All photos taken on July 31, 2021 on our rural bicycle ride.
As cyclists, we are already well aware of the hazards of riding/driving the rural Alberta roads. On this cycle, we spotted a roadside memorial placed for two recent auto fatalities on our usual route. It was a sobering moment as we stopped to pay our respects.
The fragility of life was further brought home by a near miss, as we rode homeward. An elderly driver turned right on red in front of me, as I was coming through the intersection at 50th and 50th on a green light. She then proceeded to turn right into the parking lot, again cutting me off. Patty shouted STOP!!!, I slammed on the brakes and missed her door by mere inches. Looking around, it seemed everyone else stopped too. As son B says, you don’t need a bell on a bike, if you have a mouth. Theory proven.
Life is too short to take it and safety for granted.
Not much to tell. After working for 3 companies over 43+ years (38 years 7 months with my last company), I finally got that promotion I had waited my entire career for……retirement.
I have been exploring this new career for the past 7+ years and while it is not always exciting, the chance to do what I want for myself and my family instead of what my company wants has been very fulfilling. Early on, there was a long list of projects in my “to-do” hopper and I attacked these projects with a vengeance for the first 9 months of retirement. Eventually, my brain told me that this was not what retirement was about, so it took me another 5 months before my industriousness again took over and I attacked another line of projects, this time somewhat shorter and less complicated, as well as many new projects related to the family weddings in 2016. After going hard for 6 weeks and 3 weddings, my body was telling me to relax, then the flu bug hit and as soon as that was done with me, my sciatic acted up. No rest for the wicked. In 2020 and 2021, the Covid 19 pandemic changed the whole retirement gig. I was lucky to not be still working, for sure.
I enjoy photography, gardening, working with my hands, walking, cycling, skiing, travelling, reading and creating special photo and video productions obtained in my first pastime. I may never become wealthy in any of these pursuits, but I already feel I am rich in life experiences far beyond any expectation.
View more posts
I agree. None of us knows when our time is up. It was a bit sobering to come across this memorial while we were on bikes. Thanks for reading. Happy Thanksgiving. Allan
I’m glad you’re okay. Recently, my Mum and I had an emergency situation in the Calgary suburbs. It was even more of a pain because we don’t have a car. I did call Uber at least, but the whole situation was wild! We live near the city centre and we’re so glad we do. The suburbs are rather intimidating
Thanks. I guess cyclists are invisible and this gives me a new appreciation for watching out for them when I am driving a car. Yeah, I am not a fan of driving in Calgary. The trails are great, but once everyone emerges from their little subdivision and gets on a trail, they tend to become parking lots, as does the Deerfoot. So glad I am no longer required to drive there for work. Thanks for reading and stay central. Allan
That’s so sad, I occasionally spot floral tributes by the roadside or attached to park benches and wonder about what might have happened. Take care, Marion
We all need to live each day to the fullest and hope for the best. I too have seen roadside crosses as I drive and wonder what happened. Thanks for reading Marion. Allan
They finally put some laws in here to advise motorists to give a meter of clearance on city streets and 1.5 meters on highways. Still a bit of a draft as the big rigs go by at 100 km. Thanks for reading Scott. Allan
Glad you’re ok, how scary! My suite mate at college got hit by a car her first few weeks at school and had to go home for a semester to heal from her concussion. Scary stuff!
That sounds like quite the scare out on the road. Glad to hear that you’re okay. I’ve seen and heard too many horror stories of cyclists in Toronto and now I’m a bit hesitant to get on a bike these days.
The incident occurred as we were getting close to home. Like they say, they say, most accidents occur close to home, so no time to let down your guard. Always good to be on guard. Many cyclist (me included) think that motorists see them. We need to know that sometimes eyeball contact is just a vacant stare. Thanks for reading. Allan
Picture This 
So sad…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree. None of us knows when our time is up. It was a bit sobering to come across this memorial while we were on bikes. Thanks for reading. Happy Thanksgiving. Allan
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks and HAppy Thanksgiving to you too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m glad you’re okay. Recently, my Mum and I had an emergency situation in the Calgary suburbs. It was even more of a pain because we don’t have a car. I did call Uber at least, but the whole situation was wild! We live near the city centre and we’re so glad we do. The suburbs are rather intimidating
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks. I guess cyclists are invisible and this gives me a new appreciation for watching out for them when I am driving a car. Yeah, I am not a fan of driving in Calgary. The trails are great, but once everyone emerges from their little subdivision and gets on a trail, they tend to become parking lots, as does the Deerfoot. So glad I am no longer required to drive there for work. Thanks for reading and stay central. Allan
LikeLike
Happy Thanksgiving btw!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much. No turkey for us today after our long drive home. But a nice big Salade Nicoise. Hope your day is going well. Allan
LikeLike
Well, that sounds cool too. We didn’t do turkey either, but there are a lot of other foods we did
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s so sad, I occasionally spot floral tributes by the roadside or attached to park benches and wonder about what might have happened. Take care, Marion
LikeLiked by 1 person
We all need to live each day to the fullest and hope for the best. I too have seen roadside crosses as I drive and wonder what happened. Thanks for reading Marion. Allan
LikeLiked by 1 person
Bike rides in the “urban wild” here can be quite interesting. And we have laws in place here that is supposed to support cyclists. Be careful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They finally put some laws in here to advise motorists to give a meter of clearance on city streets and 1.5 meters on highways. Still a bit of a draft as the big rigs go by at 100 km. Thanks for reading Scott. Allan
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you’re ok, how scary! My suite mate at college got hit by a car her first few weeks at school and had to go home for a semester to heal from her concussion. Scary stuff!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Lyssy. When you are on a bike, you gotta keep your head on a swivel. Thanks for reading. Allan
LikeLike
That sounds like quite the scare out on the road. Glad to hear that you’re okay. I’ve seen and heard too many horror stories of cyclists in Toronto and now I’m a bit hesitant to get on a bike these days.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The incident occurred as we were getting close to home. Like they say, they say, most accidents occur close to home, so no time to let down your guard. Always good to be on guard. Many cyclist (me included) think that motorists see them. We need to know that sometimes eyeball contact is just a vacant stare. Thanks for reading. Allan
LikeLiked by 1 person