Hey, They Forgot The Best Part

And by that I mean, the rest of the state motto:

Those Marketers, always taking short cuts.

"I'm Not Dead Yet"

Not yet......

Hang in there, l'il buddy!

Just When You Thought The World Was Perfect.....

It gets more perfecter!

Exactly My Reaction......

 ...when my dentist told me I needed a root canal.

And then last month, more good news!



Dentures?

Let's get the party started!

Badges Of Honour

Some things never change.

See It Wouldn't Be A Delivery Truck..... for earlier rant.

My Favourite

Went to very nice American, family style restaurant for breakfast yesterday.

They serve breakfast, lunch and - my favourite meal - diner.

And in keeping with the family style theme, one of our group had been in for breakfast the day before.

When the waitress took his order, he said "I'll have the same as yesterday."

She said, "And how would I know what that was?"

He replied, "Because you served me."

She said, "Well, honey, I've done a lot of drinking since yesterday."

Just like Mom would say.


[Thanks to an eagle eyed reader for spotting the sign.]

[And future thanks to the other eagle eyed reader for wanting to write a song about it.]

Good News

Came across a good sign yesterday.

And that good sign is a good sign - that the good old El Mocambo is not going the way of the Dodo Bird.

This is the Palm Tree sign to which they are referring.

The El Mocambo is, of course, a famous bar in downtown Toronto.

None the more famous for an impromptu appearance by the good old Rolling Stones back in '77.

I think that is Maggie Trudeau (Captain Sunshine's Mom) in the second row.

Coincidence Or Convenience?

Hospital.....

Funeral Home....

Across the street from one another......

Yikes!

And this is the hospital I was born in.

I Dare Ya!

Oh yeah?  I double dog dare ya.

For any six year olds out there, what comes next.......

A Lovely Day In The Neighbourhood

What seems like just an ordinary day walking down a city street.....

...turns into something unexpected as you are crossing the street.

It's a freakin' castle!

[There beyond the bridge.]

And looks like it is a favourite landmark on old Dupont Street.

And this castle has a looming presence everywhere.

Another innocuous street scene.

Until you see the damn castle again.

But for those of you in Toronto, this is not just any castle.

This is Casa Loma!

A project of early 1900's industrialist and military commander Sir Henry Pellatt.

And he built this in a very tony, very expensive and buttoned down Toronto neighbourhood in the 1910's.

Now, today, people get upset when someone builds a "monster home" next to them.  Maybe a 5,000 square foot behemoth.

Can you imagine what the neighbours were thinking when word got out about the plans for this young, brash industrialist's home?

[You can see the "regular" homes in the neighbourhood at the top of the picture.]

Well outrage is what greeted young Henry.  Tempered outrage, of course, as this is Toronto The Good we are talking about here.

But let me tell you, Letters to the Editor were frequent and biting.  A real bun fight ensued.

But all to no avail.

Construction was soon underway - employing countless scores of stone masons and other skilled tradesmen.

When it was finished, from this picture, you could almost envision angry neighbours, with pitch forks and torches, storming up the path.

Well that didn't happen.  But more Letters to the Editor did!

Today, it stands as testament to a Quixotic dream of a failed industrialist.

Failed, because he went bankrupt before he finished it and it has been languishing in various hands ever since.

And he died in virtual poverty.  But thousands of people lined the streets to witness his funeral and he was buried with full military honours.

He was a larger than life figure that will be remembered by Torontonians for years to come.

Picked The Wrong Day To Stop Sniffing Glue

Hate to wake up and see this coming!

This is a (big honking) dust storm approaching the coast of Australia.



With apologies to Lloyd Bridges and the cast of Airplane.