We were early at the playground to meet friends, so there was time for a short walk around the area. You’ll never guess what we found. It was the free-range chickens that first grabbed our attention, then we saw the vending machine with the eggs. Up close we realized there were more than eggs. In […]

The election results tell us Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States. Are you sure about that? And I’m not talking about the ongoing legal challenges the Trump team has mounted to try and overturn the results. I don’t see much hope for success there. Which may mean that Joe Biden […]

Are you sure? I know it looks like a lemon, but maybe it is an artist’s conception of a canary. I love public art. I get frustrated though when there is no accompanying plaque to tell me what the significance of the piece is. This one can be found just outside the pedestrian core of […]

In Canada you must be 18 in order to vote. It is like that in most countries. You can join the military before you turn 18, but you have to have parental permission. In some places, such as British Columbia, a parent’s consent is required to obtain a driver’s licence if you haven’t reached your […]

I listened to the national Remembrance Day ceremonies from Ottawa on the radio this year. Felt strange to be observing a time of silence at 5 p.m. my time instead of the traditional 11 a.m. As always on November 11, I was thinking of my maternal grandfather, who came home from that First World War, […]

I’m not sure what the ceremonies in Ottawa will look like today. Normally I would tune in for the 11 a.m. service, and will probably still do so. Here in Germany they don’t remember their war dead on November 11, so I won’t be attending anything locally. Over the years I have taken many pictures […]

Continuing our lead-up to remembrance day, a post from November 2014. When we visited the Commonwealth Military Cemetery at Essex Farm, near Ypres, Belgium, our guide pointed out the grave of V.J. Strudwick, who was killed in action January 14, 1916 at age 15. The official age to enlist was 18, for overseas service 19. […]

I was planning on continuing my commentary on the US election today, then I looked at the calendar. It is almost November 11, Remembrance Day. We who have never experienced war can only dimly understand the sacrifices previous generations paid for our freedom. Today though, and for the next couple of days, some older posts […]

Time to take a break from looking at the US election. Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest after all. Friday afternoon we went walking in the Black Forest with friends from another village and came across this blaze of color. All discussion of the election was forgotten as we drank in the […]

They didn’t learn their lesson 20 years ago, so why would you expect any change now? But the world wonders why Americans can’t figure out a better way to hold an election. In 2000 Al Gore lost the presidency to George W. Bush after the Supreme Court upheld a decision to not re-count the ballots […]