most of the vessels paeked in there are derelicts anyways. And if a bridge to PEI can be built then we should get one across the estuary to Dyke Rd. By the time anyone gets this shit figured out there will be a new bridge on the Sunshine Coast linking Powell River to the rest of the world.

    

     Here's a thought. There is a movement to have Vancouver Island declared as its own province. Why not? We're twice the size of PEI with probably triple the population too.

 

     For more info look for www.viprovince.ca.