Archive March-April 2005

I Am Back! Saturday April 30, 2005
I took a little break last week and just got back. I have caught up on my e-mail. I will have some pictures of where we went. We actually had great weather last week because I was determined to go as far south as I could to get good weather. Stay tuned for pictures and more of the vacation story..

Weekly Wrap Up Saturday April 23, 2005
I probably won't be able to update my web page for a week but I will try to access my e-mail but here's some things you can do this week without me.

  • To keep you busy, check out the first link on my favourites page (Google Maps). It's been a hot topic this week in the comic strip Foxtrot . You can spend a lot of time looking at stuff from these maps. It's only in Beta trial because not all satellite pictures are there but Two Mountains is clear as ever. This site will eventually kill Mapquest and the others because the directions feature whoops ass and there is only one field to fill in so it's super easy to use.

  • You can also register for the LTM reunion golf tournament on Friday May 20. Here are some confirmed entrants: George and Joan Shapcott, Jim Walter, Brian "Scotty" Kirby just to name a few. The field is limited to 64 golfers so register now. Here is the link.

  • Speaking of "Scotty", Brett Quigley held the lead after two rounds at the Shell Houston Open. With a 73 on moving day, he is still only 2 strokes from the lead. Wishing Brett and Scott (Martin) his caddy all the best for tomorrow's round. Tune in on CBS and you should get a glimpse of Scott.

  • They extended the LTM reunion ticket deadline to April 29th, so you can still get your money order and send it.

  • The other good thing about not being able to update my pages this week is I don't have to post another disappointing Monday weigh in.

  • Another thing you can do this week is FILE YOUR INCOME TAX. They extended the deadline to Monday May 2nd so I can do mine on Sunday May 1st. Hopefully, it will rain because if it's nice out, I will be out trying to play my first golf game of the year. Then I will be scrambling on Monday night.

  • If you haven't tried out Google Maps yet, here is a good starting point and if you want to know how far it is from the Tartan to the Legion click here.

Chapeau Retains Title Sunday April 17, 2005
The Chapeau Boys held on to their championship title by sweeping their three games. The Boston Boys were in second place after their first ever win against the LTHC who managed to win just one game against Two Mountains. Every game was close and 3 of the 6 games were come from behind victories. It was a goalies' tournament as three of the team MVP's were goaltenders. The after games party was the usual success as the band Jetblack rocked us from 7 to past midnight. Next year's 10th anniversary tournament is already lined up for April 8th. Click here or the LTHC Hockey link on the right for pictures and results.  

Laval Teachers Host Their 9th Annual Tournament
Next Saturday April 16, teams from Boston and Chapeau will travel from afar to participate in the gruelling 3 game marathon of hockey known as the LTHC Invitational. There will also be a team from the Two Mountains as well as the LTHC. Last year's winners (Chapeau) will try to capture their 5th championship while Boston, hot off a North American Cup win, is bringing up quite a team to try to win it for the first time. The action starts at 9:00am at Patinoire Deux-Montagnes. Check out the LTHC Hockey link for the full schedule and next Sunday for pictures and results.

The Official Golf Season Starts Tomorrow Saturday April 9, 2005
Although there are no golf courses open in the area, Masters Sunday tradition of the driving range before settling down to watch the (hopefully) final round of the Masters will continue. The weather should co-operate here at least with a high of 10º. See you at noon at the U.F.O. If not UFO.

WDNL Finals Today Saturday April 9, 2005
Check out the WNDL link as the Wednesday Night Dart League turns into the Saturday Afternoon Darts for one day a year. The race for the final four is heating up as there are a possible 8 points left in the preliminary round robin. Mathematically, no one is out it although two teams looked destined for the consolation round. Check out the link Sunday for some pictures of the action and the winners.

LTHC Closes Out the Season with Cabanasook Saturday April 9, 2005
A week before the year-end tournament, the Friday night league had their annual year end party. This time the Mondou Sugar Shack in St-Placide was the victim. Although there was not one item food tossed (a new record for the LTHC), we managed to clear the place with our traditional horse race. This was a preliminary run to next week's big race during the evening tournament banquet where the prize reaches a considerable amount. The last regular game of season saw the red team go ahead 3-0 and then 6-2 but the white team persevered and came back to tie the game 6-6. It was an appropriate end to the year. A year when no lead has ever been insurmountable. Next week's tournament promises to be a good one as the North American Cup Champions (Boston) will try to make it a double whammy by trying to capture their first ever tournament title, in this the ninth edition.


  The 8 finalist (horses) in the Cabanasook Sweepstakes. Inset are the three winners: Kathleen, Irene and Lynn 

 

Boston Captures North American Cup For First Time in 30 years Monday April 4, 2005
The Boston All-stars have finally won the Cup with a 6-5 victory over the LTHC. The Americans had never won this game under the reign of Pope John Paul II. The best they had done were ties in 1982 and 2001. The miracle on ice, as it was referred to by many, was a weird game that saw Boston get a quick 3-0 lead and lose that lead in about 4 minutes in the second period. Boston scored with 4 seconds left in the second period to take the lead at 4-3. They followed that with two more goals to make the game look like it was out of reach. Losing 6-3 with less than 3 minutes, LTHC then had to score to get the clock to stop in for the last 2 minutes. They scored with 2:01 left in order to activate the stop time. They scored again with one minute left to make the score 6-5. Then, Glen Morris (who was borrowed from Canada) came up with 2 game winning saves first stopping an Al Macnab shot with the butt of his stick and then stopping Doug Dixon on a breakaway with 11 seconds left. For the first time since 1975, the cup remains in Boston.
Other than the loss and the worst weather we have ever had in Boston, the weekend was great. We had a surprise guest join us this year. Brian Adam of Chapeau surprised us all by showing up at the bus on Friday morning. He provided some great entertainment as he joined the Bagboys for a great rendition of the Logger's Song. Another happening was the surprise appearance of Tom Edge at the Tam on Friday night. Tom joined us for two days of banter but almost missed his plane on Sunday morning because the spring forward of the clocks. Check out the LTHC Hockey link for more pictures or here.

LTMHS Reunion Golf Tournament Friday March 24, 2005
Start the 2005 Red & White reunion on the green. The venue has been picked, so why not start the festivities on May 20th with a friendly round of golf. The Oka Golf Course will be welcoming up to 64 golfers and you'll be finished in plenty of time for the evening wine & cheese. Click here to register or go to the LTMHS link at the top.

Scott Points Brett Quigley to Leaderboard at TPC Friday March 24, 2005
Scott Martin, or should I say Brett Quigley is currently tied for 8th at the TPC (The Players Championship) which is often referred to as the fifth major. There is currently (Friday morning) a weather delay but hopefully play will resume shortly. Click on Scott's picture from this year's Doral Championship to get to the Scotty Tracker where you can keep up with Scotty's adventures as a caddy on the PGA tour. Good luck Brett.

 

31st Annual Boston Trip NOW IN FULL SWING Stay tuned Tuesday for pictures

The Laval Teachers Hockey Club is all set and ready for it 31st trip to Boston in search of it's 28th capture of the North American Cup. We are back to the 3 day format with 2 nights in Boston. We are leaving on an appropriate day, Friday, April Fool's, and coming back on Sunday evening. Above is last year's contingent that brought the cup back once again. Click on the LTHC link for more info. There is still room on the bus for some spectators but there's no more room at the inn.

St Patrick's Day at Mike and Emma's Saturday March 19, 2005
The torch was passed and the 26th annual St Paddy's celebration was a success on all counts. Although it was nippy, the weather cooperated along the new parade route. The pictures are finally here.

2MO Nostalgia Quiz Saturday March 19,2005
 I will be running some visual quizzes using some old pictures that some people have given me to scan. This first one is a picture of a softball team at May's field from 1958. For you youngsters, May's field was the Olympia Park of the 50's and is now the IGA. The button on top will get you to the quiz

Eight Storey Condo's in Two Mountains? Monday March 14, 2005.
That's the plan. Tonight, I attended the first meeting where they presented the rezoning proposal for this area. I don't have time to elaborate but I will give you my views of the project and what it means to everyone. I will try to get some map to show you the proposed rezoning. Click here for info on the project and my views.

The Torch is Passed After 25 Years
 After 25 years, the real St-Paddy's celebration is moving on. Mike Fitzmorris has inherited the privilege of hosting the Saint-Patrick's day celebration. For 25 years, Ron and Joan had welcomed everyone to celebrate the Irish feast on the day it is supposed to be celebrated. This March 17th, Mike and Emma will be hosting the 26th annual Saint-Patrick's day happening. We are not sure of the parade route yet but the festivities will start at the usual time, which is the top of the morning. That means early. Click here for directions. There is limited parking space, so drive the smaller car that day.
The Tartan Pub will be whipping up a great Irish stew for its Thursday offering. It will be served at the usual 5:30 to 7:00 and will give us a reason to finally leave Mike and Emma's after what should be an interesting first attempt at hosting this event.

The Monday Weigh-In Results Are In. Click on the scale for this week's progress

A Grand Day at the Saint-Patrick's Day Parade

The weather cooperated on Sunday for another great day of walking in the parade for the Two Mountains Irish Society. Somehow, a few party animals from the night before (including me) made it to the parade on what could only be called a splendid day. It was one of the fastest parades in recent memory. Although there were just as many people and floats as ever, the pace was unusually fast. We walked to the end in record time
Click on the picture above for a slide show.

 

Guess Who Just Turned 25 Sunday March 13, 2005
The guy on the left turned 25 on March 11th. The celebration started on Thursday the 10th and ended in the early hours of March 11th. Because of that, the actual birthday was pretty quiet....until the real party. A surprise birthday party was held on Saturday March 12. Mike Fitzmorris, who turned 30 on Valentine's day, managed to get the birthday boy to the Tartan Pub without him suspecting anything. As usual, the party continued until closing time (and maybe beyond). If you haven't guessed who the party boy is, click on his picture. I am off to the parade, I should have some interesting news and the map to Mike and Emma's house posted tonight.

Do I Like You? If You Think I Do Click here then click the red button (If I don't like you and you know who you are, don't click)

Happy Belated 50th Birthday, JB. (John Bartholomew) (March 5, 1955)
 Yesterday was JB's 50th birthday. I can't really post birthday wishes on my website because people who are having surprise birthday parties would suspect something. One thing for sure, 50 seems to be a popular age these days. There are way too many people turning 50. Maybe we should have one party every three months for everyone turning 50. I get to wait another 14 months before it happens to me.

Just Came Back from the Worst Musical Ever Put On at PDA Tuesday March 1, 2005
 As part of a 4 musical subscription to Place des Arts, the opening play of the series called Contact was terrible. It was the worst thing I have ever seen. It rivalled the shows put on by the staff at a Mexican All-Inclusive Resort. Check Wednesday's Gazette for a review. It should be a a good one unless it was so bad that the Gazette won't print it. This musical supposedly received two Tony awards in 2000. I find that hard to believe. Maybe it was Tony from the restaurant that awarded them. The place was half full which was very good for the half that didn't show up. btw. I promise some Two Mountains news soon.

More Mandarin Pictures by Brian Spence
Take a look at these pictures of the St Eustache Mandarin duck before it gets served up at Ben Wah's. Click here.

Lots of Development on The LTMHS Reunion Front Click the LTM Crest Above.

Happy 18th Birthday Patrick Scully - February 26
 Hurley's Hurdle sets back my Valentine's resolution. My nephew, Patrick chose to enter into the legal drinking circuit by celebrating his birthday at Hurley's Irish Pub owned by our friend Bill Hurley. The band, Salty Dog, was in fine form and a good time was had by all. Patrick had never tasted Guinness stout before that evening and he said it wasn't as bad everybody had told him it was. I guess he had the urge after  seeing his uncle down a few himself. The only thing that lost weight that night was my wallet. We had planned to take the last train back at 12:30 but we never made it and continued our merry way until the band stopped. It was a great evening even if it put a dent in week two of my weight loss program that you can look at by pressing the scale at the top left.

Bird Quiz - Normally, in many bird species, the male bird is more colorful to attract mates. Seagull however are harder to tell apart because their plumage is very similar. If you have a keen eye you should be able to tell the difference. Take the test here.

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