Full Circle

Well, we've been back in Alberta now since June 2, and since my last post, we have been over to Europe to see my son Lyle, and we did a 3 week tour of Germany, France, Italy, and Austria, before returning to Germany for the flight home. Sandy and I flew from Vancouver in early April, and returned to Vancouver in the 3rd week of April . We then took the ferry over to Vancouver Island and stayed there for a month. Sandy's blog has more details of our travels at http://www.canusamextravels.blogspot.com/ Our trip back east took us to Vernon B.C. for a week or so before coming home to roost for the summer here at Gleniffer Lake near Innisfail, Alberta.

I'm not sure if this tells me that we have been travelling too much, or not posting enough blog entries? Anyhow, this brings the first year of our new life full circle, in what we hope to be many years of following the sun and avoiding winter. The weather wasn't very good this spring and the early part of summer here in central Alberta, but warm weather is here now so we're hoping it lasts for a while. I love boating, and this is where we keep our 22' Manitou Oasis pontoon boat. Lots of fun when the weather is good. Unfortunately our summer season here is pretty short (only between 30 and 60 frost free days). Sandy is busy getting our site converted over to a more user friendly editting tool, and I am working on adding more content, and improving some of the existing articles on the site. Time to work on the website is somewhat interrupted by distractions such as visiting friends and family, boating, golfing, playing ball, and relaxation.

We will be in Alberta until sometime in September or early October, when we will again migrate south.

Mex-electrical

We've all heard stories about interesting and frightening electrical installations from people who have travelled to Mexico. From my own experience, my favorite is from my last R.V. trip to Mazatlan, some 20 years ago. The 15A R.V. service to our campsite consisted of a duplex receptacle nailed to a palm tree (no box of course, just the receptacle), with a single black wire coming out of the sand, attached to the hot side, another white wire out of the sand attached to the neutral side (kudos for correct polarity), and then a bare wire from the ground terminal was connected to a metal coat hanger, pushed down in to the sand. Nice! I wish I still had the picture of that!

My sister and brother-in-law tell of a ceiling fan installation in one room they stayed in several years ago. It was hanging by the wires only, no mounting screws whatsoever. When you turned the fan on, it would twist the wires up tight , and then slowly unravel as the fan picked up speed, wobbling wildly around the room. Not sure if this is more funny than dangerous, or vise-versa. Needless to say, they requested a repair, but that didn't happen in the time they spent there, so they just left it off.

With this trip through Mexico, I've noticed that for the most part, things have slowly improved over the years. It's truly amazing that more people aren't injured or killed by installations such as this.

On our way back north from Bucerias, we stopped to visit some friends, Del and Angel, who are staying near San Blas. They have decided to stay year round, and had a palapa built to park their R.V. under. Del wanted me to check to see if the electrical service was sufficient to serve his needs. Well, I didn't want to be the bearer of bad news, but this installation was BAD NEWS! At first glance things didn't look too bad. An indoor panel was installed , with two receptacles mounted underneath it, and fed by a 20 A and a 15A breaker. The power source came in with a piece of plastic water line, and individual conductors inside. I assume some kind of ground rod was buried because a wire attached to the panel ground lug went deep in to the sand. Upon further investigation, I found that they had only 2 conductors inside this plastic pipe, and the pipe ran over 300 ft. to the source. This is where it got interesting. It went up a palm tree, across the roof of a house on the property, and then spliced directly in to the service conductors that fed the house, upstream of the meter, and right off the utility power transformer with no over-current protection, other than the high voltage fuse links that protect the transformer on the pole. The wire was only #10, and only 120V supply, the same service as the house. Not only was this un-safe, but also illegal, even in Mexico. Splicing in ahead of the meter is theft. Not sure if the ignorance defense works in Mexico, but I know it doesn't in the rest of North America.

After informing Del that as he had suspected, this was NOT adequate for his needs, he asked that I provide him some direction and advise. This is where it gets tricky. How do you give advise on electrical installations in Mexico? How do you strike a balance between what is the correct way, what is the safe way, what materials are available, etc. All I could do was to show what the options were providing he could source out the correct materials, and advised him to do the best he could with what he had to work with. It turns out that the newly constructed motel on the property had a fairly modern electrical installation, so I suggested taking a new sub-service from there. Good luck Del, and I'll inspect it for you next fall!

Here are some pictures of other interesting mex-electrical installations I observed.

This is a receptacle, fed from the light fixture in the bathroom of the villa that my family rented while in Bucerias. It is mounted high in the corner of the SHOWER! The receptacle is for the air conditioner unit for one of the bedrooms.

This picture shows the service conductors feeding power in to a villa in Bucerias. Note the meter at the left of the picture, with a mast that has been torn loose from its mounting straps. The conductors are sagged down to within about 4 feet of the sidewalk. To walk down the sidewalk and avoid the conductors you have to duck to one side or another, or push the wires out of your way with your hand. Luckily, Mexicans have a healthy respect for electricity, so most people just walk on the street to avoid this dangerous situation. Here is picture of an open meter socket for a service that has been up-graded or moved. However, this one is still connected to the utility power, so the open and exposed lugs on top are hot. Just the right level to be poked at by the curious hands of a child.

Here is a typical installation of an outdoor light fixture. Just a couple of wires coming out of the concrete, and a pig-tail lamp socket spiced on with electrical tape. Does the job I guess, and the price is right too!
And now for my favorite. I'm dedicating this one to the boys from Fortis (utility power company) back home in Olds. Gary, Scott, Randy, what do you think of this innovative idea when you need some separation between phase A and phase C? Just tie on a water bottle full of sand to make the line sag a bit more. The more separation required, just hang a bigger bottle with more sand! Genius!

If you have some interesting stories, or even better, some pictures of amusing mex-electrical, send me a note at terry@electrical-online.com

If you're interested in our travel progress, catch up with the latest on Sandy's blog, at http://canusamextravels.blogspot.com/

Until next time!

Christmas gift follow-up

In my Christmas greeting blog posting, I mentioned that in lieu of Christmas gifts to family and friends, we were planning to find some worthwhile charity to contribute to, or some needy family that could use some help. This proved to be a daunting task. Not that charity isn't needed in Mexico, because it is. However, the same can be said in my own hometown in Canada, or anywhere for that matter. We first planned to give some toys or gifts to a children's charity in Puerto Penasco. We read up a bit on that, and what we found is that they don't need toys, bikes, or clothes, as they have warehouses full of these items from well-meaning people that are all thinking the same way. What they need most in most cases is food, not toys. Arriving in Mexico only 1 day before Christmas meant that we missed out on the normal Christmas charities anyway, so on to the next idea. I was hoping that something would become obvious to me, and began thinking that if I could find a need by getting to know different people that we would get to know over our stay in Mexico, then I would find a way to help them out in a more personal way. My biggest fear was that we would give a cash gift to a needy family, and then find them all wearing brand new i-pods, and not putting some food on the table. We spent a lot of time on the beach in Bucerias, and we always parked ourselves in the same general area. This area was always occupied by an elderly beach vendor by the name of Marcellino. He was unique in that instead of treading up and down the beach, he took advantage of the constant parade of people taking the long stroll up and down this beautiful stretch. He would set up under an umbrella, sit in his chair, with his wares spread out on a blanket in front of him. I thought it was a great strategy, and we got to know him quite well over the time we spent there. My friend Gary would always help him carry his stuff up to his car at the end of the day, and he appreciated this very much, and considered our whole group as his friends as a result. Gary and I had my family bring down a mega-phone to help him get his sales pitch message out the the customers walking by. I had purchased an inflatable boat that got a lot of negative attention on Sandy's blog, but to the Mexicans, this boat was envied to a large extent. One day Marcellino expressed his interest in the boat, and how useful it would be for him to have a boat like that for him and his son to go out fishing in. Viola! I decided then that I would give him the boat at the conclusion of our time in Bucerias. He was thrilled, and wanted to give me all kinds of merchandise in exchange, but I convinced him that I wanted to give it to him as a gift, and we settled on a few T-shirts and a hat or two in exchange.In our little campground, the owner had a guy hired to look after the grounds on a casual basis. His name was Francisco. This guy worked construction by day, and part-time at a convenience store, and washed and waxed R.V.'s, and the gardening on the side. A very hard-working guy, and when I asked him when he rests, he replied: "I can't, I have 3 kids and a wife"! He explained that the construction job paid very well by Mexican standards, but the job was just about done. He was hoping to find another job when it ended. Well, it ended while we were there, and because the global recession was starting to affect things in this area too, he was out of work. The worry showed on Francisco's face. I wanted to do something for him, and when he told me his daughter was sick, and he couldn't afford to pay the doctor, I decided to help him out in some way. I was going to hire him to clean the motor home, the car, etc., and pay him in advance so he could pay the doctor, but before I could do that, Jim, the campground owner came to see him and gave him a 6 month advance on his pay to get him through this tough time. I hired Francisco to clean the car, and wash the motor home before we headed out. I payed him over double what he wanted, and bought a kilo of fresh shrimp for him and is family to cook for dinner, and gave him a voucher for a trip out on a day cruise on the "Santa Maria", a catamaran trip around the Bay area, with all food and beverage included, for him and his wife to enjoy. Francisco was very happy, and hopefully they will take advantage of the trip as I'm sure they never had the time or the money to do something like this in the past.Small gestures, but I hope that my family and friends will feel good about what we did for these individuals instead of getting some gifts that they would appreciate, but likely not really need.

Feliz Ano Nuevo! (Happy New Year)!

Another year has passed, and all in all, a very good one for Sandy and I! Speaking of my Wife, and my Best Friend, Happy Birthday! (today, Jan. 2, 2009). Love Ya!
On a very sad note, I have to say goodbye to a business associate, but more importantly, a friend. Bruce Turcotte, of Olds Alberta Canada. Bruce lost the fight after a short battle with a cancer that was only diagnosed a few short months ago. I have known Bruce for about 30 years. He was one of the hardest working people that I have ever met. I remember looking out from our deck after hearing a noise at 10:30 or 11:00 pm at night, only to find Bruce loading up a trailer of electrical supplies, heading for Black Diamond, yet another 2 hour drive south. He was just getting in from a jobsite that he was tending to, 4 hours north of us. His day started about 4 am. This wasn't a normal day for him, nor was it unusual. Bruce was a man of many talents in the construction business. Bruce, you will be missed dearly by your family, co-workers, and friends. I only wish I had been able to say goodbye in person. Adios Amigo.
Our travels thus far have taken us from Canada, through the U.S.A., and now to Mexico. You can check our travel log at Sandy's blog, http://canusamextravels.blogspot.com/ She is busy up-dating it right now as I write this. Then we will go out for her Birthday dinner here in San Carlos, Son. Mex. In our travels we have met people from all parts of Canada, U.S.A., and Mexico. The common thread? All great, very nice, friendly people.
To my friends in the United States of America, keep your heads high. The economy will pick up. Always be proud to be an American! I watched the "Winter Classic" outdoor hockey game from Chicago, with the Black Hawks hosting the Detroit Red Wings. The display of patriotism from the crowd, standing, singing, and cheering during the Star Spangled Banner, with fireworks and jets in the air, got me all choked up! That's the U.S. I admire! Healing your economic woes is much like trying to get out of a personal depressed state of mind. You have to like yourself first. Stop watching the news and all the gloom and doom stories about how bad things are, and go out and buy a new Ford, GM, or Dodge vehicle in the new year! The economic engine will start up only if you turn the key! God bless the U.S.A.!
Now on to Mexico. You all have heard how dangerous, dirty, and un-safe it is here in Mexico. People will advise against travelling here due to the danger, and even more so now with the drug wars going on in the border towns. We're here, and guess what? Haven't seen any of that. There are gang wars raging on in Calgary, Alberta! I haven't been caught in the middle of one of those either. This isn't to say that it couldn't happen, just not likely, in Calgary, or in Mexico. You can find trouble anywhere if you look hard enough for it. Yes, Mexico on the surface isn't as clean and sterile as it is in most parts of the U.S.A. or Canada. It's just different. They don't get all hung up on some of the details that we do. However, I have had some of the best restaurant meals here that I have had anywhere. Top notch service, and excellent food!
Sandy and I got a good laugh in Puerto Penasco when we saw a beat up old car with 2 men in it, the passenger holding the door closed with a piece of rope. A door sign made with colored paper and a felt pen said: "We repair fibreglass and paint motor home". Yeah, right. We'll get right on that! Don't call us, we'll call you! While parked in our R.V. park at Playa Bonita, these guys stopped by one morning and noticed that we had a 6 or 8" crack in our gel coat at the front of the motor home that I got when I bumped in to a steel bollard at U.S. border crossing. He asked me if I wanted them to repair it. Only $80 (usd). I had no intention of getting it done, but he proceeded to show me many pictures of his before and after repairs, and invited me to check with others in the park who had work done. He told me: "You no like, you no pay". I let him go ahead, and I would challenge anyone to spot the repair. He filled the crack, blended the paint and gel coat to perfection. All right there on the beach, with the sand, the wind, and no fancy paint booth. I was so impressed that I gave him a bigger challenge. I have always wanted to get my car trailer painted, or decals on it to match the motor home. He gave me a price of $450 (usd) and I told him to do what he can. Antonio and his helper, (also Antonio), worked really hard, and put in some long days, and here is what he accomplished.
As you can see he did a great job. Again out in the elements, with a small portable compressor and a paint gun. The motor home is done with decals from the factory. Antonio did this with paint, masking tape, and a decal for a pattern that he had made by a friend that makes signs I would presume. All I gave him for a pattern was a print out from a picture I took of the motor home. This is the result. The paint colors match perfectly, and he properly prepared the surface, primed, and painted. Thank-you Antonio's!

It has been said before, and it is so very true. The people that discourage Mexican travel have never been here, and are not likely to ever travel here. Come see this country for yourself. If not, you'll be cheating yourself out of meeting some excellent, friendly people, great food, and spectacular scenery. Again, check Sandy's latest blog entry for some pictures from this area of San Carlos. Arguably, one of the most scenic places on the planet (in my humble opinion).

Tomorrow we move further south towards Mazatlan.

Happy New Year!

Feliz Navidad!

Hello everyone, from Mexico!

It may be comforting for you up north, to know that down here, we are also having to cope with similar conditions as you are suffering this holiday season.



Seriously now, this is our Christmas letter to you all.

2008 brought some significant changes for Sandy and I. One major change was my favourite (only, but favourite) son Lyle, graduating from High School. The other was that the many months of planning for a transition of ownership of Olds Electric & Lighting Ltd., to Jeremy and Cindy Tookey became a reality in early September. With Lyle gone to Germany for the better part of a year on his own little adventure, the stage was set for Sandy and I to move in to our motorhome, and set off to explore the open highway. We plan to work more diligently on our website business, electrical-online.com, but so far we have been very busy with travelling, visiting, and doing a whole lot of nothing. Since we left the Olds area on September 22, time has really flown by for us. We believe that we are in a transition period, and with that I think comes a bit of a "state of shock". Although we miss our friends and family tremendously, we are having a great time on our new adventure.

To sum up our travels thus far, we went from Olds, to Fernie, to Whitefish Montana, back to Vernon BC, then off to Burnaby, then down the west coast, then to Palm Springs (Indio), over to Mesa AZ, then up to Las Vegas, down to Lake Havasu AZ, then over to Casa Grande AZ, then down to Puerto Penasco Mexico, where we are now at Christmas, and plan to move on further south for a couple of months.

To our family and friends, in lieu of Christmas gifts that we would have purchased for you all had we been with you this holiday season, Sandy and I plan to give gifts to some of the less fortunate people here in Mexico. We haven't found just where the best place to use the donations will be here yet, but when we do, we will be giving either a monetary contribution, or other worthwhile gifts that we see the most urgent need for. We will give the gifts in your names, and will take some pictures of who's lives you made a bit brighter if possible.



We really miss our family and friends, especially at this special time of year. It makes you realize what Christmas is really all about. To all of you, please have a very Merry Christmas, and all the best to you in the New Year! See you all in the spring!

All the best!
Terry, Sandy, Molly, Callie, and Champ!

Crisis in Columbia (oops, meant to say Canada)

I apologize for getting political again in my blog, but I believe it is essential that everyone that has any influence at all, needs to speak up about the situation in Canada, and what it means for any Country that claims to be a Democracy.

If you aren’t aware of what is happening, let me give you a quick update. We have several political parties in Canada, but the real choices boil down to two. The Conservative Party, and the Liberal Party, and you could draw a reasonably analogy here to the Republicans and the Democrats in the U.S.A. Conservatives are right of center, and the Liberals are left of center. Neither strays too far from the middle or they would be crushed in a country that has political views as broad and as wide as the country itself. Then we have some fringe parties on the sidelines that can make some noise, especially when they get a leader that rolls up his sleeves and boldly proclaims that he wants to be the Prime Minister, but in most Federal elections his party gets only about 15% of the popular vote. They are called the New Democratic Party, or N.D.P. for short. (Democracy in their name is a bit ironic). Another small percentage is split up among the other parties, one of which is only based in one province and the entire platform of that party is to take all the good things that Canada has to offer, but to split away from Confederation to be a country within a country. (I know, it sounds bizarre, but it’s true). In our last election, these fringe parties split up the votes for the main choices that we have, and like the last couple of elections, neither the Conservatives, nor the Liberals were able to get enough Members of Parliament to form a Majority Government. We elect M.P.’s to represent our interests in Federal issues, and each member that runs for office is normally affiliated with a political party (some are independent for various reasons). The party with the most members elected, earn the right to form a government, and the Leader of that party becomes our Prime Minister. If they don’t have enough elected members to form a majority, they get to govern with a minority. This is not really the worst case scenario as it keeps the government from doing anything goofy and forcing another premature election, but it gives them the mandate of the people to govern as they have a huge portion of the popular vote in comparison to the other parties. In the last election, the people chose the Conservatives to lead us, and with an even stronger mandate than the last election (from 36% to 38%). The Conservatives would likely have garnered a majority, but a lack of funding for Arts and Culture cost them some critical support in Quebec. The Liberal party got historically one of their worst results in Canadian History! Here’s where this all gets almost un-believably, incredibly stupid. The leader of Liberal Party may soon be installed as our Prime Minister! With only 26% of the popular vote (down from 30% in 2006), this man that was rejected by the people, has lost the confidence of his own Liberal Party (has agreed to step down as leader), could be our Prime Minister. Here’s how.

The New Democrats (cough, cough) under their egotistical party leader, have gone to the leader of the Bloc Quebecois (Separatists) and made a deal to support the Liberal Party (official Opposition) to form a coalition government, and install the leader of the Liberal Party as our country’s Prime Minister. With 26% of the vote, our Prime Minister. Really. I’m not kidding. Really.

News Flash! I just learned that our Governor General has just finished a meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and has granted his request to Peroge (suspend) Parliament until January 27, 2009. This will give us some time to sort this all out, and will give the people time to let their elected officials know that this is not what we voted for!

Now I’ll admit that I’m a little biased, and this blog entry will provoke some lively discussion, even within my own family, but someone needs to counter-balance our so obviously left wing slanted national media. I watched an interview with our Global National news desk anchor, Kevin Newman, arguing with one of our government ministers about the validity of this proposed hostile takeover. (I thought the media is supposed to be un-biased when covering any news stories).

So let’s put all bias aside here, and we’ll put this situation in to terms that most Canadians should identify with, and my American friends can apply this to any professional sports league that they can identify with. Please, nobody take offense to this as it is only intended as an analogy!

The Toronto Maple Leafs have sometimes been referred to as Canada’s hockey team. Although they haven’t won a Stanley Cup since the 1960’s, these lovable losers have a firm fellowship of supporters, and equally as many who hate them. However, I suspect that if they were one the last teams standing in the Stanley Cup playoffs, many Canadians would jump on the bandwagon. So here’s my analogy:

Let’s say the Leafs have finally put together a team that has been improving over the last several years, and has been getting closer and closer to being a cup contender. Every year they make improvements, and now, after several years of growth, they have made it to the Stanley Cup finals against the Montreal Canadians.
They even have some support in Quebec, as they have shown that they are a good, solid hockey team, and are worthy of support. They get in an epic battle with the Montreal Canadiens, and would likely have been the sentimental favorites throughout the entire country, including a few in Quebec. However, just before game 7, a reporter asks the Leafs team captain what he thinks of Arts and Culture in general. He states that he would prefer to put that aside right now, as he is focused on game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. This costs the Leafs any support that they had in Quebec, but still most people are on side with them to win the Cup.
On the morning of the big game, the regular members of the Montreal Canadiens have been replaced by all the top players from the other teams in the N.H.L. It turns out that the owner of the Canadiens had been in secret meetings with the owners of the rest of the teams in the league, and had decided that if it comes to game 7, they would all ban together to defeat the Leafs. It’s a hollow victory that sparks outrage across most of the country, and the rest of the world, and destroys any confidence in a league that could allow such a thing to happen. The N.H.L. spins out of control, Ratings are way down, season tickets are cancelled throughout the league, and the league goes bankrupt before the next season gets underway.

I hope this puts this outrageous situation in to a perspective that everyone can understand. Stay tuned, as this isn’t over. We’ll see what happens when Parliament re-convenes in January.

If this concerns you, I urge my fellow Canadians to get involved between now and January. Don’t let it get pushed aside as this crisis is not over by any stretch. Attend the rally’s, write letters to the editor, call or write your Member of Parliament, call the talk shows, and join a Facebook group. STAND UP FOR CANADA!

Late Late Show, with Craig Ferguson, and Asbestos Concerns.

This past Wednesday, November 19, 2008, Sandy and I made the trek west to Hollywood to participate as audience members on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. We are both fans of Craig, and the taping of the show was very entertaining. We sat right near the stage, in the second row from the front. We rushed back to Indio to watch the show, and to see if we made it off the cutting room floor when the camera's panned the audience. Sure enough, as the camera panned across the crowd, there was my right arm just before the camera cut back to the real action. Now I have an appearance on CBS to add to my television portfolio that includes several guest appearances as the electrical expert, on Help TV, on Canadian Learning Television, and Access Network. That's the same arm that can be seen holding various tools on our website! I may now need to get an agent! Any offers out there?

On a more serious note, I recently received an e-mail request from Richard Moyle, National Awareness Coordinator for the Mesothelioma Cancer Center in Orlando Florida.

Richard writes:

"Right now we are in the midst of a public outreach, attempting to educate people on asbestos and the dangers of exposure. As you probably know, asbestos is the only cause of mesothelioma, a rare cancer. The most common form of this type of cancer affects the lining of the lungs, and is extremely difficult to treat.

Because electricians often work in buildings that were constructed during the years in which the construction industry made heavy use of asbestos-containing products, including wire and electrical insulation, there is often a high risk of exposure to asbestos.

Our website is considered one of the Web's leading educational resources for individuals affected by asbestos exposure. We are very proud of our information on symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options for those who have been affected. We recently received HON certification, an Internet standard created by the Health On The Net Foundation. This is a Swiss based, leading nonprofit organization promoting and guiding the deployment of useful and reliable online medical and health information. Additionally, our site has employed a full staff of writers dedicated to research and content creation on asbestos exposure and accompanying diseases, including Dr. Mauricio Salazar, our medical advisor".

Sandy and I have some first-hand experience with Asbestosis as her Father passed away from the disease back in 1995. He worked in an Asbestos insulation factory for several years in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. After his passing Sandy and her siblings were advised to get checked out for any signs of damage from second-hand exposure to asbestos, and after testing it was noted that some evidence of exposure exists, and will need to be monitored to see if the condition deteriorates over the years.

Over my career as an electrician, this was not something that I gave much consideration to until Richard's e-mail. I am going to post the article that he provided me on our website page dedicated to electrical safety.
Thank-you Richard, and the Mesothelioma Cancer Center for helping to raise awareness of this risk.

Please follow this link to the article.
http://www.electrical-online.com/asbestosremoval.htm

Hail to the Chiefs!

A lot has happened since my last post, most significantly the U.S. Presidential election. I'm a big supporter of the United States of America, and have the utmost respect for all that the nation stands for. The majority of the population wanted a change, and with the liberal media, and the throngs of celebrities throwing all the support and available resources behind Barrack Obama, you have a clear winner. The pure joy and jubilation on the faces of the people in the crowd in Chicago for the victory speech was very inspiring, and the President Elect didn't disappoint them with a historic and inspiring address. I hope that this new found optimism translates in to economic recovery in the long run, but so far the markets haven't responded very well in the wake of the election.

Maybe George W. Bush isn't the cause of all the economic strife as voters were led to believe? The sub-prime mortgage idea came from the Clinton Administration. Democrat, not Republican I believe. Yes, politically I stand right of center. However, the people have spoken, and I wish the next President all the best and I hope that he is even a fraction as good as the hype that sent him to the top.

However, one thing that I would like to comment on is the terrible treatment that President Bush has had to endure over the last couple of years. As I said before, I have nothing but respect for the U.S., and on that 11th day of September, I felt as though someone attacked my own family and friends, and I was angry. I commented many times that if I heard that they were handing out machine guns, and transportation across the pond to hunt down those responsible, I would have signed up in a heartbeat. President Bush was the Commander in Chief, and I believe that he handled himself with all the composure and leadership that all of us in the free world expected. To react with force is exactly what was required under the circumstance, and to do nothing would have been the wrong decision, in my humble opinion.

Now this isn't to say that I think George or his policies are without flaws. Nobody is perfect, and President Bush doesn't always come across publicly as the most educated and articulate man, but the public abuse and criticism that he has had to endure has to hurt, and hurt deeply. Sandy and I were in a Casino lounge in Florence Oregon on election night, watching the election results. Two ladies sat behind us watching Obama's acceptance speech, and after he was finished, I overheard one of them comment to the other: "So Bush is still in charge until January? That really scares me"! ......Scares you? Come on now! Do you really think that President Bush is out to do harm to the country and the very people that put him in charge of the country that he loves as much as you do? Think about that! George (and his close advisers) have had, and still have the best interest of the country in mind whenever they make decisions, even if they aren't the most popular ones.

I can only hope that after a cooling off period, the sentiments towards President Bush will be more favourable as he takes his place in American history. Bill Clinton wasn't all that popular when he embarrassed the country with his White House antics, and was nearly impeached for his actions, yet now he is treated as a hero, with people hanging on to his every word. George, there is hope for you yet. Time is the greatest healer! Hang in there President Bush! Thank you Mr. President, for 8 years of service to your country! God Bless the U.S.A.!