Land of hills

"Small" hill in a nice rolling landscape! Let's hope there will be some left for the public to enjoy in 4 years time...
Btw, have you seen the linked article there? Scary! www.ipernity.com/blog/berny/4649208

Scary, yes. However, keep in mind that because Trump is nuts, he is inconsistent from one day to the next. So, his staff, ordinary Americans and all journalists are responding with interpretations that also change by the day. I can't hope to sort it all out. The things I do know: he is corrupt and incompetent and must be gotten rid of, and; the real evil behind the scenes is one of his appointees, the ultra-right, ultra-racist Steve Bannon. He appears to be Trump's main adviser, what one journalist called "the dark whisper in the ear." He is the one that everyone seems to agree is capable of highly destructive plotting. Trump, himself, has a short attention span, is naive and subject to manipulation by those who are much smarter than he. Many Republican congressmen are indeed speaking out against all of his daily craziness.

It is difficult to follow Berny's comment thread, because there are no spaces after periods at the end of sentences (this is necessary in English). So, translation is only partial because a basic rule of written English isn't followed. But, my impression is that he is a bit too panicky to step back from what he reads. I have great respect for sources like Huntington Post, Foreign Policy, NY Times and many others. But, even so, I can't always think, "Oh, yes, that's the answer!" We also have to be careful about thinking conspiracy theories are "the truth" without seeing documented evidence.

Gudrun, it breaks my heart that our friends and allies around the world are so frightened. It is understandable! But, most anti-Trump Americans have moved from fear and panic to action. There is an Anti-Trump Movement - millions of people. Remember that LESS than half of voters voted for Trump (it's too complicated to explain here how that could happen) and he is, indeed, losing support among Republicans. His disapproval rating is increasing among all voters - fortune.com/2017/01/29/donald-trump-approval-rating-gallup - including those who voted for him.

Our population is over 325 million. You can join some of us and sign this:
secure.avaaz.org/campaign/en/trump_muslim_ban_letter_sgnr_rb/?slideshow

Did so, many thanks for the link, Diane! I agree, unelected Bannon is the one calling the shots, and no matter what Trump does that one will stick to his agenda. Maybe we are more frightened because of our history, after all it started similarly in 1933 and nobody took him seriously to start with.

I completely understand that and Heidi talked about it, too. This nasty clown gives no confidence by the things he says about NATO and the UN, either! I don't think he even heard of NATO until about halfway through the campaign.

Thanks for signing and pass it on, if you don't mind.

Interesting answer.
Here in Europe we are seriously worried about your president though we also have "our" Trumps. In France there will be soon the presidential elections and the extreme-right oriented LePen has serious chances to be elected. In Italy they already had Berlusconi during many years (a sort of Trump with less power) who still exists and many italians would like to vote for him again. But in Italy there also is another extreme right oriented party leader who has real chances to become prime minister. Salvini is building the campaign on racist and xenophobic propaganda and though Italy is a deeply catholic Country a consistent part of italians will vote for him. In Germany the "Alternative für Deutschland" (a xenophobic, nationalist extreme right party) is getting power and Austria had to vote twice for the new president: a small difference shares the winner (ecologists) from the other extreme-right candidate who fortunately lost the campaign. Even England shows this change. It's maybe not rude as the trumpism but the Brexit proves that propaganda made on the patriotic supremacy is winning. And my Country, Switzerland, is suffering by these racist, xenophobic opinions and the Party wich leads them is really strong. I could continue because the entirely Europe is violently hit by neo-fascist ideologies which can now reach the electors thanks democracy: there is no need to act as before WW2... So Trump is just the peak of the iceberg. The Obama era had a sort of influence on Europe: now, Trump season is like a dam which collapses, there isn't anymore a moral resistence to fascism all over Europe. It could be an interesting study of social psichology to understand why all over the world people are ready to gives theirs vote to the ones who create the problems. I mean, neo-liberism made by Reagan and Tatcher is the source of this economical ans social disaster, hovewer right propaganda hammers with patriotism, immigrants, racism and xenophobia. And people prefer to believe to these lies instead to switch on theirs brains. Sorry for my english, I hope to be understandable...

Greetings, Andrea! Ohh, what ugliness we have in the world, now! Yes, I have been watching the news in Europe and I see there are some nasty politicians who admire our Village Idiot. I will fight this terrible racism and other right-wing attitudes as long as I live. My grandchildren are 13 and 10, and I do not want to die thinking I did not do everything I could to defeat these hateful people. It is very distressing! But, as time passes I feel more strong and defiant. I know that many others feel the same way and the White House and Republican Senators are being constantly harassed by protests, letters, emails and phone calls.

The people who are voting for these politicians think they will get something great out of it! Have a happier life, a good job, no "foreigners" and go back to "the good old days!" Ugh. It is so foolish to think one, or a few, men will solve all their problems. I think they are also people without ethics or the ability to think for themselves. Well, Andrea, all we can do is PROTEST and wait until this cycle of nationalism runs its course. (Your English is completely understandable, so don't apologize!)

Beautiful winter landscape........it looks lovely in the sunshine!

Thanks, Keith! It really was a beautiful day.

Highest point of land in Ontario: Tip Top Mountain (2,103'). Ontario is more than 4 times the size of Oregon so you can see we're a bit altitude-deprived. It was Tip Top Hill when I was a boy, but I guess marketing has advanced.