The parental units have parked the rig and are now motoring about Ontario in the minivan. My mother informs me that my father kept it at or under the speed limit…most of the time. They set off to see my under-achieving brother, you know, the one that only saves kids for a living, and on their way from London to Belleville they swooped in to eight stores. Dad said it was easier because they weren’t having to locate the stores by their GPS, a handy little device affectionately known as B****in’ Betty on account of her constant course corrections – “You missed your turn. The next turn is in twenty-seven miles. You weren’t paying attention, were you? Stop scratching your head.” Actually, I think that last two were my mother.

The staff at the Chapters/Indigo and Coles stores today were as friendly as ever, and I thank them for taking the time to meet with my folks:

General Manager Cynthia Dobie at Chapters in Kitchener (Gateway Park Drive); Assistant Manager Donna at Coles in Kitchener (Fairview Park Mall); Assistant Manager Kyle Huth and Bookseller Tim at Coles in Kitchener (Conestoga Mall); Kim R. at Chapters in Waterloo; Lindsay at Chapters in Guelph; Assistant Manager Colin at Chapters in Toronto (2901 Bayview Avenue); Assistant Manager Joseph at Chapters in Toronto (Kennedy Commons); Assistant Manager Les at Coles in Cobourg (Northumberland Mall)