The Dark Side Of Home Improvements...

Cheap shot.

Guy comes over to help you out and "Bang", you punk him.

Sorry, Joe. Love ya, big guy.

But that's better!

Get your back into it. What do you think I'm paying you for!

What's that?

.....oh.....

Oh For Heaven Sakes.....

You'd think for Easter they'd at least be able to get the days of the week spelled right.

What's that?

....Oh.....

Hard To Believe....

.....that this is really my old office building, now becoming a luxury condo.

[See "Hey, That's My Move" for a refresher]

Pretty swanky.

Soon, people will have forgotten that this was once the iconic headquarters of a major, Canadian corporation.

But if you are very quiet and listen closely, you can still hear the cries of anguished employees missing deadlines and getting poor performance reviews.

I know I can.

But those are just dreams, they're not real. Any more.

Ha ha ha....

Ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!

Ha ha ha ha ha ha.......

Just fond memories now.

Ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha!!!

Is that you? Who's there?

Ha ha ha ha ha ha.......

No worries here. Everything's fine......

Serenity now.......

This Is Not Your Father's Bong

Boy, my Dad never made bongs like these. In fact, I don't remember him making any bongs at all!

What kind of father did I have? What kind of deprived childhood did I have to endure?

No wonder I turned out this way. My Daddy never made me bongs.

Unlike several of my other friends' fathers, I suspect.

And I'm guessing I know several Doctors of this subject, too.

Oops.....

Forgot to check Caller ID - so the boys descended on me for a Sports Weekend.

Since technically, this was before quittin' time, all identities will remain completely confidential.

Of course, technically, since few of them can really be considered employed, it doesn't really much matter.....

Dinner before a lacrosse game.

Too bad the high def TV was 39 feet high (top left corner), because at 20 feet tall, we saw more of Tiger Woods than we wanted.

Some boys having fun at the lacrosse game.

Some other boys having even more fun at the lacrosse game.

Whoa.....

that's better.

Darn kids with their bony elbows....

Next day, an early breakfast and......


Let the games begin!

Those weren't all his. [Wearing sunglasses, so true identity still protected.]

Although he did present an excellent case as to why he should consume most of them.

As the sun went down, had to head indoors.

More indoor activities down the street.

Interestingly, there was one consistent theme between both outdoor and indoor activities.

Okay, at this point, was forced to put the camera away to concentrate on even more indoor activities.

Draw your own conclusions......

How Cute...

Souvenir ID's. What a fun idea.

Hmmmm....but who would want these?

Tourists? "Look, I'm Canadian!" Maybe not.

Illegal tourists? "Look, I get health care!"

16 year olds? "Look, I'm hammered!"

Well I guess Souvenir ID has a better ring than what it really is; "Fake ID" or "Illegal ID".

Some countries might consider selling these illegal.

Some countries....

But I have a great new business idea; Souvenir money!

If you have a PC and a scanner, you're in business!

"No officer, it's just for fun. A souvenir of Canada!"

Better Late Than Never

This shot was taken just before St. Paddy's Day, but as this site was recently commandeered by mad cyclists, I was otherwise engaged. So.....

Seems everybody is Irish on St. Paddy's Day. Even "Betty's". Temporarily re-christened as "O'Betty's".

They used to the called "The Betty Ford Clinic". Til The Betty Ford Clinic sued them.

So now it's just Betty's. Except on March 17th.

And since it was ten to one, just down the street was McVeigh's New Windsor Tavern.

Where the only thing that could possibly be considered "New" is.......well, maybe the Golf Shop on the third floor.

Certainly none of the New Windsor Tavern patrons.

And while on the pub tour, we stopped for a dram at the actual The Mill Street Brewery brewery.

Decisions, decisions.....

And no pub crawl would be complete without a stop at Toronto's oldest pub, The Wheat Sheaf Tavern.

Under renovation? Well, I guess they're entitled, at least every 160 years.

I still wouldn't touch anything in that bathroom.

Not as bad as Grossman's, but close.....

And.....We're Back

Well well.

No sooner had I posted about delivery trucks - and specifically Shredder trucks - tying up traffic [See "It Wouldn't Be A Delivery Truck" for a refresher] than the Toronto Star gets into the act.

Could it be that I'm just ahead of the curve when sussing out important social issues?

Or could it be that I just complain incessantly about the most mundane of everyday occurrences?

Correct answer is #1.

Mike & Tod - Epilogue, Sort Of

So as the boys wing their way homeward, some random snaps from the last day.

Or, Tod was just emptying out his camera from the last two weeks.

One big boy checking out another.

Yabba dabba! I mean.....I think this photo is exploring the different textures in the sidewalk concrete.

Oh wait. There's Mike in the middle.

The sign of a town with its priorities in the right place; police guarding the whiskey barrels.

Canadians in town, you know.

Uhhh.....pass.

Judging by this blurry snap from inside a local pub, looks like someone has already had a few.

And it ain't the guy in the photo.

Oh sorry, just checked who the guy in the photo is. I take that back....

Mike & Tod - Day 12 - That's A Wrap!

Beautiful La Jolla beach.

A fantastic final view on their final day.

One final bit of quiet contemplation....

....a quick run down the coast to San Diego.....

....and, Th-th-that's all folks!

What, no Tijuana?!

Ahhh....maybe there's a sequal in the works. Love ya, babe! Let's talk.

But until then, well done lads, have a safe trip home......

Mike & Tod - Day 11

Beautiful day for a ride all along the SoCal coast.

They even found time to meet some furry (?) friends along the way.

I think Northern Dreamer gave them a heads about these guys....

Even time for some wistful contemplation.

How far did these guys ride today?

I first learned how to swim without a floatation device in Laguna Beach. "Sealy" was my best friend when I was four, floundering in the water. How appropriate to have a sea lion as my inner tube, given the above "furry friend" pic.

But who asked me, anyway? So back to the boys.

Gee, you're never far from home when you own a restaurant.

"Wherever you go, there ya are."

So, after covering a leisurely 50 clicks, the boys bedded down for the night in the Ellijo State Park.

Not too shabby a night light.

[And a mea culpa from a few days ago. I was informed that the lads did indeed go through LA, not around, due to the presence of large gates - and larger guards - all along the star studded LA coast.

Mike & Tod - Day 10 - Mike In Terrible Accident

Mike went head over heels yesterday in a terrible......

Okay, April Fool's......

No worries. Same old, same old.....

Just another day of sun and fun at the beach.

What a nice place for an office.

So our (less than) industrious lads make it a whole 70 clicks yesterday to San Clemente.

I think some boys are dogging it in the nice weather.

And looks like the pace has slowed considerably. At this rate it will be two more weeks to San Diego.

But can you blame them?