Making a new batch of EZ Street in Calgary...

Sitting in my hotel room in Toronto - waiting for Kevin from Fermar to pick me up and buy me lunch. Thought I'd download the pics from the asphalt production in Calgary last week so those who don't know what our company does might have a bit better idea.

Well, first of all there is some serious job planning done at the Kensington Pub which is highly stressful and absolutely drains a person.. especially after the third sample is ..uhhh.. taken... Actually, the beauty of coming to Calgary was the fact that we had an extra day so we went out to Banff on day one and did some sight seeing. It was a beautiful day but unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me. Well... in hindsight, I guess I have posted enough pics of mountains this summer to hold me for a while.

The photos are mainly of the plant in Calgary which is operated by the city. We made up a supply of pre-coat followed by some tests in their lab for the viscosity of the product. Jan and Lars were in charge of this and you can see by the concentration that they take their jobs very very seriously. The final pics are the finished EZ Street cold asphalt product, piled neatly and ready for the city boys to start patching those lovely.. er.. nasty potholes.

Life is Good!

missing my grandkids...

Jill is such a creative girl. With halloween coming, she decided to costume up the kids and take some photos... and I must say that she has done a wonderful job. Although, with such beautiful and talented models, she can't really go wrong.

So, Rylie became a strawberry and her photos feature the lone strawberry in the pumpkin patch. My latest little grand daughter is putting on weight and growing.. like a ?? strawberry. And of course that natural little model Shaya is her usual cute little self dressed up as a 50's bobby soxer and photos taken with old 50's cars in the background. She is so special.

Life is really really good!

more nice stuff about Duluth.. 1/2 hr to Amnicon Falls

I'm not going to get into a Wisconsin vs Minnesota diatribe here... just gonna say that WI has more than it's share of great scenic spots an another, Amnicon Falls State Park is a faaann tastic spot for a hike, and probably a weekend camping... and to be determined but also some serious winter show shoeing... We took a drive on the spur of the moment out to the park which is no more that 1/2 hour out of Duluth... I was a bit shocked at the fee to stop into the park was $10 for the day but I must say that it was money well spent.

Jewels and I hiked the short trail around the multitude of falls along the river and the day was just gorgeous... me sure likie WI .. and the afternoon was capped off with a stop at the Anchor Bar in downtown Superior for a light lunch and a drink... this place is so funky and neat.. I'd love to take my YK buddies here for an evening of frivolity... that means drinking and eating of course... Two drinks for Jewels, a huge 40oz jug of draft for Jim and a couple of the best burger and fries u ever et... $17

Life is Good...

More nice stuff about Duluth.. 20 min to Jay Cooke Park

OK... so today we were doing some major touring around the area and we ended the day with a drive up to Jay Cooke State Park which is about 20 min out of Duluth.

Now I have to say, the colors around this area have been magnificent but this drive into the park was absolutely breath taking. I have not seen such a wonderful assortment of colors since driving the Dempster Highway the long weekend in September about 25 years ago. It just makes you feel at peace and leaves you with a huge smile on your face while driving through this area. The parking lots at the state park were loaded with vehicles and people as everyone in the area was out taking in the fall colors and the beauty of this area. It capped off a wonderful day.. uhhh .. well it didn't quite cap off the day as we stopped into Fitkers to indulge in a couple of beers and some chips and salsa to finish off the trip..

Life is Gooooodddd!

Really nice stuff about Duluth.. Park Pointe beach...

So, after we watched the Lafarge tanker arrive into port this morning we headed over to Amazing Grace for a coffee and a bite to eat... now that place deserves a page of it's own on this blog as one of the really nice things about being in Duluth.. always good food.. always great service.. and such a nice funky atmosphere..

We decided to drive across the lift bridge and head over to Park point which extends out almost to the Wisconsin coast. It was such a beautiful day and starting to warm up ane we walked into the beach at the end of the point. There were quite a few people out there enjoying the sun and the large waves running up onto the shore. This is the first time I have been out in this area and I must say that I will be back.. and not just because I heard a rumor that there is a nude beach in the area.. after all, that doesn't affect me cause I was almost a doctor once upon a time.

Life is good - isn't it???

Really nice stuff about Duluth.. we're close to Wisconsin

The folks in Minnesota are rightly proud of their state.. so very beautiful in most areas and very ruggedly beautiful. Being impartial, I have to say that Wisconsin is, well, at least just as nice as 'sota.. and the fact that every second building is a bar in every town and city in the state almost tips the scales making it the number one state.. but I digress...

We crossed the bridge over to Superior today and took a short drive from there over to Pattison State Park and took the short hike into Big Manitou Falls.. A large high falls just off the highway.. so pretty and peaceful in the forest.. sun shining.. just so very nice... and close to Duluth ..

Life is Good.

Really nice stuff about Duluth.. Ships coming into port

This morning was cool.. fall/winter is coming - but it was a beautiful clear day. We went to a local market and if Jewels hadn't had so many confrontations with bad drivers trying to negotiate a route in and out of the parking lot, we would have arrived at the port early enough to position ourselves better to get the best pics of the Lafarge tanker coming into port.

In spite of all of that, we got to the docks just as the ship was pulling into port and it is always one of the hilites of being here in this lovely city ... watching the ships come into the harbour. Especially nice on such a bright and sunny day..

Life is Good!

Life is Good... so what's the story??

So, I'm not really sure how many people take the time to check this blog out.. but I thought I would just put a note here about the little by line I use at the end of each post about Life is Good.

We found a nice little shop in Fitger's that sells clothing etc using the logo, "Life is "Good" and I must admit that I just love the product and it makes me feel good just to wander in the store and see the various apparel with the life is good logos on them. I know there is a website and a story about this product ... the foundation does a lot of great things to benefit others and maybe one day I'll get into it more and see what the story is about..

In the meanwhile.. well Life is Good - by the way how did that picture get in there??????!!!!

More nice things about living in Duluth. Chasing rainbows.

Today was kind of wet and miserable - I had planned to head over to Nemadji to play a round of golf while Jewels was at work but the rain kept interrupting so I just sat around watching the pros get rained on at the Ryder Cup.

When Jewels came home, we decided to have Chinese take out for supper so I went over to one of our favorite places to pick up the grub. When I got home, I spotted another nice thing about life in Duluth.. chasing a rainbow around Scott's house and some of the lovely colors involved in the chase... Life is Good.