mattersofthemoment

I spent two-thirds of my 25 year government career working for Measurement Canada (MC).  These are the people who certify the accuracy of gas pumps, weigh scales, electricity and gas meters, either directly or through partners.  It was a great experience working as an engineer, a laboratory manager and program officer.  I got to work with dozens of wonderful people all across Canada as well as travel to the U.S and Europe.

What do they do in the Standards Building you might wonder?  They test and approve new meters and weigh scales before they can be used in trade.  They also calibrate measurement standards used for certifying in-situ measuring devices e.g., test weights.  Hum drum work you may think – but getting what you pay for in trade measurement is a fundamental marketplace right of buyers and sellers that has existed since iniquity.  Weights and Measures was the no. 17 responsibility of the federal government in the Constitution Act of 1867.

Well the other day, I went back for a visit.  The occasion was the retirement of boss and colleague Alan who was MC’s President since it’s inception in the mid 90’s.  Alan is a very affable leader who gained the respect of every one he came in contact with. He is a very gifted speaker, able to toss out one liners and get a laugh on any occasion.  For e.g., Industry Canada the home department of MC, has now been renamed from ‘IC’ (I see) to ‘ISED’ (I said) (Industry, Science and Economic Development), Alan explained with glee.

I had not been in the Standards Building since 2002 so it was a wonderful experience to go back and see colleagues and friends.  Sadly, several people have passed away and some others are not so well.  Some look exactly the same as they did 16+ years ago and there were a lot of new young faces.  There were speeches, lots if memories and we were almost in tears as we reminisced about the good old days.  Alan had us in stitches as he recalled some humerous experiences he had over the years.  He started his government career in 1972 (when he was 3 years old ha!)  He was President of the International Organization of Legal Metrology in Paris for 6 years and well known for his volunteer corporate work in classification and the United Way.

Colleagues

VP Sonia

Retired VP René

Retired VP Gilles

Alan has the last word, IC is now ISED

This was a two stage retirement party.  Two weeks later there was a second get together at ISED at 235 Queen St.  This too was special as I worked there for 8 years in corporate HR after my MC days.  It was great to meet up with my old team members Sawsan, Bernard and Abu and catch up.  The memories are great.  I really miss you guys but not necessarily the commute, endless meetings, etc.

Thank you MC and ISED for the great career experiences, the friendships and all those wonderful memories.  Hope to see you all again soon.  Stay well and have a happy retirement Alan.

Dave Morgan

As we said goodbye to Florida we enjoyed some last get-togethers with our American friends.  It was the last social party night of the season at the pool.  But before that we enjoyed a few other special activities.

Larry, Cindy, Kevin

Cousin Larry from Ottawa, Cindy from Ohio and Kevin from Michigan (brother of Cindy) and I enjoyed a great round of golf at Myerlee. It was a perfect afternoon of fun and not about the score.  It was a great way to end the golf season down here after playing 11 times including a round with son Kyle when he visited this year.   Larry and I made plans to play the Oaks of Cobden later this summer.  Thanks you guys for the great day!

Yoga in the park was another favorite activity for us again this year.  Anna and her husband Chip run the Yoga Bird studio in FM.  They provide an hour of (free will donation) yoga in Alliance for the Arts Park every Saturday.  I find yoga quite grounding, especially when outside, and look forward to continuing under Marie’s expert guidance.

There were some other last call activities.

Deb and the Dynamics at the Tiki Hut, Cape Coral

Last walk on Bunche Beach

The final pool social is organized expertly by Sam each year.  Everyone is starting to think about heading home but needs one more blast before doing so.  This year was no exception and it was another great success.

Sam from the New Jersey shore, knows how to organize a great party

Sam’s wife Susan dancing with John

There is plenty of tasty food – BBQ sausage, burgers, salads, rich desserts and hot dowgs!  There is a DJ that plays music that gets us all up dancing.  There is lots of laughter and gaiety as we reflect on another warm winter down here.  I took a few pics of our American friends for posterity purposes.

Chuck hams it up with the DJs

Janice and Murray, Branson, MO with friend

Dee and Ron, Atlanta, GA

Carol and Bernie, Mentor, OH

Jimmy and Margaret, Boston, MA

Pat and Marty, Boston, MA

Elizabeth and John, Ottawa, ON

Cindy and Chuck, Ohio

‘Sisters’ Marie and Cindy

It’s hard to find something not to like at our condo complex and we made so many great friends.  Nevertheless we have decided to go to Mexico next year to seek a new adventure.  So for now, this was our last get together with our winter family in FM.  We asked Tricia our condo owner not to forget about us as we could be back the following year, God willing.  Going to miss you guys, but never say never!  Until we meet again in FM or elsewhere…thanks for all these memories.  Ain’t that America, eh?

Luv to y’all!

Marie and Dave

Beautiful jacaranda in full bloom

2018 Sanibel-Fort Myers Invitational Mini Putt Championship

Marie and I enjoyed some great times with John and Anita again this season.  John and I met way back in 1969 at U of W in 1st year engineering.  We roomed together for a couple of years and then went our separate ways.  We reconnected at our 40th class reunion and discovered that we were spending winters less than 30 min apart in FL.  Since then, we have gotten together each winter for some fun and to reminisce about the good old days.

John demonstrating his winning style

The grounds of Sanibel

This year their daughter Beth was visiting from Seattle.  The weather was superb so we planned another Mucky Duck sunset experience on Captiva Island.  This time we had to wait well past sunset to get in.

Beth and Anita waiting for our table in the dark

Another great evening together at Mucky Duck

This year we went to a Blue Jays vs. Tampa Bay baseball game up in Port Charlotte.  It was very hot that day and we had great seats.  It is a very nice country like ball park with great hot dowgs!  While the result was close, Jays lost 6-5.

It was another great winter in the sun with you guys.  We plan to get together again soon in Ottawa or Saskatoon.  Thanks for the great memories.  And thanks for all those shells Beth!  Safe trip home and Happy Easter!

Sanibel shells

P.S. This year John reminded me of our first trip to Florida together in 1973.  Friend Rick and I drove my 1970 VW Beetle from Ottawa.  John and Mike (another class mate) drove from Toronto.  The plan was we would meet up at Daytona Beach…  Rick and I drove all night long to Daytona.  After arriving and driving a few miles on the beach we backed into a parking spot with hundreds of other cars around.  About 10 min later along comes John and Mike who just happened to turn in at the right spot and spied us right away.  It was pre-internet serendipity!  We continued on to the Keys for a great sunny stay in our tents.  Here are few scanned pics from that era.

John with Mike, Caffee Gawd!

Rick and Mike in the Keys

My 1970 VW mint

Me in the era

Jennifer and her mother Irene on Sanibel Island

We were blessed with a recent visit from Irene and her daughter Jennifer.  Irene is a dear friend from Arnprior whom we met through Galilee and Jennifer lives in Syracuse, NY.  They were on their annual getaway together and chose to visit us in FM.  They stayed in the same condo complex so it was easy to meet up.

View of the pool from their condo

They kept us hopping.  From great restaurants, to walks on the beach, to shopping, movies, chatting and many a happy hour, we tried to keep up with them.  They enjoyed escaping the late winter weather up north and we enjoyed showing them the sights here.

At the Wednesday night pool party

Shopping at Lakes Park market

Jennifer in the ocean

We went out to a number of restaurants for some great meals together: Cafe Toscano, the University Grill, Nomikis Plakka (Greek), the Lazy Flamingo and the Coconuts pool side restaurant at Casa Ybel.  Our personal favorite was Cafe Toscano – great pasta and eggplant and service at reasonable price.

On the pier in Cape Coral

It was their mutual birthdays so their family bought them a dinner out at Blanc, a new upscale epicurean restaurant that has received rave reviews.  They loved it!

Marie and Dave went out the next day to the 60th annual shrimp festival at Fort Myers Beach.  It was a fabulous peel and eat shrimp boil up on the beach.  Here are a few images of that colourful food experience.

Yes, we likely gained a few pounds, but hey it’s not everyday that Irene and Jennifer come to town on their birthdays.  Thanks you two for your wonderful visit, the fun and great eating, wine and conversation we enjoyed together.  We’ll do it again real soon.  Thanks Jennifer for the great extra photos.

Kyle left, Ashley right

Last year, Michelle, Tim and the boys had a great visit with us in FM.  This year, Kyle and Ashley dropped in for a whirlwind visit.  We had an active time together!  They arrived after visiting Texas, New Orleans and Orlando by car.  We tried to show them the FL lifestyle as they wanted to do everything and never seemed to tire.

Day 1 was a visit to Fort Myers Beach.  That day, Fort Myers was the warmest place in the continental U.S. at 31 deg.  It was also calm and surprisingly uncrowded given that March break was about to begin.  We spent a marathon 6 hours on the beach until sunset.  Ashley and Kyle did the parasailing thing as we watched warily from shore.  Piece of cake remarked Ashley.  No problem added Kyle.

We ended the day with dinner at our favorite restaurant – Doc Ford’s.  Of course we had to have the signature dish – Yucatan Shrimp.  Food and service was great as usual and there was no traffic getting home.  We stopped at Love Boat Ice Cream for dessert and enjoyed some spontaneous singing of Sweet Caroline.  Great start.

Day 2 was an outing to beautiful Sanibel and Captiva Islands.  Friends John and Anita invited us to drop by their beach front condo for some walking and shelling.

With Anita and John on their roof top

Then it was on to Captiva Island for a dolphin cruise.  We boarded the Lady Chadwick not knowing what to expect.  We saw our first dolphin in the mouth of the harbour and then dozens more as we toured around Pine Island Sound Aquatic Preserve.  We were so close to the leaping dolphins, we were getting splashed.  Dolphins love to frolic in the wake of the boat and apparently eat upwards of 30 pounds of mullet a day.  Males travel in 1s or 2s.  Females travel in pods and form a circle to protect a birthing mother.

For dinner we headed to the Mucky Duck restaurant for our 3rd annual get together on Captiva beach.  John and Anita joined us and we arrived just in time for another glorious sunset.  Too much fun – we are getting younger down here with Kyle and Ashley’s influence.

On day 3, Kyle and I started the day with a little swimming in the 25m pool across the street.  We followed that up with a game of golf at Myerlee with two nice young men from Nashville and Baltimore.  Ashley and Marie spent the day shopping at Bealls, TJMax, Rosses and Peltz shoe after getting pedicures.  That evening we went to our local go to sports bar Bucketts for their Thursday evening backyard BBQ – ribs and chicken, yum.

Day 4 was upon us already.  We enjoyed a Blue Jays – Twins game at Hammond Stadium.  It was a 2-1 Twins win after the Jays stranded 2 in the 9th.  John and Anita were there too.  It was very hot in the sun but hey, it was all time record heat all month here.

We went on to Castle Golf miniputt beside Lakes Park for a friendly round.  The men against the ladies.  Scores: Ashley 57, Marie 57, Kyle 57, Dave 58 – ladies win!  It was real fun and we worked up an appetite for Sweet Tomatoes salad buffet restaurant.

The next day Ashley and Kyle sadly had to head home for Winnipeg leaving us after a fabulous visit.  Thank you Kyle and Ashley for spending your precious vacation time with us.  Come back next year!

We love being with our family and let’s hope we can get together again soon.  Luv, Mom and Dad.

I attended the 10th annual Men’s Conference of the Diocese of Venice Florida last weekend.  About 300 of we men gave up our sunny Saturday to hear a number of great speakers and be reminded of what our purpose is in God’s plan for men.

The Diocese of Venice, established in 1984 from parts of other dioceses, consists of some 70 parishes, 12 elementary schools and 4 high schools in SW Florida.  By contrast, the Diocese of Pembroke, ON, (my home diocese) established as a Vicariate in 1882, is much larger in geographic area but smaller in population.

Bishop Frank Dewane urged us to remember gratitude, prayer and the Lord in our daily lives.  Next the dynamic Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers exploded onto the stage.  Deacon Harold is one of the most passionate, forceful and loudest speakers I have ever seen and heard. He reminded us of our purpose as men – to serve, protect and defend (Gen 2:15)

Men have to take a more serious approach to prayer including with their wives daily.  Men have to be witnesses and present to their kids and love their wives to show their kids the example.  Single men must be spiritual witnesses to society.  It is more important to be loved otherwise we are less capable of loving others.

Interviewer Canadian Patrick Coffin took the stage and in a more subdued manner explained that God has a plan for the world and each of us.  Men are the ‘weaker’ sex but God favours the weak, joked Patrick.  Manhood is under attack in our culture.  Canadian Bill 16 adds gender expression and identify of trans-gender people to the groups that are protected from discrimination or hate propaganda under the criminal code.  Life has become complicated and some feel freedom of speech and religion is under attack.

We finished the day with some great songs from Bob Rice, a theology professor from Steubenville, OH.  It was great meeting some men from the area and seeing how American Catholicism functions in today’s world.  I thought the idea of an annual men’s conference is a great idea worth pursuing back home.

Open air chapel at Bishop Verot H.S.

Ron Rolheiser, OMI listed this book as one of his top 10 best books in 2017.  Here is what he said:

“This is one of the best books written on Existentialism that’s accessible to a non-professional reader.  It will introduce you to the giants of Existential philosophy: Sartre, Heidegger, Simone de Beauvoir, Merleau-Ponty, Camus, Husserl, and Jaspers. Bakewell believes you will understand a thinker’s philosophy much more accurately if you also have a picture of his or her life: “Ideas are interesting, but people are vastly more so.” Those without a background in philosophy will get lost occasionally but if you continue reading you will soon find yourselves again fascinated by the lives of these famous, colorful thinkers.”

This was indeed an interesting book.  Sarah Bakewell teaches creative writing at Oxford University and writes in a light-hearted very informed personal style.

Sartre (1905-80) is clearly the giant among them and was a very prolific writer, thinker and famous personality.  Known as an ‘anarchist’ he championed personal freedom – living an authentic life free of influences of others.  Along with freedom though comes tremendous responsibility in choosing one’s actions, which causes us fear.  An applied example is the fear of heights.  Standing at the edge of a mountain or the roof edge of a tall building causes vertigo because claims Sartre, we fear that we might just jump off because “we are free” to do so.  His opus book on all this was “Being and Nothingness” in 1943.

Sartre said we are free to be exactly the person we choose to be, which gets at his notion of freedom and authenticity.  He turned down the Nobel Prize in literature because he thought it would compromise his freedom. He was an atheist but also a humanist.  In  deciding who is right in a discussion among competing interests, Sartre proposed why not decide by asking how it looks to ‘the eyes of the least favoured’ or to ‘those treated the most unjustly’.  You just have to work out who is most oppressed and disadvantaged in a situation and then adopt their version of the events as the right one or ‘the truth’.  He was coming at this from a socialist view, not a moral view.  Another of his ideas which sticks in my mind, is when we are faced with a decision to act, if we act in the way that is personally not true to our authentic self, we are acting in ‘bad faith’.

Sartre and de Beauvoir – Philosophers and Lovers

Sartre had a long on again, off again lovers relationship with fellow philosopher Simone de Beauvoir.  She wrote some famous books herself including the ground breaking The Second Sex which changed women’s lives forever.  Albert Camus, the Algerian born author of such books as The Stranger figures prominently in the story line.  As does Martin Heidegger, a colossal thinker who refused to ever apologize for his  support of the Nazis in WWII Germany.  Then the there is Merleau-Ponty who was very dashing and actually pleasant who linked psychology to phenomenology in a more person centred philosophy.  Edmund Husserl (established the school of phenomenology) and Karl Jaspers (we must make leap of faith and transcend life) weave in and out of the story as do many other philosophers such as the interesting Emmanuel Levinas (encounters with others are privileged subjective phenomenon).

Each of these philosophers set out to prove that all other philosophers had it wrong.  There was a lot of falling out among friends in this bunch over differences of thinking and pride.  They lived in some very dark times of the 20th century.  Nevertheless, these philosophers have had a tremendous impact on our 21st century society.  I have been somewhat taken aback several times when I hear a millennial say “I would never believe that or do that because I would not be true to myself.”  This is pure Sartre.  The notion of developing one’s own “personal culture” and proudly proclaiming it has become the rage of the age it seems.

As Ron R. said, Ms. Bakewell wrote the book because there was not enough written about the private lives of these thinkers.  Their private lives had a direct impact on their thinking.  I am new to philosophy and enjoyed this ‘introduction’.  It is much easier to understand than the subject matter.  Nevertheless there is a dark tone in their thinking and the notion that “man is god” which I have trouble with.  However my appetite has been wetted and I might just get a copy of Being and Nothingness for further reading.  4.5 out of 5 stars – very popular read with the philosophy student crowd I imagine.

The weather has turned spectacular here now and does not cool off as quick in the evening.  One of the things we like to do is to go to the monthly sunset concert at Cape Coral Yacht Club.  It is only a 10 minute drive and there is amble free parking.  We parked behind a car with this pretty licence plate.

A superb slide guitarist name Kraig Kenning was performing again this year.  He plays his own material and other well-known songs.  You sit in your beach chair just a few feet away as the waves softly lap, sip your beer or wine and enjoy the sound.

The evening was great.  Kites flying, families gathering, music playing and the birds singing.  We brought a picnic dinner and wine.

We met a local CC family who had several generations of family members there all enjoying the evening.  As the sun gets close to setting, everyone turns to the water for that perfect picture.  It was a 10 out of 10 evening.  We plan to go to again next month with some visitors.  Thanks Lord for these great moments in FL.

We were treated to a wonderful experience of Puerto Vallarta, MX by friends Judy and Bruce. We flew down for a week to check out the sites and culture and to celebrate Marie’s birthday.  Our friends stay each winter in Nuevo Vallarta, the neighbouring tourist town in a lovely beachfront condo.  And what a beach it is, running for some 30 km around the rim of a volcanic cone framed by mountains on 3 sides.

Puerto Vallarta, the “jewel of the Pacific” has a population of about 300,000 that welcomes over 5 million tourists a year.  Its cobblestone center is home to the ornate Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe church, boutique shops and a range of restaurants and bars. El Malecón is a beachside promenade with contemporary sculptures, as well as bars, lounges and shops.

We ate at a funky place called Pancho’s Takos.  It is a hole in the wall on a busy sidewalk where people line up for 30 minutes for a table to be served the best Mexican food that we have ever eaten.  Beef is cooked shawarma style on a vertical spit and carved onto soft shell tortillas with a variety of salsa sauces, cheese and chorizo sausage added to taste.  The roast onions were a meal in themselves.  While waiting they offer you beer and ask afterwards how many did you have?  Street drumming, singing and dancing groups entertain.  It is a must eat PV experience that we loved.

Nuevo Vallarta is a timeshare, condominium and hotel town where Canadians surprisingly out number Americans and Mexicans at this time of year.  There are thousands of beach front rooms that people have been returning to for many years.  We fell in love with the pedestrian lifestyle.  You walk a lot and take a bus or taxi which is cheap, to get your groceries or to eat out.  It was a refreshing change for us from the car oriented Fort Myers where we have been wintering for several years.  Prices for food, drink and accommodation are more affordable here too as the Mexican peso has depreciated against the $CDN in recent years.

Dinner for about $27CDN!

We met many Canadians during our week-long stay and only a few Americans.  Bruce took us to a country estate benefit concert in support of a local retirement home for under privileged Mexican seniors.  There we met Doug and Debbie from Barrie, ON area who have been coming here for 25+ years.  Doug describes Mexico as his “adopted country” and along with Debbie, are involved in charitable works assisting locals in need each year.

The next day was Marie’s birthday.  We were invited to another brunch, this time at the elegant El Tigre Golf Club with a group of 20 others.  We had a great time meeting everyone and enjoying the great food and endless champagne.  We could see that this lifestyle is something we could get used to real easy.  Everyone is happy and ready to meet, greet and explain their passion for Mexico.  The Mexican staff are nothing but gracious, polite, efficient and good-natured.  Here, we are on “the fun side of the wall” as the tee-shirt says.

As our week drew to a close we were happy to walk the beach, swim in the ocean and pool, visit the huge Vidanta resort next door, check out the wild life and local markets, and, look at some condos for possible rental next winter…God willing and should we decide not to return to FL.

It is safe to say that we fell in love with PV and really would love to come back.  Thank you Judy and Bruce for sharing this special place with us and for your generous hospitality.  We are forever indebted and grateful to you for giving us this enduring intercultural experience.