A COUPLE OLD PALS MEET FOR COFFEE

ON OUR OUTING THIS AFTERNOON PHEEBS AND I WALKED AROUND THE BACK OF THE PARK'S CLUBHOUSE

A small change-up in routine this morning.  Instead of Pheebs and I heading out it was just me.  Met my good friend Jim Hagarty for a Tim Hortons coffee in Seaforth Ontario this morning at 10 a.m.  Think it was last Fall when we had last sat down for a brew.  We trotted out the usual cast of characters and covered most of the old bases.  We've kinda been doing this since we first met way back in 1979.  We've had ourselves a fair few coffees over the years and back in the mid 80's we used to meet at a couple local Stratford Ontario coffee shops twice a week for awhile on Monday and Thursday nights at 7.  We have often likened ourselves to  Statler and Waldorf from the Muppet Show and now all these years later we even look like them too.  In a few months we'll likely get together and do it all over again...…..

FRONT OF THE CLUBHOUSE

NICE AFTERNOON FOR A WALK IN THE FOREST

ENCOURAGING SIGNS OF SPRING IN OUR FRONT FLOWER BED

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Jake is struggling through a bus station with two huge and obviously heavy suitcases when a stranger walks up to him and asks, "Have you got the time?" Jake sighs, puts down the suitcases, and glances at his wrist. "It's a quarter to six," he says. "Hey, that's a pretty fancy watch!" exclaims the stranger.  Jake brightens a little. "Yeah, it's not bad. Check this out" and he shows him a time zone display, not just for every time zone in the world, but for the 86 largest metropoli. He hits a few buttons and from somewhere on the watch a voice says, "The time is eleven 'til six" in a very West Texas accent. A few more buttons and the same voice says something in Japanese. Jake continues, "I've put in regional accents for each city. The display is unbelievably high quality and the voice is simply astounding.  The stranger is struck dumb with admiration. "That's not all," says Jake.  He pushes a few more buttons and a tiny but very high-resolution map of New York City appears on the display. "The flashing dot shows our location by satellite positioning," explains Jake. "View recede ten", Jake says, "and the display changes to show eastern New York state.  "I want to buy this watch!" says the stranger."Oh, no, it's not ready for sale yet; I'm still working out the bugs," says the inventor.  "But look at this," and he proceeds to demonstrate that the watch is also a very creditable little FM radio receiver with a digital tuner, a sonar device that can measure distances up to 125 meters, a pager with thermal paper printout and, most impressive of all, the capacity for voice recordings of up to 300 standard-size books, "though I only have 32 of my favorites in there so far," says Jake.  "I've got to have this watch!" says the stranger.  "No, you don't understand; it's not ready!"  "I'll give you $1000 for it!"  "Oh, no, I've already spent more than..."  "I'll give you $5000 for it!"  "But it's just not..."  "I'll give you $15,000 for it!" as the stranger pulls out his checkbook.  Jake stops to think. He's only put about $8500 into materials and development, and with $15,000 he can make another one and have it ready for merchandising in six months.  The stranger frantically finishes writing the check and waves it in front of him. "Here it is, ready to hand to you right here and now. $15,000. Take it or leave it."  Jake abruptly makes his decision. "OK," he says, and peels off the watch. They make the exchange and the stranger starts happily away.  "Hey, wait a minute," calls Jake after the stranger, who turns around warily.  Jake points to the two suitcases he'd been trying to wrestle through the bus station. "Don't forget your batteries."
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