For the seriously budget traveller

Try www.couchsurfing.org. The name says it all.

Traveller’s road information for Ontario

Here’s a portal for road information updates: Travellers’ Road Information Portal (TRIP).

Still travelling

We’re spending the night in Fort MacLeod, Alberta, then driving through the Crows Nest Pass tomorrow and will be somewhere in the mountains of B.C. on Tuesday night. By Wednesday, we’ll be in Penticton for unrelated events. It will be hot in the mountains with chance of forest fires. Maybe we’ll get to Vancouver for a day trip. It seems a shame to get within four or five hours’ drive and then not dip a toe in the Pacific Ocean.

It’s Pride Week

Thanks to Benjamin Geiger for the image!

This is Toronto’s Pride Week (or Pride Fortnight, June 6 – 30?) Ah, it’s officially June 19 -28. The festivities will be “hotting up” as we approach the weekend blow-out, when part of Church Street is  closed to become a pedestrian mall and celebration space. There’s a Dyke Parade (Dyke Hike?) and a main parade, in which the Mayor and various Members of Parliament or Members of Provincial Parliament ride.

We’re also having a strike by city workers. The pools are closed and garbage collection is cancelled. But Pride Week is going on, aside from cancelling a flag raising — no one to operate the flagpole, I suppose. The organizers will pay up to $20,000 to have private firms collect their litter.

Events include a 5km run or walk, the Pride & Remembrance Run, which raises money for worthy, gay-friendly causes, such as the hospice Casey House. Of course, some people will be running in costume. The run is on Saturday the 27th at 10 a.m., with refreshments afterwards.

Last Saturday there was an inclusive shabbat service held by Shir Libenyu congregation. Remember when “inclusive” was LGBT? That stands for “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transsexual.” Well, now it’s LBGTTIQQ for “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual,Transgender,* Intersex, Queer, & Questioning.” Free childcare is available during services.

*Some people say, “Two-spirited.”

I expect that some of the many out-of-town visitors will use their trip as a chance to get legally married.

Bethesda, Maryland

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

I’m in Bethesda at a conference of the Centre for Inquiry. So far I’ve met authors Barbara Forrest and Susan Jacoby. I did not bring a cat.

Clearwater sunset

I just found this image and want to park it here so I won’t lose it: sunset (or sunclipse) at Clearwater Beach, Florida, on the Gulf Coast.