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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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Barrie Bust / Country Collection
I write about the Barrie Automotive Flea Market every time I go there. But the way things are going, I might not write about it again...
Sep 16, 2022
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No Food on the Plate in Barrie
I wrote a 2Cents post two years ago that says, “The trick to enjoying the Barrie Automotive Flea Market these days is to keep one’s...
Sep 14, 2021
148 views
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Plates in a Northern Town
I grew up in the small city of Sault Ste. Marie, in northeastern Ontario. “The Sault” is actually situated further west than any city in...
Aug 26, 2021
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2020 Highlights and Outtakes
I suppose that, after three years, I’ve established an annual tradition here at The Back Bumper… a 2Cents installment for all those...
Dec 27, 2020
165 views
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Forest Junkyard
I have a recurring dream where I’ve wandered into a clearing in a forest. There’s an old shack nearby that hasn’t been touched by anyone...
Aug 27, 2020
213 views
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Dad's Plates
In the weeks after losing my father in August, I spent time around my parents’ house, supporting my mother in running errands, organizing...
Dec 15, 2019
118 views
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Lonely Roads
I lost my dad unexpectedly in August while I was on vacation to visit he and my mother in Algoma District. I've spent a lot of time since...
Oct 1, 2019
162 views
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Leavings in London / Bargains in Bothwell
I was already thinking about taking my son on a road trip, when I suddenly received a phone call from a guy named John in London. He was...
Aug 30, 2019
148 views
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Barrie, Orillia, and the Midland of Nowhere
I decided to go to the #Barrie Automotive Flea Market again this spring after a three-year hiatus. I've always gone to the fall edition...
Jun 15, 2019
128 views
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Being a Boy in Barrie
15 years ago, or so, I brought my wife to the Barrie Automotive Flea Market. She figured it was just a weekend getaway of camping and...
Sep 15, 2018
172 views
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Harvest
August is my favourite month. It’s always been so, ever since I was a boy in Algoma District. The mosquitoes and blackflies finish their...
Sep 1, 2018
402 views
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Valley Forge 2018: Part 3 of 3
One thing I learned about Philadelphia is that it’s bigger than the map makes it seem, and it takes a longer time to get to different...
Jul 27, 2018
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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
169 views
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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
207 views
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Monaghan Forest car dump
I haven’t lived in Ottawa all my life. I consider myself a transplant, although I’m shortly coming up on 20 years here, so I suppose I’m...
Jul 3, 2018
590 views
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Gifts
As an ALPCA member, I subscribe to the ALPCA discussion group, wherein there is often much discussion about the club’s workings, regional...
Apr 1, 2018
174 views
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Stir it up
I’m in that phase of parenthood where the kids come along for the ride. Trouble is, it's a long drive for many of my hobby-related trips,...
Jun 12, 2016
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Stories for the sake of telling
I’ve been to the Barrie Automotive Flea Market a couple dozen times since I discovered it in the mid-1990s. The first time I was there...
Oct 1, 2015
17 views
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Landing in Lindsay
The first weekend in May is ordinarily when I make the drive to Stirling, to attend their big flea market at the town fairgrounds. Up...
May 3, 2015
33 views
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Is it spring yet?
Ugh, I despise winter… more and more every year. This weekend marks the halfway point between the fall plate meet in Grimsby and the...
Jan 25, 2015
42 views
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