Goodbye Buddy

Another nice evening out and a great way to start the long weekend. We attended a show at Rainbow Stage, out in Kildonan Park, after supper at Sushi Park. The show was called "Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story".

The show covered the time from his difficult entry into Rock and Roll until his untimely death in a plane crash, as an international star, just 18 months later.

Jeff Giles energetic performance as Buddy Holly (as well as the supporting cast) last night was exceptionally good. It was well worth attending with my good wife, Margaret.

Hecla Island

We spent an enjoyable weekend, complete with our dogs, at the pet-friendly Lakeview Resort on Hecla Island. This island on the west shore of Lake Winnipeg was an Icelandic pioneering site originally. Now, it's a provincial park. But the Icelandic heritage is still present, especially in Hecla Village.

For me, the main attraction was photographing the American White Pelicans that spend the summer there.

This is just one of dozens of images I made. Some I've posted to my Flickr page, if you'd like to see more. Just click on the following link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/papa-ellis/with/9136968298/

Happiness is ...

Singin' in the Rain

Last night, we received over 2 inches of rain in about 4 hours. It seemed to be a torrential downpour at times. Luckily, our basement didn't flood. Those of many people in our area did. The storm sewers just couldn't handle the deluge.

We often get storm warnings during the summer, like this from last year.

Last night, we got a severe thunder storm warning, followed immediately by the storm.

We are supposed to get more thunder showers over the next few days. Hopefully, we won't see as much rain as last night.

Although some of our streets were flooded last night, thank goodness, we didn't get the sort of flooding that's occurring in southern Alberta.

There's always at least one clown ...

Last night, I attended a kids' soccer game in the country. I was the unofficial photographer for the grand-kids' team, LaSalle United. My daughter asked me to take a team shot and then shots of individual team members.

Eventually, I did get one shot of the entire team looking at the camera. The shot above is one of the many out-takes where almost everyone was looking somewhere else or hamming it up.

The individual shots were almost as challenging. At least I only had one person to get looking at the camera.

But, we all had some fun together and that's what was important.

If it's not broke ...

... don't fix it. Applies to many things in life, but not the roof of our house. Today, we're getting ours re-shingled even if it's not leaking. The shingles have grown old, especially on the south side of the roof.

So, I'm house-bound today, along with two frightened mutts. Holly's not too concerned but Mollie is scared stiff.  I think she's hiding in one of the closets right now. Same as when they dropped the packages of shingles on the roof the other day.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy said “the time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining”. Well, the sun is shining here, thank goodness. So, the roofers are happy. Me, too.

Best of Friends ...

... Reunion.

Some unknown sage said you don’t need a certain number of friends, just a number of friends you can be certain of. If you were a fan of the TV series, Best of Friends, you'll enjoy the latest show at Celebrations Dinner Theatre, 'Best of Friends Reunion'.

I was fortunate to attend the opening of this show last Friday evening. Great story, singing, and dancing and an equally wonderful cast. Not only that, the 4-course meal was the best I've ever had at this theatre.

Happiness is ...

Dandelion Heaven

Officially, the common name dandelion (from the French dent-de-lion, meaning "lion's tooth") is given to members of the genus Taraxacum. Like other members of the Asteraceae family, they have hundreds of very small florets collected together into a composite flower head.

We just refer to them as "those damn dandelions"!

We spent a fun hour or two yesterday digging them out of our flower beds and our small garden patch. That put a dint in their numbers but there are plenty more to remove yet. The problem is that, if a small portion of their tap root is left in the ground, they will regrow quickly.

There is, of course, a chemical solution to this problem. But, I reserve my remaining 2,4-D for an pebble-covered area along side the house where there are no other valuable plants that might also be damaged. And, with the coming ban on yard chemicals, it won't be an option much longer.

Dandelions are very adapted to lawns.  Ever notice that they only grow high enough so that they won't be cut off when you mow your lawn.

Those damn dandelions!

June is bustin' out all over ...

Oscar Hammerstein wrote the song, later included in the musical, Carousel, produced by Rodgers and Hammerstein. The film version appeared in 1956. See the  following link to relive this time (it's about a 9 minute clip of amazing costumes, and singing and dancing): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khL3AVmPj24.

Here, in my flower beds, June is also busting out all over. I spend an hour or so this morning, photographing some of the beautiful blooms and blossoms around the yard. I'll be uploading some of the images to my Flickr page over the next few days.

Happiness is ...