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Formerly the BACK BUMPER
Collecting Ontario licence plates for 41 years
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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The Movie Man and His Plates
I never thought I’d see the day when I’d make the trip all the way to Barrie, but then skip out. The Barrie Automotive Flea Market was a...
Sep 14, 2024
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 15, 2022
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 13, 2021
Downfall Barrie
I hate to say it, but the trick to enjoying the Barrie Automotive Flea Market these days is to keep one’s expectations low. If I make the...
Sep 11, 2019
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
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
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 10, 2017
More flea, less auto in Barrie
My present weekend-after-Labour-Day ritual is to escape my city life—by driving for a few hours through the wilderness, so I can camp for...
Sep 12, 2016
Field of dreams
For the first time, I’m writing a My 2 Cents article about a plate-collecting journey before it actually happens. That’s because changes...
Jun 11, 2015
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 8, 2014
Opeongo-Monck travelogue
I’ve managed a quick escape to the September 2013 edition of the #Barrie Automotive Flea market. The weather hasn’t been cooperating over...
Sep 11, 2013
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 16, 2013
Let it rain, rain, rain
Friday evening: Rain beginning overnight. Risk of thunderstorms. Amount 15-25 mm. Saturday: Rain ending in early evening. That ain’t what...
Sep 15, 2012
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
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 16, 2011
Mileage may vary in Barrie
After passing on the Barrie Automotive Flea Market this past June, I cleared my calendar enough to guarantee myself a trip to the...
Oct 2, 2010
Gettin' my fill in Orillia
I packed light for the Barrie auto market this year—maybe a little too light. I have begun abbreviating my return trip there into a...
Sep 20, 2009
More than I can carry in Barrie
I stole some time away this spring to make the trip to the Barrie auto flea market. It was sort of an express trip this time—I did...
Jun 15, 2008
Ten Years After / Barrie Fall 2007
Do you know what today is? My birthday? No. Your birthday? Probably not. Some obscure license plate anniversary? Well, maybe that’s...
Sep 17, 2007
Barrie Market, Spring '05
I managed to get away to the spring edition of #Barrie this year. I love going there, partly due to its hit-or-miss nature. Sometimes you...
Jun 23, 2005
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