Brian's Trip to London

This is the Tower Bridge of London and Brian. It must have been a rainy day. But he did enjoy his vacation over there. His girlfriend is from London and they both went over to
visit family and to see the sights.

This is Brian with a guard, that I am assuming is at the Palace (Buckingham).

Brian and London Trip

Brian in London posing with a "bobby."

My American Pal up in Canada

This is my american friend, Margie! She lives in Canada too and she lives in the town next over from me. We try to meet up each week, but lately it is once a month. We usually meet at Timmy's and have tea together or if it is nice out, we go for walks. It's just so nice to have another American to talk with up here in Canada. But I just wanted you to all meet my friend, Margie!!

It's Almost That Time Again.............

Yep, in a few weeks, my sisters will be travelling up from the States to visit me in Canada. We will be up to our shenanigans again. We'll probably have tons more fun this time around. So it will be another adventure with the "Odell" girls. So I'm getting things ready and hopefully I will be ready by the time they come up. So remind me to "blog" about it all! We are still going with the "Tropical" theme but have added a "Tea Party" into the mix of things as well. Should be interesting!

Funny but I remember when......

Yes, funny...and odd!! But I do remember way way back as I was growing up that my mom wore these articles of clothing. I know it's a strange thing to bring up in a blog but this was part of my childhood rembrances. I remember my mom wearing these strange and confining garments...yes, undergarments. I think she actually struggled and felt so uncomfortable in them....but yes, it is the Longline form fitting bra and form fitting girdle I am speaking about or at least trying to. When I was a kid, I remember my mom when she would go to special functions...like a wedding or funeral...she would tackle with these items but it was ever so important for her to look good. I guess they "hold" you in. But she particularly had trouble with her bra...there were so many "hooks" on it that she would either ask me or one of my sisters to help hook her up. I can't count the times we had to help her with that. But she squished herself all up in these "duds" of hers. After completely dressing, I believe she pranced in front of her mirror to make sure everything was in place. But I just had to blog about this because I happened to be reflecting upon it a few days back...and I did forewarn her that I was going to blog about it too. So I guess permission was granted. I wonder if there are women today out there squeezing themselves into these confining undergarments. Do you remember if your moms ever wore these things???

Louie's Cute Little Pal, Misty!

This is Louie's cute little pal. Her name is Misty and she is 12 years old. Her mom and I met on Dogster and she doesn't live too far from where I do. So this past May when I came back from my visit in the States...I invited her over to my place and she brought her cute little Misty with her. Misty is 12 years old and is part Yorkshire Terrier and Chihauhua. I sometimes write about Louie and Misty and their adventures with the squirrels. Misty actually loves to chase them in her own yard....so they have become squirrel buddies together. We hope to have more visits with her and her mom again pretty soon.

Who Are These Masked Women??

I wanted to share this photo with you all. This here group of gals are part of "card party" my mom was in. My mom is the last gal on the right. The group is made up of 8 gals. This picture was taken on Oct. 31, 1951..yep, Halloween! But they actually went to a "Variety" Talent show in Mt. Upton. And my mom said they sang and danced and they even won 1st prize at the show. She said afterwards she had to go to the church like that because it was her wedding rehearsal night. So anyhow, these girls would hold a card party once a month and they would take turns who would hold it. When it was my mom's turn to hold the party...my sisters and I got to see the gals but then we all had to go to bed. My mom said these card parties continued into the early 60's.

Louie and the Couch

Louie looks at the new couch and wondering where the destruction can begin........ we'll check back in another year. :o)

"The Couch"

"Highway of Heroes"

Yesterday, Ed and I got on the 401 (major highway across southern ontario from Quebec/Ontario border to Windsor/Detroit) and as we travelled on it...we knew they were bringing another Canadian hero(s) home because at each bridge overpass, it was lined with people wearing red and holding signs & flags. These are Canadian heroes that put that lives in the path of harm over in Afghanistan and they were killed. So in honor of the fallen, they named a portion of the 401 as the "Highway of Heroes." I will have a little excerpt about this down below here. But as Ed and I sat at a Wendy's, we watched from the window and saw the procession come thru. And it so sadly brought tears to my eyes. In fact it is just so moving to see them stand and salute as the procession motors by. Such a tribute to those that have fallen and so it shows me how proud this country is of its men and women who are fighting over in Afghanistan. And I, as an American, is also proud of our U.S. troops too. But I did want to share with you in what Canada does for its fallen heroes. It is a sad moment but it's also showing respect to them as well. Here is a little excerpt I saw on the internet and I will post it here below my blog.

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For those who don't know, the "Highway of Heroes" is the 172km Hwy 401 stretch from CFB Trenton to Toronto. It earned its name because its the route fallen troops take before heading to the Centre for Forensic Sciences and returned to their families. Since 2002 thousands have stood on overpasses wearing red and holding signs, waiting for the the motorcade to pass. It lets the families know that we're thinking of them and it means so much to them. For the crowd, they feel connected to the family for a few seconds.

Brian and Katie at White Cliffs of Dover

My son, Brian and his girlfriend, Katie are over in England for a few weeks. Actually Katie is from London. This past weekend Katie's brother took them on a short camping trip over to a place I believe is called "Little" Switzerland...nope not in Switzerland..but in England and the White Cliffs of Dover are located in the vicinity. I hope I am getting this right but anyhow I wanted to show you the White Cliffs and leave a little blurb about them below. And Brian did see France from these Cliffs.

White Cliffs of Dover..................

The white cliffs of Dover are cliffs which form part of the British coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. The cliffs are part of the North Downs formation. The cliff face, which reaches up to 106 metres high, owes its striking façade to its composition of chalk (pure white calcium carbonate) accentuated by streaks of black flint. The cliffs spread east and west from the town of Dover in the county of Kent, an ancient and still important English port.
The cliffs have great symbolic value for Britain because they face towards Continental Europe across the narrowest part of the English Channel, where invasions have historically threatened and against which the cliffs form a symbolic guard. Because crossing at Dover was the primary route to the continent before air travel, the white line of cliffs also formed the first (or last) sight of the UK for travellers.

Purple Pretty

I just love flowers. And these are just some that I have around the house. I went with purple and pink again this year. So many color choices to choose from and so many different kinds of flowers too. I hope my sisters will enjoy the flowers that I chose this year.

Happy 4th of July - Independence Day

I remember as a child growing up, we celebrated the 4th by watching the local fireworks. My mom and dad would pack up the car and we sometimes would take some bagged popcorn with us to munch on. We would go toward our destination and park on the hill with others that parked there as well. We would wait for it to get dark and we would ask our parents, " When is it going to start?" We would always say it over and over. I'm sure that it annoyed them but they didn't show it. They told us it would be soon. (which to me seemed forever) But they always put on a good fireworks display. Then when I became a parent to 2 wonderful boys...we would take them down to the Fairgrounds and watch the display...they seemed much closer and you felt like they were going to land on you. There were years that they would bring in Hot Air Balloons over the 4th. We would take our boys down and watch them go up into the air and sometimes, if we were able to....we would follow them with our car. They would do this the whole weekend, weather permitting. Well I hope everyone has a Happy 4th of July this year. I am in Canada now, but I do have my memories of celebrating it as a child and as an adult.

Another Year Older

Well it is another year older for my dad and mom. Their birthdays were a few days back, well almost a week since my dad's. My dad turned 81 on June 28th and my mom turned 75 on July 1st. My nieces made them a birthday cake to celebrate both. In the top photo...that is when they were much younger, but can't tell you what age they were. And no, neither one of those young gals in the picture are of me. It is my 2 sisters that come up to visit me once a year....Donna and Wendy. And of course the bottom picture is of my parents taken only a few days back. I am so happy that they are still around and able to celebrate their special birthdays each year. Happy Birthday Forever, Mom and Dad!!

Cloud Watching

Strange subject, but as a kid growing up, my sister and I would lie flat on our backs and look up toward the sky and gaze at the clouds. We really enjoyed it. What made it fun was looking for different shapes and things and then calling them off as you see them. I would say to my sister..."Did you see that horse up there?" and she would look for it and say, "Oh yeah, now I see it." We use to do that alot to occupy our time. As you know, we lived out in the countryside on a farm. We had alot of time on our hands and we had to think up fun things to do. Not like what kids do today...play video games, go to the mall to hang out, etc. But during our time, we had to be creative and make up fun things to do and see.

And today, I still gaze up toward the skies...I go out on my back deck and sit back in my comfy chair and look at all the clouds and I even see planes dart back and forth. The skies up here are crystal blue clear during a really nice day. Maybe because we are down by the Lake. Most clouds are to the North of us and they tend to float down later in the afternoon hours. But it's fun also to watch the planes...they are either coming from or to Toronto Pearson's Airport. And they to will disappear beneath the clouds. So it's a nice day up here today and I think I will go out and gaze at the sky and clouds...and maybe a plane or two.

"Oh, Canada!"

O Canada!Our home and native land!True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

This is a tribute and a thank you for my Canadian friends that have welcomed me in to their country to live as a "permanent" resident. Happy Canada Day My Canadian Friends and also to my Canadian hubby!

Happy Canada Day!

On June 20, 1868, a proclamation signed by the Governor General, Lord Monck, called upon all Her Majesty's loving subjects throughout Canada to join in the celebration of the anniversary of the formation of the union of the British North America provinces in a federation under the name of Canada on July 1st.
The July 1 holiday was established by statute in 1879, under the name Dominion Day.
There is no record of organized ceremonies after this first anniversary, except for the 50th anniversary of Confederation in 1917, at which time the new Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings, under construction, was dedicated as a memorial to the Fathers of Confederation and to the valour of Canadians fighting in the First World War in Europe.
The next celebration was held in 1927 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Confederation. It was highlighted by the laying of the cornerstone by the Governor General of the Confederation Building on Wellington Street and the inauguration of the Carillon in the Peace Tower.
Since 1958, the government has arranged for an annual observance of Canada's national day with the Secretary of State of Canada in charge of the coordination. The format provided for a Trooping the Colours ceremony on the lawn of Parliament Hill in the afternoon, a sunset ceremony in the evening followed by a mass band concert and fireworks display.
Another highlight was Canada's Centennial in 1967 when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II attended the celebrations with Parliament Hill again being the backdrop for a large scale official ceremony.
The format changed in 1968 with the addition of multicultural and professional concerts held on Parliament Hill including a nationally televised show. Up until 1975, the focus of the celebrations, under the name "Festival Canada", was held in the National Capital Region during the whole month of July and involved numerous cultural, artistic and sport activities, as well as municipalities and voluntary organizations. The celebration was cancelled in 1976 but was reactivated in 1977.
A new formula was developed in 1980 whereby the National Committee (the federal government organization charged with planning Canada's Birthday celebrations) stressed and sponsored the development of local celebrations all across Canada. "Seed money" was distributed to promote popular and amateur activities organized by volunteer groups in hundreds of local communities. The same approach was also followed for the 1981 celebrations with the addition of fireworks displays in 15 major cities across the nation.
On October 27, 1982, July 1st which was known as "Dominion Day" became "Canada Day".
Since 1985, Canada Day Committees are established in each province and territory to plan, organize and coordinate the Canada Day celebrations locally. Grants are provided by the Department to those committees.