JohnF

Some of these athletes are pretty freakin' incredible. The image of the typical able-bodied athlete is so ingrained in our minds that it's hard for most of us to appreciate just how accomplished these guys and gals really are. They do stuff without arms and/or legs that most of us couldn't do fully equipped. I feel kinda bad that I haven't paid much attention to this whole paralympic thing in the past. I'm just now beginning to realize that there's nothing second class about what they're doing. It's just different than what we're used to. They deserve just as much respect as the guys who get the limelight on prime time tv. In fact, they probably deserve more of our respect for what they do without the benefit of big financial support and little if any media attention. I'm becoming a fan. JF

Jeez. I thought it was some kinda advertising thingy that you stuck in yer car window with suction cups and then turned it on so it flashed or something.

For what it's worth coming from a relative newby, here's what I was told by a couple of helpful folks when I started. Start with 12-15# mono till you get the hang of it. The idea being if you have some snarls it's cheaper to cut out than braid. Set the spool brake down fairly tight to prevent it from running ahead of the line. Your casts will be shorter but much more satisfying. As you get more comfortable you can loosen off and try for longer casts. I think this is one of the biggest things for the beginner. I have to remember to tighten down if I'm in windy conditions and/or using lighter lures. It's one of the things I really like about my Quantum Energy reel. The brake is on the outside of the case. Use a heavy enuf lure (or practice weight) to keep tension on the line. Light lures tend to decelerate and allow spool overrun. Use two hands. In the beginning it will just be easier. Later on it will help generate speed. Aim for the sky above the intended target rather than the actual target. Keep yer thumb ready to brake the spool when the lure lands. You'll get the feel for it as you get more practice and your thumb will soon just do it automatically. Like Roy and Lew said it came pretty easy when I followed these few tips. I had a lot of fun ripping plastic frogs onto slop last summer. Long casts means lots of water covered. FWIW JF

What does it do when ya get it home? JF

Go fishing with somone who can show you the proper technique. Surprising how easy they can make it. I'm not a great caster yet, but a few minutes with Garry2rs sure got me started well. JF

In the absence of any reliable business records you'll have to rely on a good business plan. Part of your analysis should be taking all the fixed costs and determining what kind of trade you need to carry that nut. Factor in the profit (wages) you need for yourself and then you'll be better able to calculate the food and service costs to do that volume based on a reasonable food profit margin. It's not exact but it'll give you an idea of what you need to do. If the numbers don't work then don't rely on a miracle to bail you out. Too many folks just jump in without a business plan and are disappointed when the business doesn't live up to their expectations. Why should it if it's just a number you grabbed out of a hat? I hope I don't sound condescending. I c ertainly commend anyone who is willing to hang it out there in the business world. And I have no idea what your background in food services is. From my own experience I know it takes cash reserves, good planning, hard work and even then a little luck. Make sure that most of the even slightly predictable factors are in your favour and then go for it. All the best JF

I had this vision of you kicking back in a lawn chair with the sausages popping on the bbq while you sipped koolaid and pulled on a big ole stogey. Or is that Victor I'm thinking of? JF

Yer still talking about the boat - right? JF

I wanna know if his little strike alarm thingy ever freezes up. JF

That was my next guess. JF

The boat? JF

Nice fish.

My last bike was a big black Ninja. That was about 20 years ago. As much as I like the crotch rockets I might look a little odd riding 'em at my age. Besides, I'd probably lose my licence. Cops get hinky about riding the back wheel in town. I figger a nice little 250 enduro wouldn't be bad for ripping around town. JF

Sometimes, if the house has been built in the 35 years or so, you might receive a drawing variously called a site plan or plot plan. What it really is is a graphical depiction of the location of the house relative to the true property lines and is often confused with the survey. So, even if you can't locate any survey stakes or monuments showing the property corners you should be able to rely on the dimensions showing the distances from the structure to the lot line. Make a couple of marks on the ground using these dimensions and shoot extended lines across them. This will fairly accurately mark your lot perimeter. I generally suggest to homeowners that they talk to the neighbours before building a fence. If it's a fence that will benefit both of you the neighbour may agree to share the cost. If the neighbour is a bit of a knob and knows you're over a barrel he might leave you to bear the cost. That's when you mention some really butt ugly style you intend to use if you're paying yerself. He might not be able to run the bluff then. The other benefit of talking to the neighbour is that between you you'll probably come up with a reasonably accurate idea of lot lines and it might even work in your favour later if he takes exception to where your fence is located. I'm not aware of any standard municipal ordinance requiring residential neighbours to share the cost of any minimum type of fencing but there may be local covenants in effect. Arguably if a fence becomes a hazard and is located on the neighbour's land you might be able to force them to repair or replace it. Of course, if they don't really care about the fence they may just remove it and there will be nothing. JF

I'll never get to try them. One of my many many shortcomings is having a brain like a sieve, so I have to ask my wife to remind me about things I'd like to buy the next time I'm in the States. There's no way she's ever gonna remind me to buy beans, not in this lifetime. JF

Yup. A bunch of the guys I rode with back then had Bonnevilles, one Sportster, Beezers (forget what the twin carb 650 was called), a Commando. We used to go out to a local farm that had a nice hill out back and pretend we were big time hillclimbers. The other guys could never figger out how my little 250 beat their 650/750's every time. We even changed riders and the Yammie was always fast. The twins threw up a nice rooster tail though. I had changed the primary sprocket and ran an MX tire but the engine was basically stock. JF

Every once in a while GM has a good deal. I picked up the Calcutta @ $99.95 on New Years Day down in Twinsburg OH. I think I was the only customer in the store. They also had a Quantum Energy spinning reel for the same price. But generally I don't buy much there. JF

I looked 'em up and it must have been the '68. I remember there were white tanks and gold tanks. The following year they went to a nasty orange tank. JF

After I said that I got to wondering if it was '68 or '69. It was a golf tank with white pinstriping. I think they changed the tank colour the next year. JF

I sure miss my '68 DT1b. It was my first bike. I'd like to find another just for an about town scooter. JF

Camouflage, so the enemy bombers can't find you as easily out on the lake. Or mebbe it's the seagulls .... JF

Nope. I have to trust the local guy's ethics to support him. If he's sneaky about one thing who knows what else he'll be sneaky about? JF

Being local doesn't automatically make you a local shop, if you know what I mean. JF

This whole thing with dissing the big box shops generally originates from a group of concerns totally unrelated to the specific businesses being criticized. As the local grocery, hardware, appliance and clothing retailers gradually morphed into consolidated outlets, often with foreign ownership, their size enabled, even dictated, that the outlet be relocated to the periphery of the urban development for parking, access and cost reasons. This caused problems for the municipal core areas which were losing viability and even becoming ghost towns. Look back at Chatham's core a few years back. This meant there had to be a new effort to attract and retain viable enterprises in these core areas. A standard part of the battle was slagging the box shops with Walmart being the classic model. Municipal governments were pressured into using the Planning Act provisions and zoning regs to deter the urban decay/sprawl. As has already been hinted at here by a few logical thinkers many small retailers simply didn't have the ability or inclination to change with the times, to strive to keep their clients' loyalty by improving or at least updating their business model (product, prices, business hours, etc). Some fought back with better personal service when they couldn't compete with the box shop prices. Unfortunately for many of them the internet and the manufacturer/distributors have no sympathy and have in many cases abused the local retailer's quality service and willingness to display the goods for sizing etc as an easy way for their bargain hunters to try sizes etc before they buy online. And that doesn't even begin to address the problem for the local retailer who is expected to handle all the warranty support for product bought online or from a department store which has no facility for service support (one of the reasons the box shop can sell for less). The fact is we all love the idea of parking at the door and having lots of product selection to paw thru. To me Bass Pro or Cabela's is like a day at Disney World. And if I happen to see something that's too good to resist, naturally I'm gonna buy there. I commiserate with the local retailers but after watching my family agonize over whether or not to continue a successful children's clothing retail enterprise as the new business models nibbled away at our customer base I think we did the right thing in surrendering to the changing times and getting out of the business. I guess what I'm saying is that the smalltown retailer may be doomed unless he's willing to change a bit. One way is to band together with similar businesses to have better purchasing power and clout with the distributor/manufacturers. Often the product cost to the low volume local guy is equal to or higher than the retail price offered by the box shop. The other is to offer the personal touch like Jos and his associates. That means though that they still have to maintain good inventory and competitive pricing but they seem to be holding up just fine. Hey, I'm a big fan of the local retailer surviving. I love to wander into the local Fishing Store when I have a few minutes, to ask questions and occasionally to pick up a piece of gear to go along with the advice. In fact I buy most of my gear there but once in a while I'll spot a bargain like the $99.95 Calcutta that I found in one of my box shop perambulations in Ohio. Byron showed me his dealer price list on that reel and even offered to buy it from me at a $50 profit. I really want to keep him and his store here in Stratford. I like to have a place to go locally when I need stuff or advice. I'll support him to the best of my ability but I doubt any amount of complaining or wishing it were so will make the box shops go away. They're here to stay and as JP says they're probably doing us a favour by making our local guys be the best they can be. Hopefully, for their sake and our own, it'll be enuf. One last thought. The next time you go into your local retailer to see how a product feels in your hand or to try it on for sizing before you order online to save a few bucks ask yourself what it will be like when you've driven all the local stores out of business and you have to guess at sizing or just trust to luck that an online product will be what it's represented to be. Would it have been worth a few extra bucks to have bought locally to keep that local guy in business? Sadly, some of you will never get that concept. JF

SHHHHHHHH! JF