Sir John in Tweed and Ottawa

This is Sir John A., my pet doggie. He is strapped into his seat belt.
First, we went to Ottawa, via Tweed. We ate lunch in Kelly's,
Great spot. I loved it! Few people laughed at me and my dog-puppet. Most had a great time. All the servers were happy to take a photo.

Here is Sir John, the puppet, at the fabulous Jean Albert's restaurant south of Ottawa. US, down south food, the owners are looking for another place closer to Ottawa. Pulled beef or chicken sandwiches, et al. Great folks!

Next, me and Sir John visited Brian's aunt.
We went to Lee Valley tools in Ottawa, to pick up our order.

I love Lee Valley tools. People, like me, with gray hair working there! And they close on Sundays for families. So cool!

Next, we met our financial advisor at D'arcy McGee's pub, fitting, methinks.
Now, Josephine, our granddaughter, had no problems with Sir John, she quite likes him!
But then, we like to wear crowns from the Bracebridge Fall fair.
More to come! But visiting with grandchildren is a blast!

Wolfe Island Wind Farm

The June, 2009 wind farm has been controversial. On my book tour we took a trip through Kingston. There is much controversy on this issue. Where does Ontario build wind farms? How much do we allow it to affect property values? Do we value that over installing many smaller generation stations, and resurrect the dams and piss off many people? Yet, the Ontario government has promised to reduce coal-powered hydro plants.

Like Toronto Island, Wolfe Isl. residents are a special group. Some are seasonal, since the ferry is the only means of transportation for most. Then, in winter, when things freeze over, the ferry route changes to the winter track.

Wolfe Isl. has a kind of mystery to it. I know we need alternate sources of energy. The impact on citizens can be huge. They are arguing over a refurbished hydro dam project here. I am so fed up. "savethebalafalls.com" presents one side of it, but I think it is a great plan. Small towns everywhere are dying and we need something to help our town.

A friend wrote last year:
Living on Wolfe Island at the moment isn't ideal. Unbeknownst to us when we bought here (and most residents) nearly 86 wind turbines where planned and are now being installed. Access to the Island is by an hourly 55-vehicle capacity Ferry which is being shared by every variety of construction vehicle (including spinning cement tankers). Our roads are ruined (to be replaced they say) and the noise and dirt since last summer is awful. The lovely peace and quiet is limited, and the millions of birds and animals are not pleased either. The construction will cease this late summer, but what is to come in the way of noise and additional curious tourists is only speculation.

We must balance the past, historical information, and create a vision of the future that present a lasting one for; flora and fauna; human, animal, vegetable and mineral. Generations to come will thank us.

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Falling leaves, falls away

Alright, time for true confessions. When I taught it was the law to produce a 'Day Book' explaining your teaching plans for the day, sometimes it was a 'Day Behind' book.
This is a day behind blog! Yes, we are on the road. My daughter asked, how come you were giving Josephine a bath when you produced the blog?
I planned ahead! Yesterday we were in Kingston, at the Sir John A. Macdonald Museum. And I have some great shots! But any good blog is written, reviewed, and rewritten. I have a great plan. And a new character for my blog! Wait'll you see! I had a great book signing Saturday, and a great day, today, meeting family friends who knew me when I was an infant. There are not many left that we are speaking to! (Long story, read the book!) Often when family members become ill, the family has issues!
But in Muskoka, the leaves are turning.

Don't miss the fall colours! With photographers around you are guaranteed to get them!
Here is a camera with a lens to adore.

And we love our tourists visiting. He is obviously from the US! Check out the licence plate. Oops, license plate in the US!South Ontario = a beautiful place to be!

Climate Change

The proper term is "Climate Change", rather than Global Warming, since the weather can go either way!

I don't like the unpredictable nature of it. You get your brain around morning temperatures of 6+, and in mid-September a.m. it is 18 C.! Today, we are sinking into a cold spell.

The dry weather we have had is symptomatic of the whole thing. That and the buckets of rain in July!

I fear for our planet. I just hope our young people are getting the message big business and polluters have not taken in for the many years we have spoken about this concept. I taught environmental issues in my elementary classes, and I know our young people 'get it' for the most part.

We must look after our environment, starting at home. The plant needs to be helped one ecosystem, one biodome at a time.

We went to Coldwater for the horse show.
We drove through the Wahta Territory

Wahta Territory is a small Mohawk community located in the Muskoka region of central Ontario, Canada. The Wahta Mohawks Administration building is located at Muskoka Rd. 38 and Highway 400 and is the centre of many community activities. The wooden, longhouse styled building and the rustic locale, make this a beautiful place all year round.

Passing their marvellous signs.

'Please brake for snakes'
It is important to slow down in such areas. You can see the marshes that line the roads, with the gorgeous trees in the background.


The firebush at the Coldwater Recreation Centre was amazing, reminding us to watch for fire, too! Fall is here, with about 60% of the leaves turned.

Fall Colours

On our way to Coldwater, we saw some...well, cold water! No man is an island, but s/he can vacation on one. No sky visible at all.

I love the sumac, like a rainbow carpet of colour, it paves our way along the highway.


Here are some recent sunnier September photos, with some cheerier colours, however! The mornings have been wet, with some sunny breaks.

The rocks in the park in Gravenhurst.

And if you think I was being silly about the three seasons in Muskoka (Bugs, construction, snow)...
Before the insects disappear, here is a praying mantis that flew onto my cousin's horse.
We have to embrace the colours, and accept the changes, since things will be so white soon! (We had snow on Oct. 21, 2008!)

Slapping the politicians silly

Allrighty, for a really good laugh, again, I might have to explain to my International readers...

but you might get the picture. I posted his Liberal ad video previously.
There is talk of another election, due to the 2nd minority government in a row.

I explained our government situation in a previous blog.
Compare 2006 seat in parliament by party colour, to 2004 (right). Little changed.

Any more questions? Our Rick Mercer is brilliant when it comes to political comedy. We watched his season debut, and he has been hoping for an election simply because it gives him much fodder for his comedy and rants.
Enjoy!

Skywatch - not much sky to see!

Not much sky, lots of clouds after a very dry September.

Skywatch Friday - a fun meme.

Baby dancing

Sometimes, you just have to laugh. Good for the soul!

Mistakes were made - but not by me

This is the title of a book*. I quoted it in my book! People tend to deny the truth, especially if it impacts on them and their perception of reality. We all know that we frame our experiences, not necessarily in their true colours.

I look at my life, and realize how my experiences have shaped me, and my perceptions: being adopted, divorced, and remarrying. And working in both large and small communities, with families in a wide range of socioeconomic situations, students with all sorts of abilities and disabilities. But, finally, dealing with families in crisis, I learned so much about people and humanity.

As a class room teacher I made mistakes. In front of my students I would use the phrase, 'I stand corrected', and we would move on. When I think of the young people who are front line workers in society, I understand how they do the best of their abilities in their jobs. But sometimes, the impact on families is huge.

I think of the B.C. tasering death, the 2007 death of Robert Dziekanski, is a prime example. This situaiton is much more complex, however, since cover ups ensued.

For example: Canada blocking Taser investigation: Poland, and the enquiry demonstrates that the powers-that-be, as well as the officers involved, cannot simply stand up, admit their mistakes, suffer the consequences and pay the price.

In a recent situation. In a small town, Cornwall, Ontario, (South-east of Ottawa), a man dies of natural causes in a boarding house, and none of the family are notified. The Coroner's Act outlines the protocol, family members must be contacted. Does it not make sense?

Doug Thompson, 61, had been buried by the time his family heard

28 Sep 2009 ... Doug Thompson, 61, had been buried by the time his family heard he had died, said Det. Andrew Thompson,

What a shame. Some did not check his wallet, which contained contact information for his son, an Ottawa police officer, or the officer's aunt and uncle who lived in Cornwall, and whose names and numbers were in Mr. Thompson's wallet. His cell phone also had these numbers in its memory. It's not as if any nimrod couldn't figure out that if Mr. Doug Thompson's phone contained the phone number of Mr. Andrew Thomson wasn't a relative. I did this with a phone I found in the school yard once.

The family wants to know,

• Who is at fault
• How did no one in the chain catch the error (i.e., the agencies who let the family down: the Coroner's Office, the Cornwall police, the hospital, the funeral home, the social agency that took possession of his body and buried him)
  
• How and why these agencies could release a body without paperwork showing they had a right to take it away. (I know, I've been through that with my mother's body, long story; read the book!)
  
• How the error will be corrected.

That is all. There isn't a complicated process. Someone has to take responsibility. That is all we ask as human beings. It is healing and heartening for all, as the family can find their peace, and forgiveness as the situation if corrected. I simply hope everyone involved does the right thing.
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Mistakes Were Made But Not by Me : Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs ...

Mistakes Were Made But Not by Me : Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions

, and Hurtful Acts: Amazon.ca: Carol Tavris, Elliot Aronson: Books.

Autumnal glory - flashback

On a dreary day (Sunday) we decided to go for a drive to a fair & horse show.

Remember THESE colours in 2008? Go Greens! (My son-in-law is running in Nepean-Carleton against Poilevre!)



Lots of clouds and scattered showers. This shot, from 2008, shows off the leaves much better with the contrasting clouds and sky.

On cloudy days, the shots are not nearly so brilliant.

The sumac is just about done with its showy dress-up clothing.
Here I am, 2008, on our balcony. This tree is skipping the yellow this year, and going straight to red! More shots to do later!



Remember Hurricane Hanna in September, 2008?