Date: Sun, 13 May 2007 22:21:23 -0400
Reply-To: benoit <huotb@VIDEOTRON.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: benoit <huotb@VIDEOTRON.CA>
Subject: Re: About Busfusion.... (read that you lazy American)
In-Reply-To: <011101c79579$dc1b8140$6401a8c0@TOSHIBASamC>
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That is one hell of a story! Men, you had me remember things, this show
one thing, how the northtern part of this continent take things for
granted. Bah, nothing never happen here!!! Not so now!
Here is a few image site:
http://imiuru.com/icestormdiary/imagespage.html
http://www.nhoem.state.nh.us/mitigation/fig%204-9.htm
http://www.windupradio.com/icestorm.htm
http://madhava.com/photo/icestorm98/
Wile looking for picture site, Sylvia (my girl) took her photo album
out... and show me how her house was heavily damage.... i had forget how
bad was that 3 weeks nightmare. I was in the heart of that storm, but i
had a fireplace, so i was able to stay for about a week, after that, i
had no wood left, as i saw a glass of water turn to ice in the house, i
told myself i had to leave. Again, i was lucky enough, with my old Jeep
full of fuel and with 2 spare fuel tank, i was able to make it up north,
in a second house with 2 fireplace, we went there with 20 friends and
spent the rest of that 10 days there, we had enought foods and wood.
Thanks for what you did. not as an American, but as a human being.
Men, that e-mail was just about a VW campout... i'm lost here!!
Ben
vt wrote:
> Bon Jour, Ben.
>
> I've had similar postive experiences in the Canadian provinces I've
> visited on both "edges" of your wonderful country, certainly including
> Francophile PQ.
>
> I recall the infamous Ice Storm of 1998. I was sent north to Alburg,
> Vermont to establish a primary shelter and three smaller ones in what
> we, in Vermont, call "The Islands." I believe it was the 2nd or 3rd
> early morning (1-2 AM). Most of the shelter residents had finally
> bedded down. I was holding a critique of the day completed and
> planning for how we would staff the shelters and feed the 1000 folks
> in the shelters, the several hundred who had not been brought to the
> shelter, and the hundred+ power line workers, military reservists and
> law enforcement personnel and other volunteers.
>
> At that time, we were using food stores from the local elementary
> school and home freezers which people brought to the shelters - the
> roads to the south were not passable.
>
> All of a sudden the door to the parking lot slammed open and a fellow
> who looked like a walking snow or ice man walked in, carrying his snow
> shoes. He was shivering and literally covered with ice. Our army
> reserve medic and I rushed over and caught him as he was falling to
> the floor. We carried him into our blanket-walled "infirmary" and
> removed his outer clothes ... He was speaking to us in French with a
> few english words thrown in ...
>
> After he was warmed up, fed some soup and calmed down, and we had
> identified an old-timer who spoke fluent Quebecois, we learned he was
> from a small town just south of St. Jean, and had come looking for
> help for his village. He had been unable to travel north because of
> all the downed trees and power lines that Quebec suffered, so had
> turned his snow-machine toward the border. It broke down on the way,
> and he had walked nearly 5 miles before he heard our generator and saw
> our lights....
>
> We had an ER medical doctor who was rotating via snow machine through
> our shelters dealing with the 200 or so frail elderly (many with
> significant dementia diagnoses) and young children's health issues.
>
> I rounded up a couple of emergency medical technicians who also had
> snow machines, assigned another person to take my management and
> communication's role, and we headed north following the Canadian lad's
> footprints across the border - somehow we avoided customs' officials.
> When we got to his snow machine, and filled it with petrol, he led us
> to his home. Our MD evaluated and treated several folks, I helped
> them organize a shelter in their little school, and they set up a food
> supply team to gather food from the various homes in the area to feed
> their folks. We returned to the US later that afternoon and involved
> ourselves with our needs, etc. I think it was about 10pm when one of
> the medical technicians came in from the fire house/rescue squad
> building adjacent to our shelter center to tell me he had 20 + -
> Canadians outside wondering how they could help us. They had come
> across from the area we had visited earlier that day, and had been
> organized and led by the young man who had found us the night before.
> Those wonderful farm and townsfolks gave our people a very needed
> break from the 24/7 grind of taking care of their neighbors and their
> family's needs.
>
> Here in Northern Vermont, we have a long history of both
> travel/tourist as well as economic trading with Quebec and the
> Maritime Provinces and, of course, there has always been some ethic
> bigotry demonstrated on both sides of the border. But, the truth is
> that thousands of Vermonters have family roots in Quebec and other
> provinces and vise versa ... so our relationships have usually been
> positive. In fact, some of our country's towns straddle the border,
> and fire/rescue services are actually shared ...
>
> In the community of Derby Line, Vermont there is a wonderful community
> theatre with a unique characteristic. The bathrooms in the building
> are in Canada and the theatre seats are in the U.S. The local joke is
> that one will need to carry a passport to use the bathrooms if they
> attend the theatre ...
>
> Canada is a damned fine nation and its people are extremely nice.
> Fact is, whenever I am flying to go scuba diving, I prefer flying out
> of and return to Montreal, because I find traveling with Canadians on
> Canadian aircraft to be far more pleasant than with Americans in U.S.
> aircraft. Canadians applaud their crew's skills when landing, and
> Americans are typically critical of the bumps and grinds which occur
> on most landings.
>
> Adieu, Ben.
>
> Sam Conant
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "benoit" <huotb@VIDEOTRON.CA>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Sunday, May 13, 2007 9:22 AM
> Subject: Re: About Busfusion.... (read that you lazy American)
>
>
>> That prety cool Jamie!!!!!
>>
>> As for the others who sent me private e-mail about me thinking that all
>> American are ignorant folks.... some are, as some Canadian... also, the
>> worse being the European...
>>
>> First, let me tell you that i have travel (elsewhere than North America)
>> some in my life, mostly between 20 and 35.
>>
>> As for what i think about American (US) folks, my experience is that
>> they are simply the best folks i have met in my life.... i have broke
>> down or had problems in my Westy / motorcycle roadtrip in the US and
>> Canada more than you can imagine. When youger (men, i feel old saying
>> that), i did 6 motorcycle US / Canada road trip, broke down in each one.
>> Had the nicest folks help me each and everytime... the hopitality of US
>> citizen amazed me each time. i broke down in remote and strange places,
>> sometime, almost scary... mostly in the southern states, including TX,
>> Alabama, TN, CA, AZ and many more including UT. Sadly, the rest of the
>> world seem to have a different opinion than mine. Even in my own
>> province, each day in my shop, i have to convince some folks that
>> American a great folks, men, they live 30 minutes from the US and have
>> never crossed the border. So this is also called "ignorance", at least
>> in MY book.
>>
>> I'm not even talking how Mexican folks help me when stranded in Baja....
>> yea, big bad bandidos. Even people here on this list help me! you know
>> who you are! So now some of you may understand why i put so much energy
>> on my site...in English... i'm doing my share!
>>
>> Another one in TX, yea, again, "scary" people (the one that don't
>> travel!) told me to be cautious in that state, carefull about the
>> cops... sure...
>> I lost my muffler (73 westy) on freeway... the police car in the back
>> got pieces of it... on it's windshield! Ohhh men... not good, short
>> story: i spent 1 night at the cops home, he was one of the best host i
>> have ever seen trying everything to help find a part, fix it with me,
>> and all his 10 cool body's. Sure, don't mess with Texas...
>>
>> The worse place that i broke, and no one offered help is.... in my own
>> province, sadly.
>>
>> But still! here is a few funny one:
>>
>> Crossing in the US from BC, into Oregon, speak with a cute 12yo kid,
>> tell him i'm from eastern Canada.... he reply: Where is Canada!
>>
>> On a Nova Scotia mailling list, i guy ask if we are on 220V or 110V in
>> Canada, on top, he ask what kind of fuel do we use for car???? he is
>> from NY???
>>
>> Northern California, 2 nice women have no idea where is BC, or neither
>> of any other provinces, worse, they don't know we have provinces, she is
>> convince that we have states and don't believe me.
>>
>> But don't worry, it's far from being only in the US, it's here also....
>> the worse, some European still think we lives with indian and that they
>> still live in tents.... yea, and many others scary stories like that
>> about European. Like we still don't have pavement on our road, we still
>> use horses in the old fashion way. We moslty heat oursefl with fire
>> places (kind of true).... the funny thing is that Quebec sell
>> Electricity to NY state, Ontario... (at least, it use to!)
>>
>> In Menphis, i guys tell me that he had never seen an European car/van
>> (looking at my westy) in his life, he and his friend (very nice folks)
>> are all around the van, inside looking everywhere, more than 15 peoples.
>> He now scream when i tell him the engine is in the back... he he he.
>>
>> Just Funny....
>>
>> I have so many more stories, but the conclusion is that:
>> Be nice with folks, listen to what they have to say, don't be a prick,
>> and folks will be nice to you. People are people.
>> Everything is a question of behavior!
>>
>> Cheers, Ben
>>
>>
>> Jamie Auch wrote:
>>
>>> This lazy, American Kooky Math Teacher will be there!
>>>
>>> Jamie Auch
>>> Clemmons, NC
>>>
>>>
>>>
>
>
>
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