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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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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
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 25, 2021
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
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
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 14, 2019
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...
Sep 30, 2019
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 29, 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
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...
Aug 31, 2018
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
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
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
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 2, 2018
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
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
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...
Sep 30, 2015
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 2, 2015
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 24, 2015
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