PUBLISHER’S NOTE

Welcome to our 2023 LOVE edition!

I’d like to welcome a new contributor to the fold this month: Becky Bouwmeester. She’s the owner of Williamsford Landscape Co. and writes a column, entitled Plant Life. We’ve included an introduction to Becky on page 15 that carries on to our website: www.fiatluxmedia.com

This month’s cover story features our very own Robert Iantorno and his wife, Maria Arcuri as they trade the snow of Singhampton for the sunshine of Florida. Follow their adventure on page 8.

Happy Valentine’s Day to you all, and especially to Mama Country (insert heart emoji).

Giant personalized colouring sheets for kids!

The perfect gift, or rainy day activity

Publisher’s Note

The Love Edition

Page 6

Cover Story

For the Love of Adventure

Page 8

Mental Health & Wellness

Understanding the Conscious Mind

Page 10

Flesherton Calling

Featuring Grey Highlands’ John Butler

Page 12

Tractor Talk

Huron Tractor is BIG on Service

Page 13

Family Matters

Put a Ring on It

Page 14

Plant Life

@doodlers.ca www.doodlers.ca

Introducing Becky Bouwmeester

Page 15

The specs read like a sportscar from a tangential 80s universe: Limited production. Fibreglass body. <0.30 Coefficient of Drag. 2.4L in-line 6 cylinder BMW turbocharged engine. 5 speed transaxle. VDO gauges.

Only unlike many sportscars, this thing has a toilet and looks like a big Nintendo.

Meet the Vixen 21TD (21 feet long, TurboDiesel). Built in 1987 in Pontiac Michigan by The Vixen Motor Company, and brainchild of DeLorean engineer Bill Collins, it was intended to answer the call for the sportscar of Recreational Vehicles - but did anyone ask for that? One example has been clocked at 108 mph.

Mine is number 326 of 587, a treasured 1987 model, and one of the best remaining examples of the breed. A few months ago, I flew down to Morro Bay, California to buy it from its owner - his fifth Vixen. It has been thoroughly updated with better suspension and steering geometry and a host of drivetrain modifications including lower first and second gears. It retains its original gel coat paint and vinyl graphics, and even has a solar panel and its original Heart Inverter - a military grade electrical device that provides smooth AC power to the cabin.

After a brief orientation, I set off across Route 66 for a 6 day, 2600 mile journey back to Grey County. Back home at Singhampton Mission Command, my wife Maria was keeping tabs on my journey and coordinating each night’s campground stay in advance. After years of zainy adventures, she has developed a real knack for itineraries and forward navigation.

I appreciated the excellent handling of the Vixen as I wound through the canyons in California and saw the Exhaust Gas Temperature Gauge rise on long highway climbs in the thin, hot air of Arizona. In New Mexico, I attended the Vixen Owners Association Annual Meeting in Tucumcari, and was delighted to meet such cool people, passionate about their Vixens. I learned about the many quirks of the marque, plus they gave me a cool hat - it was great.

In Texas, I sang the soundtrack to The Big Lebowski at the top of my lungs as I pulled into The Big Texan, home of the 72 ounce steak challenge. In Oklahoma, I stopped in at the Route 66 Museum and danced around the most amazing private motorcycle collection, including a barn find Indian “Four” and an original 1913 Pope 1000cc board track tracer that literally gave me goosebumps.