Like so many others, I was saddened when I awoke this morning and learned of the passing of the wonderful Rita MacNeil.
I got to know Rita beginning in the late 1980’s when her fame catapulted her into international stardom. However, she always came home. Home I’ll Be.
It became tradition for Rita to visit Truro every September for a concert performance. It was my pleasure to be the local coordinator for those shows, which were always quick sell-outs. As the organizer of the Truro performances, one of my duties was to arrange catering for her dressing room. The list of requested items ranged from her favourite tea to bottled water to fruit and vegetable trays. However, there was a stipulation on the vegetable tray; NO CAULIFLOWER. As I visited with Rita in her dressing room prior to the performance, she thanked me for the care that had been taken ...
Commander Chris Hadfield sent this great picture back from the International Space Station today, taken as it passed over Nova Scotia. You can see Truro in the upper right corner and Halifax in the lower left.
Colchester County Mayor Bob Taylor has been smiling a lot recently…and for good reason.
I’ve encountered His Worship several times in the past couple of weeks, and always at the same location; The Rath Eastlink Community Centre. He’s been dropping by there a lot lately, just to chat with all the happy people.
Our most recent encounter was Sunday morning. I had gone to watch my grandson play hockey and also to do a few laps on the walking track with my wife….and dozens of others!
Huge crowds are turning out for even the smallest of events at the Centre’s Community Credit Union Arena. In fact, Bob and I shared the same bewilderment on Sunday morning around 9:30 when we arrived at the Centre and found the lower parking lot practically full, with a large number of vehicles parked in the upper lot, near the fitness centre entrance. All that ...
The “loonie’ has been around for a while now. In fact, it was first introduced 25 years ago! Time flies, eh? (How’s that for some authentic “Canadian”?)
This past week, when I got change at a store, something appeared to be different about a loonie I received. Upon close inspection, I noticed the famous Montreal Canadiens’ logo on the coin. I had not seen that coin before, even though it’s been in circulation for a while.
It turns out the coin was minted in celebration of the famous hockey club’s 100th anniversary. According to the mint, there are ten million of them in circulation. Still, this was the first one I had seen.
Now, the surprise. Although that coin is only worth face value during a transaction, I discovered that coin collectors are paying close to four dollars for it.
I think I’ll hold on to it for a ...
Well, it’s back to work after a nine-day vacation.
Normally, people (including me) are quick to complain when things go wrong. However, in this case, things went “right”.
First, Angie and I thought we had lost our travel investment when we cancelled a planned flight to warmer weather. Then, we were informed that, even though we would not get our money back, the airline gave us a travel credit for use within the next year. Nice surprise!
I was aware of an impending date with my mechanic for an inevitable brake job. Since the warning lights were on and I was hearing noises, I was braced for a bill of several hundred dollars. Imagine my surprise when he told me that the brake pads and rotors just needed some cleaning and adjustment which, in the end, cost very little. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. My mechanic always treats ...