Where Do I Go?

    I had visitors coming for a few days last week. Quick! I need to find some places to take them .

     One good place here to take visitors is Ft. Normandeau.

     Ft. Normandeau was the first place Europeans lived in this area. Freighters had been going from Calgary to Edmonton, but there were no settlements or settlers on that route. In 1882 someone decided to set up a stopping house on the Red Deer River where the freighters forded the river. This was a place that the aboriginals forded the river. Some Europeans were smart enough too use local guides and used the river crossing. Even today, when the river is low you can wade across it. The river widens at this spot so the water is shallow.

    This location is marked by two different types of museums. One is a regular museum with dioramas and the other one has historical artifacts.  Both are small but well worth visiting.

    So on this post I'll show the rebuilt fort which is close to what the original was.

     A log house was built which was about 20 ft by 24 ft. There was a half story where people slept. It's hard to believe that the bottom story served for a kitchen, living room and work space. They crammed a
lot of stuff in a small space. A palisade was built around the building with wooden towers at the four corners.

    Our European history here is very recent as this building was erected in 1882.

The log house

The work area for washing spinning, sewing and tool storage.

A fancy sleeping area on the bottom floor.

The kitchen

A great dining table.

Now I think this sewing machine is much later than 1882.

Fort walls and tower.

That Dang Camera

      Last fall I bought a new camera. I was so proud of my new possession   that I wrote a post about it.

      As I told you before I wanted some zoom, pixels and a good handle. I got those things and "much more."I don't know if I'll ever use the "much more." I set it up on Easy auto. This setting allows the camera to do most things for you automatically.

     Every once in a while I look at the menu and some of the options. As I'm meddling I sometimes accidentally change settings. 

     Apparently I changed something a while ago. It took me a while to notice the change  so I can't recall what I fiddled with. 

     So I recently noticed that the flash was not working. At first I wondered if there was something wrong with the flash. I went to look for the 216 page manual. I couldn't find it on my computer. I tried everything. Finally, there it was in plain sight all the time. So look up flash. There are two different sets of numbers so It took awhile to find flash. In my first session I discovered that I had probably turned the flash off but I couldn't find out how to turn the flash back on.

     So after a few days of worrying I finally got back to the challenge. It all depends on how you read the book. After half an hour today I finally got the flash turned back on. While puzzling the problem, I learned other things about the camera. So I'm going to have to go through the manual step by step to learn more so that I don't accidentally turn something off that's important.

     Well, it didn't spoil my summer!
   

Lily Bonanza

       My favorite flowers are  wild flowers. I'm not that crazy about the multitudes of flowers that have been developed by man. Yes, I'm impressed that someone I know developed a tulip that was accepted by Dutch growers.

      I have a lily that is fairly close to the original Western wood lily (tiger lily) (Lilium philadelphicum). It's my favorite flower on my yard. Usually they have a single flower, sometimes two and rarely three.  This year I had one that had seven flowers on the one plant. So here goes my bragging.

Singles below and seven decker above.

About 9:30 but no color

      

More Garden Party

      Our city has a very active arts community. There's all kinds of music from a small symphony orchestra to senior jug bands. Two theatre companies are active and the college puts on many plays in their arts program. And then there's the visual artists. This group has their own center and gallery. They conduct many classes and artists use the facility to do some of their work as in kilns for ceramics. There are several excellent galleries in town.

     It seems to me that there's a quote something like "You can judge a society by the way they support their artists." Our artists are very active. I hope that they are supported. I was part of an art show once and a surprising number of works were sold.

     So at the Mayor's Garden Party the other day there were four artists doing their thing in an effort to publicize the local arts council. The director had forgotten her camera so since I was standing around,

Calligraphy

    I was conscripted to take some photos so that they could be used in their newsletter.

    I know that some of the bloggers I follow are artists. They are all interesting.

Appreciation

      I do things just because they have to be done. I don't look for a pat on the back or even a thank you. 

      Five years ago a friend asked if I would be an emergency house in case his kids needed something on the way to school. My house is between his house and the school so it was very convenient.

     Over the five years I was not called on for any assistance whatsoever. The kids didn't have a problem where they needed to come to my place.

     On the other hand I had quite a few very good visits. If I was out in the yard they would stop for a visit. Conversation was easy with both kids. I usually went away having learned something or having a good laugh .

    The only serious incident turned out to be funny. One day after school I was talking to the little girl. Apparently somebody drove around the block three times to check on the man talking to the little girl. After three times they decided I was okay but reported to her Dad. Their Dad had a big laugh and related the story to me.

    This was the last year for me to watch the kids. They both go to another school next year.

     The other day I answered a knock on the door and the kids were there with a thank you card. I was blown away. I didn't expect anything. They both said how much they appreciated having the security of being able to check in at my house. They promised to check on me and have a visit once in a while.

    Surprise appreciation is the best.

Ya Didn't Need to Know

     I've been cleansed! That's right, I've been cleansed. You may ask,"How have you been cleansed or why have you been cleansed?" I'm glad you asked so that I have a reason to tell you.

    A few weeks ago a doctor  decided that I should have a colonoscopy. Those who've had a colonoscopy will say, "I know it all." Those who haven't had a colonoscopy will cringe with dread.

    The colonoscopy is done when it is decided that a look has to be taken inside the colon.  The scope is a four foot flexible tool about the thickness of a finger. It is inserted through the anus and is slowly moved along while the specialist looks at every nook and cranny. The apparatus can show the condition of the inside of the colon and also take biopsies. The procedure takes about 30 minutes. You are given a sedative which knocks you out and you are not aware of what's going on. This is the easy part.

     The cleansing is the nasty part.

      In order to see anything with the scope the whole system has to be empty. And I mean empty! The term they use is "cleansed". So this afternoon I've been cleansed. Well, what in the world is cleansing? Ya don't wanna know but I'll tell ya. You are given 8 liters of a vile mixture. You drink 250 ml every ten minutes until you've consumed two liters. Shortly after consuming this mixture, you find yourself emptying out violently and quickly! You feel pretty icky drinking this concoction. You drink the other 2 liters the next morning to make sure that you are really cleansed. 

     Now I have to wait 26 hours before I can eat again. I can have clear liquids until midnight. The next day, nothing until the procedure is over. I have to get somebody to drive me home and stay with me for at least 24 hours.
   
    Why go through this procedure? I'd rather know sooner than later if there is a problem. They are usually looking for cancer and colon cancer is quite curable if discovered soon enough.  It's recommended that people over a certain age have a colonoscopy every five years.

   So I hope that after all the cleansing, I'm a much cleaner person!

Happy Canada Day

        Today, July first, is Canada's birthday!  

       We are 148 years old! 

        Our birthday was originally called Dominion Day as we were first known as the Dominion of Canada.

        Most communities have some type of celebration today to mark the occasion. 

        So to all my Canadian followers  HAPPY CANADA DAY! And if anybody else wants to join us in celebration HAPPY CANADA DAY  to you too. We have been known to accept  many people in different circumstances. I hope we continue to make people welcome.