On the Road – Flea Markets, Free Goodies, Life Stories and More
March 18, 2022
Highlights and lowlights from yesterday’s two-wheeled adventure to and from Welland:
1. Parked in the lot at the dog museum was a truck from Orkin pest management. For anyone planning on visiting, as my father would say, tie up your pant legs.
1a. If you don’t know what the dog museum is, it’s the St. Catharines Museum, where dogs have more rights than the tax-paying humans who keep it going.
2. Not far from the dog museum, I was passed by a fellow cyclist weaving all over the trail while texting. Texting and cycling is a combination that doesn’t mix any better than texting and driving.
3. Passing by the workers near the train bridge, I heard a couple of them talking about Ovie (I presume he meant Alexander Ovechkin) and Gretzky. I am dating myself when I say that I saw Gretzky play in the WHA.
4. The lack of any traffic on the streets left no doubt that March Break is upon us. As I’ve long since noted, school is the big industry in this part of the world.
5. Video from a walkthrough at Seaway Mall in Welland, the peninsula’s second-largest mall:
6. In the center court, the old guys were playing with their remote-controlled cars. As I passed by, I couldn’t help but think back to the scene in Slap Shot when the Hansons were playing with the cars they brought with them on the road, much to the disgust of Reg Dunlop, the coach. “They brought their (expletive) toys with them!” he told Joe McGrath, who calmly responded, “I’d rather they play with their toys than play with themselves.”
7. Though a good number of us have since woken up, far too many have been “choosing the way of the crowd” . . .
8. Not far from the Main Street Bridge, a bum was talking to a member of die Polizei sitting in her car. Neither was wearing a mask and they were standing less than six feet from each other. Oh, the shame!
9. I suspect there would be no shortage of fleas to be had there . . .
10. Free mattress . . .
11. Seeing this, I couldn’t help but think of Demolition Man. Be well, John Spartan.
11a. Speaking of being well, the last time I was past this pharmacy, they were offering poison injections, but not anymore. To say the least, I think worldwide demand has bottomed out.
12. The freedom movement is alive and well . . .
13. B. Boom. Or is it B. Boond?
14. While seated at a bench in a park in the south end of town, some guy wearing a mask who identified himself as Rodney wheeled his bike into the park and took a seat next to me. While shaking, he told me that he lives nearby, he was waiting for the soup kitchen down the street to open and that someone stole his last bike when he went into a store to buy a couple of chocolate bars. When I asked him, he said he did not lock the bike. In addition, he seemed badly distressed over not being able to find his brother Brian, and twice during this brief exchange, he asked what my name was. As usual, I gave a common alias that I reserve for such encounters.
15. Grin and bear it . . .
16. Around town, I spotted two references to autism on the day. Those who know me may be aware that this would have been the 40th birthday of the late Carli Ward, who had Asperger’s Syndrome. In addition, she also knew someone in Welland.
17. This old guy with a cane was just standing in the middle of the street for several minutes before I got this picture. Welland in a microcosm.
18. Plastered on the door of the washrooms at the Welland Transit Terminal was a notice advising of a 10-minute maximum and that security would be notified if that limit was exceeded. I can’t imagine the kinds of things that have gone on in that washroom that precipitated such a notice.
19. Someone who needs to stop working out at the Dairy Queen . . .
20. Across the street from the Welland Transit Terminal was some bum standing in the street holding up a sign that read “Anything Helps.” And, of course, he was wearing a mask. Outside. Just like Rodney. Dutifully obeying his government. Because the government wouldn’t lie, would they?
21. While watching motorists pass him by, this straggly gray-haired bum asked me if I had $2 for a cup of coffee. As you would expect, I declined the offer to enrich him.
22. While making my way through Welland’s not-so-bustling downtown (yes, it does have a downtown), I was stopped by a woman who asked me where the Tim Hortons was. Even if there had been one downtown, I would have pointed her to the coffee shop around the corner anyway, which I did. She went on to tell me that she was in town from Toronto visiting a friend who was having a procedure done at the hospital and how she finds getting around Welland a little difficult. You’re from Canada’s largest city and you find getting around Welland difficult? Maybe you shouldn’t be driving. She then asked where there was a good place to park around there, so I pointed her in the right direction.
23. Free feminine hygiene products. The box says these Kotex liners are a fit for every occasion. They’re two times more absorbent, have channels to stop leaks and are so soft they feel like undies.
24. Goodies preserved in ice . . .
25. Wellanders making their mark on the bench . . .
26. Free backpack . . .
27. Free high performance eyewear. Just add lenses . . .
28. On my return trip, while waiting to cross the street at Glendale, I pressed the button to trigger a walk signal. But the guys standing next to me were impatient, so they each took turns pressing the button as well. As if that was going to make the light turn any faster.
29. Fashion tip for those with wide backsides: Don’t wear thin, skin-tight pants, as the joggerette I was following on the trail did. Unless you really want to be the target of someone’s retinal-searing moment.
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