Curious things...

The calendar says it's Wednesday... but it's kinda wierdnessday.

1. The Shire of Bend, Oregon; move to Bend, Oregon and for half a million or more you can live in someone's version of the Shire. Don't get me wrong, they are beautiful homes -- green design and all -- and I would happily live in one on my own acreage. But I shudder to think of the buyers who would be attracted to the Shire: LARP enthusiasts and hardcore 24/7 SCA-types.

2. Tofino has run out of water. The tourist destination on the West Coast of Vancouver Island -- smack in the middle of a rainforrest -- has restricted water use to residents only. All commercial water will be shut off by the end of the week. That means, for the big Labour Day weekend, none of the inns, restaurants, B&Bs or retail establishments will have running water. Why, you ask? Because there are too many new homes being built in the region without any increase to the service infrastructre. Oddly enough, all that kum-ba-ya attitude has come back to bite them in their collective asses.

3. Coffee Crisp crosses the border. Yes, there is a whole LOT of hoopla from Nestle (the makers of said chocolate bar) about the move. Now, I love Coffee Crisp -- they are my fave mini-bars to snag from Halloween stashes -- but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have set up a fan site to pressure the company if they had only been available in the U.S.




tags: architecture, planned communities, water shortage, chocolate bars