On Canada Day we drove down to Port Stanley. The place was abuzz with festive activity. I was adroitly cut off when, while pausing at the beach to snap a picture, a young foreign-looking man dressed up like a cop suddenly appeared on his bicycle. He stuck his face in my window (I assume hoping to smell alcohol or something) and said in an Eastern Hemisphere accent that I could not park here. He pointed at a "no parking" sign. I told him I was NOT parking, only stopping. "Parking and stopping are the same thing!" he snapped. "They are not!" I snapped right back. "If we can't stop I suggest you get some new signs. - Move your little bicycle and I'll get going!".
Wendy and I have been coming here for as long as I can remember and we always pause at the beach for a look. The turning circle road is "one way" and there is lots of room to pass. This has been accepted practice since back when the roadway was just a sand track. There was no other vehicle impeded by my actions. Our leftist, over-regulated world is becoming more and more closed and intolerant to human beings every year. I first noticed it in the parks where one can hardly drive anywhere now, especially near the water. Most all public attractions now have become car-unfriendly with over-priced parking and severely restricted access. Gosh, I can even remember when you could park a motor home anywhere!
My "artsy" picture for today expresses my view of this modern world with its laws and restrictions in every facet of our lives. It has dampened my appreciation of Canada Day. My father would abhor the way government has taken away much of what he risked his life to preserve in World War II. He would be truly amazed if he could see the world now. He died 29 years ago today.
Unfortunately he'd see that government is rampantly out of control. Alas, sadly, there is no place to escape to, except where he is now.
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