Reflections

In the next 14 months, I will have to publish and hope that it remains on the site, information and photos that I have accumulated over the last 10 years. I want to put as much on line as possible.

I just received a few pictures of transit staff from 1959. These are invaluable for telling a story with a picture. The last one I received shows bus operators from the late 50's in their uniform of the day. They were very much in keeping with the military style that was popular in that era. Our uniforms today are much more casual.

If you're interested, here is the link: CAW Local 4304
Then go to the photos page.

On second thought

We are now looking at the situation in Turkey very closely due to 3 deaths because of H5N1 strain. It is too soon to cancel the trip entirely but we may have to take a few weeks to see what happens. I hope it is just a blip on the map of this virus but time will tell.

I went to see Brokeback Mountain yesterday afternoon and really enjoyed this same sex love story. The theatre had a mix of gay and heterosexual couples and groups. The two main actors were very good with their protrayals of two men who fall for each other during a sheep herding stint.

Tis' the season

Well, here we are again. The end of another year. I am turning 57 years of age in May. By then, I hope to have arrived in Budapest for the second of our three weeks in Europe. The first week will be spent in Istanbul Turkey.

I have already looked into a couple B and B's in both Budapest and Istanbul and am looking a booking our flights on line. That will the first time. Normally, I have used a travel agent. This time because I am familiar with the internet, I have some trust with transactions over the net.

Here is one place in Istanbul that we are planning on staying. A bit on the expensive side but it looks charming. The Sarnic Hotel

I have been going through my collection of slides and came across one from the late 80's that I kind of like.

A couple more

Just to get a better feel of the house. Here a couple more pics. The second picture is from the kitchen side of the glass block wall.

It's done

Here are a couple of photos of the finished product. The living room and the hall are the most restored rooms now in the house. These photos were taken by Joe with a limited pixel digital camera. They are not the best quality.

House and Home

Well, it's finally finished. The renovation and restoration of our home in the country is completed.

I spent most of yesterday just making myself at home with the new surroundings. I bought a couple of items for the living room including a ottoman and a candle holder. I'm trying to use the glass block wall as the main feature and then duplicating and mimicing it in other areas. I bought a carpet called blocks along with two scatter rugs with the same design. They enhance the wall of glass very well. I am also introducing some curves and circles into the room to soften the sharp corners of the glass blocks. The ottoman is one such item.

I'm convinced that with enough money anyone can design and furnish a room.

October 2005

Here it is, October, already.
The days are shortening rapidly.
The fall colours are about to burst.

I have been renovating and restoring my country home. It was built around 1871 and is now in need of some upgrading. I have changed most of the windows and actually reduced the size of one. The house already feels warmer. The biggest project was to put in a glass block wall which enhances the western sky. Just finished the sanding and refinishing of the pine plank flooring in the living and hall.

Surgery

After surgery on Tuesday, I am resting at home for several days. Then I start one weeks holiday where my plan is to go to Montreal for another visit.

Montreal

Warren, Stacia, Joe and I just returned from 3 days of fun in Montreal. We visited the Jazz Festival several times during the weekend and also went to a concert at Place De Arts where we saw the Dave Holland Band. The band consisted of 13 members including 9 piece brass, xylophone, bass and drummer. Although I am not a jazz fan, I appreciated the live jazz of the band. We also took in the Montreal Arts Festival where I bought a oil painting called 'Rue LaSalle' by Raymond Savage. I will be publishing some pictures in the near future from this trip.

Warren and Stacia visit in June 2005. We had a great time in the back yard on very warm and breazy day. They pose in front of one of our perennial beds. 

We've got it

Now that we have the satelite dish I would like to say that I am ready to watch many cultures, news, sports, movies etc. From what I have seen so far, it has many European as well as African, Middle East and Asian stations. To my surprise the satelite is actually above USA and is a relay. So far, I have really only spent time watching Euro News, which is a great alternative to western news stations.

Satelite Dish

A satelite dish would be good to watch the news coverage of Europe. I have found an installer for such a satelite here. I think that it would be beneficial to get the news from their prospective and will enable my partner to keep up on his mother tongue (Hungarian).

Another waterway, more typical buildings and some leaning. This city is truly beautiful and charming. It is a must-see.

The Herrongract Canal with many typical buildings. One of the buildings is leaning noticibly in front of a church tower. There are many examples of buildings leaning but still livable in Amsterdam. The city is built on fill below sea level and the water is controlled by dams.

This is our B & B called Sunhead of 1617. The building was built in 1617 in the traditional dutch style. Our room was on the upper level and had a ceiling that extended to top window of the building. The breakfast here was exceptional with fresh fruit, cereal and on one morning scrambled eggs and a fruit parfait.

Sunhead of 1617

Amsterdam

The final leg of our travel in 2004 was a short flight from Budapest to Amsterdam, Netherlands. We spent 3 days in a B & B on the Herongract Canal near Dam's Square. This wasn't my first visit to Amsterdam. I was there in 1990 with Randy, another brother and his wife, Brenda. This city is best viewed with one of the canal boats for hire.

My trip this time was marred by a bout of a flu that I got on my last day in Budapest. However, after a day I recovered to the point that I could at least enjoy 2 days there.

I only took about a dozen photos from Amsterdam and will show you some of the better ones here.

This is one of many houseboats on the Herongract Canal in Amsterdam.

I also pose in front of a Wisteria at the Danube bend.

After hiking up and then down from the castle at the Danube bend, we paused for a bit in front of a very beautiful Wisteria. Zoli, our friend and guide, with Warren and Joe.

The fortress at the Danube bend in Visegrad. The Danube bends to the south at this point. It is an old fortress that has been converted into a musem and partially rebuilt.