Politics

Generally reading and learning about the politics of the country we are visiting ranks fairly high with Ken and I. Those that know us know we take our politics very seriously.

At the moment in Alberta the municipal elections are in full swing. Calgary for the first time in a very long time has something to talk about. The last Mayor and councilors ran the city into deficit and the tax payers have had enough. I really do believe that there will not be a single alderman re-elected. To replace the group are hungry eager new blood. I do believe all will turn around!

Now if you believe that I have some swamp land for sell in Florida. I would like to believe it was as easy as voting in new people but reality is that it is the people working in City Hall, the paid people at the top tat overspend and under deliver. The duplication of services for each different department costs $100,000's dollars. The kiss system should be implemented. The only down side I see to making it work is that there would be lose of some jobs. In the private sector a business must be financially solvent or it ceases to exist. Why do we allow our governments to spend beyond the tax payers means? Social programs are great but if we cannot afford the swimming pool without going into debt, then don't build it. A big controversy in Calgary right now is the Calgary Public School Board.

When the Provincial government gives the school board money and it is spent on a modern new building for administration please quit shining that the poor teachers have to many kids in a class etc, etc. if the taxpayers money had gone into the classes instead of a not needed building everyone would have been happier. Teachers, students, parents and non school attending kids taxpayers.

Why did I pick this topic?

Ken was lucky (a unique experience)to witness partying in the streets in Colombia. The reason? The number one king pin of FARC had been killed by the military. We are told as travelers to stay clear of any political rallies or demonstrations so Ken just did that but he couldn't help but witness the excitement.

FARC is a peasant army which has proclaimed itself as a revolutionary party. It claims to represent the rural poor in a struggle against Colombia's wealthier classes, and opposes United States influence in Colombia, monopolization of natural resources by multinational corporations. It funds itself principally through ransom kidnappings, and the illegal drug trade. It is also known to exploit its own people with extortion. You could compare it to the Al Qaida.

Last week the number one leader Moo Jojoy was killed along with several other top people with a bomb by the air force. Colombia is taking a very serious approach to the stopping of drug trafficking. Zero tolerance.

The Colombian army this weekend stepped up efforts to capture or kill "Pastor Alape," a member of the FARC's secretariat and the presumed successor to Mono Jojoy.

This has all been reason for celebration and Ken says the partying has been going on the whole weekend.

Sometimes Current Events can be interesting. If we were not in Colombia we would not know this was even occurring. All this IS making Colombia a great place to go and visit becoming a much safer place than in the past.

Winter scene driving down the Transcanada highway.

Spring scenes taken in Vancouver; Oriental Blossoms and bulb plants

Summer scene taken in Calgary. Fall scene taken on a highway in Ontario.

OK Ok OK I Missed a Week!

Ken has now returned to Cartagena, Colombia and has found the Genesis in ship shape. No mold, no bugs and best of all no animals that rhyme with cat. All the hard work cleaning and preparing her to be closed up paid off.

Ken went from 7 C to 43C. He is going through 4 pairs of shorts and at least 5 shirts a day. He can hardly keep up with the water intake.

The reason he flew back to the boat ahead of me was to make some changes to the boat. Genesis has teak on the outside walkways and dog house.

With the consistent sun teaming down on her and the salt spray the (sincoflex ) in between the teak boards heat up and can easily become dislodged. This allows rain or seas spray to get into or under the teak boards and could cause a lot of damage.
We made the decision to remove the outer teak and replace it with anti skid fiberglass. This will eliminated many foreseeable disasters. We did have one spot by the door where this had already began to happen to so we have caught the problem before it became a major work order.
Ken is working with 2 of the marinas men removing the teak. I dare say his Spanish will be much better than mine by the time I return as these fellow co workers speak very little English. A note to myself is to get practicing before I return, I would hate to be shown up by Ken! Pictures of the reno will be posted upon my return unless Ken can figure out how to send them to me by email. (Maybe Antonio when you talk to him you can explain to him how to achieve this.)
Unfortunately we were not able to see MANY people we wanted to while we were home. We were unable to make it back to Vancouver and missed out on several great opportunities to go boating with friends but Ken’s job took longer than expected and the cash will pay for the whole next year of boating. For you that means more BLOGS whether you like it or not.
Cartagena has 2 seasons; wet and dry. It is currently in the wet season which means very hot days with lots of lightning and rain. The dry season will begin shortly at the end of October beginning of Nov.
Calgary is supposed to have 4 seasons; winter, spring, summer and fall. I use the word SUPPOSED because this summer was very wet and cool. It seems that we have gone from summer straight into the beginning of winter. Overnight we had a low of -1C. It didn’t snow but it could have. Yesterday it snowed south of the city with a white out. There seems to be no Indian Summer here.
Canada has winter, spring, summer and fall. However the climate and intensity of these seasons varies across the country. The west coast of British Columbia, including Vancouver, has a moderate climate year round and thus the seasons are less distinct from one another. Overall, the west coast has summers that aren't as warm nor winters that are as bitterly cold as Eastern Canada.

The height of winter is freezing cold in most places except for the BC coast, where winters are moderate with little snow. In the Rockies, winter is long. However, snow stays around only in the higher altitudes. Calgary, does not get much snow. In addition, southern Alberta gets winter relief from warm Chinook winds. Calgary also has the occasional winter that will cripple the city with -40C that can last for days.
Eastern Canada, including Toronto and Montreal, has a short, fierce winter, below zero temperatures most of the time, and -20°C (-4°F) not uncommon. At least one or two snowfalls of eight inches or more will likely hit in January and February.
The Maritimes sees milder weather than Central Canada however not as mild as the Pacific Coast.
Spring is welcomed by all Canadians. Spring comes early on Canada's west coast, with February seeing the arrival of tulips and temperatures on average staying above O°C (32°F). Elsewhere in the country, spring shows up to stay in April and extends through to June. April usually sees the last of the winter's snow, except in higher altitudes like Banff or Whistler, both popular ski destinations where the season doesn't end until May. Calgary can also see freak, large snowfalls in May. Central and the Maritime’s weather is utterly beautiful beginning generally the end of March and early April. Flowers and the warming of the sun bring many people out of there houses and into the parks.
When I grew up in Ontario; fall, or autumn was my favorite time of the year. In central and eastern Canada, cooler temperatures in September provide relief from the heat and humidity of August and leaves on the trees begin their transformation to stunning shades of orange, red and yellow. Unfortunately in Alberta we do not have these great colours we have yellow with the odd red leaf. Vancouver's rain slows down to make September one of the city's least rainy months. We tended to do most our boating in September as the crowds were gone and the weather delightful. Temperatures continue to dip and bring the first snow flurries usually in November and more substantial snowfalls in December.

The amounts of sunlight we receive during the the year varies. There are four main solar events in the year: the Winter Solstice (around 21 December), the Spring Equinox (around 21 March), at which point we begin again to have more than 12 hours of daylight each day, the Summer Solstice (around 21 June), marking the day with most hours between sunrise and sunset, and the Autumn Equinox (around 21 September), when we once again start to get fewer than 12 hours of daylight each day. Here in Calgary in the early summer we can see almost 18 hrs of daylight. It still amazes me. In Ontario it never was so late. That is determined by the latitude in which the cities reside. The further north you go the longer the hours. However the winters are reversed with few hours of light. Calgary averages 7-9 hrs of daylight. This could be the cause of why so many Canadians go in search of sun and warmth.
In Cartagena and many of the places we have traveled we are closer to the equator and this allows for a less extreme variance of daylight throughout the year. They may have hotter and sunnier days but the hours are far less each day. The equator is unique as it has 12 hrs. day and 12 hrs. night all year. We are slightly above the equator but the effects are not much different. Currently the sun rises around 0530 and sets at 1745. This means our boating travels must start early as we have not much of an evening to travel without dark.
I decided to write about the seasons because in the countries we have visited the people are very interested in the differences between Canada and theirs. Weather is a universal language. However the concept of -40 C is hard to explain. Lets just say they should count themselves lucky.
Now you may ask. Do you miss the 4 seasons? The answer; I have memories that keep me warm even if they are of cold, cold days. No shoveling and no freezing. I just have to remember this when I’m complaining about melting!

A picture of Medicine Hat's City hall and the wall in the park across from City hall depicting the City's history. (also where we found a geocache)

Ken and I took the 3 hr journey east of Calgary to visit his 2 Aunts. Auntie Edna will be turning 92 in a months time and Auntie Irene will be turning 91. The gals don't look over 60 and are feeling wonderful. Auntie Edna in fact looks better than the last time we saw her. She definately will be a candidate for a 100th birthday party.

Medicine Hat is a smaller city in the Province of Alberta. Its claim to fame is the natural gas deposits underneath its land, and rattle snakes.

Even a 100 years after the forming of Medicine Hat its population affords a very inexpensive heating bill compared to others in Canada. Once being a business owner in Medicine Hat I can definately say it was cheaper running a business here than in Calgary.

Medicine Hat is situated on the South Saskatchewan River and #1TransCanada Highway.

The coulees are filled with rattle snakes and a hike needs a stick.

The Canadian Pacific Railway plays an important role here employing many persons. It helped bring prisoners of war from Germany during the 2nd World War who made their homes in the area after the war.

The British army still practices in nearby Suffield.

Ken and I went geocaching to 3 different sites, 2 of which we had never been to before. It was a quick one day trip. It was sure nice seeing the aunts in such great shape.

Medicine Hat has a very hot, dry summer. This year has seen alot of rain.