Last Days of Summer (sigh)

Summer is fading fast here on the lower mainland. We have had some rainy days, but this is the time of the year that I begin to like best. The nights are cool, but the days are warm and the sunsets are unbelievable.
Deer Lake is fabulous in the evenings right now. The lake takes on a golden hue.
Even the ducks and geese seem to mellow out.
I hope where ever you are you enjoy these last days of summer.
Spend a little time in your favorite park. Walk on the beach. Play ball with the grandkids.What ever brings you peace and contentment.
All too soon we will be back to the hustle and bustle of our daily lives.

Porteau Cove, Sea to Sky Highway

Canada's Official Bird??

The Canada Goose is being proposed for our official bird. They have to be the most destructive bird we have. They literally chew up every blade of grass in the parks hour after hour while simultaneously squirting it  back  out the other end! However they are one of  the most amusing and beautiful birds we have. They come in droves to Deer Lake every summer.

  It is nesting season and all the little goslings are following mom all day long.

Meanwhile mom has absolutely no patience with anyone or anything that goes near her little ones.

 And when mom loses it everyone scrambles to get out of her way!!!

Canada... Strong and Free?

Are we?

Two years ago when I was in Quebec City on vacation I took a trip up the Saguenay to view the whales. While waiting for the boat I spotted this young man on the dock and snapped this picture. His jacket made me think about this country I live in.

I had forgotten this picture until I came across it the other day. It seems fitting that it should come up now because my partner and I have spent a great deal of time recently talking with people about this very issue.

Twenty years ago I would proudly have stated that Canada was indeed free and indeed the best place on earth to live. Today I am not so sure. Today we have a government system that punishes their MPs for voting the way their constituents want. Today we have thousands of people living  on our streets for want of proper housing. Today we have young men and women dying in Afghanistan for a war that is not ours, can't be won and for people who don't want us there. Canada used to be a country of ordinary folks. Working men and women who took pleasure in raising their children and tending a small home. They were proud of the work they did and their only expectation was that they would earn a living decent wage to provide for their families. Today, especially here in British Columbia, many workers are living below the poverty line as government has torn up work contracts and privatized many industries that are now run by huge corporations whose only concern is the bottom line.The gap between rich and poor is getting bigger every day.

When I grew up voting was considered a privilege and a duty. Now we have government parties who are clones of each other - vying for votes where 52 % of the population in some areas are so disillusioned they don't see a reason  to vote anymore. Today it is considered normal and expected that politicians will lie to us to get us to vote. It is considered normal for the politicians to base their policy on polling rather than on what is  best for the country.

Strong and free.... I am not so sure anymore.  I once heard that a country is only as strong as how well it treats it's weakest.  How well are we treating our poor and elderly? How well are we treating our working families and our children? Are we doing the best we can?

In my opinion NO!