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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, July 19, 2012 · 6 The Oakville Beaver The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5566 Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 905-631-6095 Letters to the Editor Re: Woman offers reward for return of lost ring, The Oakville Beaver, Friday, July 13, 2012 I just saw on www.insideHALTON.com the article about the lost engagement ring. I remember seeing this in the Lost and Found section previously because I was posting my own lost item. I am so disappointed that people in Oakville are not returning, or turning into police, items that do not belong to them. How guilty they must feel when they see the posters in the neighbourhood pleading for the return of the item. We lost our digital camera on July 4 at Post Park in southeast Oakville. It was five hours later when I realized it was gone. We immediately traced our steps, wrote signs and made a police report. Who doesn't turn in a camera? If you have a look at the houses around Post Park, I can guarantee you anyone that was visiting that park in those five hours can afford their own camera. It is just so disappointing to have to try to explain to my three, five and eight year olds that the photos we took (including my son's graduation from kindergarten) are now gone, and that we have to spend another $400 to replace our camera. I just don't get what is going through someone's head when they pick up a camera or engagement ring and think to themselves, `Hey, this is great, I think I will keep it', and not think about the actual people in the photos, and the lady who has worn that ring for many years. It sickens me. I guess all I can do is make sure my own children do not grow up to be the same. I wish the woman in the story the best of luck. I hope her West Oak neighbourhood pulls through and returns the ring. I, too, would like to restore my faith that we all look out for each other in southeast Oakville. On the bright side... we love our new park at Brantwood. Thank you Town of Oakville for recognizing that we do have young children in this area We promise it will be put to great use. Linda Gambrell, Oakville Neil Oliver Vice-President and Group Publisher, Metroland West David harvey Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief Daniel Baird Advertising Director ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor Riziero Vertolli Photography Director Sandy Pare Business Manager RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association MARK DILLS Director of Production Manuel garcia Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Website www.oakvillebeaver.com The OakvilleBeaver is a division of Please return lost items Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville ATHENA Award Taking issue with letter writer's view QUENCHING THE THIRST: Neighbours from `The Brownstones' on Ravineview Way recently took an SUbmitted photo evening to water more than 30 trees around the local pond on Ravineview Way and Pondview Place. With recent days lacking any substantial rainfall, new trees planted by the Town's Parks and Open Space Department were wilting, so the environmentally-conscious neighbours took matters into their own hands. Armed with buckets, the residents spent an hour watering all the trees in an attempt to help them survive the drought. Thankfully, Mother Nature helped the residents out with their cause with a brief, but torrential, rainfall last Sunday. Linda Baker Baudoin's letter (The Oakville Beaver, Friday, July 6) paints a chilling picture of Canada Day celebrations, when "throughout our country" fire pits and other wood-burning devices "smoked out entire neighbourhoods." There's more: "This urban threat of wood burning took centre stage... backyards were lit up in the dark with a smoke-filled haze (hard to visualize, this part, but let's not quibble) that drifted onto blocks farther away... people could not keep windows open... people were made ill." An apocalyptic vision indeed, and a vote of thanks to the Beaver for publishing this memorable piece of creative fiction. Dave Moores, Oakville How to survive a birthday party for five (plus 50) C all it what you will. Invasion of the Party People. Mayhem in Moffat. Or, like that 1990s TV show, you could call it Party of Five. Or, in our case, Party of Five (Plus 50). You know, I can't say that hosting a party of five (plus 50) was ever on my bucket list of things I really, really needed or wanted to do before booting the bucket (I may be a bit crazy, but I'm not masochistic). But if it had been, after last Saturday, I would be able to take a thick, black marker and cross it off. We invited. We hosted. They came. We conquered (or, least, we survived). This story begins early last spring when we received an e-mail from Barry, the hubby of my wife's sister, Catriona. Barry, Catriona and clan reside in Cambodia where he runs an international school. Every summer they return to their home and native land to visit family and friends. Well, this summer Catriona was set to celebrate one of those notable birthdays that commands attention and cries to be commemorated. Naturally, Barry was thinking of throwing her a party. Naturally, he was thinking of throwing her a party at... our house. Wait. What? Honestly, he couldn't very well toss her a party at their house, considering their abode is approximately 8,627 miles away; oh, and it would be pretty stupid to toss a party in Cambodia when you're in Canada for the summer. Ah, expatriate problems. So, naturally, our house came to mind because we have what some would conAndy Juniper sider to be a summer party place -- which is to say we've got a pool, some acreage (room to roam), and we're in Moffat (a.k.a. the middle of nowhere), so sound ordinances aren't an issue. Well, we agreed to host the bash, not bothering to get particulars, not worrying about a party that was so far off. We left it up to Barry to invite the six, seven, maybe eight revelers and we'd sweat the details closer to the date. Having been given the thumbs-up, Barry went about inviting. Summer came. The expat party planner arrived at our house and we talked about the upcoming festivities. At some point in the conversation, I discovered that what was (in my head) a little gathering for a handful was (in actuality) going to be an all-out invasion of party people. I pulled a muscle trying not to cry. Fortunately, I'm married to Moffat's Martha Stewart. My wife took the reins of this event and she began to organize. Lists were made, duties delegated, sub-lists were created. We had lists for everything. Food. Drink. Entertainment. Decorations. House preparation. Property preparation. Hell, we had lists for lists. In other words, while it was indeed an invasion, it wasn't an ambush. We were prepared. And while the day was not without the odd glitch -- you don't wine and dine a party for five (plus 50) without a mishap or two -- it was one swell soirée. The revelers had a riot. The birthday girl was fabulously feted. The homestead escaped unscathed. And the hosts, well, the hosts managed to serve the masses and, if you can imagine, actually enjoy the event. The secret to this social success (I mean, beyond all the darn lists)? Realizing early on that at such a gathering everyone actually wants to help out. So... make 'em all earn that meal. Andy Juniper can be contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com, found on Facebook at www.facebook.com, or followed at www.twitter. com/thesportjesters.