Here We Grow Again

This is the front gate to a place in a funky little Calgary neighborhood, just north of downtown across the river. The whole neighborhood has neat little houses, almost cottages, with pitched roofs and front porches.

A refreshing change from row after row of poured concrete and stuccoed behemoths all over the rest of the city.


I'm guessing some kind of new ager, flower child lives here, complete with sun sign.

Let's take a closer look.

Oops....too late. All gone. This is being torn down to accommodate another big slab of concrete, like the faceless entity next door.

Oh well, as they say, there goes the neighborhood.

If you look closely, to the right, you can see the eyes of Satan actually looking out from the god foresaken house next door. But don't look too long.....

Someone Done Stole The Bus!

Told you it would happen......


Uhhh....see earlier post.

The Sad, Sorry Road Trip - Continued

When we last left our intrepid road warriors, they were taking a wee breather on their way north.


A beautiful drive through Northern Ontario would bring the gallant trio face to face with more of their same ilk. For a few more days of sun and fun.


Not a bad shot for being taken front the middle seat of a speeding pick up truck with my 1.3 megapixels of might.

Feel free to take composition lessons on my ethereal oeuvre of the clouds reflected in the lake.

Host With The Most

....most what, I don't know.

Some might recognize this snap from another bloggers profile. However, this one includes the more realistic fog-of-life effect.

Spent several [Ed. note: see earlier posting for definition of several.] days in North Bay during the Ontario World Tour. Days by the lake, by the pub, by the dock, by the beer fridge, you get the idea.

Day Is Done...Almost

Out for a tour just at sunset. Looks so peaceful. The sun and countryside never divulging the evil that was about to occur later...on this very lake. Bwaaah ha ha ha.......

A Three Hour Tour

What an ecellent way to start an evening, with a boat tour of one of Northern Ontario's scenic lakes.

Engaging stories told all around.


Wing night? Why not? Beer night? Mais oui!


Pool night? This shot is not result of my crummy camera, but shows the blazing speed with which the gamers were playing. My clicker finger could barely keep up.

And we still had the boat ride home. Luckily for all concerned, I kept my camera, like everything else, in my pants.

Three Hour Tour - Recent Update

Moon Over......Trout Lake

Wow, what a difference a few hours make. Stunning moon rise on Trout Lake. Good thing the entrancing view didn't lure me out to the dock and make me wind up like Splash Pettigrew.

Morning Has Broken.......

....and we're alive! Don't push your luck, Urban. Time to get on a bus outta town.

So after last evening, it was off down to Toronto to see Jimmy B, and you already know.....the rest of the story.

Sweet Mother Above!

Are you kidding me? Not the quality of the photo. It's September 19^th and we got snow today! Not snow peas. Not Snoopy. But snow.

Now, it wasn't much. But it doesn't have to be when it's September 19^th!! Talking to Ontario today and it was 27 Deg C and sunny. I'm a skeered to wake up tomorrow.

Rude Boys

A group of lads showing their appreciation for all my work in taking the following photos. Gads, even the young lad is getting into the act!

Actually this is a group friends that regularly get together at a friend's farm in the Ottawa Valley. The fellow on the right's wife takes herself and the kids (well, almost all the kids...ahem) away for the month of August, leaving him Home Alone. Aghast at the prospect of him fending for himself for so long, good friends rushed in. And we've been doing it for several years.

I say several years, as we really have no idea how long it's been. We really have very little idea of just about anything. That is either a function of our failing memories, the quantity of beverages we consume each time or a function of our failing memories. However, we're sticking with fifteen.


It's a weekend just chock-a-block with action and activities. Non stop fun. Heck, we're still acting like young guys in their forties!

Soup and Sandwich?

Better! Beer and chain saws!! Hot damn! They were made for each other.

In order to get a little fire going in the tinder dry Ottawa Valley, we had to round up some wood. Mike wanted to put his best team on this detail. Unfortunately, they were busy, so these boys took on the task.

Uhhh....wrong end there, Rob...... Gord is leaning over thinking, what am I going to tell the paramedics?

Is the theme from Deliverance running through your head right now?


Now, beer and wood, that's more my speed.

The spoils of war. But the job isn't finished until some chumps take all the wood out of the truck. Every...last....twig.

Uhhhh....nice shoes, Rob.

Best Seat In The House...er Truck

What better way for young men on the town to actually see the town, but from the back of a pick up truck. Complete with lawn chairs and beverages (but we weren't driving, in case my Mom is reading this).

Here Mr. P is checking on someone who he thinks is getting a little close to our back door.

Land Of Oz?

As Home Alone 15 was winding down and we were on our way out of town, we stopped by to visit a friend who lives in a farm house, down by the river. The Rideau River, that is. A magical little world, filled with sunflowers.


Here, a little garden fairy is found among the tiny sunflowers. She's only two feet fall, and cute as a button. But she can drink beer with the best of them. Or us, I guess. And she did. And we did.

And because of that, after our visit, which included a boat drink on the Rideau River, we decided to extend the Ottawa Valley portion of our tour by a day. However, it now meant one lad had to miss a day's work. Good call, Mr. P, way to take one for the team.


Actually, these are huge sunflowers. In a huge field. Walking among these giants was as disorienting as anything my North Bay friends ever cooked up. Are you talking to me?


And there's a sorry shot, of a sad little fellow found among the flowers. Looks like he's been drinking beer with the Garden Fairy.

Breaking No Laws Here

These guys are in no danger of breaking any laws here. In any language. No danger.

Not today, not yesterday, not tomorrow. No danger.

We took a bit of a break on our way from one beer swilling venue to another. Here we are on our way (in more ways than one) up to North Bay.

Those pics are for another day......

Alright!

We made it to the big time! We finally got one of them new fangled needle disposal units. Not like that old piece of crap we used to have (below).

I'm hoping this will be attracting more high-end crack heads to our neighborhood. I can feel my condo value increasing already.

Clear, but Crisp

I guess one [uhhhhh....the only one] good side of waking up to 1^o C weather, is that the mountains are so clear out my window.

But the one downside, uhhhhh.....many downsides, to having a piece of crap camera/phone, is that you can't tell from this ^$%$&!$* picture!

And don't try double clicking - that won't help.

Oh well, win some, lose some.

Fins Up!

Just back from two weeks vacation in Ontario, ending in a Jimmy Buffett concert. Went with 50 of my closest friends. If you've never been to a Jimmy concert, and you enjoy hang-overs, you gotta go.

Here a small group of Parrotheads are enjoying some pregame festivities in Laloritaville, that our fabulous hosts Barb & Jim put on(happy now, Joe?).

[Ed Note: Big Joe is, where else, front and centre.]

The video evidence. Although the ticket price says $55....bring more than that. At $11 for a thimbleful of beer, thirsty Parrotheads can run up a bit of a tab.

Below is the calm before the storm at Laloritaville. Looks harmless enough, huh? I laugh at you.

Some of the Parrotheads below. Buffett aficionados are called Parrotheads. They are also called many other things that, apparently, Google will not allow published.

Notice the sharp matching shirts, shades and tall foreheads of a few of the 'heads.

Another view of Laloritaville, prior to getting the...... uhhhhh....."wind in our sails".

Great weather, great day, great friends, great time. The whole day was, well, great.