A Short Getaway

08 Jan 24

06:30 hrs

     I should still be asleep but I've never been one to sleep in. I'd half to be sick and bedridden to sleep past 0700. Maybe once I'm fully retired. Who knows?

     My Lobster and I are on a short getaway. Five nights in Sin City. Neither of us had ever been, although many of our friends had including my Li'l Sis who has been here four or five times. Our journey began with an inquiry as to where in the world was the Body Works exhibit displayed. First, those of you who are not familiar with this display I suggest that if you are squeamish that you don't eat anything and be sitting down when you view the following website - www.realbodiesvegas.com/?k. A number of years ago our family had gone over to the Pacific Pearl on the mainland to see the exhibit, portions of which travel the globe and we wanted to see it again. Well, it was playing in Amsterdam and in another far off place that would be much too far out of our reach. And then,lo and behold, it was showing at not one but two venues in Sin City. We kibbitzed for a bit and decided what the hell. Let's do it. 

    My Better Half made the arrangements. Flights, lodgings, excursions and sights to see. It'll be a full package deal with plenty of time to take in the the vast display of You-All Excess and by what we have seen so far it will boggle your mind. Let's start with our room. On the 57th floor no less. The room itself is nothing to write home about except maybe the bathroom. It has all the amenities of our ensuite but bigger and the there is the view. We overlook the airport.. well, one corner of the south approach where the march of departing aircraft lift off at one minute intervals and is only interrupted by the approach of new arrivals on the parallel runway. This morning I watched the sunrise over the moonscape. That's what the terrain looks like. I'm sure some biologist would gladly tell me all about the local flora and fauna but as we flew in I saw nothing but rock and dirt and more rock. A pretty landscape, geologically speaking, with plateaus, ridges, valleys, gorges, peaks and mess. But no discernable life. None whatsoever. 

09 Jan 24

19:00 hrs

     After we arrived my Better Half and I walked down the Vegas Strip to a 30,000 Sq ft pinball palace. The games ranged from machines from the 40's to last year. Prices from 25 cents to two bucks for three games. The place has been open for over 50 years and is operated by volunteers whi donate their wages to a fu dcof their choice - food bank, women's shelter, etc. 

     Yesterday we checked out the opulence of the resorts. Ours, the Luxor, New York New York, the MGM Grand. There is a shuttle monorail that travels most of the way up the Strip. Fifteen bucks gives you 24 hours. We traveled a fantastic illusionist at Bally's/The Horseshoe. It was 75 minutes of pure amazement. My Lobster was called up on stage to participate and at first she was pretty skeptical but even she was stunned by the show.

     Being an over the top destination, things are not cheap. The attractions, the drinks  - free if you're gambling, rooms and most of all the food. Fifty bucks will get you your standard breakfast of eggs, bacon/sausage, toast and hash browns. A real meal at a prime chef's restaurant - Puck, Morimoto, Chang, Flay, Ramsay or any of the others will cost hundreds for the two of you and that does not include drinks.

     Today, we went on a bus tour to the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon. My Better Half booked it through Comedy on Deck tours. A great trip and I highly recommend it as well. Our tour guide was pretty knowledgeable and extremely funny.

13 Jan 24

15:00 hrs

     Well Kidlettes, the rest of our trip south to the Hugh-ess is almost done. I could regale you with all of the details. The Mob Museum was outstanding as was Fremont Street and the numerous casino/hotels we wandered through. We took in two illusionist shows as well. Our routing home the Wayward Inn was delayed as a massive winter storm that caused over 250 flights across the country. We are now scheduled to fly out 24 hours later and have spent the day at L'il Sis's place.

     This journey has been fraught with annoyances, at least for my part, the noise for one and for those reasons it is doubtful that I'll ever be back to Vegas. 

So? How was it?

27 Dec 23

22:00 hrs

     Well, half of the Holiday Season has passed and we have survived. There were a few moving parts this year with the Sr. Loin Fruit's Significant Other heading South to Capital City for part of it and at the Wayward Inn as well while the Jr. Couch Monkey's Significant Other stayed over too. And, to top it all off, we had The Onion come up from Hub City to be with us. Needless to say the place was busy with Chef Blaine and Sous Irene trying to keep ahead of the wave. Speaking of waves, I was called in to backfill a position at work on the Christma afternoon shift down at Goose Spit. The wind was gusting to 70km, the rain was horizontal to the ground and the sea state was running 12 foot waves. And there were people out kite surfing in that stuff! Crazy!

29 Dec 23

20:30 hrs

     Things just keep getting better. Today we had to reach the hot water tank. The original tank appeared to be leaking. Actually, there was water behind the new washer and I thought it was a slow leak from the nest of hose vipers. After mopping up the dampness with some towels we monitored the situation and determined that it was the tank. My Lobster started calling plumbers and finally received a response. By 14:00 hrs the new tank was installed. I just checked the tank an hour ago and there was fresh water on the tiles. A call was placed to the plumber and we followed his advise....mop it up, close the valve. After a half hour I opened the valve and checked for water. Nothing so far. Cross your fingers.

     Elric and his Lobster are coming over for New Years Eve. Elric is often deprived of dining on red meat so Chef Blaine is going to make Tea Smoked Korean ribs. For the others there will be chicken kabobs and Thai shrimp for the pescatarians.  Sous Irene is planning some Asian noodle salad plus we'll have a small cheese board. Dine, have a couple games of cards with our guests and rack out.

     As a Christmas gift my Better Half bought tickets for us and the Loin Fruits with their Significant Others for the Christmas Pantomime. It is put on by one of the local musical acting troupes. We had been to a half dozen or so before the Beer Flu had hit the planet and usually they are pretty entertaining in a bad dad joke kinda way. But this year the acting was a 3 of 10, the singing a 2 of 10, there were characters in the play that had no business being in the play and the writing was a 2 of 10. The only good thing was the set pieces. Great workmanship. As bad as it was we suffered through it all. 

     Did I mention that the Onion visited us over the holidays? It was great to see her. She should achieve her BA by the end of next semester. 

     The Cookbook is finally done and has been passed on to my Lobster for editing. Now, it has to have the cover designed and a few bits added but essentially it is done.  I'll probably price it out at $14.95 USD. Look for How to Cook your way Out of a Wet Paper Bag. 

31 Dec 23

15:30 hrs

     The kitchen at the Wayward Inn is in full swing. Two salads,  Brazilian monkey bread, Korean short ribs, chicken stickits,  homemade chicken fingers, spicy bbq prawns and snacks. We have less than two hours before the guests arrive. Our Sr. Couch Monkey has picked up is Beloved and brought her here but he's taking off to play DnD with his buddies leaving us to feed and entertain her. He promises to be home by midnight  If I have to finish every plate I will ensure there is nothing left for him just because he's being a dumbass. Prove me wrong!

     We have had no snow on the ground in the Valley. A fair bit is up on the Beauforts. Not a ton, mind you. And I'm not sure how much is on the ski slopes, not that I care. But, we did see a foursome playing with their balls on the Jewelled Links. I'm pretty sure there are a lot of golfers who are enjoying the extended season. 

     I don't know what the coming year will bring. One can only hope that the Tangerine Tyrant will loose his empire and be imprisoned, that Putin wil have his forces crushed in Ukraine and Navalny will be released, that Hamas is destroyed but Israel learns to share the space and finally, that a bounty be placed on all paparazzi!

     Happy New Year All!

     

Who's Ready for Christmas?

26 Nov 23

08:00 hrs 

     Well Campers, there is only a month left until Christmas. Have you completed your shopping? Is your tree set up? Is the house decorated with lights and shiny things? At the moment the lights have not been put up at the Wayward Inn. But, I'm going to get started on in and I'm going to recruit the two Couch Monkeys in the task. My Lobster always wanted our place to be illuminated just like the Griswold house. It will be bright but not that bright.

01 Dec 23

16:00 hrs

     Hello Kidlettes, 

     Well, the lights are up at the Wayward Inn. It looks pretty good. I want to put up some more and I do have more to put up. Just looking to find the time. My Lobster and I are looking ahead and since there is nothing bur fear and common sense to stop us we have gone ahead and booked a couple of trips South to get away from the crappy wet stuff that inundates the Valley at this time of year. 

     George Poerrgy Santos has been evicted from the Hugh-ess Congress for a whole whack of stuff, the least of which was falsifying - nee lying through his teeth - his own personal life history. The illegal use of campaign donations to pay for botox injections was just another unethical transgression. It only took just over a year to punt his ass out. Funny how the MAGA-Maniacs still won't dump the Orange Jesus who has been indicted four times on ninety-one charges including the attempt to overthrow the government. Crazy shit!

03 Dec 23

08:15 hrs

     It's a really shit day outside. The wind is whipped up and the rain is driving hard. A typical winter day on the Left Coast. My Friend from Over the Hump and his Lobster are on a long duration boat ride around the Med. We had thought of undertaking such a trip but in truth the cost and the notion of living on a floating petri dish for a couple of weeks is not something we would relish.

     About a week ago I received a gift from my meds supplier. I didn't even know it was coming. Free. Gratis. Welcomed. Ot was a hat. A fur hat with drop down ear flaps. l like it. It's so snuggly. And when I wear it at work I'm sure there will be a couple - one for sure - grumpy bastards who will scream that I can't wear it because I'll be out of uniform. Hmmm...bite me! This one guy is the same clown who chided me for wearing my Santa hat last year. 

     It turns out that several weather systems have begun to hammer the Left Coast. This is great because in recent years our snow pack has not been as deep as it used to be. In past years the local ski hill would have a base of over 1000 cm. That's 10 metres or greater than 30 feet. Allow that snow meant that the slow melt through the spring would greatly reduce the chances of a large scale forest fire during the summer and fall.

     When we were in la Belle Provence our host had a surprise for me. It was a container of creton - a regional dish made of ground pork and/or veal that is simmered with aromatic herbs and cream until it is a smooth spread. It was actually for everyone but no one except myself and our host enjoyed it. Chef Blaine recreated a reasonable facsimile here at the Wayward Inn. Of course no one else has ventured to try it. Good. More for me.

     I saw that the Nation's Capital got whacked with their first big snowfall. Something like 15 cm. It may have been more. I've seen what the traffic is like there and that amount of the white stuff will not be pretty. On another point it would appear that our PM is also falling...in the polls that is. It would appear that after ten years of his leadership the populace may be ready for a change and this has been largely driven by his singular objective of averting climate change in the Great White North to the detriment of the average taxpayer.

07 Dec 23

04:45 hrs

     "Today is the Day of Infamy!" Those were the words broadcasted in 1941 shortly after the Hugh-ess naval base in Pearl Harbour was attacked by Japanese carrier aircraft killing thousands of people. It's something to think about with all of the conflicts going on in today's world. It sure seems that things have gotten worse not better since WWII. 

     When does a person recognize their age? The other night my Better Half and I watched Grumpy Old Men. It's an excellent movie starring Jack Lemon, Walter Matthau and Anne Margret. A laugh a minute. I've seen the movie many times and was one of my Dad's faves too. When you watch a movie for the first time you may not pick up on everything and it's only after seeing it a couple of times when key points hit home. For example, the characters are all elderly retirees and at one point it is stated that Lemon's character is 68 years of age. My Better Half pointed out that his character is less than 10 years older than I am. Another point? Did you ever watch All in the Family? How old was Archie Bunker supposed to be? Any guesses? When the show first started he was supposed to be 50 years old. I am now older than one of the TVs first Grumpy Old Men. Maybe I should just go fishing.

Who knew?

07 Nov 23

12:00 hrs

     Well Campers, it's time for another installment of the tales from the Left Coast. 

     It would seem that an individual on the far side of the Rock is in real deep ca ca for killing a mom and juvenile bruin who happened to be up a tree in his yard. They weren't threatening or anything else but he decided to take action. As described by the witnesses the perp firsts used a long bow and then a crossbow to kill both bruins (in a residential neighborhood). The King's Cowboys arrived he stated that he knew nothing about it. Except for the fact that the two witnesses had even called out to him while he was carrying out the deed. His sentence included thousands of dollars in fines, 30 days in the hoosegow,  a ten year ban on hunting and a ten year ban on firearm possession. An idiot, to say the least. He even tried the self defense angle. Nope. Testimony from the wits shot that down too. 

     The USAF is thinking about removing the 105 mm laser guided short barrel howitzer cannon from the AC-130 Ghostrider gunships in favour of some pylon mounted ant-radar cruise missiles, which, in their opinion, would be more effective. Mounting missiles on a Herc? Why not!? I once saw a Brit Jaquar fighter with Sidewinder missiles mounted on rails that were on top of the wings. Crazy!

10 Nov 23

07:00 hrs

     I remember when I was younger, and at a time when I believed that I was invincible, I could/would, at times, consume mass quantities of libations and as a result of my stupidity would suffer from gut wrenching reverse paristalsis while enjoying comfort of the cool floor next to the Great White telephone. Now, I can laugh at my past stupidity only because I survived. Recently, our eldest Couch Monkey found himself in the same situation after indulging in some Devil's Lettuce and an online drinking game with a few virtual friends. From what my Lobster told me, the sounds emanating from the washroom were most concerning to Jack the Mall Cop who sat by the door wondering what kind of beast was dying just three feet away. For the next couple of days our son had a head like a ten pound Smartie! 

     Bwaa Haa Haa! 

     The folly of youth!

     Tomorrow is Remembrance Day here in the Great White North. Did you know that it is not a National Holiday? Federal government employees recieve the day off work as do some provinces. But not all areas of the Great White North observe the sacrifices made our military service members. My Better Half and I will probably attend the local ceremony, listen to the words of solace for the fallen and the words of promise to end all wars while thoughts turn to the current conflicts across the globe that are still claiming lives.

14 Nov 23

04:30 hrs

     We attended the Remembrance Day ceremony and you know you're getting old when you start to recognize names of the fallen. Later we celebrated the Sr. Couch Monkeys birthday. Elric and his Lobster came over for the festivities. 

     Chef Blaine spotted the remnants of a Big Box Store chicken in the fridge and decided to make a pot of chicken soup. It turned out pretty good and the recipe was written down to be included in the cookbook. My Lobster had asked me several times if I was going to put in a stir fry recipe. It was an interesting notion but as there are a million ways of doing a stir fry I elected to simply focus on the procedures because the ingredients can be changed.

18 Nov 23

07:30 hrs

     My Lobster and I are planning for some holidays. Some in country and some out of country. Some to see family and some not. We're looking forward to it. Stay tuned for our destinations.

     So, do you think the Hugh-ess is going to enter into a Civil War 2.0? It all hangs on what happens to the Orange Shit-gibbon. I think that it is possible If Trumpy is  convicted and jailed or he loses the next election or if he wins the next election. There are just too many radicals with too many guns. 

     And the idiocy doesn't stop at the border. With the current state of extreme unrest in the Holy Land the antisemitic rhetoric has increased in the Hugh-ess and unfortunately here in tbe Great White North. Jewish shops have been damaged and individuals have been attacked. At the source, each side is guilty of some pretty bad stuff but that is no excuse for carrying out atrocities here. Are we not supposed to look for solutions that will bring about peace? Some have suggested having UN Peacekeepers be put in place. A nice thought but it only works if both sides want peace. And besides, the Israelis are pretty pig headed and will act decisively entirely in their favour. About ten years or more ago there were some Hezbollah fighters sheltering near a UN observation post in the Golan Heights. The UN Observers knew it and so did the Israelis. The Hezbollah had been conducting raids against Jewish settlements and then snuggling up to the UN Observation Camp knowing the IDF couldn't touch them. Wrong. Without warning, the IDF shelled the UN post with heavy artillery taking out the Hezbollah fighters and the UN Peacekeepers. So sorry. 

19 Nov 23

07:45 hrs

     It's Grey Cup Day. As much as I like the CFL, I only take time to watch the final game of the year. The Couch Monkeys don't follow sports teams. They get that from me. Is that a bad thing? Maybe it is. I enjoy watching baseball and football but I'm not a rabid fan like some people I know who follow a player's career and track a team's stats. There was a pencil-necked kid in my apartment block, some 40 years ago, who kept a notebook to track every goal scored in every Canuck hockey game. He recorded who made what goal at what point in the game assisted by who and against what goalie. He also tracked penalties incurred as well. He kept books on similar stats for the BC Lions too. We called him Whitey because he spent so much time compiling the data that he was rarely exposed sunlight. In the end, I think he probably evolved into a mushroom.

Back to CFB Lompoc

25 Oct 23

09:00 hrs

     Good Morning Campers, 

     Yes, I'm back at the salt mine. Long hours. Shitty weather. Some joy. At least I've received a pay raise. Not much, but at least I'm no longer treading water. 

     Yesterday, my Better Half posted some pictures of the white stuff falling amidst the rain at the Wayward Inn. I was out in the mud with a team of drillers on the airfield. We had rain, lots of it but no snow. Kinda weird as the distance between these two points is only about five kicks as the crow flies. Today we have wind but no precipitation. The wind is out of the NW and the air temp is about 4° C. On the upside the Beauforts are covered in the first dusting of snow. It looks really prettybut unfortunately, due to security restrictions I cannot share a photo.

     Let's get to the latest news about the Orange Menace. Faced with 91 criminal indictments spread between four or five trials Donny is blindly pushing forward in his bid for re-election. But not everything is rosy in his neck of the woods. In the Peach State trial there are now four co-conspirators who have jumped ship and plead guilty. I knew this would happen as the DA has charged nineteen individuals for conspiracy to subvert the election under the RICO Act. This is an extremely powerful law used to break up criminal organizations like La Cosa Nostra. It was Rudy, who reminds me of Underdog's nemesis Dr. Simon Barsinister, who, as the Big Apple's DA, first constructed the RICO act to charge and convict a ton of Mafia members. And now, he has been indicted under the law he had created. On top of that the Tangerine Tyrant's top aide and confidant Marcus, aka Brute', has knifed him in the back after receiving immunity in the Fed Jan 6th case. That bird will be singing loud and long. I dare say that the jig is up. There are some who doubt that The Orange Shit-gibbon will actually see the inside of a federal or state secure close quarter housing facility. Maybe not but at the very least he will be barred from ever running for Prez or any other elected position ever again. Personally, I would love to see his suit match the colour of his spray tan. Time will tell. 

     The Jr. Couch Monkey is minding the Dojo as the Sensei and his Lobster have migrated back to the Nation's Capital to spend a couple of months with their Loin Fruits. They have a pretty close family unit. Enjoy it. There are too many families that are full of strife and are not close until its too late. It's sad, isn't it?

     This Halloween will mark the one year anniversary for our eldest Yard Ape and his Main Squeeze. She's a lovely girl and they are really good for each other. He'll be going back to college for the second phase of his electricians trade. We are so proud of his dedication and his accomplishments.

29 Oct 23

06:30 hrs

     It's morning and I am still in bed, listening to Under the Influence podcasts. It's a Canuck production from CBC giving a behind tbe scenes look at marketing and advertising. I find it pretty interesting. 

     I had last Friday off work. Boy did I need it. Going forward to the New Year,  I'm going to endeavor to move to a four day work week. It'll give me time to spend with my Better Half and maybe get some stuff done around the Wayward Inn. On that note, my Lobster asked what will the next book be. I'll have to think about it. I'm still working on the cook book. I have seventy-one recipes written and I've been asked to do a hundred. I'm thinking about capping it at seventy-five. I still have photos to take as well. Soon baby, soon.

     Have you ever been in a lineup and have overheard something that you should not have heard? Something that is personal and completely out of place? Well, I was standing in a line, waiting to mail a book off to an individual as a gift. There was a lady behind me who spotted a friend who she hadn't seen for some time. They began to chat and when the friend asked, So, how have you been? the lady behind me casually said, "Well, I have worms. I must have picked them up at the Daycare. I'm taking pills but honestly I don't know which is worse the damn itchiness or the taste of the meds! Its so disgusting."  I'll tell what's disgusting. An adult, working in a daycare facility, contracting a parasite which is often transmitted through fecal matter and which is easily prevented by wearing gloves and washing your damn hands!

     Halloween is upon us. The Wayward Inn has been decorated and my Lobster has purchased enough candy to make all the dentists in the Valley very happy. We lucked in this spring and found a huge amout of Halloween decorations at a garage sale including a six foot skeleton. Our place looks pretty spooky and I'm sure the local ghouls and ghosting will enjoy it come Tuesday night. The decorations were installed over a couple of weeks and  the Couch Monkeys will be tasked to take it down and put it away. 

     Speaking of holidays, it is surprising that the Feds have yet to declare Remembrance Day as a national holiday. Federal Employees have the day off and many businesses shutter out of respect but it is not a national holiday. What pisses me off is the stores, especially the big box stores, who already have the Christmas decorations put out for sale. It's as if their rush for profit skips from the Halloween stuff, which was put out in September to the Christmas stuff put out a couple of weeks before Halloween. I doubt very much that a delay until after the spookfest would hurt the bottom line very much. At the Wayward Inn, we don't start putting up the Christmas lights until after November 11th.

     Well Kidlettes,  that's about all for now. Take care of yourselves, be kind to others and if you can see if you can make someone's day just a little bit brighter.

     

On the Road (again)

17 Sep 24

13:30 hrs LIma

     We are soon to be departing Cowtown. Our day started at 0400 with a musical wake-up call. The Sensei and his Lobster picked us up and completed the transfer to YQQ for a 05:40 boarding. The first leg was to YVR, about 40 mikes, with a reboarding to YYC. Li'l Sis said she would come to the terminal to say hi but we were loading in less than an hour after landing. Our next stop is YOW, the Nation's Capital. Flight time is about four hours, arriving at 19:05 hrs Lima.

23 Sep 23

16:00 hrs

     So, let me catch you up. The GPS that came with our rental car could not locate our Verbo because it probably hadn't been updated in at least five years. We figured this out by the fact that our phones could find the house which is four years old. For the rest of the trip we double checked our directions. 

     The house is great. Nice rooms. Kitted with all the amenities. It'll do just fine for the next week. 

     Well Kidlettes, the funeral went well as did the internment. Last night we met with a bunch of relatives at one of the numerous Lone Star restaurants. It's a chain of TexMex joints that started on the Nation's Capital and may even be in the Golden Horseshoe from what I was told. Food was great. I had the brisket sandwich. Outstanding!

26 Sep 23

09:30 hrs

     Our trip continues. We (myself, my Better Half and the Jr. Loin Fruit) are in tbe VIA Rail station waiting to board the train to Kew City, the second stop in our trip. We'll be staying at a friend's place for five days before backtracking to Bageltown where we'll have another BnB.

     We are looking forward to new sights and tastes. My Lobster's friend will be our host and tour guide. Can't wait. All of the family stuff in the Nation's Capital has been completed. We saw the war museum, the art gallery, the Deifenbunker - a Cold War establishment, parks, the national cemetery and other landmarks.

02 Oct 23

14:00 hrs

     We are in Bageltown. Yesterday, we had traveled by rail and then by cab to the BnB. Nice place. Two bedrooms, one bath, all the amenities. 

     Let me back up. Our stay in Kew City was great. My Lobster and I had never been there and her friend was an outstanding tour guide. The Citadel, the Olde City, the newer City, Poutine Island,  parks, and many, many churches. All wonderful. The company was excellent and the card games a riot. After five days it was time to press on.

     Last night we went to Schwartz's Deli for a smoked meat sandwich. Even the Jr. Loin Fruit, who is a dedicated pescatarian, broke down and had a sandwich. This trip has been a lot of walking. My Better Half and the Jr. Couch Monkey are inside the Basilica for a look see. I decided to catch up on the blog. After a twelve plus block hike this morning the three of us sampled a great bagel. Two of us has cold smoke salmon. One of us opted for bacon. After that my Lobster took me to a Japanese knife shop where I almost bowed down and prayed. These were forged chef's knives. Full tang with wooden or bone or micarta handles. Some of the blades were of Damascus steel and in lengths from four to nearly eighteen inches. All kinds of blade shapes and weights for all kinds of tasks. Did I buy one? Yes. I settled on a paring knife size as all of our paring knives at the Wayward Inn are crap.

18:00 hrs

     We are finally back at the BnB. After walking about 10+k and taking a wrong coming out of the Metro we walked about another 3k before realizing we were headed in the wrong direction. We reversed course, spotted a taxi and jumped in. Tempers are short. If I ever see the inside of another church it'll be too soon.

     A couple of points we have observed. In Kew City there are parks, very little trash,  yards are cared for and hardly anyone smokes. Bageltown is the opposite. Trash everywhere. Half the shops are closed or empty. Cigarette butts litter every sidewalk. In the former there was cell coverage everywhere and here ....nothing.

05 Oct 23

17:00 hrs

     We are home. The Sensei picked us up last night and delivered us to the Wayward Inn. 

     

     And be it ever so humble, there is no place like home. The kitties are so happy that we're home. Our showers. Our beds. Our stuff.

     One suitcase was damaged and I'll probably right it off. The Ram would not start. I jumped it with the portable unit and took it for a long ride to recharge the battery and my soul. We all had things to attend to. Banking, groceries, unpacking, tending to the kitties, etc. 

     Before I leave you Dear Readers I need to impart something to you. While in Bageltown my Lobster,  the Jr. Couch Monkey and myself went to a Holocaust Museum. On entry, the first thing we noticed was the level of security was near what you would expect to encounter at a bank - a security guard, a man trap and a magnetometer (a metal detector). Sounds shocking? Not really when you take a long look at what the Jews had suffered through the years. It's sobering to see the evidence. And, if you have seen any of what has happened in the Hugh-ess during the last administration you will recognize how close the You-Alls are (still) to repeating the Third Reich. If you think im joking, I'm not. In the 1930's it started with the suppression of knowledge - teachers, intellectuals, writers - and blaming all of society's woes on a single group - a focal point to rally the populace. At the same time, books were banned and burned. Books that, for the most part, taught the reader to expand their knowledge and how to think critically. That was Gemany in the 1930's. Move forward nearly 100 years. As of yesterday in the Hugh-ess there are over 3,200 book titles have been banned. Over 65% of those titles are in just 8 states (all Republican) and 42% of the titles are banned in Florida a state that for some unfounded reason (fear?) has halted teaching courses in LGBT+, African-American studies and others. Why is no one, especially the credible news outlets, calling the hard core Republicans for what they are. Fascists. They may not be Nazis but they are fascists.

     Think about it.

Getting Ready

14 Sep 23

07:00 hrs

     Good Morning Campers! Today is Thoughtful Thursday and today we're going to do some deep thinking. I would lime to know why buildings are called buildings when they're already done building them. Maybe they should be called Builts or Crumblings. Just a thought. And, what is causing the huge rise is knife attacks in this country? In Ontari-ari-ari-oh, le Belle Provence and here on the Left Coast. It's crazy. One such attack was a random assault where three people were admitted to hospital. The perpetrators was a guy let out on an unsupervised day pass from a correctional facility where he had been serving time for stabbing his daughter to death in '06, found not criminally responsible in '08, was on an unsupervised outing in '11 when he stabbed someone else. Obviously, this Mook needs help and should not be outside.

15 Sep 23

13:00 hrs 

     Try to follow this train wreck piece of logic - the Ultra-Right Toads in the Hugh-ess are now beginning the process of  impeaching the current Prez. However, they know that there is no evidence of any "high crimes and misdemeanors" committed so they have demanded that The Prez provide they with the evidence for the crimes (?) that they will then convict him of. Does this make any sense to you? It's like a parent bullying a innocent child to "tell me what you did!" and then punishing the child afterwards. Crazy.

     20,000+ That's the estimated number of dead in The Sandbox. Earthen dams do not last forever. Something our Southern Neighbour's should think about since every natural body of water in the country has been dyked, dammed, levied or altered in some manner. Most of with earth. Water has enormous potential energy and moving water can be an unstoppable force. Just ask the people in Fukushima. 

     Two days....not even two days really and we will be off to the Nation's Capital. Excited? A little bit. My Lobster and I haven't been there since we moved the Oma-nator to the Left Coast. Now, we are taking her home. My Better Half has lots of activities planned. Better to have too much planned than nothing unless you're Out in the Weeds where nothing planned is a good thing.

     For lunch I scarffed down some spicy pickled carrots that Chef Blaine had made a couple of months ago. Pretty damn good. The Jr. Couch Monkey likes them, I think. If not, more for me. My gardening skills suck. But, there is a great farmers market nearby so that's where I got the carrots. And other veggies as well. I understand that a cousin of mine in The Peg dug up the whole front yard and turned it into a garden. Good on him! Home grown veggies are the best and if you know how to preserve them it'll cut you food bill over the winter months. I remember as a kid seeing a house in Skatoon, on 1400 block of Ave G, that had nothing but potato plants in the front yard. Mush have been 50 or 60 hills. Now that's a lot of spuds. My grandmother had a huge garden that fed the10 in the household. The Sages had a large garden too. They scaled it back when Li'l Sis and I moved out.

     I read the pundits are all over the military for allowing (?) Justin's Polaris aircraft to crap out at the G Conference. First of all aircraft do go unservicable. And secondly, there are only five CC-150 Polaris aircraft in the inventory and they are heavily tasked unlike in the Hugh-ess both Airforce One and Airforce Two - the backup bird - travel when The Prez goes overseas. We do not have that luxury here in the Great White North. Not to worry, the Polaris fleet is being replaced with nine Airbus 330s. They will be triple tasked for transporting everything from soup to nuts to personnel, strategic tanking - air to air refueling - and VIP transport. Talk about busy. But then again it's SOP for the CAF to do more with less. I'm just surprised that someone came up with the cash for new hardware.

     When Iwe het back from our trip my friend From Over the Hump is going to give me a hand locating new base camp for us on The Rock. I don't mind traveling to the one on the Mainland but I would like to have something I could get too more easily. So, we'll take our fishing rods and our camp stools, the gps and scope it out. Maybe even drop off some audio recorders too. Whoop!

     My Cuz'n in Sktoon was taking his wife, who was in labour, to the hospital. They didn't make it. He had to pull over on the side of the freeway and delivered his new daughter then, with the assistance of a King's Kowboy and some flashing lights, continued to the hospital. Mom and child are good. The proud father was a wreck!

     Well Folkes, that's about it. Watch for more from down East.