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Collecting Ontario licence plates for 41 years
THE
BACK
BUMPER
2CENTS ARCHIVES
First started as "My 2 Cents" in 1997, I have written posts numbering into the hundreds. New posts arrive continually. Find an article by clicking the tag cloud below, or selecting a category, doing a search (see magnifying glass below on the right), or just scroll down to see the articles in chronological order.
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Valley Forge 2018: Part 2 of 3
I awoke at about 7:30. It was Thursday, the second day of the ALPCA Convention in Valley Forge. The room service breakfast——that I had...
Jul 22, 2018
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Valley Forge 2018: Part 1 of 3
The 2018 ALPCA Convention at Valley Forge was my tenth since joining the club in 1995. It was quite a different experience than the...
Jul 17, 2018
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Amigos in Acton
I always know it’s been a great #Acton trip when I spend a week recovering before I have the energy to write about what a great trip it...
May 7, 2018
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Ottawa Dine-N-Swap
A third Ontario swap meet in December? Is that what we have here? Well, it sure looks like it. Over the past few years, my collecting pal...
Dec 31, 2017
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Collectin' one plate at a time
I was waiting at the curb with my overnight bag and a small cardboard box. My skinny house stood warmly behind me, its light shining out...
Oct 30, 2017
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Acton up
My trip to #Acton this year was a little abbreviated. I always hope to rise early on the Saturday and take my time checking out junk...
May 4, 2017
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Who's Who Roast Beast Feast
For the past few years, a little informal gathering in Ottawa has been picking up steam. Originally started on a whim by Dave Grant, it...
Dec 28, 2016
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The family Grimsby
The times, they are a-changing… especially in Ontario, for a small group of close-knit people who band together every six months to...
Nov 1, 2016
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Auction in Acton
If it feels good, do it. And if it works well, do it again. That was the theme for this year’s #Acton journey. Last year, before the...
Apr 30, 2016
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The Grimsby shuffle
Raring to go. That’s how I’ve been this fall. The Jays are in the postseason, the weather has been halfway warm, and I’d been looking...
Oct 25, 2015
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Acton 2015
The winter of 2014-15, unbelievably, was even colder than the year before. It took a lot of mental energy to cope, but we’re finally...
Apr 29, 2015
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G-R-I-M-S-B-Y spells relief
I’ve got it figured out. That is: Why the fall plate meet in #Grimsby feels different from the spring meet in Acton. I was e-mailing a...
Oct 29, 2014
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Rochester 2014
THE MONDAY Five years in the making: The waiting since I attended my previous ALPCA Convention. 17 years in the making: The complete...
Jul 21, 2014
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Acton in the arena
#Acton in the spring… the trees are still bare. The snow is gone. The sun is out (usually). The air is cool. And the plates? Don’t get me...
May 6, 2014
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Long time coming
Grimsby 2013 was a long-awaited event that was a year-and-a-half in the making—for me, anyway. You may wonder: How can an annual event be...
Oct 29, 2013
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½ Acton
Spring is here—it’s a beautiful sunny day, the windows are open, birds are singing, leaves are sprouting, and I’m leaving to get my ’71...
May 7, 2013
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These magic moments
For the past couple of years, when Eric and I have gone to the Acton swap meet together, we’ve planned out a unique route and left early...
May 19, 2012
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You had to be there
I made the six-hour drive from home to the Niagara region on the last Friday in October. Not for the wine, and not for the fruit, but for...
Nov 5, 2011
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Twofer one
The annual Acton swap meet has usually been held during the third weekend in April, but for this year, its ninth, the date was changed to...
May 12, 2011
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Grim pickings
The annual Tinchaser’s license plate swap meet in Grimsby is basically the event that marks the putting of my hobby to bed for the...
Nov 2, 2010
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