Heritage Square

   A few posts ago I set out to get some photos of Heritage Square. That is before I came up over a berm and through some trees to find a spray park. That is before a did some tricks on my bike that people liked. So those posts had to be done before this one.

    So here is our Heritage Square. Our heritage Square is a work in progress. There is room for it to grow but by the looks of it people have lost interest in adding on to the square. 

    I really wanted to get the Loft House. I found it hard to photograph as I ran out of room. I found that is was far more interesting inside than outside. It is filled with all kinds of all things Norse. Of course it has a gift shop. The facility is open during the summer months.

The entrance with flags. I missed the sodded roof which is a feature of this house.

     An interesting little building which was rescued before it was destroyed is the first store that opened in Red Deer. It had been moved several times and was being used as a storage shed behind a downtown business. It's hard to believe that business was carried on in this small 14 by 20 building.

The original store in Red Deer

  This is a close replica of the first Red Deer school. It has been set up inside so that classes can be taught.

This is not a very large building

Fine workmanship went into this replica as I'm sure went into the original.

 Now I shouldn't tell you that there are two steeples from local churches. The steeples were rescued before the churches were demolished.

I Can Still Draw a Crowd.

    I like most people appreciate an audience when I perform!

    I have ridden my bike about 28000 km since 1988. I average over 1000 km per summer.

     With 28000 km there are chances for an accident or two. I've had some. I only had one major accident and that was only a very bad  bruise and lots of road rash. 

     A few nights ago I had a small tumble( more like stumble) on my bike. No harm was done... two little road rashes. 

     I was using a cross walk to get to the traffic light where I could press the button for a walk light that would let me cross the street safely. Cars are in the process of making a right turn when you're in the little cross walk. I had checked for cars and I didn't see anybody I thought was making a right turn. When I was crossing I saw a vehicle making the right turn and I didn't think it was going to stop. I took evasive action which turned out to be awkward and down I went. 

    My fall must have been interesting to say the least as two cars stopped to ask if I was okay and two cyclists stopped as well. So I drew a crowd. 

    Now what I'm really pleased about is that four people stopped to see if I was all right. I appreciate their caring and concern. I feel better about this place that people do care. I just wish the first car that blew by making the right turn had stopped. I would have had some things to say to him/her!

    I also look back and think how fortunate I've been doing something I really like and being safe.

    Now this is one that I don't have any pictures of.

     Some blogger comments recently were about laughing when some one falls. I'm sure they would have laughed at me when I fell the other night.

I just Discovered That I've Been Living Under a Toadstool

     I few days ago I was walking through part of downtown to a place where I wanted to get some photos. When I walk through downtown I take many short cuts. I cross parking lots diagonally. I go through back alleys. I go between buildings. I go through buildings I do all of this to get to the place I want to go. I'm not quite as bad as my friend Walter, because he goes through people's yards.

     So the other day I came up over a berm and through some trees and I saw something I had never seen and I didn't know what it was. I had seen construction at the location for about six months but it's behind the trees. I had read about the site in the paper , but I did not remember what it was.

    What I saw looked like large plastic colorful flowers. I immediately began taking pictures so that I could make an identification. There was no one at the scene so I couldn't ask about the site.

    So here are the photos. You tell me what this is. No peeking now!

   

So, a poor picture but you see the flowers

Rocks and a trail

More rocks. Man did I stink on these pictures

More flowers

       So I asked some one a few blocks away and they told me that it was the city's new spray park! Am I out of it?

      Now that I know what this is, I'm wondering if I could go there at night when no one's around so that I could try the Spray Park. I wouldn't want to be seen as that might be embarrassing!

Again, the Reluctant Handyman.

     Once again I've had one of those handyman jobs that I dislike. I've posted on this topic before.

      There are many little repair jobs that crop up around the average home. There are people who are in business and they fix the things that fall apart. They are usually good but when they're bad they really stink. When we first moved into this house we needed a repair to the oven. The reluctant repairman (me) was not practicing then. An appliance repair man came to the house to repair the oven. A bill was paid and when we checked the oven it still didn't work. The appliance repairman came back and said, "Oh your oven element has to be pushed in." A service call was charged. So the debate was should I pay for the first call and repairs that were not needed. After a vigorous argument we did not have to pay for the first call where nothing was actually repaired. Maybe this is why we became leery of appliance repairmen and I started to do repairs.

    Now I don't have a mechanical aptitude. I'm not good with my hands or tools. I don't like doing repairs.

    But there I was the other day with just a little job. The washers on the bathtub taps were leaking. So the parts were 98 cents(a dollar here  because we don't have pennies). So would you calla repair man for a $105.00 service fee? Of course not.

Some of the parts.

Now I think I should do something with that tile color.

    So here I am taking taps apart and replacing washers and voila no more leaks.

It's Tomato Time Here

    I love tomatoes. I love to grow them. I love to eat them. And I love to cook with them. And I've posted previously on tomatoes.

     My tomatoes have started ripening in the last week or ten days. I know some people have been posting that their  tomatoes are finished. But for here this is the right time for tomatoes to ripen.

Tomatoes just starting to turn

    I plant my tomatoes on the south side of a brick house. The soil has warmed up in the spring. It is warmer on the south side of the house and they  are protected from early frosts.

I can't wait for these to ripen!

    I keep my tomatoes going until Sept. 30. I know I have to baby them from frosts so I do some covering. They do produce in Sept. but very slowly. 

Cherry tomatoes

    I love eating fresh tomatoes. As a kid I would reach into a box of tomatoes my Mom had and take two or three and eat them like apples. This was the after school snack. Now I just make sure I have tomatoes for two meals a day.

And here we go!

    When my tomatoes ripen faster than I can eat them, I freeze them. For freezing , I wash them, take out the two ends and put them in a bag and throw them in the deep freeze. You can take the skins off the tomatoes by dropping them in hot water for 30 sec. of so. The skin comes off very easily and you don't have to contend with a skin that doesn't cook. When I want tomatoes for cooking later on I just bring out a bag of tomatoes and I'm in business. 

    So this is a time of year that I look forward to and enjoy a special treat from my garden.

Three Strikes and Josh is Out

       Now I keep saying that Josh was frugal , but he didn't mind going after something that he really wanted. Josh wanted a 50 th anniversary Corvette  and he bought one...a cherry red one.

     Now I went for my regular visit to Josh. After a few days he asked me if I'd like to drive his Corvette. Now I know many people would pay money to drive a Corvette. Me? I wouldn't touch it. If I put a tiny scratch in it I would be doomed for life. I don't think Josh really wanted me to test his car.

     So he asked me to come for  ride in his Corvette.  His driveway was gravel and there was a half kilometer of gravel to the pavement. He eased the car over the gravel at a walk as there is very little clearance so even one little bump and the bottom of the Corvette would drag. We turned on the highway which was a well paved road with wide shoulders. Josh wasn't that familiar with the car so some experimentation was done with some of the controls.

     We cruised about 10 km down the road. I saw Josh take a good long look behind and then forward. There was no traffic ahead. That's when he floored the Corvette and it roared into action. . In no time the Corvette was at 180 kph (110 mph).

    Now I'm not that keen on speed. I can take it or leave it . Speed is not a thrill for me. We soon slowed down and found a place to turn around and return home.

   So for a third time I survived an incident with Josh at the controls... my one and only ride in a Corvette.

    So three strikes and your out Josh.

Josh Has Another Trick to do me in

    Josh is a very competent and competitive tennis player. He spends winters in Arizona and plays tennis as much as he can . One spring he brought a ball machine back to Canada.

    I know about tennis rackets,  balls and court . I played with my son when he was a kid. I either hit home runs out of the park or smash the ball into the net. My tennis experience is very brief.

    I retired June 30 1997 and would receive my first pension check July 26.

    We went out to see Josh. He mumbled about the ball machine and that he had been too busy to set up  and adjust. So one day I offered to help him with the ball machine. So balls are shooting out on the opposite side of the net  so they have to be picked up. Then I thought it would be easier to take my racket and knock the balls back. Next thing I knew I was getting pointers on playing tennis. The ball machine worked  very well and getting a good workout. Somebody else was getting a workout.

    It was a hot muggy morning with a temperature of 35 C (95 F) in the sun. Finally I had to say that's enough. We secured the ball machine and went home. I we sweating profusely, weak and a little wiggly. I'd had more than enough tennis. I wondered if I'd live to collect my first pension check and ribbed Josh that he was trying to do away with me before I got my first pension check. 

   I wish it had been cool that morning. I may have stayed long enough to pick up some tennis skills to be able to play well enough to make it fun. Who knows ? My whole life could have been different.