I’m Giving Up

February 14, 2023 · by · in Music · Leave a comment

For today anyway. I was hoping for the perfect Valentine’s Day post. But the words wouldn’t come. So I thought instead I would switch to music. There are millions of love songs out there. Some of them I even like. I could post a video of a love song. It would be fitting for the […]

Must Be Monday

February 13, 2023 · by · in Humour, Uncategorized · Leave a comment

An Ocean of Ice – II

February 12, 2023 · by · in Travel · Leave a comment

More ice sculptures from Sparks Street in downtown Ottawa, part of the 2023 Winterlude festival. (I’m ignoring the Super Bowl today, though I may watch the game – I bought some good snacks.)

An Ocean of Ice – I

February 11, 2023 · by · in Travel · 1 Comment

Ottawa’s tourism people are probably cursing the weather these days. We’re halfway through Winterlude, the annual winter carnival, and the Rideau Canal skateway, around which many of the activities take place, has yet to open for the season. And with temperatures above freezing in the forecast for every day next week, it is unlikely to […]

The Costs of War

February 10, 2023 · by · in Society, Travel · 2 Comments

Time to take a look back with a post from this date in 2015. I figure you either haven’t read it becasue you weren’t a subscriber back then, or have forgotten it. When we toured the First World War battlefields in the Ypres area of Belgium last summer, the enormity of the human toll was […]

The Palace V – The Artists

February 9, 2023 · by · in Travel · Leave a comment

I’m not sure I noticed them when I was going into Baron Empain’s palace, but I couldn’t help noticing them from the roof. There were so many of them. Maybe it was a class. Maybe a flash mob of sorts. Maybe it was coincidence. From the rooftop I could see about fifty artists, each drawing […]

The Palace IV – The View

February 8, 2023 · by · in Travel · 1 Comment

There are iconic scenes that immediately identify a city. You see a picture of the CN Tower and your mind says “Toronto,” as the Golden Gate bridge immediately references San Francisco or the Eiffel tower reminds you that this is Paris. I’m not sure what building or buildings tells you that you are in Cairo. […]

The Palace III – The Entrepeneur

February 7, 2023 · by · in Travel · 1 Comment

I don’t have an entrepreneurial bone in my body. And I’m okay with that. Let others take the risk (and gain the rewards) of starting new enterprises. Let them have the headaches that come with being in charge. I never want to be the boss. Of course, I also am not a big fan of […]

The Palace II – The Rooftop

February 6, 2023 · by · in Travel, Uncategorized · Leave a comment

I thought a photo essay might be nice to start the work week. The roof of the Baron Empain Palace in Cairo shows the Indian influences in the architecture and carvings. So here are some shots taken on the roof terrace. Not the grounds or the surrounding area, except incidentally. I suspect when this was […]

The Palace

February 5, 2023 · by · in Travel · 1 Comment

Looks like it should be in India, doesn’t it? Not even the same continent. This one is practically in downtown Cairo. When Baron Edward Empain built his palace in Heliopolis, just over a century ago, it was just east of the city. Cairo has grown considerably in the past hundred years, and now you get […]

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