(Continued from Part 3)

We had a handful of days to vacation down in Belle River and it was the first time I'd seen any of those friends since the start of the pandemic. In fact, save for one Zoom call, this was the first time I'd even seen most of their faces in a year and a half.

Isy and I still spent some time just the two of us though, going out on a date one night at the perfect spot: World Marathon Ethiopian, as Ethiopian is one of Isy's favourite foods.

I enjoyed my introduction to it and we've since returned a couple times.

Following dinner, we headed down to LaSalle to go bowling together for the first time, but more importantly to check out LaSalle Lanes on Front Road, which really seems like the type of place that'll just disappear from LaSalle one of these days.

With only six lanes and original wood floors, this was the perfect place to try and repeat my crazy bowling performance from when I last went with Yaz.

The man working couldn't have been nicer or more welcoming. And he really knew how to walk that fine line of leaving people alone to enjoy their time, but also being there to help with the scoring and provide some gentle tips to improve Isy's game.

I didn't want to simply ask about the health of LaSalle Lanes, but eventually he offered up the problem that there's not much for leagues anymore, especially with how many bowling alleys have disappeared around the county. He said that one of the best things here is that this bowling alley is only six lanes, so they'll have birthday or bachelor parties where they'll lock the door and you have the place all to yourself. You can bring cake and noise makers if it's a birthday, or byob if it's a bachelor party.

At the same time, he acknowledged that LaSalle Lanes isn't exactly lucrative and turning down developers' repeated offers for the property has grown harder and harder.

As for our actual bowling performance, I certainly didn't get six strikes in a row again - returning to how I regularly bowl, if not worse.

I keep expecting to see this place closed on Google Maps or have facebook serve me up a story about its demolition, but it looks to be still going. It really is a fun little spot to take a date.

Isy and I tried to continue enjoying our Essex County time by also heading to Boblo Island the next day. I had seen lots of Boblo Island coverage from people recently and also read that you no longer had to finesse your way onto the ferry.

Except as I pulled up, a crabby ferrywoman came over and asked where I was going. "Over to Boblo Island," I replied. "No, you're not" she insufferably replied.

She was so smugly satisfied with herself for holding this morsel of power. The thing is though with people like her, and this is mostly seen in security guards, they don't irritate me when they flex their power but actually make me laugh.

So I chucked a bit, raised my eyebrows and told her alright. I was bummed Isy wouldn't see Boblo Island, but at least I didn't give the ferrywoman much satisfaction.

We met Whitfield for drinks another night and I was excited when he said the bar was totally up to me. Whitfield's a guy whose drank everywhere from prestigious golf clubs to seedy St. Louis bars that serve Steel Reserve 211. This meant I could pretty much pick anywhere.

I went for the Dominion House, Essex County's oldest continuously run tavern and located in a building built circa 1879. I occasionally came here during university times, but it's one of those places back then that I didn't realize was much cooler than Voodoo or Paddy O'Ryan's.

(Reading this International Metropolis post about Paddy O'Ryan's, maybe it was cooler than I thought? And heck, it's actually gone while the DH still stands!)

One fun thing about our meet up was us getting into talking about fantasy hockey and Isy asking why I'm so horrible at it. (I've missed the playoffs for 19 straight seasons and it's $150 pay-in these days.)

Whitfield said the the most important thing was to have one of the top five players in the NHL.

Listening to this and fast forwarding a few months, I went out and sold the farm with the hopes of drafting super prospect Connor Bedard in 2023 - only to nowadays hear that Connor Bedard will never be a world beater like Connor McDavid or Nathan MacKinnon.

Maybe I shouldn't take advice from the guy in last place!

Of course there was also a meet up with Steve & Donnie, which was fun not just because of getting to see them for the first time in a year and a half, but also because I actually had my car down here. When the Intrepid left for Newfoundland, they never saw it again. They never saw the Patriot. This was the first time they'd seen a car of mine in 15 years?

Steve liked that we don't have front license plates in Newfoundland but that he'd definitely take off the plate holder. I said I liked that the empty plate holder showed people I was from elsewhere, lol.

We'd start the night by stopping at the LCBO downtown in our masks, laughing at how the liquor control board used to discourage people from covering their faces. Heading south towards Wyandotte, we were apparently going to sit on a ledge and drink our beers right out in the open? With Windsor's vigilant cops?

They told me everything's changed since Covid. Cops no longer seemed to care about dumb petty things like drinking in public.

One of the first things to come up was some "Sex Forest" that they couldn't believe I hadn't heard of from either of them. We had to leave immediately. So we drove to that conservation area south of Devonshire Mall and sure enough people were coming and going from the woods. Some people have even noted this on Google.

I was a bit more excited with the stop at the new indoor skatepark in Windsor. Donnie said it was in a really cool building and he wasn't lying¹.

1 - Unfortunately it's since closed

We also did some spot hunting. I proceeded to run my yap about something I'd like to do here, so now I have to go back one of these years since I can't be a phony loudmouth.

Down by the river, we got the portable speaker going and Donnie asked if there was something I wanted to hear.

"Man, you guys are going to make fun of me."

Steve: "Oh this is going to be GOOD!"

"Uh, fuck it. Wockesha by Moneybagg Yo."

(Donnie puts it on)

Donnie: "This is what you wanted. This? You sure?"

I was feeling pretty good by this point, so Donnie can keep his judgment to himself, lol.

I know I was feeling good because as we were hanging out at an abandoned (closed?) car wash, I kept wanting to wrestle Donnie and he proceeded to continuously and casually guide me to the ground like a 72-year-old Don Zimmer.

Steve would text the next morning saying it was an awesome night and to put "that Wockesha on" for the drive home. Sure enough, it came on the satellite radio between Donnie's house and the expressway.

It was time to head back to where I live though. More to come.