craigdritchie

25 years for me, and I'm still getting the hang of it.

I miss the good old days with my ancient VW Rabbit. The parking brake was a piece of cinder block I used to chock the wheel. Auto technology has definitely improved!

You have to look at the bigger picture. That 2011 Chevy most likely has a lot more bells and whistles in it than the 2000 Honda does. Pretty much everyone expects air conditioning as a standard feature today, and that was not the case with a 2000 Honda Civic (it was a $1,300 option). We all expect bells and whistles like power windows and locks, remote keyless entry, a nice stereo, etc etc etc. We all want the new safety features, like multiple air bags and I-beams in the doors and ABS brakes and all kinds of other stuff that helps keep us alive in a collision - none of that stuff was found in the 2000 Honda Civic. I know because my ex drove one. End result - I would bet the 2011 Chevy probably weighs a bit more than the 2000 Honda, which is why even with more engine power, it's still delivering about the same fuel economy. Oh - and let's not forget, here we are 11 years later and in spite of continually rising costs, the retail price of a car hasn't changed all that much. In 2000 a decent economy car cost about $20k, and it still does today - in spite of having all that extra stuff in it. Look at the big picture and I think auto technology is moving forward quite nicely.

I had frog's legs when I was in France on vacation this year. Roy hit it - all I could taste was garlic butter.

where or where is Johnny Bass?

Thing is, if it's a block wall the water isn't necessarily coming in from that crack. It could be coming in from another source altogether. Or, it could be coming from multiple sources. Assuming the outside grade is okay, your weeping tile is not plugged up, and your siding, windows and eves are all in good shape, there are a couple of ways of dealing with this. It looks like the basement is unfinished where you have the water coming in. If that location is reasonably close to a floor drain, you can put in a French drain. What they do is jackhammer a small trench along the base of the wall, then take it out to the existing floor drain. The inside of the wall gets treated with a plastic sealant, and the trench gets some coarse gravel in it. Finally, they cement over the trench so it's hard to tell work was ever done there - pant the floor and you'll never know. What happens is that water still comes in, but it gets directed down into this little in-floor trench and sent down the drain - at least it's controlled and won't do any damage to your stuff. It will cost you from maybe a couple hundred bucks to $2,000 or more, depending how far they have to dig, and it works very well. But, it's a short-term bandaid solution. In the long term, you'll most likely have to dig around the outside of the house and apply a proper waterproof membrane to permanently fix the problem. That costs a lot more money (amount depends on size of the house and how easy/hard it will be to dig). But, it won't ever leak again. In the end, it comes down to how much you want to spend, and how long you plan to stay in that house.

So far as I know Tohatsu is the parent company. They make all sorts of small engines - outboards included. Scugog - it would appear that yes, they will be four-strokes. Dave - Yup, they should be more or less identical to Mercury's small outboards, and of course, Tohatsu's own-branded engines. The Johnson four-strokes that BRP used to sell were made by Suzuki. Definitely interesting times. In Vancouver tonight for a trade show that starts tomorrow. Wish I was fishing.

Never been an issue for me either, but figured I'd throw it out there for fun! Definitely a job for the Mythbusters.

Yesterday, Valcourt, Quebec-based Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP), the parent company to Evinrude, announced that it has signed an agreement with Tohatsu Corporation in order to be able to offer Evinrude-branded outboard engines from 3.5 to 15 HP. The new engines will be available at BRP dealerships in early 2012. Clickto read more.

Love that photo, Lew. And you're right, I can clearly see the distortion. Bummer. A picture doesn't have to be boring just because the guy isn't straining to hold the fish out farther. If it's a big fish, it will speak for itself:

Ha! Maybe that's the reason. I dunno, you see so many pictures where people hold the fish way out in front to try and make it look bigger. Makes me wonder why they have to do that. Is it not big enough? And do they really think they're fooling anyone? Too bad, because Dave's pike really does look like a nice fish. I wish I could see what it really looked like. I've always preferred more natural pictures. Both the fish and the angler look better. Just my humble two cents'.

Thousands upon thousands of boat trailers have electric brakes, and work with no problems whatsoever. Smally's advice on swapping out the axles is bang-on. If you want to go the factory route for parts, Shoreland'r is handled by Do-It Industries, in Bolton, Ontario (800-842-9666). If you're not comfortable doing the mechanical work yourself, pretty much any auto garage, marina or boat dealer can do it for you. A marina or boat dealer would be best, as an auto garage won't be set up to get the boat off the trailer if needed.

Nice fish, so there's really no need to hold it a mile out and use such a wide angle lens that it distorts the image. Why do people insist on doing that?

How heavy is your boat/engine/trailer combination? And what are you towing it with?

I love the iPad. And because it's an Apple product, it just works - all the time, every time. No cursing, foot stomping, or swearing required!

Why don't you just get a back one? Then you won't have to worry about glare, or having the sun shine of it and spook the fish.

Could not agree more on the Daiwa Whisker. No one has made a spinning reel with a better drag, including Shimano. 30 years later, it is still the best spinning reel ever made. You can find 1300s on eBay now and then.

Very nice fish.

Ah yes, time for the annual Leafs discussion. I will bravely say it right now - they will not make the playoffs, and will finish between 25th and 30th place. Again. Let the games begin! :-)

Smallie. Fish from Scugog sometimes have similar colouration.

It's not just a sad day for those of us who use Macs. Anyone who's ever used an iPod (or one of its numerous knock-offs) .... an iPhone (or one of its numerous knock-offs) .... a computer mouse .... or any sort of computer that didn't require you to type in line after line of code has been touched by Steve Jobs' genius and vision, because they all started out as ideas in his fertile mind. To be dead at 56 is tragic - for him, his family and friends, and for all of us. Who knows what else he could have come up with had he lived another 20 years? Very sad day indeed. The man was one of a very rare breed.

That's the best advice yet, and something I've done for years. Get some inexpensive hiking boots that are two sizes larger (and perhaps a size wider) than you would normally wear. They'll only cost you about $35 and will work every bit as well as the $100+ wading boots you'll buy from a fishing store. If Wallymart doesn't have your size, try a cheap shoe store. I like the lug sole on hiking boots for wading, as they give a good grip on all surfaces. Some guys swear by felt soles .... they're admittedly very good on bare rock or gravel (just like a lug sole) but they're absolutely useless on mud, and that is what you find on the bottom of and along the banks of most Ontario creeks. In cold weather, felts freeze easily, so you have even less traction.

Love cohos. Beautiful photos, especially the last one.

You usually inflate to max cold pressure. Air pressure (and temp) will increase once you drive a few kilometres, but it seems excessive to double. My truck uses nitrogen rather than straight air. It doesn't vary in pressure, regardless of the air temp.