Margie and Max outside of Lakeside(next door)
There were a great bunch of people running the lodge next door and I would often drop in for a beer and a smoke. Tim from Canada and his partner Sabrina managed the place, Greenie the chef and his offsider Wayne, were mostly in the kitchen, Ash the all-rounder, along with a variety of others that came and went. Sabrina shipped off to New Zealand for a couple of weeks mid season to compete in a free style boarding comp and came back with the prize…what a champion….Tim had a wicked sense of humour. We would often borrow stuff from each other when we had run out…eggs, bacon, milk, cup of sugar…It’s very quiet at 6-30am in the lodge, with no one around and I’m not quite awake yet. So I’m going around, switching on lights, shuffling around and finally get to the kitchen door. There is a glass panel at head height and just as I was about to push through, Tim on the other side stood up and with a grin on his face switched on the light. Well!!! I thought jumping in that dam on the first day of winter might stop my heart. That was tame compared to this; I jumped back landed on my knees holding my heart. He scared the shit out of me; he walked through the door smiling and said can I borrow some eggs?
Every one used to talk about… FRANK…. “Don’t bring your car up the mountain; if you park it up here Frank will get you! Frank was the parking inspector and the word was he would give his mother a ticket if he caught her. Anyway the snow had long gone from the village and I thought I would bring my bike up from Mt Beauty where it was in storage. I had asked Tim if I could park it outside his place as there was a flat spot….no problem…. Put a cover over it stick a couple of ski’s out front, at a glance it would look just like a skidoo. This is what I did, went next door to Trackers for about half an hour, came back out and there was a ticket stuck to the front wheel. I couldn’t believe it, I didn’t bother even looking at the ticket I just left it there thinking if I remove it he may give me another one. I went back to Trackers cursing and abusing…. FRANK…I went to the pub that night cursing and abusing …FRANK…people started to tell me, what a big bloke Frank was and maybe I shouldn’t be cursing and abusing …FRANK….I didn’t care, it was the end of the season and surely Frank can’t be that much of a prick.
He wasn’t!!
Tim had found the ticket on the road and stuck it on my front wheel. Luckily I didn’t run into big Frank before leaving Falls!
I am….THE LONESOME TRAVELLER….travelling east….BE HAPPY!