Friday, December 28, 2012

Happy birthday to my uncle Chris

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

1.       Hinduism, Buddhism. action, seen as bringing upon oneself inevitable results, good or bad, either inthis life or in a reincarnation: in Hinduism one of the means of reaching Brahman. Compare bhakti ( def 1 ) , jnana.
Boxing Day

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!


Merry Christmas
&
Happy New Year! 

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.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Day

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.
Christmas Eve
Happy birthday to my cousin Elizabeth
Happy birthday to my cousin Abigail

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


Happy birthday to my cousin Rebecca

Friday, December 21, 2012

Busy Day (Part II)


Dad’s procedure went well! We are all relieved.

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.
Happy birthday to my friend Christine

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.
Wright Brother's Day

Monday, November 19, 2012

Denial Personified


de·ni·al [dih-nahy-uhl]
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.

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.
America Recycles Day

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
Happy birthday to my cousin Michael

Monday, November 05, 2012

Guy Fawkes Night

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

Guy Fawkes Day

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, 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.
Happy birthday to my friend Chris

Monday, October 15, 2012

Indian Summer

 -- Or --

We Ordered That Cold Snap To Let Mary Know She Had Been In Minnesota!

National Grouch Day

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.

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

Happy anniversary to Shawn & Nancy
Happy anniversary to Michelle & Michael
Happy birthday to my brother Charles

Monday, October 01, 2012

Skin In The Game


 To have skin in the game is to be invested in the scheme, or to have money at stake in some endeavor; to have a vested interest in some outcome. I bring this up because I found it to be an interesting choice of idioms for Chris Christie to be tossing about yesterday on all the chat shows. The idiom is derived from the slang "Skin" meaning "Dollar Bill."
Happy birthday to my cousin Sheila

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.
Woman's Suffrage Granted In the USA
Happy birthday to my friend Sam

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."
Happy birthday to my friend Becky

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…
National Lasagna Day

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!

mf healthcaremap p.jpg
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!
All-Or-Nothing Day

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!
Happy birthday to my friend Tena

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.

Parents' Day
Happy birthday to my friend Stacy

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? 

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.
Happy birthday to my friend Britany

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!

National Hot Dog Day

Monday, July 16, 2012

Busy Week Ahead


It has been a busy weekend and it is going to be an even busier week!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Arrival


What a great drive! The roads this morning were amazingly quiet.

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!
Happy birthday to my friend Phil
Happy birthday to my friend Michael
Happy birthday to my friend David
Happy birthday to my cousin Nick

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”

Happy birthday to my friend Ian

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!

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.


Happy birthday to my friend Pat
Happy birthday to my friend Cindy
Happy birthday to my friend Cathy

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.
Happy birthday to my friend Tonina

Monday, June 25, 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…
Toast To Excess: It's National Splurge Day
Toast To Excess: It's National Splurge Day

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Fathers’ Day Memories: Part II ~ Dad Gets His Say

 Yesterday I began a story that I am offering as my homage to my father on Fathers’ Day. This story is a completely true story and is much loved and well traveled within my family. It has been around forever – well, since 1966 when it actually happened – and has suffered none in the retelling over the years.

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.
Father's Day

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Fathers’ Day Memories: Part I ~ Introduction


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!”
Fudge Day

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


Red Rose Day

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!

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: Nebraska


Two down – two to go.

Travelogue Minnesota: South Dakota


I am having a great time rolling through South Dakota!

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.
Memorial Day

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: Packing


Well, I thought I was all packed and ready to go…

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. 
Happy birthday to my father Denis
Happy birthday to my cousin Levi
Happy birthday to my cousin Callista

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.

Happy birthday to my cousin Rebecca

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Travelogue Minnesota: Well! That Was Fun!

 It was no record performance, but then I wasn’t setting out to set one. I set out to have a nice drive to Minnesota to get to my parents’ place for a party and to enjoy my first long drive of the season and that is precisely what I did! Well, except for one small hiccup!

Travelogue Minnesota: Departure


 Could we have asked for better weather for driving? The forecast is for overcast the entire way. There is no real threat of rain, but the cloud cover should keep me from having to deal with sun glare. There are predictions of some wind through South Dakota, but with any luck, it will be a tailwind.
Happy birthday to my friend Susan

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.
Happy birthday to my cousin Kate

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.

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%
Happy birthday to my friend Debbie

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…
Happy birthday to my friend Scott

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.
Happy anniversary to Paul and Suzette

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…
Happy anniversary to Christine and Stanley

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.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Travelogue: Australia – A Weekend Full Of Ps

Planning
Pool
Posting
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!!!
Happy birthday to my friend Bob

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Travelogue: Australia – I Feel The Earth - *Move* - Under My Feet

No, Seriously! The earth MOVED!
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!
Happy birthday to my friend Cheryl

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

Wow! Time Flies!

Time Flies – And so does the space shuttle!

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!
Happy birthday to my step-brother Paul

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!
Happy birthday to my friend Fritz

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.
Tax Day
Happy birthday to my friend Sara
Happy birthday to my friend Dougie

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!
Happy birthday to my cousin Jane

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!
Happy birthday to my friend Jennifer

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Happy birthday to my friend Pat

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!
Easter Monday

Sunday, April 08, 2012

Travelogue: Australia – ...Meanwhile, Back At Home...

Lest you think that I am the only one enjoying the resort life, staying at POSH places, and having the time of my life, you have another think coming. Saga is staying with Best Friends in Wheat Ride, Colorado.

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

Easter Sunday

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!
Passover Begins

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!

Good Friday

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.
Happy anniversary to Rebecca and Christopher
Happy birthday to my cousin Christopher

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!
Happy birthday to my friend Eddie

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!
Happy birthday to my cousin Catarina

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

Palm Sunday
April Fools Day
Happy birthday to my friend Pieter

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.
Happy birthday to my friend Diana

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.
Happy birthday to my friend Anna

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.
Happy birthday to my friend Jill
Happy birthday to my cousin Kristen

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Happy birthday to my cousin Shawn

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.