Snowshoes and chasing helicopters

I was out and about Saturday when I noticed a helicopter crew in the west end. So I went snooping to discover the crew setting up this helicopter for an electro-magnetic survey. It’s one of the things they use to find minerals – things like gold, copper, nickel – in the ground. The rig includes a massive transponder 50-feet wide that sends a signal into the ground and then the torpedo shaped receivers read what sort of metal is in the ground. These fellows were from Australia, Yellowknife and Mississauga. They said they were just testing their equipment. Hmmmmm. Well even if they weren’t “testing” they’re not likely to blab to a reporter where they are surveying. Mining exploration is big business and they’re very secretive. I had to put on the snowshoes to get close enough to some good shots. It was a nice day to be outside.

Happy Leap Year eh!

It's been a few days since I have dropped by, but happily work is keeping me busier than ever. And sssshhhh,... don't tell anyone, but they actually give me money to do this! I love this work and yet every couple of weeks they throw money at me!! Lucky me eh.

So here are a couple of interesting winter photos. The one of the winter trees is one I shot a while ago, but I just like it so much. The other photo is a shot of a sun dog. It's something that happens on those really, really, really cold days we get here in Timmins. The sun reflects off the ice crystals in the air and gives the impression of three suns. I saw it one morning as I was heading into the senior's home for a photo shoot. so I snapped this quick pic through the trees.

My new scanner

It’s funny how much technology improves, when you’re not paying attention. I use VHF radio scanners for work. I had three… the newest being about 15 years old. The others are 20 years old. It was time to get a new one. So I went online with the Uniden company in Texas. They sent my new scanner by Fedex this week. It was only about one third the cost of the one I bought in the 1990s, and yet it has twice the power and capacity. The nice thing is that thanks to the free trade agreement, and because the product is made in the US and not some place like China, there was no duty...and no taxes!!!

Em Oh Oh En - Moon!

Yeah I was like a lot of people tonight. I went out and found a dark spot on the Hollinger tailings, set up the tripod and snapped a couple of shots of the lunar eclipse. Problem: the camera exposes the shot for 5 or 6 seconds, just enough time to cause a little blurring... because hey, the Earth is moving! So here's my moon shot... I don't think NASA will be impressed.

It's family day

Happy Family Day ... if you're in Ontario. It's a new stat holiday here... Thanks to liberal premier Dalton (the Deceiver) McGuinty. He promised a new stat holdiday during the last election... and everyone fell over when he actually lived up to a promise. Oh well, I guess he can't be blamed, he's a true liberal... says ANYTHING to get power.

Guinness is good

I’ve stopped drinking beer. Well that’s what I tell my friends. Even on a hot summer day, I’d rather have water to slake my thirst. But I do enjoy having a Guinness every now and then. Maybe once or twice a month. I had one before supper tonight, and even though the weather was so cold today, the Guinness just seemed to be a fabulous winter drink. It’s hard to explain. It sure has a different taste. It’s good. I remember years ago, when Jenn was in university, I was passing through Sudbury and dropped by for supper. I asked for a beer, she gave me a Guinness and I refused to drink it. Funny eh. Oh yeah... one other thing. A pint has only 198 calories. That's less than orange juice!

Jazz rocks!

What a cool night at the Grammy Awards! First we heard Herbie Hancock playing Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Anyone who has been to my house knows that music since I play it often. It's one of the best pieces of American Jazz from the 20th century. And then Hancock won the most prestigious Grammy, the album of year, with a jazz album. Yeah, the world is good tonight.

Fireworks and cold weather

One of the nice things about living in Northern Ontario is that one eventually gets used to living in the cold. I was in South Porcupine tonight to see the winter carnival fireworks. Walking out on the ice of Porcupine Lake, it was interesting to see literally hundreds of others out there as well. The windchill was minus 41. But that didn’t seem to slow anyone down. Kids and parents were running around and laughing like it was normal.
I found a good spot to watch and shoot some pictures. I was dressed warmly so I figured the easiest thing was to lie down on the ice, use my camera bag as a pillow and watch the show overhead. I felt a bit self conscious for a moment until I looked around and saw other people lying on the ice, watching the show. It was quite comfortable. I met Ashley later and we went to Tim’s. She told me she sat on a park bench by the lakeshore to watch the fireworks. Of course, she was all snug head to toe in a snowmobile suit. So sitting on a frozen park bench at minus 41 is just a good thing to do… if you live in the north.

Interesting grave markers

I was on a bit of a bizarre story chase today. I went looking for the graves of a couple of Cornish miners who came to Timmins in the 1920s to work in the huge Hollinger gold mine. The two fellas were lifelong friends who worked together. Unfortunately, they died together exactly 80 years ago when the disastrous Hollinger Mine Fire occurred. (Feb. 10, 1928) I was a bit surprised to find their graves were side by side and they shared the same headstone.
Moments after I snapped the photo I noticed footprints leading to another grave not far away... being a nosey sort, I checked it out. Imagine my surprise at finding the grave of the great Bill Barilko. I think only real diehard hockey fans would know about "bashing Bill." But obviously somebody was interested since there were footprints leading up to the headstone... and they weren't mine! Fans of The Tragically Hip will know that Barilko was the subject of their song Fifty Mission Cap. Click the pics to see full size.

Superbowl Updater-Giants 17-14 over the Patriots!

Wow! What a game. Just got home from Casey's (the ribs and wings were great, the chocolate cake I had for dessert was too big) and it was an excellent evening. Of course there was the usual crowd there, and we split ourselves quickly into the two camps... Them for the Patriots and Us for the underdog Giants. We figured the game was lost in the the last four minutes when Tom Brady threw a TD pass in the Giant's endzone. Suddenly the game was 14 to 10 for the Patriots. Oh well, the Giants played their best we figured. It was a good try. But then, by some miracle, the Giants rallied and came back and starting moving down the field. With 35 seconds left in the game, Eli Manning threw a pass and it was a touchdown for the Giants. Unbelievable!!! We shouted ourselves hoarse with cheers and hollers. Who woulda thunk it?! What a game!

Superbowl Sunday

I will have to go out and find a TV today so I can watch the Superbowl. I confess I have not watched a game all year. But this is different. Today's game will be talked about for decades. For the first time ever, one team, the New England Patriots has had a perfect regular season, not losing one game. So there is a chance the "Pats" could have the perfect season. That would nice to see.
On the other hand, the New York Giants are the ultimate underdogs ... in that the Giants could be (pardon the pun) the giant killers if they can defeat the Patriots in this one game! What an upset that would be. This is usually the most-watched single sporting event in the world. Today it will be huge. Either way, it's gonna be a great day for football!

It's not news ... it's just sad.

There has been much media attention about Britney Spears struggling with some personal problems and it seems to gather a lot of attention. I really don't know too much about this person except that she's one of those Hollywood people. I've never regarded the entertainment shows as news. It's all gossip presented as news by the prettiest boys and girls they can find. Anyway, one hopes they leave this person, and her mental health issues, alone.
As for interesting stuff, here in Ontario we have an inquiry going on into the misdeeds of a pathologist who used to work for the Hospital for Sick Children. Dr. Charles Smith has made too many wrong decisions and has provided testimony that sent a lot of innocent people to jail. I am following the story because Smith accused a 12-year-old Timmins girl in the death of a 16-month old baby girl. He was so wrong. But the babysitter's family went bankrupt hiring lawyers to prove her innocence. You can read more about the inquiry here: Inquiry into Pediatric Forensic Pathology in Ontario. Read the transcripts.; amazing stuff.

February... just say it.

I think I put a note in here last year about one of my pet peeves. Tomorrow is February. Yep, it's pronounced FEB-roo-air-ee... not FEB-you-air-ee. I get tired of hearing so-called professional announcers on radio and television saying it incorrectly. It's just lazy. Or maybe they're just not clever enough to pronounce it right. Oh well, I am sure there will be more pressing things to worry about tomorrow.

Facebook

Well I did it. Some friends convinced me to get on FACEBOOK. So I did. But I confess I haven't quite figured out how it all works. Neil calls it the internet's version of crack. People keep sending messages and notes and suggestions on things to do... but I am not sure how to take it all. Oh well, I could always say, "oops my computer crashed!"
By the way, that's frost on the moustache. It was minus 43 on the MacLean Trail that day.

I have an Ear Worm!

I just found out on the weekend I have an Ear Worm! Oh don't worry, you won't have to send flowers. An ear worm is a good thing... well, maybe not a good thing, but it's not a bad thing. An ear worm is when you get a tune in your head that won't go away. It just stays there and you hear it ... whenever you have a free moment. So people who know me know that my tune is The Jeopardy Tune. Yep, I will be standing in line at Sears, or pumping gas or maybe waiting for something and without really being conscious of it, I begin humming the Jeopardy Tune... da da da da, da da da, da dee da da DAH da da da da.... sometimes people notice. If they do, I don't notice. It kinda like "did I just hum that out loud?" Sometimes it's really funny when I am in a bar and go to the washroom, all the guys standing at the urinals... and I'm there humming Jeopardy! So this has been my ear worm... oh for about ten years anyway. I haven't been watching TV for about six years. Maybe I should... and get a new tune eh.

Stinky again!

People noticed when I walked into a meeting room today... that certain fragrance that says... hmmm, house fire! I should remember to stand upwind from the smoke when taking photos eh. It was a busy morning. See the news blog here.

Feeling Guilty

So I started the day, with a cup of coffee... and a bowl of ice cream. Okay, I lied. I put Nestle's chocolate syrup on the ice cream. It was just a craving. So I was feeling guilty. Not the usual Catholic guilt. (That's where you feel guilty because you ARE Catholic... apparently we're God's Home Team y'know!) I kept looking at the treadmill. Guilt. Guilt. Guilt. Then an emergency call came in. So I scooted out to the west end of town, just in time to see the cops and the rescue guys heading out into the bush... on foot! ... to the scene of a snowmobile crash. As I snapped a few photo's I felt even more guilty... so I grabbed my gear and followed them. On foot! It took a good 30 minutes of hiking to get to the scene. What a workout. My toque was soaked with sweat. No more guilt. Woohoo... i think I deserve cake and ice cream for supper now. Luckily for the rescue crews, a few snowmobilers caught up to them and rushed the paramedics in to the where the victims were. See the rescue info on my news blog here.

Gold gold gold

One day many years ago, I snapped a photo of an unusual event. Several of us were standing in a small room and the heat and the fire from the furnace got so bright and so unbearably hot, I had to shield my face and my eyes. The room was locked. A grim faced man with a loaded shotgun stood watching me. I was witnessing the pouring of several bars of pure gold at the McIntyre Mine. They poured three massive shiny ingots that day. I will never forget watching it. I am still looking for the photo… it was on a KODAK slide. When I find it, I will post it here. The reason I mention it is that Timmins is riding an economic high right now, with the price of gold breaking new records every day. Up until last Friday, the price record was previously set in January of 1980, back when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. It closed at US $850 an ounce then. On Friday it closed at $855. Just so you know, Timmins is the largest gold mining municipality in the world. The experts say gold could hit $900 an ounce by spring and $1,000 an ounce by the end of the year. It’s not all welcome news though. A local mining company has been drilling for more than a year right in the heart of town and they’ve identified a gold zone of approximately four million ounces!!! It could mean a new mine… right in the middle of the city. I just remembered that several years ago, when I was a hardrock miner, a fellow miner handed me a small chunk of pure gold one day. Back in those days, one didn’t want to get caught with a piece of gold … so I sent it to my Dad as a souvenir of Timmins. I wonder if it’s still somewhere in the house in Grand Mira?

Ice cream weather is here

Ice cream should be frozen. For some reason, when it's in MY freezer, it goes soft. Everything else freezes solid in there... but not the ice cream. I should add the only reason I have ice cream is because Ty and Nate came to visit at Christmas. But I hate soft ice cream. I believe ice cream is something that we shouldn't have to slurp once we pull it from the freezer. Two nights ago, as I was plugging in the truck, I noticed how crispy cold it was... so I ran to the freezer, grabbed the ice cream carton and put it outside on the porch wall. It works! It was frozen! - solid! Good thing the ravens didn't notice it eh.

Happy happy : )

Happy New Year morning to all. It’s a sunny pleasant day in Timmins … I think it’s a bit too bright right now. Once I have a soothing cup of tea, I am sure I will be a bit brighter myself. It’s almost 10 a.m. I was up at about 5:30 a.m. and drank two large tumblers of water for some reason. Then it was back to bed. I was out last night to help ring in the new year. I shot several photos. I don’t know what this one is, or how it got into my camera. Hmmmm.....I will try to figure that one out.

Wow... what a book!

If I haven’t been in here writing, it’s because I have become a couch potato with my new book! It seems Jenn and Scott were chatting with Santa because on Christmas morning I received a beautiful copy of Vincent Bugliosi’s new book Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It’s more than 1500 pages and is just packed with more than 20 years worth of research and interviews. Bugliosi’s whole purpose is to prove there was no conspiracy to kill the president. I haven’t made up my mind yet, but wow, this guy sure knows how to research. It took two days just to read through the introduction. And then the narrative begins with all the things that happened on Nov. 22, 1963… not just minute to minute, but in some cases, second by second. I am a bit sore today because I read for nearly five hours last night, hardly moving from the chair… but I did down a pot of coffee and half a bottle of Baileys! So when I finish the book, don’t even ask to borrow it! This one’s a keeper. It stays on the bookshelf.

It's ALL good.

What a great Christmas. I think the best part was convincing Ty to have some chocolate cake, actually a Joe Louis, for breakfast. He didn't need much convincing. Nate got a kick out of eating Froot Loops, right out of the box after we poured the milk in it. Jenn and Scott got a kick out of drinking coffee with no milk or sugar... just Bailey's, Bailey's and more Bailey's. They sure drank a lot of coffee for some reason. Of course Santa arrived and the boys must have been very good this year because they were overwhelmed with gifts, -- but seemed to get the most fun out of playing with their Slinkys. When the boys didn't have food in their hands, it seemed they had their Slinky. It was also nice that Neil called from beautiful downtown Vancouver where he was finishing up work at the restaurant called Steamworks. Poor guy ... some friends had family members arriving from Mexico with six litres of premium agave tequila. I hope they can remember Christmas ;) We also did some visiting, which is always nice. I am still enjoying all the Christmas cards I got .... from Nova Scotia all the way to Vancouver Island. Lucky me, eh.

Christmas morning

It’s Christmas morning… the calm before the storm. The boys (and their mom and dad) came storming through the front door yesterday, all smiles and giggles. The boys are still in bed now … tucked into their new sleeping bags, - they are “camping” in the rec room. I expect they will be awake shortly. I am enjoying a quiet Christmas coffee, sweetened with Bailey’s and whiskey. It’s almost 8:00 a.m. The boys were up till around ten last night. Jenn and Scott were out visiting. We had some popcorn, watched a movie and then went online to track Santa’s flight through NORAD. The boys got pretty excited about that. Then we went outside to look at the stars and see if we could see Rudolph. I think we did. It was an exciting night. Things will get more exciting in a short while I think.

Christmas Eve

What a day so far! I was up just before six, peeked out the window and sure enough the city snowplow took all the slush from yesterday's rain and piled it in front of my driveway :( I put on the coffee, called the guys at CBC for a Merry Christmas chat and went out and fired up the snowblower. The slush was quickly turning to ice, and that's all it took to snap a shear pin on the snowblower :( Luckily I had a few heavy bolts in the house and fixed the problem in about five minutes. Then the machine ran out of gas! So I went to the shed. Sure enough, my gas can was empty. Luckily my good neighbor Ed was out clearing his driveway... so he helped clear mine and gave me some gas :) So, to pay it forward, I cleared my neighbor Dave's driveway. Then I went to gas up the truck and the gas can! By then it was eight oclock and time for coffee.
Company is arriving today. So I have to tidy up, do the floors, do the bathrooms and have a drink! Wooohoo!

Looks a bit better now eh?

So here is the tree, looking a bit better. Although it "drinks" about a litre of water every day! And it sure smells nice. I've put lots of candy on the tree so I can spoil the boys when they arrive. Christmas sure is fun.

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree..

It doesn’t look like much right now, because it’s still ‘thawing out’ in the corner in the front hallway, but this is my new Christmas tree. I already have a small artificial tree, but with Jenn and boys coming north for Christmas, I figured I should go out and get a real one. I was outside this morning and thought I should go to the shed, grab the bucksaw and pick out a nice spruce or pine on the edge of town… when the kids were small, that’s what we did each year.
But I was lazy and figured, ah what the heck I’ll just buy one. So there I was at Canadian Tire just after lunch and the United Way people have set up a tree lot. So I walked over and snooped around and said okay, let’s do it. So I grabbed this balsam fir, wrapped in a plastic net, and threw it on the canoe rack on the truck. Then I walked over the lady at the table. She said $50 please.
“Fifty bucks!” I screamed inside my head. “I am living amidst the great Northern Boreal Forest… the largest forest on planet Earth and these people want fifty dollars from me for their friggin tree!” I continued to shout inside my head. Trouble is, these people all know me and I can’t just walk over to the truck and throw their stupid $50 tree on the ground. So I smiled and pulled out my wallet, which is now $50 lighter. And the United Way is $50 richer. So I guess its all good. Besides it smells nice. I figure in January I will put in on Ebay… no doubt there is some tree hugger in Toronto will give me $60 for this unique specimen of a 3000 year old tree rescued from the Hudson Bay tundra… yeah, that’s the story… somebody will buy it.

Happy day Jenn!

So I called Jennifer to wish her a happy birthday. Scott answered and we chatted and he told me Jenn was still at work. I said "why on earth would she want to work on her birthday?"
Scott chuckled a bit and said "I don't think she wants anyone to know its her birthday."
I guess that happens to some women when they reach a certain age.
But being a nosey sort I had to pursue this, so I called Jenn at work. A co-worker answered the phone. I said "it's her Dad calling long distance from Timmins... It's urgent ... I have to wish her Happy Birthday!"
The co-worker said "I didn't know it was her birthday!"
I said "well now you do, go tell everyone."
A short while later my fave daughter got on the line and we had a laugh... but I am sure she'll get me back at some point.
Happy Day Jenn!

Wreath on the Mac

The wreath on the famous McIntyre headframe in Timmins is a sure sign that Christmas is near. I could have walked closer but I wasn't sure that the ice on Pearl Lake was frozen enough... and I didn't have snowshoes in the truck. They are still in the house. By the way, it's easy to see why mineshaft headframes are called the 'cathedrals of the north' because they just dominate our landscape. The old Mac is about 18 storeys tall. That wreath is more than 25 feet across.

Madonna's Mattress? : )

I guess the Parliament Hill media have nothing better to do than listen to a foreigner charged with fraud trying to get a free ride to stay in Canada. This Karlheinz Schreiber thing is such a pain in the you-know-what. This guy changes his story more than Madonna changes mattresses. The more that Schreiber makes up new charges, the more that MPs on the Commons Ethics committee want to hear. I can't believe our politicians are putting any credence in what this guy has to say. But then again, they are politicians. Schreiber is charged with fraud and corruption in his own country. In Canada he says the RCMP, the justice deparment, the former Liberals and the current conservatives are against him. He is pointing fingers at Mulroney and has already admitted he gave money to Mulroney after Mulroney left office. The money was to help Schreiber set up business for armoured vehicles. The deal didn't work out so Schreiber blames Mulroney. As for Harper agreeing to a public inquiry at the behest of the Liberals, I can't believe the Liberals are letting themselves get sucked in. Oh well, that's my rant for Saturday morning.

My new computer

This post comes to you from my newest computer. My "old" computer was only two years old and was beginning show its age... since I am a video gamer, my memory was filling up fast. It doesn't help that I shoot and store about 200 Megabytes of photos each week. That wasn't the problem. It happened that I somehow "fried" a USB port. I couldn't figure it out, so I pulled the hard drive and installed an older one... ( I think I surprised myself that I was able to open the computer and dismantle it). So the old computer worked, but only with an ancient hard drive. I spent a few days using my laptop as the home computer. Then while I was out shopping last week, I checked computer prices and was amazed to find a new terminal about six times more powerful than my last one. The price, with all taxes, was less than $400! (Yes, it was on sale with an instant rebate) So here I am with a dual-core Pentium, 1000 megs of RAM and a 320 gig hard drive. This one terminal has more computing power than the entire NASA computer complex that sent Apollo 11 to the moon and back.

Happy Day Gary

Today is Gary's birthday.
He is my big brother. I was on the phone with him yesterday.
Gary does good phone calls...
How ya doing Gary?
Okay.
Everything good?
Yep.
Anything new?
Nope.
So is winter there yet?
Yeah, a little bit...
Gary doesn't waste too many words.
That's a good thing.
Happy Birthday Gary.

Good Things

This has been a good week. It's nice to think about good things that happen.
GOOD - I have been trying to find time for an oil change on the truck for about two weeks. I have been too busy lately. Today I finally decided to give up some time and get it done. I figured I'd be waiting in the shop for at least an hour. On the way to Canadian Tire, I spotted Just Lubes on Algonquin East. I pulled up and before I turned off the truck, the kid in the coveralls was opening the bay door and waving me forward. I drove in, they changed the oil, topped up all the fluids. I was back out on the street in about 12 minutes. When things are that good, you gotta tell people.
BETTER - Two summers back I was putting the canoe in the river, when i slipped in the mud and right into the water. That wasn't so bad, except my nice little Sony digital camera got soaked and stopped working right there. So i put the camera away, figuring I could at least use the memory card someday. This week i was cleaning out my office, saw the camera and got ready to toss it in the garbage. For some reason I put a couple of fresh batteries in it... and there ya go, It works! I could hardly believe it. But yep, I did some test shots and it's just fine.
BEST - Jenn called up this week to tell me that she and the boys (yes, that includes her darling hubby Scott) are coming to Timmins for Christmas! Woohoo. Things don't get much better eh.
I also got a call from Neil this week. Actually i called him after he left a message saying "hey old man, call me". I haven't stopped laughing about that one... who the hell does he think he is, calling me an old man...? : )

And I saw something nice today... it's on my News Blog. I was at a house fire and snapped a nice photo of a dog that got rescued. Take a look here.

Sissy truck

I don’t get it. If you’re going to own a truck, get a truck. I parked downtown yesterday and discovered I was next to the strangest truck I ever saw … It was called an Escalade, made by Cadillac. Trucks are for the bush. But obviously not this one. It’s equipped with 22-inch chrome-plated tire rims. Aren't they just lovely.
It’s like if you need work boots, you get work boots. Don’t substitute them with patent leather dancing shoes. Hmmm… maybe it’s envy. But I don’t imagine the person who owns this Cadillac will be hauling lumber, or throwing the snowmobile in the back and heading off down a logging road for the weekend. And taking the kids to the dump to see the bears is definitely not likely.

Nov. 22... i won't forget it.

I guess it's because I am part of that generation that grew up in the sixties. I do indeed remember the day(Nov. 22, 1963), sitting in school, when the voice came over the PA annoucing "President Kennedy has been shot". Because ours was a Catholic School and because Kennedy was a good Boston Catholic, well that was just enough reason for the nuns to inflict another kneecap-bustin' round of the Rosary on us. I remember thinking "jeezus... sure hope the friggin pope doesn't die..." And the prayers would drone on, and I don't know if anyone else did, but I would drift off... Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come... coming down the ice with a rebound off the boards. Brewer passes. Armstrong's got the puck! Beliveau tries to catch him. It's a pass. Shack! Eddy Shack is crossing the red line and crowd here at the Gardens is on its feet..... I wonder if the nuns ever caught on why I liked to close my eyes and smile during prayers.
Anyway, the Kennedy killing still fascinates me... and a lot of others too I suppose. Well known lawyer and author Vincent Bugliose has written a book -- called Reclaiming History:The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It always gets noticed this time of year. This is supposed to be the final word on the shooting. Bugliosi is not to be taken lightly. He is the same lawyer that put away Charlie Manson for the Tate/Labianca murders (another 60s thing). Apparently he has spent more than 20 years researching the book and has come to some startling conclusions. I can't wait to get a copy. Of course, they're all being snatched up right now for Christmas gifts... I will probably have to wait awhile.

I stink.

Whenever I rush out to a fire scene, I usually get in close to snap some photos. It's always smokey. When I come back to the newsroom, I suddenly notice I have that smell of burnt, wet garbage all around. I am gonna have to hang my coat outside a bit when I get home tonight. Come to think of it, I will have to roll down the windows in the truck for a while too.

Jesus, it's the last bottle of wine!

I know, I know... it sounds like something Mary said at the Wedding At Cana. Actually it's what I said this week when I pulled out this bottle of red wine Jenn dropped off this summer. I think this is the last bottle from the batch she made for her wedding, just over a year ago. For a moment, I felt bad about opening it. Then I figured, Ha! She'll never know! ( if you click on the pic you can enjoy the nice label)

Good music

I heard a preview today of one of Canada's best female singers. Anne Murray has a new album coming out tomorrow called Duets - Friends & Legends. It features her singing some of her best songs accompanied by some pretty amazing artists, all women. Listen for K.D. Lang, Carole King, Martina McBride, Celine Dion amd Emmylou Harris, Of course I was pleased to see that Shania is included. For real serious music fans, the album was produced by the amazing award-winning Phil Ramone.

Well it's about time eh?

Just got off the phone with Jennifer, and I am laughing because I have finally reached the age where my kids give me hell. And I have to listen, because they're not kids anymore. They're grown up and they make sense.
Jenn was peeved because I hadn't phoned in a couple of weeks and what's worse, I haven't added anything to this blog! She had no way of knowing that Dad was okay. She suggested I might just as well have fallen off the face of the planet.
I told Jenn it has been a busy time, and I never realized that a month had passed since my last entry. By the way, the apple crisp I made that day was amazing. I had thoughts of sharing it with the gang at work... but once I tasted it, I said to hell with 'em... I kept it at home for me!
I told Jenn that maybe there was not enough going on in my life right now to justify writing anything, but I know that's just an excuse... especially since I am a writer.
Well the rec room is certainly warmer thanks to all the new insulation. I noticed that right away. Winter has arrived in Timmins. We got a good dumping of snow a week ago and it's here to stay. I was too lazy to put away the canoe, so I am going to wrap in in a tarp and leave on the deck in the back.
Work is keeping me extra busy, but that's okay since I enjoy it so much. Working on a small town weekly newspaper is more fun than i expected. Part of the reason is that I am "the old guy" in the local media. The good part of that is that everyone in town knows me and tells me the good stuff. People call me at home and stop me on the street to whisper all sorts of interesting news. I did a story on a city housing bylaw that city council was pushing through rather quickly. None of the other media outlets clued in on it. Once the public found out all the nitty-gritty stuff in the bylaw, they got upset. There were petitions, letters to the editor and council has had to rewrite the bylaw three times to get it passed.
A local mining company planned to do some drilling near some neighborhoods. So we did a story... put in the front page, and once again, people got riled up. So there have been a few public meetings and the mining company is treading lightly.
It's kind of fun, but it's also part of being a local paper to keep tabs on things.
I can't get over the value of the Canadian dollar these days. It's great to see. I once told my Dad, "tory times are good times"... i think he choked on his tea.
Oh, by the way, I am sipping a new whisky these days. It's called Forty Creek, its made in Ontario I think it's one of the best new Canadian whiskies anywhere. Apparently it has won all kinds of awards. I am not a whisky snob at all, but this stuff is smooth and tasty. Keep your Crown Royal and Gibsons... try this stuff.
Today was interesting. Our local member of parliament, Charlie Angus, did something innovative. He held a passport clinic at the shopping centre. Nearly 500 people showed up. Living in Timmins, we don't always benefit from efficient government services. It was nice to see some action from the MP.
I called Gary last week and he is doing well. He says the weather in Mira is still good and he gets a bit of work every now and then with a fella who lives "down the road". The best part, according to Gary, is that the man's wife is such a good cook... so good that Gary doesn't complain when she puts onions in her cooking. That's a change, when we were kids, Gary hated onions.
Finally I forgot to say happy birthday on Friday to one of my favorite Canadian Forces veterans, my brother Ronald. Happy Birthday Brother.
Well it's Saturday night, so i am going to grab a book, a glass of Forty Creek and listen to CBC Radio, which has amazing program with Randy Bachman, called Vinyl Tap. Check it out. It's good radio.
Finally, tomorrow is Remembrance Day in Canada. Don't sit around. Get a poppy and get out to whatever services or cermonies are going on. Show your support for your fellow Canadians past and present. Next time you're at Tim's, buy a cup of coffee for one of the vets you see there all the time.

A new word

The word came to me as I tasted my newest version of apple crisp… the word is fabulousfreakinamazing. I took Aunt Sadie’s apple crisp recipe last night and threw in two cups of fresh cranberries (they were on sale this week!).Now I’ve added CANNED cranberries before, but they’re not as tasty. This time, I didn’t add any sugar or anything and I admit I was worried it might be too bitter. But it was just fine, thanks.

First snow

Haven't been here in a few days, but that's okay because I was busy with the election. That's all over now for another four years. Today was different. We had our first snow. I guess that mean's it's time to put away the lawn mower and move the snowthrower to the front of the shed. I should put the barbecue in the shed too. Some of my neighbors are a bit more excited about barbecues and keep them on the deck all winter. Now I will just have to go and dig out some mitts and the snowbrush.

Insulation Update - Neil would be impressed.

If you check out the July 18th blog post, you'd know how pissed I was when I discovered I didn't have enough insulation in my rec room. Well I spent part of the summer tearing out the walls so I could add more. I put in four inches of the pink fibreglas stuff and then in front of that, I added an inch and a half of the styrofoam panels. Next week, I will put new sheetrock up and paint it. That should make things a bit cosier when winter arrives.

A nice find

It's good to spend time in bookstores -- especially those bookstores that specialize in used books because they sell other things, like old CDs. I was lucky to find a Dave Brubeck album that has some great jazz from the 1950s and 60s. It was a lucky find. Brubeck produced the first ever million-selling jazz tune, Take Five, and it's on this album! Woohoo. He's also the composer for a lot of the tunes in the old Charlie Brown cartoon specials. I also stocked up on half a dozen paperbacks... enough to get me through October. So it's a good Saturday night. Warm whiskey. Cool jazz. And a good book.

Doors Open at McIntyre Mine

I dusted off the old miner's hat, literally, Saturday, to act as a tour guide for the Doors Open event. I was out at the old McIntyre Mine and couldn't believe that more than a hundred people toughed out the weather and dropped by. Some of the stories of the old miners were better than anything I had to say. Thanks to Mark Joron for snapping a the photo.

The most annoying thing . . .

It's very annoying at five oclock in the morning when the furnace kicks on and its only the second week of September! The temperature in Timmins was two degrees and the sound of the furnace coming on -- the first time since April -- woke me up. I am so cheap. I think I get it from my Dad. Whenever we left the front door open when we were kids, he'd yell "close that jesus door..."
Oh well, time to put away the canoe and dig out the snowshoes.

Treat yourself... i dare you!

Some friends used to snicker about the fact I have a few opera albums that I listen to. Yeah, I like rock and country too. But good opera is nice. I’ve never been to an opera, but I’ve followed it for some time. Well it’s Sunday morning and I am having tea, doing a bit of housework and I have the speakers cranked up as I listen to the late, great Pavarotti. It’s sad that he died last week, but my goodness what a gift he had. His voice was magical. I’d listen to him sing Nessun Dorma and I’d get goosebumps. It’s the aria he sang at the opening ceremonies at the Turin Olympics. It’s a fabulous piece of music. I’ve even got a CD of Aretha Franklin, yes Aretha, singing that same aria. I dare you to treat yourself. Listen to Nessun Dorma and then tell me you don’t like opera.

Labour Day in your jammies

It was nice to visit Jennifer and the boys for the Labour Day weekend. I think the only way I can relax these days is to get right out of Timmins. So it was a nice four-hour drive south to Sudbury. I feel right at home at her place. Jenn lets me eat leftovers and drink day-old coffee... but she wouldn't touch the stuff. After eating a big breakfast Monday, Jenn and the boys sat around on the back porch in their pyjamas while Scott worked on the new garage. The boys seem to get bigger every time I see them... maybe they're just growing eh.

I bumped in to Jack Layton this evening who came north to see the new De Beers diamond mine... it's something of a big deal up here in gold country. The gold mines are used to spending lots of money... they usually talk about hundreds of millions of dollars. De Beers is the new kid on the block... they got everyone's attention spending more than a billion dollars. Layton is a not a bad politician. I don't always agree with his style of politics... but I've never caught him lying.

Drill on the lake

When the price of gold is buzzing at more than $650 U.S. an ounce, one can understand why there's a bit of excitement around Timmins. We've got more gold here than condoms at a Madonna concert! So it was no big surprise to find a diamond drill-rig sitting on a barge out on Porcupine Lake this morning, drilling for gold. The funny thing is that no one seemed to notice it -- go figure....earlier this year, they were drilling on the golf course. Anything goes, in a gold town eh.

Bear with it eh

It’s getting to be a common sight in Timmins. Police officers with shotguns are out every day and evening confronting the black bear problem in Timmins. This bear was prowling around a back porch on Lakeshore Drive this evening. As I write this, the cops are trying to scare the bear back into the bush… the problem is, the bush is about half a mile away and there are kids all around watching the action. So far in Timmins this summer, there have been more than 400 nuisance bear calls.

Bear ass!

Some people say there's too much nasty stuff on the internet. So I figured I could just add my picture of a bear ass! Yeah, yeah... I know... it's just a joke. But hey I had to get close enough to the busy old black bear to shoot this photo... I guess it's a good answer to that age old question: "Does a bear sh*t in the woods....?"

Mattawa getaway

It was nice to take a day off and enjoy a long weekend. We snuck over to Mattawa... actually it's a five hour drive south from Timmins. We decided to check out the Voyageur Days and meet some nice people. We found a nice B&B there that had quiet rooms and great food. We also checked out the outdoor concerts and got to see Nazareth, an early 70s British rock band. I was never much of a fan, but my brother Ron liked them. Oh well, they sounded okay,... for a rock band that has been playing for 38 years!

Don't Snuggle with your Purex!

Guys should take note, since they don’t seem able to master the intricacies of doing laundry as well as women. It’s bad enough trying to figure out lights and darks, especially since I have a dark laundry room. But now I have to master the liquid laundry soap VS. the liquid fabric softener. It's easy to get them mixed up. I guess I learned the hard way when I noticed the clothes get really soapy in the dryer when you add soap in the rinse cycle.

Guess what I found!

Every now and then you hear about people who rip down the old sheetrock and find valuable stuff behind their walls. Well, I am renovating the basement … so I tore down the sheetrock and guess what I found. Nuthin! That’s what is pissing me off today. There was supposed to be insulation there!!! But there was nothing there but concrete! I have been living in this house for 12 years and the basement rec room is always cold. I just thought it was the normal Timmins weather. Oh well, now I have a s**tload of work to do… and some insulation to buy.

Rain, rain go away...

Our summer is being ruined by rain! It seems every day now there are showers, downpours, drizzles... you name it... everything is wet, wet, wet. I am starting to think they've moved Timmins to Vancouver. I guess it's good for the lawn, but the yard has been so wet for three weeks that I can't even cut the grass.

bread rant

Okay, so I may be getting crusty these days, but what's with the price of bread? I was out shopping this morning and I guess I just noticed it... bread, a single loaf of ordinary bread, was $2.37! What the hell is that about? Is there gold in the flour or what? I don't think that's normal. It's not like we see wheat farmers driving those sissy SUVs and taking trips to Europe! Friggin' $2.37 for a load of bread! Somebody's getting rich eh.

Chocolate cake for breakfast!

It's great when my grandsons come to visit me in Timmins. It's nice to sit around in your peejays on a Saturday morning and have chocolate cake with whipped cream! Kids are easy to please, eh.

Grrrreat weekend. Happy Canada Day.

Yup, had another great weekend celebrating Canada Day. Who knew that Bacardi coolers would cause heartburn!? Oh well, live and learn. We were pleased to have lots of great things to do, despite the cold and rainy weather. But if you live in Timmins you get used to changes in weather. And for some reason after every Canada Day weekend, I just find less and less to gripe about. I guess we really do live in the best country in the world eh.

Father's Day

I know it was yesterday... but it's still one of the best days there is because my kids feel obligated to pick up the phone and call their dear old Dad! Poor Dad was out canoeing and catching some sunshine, followed by a great spaghetti dinner, some wine, a movie and lots of pampering. Sorry Kids... I love you so dearly and I loved getting your phone messages, but I don't hang around the house on a sunny Sunday. Thanks for the thought... It feels great. I think I am good till Christmas now. Oh by the way, is canoeing relaxing... hmmm... got home and checked my blood pressure. 111 over 72 woohoo!

Beat the heat

It was 35 Celcius in Timmins today. I have a hard time with the heat. I guess I am like my old Dad that way. He never did well in the heat. I do have memories of hot days when I was a kid. Dad would sit on the step with a water hose, a beer and a smoke. And he would water the grass with the hose. The funny thing is he’d only water a patch of grass about two feet wide and 30 feet long. I guess it was too hot to move the hose eh.

Holy smoke eh

Small town journalism is getting me into church. I have been in four churches in the past two weeks. First there was the anniversary at Sacred Heart, then Father Olenga had his 25th priesthood anniversary at Notre Dame, tonight the bishop is celebrating his 45th anniversary at the cathedral,and this afternoon there was a fire on the hydro pole outside the old Nativity church. Holy smoke!

River is so high

The Mattagami River is running a lot higher than normal this week. We may get some flooding in the next few days, according to the local flood committee. Of course I couldn't just take their word for it, so I climbed a couple of nasty fences and hiked through the bush to get a close up shot of the water pouring over the floodgates and shooting through the dam at Hydro Bay. Yep, the water is high

Wait for the first new moon in June!

You never plant your garden until after the first moon in June ... if you live in Timmins. That's the rule! It became apparent last night why that rule is there. Temperature dropped to minus two this morning. Lots of plants and flowers hit by frost! The first new moon arrives on June 15th. I will be planting my flowers the next morning.

Welcome June

There's a saying... if you don't like the weather in Timmins, wait ten minutes. It will change. So we started this month Friday morning with fog. Saturday it was sweltering hot for several minutes. This afternoon the humidity was off the scale. Tonight, there was a massive thunderstorm that caused lots of flooding around Timmins, and a bit in my basement too! The flooding at the Spruce street underpass, in the photo, is two metres deep. So June is finally here. But I am not sure what the season is. Oh well gotta grab a mop and clean up the rec room.

Tea vs. Coffee

The most frustrating thing about tea is that one must wait for the water to boil. It’s about as exciting as standing beside the dryer waiting for your jeans to dry. But I usually find it’s worth the wait. The coffee pot comes on automatically, but I am beginning to regard coffee as too bitter in the mornings. Coffee seems better in the afternoons. For some reason tea gives me just the right caffeine kick in the mornings. I think it goes back to my childhood, when I could find a pot of tea on the stove at any time of the day or night.
By the way, it's the last day of May and Summer is finally here in Timmins. It’s a bit rainy, overcast and there is some fog this morning. We don’t get smog in Timmins, but I can pick a whiff of that big forest fire that is burning about a hundred miles south of us.

Too darned busy eh

I haven't been here for awhile... my excuse. I am toooooooo busy. But that's a good thing, I think. So last night was up till 2 a.m. sitting around waiting for a tranquilized bear to fall out of a tree. Hey... that's what a small town news editor does during black bear season. I am getting lots of yard work done, but I won't be planting flowers right away... the rule in Timmins is to wait until after the "the first moon in June..." but i haven't checked a calender lately. There is cool news from down east... there is a Grand Mira website!! Lots of interesting news on a very special place. Interesting news from the west coast. Ronald sent a photo of wife Loni... in Afghanistan with the Stanley Cup! That was a nice picture. I promise to get back in here more often.

New Cruisers

It's getting easier to see police cars in Ontario. The OPP says its a good thing. Ontario Provincial Police have returned to the design of their old cruisers that were all black and white. The OPP says if you can see the cruiser, chances are you will slow down and drive more safetly.Hmmmm..

Flying the friendly skies of SAR

Today was indeed interesting in that I met several fellows who didn't know me... but they know my brother in B.C. So we snapped a few photos of familiar faces that I will be emailing to Ronald very soon. The guys are from 424 Tiger Squadron out of Trenton, Ontario. I was along for the ride, packed in among their parachutes and luggage, on a Search and Rescue (SAR) training flight aboard a Canadian Forces C130 Hercules over Timmins. It was noisy, cold and fun.