Monday, December 31, 2012
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Friday, December 28, 2012
Post Cards Home (A Retrospective)
Celebrating Five Years of Post Cards
From
Uncle Don Cards
Division Of Frost Lake Photography
The new way to make a photo album: photo books by Shutterfly.
Wherever you are today, I hope that you have something to celebrate!
Don Bergquist - December 28, 2012 - Lakewood, Colorado, USA
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Holiday Travel
I cannot believe I have been in Minnesota a week already!
HOW could this be possible!? Can a surfeit of cards, games, and food – taken in
the presence of friends and family, really constrict time so markedly as to
make an entire week disappear that quickly!?
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Boxing Day In Minnesota
Boxing Day
noun
(in
Britain) the first weekday after Christmas, when Christmas gifts orboxes are
given to employees, letter carriers, etc.
Origin:
1825–35
Karma
Disclaimer:
In
the interest of complete clarity – I must admit that this post is being delayed
until after Christmas so as not to spoil the surprise gift mentioned below. This
was written on the morning of December 16, 2012 and is an accurate depiction of
actual events.
Dictionary.com defines karma like this:
kar•ma [kahr-muh]
noun
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Christmas Day
The gifts are all given; the mess has all been managed; and
after all is said and done, what remains is the love the family has for each
other to bask in. The glow from the heart out-warms the glow from the hearth.
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Monday, December 24, 2012
Christmas Eve
When we were children my siblings and I would eagerly await
the arrival of Santa on Christmas Eve. As midnight neared Miami, the Bergquist children
would eagerly await the mysterious multiplication of the mound of presents
under the tree.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
The Vortex
I have yet to understand it; but this place, more than any
other home I have ever spent significant time in, seem to emanate pure relaxation. There
seems to be some vortex here that serves to suck the desire to do anything
active out of one. Unless you bring work with you to do, it seems that the time
of day has no meaning here.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
A Lovely Day Draws On
Santa’s Elves must have come along between the time I wrote
that and the time I finished getting ready to head into town. Nearly everything
is back in its place. The wrappings have all been tidied into their box in the
corner of the office; the table as been reclaimed by Flo’s sewing. My step-mom,
last seen wrapping-up-a-storm is nowhere to be seen. I hear snores emanating from
other rooms, it is as if the previous flurry of activity was all a dream.
Three-Days-And-Counting
It looks as if one of Santa’s elves exploded in here! There
are bows, bags, and gift wrap all over my dad’s office.
For weeks my step-mom has been putting aside things for
wrapping. Gifts for cousins, siblings, in-laws, and assorted friends are strewn
all over the room in various stages of decoration. A few stocking-stuffers that
I had sent here to be wrapped are set to one side; they were sheathed in
brightly colored paper earlier today.
We have boxes of ornaments off to one side, we’ll be
trimming the tree in the living room a little later-on and then we can pile all
the tinsel-covered packages around the base; the apparent aftermath of a tragic
sleigh accident.
The mess in this room will be clear, the present strewn,
tree-festooned corner of the living room will be all lovely for a few days and
then the mess that I am surveying here will be a pale presage of the chaos that
will be all over the living room. But what fun we will have on Christmas morning,
sharing time with each other, like red-and-green pirates surveying the booty
that Old St. Nick has left for us.
It truly is a magical time of the year – even if, it at
times looks a bit like elf-barf!
Wherever you are today, I home your holiday prep is… uh…
Don Bergquist – December 22, 2012 – Kensington, Minnesota, USA
Friday, December 21, 2012
Busy Day
My folks were waiting when the shuttle arrived. I think I
may have dropped off a couple times but I really got no significant sleep on
the shuttle. We had a bite to eat and it occurred to me that the reason that I
was so hungry was that other than a buttered and toasted roll in the Butt-Ugly
morning before I had left for the airport, I had not had anything to eat all
day. That Rueben was delicious!
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Coffee ≠ Sleep
Once again I am led to the inescapable conclusion that I am
no longer young. As if the creak in my bones that never used to be there, or
the tendency to become upset with people doing patently stupid things –
especially if they are young people – weren’t enough to tell me that I am no
longer young, the fact that I am no longer impervious to pain and occasionally
require sleep certainly clinches it.
Flying Coach
I am sitting on the plane in more layers than is absolutely necessary because all I three of the morning newscasts I watched this morning as I was getting ready to leave warned of the bitterly cold temperatures and suggested dressing in layers. Oh well, perhaps I will need these layers in Minnesota!
Departure
Well! THAT was fun!
It is a good thing that I was watching the news last night and
was prepared for this morning. The weathercasts and traffic forecasts for this
morning as well as the updates on two of the local channels, which I checked before
I left, all called for it being a difficult time this morning.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
Gun Rights
I was talking to a conservative friend of mine this weekend.
This is a real right-wing "A Corporation Is A Person" Kool-Aid
drinking republican. We were talking about last week's tragic events at the
mall, at the school, at the mall again. There were three different incidents of
gun violence and he was just sure that – as a bleeding-heart liberal – I would
want to immediately ban all guns.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Sunday, December 09, 2012
Saturday, December 08, 2012
Friday, December 07, 2012
Thursday, December 06, 2012
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
Monday, December 03, 2012
Sunday, December 02, 2012
Saturday, December 01, 2012
Friday, November 30, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
Denial Personified
noun
1. an assertion that something said, believed, alleged,
etc. , is false: Despite his denials, we knew he had taken the purse. The
politician issued a denial of his opponent's charges.
2. refusal to believe a doctrine, theory, or the like.
3. disbelief in the existence or reality of a thing.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Friday, November 16, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
A Question Of Math
I am so glad that I have a DVR that allows me to back-up on
live television. I was quite sure I had misunderstood that story this morning,
but even on second hearing it was the same. Can you believe the unapologetic duplicity
of the statements that Mr. Romney made to his supporters this week!? He seems
to be completely unaware of how inanely disingenuous he is being.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
Schadenfreude? Me!? Never!
scha·den·freu·de
[shahd-n-froi-duh]
noun
satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.
Origin:
1890–95; <
German, equivalent to Schaden harm + Freude
joy
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Friday, November 09, 2012
Thursday, November 08, 2012
Wednesday, November 07, 2012
Tuesday, November 06, 2012
Monday, November 05, 2012
Something To Think About Tomorrow
"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny;
when the government fears the people, there is liberty."
~ Thomas Jefferson
Sunday, November 04, 2012
Partisans
par·ti·san
[pahr-tuh-zuhn, -suhn; Brit. pahr-tuh-zan]
noun
1. an adherent or supporter of a person, group, party, or
cause, especially a person who shows a biased, emotional allegiance…
Saturday, November 03, 2012
Friday, November 02, 2012
Thursday, November 01, 2012
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Friday, October 26, 2012
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Pandering To The Lowest Common Denominator
There is an old adage which suggests that you should never try to teach a pig to sing; it accomplishes nothing and it annoys the pig. It is in this vein that I have given-up even trying to explain to people who keep quitting the party-line bull____ at me that they should try reading something more than a bumper sticker. There is nothing to gain from it.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
How Your News Is Completely Wrong
(Or At Least Out Of
Date By The Time You Get It)
There was a story on the local news this morning that was humorous
in that the moment I heard it, I knew it was wrong. I knew this not because I
had inside info about the story itself or any particular interest in whether it
was right or wrong, but because I understood that simply by reporting the story
the media were changing it. This, in turn, I understood because I know how
things work.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Friday, October 12, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Sunday, October 07, 2012
Saturday, October 06, 2012
Friday, October 05, 2012
An Open Letter To Mitt Romney And His Followers
In my daily news review online and on the air I saw a story
that absolutely incensed me! Anyone who can still hold onto the belief that the
right is really standing-up for the little guy read on.
Mr. Romney:
If you are serious about being concerned about the small
businesses of America, I do believe you owe it to one of them that you have
injured some consideration. You may not have thought that your campaign's
attempt to use a small business as a backdrop would have the unintended
consequence of threats of violence and boycott, but you certainly should have.
How could you not have known that by allowing the news a local restaurant didn’t
want to be a backdrop for your campaign could have had real consequences?
Have you not been watching the news? Did you not know that nearly
half the country would never consider voting for you (what was that figure,
47%? I'd have to look it up…) while nearly half the country would never
consider voting for your opponent? Can you not see how vitriolic the rhetoric
from BOTH sides has gotten? Are you living on another planet?
You may not have personally released the fact that Rosa
Linda's restaurant didn't want you interrupting their lunchtime service,
but surely you have heard the news that Oscar Aguirre and his family have suffered death threats.
Surely you have heard that their restaurant has been hit by a threatened boycott.
Surely you must be able to see the causal relationship between the fact that
the news that your campaign approached and was refused by a local small
business and this mess. Surely! Aren't you the "Pro-Small Business"
candidate!?
If you don't owe this man
compassion because your campaign has caused this mess, do you not owe it to him
as a fellow Mormon? Your campaign certainly seems to have assumed he would have
been amenable to closing his business for your benefit because he shares a
faith with you… You seem to put great value on your faith, but if you could
allow this to happen to a member of your own church, I shudder to think what
you will allow to happen to those of us who don't have any connection to you
other than holding a passport from the same country.
Was your performance on Wednesday,
just that – a performance? Do you really care so little for other people that
you can allow this to happen without at least telling your supporters to stop?
They are after all, attacking this small business for no other reason than that
they happened to turn down your request to allow them to be used to further
your political ambitions! The are attacking this family on your behalf –
misguided as I hope that they are; they are doing this FOR YOU!
I sit here listening to the incessant
ads that you and your supporters are running here in Colorado. You repeatedly
claim that you "…care about poor and middle class families." You keep
claiming that you want to be the president for "100%" of America. Is
it just that the business your followers are threatening is too small a
percentage to be counted part of that 100%?
Wherever you are today, Mr. Romney,
I hope that you will do what is right – speak to your supporters – tell them
that what they are doing to Rosa Linda's and its owners is in opposition to
what you claim to stand for!
Don Bergquist – October 05, 2012 – Lakewood, Colorado, USA
Monday, October 01, 2012
Skin In The Game
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Disingenuous
dis•in•gen•u•ous
[dis-in-jen-yoo-uhs]
adjective
lacking in frankness, candor, or sincerity; falsely or
hypocriticallyingenuous; insincere: Her
excuse was rather disingenuous.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Puh-leeeese!
Admittedly, I have yet to see the speech; I just got back
from evening meetings and have missed the coverage until now. But they are
interviewing some of the most insipid voters that it has ever been my
displeasure to watch.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Economic Whiz-Kid?
I have just finished watching the Republican Nominee for
Vice-President speak. If you will allow me, for the moment to ignore the fact
that he repeated the same hyperbole and misrepresentations that his party has
been trying for MONTHS now, I would like to ask: What makes people say that he
is such an economic whiz-kid?
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Short On Details
I have to admit, I could not really stand watching the RNC
Convention for more than a few minutes at a time, but I did read a number of
reports on it this morning, and from what I saw and what I have read, there seems
to be a theme developing: "President bad – Romney good."
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Friday, August 17, 2012
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Friday, August 10, 2012
Thursday, August 09, 2012
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
Monday, August 06, 2012
Saturday, August 04, 2012
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Tech
On my first trip to Australia, a friend of mine recommended a
piece of tech kit that I had to have the moment I saw it! I had a tablet, but
this tablet was like none I had ever seen…
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Slam?
No! It can’t be! The Olympics have been in the works for
years! Their solute to the NHS seems calculated to point-out that the US is the
only major industrialized nation that doesn’t care for all its citizens when
they are sick!
 |
| From Wikimedia via The Atlantic |
Friday, July 27, 2012
Faith-Politics/Politics-Faith
What an interesting world we live in. You have the right to
believe in whatever you want to. There is (at least in theory) in this country
a freedom of religion that allows you to believe anything you want. No matter what crazy bat-shit thing you
take into your head, it is theoretically your right to believe it.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Gymnastics
The Olympics Opening Ceremonies are not until tomorrow night
and already the US has a promising contender in Gymnastics: Willard “Mitt”
Romney is flipping and spinning with the best of them over there in London!Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
Monday, Monday
How did I get so accustomed to the time so quickly!? It has
been five days since I had to count on the alarm waking me up. I do not get it!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
It’s A Lovely Weekend
Not everything is news and politics this weekend! Saturday was a lovely day, starting with the thunderstorm that watered the newly mown lawns. We had breakfast and coffee followed by cards and conversation. Yes, it was a lovely morning.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Crackpots
I think I have seen this movie before:
Sen.
John Yerkes Iselin: No evasions,
Mister Secretary, no evasions if you please.
Secretary of Defense: Evasions? What the hell are you talking about?
Secretary of Defense: [whispering to Marco] What the hell is this nonsense?
Marco: [covering the microphones] Mister Secretary, I'm kind of new at this job, but I don't think it's good public relations to speak that way to a US Senator, even if he is an idiot.
Sen. John Yerkes Iselin: I am United States Senator John Yerkes Iselin, and I have here a list of two hundred seven persons who are known by the Secretary of Defense as being members of the Communist Party!
Secretary of Defense: [amid shocked reaction from the crowd] What?
Sen. John Yerkes Iselin: Who nevertheless are still shaping the policy of the Defense Department!
Secretary of Defense: Senator who?
Sen. John Yerkes Iselin: I demand an answer, Mister Secretary! There will be no covering up, sir! No covering up!
Secretary of Defense: How did you get in here in the first place?
Secretary of Defense: Evasions? What the hell are you talking about?
Secretary of Defense: [whispering to Marco] What the hell is this nonsense?
Marco: [covering the microphones] Mister Secretary, I'm kind of new at this job, but I don't think it's good public relations to speak that way to a US Senator, even if he is an idiot.
Sen. John Yerkes Iselin: I am United States Senator John Yerkes Iselin, and I have here a list of two hundred seven persons who are known by the Secretary of Defense as being members of the Communist Party!
Secretary of Defense: [amid shocked reaction from the crowd] What?
Sen. John Yerkes Iselin: Who nevertheless are still shaping the policy of the Defense Department!
Secretary of Defense: Senator who?
Sen. John Yerkes Iselin: I demand an answer, Mister Secretary! There will be no covering up, sir! No covering up!
Secretary of Defense: How did you get in here in the first place?
Friday, July 20, 2012
John Donne Is Anti-Business (And Anti-Island!)
In my continuing series of my predicting the news, I have
the following news flash, in front of a roaring crowd of teenagers forced to
read poetry, Willard “Mitt” Romney declared that John Donne is out-of-touch and
anti-business.
Tragic News
Thanks for people who have been emailing me this morning. My
home is clear the other side of town from the movie theatre where the shooting
took place and I am not there anyway. I am in Minnesota with my folks this
week.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
“…Its Founding Document!?”
Regardless of what you think of his politics, you have to
wonder about his grasp on history!
Mr. Willard “Mitt” Romney a crowd of TEA Party conservatives
the type of red-meat drivel they gobble-up without a care as to its veracity
yesterday in Pennsylvania. The disturbing thing is that neither he nor his
audience seems to care whether his comments are accurate. The ovation-inducing
lines were as follows:
“Let’s stop and think about the system of
government and what it tells us in our founding document, the Declaration of
Independence. It does not say that the government gave us our rights. It says
that God gave us our rights. They came with us not with Government.”
Despite the theological problems here (does he really believe
that our rights were given to us by a 6’4” white man living on a planet called
“Kobol?” Or is he saying that some other god – the God of your personal choice
– gave you the rights?); there is a fundamental (rather than fundamentalist)
issue with this statement.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Oh, My God! My Dog’s A Freak!
Whoosh! There it goes again, that streak of white shooting
past my window! Well, mostly white with a bit of black on either end! What the…
There it goes again! Ah!
Monday, July 16, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Sunrise
It is moments like this that make the travel the thrill it
is. There is nothing quite like the experience of travelling along and being
suddenly surprised with the sight of a beautiful sunrise.
Alarm Clock? What Alarm Clock!?
What a difference a sign makes! It is embarrassing; what
with the number of nights I spend on the road and the number of times I have
made this trip; that a little think like not seeing the sign would make such a
difference! The fact that that sign is on the interstate and is at a point east
of where I left the interstate is beside the point. I should have remembered it
was there and that I would have seen it by now had I not diverged from my usual
routes yesterday!
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Stopping For The Night
Saga is snoring at the foot of the bed in the hotel. It must
be tiring riding around in the kennel all day, occasionally whinging; as if
asking me when it will be time to stop. Perhaps this is a dogs way of repeating
“Are we there yet!?”
The Badlands
I assume that I must be in the Badlands National Park. If I
am not, then I am on the fringes thereof. The craggy mesas to the east and west
of the road and the dry, colorful valley floor are dead giveaways.
The Road Less Traveled By
What a gorgeous day for driving; even if I have very little
idea of where, exactly I am!
Departure
Perhaps it is just that I am getting older, but I no longer
am so hot and bothered about what time I get rolling when I leave on a trip.
There was a time that if I had found myself still sitting here in Lakewood at
five in the morning on departure day I would have been beside myself for not
having left “on time”
Friday, July 13, 2012
Being Productive
What a productive day – so far! It is early afternoon and I
have just returned home from the office. Early in – early out, lots done in
between! It sort of make the day productive… at least it makes it seem
productive!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Sunday, July 08, 2012
1.65”
More than an inch-and-a-half of rain fell into my rain gauge
this weekend. It is NICE to have the water! This is more rain than we had for
the entire month of June. The atmosphere is absolutely dripping out of the sky
this morning. It is nice and cool, and dark.
Saturday, July 07, 2012
Friday, July 06, 2012
Thursday, July 05, 2012
Wednesday, July 04, 2012
Monday, July 02, 2012
Politics As Usual
How did it degenerate to this point? I used to be amused by
it, but it has worn a bit thin.
Sunday, July 01, 2012
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
Unusual Marketing Ploy
I thought to myself as I read the sign: “Why would anyone
take this deal!? Sure, it is only 2¢ but still…”
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
Fathers’ Day Memories: Part III ~ …And Now My Version
As a sort-of homage to my Dad for Fathers’ Day, I have been presenting
you with a story that is well known and well loved in my family since Saturday.
On Saturday I started by giving the background and then yesterday I related the
events of the story to you as Dad insists they actually happened.
But every story has two sides and each person has their own
memory of events. Yesterday as is fitting for Fathers' Day, I related the story as I have heard it related MANY times by my Dad.
What follows is my recollection of the way it REALLY
happened. While the key points are more-or-less the same, I think you will spot
that Dad and I differ in some subtle ways that don’t really change the story
that much. See if you can spot the differences…
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Fathers’ Day Memories: Part II ~ Dad Gets His Say
Well, at least it has not aged badly. The thing is that my
father and I differ greatly in a few of the key details of the story and in an
attempt at fairness; I am going to present the story in the way that both of us
remember it. In deference to my father, I am starting with his version. It is
only right, given the day and all…
As you will recall from yesterday’s post, it is 1966 and my
Mom, siblings, and pet daschund have all left for Minnesota and Dad and I are
following a week later.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Fathers’ Day Memories: Part I ~ Introduction
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If it is true that your early, formative years, define who
you are for life, then I am in big trouble! I was a horrible kid. There is a specific
strip from the old Bill Watterson comic strip Calvin and
Hobbes that I have always remembered because it reminded me of myself
as a kid. It shows the father in the strip walking out the door for work and
getting in the car while the kid (Calvin) calls after him telling his dad all
the fun things that he could be doing if he didn’t have t go to work. The
father, all the while getting visible depressed. The strip ends with Calvin
watching his dad drive off for the city in a foul mood and admitting “I’d hate
to have a kid like me!”Friday, June 15, 2012
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
New Toys!
One of the few things I didn't like about traveling with my tablet was that there was no EASY way to keep up with my blog. I am trying-out the new Android Blogger app. It has a fell shortcomings that I have encountered thus far; it cannot (apparently) schedule for future posting. I have also read that it doesn't like to post articles with pictures. THAT would be a showstopper for me!
Wherever you are today I hope that you have some cool new toys to play with!
Don Bergquist - June 12, 2012 - Lakewood, Colorado, USA
Monday, June 11, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Saturday, June 09, 2012
Friday, June 08, 2012
Thursday, June 07, 2012
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Monday, June 04, 2012
Sunday, June 03, 2012
Saturday, June 02, 2012
Public Service
I have great respect for anyone who willingly takes on a
role of public service. It is a thankless job that puts you under a great deal
of stress and has very little pay-off.
A Lovely Weekend Day
While walking the dog this morning, I noticed that the
prairie dogs were unusually active. No wonder, it is a lovely day and they were
out there just reveling in the lovely day that we are having here in Lakewood!
Friday, June 01, 2012
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
Travelogue Minnesota: Colorado
Is it still Memorial Day? It must be, I have been passing
cars coming the other way sporting signage about the Bolder Boulder all day. At
my gas stop back in Sterling, there were people changing from their running
togs into more road-appropriate attire.
Travelogue Minnesota: Lutefisk Capital Of The US
It is axiomatic that here, in Minnesota, there are two
seasons: Winter and Road Construction. I am only an hour-or-so from my starting
point and am already losing time due to the fact that the route my GPS is
following is under construction.
Travelogue Minnesota: Early
I am up early this morning in preparation for the drive
home. Well, it is early by the standards of the laid-back lifestyle of what my
cousin’s kids call “The Park.” I can see why. My folks’ house is so peaceful! It
was well before five when I got up to shower and get ready for the drive.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Travelogue Minnesota: Aftermath
Everything is so green today! I guess that is to b expected
after all the rain that we have had for the past few days.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Travelogue Minnesota: The Party
As oppressive and dismal as the morning appeared, it was
gratifying that the afternoon was equally lovely. But I am getting ahead of
myself…
Travelogue Minnesota: This Does Not Bode Well!
I was awakened early this morning as the worst of the
front-borne storm came through here. There must have been a thunderclap, though
I do not remember it. There was nobody stirring as I got up to see what had
awakened me. The house, except for the sound of the falling rain, was
silent.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Travelogue Minnesota: Party Preparations
It is another great day for getting things done. The weather
is just overcast enough to make us want to get the outside work done, while not
being so wet as to prevent us from getting things done.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Travelogue Minnesota: Well! That Was Fun!
Travelogue Minnesota: Departure
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Travelogue Minnesota: Preparations
To say that I am excited about my vacation may be a bit of
an understatement; in much the same way that saying Pikes Peak is a bit of a
hill. I started preparations for this trip three days ago when I started
compiling a packing list and thoroughly cleaning the car.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Sunday, May 20, 2012
What A Lovely Morning!
…and I am not just saying that because my Calendar tells me
that it is spring and I am two days from leaving on my spring holiday! It truly
is a lovely morning.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Sunday, May 13, 2012
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Saturday, May 12, 2012
Friday, May 11, 2012
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
Sunday, May 06, 2012
Poor Dear!
Saga is on the mend but the poor thing still walking funny.
She seems to be a lot better, but she is not back to 100%
Saturday, May 05, 2012
Friday, May 04, 2012
Thursday, May 03, 2012
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
I’m Freaking Out!
Saga greeted me at the door on Friday. There is nothing odd
about this. She greets me at the door every day when I return from work. But
the difference today is that she didn’t get up when I walked in. She just sat
there.
It got even more obvious that there was a problem when I
clipped on her lead and said “let’s go out.”
She just continued to sit there and when I urged her toward
the door, she scooted along the floor. I picked-up her hind quarters and she
sat right back down again! That was it.
She could not stand-up!
I immediately called the vet and we went down there. He
laid-out all the possibilities and told me what it could be neurological or it
could be muscular. We are going to have to wait and watch! She’s getting on in
years and I am really hoping that she just pinched a muscle. She doesn’t appear
to be in pain, but…
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Friday, April 27, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – “Where Are You From?”
Let’s face it – I have traveled so extensively over the past
twenty-some years that my accent has become hopelessly muddled. Not that it was
ever all that distinct to start with. With parents from the Midwest, an
upbringing in Southern Florida, and friends from all over the world, it is not
as if I was going to speak with any single distinct accent.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – Around The World
As I am flying home tomorrow, it occurred to me that I can now say
that I have been completely around the world. Sure, it took me eight months to
do it, and I wasn’t doing it on a wager for £20,000 but…
Monday, April 23, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – Autumn
Intellectually I am okay with it being fall here, I can even
sort-of visualize the reason for it, being that I am on the other side of the
world and the polar tilt that makes it springtime back home, has to work in
reverse down here. But it is just odd to reconcile the fact that I am walking
around here in Canberra looking at the lovely fall colors coming out while I just
this morning talked to my parents back in Minnesota about the appearance of
their crocuses and daffodils.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
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Saturday, April 21, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – A Weekend Full Of Ps
Personal Correspondence
Packing
Pub Lunch
Play?
Please!
Friday, April 20, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – In The News
!!!Warning!!!
This blog entry deals
with topics of an adult nature! – You have been warned.
!!!Warning!!!
Thursday, April 19, 2012
At the risk of being deported from Australia immediately
upon the publication of this article, along with the revocation of my American passport,
and perhaps even having the welcome mat being pulled from the HM Customs &
Immigration at Heathrow, I have to say something that I have been holding in
for all these many weeks. It is probably going to shock and amaze you that I
would be so brazen, but I cannot hold it in any further!
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – Countdown
Wow! This trip has flown by! To use one
of my favorite (and most often repeated) quotes:
“So much time, so little to do…
Wait a minute! Strike that. Reverse it!”
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – What’s In A Name?
If it is true that a
rose by any other name would smell as sweet, it must be also true that a
fart by any other name would still stink! Yes, a name is just a name, but some
names are just bad ones!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – Sedate Weekend!
What a lovely change of pace! Instead of
flying two-thirds-way across the continent, or traveling to the next state by
train for a whirlwind sightseeing trip and to add to the experiences of
Australia, I did… well, not much of anything this weekend!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – That’s Why I Am A Business Analyst
To paraphrase the late, great, H. L. Mencken:
"There is, to every problem, always an easy solution – neat, plausible, and wrong."My job as a Business Analyst is to help my clients avoid falling into the trap of jumping to the wrong, though obvious, solution.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – You Want A What!?
I had no idea how to respond. So I
repeated my order thinking I know "I have an accent (well, here) but
really, how hard could it be to understand my order?" Well! Her reaction could
not have been more shocked if I had just propositioned a farm animal in her
presence!
Friday, April 13, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – Still More Pictures I Couldn’t Take
There are a few taboos that as a
photographer I am cognizant of. One of them is that I would never take a
picture of someone else’ child without their asking me to do so! Well, except
when I am at a party or similar event where I know practically everyone and it
is more-or-less expected for me to take pictures of everyone there!
Travelogue: Australia – Weekend Side Trip: Sydney 5) At The Headlands
The walk seems a bit longer than it looked on the map. But it
was well worth it! This place is lovely and even with the low cloud deck, the
view of Sydney is breathtaking from here!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – More Pictures I Can’t Take
Subtitled: Your Humble Commentator Gets Old
I have no further excuses! I have to admit it! I am getting old!
Travelogue: Australia – Surprise!
Canberra (CBR) to Sydney (SYD)
Qantas 1472
Aircraft De Havilland
Canada DHC-8-400 Dash 8Q
Depart: Canberra (CBR), 11:20 EST, terminal 3
Arrive: Sydney (SYD),
12:10 EST, terminal 3
Travelogue: Australia – Weekend Side Trip: Sydney 4) What Happened!?
This does not bode well! What happened to the lovely spring –
uh, sorry – FALL day that we had yesterday? Whereas it had been lovely and
temperate yesterday, this morning it is dark, gloomy, and overcast!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – Okay… Technically, I Guess
“It was freezing this morning!” I heard this phrase a couple times this morning, waiting in the coffee room.
Travelogue: Australia – Weekend Side Trip: Sydney 3) A Lovely Afternoon
I just don’t know how the afternoon could have been any more
lovely! The sun shone down, the skies were lightly scattered with clouds. The park
was crowded with the Easter Weekend holidaymakers. It was all to gorgeous for
words!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – Weekend Side Trip: Sydney 2) Royal Botanic Gardens
So, checked in, and refreshed after a long ride into town, I
headed down to the lobby to chat with Andrew, the concierge. We discussed the
options and I decided that the Royal Easter Show is not really what I would be
into. The crowds had been manic and I was really more into seeing the sites and
relaxing this weekend.
Monday, April 09, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – Weekend Side Trip: Sydney 1a) Life Lessons
“Welcome Back! We are so glad to see you again!”
Travelogue: Australia – Cognitive Dissonance
I know that I have mentioned that the
land mass of Australia is about the same size and shape as the contiguous US,
and have given the example of Canberra being approximately where Tallahassee,
Florida is; Atlanta, Georgia is therefore a good stand-in for Sydney; and
Melbourne is somewhere in the vicinity of the Florida Keys…
Travelogue: Australia – Weekend Side Trip: Sydney 1) Getting There
It has been another whirlwind weekend! I made my plan to get back to Sydney at least once before heading back to the states and then my trip got extended and so there was no actual reason I had to do two successive quick side trips, but then had I know that there was no reason to make the plan and get it done… But it is what it is.
Travelogue: Australia – A Good Call!
You will learn later in the week that I changed my travel plans for this weekend and that I did so because it looked as if the weather would be iffy for the day. This morning, as I sit here in my hotel room getting ready to write specs for the last day of the Australian holiday, I see that I was right to do so!
Sunday, April 08, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – ...Meanwhile, Back At Home...
These people are great! She always comes back freshly bathed, fit, and happy! They also have this great practice of sending me an email from her each time she stays. It would be nice if they sent them more often, but...
Wherever you are today, I hope that you are living the high life too!
Don Bergquist – 08 April 2012 – Canberra, ACT, Australia
Saturday, April 07, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – There Will Be No FURTHER Posting To My Blog Today!
Wherever you are this
morning I hope that you have are having a great weekend!
Travelogue: Australia – Uh... Except For Those Two
Wherever you are this
morning I hope that you have are having a great weekend!
Travelogue: Australia – Uh... Except For That One, I Mean!
Wherever you are this morning I hope that you have are having a great weekend!
Travelogue: Australia – There Will Be No Posting Today!
As I am currently traveling – or will be when this posts – on a weekend outing. There will be no posting to my blog today. I am off seeing the world to report it to you. Watch this space!
Friday, April 06, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – Weekend Side Trip: Uluru – Part 5b, Late Return
Any fear I had that I would make my connection is gone! LONG
GONE!
Travelogue: Australia – Weekend Side Trip: Uluru – Part 5, Uluru Valentine/Departure
It has been a whirlwind but I have done so much in the past 24-hours.
It is hard to believe that I really arrived here yesterday on the jet that is
now landing at outside! I have done and seen so much and am leaving with such a
different idea of what this place is and what it means!
Thursday, April 05, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – Weekend Side Trip: Uluru – Part 4c, Uluru After Sunrise
Bummer! I cannot believe that I have traveled 2/3 the way
around the world, then flew half-way across a continent, and just because I
could die (or some lame excuse like that), they’re not gonna let me climb this lovely chunk of rock! But, wait,
I’m getting ahead of myself…
Travelogue: Australia – Weekend Side Trip: Uluru – Part 4b, Uluru At Sunrise
How amazing is this place! The adjectives I can come up with seem tired and boring in comparison to what I am trying to describe to you. It is easy to see what the indigenous peoples of this place hold it as sacred!
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – Weekend Side Trip: Uluru – Part 4a, Waiting
What the hell! It is friggin’ EARLY!!!
Travelogue: Australia – Weekend Side Trip: Uluru – Part 3, The Sounds Of Silence
The first of the two tours that I come to the center of Australia to take was The Sounds Of Silence dinner, an amazing affair that sets off from the hotel a couple hours before sunset. A quick read in the tour book tells me that the dinner venue itself has been rated one of the five best restaurants in Australia.
Tuesday, April 03, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – Weekend Side Trip: Uluru – Part 2, Arrival
The anticipation mounts as I make my way through the
terminal – but as it is only a couple dozen steps to wend my way through the
crowd jostling each other at the luggage carousel, it doesn’t build much!
Monday, April 02, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – Weekend Side Trip: Uluru – Part 1, Getting There
“Getting there is half the fun!”
Whoever said that was an idiot. Perhaps I am not being fair,
who knows? They lived before the days of air travel; or perhaps they just had
some truly poorly planned holidays!
Sunday, April 01, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – Weekend Side Trip: Uluru
What a trip! I have been making notes all weekend on my
tablet and cannot wait to get a look at the pictures I have taken on a screen
larger than my camera’s viewer.
Travelogue: Australia – The Pictures I WISH I Had Gotten
As I am probably having too much fun to post today, I am
breaking with my tradition of posting some joke for April Fool’s Day and going
to tell you about he photo ops that were missed on this trip this far:
“Does that stand for ‘Ralph Lauren?’” – On the streets of
Sydney, there was a bit of a bohemian guy who was walking around with piercings
and pink hair. But the thing that caught my attention was his feet. They were
bare on one was tattooed the capital letter “L” on joint between the big toe
and the one next to it. On the other foot, was the letter “R.” I was telling a
colleague about it and how I wanted to take a picture but thought it would be
rude. “Perhaps it stood for ‘Ralph Lauren’ was the answer, but no – they had
been the other way around.
“Don’t You Have Food At Home?” – At the risk of sounding both cliché
and racist, there was a group of oriental tourists in Sydney on my walk about the
town on Sunday who were each armed with a camera or two taking pictures of the
oddest thing. The one that I really wish I had taken a picture of was the group
standing outside the Indian restaurant taking pictures of the menu on the door.
I stepped up to inspect the menu a bit later and saw nothing photo-worthy.
“Little Charmer!” – It is generally accepted to be a bad idea to
take pictures of random people on the street. But this little guy was such a
charmer. He was walking ahead of his mom and dad and had a whole gaggle of
girls flirting with him. He could not have been more than five-or-six and he
was loving every minute of it!
“C’mon, Dad, Let’s Go!” – Then there was the dog that had been
left outside the door to the subway here at Dickson. I tell you, had this been
Saga, she would have either come right in to see what I was getting or ran off
with the first person to offer her love, food, or both. This little guy sat
there like the RCA Victor dog waiting for his owner to return and finish their
walk. He sat attentively, his paw on the leash abandoned on the sidewalk
staring intensely at someone inside the restaurant through the open door. Good boy!
Wherever you are this morning I hope that you are having a picture-perfect
weekend!
Don Bergquist – 01 April 2012 – Canberra, ACT, Australia
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – Off To Uluru – More Later!
I have no idea if I will have time or capability to post
pictures this weekend, I will be a bit rushed, as it is a long flight to the
center of Australia and Back. To put it in perspective, based on my limited
understand of the area – by which I mean I have looked at a map and have a
general idea of where things are and how big the place I am visiting is – it is
a bit like being on a business trip to Tallahassee, FL, and then taking a
side-trip to Cheyenne, WY for the weekend.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – Murramarang National Park (Part 5: Perfect Ending!)
This weekend’s side trip is to Murramarang National Park, on
Australia’s eastern coast in New South Wales. But all good things come to an
end, and the day we were having was no exception.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – Murramarang National Park (Part 4: Perfect Seclusion!)
This weekend’s side trip is to Murramarang National Park, on
Australia’s eastern coast in New South Wales. Our last stop of the day was Depot Beach, only a mile-or-so down the beach from Pebbly Beach. We were told that this was a beach where the kangaroos came down to sun themselves in the early morning and the late afternoon.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – Murramarang National Park (Part 3: Perfect Scenery!)
This weekend’s side trip is to Murramarang National Park, on
Australia’s eastern coast in New South Wales. The plan had been to head over to
Bateman’s Bay, and then turn to the right and go down the coast through the
scenic loop that included a bunch of little towns with all sorts of interesting
shops to poke through. I don’t know why, but we both decided to head straight
to the beach. What a great choice!
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Travelogue: Australia – Murramarang National Park (Part 2: Perfect Food!)
This weekend’s side trip is to Murramarang National Park, on
Australia’s eastern coast in New South Wales. A colleague of mine and I headed
out for a day of adventure to the coast. I played the part of driver and
planner, he filled-in in the role of navigator and spotter. On the way, we
stopped for a cup of coffee and a bite to eat at an amazing little boulangerie in a town called Bungendore.
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