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_This request was a simple one and is a direct result of the grisly tragedy that took place last fall. It was also very evident that these young people were not only concerned about themselves, but they were concerned about the entire community. How refreshing. These young people and (their teacher} Ms. Kartechner are to be commended. On June 27, 2005, council made their decision â€" NO LIGHT. They are, however, going to make the Back on April 11, 2005, Waterloo council heard from a delegation of some 25 young people from Sandowne school requesting that our council install a singular, timeâ€" regulated light in Sandowne Park. Further, to reinforce their posiâ€" tion, they even had a plan of action to raise the monies for the installaâ€" tion of this light. City survey results are questionable 2005 Say, 1 always keep the empty seed packages They‘re nifty for keeping the whole crop. ith the Lenten bashâ€"andâ€"skid season salely Wh('hlmi us, it now appears we‘re headed for the summer whoopee season. Seriously, the old Oatsmobile will be cranked up a good campaign this summer. You can expect i II get a couple of dozen miles to the gallon. More or less. ° _ My lawn is perfect. Each blade of grass is three feet high. â€" â€"â€"â€"â€"_â€" = _ Anyhow, we‘re getting a new MD. The old one was becoming emotionally involved with his patient. â€" â€" o _ That‘s not as bad as anolller would be tree speâ€" cialist I heard about. He fainted at the sight of sap. Td like to have a fling at that other spring outlet gardening. Gosh, 1 can‘t get anything to grow. I planted peas and tomatoes. and paid 30 cents a can dor them tin also pnxed in growing house plants [ bought a hanging fern and it died I don‘t exactly have a green thumb. 1 once killed a flagpole. Last month 1 planted a rovk garden _ two of them were dead in the morning. You know, my potate crop tumed out great. Some are as big as kads‘ marbles, some are as big as peas, and some are even smaller But I think I‘m overfeeding my hawn. 1 Wive the only fat grass on the block. Ah yes, when a man is described as hay ing a green thumb, it doesn‘t necessarily mean that he‘s a great gardener. 1t could also me. he‘s a lousy painter. 5 Something a bit weird happened with my lawn. i planted some weeds and the grass took over. We called in a tree doctor, but he fell out of his patient. s 8 So many things can go wrong with your gas powered vehicle that vou‘re lucky to hauling a tow mpe. May. of course, is the time you realize your fall bulbs aren‘t going to come up. wish to address a couple of points made at the Waterloo city council meeting on June 27, The term ‘dirt cheap‘ is a big fib If one is going to do a survey of a COMMUNITY PARK, then should one not survey the ENTIRE COMâ€" MUNITY and not just those homes within a 150â€"metre radius? What about those homes abutting Sandowne school, or even Eiwo The city is also going to rely on more input from the residents of Lincoin Village. Those who opposed the light can now claim a hollow victory. a victory based on a extremely poor sampling of a handâ€"detivered survey to 98 homes within 150 metres of the park. It should be noted that only 41.8 per cent of those surveyed responded. â€" Question â€" why didn‘t the city consider Sandowne‘s survey â€" 59 surveyed and 59 responses. Isn‘t a 100 per cent return better than 41.8 per cent? I won‘t even mention that Sandowne‘s survey involved a broader section of the Lincoln Vilâ€" lage community than those homes within 150 metres. entrance to the park more visible by redesigning the entrance visâ€"aâ€" vie relocate trees, trim bushes etc. What about the demographics of the city‘s survey? When asked as to how many of those homes surâ€" veyed had schoolâ€"age children, the city‘s response was "we have no idea." an SANDY BAIRD COMMENT [ don‘t understand why crab grass is so crabby? It‘s always winming . But when everything else is per fect the Tawn is trimnmed, mani cured and velvety green. and the garden is ablaze with colour _ you $ know what happens then _ you all NDY pack up and go away to the coftage AIRD never to see it again until Labour Day! Now it‘s summertime. The blood and sweat is over and all you‘ve got left is tears when you see the size of the water bill. And now a longish one to settle this score: Whenever we start a vacation, it‘s the same thing. We get up at six in the morning to get an early start. First we eat breakfast, then we pack, then we notify the neighbours and police department. Then we stop the milk and newspaper deliveries. We arrange for a neighbour to mow the law and water the garden before the family says goodâ€"bye to friends. Then we set the lights to go on automatically. We activate the alarm after locking all the doors and windows. t If you‘ll pardon. I have more words to utter about lawns: Anyone who uses the expression "dirt cheap" has never gone out and bought topsoil. You know. homeownets are people who invest hundreds of follars in mulch, nutrients and fertiliz et. and then get angry that you have to cut the grass. It‘s called pay as you mow. Uve seen stretches of nmeâ€"dwvâ€" 12 lawins that could have been carpeted tor less. And if you don‘t have an cight cylinder power mower, don‘t show up at the next neighbourhood meeting. Yow‘ll he close to death fi] with all the prodding you get. And after all this is finalty done, you know what 1 do? I go back to bed because I hate driving at night. RONICL] 1 just got a power mower, and I bave only one question. Are toes good for mulch? i I‘ve had so Jitte grass come up tately that I m even grateiul for crab prass. To make matiers even worse; when I spoke with Coun. (Mark} Whaley after the April 11 meeting. he indicated that had the request gone to a vote that evening, the stuâ€" dents‘ request for a light in would have been defeated. However, by deferring a decision to the end of June, this would give the city‘a chance to review the situation. Some review. Tainted survey, more weight given to homes backing onto the park than the entire comâ€" munity. The demographics of the area survey not considered, areas of heavyâ€"child population not conâ€" sidered, etc. On the positive side, these young people have learned a great lesson in civics. Court where there may be a higher concentration of children who might use the park. Are they not a part of the Lincoin Village commuâ€" nity? What makes the survey even more interesting is 14 of the responses came from those homes which abut the park. Of course, they were opposed to having a light in their backyard right from the start. Sounds very much like NIMBY to me. Ron Ross Waterloo If you ever get the chance it is definitely worth the drive to Tofino, B.C. I suggest you fly to Vancouver and take the ferry from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, j which leaves about a halfâ€"hour drive . f@@iie® ons to Victoria. NHCO CRA If we were to return anytime soon we would plan to spend more than a couple of days in Victoria, but we were anxious to get to Tofino. Driving North West from Victoria to e i P3 Nanaimo then on to Port Alberini ' Pbatey | gives you a sense of the beauty of Vanâ€" \ couver Island. Pastoral fields, affluent e looking farms and steep countryside. SEAN From Port Alberini to Tofino is a driv? STRICKLAND that is absolutely magnificent and slightly hairâ€"raising, at times requiring two hands on the wheel. 1 quickly discovered that when a road side sign is lashing 20 km/h as the maximum speed for a cor ner. . well they mean it. This is absolutely by far the most beau tiul Canadian drive | have experienced Well, another Canada Day has come and gone but I figure it is never 100 late to celebrate all that is great about this country. ; Over the past two years fhave had the good fortune of travâ€" elling our great land from coast to coast and I thought it might be interesting to share some of the "best drives" I have had the pleasure of experiencing. _Of course combining flying with driving is always a great option, but if given the choice and if ! have the time I will take the drive. Maybe it is the fond memories of childhood car trips with my siblings and I standing on our heads in the backseat of the car, or the funny memories of travelling that can only be expeâ€" rienced from inside a car. Tofino, B.C. Montreal to Quebec City to Fundy National Park, N.B. The drive from Waterioo Region to Montreal is pretty straight forward. Driving through Montreal is another story. t think they should have a special stop for Ontarie motorists on the other side of Montreal where you can pull over and they give you a survival badge or some other mark of distinetion for making it through. From Montreal to Quebec GCity, the landscape changes quickly as the Laurentians come into play, and driving over the bridges into Quebec City is magnificent. Iravelhng up the east side is pretty fun, and my goodness the roads sure have improved in New Brunswick. The highways are in great shape; and if you get the chance. make stop at Fundy National Park on the Bay of Ffindy. The tidal Aluctuation of the Bay of Fundy is the highest in the world, and checking out the tides is great fun. The temperature drop is almost startling at the top of the mountain it can be 15 degrees warmer than at the bottom. One day we were in short sleeves and shorts and, as we drove into town, the fog had rolled in with the tide and Wwindbreakers and sweaters were quickly required. Amazing. Ever since 1 have been able to drive 1 have liked to take my motorcycle and/or car out for a spin through Waterloo Region. 1 never really know where I am going or where 1 will end up, but I generally point my vehicle west and go for a drive. No air conditioning required. The smell of the countryside, the comâ€" merce and the activity of country life less than 10 minutes from my home is one of the greatest assets of living in Waterloo. â€" I don‘t k:l'lO\.N what it is but somehow I prefer driving over flyâ€" ing. 2 â€" Summer is great for taking a drive and if you get a chance here are a couple of good ones. Victoria is a great city with magnifiâ€" cent sunsets and a very British manâ€" ner. â€" L have never gone up the west coast of the St. Lawrence fexcept by mistake when we were kids and my dad took a wrong turn in. you guessed it, Montreal) but I know many peoâ€" ple prefer the west side and then taking a ferry over to the east side of the river. The only time | ever woke up to a moose baying was in this national park. Iven though the moose was kilometres away, the family and I thought he was just outside our tent. Local countryside also a swell drive Eâ€"mail your questions/comments to sean@seanstrickâ€" Summer drives are a Canadian way of life