A Touching Elephant Story (Its True!)

In 1986, Mkele Mbembe was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from college. On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air.
The elephant seemed distressed so Mbembe approached it very carefully. He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot, and found alarge thorn deeply embedded in it.
As carefully and as gently as he could, Mbembe worked the thorn out withhis hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot. The elephant turned to face the man and with a rather stern look on its face, stared at him. For several tense moments Mbembe stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned and walked away.
Mbembe never forgot that elephant or the events of that day.
Twenty years later he was walking through a zoo with his teenaged son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turnedand walked over to near where Mbembe and his son Tapu were standing.
The large bull elephant stared at Mbembe and lifted its front foot off the ground, then put it down. The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man. Remembering the encounter in 1986, Mbembe couldn't help wondering if this was the same elephant. Mbembe summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure.
He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder. Suddenly the elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one ofthe man's legs and swung him wildly back and forth along the railing, killing him.

Probably wasn't the same elephant.



thanks to Irene

Camping = Good Times

To all who went camping with me at Guelph lake, thank you for the killer time. It was probably the best trip to date for some of us. Here are some pics that should be self explanatory for anybody who was there. For those who weren't, I'll fill in the gaps.
Look its a homemade Lakeport. Just when I thought I had run out, Jocelyn whipped it up. Why is there a donut on top of it?

Here is the neighbour kid with the shirt sucking wedgie. This is the type of picture you get when people borrow your camera.

Tim taking a pic. We did that a lot.
The guys shooting things. We did that even more.
See.
Mmmm donuts.
Devon is grabbing yet another Busch. Dude, you should have stopped then.
Jocelyn and a girl whose name I forget.
Josh doing TWO bad things the week before he gets married.
Joel having a good time. He had a good time the whole weekend.

Thanks for the good times people and I'll see y'all next year!

Pilate = Excercise

The latest cds I have been enjoying for the past month are:

1. Stephen Fearing – Yellowjacket
A great disc I picked up on the spur of the moment after reading something in the paper about his 'intimate' performance at the Tulip Festival. It is essentially a pop album but his great voice, interesting lyrics and unique sound keep it different enough for me to enjoy. He is one of those Canadian artists who will never achieve huge fame (a la Micheal Buble) but keep on trekkin because of their love of music and it shows.

2. Mark Knopfler and EmmyLou Harris – All the Roadrunning
Who would ever think I would end up listening to a country album. I guess it was bound to happen after listening to copious amounts of Folk-Rock from Iron and Wine and Bright Eyes. I have never really cared for either Mark Knopfler or EmmyLou Harris on their own. Singing together brings out the best in each while leaving out the annoying country twang and classic rock guitar solos. It’s a solid disc that I have listened to over and over again. Plus, Irene likes it too.

3. Pilot Speed formerly Pilate – Sell Control for Life’s Speed
One of my favourite bands, and another Tulip Festival performer. These guys know how to make a solid album. This album is not straying from the sound of ‘Caught By The Window’ but that is definitely not a bad thing. The melodic angst ridden music reaches a high on a track called ‘Turn the Lights On’. It’s a sad song and I am a huge sucker for sad music. It sounds a lot like Starsailor or a slowed down version of Muse. All in all it has got me hooked like only a good cd can.
Check it out.
On a side note, I think they had to change their name because of legal issues in the USA due to the similarity of their name to the excercise routine....