Louisiana Purchase
If California produces almost 86 per cent of the wine in the United States, where does the other 14 per cent come from? On the off chance early French and Spanish settlers would have needed wine for personal consumption and sacramental purposes, I recently went hunting for some local wine in Louisiana. I found great […]
Will the soap opera continue?
The will-there-be-a-gas-station- in-Wellington soap opera has lurched closer to what might be its final episode. An advertisement soliciting potential operators of the new station has appeared in our paper for the past few weeks, so someone is prepared to bet the cost of a display ad on the chance it will happen. MacEwen Petroleum is […]
Rest in peace, Jesse Tait
I didn’t know Jesse Tait. I had never met him. Jesse Tait was posted to Canadian Forces Base in Shilo Manitoba, where our girls are living. The girls have lived there since their posting in July, 2014. They met Jesse Tait two or three times. CFB Shilo is a fairly compact community. A cook and […]
Super Bowl XLIX
It is a busy sports week in Arizona. They will play golf, and expect enormous crowds on Saturday. The Arizona Coyotes will be on the road, playing the Leafs, Senators, and Canadiens. The Phoenix Suns entertain the Washington Wizards, and the Chicago Bulls. The football teams will arrive in time to practice a little, […]
Winter warmer
On a cold winter night, there is nothing better than a book, a crackling fire and a hot beverage. The hot toddy is one simple way to warm the body and drive away the winter chills. All you need is a glass or mug of boiling water, a shot of whisky, brandy or rum, a […]
Souvenirs
Maybe it was the album. One of those put together with ‘Photographs’ scribed on the supple black leather cover: scribed in gold in the fanciest calligraphy one could muster back before the age of television. They are picture storybooks really—the kind likely to be found in many homes: A loose narrative of a lifetime with […]
The page three opportunity
The Times is always looking to spice things up—in a tasteful way, mind you. It was therefore with some interest that we learned Britain’s Sun tabloid was rumoured to be adopting a more restrained approach to its page three presentations. That would open up an opportunity for a paper, such as this to go downmarket […]
Turning point
“Give us a twirl.” Egads. Show me an any athlete, professional or amateur, male or female, who wants their accomplishments dismissed with a sexist putdown. Before anyone suggests I shouldn’t get my panties in a bunch, let me ask this: When has a male competitor ever been asked such a question? I’d say it’s never […]
Wear an old hat
If you are attending a hockey game featuring two high-scoring teams, wear an old hat. At a recent Florida Everblades game, we sat near the last row in the arena. When Chris Kushneriuk netted his third goal in the game, I expected an avalanche of hats to hit the ice. To my utter dismay, only […]
The Green Fairy
We love to indulge in the latest fad, be it clothing or entertainment. But what about fashions in beverage? In the late 18th century, a beverage was developed in Neuchâtel that would gain both immense popularity and notoriety: absinthe. In the late 19th century, during the Belle Époque, it became the beverage of choice, notably […]