If there is a God, I don't think He would demand that anyone bow down or
stand up to Him. -Rebecca West, author and journalist (21 Dec
1892-1983)
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Each pixel of this image is made up of a cork
Photo:
Koorosh Nozad Tehrani
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Terrific sleep until just before 8:00 am, my alarm bell Ms Tinsel Town crashing around in kitchen, putting dishes away! Will prepare a fry-up for my coming ride. Before that, The Sisterhoos has decreed I must have a haircut and then we are off to Macy's to cash in my discount coupons on clothes they have already picked out and have on hold!
In too am laying in ... sick as a dog from crappy cold weather. Enjoy yourselves!
Hi Patrizzia and Amos! In the first
instance, I do apologize for being so tardy in sending along our thanks
for the wonderful lunch and terrific visit! At any rate, it was
delight to see you both and catch up a bit.
Chloë flies in tomorrow. We will head north on Tuesday, December 27th, same day she flies back to Vancouver.
Happy Christmas/Happy Hanukkah to you both, as well as a Healthy New Year!
Take care of each other and look forward to seeing you at the reunion. Cheers, Patrizzio!
Hey Patrick - thanks for amazing letter. During the last 40 years, I never wrote such a long letter. Actually, I am getting very short with age. Funny - on the night we met, we watched the last Bond movie (Spectre) on Amazon Prime. Actually lots of fun. Relatively limited number of deaths...I see the grandson is one big fella. Our friend from Tuscaloosa AL arrived - she is a good one - voted for Hillary. The girls are having fun, I am out to shop for nourishment. See you next year, and see my friendly message on your FB. Cheers, Amos
Didn't set out for my ride until just before 3:00 pm. Had gone for a haircut at about 10:20 am but barber was delayed, by freeway traffic, so he didn't start until close to 11:00 am. By the time he had finished and I'd walked back to Ayn's pad, it was almost noon. The Sisterhood and I then made for Macy's to collect the items they had placed on hold the day before. Almost a catastrophe as when we reached the department, the items in question were nowhere to be found. Ms Tinsel Town was most upset, primarily due to the fact that she and Nana Mouskouri had found the perfect dress for the Mother of the Groom! It was perfect, fit aside, inasmuch as it is navy, one of the wedding colores! [Alejandro, our youngest grandson, is to be married on July
7th.]
The sales clerk who went to the stockroom did so a second time after it seemed so unlikely that clothing was not there. However, no luck. Ayn then asked for the manager, she was so upset. When the lady arrived I asked her if she could see if the same item might be available from another of their stores in the city. While all this was going on, another sales person went back to the stock room to take a look and Voila! she came back with both Ayn's dress and Lady Dar's pajama bottoms! Everyone was pleased as punch and to make matter even better, items were on sale so with my discount card, the purchases were even more reasonable than The Goils had anticipated.
After a quick stop at Cost Plus World Market for a few stocking stuffers, I was unceremoniously dropped off back at the aparmento so that the Gals could continue Power Shopping. I
suited up as soon as I could but by the time I was ready to go I had to wait for the light
rain to stop. At that point, I wasn't sure if it would as the sky looked pretty socked in. Decided, then and there, that if I couldn't ride I'd just have to drown my
sorrows with rum, [Old Man Guavaberry Brand, from St Martin, aged 8
years in oak. Had forgotten I had a bottle stashed in Portland, from our
trip to Sint Maarten in 2011.], and eggnog!
[Rick asked me to send these pics from this night’s solstice snowshoe. Enjoy them! I will have info for a snowshoe on December 29th out to you in a couple of days. Cheers, Jim]
Unfortunately, for me, rain stopped and sun broke through the clouds and the fairly strong wind soon dried the streets and Busway bike path! (Later learned that the wind was rather more than "fairly strong" as Aeolus was whipping out of the northeast from 15 to 25 mph, [24 to 40 kph], with gusts up to 40 mph, [64 kph] This on a weather alert for the wind prone valleys of LA)! In spite of the late start I was determined to follow my plan to ready myself for the possible ride to Simi Valley so after doing the same route I'd followed the day before, I pushed on past the intersection of Victory Blvd and Topham St, making for Northridge.
By the time I was riding parallel to Canoga Ave it was just after 5:00 pm and the light was fading. Although I had brought two LED lights for my handlebars, I had neglected to attach them before I left so I knew I would be making the return leg as Stealth Trek! Fortunately, most of the Orange Line Busyway bike path is well illuminated so I was not worried about surface of dedicated roadway but more concerned about pedestrians or other cyclists seeing me. By the time I'd reached Parthenia St I had clocked 29 km so I knew I'd have the distance I wanted for the ride so I turned around and headed back. Furthermore the wind was truly fierce, heading into it, so I was more than happy to have it behind me now and I hurtled along, zinging my way home.
Overhead lamps and car headlights provided excellent illumination on most of the exposed stretches of the pathway but at times it runs through a number of tree tunnels so I had to be extra vigilant. However, even though it was still fairly early in the evening, there were very few pedestrians or other cyclists about. Even so, when I reached Lake Balboa I did not take the underpass as I knew it would be completley dark and I didn't want to risk riding into or over any debris that might have been there. [Homeless people often use these spots for shelter and on earlier rides I have had to dodge articles of clothing and small bags of garbage strewn across the pathway.] Instead, I kept to the wide sidewalk which runs along Balboa Blvd to return to the pth which parallels Victory Blvd for this part of the return journey.
By then I knew I was pretty much in the clear, even if I had two or three long tree tunnels to ride through. Again, few others about so I was soon back on Woodman Ave and in the bike lane there, making for Erwin Street, home, safely and soundly, by about 6:20 pm. Greeted at the door by a distraught Lady Dar who had been fretting ever since 5:00 pm. Truth be told, she was hoping I wouldn't return as she had designs on my Macy's discount coupons! Cheers! Stats and Map for ride:
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1491610690#.WFs_S9nq0DI.email
Dear Patrick and Corrine, Merry Xmas and Happy New Year. I just cannot believe another year has come and gone. Don't you just love old age? Seems just like yesterday that I moved here from Thunder Bay and now it's been 8 years that I have been retired. Well at least from a paying job!
Farming consumes a good deal of my time now. Shanna and Cory are still working at their jobs. Shanna works shift work and Cory straight days now. On days when they are both at work I drive the 20 min ride at noon to check on water levels and feed for the chickens and until recently the ducks and turkeys.
There is always something that may go wrong like a skunk living with the turkeys or a cow knocking down a fence post and roaming where they shouldn't be. We only have 60 sheep and 25 chickens now and a 3 month Great Pyrenees puppy who is learning to stand up to a few sheep who want to head butt the poor thing.
It was a disgustingly hot summer with the worst drought in 140 yrs. The wells ran dry and Cory had to drive and pump water from Lake Ontario every 2-3 days so the animals could drink. The veg garden was a dismal failure up until the rains came in late August. Then we had gourds growing all over the place. Despite a drought is was a bumper apple crop all over the area. Trees that looked dead and never produced apples in the 4 years of owning the farm produced apples galore so much so that tree limbs were breaking. The old timers were saying that a surplus of apples means that winter will be extremely cold. Will be interesting to see what the winter does bring to us.
Patrick we are spending Christmas Day with Michael (Son in law) his mum and brother at our place for lunch, with Nicole of course. (Nicole flys in from Sydney on Friday) Then to Megan, Michael & Lenny's for sweets and a swim.. It will probably be very hot! Yay yay. New Years Eve celebrations will be spent in Brisbane with Greg, Claire and friends, which will so much fun!! Wishing you both a Merry Merry Christmas & a Fabulous New Year..Lots of love always
Elly & Tony 
🤗🤗🤗🎄🎄🎄
🚴🏻🚴🏻)
[Hi, Jim. Hope you are feeling a bit better today. Sounds like a "Grand-kids Ailment", perhaps. One of us usually comes home with something after our visits. Last evening went well. Clear skies, so the stars were the best in a while.
Could you send these pics on via your list? Mine is out of date and no longer works on Shaw. Thanks in advance. Cheers. Rick And more from Rick…A further observation re the pics I sent. I believe the bright city lights were actually Kelowna, which we saw directly away from where we stood for our celebration. One of the pictures clearly shows the Big Dipper and Polar Star, so we know the direction of the brightest lights was north. Penticton is east of Green Mt, so we must have been facing more or less north east whilst we partied. Cheers. Rick]
B.C. Certainly has its share of snow as well. Just where did you move to? If my mind serves me correctly you moved somewhere to the interior? Please send me your address when you get time. Are you enjoying your new life style?
Will Chloe be coming for Xmas? Since the kids bought the farm all the big family celebrations are now held out there. It's nice for me as there is no pressure on me to decorate. I go there first thing in the morning of to help with the cooking so I do not escape the work load but I do enjoy it. May Santa find you and bring good health to all of you in 2017. Hugs, Simone
Hello Simone! How lovely
to hear from you! It was delight to read about life "on the farm" and hear
about the incredible apple crop. As you might expect, we are surrounded
by fruit orchards and vineyards. We live in Penticton so come and visit! Happy Christmas to you, Simone, and family, as well as a Healthy New Year to one and all! Cheers, Patrizzio! Pics: My barbershop but not my bike! The Sisterhood relaxing with Winston. Winston at play!
Hi All; I'm gone for a couple of weeks so if you want to lead a hike
just "reply all" to this email and change the subject heading! I'll try
to get something going for Jan. 9. Have a very Merry Christmas and a
Happy New Year! See you
in 2017. Pam
Hello Bridge Folk/Dear Friends! Trust everyone is well and not too, too frazzled in the days before Christmas, but rather enjoying the season and its myriad festivities and family gatherings. Fondestos from Lady Dar. Trust our paths will cross, in the not
too, too distant future. Happy Christmas to everyone, as well as a
Healthy New Year, to one and all!
Cheers, Patrizzio!
Hello! Just a quick email to wish you the very best for the holiday season. My 2016 holiday cartoon is posted on my blog. DeborahSawyer'sArt Post: 2016 Holiday Greetings! Link:
http://deborahsawyerart.blogspot.com/2016/12/2016-holiday-greetings.html
2016 Holiday Greetings!
Life has certainly been hectic this past year, but I did find time to whip up a picture for my annual card.
One again, the medium is oil pastels on paper, with a small assist from water color pencils.
Hello NRA Santa! How lovely to hear from you! Wonderful Christmas picture, as always Deborah.
We are in LA for Christmas. Chloë flies in on Thursday. Fondestos from Lady Dar, reading a book she will be giving to some
unsuspecting relative for Xmas, as I scribe! Take care of yourself. Trust our paths will cross again, in the not too, too distant
future. Happy Christmas to you, Deborah, and family, as well as a Healthy New Year, to one and all! Cheers, Patrizzio!
2016 Holiday Greetings!
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