It’s been a weird winter for skiing. First it was great: tons of snow, not too cold, and no Chinook in sight. Then January hit and we were thrown into extreme cold, and then extreme Chinook and most of December’s powder became a big slushy, crusty, icy mess. This week we finally got a ton [...]
Archive > February 2009
Seaside Collectables
The little collection above is what people were trying to sell us on the beach in Punta Cana. We certainly weren’t interested because (frankly) there’s something rather macabre and non-eco-friendly about carrying around a dead/stuffed fish/creature. However, after a bit of reading I began to wonder: what are the laws are regarding seaside collectibles? If [...]
Lixing-lès-Saint-Avold and Lelling, France
Above are a couple of scenes from Lelling in France. Below (way below) is Lixing-lès-Saint-Avold; both are small towns located near Grostenquin — one of four RCAF air force bases established in Europe during the Cold War. The four were formed as part of Canada’s air defense commitment to NATO — though their existence was [...]
The Bees are Disappearing
In a handful of Season Four Doctor Who episodes, Donna mentions periodically that “the bees are disappearing.” Thinking this was a Doctor Who-ism, complete with fansites and nerdy t-shirts (try searching for “Doctor blue box” or “The Angels have the phone box“), I did a Google search for “bees are disappearing” and, guess what… bees [...]
Decimomannu, Sardinia
In April 1957, the RCAF opened an Air Weapons Unit in Decimamannu, Sardinia, Italy, to be used as a air-to-air gunnery and compliment the French Air Base at Rabet-Sale, Morocco. Decimamannu was owned by the Italian Air Force, but was also actively used by Canadian, German, and NATO forces. Above is a photo taken by [...]
