Derwin and I decided to head to Moncton yesterday to bring a thank you gift to Ryan and Jodie for putting up with us when we stay there during train shows. They are very good hosts (except for the locking us out of their house on a very rainy night incident during RailFest) and we wanted to show our appreciation. After that incident we were wondering if they really wanted us staying there at all. So we thought a little payment might be in order.
It was also very good timing because it turned out that Chuck at Don’s HO was having a customer appreciation corn boil and barbecue. Now, if you don’t know Derwin you do not stand between him and food! Once he heard there was free corn involved there was no stopping him. As soon as we got in the door he shoved me to one side on his way to the kitchen. (It was either the food or he was trying to find the Tide To Go to remove the coffee stains from his shirt and pants – both separate spillage incidents – ’nuff said).
Anyway, the place was packed. Ed was even there all the way from Yarmouth. He and Dar were out the door heading for Moncton about 5:00 that morning and arrived a little before 10:00. You just can’t beat dedicated customers!
Derwin even bought a few things just so it wouldn’t seem like he was only there for the food! I spent a fair bit more because I felt had to at least cover the cost of the food he ate.
The photo at the left shows Ian waiting on Derwin while Ed, Dave, Dave’s wife, and a few other customers listen in awe as Derwin talks about the food he ate.
Most of the time Derwin has to explain to people that everything we say about him is a lie. He says that we never tell the truth and that our stories are complete fiction. That’s what he’s trying to explain to Dave and Ed, but from the look on Ed’s face he doesn’t really believe him.
Truth be told, most of the things we say about Derwin are lies. But he leaves himself open for most of them. BTW – the bit about the coffe stains (above) is NOT a lie. I almost got into a car accident I was laughing so hard!
Most of us can relate to this picture. Chuck is installing a drop in decoder for a customer. He’s like me in that he needs a big magnifying lens on an adjustable arm! My eyes just don’t work a s well as they used to. I have no problem installing coupler springs. I rarely loose them and usually get them positioned with one try. However, I need my glasses on to find the box with the springs and get one on the end of a screwdriver. Then I have to take my glasses off to install the tiny thing.
It was a very good trip. We got to thank our wonderful hosts and got to spend time with great friends at Don’s HO. If you’ve never been there before you should. If you don’t live handy then you should visit on-line (he does mail order). Visit his web site here…
Scott