PINCH ME!!

OK I have only had it for a few days but I cannot wait to take it out on the track (August 1st).

Why do I fall for sports cars?

Family

Just got back from a fairy-tale Bermuda wedding: "James and Gambrill get married". The setting was picture perfect and the ceremony touching. The wedding, the reception, dinner, fireworks.... it all had a feeling of being in a movie it was just so beautiful and well done.

It is always surprising what you take away from events like this, and this time it was no different. My 'Bermuda nieces and nephew', Louise, James and Sarah have a love that is special. Watching James lean on his sisters, the sisters agonize over their brothers anxious moments leading up to the wedding day, helping out in so many ways and just be so damn happy for James and his bride, Gambrill, it was a joy to see.

But could not help reflecting on the fact that I have never been close to my brothers and really don't think about my relation to them except at family gatherings like this wedding, then I leave the event depressed over the fact that we never do talk and I really don't have much interest in talking anyway (not sure which is worse). I didn't even get a call from my eldest brother, who lives half way around the world, despite being on a small island for 10 days with him: like to have lunch? Hey, I did not call him either. I think the days of sitting around and re-living stories of our childhood have long past, it just is unfortunate that in our family it never happened, so the memory does not get re-enforced and eventually there is none.

"My heart hurts"

It was a very sad day in our house yesterday and these were the last words I heard before falling to sleep last night. I felt the same way but I just could not say it so well: "My heart hurts".

Sarah brought a puppy into our lives 3 1/2 years ago, a puppy she named 'Jouet Chanel'. We all have fallen hard for this little dog, a dog who like Sarah was given the happy gene. Jouet just makes everyone smile, she thinks she is the biggest dog in the neighborhood and she has the heart of a lion.

Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration syndrome(SARDS) may affect any pure or mixed breed of dog. Affected dogs are generally between the ages of 7 and 14 years of age, with females predominating over males. Studies have shown that these pets have total destruction of the visual cell layer (the rods and cones) of the retina resulting in blindness.

Jouet is 3 1/2, the youngest dog the Ophthalmologist has ever seen with the syndrome. A true shock. It happened over the course of 4 or 5 days, from sighted to blind. She now seems a bit confused and quite tentative, certainly looks to be picked up and loved. It will take some training of both Jouet and us but with any luck all will be well.

Ronald Regan, Sonny Bono, Gene Autry, Bob Hope, Frank Sanatra, Gerald Ford and Dinah Shore.
What do these people have in common? They all have streets named after them in the Palm Desert area.
Weird how the area (Coachella Valley) feels. 130 golf courses! Unbelievable. Really not a very large community, but every development is built around a course. Extremely 'golfcentric'.

La Quinta Resort and Club, Palm Springs, California.





Now I like golf but this place is way over the top. I do believe I would burn out and hate the game for ever - the issue is that there is not that much else to do, you are in the middle of a desert. You feel like you are in a time warp; like people expect the rat pack to walk down El Paseo Dive.
Virginia and I did have a good time during our week visit: golf, shopping, pool side and great restaurants. Here she is with a diner companion.

I came across this newspaper article and because I was a 'Montrealer' and fondly remember quite abit of what Mr. Fisher writes about, including having been at the Dec. 31/75 Red Army game, I have attached a link to this very well written story.

The Montreal Gazette
Saturday, March 11, 2006


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2 weeks in the Los Cabo, pretty well heaven. Thinking about buying a condo down here, something like 350 days of sunshine a year, great golf and the Sea of Cortez is just stunning. Visited a small down on the pacific coast 'Todos Santos', it was all you could ask for with the exception of a golf course. Might return on a shopping trip.

Easy to get carried away when you are a Canadian on vacation from the winter blues and you stumble on weather and beauty like this. Met a few guys gofing who just sold everything back home and made the move. Inspiring.

Only 3 more days until we go home, will try to get another golf game or two in and maybe just spend the afternoons on the beach. Watched whales play late this afternnon as we enjoyed drinking a couple of margarettas. Damn every day has been mid 80's and sunny, the locals tell us it is always like this. Nights cool off to maybe a light sweater for a 9:00 pm dinner.

Staying in a small hotel, Casa del Mar Spa and Golf Resort (something for everyone), very nice place on the beach and across the street from Cabo Real Golf Course - great layout!


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