The summer of 2005 has gone down into the record books as Ottawa's hottest summer in fifty years [according to David Phillips of Environment Canada], and if I had any doubt about the truth of that statement, it vanished when I received my electricity/air conditioning bill. It was HOT, often humid, and only enough rain fell all season to avoid it becoming a drought as well. In other words, it was a biker's dream summer - that is except for me.
While Ontario motorcyclists everywhere tried to cram in as much riding as possible during such exceptional weather conditions, I remained for the most part indoors. No, I was not bedridden with some dilapidating disease. Nor had I lost my mind, though there were days I thought I might have. The explanation for my self imposed exile from our precious, but short, summer was rather simple; after two decades of living with a contender for TV's " America 's Ugliest Kitchens", I had finally undertaken its complete renovation. As with all major projects of this type, before any new construction could begin, first everything old had to come out. Horsehair plaster, knob and tube wiring, galvanized piping, irregular ductwork, layers of flooring, and last but not least, cabinets that were already used and worn when they were first installed fifty years ago all had to go. It took two months of hard work to rebuild our century home's kitchen back to a functional state, and I expect it will take another three before the final piece of trim is nailed in place and painted. Although I am very pleased with the transformation so far, I can't believe that another summer has gone by so quickly, and that soon I would be raking leaves, stacking firewood, and winterizing the Harleys once more. Although in a sense Caroline and I had sacrificed much of this riding season for our house, we did manage to still do a few rides. In addition to some cruising around our local area, we also took a four day tour to Muskoka via Algonquin Park , and we participated in the Ride for Sight in Trenton . Hmmm, now that I reflect on it, maybe we didn't get out much after all. Traditional End of Summer Ride For more than a decade, on the first Saturday after the Labour Day weekend, the Eastern Ontario HOG Chapter has held its Annual Charity Run in support of the Salvation Army's ( Ottawa ) Capital Campaign. Since 1990, we have participated every year in this event making it an end of summer ritual for us, and we planned to be there again this year despite our renovation schedule, and the event's totally revised format. For almost two decades the event was all about bikers and their motorcycles decorated with toys for needy children parading through the streets of Ottawa . Everyone was welcome, and so hundreds of riders on all brands came because, after all, who doesn't like a parade? But there were problems. The logistics of making this parade happen every year was an enormous challenge to the HOG chapter. By the late nineties the chapter put out a call to other Ottawa bike clubs asking if one of them would like to take over the reigns, but nothing came of it as far as I know. Another problem was that cash, not toys, was what was mostly needed by the Salvation Army, and the chapter responded by introducing event fees. Although the amount of money raised for the charity went up, participation started to drop. Last year, the Eastern Ontario HOG Chapter outdid themselves by putting together a great package of entertainment for bikers which not only included a long parade, but also a BBQ, live entertainment, and bike games. I managed to capture much of the day's activities with my movie camera, and later compiled it into a commemorative DVD. Little did I know then that it would be the final parade.
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