A good summer or what!

I noticed today, with the weather being a bit overcast and the temperatures a bit cooler, that Summer 2025 is passing quickly. I cannot complain. Overall it has been a nice summer. Don and Denise have put on some really excellent family dinners. Those were fun. ¶Things were especially good this past week when I was able to spend some time relaxing up at Camp Alexander. Jenn and Scott were excellent hosts. It was nice to spend time with Don and Denise also, along with all the rest of the folks. ¶The big surprise of course was the unexpected visit from Neil, all the way from Vancouver. I was sitting in a Sudbury restaurant with Jennifer for a nice supper when Neil suddenly walked in. I didn't recognize him for a few seconds and then I did. Very happy. Neil was able to spend some time at camp and he even found time to get up to Timmins where he was delighted to meet uncles, aunts and cousins. Back in Sudbury this week, both of us had a chance to visit my favourite pub where we spent time eating, drinking and catching up. Neil is heading back home and on Thursday we took a photo at the bus station just before he left town. Can't wait for another visit. Which means I now owe him a visit. It's all good.

Back at work after an excellent five day break where I had time to enjoy the best of life at Camp Alexander in Westree. The food was excellent of course, and I ate too much, felt really great. And so I decided to drink a little more beer than usual. I love it when everyone chips in and adds food to the community table. So many good tasting things.

The kids had a great time going for rides in the ATVs and yes, they all worse helmets. There was even some excitement as the gang went out for a picnic and a swim at one of the local lakes. There was one incident where we needed a first aid kit, but things worked out okay.

I know it is hard to beat the sense of relaxation that takes over as you sit by the fire, watch the stars and enjoy everyone's company.

Retirement? Not right now ...

So every now and then I think I should retire from the news game. But I am having fun. Seriously, I usually grin each morning as I head to work. Sometimes I think I am loopy. Then this week the company said thanks for five years; they gave me a raise, gave me another week of vacation and gave me a really nice watch.

Getting up to date

Staying up to date on things. Was pleased to chat with Debra recently to learn that she and John are planning a trip to Europe and a Mediterranean cruise. Also, kudos to John for his recent win on a CTV trivia show. I hope they have a great time. Deb said they have plans to visit Vimy Ridge. I am jealous. I can't wait to see some of the photos from their travels.

I was spring cleaning my hall closet on the weekend when I found a nice pair of almost new black Timberland ankle boots. I absolutely know they're not mine, so I think they were left by Neil during his last winter visit two years ago. I tried them on and they fit perfectly. I will have to talk to Neil. * * * * * I have been so busy lately, I barely noticed that spring is almost over and summer will soon by here. It's a great time of year. I am especially pleased that I feel healthier. I think I get tired of winter to the point where I just like to sleep in on weekends. The nicer weather encourages me to walk more. That feels good. I was pleased recently to go out with Jenn and Scott for a nice supper at the Dog House restaurant in Azilda. It was nice just to sit and shoot the breeze while enjoying good food and fresh draft beer. Jenn and Scott are also considering some interessting travel plans, so it will be nice to see how that goes.

My usual beer at my local pub was Muskoka Brewery Treat Lightly. But they have been selling out or not buying enough of it. So this past weekend, I had to fall back on my usual Bud Light... an American brew that I was avoiding.

I has been bitten by the travel bug again and I am no sure where to go. I know I cannot go to the U.S. although there were a couple of cities I had planned on visiting before the government there got stupid.

I saw a recent travel report of a guy who travelled from England to New York on the Queen Mary. That could be an interesting trip. https://cruiseinsider.com/specials/transatlantic-crossings-with-cunard/cunard-line

Life is too good some days eh

Sometimes, the simple meals are the best. During a recent visit to Fionn MacCool's pub in Sudbury, I enjoyed one of their best suppers; Shepherd's Pie and a Caeser Salad on the side. Now I don't often buy the salad but as I ate it I thought how much I miss having a really tasty salad. It was just the perfect side dish to get my taste buds going into overdrive. Then the mashed potatoes with the beef, pork and veggies just hit the spot better than I was expecting. I think it was because I skipped lunch that day.

Of course, a nice fresh pint of draft beer kept the day going right. Since the tariff issue I have quit drinking American beer. I have been enjoying a new light beer from Muskoka Brewery called Tready Lightly. It's only four per cent alcohol content and really refreshing. Things don't get much better than this.

This stuff doesn't make sense

The world does not make sense some days. I was reading the New York Times about former Fox News announcer Pete Hegseth putting out confidential military information over a cell phone chat application. First of all, how does a former news announcer become Secretary of Defence? One would think this is a role for a high-level military person, not some sycophant that sucks up to the guy trying to be president. In a real world, goof-ups like this would result in somebody being arrested or least removed from a sensitive role. The guy lives in a world where people just deny reality and hopes others believe him. Now that the real media -- NOT Fox rookies -- have this story in their sights, you can be sure that Hegseth's days are numbered.

Shipping news

I guess it is one of the cool things about the internet; the vast amount of information available, if you're willing to take the time to search. I was snooping several weeks back when Jenn and Scott took a cruise trip in the Caribbean. Their ship the MSC Seaside was listed online along with the voyage and the ports of call. So I snooped further and found info on the last time I was on a ship... The RMS Cunard liner, the Saxonia.

Oh my but there is a tonne of information available, and photos too. It sure brought back memories on travelling home from France, back to Canada in the early 1960s. Airlines did not make a regular crossing from Europe to North America back then. The trip took five or six days, as best as I can remember, departing from Le Havre, France, on to Southhampton, U.K. and then across the North Atlantic Ocean on to Montreal.

I still have some vivid memories of that trip. One of the funniest was that I was in the ship's theatre watching a movie with my Mom when suddenly the theatre door crashed open, light poured in and there was my big brother Gary shouting, Hey Leonard, we docked, we're back in Canada!

So I found some basic info on the Saxonia. But the best part is there is another link that lists the names of families and passengers who were on the ship in the 1960s. I think I will have to dig back for more information.

Life sure is good these days

I hope you like the photo. I took the picture from the parking lot at work where we can see the old Sudbury water tower, which has been converted to a light beacon in the heart of the city.

So it was a super relaxing Christmas break for a couple of days. Jennifer and Scott of course were the perfect hosts. When I say relaxing, I should mention that I parked myself on the couch Christmas Eve, watched a nice movie -- Home Alone -- drank whisky and fell asleep, sitting on the couch. Embarassing! I slept on a cot in the rec room, which was perfect. It was so quiet. Christmas morning was nice. There was no pitter, patter of little feet. It was thump, thump, thump as I could hear Ace running around all excited because Santa had visited. I was pleased to get a great new sweater from Santa. It's all black and made of lambswool. I could tell is was wool right away. So I know I will enjoy it. I just have to remember to wash it properly. The nice thing about a wool sweather like that is I can wear it with jeans or with a suit; either way it will look great. Christmas dinner was with the Alexanders as Don, Denise and Christine were amazing hosts. As usual, the meal was outstanding. I managed to get a messy nosebleed but it stopped quickly enough. Embarassing. All in all, another perfect Northern Ontario Christmas. I am spoiled. Life is good.

Writing and stuff

I read recently how many young people are losing out on important communication skills even though they do a lot of texting. Part of the problem -- their word not mine -- is that people are losing the ability to communicate in regular sentences. For some reason this came to me on the weekend as I was looking over some old papers, which included letters written to me by my Dad and my Grandmother. Grandma wrote really interesting letters. Dad, not so much. His sentences were short and very much to the point. Grandma would go on in detail about how life was for her living in the country and things like that. I remembered that as a young teenager, I had a pen pal. I also remembered how nice it was to get a letter every few weeks and how much I enjoyed writing a letter back. I should write here in this blog more often. Also, I recently dropped by Jenn and Scott's place in Val Caron. It was Nathan's birthday. Nathan and Dara were there with Ace. It was nice to have coffee and cake and then we headed out for a nice Friday night supper. Tyler and Nila came along and so that too was nice to spend time with. After that, I headed home to continue binge watching old episodes of The Sopranos. Now THAT is something I should write about. That is such a good series. It has very good acting. But of course, good writing is at the heart of it. It was also nice to spend time with Jenn and Scott before they set off on their cruise of the Caribbean. Their ship is massive; the MSC Seaside. Check out the website. I am pretty sure they will have an enjoyable time. https://www.msccruises.ca/plan-a-cruise/ships/msc-seaside

Wendel Clark is a cool guy. So is Joe Bowen.

Had a good day today. There was a hockey fundraiser game on to support Easter Seals. A lot of former NHL guys in town. I had to take photos, including a team shot, out on the ice at the end of the game. It was slippery. Former Leafs captain Wendel Clark skated up beside me and let me hold onto his stick as we crossed the ice. I also had a chance to say hi to Joe Bowen, the iconic voice of the Maple Leafs for more than 40 years. Joe was a co-worker back in our days at CKSO Radio and TV in the 1970s. Cool or what.

Las Vegas

Still at home recovering from my first ever trip to Las Vegas. And no I didn't misbehave. If anything I am disappointed. It was a bucket list thing for me, having never been there before.

I took some vacation time and decided I would also take in the Mine Expo, which is the world's largest mining technology convention. Besides, it was a cheap holiday considering that flights and hotel rooms are far less expensive to other places I have visited in recent years. Much cheaper than Vancouver or London for example. To make a long story short, I injured myself. I severely sprained by left hip and knee. It doesn't help when I tell the story that this happened when I was getting off a barstool. I wasn't at all tipsy. It's just the way I twisted my body ... after having only two pints of Bud Light. I slipped and landed badly on my left heel before catching myself from a serious fall. So as I returned to my hotel room on Tuesday Sept 24, my left leg was very sore. And when I went to bed my hip and knee were screaming at me. I figured part of the problem was that I had overextended myself that day with all the walking and touring I did. So I spent the best part of the following three days in my room, in varying degrees of pain as I swallowed a couple of bottles of Advil. I just could not get comfortable and the pain was constant. Upon returning to Sudbury, I went to the emergency room and instead of a long wait, they looked after me quickly and sent me for X-rays. I told them I was a senior citizen who had a minor fall. They reacted quickly. The attending doctor told me nothing was broken but my hip flexor muscle was sprained. She said that would explain the severe pain, which was still with me last Saturday. The pain was from my left knee, along my thigh, around my hip to my butt and lower back. So she prescribed Naproxen and told me to lay off the Advil, which was upsetting my stomach. She also gave me a prescription to ease the stomach trouble. So working from home as I wait for my leg to heal. More stories coming later.

Poor rabbit ...

I bumped into my neighbour briefly last week as I was walking through the parking lot when I got home after work. We both noticed there was a skinny little rabbit running around behind the cars. It was small and didn't look too healthy. I had some cherry tomatoes in my grocery bag and so I tossed a few toward him. The rabbit sniffed the tomatoes, but didn't eat. Oh well. Things change.

Came home this week and noticed that the remains of a little rabbit were on the asphalt. I think the ravens liked the taste of the rabbit.

Mmmmm ... leftovers

Having a hungry spell at work right now, while I enjoy a tea break. Jennifer invited me over for supper last night with leftover spaghetti sauce from camp. OMG it was so good. Salad. Garlic break. Pasta. And sauce that was excellent. I think my eyes glazed over as I just inhaled how good it all smelled, and tasted. In three hours I will be home having leftover leftover spaghetti and sauce. Can't wait.

The Rodeo Burger

Sudbury has this neat charity thing that happens each summer, where people get a chance to buy a hamburger at their favourite restaurant and a portion of the profit goes to a local charity. I was more than pleased to try out the Rodeo Burger at Fionn MacCool's pub on Friday.

OMG it was a huge burger combined with deep fried onion rings and gouda cheese balls. It was big. It was tasty. And I am glad I tried it. It also filled me up for Friday supper. Next time I will eat only half and take the rest home. And I will try to find out why they named it the Rodeo Burger.

I like the idea of a vacancy tax

Upsetting. I was reading about small boutique-style business owners in Toronto being forced out because of high rents. In one story a local neighbourhood cafe and pastry shop shut down after her building was sold to a new owner. Their monthly lease was $3,000. The new owner came in with a new lease, charging $6,300 a month. That's just greed. There is a city in the U.S. -- I forget where exactly -- that passed a new law for a vacancy tax. If you own a building and set the rent so high that your spaces are vacant, they add 10 per cent to your property tax. I like that. If you're so greedy and set your rental rate so high that no one can afford it, then you cannot claim it is the market rate. So pay the vacancy tax or set your rent at a rate that businesses can afford.

Olympics will be different ...

Not sure if you've had the chance to look ahead, but the upcoming summer Olympic games in Paris are sure going to be different. For starters there will be no opening ceremony in a big stadium like most of us are used to seeing. Instead, we will see things happening on the Seine River in the heart of Paris. The Seine is also site of the opening ceremony on Friday, where some 100 boats carrying tens of thousands of athletes and performers will glide down a 3.7-mile stretch of the river as spectators gather on the river banks.

So that will indeed be interesting to watch. There is also an olympic surfing event. But that won't be on the Seine. No, the surfing will be done in a tiny little part of the South Pacific Ocean ... off the coast of Teahupo'o, a small village in the French Polynesian island of Tahiti

Wow, halfway through the year already

Okay so this happens a lot... Is it my memory or is it that I don't think of unimportant stuff too much? I just realized this is the week before the Canada Day holiday weekend. No big deal really because I am not working on the weekend. When I am working on news stories, I kind of exclude everything else. I put reminders on my phone, or computer, for things I absolutely have to remember. Other than that, I go home, enjoy supper, enjoy reading, enjoy jazz on YouTube and make sure I have enough laundry done for the week ahead. I have been busy and have enjoyed the warmer weather. Some days it was too friggin' hot but other than that, no complaints. I dropped by Fionn MacCools to watch the Hockey Game monday night and kept hoping the Oilers would score that extra goal. No such luck. Other than that it was a nice night out when I don't usually drop by. But wings were on sale for $10 a pound and the beer was only $5 a pint. Just to keep things healthy, I also ordered the spinach and artichoke cheese dip with nachos. So I stayed for the full game, enjoyed the good food and went home disappointed that Lord Stanley's trophy wasn't coming to Canada.

I should mention that Jennifer and her men were also watching the game and enjoying a late dinner Monday. She invited me out to the house, but I declined. I was just opting for the shorter drive home on a worknight. If it was a weekend, I would have been at their place. I have been eating well this month, thanks to the warmer weather. I really enjoy salads, but admit I am too lazy to whip them up myself. I like to buy the prepared salads from the grocery store, and then I add a few extra things like cucumbers or tomatoes at home. What I do enjoy is this occasional family dinner put on by Denise and Don. They put on the best dinners and it's always a hoot to enjoy the company of our extended family.

What the hell happened ?

Just updating a wild and crazy month of April. I was so pleased to be in Toronto on April 8 for the home opener game of the Toronto Blue Jays. I rode the bus again with the gang from Fionn Maccool's pub in Sudbury to go to the Roger's Centre to see the game and take in all the fun.

Yes, it was nice. My first ballpark hot dog of the year (actually a nice Schneider's sausage) and a beer came to a total of $32.16. I guess that is the going rate for having fun. So I enjoyed a few more beer. Interestingly, they do not accept cash at the Roger's Centre. Everything was paid by debit card, which I had installed on my phone. The game was nice. The best part was getting away and enjoying a night out.

Two days later, back in Sudbury. I got a call from H&R Block. They were doing my income tax forms and asked to submit a receipt for rent payments. I said sure, no problem. I hung up and went online to check my bank statement so I could look up the exact January-to-December rental cheques I wrote last year. As I was logging in to my account, I got blocked with a message saying I had the incorrect login. Hmmm. That was odd. So I tried again and this time the online account said it needed to send a verifying code number to my phone. Fine. So I logged in again and got through okay, only to notice to $6,490 was missing from my account. I notified TD Bank right away and they said a global cash transfer has just been approved by my account number and password to a bank in the United States. No way, I said. Oh yes, they said. So after some arguing and asking them to notice that I had never done any such thing in the past 30 years on this same account, they backed off a bit and promised to investigate. I then went downtown and changed by debit card and account information. Two different people asked a bunch of questions to verify that I was indeed the person named for my account. Alsp, because this was fraud over $5,000 I had to get the police involved. The good news is that eight days later, I got a message from TD Bank saying that the stolen money was being replaced.

My birthday ...

My birthday was on the weekend, while I was away at Angel's wedding in Timmins. I don't worry about birthdays anymore. They're nice but I don't worry about observing them. Just another day of the week.

Getting back to work on Monday I was pleased that my coworkers took time to notice. They signed a card and contributed to a very nice gift of good Scotch. Wow, life does not get much better. I was pleased.

A nice wedding

I am amazed at how much we take for granted all the super nice people in our lives. I was thinking of that Saturday night when I was in Timmins to attend the wedding of my niece and God-daughter Angel and her new husband Al Chamberlain. It was so nice to see all the kids, the cousins, the aunts and uncles and people that you don't get to see as often because we live in another town. Weddings are a great way to bring people together.

Angel sat with me for a while just to chat and reminisce about how things were years ago and how our lives have changed and about all the people who have been part of our lives. It was just the best time. I truly enjoyed it.