Latest / Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam / The Summer Special with Jennifer and Cam!

Transcript

The Summer Special with Jennifer and Cam! · Coffee In The Park with Jennifer and Cam

• 0:11
  Well, hello, everybody, and welcome to another edition of the ABA Coffee In The Park.
• 0:16
  My name is Cam Milliken, and I am here with my co-host extraordinaire, Jennifer Herrick, the executive director of the Acheson Business Association.
• 0:25
  Hello, Jennifer.
• 0:26
  Hello, Cam, on this.
• 0:28
  Well, it's kind of sunny, but I don't know what kind of day it is today.
• 0:32
  I know, it's hard to know.
• 0:33
  When I got up really early, it was beautifully sunny.
• 0:35
  Now it's, I don't know what that is out there, but.
• 0:38
  I don't know if it's clouds, or if it's smoke.
• 0:40
  Yeah, I don't know.
• 0:41
  But anyway, it's a summer day, and we're coming to you live from the Wall Coffee Roasters in the heart of beautiful downtown Acheson.
• 0:50
  That's right.
• 0:51
  So, hey, welcome to another edition of the ABA Coffee In The Park on this sort of sunny day, summer day.
• 0:58
  That's right.
• 0:59
  And we'd like to thank some very important people.
• 1:01
  That's right.
• 1:02
  Tell us who they are.
• 1:02
  Well, they are our gold corporate sponsors, which include the Myshak Group of companies, Genics, Parkland County, and Bow Valley Credit Union.
• 1:09
  That's right.
• 1:10
  Without them, we would not be able to do what we do.
• 1:13
  So thank you very much.
• 1:14
  We appreciate it.
• 1:15
  So Cam, we don't have a guest today.
• 1:16
  No, we don't.
• 1:17
  And because we thought we would update everyone as to how our summers are going.
• 1:23
  Because it is almost...
• 1:24
  Cam, it's almost the end of July.
• 1:26
  Do you know we are halfway to Christmas?
• 1:28
  We're halfway.
• 1:29
  Don't talk about that.
• 1:30
  I know, I know.
• 1:31
  But I was at Costco yesterday.
• 1:33
  Please don't tell me their Christmas decorations are out.
• 1:34
  No, not yet.
• 1:35
  But August, I know August they'll have trees.
• 1:37
  But you know what they have out?
• 1:38
  Halloween.
• 1:39
  Halloween.
• 1:40
  Yes.
• 1:40
  Halloween.
• 1:40
  Yes.
• 1:41
  I went over.
• 1:42
  And they have Halloween candy.
• 1:44
  And I thought to myself...
• 1:45
  Don't buy it.
• 1:46
  No, but I thought, if I buy it now, because I don't know when they make that Halloween candy.
• 1:50
  Like two years ago for this Halloween or something like that.
• 1:53
  But I thought if I buy it now, it'll be fresher than if I buy it in October.
• 1:59
  Well, only if you eat it now.
• 2:00
  If you wait to hand it out to kids, but you don't hand out candy.
• 2:03
  No, I don't.
• 2:03
  I turn the lights out and go for dinner. Hide in your basement.
• 2:06
  No, I don't hide in the basement.
• 2:07
  I go for dinner, but I would eat the candy now.
• 2:09
  But I just...
• 2:11
  Then I realize, nah, it's dumb.
• 2:12
  I'm not doing that, because it still was probably made two years ago for this Halloween.
• 2:16
  And you certainly do not get the bang for your buck anymore.
• 2:19
  Are you kidding me?
• 2:20
  Those chocolate bars are like microscopic.
• 2:22
  The little Smarties?
• 2:23
  They're like this big.
• 2:25
  Well, nobody can see that, but they're like...
• 2:26
  No, and I say Smarties.
• 2:28
  I guess Smarties are Canadian, didn't you know that?
• 2:30
  Yeah, you can't get Smarties in the United States of America. You cannot! I know.
• 2:33
  When I lived down there, I would have people send me Smarties because you couldn't get them down there.
• 2:37
  Theirs is M&M's.
• 2:38
  Yeah, I was going to say, how do we explain to our listeners what Smarties are?
• 2:41
  They're like M&M's, but they're bigger.
• 2:43
  Yeah, they melt in your hand.
• 2:46
  M&M's don't melt in your hand.
• 2:48
  Smarties melt in your hand.
• 2:49
  They're milk chocolate.
• 2:50
  They're milk chocolate with a coating like a...
• 2:52
  That's right.
• 2:52
  Like kind of like an M&M coating, but a little crunchier.
• 2:56
  Yeah, they're great.
• 2:57
  I love them.
• 2:58
  I love Smarties.
• 2:58
  Yeah, but yeah, the box is like...
• 3:01
  You used to get like 10 in a box, now you get three.
• 3:03
  Now you get three.
• 3:04
  It's like potato chips in a bag.
• 3:05
  You get those little bags of potato chips.
• 3:07
  There's like four potato chips in the bag.
• 3:09
  It's filled with air.
• 3:10
  You think, this is great.
• 3:11
  You know how I love chips.
• 3:12
  I know.
• 3:13
  And it's not even the little bags.
• 3:14
  No, it's the big bags.
• 3:15
  I know.
• 3:18
  Everything.
• 3:18
  Everything's like that these days.
• 3:20
  But it costs double the amount of money.
• 3:21
  You pay more money, you get less.
• 3:23
  Yes.
• 3:24
  Can you believe that?
• 3:24
  I saw a picture the other day of McDonald's.
• 3:27
  Cheeseburger, back in the day, a cheeseburger at McDonald's was 35 cents.
• 3:32
  Do you know how much it is today?
• 3:33
  Yes, I do know because we have a family of three.
• 3:37
  And oftentimes we are on the road.
• 3:39
  Yes.
• 3:39
  For sports.
• 3:40
  And so we'll just hit a McDonald's drive-thru.
• 3:42
  50 bucks later.
• 3:43
  50 bucks.
• 3:43
  Got to take out a mortgage.
• 3:44
  Just eat at McDonald's.
• 3:45
  Ridiculous.
• 3:46
  We may as well go to a restaurant.
• 3:47
  I know.
• 3:48
  Because fast food isn't cheap.
• 3:49
  It's not cheap anymore.
• 3:51
  And like a cheeseburger at McDonald's, I know this for a fact, because I bought one the other day.
• 3:55
  $3.39.
• 3:56
  I know.
• 3:57
  Just for a cheeseburger.
• 3:58
  And it's no bigger.
• 3:59
  It's not like...
• 4:00
  I think it's gotten smaller.
• 4:01
  I think so.
• 4:01
  I think if I had saved the $0.39 cheeseburger and compared it to the $3.39 cheeseburger, it'd probably be smaller than that one back then.
• 4:10
  It's unbelievable.
• 4:11
  It's unbelievable.
• 4:12
  We're getting ripped off.
• 4:12
  Who do we phone about this stuff?
• 4:14
  Because this is ridiculous.
• 4:15
  I don't think anybody cares.
• 4:17
  Just drives me nuts.
• 4:18
  Anyway, we digress into things.
• 4:20
  So how's your summer been?
• 4:22
  What you've been doing all summer?
• 4:24
  Well, all July.
• 4:25
  All July?
• 4:26
  Well kind of June, July?
• 4:27
  I don't know.
• 4:27
  Summer just seems to go by faster the older you get.
• 4:31
  Do you agree with that?
• 4:31
  Well, it does.
• 4:32
  I mean, when we were kids, if I remember correctly, when I was a kid, summer lasted forever.
• 4:37
  I know.
• 4:37
  Now, here we are halfway through, and it feels like it hasn't even started.
• 4:41
  School is going to start in like a month.
• 4:43
  You're right.
• 4:43
  I saw on TV the other day.
• 4:45
  Back to school?
• 4:46
  Back to school.
• 4:46
  I know.
• 4:47
  I thought, come on.
• 4:48
  That's not right.
• 4:49
  It is.
• 4:49
  It's not fair.
• 4:50
  It's not fair.
• 4:50
  But anyway, it was on there.
• 4:52
  Except for those parents that can't wait for their kids to go back to school.
• 4:56
  By the end of July, my mom always used to say, I would phone her three days after summer holidays started, and go, I'm bored.
• 5:03
  I'm bored.
• 5:03
  And she'd be like, ah, so she sent me to camp all summer, to the lake all summer, and that's where I hung out.
• 5:08
  But anyway, yeah, it's been, but you've had a busy summer so far because you have been a sports mom.
• 5:17
  Well.
• 5:17
  Tell us.
• 5:18
  The seasons don't really end.
• 5:20
  No, I know, but you have been a sports mom.
• 5:23
  This has been a summer of, tell us what you have been doing.
• 5:27
  A summer of baseball.
• 5:28
  Baseball.
• 5:28
  Yes.
• 5:29
  But not just baseball.
• 5:30
  No.
• 5:32
  You?
• 5:33
  I sadly have been voluntold, or was voluntold.
• 5:37
  Yes.
• 5:38
  I did not volunteer.
• 5:39
  Yes.
• 5:39
  As the baseball team manager.
• 5:41
  Your son's baseball team manager.
• 5:43
  You're the manager.
• 5:44
  Yes.
• 5:44
  You're the team manager.
• 5:45
  What can there be to being a team manager?
• 5:47
  Exactly.
• 5:47
  Boy, was I wrong.
• 5:48
  Well, what does a manager, I mean, yeah, I mean, but.
• 5:50
  Okay, first of all, I had no clue what I was doing.
• 5:53
  Like no clue.
• 5:56
  Most people don't.
• 5:57
  They probably just think, what does a team manager do?
• 5:59
  You just like go to the game.
• 6:01
  No, you don't.
• 6:02
  No.
• 6:02
  You have to do everything from like scheduling.
• 6:06
  Right.
• 6:06
  To letting all of your team know what's happening.
• 6:11
  Can I just say the worst thing?
• 6:13
  Yes.
• 6:13
  Please don't hate me, people.
• 6:15
  The worst thing that's ever happened to sports parents is the group team chat.
• 6:19
  The group team chat.
• 6:21
  Oh, for the good old days when there was no group chat, right?
• 6:25
  Yeah, that's great.
• 6:27
  The group team chat.
• 6:28
  And people say, okay, I didn't see it in the chat.
• 6:30
  Or I didn't see it here.
• 6:31
  What about this? It's constant.
• 6:32
  And it's just it's just pay attention people.
• 6:35
  Read the chat.
• 6:36
  Anyway, I love it because you come into the office every week with wonderful news stories of your baseball weekend.
• 6:42
  So we and you've like been stung by a bee.
• 6:45
  Well, you see the province of Alberta.
• 6:47
  Yeah, you've been all over.
• 6:48
  You know that that is a good part.
• 6:50
  You get to see all kinds of small little towns.
• 6:53
  Yeah.
• 6:53
  And larger centers.
• 6:54
  But you've been stung by a bee.
• 6:57
  You've had been attacked by garbage, attacked by garbage.
• 7:01
  You you you you had to clean bathroom.
• 7:06
  See, these are the things people don't know about being.
• 7:09
  And actually, it wasn't a bee.
• 7:10
  It was a wasp, a wasp.
• 7:12
  Worse.
• 7:12
  That's worse.
• 7:14
  I don't want to.
• 7:15
  I don't want to slag the bees because it wasn't a bee.
• 7:17
  No, I love the bees.
• 7:18
  You know, I love the bees.
• 7:19
  The bees are my friends.
• 7:21
  The wasps are evil.
• 7:23
  No, they are.
• 7:23
  I know.
• 7:24
  They're they're as a result of the fall of man.
• 7:26
  We have wasps.
• 7:27
  They're ugly.
• 7:28
  The world will end and there will be wasps.
• 7:30
  No, I agree.
• 7:31
  It'll nuclear disaster.
• 7:33
  And the only things left will be those ugly little wasps.
• 7:35
  Anyways, you got where did you get stung on your?
• 7:38
  Where did you get stung?
• 7:39
  Ankle.
• 7:39
  In your ankle?
• 7:40
  Yeah.
• 7:41
  Yeah.
• 7:41
  Yeah.
• 7:42
  The very sensitive spot on one's human anatomy.
• 7:45
  What happens?
• 7:46
  You got stung there.
• 7:47
  And garbage.
• 7:50
  Yes.
• 7:51
  So little did I know that when you host baseball.
• 7:56
  Yes.
• 7:57
  So this is a little different than what I was used to in recreational baseball because it's AA baseball.
• 8:01
  So it's competitive.
• 8:02
  Right.
• 8:04
  So you would host multiple teams on a weekend.
• 8:06
  You just don't play one game.
• 8:08
  Right.
• 8:08
  And so it's kind of like a mini tournament.
• 8:10
  That's what you play.
• 8:11
  Every weekend.
• 8:11
  Every, yeah.
• 8:12
  Or every second weekend.
• 8:13
  Yeah.
• 8:13
  Yeah.
• 8:13
  Yeah.
• 8:14
  And when you host, you're responsible for everything that weekend.
• 8:19
  Right.
• 8:20
  From taking out the garbage to cleaning the facility bathrooms.
• 8:23
  Taking out everybody's garbage or the garbage at the field.
• 8:26
  The garbage at the field.
• 8:27
  You got to get rid of that.
• 8:27
  Yes.
• 8:28
  Where you take that to?
• 8:28
  Well, there's a dumpster.
• 8:29
  Oh, okay.
• 8:30
  Yes.
• 8:30
  Okay.
• 8:30
  Yeah.
• 8:31
  But you have to do it.
• 8:32
  We have to do it.
• 8:33
  Yeah.
• 8:33
  Okay.
• 8:33
  Clean the bathrooms.
• 8:35
  See, I don't get this one.
• 8:37
  Cleaning the bathrooms.
• 8:38
  I know.
• 8:39
  I don't understand that one either.
• 8:39
  Why does the team manager have to clean the bathrooms?
• 8:42
  I agree.
• 8:44
  Where does that come from?
• 8:45
  Where do my tax dollars go?
• 8:46
  Exactly.
• 8:48
  Like seriously.
• 8:49
  Did you get paid to clean the bathrooms?
• 8:50
  No.
• 8:51
  No.
• 8:51
  Of course not.
• 8:52
  Okay.
• 8:53
  Wow.
• 8:53
  This job is more hours than my full-time job, I feel, some days.
• 8:58
  I got nothing to say about that right at this moment.
• 9:00
  But anyway, you got a wagon.
• 9:02
  I did.
• 9:03
  You got a wagon.
• 9:04
  I did.
• 9:04
  At Costco.
• 9:05
  Your team manager wagon.
• 9:07
  It's important to have a wagon.
• 9:08
  My family made fun of me.
• 9:09
  What's in your wagon?
• 9:10
  Everything's in my wagon.
• 9:11
  Well, at least tell us what's in your wagon.
• 9:14
  Well, sometimes you have to haul things from the field to like the parking lot and vice versa.
• 9:20
  But it's a long ways.
• 9:21
  Yeah.
• 9:22
  Sometimes you need to bring a table.
• 9:23
  Table.
• 9:24
  Yeah.
• 9:24
  You need to bring your chairs.
• 9:26
  Right.
• 9:26
  You need to bring your first aid kit.
• 9:29
  Got to have first aid.
• 9:30
  The coolers.
• 9:31
  Yeah.
• 9:31
  Most important, the cooler.
• 9:32
  The water for the team.
• 9:33
  That's right.
• 9:34
  Yeah.
• 9:34
  Wow.
• 9:35
  It's a lot.
• 9:35
  So you got your managerial wagon.
• 9:38
  I do.
• 9:38
  That's pretty cool.
• 9:39
  And you manage the team.
• 9:41
  I do.
• 9:41
  And this weekend.
• 9:42
  We're in Provincials.
• 9:43
  You're in the Provincials.
• 9:44
  Yes.
• 9:44
  That's incredible.
• 9:46
  That's awesome.
• 9:46
  And then it's done.
• 9:48
  Wow.
• 9:48
  You gonna do it next year?
• 9:49
  No.
• 9:50
  Never again.
• 9:51
  Well, baseball, yes, but not team manager.
• 9:54
  You're not going to be a team manager.
• 9:55
  You're just going.
• 9:56
  I'm just going.
• 9:57
  You're going to be a mom.
• 9:57
  I'm going to be the sit back parent.
• 9:59
  Right.
• 10:00
  Yeah.
• 10:00
  Yeah.
• 10:00
  Who yells at the ump.
• 10:02
  But yeah, no, you don't yell at the ump.
• 10:03
  That's good for you because that's not nice.
• 10:05
  Those poor little umps. It's not my place.
• 10:07
  They're not little umps.
• 10:07
  No.
• 10:08
  Those poor umps.
• 10:08
  Yeah.
• 10:09
  All right.
• 10:10
  So wow.
• 10:10
  Okay.
• 10:11
  And wow, that's incredible.
• 10:13
  And you?
• 10:14
  Well, you know, I mean, it's been summer, so it took a little vacation.
• 10:20
  Don't normally do that, but it took a little vacation.
• 10:22
  Yeah.
• 10:23
  And we went to Toronto.
• 10:25
  Toronto.
• 10:25
  Tell us about Toronto.
• 10:26
  Well, Toronto was kind of, you know, I'm not a big fan of these.
• 10:29
  No offense.
• 10:30
  No offense.
• 10:30
  I probably shouldn't say that because I know because people get upset.
• 10:33
  But anyway, I'm a Western boy.
• 10:36
  So anyway, but we went to Toronto.
• 10:37
  My wife's mom had her 90th birthday.
• 10:40
  And so we had a big dinner.
• 10:41
  But then my daughter and I, we took off and we went to Toronto and we toured around.
• 10:47
  And so on July 1st, Canada Day, big celebration in Canada, July 1st, we went to a Toronto Blue Jays.
• 10:54
  I love the Toronto Blue Jays.
• 10:55
  I do too.
• 10:56
  It was awesome.
• 10:57
  I love going to ballgames.
• 10:58
  The game was incredible.
• 11:00
  And when the people around us, where we were sitting, we had great seats, found out we were from Edmonton.
• 11:04
  Well, man, they treated us like we were like, like from some foreign country or something.
• 11:09
  And they were like, can we get you this?
• 11:10
  Can we do that?
• 11:11
  They were telling us what was going on next, what was going to happen.
• 11:14
  But Jennifer, let me tell you, it was one of the best Canada Day celebrations I've ever seen.
• 11:20
  Why?
• 11:21
  It was incredible, the show they put on there at the stadium. What made it so special?
• 11:24
  Well, they had this flag, this Canadian flag.
• 11:27
  I'm not kidding you.
• 11:28
  It took like 300 people to bring this flag onto the field, and then at the right moment when the music started, they unfurled across the field this massive Canadian flag.
• 11:38
  How long do you think that takes to practice?
• 11:40
  I don't know.
• 11:41
  The lady next to me, she was a running commentary for me.
• 11:45
  And she's like, okay, there's like 300 people out there, okay, on the cue, they're all going to run, okay, they're all coming out.
• 11:50
  And I'm like, thank you very much.
• 11:51
  And then it happened, and it just, it was like, and if one guy tripped, and went down, he'd be under the flag, there'd be no getting out, till the flag, anyway, then they unfro, then all of a sudden the Canadian snowbirds, that's like the Blue Angels flight team, they came flying over the stadium, that was amazing.
• 12:10
  And then we sang O Canada, and it was like, oh man, the hair on my arms was standing up.
• 12:16
  I gotta be honest, I was very proud at that moment to be a Canadian.
• 12:20
  It was pretty cool.
• 12:21
  I think we should all be proud to be Canadian.
• 12:24
  Yes, I was just saying at that moment, I was proud to be a Canadian.
• 12:29
  Well, just saying.
• 12:30
  And so it was great, it was a lot of fun.
• 12:33
  That's good.
• 12:34
  And then what did you do?
• 12:36
  Well, I'd never been to Niagara Falls, so we went to Niagara Falls.
• 12:39
  So we went to Niagara, which is a city, or a town, or I'm not really sure, one of those.
• 12:44
  It's kind of like a mini Vegas, don't you think?
• 12:46
  We park the car, and we get out, and it's like walking through Vegas.
• 12:50
  They got like Ripley's Believe It Or Not, the hairiest woman in the world.
• 12:54
  They got like all these stores, and shops, and all this kind of stuff.
• 12:58
  Flashing lights, all that kind of stuff.
• 12:59
  It's very touristy.
• 13:00
  Very touristy, very.
• 13:02
  And then you walk down the hill, you follow everybody.
• 13:04
  You're like, it's a whole crowd going down the hill towards the falls.
• 13:09
  And then you get to a point, and there they are, the falls.
• 13:13
  And you told me you weren't impressed.
• 13:15
  Well, I just, my actual comment was, that's it.
• 13:19
  And my daughter wasn't happy with that comment.
• 13:22
  But I guess because I'd heard so much about it, you built it up in your mind. I wanted to be so impressed.
• 13:28
  And I wasn't.
• 13:30
  I was underwhelmed.
• 13:32
  It was like, I thought the drop of the water was like far more, and then it wasn't.
• 13:38
  And I can see why those guys in the barrels never, they never did that because they'd crash on those rocks and die right there.
• 13:44
  But nonetheless, and so I thought, oh, but then.
• 13:46
  She told you to look over.
• 13:48
  I looked over to the to the Canadian side.
• 13:51
  So the Niagara Falls are on the US side.
• 13:54
  I looked over to the Canadian side of the falls.
• 13:56
  That's called the Horseshoe Falls.
• 13:59
  Unbelievable.
• 14:00
  Those are massive.
• 14:02
  The drop on those falls, unbelievable.
• 14:06
  And so we walked down there.
• 14:07
  It is impressive.
• 14:08
  It is absolutely impressive.
• 14:10
  I was so impressed with the Canadian side.
• 14:14
  No offense to the Americans.
• 14:16
  I love you guys.
• 14:16
  I was born on July 4th, but underwhelmed.
• 14:20
  But the Canadian side, overwhelmed.
• 14:22
  Incredible.
• 14:23
  And you went to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
• 14:25
  That's right.
• 14:26
  So we went to the...
• 14:27
  Oh, and you know what else we...
• 14:29
  Okay, so we went to the Hockey Hall of Fame, and that was fun because I love hockey.
• 14:33
  I could have spent all day there.
• 14:34
  And we walked around there and we got our picture taken with the Stanley Cup.
• 14:38
  But I'm just going to let you in on a little something here.
• 14:41
  I probably shouldn't say this.
• 14:43
  The Hall of Fame probably won't like me for this.
• 14:45
  But anyway, did you know that team that won the Cup this year down in the US.?
• 14:49
  We won't say their name because we're in Edmonton and we're Oilers fans and we lost.
• 14:53
  But they cracked the Cup.
• 14:57
  Because did you know that every player gets the Stanley Cup for one day?
• 15:01
  They travel, they can go anywhere they want, they get the Cup for a day.
• 15:04
  And one of them cracked the Cup.
• 15:07
  Anyway, so here we are at the Hockey Hall of Fame, my daughter and I, and we're standing, we waited in this long line to get your picture.
• 15:13
  Finally, you get to the Cup, you get there, you're standing there, and I look up and there's no crack in the Cup.
• 15:18
  So as we're exiting, I say to the usher lady, I say, hey, is that the real Stanley Cup?
• 15:23
  And she says, she's whispering because she doesn't want anybody, you don't want panic.
• 15:27
  She's like, it's a facsimile.
• 15:29
  And I'm like, okay, all right, okay, just so you told me.
• 15:32
  I'm not telling anybody that.
• 15:33
  I want them to think that my picture with the Cup is real.
• 15:36
  But anyway, now I told them anyway. Now you've told the world.
• 15:38
  So yeah, so anyways, so that was really fun.
• 15:40
  That was really cool.
• 15:41
  We got to do that.
• 15:42
  And that was that was a lot of fun.
• 15:43
  And you know, the other thing we did, we went to the top of the CN Tower.
• 15:47
  You did?
• 15:48
  Yeah.
• 15:49
  See, you know what?
• 15:50
  Every time we've gone to Toronto, we always debate, do we go to the top?
• 15:53
  Yeah.
• 15:53
  An you know why we don't?
• 15:54
  I don't want to wait in line.
• 15:55
  No, there was no line.
• 15:57
  Oh, that's surprising. Every time we go there's a huge line.
• 15:58
  Yeah.
• 15:59
  Well, I mean, there was a line for security.
• 16:01
  You got to go through security because anyway, I won't get into that.
• 16:04
  But it was unbelievable.
• 16:06
  It was incredible.
• 16:07
  It was amazing.
• 16:08
  It was, I mean, that's tall, that's high.
• 16:10
  It's very high.
• 16:10
  It's way up there.
• 16:11
  Yeah.
• 16:12
  It was unbelievable.
• 16:13
  Can I just say the tallest I've gone is the Calgary Tower?
• 16:16
  Well, that's pretty tall.
• 16:17
  Well, back in the day, that was tall.
• 16:19
  We used to go on summer vacations in Calgary.
• 16:21
  Yeah.
• 16:21
  To visit family.
• 16:22
  Husky Tower.
• 16:23
  Yeah.
• 16:23
  That's what it was called.
• 16:24
  And it was at that time the tallest building in Calgary.
• 16:29
  Not anymore.
• 16:29
  No, no.
• 16:30
  But back in the day.
• 16:31
  I remember seeing it.
• 16:32
  It was huge.
• 16:32
  The cool thing at the CN Tower is they have a glass floor.
• 16:36
  Oh, see.
• 16:37
  That would make me nauseous. I couldn't do it.
• 16:38
  I just, it's pretty incredible.
• 16:40
  It's pretty awesome.
• 16:41
  So yeah.
• 16:41
  So then, so, and after we left Niagara Falls, we went to, we went to an outlet mall.
• 16:47
  Yeah.
• 16:47
  Oh.
• 16:48
  Yeah.
• 16:49
  I mean, yeah, it was there.
• 16:51
  So we went and I bought a shirt at the Old Navy because I thought it was a good deal till I got back to Edmonton and went to the Old Navy at the mall and it was the same price.
• 17:01
  And you know what?
• 17:01
  By the time you paid provincial sales tax, I know, I know, it was, yeah.
• 17:05
  You'd probably be better off to buy it here.
• 17:07
  I paid more at the outlet mall than I did at the thing.
• 17:10
  I know.
• 17:11
  But we all still go.
• 17:12
  I know because it's the outlet mall.
• 17:14
  You think you're getting a deal, but I didn't get a deal.
• 17:16
  But anyway, it is what it is.
• 17:17
  So you know what?
• 17:17
  That takes me back to summertime.
• 17:21
  We used to travel to the US.
• 17:22
  Yeah.
• 17:22
  We used to go to Great Falls, Montana.
• 17:24
  Oh, that was a big deal going into the US.
• 17:26
  It was only 45 minutes to the US border.
• 17:28
  Yeah.
• 17:30
  Back then, the dollar was actually pretty decent.
• 17:32
  Sometimes it was on par.
• 17:33
  I know.
• 17:34
  Remember those years?
• 17:35
  Yeah.
• 17:36
  It was like, for people who don't understand what we're saying, there's an exchange rate of currencies.
• 17:40
  Yes, correct.
• 17:41
  And right now, the Canadian dollar is at... 73?
• 17:45
  Yeah.
• 17:45
  So it's at like 30-some percent.
• 17:48
  So for every dollar we spend in the US, we were actually spending $1.30.
• 17:53
  Right.
• 17:54
  But back then, it was on par.
• 17:56
  Yes.
• 17:57
  It was amazing.
• 17:58
  It was cool.
• 17:58
  You actually got deals.
• 18:00
  Yes.
• 18:01
  So this was before.
• 18:03
  People won't understand this.
• 18:04
  The younger generation won't understand this because all those stores in the US are in Canada now.
• 18:08
  Yeah.
• 18:09
  But back then, they weren't.
• 18:10
  There was a big deal.
• 18:11
  It was a big deal.
• 18:12
  So we used to go back to school shopping because it was really important to have outfits that nobody else got.
• 18:18
  Exactly.
• 18:19
  And so you'd look really cool.
• 18:20
  You did because they couldn't buy them in Canada.
• 18:22
  I know.
• 18:22
  And everyone was like, where did you get them?
• 18:24
  I know.
• 18:25
  But the best part of it was, now, I know they brought Payless Shoes to Canada, but it wasn't the same.
• 18:31
  It wasn't the same as the US Payless.
• 18:33
  Yeah.
• 18:33
  I don't even remember the Canadian one, but I do remember the US one for sure.
• 18:36
  So we used to go down and buy like seven pairs of shoes at one time.
• 18:40
  It was great.
• 18:42
  Great price.
• 18:42
  Great shoes.
• 18:43
  Great price.
• 18:44
  Never had them in Canada.
• 18:45
  No.
• 18:46
  No.
• 18:47
  How'd you get them across?
• 18:49
  Oh, we won't tell that story.
• 18:50
  Come on.
• 18:51
  I would.
• 18:51
  We used to put them on and walk around the parking lot.
• 18:54
  And then the border guy would look at them and go, he'd think they were worn.
• 18:57
  So we didn't have to pay duty.
• 18:58
  Well, that's true.
• 18:59
  Don't border, CSB.
• 19:00
  Don't come looking for me.
• 19:01
  That was a long time ago.
• 19:02
  That was a long time ago.
• 19:03
  Anyway.
• 19:03
  Exactly.
• 19:04
  Yep.
• 19:05
  But that was summer.
• 19:07
  I mean, that used to be great.
• 19:08
  But now you can pretty much get everything.
• 19:12
  I know.
• 19:12
  Shopping wise.
• 19:13
  I know.
• 19:14
  Up here.
• 19:14
  Or through Amazon.
• 19:16
  Or through, wherever yeah.
• 19:17
  But, you know.
• 19:17
  I mean, yeah.
• 19:18
  No, it's not the same allure as it was.
• 19:21
  Going to the States was always fun.
• 19:22
  And especially, especially, we used to go to the outlet malls in the States.
• 19:26
  And they were amazing.
• 19:27
  Super amazing deals.
• 19:28
  Unbelievable.
• 19:29
  I remember, I used to go to the polo store and buy polo shirts.
• 19:32
  I know.
• 19:32
  Because they were really cheap.
• 19:33
  Or the Converse running shoe store and get my Converse.
• 19:36
  But now outlet malls, it really isn't that big a deal.
• 19:38
  No, it's not that big deal anymore.
• 19:40
  So anyway, so yeah, and then we went to when we were, yeah, so we went to the outlet store and then we went to the St.
• 19:46
  Lawrence Market in Toronto.
• 19:47
  That was awesome.
• 19:49
  Massive market and vegetables and fruit and meats and all kinds of really cool stuff.
• 19:55
  The only sad part is we couldn't, we can't bring a lot of that home, but that was an amazing, I loved that.
• 20:01
  And they had these great little places that sold, I had this chicken parm sandwich.
• 20:06
  It was unbelievable.
• 20:08
  I loved it.
• 20:08
  It was phenomenal.
• 20:09
  It was just awesome.
• 20:10
  It was great.
• 20:11
  And yeah, we did that.
• 20:12
  And then, yeah, that was about it.
• 20:13
  We came home.
• 20:15
  So did you rent a car when you were in Toronto?
• 20:16
  We did.
• 20:16
  We entered a car, drove all around.
• 20:18
  Yep.
• 20:19
  Well, I'm just going to, well Cam, I'm just going to say this, that Toronto traffic is the worst.
• 20:23
  It is the worst.
• 20:25
  It is like, it's always rush hour, always.
• 20:27
  It's just like 24/7 rush hour.
• 20:29
  Here in Edmonton, we have rush hour, maybe for like an hour a day, sometimes maybe a little bit more.
• 20:36
  There, it's just always bumper, bumper, car to car.
• 20:39
  It's unbelievable.
• 20:40
  I hated every moment of it.
• 20:41
  Can I say there's rush hour sometimes in beautiful downtown Acheson?
• 20:43
  You know what there is.
• 20:45
  But only around four o'clock.
• 20:47
  Yeah.
• 20:47
  When the people get off work.
• 20:49
  But that lasts for like 15 minutes because everyone wants to get home.
• 20:53
  In Toronto, it's like everyone has to get home all the time.
• 20:56
  All hours of the day.
• 20:57
  It's ridiculous.
• 20:58
  I couldn't handle it.
• 20:59
  Because I don't think people can afford to live in Toronto.
• 21:00
  So they live in all the surrounding areas.
• 21:02
  The traffic is just like non-stop.
• 21:03
  Can I just say thank God for air conditioning?
• 21:06
  Because you're sitting in the car.
• 21:08
  There's no accident.
• 21:12
  There's no construction on the road.
• 21:14
  It's ridiculous.
• 21:15
  So that was the worst part of the trip.
• 21:17
  That part I didn't like very much.
• 21:19
  No, I agree.
• 21:19
  But other than that, yeah.
• 21:21
  And then we came home and spent the rest of July here in beautiful downtown Edmonton and downtown Acheson.
• 21:29
  So yeah, but yeah, that's been great.
• 21:32
  But hey, you have a great, yeah.
• 21:34
  Well, I do.
• 21:34
  Tell us.
• 21:35
  I love this story.
• 21:36
  Well, I don't know.
• 21:37
  Well, it's just cool.
• 21:38
  What happened to you?
• 21:40
  I've never experienced this before.
• 21:42
  So we go to Northern Saskatchewan for a week every summer.
• 21:46
  It's pretty remote to go fishing.
• 21:49
  Yeah.
• 21:50
  And while we were across a lake, I look across this island area and I thought, is that fog?
• 21:56
  What's happening?
• 21:56
  It was smoke.
• 21:58
  A forest fire started.
• 21:59
  Come on.
• 22:00
  Yes.
• 22:01
  You saw a forest fire.
• 22:03
  Up close.
• 22:03
  Start.
• 22:04
  Yeah.
• 22:05
  That's incredible.
• 22:07
  For people who don't like, wherever you're living, here in Canada, where we live on the prairie, provinces, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba.
• 22:14
  Especially Northern.
• 22:15
  Especially Northern.
• 22:16
  We have a lot of forest fires every year.
• 22:18
  We sure do.
• 22:18
  Like the fires rage, like a lot of forest fires.
• 22:22
  So you saw it start.
• 22:23
  We did.
• 22:24
  So there was...
• 22:25
  How did it start?
• 22:26
  Well, I don't know.
• 22:26
  There was a storm the night before.
• 22:28
  So I'm thinking probably lightning got smouldering. Lightning.
• 22:30
  Yeah, yeah.
• 22:30
  And then the wind picked up.
• 22:31
  Right.
• 22:32
  And there it was.
• 22:33
  And it grew.
• 22:34
  Like I couldn't believe it.
• 22:36
  Wow.
• 22:37
  So by the next day, you got out of...
• 22:38
  Well, you were...
• 22:40
  It was on an island.
• 22:40
  It was kind of on an island.
• 22:41
  So we weren't worried about being like evacuated or anything because they were just going to probably let it burn out on the lake.
• 22:48
  But still it was really incredible to see.
• 22:51
  And people, again, if you don't live around here, when we have forest fires, it gets very dark, smoky, very smoky.
• 22:58
  You can smell it and it's hard to breathe sometimes.
• 23:00
  It is.
• 23:01
  And to the point where sometimes they have to cancel like outdoor kids camps and stuff like that.
• 23:07
  They do for air quality.
• 23:08
  Yeah, for air quality.
• 23:09
  Yeah, so like this year we've been lucky in Alberta.
• 23:11
  Saskatchewan's getting hit much harder.
• 23:13
  And so was Manitoba.
• 23:13
  And so is Manitoba.
• 23:15
  But we're very lucky so far, but we've still got two months.
• 23:18
  I was gonna say, summer isn't over.
• 23:20
  Yeah, it isn't over yet.
• 23:21
  So anyway, we're thankful for that.
• 23:23
  But yeah, wow, wow, that's, I mean, you know what, that's just incredible stuff to see that.
• 23:28
  Like it really is something.
• 23:29
  And you know what, Cam, we're gonna throw a picture up on, you know, our social media, the Coffee In The Park, just to show the difference, because I kind of took some time-lapse pictures and the smoke.
• 23:38
  Remember, you and I read a book about forest fires and what they do.
• 23:43
  And you don't really quite understand it, but even the cloud formations, it's just so different.
• 23:48
  It's almost its own weather system.
• 23:50
  Well, it is in itself.
• 23:52
  It becomes its own weather system.
• 23:53
  And so, yeah, that's just part for the course for the Prairie Provinces, is forest fires and summer.
• 23:59
  And that's what happens.
• 24:00
  And well, today is clear.
• 24:02
  So I'm well, a little bit clear.
• 24:04
  So I'm happy about that.
• 24:05
  But yeah, it's hard to believe.
• 24:07
  Summer's almost over.
• 24:11
  There's back to school commercials on already.
• 24:12
  I know.
• 24:13
  And it's just like, come on, people, we just started.
• 24:17
  Like, how come?
• 24:17
  And you said this earlier.
• 24:19
  When we were kids, summer seemed to last forever.
• 24:22
  It did last forever.
• 24:23
  Now it doesn't.
• 24:24
  Because we're old.
• 24:25
  We're old.
• 24:25
  And now everything goes by really fast.
• 24:28
  Summer starts and it's like, is it August already?
• 24:32
  Like, it's just like, yeah.
• 24:33
  I do know a lot of parents and are like, is back to school starting yet?
• 24:36
  They're very, I know.
• 24:37
  They're very thankful.
• 24:38
  Because they're tired of their kids "i'm bored".
• 24:39
  Well, it's like my mom, my poor mom, three days after school was over, I'm phoning her going, I'm bored, I'm bored.
• 24:45
  What can I do?
• 24:45
  So she'd ship me off to the lake for the whole summer.
• 24:48
  But nonetheless, I mean, yeah, it's just like, yeah, it's crazy how fast it goes.
• 24:53
  It just every year.
• 24:54
  And so August is coming.
• 24:59
  What's in store for August?
• 25:01
  What is in store for August?
• 25:03
  You know what?
• 25:04
  Again, I think it's just going to go by so fast.
• 25:06
  And the next thing.
• 25:07
  OK, I have something to tell you.
• 25:08
  You're not going to like this.
• 25:09
  Oh, I was driving through beautiful downtown Acheson the other day.
• 25:14
  Yes.
• 25:15
  The leaves?
• 25:16
  Hey, don't say it.
• 25:18
  Don't say it.
• 25:19
  Don't say it.
• 25:20
  Some of the trees have yellow leaves.
• 25:23
  It's that.
• 25:24
  This is too early.
• 25:25
  It's too early for that.
• 25:27
  I mean, seriously, it's only it's still well, today is still July.
• 25:30
  It's still July.
• 25:31
  But yeah, man, I can't believe it.
• 25:33
  I thought you were going to tell me like you saw a dead gopher on the road or something.
• 25:36
  But let's talk about that for a minute.
• 25:38
  Gophers on the road.
• 25:40
  Acheson, it's our national, actually, in beautiful downtown Acheson.
• 25:45
  It's our national, or what do you call that?
• 25:47
  It's our animal, our national.
• 25:49
  It's on our coins.
• 25:51
  We don't have any coins, but it's on our coins.
• 25:53
  The gopher.
• 25:55
  In the spring, it's a little busier in Acheson.
• 25:58
  Summertime, lots of people go on vacation.
• 26:00
  I feel the gophers get braver.
• 26:02
  They do.
• 26:02
  It's like they know.
• 26:04
  OK, other than like rush hour, traffic is like, they just take their leisurely time crossing the road.
• 26:09
  I know.
• 26:11
  And if you've ever watched a gopher, and we watch them here in Acheson, because we see them all over the place, they stand on the edge of the road.
• 26:17
  They do.
• 26:17
  And they look both ways like 200 times, and then they run.
• 26:21
  What I don't understand is they look both way 200 times, and then a semi takes them out.
• 26:26
  But you know what?
• 26:27
  They were looking both ways, gopher.
• 26:29
  Like you've got to see the semi coming.
• 26:30
  But in the summer, they don't race across the road.
• 26:34
  The other day, one was kind of like leisurely strolling across.
• 26:37
  I know.
• 26:37
  You brave soul.
• 26:38
  I know.
• 26:39
  I think you're right.
• 26:40
  They get complacent.
• 26:41
  They get gopher complacent.
• 26:43
  They do.
• 26:43
  So anyway, they're nice little, we see them all around and they're nice to look at.
• 26:48
  And like I say, they're our national, the downtown, beautiful downtown Acheson national animal.
• 26:53
  We should get t-shirts with it.
• 26:54
  Actually, that's not a bad idea.
• 26:56
  We should get t-shirts with a gopher on it.
• 26:58
  That would be really funny actually.
• 27:00
  Anyway, we should do that.
• 27:01
  There's something.
• 27:02
  There's something, but yeah.
• 27:04
  So that's been our summer, folks, so far.
• 27:07
  That's what it is, just a little bit of update if you're wondering what we've been up to.
• 27:11
  That's what we've been up to.
• 27:13
  And thanks for listening to our podcast every week.
• 27:16
  We've got all, we still got podcasts coming all of August.
• 27:19
  We do.
• 27:20
  So don't, you know, don't, we're not, they're coming.
• 27:23
  So like, don't not tune us out.
• 27:26
  We want you to listen.
• 27:27
  And it's exciting.
• 27:28
  I'm really excited about it.
• 27:30
  So thanks everybody for listening.
• 27:32
  Really appreciate it and tell your friends, tell your neighbors, tell the people you work with.
• 27:38
  If you don't have any friends, make one so you can tell them about the podcast.
• 27:41
  Tell your enemies.
• 27:43
  And wherever you get your podcasts or at...
• 27:47
  www.achesonbusiness.com That's right.
• 27:49
  So thanks everybody for listening and we'll catch you next week.
• 27:53
  Thanks everyone.