F 1 D 0 -- 02 01 08 at 01 40

The Persian Man.

He's not a man. He's a bakery. Well,
not really a bakery either, as I 
don't consider donuts baked.

Persians are a Thunder Bay anomaly.

They're donuts to be sure. Kinda big
ones, like honey buns. Like a donut
and a half.

They are plain. They are oval.

So what is their appeal? They're
iced with chocolate, strawberry
or some other kind of icing. Real
icing, not just donut goo icing.
Does that sound like appeal? Maybe 
not. They are fresh. That helps.

In fact, if you tell the place that
you are getting them for take-out,
then they sell them entirely plain.
No icing at all. Except in a container
which you can administer in the comfort
of your own home.

Like a fresh donut, they eat okay
enough.  I doubt I'll get any more
of them, but I had to try them, as
long as I'm here in Thunder Bay.

I did see Mount McKay. That is a Must 
See here. That is special enough, 
in that you can get up this 
mountain without a lot of effort. 

As you may or may not know, I find
the idea of a difficult hike with
nature something to be avoided.
On the other hand, a lot of nature
can be made pleasant by adding trails.
This makes it into a Walk in the Park.
I've been using that phrase as a
synonym for easy, and perhaps it
is apt. I like taking a walk in the
park!

As you drive up the mountain road, 
you can feel changes in the climate. 
Roads in Thunder Bay are all clear
this year. As you climb this 
mountain, you see snow again. The 
road becomes icy too.  Once on top, 
there are signs of life. There is a wooden
lookout, where you can see all of
Port Arthur Fort William West Fort
all around you, lit by sunshine, or
not, as the clouds see fit.

Kakabeka Falls is another Must See.

The day we went it was seriously cold.
In spite of that, there was water running.
Oh, just a little falls, and a little water,
but when you consider the temperature a
balmy -18C, having any running water is
a good thing.

And this place is yet another walk in
the park.  Our dear Harris Government
has taken away much of the funding that
these places require to survive, so here,
in the middle of nowhere, is a parking
permit vending machine.  I should have
taken a picture of it. The symbol has
nothing to do with parking. The sign is
just a yellow background with a red dollar
sign.  Isn't that special?

The digital camera I use is a bit slow
on the draw. It is the HP315, and works
well. But it won't take a picture on 
demand. I mean it!  

You see, while looking for interesting
photo subjects, I saw a real bald eagle
and a real raven, together. I thought
the raven was being chased by the eagle
for food, but it was the black bird dive
bombing the eagle!  Well, by the time
the camera had a green light, the two
birds were in the next county.

I've never seen a bald eagle before,
except courtesy of television and movies.
I'm surprised I recognized it.

I suppose I move from Must See's to the
Should See's. 

Every place has Souvenirs of Choice. The
souvenir of choice for this place is Amethyst.

Now most places sell knick knacks made
of Amethyst. You know, those gawd awful
plaques with a bad saying, and a picture,
or some craft art?  Well a lot of Amethyst
is arranged for things like that too. Stones
cut and arranged into a figurine. Charming.

We found a laundromat, and the sign outside
said Amethyst Gift Centre. We go in, and see
mostly laundry. There is a glassed in showcase,
and it has stuff in it. There is a sign, "Cold
pop, 75c".  And another, "Ring bell for service."

So we rang.

I guess not many people buy Amethyst, as the
family living here found it better to store
bags of storage around the showcase (on their
side).  Not that I was a big spender.

I found *exactly* what I wanted, and the
price was amenable.

Amethyst stones, uncut, were 1.00, 2.00, 3.00,
and 4.00 according to size (they also had much
larger stones, but I was interested in Low-End).

Also, we found a basket where you could take
3 for a dollar.  Bingo!

I'll enjoy them for a while, then when I get
back home, I'll try to give them to my mom.

What do you get your parents? I have trouble
finding interesting gifts for mine. She used
to collect polished stones when we were young.

I am now thinking that The Persian Man was
a Should See not a Must See, but there!, I've
had a Thunder Bay persian donut.

This place has a popular donut chain. Tim Horton
hails from Hamilton Ontario, where he was a 
hockey player who used his money to start a
donut place.  I was at the first Tim Horton's
in Hamilton, when I was visiting there. But
Thunder Bay has a popular donut chain, and
it ISN'T Tim Horton's.

Robins Donuts.  This place is a Should See,
and true to that, I will find a way to see
it. I know it shouldn't be so difficult, but
it rates low on my list of things to do.

I went bicycling on Monday, and found some
things that were out of the way. 

I found the Animal Shelter. It is near
Central Avenue, in an industrial part
of town.

Have any of you seen Cider House Rules? I have.

Do you remember the scene where a couple has
come over to visit, in order to adopt?

All of a sudden, all of the children want
to look their level best, each making happy
eye contact, wanting to be the one who is 
whisked away from the orphanage. 

Do you remember the look in the eyes of 
these children, on the movie?  I saw that
look again when I went to the shelter.

I started in the Cat Room One.  Each one
stood up, and began baying sweetly. Each
made eye contact with me, hoping I would
be its saviour.  

I don't need a pet in my life right now,
as all is topsy turvy. But I do love soft
animals, and wanted to drop in.

There were some Siamese which came so very
very close to adoption by me. You heard me,
I'm not. But you also heard me, I almost
did it anyway.

The cost of admission is about 117.00, which
includes fees and vaccinations. It includes
an entry into the monthly spaying lottery,
which provides free neutering if you win.
It also includes a rebate program, where
you get 20.00 back after you show up with
papers certifying you have gotten the job
done.  Don't mind me, I'm just thinking
of their eyes.

Even animals which are not as 
anthropomorphized got excited to
see me. There were two bunnies in
the cat areas.  Even these came
right over to the bars.

I was permitted inside on the condition
I would not attempt to touch the animals.
This was a hard thing to do, but I complied
by keeping my hands behind my back, trying
to look contemplative.

I moved into the Dog areas. The cats were in
cages, albeit large ones. The dogs have
cinderblock cells which are as secure as
the building itself. The dogs were mostly
as friendly as the cats. Mostly.

Two were visibly nervous about my visit.
Angry nervous.

One was visibly nervious about my visit.
Shaking nervous. 

The shaking one seemed to need a 
cuddle the very most.

I saw a big hound. Its back was level
with my sternum, and the top of its
head met my nose.  This was a big big
dog. I'd not seen anything like this
before.  It barked at me a lot. "Snoops!
Quiiiiieeett!" (woof woof!) "Snooooops?!..."

Most of the dogs barked, but with
a strange friendly bark. Some called
me over, with a bark, others tried 
calling me back after I'd walked past
them.

Cider House Rules. "No sitting on the roof."
(That's the best place!)

I'll have to see the movie once
again, I think.

That's all I know.