Photo-Finish Friday -- Prairie Servant

We saw this old barn south of Livelong, Saskatchewan last weekend.
It had such character that I had to stop and take its photo.
The barn, servant of a prairie farm, sat on a green hill by a road left to weather the wind and storms and to take in what sun it could get.
Whatever it did, however long it was a working entity, is long lost to the dust. Today it takes the rest it earned during its working life as it slowly surrenders to the soil.

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 ETA:

Hilary at The Smitten Image  made the above one of these:
 
 Thanks.

Photo-Finish Friday -- A Common Scene

If you ever want to see mountain sheep come to the West County.
We usually see them in a spot along Abraham Lake, but like this fine fellow, they can be anywhere in the mountains along Highway 11.
Sheep like the company of their own kind. There's another one a bit lower on curve and behind the fence.

Gratitude Monday --Merry ChristMays Edition

What's Christmas without a picnic?

We had our Christmas with our friends Bob and Sylvia over the weekend.
It was our latest observance yet, but between commitments and vacations, this was the first opportunity.
We pounced on it.
We had roasted turkey with all the usual suspects Saturday night including German Red Cabbage made by Sylvia.
Sunday was a beautiful spring day. We threw together a picnic with the turkey leftovers and other goodies and went to the National Historic Site.
We walked the trails and down by the river enjoying the sun, the park, the birds, and the company. It was a perfect day and for it, and the Christmas weekend, I am grateful.

Photo-Finish Friday -- Security Bureau

I took this out the bus window during our trip to Guatemala.

You work with what you have. The roads are rough. This must have been more secure that it appeared.

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I may be stretching the definition of bureau. 

Happy Coke Day

Coke debuted today back in 1886. It's inventor brought a jug of the syrup into a pharmacy on this day in and into history.
It was meant as a medicine and I can assure you from personal experience, it does the trick.
I drink Coke (R, TM, whatever) whenever I travel. I don't get sick.
The exception was in Cuba in 2010 when I drank the local knockoff "Tukola."
It tastes the way Coke did back in the heady days when cane syrup instead of the miserable high fructose corn syrup was the sweetener. (In Canada look for glucose-fructose on labels. It's Canadaspeak for HFCS.) I will not make that mistake again.

My husband used to get sick when we traveled. Our guide in Egypt last year advised the consumption of Coke or Ouzo to ward off travel illness. He tried it. It worked. He is a convert.

Thank you, Dr. John Pemberton, for mixing caffeine and coca leaves with other ingredients and giving the world Coca-Cola (R, TM, whatever). 

Coke as served in Guatemala.

 

Gratitude Monday - Have I Mentioned I'm a Fringe Fan?

I am grateful for plenty of stuff specific to ComicCon in Calgary including a panel on Saturday. It featured John Noble and Jasika Nicole from my favourite show Fringe.

Noble is Australian. It is a treat to hear him speak as he was born to do. He does a fine American accent, but Australian English is my favourite.

They were entertaining, funny, and gave every appearance of having a warm, friendly relationship off camera.

She's a talented artist who draws in the background while shooting scenes.

Kind, friendly, and attractive.

I got in line Sunday morning and shook their hands. I got to tell them how much I enjoyed the show and the characters they play and that I will miss it.

Walter, Noble's character on Fringe, is my favourite character ever. I thanked him for his creation of the various Walters in the various universes.

Yes, they are stars. They hear from fans all the time, good, bad, indifferent. But there is one thing to keep in mind: they are human beings.

All of us, big and small, famous, or just plain folks, need to hear that we've done something. We had an impact, made a difference, made someone smile, or think, or cry.

I am grateful for this opportunity to say so,  and I am grateful that I took it.

Photo- Finish Friday --Happy Ground Zero

The McDonald's in Guatemala City where Yolanda Fernández de Cofiño started it all.

It was McHappy Day on Wednesday, the day $1 from every Big Mac, Happy Meal and hot McCafe whatever goes to help kids.
Good for it.
But did you ever wonder why we have Happy Meals?

In the mid-1970's a woman in Guatemala City came up with the "Menu Ronald," the precursor to today's Happy Meal.
It's changed a bit over the years including recent tweaks allowing for less fries or apple slices as part of the deal.

We passed the sacred spot twice during our trip to Guatemala. I did my best to get a pic of it as we passed.