Goodbye 2021!

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A Walk With Erin.

 This morning Wendy and I drove over to Erin's rented flat so we could go for a walk around Wortley Village. This afforded us some much needed exercise as well as a nice change of scenery. 

Snow had fallen over night but it will be short-lived with forecast temperatures hovering above freezing for the rest of the week.

We walked about  a mile and the snow was melting away as we went.

It was nice to get a chance to talk a bit with Erin and get some fresh air for a change.

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Christmas Day and Dinner In A Pandemic 2021

Benz loves Christmas. He spent the whole day exploring the presents and showing off his festive neckwear. (Notice the snow disappeared as the temperature rose today)

The Queen's address, a few phone calls with friends and relatives and a 20 lb. Butterball turkey baking in the oven. The aroma of the turkey was heavenly and reminded me of Christmases of the past. A highlight of a lovely, quiet Christmas Day was a fantastic classic Yuletide dinner. 

 

Only the three of us (Tim, Wendy and Tim jr) but Erin did come over for a porch visit and took away a portion for herself so we did 'virtually' eat together. Still we'll have lots of left overs for the next week or so. Hahaha!

After dinner we connected to Erin and opened our presents with Zoom. In some ways this was no different than other years. We just had to do it by ourselves again this year but I'm just as full as ever and soon I'll be ready to head off to bed. Quite a day! Whew!

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Merry Christmas 2021!!!

 

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Help Trump Rape America!

 

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U.S.A. May Have Bit Of A Problem?

 

Merry Christmas? Peace On Earth?

Just don't mess with Tom:

WASHINGTON, December (Reuters) - A U.S congressman on Saturday posted a Christmas picture of himself and what appeared to be his family, smiling and posing with an assortment of guns, just days after four teenagers were killed in a shooting at a Michigan high school.

"Merry Christmas! ps. Santa, please bring ammo," U.S. Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky wrote on Twitter. What a sweet family. I guess he's sending a message to any would-be home intruders.

CLICK HERE to read the whole article.

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It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

 

As I listen to a Michael Bublé album

I just HAD to put this one from last year up again. My great friend Donna sucking up to Santa.

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Christmas Is Coming

 Way back before COVID, we liked visiting Canadale Nurseries near Christmas time.  I always enjoyed strolling around their spacious showrooms snapping images of their many festive decorations.

Today I was browsing through pictures from 2019 and that inspired me to compose this Christmas card just for you.  I enjoy putting these compositions together so I hope to do more before December 25th.

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Every Car I've Owned Since 1965

 In 1965 I went for my Chauffeur's Licence in Oakville. I was living in Long Branch (Toronto) back then and my father suggested it would be easier to take the test in a smaller town so Oakville it was. The car was a standard shift so stopping and starting on a hill was the hardest part. I passed! The car - Dodge Polara 1966, the red car in the second row from the bottom.

Click on the picture to enlarge it.

These are all the nineteen cars I've owned or shared ownership with Wendy in the last fifty-six years. I didn't include cars/vans owned by our company, Carroll Healthcare.

Auburn 851 Boattail Speedster Supercharged

Oldsmobile 66 1948 with Hydramatic Automatic Transmission

Pontiac Strato Chief 1958 

Morris Minor 1000 (980 cc) 1959 (paid $4. + 12 cents tax + transfer $2)

Rambler American Convertible 1965 

Dodge Polara 1966 

American Motors Corporation,  Ambassador 1970

Pontiac Laurentian 1972

Dodge Coronet 1973

Buick Regal Sport Coupe Turbo1979 

Buick LeSabre 1985  

Oldsmobile  Delta 88 1985 (propane)

Cadillac Eldorado 1989

Cadillac Eldorado 1992

Chevrolet Camaro Z28 1994

Cadillac Escalade 1999

Buick Rendezvous 2001

Hyundai Sonata 2013

Lincoln MKX 2015

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Ego That Just Won't Quit!

 

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Just For Fun - Some Ship's Entertainment, Somewhere, Sometime...

 

Actually I snapped this picture on December 8, 2013 on the Maasdam, on our second night at sea, somewhere between Fort Lauderdale Florida and St. Thomas USVI. Oh, those where the days.

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Nineteen Years Ago... My Radical Prostatectomy 05/12/02.

 

I'll Never Forget How I Felt When 

I Was Told I Had Cancer.

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Curtis MI Postcard - One For My Colouring Book

An interesting feature of Photoshop is the ability to create layers of different colours and manipulate and blend them onto the  black and white original image I found and downloaded off eBay. I rarely ever actually buy a card.

The postcard was mailed in 1933 so it's nearly ninety years old. I always wonder how the people's lives played out. Did they keep the store? Did it make it through the 'dirty thirties'? Was the boy the owner's son or grandson? Did either of them go on to be famous? I doubt I'll ever know but it's fun to speculate as I work away on the colours. I try to research the colours (signs cars etc.) but most is too, just my imagination and speculation.

I watch eBay for interesting postcards. I found this one and coloured it just for you. Of course as usual you can click on any picture to see a larger image.

UPDATE: Well, what a find! I Googled the name on the sign and found the 1940 US Census for the people and store in Curtis MI. According to the document the man in the postcard was likely Ruben Archey who was 47 in 1933 and the boy was Ruben's nephew Raymond Feneley who was 12 at the time of the post card and living with the Archeys above the store. Also on the Census was other Feneley relatives. I see that Ruben didn't ever attend school and Raymond went to high school for 4 years. So the store and Ruben made it through the Great Depression and according to death records Ruben died in 1964.  Now if a person had time, or even cared, I'm sure he could find out more about the store and the people of Curtis MI.

 I did a quick look at Google Maps Street View and from the census entered "14 Main Street, Curtis MI" and found the store. Now called Lakeside Liquor Store. Although the gas pumps are gone, I can almost taste the ice cold American beer they probably sell.

Read about the new owners CLICK HERE or  HERE.

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My 'Artoon' For Today.

 

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First Significant Snowfall This Season

 

Our first snow encounter for the 2021-2022 winter season seems to have let us off easy so far with about 3 inches falling yesterday and over night, measured on our back deck.

On a wintery day Benz loves the warmth of Wendy's laptop computer so much we had to install a separate new  keyboard so that he could curl up by the digital 'fire'. 

Wendy always decorates the property with lovely festive lights and they look so much nicer when it snows. (view from our bedroom)

UPDATE: It snowed again over night and part of the morning Monday, Nov. 29/21

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The Birthday Puzzle

 For Wendy's birthday, Erin gave her a jigsaw puzzle.

The 1000 piece puzzle was a bit of a challenge with all the white and black areas.

When it seemed like it was hopeless, things started to work out thanks to a family team effort. Tim Jr. is very good at this.

Lucky Wendy got to place the last and final piece. Good going!

Voila! Maybe a new record time for us of 2 days. From the comment, Erin says "Wow! That was fast!! Perfect timing for that one with our first real snow this weekend."

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Wendy The Birthday Girl...

 Wendy's Birthday falls near the American Thanksgiving Day and the unofficial kick-off to Christmas so it seems natural that her Birthday gift could contain something Christmas-related. Son Tim surprised her with a present of three beautiful ornamental deer. They are almost too pretty to put outside. The proximity to Christmas often leads to the fun problem of us trying to top her birthday gift only a few weeks later. I'm almost sure my gift of a one liter bottle of anti-friz shampoo won't be as hard to beat. Hahaha!

So pretty they could almost replace the Christmas tree this year don't you think? 

The day was also highlighted by a porch visit of four of our good friends, Patricia and Greg and Joyce and Murray singing "Happy Birthday". Erin later came by with well-wishes and to watch her Mom open her presents. Just three days earlier our dear friend Linda and her sisters Deb and Sharon also stopped by for a porch visit. Although the weather was cold, you could certainly feel the warmth of all the happy encounters and we vowed to get together again soon when this awful virus is finished.

Many thanks to all the well-wishers that sent Wendy cards and greetings electronically. We sadly miss all our wonderful friends and look forward to seeing you all again some day soon.

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Eye Doctors Are Back At It

 Well, it would appear the Ontario opticians and ophthalmologists have settled their feud over fees with the Ontario Health Insurance Plan and have resumed their services to children and seniors. Wendy and I were fortunate enough to have seen our eye doctor less than two weeks ago as he began seeing 'only the nice people' because he said the waitlist was getting out of hand. I was able to order my glasses from Zenni based on the new prescription and I had the glasses by last Friday. So much for the 'Eye-Que' eye tester that I bought a month ago. I guess I'll no longer need it.

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My 'Artoon' For Today - Aussie History Lesson

 Australian Immigration

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And This One's Going To The Dogs

 

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Okay, One More For Fun...

 

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Just For Fun

 Today I gathered a dozen or so individual pictures from image searches. I Googled "shocked old lady" and "shocked old man" and brought all these separate images together for the first time into two composite works.

I don't really know where I'll use them but they were fun to put together into a couple of Rockwellesque collages of the 'over sixty crowd'.  As usual, click on a pic to enlarge it.

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Getting Old Sucks!

 My "Artoon" for today...

Although some days I do miss my hair, I'm now forced to follow the hair-styles of such notables as Bruce Willis, Jeff Bezos and Kevin O'Leary. 

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Wendy's Fall Table Setting

 

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My Colouring Book

In 1927, in the U.K. Leonard S Whittier built a custom RV on the chassis of a Brockway model” H’ bus chassis. It had wicker chairs, bookcases, a refrigerator and sink as well as electric stove. It even had a toilet. The old black and white photo supposedly shows the motor home at a trade show in England. They called it the "Road Yacht".

I thought some colour would spice things up a bit... but what about the 'time traveler' dude behind the unit talking on his phone?

Or maybe you'd prefer a rich shade of maroon? Her gold 20's style outfit goes well with either don't you think?

How good would the cell phone reception be in 1927?

A Walk In The Park.

The grasses at the side of our house have gone to seed and look spectacular in the sunlight.

We are lucky to have a park a half a block away. We really must get down there more often.

On our ride to Port Stanley on the weekend the leaves were past their prime but here in Mitches Park they are still very beautiful.

As  usual, click on any picture to enlarge it.

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The Gulls In Port Stanley

Our Sunday drive took us to Port Stanley today.

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Map Fun - Central Park in New York Is Huge

 I never realized just how big Central Park really is:

Central Park Compared to Downtown London

Click any of the following names to see the comparison,

Belleville, Bracebridge, Brockville. Goderich, North York, Orillia, Sarnia, Springbank Park (London), Waubaushene, Wood Lake, 

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