Puerto Vallarta

On Saturday night I had dinner with my friend Laurie.  She said her cousin was returning from a holiday in Puerto Vallarta and she would pick him up at the airport the next afternoon.  In the morning, she got a short text message from him.  His flight was cancelled.  No reason was given.

Through the morning, I kept reading about all the problems they were having in Puerto Vallarta.  I called Laurie and later in the morning she got this message from him:

The airport is closed! There has been an uprising of the cartel!!  

Laurie said:  He will keep me posted. I am supposed to pick him up this afternoon! 🤔

My next door neighbour who is in the travel business got this message from his friend who is staying at an Air BNB in Puerto Vallarta:

Yes, we are here. 

Yes, the situation is bad. Probably worse than you've read. Here's what's up:

As I understand it, yesterday, the government launched an operation against the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Today, they killed the leader of the cartel, El Mencho. 

In retaliation, CJNG launched a massive campaign of mayhem in Guadalajara, Vallarta, other cities in Jalisco and (I'm told, but cannot confirm) Michoacán and Tamaulipus states. 

It started 8:15am central time this morning with multiple coordinated car and bus-jackings, followed by burning those vehicles. All on major roads in and around the cities. This was accompanied by a lot of spreading of tire spikes. I was watching the hockey game and heard some bangs. Went outside and saw smoke. 

More and more vehicles were burned, all around the bay. Looks like as far north as Bucerias. 

About two hours ago, it progressed to property fires. Gas stations and convenience stores, mostly.

The OXXO store just down from my house was firebombed about noon. A taxi was also lit on fire, about 12:30. 

There are cartel members on motorcycles zipping around with guns, setting fires. Police and the army are pursuing, although mostly in Versalles nieghborhood, and near the airport. Very little vehicle traffic here in de Diciembre/Centro because all the roads in/out are blocked. 

There is a military troop ship circling in the ocean, in front of our house. 

Flights in/out are cancelled or diverted. Expected to be running again on Tuesday, but ????

We are sheltering in place. We have food, tequila, power (for now), and Internet (for now). 

We're in no immediate danger. 

But our hearts are broken that our favorite place is under attack, from within.

Here is another email I read:

We are all here at the ****.  Because of the “situation “, they gave us all our same rooms free of charge for tonight.  The airport is completely shut down….no flights in or out since early this morning so my whole family is still here.  We are under a “ shelter in place” order until who knows when. The Concierge called the **** to hold our rooms until we can safely leave the resort …who knows when?  Hopefully the message got through.  We have no idea what tomorrow will bring…fires were all around us but have quietened down now.  Keeping all phones, devices charged as power outages are anticipated.  Sunwing agent is no where in sight.  No buses…burnt, no taxis….burnt….crazy.  No one on the roads.

We will see what tomorrow brings?!

I've taken out names and places for obvious reasons.

There is a lot of misinformation on social media.  These are reports from people who are there.  My thoughts and prayers are with them.  If the airport won't open, maybe a cruise ship can help them leave safely!

For Canadians in Mexico: The Emergency Watch and Response Centre is available 24/7 at +1 613-996-8885 (collect calls accepted) & e-mail at: sos@international.gc.ca Canadians needing emergency consular assistance can contact the Embassy of Canada to Mexico at +52 55-5724-7900.

Canadian Curling

 Curling: The Most Canadian Infrastructure We Have

Curling is not a hobby in this country.  It’s infrastructure.  It’s cultural bedrock. It’s the sport that quietly shaped us long before we had a flag, a railway, or any idea how to pronounce “about.”  I never tried the sport, but my sister did in her teens and loved it.  When I worked for Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Lisa, a co-worker was on the BC Team and went back east to the Scott Tournament of Hearts!  We all watched her with joy and although they didn't win, they had a great time.  All moms and all very good curlers.

The first curling club in North America opened in Montreal in 1807.  Thomas Jefferson was President of the United States, and Canada didn’t even have a Prime Minister yet—we wouldn’t get one for another six decades. Curling existed before Canada, which technically makes curling more Canadian than Canada itself.

This sport predates the lightbulb, the telephone, and most of our vowels. We were sliding rocks on ice before we had a national identity, and honestly, it shows.  Curling fits us perfectly: slow, polite, rule-heavy, and powered almost entirely by volunteers named Doug.

A Sport Built on Strategy, Not Swagger

You don’t win curling by overpowering your opponent.  You win by placing one irritating rock in exactly the wrong spot and forcing the other team to think about it for a full minute. It’s not aggression—it’s diplomacy on ice.  If Canada had a foreign policy mascot, it would be a granite stone with a handle.

And don’t think we take this lightly.  Our first women’s Olympic gold medal in curling came in 1998 under the leadership of Sandra Schmirler, a name spoken with reverence in rinks across the country.

A Nation of Curlers

Canada has more than 1,000 curling clubs and roughly 1.2 million active curlers in a country of 40 million.  That makes curling one of the highest-participation sports per capita in the world—yes, even ahead of hockey.

If you’ve ever tried throwing a 42‑pound rock down pebbled ice while someone in polyester screams “HARD! HARD!” at you, you know it’s not for the faint of heart.  Frankly, a couple of hair dryers might be more effective than a broom, but tradition is tradition.

Why We Care So Much

So yes, we argue about curling.  Passionately, because when the world feels loud, chaotic, and out of your control, curling offers something rare: a universe where the chaos moves at three kilometers an hour and you can literally sweep your problems away.

It’s therapy.  With rocks.  And beer.

Should I purchase a cruise ship liquor package?

 

Cruise drink packages can be a good value if you typically enjoy five or more alcoholic drinks a day, or if you like to mix cocktails with specialty coffees, sodas, and bottled water throughout the day. They offer predictable budgeting and plenty of convenience. However, they’re usually not cost‑effective for light drinkers, families with children, or travellers on port‑intensive itineraries where you spend most of your time ashore.

I do the math.  Some drink packages include tips, wi-fi and a shipboard credit.  On my next cruise that is 23 days, I did not order the drink package.  We are Elite on Princess and we get 50% off wi-fi packages.  The drink package only includes 1 device.  We each take a phone and computer and ordering the four device package is worth while for us.  We will pay for our drinks and that will make us aware of the sugar and calories we are consuming.

The first cruise we went on after COVID 19, we had the Princess Plus package.  It was a great cruise and we were with friends who loved the bar.  We drank far too much!  We were thrilled to be cruising again.  When we came home we realized by the scale on how much damage we did.  Oh well, it was fun but next time we will be more responsible.  

If you've never had a dirty banana, order one.  I would gladly pay for that drink.  It's a chocolate banana milkshake with a lot of alcohol.  I ordered one when I heard it was good.  I sent a picture to my daughter with a caption "we are having a great time".  Her reply was "mom, don't drink two or you will never find your cabin"!  She was right.

This Dirty Banana cocktail recipe is a dangerously delicious and boozy frozen drink recipe loaded with rum, banana, coffee, and chocolate flavors!

• 4 cups ice
• ▢1 banana
• ▢1 ounce dark rum 
• ▢2 ounces Kahlua
• ▢1 ounce Jamaican rum
• ▢2 ounces Banana Rum or Banana Cream Rum I like Blue Chair
• ▢1/2 cup heavy cream
• ▢1/4 cup chocolate syrup plus extra for glass
• ▢whipped cream for topping
• ▢maraschino cherries for topping

Foncie Pulice

 

Vancouver's famous street photographer, Foncie Pulice in action at the corner of Robson & Granville in 1968. Foncie snapped an estimated 15 million photographs over his 40 year career from 1935 to 1979. He would take pictures that captured Vancouverites going about their business on the streets of downtown Vancouver. The next day customers could redeem their claim ticket and buy their picture at Foncie's storefront.

I have pictures of my parents taken by Foncie! I'm sure many people have Foncie photos in their family photo album.

I don't know who these gals are, but it's a great photo.

Robin Williams

 

I never know what to believe on Facebook.  I liked this post and I checked it on AI and here are the results:

Yes — Robin Williams did leave his children an inheritance with specific conditions, and these conditions were part of a carefully structured trust.

Here’s what the available reporting shows:

🌟 What the trust required

Robin Williams’ three children — Zak, Zelda, and Cody — were to receive their inheritance through a trust with age‑based milestones. While the exact percentages aren’t detailed in the sources surfaced here, multiple reputable estate‑planning analyses note that Williams set conditions tied to the children reaching certain ages, rather than giving them a lump sum all at once. This is a common structure among high‑net‑worth families to encourage financial maturity.

🌟 Additional provisions

Williams also included clear instructions for his third wife, Susan Schneider Williams, ensuring she could remain in their Tiburon home and receive funds for living expenses. His children were designated to inherit the Napa Valley property and other assets through the trust.

🌟 Estate dispute context

After his passing in 2014, a dispute arose between his widow and his children over personal belongings and interpretations of the trust, but the trust’s structure — including the children’s conditional inheritance — remained intact. The parties eventually reached a settlement in 2015.

🌟 Bottom line

Yes. Robin Williams intentionally set conditions on his children’s inheritance, using a trust that released funds at predetermined ages. This approach reflected his desire to support them while also encouraging responsibility and long‑term stability.

Thank you Co-Pilot, my new best friend.

Al "Wailin" Walker

My next door neighbour's son was featured on Global TV on Sunday night.  Here is his biography from his website:

Al “Wailin” Walker is a Canadian blues master and the lead guitarist, singer, songwriter and band leader of the Wailin' Walker Band. Walker’s stunning electric guitar solos and commanding vocals have forged a formidable brand of Rockin’Rhythm and Blues that have kept dance floors packed and albums on top of the blues charts for over five decades.

The first recording of Wailin' Walker was with his band The Houserockers in 1978. Since then,  six outstanding self-produced blues recordings have been released: The Devil Made Me Play It, Buzzsaw Boogie, Crazy at Night, No Regrets and All Fired Up. The Devil Made Me Play It, released under Double Trouble Records (Amsterdam), climbed to the top of the blues charts in the Netherlands, Spain and Australia. No Regrets and All Fired Up have topped the blues charts in the USA and Canada. The newest album Blues Lightnin’ was released in September 2025 and was instantly the #1 blues album in Canada. 

Walker has played with and been personally mentored by Buddy Guy, Pee Wee Crayton and Otis Rush and has shared the stage with Johnny Winter, George Thorogood and Stevie Ray Vaughan to name a few.

Noteworthy Accomplishments
Songwriter for Long John Baldry and Powder Blues 
Portland Blues Festival (1992)
Moulin Blues Festival (1996)
Honorable mention on Jr. Watson's album Long Overdue 
House Band at the Commodore Ballroom - 78 shows
Jerry Doucette Band (Toured 2006 - 2018)
#2 Roots Music Report (2014 - 2015)
#1 Roots Music Report (2024-2025)

Here is his interview on Global TV:

https://globalnews.ca/video/11669212/vancouver-musicians-well-earned-recognition/

Michael Buble

Noah was just three years old when he was diagnosed with cancer—an instant that shattered his world and his family’s.  In 2016, Michael Bublé was at the height of his career. He was adored by millions, selling out arenas across the globe and filling them with joy. But in a single moment, the bright lights of stardom went dark.

For Michael, the applause meant nothing compared to the silence of a hospital room. Alongside his wife, Luisana Lopilato, he stepped away from the world, trading the stage for a bedside chair.

He later shared that the room felt as though it was spinning.  Overnight, his identity shifted from world‑renowned performer to a father fighting for his child’s life.

Noah had been diagnosed with hepatoblastoma, a rare and aggressive pediatric liver cancer. The diagnosis plunged the family into a world of clinical milestones, medical terminology, and grueling procedures.

Beyond the treatments themselves, the true weight of the journey was the emotional toll. Michael described the experience as a “descent into hell,” one that forced him to question everything he once believed mattered.

To give Noah the best chance of survival, the family moved to Los Angeles, where he began a multi‑stage treatment plan.

The first phase was four months of chemotherapy. Because liver tumors in children are often large and difficult to operate on, the goal was to shrink the mass enough to make surgery possible.  During this time, Michael’s sister‑in‑law called Noah a “warrior,” admiring how bravely he endured the harsh side effects.

Once the tumor had shrunk, Noah underwent a high‑risk surgery. Michael later explained that the surgeons aimed for “clean margins,” meaning they needed to remove the entire tumor along with some surrounding healthy tissue to ensure no cancer cells remained.

To reduce the chance of recurrence, Noah then received radiotherapy—a final safeguard targeting any lingering traces of the disease.

Throughout this period, the family lived in a constant state of “fear and hope,” waiting for biopsy results and scan updates. During those long months in the hospital, Michael didn’t just lose his desire to perform; he feared he might never feel the joy required to sing again.

But witnessing Noah’s resilience changed everything. His son’s courage became a new source of inspiration, proof that even the smallest heart can hold the strength of a lion.

In early 2017, after months of treatment and uncertainty, the family received the news they had prayed for: Noah’s treatment had been successful.

He was in remission.

They eventually returned home to Argentina to begin the long emotional healing process. Today, Noah is a thriving young boy, but the experience left a permanent mark on his father.  Michael often says that those years in the hospital transformed him. Music still matters deeply to him, but his children are his true center.  Even in the darkest moments, he watched his son show a bravery far beyond his years.  That strength reshaped Michael’s life, and when he finally returned to music, it wasn’t just a comeback—it was a celebration of survival.

“He was braver than anyone I’ve ever met,” Michael recalled, still in awe of his little boy.  When he stepped back into the spotlight, he wasn’t the same man who had left it. The ordeal had stripped away the superficial layers of fame, leaving behind a profound gratitude for the simple, irreplaceable gift of family.

Today, when he sings, there is a new depth in his voice—a raw, soulful resonance shaped by a journey through fire. He emerged with a truth that guides him still: the world’s praise is fleeting, but love is what carries us home.

“Fame fades,” he said. “But love—love is what saves you.”