A stiff breeze whipped around the edge of the building, and dark clouds hung ominously above. Greg lowered his ropes into place for his next set of windows. Three hundred fifty feet of line dangled below him. He looked up and hoped the rain would hold off a while longer. He’d better hurry. He knew he shouldn’t have taken such a long break. Now the weather was turning on him. He paced across the roof and checked the anchors. Everything Read more…
Barrman tossed and turned in the night. His mind was filled with dreams of the past and dreams of the future. He drifted through dreams of work that turned into dreams of powder- Okanagan Champagne powder. He saw it as clearly as if he were awake. Snow caressed his calves as he slid down the steep turns of the Cliff Chair. Face shots flowed over his head and he howled in delight. He woke up and saw the clock’s red Read more…
Love is in the air. Well, something is in the air anyway. Love is in my heart. Or is it in my head? No matter, it is there somewhere. My love for my wife is definite but without definition. It is also infinite. Today is Valentine’s Day. A day used by card makers and flower shops everywhere as a brilliant marketing tool. Some people might call me cynical, but I think I am more of a realist. Ah, yes, being Read more…
The borderlands of Turkey and Syria: It began with a distant rumble, then all hell broke loose. The ground moved and buildings swung, then collapsed. All through the region, structures shattered from years of civil war fell in a heap of rubble. People fell under the rubble and died. It didn’t matter, friend or foe—Syrian or Turk. Death was everywhere. And from under the rubble, they could hear the cries. The lost and the trapped plead for help. Help that Read more…
Monday musings from my blog. It was a Monday thirty-five months ago when the world changed. A change that has had far-reaching consequences, consequences we still don’t know the end of. Will we ever? Yes, Covid19 came along and put a wrench into our lives. But the changes have been so much more. And so much worse than anyone could have imagined. Were these changes because of covid or have they merely been sped up and exasperated by the pandemic? Read more…
Big Boarder was up early. Barrman got his text at 8:15 At Ridge see you at the chair. Barrman left his condo and skied to the bottom of the hill. Blue sky enveloped the alpine, the gleaming sun lit the mountain air. There was fresh snow on the ground and sunshine above. It was a day skiers dream about. At the lift, a line was forming. Barrman went to the ridge side, got in line, and waited for his buddy. He Read more…
The Bank of Canada announced an interest rate hike – again. When will the madness end? They claim that making things cost more will stop rising inflation. I may not be a genius but that seems backasswards. I guess they think that people will stop spending if they keep upping the cost of borrowing money. Yet the ones with the money don’t care. And those who are struggling to make ends meet are the ones who hurt the most. What Read more…
What a strange and wild day it was. On January 20, 2023, almost four thousand people had to make it through a night without all the conveniences of the modern world. The power went out and they had to make do without T.V. and the internet. Many people had no heat. In some cases, they had no water, no lights, and worst of all, they had very few ways to cook a meal. Yet everyone survived. People made it through Read more…
It was another day in a winter paradise. We were on our way to go for first tracks when everything stopped. I was opening the garage door and it stopped. My honey was coming out the door when the lights stopped working. It all just came to a crashing halt. The power was out. Little did we know that the power would be out all day. We thought just another minor inconvenience. For my wife and me, it was just Read more…
To My Daughter; Seventeen years. Seventeen years are gone in an instant. They have been wonderful years. You have changed so much and yet remain my little girl. You will always be my little girl even when you are grown up and left the nest. January 12, 2023, you turned seventeen years old. Holy wow, what a beautiful, strange trip it’s been. And it has only just begun. I look forward to many more birthdays and graduations, more celebrations. But Read more…