Heritage Park

This past week we were given to discover Heritage Park. I had been there once with Hojam but that was not a good experience and was completely different. Free admission was available for everyone through Safeway and it was a cold cloudy day. We went there and a free breakfast was included the admission, I remember. It was probably 2005 or 2006. I must check the previous posts. Then we entered to the supposedly serving area where everyone was waiting. We were the only foreigners there and we didn't look good. Everyone was staring at us. I approached the receptionist or whomever was in charge and announced our presence, not that he had not noticed! He indicated that he would add two more orders to the list and doodles something on the paper he had in front of him. We simply turned back and walked out! I also remember seeing one of the coworkers who took the bus every day with us. He was with is family and seeing us there simply was a embarrassment for him He simply nodded and passed! I guess I took a few photos with my old Yashika but figured that would not possible because I have nothing in my possession now. Maybe they gone dark and bad. Anyways we ended our trip shortly and left. Thinking thoroughly I guess Hojam had an old Jeep in those days and he drove us there but I can't recall any more detail. 

Fall Foliage in Heritage Park

This time's experience was completely different. I went with The Lady not with a stinking stupid hobo-like man. There was an old lady, a volunteer I suppose, these people are simply incredible, who greeted us and directed us and we went to a tent where we got ourselves a coffee. We also checked the Gasoline Museum which was very interesting. All those old pumps, canteens, cars, trucks, etc showed how life was once in West. The majority of the vehicles and stuff in the museum has been donated by a businessman of Calgary whom I cannot remember his name unfortunately. These were not new to us because we had the experience of Glenbow Museum but still enjoyable.

It was a nice sunny day, not too hot and not too cold with an enjoyable breath. We walked a little bit and then had our catered lunch which was OK. We had been told all of the rides would be free so we got on the Steamboat for a ride. The ride to our surprise was longer than what we expected and we enjoyed the fall scenery of the park. 

Heritage Park is generally a nice place to visit for the families with kids. They can get on trains, carts, see their old way of living and shop in old style stores. It has lost of a good photography opportunities. In the museum they have tried to use the best of the space and they have put the objects, especially the cars too close together. In addition to that they have loaded the surrounding with signs, ropes and other stuff. For all these reasons photography in the museum is not very easy and enjoyable. Not to mention the lighting and annoying people around but overall Heritage Park is a place for families to enjoy. 

(Photo: One of the old cars displayed in the little museum of Heritage Park. This vehicle is preserved in an excellent condition. Unfortunately I can tell the brand. It must be very easy for the experts!)

(Tried to go to!) Three Isle Lake

This past Fri. I had doubts whether I would go hiking or not. I was so tired emotionally and physically, which was the result of the first one of course, the entire week. For that reason I didn't prepare any plan but packed my stuff just shortly before going to bed. Then I set my alarm for 05:00 and slept. I felt I was behind my regular exercise hours on Fitbit list of my community!

I woke up shortly before the alarm goes off in Sat. morning and remained in the bed. Then I convinced myself to get out and did. My stuff was ready but my mind was not! I sat in the living room for 5 minutes maybe and then headed down. I got myself on Highway # 1 and I though I should go to Peter Lougheed Provincial Park and hike to Three Isle Lake which is supposedly an easy hike. The drive on Highway # 40 was a bit difficult due to rain, fog and poorly lit road but I got myself to North Inter-lake Day Use Area around 07:15, I guess. The parking was almost full and I assume that's from the people who spend the nights in the area campgrounds. I head north and followed the trail. This area, I have heard, that is frequented by Grizzlies. I took my Bear Spray and had it ready. Not that I was sure I would be able to use it! There was not much activity on the trail. I only saw one jogging guy who passed me. The weather was rainy but it was not a heavy rainfall. After probably half hour or a little more, I can't recall clearly but I can say it was after crossing the first and main bridge, the hike continued from inside the forest and turned to a very boring and tedious walk! There was nothing to see but three and at spots fungi!

While on the trail in the early morning apparently I frightened this beautiful Grouse. It jumped on a tree and sat there!

I eventually reached Fork Campground where there were a few signs directing either to Turbine Canyon or Three Isle Lake. The rainfall was turned to a heavy one and got almost soaked. I couldn't figure out which way I should have taken. The maps were not very clear and I had not brought any map of myself. There were a few guys who were preparing breakfast in the rain(!) and I asked one of them. They apparently were not aware of their surroundings and had to refer to a printed map. My guess was that I had to continue parallel to the river or stream but the maps were not clear. It was almost 10:00 and I had wasted at least 20 minutes. I decided to head back then. 

There was really nothing on the way back to the parking lot expect for a few small lazy groups which apparently were going to one of the campgrounds to spend the night because they were carrying big backpacks which I would have, had I have a plan to ascend Mt. Kilimanjaro! 

Mountain has an interesting shape at one spot shortly after the hike started

It was cats and dogs coming down so when I sat in the car, I was soaked. This was not a very bad exercise but a disappointing hike. My left knee and the back of it hurt. I don't know whether it was because lack of exercise or something else. I should probably see a doctor or Chiropractor for it. The fall in Kananaskis is very beautiful and I saw one guy on Highway # 40 with a big lens and umbrella taking photo of the woods around Barrier Lake but I was in a rush to get home because I was tired not as result of the hike. It was because I had not slept more than 4 hours and the failed hike ruined my spirit! 

(Photo: Mt. Putnik is a major mountain in the area and close to the lake. It has something to do with Serbia and that's how it has been named. Why a Serbian name has been chosen for a mountain in Canada which is part of British colony and still has Queen Elizabeth II as its monarch, would be a question some might want to ask!!)

Black Mass

I have been waiting to see what this new movie of Depp is, especially because it is based on the life of a still live American criminal who is doing time, Jimmy Bulger. We watched it last Tue. I have never been very impressed by Depp like many others who as soon as see he's in a movie, they have to see it. In fact I haven't seen any movie of Depp but Edward Scissorhand but I have to say that he performs strongly in this movie. It is the story of a criminal in Boston who becomes the FBI's informant and by doing that not only helps the agents who has become his counterpart to be promoted but also gets rid of his competitor. The movie is not another Goodfellas. I guess no movie can reach that level of success but is good. I don't know anything about the director and have never heard of the other actors and actresses but their performance is OK. The only one who I didn't like the way she acted was the girl who portraits Bulger's girlfriend. 

I think they could have extended the movie to three hours by showing how he was arrested and maybe other parts or more details of his life but they limited that to two hours. I liked the movie and I might buy the DVD too. I would highly recommend that.

(Photo: Depp as Bulger talks to the FBI agent who he becomes his informant. He would be charged at the end of the story and sentenced to 40 years in prison. The rest of the story could be known by watching the movie!)

Iraq's Invasion to Iran: 35 years Later

35 years ago yesterday Iraqi forces crossed the international border and invaded Iran, starting a devastating war which took 8 years and cost many lives and billions of dollars. It is said that Saddam thought at the time he could use the chaos in the country after the so-called Islamic Revolution and defeat Iranians quickly. It just didn't happen although Iran would be defeated almost 8 years later and had to accept the UN Resolution number 598.

I guess I have said this before but I remember we were all out on that day and somehow we realized that the nearby Mehr-Abad Airport had been bombed by Iraqis. We went back home and the coming days were the days of dark out, air raid siren and military marches! I was in grade 5 in a school which the majority of kids were coming from poor, religious families. The coming years were all filled with the government propaganda about the so-called Sacred Defense and media's encouragement to fill the battle fronts. The war then was renamed to Imposed War and all the efforts of the government was useful to send the waves of human beings to the battlegrounds.

In grade 10 or 11, most likely 11 a few of the classmates volunteered and joined the forces. One of them was a very quiet, humble and shy guy who was simply sitting and barely made a peep in the classroom. I remember I joked with him a few times and he quietly smiled. One day he didn't show at the class and it was said that he had joined the forces. He never came back.

The other guy was a close friend of mine whom I spent a lot time with in my junior high years. We We used to play lots of Samurai games(!) on those years but once we had a fight and never stayed friends. When I went back to the neighbourhood's high school after a year and it was grade 10, I saw him. We exchanged a hello and that was it. He joined the volunteers and never came back. There was also this guy who was a complete asshole and we had so many fights and exchange of nasty words. He volunteered too and got killed in the fields.

It's a fact that many of the guys went to war based on their belief and simply what Khomeini was saying in those years. They were simply brainwashed and believed they were doing the right thing. It is also a fact that many went there for the financial reasons. One of my friends who lost his father during the war was being paid regularly for years by this organization called Martyr Foundation. He was also admitted to the university simply because of his father had been killed during the war as a driver who drove a truck. There were lots of them on those years. I remember there was a guy who had not even graduated from high school and he was in the university! He never finished the school! There was another guy who had been injured in the war and I met him in one of the general course classes. He was clueless as what was going on in the class and he was there to do a major in Telecommunication Engineering. He then switched to Civil Engineering and I never heard from him. There were many of these guys and some of them were not doing so bad. At least they got graduated and with the help they got, mostly were hired by government offices and agencies. There was this good friend of mine that we did our final project together and we did two amazing scrambles to Mount. Damavand and Mont. Sabalan. He eventually got himself to the municipality of his neighbourhood and got a few contract from them. Then the last time I heard from him he was trying to get into the Parliament through his hometown people! He was in the battlefronts and just maybe 100 m. away from where Iraqis dropped chemical bombs!

Stories about the war are plenty and some of them are correct and many are untrue. Many will never be known and that is because the government had and still has the full control of media. If you know something I would like to have it send to me but I know these stories requires hundreds of books not a blog! I have asked friends and relatives to send me their memoirs about the first days of war. I will post them here if I receive anything interesting.

(Photo: Iranian youth volunteer soldier is guarding Iraqi prisoners of war. There were a vast usage of the under-age soldiers during the war by Iran. Many of the were recruited form small towns and villages and were sent either to clear minefield or start invasions as part of human wave attackers)

Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park

This weekend I decided not to go to The Rockies and to check a new place in Central Alberta, a provincial park in almost central part of the province called Dry Island Buffalo Jump. It is located east of Olds in Red Deer River valley. Although I started very early when I got on Township Road 344, the sun was right in my eyes! I wasted my time on the way. Stopped two times for coffee and gasoline and the third time for restroom and a froth time or more for photography. It was almost 07:45 when I got there.I parked on the top and walked down the packed gravel road. There was only one car and later when I saw two Kayakers I assume that was theirs. 

At first I followed a trail parallel to the river but soon I realized that I had made a mistake. There was barely any trail. It was probably made by animals going to the rive to drink water as I saw several hoof prints. It was muddy and wet in a way that my socks got soaked. The height of grass or whatever it's called was as tall as me at spots and it got so tense at others that I had to go around! 

I then went back to the designated day use area and headed east and northeast. A trail has been shaped after mammals and hikers have walked through it. This is such a beautiful place and reminded me of two similar locations that I had previously visited Dinosaur Provincial Park and Horseshoe Canyon. Dinosaur Provincial Park is not as green as what Dry Island is or maybe it was because we never were able to work our way out toward the river which is the same river, Red Deer River. 

The unique shape of hills and mountains in Dry Island Buffalo Jump 

As I indicated earlier I saw many hoof prints on the trail, beside the river and close to streams but unfortunately was not lucky enough to see any wildlife. I heard animals howling though. I don't know whether they were dogs, wolves or anything else because I never saw them but I also heard barking from distance which could proof they were dogs. They were responding to each other but it stopped only after a few minutes. I had never experienced that anywhere else. The weather was nice and I guess I got tired soon although it was not a challenging hike. I guess going further north would be a good idea but I left it for another time to do that and after taking a few photos I headed back toward the upper parking lot. It is said that the park is the residence of more than 150 species of bird. I saw a few ones but I barely got close! As well I heard different singing and noises but I needed a good binoculars to spot them. One of the other good things about this park is that there's no damn campground! So all those drunks and dope smokers whom you might see around the parks and don't let you to sleep soundly, there are not there!
(Photo, top: View of part of Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park)

The Old Story of Refugees

Many has possibly heard this repeated story of refugees flowing to Europe in the past few days. I heard that by accident a few days ago because it was all over the media. I would not have heard that, had it not been given so much attention by the local newspapers and channels because it has been a long time since I don't listen to or read much of the news. Why is this so big this time I don't want to know and I don't care. It's just the same problem that the West has been dealing with for the past 25 to 30 years or longer, just because the media is vaster, it is seen bigger. When there was a war between Iran and Iraq or in Afghanistan in early 80's not much of what was happening were known by people because there was not this vast network of worldwide web, mobile phones, frequent travels between the countries and so on. Many facts that I came to understanding about Iran-Iraq War for example or the Soviets in Afghanistan (I wouldn't call it an invasion) was known to me after I came to Canada and Internet became so popular and accessible.

With that in mind this new problem of refugees whom seem to be from Syria, as far as I know, has been given so much attention in the past week or so. The fact is the majority of them are simply people who tend not to make any movement but crossing to the borders for a better countries to make their life better! The majority of them thinking of going to rich (or not so rich) Western countries for the hope of continuous welfare cheques and free accommodations. Germany, I know that for a fact, is very good at providing those in the past 30 years or so. So does Canada perhaps not to the same extent!

I don't have much information as why Germany became an asylum for refugees unless what I can analyse and that's Germans wanting a good reputation for their country after what happened in WWII. All what I learnt about Germany's system of dealing with foreigners were known to me after I visited my friend, an old friend, whom is not a friend any more, he cut his communications with me after I visited him. Perhaps I should refer you to his story first and then tell you things he has told me.

These are a few facts that are proven about refugee status of people in rich countries:

1- People make up all sorts of stories to just get there. There was this guy whom I met back in the days I worked in Cargill Foods and I got punched by him in the stomach because he was going coco at the time(!), something that he apologized for later, he told me that he had gone to Thailand and was put in jail by the country authorities under very bad conditions and then went to UNHCR and sought asylum claiming that he had been practicing Christianity in fear for years and now he wants to go to one of the Western countries. They sent him to Canada and there he was! I guess they promoted him to an Instructor position or something a little batter than laborour after a few years of working, he bought a condominium and lived a life he had never dreamed of! Once I told him that I was going back to the old country and asked him if there was anything he wanted me to do for him. He said that he wanted me to take some medicine for his dad. That was our last conversation as I quit that job and never saw him again! I never forgot what he had done to me and although he apologized, I was looking for an opportunity to retaliate. I guess that was as far as I could go!

2- Hojam is another piece of shit who abused the system and took off. His story has been told here but there are definitely hidden parts that I don't know. For example how he stole all the money and left. I know the system is lame but still. I don't know if I mentioned that in his story or not but last time I exchanged messages with him, before it got ugly because he robbed me for almost $600, he said that he would most likely never come back to Canada! I would have probably done that if I had not paid taxes and borrowed money from banks and had not repaid them!

3- Germany has probably the most-abused refugee system. That's why all these Syrian so-called refugees are heading that way! They now what is waiting for them! There are people in Germany now who went there and claimed their life had been in danger and then snuck back to their homeland through a third country. They have apartments there which is rented out and have initially financed by the money that German taxpayers paid! They pay mortgage and by the year they are retired they have enough cash and a nice apartment to live in! If you lose your job in Germany, you receive employment insurance form the government until the day you're able to get another job and if there's

4- When refugees go to rich countries and see all the luxury, the houses some live in, the cars they drive and the cloths they wear, They resort to everything to make money. That's where the problem starts. I'm not saying that they are all potentially criminals but money tempts everyone. Hojam is one of them who evaded tax, stole money from a bank and took off. Many refugees are into cash work of different sort. Stories of them requires a book not a blog!
(Photo: A person shows a manual in Arabic which is printed and distributed within Syrian free-loaders, some might call them refugees. They are instructed as where to go, what to say to be accepted, etc. cased similar to this was available to asylum seekers in Germany, years ago, my former friend told me)

Bottles and Cans for a Year

There is a big competition in the society between the ones who collect cans and bottles for recycling. The Lady told me once that she heard noise one weekend from the back alley and when went to the balcony saw two men fighting over big bags full of can and bottles. 

Many homeless people do that as their daily routine. As well many low life people do that as their second job, mostly Chinese. It's not much but it's something. 

Based on the fact I decided to do a test. This test was performed from 13-Sep-2014 to 13-Sep-2015 and collected the money that I got from returning recyclables bottles and cans! The items were obtained from different sources. I had to do that because we do not drink much beverages. The sources and their share is approximately according to the following:

• Family. (40%)
• Neighbours. (40%)
• Ourselves. (5%)
• Workplace. (5%)
• Found. (%5)

The result was a total of $84.4 only! This of course was not done as a full-time or even part-time job but the poor result shows how lame it is. People wander around for hours and at the end come up with a big back which might brings $10 to their pocket. Some do that for years and those are basically the people who are certain they will have a roof over their head, in the shelter and meal as well. Others do that simply because they are born cheapskates! I knew someone in Cargill Foods whom told me that was the thing he did on weekend on his bicycle alongside fishing! He was from former Yugoslavia, a guerrilla whom even showed me his photos in camouflages with other of his team member while holding weapons. The only surprise here is that I have never seen any East Indian doing that although they are the biggest cheapskates in the world. I guess they look for better sources of income and tax-free!
(Photo: Strange thing happened a few days ago while I was pulling in a spot behind a business. An old Caucasian lady in her probably late 50's and early 60's pull into a handicapped parking spot. She was driving an almost new Hyundai. She got out and went to the adjacent recycling bean which is used by a local cafe and came out with a bottle(!) got in and drove off! Weird! It's obvious that it was a planned trip and she knows where in the city every recycling bean is located. I just wonder what kind of freak does that! There are some weird weird people in this country!)

Where Were You in 11-Sep-2001?

It was the 14th anniversary of the so-called attacks on American soil yesterday. No action at work or the city. It was just briefly referred to on TV. I'm not going to express my personal opinion here because I don't know who's reading this (not many I'm sure) and although I'm a troublemaker, this would not be a battle that I could win! So I only limit myself to where I was on that day:

I worked at this disgusting company at the time, SAIPA, a true waste of time. The money and benefit was OK though, particularly remember the food allowance that we had, something which is not common in North America. I think many didn't have to spend much on grocery. But overall it was disgusting: Distrusting work, disgusting boss, disgusting environment but those were my last years in the old country. I don't remember how I became aware of the incident but it could have been through newspaper because they were very popular at the time. 

We didn't talk much about it and then I decided to give my aunt a call and now after 14 years I can't recall whether it was the same day or a few days after because I called to see how her daughter, my 

cousin was doing who lives and lived at the time in New York City. 

I remember this part clearly that I had an Alcatel mobile phone handset, a French brand which actually was a very good one and those days cellphones were still not very popular and available to everyone like know that every Tom, Dick and Harry got one even he earns $10.50 an hour! 

Our office, Quality Assurance Department, was located on the last level of a building with no elevator and I guess it was on the 4th or 5th floor. All around the level there was a narrow type of balcony that I don't know to this day why it has been built. It never was used but I used to go there to make telephone calls because that was the only spot that people didn't hear me. 

So I went to the so-called balcony and dialed my aunt's number and she picked up. I asked her about her daughter and she said that she was fine but of course very upset over what had happened top their city. That could have been true because she is someone who has been living there for, 30 years, I guess, give or take and has a reputable business. So she was upset. 

When I went back to the room I was told by my colleagues that the boss had come and checked on the people and expressed his displeasure over a few things he had seen! Good that he didn't see me talking on the phone during his routine check! 

I only spent there a few more weeks and then headed to Canada in late November. On my way to the country, and because the situation was still critical I was encountered by German police in Frankfurt International Airport which I have told its story in a separate post. But that was it. The day which changed everything in the world was marked for me the way I described. Where were you in 11-Sep-2001?

(Photo: This picture which has been seen millions of times by almost everyone who has access to TV, newspaper or Internet is claimed to be proof, by some and I'm only quoting, that the attacks was an inside job because it can be seen here that the towers are being detonated but I don't know!)

Rawson Lake

After the short walk in Ghost Lake area which only helped me to initially get myself familiar with the region for future hikes, I decided to have a hike in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, in southern Kananaskis. I woke up at around 05:30 and headed west on Highway # 1 and then got myself in Highway # 40 and eventually parked at Interlake Day Use Area. I had realized the night before that I did not have any map which could direct me to Three Isle Lake so just simply took a trail and hiked around Upper Kananaskis Lake. There were a few cars parked in the lot but there was nobody around in that time, almost 08:00. 

The mountains around Peter Lougheed Provincial Park are already covered in snow. 

I guess there is a campground there where people spend the night in. I walked around the lake until I reached the other side and then went around and saw a small waterfall which its noise could be heard easily from the other side of the lake. My intention was to go around the lake and get back to the starting point but I saw a guy who was taking photos and he said that he would be going to the nearby Rawson Lake and I decided to simply follow that trail.

It is only 2.7 Km from the waterfall and it has a little steepness. There was a little snow on the ground but it didn't tale long until I find myself at the lake. It is a small one probably the same size of Lillian Lake but surrounded by rocks of Mt. Sarrail.

I saw a couple of female Moose grazing by the parking lot as soon as I pulled in. One of them ran away as I was approaching. This one couldn't resist the pleasant taste of her breakfast and kept chowing!

I didn't spend much time at the lake and headed back after just taking a few pictures but when going down I realized that a few are going up with fishing rods! A little snow started falling but that was nothing. I first wanted to go around the lake and make a whole loop but looking at the map now, I see that would have taken 2 times what it took me to get back to the parking lot. When I got back to the first lot, close to Rowson Lake, I saw it was full and then the same was seen where I had parked. There should be lots of hiking and scrambling opportunities in this park. I'm sure I'll be back. It's just finding the next one for the season. I guess next one would probably be going to Three Isle Lake and could be combined with another hike because it's not very challenging.

(Photo, top: Rowson Lake with the rock-wall of Mt. Sarrail in the back)

Cuisinart Stainless Steel Cookware

We bought this wonderful Cuisinart cookware from Canadian Tire almost a year ago. I guess they are Stainless Steel. They must be and they are simply wonderful. They transfer the heat from stove top to the inside so well that you can cook anything with the least amount of electricity consumed. Of course you need to be patient a little bit first but when it is warmed up, it is wonderful. 

I've made everything them: From Fried Egg to Broiled Chicken, Pasta of different kind, you name it. It's just wonderful, I must repeat. The mistake some people make is they turn the heat all the way up and the food burns and sticks and they think the product is faulty. One of The Lady's friend's had this misunderstanding and they got rid of the pot or whatever it was they had purchased. Ours is a full set of 3 pots in three sizes, a frying pan and a sort of sieve. I think Cuisinart better to come up with some sort of instruction for this kind of cookware because most of the people are not accustomed to them but maybe they have something in the box. Or maybe people, most of them, already know about that. Not many people cook here so I really don't know who might buy something like that! There was this guy whom I used to work with, He was a young fella, around 30 or something and he lived with his girlfriend. He told me once that they had purchased a Pressure Cooker and they were trying to find out how to use it! Good for you! 

(Photo: Although not exactly the same but we purchased a similar set of Cuisinart cookware and I love them!)

A Walk in Ghost Lake Area

After two weeks being away from hiking, today I decided to give a new area a try, somewhere I had not been to before: Ghost Lake area! My buddy from work said during the week that he wanted to tag along so I used this opportunity and take her to Ghost Lake just to be able to discover the area for my future hike! This actually came to my attention a few weeks ago when I encountered a post about Devil's Head, a mountain which has a Native Albertan name and then two weeks ago on my way back from The Wedge I had to drove by Ghost Lake so everything was ready to make this preliminary trip to the area happen.

We started early under heavy rain and a 5 Degrees C sky and drove to Cochrane and from there got ourselves to Highway # 40 and drove to west almost parallel to Bow Valley Trail, at least for a while. I have a good map and then when we got to Richards Road, I found an information kiosk, according to the map and found another map which came handy! From there you need to get to TransAlta Road which is obviously a service road similar to what we saw in Plateau Mountain. This road a packed gravel which takes you to Ghost River. Having this idiot with me, who was so concerned about his fucking vehicle, which actually was a good 4x4, I realized that he didn't want to drive all the way to the river so suggested to park anywhere he wanted. We parked and walked for almost 1 hour to the river. The vehicle is even OK for a sedan which I consider for my next trip. 

We saw this modified jeep abandoned in the area. The plate was expired in April this year. There was nobody around on our way to west of the area and back up to TransAlta Road. Looked perfectly drivable

Anyway it was a mix of rain and snow all the way to the river and after that and fog was down on the entire area. I'm sure it's a beautiful area when it's visited in a clear sunny day.We took a few photos and this fool wanted to go back home so we turned back after only 2 hours of walk and took the same path. On the way back we had a slope, the same that we had gone down earlier and this moron feels tired and hungry after walking up that! He asks me whether I had any chocolate bar and although I had half a bag of small Hershey mini-bars I told him I had eaten them all up on my way to the rendezvous point in the morning before I reached him! Then I handed him the fucking banana he had given me earlier and  had insisted me to eat. He ate half or it and gave me the other half. I had no problem eating that! All whole trip took 03:45 hour with at least 03:15 hour of that being a good walk. I will definitely go back for photography and also going towards Devil's Head and other mountains in the area. Just have to wait for a clear-sky day.

(Photo, top: Ghost River with some amazing rocks in the back. That's as good as my small camera could take)

A Fool Aboriginal Mrs. Universe

It was in the news a few days ago that an Aboriginal woman from Alberta had been crowned as Mrs. Universe 2015. It apparently is different from Miss Universe but that's not the point. I have never been interested in stuff like that. This time this person got my attention because she showed a unique silliness that probably has never been seen!

This moron who has married someone out of her tribe or reserve because her surname has been changes, said something against the Prime Minister and accused him of paying no attention to the Aboriginals and their problems! This is absolutely idiotic! I don't know what the circumstances were that under which this creature was selected as Mrs. Universe but I would easily give her the crown of Mrs. Stupid World.

Aboriginal people of Canada have to get themselves together and pay attention to themselves, help each other. Living the life style of 200 or 2000 years ago is no longer works in this country. How many times we have heard the stories of the chiefs that steal from their own people. They drive big luxury trucks while their tribesmen live in absolute poverty. Who wanders around the streets drunk and under the influence of drugs and ask for change? Those are Aboriginals. Hundred of thousands of people have come to this country and many worked hard and built a life. Why don't these guys forget the past and get a life? I guess everyone knows and has at least one experience with these people. I have had more than one. I have said enough. I only add: Pure stupidity is what she emits from herself!

(Photo: Mrs. Stupid World with an open mouth widen as a result of being shocked how awful most of Aboriginal people look in this country. I don't know if she was trying to punch any of them!)

Stray Dog

Stray Dog is the name of a Japanese movie directed by Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998). I've been always a fan of Kurosawa movies not just because they used to be shown on one of the two channels of IRIB when I was in primary and junior high. I even was looking for them when I migrated and was successful to obtained a few but this post is not about this movie or any of the Kurosawa movie for that matter. Stray Dog is the nickname I've given to this goofball at workplace! This guy is in his mid-fifties or at least that's how he looks. Wears out-dated cloths and sometimes smells really bad. I'm not being mean or have no intention to downgrade him. These are just facts. Should I say or not, he's from former Yugoslavia but I don't no where exactly. Must be from a small town or a village because that's how he acts. I list a few of his great features here and how I got to call him the Stray Dog!  

1- I have seen him around downtown area on Fri. a few times when the office is closed.He simply wanders around. His hang out is a Starbucks and once I saw him with an old man, a little bit older than him. I met with him in that cafe once and talked. He is into politics and history but looks like drifted!

2- He's single. Not that there's anything wrong with that. He goes back to the motherland every Christmas and stays up to 3 months at time. We were expecting him one day he comes back holding the lucky bride's(!) hand but it hasn't happened. One might think who wants to marry an old stinking fruitcake? Believe me there are women who would do that just to come to Canada. I'm surprised that hasn't happened with him yet. 

3- One Christmas I talked to a few colleagues and I suggested to buy a cleaning pack as a present and leave on his desk! You know those packs that there's a shampoo, soap, body lotion, etc and comes in a reasonable price in stores such as Shopper's and Nasty(Wal)-Mart. People laughed and smiled, some but nobody chipped in so I dropped it!

4- This freaking fool has been living in this country who knows for how long but still does not have a Driver's Licence! Can you believe this? I know some people might not be comfortable driving but come on! Once we had to go to Edmonton for some visit from the company and I had to drive the whole 600 km because this asshole does not drive! 

5- When I was preparing to write my NPPE, he approached me once and told me that he also would want to write the examination. He added that he was studying his Master's when the war broke out and he had to leave! I told him it would be very easy to get his Master's here in Canada. All he has to do, I said, would be bringing the courses he has passed from the old country to see and have the university observe that and then take the balance. The idiot looked at me with a sort of disbelief in his eyes and brought different excuses. I know to this date he has not accomplished either of them! 

6- He would not last in any company and in fact he would not even gotten in any company if it was not because the countrymen on higher levels. I guess he's stay there as long as there's a job and will most likely retire there, like many others.
(Photo: I wanted to use a photo of a scene of Stray Dog but then I thought " The post is not about the movie " So decided to use this photo which I took in Holiday Inn in Chinle, AZ. I was walking back to the room from my car where I saw this animal roaming around. I thought it was a Fox or Coyote first but I realized it was a Native's dog. They let their dog out and have no control over it. It also does not seem that there is any bylaw in that regards to animals in the reserves)