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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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Lights-out in Lindsay (and everywhere else)
A mere five days after arriving home from our sojourn to Acton, Eric and I were at it again, although with a more mercenary mission, this...
Jun 6, 2018
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 6, 2018
'16T, $16k
I used to be proud of the way I could keep my ear to the ground and sniff plates out of small-town Ontario. For a long time, I’ve...
Feb 11, 2018
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 29, 2017
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
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 8, 2017
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
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
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 24, 2015
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
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
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 28, 2014
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 5, 2014
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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