Somewhere on the road
Homegrown tourist attraction
Tag Archives: Canada
Whispering pines
I would have wandered around the grounds of the long-deserted motel and taken more pictures, but I had a feeling that someone was watching from the leftmost second-floor room, so I departed.
Whispering pines, rustling palms
I was sitting with a woman I was “sort of” seeing at the time. There was a breeze blowing. The palm trees surrounding the oasis were making those sounds that they make when the wind blows.
“Whispering,” I said to her, thinking of an old motel that I was familiar with.
“Palm trees don’t whisper. They rustle,” she replied.
She was right, of course, and I didn’t argue with her. But, some weeks later, in the dark, while in bed, she tried to shove a knife into me. More than once. I didn’t take it personally, but I left town in a hurry and didn’t look back.
Who’d have thought that whispering pines and rustling palms would have had such an effect?
Or, perhaps it was the other woman I was seeing who worked in the same bar. They hated each other’s guts, but obviously they still talked.
Women — can’t live with ’em, and can’t live without ’em.
Men — stupid.
Anyway, that’s the motel I was thinking about when I blurted out the whispering palms in obvious error. It’s closed now, of course, and has been for a very long time.
Unspoiled delights
I’ve never understood Ontario’s inability to promote tourism in the far north. The government in the south takes billions of dollars from the north by means of the forests, mines and water (in the form of hydro electricity). All the government basically has to provide in return is a paved highway, and this in the form of the TransCanada highway, which they must provide in order that goods travel across the country.
For decades, the unspoiled nature of the province, from the Manitoba border to Sault Ste. Marie, has sat around just waiting to be noticed. Unfortunately, no one has had the foresight to promote the area as the largest unspoiled and accessible-by-road nature preserve in the world.
Are you driving through the area? Where are the washrooms and toilets? Why, just pull off the road anywhere you like, but preferably at a snowplow turnout, and deposit your trash and urine in the pit bordering the turnout.
Are you looking for a scenic spot to have lunch? Well then, why not look for a small brown sign with an arrow and hope for the best? If you’re fortunate, and you don’t speed on by because the signage is small and indeterminate, you’ll miss it all.
Might there be tables? A toilet? A scenic view? You’ll never know until you pull in and have a look for yourself. But then, you’ve sped on by, and, too late now, you drive on to your destination, having missed out on spectacular views, lakes, streams, rapids and picnic tables.
And only the occasional outdoor toilet.
Terry Fox forever continues in his quest
A doddering senior citizen and his ignorance
Elected or appointed, they’re all the same:
John McCain is the latest high-profile politician to repeat the diehard American falsehood that the 9-11 terrorists entered the United States through Canada. –ctv.ca, The Canadian Press
No, the 9/11 terrorists were given visas from American embassies in the middle east. Regardless of that fact, who was it who let them into America?
The blame game continues.
Here’s the real problem for America:
It’s the Mexican border, stupid.
Oh, sorry. I digress. The real problem.
Right.
- Politicians.
- Ignorance of the facts.
- Believing what you are fed.
- A mind that doesn’t question.
- Handlers and briefers that have no clue whatsoever, and are unable or unwilling to educate themselves in an unbiased manner.
For example, see here for recent and current information from an American of note, i.e., Mark Borkowski, executive director of the Secure Border Initiative at Customs and Border Protection. Did anyone read his report?
On the other hand, it is America’s border, and they, and only they, can be held responsible for who they let into their country. The fact that they refuse entry to a few people who appear on a terror watch list who might happen to be attempting entry via Canada, or any other country, is America’s problem.
One more pet peeve, if you will allow me the indulgence for a moment: For Christ’s sake, is there an American anywhere who knows where the 9/11 terrorists originated? There must be one somewhere. There’s a war going on over it right this very minute in Iraq.
If you believe that, I’ve got some prime residential property in Florida to sell you at an unbelievable price. Trust me, and in 12 to 18 months you’ll recoup all of your previous losses with this property.
Here’s a link to a previous post on the border blame game. If you’re unsure where the 9/11 terrorists originated, you might want to have a look.