I believe that life can go on forever. It takes a million years to
evolve a new species, ten million for a new genus, one hundred million
for a class, a billion for a phylum -- and that's usually as far as your
imagination goes. In a billion years, it seems,
intelligent life might be as different from humans as humans are from
insects. But what would happen in another ten billion years? It's
utterly impossible to conceive of ourselves changing as drastically as
that, over and over again. All you can say is, on
that kind of time scale the material form that life would take is
completely open. To change from a human being to a cloud may seem a big
order, but it's the kind of change you'd expect over billions of years.
-Freeman Dyson, physicist (b. 1923)
Hola Pat and Corinne, I want to thank you both very much for a lovely evening! It was so nice to gather at the church and sing together. I really enjoyed the evening and meeting your parents Corinne. What lovely people! They are an inspiration. They are so engaged in life and bubble with enthusiasm for all!
 |
| Brenda Louise's grandson, Kian! |
The food and drinks were delicious. Thanks for sharing your special wine and spirits! Amazingly, despite all that mixing I feel terrific today! George and I had a refreshing walk home. The streets were deserted.
I look forward to spending more time with you in the New Year. I hope you both have a lovely Christmas with your whole family! I am sure there will be lots of merriment. Enjoy all the festivities to come and some well deserved rest! Merry Christmas!
P, thanks to you both for a wonderful evening and for all the great food and the drink, as always. It was really fun to hang with Clare and Dusty.
Let me know if you have a copy of the Doyle book I can borrow. Otherwise I will purchase it. Would like to come in on the 23rd for your party. When my kids ditch me, I will be there. Fond regards to all, W
Patriçio,Thank you so much for the kind and very complimentary review.
Interestingly enough, I had put not much thought into the idea of
writing that. It was triggered by my last experience with my uncle, who
as I may have mentioned has not treated me very nicely for a while
now. The whole thing literarily spewed out of my head. Little to no
thought required, my fingers could barely keep up! Hmmm, what else
could I have lying dormant in the cobwebs of my mind? Wining lottery#
would be nice.
Off to Anacortes tomorrow, back Thursday. Xmas is approaching like a
runaway freight train. Must do some shopping in Anacortes/Burlington. I
will bring you some goodies from Trader Joe’s. hasta luego, por ahora Branko [*] No habrá paz para los malvados [*]/No Rest For the Wicked
Hi Ragin'! Who knows how The Muse works! Keep featehr dusting those cobwebs. Hope
your coming visit with Anacortes Grump goes as well as can be expected.
At the very least, perhaps more creative writing will surface as a
result! Travel safely. Get in touch when back. Fondestos and Cheers, Il Conduttore! Pics: Wonderful Sunday with
Giorgio and Jane, his fairly recent amore! At singalong at St Phillip's
in Dunbar, in late afternoon and then dinner afterwards at our place.
Hi La Fionda and Giggster! Thanks
to both of you for inviting us to the wonderful singalong and then the
wonderful cheese, fruit, crackers and bottle of wine which we didn't
even open, along with one package of cheese and crackers! Clarisse and
Coat Hanger were more than touched to hear of the kind thoughts you both
sent along. Glad that the walk home was restorative and that there were
no "overhangs" this morning!As
the forecast for the coming week looked rather gloomy I decided I'd
better get in a ride while the rain held off. Suited up and was ready to
hit the road by 11:30 am. Glad I had dressed warmly as it was quite
crisp even though roads and Seawall were free of frost. Had thought that
I'd do three Prospect Point Loops but when I was part way round Stanley Park decided I'd do an up-an-over as I'd not been across Lions Gate
since I rode in the Whistler Gran Fondo with Carlos the Jackal and Whirlygig!
Once
in North Van I rode to the end of the Spirit Trail and then took
pedestrian/bike bridge over the tracks to get a bit of extra distance.
When I came to the intersection of Fell and Harbourside there was some
street construction in progress so I decided I'd ride along the north sidewalk in
order to bypass the road work activity and surly flag-person.
No sooner had I taken to the
sidewalk, but a few metres from the corner, than I rode through a
freshly laid section of concrete! There was no sign saying that the
sidewalk was closed and just a nano second before I hit the cement the flag-person shouted: "Please don't ride over that!!" I was already half
way through the mire when she said what she said so I simply kept going,
embarrassed, as you can well imagine, by what had just transpired! However, the die was cast, so to speak.
Kept
going until I reached the train tracks on Bewicke and had to do a quick
about face or else have a show down with a diesel freight! All the
while I was wondering how I was going to negotiate returning via the
construction zone as I didn't relish having to face the music of angry
workers waving shovels! Fortunately, just as I was heading
back on Copping another rider approached via a small bike path that runs
behind a number of industrial buildings that side on Fell, just before
the overpass which goes over the aforementioned tracks. I was able to
avoid the "scene of the recently poured cement" by taking to the
sidewalk on the west side of Fell and pedaling like hell once I was back
on Harbourside, away from the "bike incident" and the murderous
vigilante municipal banditos!
At
any rate, my heart rate returned to normal by the time I was underneath
Lions Gate and I huffed and puffed my way back to Stanley Park. There
is some sort of bridge work, involving lane closures, taking place at
night, for the next little while. Bit confusing as there are numerous
signs posted, on both sides of the bridge, informing people to use
caution as two-way traffic is in effect. Not so when I rode over and
then back but I assume this might pertain when work is actually
underway. In any event, was soon sailing down Prospect Hill towards
Second Beach and before I knew it I was back at the Islay Inn. Stats for ride:
http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/651629944#.VI9jwlvI5WE.email
Had
decided I needed to wash my bike lest any concrete which might have
adhered to the tires, and elsewhere, hardened and affected brakes, etc.
Spent a good 45 minutes or so washing and rinsing and oiling. Dusty kept
me company as he was putting up a few more strings of lights around the
suite's windows as well as some on our patio railings.
Once bike was
shining I put it away and then meant to call Reckless to see if my
Brodie was ready. Before I could lift the phone it rang and it was
Larry, from Reckless, on the line. I had taken my bike in over two weeks
ago but since I didn't really need it, had not bothered to contact
store. Turned out that the chap who had taken work order had put wrong
name on chit so nobody knew who the owner happened to be. Finally,
Larry, looking at the serial number determined bike belonged to me. Good
news was that the rear tire was fixed. I'd popped a spoke when wheel had
slipped between two planks on the boardwalk at GI. Bad news was that the
chain and cassette need replacing! (Not damaged but simply worn out.), Not the best of times coming just
before Christmas but figured I might as well bite the bullet and have
work done even though I don't use the bike all that much.
After
putting down the phone, I made a salad for dinner as we had been
invited to The Annexe for pork loin, Greek lemon potatoes and more
turnip
puff with Clan Durston. Had another of Clarisse's wonderful meals and I
regaled company with my Cement Wars tale of woe! (Dusty was of the
opinion that I should have left imprints of my hands, or at least my
clip-ons!) Things could be worse
so cannot really complain. Back home to work on The Diaries. Had hoped
to watch another episode of The Fall but Volunteer Woman is too, too
buys organizing files to have time to relax! Not overly fussed as I'm
happy to curl up in bed and continue reading Alan Doyle's Where I Belong!
So yes, Giorgio, you can borrow our copy, at some point. Delighted to learn that you will be attending our Open House. Elation is only tempered by the fact that Jane won't be joining us as well. However, want to wish you a Happy Christmas and Healthy New Year with your family, Jane. We'll make up for your absence in early January! Travel safely. Keep in touch, Galiano Gadfly. Fondestos and Cheers, Il Condutore!Pics: Wonderful Sunday with more than wonderful friends! Dear Corinne & Patrick, Thank you for your lovely invite over the festive holidays. It would indeed be lovely but with the hounds it always seems impossible on a moment to moment basis. But a lovely gesture just the same. We value our quiet moments. And after so many, many years of organizing our Open House for New Year’s day this is a treat just to be able to relax and enjoy the holidays without the buzz. John will still make his Hot Rum Toddies but on a small scale. Besides my doc insisted that I get a medical procedure done immediately and he booked me into the hospital on the 23rd so it will put a slight damper on the holidays.’
This month I am having a sixteen ft. Red Japanese Bridge built but I am not sure if the fella I hired can complete the job. Have you ever met people that can overwhelm you with all of their knowledge talk a mile a minute about their expertise and then find out it is a lot of fluff? The only thing is he is a member of the Mensa Society, scored two points below George Bush. He is terribly excited about working in my Japanese Garden too as he is also a landscaper. The list of what He can do is long. But he is scattered and disorganized. An odd duck but terribly interesting. I would just like my Red bridge but time will tell.
Sending you pictures of our 48th Anniversary we shared with our friends from New Zealand and out at Butchard Gardens in their Japanese Garden & on our boat with Benson & Tess. This week I turn 70 and next week John hits the big 70 too!. Time is just clipping along. The key is to stay in good health. My dear 73 yr. old sister’s knees collapsed. She has just had one replaced but can not stand, no muscle mass and will have to stay in the hospital for weeks. Oh dear! Life continually throws you a curve ball. Staying on track is the key!! Do enjoy your festive holidays with all of your family. A Very Merry Christmas Much Love, Jean & John, Benson & Tess
Hi Jean and John! Thanks for all the wonderful pictures! Sorry to hear about the necessity
for your coming operation, Jean, but trust all goes well with the
surgery. Best of luck with the Red Bridge. I'm sure it will be wonderful
if it ever manages to be completed. Your Odd Duck sounds quite a
character indeed! Sorry to learn of your sister's ailing knees. No laughing matter, that.
Thanks for the Christmas wishes and would like to reciprocate by sending along our wishes to you both for a Happy
Christmas and, especially under the circumstances, a Healthy New Year! Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio!
Hello Patrice, Great pics! Glad to hear you continue to have wonderful rides and entertaining outings and fulfilling volunteer experiences!!
Colleen Jacob and I headed up to the cabin On Friday afternoon to
do some pre Christmas decorating and reconnaissance for what we needed
to stock up on for our entertaining etc. . Jesse stayed home this time
as he had a friends birthday party to attend
on Saturday night.
We had a very nice and relaxing time interspersed with some minor
tasks such as the moving up of Christmas decoration bins from the
dungeon and putting up lights and various decorations as well as a
couple of maintenance jobs such as a new dryer vent installation
and new hot water tank placement. I didn’t have enough time to actually
hook up the new tank but at least it is there and poised for a quick
change over if needed. The old one is 20 years past it’s best before
date and it’s failure is imminent so I wanted
to be pro active.
the weekend before that we went to a nice little pre Christmas get
together at my mom’s and it was great to see a bunch of the old friends
that I had not seen in some cases for many years. There was great food
prepared by Jeremy and his girlfriend Raven
as well as a bit of musical entertainment with Mom on the piano and
some people doing musical theater numbers and some Christmas carols that
we sang along with.
On a less happy note later that night while having dinner with his
mother Lois My Cousin Geoff Wallace choked on a piece of roast beef and
it was five minutes before the ambulance made it there and
unfortunately another 15 minutes before they were able
to dislodge the obstruction. With so long a time without breathing he
was basically on life support but with only 3% brain activity so the
family was advised to pull the plug which they did and he passed shortly
after. That was a real shock to all of us as
you can imagine, he was only a couple years older than me and otherwise
very healthy. You would have seen his mother in those old films I showed you and
he was named after my Uncle Geoff who you would remember as being the
M.C. at our wedding.
I went to my mom’s today for a lunch that my uncle Geoff’s ( who
passed away in 1992) son Joe, Daughter Andrea and surviving wife Lesley
as well as Uncle Geoff's and Lois's sister, Christine were attending.
My Mom and Lois had a falling out a while ago
while on a trip to Hawaii together as well as with Geoff Wallace, Lois
and my mom have not as yet settled their differences so she did not
attend. Never the less I had a nice time catching up with that part of
the family as hadn’t made it to the last couple
family function which are far and few between so had missed them. I must away now to catch up on some shows with colleen. we will
look forward to catching up soon. Love to the family, take care and
we’ll talk soon.
Hi Big Al and Marilyn! Thanks for all the wonderful pictures! Terribly sorry to hear about the
aweful death of your cousin, Geoff. Bad enough that he died at such a
relatively young age but under such horribly frightening, dreadful
circumstances. Our hearts go out to you and rest of family.
Seems pretty callous to go on as if nothing happened but I suppose one
must continue to go forward. Thanks for the pictures of pre-Christmas
gathering. Was that Stuart with you? If so, how's he doing? Still hoping
to make it big? Busy weekend just past, for us as well. Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio!
Seasons greetings And best for 2015! Lynn
Hi Lynn! Thanks for the lovely Christmas card and wishes for 2015. .
Again, enjoy the hols and trust we'll see you in early 2015. Cheers, Patrizzio!
you guys are amazing! see you soon. Lynn and thx for the card!
Thank you for contributing to Light Up the Rio Theatre for Christmas!Hi Corinne! Delighted to help out. Trust that the campaign will be a success and help return the Rio to some of its former glory! Onward! Fight!! Cheers, Patrizzio!!!
Happy Holiday Greetings!
Sleigh bells ring, are you listening,
In the lane, it's wet and rainy,
A beautiful sight,
We're happy tonight,
Enjoying this winter wonderland!
It was a busy year for us, one that
involved some travel and a few changes. Dave and I are still running the
winery on a day to day basis but also enjoyed a couple of road trips in
the Tesla, one as far as Vancouver British Columbia.
Just recently, in November, we experienced our very first cruise,
traveling to the Western Caribbean. Kate had two vacation adventures
this year, one in Yosemite and the other in Thailand and Cambodia. In
October, she also switched careers from structural
engineering to construction management. Susie seems to have found her
calling in the tech industry as a big data analyst at a small consulting
company in the Seattle area, working almost exclusively for Microsoft.
She also orchestrated the renovation of her
kitchen, which we're anxious to see for the first time on our next trip
up north this coming week of December 15th, returning just in time to
celebrate Christmas at home!
We are thankful for another healthy, happy and prosperous year. We hope likewise for you,
and that 2015 will bring us all more of the same! Let's continue to stay in touch and
hopefully have the opportunity to get together in the new year!
With love, best wishes and good cheer,
Pat Dave Kate & Susie
Hi Patrizzia and David!
Thanks for the newsy Christmas note and all the wonderful pictures! Have been meaning to say hello for ages but you know my standard response: No excuses but plenty of reasons! Gather you were just in Seattle. Did you drive up? How did you find Susie's kitchen renovations. Cheers, Cora Lee and Patrizzio!
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