Ah, Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

This is the first official day of winter. The temps are definitely cooler and we're anxiously awaiting snow. Nove Scotia to the east of us have been hit several times already but so far we've been quite fortunate.

I like a little snow at Christmas. There's nothing like big fluffy snow flakes drifting to the ground while you sit in front of a nice wood fire sipping some hot chocolate or apple cider. We have an artificial Christmas tree but if you have to have a real fir or pine, you get to take in the scent of the tree and it adds to the ambiance. We used to have a real tree but our daughter made us put it up so early that it was dead or dying by the time Christmas rolled around.

I'm looking forward to a nice 2 week break from work. It's a great time to kick back, visit friends and family, eat turkey, read books, watch movies and play games. Ah yes, the art of doing nothing!

We always go to Christmas Eve services at our local Baptist church. We usually have a candlelight service with lots of special music. It helps focus us on the real reason for Christmas, when God sent his Son to earth to save us from our sins. It's really a "happy birthday" occasion but as was pointed out in a recent skit I saw, we overlook the real guest and focus on ourselves. You can see some of the pictures at this site.

Remembrance Day - Nov 11th

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the skyThe larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throwThe torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

- Col. John McCrae

On August 4, 1914, Britain declared war on Germany. Canada, as a member of the British Empire, was automatically at war, and its citizens from all across the land responded quickly. Within three weeks, 45,000 Canadians had rushed to join up. John McCrae was among them. He was appointed brigade-surgeon to the First Brigade of the Canadian Forces Artillery with the rank of Major and second-in-command.

In April 1915, John McCrae was in the trenches near Ypres, Belgium, in the area traditionally called Flanders. Some of the heaviest fighting of the First World War took place there during that was known as the Second Battle of Ypres.

On April 22, the Germans used deadly chlorine gas against Allied troops in a desperate attempt to break the stalemate. Despite the debilitating effects of the gas, Canadian soldiers fought relentlessly and held the line for another 16 days.

In the trenches, John McCrae tended hundreds of wounded soldiers every day. He was surrounded by the dead and the dying. The day before he wrote his famous poem, one of McCrae's closest friends was killed in the fighting and buried in a makeshift grave with a simple wooden cross. Wild poppies were already beginning to bloom between the crosses marking the many graves. Unable to help his friend or any of the others who had died, John McCrae gave them a voice through his poem.

Let us remember all who have died defending our country, our way of life, and the men and women of our armed forces who continue to put themselves in danger for us.

Pain and Anguish in New Orleans

I continue to watch in horror of the breadth of the disaster in the southern US. The loss and heartbreak of the families is astounding. My heart and prayers goes out to them.

If you want to keep up to what's happening in New Orleans, there's an excellent record of events posted by technology folks who have stayed behind. Check it out at Survival of New Orleans Blog.

I encourge you to give generously to the very real needs of all those effected. Here's some great organizations that are doing excellent work there. Here are some links were you can make a donation:


In Canada, you can make a donation to the Canadian Red Cross online at www.redcross.ca, call 1-800-418-1111 or contact their local Canadian Red Cross office. Also you can make a donation to the Salvation Army who are doing an awesome job there.

Starting on September 6, Canadians may also make a financial donation at the following banks:

BMO Bank of Montreal
Canadian Western Bank
CIBC
HSBC Bank Canada
National Bank of Canada
RBC Royal Bank
Scotiabank
TD Canada Trust

If youi live in the U.S., here are some organizations that are worthy of supporting:

Souhern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief Fund

American Red Cross

Salvation Army

Scenes from New Orleans

Backstreet's Back

When my daughter called me at work several weeks ago and asked if we could be in Portland Maine on August 10, I didn't realize what I was getting into. I had promised her a bit of a trip before she heads back to university in September but I hadn't planned on this.

As a huge Backstreet Boy's fan, she follows their every move. She discovered that their current concert schedule would bring them reasonably close to where we live in Easrern Canada and decided to make a play to get there. Well if any of you have daughters you know it's pretty tough to say no. So reluctantly I agreed.

It was as I imagined it. An arena full of girls, all ages and sizes, from grannies to grade schoolers, Backstreet groupies one and all except for one relunctant dad in the 21st row. It's apparent that the time this group of guys took off had not dimed the adulation of this crowd. Surprising there were some empty seats but the audience or the group didn't seem to notice.

I have to admit the Backstreet Boys did put on a good concert. Their voices were good, timing exact and dance routines well practiced. The crowd ate it up. My ears are still ringing from the high pitched screaming that only a 14 year old girl can create.

My daughter thoroughly enjoyed the show and the pictures we took will be cherished for years to come. I enjoyed her enjoyment and appreciated the quality of the performance even though it's not my favourite music. It provided us lots of memories that we will always share and confirmed to my daughter that what's important to her is important to her dad. Hopefully neither of us will ever forget that.

One Crazy Guy

You know as well as I do there are just some people who will do anything for attention. I used to work with this guy who worked hard and played harder. He was always the one wearing the lampshade at a party or doing the libo even though there wasn't anything to go under.

Then there are those who are just plain drunks and are not in the least funny although think they're the live of the party. Now me, I used to be a lampshade kind of guy when I was younger but now I just get a charge from those who try to be.

I think I may have found a guy who is not drunk, although it probably would have helped him survive this "experiment", but will do anything for a laugh or attention. I have to wonder if he came out the other side. Let me know what you think.

http://fun.from.hell.pl/2004-03-24/zabawy-w-pracy.mpeg

Why do....

You just never know what's going to cross your web browser.

And why do men have nipples?

While only females have mammary glands, we all start out in a similar way in the embryo, the authors explain. The embryo follows a female template until about six weeks, when the male sex chromosome kicks in.

Men, however, have already developed nipples.

That from New York physician Billy Goldberg whose book "Why Do Men Have Nipples?" just hit the stores today. The book, subtitled, "Hundreds of Questions You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini," (Three Rivers Press), is co-authored by humorist Mark Leyner.

This is sure to be a hit for the Jeopardy crowd and the cocktail circuit. Among other things it deals with such burning questions as chattering teeth, gas from beans and

•How do people in wheelchairs have sex?

•Why do I get a killer headache when I suck down my milkshake too fast?

•Can I lose my contact lens inside my head forever?

•Why does asparagus make my pee smell?

•Why do old people grow hair on their ears?

•Is the old adage “beer before liquor, never sicker, liquor before beer . . .” really true?

What a read!!!

Naked viewing

It's a lovely sunny Sunday morning here in eastern Canada. This is the middle of our rather short summer. I find I'm at odds with myself when the temps hit the 30s C (mid-80s F). I know I shouldn't complain about the heat since we get so little of it but I sometimes do. Crazy isn't it.

Have you ever gone to an art gallery in the nude? I was just reading about a new exhibit at Leopold Museum in Vienna called the "Naked Truth", an exhibit of early 1900s erotic art. So they've encouraged art-lovers to strip off, letting naked or scantily-clad visitors in for free. Interesting idea, dress according to the exhibit. This should give the usual museum crowd lots to talk about over the next few weeks.

I'm sorry but I just can't see strutting my stuff in a city museum. Undoubtedly this novel idea will draw people out just to see other people do this. Oh yes we're all voyeurs at heart!

Ducks, ducks!

I had an opportunity this week to spend some time with a good friend at a rustic little spot beside the Saint John River. It was an opportunity to mix business and pleasure. I always thought that the ideal job is one where you could spend a few hours working and then spend some time in the sun talking and laughing. This was a really good example of that.

It just so happened that this place where we were was also the home to some very friendly ducks. We think they were either Wood Ducks or Grey ducks since they have a very distinctive blue edge on their wings. These ducks were obviously very used to people. As we sat on a big junk of concrete dabbling our feet in the water, these three ducks, Larry, Moe and Curly, would swim right up to us, behind us and beside us obviously checking us out. Sometimes they would stop and look, other times just swim on by casting a wary eye in our direction.


It was really obvious how tame they really were until the "visit". We were sitting outside on our cabin steps looking down toward the river when suddenly we saw three heads appear under the grassy bank that sloped down to the road that was beside the river. Up they came, climbing the hill like little soldiers. They wandered over to us and started pecking around the grass obviously looking for some good eating. My friend, unable to resist it any longer, ran to get a bagle and begin doling it out to the starving birds.

Needless to say it was a big hit. Now feeding bread to birds is not really recommended but who could resist these little beggars. Once we had given out all the bread, the ducks turned their backs, headed back down over the hill, across the road and back to the water. It's too bad that in about 2 months time, duck season will be open and the hunters in their camouflaged boats and clothing will be gunning for these little girls. By that time however, they will have woken up to the fact that there's no free lunch in this world. There always seems to be a price to pay.

This reminds me of how some people are. They seem willing to provide help and a handout at times but without warning can bring out their guns and shoot you down. Consistency in treating our fellow human beings leads to trust and allows them to pass it along. It's hard to do it always but something I'm trying to shoot for!! Have a good one.

Fundy National Park 

The Great Outdoors at Fundy

I just spent a lovely weekend at Fundy National Park in southern New Brunswick. Normally this area is cooler due to its proximity to the Bay of Fundy. The Bay is known for its high tides (40 feet in some places) and its cold water (varies 3-4 degress F from summer to winter). usually keeps this Canadian national park cool. However, this weekend's weather was downright hot for this part of the country with temps in the high 20's Centigrade.

I played a round of golf on the lovely 9 hole course. It's a shame the beauty of the scenery was ruined by such a miserable round of golf. It was probably the worst game I've played in three years. It's obvious I need lots of practice. I blame it all on the lack of practice and playing only several times a year. Someday when I retire it will be my mission to break 90!


I have a tent trailer and was camping in the Park. The facilities are good, the other campers respectful and we slept very well. Fundy is blessed with many hiking trails of varied difficulty so there's something for all ages and skills. I highly recommend this Park to anyone who enjoys rugged, unspolied scenery.