Commentary, Curacao, Vacations

Flamingos in Curacao

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FlamingosThe other day a friend from work mentioned that her mother just loves flamingos, and I said, well, you just have to take her to Curacao and she can see them in the wild!

The shot to the left (click the thumbnail to get bigger pictures) was taken while coming back from Playa Kenepa. They were hanging around the marshy edges of the water, stepping gingerly through the water. They were there the next day as well, when we headed back to Porto Mari.

FlamingosWe stayed in the Royal Sea Aquarium while in Curacao, and they had a bunch of flamingos hanging around the restaurant, with a bunch of turtles. They were often noisy buggers, and had certain interactions that were um – unique – to say the least. Watch the movie to see what I mean.

Here is a movie of the flamingos in the Royal Sea Aquarium enclosure. We were having lunch in the restaurant when the flamingos got rather noisy, so this is what transpired.

Just hanging about They are back!
Curacao

Flamingos in Curacao

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FlamingosThe other day a friend from work mentioned that her mother just loves flamingos, and I said, well, you just have to take her to Curacao and she can see them in the wild!

The shot to the left (click the thumbnail to get bigger pictures) was taken while coming back from Playa Kenepa. They were hanging around the marshy edges of the water, stepping gingerly through the water. They were there the next day as well, when we headed back to Porto Mari.

Flamingos We stayed in the Royal Sea Aquarium while in Curacao, and they had a bunch of flamingos hanging around the restaurant, with a bunch of turtles. They were often noisy buggers, and had certain interactions that were um – unique – to say the least. Watch the movie to see what I mean.

Here is a movie of the flamingos in the Royal Sea Aquarium enclosure. We were having lunch in the restaurant when the flamingos got rather noisy, so this is what transpired.

They are back! Just hanging about
All About Max

A lovely Friday

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Clematis vine, June 20th, 2009It was a beautiful day on Friday. Sunny and warm. I got home from work and puttered around the garden a bit, but Pam and Maggie had taken off for some shopping in the States. So Max and I took off for the Watershed Park.

Max in the fernsWe took a path we hadn’t taken before. And I don’t think many people have taken it at all, either. There were lots of overgrown places where I had to duck down to get by, and there were spider webs across the trail too!

It was a lot of fun. One of the best runs I’ve had since the 2000 cycle of running! Max is so fun to run with. He loves the new trails too. If we’ve been running too long, he tries to steer me up the trails he knows leads to the parking lots! haha

The other day we were running down a path, and a very large horse, (with a an average sized rider) came down the path. I wasn’t quite sure how Max would handle it so I stepped off the path. I told her this was “our first horse” and she said, “Hey your dog is doing very well!” He didn’t bark or get agitated. But Max did give him a long look as they rode off down the path!

Commentary

Good grief, Canada: Shocking and embarrassing

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I’ve been trying to figure out how to write this post for some time. I’m not naive, I’m 52, been to quite a few places, but I thought I knew my country. But I feel like a stranger here now. A recent headline in our local paper spoke of three white “men” circling and stalking a lone black man, Jay Phillips, who stumbles and then is swarmed and beaten. The three attackers shouted racial insults, naturally; given their relative bravery, their intelligence needn’t be questioned. They proclaimed this to be a “white town” and they would lynch Mr. Philips and his family.

This is Canada. Courtenay BC. Vancouver Island. Small town Canada. I grew up in small town Canada. This shocks me. Stuns me. This, surely, to whatever you hold holy, is NOT Canada!

The most shocking thing about this is, there is video. You can see and hear all of it. It’s not staged. This is the real deal. Mr. Philips more than held his own against these three “hyenas stalking a lion” as Mr. Philips so eloquently put it. That he survived is a tribute to his bravery.

And it’s not an isolated incident. There are more places than just Courtenay where black people can’t feel safe here in BC. This is embarrassing; not to mention dangerous!

I’d like to be able to say that I apologize to Mr. Philips on behalf of Canadians, but I can’t. I have to apologize to him on MY BEHALF, because I can’t speak for the rest of Canada anymore. It’s shocking to me. This is a terrible, terrible, terrible stain on our country.

Mr. Philips, sir. I am truly sorry you must endure this kind of criminal behaviour. I can not express the level of outrage I feel, but it can not even come close to having to deal with what you must suffer through on a daily basis. I do hope that this video will spark change, but talking to friends and co-workers, I’m not optimistic.

Know this Mr. Philips: when I extend my hand to you, it will not be to strike you, but to shake your hand for your bravery, and for your enormous dignity and humanity that you have displayed in the aftermath of this prodigiously cowardly act.

Good grief Canada. Wake up.

Youtube for some crazy reason has flagged this and is making people sign in to see it. How utterly classless and gutless of youtube. Here is a link to the movie, but you will be redirected.

(Added Saturday – I have put the video directly accessible here. No need to sign into youtube to see something that is important for people to see.)

Health Issues, Something About Us

Training started for me today

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Well, it’s taken me a long time to get my act together, and to commit to getting into shape. Maurice has been really supportive, and knows me. I tend to go gungho and then get crippled up, so baby steps for me. I hope to one day be running like the wind, like M and Maxie do. For now I hobble.

Maurice, Max and I went for a walk tonight. We did a lap around the block to the park and then through the park and back to the house. It could not have been more than a kilometer, but it felt good to get out as a family. I would like to gradually work up to doing an hour a day, but for now, baby steps and 10 minutes.

Tomorrow I’m aiming for 15 min walk, and  Wednesday, Canada day, if the pool is open, I will go for a work out and swim. I’m doing this. I would like to lose 40-50 pounds by Christmas. I’m doing Kimkins, a low carb diet, and I’ve set a goal for myself to lose 15 pounds in 30 days. Well Mondays are my official weigh in, so I can tell you that  in the first week I’ve lost 5.5 pounds, so it’s doable.

I just need to make some lifestyle changes and not lose focus. I want to keep my eye on the prize. I’ve bought a bathing suit that’s about 4 sizes too small, and I’m going wear it on our next winter holiday. 🙂

…Pam… Day 1: 10 min walk

Something About Us

Spirit of the Haida Gwaii

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Bill Reid sculpture
The Spirit of the Haida GwaiThese pictures are of the famous Bill Reid sculpture called the Spirit of the Haida Gwai, a representation of part of the creation myth of the Haida people. It is on our Canadian 20 dollar bill of course.

It stands in the Vancouver International Airport, near the international arrivals lobby.

The original is on the lawn of the Canadian Embassy in Washington DC. It was a long process, begun in 1985 by Arthur Ericksonn, the architect for the Embassy in Washington, asking Bill Reid to think about a statue for the lawn. It was finally cast and installed in 1991.

Bill Reid sculptureI have to always stop and take a picture or two of this magnificent piece of art. It is truly monumental in size – over 20 feet long – and extremely complex.

Reid wrote a poem, dedicated to his wife about the statue. It is a long poem and available for reading on the Bill Reid website.

Bill-Reid-sculptureDon’t miss it! Even if you drive to Vancouver, get out to the Airport and see this wonderful work of art! And the price – my favorite – FREE!

The sculpture here at the airport was installed in 1994. It is made of bronze, but it was given this green patina to resemble West Coast Jade.

There is a third one at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

All About Max, Surrey Parks

Saturday -must be Watershed day

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He's got his eye on you!Watershed park This morning Maurice was raring to get back to his running and the Watershed Park in Delta is a great place to run. M, Max and I loaded into the car and away we went. I took a few pics of the watershed, but once you’ve seen forest pics and the sun coming through the trees, it gets to be a bit repetitious.

It was great to get outside in the sun! There were a lot of people there today with their dogs, 98% of them off leash, which makes everyone more relaxed. Max enjoyed himself immensely, but I think he might need the exercise as much as M does! Too many days of restaurant food has taken it’s toll I’m afraid.

Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao