Potpourri: A little bit of this and a little bit of that...

Are you making your summer vacation plans? Where will you be in the most coveted of all times of the year?

I have such fond memories of my family vacations in Wildwood, New Jersey. The eager packing of swimsuit, shorts, flip flops and not much else, the picnics my mother made for along the way, falling asleep on my grandmother’s lap in the car, and finally, the sea, the boardwalk, the boys. Good memories.

There are many places I want to travel to, the first on the list being a thatched roof cottage directly on the sea’s rocky shore of the smallest of the Aran Islands in Ireland. The second is Peru, which I think would be a trip of sensory explosion in view of its glacial lakes and high lush mountain regions, its unique musical sounds, and culinary delights. And I am looking forward to discovering Canada’s beautiful east coast.

However, since I am in the final round of a complete renovation of my apartment (which way exceeded my budget, of course), and as I am rather under the gun with some career ambitions, I think this year my summer vacation will be relegated to Balconville...summer in the city. Nothing wrong with that, since Montreal is a whole different animal in 30 degree centigrade weather.

Besides, I’ve got my djembe drums to haul to the Sunday tam tams...I’m gonna join the party! There is so much to do in the parameters within and around the city. Wherever you plan to be, enjoy it fully, this is premium hard earned time for everyone.

Summer also initiates an abundance of home construction and renovations. Last year, as I was driving down one of the streets of TMR, I was stopped in my tracks by a load of cement dumped in the street. It would have been negotiable had a truck not been parked right next to it. It was a long block, fully lined with contracting trucks, no driveway space to turn around, and I had just learned how to drive standard; I was not about to take the chance of driving in reverse for such a stretch.

For the record, I have been forced to do that before, more than once, having travelled down to the end of a street to find it blocked by some trucks that were loading construction materials, and in the spirit of cooperation almost landed in a deep hole in the street that was created by another work project by trying to reverse out. Being somewhat frustrated by the fact that these blockages are not unique in my experience, I rang the doorbell of the home where the work was being done and asked the workers to move their truck up five feet so I could pass.

Within a moment, a verbally abusive fellow came out of the backyard, clearly angry. I am really not sure what he wanted me to do, and while I had been courteous in my request, I was running late and sharply replied that I just needed the man to move his truck. His abuse heightened, though he did move his truck, and I prayed that my new driving skills were enough to hit the clutch with accuracy and proceed as quickly as possible.

My point? This has been a recurring issue for me...I am wondering if others have experienced the same, and also wonder how much of a responsibility homeowners have in regulating these issues. Your feedback on this would be enlightening.

My bad, readers, when I proudly thought I had a “scoop” on Starbucks moving into the TMR hood at the former Couche-Tard on Lucerne. In fact, this is what I was informed by an employee of the Couche-Tard in its final days, but driving by there the other day, I did notice a banner indicating the locale was for sale or for rent. Doesn’t sound like a corporate invasion to me. With its own parking lot, I can think of a few businesses that might thrive at that location. Mhmmmm.....

Did you all know that the Bellingham’s dry cleaner across the tracks at Canora offers a drive-thru service? This is a for certain fact, as I have been there myself and enjoy the convenience. Uh, no, you don’t get fries with that. Have a great week!