Handsome Jack

Evening Sail

2007-08-30T11:10:00.001-05:00

Just a regular Wednesday race night out on the bay. Nice little breeze, rippling water under the hull, Handsome Jack slipping along effortlessly. We won the yellow mug (that's first place) so it was a pretty good night all around.

Running

2007-08-05T08:45:00.001-05:00

Of course there is a caption to this picture that explains who the little girl is and where she is going and why she is running but somehow it seemed to distract from the beauty of the picture.

Don't Try This At Home Kids

2007-07-24T11:34:00.000-05:00

A Buddhist monk from the Shaolin Monastery balances on a spear while performing in southern Russia. A branch of the Shaolin Monastery, regarded as the birthplace of the martial art kung fu, will be created within one of Buddhist monasteries in Kalmykia where the monks of this Chinese monastery will train the basis of martial arts.

Fairy Tales Can Come True

2007-07-12T13:22:00.000-05:00

Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know the dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.
--G. K. Chesterton

Mr. Lee and the CatCam

2007-07-03T14:47:00.000-05:00

Mr. Lee of Anderson, S.C., was a particularly busy cat, with many engagements and a free and easy (read: unneutered) lifestyle.
A few months ago, he wandered into Juergen Perthold's life. Mr. Perthold, an engineer from Germany, and his wife, Jenny, were happy to adopt the sturdy grey-and-white stray. However, the Pertholds and Mr. Lee had different opinions about curfew.
"We tried to keep him home at night, but sometimes he didn't return in the evening, sometimes for a couple of days," Mr. Perthold says. "We wondered, was he going to another family to get food, or does he still belong to another family?"
A few weeks later, Mr. Lee found himself encumbered with a small white plastic box affixed to his collar.
This device, known as the Mr. Lee CatCam, would eventually earn Mr. Lee and his owner a degree of Internet fame. Mr. Perthold, an engineer with an interest in photography, had rejigged a digital camera, altering its mechanism to make it take one photo a minute for 48 hours, then covered it in a shock-resistant, scratch-resistant, water-resistant casing.
"The reaction," Mr. Perthold writes on his website of Mr. Lee's test drive, "was not very happy but finally accepted."
The resulting photographs, which can be found at the website http://Mr-lee-catcam.de, are oddly poetic images of foliage, suburban homes, undersides of cars and fellow cats, who can be seen looking at Mr. Lee in a frank and interested way seldom seen when looking at people.
Mr. Perthold's photo commentary, in German-inflected English, ratchets up the charm quotient. "What the heck is it? UFO?" reads one caption.
Perhaps the winning combination of cat photos and ungrammatical English had something to do with the website's popularity: At its peak, it received 400,000 hits in 10 hours.
Despite the photos' novelty value and occasional beauty, Mr. Perthold, who admits he "would give a lot to one day be cat-sized," has no plans to sell them. Since Mr. Lee had no intention of taking the photos, Mr. Perthold says, "It's not art."
However, he advertises the CatCam on his website and has received about 1,000 e-mails from interested buyers. He is also now in contact with a camera manufacturer, so a mass-produced CatCam may be in the works.
But isn't it ironic that we've spent years trying to prove we're not "mere animals," developing ever more sophisticated technology, only to use it to find out what it must be like to be a mere animal?
"There are other species in our midst, and we are as curious about their lives as we are about the lives of our neighbours," says Rick Boychuk, editor of Canadian Geographic.
"We are searching for other means by which to understand their feelings and ... what their appetites are." Ours, it seems clear, is for knowledge.

Who Thinks Up This Stuff?

2007-05-29T11:55:00.001-05:00

Competitors race in yesterday’s Cheese Rolling event, an annual race thought to date to Roman times.

Cheese Rolling ... that's what it says, and apparently it's been around (sorry) for quite a while. Who knew?

One of My Sailing Heroes

2007-05-09T14:59:00.000-05:00

An exuberant Sir Robin Knox-Johnson arrives in Bilbao, Spain completing a historic second singlehanded circumnavigation, this time at the age of 68 in the Velux 5 Oceans Race. In 1969, he became the first person to sail around the world alone non-stop in a 312-day voyage.

His second circumnavigation boat, "Saga Insurance".

His first circumnavigation boat "Suhaili" which he built himself.

God Save The Queen

2007-05-03T08:43:00.000-05:00

Recent portrait of HRH Queen Elizabeth II

Sometimes the Seals Win

2007-04-24T10:24:00.000-05:00

A picture is worth a thousand seals, in fact, hundreds of thousands of seals all basking in the sun. What a sight. While the hunters and their boats are trapped in the ice flows, the seals enjoy a sunny morning.

This Little Piggy Went To Market

2007-04-04T09:44:00.000-05:00

But this is not fairy tale. It's a nightmare. This little guy fell off a moving truck on the freeway. Rescued for the moment, he stands dazed and injured. But his fate has not been altered. At the end of the day he'll be on somebody's dinner table. I think he knows this. It made me cry.

Toronto Star Caption - "Maintenance employee Paul Conrad takes a sip of coffee as he guards one of two stray pigs that fell from a moving truck onto Highway 401 near Cambridge, Ont., yesterday. The pigs were en route to a meat market when the mishap occurred, causing traffic to slow while the animals were corralled."

Come In Out Of The Rain Dear

2007-03-30T10:19:00.000-05:00

Elizabeth II takes shelter from the rain at March 29's official opening of the new Lawn Tennis Association training centre in Roehampton, England.

Kongou Falls, Gabon

2007-03-27T14:52:00.000-05:00

Kongou Falls, or Chutes Kongou en francais, is a massively serial cataract on the Ivindo River. In appearance, it is a series of rushing falls, cascades and cataracts between dozens of heavily forested (alright, jungled...technically) islands. The falls are one of the focal points of the Ivindo National Park in Gabon. You can hear it days before you reach it, a two-mile-wide expanse of roiling water that thunders through a chain of islands, churning up mountains of foam.

Total Height: 185 feet
Tallest Single Drop: 185 feet
Number of Drops: 1
Waterfall Type: segmented
Average Width: 10,500 feet
Average Volume: 31,783 cubic feet / sec.
Maximum Recorded Volume: 95,349 cubic feet / sec.
Watercourse: Ivindo River
Seasonality: Perrenial

What I love about this picture is the attitude of the boatman at the base of the falls. In a craft that looks as though a teardrop would sink it, he paddles calmly along as though this may be his daily route... the most ordinary of passages. How wonderful.

What Day Does Spring Start?

2007-03-21T13:01:00.000-05:00

What day does spring start?
The BBC News...

It's snowing but according to the Met Office spring has sprung. Others disagree. So what day does spring start? Much of the country is in the grip of icy winter weather but according to the Meteorological Office spring is here. It classes the first day of spring as 1 March, saying March, April and May are regarded as the spring months. But traditionally spring has started on the night of 20/21 March and a row has erupted over the official date.

"You would not regard the first three weeks of June as spring, yet historically summer does not start until 21 June," says a spokesman for the Met Office. "Equally, the bulk of people now regard 1 March as the first day of spring."

But disgruntled MPs are questioning "on whose authority" the date has been changed. "They may say that 1 March is the first day of spring - which it is not - but it certainly doesn't feel like it," says the seasonally named Sir Nicholas Winterton, Conservative MP for Macclesfield. He is supported by Stuart Bell, Labour MP for Middlesbrough, who says: "Spring starts on March 20/21 and if the Met Office are not aware of this simple fact, it reflects a casual approach to facts, which is all too inherent today."

Historically spring starts on the day of the vernal equinox, which usually occurs on the night of 20/21 March. Vernal comes originally from the Latin word for bloom and refers to the fact that, in the northern hemisphere, this equinox marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. An equinox is a time when the nights are as long as the days and the vernal equinox is recognised the world over as the start of the new astrological cycle.

But does that necessarily make it the start of spring? After all, summer is commonly decreed to start on 21 June - the Summer Solstice - yet the following day is known as MID-summer's day. And since when has the prevailing weather had anything to do with it? Parts of the country may be ankle-deep in snow but cast your mind back three months and the talk was why, in mid-December, the weather felt like spring.

The Met Office, meanwhile, has little time for celestial patterns and historical precedent. It picked 1 March for simplicity's sake, choosing to slot the four seasons neatly into the 12 months... June, July and August are the summer months; September, October and November autumn, and so on.

Barrymore Joseph Bunt

2007-03-20T08:01:00.000-05:00

Circa 1995 - March 17, 2007

His life was not an easy one but he never complained. Barry would sing no matter what. He was just happy to be.

He chose us. And he stayed with us all these years. Miss you Bammer. God bless.

Get the Picture?

2007-03-10T20:56:00.000-06:00

A man burns a flag in protest against the visit of U.S. President George W. Bush in Montevideo March 9.

Go Fly a Kite

2007-03-05T18:26:00.000-06:00

The Day in Photos

CHARLA JONES / TORONTO STAR

A lone kite rides the wind at the Lake Simcoe Wind Sports Festival yesterday.

The Political Compass

2007-03-02T09:12:00.000-06:00

These days it's getting harder and harder to differentiate political beliefs. Here's an interesting place where you can take a bead on your own political leanings, and find out where some of the great world leaders stand in relationship to you and to each other.

The Political Compass™

Welcome to The Political Compass™. There's abundant evidence for the need of it. The old one-dimensional categories of 'right' and 'left', established for the seating arrangement of the French National Assembly of 1789, are overly simplistic for today's complex political landscape. For example, who are the 'conservatives' in today's Russia? Are they the unreconstructed Stalinists, or the reformers who have adopted the right-wing views of conservatives like Margaret Thatcher ?

On the standard left-right scale, how do you distinguish leftists like Stalin and Gandhi? It's not sufficient to say that Stalin was simply more left than Gandhi. There are fundamental political differences between them that the old categories on their own can't explain. Similarly, we generally describe social reactionaries as 'right-wingers', yet that leaves left-wing reactionaries like Robert Mugabe and Pol Pot off the hook.

Go to this link to take a test that will show you were you stand on the Political Compass.

http://www.politicalcompass.org/

All About Pots

2007-02-22T08:00:00.000-06:00

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them."

"For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

SO, to all of my crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path.

Handsome Jack

St. Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T08:58:00.000-06:00

Recipe for Groundhog Day

2007-02-02T15:19:00.000-06:00

Howard's Famous Stir Fry Recipe

Another wonderful recipe - just ask me, I'll tell ya. Good luck!

1.5 cups rice (I use BASMATI or JASMINE rice, but you can use any rice except Condoleeza)
2 cups H2O (make sure 2 Hs are in each molecule - be sure to check! - hydrogen peroxide is not recommended)meat (optional - pork, chicken, or armadillo is fine - I prefer chicken, but I was born of a human mother and father)green onion / white onion / celery / bell pepper / red pepper / yellow pepper / orange pepper / broccoli / frozen peas / any crisp vegetable, diced to the size of Jeff Probst's head when he's at tribal council (when viewed on a 13" black and white television - preferably the Sylvania brand)
1/2 ounce dark sesame oil (Secret ingredient #1)
2 ounces Coke Zero (Secret ingredient #2)
2 ounces Sam Adams Boston Lager Beer (Secret ingredient #3)
fresh spinach leaves (Secret ingredient #4)
handful of peanuts (unless you're allergic)
4 ounces barbecue sauce (any brand is fine, but choose the regular BBQ flavor, not the honey mustard marinara flavor)

The day before you cook this, marinate your meat. Hmmph. Get your mind out of the gutter. Seriously, am I dealing with junior high students? Anyway, cut up the meat so each piece is about the size of a stack of about ten dimes. Please note; do not marinate dimes (they have a flavor of their own). Cut the meat to this size only. The dimes were an example. You don't have to shape the meat into little cylindrical shapes, either. After you have cut the meat, put it in a plastic bag with the barbecue sauce and throw in the refrigerator overnight. Come back tomorrow and finish up, or get into the DeLorean and set the date for the next day.

Now, cook the rice. I use 1.5 cups of rice to 2 cups water in a rice cooker. You should start this first, and a rice cooker is nice because you don't have to baby sit the rice. Be warned: if you use a pot on the stove, your rice will either be very crunchy (not good) or very mushy (not good) or maybe the rice will be just perfect (very good). With a rice cooker, it always comes out right. So, do yourself a favor - go get a rice cooker. Now. I'll wait. Maybe you should make this recipe tomorrow!

Are you back from Wal-Mart? Oh, good. Anyway, do you remember the rice recipe? I'll recap: 1.5 cups of rice and 2.0 cups of water in the rice cooker you just bought. Did you remember to wash out the rice cooker first? That first batch will taste funny if you didn't. Wow. I figured you would have known to wash out the rice cooker first before starting the rice.

Now that the rice is going (you did turn on the rice cooker, didn't you?) it's time for the stuff that goes on the rice.
Chop up your vegetables. Did you put your dimes away? Get 'em back out - you want the vegetables about the same size too. You don't want to marinate your veggies, just chop 'em up. Onions, bell peppers, celery, crisp stuff. Carrots not so good - and don't even think about putting eggplant in there. Chop the spinach leaves separately, leave them the size of a dollar bill folded in half 3 times. Yes, lengthwise.

Get a nice big wok. The bigger the better. Well, that's not entirely true. Ripping the satellite dish from the neighbor's house is also not a good idea. If you're using your kid's snow saucer, that's probably too big, too. A wok about 12 to 14 inches in diameter is about perfect. Put the wok on the stove, and start heating it up. The wok, that is.
Now that your wok is hot (remember this - Confucius say: hot wok, cold food, food won't stick), add the meat that has been marinating in the barbecue sauce. For you literal minded folks: remove the meat and sauce from the plastic bag first. Saute the meat until it's pretty much cooked. Raw chicken is not good for you. Neither is poking your eye with the spatula you're using, but I digress.

OK, now that the chicken & sauce is going well, add your vegetables. Don't add the spinach yet. I especially like the little sweet peppers you can get at Costco - when you can find them. If you have those peppers, chop them up too and throw 'em in. It's not too late. Stir the chicken, sauce and vegetables in the wok. Throw in the peanuts. Do I need to tell you that the peanuts should be out of the shells? Duh! When the liquid from the chicken and barbecue sauce is pretty much gone, now it's time for the fun.

Add the Coke Zero. Just about two ounces. Not too much. Also add the beer! Fun! You're making dinner with one of my good friends Sam Adams! Invite him into your house often.

I'm serious, add the cola. Pepsi, Coke, it doesn't make any difference. Diet, regular, who cares? You're using so little that it won't matter. But you do get just a touch of sweetness and flavor from the cola. And believe it or not, it makes a difference. Of course you can choose to drink the beer and not add it, but did you notice that the recipe only calls for two ounces of beer? What can you possibly do with the other 10 ounces in the bottle? Add the two ounces. Really.

Now you need to keep stirring this concoction until the liquid is pretty much gone again! Remember the score, Pepsi One - Coke Zero. Ha! The last step is to add the spinach leaves. I know you're not Popeye, but do it! Spinach is good for you, and in this recipe, even non-believers can enjoy it. So do the right thing. Add the spinach, and cook for just a minute or so. The leaves will kinda shrivel and shrink. That's what you want. If they grow, call your gardener! Turn off the heat under the wok; turn off the rice cooker when it's done.

Now take a few spoonfuls of the cooked rice (it should be done now) and load up a plate, and throw a bunch of that stuff that's in the wok on top of the rice. Sit down with that other 10 ounces of Sammy by your side, and enjoy. I'll go tally the votes!

I'm sure you'll agree that this is mighty tasty. The Coke and BBQ sauce gives a nice sweetness, the veggies are still relatively crisp, the spinach gives you a sense of well-being. Did you notice that there is NO salt added? I know the barbecue sauce and Coke have some salt, but you didn't add any more, did you?

Thanks for trying out my recipe - if you like it, tell me! If you don't, tell me also - but don't expect me to believe your lies.

Happy New Year

2007-01-03T18:59:00.000-06:00

My Wish for You in 2007 . . .

May peace break into your house and thieves come to steal your debts.

May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills.

May love stick to your face like Vaseline and laughter assault your lips.

May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires.

May happiness slap you in the face and may your tears be those of joy.

May the problems you had forget your home address.

In simple words . . . May 2007 be the best

Santa Claus

2006-12-21T08:12:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Goodnight

Merry Christmas

2006-12-18T09:52:00.000-06:00

Bears Repeating

2006-12-11T08:03:00.000-06:00

June 13, 2006—Perhaps not since the Cowardly Lion has an animal's appearance been so at odds with its attitude.
On June 4 a black bear wandered into a West Milford, New Jersey, back yard, was confronted by a 15-pound tabby cat … and fled up a neighbor's tree. Hissing at the base of the tree, Jack the clawless cat kept the bear at bay for about 15 minutes, then ran him up another tree after an attempted escape.
Finally, Jack's owner, Donna Dickey, called the cat inside, and the timorous trespasser disappeared back into the woods.
"He doesn't want anybody in his yard," Dickey said of Jack in an interview with the Newark Star Ledger.
Unlike cats, bears aren't typically territorial, roaming instead over vast areas that would be impossible to patrol for intruders. With a habitat that includes much of North America, black bears are seen fairly often in this region of New Jersey.
Full-grown black bears weigh between 200 and 600 pounds (90 and 270 kilograms) and measure as much as 6 feet (1.8 meters) long. Their diets can include fruits, honey, insects, acorns and animals as big as moose calves—a fact apparently lost on Jack.

New Etchells World Champ

2006-11-29T13:52:00.000-06:00

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Jud Smith, the three times North American Etchells champion and four times Worlds runner up took the gun in the eighth and final race to win the 2006 Audi Etchells World Championship off Freemantle West Australia today. Smith and his crew of Canadian Dirk Kneulman and New Zealanders Andrew Wills and Thomas Saunders, crossed the finish line as the Star Spangled Banner boomed from the Black Swan, the very same tender that boomed out Men at Work back in 1983.

Reasons this is so interesting to me are:

1) Handsome Jack is an Etchells
2) Crewman Dirk Kneulman is Canadian
3) Dirk owns Ontario Yachts and builds Etchells
4) Handsome Jack was built at Ontario Yachts
5) We raced against Dirk this summer while he was practicing for Worlds
6) Dirk is also an Etchells World Champion
7) Jud's boat is called Feng Shui

*The note about the “Star Spangled Banner” means, of course, that Jud Smith is an American.
*The note about “Men at Work” is in reference to the Australians winning the America’s Cup – the first time the Americans ever lost.

Mi Casa

2006-11-24T14:20:00.000-06:00

Cape Breton

Spring 2006

Front yard, facing the road. Bras d'Or Lakes in the background.

Spring 2005

Back yard facing the lake. 4" of snow May 15th.

Other Cats (Other than Other Cat)

2006-11-15T11:07:00.000-06:00

In addition to the original Handsome Jack, there are two "other" cats at my house, Barry and Freddie Choo. This is not the best photo of either of them but it does give you some idea of their relative size. Freddie (orange) is a regular sized cat, weighing in at about 11.5 pounds. Barry (black) weighs 33 pounds. Both are refugees from the Humane Society. Both were half price because they had "problems".

Freddie tends to worry a lot and frets when he can't find the other two, or the bowl is empty, or he's lonesome, or whatever. He has one bad eye and so is also known as Dead Eye Dick, but is more frequently referred to as Freddie the Prick.

Barry is a sweetheart. He never gets off the bed unless it's something really important like supper time. He has a beautiful baritone singing voice. His full name is Barrymore Joseph Bunt.

Freddie is also a clean freak so is constantly trying to bath the other two. Barry tends to view this as a nuisance. When he gets fed up, he does a "walk on" right on top of Freddie and then sits down. This usually puts an end to the aggravation.

The Cherub

2006-11-10T11:50:00.000-06:00

Look at this little boat go! The crew is riding piggy back to get the weight far enough back to keep the rudder in the water.

See the little heart on the sail - that's the logo for the Cherub. The sail number indicates how many boats have been built and is used by the Race Committee to help identify boats in a race.

Stress Management

2006-11-10T09:56:00.000-06:00

A lecturer explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter.
It depends on how long you try to hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.
If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.
In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

He continued, “And, that's the way it is with stress management … "

"If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."

"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down.
Don't carry it home.
You can pick it up tomorrow.
Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now.
Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.
Life is short, enjoy it."

Team Bush

2006-11-09T09:24:00.000-06:00

Cradle Ride

2006-11-07T18:00:00.000-06:00

While, Other is excited about going to see a Cuban Jazz Band, I'm excited about this. We just bought a trailer for Handsome Jack.

Check out how cool this rig is. Because the Etchells is so long - 30+ feet - it's really awkward for towing on a conventional trailer. Solution - turn the boat around and carry stern first. That way the trailer can be reduced to a more reasonable size and you don't need a 20 foot tounge on the thing to be able to turn corners.

And those nice fibreglass boxes on the sides, they're for carrying sails, and tools, and other necessary boat stuff. Cool. Now that we're mobile, we can take Jack anywhere we want. We're "away to the races."

Washdown

2006-10-25T14:57:00.000-05:00

Well, it's all over for another season. The boats are out of the water and soon to be covered with tarps to keep the snow out. Here's how we clean them up before we wrap them up.

Sleepy Saturday

2006-10-14T08:04:00.000-05:00

Just got home from Cape Breton. Will have some pics later. Stay warm ... brrr, it's cold out there.

Blog Tag

2006-09-29T17:09:00.000-05:00

Okay Other, here are my answers to all those burning questions ...

Things that scare me:

Deep water
The dark
Drugs

People who make me laugh:

Dakie Dunn

Things I hate most:

When people lie to you and you know they are lying and they know you know but they expect you to accept it anyway
And I’m not really fussy about creepy crawly guys, like slugs, and millipedes and things …

Things I don't understand:

Electricity
How trees get water to go up to their branches
If we are never tested beyond our ability, why do some people give up?

Things I'm doing right now:

Well, I should be working but I’m bored so I’m doing this

Things I want to do before I die:

Finish writing at least one book
Finish my house
Plant a garden
Raise some goats

Things I can do:

Sing
Write
Fly a spinnaker
Chop wood & carry water

Ways to describe my personality:

Nervous, but hopeful

Things I can't do:

Speak in public
Fly for real like I can in my dreams
Change the Universe

Things I think you should listen to:

Wind in the pine trees
Water rushing over river stones
Crickets on a warm summer evening
Your heart

Things you should never listen to:

People who gossip
Heavy Metal
Rap
Demons in your head

Things I'd like to learn:

The bohdran
The guitar – I’m working on this one
Small engine repair

Favorite foods:

KD
Bacon
Swish Chalet Chicken
Home made soup – when I make it

Beverages I drink regularly:

Water
Tea

Shows I watched as a kid:

The Tommy Hunter Show (Canada's Country Gentleman) – yes I watched that too
Red Skelton - Good night and God Bless
Westerns with my dad
The Friendly Giant – another Other favourite
World Series – we grew up on baseball in my home town
Perry Mason – now I watch CSI

2 moments in your life you'd like to erase:

I never got arrested but I could have done without that anyway. But there isn’t anything I’d erase. I’d be incomplete without all the stupid angry ill conceived thoughtless inconsiderate things I’ve done and erasing 2 of them wouldn’t really make that much difference. Leave it be.

4 moments you'd like to relive:

My father’s visits after he died – to see if it was really him
Singing in my first competition – and this time I would sing
Playing baseball in the sun with my cousins in the grassy field next to their house

2 places you wouldn't want to go to/go to again:

Rochdale
The burn unit at Sick Kids

4 places you can't wait to visit/visit again:
Scotland
Tibet
The Sahara
Saskatchewan

2 foods you can't stand:

Tongue
Head cheese

4 foods you love:

French Vanilla ice cream
Raspberries
Cantaloupe
Potatoes – baked, French fries, mashed, scalloped, boiled with butter & fresh dill … yum

2 current songs that make you change the station:

I don’t listen to radio either

4 records you play over and over:

I don’t play records all that often except when I’m trying to learn a new song

2 books you'd never finish/read again:

The Horse Whisperer
The Da Vinci Code

4 books you have read more than once, and/or will read again:

The Artist’s Way – Julia Cameron
Shambala – The Sacred Path of the Warrior - Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Lonesome Dove – Larry McMurtry
The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien

... and that's all I have to say about that.

The Frostbite

2006-09-27T17:14:00.000-05:00

Hmmm ...

Ah good ... there's the Committee Boat

Now if we could just find the fleet ...

and then be careful we don't run into each other ...

Handsome Jack on the Race Course

2006-09-22T18:13:00.000-05:00

This was last Sunday. Here we are coming along side the Committee Boat getting ready for the start. Light wind early on. A little short handed and the course was a reach. We didn't fare all that well. Nevertheless, it was a good day for the last sail of the summer.

Tomorrow will be the first weekend of Fall and the last race of the year. We call it The Frostbite, but the water's still warm so it'll be nice. Hope it doesn't rain tooo much.

Racing in the spring is an entirely different matter. Even on a brilliant sunny day in May the water is only slightly above zero degrees. So thee must take care and not fall off the boat.

It Was A Dark And Stormy Night

2006-09-21T09:26:00.000-05:00

This is why I read the Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest Website ...

The heather-encrusted Headlands, veiled in fog as thick as smoke in a crowded pub, hunched precariously over the moors, their rocky elbows slipping off land's end, their bulbous, craggy noses thrust into the thick foam of the North Sea like bearded old men falling asleep in their pints.
--Gary Dahl, Los Gatos, CA (2000 Winner)

and this ...

As the newest Lady Turnpot descended into the kitchen wrapped only in her celery-green dressing gown, her creamy bosom rising and falling like a temperamental souffle, her tart mouth pursed in distaste, the sous-chef whispered to the scullery boy, "I don't know what to make of her."
--Laurel Fortuner, Montendre, France (1992 Winner)

and this ...

The bone-chilling scream split the warm summer night in two, the first half being before the scream when it was fairly balmy and calm and pleasant for those who hadn't heard the scream at all, but not calm or balmy or even very nice for those who did hear the scream, discounting the little period of time during the actual scream itself when your ears might have been hearing it but your brain wasn't reacting yet to let you know.
--Patricia E. Presutti, Lewiston, New York (1986 Winner)

okay, one more ...

Dolores breezed along the surface of her life like a flat stone forever skipping across smooth water, rippling reality sporadically but oblivious to it consistently, until she finally lost momentum, sank, and due to an overdose of fluoride as a child which caused her to lie forever on the floor of her life as useless as an appendix and as lonely as a five-hundred-pound barbell in a steroid-free fitness center.
--Linda Vernon, Newark, California (1990 Winner)

Take a look ...

http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/

Corresponding with the Prime Minister

2006-09-14T13:16:00.000-05:00

True Story

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Dear Mr. Harper:

Before you became Prime Minister, our soldiers were known around the world as Peace Keepers. Now almost daily we hear of Canadian soldiers being wounded or killed. Why is this? Why are we no longer Peace Keepers? Why have you turned our peace keeping soldiers into warriors? What is it you hope to accomplish? This is not Canada's mission in the world. We are supposed to make things better. Now we are just like everyone else, fighting, killing, and dying. The War on Terror is a ridiculous claim to take power. The real Terrorists are the Americans and you have sent our troops to join them. I fear that the old Pogo line is true - 'we have seen the enemy and it is us'. You will never change the world by doing the same thing as everyone else.

Mona Anderson
Ordinary Citizen
Canada

-----Original Message-----From: Prime Minister/Premier ministre [mailto:pm@pm.gc.ca]Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2006 1:59 PMTo: Mona AndersonSubject: Office of the Prime Minister / Cabinet du Premier ministre

Dear Ms. Anderson:

On behalf of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, I would like to acknowledge receipt of your correspondence regarding Canada's role in Afghanistan. Please be assured that your comments have been carefully noted.

It is in Canada's national interest to see Afghanistan become a free, democratic and peaceful country. An unstable Afghanistan represents a serious threat to Canada and the world. Canada has assumed an international leadership role by serving in the United Nations mandated, but Canadian led, Afghan security mission.

Canada has a tradition of stepping up to the plate and providing leadership on global issues. The Prime Minister is proud of the Canadian Forces personnel who have put themselves on the line to defend our national interests and to help Afghans rebuild their country. They are standing up for core Canadian values and achieving important victories for the people of Afghanistan.

As you may know, the House of Commons recently voted to extend the Canadian military mission in Afghanistan until February 2009. A copy of the Prime Minister's speech delivered prior to this vote is available online at http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?id=1165.

Once again, thank you for writing to the Prime Minister.

L.A. Lavell
Executive Correspondence Officer for the Prime Minister's Office
Agent de correspondancede la haute directionpour le Cabinet du Premier ministre

Dear Sir/Madame L.A. Lavell:

I appreciate the quick response, which I admit was a surprise. I didn't expect to hear back at all. I do have to say your comments have not reassured me. If anything, they have made me more uncomfortable by the patronizing tone your message has set. I know very well what the traditions of Canada are and that we always step up to help other people. Getting into armed conflict is not the way - only after all other alternatives have been exhausted should anyone resort to force - and time has proven that force is often a faulty method. Afghanistan would not have to rebuild it's country if it were not for the long time interference of the United States and their frantic search for oil and power. Cloaking this all as an interest in democratic freedom does not wash. We all know it's about oil. Mr. Harper's enthusiasm for Mr. Bush and his politics is well known and it is frightening to many Canadians that we should be following the lead of such an unenlightened person as the current American President.

Even as I try to write this message, I am overcome by the futility of my efforts. I cannot hope to correspond with a person who has initials for a name, so I can't even tell if you are male or female, or even real, from a department assigned to send canned answers to incoming mail. My comments have not been "carefully" noted as you suggest. I've been tossed into the auto reply bin and I know it. And yet ... hope lingers. Maybe that's because I am a Canadian of many generations.

Sincerely
Mona Anderson
Ordinary Citizen

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Okay, I admit it isn't the best letter I've ever written - but I was frustrated. There's been no response to my second letter.

Life in a Foreign Land

2006-08-24T17:56:00.000-05:00

I did not come from here. I am far from my birthplace. And many years are gone by now and still I live in this world of asphalt and stone. I long for the light of the sun and cool air to brush my cheek but my work is in a crypt of drab and silent plaster with no window glass or daylight air let in. I go at half time to the outside world and find a stone bench in the middle of the avenue where the gardens drape over low stone walls and sit there under a cranberry tree amid the rush of traffic sharing my lunch of toast crumbs with darling sparrows who hop about my feet and eat so politely and chatter excitedly about what a lovely day. It is. I lean my head back against the bench and watch a wisp of clouds, made just for me, drift across a china blue sky overhead through the dark branches and let the sun-streaked sky fill my heart. The silver grasses whisper to me "Do not despair. We too have been transplanted here." as salty tears fall in the soil at their feet in this fleeting moment when I am real again and share their earth so far from my would be place. How came I here, I often wonder, to this harsh and foreign land, to toil away my life in the depths of great buildings hidden from the light and the free moving wind upon which my hope still depends. And yet at times like this I can, only steps away, share the work of gardeners who tend this place and they nod to me as I take up my books and wind my way back at the end of lunch hour. Thank you I nod in return for this moment of grace.

The Cats of Parliament Hill

2006-08-18T19:02:00.000-05:00

These miniature Parliament buildings, complete with shingled roofs, house the stray cats of Parliament Hill. Sheltered in a thicket behind the wrought iron railings to the west of the real Parliament Buildings, on the crest of the bluffs overlooking the Ottawa River, this little settlement has been in existance for over 30 years. Tended to by a series of retired folk, the cats are fed every day and medical care is provided when necessary. Their numbers vary as they come and go their own wayward ways.

There is a plaque on the fence detailing the history of this little encampment and a donation box is in place into which you can drop a few dollars to help with the care and keeping of these lovely cats. They are friendly but cautious. Early morning is the best time to visit before all the tourists show up and send the cats into hiding. Here we are having treats at about 6:00 a.m. on a beautful August morning. The big orange fellow on the left is pretty much king of the hill although he didn't throw his weight around too much. The tiny calico and the slim black were slightly more nervous but they were all very well mannered and calm enough to be petted. I didn't attempt to pick anyone up. The two grey and whites did eat from my hand ... in all a most charming experience.

The Original Handsome Jack

2006-08-10T18:57:00.000-05:00

Yep, that's him, the original Handsome Jack, relaxing with his bear collection. Jack is a refugee from Whitney Pier. Been with us about 6 years now. Also known as Destructo Man, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Dragon's breath, and other terms of endearment. And yes, that's a Coca Cola bear, also a refugee. Abandoned curbside by some frustrated mom after being left out in the rain. Goes by the name of Farley.

In Regatta Recovery

2006-08-08T18:12:00.000-05:00

Sailed in a regatta this weekend. First morning get towed out to the starting area by a boat named Screaming Eagle ... a string of Dragons and Etchells all tied one to another, like day care kids going to the park. No wind. This is called a bob & bake - but eventually, a nice little breeze fills in. Ahhh ... boats are beautiful, competition is demanding, race committee excellent.

But Handsome Jack is still not fully functional. Lines are not running smoothly. Gear is not set up to optimum yet. Wrists are still aching from pulling on lines that won't run. Many bruises, a few bloody scrapes, a few nice rope burns. Moments of hope mingled with moments of frustration.

Two day regatta - 3 races each day - 4 legs per race - sail approximately 12 miles per day. Do pretty well overall and manage to stay with the fleet. (Except for a couple of really awful mark roundings). Totally worn out by the end of the weekend and go home to ice packs and naproxen.

Club lays on excellent steak dinner. Nice prizes and rounds of applause for everyone. We enjoy great companionship with most generous competitors. Come away with lots of advice and tons of encouragement. Pretty good time.

My Guitar

2006-07-29T09:49:00.000-05:00

... is a Takamine AN10, the most beautiful guitar I have ever owned, bar none. Even for someone like me who doesn't play all that well, it's hard to make this guitar sound bad. Easy on the ears. Easy on the eyes. Easy on the hands. A gift from my darlin'. How cool is that.

There is a link to the Takamine website on the sidebar if you want to check out this line of musical miracles. They are popular with the famous guitar crowd, including Bruce Springsteen, who apparently owns several models.

I had a smaller acoustic cutaway Takamine some years back with electronic pickups. It was a replica of one designed for Paul McCartney. Alas, a calamity befell that little guitar and I lost it in a most unfortunate way. I haven't had a guitar for more than 10 years as a self imposed penance.

Last Christmas, having finally suffered enough, I asked if I could have another guitar. We went back to Takamine barely considering other models. This one came from "the upper rack" as the terminology goes in the music stores. The guitars that hang at higher levels are more expensive, but they are also of far better quality. So they hang them high - out of reach. The guitars on the lower rack get handled a lot more and tend to suffer a lot of bumps and scrapes.

Other Cat and I play together from time to time.

Beautiful

2006-07-27T21:04:00.000-05:00

Here's a really pretty shot of an Etchells sweeping across the finish line. The young fellow at the helm is known as "Shark" Khan. At 16 years of age he has already won a handful of World Championships. Owned by his father, software magnate Phillipe Khan, Pegasus Racing Team is famous all over the world.

And this race day isn't over yet. See the black and yellow checkered flag on the committee boat? That means "Come Within Hail" and that means there is going to be another race this afternoon.

The Boat

2006-07-25T17:04:00.000-05:00

Handsome Jack is an International Etchells, and built strictly for racing. Here is a shot of the Etchells fleet rounding the leeward mark at the 2005 World Championships in San Fransisco Harbour. (Handsome Jack was not there). Looks a bit chaotic but these guys know exactly what they're doing.

The boats are 30 feet long and 7 feet wide, sleek and fast. They carry a crew of 3 - sometimes 4 if the sailors are small.

Handsome Jack is in the refurbishing stage, back in the water this summer after several years up on the hard, with a new set of sails and lots of new rigging. I chose the colours on the blog site here to emulate HJ - white hull, grey decks, and burgundy waterline. She's a beauty. It's not likely that Handsome Jack will make the World races but that's okay. She'll make a fine sailing boat for the Bras d'Or Lakes one day.