Gracies call fall 2013

[RHClarke]

Pick a date and the majority shall rule.

We have the 23rd, 24th and 25th of October as proposed dates for the next Ottawa Gracies Call. This will be a special event to honour the memory of our recently passed friend and colleague, Alex Blair.

Depending upon the turnout, I will extend an invitation to the Blair family to join us to swap stories and remember the man who had such a lasting and profound impact on our hobby. We will also (without doubt) recall others of our ilk who have recently passed away. I intend to hoist at least one Guinness to their memory.

Again, the venue will be the east end Gracies on Olgilvie Road, in Ottawa where there is always plenty of eye candy, brews and stories. If you are in the Ottawa area, pop by and meet the gang. You will either love us or think we are insane - in any case, you will be welcomed as one of us!

So pick a date and reply here with your choice.

[servicepub (RIP)]

Either 23 or 24 work best for me.
Clive

[maple_leaf_eh]

Neither day works very well, but the 24th (Thurs) is the better of the two.

[RHClarke]

Decision made - some will be happy others not. The happy folks are asked to join us at 5 PM this Thursday at Grace O'Malley's at 1151 Olgilvie Road in Ottawa's East end. Spread the word please.

For those having difficulty with decision making, I attached a diagram that may help you. It is based on life experience...
R

[RHClarke]

There was a fair crowd that showed up at Gracies tonight. Under the watchful eye of our waitress this evening, the lovely Ellen, John Granger, Stewart Fedak, Grant Bowker, Clive Law, Terry Warner, Mike Calnan and I hosted Dorothy Blair and her daughter Catherine for an interesting evening of hobby related talk. The ladies brought along a packet of Alex's Weapons of War booklets (published by our own Clive Law at Service Publications), and some CC T shirts, which were donated as swag at the next military vehicle BBQ or CMP/SMP event held in the Ottawa area.

Over dinner, we had a pleasant chat about Alex and his dealings with our gang of rusty old truckers. After that, we toasted his memory and engaged in some very interesting conversations about potential changes in our little part of the world. The Blairs then took their leave and we all thanked them for sharing some time and interesting tidbits about Alex with us. We are looking forward to seeing some more pictures of Alex in his earlier years on this forum.

Eventually, folks became aware that a certain person was missing from the table. After a few emails, it was learned that Bob Carriere was so engrossed with working at the barn that he completely forgot about drinking beer with his buds in town. To punish him, we are not going to publish photos of the other waitresses…

After a satisfying meal washed down with good beer, we all packed up and headed out the door. We will probably run into each other again at the militaria show this weekend in Ottawa!

Fuzzy Photos:
1 - The gang with Mike Calnan in the centre
2 - John's hands, Stewart, Grant and Clive
3 - Catherine and Dorothy
4 - John making Ellen look even better
5 - Terry and the ladies