A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

The sun set last night at 8:23 pm. Yikes, that means we're sliding out of summer. I do have to admit, out here on the coast, we have had a great one. Moreover, it seems as if the current high pressure system is going to hang around for at least ten days. I still love the fact, at this time of year, it can be 27C (80F) during the day but bottoms out at about 12C (53F) at night. That is damned close to perfection!

There's another way I know we're approaching the end of August. The Pacific National Exhibition, known as the PNE and pronounced as pea-knee, starts this weekend. It's a typical North American country fair type experience that has morphed from agricultural roots to more technological and urban events. It's had a lot of time to adjust during the past nine and a half decades.

For a while, during the time we've been here, the Exhibition's future was in question. In 2004, the province abandoned its sponsorship. During the period surrounding the transition, there were constant rumours involving a change of location. Now, however, the city of Vancouver has ensured the continuation of the PNE at the historic park location.

It's been a few years since we've been. Thankfully, Jay now works a normal Monday to Friday schedule. I think we'll visit this weekend. I want to visit for the Superdogs show as well as the mini doughnuts.

Labels: pig, Q3_2006

I normally skip through TV commercials on the PVR. For some reason, in the middle of CSI, I caught a glimpse of something that made me re-wind. I thought this was striking enough to merit saving for my eJournal and images. I don't think it's breaking copyright to 'rebroadcast' an advertisement. The folks at Stella Artois would probably be grateful that someone took the time and effort.

Labels: pig, Q2_2005, television

There's a lot of history everywhere!

We all tend to focus on history that is approachable. This often means that we find it easier to study local historical events rather than the broad tide of human experience. We may think we learn history so that we won't repeat the mistakes of the past. Yet if we were a bit more objective, we'd note that we generally use history as a type of socialization. Studying history helps us feel part of an inclusive group.

There's a lot of history that we ignore everywhere!

The last time U.S. and British forces were opposed was during the American Revolution, right? Yikes, I guess we could move nearly nine decades beyond that point and find a more recent conflict. In order to really understand the history of the area were I now live, one would have to understand the historical currents that led to ...

... the Pig War.

The immense forces of the westward expansion, the ideals of a manifest destiny, and the interest in gold combined to create a conflict more about territorial integrity than anything to do with a single pig.

Why didn't I know about this until recently? Perhaps the US Civil War stole the limelight. Or maybe I wasn't ready to understand the Pig War's importance. Live and learn!

Labels: pig, Q1_2004