New Year's 2011

It seems appropriate at this time of year to reflect on what the old year did to us and our friends. I'm sure you will have things you love to recall and other things that are more like a bad dream.

It is time to put all the good stuff on your mental "tape" for recall, and to erase all those things that you cannot do anything about. After all we do have a brand new year to look forward to. Regardless of our age, we still have a lot of living to do, and we can decide to either enjoy our tomorrows or not. I choose to enjoy my days, activities and friends!

I read the other day that we should never worry about tomorrow, since first of all it may never come, nor will it necessarily materialize as we sometime fear. Worry will only take away the enjoyment of today as well as tomorrow! There is nothing you can do today to make tomorrow better! Also do not reflect on all the less happy things that happened in the past. It is a waste of time, there is nothing you can do to put the egg back in the shell. Look back to be sure to enjoy the memories of good times with friends and family. Forget the times that were not so good. Stay happy, smile and enjoy the moment. It will never come back. Put these good times away for later memories! Look to make today the best you can make it, enjoy it for what it is.

So as we say good bye to a year with it's ups and down, we do have a lot to be thankful for, and nothing is more important than our health. Relish it as we move forward into 2011, and resolve to enjoy every day in the New Year. It is the best resolution you can make.

My wish for all of you who read this is that you enjoy good health throughout the year. I also wish that you will be a happy person, and that you store away all those good memories. May you also have peace with your own particular place in the universe, and lastly I hope you will find the year prosperous enough that you will not have financial worries.

Happy New Year. Have a great 2011!
Ross

CHRISTMAS PAST!

I don't know about you, but this may have been one of the best Christmas Celebrations ever, at least for me.

For one thing, Joan dodged a bullet and has seemingly survived her breast cancer. One can never be certain, but all indications are excellent. God has answered our prayers, and we have a different outlook on life than we had previously. We are happy with that.

We spent a good part of Christmas Day at our daughters and her family at there home just a few blocks from Dreamview. Garrett, our grandson is developing into quite the little man, and we noted a lot of changes in just a few short months. Not only has he grown taller, he is considerably more mature.

His Mom and Dad have done well this year. We enjoyed a great turkey dinner prepared in part by Brenda who did the turkey, her mother in law who prepared a couple of great pies, apple and pumpkin. Joan did the potatoes and vegetables. I provided the wine, homemade of course. A great meal to be sure.

Pat's brother Barry was also there, and we were heartened to hear that he has pretty well recovered from his knee injury caused when he fell down some stairs on his job. The fall he took after that where he broke his wrist is coming along nicely and he expects to return to work early in the new year. Another thing he is determined to do is quit smoking! We wish him well with this.

Al and Kathy were there as well for dinner, and certainly seemed to enjoy it judging by the way they tucked in!

Presents were abundant for everyone and I was most tickled with one from our kids. It was a photo album of our grandson Garrett. Not just any ordinary album however. This one is produced on very good paper, bound with a hard cover. It is done up by an online company you may find interesting and useful. The company is http://www.mypublisher.com/products/certificates/create?gclid=CKjK3vvsiqYCFRQ8gwodogrieA
The pictures you want are uploaded and they do all the work and ship the finished product back. Excellent quality, including the colouring of the photos. I think it is so cool.

Yes it was a great Christmas for all of us, and I know we all enjoyed the day and all it means.
Happy New Year!

More on Christmas

A CHRISTMAS POEM

We have a list of folks we know;

All written in a book

And every year at Christmas time,

We go and take a look.

And that is when we realize

That these names are parts

Not of the book they're written in,

But of our very hearts.

For each name stands for someone

Whose path touched ours, and then,

Left such a print of friendship

That we want to touch again.

And while it sounds fantastic

For us to make this claim,

We really feel we are composed

Of each remembered name.

So never think our Christmas cards

Are just a mere routine

Of names upon a Christmas list,

Forgotten in between.

For when we send a Christmas card

That is addressed to you

It's because you're on that list of folks

We are indebted to!

And every year when Christmas comes

We realize anew,

The biggest gift life can give

Is meeting folks like you!

And may the Spirit of Christmas

That forever and ever endures

Leave its richest blessings

In the hearts of you and yours!

"Anonymous"

MERRY CHRISTMAS!



January  2010 in Oahu Hawaii!



It's finally here! The weather has been giving us the big snow "hint" for days now. Snow has also fallen for a lot of days in the past few weeks.The party season has also hit with a ton of affairs that we have thoroughly enjoyed with friends and acquaintances.



The homes in our condo are looking very festive helping to clear up the dreary look of all that dirty snow we have around. At least at night it looks very pretty. Our residents have outdone themselves this year.

We are having our dinner on Christmas with our daughter, Joan is doing some of the vegetables, and we will be taking h wine, Brenda will be doing he turkey. Al and Kathy will be joining us, at the feast so we can expect a good old family Christmas dinner.

I hope you enjoy your Christmas festivities in good health. Don't forget to put out the cookies and milk for Santa!

Merry Christmas to all!

KITCHEN RENOVATION

Well, the kitchen is finally finished and we just love it. There were a few items that took a while to get corrected, but none of these projects just simply glide through. Ours was no exception, but I have to say it was well worth the bit of aggravation. We changed the counter top going with a laminate again as we couldn't see spending a lot more for something that looks a lot like granite and will likely last as long as we do!
We also updated and installed a Blanco granite sink that Joan thinks is the best part of the redo! It is "anthracite" which is another name for charcoal colour. It has yet to show any marks at all of any kind! Super! As part of the sink counter top replacement we changed up the back splash and installed a new tap and garburetor.
To get this done by looking for a contractor for each job, is a tiring proposition, so we hired a guy who had all the contacts and contractors who are good. Then when something went wrong we needed to contact just one person, and he got it all done properly. We hired Dave Cramer of Euro Windows since he also does renovations. His counter top people were terrific, as was his tile guy. Meticulous to say the least.
So if you are thinking of doing any renovation work in your place and would like to see the kind of work they do,give us a call and we would be happy to show you. Or you could go to Dave's web site http://www.eurowindows.ca/. and see what he has to offer. I don't think it cost any more to get Dave involved since we didn't have to do all the homework it takes to find a good sub-contractor.

TIME TO READ



12" snow on patio table!

 Well, it has been a week now since the snow started, and it has continued to fall. Snow is over a foot deep, and we have cold weather to go with it. As I write this it is -23C with a wind chill of -35C. Damn cold for sure.
Because of that, I am spending time getting cocooned and getting caught up on my reading. Some of my favourite authors are Michael Connelly, Sue Grafton, John Grisham, and Nelson DeMille. What are yours? I'd be interested to know.
Right now I am reading a small book by a Canadian writer about his growing up in Saskatchewan. For anyone who grew up on the prairies during the '20's and '30's, it is a great read. It will evoke a lot of memories of dust storms, no running water, farm work, no electricity. It isn't Jason Bourne, but instead a very nice read on some Canadian history as it relates to a child of the prairies. It is an easy read at only 149 pages, and I don't know if it is still available. It was written in 1980, by Robert Collins, and is called "Butter down the well". The isbn # is 0-88833-130-4.

EMAIL PHISHING

I know we should all be aware by now of the dangers of some of the emails we get delivered into our email inbox. The people doing this are not your friends believe me. They want your information so that they can do very evil things to you, like take your bank account, log on to your computer and read your passwords, social security number, bank information, or even identity theft, where the literally "steal" your house. A worst case scenario.

Take the time to look at the link below to keep you aware of what these people are doing to relieve you of your hard earned money or worse.

http://www.50plus.com/money/goldhawk-fights-back-dont-open-that-email/93432/

HOME

Our kitchen reno has progressed nicely, with a few minor glitches. The counter top looks great, and the "anthracite" sink looks just great. Joan is very pleased with it. We are pleased as well that the dust is pretty well over, since all the drywall work is done.

The glitches mentioned are small but they have managed to extend the time to complete the job from a week approximately into almost 3 weeks at this point. We are awaiting the final replacement of 2 tiles that look very much out of place being much whiter than the rest. Unfortunately this was not picked up on until the back splash tiles were cemented in place and grouted.

When the thing is finally finished and everybody is happy with the results, I will include a picture of the after phase. I am afraid I don't have a "before shot".

WINTER IS HERE!

We were warned over the past few days that it would snow last night. It did! As I look out it is still snowing lightly and there is about 6 inches of the stuff on the grass and sidewalk. Where we live there is a 4 lane divided road on a hill. The traffic is lined up as far as one can see looking north. These are the people that want to turn east at 34th avenue.

The city has finally decided that they need to do something about snow removal, and so they have allocated an additional 10 million to the budget which should help. For the first time the city will also be plowing the snow on residential streets when it accumulates over an inch. How novel an idea is that!

Keep in mind that we are a city of 1.1 million, and have relied on the famous "Chinook Wind" to do our snow management for us. It hasn't worked. Streets are icy and rutted, some blocked entirely when we get a good wind with the snow. The snow budget on an annual basis has been under budgeted for years. This additional money put in this year will be a big help. It still amounts to only about $10.00 a person in increased spending or tax as the case may be.

Our condo complex is not plowed by the city, but is handled by a private company to whom we pay a good fee every year for snow management. I have been the "Snowman", a committee of one that has overseen this activity for the past few years but this year I passed the spear to another villa resident to look after. Tom will have his work cut out for him, since our snow plow company always misses some areas and have to be called back. This means that one has to put on the winter stuff and go out and see all the little out of the way places that were missed. Sometimes the snow is piled on an inappropriate place resulting a similar callback. As winter goes by and the snow accumulates, the snow left on some driveways gets to be a problem and again this results in a phone call or an email with pictures going out to the provider.

Ah the joys of condo living in the winter.

Cheerio, and I hope your day is snow free!

Newport Oregon

Sorry I have been busy with a few other things and didn't get around to doing the "blog" thing.

Well, If you ever decide to take the highway 101 trip, there are a few places you can stop along the way for some interesting sights. When we first took the drive in 1980, the accommodation was very limited, but over the years it has changed dramatically. Now there are places to stay and eat all along the route. Thirty years ago, the road followed the old coastline, and since then it has been straightened and widened and even bypassed. You can still access some of the old towns and coast, but it is slow going, all the roads will lead you back to the highway.

 Seaside is one place on the north part of Oregon that has grown with many new hotels and restaurants replacing old establishments. The beach is very wide and flat. During the day it is crowded but early in the morning it is almost uninhabited and very easy to walk on. The food in the town is very good I might add, and the hotels are reasonable when it is not a long weekend.



Yaquina Head lighthouse Newport



The next major town along the way south is Newport. Here there is a brand new Holiday Inn Express, that is quite reasonable. There is a Marine center here that is free. It is on the south side of town east of the highway, and is a very interesting place. A large aquarium is also located off this same road, but is somewhat expensive, and I don't think it compares at all with the smaller one at Honolulu, or the bigger one at Monterrey CA.

The Yaquina head lighthouse is one of 2 in Newport. Access to this one is from a side road leading west from Highway 101. There is an interpretive center there as well, describing how it was started and the way it is used today. It is still in service. There is another one right at the entrance to the river in Newport and this one can be accessed from the same road that takes you to the local seafood restaurants.

From the hotel is is a snap to get to the north side of the river where the fishing boats come in, and where fish processing takes place. Here you will find a number of stores selling the usual tourist stuff, a Ripley's Believe it or Not show, and undersea display, lots of good food and many Sea Lions. First the food, We have eaten any number of times at a place called "The Whale's Tale" where the food is just great. It is not the cheapest place around, and is low on glitzy decor, but the food is excellent. The decor is fisherman's village inside and out. In fact it is downright dingy, but it sure is good.


Sea lions at dock in Newport


Across the street is where you will find a walkway that lets you view the sea lions, doing what they do best. They are all males and are all bellowing and moving around, getting into and out of the water. They are fun to watch. In some places these animals are so numerous they will climb on to your small boat and if there are enough of them they can sink your boat. The cage in the lower right of the picture has a gate on it so that injured seals or those trapped with fish nets or the like can be isolated and treated. If they didn't have this the animals would simply swim away or disappear under the water when tranquilized. There are likely hundrds of these mammals in the bay.

LEST WE FORGET

He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew whereof he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For ol' Bob has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Soldier died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life..

He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
'Tho a Soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young
But the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary Soldier,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.

It's so easy to forget them,
For it is so many times
That our Bobs and Jim's and Johnny's,
Went to battle, but we know,

It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand?

Or would you want a Soldier--
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Soldier,
Who would fight until the end.

He was just a common Soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his like again.

For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honour
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."
ANON

REMBERING: LEST WE FORGET NOV. 11

Please Wear A Poppy  

"Please wear a poppy," the lady said

And held one forth, but I shook my head.

Then I stopped and watched as she offered them there,

And her face was old and lined with care;

But beneath the scars the years had made

There remained a smile that refused to fade.

A boy came whistling down the street,

Bouncing along on care-free feet.

His smile was full of joy and fun,

"Lady," said he, "may I have one?"

When she's pinned it on he turned to say,

"Why do we wear a poppy today?"

The lady smiled in her wistful way

And answered, "This is Remembrance Day,

And the poppy there is the symbol for

The gallant men who died in war.

And because they did, you and I are free -

That's why we wear a poppy, you see.

"I had a boy about your size,

With golden hair and big blue eyes.

He loved to play and jump and shout,

Free as a bird he would race about.

As the years went by he learned and grew

And became a man - as you will, too.

"He was fine and strong, with a boyish smile,

But he'd seemed with us such a little while

When war broke out and he went away.

I still remember his face that day

When he smiled at me and said, Goodbye,

I'll be back soon, Mom, so please don't cry.

"But the war went on and he had to stay,

And all I could do was wait and pray.

His letters told of the awful fight,

(I can see it still in my dreams at night),

With the tanks and guns and cruel barbed wire,

And the mines and bullets, the bombs and fire.

"Till at last, at last, the war was won-

And that's why we wear a poppy son."

The small boy turned as if to go,

Then said, "Thanks, lady, I'm glad to know.

That sure did sound like an awful fight,

But your son - did he come back all right?"

A tear rolled down each faded cheek;

She shook her head, but didn't speak.

I slunk away in a sort of shame,

And if you were me you'd have done the same;

For our thanks, in giving, if oft delayed,

Thought our freedom was bought - and thousands paid!

And so when we see a poppy worn,

Let us reflect on the burden borne,

By those who gave their very all

When asked to answer their country's call

That we at home in peace might live.

Then wear a poppy! Remember - and give!

                                          by Don Crawford

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

Is it just me, or what? I have been putting my outside lights up when the first warm day of November comes along, and today was it. It got close to 70° today, making it a lot easier than trying to do it in blowing snow when the temperature is around the 0 mark! There they sit just waiting for the first of December so that they can be switched on.

Remember when the old lights had some light, and some colour to them? Remember chasing down the replacement lights for all the ones that for some mysterious reason died over the summer sitting quietly in their little box.

I followed the conventional thinking of the day, and got rid of all my old pretty sparkling lights and replaced them with the new and improved LED lights. They don't go bad over the summer, they were bad when you put them away! Have you ever seen such wimpy lights in your life? They are terrible, and about as cheerful as a morgue. A few lights come through with a bit of colour, like the yellow ones, something like white that has gotten yellow with age, but the reds, blues, and greens are just about dark, and when I looked at the new crop in the store, they were the same way! I suppose we should be happy keeping some worker in China busy making these things. We should also be happy for what we are doing to the environment by going green. Look at all the electricity we are saving! I would cheerfully spend a bit more for some lights that were brighter. Oh yes another "good" thing, these lights will never burn out! I get to look at them for the rest of my life.

In spite of all this, Christmas is definitely on the way, judging by all the store catalogues that came with the Herald today. We have already had 3 snowfalls, and Halloween, and the Canadian Thanksgiving. The stores will be happy, since they do the bulk of their business in the last two months of the year. Now if I can only find a place that sells some decent lights to make my December happier......

Sorry about the rant, but it just seemed appropriate some how. Don't forget to buy and wear a poppy for Remembrance Day!
RP.

Bill C-501. Continued.

I found a copy of the emai I got from our good old MP, and I include it for your review.

"

Thank you for your email which has been read by Rob Anders.  Below in Italics is his personal response from his blackberry.

Hancuffing companies seeking financing right now will only further strangle their ability to grow. Financiers are skittish right now. Adding new burdens to borrowing won't help the economy
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

Sincerely,

Margaret Hoppe

Constituency Assistant

Rob Anders MP Calgary West

Tel: (403) 292-6666

Fax: (403) 292-6670

robanders@telus.net

From: rperigoe [mailto:rperigoe@telus.net]
Sent: Friday, October 22, 2010 2:26 PM
To: Rob Anders
Subject: Re: Bill C-501 - reforming Bankruptcy Insolvency Act

Good afternoon,

Does this reply mean that you will not be supporting Bill C-501?

Ross Perigoe, a General Motors of Canada Retiree aged 76"

Bill C-501

This is for all your retirees out there who should be very interested in what your Federal government is trying to do. They are trying via this bill to allow pensions that were promised to you, to be relegated to a subordinate claim against the company should that company go into bankruptcy. That means you will have little if any claim against your old employer! I should also point out that there are many underfunded pension plans in existence, and this was brought about by legislation that permitted this to happen!

I have included a copy of a letter for you to use should you feel so inclined, Simply copy the letter and create your own email to your MP in Ottawa. This is a time when "tonnage" will count. I have sent my letter and found out that our MP Rob Anders will be voting against the bill, and I have sent him a follow up email advising him that since he will not support this legislation, I will not be supporting him in the upcoming election. He likely doesn't give a hoot anyway, but it is worth a try. I also told him that I would be spreading his message along to as many of our 240 residents as possible.

You should be concerned, it can affect you!

"Dear _________,

It is my understanding that legislation to reform the Bankruptcy Insolvency Act (Bill C-501) has passed second reading and is ready to go into committee before going to third reading and then on to the Senate.

As you know, C-501 would give pension plans status in CCAA (Bankruptcy) as an unsecured creditor much like a supplier of goods and services. As a pension is a deferred payment for services provided in previous years of employment, it would seem logical and just that it be treated no differently than a supplier.

A study by the “World Economic Forum”published in the Toronto Star the week of September 6, 2010 showed the ranking of the ten top countries in the world for global competitiveness. They are in order Switzerland, Sweden, Singapore, United States, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Denmark and Canada. All but Singapore, Netherlands and Canada have a similar preferred status of pension funds in bankruptcy or in the case of the United States, a pension insurance fund.

The above study would support a positive relationship between investment and pension protection in bankruptcy.

As my Member of Parliament I would expect you to support Bill C-501. Passing this bill would give Canadians the same pension protection status as most of the countries ahead of us in the global competitiveness study.

Bill C-501 will not only protect the pensions of Canada’s most vulnerable, the elderly, it will not cost the Canadian tax payers a dime.

I, along with my family, friends and all retirees look forward to the support from all concerned Members of Parliament to protect our pensions in the event of bankruptcy.

Yours sincerely,

_________________ "

I sincerely hope you will take your own future into your own hands!
Ross Perigoe

ANOTHER CHILI RECIPE

We are in the middle of a slight remodel in our kitchen, and the house is a mess. If you have ever done any kind of remodeling where drywall was removed and replaced you will know what I mean. Our drywall needed to go when we found out that the tiles on the back splash were attached with a kind of glue instead of the usual kind of thin set cement. The tiles came off, but they brought most of the drywall with it, so it had to be replaced. Our kitchen is torn up as a result of all this, and we thawed a bowl of Chili for dinner

Which brings me around to the newest recipe for Chili. This one is a bit different and has a slightly different flavour due to some things in chili that you might not expect. It has a southwest flavour, and is quite good. Anyway if you think it might be good to try, I offer you the recipe. It makes a lot so it needs a bigger pot or slow cooker which is what I use. It will freeze beautifully.

Beef & Italian Sausage Chili

8 oz light Italian sausage                         1 can reduced sodium beef broth

1 5.5 oz can tomato paste                        1 ½ cups chopped celery

1 cup medium salsa                                 1 ½ tbsp chili powder

2 tsp dried Italian seasoning                    1 ½ tsp ground cumin

1 ½ lbs lean ground beef                         1 cup chopped onions

2 tsp minced garlic                                  1 19 oz can diced tomatoes

1 19 oz can red kidney beans                  1 19 oz can navy beans or black beans

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

Remove casing from sausage, break into small pieces and brown in skillet, and add beef, onions and garlic, brown together. Dump into slow cooker; add parsley at end just before serving.

We had a good bowl of it tonight with some fresh bread and it was very good. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

OKTOBERFEST

Last night, October 21, we had a great party in our clubhouse. It was arranged by our Social Committee as we have done for several years now.

It starts with a very nice Happy Hour that gets everybody in a relaxed state, and then we have dinner. Dinner this year was provided by Don's Catering, a company the committee has used in the past, with very good success. In fact others in our complex have used his services as well. Don's always provides a varied menu in keeping with the occasion, and this time was no exception. We had 4 salads, buns, veal schnitzel and European wieners and sauerkraut, 4 vegetables as well, all of which were delicious. There was not a complaint to be heard. There was enough to go around and still enough for those who needed seconds! A couple of delicious home made cakes were there for dessert along with ice cream. A great dinner in every way!

Once dinner was cleared out of he way, we were all treated to Jana & Danny, a musical duo that is always  entertaining. They have a knack of knowing the kind of music that will appeal to us seniors and it wasn't long before the floor was filled with dancers. Jana & Danny have performed for us in the past and have always provided excellent music and entertainment. Before striking out on their own, Jana & Danny had entertainment gigs with the cruise lines for a number of years.

After dinner there were several door prizes given out to Oktoberfest ticket buyers. A 50/50 draw was also held and this time it was won by "Lucky" Tony Choy. He won $88.00. Congratulations Tony. I could tell by the big smile on his face just how happy he was.

During the evening Joan Perigoe, (my wife) was called to the front of the room where she was totally surprised by an appreciation bouquet of flowers provided to her by the incoming committee. She was so surprised she forgot to express to the assembled group that the group should take a bow for making the old committee the success that it was. She has rectified this omission in our community newspaper the "Scuttlebutt".

This "dinner" is the most successful endeavour that the social committee puts on, and it is obvious why. I hope that the new committee continues the tradition.

More initials and the election

Alberta held its civic elections yesterday as we do every 3 years. I am very happy with the results for our city, For a change I didn't wast my vote on our new mayor or the local alderman! We now have the only Muslim Mayor in a major city in all of North America! How cool is that!

Recently you may have seen a new way to do CPR, that does not need a "mouth to mouth" activity. One only has to do chest compressions. Send someone to call 911 and you continue with the compressions. I have attached a short video showing just how easy it is. It is an important video in that you may just be able to save a life! The video can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/2fx8r59

If you are reading this you may be wondering just how complicated it is to do a BLOG, or weblog. I must say I was doubtful about the difficulty, since I had tried one a few years ago, and found it to be so much work I gave up on it. This is about as hard to do a drinking water! If you think being able to publish photos or video to the net, or creating a page for anyone to read might be something you would like to try, the following steps will have you doing a professional looking blog in less than 5 minutes AND it is FREE!
Open a Google page and look in the "even more" link. Look for Blogger. Open it and you will find that you are now in Blogspot. The only other thing you will need is a Google account, a user name and a password. Once you have that you are ready to start your own blog, the rest is done for you. You can change the template you use with a click. literally.

I have no use for Facebook, Twitter and the like. These are simply bogus, and you give up too much of your personal information. Not so with this blog. You can keep it any way you lie and allow only certain people to view your work, or you can allow a wider audience.

So, here's the deal, if you think this might be a fun way to send and receive information, pictures, videos, and web pages, look it up on Google and read what you can do right on the screen.

Have a great day!

Potpourri

"CLIMATE"
I have decided for all the good it will do that what we have in Calgary that passes for weather could be better described as "CLIMATE". For instance, last Wednesday it was some 72 F or 21 C, for those who are into the not so new system of temperature measurement. It was sunny and very nice. The following day we had 32 F or 0 C and it snowed, not a lot but it stuck around all day. This was not our first snow of the season but it was the first one to stick around. Nothing to do about it, other than complain.

MEN'S HEALTH
Over the past week or so, I got some video links from the Canadian Cancer Society that relate to men's health. The subject is deadly serious in that it deals with prostate, testicular and colon cancer. The 3 videos are funny and eye catching that convey this message. They are not long, and are on youtube. The material is graphic in nature, but at the same time is very important to men and to their loved ones. I have posted the links for you below. Turn on your sound.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlyF8BKMEYc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7NdoEtqd5Q&playnext=1&videos=HrKP_PtshYI&feature=mfu_in_order

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1GZg_FkNIc&playnext=1&videos=qdxkn2JwutI&feature=mfu_in_order

COOKING CHILI
Do you enjoy chili? I know I do. So much so I make our own. I use a couple of different recipes and I would like to share my oldest one with you. It is very simple to make, freezes well and warms nicely in the microwave for what is left over. You need a good sized pot or pan to cook it in, and I use a crock pot or slow cooker, for making mine. Let's get started!
You need:
1 Pound of LEAN ground beef.
1 2" onion chopped reasonably fine
1 regular size can of tomato sauce
1 large can of chopped tomatoes, (spiced is OK if you like)
1 14 oz can of red kidney beans
1 14 oz can of baked beans with tomato or molasses
1 small can of mushrooms (bits & pieces)
A few cloves of garlic as needed to taste. I use about 3 or four depending on the size.
Now we cook all this up. First add a tablespoon or so of olive oil if you have it to a skillet fry pan and brown the ground beef. Chop the onion up and add it to the beef until the onion clears.
When this is done spoon the fry pan into the slow cooker and start to add the rest of the ingredients to the mix.
Season the mixture with the garlic crushed or chopped fine, about a tablespoon of fresh chili powder, sprinkle on some ground black pepper. For me I like to add a sprinkle or so of Hy's Seasoning, a LIGHT sprinkle of red chili peppers, some Worcestershire Sauce (a dash or so to taste), Finally I add a shot or 2 of Tabasco. All of the add ins are optional for your own taste, since much of this can be added at the time of eating. Feel free to adjust the recipe to how you like it. Let the mixture simmer in the crock pot for about 4 hours on low heat. Delicious, and to make it even more so try eating it with hot baking powder biscuits.
Uneaten chili can be frozen in plastic containers for future enjoyment. This will make about 10 meals in total, nice on those cold wintry nights that are coming our way. See the first item! Enjoy!

Redwood National Park

If you have never seen these trees, it is hard to imagine the size. They go to over 350 feet high, higher than Niagara Falls! They go to 24 feet in diameter and are some 2000 years old! They are the second oldest living things on earth. A close relative the Giant Sequoia is older, heavier and bigger in diameter, but shorter. The sequoia is found a bit further inland and are a sight to see as well. They live to 3000 years old!


"Big Tree" note the people in foreground.



To access the park there is a section north and east of Crescent City called the Jedidiah Smith State Park on highway 199, in northern California but the major part is accessible from highway 101. The lower section is the National Park. If you are stying in Crescent City, go south on 101 until you come to Orick, and continue until you come to the Park Visitor center. This is about 50 miles from Crescent City. Pick up your guide and maps there. Be sure to take the walk to the "big tree", it is 24 feet across. Look too at the Ladybird Johnson area of the park. Highway 101 divides in the park and if you travelled south on one portion return on the other one.

You can of course go further south and witness the old tree that is still living, that has been cut out and one can drive through the tree. Another attraction south of Orick is the "tree house", a tree that people live in!

Trees in this narrow band on the coast are the last of the old original trees, and are protected by the park. There are the small areas south of the park that are protected as well, but are not part of the park system. Redwood trees are quick growing for the first few years and are grown for harvest to supply the outdoor wood market.

Along the way while driving through the park you will come across views of the beach's and sea stacks at times. Some roads off the main highway are "graded" gravel and are not suitable for trailers, they are poorly marked as well. You would be prudent if you took the time to check the road conditions at Orick before venturing off the main roads. The area around Crescent City has some excellent scenery from lookouts located near Crescent City. There is a working lighthouse at Crescent City too that offers tours. It is right beside the new motel mentioned below.

Accommodation in Crescent City is so-so, but there is a very nice new motel right on the water overlooking the Pacific. It is brand new and has a very good rating. The Best Western has pretty good food, and the rooms are OK if you don't take the ground floor. Those were quite dirty on our visit and some features in the room didn't work well. Their is an old motel a member of the "Choice" chain we stayed at in the past, but it is out of the way and is a strange configuration. It had been a Holiday Inn before they gave up on it. There is great food to be had on the wharf area and when dinner is done you can drive to the edge of the water and check out some more sea lions barking away.

Just north of Crescent City is a fairly large shopping center anchored by Wal-Mart. On the north end of the town there is a grocery supermarket that offers booze at incredibly low prices. They run a good $5.00 less than the liquor store in the same shopping mall! Try $25.00 for a 1.75 L of Quervo Gold!

One final note, there is a motel in Crescent City built entirely form the wood of just one redwood log! The doors are one piece of slab redwood, for example.

Still learning!

Well, the blog business has not gone too well so far. There is a lot to learn it seems. At the moment I have 2 blogs one with the picture of the Cullen house and an earlier one with the write up of our trip and stay at this house. I haven't figured out yet how to get all this together.



Miller Tree B&B (the Cullen House) in Forks WA

 Maybe this will work.  This is the Miller Tree B&B we stayed at in Forks WA. This is probably one of the very few days when it isn't raining or foggy, or about to rain or get foggy! Anyway this is Joan standing in front of the place which was the Cullen House for the movie series Twilight! We have never seen the movie, but it has quite a following.

People arrive at the house all day with cameras taking pictures of the place, and reading the note left behind by the "Cullen's" explaining why they are not at home right now.

There that wasn't so bad! When in doubt try the Help file up there at the top. The way this works is almost like an email when you get used to what is needed.

As the days go by, I'll try to do better and put something together that will be of more interest I hope to anybody reading this.

Thanks for looking in on my first attempts.
Ross