A Silent Hero

Most little girls look up to their fathers as their knight in shining armor and want to marry someone just like them.  Fathers keep us safe from dragons under the bed, goblins in the closet and carry us when our feet are too tired to walk anymore.  Fathers are heroes from the day we are born, to when we get married and beyond.  Fathers never stop being there for us even when we marry a man just like him.

Dad giving me away at my September 2011 wedding

What is the official definition of a hero?  According to dictionary.com the official definition of a hero is: “a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities”.  For me I believe a father falls under this same definition with unconditional love added.  My dad falls under this definition times ten.

My dad is everybody’s friend.  If someone needs help moving, building a cabin or chopping wood he will be the first one to volunteer.  He is life of every party and family gathering.  All of his friends would call him the truest of friends and each consider him the best friend they could ever have.  Some would even consider him more of a brother then their own.  He is the glue that holds us all together.

In 2001 my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer and went into remission in 2002.  He fought a battle and won all while maintaining his spirit.

In July 2011 he was diagnosed with esophagus cancer.  He has endured radiation, chemo and surgery bravely to fight this second round of cancer.  He had more courage than ten men put together when the doctors told him the cancer had moved to his shoulder.

He fights bravely every day in battle against this disease, never letting his spirit falter.   He is always the first one to say, “What is the difference between this time and the last?  I’ll make it through this!”

Dad and I at a family BBQ August 2012

My Dad, My Hero!

B

** This blog was inspired by Plinky prompt “Who is your greatest hero of all time?” **

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The Wonders of Quebec

Over the May long weekend D and I had the pleasure of traveling to Montreal and Quebec City, Quebec, Canada to visit D’s brother M. We were able to see the Eastern Townships on our way to Quebec City on Saturday.

Church in Cowansville, Quebec

The architecture of this build was just awe-inspiring. The scenery was amazing along the Eastern Townships. The grass and the trees were so green and lush.

Lush country side

I honestly cannot decide what was better-the scenery on the way or the old European style buildings. I believe that both were equally stunning in their own way. It took us most of Saturday to travel to Quebec City. Normally it would only take  a couple of hours. But we figured since we only had 3 days to see the province we would make the most of it. We arrived in Quebec City at about 4 eastern standard time.

Old town Quebec was absolutely stunning. When we stepped into Old Town it was like we were transported to Paris.

Church in old town Quebec

Stunning old building

I think the best part of  Old Town was the mural that was painted on the side of a building. The work was very seamless and if you stood in front of the mural it looked like you were actually in it, in your picture. The mural was so big that couldn’t fit it all in one picture. So I took sections of the mural that I found most interesting.

Part of the mural

Middle of the mural

Last bit of the mural

Me in the mural

Next the stop on our to do list for Old Town Quebec was the majestic Chateau Frontenac. It looked like it was transported here directly from Europe. In the late 19th century, William Van Horne, General Manager of Canadian Pacific  Railway, began building the hotel as the ideal stopover for CP travelers. Van Horne retained the services of American architect Bruce Price. Drawing on the architectural styles of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Price immortalized the history of the two great powers that had occupied Quebec City’s highest promontory.  Just standing outside the front doors make any person feel like royalty.

Chateau Frontenac

Although the weekend was fast paced, I feel that we saw all the best of Quebec.

Where will my photos take me next?

B 😀

Political Correctness gone wrong: Animal ethicists shun “p” word

In an article  from Global Edmonton, a new academic journal states that we should stop using the words “pet” , “wildlife”, “vermin” because they are derogatory. The journal even suggests that “animal” is a “term of abuse.

The academic journal also states that by changing how we address animals (or in their case non-human species) by their noun will change how people act and think.

Who really is being offended by these simple terms? According to the journal animals could be offended but the bigger picture is how we treat animals. They are saying that the way we address a “non-human species” relates to how we will treat our pet (or in their case companion animal). However, a linguistics professor states that in changing words it is not a guarantee that people will change how they treat their pets.

The journal has also decided that similes such as “drunk as a skunk”, “eat like a pig”, “sly as a fox” etc are also derogatory and we should stop using them immediately.

The new journal has created a public outcry that political correctness has been taken too far this time. The new politically correct terms of “spring sphere”,”Happy Holidays” and now “companion animal” have taken this topic way too far. In the end would an animal really notice if it is called a “pet”, “wildlife” OR  “companion animal”, “free-living” respectively.

Animal ethicists shun ‘p’ word-the full article

B 😀

Spring is in the air or so we think

What is spring? That is what many of us here in Canada have been asking ourselves for several months now.

I know spring is finally here when:

You can smell rain instead of snow mold

You see robins jumping about

You hear songbirds in the morning

But most importantly there is no SNOW on the ground.

But for us prairie provinces we don’t release a shout of joy for spring until the beginning of June. Our weather can change drastically, within hours, if you just look at mother nature wrong. We can go from sunny skies to an all out blizzard. On the other hand we can get a down pour of rain when thirty minutes ago it was bright and blue.

For example, just when our friends of Manitoba thought spring was here to stay mother nature hit them with a snow storm that resulted in another 30 cm of snow.

Here in Alberta we are holding spring firmly in our hands waiting for the solstice to bring us summer. Right now we will continue the ritual of  watching the weather channel, holding our breaths and releasing  it with a big sigh when we hear there is just sunny skies in our forecast.

However, just for now I think I’ll keep my winter gear ready. You never know what will happen tomorrow till you look out the window.

B 😀

Need to Know

Alright, I think I have set myself up for some wonderful shots and some amazing blogs! In this blog I will explain a little about the pages at the top.

HOME: This is where you can find my blogs.

PHOTO OF THE MONTH: I will post my best photo at the end of each month for the month.

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT: Here you will find small requests about commenting. Please read before commenting on a blog.

The next blog will be about photography and interesting tidbits about the place I took the photos at.

B 😀