A Surprise in Port Dover

I was visiting in Port Dover, where I had never been before, and which struck me as a rather sleepy little town, mainly populated by grey-haired retirees. It has a few gems--a pretty good restaurant and a community theatre better than one had any right to expect, for example. There's a boating community and a conservation area nearby, and a few of the usual tourist places. Not a place where one would expect a lot of excitement.

However, last Thursday night, I became aware of a growing roar of engines. Motorcycles started arriving in town, a few at a time, then a lot, then hoards. The picture was taken on the main street just before noon on Friday. Friday, the 13th of June. I don't know if these gulls were just waiting to take in the show. :) I didn't know there were that many bikes in the world. And why are they here? There's a tradition, I discovered, of bikers gathering in Port Dover every time there is a Friday the 13th. Why Port Dover? I haven't had a good explanation of the reason for this. It's just something that happens. Apparently, a few guys got together and decided.

I imagine that should a Friday the 13th occur in January, fewer enthusiasts would arrive, but at this particular event, the CBC estimated 25000 bikes, a world record for the most motorcycles coming to one event. I was impressed.

The Garden

The garden is coming along, except for the raids by varmints. One morning there was lettuce, looking good and about ready for the first harvest. A few hours later it had been chewed to the ground. It's coming up again, but one has to wonder if she's ever going to get any. We put up a motion sensor controlled sprinkler that was advertised to keep away anything that moved. It's pretty good at getting the neighbour mowing his lawn, but the garden raiding critters seem to have found ways to get around it. Mesh over the rows seems to work somewhat, but when the plants get big enough that we have to take it away, boom, varmints are there immediately. I guess a fence will be the next thing to try. All of which makes it difficult for us to get into the garden ourselves. But there must be a way to do this. People do grow gardens.