I can retire from my day job in a little over four years. I’m not quite counting the time down, but I am thinking about it more these days. Like many people who retire, I have plans. And there’s no telling how much time we get to carry out those plans. My plans are fairly specific, and I have a limited window of free time to explore them. My wife and I get along just fine, but we like a lot of different things. I’d go so far as to say that she dislikes a bunch of the things

Plate collecting can be hot and cold. I’ve had months go by without a single trade with anyone, let alone a purchase (last winter was really boring). And then, without warning, people call. I used to hear from more people regarding plates to sell when Ontplates.com operated as a YOM business, but now that I’m not paying big bucks for the search engine optimization, I don’t get as much traffic. I expected that when I closed the shop. But the brand recognition is helping, and I

Eric Vettoretti and I teamed up for the Stirling antique Market this year, which we do by default unless other family commitments get in...

This summer, I found myself driving past a lot of rusty old vehicles. You know the type: They’re sitting in fields, behind bushes, or...

Four years ago, Eric Vettoretti and I decided to try the first edition of the Bonfield Automotive Flea Market. It was a fairly remote...

August is the month when I venture northward into Algoma District, as I do every summer. I lived the first half of my life there, so we...

Sometimes, when you get the call, you have to accept the charges. Such was the case this month for Dave Steckley, Eric Vettoretti, and...

I spent a day road-tripping during the May long weekend to tie up a couple of plate-related loose ends. I originally conceived the...

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...

I’m coming up on 18 months of not having attended an in-person swap meet. The virtual swap meets are a reasonable substitute for now, but...

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...

Some years are great for collecting plates. For me, 2018 was a bonanza. But other years can be a bust. Collecting plates isn't a...

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...

Eric Vettoretti and I made some last-minute travel plans at the end of June so we could try out the new Bonfield Automotive Flea Market,...

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...

The best kind of road trip involves a proper balance of driving, nice weather, good food, laughs, and of course, finding licence plates for one’s collection. Those who don’t collect licence plates, sadly, haven’t tasted the full experience that is a road trip. #Acton weekend was upon us, and the plans were set. Eric Vettoretti and I have, over the years, earned a joint reputation of being plate hounds and going for broke. We’ll habitually put 1500 km on one of our cars, and

No two Grimsby swap meets are the same. Each journey always leaves something unique by which I remember it. There was 2009, when a...

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...

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...

The 2018 ALPCA Convention at Valley Forge was my tenth since joining the club in 1995. It was quite a different experience than the...