June was probably one of the hottest months in the last ten years. Most days the temperature was hovering around 32C and very humid. The grass dried out and weeds sprang up all over the place and there was very little rain… but we did have a couple of tornado warnings 😊. However, July has started off nicely – cool nights but highs of around 27C. The Canada Day Weekend (July 1) was a little wet… which is pretty usual for a long weekend … but since then the weather has improved. The grass is still dried out in spots and more rain is definitely needed 😊. We have been a lot more fortunate than in the U.S. – there has been massive flash flooding in Texas, New Mexico, and the Eastern Seaboard ☹. During the flooding in Texas water levels along the Guadalupe River rose about 26 feet in 45 minutes resulting in the deaths of at least 132 people – including more than 20 girls from a summer camp – and there are still more than 170 reported missing☹. In 4 weeks Kelly and I will be on our Alaskan cruise; it departs and arrives back in Vancouver, B.C. and goes up the Inside Passage to Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan and does some seadays around the Glaciers. It’s been almost 40 years exactly since I have done that trip, but I was in the Navy at that time 😊. .. And 3 ½ months after that will be our 12 day cruise onboard the Zaandam to the Sea of Cortez and the Mexican Riviera, with 3 ports of call that we haven’t been to yet – Guaymas, Topolobampo, and Ensenada😊.
The Ukraine / Russia war continues despite multiple attempts to create a ceasefire ☹. Putin keeps making impossible demands and really has no intention of ending the war until all of Ukraine is taken by Russia ☹. Trump is getting increasingly disillusioned with Putin as he has shown no intention of acceding to any ceasefire. Trump has given Russia 50 days to end the war or a 100% tariff increase will be placed against any country buying oil and gas from Russia – this would directly affect China, India, and Brazil. If these countries stopped buying from Russia in order to avoid the tariffs this would have a drastic effect on Russia’s economy. Trump also announced that the U.S. will be supporting Ukraine by having them supplied with much more military hardware and missiles for air defence. There is a slight catch here – the U.S. won’t directly provide the weaponry; NATO nations are to buy the weapons from the U.S. with their own funds and then transfer the weaponry to Ukraine. It was also announced that 17 Patriot batteries will shortly be provided to Ukraine. The European Union also announced that there will be an eighteenth package of sanctions against Russia shortly. China just announced that they will strengthen their support for Russia amid threats from the U.S. to impose tariffs on them. Belarus is still extremely quiet the last few months – two reasons could be: A. Russia is using Belarus solely as a training site for it’s troops and keeping them safe from reprisals by Ukraine; or B. Russia will invade Ukraine from Belarus in the near future – probably in September. Russia has increased the number of drone attacks against Ukraine to over 500 a day, destroying civil infrastructure and indiscriminatingly killing civilians as well as combatants. They have been targeting all of Ukraine – east and west. Kiev has been continually struck by missiles and drones over the past few weeks. Russia’s losses of dead and injured has risen over 1 million military personnel. It has been estimated that Russia is losing up to 1200 military personnel a day ☹.
President Donald Trump continues to amaze, stupefy, and wonder about his mental stability with his antics. He will be imposing a new 35% tariff on all Canadian products; a 50% tariff on Brazil; and US tariffs of up to 40% on goods imported from 14 countries, including Bangladesh, Japan, and South Korea – but said he will allow more time for negotiations. In other Trump news ….. ah, forget it – it’s impossible to keep up with the antics of this clown…yes, I’ve said it before – the President of the United States is a clown 😊.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced that Canada will meet the new NATO goal of 5% of a nations GDP by the end of March 2036. This will increase the military budget by $150 billion dollars a year. Carney is trying to negotiate a new trade deal with Trump before the deadline of August 1st when the new rate of 35% is supposed to come into effect.
The tragedy of the war in the Middle East is still ongoing – more than 55,000 people have been killed since the start of the war and over 127,000 wounded ☹. An armed conflict between Iran and Israel began on 13 June when Israel launched surprise attacks on key military and nuclear facilities in Iran. Prominent military leaders, nuclear scientists, and politicians were killed as well. The U.S. on the 9th day of the war took offensive action by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites. On 24 June Israel and Iran agreed to a ceasefire after insistence from the U.S. .
Although the weather was cold and miserable smoking and BBQing still went on: Smoked Brisket; Smoked Pork Loin; Sparta Smoked Meat (my version of Montreal Smoked Meat – 8 days to brine, 6 hours to smoke); Reuben Sandwiches; Smoked Schwarma; Steaks; Hamburgers; and Sausages; and a Boeuf Bourgignon. …And the usual fare: Chicken Curries; Smoked Meat and Chicken Paninis; Sausages with Gravy and Mashed Potatoes; Sweet and Sour Pork with Pineapple; Chicken Pad Thai; Oven Baked Salmon with Asparagus; Beef Rendang; and many others 😊
On the Netflix front: We finished watching Season 3 of ‘Sullivan’s Crossing’ which featured Maggie Sullivan remaining at the Crossing instead of returning to Boston to resume her medical career as a neurosurgeon. The final episode ended on a bit of a cliffhanger which means that there will probably be a Season 4. We finished watching all 3 seasons of ‘Designated Survivor’, an American Series featuring Kiefer Sutherland as Tom Kirkman the Designated Survivor the evening of the State of the Union Address in the Capitol Building. An Independent as the Secretary of Urban Renewal Kirkman is vaulted into the position of President of the United States when the Capitol Building is blown up with everyone inside (with the exception of 1 person) are killed. The series is well scripted with lots of plot twists while trying to determine who is responsible for the bombings as well as normal day to day emergencies and disasters that must be handled by the new President. We’ve watched all six episodes of ‘Under A Dark Sun’ a French series about a mother with her son on the run and getting hired as an itinerant worker at a flower farm. The next day she faces murder charges against her employer who turns out to be her biological father. Lots of twists and turns, beautifully filmed, and well acted. ...And it ended on a cliff hanger, so maybe a Season 2 .
On to Sports:
On the NHL front – Not much going on since the Panthers won the Stanley Cup. However, it has been confirmed that Mitch Marner from Toronto has gone to the Vegas Golden Knights in free agency.
On the MLB front – 96 games into the regular season and the Toronto Blue Jays are 55 – 41 and in first place and 2 games ahead of the New York Yankees. In the AL West it’s Seattle in second place 51-45, only 5 games behind the Houston Astros.
On to golf … The U.S. Open was held at the beginning of June won by J.J. Spaun – 3 Canadians made the cut: Nick Taylor(T23) , Taylor Pendrith (T38), and Mackenzie Hughes (T50). The Travellers Championship in Connecticut had four Canadians entered, among the notables were: Nick Taylor(T17) , and Taylor Pendrith (T25). The Rocket Classic in Detroit only had two Canadians making the cut: Ben Silverman (T67), and Adam Hadwin (T78). The John Deere Classic was played two weeks ago in Silvis, Illinois . Three Canadians took part – Adam Svensson, Adam Hadwin, and Ben Silverman . Only Adam Svensson made the cut and finished tied for 44th. Last week saw the Genesis Scottish Open take place at the Renaissance Club in Berwick. Three Canadians took part –Taylor Pendrith (T13); Nick Taylor (T22); and Corey Connors (T47). The Open Championship takes place this week at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland. It will be interesting to see how Rory McIlroy does – playing in a major in his native country 😊.
NFL news – not a lot going on until training camps begin.
Have a great and safe month … we will see you in a bit!! 😊