Big Yellow Trucks



Somewhere between Prince George and Burns Lake.

We just attended a friend's birthday last weekend and he had an interesting item from our childhoods on display. It was a yellow Tonka dump truck. We both had one as kids and apparently his Mom kept his and gave it to him recently, used as a prop for a plant. I'm not sure if this gift occurred for this recent birthday or not, but that would certainly make sense. Like I said, I had one too. I asked my Mom about mine and, sure enough she said she's kept mine all these years as well.

"Tonka Tough"

I think we were probably about 4 years old when we got these trucks and we'd lean on the dump bins of the trucks, crouched over, and run behind them. I'm surprised we didn't wear out the plastic tires. I guess there's some truth to "Tonka Tough".

Interestingly enough I traveled to Prince George this past week and drove to Burns Lake to review a building. Somewhere along the way (I've forgotten the name of the small town I passed through and can't seem to find it on Google Maps Street View) I came across a real-life Tonka dump truck. Not really made by Tonka of course, but it's pretty cool to stand beside to get a sense of how big one of these things really is. And this isn't even as big as they get. The bottom of the dump box on this truck was higher than I could see into. I think the tires were each about 5 feet high, and the truck's certainly too wide to navigate a standard width traffic lane. I'm not overly familiar with the Prince George/Burns Lake region in general, but I would think this truck was used in the mining industry, although all the large trucks I saw while I was there were involved with the logging industry.

"On A Steel Horse I Ride"

Mom and I took in the Cavalia Odysseo experience that is currently playing at False Creek in Vancouver this past weekend. It's quite a spectacle. At the beginning they request no photography during the show because flashes might distract and/or potentially cause harm to the performers, both human and equine. It was only later that I realized I could have gotten a few good shots without a flash; modern iPhones are that good. But then again, I really wanted to just sit and experience the show like one would have done in the good ol' days, without any electronic distractions. There are plenty of good Cavalia photos and videos on the internet. 

Of course the expected merch was well represented, and not unexpectantly it wasn’t cheap, but there were pieces on display outside near the entrance to the tent that I hadn’t expected; life size welded-metal horses! Pretty cool. But, as the saying goes, if you have to ask the price, it’s likely beyond your price range.

Spring is in the Air

Only 1 week ago we were wondering how (or if) Shauna was going to get to the airport the next morning for her trip to Quebec City. We already had about 6-7" of snow on the ground with up to 6 more inches predicted for the following morning, then turning to rain (i.e., slush).

But look at it today. Crocuses and Snow Drops have not only sprouted, but they're blooming! And the only snow left is in big piles, deposited by many shovels last week.

I think Tannah smelled more of the resident raccoon population than the flowers.

Snow Drops

Crocuses

They’re Killing Us Softly (“You Betcha!”)

If we weren’t so far linearly removed from April Fool’s Day I would have dismissed this morning’s news byte as well-deserved humour amidst the recent barrage of US Executive Orders. But…it sounds like there could be US blow-back to Canada after all from Trump’s electoral smash & grab, either for Canada’s real-world immigration policy, or perhaps because nobody’d give ol’ Trumpy so much as a “thank-you” for a shirtless photo-bomb like our man JT, or even Trumpy’s man-crush Putin. No talk of a wall (yet) as with Mexico, but it’s almost sounding like a wall would be welcome news in place of what I just heard this morning (perhaps Canada could assertively launch a pre-emptive mission to erect a wall around Alaska).

The name in this morning’s report (from CBC no less) was “Palin”. And the context was potential US Ambassador to Canada. And no, unfortunately I’m not referring to Michael Palin of Monty Python fame. The question then becomes, does the White House really feel a need to step up to the plate every time Walmart denies entrance greeter employment to a past Republican party stalwart?

Honestly, I do regularly try to stay positive, but seriously, another addition to the DC Comic Strip “As the Oval Office Churns” (in this case, “DC” standing for District of Columbia)? We’ve already got President “Tweet”, “Dr. Evil” Bannon, “Cruella” Conway and “Angry” Spice(r). Incredulously must we now add Ms. “I can see Russia from my front doorstep (in Twin Peaks, Alaska)” Palin? My hands will barely permit me to type the name (she whose name shall not be spoken). This is truly another “Shock and Awe” moment. The only person I can think of that may remotely warm up to this most recent cabinet placement suggestion (and please God, let it only be a tongue-in-cheek suggestion!) is Lorne Michaels (creator of SNL).

I do admit that Alec Baldwin teamed with Tina Fey is absolute comedy gold, but even that isn’t adequate trade-off for the real-life absurdity of the potential situation. But as they say, ya just can’t make this stuff up.

Where Are All the Snow Drops?

If nothing else, the snow certainly is photogenic. I'm getting awfully tired of shoveling it, but I do like to photograph it.

Monday night's snowfall crippled it's fair share of the Transit fleet again.

It's gotten to the point that local snowmen don't know whether to stand up or
fall down, what with all the temperature swings.

We now have snow hedges at work. No pruning!

I had to throw in at least one abstract. Can you locate the hidden herd of Zebras?

Early morning light captured this bird's nest.

Snow, Rain, Freeze, Repeat

The answer to my unasked question, "Was it about this time last year that I noticed Crocuses blooming?" arrived yesterday with flaky authority; snow-flaky authority. The answer may have been, "Yes", but this ain't no "last year".

We seem to be experiencing another major (I won't go so far as to label it "extreme") weather event, somewhat more solid in nature than the major rain events that befell this region last Autumn.

A telltale sign of cold inclement weather in Vancouver: four backed-up 08 buses
on Fraser Street.

It was pretty nasty for awhile last night.

A flash always changes the mood of a shot.

Six inches worth in the front yard this morning, and it's snowing again now (5 pm).

The current forecast calls for rain or snow (temp hovering around 1 degree Celsius) for tonight and tomorrow, followed by a high of zero degrees on Monday. Oh joy. Get those sidewalks shoveled while it's still slushy, is my advice.

“Daze” One and Two

Just after Trump’s win I remember reading a Tweet reportedly from Dubya, something to the effect of, “So…do ya miss me now?” Of course it may well have been (probably was) someone’s idea of humour, and I found it to be a funny anecdote during a depressing election result.

Now is definitely the time to be searching for bits of light peeking out from under a reportedly 270 lb behemoth. Two days into his reign and we’ve already been witness to multiple rapid-fire executive orders, such as:

·         Day 1 (Jan. 23, 2017) Pulled the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (“Great thing for the American worker, what we just did.”);

·         Confirmed intention to re-negotiate NAFTA (“We will cooperate on trilateral (US, Canada and Mexico) matters when it’s in our interest…”);

·         Implemented a hiring freeze in the federal government, “except for the military”;

·         Delayed implementation of a rule allowing Argentine farmers to export lemons to the US after a decade of talks;

·         Dismissed as “totally without merit” a lawsuit against him that accuses him of breaching a clause in the Constitution that forbids a US president from accepting foreign payments. Apparently he is retaining his financial stake in his businesses while saying he has handed over control of said businesses to his two adult sons;

·         Day 2 (Jan. 24, 2017) The signing of another executive order, this time for progressing with two controversial pipelines: the Keystone XL from northern Alberta to Texas, and the Dakota Access pipeline;

·         Another executive order expedites environmental reviews to allow for prompt approvals on construction projects. (Because after all, shouldn’t the emphasis be shifted from environmental concerns to more important matters like not impeding construction projects? I also like the comment Trump reportedly made during talks with US auto executives on Tuesday that he was personally “to a large extent an environmentalist…” I’m certainly relieved to hear that!)

·         Reportedly banned all employees of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from discussing their work on social media or with the press. (This one reminds me of Stephen Harper’s gag order on Canadian scientists during his term of office. Wouldn't want science to get in the way of progress, now would we?);

·         And finally, for a bit of comic relief, “the President does believe there was voter fraud” despite winning the election. He is insisting he won the popular vote despite official results. Isn’t this “having to win everything” mentality becoming a bit stale?

Oh, and of course there was the inconsequential (according to Trump) matter of the women’s protest marches occurring internationally over the weekend. In the US the women’s demonstrations reportedly accounted for the largest day of protest in American history.

I’ve already peaked at tomorrow’s headlines, but since I learned all of the above content from the published Vancouver Sun newspaper, I will refrain from posting any more juicy tidbits until I receive tomorrow’s edition, lest your heads explode from Trump over-exposure. But really, can there ever be too much Trump? If you’re referring to Doonesbury Trump I say “No”.

Ultimately I suppose Canada has no real reason to worry. According to Stephen Schwarzman, a billionaire businessman chairing Trump’s team of economic advisers, Canada/US relations are “a model for the way that trade relations should be.”

Donald "Homie" Trump (BTW, no disrespect intended to "The Simpsons")