Dateline: 2007 December 31st Toronto, Ontario
This trips travelling map
Just another year, January - December
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An extended family Christmas
Ilge's extended family, half sister, her family, plus Ben, her son from 1970 and brother Avo |
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Must be March 13th, 2007. Kayla's 17th birthday
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Finally, after all these years, found my old camera
the last but 1 negative, ever
Kayla |
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Aiden, all dressed up and nowhere to graduate to
The very last negative |
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| He did graduate (but not this year) |
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Aiden got all dressed up for
his graduation shot
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Who's (finally) got a new digital SLR camera? |
| Costco has a super special on |
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| Upmarket (Nikon) camera's |
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| Have it for a year and if you don't want it then |
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| Bring it back for a total, full refund |
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| Everyone in the office gets one to do exactly that |
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| Me? Too many principles |
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| So I just use it for anything |
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And everything. In this case,
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Kayla's riding
I take about 200, consider yourselves lucky this is all I'm loading
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Mid July and it's
Nicks wedding
Smooth Mafiosi outfit huh? |
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It's an outrageously expensive affair
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| And I'm up for a Saturday Night gig etc |
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A huge amount of the office was in attendance, here with Carmen
Nick was a lovely, really conscientious hard working guy. I liked him a lot
Not too long after this he was fired, really SHIT management decision there
He had to sell his house and live in a shop with his wife, new baby and in-laws. I know that Nick is resourceful enough to recover, but really!
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The debating club is going great guns. Fun at Michael's in the
wilds of Scarberia |
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I usually have a problem finding a president
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But the core group are a blast, both socially, and intellectually
Here: Viktor, Dean, Gerry, Jim C, Anita, David, Your Correspondent, Michael and Michelle at Michael's house, August |
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| A friendly, welcoming sign |
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| Livia, Richard's daughter |
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| Joins Kayla & I for our annual trek to Massassauga |
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The previous week, I was playing squash with Martin and at 8 All, playing 1
I had the choice of:
1. Missing the ball (and the point, and hence the game) 2. Hitting the ball and suffering concussion by banging my head on the wall 3. Hitting the ball, protecting my head and destroying my knee on the floor I took option #3
I won the point, suffered the pain, and played for another 40 minutes
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Needless to say, I wrecked my knee and had to take 6 weeks out
Hence, I was hobbling in pain for my canoe trip
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| I thought it was worth it, but I'm just an anal animal who won't let someone beat me |
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| So, the ladies moved around me, I read books |
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| There's lots of water |
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| And communing with nature is a great way to hang out |
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And then we are all refreshed
for another year |
My major client is addressing major increases in business. We need a solution for Calgary which is expanding big time
They need a far more efficient delivery process in Calgary and from there, other high volume warehouses
Andrei & I head out to analyse and plot.
We leave Toronto on a Wednesday and arrive in Calgary and pick up the car at the airport and head straight to the office. I want to see the evening operations and this is as good a time as any. My timesheet will also have flying time included as consulting, so this helps to hide some hours
We hang out in the warehouse looking like we are intelligent, then head to the hotel
I've no idea how I design, I look at what is happening, the reports people seem to be interested and it just seems to happen that an elegant workable solution just seems to appear in my head
I'm here to formulate a design, but we are also going to be tourists
It's miserable, but we head off to Banff for the tourist bit
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| It's 2007, so the (financial) crash has not happened yet |
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Andrei and I are off to Calgary
with a view to update their operation and be tourists |
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| This is a track around the lake |
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| At Banff Springs |
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| Not the best time to be here apparently |
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But, for a first visit, very pretty, and very deserted.
Luckily, no bear encounters |
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Bear encounters?
We slum it at the Banff Youth Hostel |
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| Then more chilly adventures |
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| Then back for a better view during |
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| Maybe some sunlight |
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| And more studied tourist shots |
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| But it's still not tourist season |
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| Neither summer, nor winter |
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| But money shots |
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| Hither and yon |
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| Well, it's a free trip here and back |
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| So get the shots for the grandkids |
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| Then head out onto the road |
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| It's certainly pretty here |
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| But, surprisingly damp and cool |
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| Along the great Canadian highway |
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| I'm glad that we are only being tourist for 2 days |
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| This place needs more heat |
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| But we locate a local steak house for later |
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| Then head up past the sulphur springs |
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| To climb the mountain track |
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| To the top of |
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| Sulphur Mountain |
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| About 2 hours, 15 minutes |
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And take the cable car down to the base and
head out for steak dinner |
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| Back to Calgary, and with time to spare |
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Find a hill to park on (Calgary is actually very flat)
Then depart back home |
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| October, and Newts arrives |
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| This week he's saving the world in Montreal |
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| And October finishes |
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| In the usual way |
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| I wonder how many more times |
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| The kids will want to do this |
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| And suddenly, Christmas is just around the corner |
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And this one brings the long lost & hidden Scandinavian section of the family
son Tomas, girlfriend xxx, daughter Annali, Ewi, Hans and Ilge |
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| Anneli |
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| Ewi, Ilge's unknown half sister |
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| Hans |
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| The Koplimaes etc etc |
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| Here with Ben, Ilge's first son (don't ask) |
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| Other missing bits of the family |
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| Not sure of this connection |
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Immediate offsprings of Inge Well, know so far
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| Some of the kids, from various |
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| Extended family etc etc |
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| And it goes on..... cousins or whatever |
From Your Correspondent
