For our American Friends:
Still Champions of the Free World.
“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
John F. Kennedy’s
Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961
/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/world/2021/01/19/us-inauguration-day-2021-a-schedule-of-events-and-ceremonies/national_mall.jpg?w=1280&ssl=1)
From deep hurt to profound hope.
Let’s get to work.
Rose and I have seen more of Alberta in the last year than ever before.
We had different plans prior to Covid.
Those are on the shelf for now.
So Rose figured a couple of days in the Drumheller area would be fun.
She was right.
Drumheller is about 86 miles from Calgary – that’s about 1:40 minute drive.
No problem (unless it’s winter).
On the way this is what you’ll see. Prairie. The Great Plains.
Interrupted only by occasional valleys, coulees, rivers …
The Glaciers of the Ice Age swept the earth and created these vast fertile farmlands.
As you near Drumheller you encounter Horseshoe Canyon.
Us Canadians love signs. We’ve got signs for everything.
But notice that message on the bottom left?
“If you find a fossil, leave it where it is.
Please take a photo and contact us.”
“Alberta has some of the strictest fossil protection laws in the world. The fossilized remains of plants and animals, or traces of their activities, are protected under the Government of Alberta’s Historical Resources Act. Violation of the Act is punishable by fines of up to $50,000 and/or one year in prison.”
https://tyrrellmuseum.com/research/found_a_fossil#:~:text=The%20fossilized%20remains%20of%20plants,important%20as%20the%20fossil%20itself.
Before this law, in the mid 60’s I removed many fossils
and had an enviable collection.
Eventually, when we moved to New Brunswick,
I boxed up the whole lot and took them along.
After I left home and came back to Alberta my mother
donated my whole collection to a local school.
I can therefore testify that some school in New Brunswick has one of the finest collection
of dinosaur bones and fossils in the Maritimes.
I was no slob at what I did.
Below: Google aerial view of Horseshoe Canyon.
I never fossil hunted in Horseshoe Canyon however.
Why? Because it is picked over by the many people that go there.
You’d be very lucky to find anything.
There are some nice short and pretty easy hikes in the Canyon.
Just take some water. It can be hot down there in the Badlands.
I ventured into these Badlands of the Drumheller area hundreds of times.
And saw many areas that I felt no other person had ever seen.
An enjoyable adventure for a young lad.
Just watch out for these guys:
They have barbs and can go right through your shoe.
And these guys.
More coming …
Available on Netflix now.
Trailer here:
“She needs to laugh and dream. She needs new memories.” 
https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/tom-hanks-news-of-the-world-coming-to-netflix-internationally/
The Dolphins / It’s a Beautiful Day
All hands on deck!
Child of Clay / Jimmie Rodgers
Honeycomb ( 1957 )
James Frederick Rodgers (born September 18, 1933 in Camas, Washington)
Kisses Sweeter Than Wine (1957)
An American singer. Rodgers had a run of hits and mainstream popularity in the 1950s and 1960s. His string of crossover singles ranked highly on the Billboard Pop Singles, Hot Country and Western Sides, and Hot Rhythm and Blues Sides charts; in the 1960s, Rodgers had more modest successes with adult contemporary music.
Oh Oh, I’m Falling In Love Again (1958)
He is not related to the earlier country singer Jimmie C. Rodgers, who coincidentally died the same year the younger Rodgers was born.
It’s Over (1966)
Among country audiences, and in his official songwriting credits, the younger Rodgers is often known as Jimmie F. Rodgers to differentiate the two.
English Country Garden
A wonderful voice.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmie_Rodgers_(pop_singer)
Love Song / Elton John
Welcome to my long – long time friend, Brigita Kmera.
You are most Welcome.
My sincere apology to others who have joined me here over the time,
but whom I have not extended an appropriate Welcome.
Your company is much appreciated.
Do not hesitate to comment.
There are no Demi Gods around here.
A covid free blog!
I’ve always said that you identify the Greatness and Stature of a man – or woman – by the number of inspired Quotations they leave us.
I could easily have filled several pages with the Quotations of Abraham Lincoln.
And one of the tests of Wisdom is how well such Quotations apply over time.
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
―
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
―
“My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side,
for God is always right.”
―
“I would rather be a little nobody, then to be a evil somebody.”
―
“Character is like a tree and reputation its shadow. The shadow is what we think it is
and the tree is the real thing.”
―
“The best way to predict your future is to create it.”
―
“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”
―
“Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.”
―
“The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.”
―
“A house divided against itself cannot stand.” I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other.”
―
“Stand with anyone that is right; stand with him while he is right
and part with him when he goes wrong.”
―
https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/229.Abraham_Lincoln?page=1
(September 8, 1897 – May 26, 1933)
Jimmie Rodgers was an American singer-songwriter and musician who rose to popularity in the late 1920s. Widely regarded as “the Father of Country Music”, he is best known for his distinctive rhythmic yodeling. Unusual for a music star of his era, Rodgers rose to prominence based upon his recordings, among country music’s earliest, rather than concert performances – which followed to similar public acclaim.
He has been cited as an inspiration by many artists and inductees into various halls of fame across both country music and the blues, in which he was also a pioneer. Among his other popular nicknames are “The Singing Brakeman” and “The Blue Yodeler”.
There are many versions of this Rodgers Country Classic. This is a fairly recent one by Boz Scaggs and Duane Allman.
Jimmie Rodgers -Today
written by Randy Sparks
Today while the blossoms still cling to the vine
I’ll taste your strawberries, I’ll drink your sweet wine
A million tomorrows shall all pass away
Ere I forget all the joy that is mine today
I’ll be a dandy and I’ll be a rover
You’ll know who I am by the song that I sing
I’ll feast at your table and I’ll lie in your clover
Who knows what the tomorrow mayl bring?
Today while the blossoms still cling to the vine
I’ll taste your strawberries, I’ll drink your sweet wine
A million tomorrows shall all pass away
Ere I forget all the joy that is mine today
I can’t be contented with yesterday’s glory
And I can’t live on promises winter to spring
Oh, Today is my moment and here is my story
I’ll laugh and I’ll cry and I’ll sing
Today while the blossoms still cling to the vine
I’ll taste your strawberries, I’ll drink your sweet wine
A million tomorrows shall all pass away
Ere I forget all the joy that is mine today
Don’t misunderstand what I said yesterday.
Those who attacked the Capital must be arrested and taken to trial.
Likewise, I had been saying for a long time that Donald Trump is mentally ill.
It’s been very evident that he is incapable of rational thought or debate.
Therefore unfit to be President
and should have been removed long before now.
Nobody seemed to be listening.
But since (President) Biden seems reticent to go along with
either Impeachment or the 25th Amendment
I then wondered if this stance wasn’t a wiser way to go?
Since Trump would soon be gone anyway
such actions would not incense his followers to more violence.
Yet, to this very moment Trump has still not stated that
that the Election was not “rigged” or “stolen”.
Therefore this situation will continue.
And who know what mischief he may still get up to even now?
Impeachment is necessary
as it will deny him any right to run any political office.
The 25th Amendment should have been invoked
long before now.
Why would a Canadian care so much about this?
Because I care for America and it’s People.
Very deeply.
This has truly been a tragic and sad time.
There is much to learn.
From a political viewpoint, The United States of America
is still the Champion of the Free World.
If America goes down,
we all go down.
We can’t let that happen.
Good will to all and may all events play out for the better.
Harmony is more important than being right.
This simple statement of Wisdom applies
to Ourselves, our Family, and to our Countries.
Yes, we’d like to hang certain people –
and they may well deserve it.
But …
is that the best thing we can do?
In the interests and impact it has overall?
Often not.
Justice will prevail.
Always.
And that will be administered
from a Higher Court than us.
Believe me.
Down here, let us all do and and consider do the Wisest thing.
For the greater good.
I hope you will all be well.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance / Gene Pitney
1970
Don’t be dismayed folks. It’s just fake blood.
From a fake person.
Thanks for the gift of these two gems Kris.
Here comes that rainbow again
Kris Kristofferson
(Inspired by “The Grapes of Wrath”
The scene was a small roadside cafe,
the waitress was sweepin’ the floor,
two truck drivers drinkin’ their coffee
and two Okie kids by the door.
“How much are them candies?” they asked her.
“How much have you got?” she replied.
“We’ve only a penny between us.”
“Them’s two for a penny,” she lied.
Chorus:
And the daylight grew heavy with thunder
and the smell of the rain on the wind.
Ain’t it just like a human?
Here comes that rainbow again.
One truck driver called to the waitress
after the kids went outside,
“Them candies ain’t two for a penny.”
“So what’s it to you?” she replied.
In silence they finished their coffee,
got up and nodded goodbye.
She called, “Hey, you left too much money!”
“So what’s it to you?” they replied.
Chorus:
And the daylight grew heavy with thunder
and the smell of the rain on the wind.
Ain’t it just like a human?
Here comes that rainbow again.
jack jones / that’s what friends are for / written by paul williams
Gerry Rafferty (1947 – 2011)
It was a bit of a ruff Christmas for Rose and I.
Shoveling snow after a huge snowstorm here I had a mild heart attack (there is such a thing, right?)
Then Rose slipped and suffered a bad head injury.
She spent 2 days in the hospital undergoing a battery of tests.
She’s out now, but she’s is not going to recover quickly.
This kind of wrecked an already underwhelming Christmas for us.
BUT … we are OK.
On we go.
Confession time:
I was always a huge Doris Day fan.
I was a kid through most of her career, but I loved her.
Still do.
Carry on folks.
A new day awaits.
The weather is definitely “frightful”.
We’ve been lucky up till now.
But we knew it wouldn’t last.
Silver Bells / Doris Day
Out back.
Lots to be done yet!
Rose’s Favorite
STILL one of the best versions of Little Drummer Boy.
No need for theatrics or novel twists when you sing it true.
Another nice version.
Well done!
Murielle Mathieu does everything well and this is very nice version of White Christmas.
“Christmas in Killarney” is an Irish-American Christmas song written by John Redmond, James Cavanaugh, and Frank Weldon, copyright 1950.
There are several excellent versions, but this is my favorite by Dennis Day.
I listened to many different versions of this wonderful Carol, but this version by Susan Boyle is the best.
Why? Because of the reverence and Spiritual feeling she brings to it.
Never take my sunshine away …
Someone to watch over me …
– The Doctor / Robert Picardo
Sleigh Ride / Ella Fitzgerald
Crazy!? It hadn’t snowed here in over 2 weeks. Then after I got the idea to post this song it snowed last night. ??? Can’t have a sleigh ride without snow I guess.
Love this joyous little song.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The orchestral version was first recorded in 1949 by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra. “Sleigh Ride” was a hit record on RCA Victor Red Seal 49-0515 (45 rpm) / 10-1484 (78 rpm), and has become one of the orchestra’s signature songs. The 45 rpm version was originally issued on red vinyl. The Pops have also recorded the song with John Williams, their conductor from 1979 to 1995, and Keith Lockhart, their current conductor.
“Sleigh Ride” was covered by the American girl group the Ronettes. The Phil Spector-produced recording has become the most popular version outside the traditional pop standard genre, charting yearly in Billboard‘s Top Ten U.S. Holiday 100 and was #26 in 2018 in the Hot 100.
Unforgettable / Nat and Natalie Cole
Written in 1945 by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé.
According to Tormé, the song was written in July during a blistering hot summer. In an effort to “stay cool by thinking cool”, the most-performed (according to BMI) Christmas song was born. “I saw a spiral pad on his (Wells’s) piano with four lines written in pencil”, Tormé recalled. “They started, ‘Chestnuts roasting…, Jack Frost nipping…, Yuletide carols…, Folks dressed up like Eskimos.’ Bob didn’t think he was writing a song lyric. He said he thought if he could immerse himself in winter he could cool off. Forty minutes later that song was written. I wrote all the music and some of the lyrics.”
The Nat King Cole Trio first recorded the song in June 1946. At Cole’s behest – and over the objections of his label, Capitol Records – a second recording was made in August utilizing a small string section, this version becoming a massive hit on both the pop and R&B charts. Cole again recorded the song in 1953, using the same arrangement with a full orchestra arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle, and once more in 1961, in a stereophonic version with another full orchestra arranged and conducted by Ralph Carmichael. Cole’s 1961 version is generally regarded as definitive, and in 2004 was the most-loved seasonal song with women aged 30–49, while the original 1946 recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1974.
Masterful. By two Masters.
Merry Christmas.
Hope it won’t be blue for you.
“The West was a place where the improbable happened every day.”
– Louis L’Amour
I’ve always contended that most Movie Stars want to be in a Western at some point in their career.
But for many – especially European Actors – such a dream seemed far fetched. Impossible.
THEN… in the mid 60’s an incredible and unforeseen thing happened:
The Spaghetti Western.
Started by Sergio Leone – and spearheaded by Clint Eastwood‘s Star Power.
the door was flung wide open.
And the rage was on.
Wikipedia: “Over six hundred European Westerns were made between 1960 and 1978.”
Shalako was shot in Almería, Spain.
This explains a lot about the it’s spectacular Cast.
Sean Connery (Scottish) as Moses Zebulon ‘Shalako’ Carlin
Brigitte Bardot (French) as Countess Irina Lazaar
Jack Hawkins (English) as Sir Charles Daggett
Stephen Boyd (Irish) as Bosky Fulton
Peter van Eyck (German) as Baron Frederick von Hallstadt
Honor Blackman (English) as Lady Julia Daggett
Woody Strode (American) as Chato
Eric Sykes (English) as Mako
Alexander Knox (Canadian) as Sen. Henry Clarke
Valerie French (English) as Elena Clarke
Julián Mateos (Spanish) as Rojas
Don “Red” Barry (American)as Buffalo
Rodd Redwing (American) as Chato’s Father
An amazing cross section of Cultural Thespian wannabe Cowboys!
Dig this:
Leone wanted to cast James Coburn for A Fistful of Dollars.
But Coburn was asking $25,000.
Leone couldn’t afford him!!
Clint only wanted $15,000.
The West is history.
Coburn did later Star in a couple of Spaghetti Westerns:
– Duck you sucker/Fistfull of Dynamite – (1971)
and – A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die – (1972)
Not to mention that he Starred in 2 of the greatest Westerns ever made:
– The Magnificent Seven (1960)
and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973)
Not bad at all.
Coming up … more on this remarkable Cast.
Ventura Highway / America / 1972
The lyrics to Farnon’s theme were surprisingly written by British Carry On star Jim Dale and while being rather ‘Tin Pan Alley’ they hopefully don’t detract from Farnon’s excellent score.
Sean Connery made one Western:
Adapted from the novel by the great Western writer Louis L’Amour,
Shalako was part of the Spaghetti Western craze of that time.
Location shooting took place in Almería in southern Spain, particularly in the Tabernas Desert
which was frequently used in European Westerns during the decade.
Shalako wasn’t a great Western, but it had one outstanding feature:
It’s amazing Star Power, which included:
Sean Connery (Scottish), Brigitte Bardot (French),
Jack Hawkins (English), Steven Boyd (Irish), Eric Sykes (English),
Honor Blackman (English), Woody Strode (American),
Valerie French (not French) and others …
Reviews:
Reviews were generally mediocre. But I think this could be one of those movies that fares better with time.
Why? But because of Shalako‘s amazing Cast/Star Power.
Which is pretty well unmatched by most movies made these days,
Because of this I give it a 7 out of 10.
Part 2? I’m going to look at this interesting Cast a bit more.
I haven’t posted much lately. I have indeed been working on a couple of projects that just won’t come together to my satisfaction. (I always am). And because I don’t like to throw something up on the board I’ve holding them back. One project is called Sir Sean Connery / Cowboy. Sean did make ONE Western. It wasn’t highly rated, but it is still very interesting because it’s spectacular Star Power: Sean Connery, Brigitte Bardot, “Jack” Hawkins CBE, Stephen Boyd, Honor Blackman, Woody Strode, Eric Sykes, Valerie French, and more. Because of this some movies seem to be more interesting over time than there initial entrance.
Sean did his usual credible work and was believable in his role
but the film just didn’t find it’s place among Western Classics.
I think it’s still worth a watch though because of it’s wonderful Cast.
Anyway, I’ll be getting something up here soon.
Thanks for your patience.
The Ark / Gerry Rafferty
See!? things could be worse.
OK folks …
As promised I’ve got a new Word Press Theme for my Blog.
It’s called Bloggy.
Yep, you read that right. Bloggy.
Kind suits me.
I’m a bit Bloggy most of the time.
Anyway, I hope this will cure my recent ills.
Let me know please.
Thanks.
The Peace Song / Jesse Colin Young
Reposted from
… there is an old Marine poem… it says: ‘When I get to heaven, To St. Peter I will tell, Another Marine reporting sir, I’ve served my time in hell.” ______ Eugene Sledge, USMC veteran of Peleliu & Okinawa
I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze
A young Marine saluted it, and then
He stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He’d stand out in any crowd.
I thought, how many men like him
Had fallen through the years?
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers’ tears?
How many Pilots’ planes shot down?
How many foxholes were soldiers’ graves?
No, Freedom is not free.
I heard the sound of taps one night,
When everything was still.
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That taps had meant “Amen”
When a flag had draped a coffin
of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
at the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, Freedom isn’t free!!
by: Kelly Strong, posted at vietvet.org
For Remembrance of the Pacific War, from: “The Voice of the Angels” newspaper of the 11th Airborne Association
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Looks like I’ll have to put ol’ Betsy down.
She’s been really good for me over the years, but now it seems her times has come.
I’ve been getting feedback that there’s problems with my blog. Some folks can’t see the comments or the Like button they say. Also I’ve been having a heck of a time getting ANY videos to work properly. Furthermore the Indicator that used tell me that somebody had commented isn’t working.
My WP blog Theme called Bueno is out of date. It’s been discarded by WP and is not used and is unavailable. I’ve persisted with it because it’s worked fine up till now. But I recently had to update my account because I ran outta room here. Combined with Jetpack things just aren’t working quite right. SO I guess I have to update to a newer Theme. I experimented with this a while ago and couldn’t find one that worked for me. But …
Hope to get things operating properly soon.
Thank You.
Johnnie / The Chad Mitchell Trio
9 to 12 April 1917
Canadians: 10,602 casualties: 3,598 killed and 7,004 wounded.
Expected October 1, 2021
Eclipse / Dark Side of the Moon / Pink Floyd
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
― Dune
I’m a Dune fan too.
I’ve read Dune (1965) Dune Messiah (1969) Children of Dune (1976)
and consider them to be Spiritually inspired works.
I can easily why they are considered major Science Fiction Classics
and why they appeal to so many.
Most film adaptations and mini-series have been excellent.
Now comes a new adaptation.
I look forward to it.
Wilderness / Taylor Davis
Along Ochre Creek …
… we find a tangled mess of timber in the stream.
Spring runoff must be spectacular here.Finally … the Paint Pots
2 small green ponds and a Paint Pot (right).
Ever seen a green pond like this?
And that’s not the reflection from the trees.
A unique environment.
There’s the Paint Pot.
The Ochre Paint Pot spring.
One day to be a choke cone?
Heading back …
Mountain Spring High · Gabriel LewisJust before the Paint Pots on
Ye Old Ochre Trail
we encounter the Choke Cones.
Sign image borrowed from the Net.
What are Choke Cones you might ask?
Sign says:
This “choked” cone resulted from the accumulation
of iron oxide or hydroxide around the rim of a pool.
As the rim grew, the pool deepened. The increased
pressure of water in the pool became greater than the
force of water in the spring causing the spring to
seek a new outlet. When this happened, the pot
eventually dried up, forming a “choked” cone.
The Kootenay Choke Cones appear to be of little or no interest to anybody
as I could find no images and little information about them on the net.
We, ourselves, marched blithely past them like cityslicker robots
without taking a photo.
The image above is stolen off the wonderful Google Maps.
So I hope I’m not boring everybody to death with this stuff.
BUT!
just in case you ARE interested at all …
check this out.
Just click on the link below.
Voila! – the entire virtual Kootenay Paint Pots Hike !!!!
And you can do it must faster than we did.
Incredible.
Next:
At the Pots
