Reggae Fest Time, Mahn

[Ed. note: The phone is back in action. Amazing what a little soap and water will do.]

So it was the International Reggae Festival in Calgary this weekend. Right outside my building, too. Maybe I'll stop in for a bit of cool running music. [Ed. note 2: Cool Runnings was filmed in Calgary].



Well, helllllllo, ladies. Maybe I will check this out. Or maybe they'll be checking me out. Or maybe kicking me out.

Okay relax, they're my friend's daughters. No checking out going on. Honest, Sid.

Soooo, let's head inside.......


Ach, laddie, $35 to get in? What is this, the Folk Festival? How do you say "35 bucks, are you kidding me?!" and still look cool in front of three girls?

From the looks on their faces, you should not ask me.


But I did get this excellent shot of the stage (at least I think it was the stage) from not too far away. Apparently Reggae muscians are all very small.

Well, maybe if the wind is blowing the right way, I'll be able to hear it from my balcony.

And you know what, I could. And the beer was the right price, too. So a happy ending for all.

Interlude.......

I've been having some troubles with my equipment - my phone equipment, you sicko's - so haven't been able to post anything in a while. Considering I'm as tech savvy as a small rodent, this may be a while.

So...here of some shots, pre-techno troubles, of a quick trip I took to San Fran a couple of months ago.

Man, them is some steep streets. Notice the way the wheels on all the cars face out. [Double click picture to get better view.] I think that is voice of experience.



And what San Fran montage would be complete without a cable car shot. Labouring up those steep streets. They are pulled by, well, cables, under the roads. I wonder if you have to pay extra for the ride if the cable snaps. Wheeeeee!!




And building design must be interesting. A basement suite at one end of the block becomes a penthouse at the other end.



It is a beautiful city, though. Great for walking. But, man, them is some steep streets.



And had some great eats, too. So a neat city. Was only there once before, when I was about six. So only saw the roofs of most buildings from my backseat, low angle vantage point.

But Ride Quickly.....

....or you will be chased by muggers!!

Go Little Duck Dudes

Hard to see from this photo (.....for obvious reasons) but these little ducklings are paddling plenty towards the rapids under the 10 Street Bridge. Either they get a kick out of this or Mom has let the youngins out of the backyard too early.

Good luck little dudes!

[Ed note: this posting went to press before results of the rapid shoot were complete.]

Foggy and Frigid

Woke up this morning to a beautiful, and erie, view. And to a freakin' 3^oC!! [That's 37^o F for you south of the 49^th.]
Holey crackamoley, it's only August 11 ^th gimme a break. They're sweating in 100+ weather at the PGA Championship in Oklahoma.

No wonder we're all killing each other up here.

Then Get A Ladder!

Ho ho ho ho......I kill me..........

I'm Not The Only Whiner

Today's Letter to the Editor page was full of folks lamenting the decent of our city into lawlessness. At least I'm not alone in feeling the same way. And I didn't write any of these.


Believe it or not, each of the letters ended with "Oh my God, we're all gonna die!"

Guess I've Been A Bit Hard On The Old Girl

The downtown pathway in Calgary is very beautiful. Here is a shot from the island across from the centre of downtown, Prince's Island. Lots of flower gardens and sculptures.

These Guys Are Good

Steal the bikes and leave the locks, locked.

Alright!!

Fat free bacon!! Just what I've been waiting for!

Errrr...or is that French Fried bacon? Hmmm....better make sure first.

Yabba Dabba

Woooo hooooo!1 These guys were just cooking going through the rapids under the 10 Street bridge. Going sideways just adds to the fun.

We shot these on our trip a few weeks ago, but the water is now lower, so the bumps are a lot bigger. [ummm....."bumps" are what the professionals call the splashy white things.]

Way to go, dudes........

Wait For Me!

This little fella was chasing after them on a boogie board. That takes some guts.

What The........?

[The following contains mature subject matter. It may not be suitable for all bleeding heart readers.]

Okay, now they've gone too far. We’ve finally got drug addicts and bums camping on the west side of downtown. This is the first time I've seen this - and you know I've been looking.



I don't really mind (oh yes you do) that the city has, apparently, abandoned the east side of downtown to derelicts, but it is now, literally, getting too close to home.

Get them out of here.

But they all have a sweet deal going here - camping on the banks of the Bow River. You and I would be paying top dollar to be able to do this, in one of our provincial parks. And I dare anybody to leave trash there.

These vagrants? They have people bending over backwards to give them food, sleeping bags and to wipe their bums. And how do they say thanks? They leave this stuff strewn all over the river bank.

Get them the hell out of here.

"But where are they going to go?", you say. Where? That's easy. The hell outta here, I say. If you build it.........

Yours truly, Angry Middle Class Old Guy.

New Funeral Home?

Resting peacfully.......

April Wine? Boy, they were old when they played at one of our high schools dances. In the previous century! I wonder if they still have the big 70's hair?

Ach! I just noticed farther down the on the sign; CCR! Ohh...revisited. Does that mean reincarnated?

No Confusion Here

Man, my pet toad could do a better job installing road signs in this city.

No Thanks

In Calgary, if you want to return your empty beer bottles for a refund, you don't take them back to the place you bought them. You have to schlep them back to one of the "Bottle Depots". Or "Derelict Depots" as I've been known to call them.

When I first got here I made the mistake of taking my bottles to the Downtown Bottle Depot. [pictured here. The sign says Uptown Bottle Depot, but don't let that trick you.]

Holy moley, it was like a scene out of Blade Runner. Everyone had their own shopping buggy, shredded (and smelly, I must add) clothing and generally with one limb or eye missing.

So I wheel in in my late model car, golf shirt and penny loafers carrying two cases of bottles. I know how a gazelle must feel on the Serengeti during a prolonged drought. All eyes (or eye, as the case may be) swung towards me. I felt I should drag one leg behind me as I went in. However, I got in and out, but no more bottle recycling for me.

So now I just throw them in the river. After I've taken a poop down there, of course.

Is This Your Busted Glass?

Nice scene walking to work one morning on our main streets here in Calgary. And this is not uncommon.

Front page of today's paper says we've had eight murders downtown in nine days. Drive bys, rapes, stabbings, hit & runs. You name it, we've killed somebody doing it. And the freaky part is a bunch of them have happened within three or four blocks of mia casa.

Where these beer bottles were smashed (photo from earlier this week) on Saturday night we had two cars flying down the street, firing shots at each other. Until one guy bought it and slammed his SUV into five pared cars. DOA. Three blocks away.

A day before that some drug addict chick pushed this kid into the on coming path of one of our commuter trains. DOA. Two blocks away.

So none of this is very funny. Sorry........

When It Absolutely Has To Be Done Right

When a job has to be done right, why take any chances. When you want the latest and finest in hair styling techniques, where do you go? Obviously, Mo's Hair Salon.


And now that I think about it, if Mo is busy, I'd have no problem heading over to see Marvelous Migun. Whatever he does.

And while I'm here, I might even check out a couple of those Finn Maids.......

Way To Go!

Hey, looks like the road crew guys finally got one right. Of course, maybe they just flip a coin and slap up a sign.

If you can get a job anywhere, anytime for any money, I'm pretty sure that's what I would do. And in this city, that's exactly the situation.

"You didn't like the job I did? b'bye....." [Add small wave of hand here.]

Can You?

I can't tell the difference......


Okay, okay, I'm stretching a bit on this one.

Music Was Blowing In The wind

Ran into a cool little event when I was out for a walk about on a Sunday afternoon. Every summer, Calgary has a Folk Music Festival. Four days of sunnin' and strummin'.

It's held on a little island in the middle of downtown. I've never seen so many Birkenstock sandals in one place.

Maybe I'll head in for a listen.....

Oops - Maybe Not

$55! It's just folk music, for crying out loud.

Ach, laddie, ah jus' can't do it.