Canine Calamity.

I don’t hate dog’s, honest I don’t.  And yet… I completely agree. I am sure to now get my comeuppance.

Why I don’t live in Colorado any longer.

It is May 1, for pete’s sake.

April showers should bring May flowers, not May snow?  No link, as I am sure it will have melted by the time you read this…

Tim Bits

Sitting in Southern California and watching a Hockey Game on TV, that is good.  The game is in MO., and that is cool.  That I see a Tim Horton’s ad on the boards and I can’t get me a Maple Dip Doughnut here is just not fair.  I will survive.

Press on…

Technorati Tags: Tim Horton's,Tim Bits,Hockey

Spring Vacation, 2013

Another Lovely Wife™ video production of our trip.  Much nicer than my photo albums, but it does not contain my urbane, witty commentary...
A link to a movie from our trip. (Warning, its 13 minutes... Sorry).

http://vimeo.com/64995955

Hope you enjoy.

I love New York...Especially In the Evening!

It was the Lovely Wife's™  first visit to New York, and the city lived up to its reputation.  We walked our asses off but had a grand time!

You need more than three days, but we gave it out best shot.  From the Staten Island Ferry dock at Battery Park to The Met, and all the highlights in between...

                                           An Affair To Remember Where Harry Met Sally.

Where to next?

The Nation's Capitol

While driving up I-95 from Rocky Mount to DC, we passed many Quebec license plates.  Must have been the snow birds migrating north.

A tip about car rentals in DC - if you ever have to drop off a car, DO NOT plan on doing it at Union Station!  The rental return ramp is not marked and if you miss it, you have to circle the station and deal with all the traffic!  Sheesh.

Here are a few photo's of our stay, captions included of course.

Just to add interest, here is a video from atop the Newseum - highly recommended.  It is conveniently located next to the Canadian Embassy:

And here is a shot of me next to the OC Register Pulitzer Prize winning photo.  I did not take it, but my magic made it look great in the Newspaper, before color was as common as it is today.

LA Olympics, 1984.

Rocky Mount, NC - 21st Century Mayberry

Just returned back from a jaunt along I-95, from NC to DC to NY. Had little to no time for updates or postings.  Covered a lot of ground in 9 days.  For my non-Facebook followers, here are a few pictures of the North Carolina segment.

After a red-eye to Raleigh, landed in what felt like a hurricane, then drove about an hour to Rocky Mount, NC. Beautiful country side and while I have no problem with 90% humidity - not so for Cathy - I would need to get used to having allergies, I think!
There was enough pollen falling from the strangest Pine Trees that I think I could have used it for a base for a stew! It completely covered our rental car in just a few hours. 

Enjoy the sounds of the Tar River.

Red Eye Flights...

Red eye flights have their own special 'features'.  Why is the flight to Raleigh full?  What is so special about North Carolina??  At least the cheap wine from LAX is helping :)
See you all on Eastern Time, hopefully.  Is everyone going to Augusta?  Really, just because Tiger is back?
Time to board. More later, God Willing!!

Disneyland Details

Hidden gem of Disney.

Spending the weekend at the Disneyland Resort - benefits of being married to an Imagineer - celebrating another year on earth.  Did not take my camera with me today, but while waiting for the Lovely Wife, I noticed this poster art on an exterior wall. 

For those who know Disneyland, just inside the park, on a side wall where they once had a bank.  Now there is an exterior ATM along the walkway to the restroom.  Watched perhaps 20-30 people walk by and not even notice it.  Several people at the ATM did not see it.  Their loss. 
Just another example of the details that generally sets this place apart from the others.  Sure, it is a bottom line business.  But not like most.  Okay, off to dinner...

Merry Christmas, 2012.

Be well, everyone.

Oh Christmas Tree...

I must say, the Lovely Wife™ decorates a mean Christmas Tree!

Gainey Limited Selection Cabernet Franc 2009

Once had a website for wine, foodandwinefordummies.com.  The Lawyers at The Company did not like it very much and sent me a cease and desist. It was a nice site and I should post the contents here (without the 'For Dummies' tag line).  I was hoping they would offer to buy it from me.  Oh well.

Tonight, fashioned a dinner around a menu suggestion from a Wine Club that we belong to.  If you should click the link and decide to join, tell them I sent you, please.  We get a discount if you do.

The Limited Selection Cab Franc 09 was great, as usual.  Medium bodied this vintage - Gainey is often full-bodied, even their Pinot Noir.  The winemaker notes stated it would be good for three to five years.  Ha.  We received it December, 2011 and enjoyed it tonight. That is a record for us :)

Wine Notes and Menu

Enjoyed it with their own menu recommendation.  Grilled Steak with Warm Shallot Vinaigrette.  Both were delicious.  The Vinaigrette was easy to make, the bottle was easy to open, and I can cook a steak with the best of them...

Picked and ready to clean.

It being the end of the 'fall season', I picked the last of our Leaf Lettuce for a salad to enjoy with the dinner.  Not bad for a patio garden, if I may say so myself. Lite Caesar dressing, avocado, and tomato made for a perfect starter.









Wine tasting notes can be read on the image above, so I won't pretend to match the winemaker's palette.  I will just say it was medium bodied, fruit forward and softened nicely from the first glass to the last. 

Have two bottles of 2010 - wonder how long they will last.
Should you find yourself in Santa Ynez, visit Gainey.  They have gotten big and not as accommodating as they once were, but the wines still hold up.

Someone from My Little Town

Thanks to Facebook I, like many others, have re-connected with friends from the past – and long lost extended family, usually cousins.  Just the other day I watched a short documentary of one such friend, Ian Clyde.

Because I just read a collection of short stories about a wise old sage who loved to tell stories – which, coincidentally, was written by another friend – let me tell you a story about Ian…

Ian Clyde, ca. 1980

Sometime in the mid-seventies, not sure exactly when; I believe we had graduated High School. I was with Ian and at least one other guy, just not sure exactly who it was.  May have been Kevin G. or one of Ian’s friends – a guy I remember, just not by name.  It was a long time ago.

We are standing in Beurling Park in Verdun, on the east side, around the track & field area – closest to Brown Boulevard for you locals.  It was summer, early evening, so plenty bright. The exact conversation I can’t say for sure, but it was about his blossoming boxing career and his excitement in finding it. He was explaining his training program and how it all worked, which was new and fascinating to me.

At some point some other guy came over and started ‘trash talking’ boxing in general and Ian specifically (trash talking had not been defined by the mid-seventies, but describes it perfectly).  I don’t remember who the guy was, but he knew Ian and knew the rest of us.  I think he was a ‘tough guy’ that was still in High School.  I probably should mention that Beurling Park is adjacent to a High School on Champlain Blvd.

Well, to shorten this story up, being that this is a blog and not a novella, this guy continued to prod Ian about his so-called boxing abilities.  Ian, to his credit, kept his cool. He kept saying that this was a park, not a boxing ring and that he did not fight outside the ring.

The guy would not stop.  The back and forth went on for a while. Ian did his best to ignore it.  We tried moving away.  Finally, this guy went over the line by either poking Ian in the chest or threatening to (it was a long time ago, so the details are sketchy.  If Ian even remembers this incident maybe he can fill in the blanks), I can’t say for sure.

It was over in a flash.  In the blink of an eye there was a flurry of motion in front of me. Once I realized what had just happened I looked first at the guy.  His eyes were wide open, there was blood running from his nose and he was bringing his hands to his face.  When I turned to Ian, he was cursing himself, and then apologizing to anyone who would listen, saying something like, “… the guy just would not stop and I thought he was going to hit me.”

The Boxer with Angelo Dundee

Nothing further came of it. I assume we all worked everything out. But I am still amazed how fast it all occurred.  The quick blows to the face were over before I even knew what happened.  At that moment I made a note to never start a fight.

Ian went on to be a Golden Glove boxer, represented his county in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal (which I had forgotten), made three Olympic teams before turning pro, and is doing quite well in retirement somewhere in the Montreal area.  I regret not being able to have seen Ian at the Olympics in Montreal, but such is life.


Update:  I received a reply from Ian regarding this story.  As I suspected, he does not remember the incident.  I understand completely.  It was I who was astonished at the speed of a boxer's hands, not Ian.

Little Bit Country, Little Bit Rock&Roll

What the heck happened?  While I may have poked fun at my country and western fans way back when, I always appreciated the music & talent.  I get that there has always been crossover - Kenny Rogers, Glen Campbell, etc.
Then Kid Rock has a hit. Darius Rucker loses the Blowfish and channels Charley Pride, along with Lionel Richie(?).
And a song about the Boss is nominated for Country Music Song of the Year.

I have a Brother-in-Law that always enjoyed Country;
Helped the Lovely Wife when she arranged all the travel for the old country music station, KZLA, and their first ever County Music weekend festival (had a great time and met some great country music stars of the day - thanks Mr. Tillis);
And especially listened to a lot more country while living in the Great State of Colorado- hard not to.

So today, whilst driving about SoCal, heard the latest Taylor Swift song on the local country station - Go Country 105 FM.  Very nice song and performed nicely on the CMA's this week. A few minutes later I heard the same song on a Pop Music station  - I had heard Taylor did the Shania thing and made different versions of the same song.

Colour me country - BTW, that is the Canadian way of spelling color - but I much preferred the country version.  In fact, I did not like the music overlay of the 'pop' version.
This is odd to me because I am a firm believer that there is no such thing as a BAD version of a GOOD song.  Go figure.
Certainly, the Pop version is fine.  But I liked the Country version better.  As Donny and Marie would sing, I'm a little bit country...
Rock on...

Come Celebrate Me Home... My Little Town

A Facebook Album of a few photo's from a recent trip home.

My Little Town

Posting this without comment.

http://youtu.be/va0JCg0j3fY

 Enjoyed seeing all the sights in and around Montreal on this documentary.  Nice way to spend a rainy Sunday morning.  Yes, it does rain in Montreal. 
If you plan on watching, note that it is one hour and twenty minutes.

Getty Museum Monorail

Have you been to the Getty? If not, you should make the trip. I have photo's, but go to their website for better ones.
The entrance fee is gratis, with a $15 parking fee.  Steep, but so is  parking everywhere.  But for the fee you get to ride their monorail.  Here is what it looks like on the way down...

Hometown Street Names, including my own Moffat!

Montreal Mosaic En Route WebZine article.

My continuing "My Little Town" series...

P'tit Soleil

Nice review of Luc's grand opening.  If you have heard of Poutine, then you should stop by and enjoy.  If you have not heard of it, stop by and learn.

I should also mention that he has created his own version of Vachon Caramel Cakes, Mae West and his own homemade Tortiere.  As seen here.

Well done, Luc.  And congrats.

My Little Town...

Another edition in this series. This is only the second, but when I find things about Verdun, I will post them here.
This article is about a group called the Verdun Memories Project.  At the time it was written they were at the Dawson Community Center - I remember it as the Dawson's Boys and Girls Club.  Spent much time there during my misspent youth. 
The organizer enlisted a filmmaker and shot a 15 minute movie, if you are so inclined.
I don't believe the group is still around, but at least one person in the movie short is in another historical group, Société d'histoire et de généalogie de Verdun. Note the site is in French.
And once again a Hat Tip to LesF from the Verdun Connections group on Multiply.com.

DCA, part 2

Had a few images on my cell phone that I thought I should add.  Taken after our Carthay Dinner.  So if you are reading this post, you should really scroll down to the previous one.  I could have updated the other one...

Simple floral arrangement by day, dramatic
lighting display by night!

More clever wall painted signage, popular circa 1930's

What the 21st century was thought to like like in 1938.

The amazing rock-work at night. The purple light is a waterfall.
The moon, however, is real.

Details, etc.

Directional signs, with style.

And finally... my catch of the day!

 It might be very expensive to go to Disneyland every day, but when you do go you get your money's worth.