The forgotten Music. First of many

David Ackles - Road to Cairo

[via FoxyTunes / David Ackles]

This is from one of the great American Singer/songwriters of the late 60's early 70's. David Ackles is unknown today but those who do know of his music he is still revered. His early 70's album American Gothic is considered a classic and while it may be hard to find it is well worth the search. David Ackles died in 1999.

The Great Hespeler Moped Crash of 1973

While out walking the dog the other day i watched a kid wipe out on his dirt bike and that reminded me of an incident from my past. It was July of 1973 when the Great Hespeler Moped crash occurred. I was 15 going on 16 and as such did not have a drivers license, so my parents gave me the next best thing, they bought me a Moped for my upcoming birthday. Not that they really had a choice as 5 of my friends already had one or were getting one for the summer ahead,so on a mid June day they presented me with a fire engine red Moped, and that was the beginning of the summer of driving. I went everywhere on that thing. to Kitchener,Guelph and points in between. Hell even some of the girls loved them and that made us even more popular[not a bad side effect, Eh!]. But as in anything that Teenagers set their minds to we got more adventurous on the bikes and soon we were able to do wheelie’s like the big boy’s, we even named ourselves “Hespeler’s Rejects”, not a good name i admit but hey, we were Teenagers after all. So all of June and July we terrorized the streets of Hespeler, and even the local constabulary, “Flashlight Freddie” could not stop us, of course i don’t think he really tried that hard. And then July 26th came into play.
It was one of those warm summer rain kind of day’s, not hard enough to stop your fun but still damp enough for the average person to be careful while out on the road. And there was the problem, thought did not enter the equation. So off the 6 of us went that day driving down the hills and valleys of Hespeler without a care in the world and then Edward street appeared on the horizon and the challenge was made. I don’t know who made the call but it was there, drive as fast as we can down one of the steepest streets in town toward the valley and may the best man win. Everything was going good, i sat in a close third when suddenly just before the bottom of the hill someone went down and the rest of us followed. By the time we finished tumbling and sliding there were 6 mopeds and 6 bodies lying on Edward street, scuffed, bruised and bloody but we all managed to pull ourselves together, get our Mopeds off the street and survey the damage. There were no broken bones or even seriously damaged mopeds, somehow we had all survived the crash. As we sat at the side of the road we all just suddenly started laughing and realized what a funny sight we must of made, six bodies and bikes rolling and sliding down Edward Street. Needless to say that was the end of day for all of us as we slinked off to lick our wounds and get ready for another day. As for the rest of the summer, well let’s just say we rode a little more carefully…Ah who am i kidding, we did not learn our lesson and continued to drive them as recklessly as ever.
As for the mopeds, well they lasted one more year as many of us got our drivers licenses and moved on to bigger and better things, but probably still drove a little crazy. And that my friends is the story of the Great Hespeler Moped Crash of 1973….Drive safe everyone!

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Spring Walk

On a beautiful spring-like day, what else do you do but walk and enjoy the countryside that exists just outside of this town.

Springs Coming

Alright so it is already here, but now the weather is getting better and it feels like spring. Anyway here are some more mindless sputtering s from Cooper street.

Sometimes i wonder, does Angela Jolie wonder what i am wearing?
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will make me go in a corner and cry!
People say i am psycho like it's a bad thing!

A lot has been said of politicians, some of it complimentary but most of it accurate.
What's it mean being a man:Making mistakes and not caring!
If at first you don't succeed have a scapegoat handy!

I may have never left my heart in San Fransisco, but i did leave some toe nail clippings at the Toronto bus depot.
"I am not an egomaniac, but i am the worlds best dancer"---Micheal Flatly
2 out of 3 North Americans men will develop hemorrhoids.

TEIAM, there problem solved!
9 out of 10 guy's prefer woman with big breasts, the 10th guy prefers the other 9 men
I wonder if General Custer wore shirts by the Arrow Company?

I can't remember the last time i did any serious running, but i have been jogging my memory.
Without evil, there could be no good, so it must be good to be evil sometimes
There are no stupid answers, just stupid people.

Enjoy the weather and i will talk to ya later!

A lovely Day for a Parade

This is a picture from around 1967, it is from the Hespeler textile Festival Parade that year. That is my younger Sister and myself on the Fire department float. My Father was on the department at the time. Those were good day's in the Village.

Questions of a Thousand Years

Just some questions that are out there.

If someone owns a piece of land do they own it to the center of the Earth?
If you have a cold hot pocket, is it just a pocket?
If humans evolved from monkeys why are they still here?
Do penguins have knees?
Why do we say the alarm clock went off when it really comes on?
Why do we put our two cents in when it is only a penny for our thoughts?
Why do people return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new has materialised?
Why does the Easter Bunny carry eggs?Rabbits don't lay eggs!
Why when people ask what are the 3 things you would bring with you on a desert island, nobody says a Boat?
Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?
And Finally!
Have you ever met a gruntled employee?

My goldfish hates Me!

If anyone disagrees with anything i say, i am prepared to not only retract it, but also to deny it under oath.
The dot above the i in the letter i is called a tittle
If i had a nickel for every paycheck I've blown on booze and wild woman, i could probably spend a whole weekend doing nothing but...well, you know where this is headed.

Bugs outnumber humans 200 million to one
Canada borders on three oceans, Pacific,Atlantic and Arctic
Art is making something out of nothing and selling it....Frank Zappa

Whenever i feel blue, i just start breathing again
People will believe anything if you whisper it.
If we are not supposed to eat animals how come they are made out of meat.

Why must all good things end while mediocre things last forever
I am so happy today,i found my friends, they are in my head...Kurt Cobain
The word Gullible is not in the English dictionary

In a family of psychotics, it is a relief to be the insomniac
The all time most nominated Grammy artist is Quincy Jones with 77
Laugh alone and the world thinks you're an idiot

What doesn't kill me doesn't make me stronger, it just pisses me off more.
While staring at my goldfish and making fun of him stuck in a little bowl, i imagined him making fun of me in this weird world, so i flushed him down the toilet, that will teach him.
The Oreo is the worlds best selling cookie.



And in closing, remember there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, of course sometimes it is attached to a Freight train.

Hespeler Rednecks?

Proof that Rednecks can be found everywhere.
My Brother,myself and my two sisters. From 1965. Wonder what the rest of Cooper Street thought?

The Original Wedding Crasher

Recently my wife made me watch a wretched little movie called "The Wedding Crashers" and it got me to thinking about an old Friend of mine from Hespeler who in my mind was the original "Wedding Crasher". Let me tell you the story.
Paul was an original, definitely playing in a different world with a different set of rules. He was wild, funny and completely off his rocker but that is why we all loved the guy. But the one thing he kept telling us was how he could get into any event like Weddings, family reunions etc. We never believed him, but hey if he told the story while we were sitting around having a few beers and what nots, that was good enough for us. But one day we got the chance to see him in action, and what a smoothie he was.
It was late summer[1977 I believe] and a bunch of us were at our local lake having a swim and enjoying ourselves, when low and behold we came across a family obviously in the midst of a get together and that is when Paul went to work. He walked around the outside of the get together so people would notice him and he paid attention to what was being said about who was there and who was not there and then he found out what he needed and he struck.
Some of the family did not show up including a Aunt and her family that many in the group had never seen or had not seen for years and Paul was in like Flint. He spent the next 2 hrs eating and drinking with this group who had no idea he was not who he said he was, he played a little volleyball and lawn darts while we all watched from a safe distance, laughing and just waiting for him to get caught, It never happened. Paul finally left the party and came over to join us and tell us how he did it. It seems that the Aunt that did not show up had re-married and had a son from her second husband that no one knew and Paul just assumed his identity. And it worked perfectly, no one suspected a thing he said and the beer and food were great and he even got a phone number from one of the cousins[whether he called her or not we don't know], and as we left the beach that night we just marvelled at the gut's he had and we finally knew his story's were true.
As for Paul unfortunately he passed away in September of 1979. But i would like to think that somehow he snuck into heaven and God still has not caught him!