Rattletrap2

The power Sonic brand is a good one. 7.0 amp hour is standard for most electronics. You could always go bigger, but as you said, weight is an important factor. The price on that site looks pretty decent for what you get. A couple of places locally that sell that brand would be BBM in Mississauga 1 888 DCVOLTS. They are on Shawson Drive just West of Dixie in Mississauga. Another is Total battery in Barrie 1 888 441-4446 if you want to check the price out.

Welcome Barbless fisher! Good to see another "neighbour" on the board! Any info on Eugina would always be appreciated. I have never made it over there yet, but maybe this year.

WTG Chris! He is adorable! I have an older, larger version of him at home. Looks like Lab / Border Collie cross? They are very intelligent dogs and make the best of pets. You have done a good thing by bringing him home. Ours loves the snow. As soon as he gets out there in the yard, he immediately buries his head under the snow and tosses his head in the air! Enjoy your new bud!

Roy and Cliff, That is just plain disgusting....well at least for this late in the winter! I ploughed snow for 4 hours last night at my place and then had to go over everything again with the snowblower! This is the first time I have had to put the drift cutters up on the snowblower this year. It was blowing back in as fast as I could clear it. It sure is eerie when the traffic stops on the highway out front. The only cars passing through are the ones that run around the barricades and the odd police cruiser doing patrol. Come on spring! I'm just afraid the meltdown is going to be fast and furious as well! Lots of flooding to come!

Thanks for the reminder! Of course, I should know this, but totally forgot about the meter. It sits really low and the regulator vent could get blocked.

Deano, Now that's funny! I don't care who you are!

I drove a 2001 Ford windstar for work for a couple of years. It was more comfortable than the plymouth vans, but had a lot of mechanical issues as well. tranny went prematurely. The most comfortable mini van I ever drove was the Pontiac Montana. same as the Venture by Chev.

I have the 2005 GMC Safari. It does pull well, but make no mistake, it is based on a truck chassis. It has the ride and fuel consumption of a truck to go along with the power and pulling capabilities. After driving Chrysler mini vans from 1987 to 2005, I was sick and tired of their fragile tranny and otherwise crappy construction. They did ride very well though and were comfortable. Besides the fuel consumption and ride of the Safari, the other issues I notice are all the wind drafts you get up front. It is a pig to heat and I have the rear AC and heat option! They never really kept up with any creature comfort or technology options like all the other vehicles did. It is still based on the 1980's format. I guess they never really felt the need to keep on top of this stuff with the market they catered to, which was the commercial service vehicles. I'll never understand why they would choose to eliminate this workhorse from their lineup with the millions of commercial users out there! I know they decided to develop a different engine that did not fit the body layout of this van, but it was still a goofy decision in my opinion.

Ahhhh, not like the good ol days for Italo. Back in the day, he would have asked to re-hook one of your fish to his own line so the cameraman could film him reeling it in! Then Henry and him would ooooohhh and ahhhhhh over the colours while they both stroked the poor fish repeatedly! LOL

Now, those are some nice fish! WTG!

Congratulations Chris! That is quite the achievment! Shame about the place closing down after all those years, but you have the right attitude about it. "another door opens". I did my best to hang in for 25 after the last fellow at our place (my original boss) got a trip for two to Turks and Caicos Islands for his 25th, but I decided to get out with my sanity (and a nice clock) at 22 years last October. Best decision I have made in years! I will have to plan my own vacation trip one of these days.

Sadly missed for sure.

This is my first year living only 5 minutes from the lake....and I didn't fish it once! In past years, I have always done well there. The pike are plentiful, but mostly on he small side. Crappies are there, but hit and miss finding them. Perch are decent, but smaller as well. The Conservation Authority never put the rental huts out this year, but the people have been out with portables an fishing in the open. Ice conditions have been questionable this year and as already mentioned, the water levels were extremely low last year. People have posted some good bass fishing in the summer months from there, and I have caught largemouth bass throught he ice. Hope this helps? Not sure about the season closing date. They do have a website though.

Very nice work Cliff! looks great!

Sorry I missed the earlier threads wayne, but glad to hear that things are working out better for her. Take good care of yourselves.

Glen and Joe, Have either of you been told yet today? LOL That stuff is a looong way off around these parts, but as already mentioned, the days are getting longer, so there is hope!

That is great news Jack...and do you think you were ever really safe at Lakair?

I feel your pain Rick! Just went through a similar mess back in April. I hired a Home inspector that was referred to me by a friend. He was supposed to be more familiar with rural areas and I paid him a premium to drive to our area to do this inspection. The guy started out by measuring the front porch and advised me that the height required a railing, the stairs to the front door required a hand rail, etc. None of this stuff is happening, regardless of the codes! It was winter, so he said he could not check the roof with all the snow on it. OK, I sort of understood. He looked in the attic, but did not go up through the hatch. He poked around in the basement and said all looked fine. He was measuring the insulation i the walls by removing a switch plate cover and looking into the walls. He checked over the wood burning fireplace ( not very thoroughly I might add) and some other stuff. Overall, he said the place was in "Great" shape! What he missed: Water damage in the basement laundryroom walls which resulted in me ripping out the walls and renovating to remove mold. Most light fixtures had 100 watt bulbs and had cooked themselves and the wiring. An over sized bulb in the range hood fried the controls and transformer in that unit. We never checked it! I have had numerous plumbing issues. Electrical issues are ongoing. Main floor toilet leaked at floor flange. In the summer, I found the "newer" roof was poorly installed and will need replacement. The list goes on! I was extremely dissapointed in myself for missing this stuff on any of the three visits I made to the property, but you can only take in so much with the real estate salesperson waiting on you during a "scheduled" 1 hour visit. I should have known better and been more thorough. I didn't realize just how far I could push things. We still wanted the place, but perhaps I could have negotiated the repairs into the deal. I was hoping this guy would look at things that I had overlooked, but he was less thorough than I was. I found out what "thorough" was when it came time to having my existing home inspected by the new buyer and his home inspector a month or so later. I had to sell to this buyer in order to make the deal go through on our purchase, so I was at their mercy. The inspector was very thorough, and it ended up forcing me to drop a lot of money off the agreed price to ensure that these people bought our home. They checked and rechecked every little detail. They flushed every toilet several times and compared the time it took to flush. He had a sounding unit that uncovered moisture behind the shower walls. he checked the entire house and all of the equipment in extreme detail. It is one of the worst times I have ever had to go through. I was home and had to wait and listen to this guy picking the place apart. All the time, I'm expecting this buyer to just say "forget it"! The only thing I got a chuckle at, was he said the filter on the furnace was dirty and showed lack of maintenance! IT WAS REPLACED A FEW HOURS PRIOR TO THE INSPECTION! The furnace was in great condition and he had no clue as to what he was talking about there. It's a game. If you get a good inspector, it can probably save you a bundle. If you get an incompetent one, it will cost you a bundle. They cover themselves pretty well with disclaimers, so good luck in going after him. My advice to anyone getting involved with these people is "BUYER BEWARE"! Hopefully, the one working on YOUR behalf is a good one!

Roger, I got a little concerned when I opened Dan's link on my Slowwwwww internet connection.....and see a picture of you coming in slowly.......and the top story about some guy getting sexually asaulted while in police custody....and naturally just put two and two together.....and am glad to see that this "Top story" was not about you! LOL Just kidding! Hats off to you for doing a great thing! I have a couple of Thunder Bay guys down here for Trade school this month and was talking about yourself and Dan C to them. I wondered where you had gotten to, but glad to see you are doing fine!

This is always the best news you can get! Congrats on the latest model!

Unbelievable! I knew the Ontario Out of Doors group had pulled the plug on the "Spring Fishing Show", but had absolutely no idea that this was in the works! You hit it Roy, I'd be worried too if I was them! Al Lindner would be worth the visit though. Let us know if anyone finds a schedule. I really like their new show. They brought back all the old regulars such as Dan Sura and Dave Csanda. Good to see those guys again.

When I go to Cabelas in Michigan, I usually try to make it a triple header and visit BPS, Cabelas, and Gander Mountain! You will need a week-end to do this if you like to spend some time in each place, but it is worth it. I'm hoping to make the trip before Spring, but in August for sure!

Get well soon Jack. Our thoughts are with you!

I hope you had a fantastic day Cliff. Happy Birthday!

Very cool shots there Neighbour! Thanks for posting them!