Grand Fir Blues: Thursday, December 19th

Love truth, but pardon error. -Voltaire, philosopher and writer (1694-1778) 

Thanks, Patrick, we will be there a bit before 7, and we would very much appreciate a bite! Looking forward to it.

Hi Zoe! Grand! Unfortunately, Chloë won't be able to join us. She is hosting a reasonably large group of friends, (10, I think.), at her place. Just discovered this last night when she dropped by friends' place where we had been invited for dinner. We have known Dawn and Gerry Martin since the mid '80's. 

Although they live in Terrace, (Dawn was a teacher-librarian at the time and I taught a number of school library courses there. Gerry is a pharmacist and he and his partner owned Northern Drugs, a very successful business that they built from scratch. Initially, they purchased the apartment to use when in town on business and have kept it to use, now that they have both retired. Both their children live in Vancouver.), they have a gorgeous flat on 2nd, above Kits Pool, so view is stunning from the 12th floor. At any rate, Chloë would love to see you both so perhaps at some point over the hols, depending on everyone's busy schedule.

On the matter of the Bright Nights Christmas Train in Stanley Park, I happened to call a friend, Mike Carter, the other evening and he and his wife, Polly, had just walked in the door from taking the train, along with many of their grandchildren/children. Their middle son, Chris, is a firefighter in Richmond. You may know that partial proceeds from the sale of Bright Nights tickets go to the BC Professional Fire Fighters' Burn Fund, which helps burn survivors and their families. Nevertheless, Mick said it was a wonderful experience and their family has been going for years. Thought that this might give you extra ammunition to use on Matt. we can also strong-arm him on Friday if he's still resisting! See you tomorrow evening. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Chloe Alexis Dunn

Look at my Grandpa's latest masterpiece!!! Amazing, for a spry 89 year old!!!

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  Ayn P I love it...it's sooo Manitoba...having deja vu just looking at it
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  Wayne Sutherland Picasso of the 21st century.
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  Patrick James Dunn From portraits of Snowmen to prairie landscapes, Dusty is entering what the art critics call his "ochre" period!

Hello Jon!

I took a quick course in Basque and, as you can see, I am quite proficient already! At present the internecine battle seems to be at a stalemate so all is quiet on the western front, so to speak. (Please provide author of work alluded to. Part of your on-going ETL homework!) I believe my antagonists are too, too busy with Christmas shopping and festive parties, akin to you with your sybaritic pursuits, (Direct quotation: "kissing, hugging, and getting drunk." I should warn you that this wanton behaviour, should it persist, once you return to Lotus Land, may well compromise your induction into the NRBC.), to fuss about whether to Facebook or not to Facebook, that is the question. (Another original quotation required.)

[Why Dogs Fail as Home Security Systems!

Hi Ragin'! Thought of Keji Kejitarian when I saw this! Cheers, Il Conduttore!

www.utrend.tv                     http://www.utrend.tv/v/cat-dog/]

As for your own language "weakness", I fear I will have time aplenty to point them out given your latest missive. Per esempio, "Does still resist your Maginot Line?" Does the Maginot Line still hold? Hoewever, I must admit that I like you version far better! "P.S.1: May I ask your adress?" PS: Might I trouble you for your address? "P.S.2:" A novel approach but, PPS...PPPS...etc. Here endeth the lesson!

We live at #20-1425 Lamey's Mill Road, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6H 2W2

Very pleased that you are enjoying such a wonderful time with friends and family. Let the Christmas revels continue with wild abandon! Must away as Cora Lee and I are selling Christmas trees this afternoon, from 1:00-5:00 pm, doing the shift which you weaseled out of, flying off into the wild blue yonder, as you did! Should be fun as it is supposed to be sunny but a tad cool, between -1ºC and 2ºC. Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio/Il Conduttore! 

Snaps: My Father-in-Law's paintings. Dusty has had numerous requests for more ever since he did first one a few years ago. We hang them on our and neighbours' front doors as Christmas decorations.

Kaixo Jon! 

Jakina azkar bat hartu nuen euskaraz eta, ikusi dezakezu bezala, nahiko trebea naiz dagoeneko! Egun internecine bataila badirudi itota egon beraz guztia lasai mendebaldeko aurrealdean, eta, beraz, hitz egiten. (Eman lanaren egilearen Taldea aipatu zure on-going ETL etxeko lanak.!) Uste dut nire antagonistak too, too Gabonetako erosketak eta jai alderdiek, you Akin zure sybaritic zerbaitetan batera (zuzeneko aipu lanpetuta dira: "musukatzen, besarkadak, eta mozkortzea. "abisatu nuen behar duzu wanton portaera hori, hura konpontzen ez luke, behin itzultzeko Lotus Land nahi duzu, beharbada ongi hondatu zure indukzio NRBC sartu.), Facebook ala Facebook ez buruz fuss, hori galdera da. (Beste aipu jatorrizko beharrezkoa.) 

Hizkuntza propioa "ahultasuna" dagokionez, beldur naiz denbora aplenty ditut egingo beharko dut jakin zure azken missive. Esempio bakoitzeko, "Ba al da oraindik ere aurre zure Maginot Line?" Maginot Line finko mantendu du? Hoewever, aitortu behar dut gustatzen zait zuk bertsio urrun hobeto! "P.S.1: Maiatza zure adress eskatzen dut?" PS: ez dut arazorik helbidera joango? "P.S.2:" eleberri hurbilketa bat baizik, PPS ... PPPetan ... eta abar Hemen endeth ikasgaia? 

Bizi at # 20-1425 dugu Lamey en Mill Road, Vancouver, BC, Kanada, V6H 2W2
Oso pozik hain denbora zoragarri bat lagunekin eta familiarekin gozatzen ari zarela. Dezagun Gabonetako revels basatia jarraitzeko batera utzi! Muztioa kanpoan Cora Lee eta I Gabonetako zuhaitz saltzen dira gaur arratsaldean, 1:00-5:00 etatik, aldaketa horrek weaseled kanpo egiten duzu, hegan off basati daididano urdinak sartu, utzi bezala bezala! Dibertigarria izan behar da ustezko bezala eguzkitsua izango da, baina Tad bat cool, arteko -1 º C eta 2 º C. Fondestos eta Cheers, Patrizzio / Il Conduttore!

Snaps: Nire Aita-Zuzenbide margolanek. Hautsez eskaerak ugari duela urte batzuk inork lehen egin zuen gehiago geroztik izan ditu. Horietako zintzilikatu dugu gure eta bizilagunen ate aurrean on Gabonetako apaingarriak gisa.

Rebecca Frazier Killing Off Supermom www.modernmom.com

I'll be honest with you. In my house, the beds are rarely made unless someone is coming to visit. Sometimes I yell. My closet is a disaster and I feel guilty that I work too much. My kids watch more TV than they should. And I simply cannot afford to go all organic right now...

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  Patrick James Dunn R.I.P. Supermom!
  

  
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  Chloe Alexis Dunn I don't get it??
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  Patrick James Dunn R.I. P.=Rest In Peace! Supermom would never leave a bed unmade! Your "Nana" is definitely not a Supermom. This is blow-up in your former bedroom, unmade since this past Sunday morning, after Ricardo left and sheets were washed/dried!

  
  

  

Happy Holidays!

Dear Pat and Cora Lee, 

We hope you and yours are happy and healthy and we look forward to hearing from you any time, but we especially anticipate your news during the holidays.  We feel fortunate to be healthy and look forward to seeing our family and friends at this time of the year. 

Everywhere I look, now, I am surrounded by Flash's images. Are these your Aunts, Jimmy Olsen?

The past year has brought a few changes. Elene finished her Master’s and took a job with an engineering firm called Plexus where she mostly works with embedded software. Her husband, Josh continues to work furiously on a variety of small businesses from LED lighting, to powder-coating, to casting concrete countertops. He stays very busy.

Lindley is still teaching English in Cartagena, Colombia. She’d been thinking of returning to the States but is enjoying life in Colombia and wants to live there a while longer. At least she will be home for Christmas this year!

  Nora retired! She’s been appreciating a more laid-back life and doing a lot of volunteering. She also joined the church hand-bell choir (affectionately known as the ding-a-lings).  

Laury is still working at UNC though trying to slow down some.  He fills up his spare time writing science fiction stories for Kindle-Amazon and likes that quite a bit.

Our vacation this year included a family reunion in Zion, Utah with Nora’s cousins.  Some of us stopped at the Grand Canyon prior to the big reunion.  

With the kids gone and Nora retired, we have plenty of room and lots of time for visitors! For now, we wish you a wonderful holiday season and a blessed new year.   

                Laury and Nora Dahners

Every magazine I pick up has Flash's images!  Is this a distant cousin of Ma Murray's from Lillooet or Salmon Arm?

Dear Luddite et al!

Coriandre and I were selling Christmas trees at the AL's lot on 54th and Granville this afternoon. One of our customers happened to be a Swedish woman, (we eventually discovered), with her two small sons. Cora Lee couldn't figure out why they were not speaking English as we had been chatting with the woman, about the sort of tree she wanted, etc., shortly after they arrived at the lot. On the way to the car I asked her how long she had been in Canada and she replied that they had arrived but two weeks ago! Rather surprised, I asked her why the move. 

For business reasons, she continued. Her husband is a programmer for Facebook! Apparently they have offices downtown so I'll try to find out the address and you can firebomb the place, Marcus Aurelius! We certainly do not want any people walking off the piers around Granville Island so a pre-emptive strike seems in order.


Flamin' is coming for dinner tonight so I'll ask her if Sarge can obtain any Semtex for you. May all of your Christmas cocktails be Molotovs! Cheers, Patrizzio, International Arms and Weapons of Mass Destruction Dealer Extraordinaire, Procurer of the finest explosives for all your commercial blasting, demolition and/or para-military needs!