Where are you going this summer? Somewhere in your region, across Canada, down to the States with our dolaritos, points South, overseas?

Or just discovering your neighbourhood, garden or city? (whether due to lack of cash, lack of time, or a desire to learn more about your own surroundings...).

Quite soon we are going to spend ten days with family in Scotland. Unlike our earlier trips there, this one is happening because of family/health problems, so it won't exactly be a holiday, more an extension of low-level everyday anxieties. Life, eh?

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I'm just starting to haul clippers and trowels and mowers up from the basement now. God, but I hate grass. I love all the rest of the wee growing things, but boy do I hate the grass.

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Rip up your lawn, skdadl, and put in rocks and native plants! They won't need tending, and they'll look great. Green lawns are an abomination anyway.

If we get away it'll be to the nearby Rockies and/or Drumheller with my parents, when they visit in July.

My mother said "we're timing our trip to avoid the G8 summit" -- not because they object to the G8 summit, of course, but because they expect the protests to paralyze the city, and for all I know expect burning barricades, martial law, whatever.

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Inch'allah, I'm going to France where I'll be translating at a (badly-paid) conference, but it pays my ticket.

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Ah, the busman's holiday! I'm actually extremely jealous -- we've taken a few business/holiday trips to France and had a wonderful time. I hope you do, too!

This year, we have to attend the Banff Television Festival in June, so we will spend about a week going to Banff, in Banff and on the way home. We will at least stop at the Calgary Zoo for the kids, and maybe Drumheller. I love the badlands.

In August we always head up to Emma Lake, in Northern Saskatchewan (it's actually just above Central Sask...). The blond guy's family on his dad's side is up there, and there is a wonderful cabin on the lake that his aunt owned and that his cousin now rents out to family and close friends. No TV, no phone, a canoe, firepit and fireplace inside, just down the road from an arts school and a short walk through the woods to the ice cream store and the beach... Very relaxed. Looking forward to it.

- Hiking the Rideau Trail from Ottawa to Kingston.
- Boating from Ottawa to Kingston along the Rideau River system.
- Getting the North American Via/Amtrak rail pass and exploring the continent for a month.

Had I the chance to take holidays somewhere... I would have liked to get to Montreal. But i might have gone back to South Dakota. I would not advise this trip during the first two weeks in August. Beyond the heat, be prepared for a gazillion motorcyles! Sturgis Week was an added bonus to our trip.

Vicky:

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well, I'm off to Halifax for meetings the first weekend of July

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Hopefully, I can meet up with our intrepid West Coast babblers

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June 10-14, I will be a delegate at the CLC convention in Vancouver. WOOOHOOO!

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I don't suppose you could whoop up a couple of press passes for me... couldja? Or maybe sneak me in through the back door?

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You are probably coming to the NDP Federal Council meeting, right?

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outed!

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I don't suppose you could whoop up a couple of press passes for me... couldja? Or maybe sneak me in through the back door?

Mike Fraser has got some 'splaining to do.

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I will however be thinking the whole time about what I'm missing by not going to cadet camp!

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I wish I had that kind of power. I am going as one of only a couple of "rank and filers" from my local. The rest of the twenty are workplace chairpersons, executive board members and union reps.

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Damn!

That's ok. I may have discovered another ticket in.

Maybe I'll see ya there? I'll be the asshole whoopin' money bags full of rotten tomatoes at certain attendees and "distinguished" guests.

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However, I intend on filling several notebooks with details of the goings-on.

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I kind of didn't believe the November Convention rumour. Didn't look like the right timing. Here, it's home and post-convention back on track, and summer. So maybe there is some truth to it this time. In any case, people involved will be unoficially told some time beforehand (and the media I am sure).

I'm wondering, does anyone know the farthest distance between places where you can get gas?

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cops won't appreciate a bunch of drunken yahoos hijacking other tourists' craft.

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Hurry up and heal (heel?), then bring back detailed notes on your investigations into the state of our nation's health care system.

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When you're going through hell, keep on going.

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In other news, andrean finally arrived in Calgary. Whether the town's ready, we're still not sure. But she graced the lovely Maria and myself with her presence yesterday evening for the traditional dinner and a movie. Just as fun and ebullient in person as on the boards, if not more so. A splendid time was had by all... OK, the movie was pretty crummy, as it turned out, but gave us something to laugh about. Something else, I should say.

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I've never been west of London, Ontario

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Well, technically that's not true...I was at the bus station in Windsor once.

But now, I'm a seasoned traveller. I spent last week in Vancouver. The very kind Dr Conway fetched me from the airport in his Land Yacht (it's everything he says that it is, and somehow, more), delivered me safely to the home of my great-uncle whom I was visiting and gave me important information about navigating the city: the mountains are north. This was quite a feat to comprehend. The mountains being west of Toronto and me being on the other side of them, I wanted them to be east. They ain't and I had no end of difficulty convincing myself of that fact.

I liked Vancouver - it's a very open city, lots of sky, and parts of it look like they've just grown up under the trees like mushrooms. I liked being near the water and insisted on swimming in the ocean, even though it was freezing! Friends of my great-uncle's took me to the infamous Wreck (sp?) Beach on Sunday and there was much frolicking in the surf. I also did the touristy things that were expected of me - the ferry to Vancouver Island, visit to Victoria, driving up into the mountains, touring Stanley Park.

Left Vancouver at 6:45 on Monday morning, after a night of revelry. My great-uncle, who has been doing drag for 50 of his 68 years, performed Sunday night at a fundraiser for the Pride Squad, a group of cheerleaders who will be competing at the Gay Games in Sydney next fall. As his great-niece (grand-niece?), and the only other queer person on his family, much was made of me by all his friends - indeed, perhaps a little too much was made of me, which may account for the headache that accompanied me on the Greyhound from Vancouver to Calgary.

A trip that takes 15 hours, in case you're interested. And stops at every little backwater town along the way. I had no idea that there even existed a place called Salmon Arm - now, I've been there.

But the view of the mountains made the trip so very worthwhile. Our post-modern age has deprived me of language to describe them - all my adjectives are cliché and awful. But I suppose the mountains are too... awe-ful, at least.

Calgary, I find to be a strange city. The streets and avenues are all numbered and designated South West, South East, North West and North East. skdadl, who I believe is Calgary born and bred, assures me that this is actually very simple to understand...I don't believe her and spend my hours pleasantly mystified that I somehow arrive where I'm supposed to be.

Which, last evening, was the James Joyce Pub on Stephens (that is, 8th) Avenue where I met 'lance and The Lovely Maria for dinner. Let it be known that it is not only Maria who is lovely. Our 'lance is a charming guy and most gracious. The dinner and the company were excellent, and while, as 'lance notes, the film left a little to be desired, the laughter that it caused afterwards way enjoyment enough.

The trip takes me next to Banff - just one day to visit with an old friend from home, one of the many who came West and never returned. I saw one of them in Vancouver as well, and will see another on Sunday in Edmonton.

Three days in Edmonton and then the 23 hours that it takes to drive to Yellowknife, to visit yet another friend who left Ontario and never returned. (I'm beginning to wonder if I should take this personally.) I will be in Yellowknife for the summer solstice...it won't get dark at all and the whole town participates in some mad festival, which I will recount to the edification and delight of the babblers.

your faithful correspondent,

andrean

The muscles in my foot, ankle and calf have atrophied and I am going to be taking several walks a day to get back into working shape as soon as possible. I really appreciated the concern shown to me by my fellow babblers. You folks are wonderful!

I have been back from Banff for about 5 days. It was a work trip, very little time for fun, although we visted the Calgary Zoo on the way there and that was terrific. The kids had such a good time!

When we got to the hotel (actually a resortified YWCA), we foud we'd been given the honeymoon suite -- the Adolf and Eva Honeymoon Suite, that is. No window. Just a skylight. On rainy days, especially with thunder, it really did have that last-days-of-the-Reich feel to it. But cheap, so can't complain too much.

I was sick during the week, too, which didn't help any. I'd really like to go some time when we weren't so rushed, do some hiking and what not.

From our perspective, it would have been fine had we had a window.... But we didn't visit the dorm rooms. They have family-type rooms with 2 beds and a hide-a-bed, which worked well for me, the blond guy, the nanny and both kids... Everybody was really friendly, and at a third the cost of anywhere else near the festival. Also within walking distance of playground, park, downtown -- stuff for the kids to do while we were working.

I'm just cleaning up my desk, setting my phone message on "piss off", and I'm out of here in about two minutes for over three weeks.

Sunday, very early AM, We hit the road for Calgary. (seems like the place for babblers to go these days)

After I stick 'lance with a few bar tabs, we'll be returning through the northern states. Montana and Wyoming should be nice. My kids want to see Mount Rushmore, which I think is about the dummest thing, but what the hell, I'm an indulgent father.

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After I stick 'lance with a few bar tabs, we'll be returning through the northern states.

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I'll check out anyone in a Rolls Royce to see if I can find Markbo.

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Or maybe I'll find him sipping scotches in the back room of some blue coller bar while he buys pints for his union buddies to wax the Bentley out front.

[ June 28, 2002: Message edited by: oldgoat ]

I'm not very pleased to be away during the time of the year Montreal is lovely, and planted almost no flowers this year on my balconies, just tended the perennial herbs. But I suppose once over there I'll run into some of my friends (many of them are away too, one of my best friends who is Argentinian is spending the boreal summer/austral winter in his country...) and have a lot of interesting conversations.

On these cheapo Air Transat charters we are only allowed 20 kg of luggage. That isn't a lot. I travel light, but if several people give me books I'll have to send them by post.

I'm also trying to get down to Toronto for any reason at all. Any big events in July, or the first week of August?

A lot of my friends in Paris (some gay, some not) attended the half-million strong Gay Pride there in the presence of the city's Gay, and socialist mayor. There was a serious undercurrent this year, as a lot of gay and gay-friendly people fear the rise of "family-friendly" policies, in the homophobic sense, with the victory of the right in France.

It is really a shame that the Mike Harris government went after Allo-Stop and all the other ride-sharing services. I shudder to think how much the bus must be from the Soo - and don't imagine there even is a train any more.

We have a friend just in lastnight from over seas and another coming today. Tomorrow we load up and head out to Bobcagon and by nightfall we will be on the houseboat ready for an early start Sunday.

My wife and I along with a few close friends will be pirates of the Kawarthas on a fourty footer till next Friday. I've been able to put it out of my mind for so long now that, just thinking about it now is getting me all excited. No work today for me and nothing all next week except for refilling the cooler and heating up tasty farm animals.

The best thing I think is that there will be no computer, no pagers, no palm pilot or organizers and only one cell phone that no one has the number to.

My friend has bought a really cool ghetto blaster that plays MP3s and so we burned ten cds of our favorite tunes and should have enough to go the whole week without listening to the same song twice. heh heh

My daughter has taken off with her friend to their cottege for a couple of weeks so the only person I have to be responsible for is my wife. That one is easy. She has the unenviable job of being responsible for pulling my garishly dressed butt out of the water should I be made to walk the plank.

Now I'm in Toronto for a week and then off to Montreal to be on the film crew for the Warped Tour, and then on to England to visit realitives (as well as go to the Leeds Festival)

I thought Saskatoon drivers were the worst, but these Lotus-eaters take the cake. I saw numerous accidents here and there, nobody grasps the concept of fast-and-slow lanes, and there do not appear to be direct routes to anywhere. Fortunately for these people, they have directional arrows painted all over their parking lots, or else the ensuing death-toll from starvation by people who get lost on their way out of the Overwaitea would be catastrophic.

Oh yeah, I saw a baby beluga whale, some mountains (claustrophobia!!!) and went to the Tyrell Dinosaur museum on the way back. Camped in Banff on the way out. Somebody ought to set a torch to the place and start over again.

Construction started on it in '94 or '95.

It's now about two years old.

kind of a joke.

I hope you saw an elk at least.

Did you make it to the west coast of the island?

We went swimming (well, wading anyway) at Rathrevor Beach, near Parksville, and saw about 5 or 6 seals just a few yards further out in the water than us. The closer we would move to them, the further out they'd go. The wee jellyfish weren't so timid.

The Roosevelt Elk(s) around Parksville are numerous, but I guess with it being so dry...they could be up higher these days.

I don't suppose you saw any marmots.

A passle of elk?

Very nice.

What do you call a gathering of Canadians?

Speaking of americans, did you know that little Victoria does over a billion Can. p.a. in tourism?

I know a guy who got himself a chihuahua as an extra, keener set of eyes and ears.

Used to spend a fair bit of time in the bush.

Cougars.

Paranoid.

Now he's in Kamloops with six or seven of the little guys making life really difficult for all the city councillors there.

You can find transcripts of an average Kamloops cityhall meeting online and his name comes up every other sentence - next order of business Mr Millership...

ramma ramma ramma rammma ramma rama rammma rammma
...next order of business...?

Ah, Mr Millership again.

He was the driving force behind ending the fluoridation of their water...

A small act of heroism in the name of public service.

I saw an eagle fly off with my neighbour's snow white rooster last year - sort of fly off anyways - more like fly, then land every hundred or so feet, like a wild turkey.

Big meal.

The lady (my neighbour) is a Findhorner and she had a wake and one of her guests got bombed and did some witchy rite in my koi pond - up to her bloomers in muck - was a pretty dress.