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Collecting Ontario licence plates for 40 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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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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Not quite what the doctor ordered
It’s the first Friday after Labour Day. I’m tired. It’s been a frenetic week at work, but I’m finished there for the day, and I’ve...
Sep 11, 2017
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It never rains, but it pours
It was four years ago that the AACA moved their automotive flea market away from the town of #Stirling and into the city of #Lindsay, an...
May 9, 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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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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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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Daddy - daughter - Barrie
My kids are front and centre when it comes to most aspects of my life. They both take swimming lessons, one has soccer in the summer, and...
Jun 9, 2014
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A Gran Torino day out
Last year, my trip to #Stirling worked surprisingly well—the weather was good, I found a bunch of plates, I brought my kids and they had...
May 29, 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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Merrickville 2013
It was going to be a hot one. I set my alarm for 5 am and hopped into my pre-packed car at about 5:45. The temperature hadn’t quite...
Jul 19, 2013
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Overcharged in Oro
I’d been spending the spring being a good husband and father, in order to earn enough brownie points to go to the #Barrie Automotive Flea...
Jun 17, 2013
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Seller 57, where are you?
Yes, I went to the Barrie Automotive Flea Market once again this spring, held at the one-and-only Burl’s Creek Family Event Park. And, in...
Jun 16, 2012
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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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Summer's last gasp
It’s hard to describe the feeling I get about going to the fall Barrie Automotive Flea Market. It’s summer’s final offering, somewhat...
Sep 17, 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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Destination super
October is a wonderful month because it brings three important occasions—Thanksgiving, Halloween, and the annual Tinchasers’ Plate Meet....
Oct 29, 2009
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Old antiques a man alone can entertain
I was stoked, stoked, stoked to go to Acton this year. I had about the busiest winter of plate collecting ever, having bought three big...
Apr 26, 2009
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Crap we like
Eric and I rolled into the Acton Arena parking lot early this year… possibly too early, given that it was 7:15. We wanted to have our...
Apr 25, 2008
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