dear m. or mr., ms. or mlle,

editor welland Tribune, main st. e. welland, on, can.

Paul stopped his truck and open trailer and asked, "Are you broken or is the bicycle broken?"  I smiled and said, "both!"  I was exhausted, trying to bicycle to NF, I ran into all sorts of blocked paths and construction sites.  Crossing the canal is very difficult on foot or by bicycle unless you can use the Port Robinson route.  Well, yesterday, that route was virtually closed to me because of construction on and around the 406.  The day got hotter and more humid and the wind picked up, seemingly, always in my face.  By the time i decided to cut short my trip at Biggar, I  could already have used a period of rest and sleep exceeding 8 hours  I walked and dodged the construction sites and got to Cataract Road, at Port Robinson Road.  I tried to use what trees and bushes were available to get out of the sun and wind but the going was slow.  Finally, Paul came by.  He said I reminded him of my father who would strand himself in extended trips to Vineland.  He lifted my bike into his trailer and got me settled into the front seat of his truck which i shared with his huge, friendly dog.  He mentioned he was responsible for special education and the kids that don't quite get around like normal 5 and 6 year olds.  He said he loved pieces of wood and would reassemble furniture creatively from discarded pieces of wood, and such.  He was very understanding about my stubbornness and unreasonable goals for bicycling on days like yesterday and dropped me off at my door, close to his actual destination, despite police who were limiting certain city streets to lower traffic to accommodate an international sports event on the Welland Canal, right next to my apartment.  He would have had to cross police lines to get exactly to his destiny.  I hope Paul got thru'...

I don't know Paul's last name but I am giving him a standing O, ready to applaud him for the many things he does for kith and kin and special education and the pieces of wood.he reuses artistically and for practical pieces of furniture.  Happy Landings!

Sincerely,

Izzy Sommers, MD

 [  retired and stubborn and still alive at 75...  Surprise!!  ]

Welland, Canada

Submitted to Welland Tribune Sunday morning June 23, 2013, for possible publication in the editorial section of the daily Trib.  Resubmitted to Blogger: dizzyizzyzblog as a daily entry for perusal by anyone interested.  Hopefully they make comments, no matter how brief or cryptic…  I need the feedback.