An Old Irish Toast: "In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship and never in want."
Unknown author
.
.
.
Monday, December 31, 2012
What Will 2013 Bring?
An Old Irish Toast: "In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship and never in want."
Unknown author
.
.
.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Dash's First Snow.
 |
| Dash sees snow for the first time wearing his new denim vest (Kitty Holster) that he got for Christmas. |
Why did we call him Dash? Just watch! Go Dash go!
Want better quality? You can see it on YouTube at: http://youtu.be/C0p-YKKJN9Y
.
.
.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Christmas Lights
During the blizzard and snowstorm late yesterday afternoon, Wendy and I drove over to see a beautiful display of lights at my friend Mikes place in Byron. These pictures do not do it justice. He has choreographed a wonderful animation of lights set to music which he broadcasts to your car radio.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Wendy's Side of the Family, Christmas Dinner
Around 3:30 pm Christmas Day Wendy and I and our son Tim drove over to London's west end to arrive at the lovely home of Amy and our nephew Doug for a Christmas party and dinner.
A buffet dinner with a turkey and a ham cooked outside on the barbeque rotisserie.
Amy welcomes us to their newly renovated bungalow on a quiet cul de sac.
Our son Tim.
Colton and his mom Denise. Brad, Denise, Mitchell and Colton came down from Richmond Hill (Toronto) and are staying with Wendy's brother Doug in Thorndale.
Our nephew Dougie with his brother-in-law Calvin. Sarah married Calvin in South Africa last year.
Wendy's brother Brad checks his camera
Wendy's brother Doug (left) carves the turkey, while his son Doug carves the ham. Amy (right) and young Dougie's sister Sarah in the background.
Sarah toasts Christmas.
Wendy and Doug's wife Daphne discuss...
Brad and Denise's son Michell and Sarah.
Mitch and his mom Denise.
Wendy and Daphne
Santa (me) and Denise. Santa knows who's been naughty and who's been nice.
Dinner is served.
Doug and Amy are rightly proud of their new home.
Typical family Christmas. We miss Erin and Jake who are vacationing in California.
Denise poses by the tree.
Doug tries out Brad's Nikon.
.
.
.
Our son Tim.
.
.
.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
Am I Dreaming? A White Christmas? Maybe.
It may not stick but...
According to the radar we are in the midst of a swirling, somewhat stationary system. Good!
.
.
 |
| 4 second time-exposure. Click the picture to enlarge. |
 |
| View from Wendy's desk. |
.
.
The Waverley Gang - Part Three
Here they go again. I'm not extremely fond of the Chipmunks either but this video is hilarious. Well done Sarah Urquhart at Waverley Mansion.
,
,
,
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Just Ashes - One Year Ago Today.
NOW
I just this moment (1:35 pm) got off the phone from my good friend Gary who called from Florida. What kind of amazing coincidence is that? It was the same time, 1:30 pm exactly a year ago that he called me from his car somewhere between Tennessee and Florida to tell me my boat, the Phoenix, was burning. When I reminded him of this, even he was astounded.
THEN
Back then he had been talking to a real estate agent from Toronto that had somehow heard about a huge marina fire in Port Lambton. Gary said "Tim, I just heard there's a huge fire downriver where we keep our boats for the winter. Could you phone and see if it's your boat or mine?" We kept our boats in two separate marinas, one across the street from the other. He joked: "I sure hope it's your boat because mine's not insured."
Today marks the first anniversary of the destruction of the Phoenix. CLICK HERE and also HERE to read about the fire that destroyed 70 boats and several collector cars.
CLICK HERE to read an account on another blog by a friend of my daughter Erin.
I'm sorry she's gone. This past summer was not the same without my boat. I miss her.
And here's my old web page on the Phoenix:
http://www.americamarine.com
.
.
.
I just this moment (1:35 pm) got off the phone from my good friend Gary who called from Florida. What kind of amazing coincidence is that? It was the same time, 1:30 pm exactly a year ago that he called me from his car somewhere between Tennessee and Florida to tell me my boat, the Phoenix, was burning. When I reminded him of this, even he was astounded.
THEN
Back then he had been talking to a real estate agent from Toronto that had somehow heard about a huge marina fire in Port Lambton. Gary said "Tim, I just heard there's a huge fire downriver where we keep our boats for the winter. Could you phone and see if it's your boat or mine?" We kept our boats in two separate marinas, one across the street from the other. He joked: "I sure hope it's your boat because mine's not insured."
 | |
| I never went down to see this. Nothing there for me. There will be no Phoenix rising from these ashes. |
 |
| This is how I want to remember her. CLICK PIC TO SEE. |
CLICK HERE to read an account on another blog by a friend of my daughter Erin.
I'm sorry she's gone. This past summer was not the same without my boat. I miss her.
And here's my old web page on the Phoenix:
http://www.americamarine.com
.
.
.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
"That Jolly, Rich Moron!" - Who Me?
A good friend of mine, Pat Cooper = "Paper Coot" sent an email "joke " letter about anagrams. I was quite amused and did some research about them.
An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; for example orchestra can be rearranged into carthorse. Someone who creates anagrams may be called an "anagrammatist"
The original word or phrase is known as the subject of the anagram.
Any word or phrase that exactly reproduces the letters in another order is an anagram. However, the goal of serious or skilled anagrammatists is to produce anagrams that in some way reflect or comment on the subject. Such an anagram may be a synonym or antonym of its subject, a parody, a criticism, or praise; e.g. William Shakespeare = I am a weakish speller
If you would like to be an expert anagrammatist, go to this web page and try some phrases or names. http://www.anagramgenius.com/server.html
Or try this one:
http://www.wordsmith.org/anagram/index.html
Here is the subject of the anagram, my name:
Timothy John Carroll = "That jolly, rich moron!"
Hey, I'm not as stupid as I look.
...Wait a minute, that doesn't sound right.
I'm smarter than I look... Doak!
Here is one I didn't expect:
Have a nice day = "Have a cyanide"
Or this:
Mitt Romney = "Not My Merit"
Barack Obama = "A Rambo Aback???"
Stephen Harper = "The Sharp Preen"
D. Cameron = "Romanced"
.
.
.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
We're Doing Christmas Now.
 |
| The tree has survived with all the balls intact. Miraculously Dash has left it alone. |
Dash was being a little mean to good ole Frosty. He found the ornament somewhere in the basement and brought it upstairs. He has been carrying it everywhere and brutally assaulting it like it was his worst enemy. Lighten up Dash! It's Christmas. . . .
.
.
.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
The Waverley Gang Is "At It" Again...
These frolicking oldsters are having fun making their second video.
Waverley Mansion Gangnam Style.
If Wendy's Mom Gene was still alive, she'd be right in there. Her room was just down the hall at 104. This second video has already received over 25,000 hits since it was posted on 12/12/12. "Call Me Maybe" has had nearly 800,000 views as of today.
You can watch this new video #2 "Waverley Mansion Gangnam Style" on YouTube by clicking here.
And CLICK HERE and go back to see their original Video #1 "Call Me Maybe"
.
.
.
Waverley Mansion Gangnam Style.
If Wendy's Mom Gene was still alive, she'd be right in there. Her room was just down the hall at 104. This second video has already received over 25,000 hits since it was posted on 12/12/12. "Call Me Maybe" has had nearly 800,000 views as of today.
You can watch this new video #2 "Waverley Mansion Gangnam Style" on YouTube by clicking here.
And CLICK HERE and go back to see their original Video #1 "Call Me Maybe"
Published on Dec 12, 2012
Thank you everyone for the support of our "Call Me Maybe" video! After reading all the comments, the Residents and I decided to give our fans what they want! Enjoy!
Oldies Stayin' Young & Havin' Fun! The seniors in this video are between the ages of 66 and 97, and are more active than some of my friends in their 20's!
Oldies Stayin' Young & Havin' Fun! The seniors in this video are between the ages of 66 and 97, and are more active than some of my friends in their 20's!
Sarah Urquhart, Producer/Recreation Coordinator, Waverley Mansion.
They made CTV television with their first video "Call Me Maybe" NOTE the sound was clipped for the TV version due to copyright issues, but the interview is good.
Watch the CTV interview with the residents and the producer, Sarah Urquhart. Music removed by TV station.
YouTube Version CLICK HERE.
They made CTV television with their first video "Call Me Maybe" NOTE the sound was clipped for the TV version due to copyright issues, but the interview is good.
Watch the CTV interview with the residents and the producer, Sarah Urquhart. Music removed by TV station.
YouTube Version CLICK HERE.
.
.
Friday, December 14, 2012
In the Spirit of Christmas - A Nice Catalog In My US Mailbox.
Here's what I found in my Port Huron Michigan mailbox today. 'Tis the season to be jolly! How nice...
Order now to get yours in time for Christmas. A gun for every one in the family. Surprise her with a nice little pink one. (.38 cal. "Pink Lady") and why not stock up on a bulk pak of 1000 rounds of ammo for under $400.
Where would one use an automatic rifle or pistol? How about a cut-down pump shotgun? Hmmm. Could this be part of America's problem? Duh! Order your guns in time for Christmas on line at: http://www.gandermountain.com/
The thing we must remember about the slaughter of the children on Friday is that it will have little or no impact on the crazed world of American firearms. The pattern is always the same.
There will be the traditional prayer vigils and hand-wringing and solemn promises that something must be done to prevent it happening again.
There will be a slight post-massacre blip in calls for tighter gun controls.
Those will be overtaken in a month or so by cries for greater access to guns so people can protect themselves.
In the past five years, there have been 19 mass shootings.
Hundreds of people have died, including 32 souls at Virginia Tech in 2007.
The random killings of innocent people have become as integral a part of American life, as late night television.
In fact the day before the Connecticut murders, a man killed two people in a Portland shopping mall.
Only two. Hardly worth mentioning.
There will be hours of media exploration talking about the reasons behind these frequent killings.
That appalling human being, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has jumped out in front with his explanation.
It's because God has been kicked out of the school system.
"We don't have a crime problem, a gun problem or even a violence problem. What we have is a sin problem," he said.
Connecticut is the birthplace and home of the US firearms industry.
Colt, Winchester, Remington and Sturm-Ruger have all set up manufacturing plants in what is called "gun valley."
The gun industry supports about 6,000 jobs in the state and has an overall impact on the economy of about $1.3 billion.
And in a grisly irony, Newtown is the site of the country's second most powerful gun lobby, the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
The predominating culture in the United States is not food or music or literature. It is guns.
There are estimated to be 300 million guns in the country. Everyone has a gun or has access to a gun or knows somebody who owns a gun.
When I lived in Washington, the young teacher in the apartment next to mine slept with a gun on her night table.
The worship of guns and gun culture is glorified in every element of American popular entertainment.
Drive though any state on a weekend and see the number of gun shows. In many states, it is easier to buy a gun than a used car.
In his teary plea for hugs and prayers on Friday, Barack Obama said he was reacting as a parent, not as a president.
In fact he should have acted precisely as a president. Instead of crying, he should have cried enough. Finally, for God's sake, enough.
The gun lobby in the US is impervious to public mourning and public heartbreak.
The ghouls who preside over the National Rifle Association couldn't care less about the pile of tiny bodies in the Newtown school.
Or in Columbine. Or in Aurora. Or in Portland. Or anywhere.
They are in the death business and must protect the franchise.
The question now is: Can President Obama summon the courage he lacked as Candidate Obama, and take up the fight?
With so many lives at stake, we can only hope.
.
.
.
Where would one use an automatic rifle or pistol? How about a cut-down pump shotgun? Hmmm. Could this be part of America's problem? Duh! Order your guns in time for Christmas on line at: http://www.gandermountain.com/
Gun Culture in the U.S. will not change
by CBC Radio's Michael EnrightThe thing we must remember about the slaughter of the children on Friday is that it will have little or no impact on the crazed world of American firearms. The pattern is always the same.
There will be the traditional prayer vigils and hand-wringing and solemn promises that something must be done to prevent it happening again.
There will be a slight post-massacre blip in calls for tighter gun controls.
Those will be overtaken in a month or so by cries for greater access to guns so people can protect themselves.
In the past five years, there have been 19 mass shootings.
Hundreds of people have died, including 32 souls at Virginia Tech in 2007.
The random killings of innocent people have become as integral a part of American life, as late night television.
In fact the day before the Connecticut murders, a man killed two people in a Portland shopping mall.
Only two. Hardly worth mentioning.
There will be hours of media exploration talking about the reasons behind these frequent killings.
That appalling human being, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has jumped out in front with his explanation.
It's because God has been kicked out of the school system.
"We don't have a crime problem, a gun problem or even a violence problem. What we have is a sin problem," he said.
Connecticut is the birthplace and home of the US firearms industry.
Colt, Winchester, Remington and Sturm-Ruger have all set up manufacturing plants in what is called "gun valley."
The gun industry supports about 6,000 jobs in the state and has an overall impact on the economy of about $1.3 billion.
And in a grisly irony, Newtown is the site of the country's second most powerful gun lobby, the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
The predominating culture in the United States is not food or music or literature. It is guns.
There are estimated to be 300 million guns in the country. Everyone has a gun or has access to a gun or knows somebody who owns a gun.
When I lived in Washington, the young teacher in the apartment next to mine slept with a gun on her night table.
The worship of guns and gun culture is glorified in every element of American popular entertainment.
Drive though any state on a weekend and see the number of gun shows. In many states, it is easier to buy a gun than a used car.
In his teary plea for hugs and prayers on Friday, Barack Obama said he was reacting as a parent, not as a president.
In fact he should have acted precisely as a president. Instead of crying, he should have cried enough. Finally, for God's sake, enough.
The gun lobby in the US is impervious to public mourning and public heartbreak.
The ghouls who preside over the National Rifle Association couldn't care less about the pile of tiny bodies in the Newtown school.
Or in Columbine. Or in Aurora. Or in Portland. Or anywhere.
They are in the death business and must protect the franchise.
The question now is: Can President Obama summon the courage he lacked as Candidate Obama, and take up the fight?
With so many lives at stake, we can only hope.
.
.
.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
What Are You Doing Tomorrow On 12/12/12?
The Ancient Mayan calendar speaks of 12-12-2012 as the end of times as we know it, and the beginning of a new cycle of evolution for planet earth, humanity and the cosmos. Mayan elders say that the Ancients were informing the modern world to be ready for a giant transformation for the human race. I've read also 12-21-12 so maybe we can say "End of the World Week".
Interestingly, traditions across the world including Buddhism, Tao, Hopi and Vedic knowledge predict a ‘Golden Age’ or ‘Satyug’ in their calendars around the same period. December 2012 is being looked upon as a significant spiritual event and a momentous shift in the collective consciousness of the planet. You can read more about another way the world might end if you CLICK HERE.
We won't have another calendar sequence like this (01/01/01) for another 88 years. I likely won't be here to write about it unless man's lifespan changes. There are very few humans alive today that will be here for January 1, 2101 (010101) so... hope you enjoy 121212.
If it is the end of the world, make the best of it and have a good week! Be sure to do something special before 12/21/12. One consolation - if you believe the world will end on the 21st you can avoid the hassles of Christmas shopping.
OK, I think I'll go shopping.
.
.
.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
A Christmas Party at the Church
Yet another Sunday and we're at the church again. This time it's Erin and Jake's Christmas Party. Lots of tasty treats and a fine self-serve dinner of pulled beef on a bun with macaroni and cheese by Jake's Grandmother Caroline.
Erin, Nancy, Wendy and Tricia.
Jake and Andrew.
Jake proudly shows of his tree to his cousin Taylor.
Jake's Mom Nancy.
Daphne, Erin and Tricia.
Georgia, Nancy, Wendy, Daphne, Tricia and Erin.
Mitchell and Donna.
Earl, Marilyn from Port Dover and Jake's Grandma Caroline
Tricia, Greg and Wendy's brother Doug.
Tom (Georgia's husband), Nancy (Jake's Mom), Georgia, Marilyn and Nora. (Jake's aunts)
Wendy, Daphne, Caroline and Donna.
Sean and Tom.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)