Fall colors

Wow. September is arriving this weekend. And already some of the leaves have begun to change. Poplar leaves turn a very nice golden yellow. I saw some sumachs turning orange. And soon enough, the maples will be a blaze red. This is always a great time of year for pictures.

More new friends...

It's nice to be back in town. I had a good day Monday cruising with the nice folks at Abitibi River Houseboats north of Cochrane. I was accompanying a group of travel writers from England and Scotland who are touring James Bay Frontier this week. That's one of the nice parts of the job because I enjoy showing off what our region has to offer. Among the group was Roger (left), Brian, Katy, Becky and Fidelma. It was fun to meet them.

New Friends...

Work is nice when you meet new people. I was on the road this week with broadcast crew members from Los Angeles who are preparing travel stories on Northeastern Ontario and James Bay Frontier. Nancy Pearlman produces and hosts the Emmy-nominated EcoNews television program which looks at eco tourism among other things. I also met videographers Eileen Haussmann and Colette Miller. It was nice to bring them through this part of the country.

The common Northern Ontario thistle.

Wha Daurs Meddle Wi Me! The thistle is the prickly floral emblem of Scotland, but it can be found around the world.

My Dad. Ten years gone.

Dan Gillis
----
Aug. 28, 1923 ~ Aug. 14, 1996
----
Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling -
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side -
The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying -
'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide. -
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow -
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow -
'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow -
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.

Finding Gold

Walking back in the bush near by home I came over a rise and was amazed to see a large rocky outcrop of Quartzite (the white stuff on the ground) This mineral is known as the "host rock" for that popular stuff called gold. If you have lots of quartzite, chances are you will find gold ( so the experts tell us). It's no wonder that prospectors and claim stakers came to the Timmins area nearly 100 years ago. The average life of a gold mine is 10 to 15 years before the ore is mined out. The Dome mine in Timmins has been operating continously for 97 years! And the experts tell us the motherlode hasn't been found yet.

so true eh

Hilltop Rendezvous is back.

It's a Timmins thing. For years radio station CFCL would invite listeners to drive up to CFCL Hill on summer nights to make a request and dedicate a song. Over the years thousands of people in Timmins did that. It was the thing to do. They're doing it again. But this time, it's at the hill by the Shania Twain Centre on Moose FM. I hope it gets popular again.

I need a toaster!

Actually I need a life ~ ha ha ha ~ So yeah my toaster really sucks. It only toasts half a slice at a time... then i have to flip it over and toast the other half. Since I don't plan on being in a wedding any time soon, I figure I will have actually go out and buy a new toaster. But I really don't have to do that either... I have airmiles! Woohoo. So I have narrowed the choices between a sleek and sexy TFal Avante and a retro-looking Cuisinart Classic. So I am gonna go to Google and see what the internet weinies have to say. OMG I can't believe I am actually doing research on toasters. Yes, I need a life! But hey, stay tuned boys and girls. You won't wanna miss out on my choice. Then it' ll be time for a toast & peanut butter party.

It's not really a painting...

I am amazed at what the new photo edit programs can do with a photo shot a couple of weeks ago. This looks like some sort of moody antique type photo-painting process. It's the old McIntyre Gold Mine headframe, shot during a rain storm. Click the pic and enjoy. I will post more as time and space permits. Computer graphics are too much fun.

Train Service less than great.

For all our riches and technology, Canada sure has a crappy train service. I dropped by Foleyet station Monday where these people had been waiting for SEVEN HOURS for the train to arrive. The VIA Canadian was due at 8:19 AM. It showed up after 3:00 PM. There is sure room for improvement. The politicians say more people should use it. Maybe more people would use VIA if it was better service and lower price. The government spends so much money advertising what it does. Maybe it's time to talk less and do more.

Grandsons are grrrreat!

Happy Monday : )

Happy holiday Monday morning from Timmins, ON, Canada. The weather is nice. 16 degrees at 7AM. It's a bit cloudy, but the sun is shining up there somewhere. Time to get out and get some photos and see some little people ~ my grandsons!!! . Have a great day eh.

Show the flag.

There was an interesting column in the Toronto Sun today by Joe Warmington. I knew Joe when he was a reporter in Sault Ste. Marie before he moved away to the big city. In any event, his column urges Canadians to fly a flag in support of our troops in Afghanistan. I think it's a good thing. We are in a tough time when soldiers are dying. But they're making the world better. A few years ago I recall news reports of the Taliban publicly executing Afghan citizens in the Kabul soccer stadium. They'd line people up and shoot them in the head. These Taliban guys are the world's newest Nazis. I am glad there are people who will stand up to them. I have members of my immediate family, and my extended family, who are in the Canadian Forces and in Afghanistan. I send them my thanks and my best thoughts for a safe return.

Tough Question ~ Can we survive?

One of the most intelligent persons on our planet has asked a very tough question. Now he is humble enough to admit he does not know the answer. In July, the brilliant world -famous physicist Dr. Stephen Hawking asked:
"In a world that is in chaos politically, socially and environmentally, how can the human race sustain another 100 years?" The question was posted on Yahoo Answers.
It created a storm of responses from around the world. Now Hawking says: "I don't know the answer. That is why I asked the question." Well, now. There's something to think about this long weekend.

Cutty and me.

My new friend! Just kidding ~ ha ha ha ~ ... After my most recent trip to the U.S. I decided to try a new brand. I am obviously not a Scotch Snob. I like ordinary whiskies. Usually, I will sip J & B, a nice pale, smooth Scotch. And it's cheap too. I can't imagine any true Scot paying a lot for a drink. My newest taste is another "blended" Scotch. It's Cutty Sark, also pale and smooth. It was only $17 US at the duty-free shop, for a 40-ouncer. It has a nice vanilla nutty taste. Sure beats a Tim Horton's.

Inukshuk

They're interesting to see and they're everywhere in this region. I took a quick walk in the bush after work today. This inukshuk was near the trail east of Maclean Drive. You have to look for it, as it's located about two metres off the trail. It's about a metre high and somebody put some good work into it. It was nice to stop in the shade. It rained hard for about 30 minutes this afternoon, but the bush was still sweltering hot!

Computer stuff ... Free

I hope you have anti-virus on your computer. I have been using a top-rated program for a year now. And it's free. It's called AVG by Grisoft. It's the one that is used by most computer geeks and techies. I don't think I am a geek, but I like the free part. AVG is very effective. The only downside is that it takes about 30 seconds to update itself every day. Try it. And then tell other people about it.