Many thanks!

A belated Thank You to John Curtis, my brother in law, for shooting most of the great photos of Jennifer’s wedding. He did a fab job. And thanks to my favorite sister Deb for dragging John north to Sudbury. John has a thing about traveling anywhere north of Highway 7! ( ha ha ha) Thanks also for bringing the boys, Alex and Scott, a couple of the coolest guys I know. Sheesh what a good looking family eh!

Smart ass photo!

Okay, every so often i get this urge to be a smart ass. I think it's genetic. Anyway, I was shooting some photos in Sudbury last week and trying very hard NOT to get the super stack in the picture. Suddenly I decided I could do something to stop the pollution. ha ha ha. If only it could be so easy.

Things Change

The first snow plow of the season rumbled past the house this morning. I knew the sound without even having to look out the window. But I did. And snapped a picture through the living room window. We've got a bit of snow. But I don't think it will last.

The other change is the return to Standard Time. I enjoyed getting an extra hour of sleep, but now it means I have to change watches. I have a digital watch set for Daylight time... but it was set six month ago! I have no idea how to change it back. So I will wear a normal watch until my son decides to visit home. He seems to know how to work these things.

Dad and the kids.

Back home in Timmins.

It's almost five oclock in the afternoon and I am just back home. After a couple of weeks on the road I think I am whacked out for a day or two... and the wedding was emotionally draining. But it was all good. Checked the fridge. The milk is sour. The bread is green. But there are a few cool beers. And some cookies. I just checked the computer inbox and there are 323 emails to sort though! 323 emails!!! Oh well, that's okay too. I will be emailing pics of the wedding in the next few days. Or you can click on the pics here and print what you like. Cheers.

Dad & Daughter take a walk eh...

I am so pleased to say that I walked down the aisle with my fabulous daughter Jennifer Saturday and presented her to her new husband. It was a fantastic day. I guess I could have smiled a bit more, but that walk was pretty emotional.
Scott Alexander is an amazing guy and I am so pleased he and Jen are married. Here's a nice photo of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander.
I also spent some time with my son Neil. He looked almost as good as his old man. He wore the McPherson tartan, while I wore the Ancient Gillis tartan. Hmmm... there's something about that word ancient eh.

Jen's special day

Today is the day Jennifer and Scott get married. No time to post any pics right now. Everyone is too busy. I am just hoping everyone got back okay from all the partying last night. There will be more tonight. Hope to have pics up soon. TTYL

Something I noticed.

I was walking through a well-known sporting goods store in Pennsylvania Saturday ... a place where you can buy canoes, paddles, hiking boots and stuff. Then I noticed this item for sale in a display case. A brand new semi-auto Colt M4 Carbine Assault Rifle. Price $1049. Same rifle used by Deltas, Seals and US Marine recon teams. Rate of fire up to 700 rounds per minute. Hmmmm - - Sporting goods???

Crossing over...

Went over the second Thousand Islands bridge Monday. According to my GPS toy the elevation here was about 1220 feet. This is where we got back home into Canada. It always feels good to cross over. We loaded up on duty free whiskey as well -- always makes the trip interesting. Two 40-ouncers for $29. Now you know how high taxes are.

Harley Davidson factory

I enjoyed the morning by touring the huge Harley Davidson assembly plant in York, PA. It was a nice tour as they let you get right down on the factory floor with the workers and you can peek over their shoulders as they build these popular motorcycles. I was checking out this 2007 model, but oh darn, I left my chequebook at home.

On the road again...

Courtland NY. Got in last night. Crossed the border at Thousand Islands bridge. We were amazed to meet the nicest most easy-going US border guard we've ever encountered. It made the day go better. 14 hours of driving. Too tired to set up laptop. Just had breakfast. Heading out to Pennsylvania. Will be going through the Poconos mountains today. TTYL.

Thanksgiving

I am thankful for:
My kids.They are just the best at being them.
My grandkids. They make me feel great and its fun to hear them laugh.
My brothers and sister. They are great people. They put up with me.
My extended family. I am lucky to know them. They’re all my favourites!
My neighbors. Wow. Great people.
My town. People say hello and then ask about your kids. And they know their names.
My country. Winston Churchill once said democracy isn’t perfect, but it’s the best we have.
I think same is true about Canada. It’s not perfect. But it’s still the best country in the world.
Happy Thanksgiving.

October Morning

Every now and then I am lucky to have my camera with me when I see something nice. I was walking the trail at Gillies Lake just as the sun was coming up. The colors were very pretty.

Ten great things I have learned from my kids...

1 – It’s okay to change your mind if you see that something else is better.
2 – Kids will eventually find their own way, even if they make a few mistakes. It’s okay.
3 – Your kids will surprise you at how smart they are, even when it means they make decisions better than your own.
4 – Although they pissed you off time and time again, they’re still good people.
5 – They find some pretty excellent friends who may be a bit scary at first, but they’re good people too.

6 – They have some pretty cool ideas, values and judgements.
7 – Kids are different from their parents. They’re not clones. Thank goodness for that eh?
8- Kids will always let you know what’s important to them. You only have listen carefully.
9 -Kids can really make your day better. You only have to think about how great it is to know them.
10- They don’t have to be famous, or heroes or special to make you proud. They just have to be themselves.

49 years ago today...

October 4th, 1957 was a huge day in aviation history. (By now you should be aware that I am an aviation nut) It was the day the Soviets launched Sputnik, the world’s first satellite. It was the same day the Canadian AVRO Arrow was rolled out onto the tarmac at Malton, Ontario. This was the biggest, fastest and most advanced fighter-bomber the world had ever seen. It was a gorgeous machine. And it was all Canadian. The government scrapped the project. Go figure. (Photo: DND Archive)

Three Bags Full

I think it’s a good little investment. I bought a paper shredder yesterday. It’s cheaper than a case of beer. I decided to clean out my filing cabinet. With all this concern about identity theft, I didn’t want to be throwing out old credit card bills. So I started shredding bills and other stuff that had personal information. I have filled up three and a half garbage bags with shredded paper. My office is not as junky as it used to be.