200
200 what? Ever since I retired in November of 2004, I have written this little monthly letter to our kids and a few friends to let them know where we are and what we have been up to. At first our kids would write and ask "where the heck are you guys now?" So, once a month, (not to be annoying) we would drop them a line to catch up. This is the 200th month in a row that we have done this. If only I could figure an angle to make money at it.
All 200 of them can be found here on the right side of the page in the archives by year and by month. They contain all of the ups and downs of our life since I retired, from births, divorces, plane crashes and travels. Most of it is positive because most of what has happened to us is. But I have tried to be as transparent as I can. I have often said that we are constantly looking for something to complain about but just can't seem to find anything. Another strong sentiment is that I don't care what anyone tells you about retirement, it's not true. It's much, much better.
The name "The Epistle" was meant to be a joke. But the joke was on me. I was far more vocal about my political opinions then (I have become much more sensitive to tree hugging global warming liberals as I approach mid life) and I thought that an Epistle was one of those declarations from the Pope when he speaks for God and is infallible. So, in humor, I was declaring that my political musings were as good as the word of God and thus, infallible. Remember, I said it was a joke. Turns out that an Epistle is none of the sort, but merely a communication. Like this one from Saint Michael. Close enough for government work, I figured.
I have told Janice many times that I was all done as I had nothing left to write. But somehow, something always comes up and I blah, blah, blah one more time. What I can't get my head around is that this platform reports that there are well over 100 more readers every month than I send it to. I can barely keep all four of you who do read this interested, who on earth are all the rest?
In any case, as always, if you have had enough of this, just say the word and for 4 easy payments of $29.95, I can take you off the list. If you are a glutton for punishment and chose to remain, stay tuned for Epistle #300 in only 8 years and 4 months (January 2030).
Incoming....
The siblings. The good looking sucker in the middle is me.
We had a little family get together last month, with my brother, his partner, our niece and nephew, my sister and brother in law over for the day and BBQ. The kids had fun swimming at our beach (pirates cove) with the mandatory "walk the plank" at the end of the kids dock.
Adventurous little tikes, I took them out to beat the river up, dragging them in a donut from the back of the boat. At times it was more like the the river beating them up. Then they decided to swim to one of our adjacent islands and be "marooned".
Faster, Uncle Michael, faster!
Road trips
We were in Syracuse New York for a few days for Janice's cancer treatment. At least, we planned to be there for just for a few days. Life got in the way and our plans blew up in our faces. The plan was simply to go, do what needed to be done and come home. Canadian law required us to get a Covid test within 72 hours to get back across the border. We have done this before with no hiccups but this time the gremlins got into the system.
We got our Covid tests but the results came back 82 hours later. Not being within the 72 hour window, the test results were useless so we had to start all over and could not return home. Not willing to trust that it would work with a new test, we took one test a day to hedge our bets until one of them would come back within 72 hours so we could hightail it back. It took a total of 5 days.
Meanwhile, there was no point in letting the grass grow under our feet, so we took day trips by hitting the road and seeing stuff within a few hours drive, checking our emails every half hour for test results giving us the all clear to return home. Every time we have taken road trips, we see cool things, funny things, weird things or interesting things on the road.
This was a street performance / rehearsal of "Peter and the Wolf" we saw while having lunch
An optimistic supporter
I want one of these in front of my house!
Once back home, we quickly packed and drove to Toronto to visit a friend for a few days before returning to start our countdown for our departure for the season.
The girls
On the way home from Toronto,
we took a little detour to visit a very special site.
Camp X
In 1941, a spy training camp just East of Toronto was established as code name Intrepid, unofficially called Camp X, the secret Special Training School # 103, a Second World War British paramilitary installation for training covert agents in the methods required for success in clandestine operations in Europe and secret warfare.
During the Second World War, over 500 Canadian and American civilians were trained as intelligence specialists by the British Special Operations Executive branch at the site. Serving on dangerous missions abroad, these secret agents were not legally protected if caught. The camp opened the day before the Pearl Harbor bombing. Camp X also became famous as the place where Communist informant Igor Gouzenko was hidden for two years. It was his defection in 1945 that started the cold war.
The first school of its kind in North America, Camp X was also an advanced top secret communications relay station until it closed in 1969. Records pertaining to Camp X were either locked away under the Official Secrets Act or destroyed after WWII. Among its trainees was a fellow by the name of Ian Fleming who went on to author all the James Bond spy novels.
The Transition
For the 51st time in 17 years, we have transitioned from one home to the next. As I write we are somewhere in Washington state, having flown from the Bee to Seattle Washington and having visited daughter Amy's family on our way to son Wesley's wedding in Idaho. This will be followed to a drive back across two states to visit daughter Cassie's family in Oregon before returning to Seattle to catch our flight home to France before the end of the month. Whew!
The fellow's showing me around the spread
Thousand Islands Life Magazine
We have a friend who is the editor of the local monthly magazine that is all about goings on in the Thousand Islands region and who is a recipient of our little newsletter. A few times in the past, I have written a story or two that she deemed worthy of publishing. But this month, she took the story of Chief Tecumseh I wrote about last month in the Epistle and pretty much copied and pasted it as a new article for TIL. For you gluttons for punishment, it can be read HERE.
https://thousandislandslife.com/chief-tecumseh/
With a readership of over 5000 people, she only beats me by about 4996.
More useless news
Google sent us this ditty the other day.
If only I could figure out how to get $1.00 from each
Ironically, since they sent this, there have been over 7000 more views
Meanwhile...
San Francisco is rolling out a pilot program that will pay high-risk individuals to not shoot anyone as gun crimes tick up in the city. "These mall investments can transform the lives of individuals, but they can also transform communities," said Sheryl Davis, executive director of the Human Rights Commission. The Dream Keeper Fellowship will pay 10 individuals who are at high risk of being on either end of a shooting $300. each month to not be involved in such crimes. The move comes as the city of Richmond California also works to become the first state to pay drug addicts up to $1000. a month to stay sober and out of trouble.
My tax dollars hard at work.
I report, you decide.
