December 4th

5 C overcast.
Helped at the bake sale yesterday, the club took in over $1500, so pretty good! Out for dinner and watched the Sidney Christmas parade and the sail past. The parade was very disappointing and unfortunately there were only about a dozen boats in the sail past.
I got a fairly good start on the Fort Nelson story but will not start posting it until tomorrow, in the mean time I will put on the last bit about Sterling. I'll be away for a few days visiting my son who has moved to the Island. So sorry folks, there will be a two - three day drought.
I see today is election day in Russia, a difficult chore in such a big country.

He always found some way to let me know when he got back.

One last little story that tells a bit more about his character then I will start on the Fort Nelson experience.

I wasn’t there for this but was told the story: It was always the policy (not always adhered to) that we did not loan any of our equipment to third parties. In Sterling’s district this was the LAW. It seems one day this fellow came in to the office and asked the dispatcher if he could borrow a tent for the weekend, he needed it for something he was doing at a local event. It was explained to him that this couldn’t be done. He apparently got a bit mouthy and demanded to see the ‘guy in charge’. Sterling was advised and patiently repeated what had already been said, then the fellow made two mistakes. He said “ C’mon I bet you guys loan the stuff to your relatives all the time, but never mind let me have the tent and here’s five bucks for your trouble.”

Sterling flipped up the piece of counter that provided access and roared through the opening and spun the fellow about and grabbed him by his pants and scruff and marched him to the door. “Open the door or you’ll be going through it.” He shouted.

Luckily the fellow complied and Sterling calming a bit simply shoved him out the door.

Strangely enough there were no repercussions. Or at least none that the staff knew about.