Old Ironmaker

When I was a kid and had visions of me taking gold at the Montreal Summer Olympics I refused to eat anything from the briquet or charcoal fired BBQ. I was positive it contained carcinogens.

Dave, I remember the very 1st time I went north of Orillia to a young ladies devoutly religious parents cottage. I had to be 21 or so. That fresh air hit me big time and I couldn't stay awake all weekend. They thought I was sneaking booze or on drugs I'm positive because that's what they told her. I remember calling home a few times from one of the Blast Furnaces during the summer and asked how the weather was? My wife said it's beautiful, look outside, I think stupid was used. Outside was an envelope of atmosphere you had to cut with a chainsaw. You know of what I speak. I'm not sure if it is galvanized steel. It doesn't look like it but a good point. It is a Chinese or Vietnamese built unit I'm sure and who knows what the original metal is in those things. Paid 130 bucks at a Brantford liquidators. Actually I bought all 15 they had. No way were porcelain coated. With my meager pension it has to be supplemented some how, anyhoo. Unless you are paying 600 or more bucks for a BBQ from a Canuck manufacturer like Vermont castings or a US company like Weber who knows what materials are in them. I saw a 3 burner Vermont Castings gas Q on CHCH TV Morning Live this past week for something like $1500.00, oh my, someone buys them. Meat not included. Maybe it would be prudent to delete this thread. I don't want a class action suit brought on by fellow members of OFC to defend.

We are a few weeks from putting the Real Estate sign on the lawn and started looking online for a new shack. My wife won't bother showing me a place unless it has Natural Gas. I will never go back to electric. I, we don't bake. One should never say never. If it had 5 wind turbines and a roof of solar panels I might think about it, maybe.

There is always a diffuser over the burners on a gas BBQ. Most of my 5 tent like diffusers are toast after 5 years. I had some left over 2X3 steel studs from our reno. I cut them to length and drilled a few holes in them. New BBQ burner tents that I don't need to go out and buy, that is if they are available. You might have to McGiver them for your specific Q. Please don't tell me I will get Cancer from the heated Steel cooking my meat. My neighbour already told me that. I don't know how she can get around lugging that big giant brain of hers.

Briquets always beats gas and charcoal always beats briquets. I have an old gas BBQ and use it for charcoal, I put some sheet metal on the bottom. Nothing beats the taste of a charcoal BBQ. A great way to start charcoal is to fill a clean coffee can with holes drilled in the bottom and fill with the charcoal or briquets and place with the open end down on top of some paper or fire starter. Light the paper and use a hair blower to feed the fire O2. Remove carefully and spread out the white hot coals, I use fire retardant aluminized gloves, I don't know where I stole I mean got them from. Large tongs work. Depending on the size of your Q or firepit one can use a leaf blower, even a Shop Vac will work. Note Bene, don't use a recycled gas Q, Hibachi etc. on a wooden deck. You may burn the deck boards or burn your house down.

I stopped at the Grand River Thurs to bug the shore fishermen and ladies and 1 fella told me was at the upper Niagara Wed and there is still some ice on the shoreline. I've seen ice at the upper Niagara at Buffalo in the boom they have to hold back ice the 1st of June one year. The folks in Buffalo were not too happy when they got a north wind. Brrrrr cold in June. We have a lake on both sides of us today. With all the rain and Haldimand clay underneath the woods and small field are flooded and the Mallards and Mergansers prefer it than the lake. I found out something interesting a few years back when I complained about it flooding and then flooding us a foot deep. If the drainage line that starts on someone else's property and drains and exits under my property I am responsible to unplug it. That means I will have to dig it up and if need be replace the drainage line(s). What $$$??. If they get a permit to build then they are responsible for the drainage. It's only 6" in spots near the driveway today. Our new Wellies don't leak.

When I was a kid and irresponsible I missed a few years getting stickers. But I always had a new one on my plate. Then I got responsible and had a pick up. Back then you got a new plate every year. I went and got my plates and found new plates on my truck when I went to switch them. There were 2 elderly ladies that drove a pickup and asked their nephew to change the plates on their truck. I guess he saw a truck in the underground parking and changed the plates. It took the MOT and myself a few days to figure it out. They never changed their address.

I don't scare easily but that would have made me soil myself. A prop spinning by your head is not a good thing. Wear your life jacket at all times folks, if that can happen anything can.

I have a story, of course, of a fellow OFC member that I met for the very 1st time that fell out of my boat still fishing for Jumbos here on Erie. It was early May and the water was very cold. He stripped down to his tightey whiteys and like a gift from the God's a warm wind blew and dried his shirt and jeans within a few minutes. We were away from the pack of fishing people, had we been in tight with the other boats that would have been funny. It was funny regardless, sorry Al&^%t, I will leave it at that because the story has several different root causes and endings. We did get a bucket of plus 10 inchers though.

My fishing licence has a handicapped symbol on it. I held off for years getting the handicapped placard. If I'm feeling good I don't park in the handicapped spots. Hopefully you all never need to get one. A heads up, I was in our local Home Hardware this week and a gent asked to get his fishing licence, the clerk told him Home Hardware no longer deals with hunting or fishing licences,

You guys talk about "blue book" value. Where can I get that here in Canada. I use NADA that is out of the USA. You enter the make, model, year and all the accessories to get the value in USD. Mine comes out fairly close to market value here in Ontario. Location makes a big difference and it doesn't take that into account.

Off topic but we had a 07'Nissan Altima with the 3.8lt. close to 300 HP. My wife put over 300,000 KM on it until that CVT tranny failed. A pile of scrap that looked like a new car.

He was over this afternoon. He said Diesel actually uses less petroleum to produce than does gasoline. They are developing a hybrid tractor trailer so he says. As far as heavy equipment mechanic he says they primarily work outdoors, diesel mechanics primarily work indoors in a warm or cool clean shop. He is thinking the same way I did when I was in H.S. I worked outdoors more than indoors working weekends in High School and know where he is coming from. I sat in a cold dump truck for 16 hr shifts waiting for a load, contractors weren't allowed in the lunchrooms. That was until they found out my Father was the big boss on days then they let me in the warm lunchroom to do my homework.

Just bring it down here to Haldimand County. It will be gone in 60 seconds. Someone cut the lock off my trailer sometime this winter. They must have been scared off, unfortunately.

We are the "jerks" in jerkbaits. I'm a sucker for any new and improved tackle. Then when they don't work I tie on a Black Fury and a black and silver Rappala on the other line!!!

I have a young fella that is the son of a pal that helps me around the property doing odd jobs. A smart and a mature kid beyond his years. He is 17 and is currently doing a co-op with the intent to get his diesel Mechanics licence. Will there be diesel fueled vehicles in 25 years from now? I can't really predict that with the aim to get away from fossil fuels in the near future, especially diesel fueled big rigs but I don't see a long term future if it is up to our Gov.s. I was told when I went into Blast Furnace operations when I was 22 that there will always be Blast Furnaces for the next 100 years. At that time there were 12 operating in Ont. now there are 4 producing almost the same tonnage if not more. In the US only 15% are operating compared to the mid 70's due to new technology increasing productivity as well as a World glut in Steel supply. What do you guys think?

I have all my tackle insured under Homeowners as well. Took pics of everything just like I did with jewelry. Was amazed at home much $$$ I have in tackle. Considering a small Rappala is over 10 bucks it adds up. Just my one box of plugs for Walleye is over $1200.00, then there is the box of spoons at the same price. That's 2 boxes alone at around 2500 bananas.

I just carry it under my Homeowners Ins. Replacement cost and 1 million liability. But it is an older boat and replacement is pegged at 13K only. Newer more expensive vessels may not be eligible to peg with home insurance. I would ask my broker. I pay about 300 a year extra.

Off topic again but, I have always put Irish Spring soap shaved with a peeler in small plastic containers with holes cut in them all around where I think mice like to make a nest, seat backs, up under seats and all around the fuse panels and where electrical raceways run under the gunnels. So far so good, 11 years.

I might be wrong Big Cliff but I'm under the impression a small 4 stroke is a quiet machine. That would have been perfect when I had a 12 foot inflatable I had in the 90's I got from my Uncle. He had a little Honda 4HP on her. The blow up didn't come with the Honda on it. Had a 9.9 and could pull 2 nieces in a tube, I was around 230 then. 177 now. 2 of us nuts Bushwhacked with that machine all over Ontario, some parts of Quebec an Western and Upper NY state. Even took the PT109/2 (Uncle is from NYS) to Florida and southern Illinois. Yours is going to be convenient and will save your knees and back. took it everywhere with him and my Aunt retired. edit: Welcome home Sir. Hit Myrtle beach back in the 70's when North Myrtle beach was a mile north of the Caribbean Hotel. All private beach homes or swamps, no condos to speak off, 4 unit 2 story jobs back then. An oceanfront cottage was around 25K. Condo 15K if I can remember that far ago.

Pro's and cons. I hate meeses to pieces. They love nice warm cubby hole', nooks and cranny's to bed down for winter. s

I see an MRI in his future. I just want to know how does that happen, just how?

I wouldn't depend on a storage facility to make good on an insurance claim. Always carry your own insurance. I am surprised at how many guys I know out here on Erie that don't insure their boats. I think they are nuts myself. Liability at the least. Buddy has a boat bone yard just west of Dunnville on Rainham Rd. I drove by yesterday and his 2 acre property is jammed packed. And I know his building is packed with every boat part he gets his hands on. PM me and I will hook you up if you are looking for a part.

3 receipts is the way to go. I would be wary of thinning the total for the package to save on taxes. Our Feds and Provincial Govs. are like Pit Bulls that want that bone. And believe me they will get it and you may pay a fine for fraud against the Federal Gov. They are serious folks. I can't count how many vehicles I have bought over the years for a dollar. Those days are over. By the way however I have never been asked to pay the taxes on the new to me StarCraft 11 years ago. I'm sure there is an invoice somewhere but I'm not going looking for it. I presume if and when I sell there will be a bill for me before ownership is transferred. I have a pal that has a small Marine business. He has sold a few used boats in the last year and he said it all depends on where and with who the Federal transfer is made. One lady actually went to the NADA website to get an idea of the boats value. NADA is the Blue Book of marine vessels out of the US.

We always shot for April 1st for our first game of Golf, snow in the shadows of the Pines many times. If I tee up a ball and don't need to wear long John's it's spring. More than a few times we fished open water of the outflow at Nanticoke in March. I don't care what the calendar says if I can fish or golf then and only then it's spring. Or I should say we used to fish and golf. Open water here on Erie a few hundred yards from shore. A week ago it was solid to the horizon. I wonder how many are going through the ice this weekend? Hopefully zero but I doubt it.