The Last Sunset

And there goes the last sunset of a turbulent 2016. Good bye old year. HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017! to all readers.

Stormy Day On The Bay

Still no snow but lots of wind. It looks like the old year won’t go without getting us some stormy weather. The wind direction was Southwest and that meant that a visit to Liberty Point could be interesting. The sun broke through storm clouds when I fought my way out of the car. Standing still was not easy. I tried to stay out of the worst wind casts by hiding behind some spruce trees while snapping off some pictures. While the waves seemed powerful here, it would be peanuts compared to what was going on out in the middle of the bay between the Island of Grand Manan and Campobello and the coast of Maine. Luckily, no ship was out there to brave the wild sea.   Above: Liberty Point with Sugar Loaf Rock   Below: Ragged Point Then I drove over to South Beach along the Duck Ponds. It was nearly High Tide and the water ran high onto the beach. A few tall spruce trees had fallen over, their upended roots now exposed to the foamy water.

What Is HYGGE?

It’ll never cease to amaze me what so-called “experts” are digging up to make it a trend. The most recent “discovery” I have come across is the meaning of the word HYGGE.  Hygge is Scandinavian (Danish+ Norwegian) and it means to be cozy. After living 25 years in Norway “Hygge” is something that we always have practiced at home. It is simply living in a comfortable home with f.ex. something good to eat, or watching a TV movie or just sitting in front of the fireplace with a glass to drink. Here is the article I found about it. Obviously, it’s going to be the next big thing with a lot of commerce to it. In troubled times, Danish art of 'coziness' sparks international trend The author of "The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Living Well" says hygge can be practiced with other people or alone. "It's about the quality of presence.  Lifestyle enthusiasts from around the world have latched on to a centuries-old Danish cultural practice, "hygge", or what some call the art of "coziness." This year, nine books will be published featuring the concept of hygge in their title, while social media platforms are teeming with pictures of falling leaves and woolly socks. There are more than a million hygge-related posts on Instagram. "Hygge is about creating a circle of warmth. It's an uncomplicated moment of relatedness, contentment and ease," says Louisa Thomsen Brits, author of The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Living Well. For Thomsen Brits, hygge offers a "feeling of belonging to the moment and each other — a brief restorative pause." She says the best way to practice hygge, is to establish a point of focus. "Make tea, or share a meal, or make conversation. Open a book or play cards, or put on a movie." Louisa Thomsen Brits says "sharing food is the epitome of hygge." (Julie Van Rosendaal) The idea of hygge was introduced after Denmark lost its empire in 18th and 19th century. The  Danes were encouraged to look inward, and identify with smallness. "Hygge is facilitated by small means," says Thomsen Brits. "Paying attention to each other and the possibilities of the moment." Louisa Thomsen Brits maintains hygge has been distorted by a capitalist system directly at odds with the concept. "I think it's been hijacked." Michael Booth, author of The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia, agrees. "It is being used right now to sell newspapers, magazine, books, candles, socks and all these other things that we already have." Booth says hygge has its value, but he's frustrated with all the hype. "It's been elevated into something aspirational and it's not that. It's about having a cozy time." He also says there are downfalls that aren't being considered, like an aversion to riskier topics of conversation, including politics. "This middle ground where everything is non-confrontation, it's just boring." Booth says hygge's emphasis on community can also used to exclusionary ends. 'It has been slightly appropriated by the right to reinforce a sense of "Danish-ness",  and by that they mean people who are ethnically Danish.'- Michael Booth Hygge likewise has a defeatist edge. "It's no coincidence why the world has gone crazy, what a troubling year and unpredictable future we're staring down the barrel at in this moment. What's more natural than to shut the curtains and stick your head in the sand, and that's what hygge invited you to do." While I like Hygge I do agree with Michael Booth who calls this new trend a hype. I mean if you are not able to enjoy yourself with a book in front of the fireplace, you won’t neither be able to force yourself to “practice” hygge. It’s not like you learning a new yoga exercise. You either like to be cozy or you don’t. You can’t learn hygge from reading a book. In order to enjoy hygge you would also need to have a “hyggelig” cozy place to live. If your furniture is willy-nilly strewn about your place you will probably lack the feeling of coziness and I seriously doubt you ever have missed to be cozy. Fortunately, most people have a natural desire for warmth and coziness and will try to live it,……with or without being “trendy”.

Do You Hear What I hear?

Christmas Day ran up with a clear blue sky and temperatures around 0C (32F). However the temps changed quickly by dipping under the freezing mark. At the same time a mighty strong WNW-wind picked up making it almost unbearable to stay outside. After lunch the sun was so bright and I got so bored on my couch that I decided enough was enough. Enough of sitting around and enough of eating. So Molly and me took off to the wind-protected forest of the Provincial Park where we enjoyed a great walk along Lake Glensevern.  And being Christmas Day we were all alone, not a sound or sight of any human being….. or….wait a moment. Wasn’t there the faint scream of playing children somewhere out there behind the trees?  I stopped to listen….and yeah, there it was again. Strange, cause I couldn’t see nobody and really, there was no trail over there. Hm.. so I just continued along, Molly had been waiting for me. We finally got to the wide trail leading over to the Roosevelt Cottage. This trail was made in the 1880s for carriages coming from the hotels. It made it possible to access the lakeshore, from where a bridge led over and across to the ocean beach. A historic photo shows the bridge with a carriage crossing over. Below: The same place today. To this day one can see the deep ruts after the carriages coming through the forest. Having a look at Molly I realized it might be time to turn back as she showed signs of getting tired. When we came back to the spot where I had heard the voices, I heard them again. Was I going nuts?  Clearly there was a joyful screaming of kids in the distance. What the heck?  I remained standing there listening and suddenly a revelation came to me. The “voices” were coming from the treetops. The strong wind was shaking them pretty good and a few of them were touching each other making this screeching sound. And since it varied in strength, also occurring in irregular intervals, it resembled human voices. If Molly hadn’t lost her hearing this year she would have heard it as well, I’m sure.  Bah..it was time to go home. I have a Christmas cake at the ready.

Christmas In Russia

Since America is going to befriend Russia and the Russians determined who’s President in the U.S. with Putin even sending a Christmas letter (how sweet of him) to Mr. Trump, we might as well have a look at how they celebrate Christmas over there. And who knows, maybe that’s what is gonna be next in the U.S. I include a few Russian terms so everybody can get started on a language course. First thing we have to learn is that Christmas in Russia  (Russian: Рождество Христово Rozhdestvis  Khristovo, in the Russian Orthodox Church called Е́же по пло́ти Рождество Господа Бога и Спа́са нашего Иисуса Христа) is not celebrated on December 25 but on January 07 and marks the birthday of Jesus Christ. Christmas is mainly a religious event in Russia. On Christmas Eve (6 January), there are several long services, including the Royal Hours and Vespers combined with the Divine Liturgy. The family will then return home for the traditional Christmas Eve "Holy Supper", which consists of 12 dishes, one to honor each of the Twelve Apostles. Devout families will then return to church for the "всенощная" All Night Vigil. Then again, on Christmas Morning, for the "заутренняя" Divine Liturgy of the Nativity. Since 1992 Christmas has become a national holiday in Russia, as part of the ten-day holiday at the start of every new year.                    Not the Star of Bethlehem Folks! In Russia, the Christmas holiday became the official celebration with the baptism of Rus' ordered by Prince Vladimir in the late 10th century, however, given the early Christian community Kievan Rus', celebration likely has a longer history.      They got some beautiful old churches During the Soviet period, religious celebrations were discouraged by the official state policy of atheism. Christmas tree and related celebrations were gradually eradicated after the October Revolution. In 1935, in a surprising turn of state politics, the Christmas tradition was adopted as part of the secular New Year celebration. These include the decoration of a tree, or "ёлка" (spruce), festive decorations and family gatherings, the visit by gift-giving "Ded Moroz" (Дед Мороз "Grandfather Frost") and his granddaughter, "Snegurochka" (Снегурочка "The Snowmaiden"). I hope that this educational posting can in a small way contribute to the future amalgamation and understanding with the Federal Republic of Russia. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Americans who voted against Trump are feeling unprecedented dread and despair

By David Horsey I have never seen anything quite like the grief being felt by the majority of American voters who did not vote for Donald Trump. Back in 1980, there was disappointment among Democrats when Ronald Reagan won. In 2000, after the long Florida recount and the intrusion of the Supreme Court into the decision, there were plenty of upset people who thought Al Gore, not George W. Bush, deserved to be president. But the losing voters in those elections were not despondent. They were not breaking out in tears weeks later. They were not waking up each morning with feelings of dread about what was to come. This time it is different and, in my experience, unique. This is not simply a case of Hillary Clinton supporters being bad losers. For most of those who feel traumatized by what happened on Nov. 8, this is not about the candidate who won the popular vote, yet lost the election. It is about the candidate who was picked as president by the electoral college on Monday. People are mourning because the fate of their country will now be in the hands of an intellectually disinterested, reckless, mendacious narcissist. It is not just Democrats. There are plenty of conservatives and Republicans among those feeling depressed. Their party has been captured by a man who has no bedrock belief in any principle; a man whose only allegiance appears to be to himself. David Frum, conservative Republican and ex-Bush speechwriter, has been very explicit about what he expects from the Trump White House: corruption and authoritarianism. In a series of tweets the day after the election, Frum predicted that Trump will engage in “massive self-enrichment” and, once the media and Democrats begin investigating and criticizing his actions, he will retaliate “by means fair or foul,” utilizing the powers of the presidency and aided and abetted by a compliant Republican Congress. “Construction of the apparatus of revenge and repression will begin opportunistically and haphazardly,” Frum wrote. “It will accelerate methodically.” No one — certainly no Republican — contemplated such a scenario when Reagan was elected, or when George H.W. Bush or his son took office. Nobody thought a victory by Sen. John McCain in 2008 or Mitt Romney in 2012 would have threatened democracy. This time that concern is widespread and far from irrational, given Trump’s words, actions and erratic, bullying temperament. Trump slanders the CIA and tilts America toward Putin’s Russia Those who are troubled by Trump’s ascendancy are almost equally distressed by the mindset of their fellow citizens who voted for him. It is understood that most Trump supporters are decent folks, many of whom have been left behind by changes in the global economy. But how can they believe some of the things they believe? In a post-election survey, the Public Policy Polling organization found that 67% of Trump voters think unemployment increased during Barack Obama’s presidency while only 20% know the opposite is actually true. Though the stock market skyrocketed to record heights during the Obama years, 60% of those who voted for Trump either do not know it or do not believe it. Forty percent of Trump voters also say their candidate won the popular vote, even though Clinton now leads in the count by nearly 3 million ballots. Perhaps that is why friendly crowds at his victory rallies continue to cheer when Trump makes the obviously false claim that he won the election in a landslide. They do not know better. And then there are those among the Trump loyalists who buy into clearly insane ideas, like the fool who shot up a pizza shop in Washington, D.C., because he believed fake news stories that had identified the restaurant as the headquarters for a child sex ring run by Hillary Clinton. With that muddle-headed level of discernment rampant, it is no wonder Trump gets away with his unending stream of falsehoods. There have been a number of commentaries written about the need for liberal “elites” to gain a better understanding of those who voted for Trump; the folks in the Rust Belt and rural America who feared for the future because they felt the country they knew was changing too dramatically and leaving them behind. Well, the fear is now on the other side, and not only among so-called elites. It is ordinary Americans of all classes and races who fear that, under Trump, environmental protections will be dismantled, limits on Wall Street greed will be removed, the rights of minorities and women will be undermined and American foreign policy will be run by dangerously unseasoned amateurs with a crush on Vladimir Putin. Such fears are not based on feelings or fake news stories; they are confirmed by the composition of Trump’s Cabinet. In the presidential campaign, the fears of one group of citizens morphed into a powerful anger that Trump harnessed to propel himself to the White House. Now, another set of Americans — a significantly larger group — is feeling profoundly distressed. If their fears are borne out, their anger, too, will become a political force that could upend an election yet to come. David.Horsey@latimes.com

December 21 Is Start Of Winter (Really?)

Well, the date is correct but start of winter ???  I don’t think so. Mild and sunny weather, not even any wind out here. A pleasure to be outside. Bea did a longer walk with Molly, while I was having a field day with my firewood for next year. As you can see in the pictures I stacked the wood in a circular fashion because the stack is much more stable that way. Once reaching the final height a “roof” of 2x4s with a tarp will protect the wood against rain. But the day began with driving over to a neighbour who had problems draining a waterline. She had turned off the water, opened the faucets and taken off the drain caps in the basement, yet no water was draining out. I looked at the conundrum and was puzzled. I re-established water pressure in the lines, opened the valve caps – still no water. WHAT THE HECK???  I tried several times and finally the hot water line was draining, but the cold water line was not. Now I figured that something could be stuck in the valve preventing the water to drain. I took another close-up look and saw a tiny black rubber gasket inside the valve. With a sewing needle I poked through the gasket, and I got a squirt of water in my face. But then it stopped again. Hm…I managed to claw the gasket out of the valve and …..voila the line was draining as well.   Now what was the purpose of this gasket?  We have the same type of drain valves in our basement and no gasket there.  Anyway the problem was finally solved and we ended the visit with a chat and a coffee. After 3pm it is coffee time and we enjoy it relaxing in front of wood fire in our stove. So cozy! 4 more sleeps and it is Christmas!

Green Christmas

Just a few days ago it was so cold that it would be suicidal to stay outside for any extended length of time, and the ground was still covered in snow. Not so anymore, all-of-a-sudden it warmed up to 50F making that white stuff disappear in a hurry. And even though it got cold again after that, the ground is still bare. Also, the coming Christmas week is slated to stay on the milder side, so we will not be “Walking in a Winter-Wonder-Land”. But make no mistake, sooner or later we will get loads of snow, it never fails. Taking advantage of the nice weather, I decided to take a run to our “city” St.Stephen to do some essential shopping. Dropped in at the recycle station and got rid of a load of bottles and cans, many of which people have just thrown out of their car window. We don’t like that and pick up what we can see. It pays for the gas to drive to the “city”. Why people throw garbage out of the car window?  I have no idea. I had one particular mission which was to go find one of those Norwegian Goat Cheese which we are so fond of. That reminds me that I never posted any update on the UPS-story. Well, you won’t like it any better than I do, but UPS DESTROYED the cheese!!! You read that right, it really happened. After they “lost” it and I refused to pay their bill, they just went berserk. They never even contacted the sender in Ohio asking for directions. Nor did they contact us. Interestingly, I received their bill on December 06 and 2 days later they threw the cheese away. I now wonder whether that cheese really was lost. Anyway, the package had been “on-the-road” for 5 weeks and I would not guarantee for the quality anymore either. If this is the way UPS is handling their job I wonder why they are in business. REALLY! Enough, we have a small little cheese now and it tastes just wonderful. But I did not find it in Canada. Nope, had to go to an American store for that.  But given the exchange rate, most of our groceries are now cheaper in Canada than in the U.S.

Ex-CIA officer: Trump’s ‘horrifying’ incompetence poses worst threat to US since the Civil War

Veteran CIA officer Glenn Carle said in an interview with Radio Boston that the widening rift between the intelligence agency and President-elect Donald Trump is a historic crisis. Carle is the author of the 2011 book The Interrogator: An Education. He worked as a high-level operative in George W. Bush’s War on Terror before breaking with the agency over the use of torture on detainees. Host Meghna Chakrabarti asked Carle — who served with the CIA from the presidencies of Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush — about whether reports of a contentious relationship between Trump and the CIA are true. Carle said that yes, in fact, Trump’s feud with the agency is real, but that it pales in comparison to the question of Trump’s complete incompetence with regards to the knowledge needed to be the nation’s chief executive. “There’s a rift flowing all across the headlines, the page and everyone’s consciousness. It’s tremendous. But it actually is only a secondary issue compared to the larger issue of the competence, or lack thereof, of the President-elect with regard to national security and international affairs,” Carle said. “It’s stunning, and an existential moment for the United States, much less the C.I.A., absolutely.” We are currently unprecedented territory, Carle said “My personal experience goes back to President Reagan. But that means I overlapped with colleagues whose direct experiences go back to the Eisenhower administration, frankly. And there’s never been a circumstance like this,” he said. Trump, he said, is “almost clinically incapable of dealing with the world that we all live in,” which makes him wildly dangerous as a commander-in-chief. “It’s a horrifying moment,” Carle said. “Others have said that the U.S. is facing — and I completely agree and I myself have said separately — that the U.S. is facing the greatest crisis to its institution since 1861.” The CIA’s job, Carle said, is to “present objective reality as best as we can find it.” Sometimes they must tell powerful officials things they don’t want to hear. Intelligence personnel expect to be met with some resistance from time to time, but for Trump to shut them out completely — as he has done since Election Day — is unheard-of. “If you can’t talk to the President, how can you function? If the President is dismissing any product, any assessment that you make, as somehow partisan or unwelcome, and simply locked out, then you serve no purpose,” he said. He doesn’t have much hope that the president-elect can be expected to grow and change. Carle said, “We have seen from the first day what the visceral psychological approach to interactions is of the President-elect and that won’t change. He will remain egocentric, narcissistic, very defensive, and will deny, destroy and attack anything that challenges anything other than praise for him. That does not augur well at all for relations of the C.I.A. with the executive in the Oval Office, or the functioning of the national security establishment.”

FROZEN

FROZEN It turned out to be the coldest day we have experienced on the island.  Day temps never climbed above –15C (5F) and the wind chill makes us feel it like –34C (-29F) Winds remained strong throughout the day and it was hard to breathe when outside. So our outings were kept at a minimum. I had an early meeting at the Roosevelt Park but was more than happy to get back home. However, the setting sun made me go outside again and I drove down to Friar’s Bay and the Mulholland lighthouse. From the protective interior of my van I snapped of my pictures. It was spectacular to watch the frost smoke (also called Ice fog) moving along over the water. In fact, under my morning drive there was a lot more of it and it had frosted all trees, but the ice had fallen off again and I didn’t have my camera along this morning.

A Cookie, A Coffee And A Storm

We have been warned about it and knew it would be a deep freeze. It approached us with ominous looking skies and a moderate wind which steadily increased to a full storm. And it was accompanied by rapidly falling temperatures. The weather services called it a weather bomb.  I simply call it freaking cold. Bea had taken out the heavy feather bed and it kept us warm. But getting up at 6:30am gives me the taste of the prevailing temperatures in the house. Btw. the moose licking happened in Alberta Below: Our storm door yesterday evening We have a heater on in the kitchen otherwise the water might have turned to ice, but our living room is facing out towards the storm and the door to the kitchen was closed. The thermometer on the wall speaks about 6C (42.8F) I am pretty quick to light the fire in our stove! And then I watch the temps creeping slowly up. Next thing is getting the coffee going. And on my way back I have my fingers in the cookie jar. What a way to start the day.

Bake, Bake Kake (baking, baking cakes)

I have always had a faible for baking and cooking. And of course, Christmas is a time when the kitchen is used more than usual. Sometimes I start baking something without ever looking up any recipe and when the attempt ends with a success Bea is chiding me for not having written down the recipe. But who needs recipes? A few days ago I was thinking of my grandmother and the cookies she made before Christmas. Could I have a shot at it without a recipe?  Well from the top of my head I started making a dough. And to my own and everybody else’s surprise the result was stunning. They did not turn out exactly like my grandmother’s but they were great anyway. I adorned them with a sugar coating and believe it not, once I had them in a cake box they started vanishing like snow on a sunny spring day. Soooo…the need occurred to do it all over again.  And just so you know, this time I wrote it all down. Ingredients: 1 egg 2 cups sugar 1 stick butter 2 cups of all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 cup water 1 cup crushed walnuts or almonds 1 Tbsp corn starch 1/2 cup cocoa powder 1/2 tsp of clove powder 1/2 tsp ginger powder 2 tsp cinnamon In the running food processor start with the egg, add one-by-one sugar, melted butter, baking powder, flour, corn starch, water, nuts, cocoa, and all the spices. The dough is gonna be somewhat wet. Unless you have a kneading machine which can finish the process, you must take the dough out of the food processor. Spread a layer of flour on your work plate and begin turning and kneading the dough manually. Use flour on your hands to avoid dough sticking to your hands. Dough needs to be made into pliable and should not stick to neither hands nor cake roll, when starting to roll the dough. You probably need another cup of flour under kneading and rolling. Roll out only portions of dough at a time. If you have Christmas motive stick-out forms use them or just cut squares with a knife. It is important that the dough is gonna be rolled out as thinly as possible. Put the raw cookies on parchment paper on a baking sheet and bake for max 10minutes at 350F.   Now you are done. If you want frosting or sugar coating on them you can make sugar coating with an egg-white and powdered sugar. Add some colour to the coating or lemon or make it a cinnamon coating. It all works out. Whenever my cookies are boxed up I am my own best customer. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Donald Trump's Impending Presidency Brings 'Funeral' Mood To U.S. Government Workers

WASHINGTON — A funereal atmosphere has taken hold in government offices in the U.S. capital, where numerous federal employees describe mournful, even tearful, scenes among dejected co-workers commiserating about Donald Trump's impending presidency. Employees — speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals — shared anecdotes about the sorrowful reaction in multiple departments to Trump's win last month, and their own feelings about what comes next. One employee said she'd cried on her way to work that morning — and wasn't the only one weeping in her office. "I have seen so many tears. From the top down,'' said the woman, who works on international initiatives and fears the incoming president's derisive cracks about foreign nation-building mean the U.S. might scale down its foreign engagement. "I've seen supervisors addressing staff — crying.... It's their life's work. It's really demoralizing.'' Antipathy to the incoming president in the left-leaning national capital is no secret. Trump got just four per cent of the vote in Washington, D.C. Yet that's worse than usual for a Republican — in fact, it's the worst result for any since the district got voting rights in 1964. There are now internal debates about how to proceed. The employees who will have to execute the president's orders are having office discussions about staying or leaving government; how to respond to an unethical demand; and whether it's moral or even technically possible to thwart what they consider bad ideas. Opinions differ. A man who works in foreign affairs says federal employees are sworn to uphold the Constitution. He said everyone around him is unhappy. But if the democratically elected government asks employees to carry out constitutional orders they have two choices: "You execute. Or you leave.'' However, some suggest there's actually a middle-of-the-road, third option historically favoured by skeptical bureaucrats: Execute, but very slowly. Someone who works on climate policy says he's heard people wonder whether Trump's agenda might be stymied for a year. Then governing activity slows down in a midterm election year. Finally, the president starts worrying about his own re-election. "People are already talking about that,'' he said. He likened the post-election mood in his office to that of a "funeral home.'' In three words, he summarized the skepticism of government energy experts regarding Trump's promises to out-of-work coal miners in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia — that he'd restore their jobs, in the face of global trends toward cheaper, cleaner natural gas and green technologies. "It's a crock,'' he said. Apparently expecting such institutional resistance, the incoming administration has reportedly demanded the names of employees in the Department of Energy who helped design the Obama administration's climate policies. The new administration has numerous levers to enforce its will. That's always true in the U.S. executive branch, more so than in most countries following a change in government. When a new government takes office in Canada, for instance, the staff might change in ministers' offices, and perhaps also at the highest ranks of the public service. But in the U.S. there are thousands of personnel changes. The new president gets to pick his people far beyond cabinet members' offices, and into the top three or four ranks of the civil service in every department — meaning career bureaucrats will report to Trump political appointees, who report to other political appointees, and then others still, and they report to the cabinet. One employee described the senior-most bureaucrats in her department, almost like a protective wall: "That's your buffer.'' Lots of career plans are now being second-guessed. One man said he wasted no time applying for a job outside government. He did it on election night, before going to bed. One woman said she's now a little worried about representing the U.S. abroad, concerned about anti-American hostility. If the president issues unconstitutional orders, she's heard colleagues determined to thwart them. Like the Muslim ban Trump floated during the campaign, for instance. She said colleagues talk about volunteering to implement the policy — and doing their job very, very slowly. With growing resistance towards Trump & Cronies chances are that this government will not be very successful. It is also clear that many Trump voters are already feeling the cold wind towards them. Cuts to social security, medicaid and medicare are underway. Workers are feeling they have been conned. The Trump cabinet is resembling a horror film of the worst making. Old guys (like Trump himself) no women and CEO’s from Big Business are now gonna rule the affairs of the little man on the street. Good luck Americans. I pity you and your country.

What’s In The Calendar?

When I was a little boy I had a Christmas Calendar. We got one every year. It ran from Dec.01 – Dec. 24. Every day had a little “door”, which we could only open every morning. There were beautiful pictures inside. We couldn’t get out of bed fast enough to open that little door. And on Dec. 24 the door was extra large, and the picture even more beautiful. Those calendars were just a simple but oh so wonderful thing for us to have. Our world was simple and yet so full of excitement. So do you wonder what would be in that vintage camper calendar?  Even though it might violate the rules of Christmas I will show you a few…just a few pictures of the calendar. They are equally wonderful as those tiny pictures in the Christmas calendar of my childhood, and they are full of details to look at. A piece of art you can put on your RV walls.

Soon It Is 2017 And You Need A New Calendar!

You think the years are passing faster and faster?  You are not alone. We do think that as well. Years used to last the double. Not anymore. They seem to have been devaluated. And I know who did it. WE did it. I did it and YOU did it – by getting older. So the time for us needing a new calendar to keep up with all the days flying by is getting shorter…and shorter. Luckily, today I have something you might want for either having it yourself or giving it away to your camper neighbour. Our friend Simone Ritter from St.Andrews, NB has created the neatest Vintage Camper Calendar, all of the campers shown as beautiful water colours art. What a great Christmas gift idea for RVers! You can order it directly at: www.SimoneRitterart.com  or by writing to: Simone Ritter 48 King Street. Saint Andrews,NB E5B 1Y3, CANADA While Simone was visiting Campobello Island this spring she even painted our house!