Gruxy's Guestbook

Africa looks grand/hot/beauitiful, all in large portions. It is -24C last night with a cutting wind. Lindsey is at Tremblant today freezing her tush. Ryan leaves in 2 weeks to teach in BAKER LAKE NWT. for three weeks. He will be teahcing Inuit and will have an opportunity to be out on the land for a few days with local hunters !!! He is really excited. The warmest it has been there this winter has been -29C during the day. What did we do wrong with our kids?? We are really enjoying your blog and Terry's travalog. Stay cool and enjoy your adventures. TTNF.

were back....
Hi there Claire and Terry.... I've spent half a day catching up on your news while we were away in CUBA. You both sound great....glad to hear it. We had a good trip...2 weeks. Did a day trip to Havanna and an over night trip to Trinada, Cuba and 4 specific provinces checking out historic buildings, cities, tropical jungles, etc. It was great. Back to the real world now. I don't know if I told you yet but I have Deins news.... He has tried out, passed and been offer a position on the Musical Ride for 3-4 years. Of course he has accepted. It's very exciting. They will be moving back to the Gatineau/Ottawa area some time in the near future. By the way... I love hearing about the Penguins... did you know..................... There are either 17 or 18 known species worldwide, depending on whether the two Eudyptula species are counted as distinct. Although all penguin species are native to the southern hemisphere, they are not, contrary to popular belief, found only in cold climates, such as Antarctica. In fact, only a few species of penguin actually live so far south. Three species live in the tropics; one lives as far north as the Galápagos Islands and will occasionally cross the equator while feeding. The largest species is the Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri): adults average about 1.1 meters (3 ft 7 in) tall and weigh 35 kilograms (75 lb) or more. The smallest penguin species is the Little Blue Penguin (also known as the Fairy Penguin), which stands around 40 cm tall (16 in) and weighs 1 kilogram (2.2 lb). Generally larger penguins retain heat better, and thus inhabit colder regions, while smaller penguins are found in temperate or even tropical climates. The rarest type of penguin is the yellow-eyed penguin (megadyptes antipodes) and is probably the most ancient of all living penguins. adults average about 65cm tall and the adults average weight is 5-6 kilograms Most penguins feed on krill, fish, squid, and other forms of sealife caught while swimming underwater. They spend half of their life on land and half in the oceans. Due to the gender ratio, penguins are one of the few species on the planet whose females fight over single males during mating season, due to the comparatively low number of male penguins. One of the most baffling forms of behavior of the penguin comes when a mother loses her chick, either due to its being unable to endure its first storm, or due to other reasons such as predators. When a mother loses its chick, they have been known to actually attempt to steal another mother's living chick- presumably in order to deal with the grief of the loss. This behavior has amazed scientists, as it is an emotional outburst opposed to an instinctual behavior; something many animals do not exhibit when losing their young. Many have used this as prime evidence for decades that many animals have near human-like emotions and feelings, often for the sake of animal rights. Interestingly, the other females in the penguin groups dislike this behavior and will help the defending mother keep her chick. Another fact about penguins is that they are one of the few species of birds that seem to have no fear of people. In fact, they have been known to approach groups of explorers without the slightest hesitation. Isn't that neat..... I'll be sure to give you more Peguin news the next time I write. Big hug hello to you both. Diane....

Thanks Gruxy--enjoyed yr blogs very much--a good foil to Ides. Look forward to more when you can get to it. We are Canadians also-- Van island-looking forward to Statendam in April. Great pics !

Pictures
I have been reading Ide's blog about your trip and I'm so glad to find yours. The pictures add so much to our trip with you, thank you. My wife and I were on the GWV aboard the Prinsendam last year and pictures of the ship bring back wonderful memories.

Enjoying your adventure!
I look forward to reading your entries every few days. Pat a penguin for me! Enjoy!

Hello
Wow..trip sounds amazing!You guys look great in your pictures:)! Working hard..exams coming up(WOW SO SOON!) so im studying hard..Get lots of pics..stay healthy...do a few extra laps for me!!!Love you..Miss you ttyl!xox

Missing you but not as much as we otherwise would due to your generous sharing of your experiences. Winterlude opened this week with the Canal a swimming pool. We have had a mild winter - easy to take but too bad for events like that. Steven Harper will be sworn in as new PM on Monday. We have a PQ member. Vive le Quebec libre (just practicing in case) Looking forward to Tango lessons on the pontoon this summer for the 34th anniversary. Should rival the 10th (oops)

great trip
we have been following your trip and it sounds so marvelous. We are getting ready to leave for Mexico for the month of Feb and will try to keep on top of your stories. Keep having fun and enjoy every minute. Love, Lou et Den

Warm and dry sounds wonderful
I missed my window of opportunity to go outside when it wasn't raining this morning. We are having our 27th day of rain nonstop. I'll tell you that the worst part is not the rain but the darkness. I feel like it is dusk all the time...oh what I wouldn't do for a little sunshine right now. You wouldn't want to trade spaces would you? Love you both and hope you are having a great time!

Enjoy yourselves!
Everything sounds good so far. I have resigned from my job and will finish there Jan 27.

Bon Voyage
Well what can we say but....have a great time... All those sites to see and things to do. Enjoy every minute of your trip. We will be thinking of you!!!! Often.