Thinking Out Loud

Santa left some snow sliding saucers for Tasha and Ben for Christmas.  And of course they needed to be tested as soon as possible.  Fortunately, there’s a hill close by to Graham and Ivy’s house that was built especially for that purpose.  Unfortunately, they don’t tell you that one part of the hill is almost suicidal.

That’s the hill I wanted.  Read the rest of this entry »

Ben was born Tuesday morning in Calgary. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve always wanted to learn how to draw using the anime or manga technique. I was fascinated with the style long before it became as popular as it is in North America now. I didn’t know that it was called “anime” or “manga”, but I found the fantasy, cartoon-like images to be captivating. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve never been to the mountains in the winter time, so while I was in Calgary, a trip to Banff was nothing less than a necessity. It was a great day – the temperature was around 14°, hardly a cloud in the sky, and a slight breeze to remind you that it was winter in the mountains.

It goes without saying, that skiing was not on the agenda. Photography (or something like it) was the focus. Maybe there would even be a bear or two this time around. Read the rest of this entry »

Happy birthday, Graham (wherever you are in Taiwan)

I know it’s a day late (two days in Taiwan).

Just wondering – what the *@!! are you trying to do in this photo?

When I bought my camera, I managed to convince the salesman to throw in a remote control. I didn’t know why I wanted it, I just wanted it because I wanted it.

I had never used it, but it was supposed to let me take a photo from as far as 25 feet away. So, when someone said they wanted a family photo while we were in Edmonton, I thought it was the chance to try it out. Read the rest of this entry »

Everyone likes a trampoline.

There was some sort of a game going on here. Being old, with brittle and weak bones, I wasn’t going to get involved. I think it was called “bum fights” or something like that. I believe the idea was to try to make the other person fall off the trampoline, or at least lose their balance. Read the rest of this entry »

It was hot in Edmonton yesterday.

I went to a Canadian Tire store and found a little paddling pool for Natasha (and a red Spiderman beach ball) The water was ice cold, but she didn’t seem to mind at all Read the rest of this entry »

On Sunday afternoon, Graham, Ivy and Natasha came over for a while. It was a sunny afternoon (which turned sort of drab and cold later on) but we bar-b-qued some burgers and had a couple of beers.

Natasha, as usual, didn’t want too much to do with me. I’ve decided that’s okay. It’s one less Christmas gift to buy Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been scanning some old photos, and I came across a picture of my son that begged for a little touchup. Notice the resemblance to that famous director? Read the rest of this entry »