Merry Christmas 2009

Carol and Dan came to visit on Christmas Eve Day and stayed until Boxing Day. We had a nice visit and it was fun getting to know Dan a bit. We all went over to Chris and Karl's for Christmas dinner. No pix - too busy eating, drinking and, in my case, snoozing!

After we opened gifts and tidied the house a bit, Carol and I went for a walk in Bowmont Park near our house. This year it was only about -5C compared to last year's -20C - so we had a really nice walk! Pix are worth a 1000 words - so here they are!

Have a great holiday!

August 2009 Road Trip - The Way Home (74)

From Spokane we proceeded to Coeur d'Alene , a place I have a hard time spelling! Coeur d'Alene is famous for its outlet shopping and the lake. We didn't do any shopping there other than a quick stop at another Jo Ann Fabrics store. Of course I bought a bit more. We stopped at the lake to take a look.

From there we toddled on to Sandpoint - much easier to spell. We spent a bit more time there and stayed overnight at another Quality Inn. Apparently Quality Inn does not do "quality control." This one was not nearly as nice as the Spokane QI - so beware - they seem to be location specific. Anyway - Sandpoint is another nice place - sort of touristy.

Note the train.

Mini Lady Liberty - you'll see the real thing in the next series of posts when I (finally) get around to putting up our New York pix. Too many pix, too little time.

We stayed one night in Sandpoint and hit the road the following morning.

Following are some Idaho country shots.

"Barber Ship" - in a small town somewhere before we crossed into Canada.

Here we are back in Canada. Moyie Lake, BC.

Near Wasa, BC.

From Radium to Lake Louise.

We saw this little black bear near Radium.

Above and below - aside from showing some interesting weather, show the results of forest fire. The trees on the mountain were burned out a few years ago.

So there you have it. Yet another road trip. This was back in August.

Our next trip was to New York City in early November. So that's coming up.

Pausing for Station Identification

Welcome to my rant - I haven't had one for awhile....

I'm getting cranky in my old age. Or maybe it's just because we've had three snow storms in a week and a half, and temperatures have been bouncing around from -30C to a balmy -11C. And it's just mid December. In any case, the past few weeks are proving that I'm not the only one needing a break!

Our public health officials need a break. Ever diligent, they have whipped the entire province (and likely country, but I'm here in Alberta so that's what I know) into a total panic about H1N1 flu to the point of near stampede to the clinics for flu shots. High risk people didn't get shots because low risk people bumped them out of line. People, still panicked (gee - why was that again? - oh yeah - commercials - public service announcements - and news stories ad nauseam warning people about how terrible this virus is) have been clogging up emergency wards at the drop of a hat - or at least a mild cough. Enter health officials again asking people to stay away from emergency wards because most illness is just "normal" flu and colds. Now why did this panic happen in the first place????

Oh - and then there is Tiger. Tiger, Tiger, Tiger, Tiger, Tiger. Obviously he either didn't get or heed the mother's standard advice of "keep it in your pants." Clearly a man with a problem - on so many levels. But I don't want to hear about it. Over and over and over and over and over. Take away his golf clubs, or something. Thank goodness for the "off" button. Take a Tiger break, media!

And of course there is a new religion for fanatics: Climate Change. We used to joke that eventually "they" would think of a way to tax the air we breath - well - "they" finally have. It's called a carbon tax. Think what you may - this whole thing has just gone crazy. Climate Change believers and sceptics - take a break already!

I could go on and on and on .... there is the Afghanistan prisoner issue, the power line issue here in Alberta. ....

No need for solid reporting - don't let facts get in the way of a good story. And if it's sensational - let's make it more sensational. And put it out over and over and over and over.

Noooooooo - make it go away, please - TAKE A BREAK!