A day at the beach, a night by the fire.

The "Out of Office" message on my e-mail reads, "Life's a beach, and thats where I am."



If summer only lasted one day (and for the last few years that's what it seems), I would spend that single day at the beach.

We did just that this week.

In days of yore we would call friends, throw a cooler and some towels in the car and go.

Now it seems that we have to plan this as an annual event and arrange around everyone. One of our friends Facebook'd to her kids to get a turnout.

As we don't get much time to do stuff like this anymore, we tend to go overboard.

Now it's an event. And we like it that way.

Yesterday we were first on the beach (as usual) and staked our claim, secured our territory and set up camp. We had enough food for the a school football team, shade shelter, music and the Bag-o-Fun!

And the beach was marvelous. Warm without heat or humidity, breeze, sand and surf.


Kelsy the puppy sprang from the car to the water spent more time in the water than anyone else. Gleefully bouncing after the ball and romping over the waves. (see video below)


My Darling Bride didn't get sunburned, and Thing Two did, but no interesting pattern this time. Thing one made her huge sand castle and walked for hours.

There were people dumped out of the dingy, and my kite flew this year! In fact, it almost beat the Wright Brothers record!

Dinner rocked. Not just my homemade burgers, My Darling Bride prepared half a grocery cart of fresh fruit and veggies, there was a cooler full of cold drinks, and Jane and Rob roasted a beef on the beach. We don't do things half way, you know.

The remnants of the BBQ were used to start the campfire, a necessity to roast hot dogs and make smores.

The light show was two-fold, the 63 million stars you can see from there (we counted them) and the glowstick theater put on by David.

Friends, sun, sand surf and a campfire.

In the end, we left the beach as we found it, empty.

Till next year.

Um, what month is it, anyway?

It's August by my calendar.

I've used 2 vacation days since May. (and you thought civil servants had it easy) One of those was because my car broke down on the way to work.

I'm off next week and I am going to the beach. Its what you do in August.

I went to buy some beach toys tonight, they are fun to have at the beach in August.

I wanted some buckets and shovels so I could make sand castles at the beach in August.

I went to Buck-o-Rama and Dollar or Two to get stuff to play on the beach in August.

I found Hall-o-ween costumes and decorations.

A note to retailers...

...ITS FRIGGIN' AUGUST FOLKS.

On a more positive note...

...I'll be the only one with Dracula fangs and a fake axe in my head on the beach in August.

DJW

L. Ron Hoover , where are you?

Frank Zappa fans know who L. Ron Hoover and the Church of Appliantology are.
The rest of you, don't worry about it.

What this is really about is appliances, and the brats they can be. (right up there with cars, dogs and offspring)

You've all read the saga of our water heater. Some may argue that it is a fixture, not an appliance. Po-TAY-toes, po-TAH-toes

Like most couples, when we started out, a new appliance was one that was new to us.

Our first washer /dryer combo was an Inglis Liberator set the same age as My Darling Bride. The Westinghouse upright freezer was from the 50's and we only got it because the previous tenants couldn't afford the crane to move it. These units worked like a charm right up to the day we replaced them with brand, shiny new toys.

We went through a series of $75 fridges and stoves (Almond or Harvest Green, usually)
Our toaster oven is a monster, big enough to rotisserie a whole duck or 2 chickens, and I bought that at a yard sale in 1989. The dishwasher was a hand me down from an in-law, a portable that we made a built in.

Our first brand new appliance was a microwave oven, given as a wedding present.

BBQ's are indeed an appliance, (a necessity if you have a Y chromosome), but ours were all hand-me-downs as our friends and family got new ones.

Now, a sidebar. We are bad savers. The only way we get ahead is by forced savings via payroll, and we end up with a nice tax refund every spring.

After more than 10 years of using the tax refunds to catch up on bills and complete renovations, we started an appliance replacement program in 2002. The ancient washer/dryer was first to go, and brand new full size stacking front loading automatic washer and dryer took over the job of 2 loads a day.

What a miracle! It took less than a day now to do laundry!

An added bonus: our water and electricity bills dropped immediately.

At the same time, the 11 year old microwave that kept blowing fuses was replaced with a bold, black and stainless 1.2 cu ft 1200 watt bad boy.

The following year, it was the Big 3: fridge, freezer and stove.

Black. All black. Black hole black. Sucks-the-light-out-of-the-streetlights-black.
Black doors, black bodies, black handles black knobs, black glass top, black range hood.

You get the idea.

Last spring, in a vestige of male-ness, I replaced the tiny almost Hibachi sized BBQ with a ginormous stainless steel, cast iron grill, 2 gazillion BTU BBQ. It even has hubcaps! I could use it as a back up forge if needed.

All top name brands, top of the line and with warranties.

We shouldn't have to worry about them for as many years as the old ones, right?

Not long after the water heater adventure, the microwave popped whilst popping popcorn.
6 years old. Just a baby.

In a busy house like ours, it is a necessity, so we trundled off to Wally-mart, as we were also low on cash. It was smaller than we had, but a brand name (rhymes with Royal Canadian Artillery), and had a two year warranty.

Around the same time, water started leaking out of the bottom of the fridge. I first suspected the door seal, which did not pass the paper test for tightness, and I replaced it.
Just over 5 years and 2 months old.
$65 for parts. Turns out the overflow tube was also blocked. I cleaned that out myself.

Later that same week...

...while a pot roast was cooking, the oven started making a morse code of beeping noises and quit. Not only did it quit, but the door lock came on and our dinner was trapped!
Our oven ate our dinner!
We managed to free it from the beast after cutting and restoring the power, but it was a close call. The error code it was flashing on its digital display indicated 2 possibilities. The least expensive of which was $200 for parts.

Again, just over 5 years and 2 months old.

Two weeks ago, the microwave again. THREE FRIKKEN MONTHS OLD!

Last week, the handle broke off my BBQ.

Sigh.

Why can't we build appliances to last 40+ years anymore?

I know.

If they lasted that long, you won't have to buy them as frequently. Kind of a job security program I guess.

Except that I won't replace the offending units with the same brand.

BTW, the $15 mammoth toaster oven still works fine.

...and it looks just like a Telefunken U47!

DJW

And now...some good news!

Caitlin is going much better, thanks for asking.
She just celebrated her birthday in style.
Below is the text from the Aug 14th Brantford Expositor
(Not reprinted with permission. Shhh! Don't tell!)

Perfect fit for a princess

City girl fighting cancer thrilled by special gift of Disney dress

Posted By SUSAN GAMBLE, EXPOSITOR STAFF

A little city girl who's battling the cancer monster got a big boost Wednesday with a dress worthy of a Disney princess.

Caitlin Hutson, who recently turned five, is enduring the extensive treatment necessary to combat a Wilms' tumour she was diagnosed with last January. She quickly underwent surgery to remove the tumour, which had engulfed her right kidney.

Now in the midst of 31 weeks of chemotherapy and having already undergone 13 radiation treatments, Caitlin finds solace in playing dress-up, immersing herself in the world of Disney princesses.

MUSIC FAN

But when the Help a Child Smile foundation sent the little girl to see the Disney on Ice version of High School Musical, Caitlin found a new love.

"Ever since that night she's been hooked on High School Musical," said her dad, Darren Hutson. "She sings all the songs."

"Now," said her mom, Tara, with a laugh, "we know all the words to all the songs, too."

One day, as Caitlin and her grandma, Joyce Hutson, watched the movie version of the musical, Caitlin saw the long gown worn by the character Gabriella.

"I saw that beautiful dress," Caitlin said Wednesday, "and then grandma's friend made it for me. I guess she just had the right stuff."

In reality, grandma had toiled long and hard trying to contact people at Disney and through the Disney on Ice company, Feld Entertainment, about getting a similar dress for Caitlin.

Hutson learned that a Halloween version of the dress won't be out until later this year and resigned herself to making the dress herself when she got a call from Feld Entertainment, which produces Disney on Ice shows.

Continued After Advertisement Below

Advertisement

LATEST IMAGES

Entire Album

`

"They said, 'We'd like to make it for her'," said Hutson.

Plans for Caitlin's fifth birthday were quashed when the little girl was hospitalized for several weeks but on Wednesday she was strong enough for a small family party in her back yard.

Beth Merrick, a representative of Feld, showed up at the Hutson's Wellington Street home with a large golden box, a bouquet of balloons and a big box of cupcakes.

Caitlin allowed Expositor photographer Christopher Smith into her bedroom to take pictures of her opening the box and holding up the custom-made white gown that's covered in teardrop rhinestones and adorned with a brilliant blue sash.

But she whispered that there would be "no peeking" by the reporter and photographer when it was time for her to change. "When I'm done, you can see how it looks," she said firmly.

That's pretty typical of the self-possessed youngster, said her mom.

"She's a little girl who knows what she wants, when she wants it and how to get it."

Caitlin has endured the indignities of cancer treatment but tells her mother that she wants to be normal. She has lost her long curly brown hair and has to have a feeding tube because "I kind of stopped eating."

LABOUR OF LOVE

Accompanied by her grandma with a High School Musical tune playing in the background, Caitlin stepped out onto the deck in the gown and urged partygoers to get involved in her fantasy by playing horses and guards for her castle.

"Two boy guards please," she called out. "You guys need to stand in front of the castle and guard us. Who wants to be the horses?"

A large letter from the dressmakers came with the gift.

"Dear Caitlin, we are so sorry that you are not feeling very well," said the letter. "We have made this very special for you and even had Tinkerbell sprinkle some pixie dust on it."

Merrick said the woman behind the dress's creation was Dawna Oak, the director of costumes for Feld, who said she loves sharing the magic and joy of Disney.

"Making this dress for a beautiful little girl brought such joy to me and my team. We are honoured to have been part of providing something special to her," Oak said in an e-mail from Palmetto, Fla.

Merrick said the work had been a labour of love for Oak.

"I'm so happy to be able to deliver it. The dress looks so pretty on her."

Back in her play clothes, including a pink High School Musical hat, Caitlin held court in the yard with a chocolate cupcake in a slightly trembling hand.

"Maybe I'll wear my dress on a special day," she mused.

"Maybe on treatment graduation day?" asked her mother.

Caitlin's treatments will wrap up in mid-October as long as her health is maintained.

Meanwhile, the tiny girl's party was missing just one thing: "Don't you think it's a little quiet?" she asked coyly.

Time for more Disney music.

(Not reprinted with permission. Shhh! Don't tell!)

Below is the text of an article from the Aug 16th Brantford Expositor

Hobby heaven

Local donors come through for soldiers in Afghanistan

Posted By SUSAN GAMBLE, EXPOSITOR STAFF

Hobby supplies donated by Brantford and area citizens have reached the Kandahar Model Club in Afghanistan.

In a letter received this week, Capt. Bruce MacKinnon of Paris reported that model glue, paints, paintbrushes, sandpaper and other supplies, along with an infusion of cash, have been safely delivered to the Kandahar Model Club.

The club provides a pastime for its 270 members that's sorely needed in the war zone.

Although a large number of model kits had been donated to the soldiers, MacKinnon and his friends found that it was the small supplies needed to finish the models that were either impossible to find or ridiculously expensive to purchase.

A $2 bottle of paint in Brantford

costs about $15 to buy in Kandahar, if it can be found.

That's when one of MacKinnon's buddies, DJ, decided to try and rustle up a duffel bag of paintbrushes, glue and paint.

GET INVOLVED

The effort turned into a community-wide one with various area suppliers and stores donating boxes, the city, fire halls and police departments collecting donations and area military clubs urging patrons to get involved.

"I would like to thank the citizens of Brantford (and Hamilton) who have generously donated funds and supplies to our club," wrote MacKinnon in a letter this week. "You have given something wonderful to our soldiers that is well needed here in this volatile area of Afghanistan."

MacKinnon is an environmental assessment officer in Kandahar. He was home on leave in July and returned to Afghanistan with as many of the supplies as he could carry. Others were flown out through CFB Trenton.

SPECIAL THANKS

MacKinnon sent out special thanks to the South Brant Legion, Naval Vets Club, the Army, Navy, Air Force Veterans Club, honorary Col. Donald Wilkins, 56th Field Regiment, Hamilton Police Services, Brantford Police Services, Brantford Fire Services, and members of the city and county councils.

"With all the support, you have helped me raise more than $2,500 in cash and supplies for the Canadian troops in Afghanistan."

Currently there are about 2,700 Canadian troops, representing almost five percent of NATO's 57,000 troops.

"Your support is very important to us all."

DJ continues to collect similar items. He hopes to make a further donation of supplies to the troops at Christmas.

He will ensure donations are picked up if anyone gets in touch: http://djwbee.blogspot.com

Article ID# 1159413

Them Russians are a Comin'! Them Russians are a Comin'!

news item...

Russia invades Georgia.


Somewhere, on a dirt road between Atlanta and Augusta; Bubba, Skeeter, eight of their buddies and two dogs in 3 pick-up trucks are waiting for those 'Red Commie Russkies'...