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The Editor’s Desk: Random musings

During a 920 km round trip, there’s lot of time to ponder all sorts of things.
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There ought to be a word for that moment when, on a long car trip home, the name of your community first appears on a mileage sign. Photo: Wendy Coomber.

It is 462 kilometres from our front door in Ashcroft to our son’s front door in Prince George; and I can confirm that it is also 462 kilometres to get from Prince George back to Ashcroft. I made that trip recently, and let me tell you, it gives an awful lot of time to think various thoughts and ponder various issues large and small. Here are some random observations that crossed my mind… .

There should be a word for that: By which I mean that moment when, during a long drive home over the province’s highways, you first spot the name of your town—and the mileage thereto—on a sign at the side of the highway, and want to weep tears of joy that the end of the trip is imminent (or if not imminent, then at least getting appreciably closer).

Flower power: When travelling through strange towns, it can be hard to know which establishments—restaurants, hotels, businesses—are going to be agreeable and pleasant places to patronize, and which ones are better avoided. I have decided that hanging baskets, or flower displays generally, are probably a good indicator. Think about it: hanging baskets—especially large, lush ones—are not inexpensive to purchase, and require constant upkeep in order to maintain them so that they have not turned to potpourri by the middle of July. Establishments that have copious displays of well-maintained flowers outside them are probably good ones to visit; they’re an indication someone cares.

Signs of the times: Signage can also be a reliable indication of good places to stop, especially in the case of small, family-run businesses that have had to create their own displays. Take a good look at the signs the owners have placed by the side of the road, advertising their business. Are they clean and fresh-looking, with short but clear descriptions (the kind that can be easily grasped by a driver flashing past at 100 kilometres an hour?). Or do they look as if they were originally painted while Richard Nixon was president, with any wordage long since faded by the sun and wind and practically illegible? If the former, stop and pay a visit; if the latter, perhaps give it a miss.

Give a wave: Wave to flaggers in construction zones; it’s the right thing to do. It must be a pretty thankless job, standing on a baking-hot road while vehicles zoom past you (sometimes perilously close, and far too fast) all day. As was pointed out in an article in the paper not long ago, you may be delayed for a few minutes; but you (and other drivers) will enjoy, and benefit from, the road improvements for a long time to come.

No flashing: Don’t flash your high beams at oncoming drivers to warn them of police presence in the direction they’re heading. If they’re driving with care and attention and respect for the rules of the road, they’ll be fine. If they’re not … well, they deserve to be stopped.

And on that note, I am off for two weeks, to attend the Union of BC Municipalities conference and AGM in Vancouver and just generally chill out for a bit. Two former Journal editors—Wendy Coomber and Ken Alexander—will be taking care of business while I’m gone, so you’re in good hands. Talk amongst yourselves; I’ll see you again in the October 12 issue.



editorial@accjournal.ca

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