2009 BLOG
Tuesday, December 29th/09
Lots of fun and activity around the home fires over the past week. Deb has been feverishly recording and editing her CD, having now finished over two thirds of it. I've been putting in some very good piano practicing. Very little going on right now of much outside interest, though. Amanda and Martin(!) came over on Christmas Eve to hang out for awhile, then again on Monday to play a round of Carcassonne (which Amanda handily won). Today, Julia came for a visit, after recently completing her first term in Science at Waterloo Univ. She got some amazing marks, inlcuding 96% in Physics! Her sister Jesse came with her, and even dad stayed for coffee. Jesse is in her first year of high school. Both girls are APS graduates and former music students. Julia baked an amazing tin of cookies for us! We four also played a round of Carcassonne, and Jesse won the game! We got the Sudbury Christmas package sent off today, as I did not drive north due to weather and highway concerns. So I won't get to see Emma-Lee until summer. Drat.
Tomorrow we are hoping to go to Ann Arbor for lunch and a visit to some book stores and our favourite record/cd store, not to mention our favourite restaurant, Earthen Jar!
Caroline sent us some great recipes recently, and we tried the nut roast. Delicious, with more to come. Hope everyone is having a decent enough holiday, and try to have a Happy and Prosperous New Year (and send us a sizeable cheque if you do!). See ya'll next year...
Wednesday, Dec. 23rd/09
Around here, holidays equal bliss! We have been hard at work, just not for pay. Deb continues to work on her cd project, hoping for a winter release. I am practicing regularly and my hands feel good. There has been reading, relaxed cooking, outdoor walks, and indoor movies. The cats are in a relaxed mode too, perhaps more than usual.
Mogi on the table, following the sunshine.
Ferdie likes to sleep close to the wood stove, just in case it comes on.
The only tree we put up this year is 6" tall.
Wood fire, Solstice Day. The wood we had on hand lasted about seven hours. Food and music lasted much longer.
Olympic Torch saunters past our house today about 2:40 pm. We sat on chairs at the end of our driveway to watch.
Saturday, Dec. 19th/09
This has been a restorative and healing day for us. We went out early to run some errands, but most of the day was spent at home. I did a full piano practice, and after a 9 1/2 hr. sleep last night and a 40 minute nap this afternoon, it went pretty well! We got our Solstice decorations put up, too! We listened to music and spent some time relaxing this evening, as a fire burned in the fireplace. Day One of holidays has been an epic one, and we are feeling better already.
As promised, here are a few pics from last week at school.
A small part of the Gr. 3/4 choir on Wed. The kids sang very well. The APS gym was packed for both performances.
Gr. 3 students acting the part of family pets to explore the meaning of Christmas.
The next morning, bright and early, the APS Recorder Band performed two concerts in the music room. Two days, four performances. By Friday I was pretty much a vegetable.
Friday, Dec. 18th/09
"Wasted and wounded, it ain't what the moon did, I've got what I paid for now..."
Tom Waits', "Tom Traubert's Blues."
A great blues song from very early Waits, and describes beautifully how I feel tonight. I feel good, but at the same time I could easily be admitted to a loony bin. After 29 years of teaching music to children, I think a loony bin is the only fitting place for me. Though I must admit that after all these years I am finally beginning to like kids. At least they realize the value of music education, whereas most adults do not.
It was a very long week. All school performances went very well, the 3/4 choir sang better than one could ever hope (with only two weeks to learn and memorize 6 songs). All day Wednesday (the day of the two performances) I kept thinking the next day was Friday. Not good. When it finally dawned on me that there was going to be a Thursday in there somewhere, I was nearly ready for a strait-jacket. Still, my final Christmas school concert has come and gone, and for that I am truly thankful.
Speaking of Thursday, I had two Recorder Band concerts planned for first period (my sacred prep time, which I haven't seen for two weeks due to extra rehearsals).
So here we are at home tonight, slightly shell-shocked, but breathing normally at least and sipping some good wine.
After Wed. evening's performance several staff members got together at Uncle Vitos pub in A'burg, a mildly therapeutic gathering. Whenever teachers meet for socializing, the evening is always spent talking about kids. Usually the stories about what happened at school are quite hilarious and worth hearing, as they were tonight. Apparently one of the third grade boys in the back row of my huge choir was seen by another teacher to be bawling his eyes out during the singing. I didn't even notice it. She crawled, commando style through the ranks (again without the conductor even noticing!) to see what was the matter. Somehow, he had managed to get a sliver in his finger. "Are you okay?" she asked him from the floor position. He nodded affirmative and joined back in the singing. She crawled back out. He begins to cry once more. Back she goes. "Are you sure you're okay?" Affirmative nod, and he resumes singing. Meanwhile, the principal has observed this, but what he saw was that teacher talking to a crying little boy. He thought she was scolding him for not paying attention or something, and that she had made him cry! Too funny!! After the second time of crawling out from between choir rows of singing kids, the rescue teacher sees the child's parents nearby. "Oh don't worry," they said, "we've got the whole thing on video." She was a bit of a hero that night!
When Friday finally arrived, it did so with even more sugar involved than Hallowe'en. Cupcakes, brownies, chocolate this and chocolate that, unrefined sugar in all of its marvellous manifestations was being presented door to door by short, elf-like ambassadors, eager to get teachers involved in their risky activity--how much sugar can you consume in one school day? Fortunately for me, my intake ended abruptly at 12:15, when Deb and I left the building for 16 days!
We got all of the Sudbury gifts wrapped today and ready to be shipped. I am hoping to make a quick visit north on Boxing Day, weather permitting. Deb will likely remain behind to work on her recording project. She hopes to release a CD sometime in the New Year, as well as have some kind of art show. Ambition, folks. Wish I had some. For now, two weeks of R & R for me, followed by a final six months of intense, though ultimately rewarding, activity.
Saturday, Dec. 12/09
One long, hard week down, one longer, harder week to go! We survived a major cold snap, complete with vicious winds, with no power outages (there were a few flickery moments)! Thursday and Friday nights were the two coldest. We ran the stove for five hours each night, and the house was kept very warm. Amazingly warm! The school week was long, with several extra choir practices for the play next week. I have a choir of 100 3rd and 4th Graders. They sing like angels but squirm like worms! Our performances are Wed. morning at 11:30 and Wed. evening at 6:30. After that, it will be all downhill till Winter Solstice. Speaking of which, I found this St. Peters Brewery gift pack at the LCBO, which includes two of their ales and a pint glass! I will have to watch for others with different kinds of beer. Their beer is nearly impossible to get in Windsor, except for the porter and organic ale.
English beer at its best, in a two-bottle gift pack at the LCBO, with pint glass! I bought one to have on Solstice Day.
Our table at Slows BBQ in Detroit, a mecca for local beer drinkers. This is Detroit's first bar to regularly have cask ale.
Woods and shadows, Rouge Trail, Dearborn. The sun is near its lowest point right now.
A beautiful December sky from our trail.
Somehow the snow missed us, and we are thankful. It allows us to keep walking for a bit longer. Much of Ontario was buried over the past few days, mostly from severe lake-effect snow coming off Georgian Bay. A goose enjoys the open water of River Rouge, Dearborn.
The next milestone has come and gone, as I have now completed ONE-THIRD of my final year. Wooo!!
Penelope the Lizard got out of her aquarium today as Deb was changing the water, and a merry chase ensued. That critter can move quickly! Deb eventually snagged her by the tail, pulling her out from beneath a storage box and getting her back into her abode. At first we thought she had disappeared down the duct work of the AC system.
Lynne continues to send us some wonderful pics of Emma-Lee, so I am sharing a few of them with you. Enjoy.
Emma Claus!
My two nieces, Emma and Alicia.
Emma relaxing after a hard day.
Sunday, Dec. 6th/09
Another mostly stay-at-home day, which is always good for piano practicing. Deb has been doing a lot of composing and recording, too. Aside from a short a.m. venture to A'burg for groceries, we stayed indoors. It was cold and very windy, though we did get above freezing today, though not the wind chill. Our main goal was to get our new 2 hp generator up and running. We had to unpack it, fuel it up and screw on the handle, but other than that it was ready to go. It was on sale at Canadian Tire for $129, and will run for 7 hours on a gallon of gas. Of course the main reason it will run is when our power is out or the furnace is down. On our 30 minute trial today it fired up the wood stove just fine, which in turn swiftly warmed up the entire downstairs of the house. So we are good to go for this winter, with enough gas (siphoned from the Touareg if need be) to last over a week of steady running (two if rationed one hour on and one off) with no hydro. With our camping stove, solar lantern and crank generator flashlights (and warm sleeping bags) we are even prepared to cook meals and have lights! Not like the infamous ice storm of several years ago, or the breaking down of the furnace last year on one of the coldest nights. This year we are more prepared than ever. Hopefully, we won't have to prove it. We are all waiting for an announcement regarding Caroline's film, and if she won the Bahamas film competition. Should know anytime.
Saturday, Dec. 5th/09
A fun day at home mostly practicing, reading, and writing. The wood stove has been used a lot since the cold snap struck, and we have finally started using our 2nd bag of wood pellets. There is no such thing as being cold when that stove is on. We also went for a chilly walk in the grey, dim late afternoon light. We were still able to gather some flowers for Ludwig the Tortoise from nearby paths and fields. We even came across a small burst of mushrooms! As much as I despise cold weather, things are going to be cozy this winter here at home. Even more next year!
The bird feeder has been busier than normal with the bitter cold temps. There were 9 squirrels at the feeders this morning. Can you find them 7 of them?
Mushrooms were found sprouting in the field on our afternoon walk. It did not get above freezing today, but we still found flowers blooming.
Penelope the Lizard doesn't seem to mind the cold weather from within her cozy aquarium.
Friday, Dec. 4th/09
It was one of those work weeks when you know you've aged a lot. Just glad the week is over, and there are only two more to go until Winter Vacation!!
Our weather continues to be strange and unpredictable. October was a cold and dreary mess, November was sweet and calm, and now December has entered the picture in full winter mode minus the snow. Today was a bitter cold winter day, especially with the nasty wind that was blowing. After lunch we made a quick hop to Detroit for fuel, coffee and a Metro Times. This free weekly arts-oriented paper used to be widely available in Windsor, until Canada Customs suddenly wanted to collect tax on it. "But it's a free paper," said the delivery person from Detroit. "Still," said the wise customs agent of our fair land, "it must have some value. You will now have to pay GST every week." "No, I don't think so. Goodbye," said the driver from Detroit, never to return.
Often it's worth the trip over the bridge to get the paper, which also covers hard-hitting news stories of local, national and international interest. Today in that paper I found out about a nearby Detroit restaurant and bar that offers cask-conditioned ale. That made the whole journey worthwhile! Check out this beer tap list at Slows! 21 taps including London Pride!! Me-thinks I will visit soon. No great plans for the weekend, except maybe to practice piano and do some reading and writing. Sounds like a retirement in the making.
Tuesday, Dec. 1st/09
Caroline's newest short film can be viewed now, as she tackles the problem of London's foxes being tortured and hunted by city gangs. Wonder from where they would ever get that idea? It's a neat little film, only running about two minutes, and uses two of Deb's original harp pieces in the background. [Film Link]
The film has already made first cut for a big competition, and the finalists will be selected soon. If Caroline's film is picked, she is off to the Bahamas in January to make a film!
We saw a lovely moon tonight, riding very high. It's full after midnight, but our celebration will have to wait until tomorrow evening. Deb finished her reports cards late tonight, and is in the mood for some celebrating.
Sunday, Nov. 29th/09
I have completed my first term report cards! One set down, two more to go, forever!! This is probably the part of my job I like least--evaluating, marking and reporting. A colossal waste of time. Who remembers their 5th grade music mark? Anyway, it's done.
We had a beautiful weather weekend, capping off an incredible November. Saturday we walked at Malden Hill, and Sunday we walked the Sadlers Pond trail system in Essex. We are slowly getting back on track for walking, and my piano practicing is going well, too. Life is good, despite a lack of money at the moment!
Looking forward to the full moon party this week, which will have to be on Wed. night. December will have two full moons! It will break up our week and make it easier to get to next Friday. Only three weeks until winter vacation!
From our Saturday morning walk at Malden Hill Park, Windsor. We enjoyed two fair weather walks this weekend.
Friday, Nov. 27th/09
30% of my final year is over!! Woo hoo! I love these little milestones. Stress is building as report cards come due and the date for the annual Winter Concert advances. The day-to-day school teaching is okay, with many classes that are still fun to teach and only a few that aren't. With a new private student beginning lessons yesterday, my home schedule is now completely full. That's why we can afford a new wood stove, so thanks to all you private students! At least you will benefit from our purchase, too. There will be no cold fingers this year in our house! With the weather finally turning winterish (at least early winterish), the value of our wood pellet stove has trebled. It's currently about 75 F in the main room, instead of 67 or 68 F! Joy and happiness is owning a wood stove!! We were able to renegotiate a new contract with our gas provider. Although we are locked in for another five years, the price is now a bit more palatable. If the price of natural gas rises significantly in the next five years ( a possibility to be sure) we will be ready. When the stove is running, the furnace does not come on at all. This means that the upstairs gets chilly, but the downstairs is toasty. Some advantages of a pellet stove over regular wood:
1) It can be turned on and off at will.
2) Fill the hopper with pellets and never worry about reloading--it will burn all night or all day without any further attention.
3) 0 carbons! Pollution free, no smoke.
Once we get our little generator, we will be ready for power failures on the coldest days.
Monday, Nov.23/09
We had a fun day in Ann Arbor, leaving from home at 10:30 am and getting back at 7:30 pm. Ruth (former colleague, now retired) came along for her first visit, anxious to sample the wares at the downtown brewpubs. We visited Grizzly Peak Brewpub, then moved on to Jolly Pumpkin (new in town) and finally to Arbor Brewing Company. We also did some record store and book store browsing. Ruth bought an LP of the soundtrack to "The Long Ships!" Didn't know anyone else even remembered that movie! We had great snacks at Jolly Pumpkin, and wonderful veggie soup at Arbor Brewing. Coming home across the bridge took us exactly one hour. There were only 8 customs booths open and traffic was backed up well into Detroit.
Beer samples at Jolly Pumpkin Brewery in Ann Arbor, along with dips and flatbread and deep fried tofu.
Saturday, Nov. 21/09
A very fine day, though for me it was filled with lust for visiting the city of London, UK and environs. I do get these nearly insatiable cravings to be in London, anywhere in London. Perhaps it was the weather today--mid 50s and hazy sun, similar to our March visits. Sadly, overseas airfares have really jumped so a planned visit in March is on hold. Last year the fares came down in February, and that is when we booked. So I haven't given up hope yet.
Pub in Arlesey, a town in Bedfordshire. Wish we were there again.
A common activity in London--waiting at a train station. Today my mind was on London all day. Wish we were there...
Looking forward to our day trip to Ann Arbor tomorrow. Ruth is coming along!
Thursday, Nov. 19th/09
Our cozy and ultra-efficient wood pellet stove is now on-line and pumping out enough heat to roast chestnuts! It was installed on Wednesday, and we've been running it off and on (mostly off) since. It is not nearly cold enough to use it except intermittently. The gas will be turned down a lot this winter. We are locked into a horrible contract for another three and a half years, paying more than triple the going rate for gas! The stove is carbon neutral, too! These new ones are very green machines.
Our wood pellet stove, in action! This machine throws serious heat.
Smile of the week from two favourite Year 8 students, H. and K.
Sunday, Nov. 15th/09
Last night's concert by Vladimir Feltsman was so good. He is an amazing man, combining perfect piano technic with superb musicianship. It doesn't hurt that he also has a tone to die for! I last heard Feltsman in March 2008, when he performed a killer concert of a Beethoven sonata and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Last night he played the final sonata of Franz Schubert, and he had the audience in the palm of his hands from the very first note! Totally sublime playing. After intermission we heard all four Ballades by Chopin, where his blazing technique easily handled the unspeakable difficulties of those pieces. For encores he played two waltzes by Chopin, Op 64 #2 & 3, charming and disarming all of us in attendance. A wonderful evening. There was a good Windsor contingent including Claire Durocher, Anastasia St. Amand, Curtis Hansen (a former APS student), and Philip and Ann Adamson. Sister Claire had just returned from a two week jaunt in Spain, so it was fun to talk to her for awhile.
We went over to Detroit about 5 pm, getting right up to a US Customs booth. In our Dearborn mailbox were the latest two rentals from Netflix (Vol. 2 of both "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" and "Torchwood" [season two]). Also in the box was our newest issue of Backpacker Magazine. I already have a plan hatching for next summer's epic drive west. Not surprisingly it involves New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma and camping as well as hiking! Trip #28 will be a blast!
We went to Buddys Pizza in Dearborn for supper, then headed up to Borders at Southfield Rd. and 13 Mile. I bought a very cool foldout map book of central London, very compact, easy to read and extremely light weight. Can't wait to use it! After going to a nearby pet shop and on to Starbucks, we headed to the concert at Detroit Country Day school's auditorium at Lahser and 13 Mile Rd. Coming home took forever. There was a small lineup coming into Canada at 10:20 pm, but it took us forever to clear customs. We weren't home until 11:30. Luckily we were listening to a CD of C.S. Lewis' "The Magician's Nephew." Very good dramatization of it, too. We have all 7 Narnia books on CDs. It was regular $60, but with coupons we got it on sale at Borders for $6!!!!
Today we walked at Malden Hill, then came home. Deb wanted to record some harp music for a new short film Caroline is preparing, and I managed two hours of decent practice. It's been a decent week for piano practice, my best in a long while. I have some pieces going right now, and perhaps more about that another time.
In the late afternoon we bagged some leaves, though our yard is still quite buried in them. It was a very fun weekend, and of course we can't wait until the next one!
Friday, Nov. 13th/09
Binti, Deb's female orange-cheeked waxbill, passed away this evening. She had been sick for some time. With a life expectancy of four years, she went far beyond that, lasting an amazing 9 years from her purchase in a local pet shop. She had been at the store for some time before Deb got her, too. Her partner, Nande, is still alive.
Another fine day, as November continues to put October to shame! I got to sit on the John Deere this afternoon and chop the grass. It hadn't been cut since September, and was getting a tad shaggy. Of course the billions of leaves on the ground also got chopped up a bit, to help them decompose faster.
Another milestone has passed by today, as we have now completed 25% of the school year!! Ten weeks down, 30 to go.
Our computer woes get better and better, as the old computer rebounds to its former glory. Deb has us wireless now, as The Source had a sale on a wireless router ($40). We can now use the laptops anywhere in the house. Even the desktop is now wireless. Maybe we'll open a cafe....
I was able to get the photo programs all up and running, so here are two photos of Willy Weng from Sunday's concert.
Willy Weng, Recital Hall at the School of Music.
Willy knows his craft, and provided a very professional sounding concert last Sunday.
Thursday, Nov. 12th/09
Things are falling back into place in the computer world, as we once again load all our programs, this time back onto the old computer that had the virus in the first place. It seems quite stable now, so we will go with it for awhile and see how things pan out.
I have some photos of Willy from Sunday afternoon, but I can't get them off my camera yet--still installing things. We had a good crowd, and actually made some money! The reception was very well presented, too! Willy spends at most two hours per day practicing, and accomplishing all he does on that amount. Quite remarkable!
Yesterday we returned our new computer (and beautiful wide screen monitor) to Best Buy. They didn't treat us very well, so I doubt we will be going back there. Less said the better, but we ended up having to take the original tower back, and one that they gave us as replacement. If we do buy another computer, we will likely buy it on-line directly from Dell again.
We got a walk in yesterday, two actually. The first was in Dearborn through a lovely neighbourhood near our American mailbox, and the second at a conservation area off Front Road in Lasalle, near sunset. If it hadn't been for the mud, we could have made it right to the Detroit River through a veritable sea of tall grasses.
Deb is dwarfed by tall grasses on our walk at Petit Cote in Lasalle.
Sunset from the observation tower.
Wednesday, Nov. 11th/09
The computer saga marches ever onward. We have returned a second tower to Best Buy, finally deciding to obtain a full refund and start up the old XP computer, which was wiped by the Geek Squad and had Windows reloaded. It worked perfectly up until the virus struck, so we will use it for now.
Lots to report on, including Willy Weng's recital last Sunday. Will be back here as soon as I can!
Friday, Nov. 6th/09
We are in for a fine weekend--how strange and unusual is that? Deb is busy tomorrow with a harp workshop in the morning and a concert in the evening. My day is Sunday, as our local branch of ORMTA hosts the Young Artist winner in recital at 2pm at the university.
The week went quickly, though it ended sadly with a favourite student leaving and moving to Kingsville. I've known Abbie since she was in Gr. 4, and this year she was in Deb's Gr. 6 class. "Sweetheart" does not begin to describe her, and she is a really valuable music student. So the smile of the week this time 'round is very poignant, as we say farewell to Abbie. Deb bought her a little plush stuffed dog in a basket, and she carried it around everywhere with her today. We got a lovely thank-you card from her a little bit later in the day.
Farewell to Abbie. It's always a bit strange when really nice kids suddenly disappear from your life, and vice versa. Abbie was not really very happy today, as she leaves for Kingsville and a new adventure.
Wednesday, Nov. 4th/09
Both vehicles went in to VW, with the Jetta staying overnight. It occasionally won't start in the morning, especially if very damp out, so we left it for them to try tomorrow morning. The Treg had an oil change. We got to test drive a 2010 Touareg TDI! What a fantastic machine, with as much torque and power as the old V8 gas engine. This beast gets the same mileage as the Jetta! Unfortunately, it is still a tad pricey, and even with trade we are looking at $40,000 out the door. Youch!
This weekend there is a piano recital by the provincial winner of the ORMTA Young Artist Competition, held each year. Willy Weng is from Kingston, and will play a program of Beethoven, Chopin, Ravel and Pepin. I will pick him up at the train station before the recital. If anyone out there would like to attend, it's at the university music building in Windsor, at the corner of Wyandotte and Sunset, in the recital hall at 2 pm Sunday afternoon. There is a reception afterwards.
Sunday, November 1st/09
We have had a fun and fantastic weekend, and as a bonus I seem to have fought off a bug. I wasn't feeling well much of yesterday and overnight Friday, though I seemed to get better Saturday night. We had our Samhain celebration, a major deal for us, which inlcuded a wood fire, great food (including homemade vegan pumpkin pies), single malt Scotch (Islay Quarter Cask), the year's Tarot reading, and much, much more. This morning we went to Detroit for some Day of the Dead activities, including our annual visit to Woodlawn Cemetery, and a tour of some ofrendos in Mexican Town. In the afternoon we met Andrea and her three children at Ojibway Park for a sunny nature walk, so we were outdoors almost all day for a change! Deb also did more work on our new tiled floor area, where we hope to place our new wood pellet stove. More on that later.
Autumn was mostly ending at Woodlawn Cemetery, Detroit, but a few trees were still shining bright.
Tiny angel overlooking two graves.
More autumn colour, Woodlawn Cemetery.
An "ofrenda" for Day of the Dead, Mextown, Detroit.
Ofrenda honouring Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.
Andrea and her charming three children. L to R: Nathan, James, Emily and Andrea. They are visiting from Toronto. We enjoyed a sunny walk in the woods at Ojibway Nature Center this afternoon, rounding out a very full and fun weekend for us. Andrea presented us with two bottles of Mead(!!!).
More on those later. Thanks, Andrea. We love the colour coding on your kids!
Friday, October 30th/09
The rainy weather stayed across the river in Michigan today, giving us probably the warmest day of October. We were out on the back deck a few minutes ago (9:30 pm) and it was 71 F!
It was orange and black day at school today, and the sugar was flowing freely. Sure hated to walk out that door at noon hour and miss all the afternoon excitement. Luckily, there was a long assembly in the morning and I only ended up having to teach one class. Once home, I had time to have a leisurely lunch, go to Lasalle and get a haircut, come home and read and take a nap, get up and start my piano practicing--and they were still in school!! That half-time paycheck pays for itself every day!
Our house in its autumn look. The yard is filled with fallen leaves.
Student smile of the week. It was quite a day, even though I was only there for half of it.
Thursday, October 29th/09
Going to work continues to be like a game of Russian Roulette. Today I taught a class of twelve students. The rest were home ill. It's going around and around, and like a game of dodge the ball it's only a matter of time before you get whacked. The flu vaccine is useless as it came too late for schools. Watch out for headache, fever, sore throat and extreme tiredness. It's coming to a human body near you. I also heard today that a person can infect someone even one week after their fever has gone. No way to beat that one, folks.
Yesterday we crossed to Dearborn and then went to Mextown in Detroit. There are activities planned there for Day of Dead on Nov. 1st, so we will likely drop by after our annual visit to Woodlawn Cemetery. Cafe Con Leche on Vernor Ave. is fast becoming our coffee house hangout, and the Busy Bee Grocery Store on Bagley is keeping us supplied with fresh salsa and homemade cornchips.
Andrea and the kids are visiting A'burg this weekend, so here's hoping it doesn't rain all the time. Tomorrow, being Friday and the start to another Essex County weekend, promises to be rainy and miserable once again. Sigh. Another school camera club meeting where we won't get outside.
Sunday, October 25th/09
One nice weather day out of a weekend is pretty good, I suppose. Sunny and mild, though even warmer temps arriving tomorrow. We got our beast of a wood stove in the door today, with the help of three neighbours. Easy work for four, as it is heavy and bulky, but not too much so. Now we need to tile the corner where it will sit, and find someone to install it for us. Then wait for the inspection. Hopefully it will be running by spring.
Caroline is down for the count, having contracted some nasty bug or other. I've actually had one healthy week in the last four, and I enjoyed it immensely! My sleeping sickness finally retreated, and I am able to practice piano now fully conscious!
We got out for a short walk on the Windsor riverfront today, as we headed downtown to run several errands. Slowly we will get ourselves back into shape before the snow takes away our sidewalks. We got the Hallowe'en decorations up, too. Treats ready to give out to private students starting tomorrow.
I also added some Touareg pictures from last summer's trip (marked 2009). They are currently spread among the older ones. To add a Seasons photo folder opposite, I will have to take down Emma-Lee. She has grown so much anyway.
Saturday, October 24th/09
Windy and cold, but perfect for some Autumn photography! I brought Deb to St. John the Baptist church in Amherstburg for her final harp wedding gig of the season. That left me with nearly 90 minutes to spare, so I headed down to the Navy Yard park on the Detroit River. The colours were absolutely unbelievably fantastic. It was cloudy, but the leaves seemed to be on fire! So here are some proper Autumn photos, though sadly they are quite small. Perhaps I'll put a new folder opposite, a seasonal one I can change every few months (great idea!). Watch for it soon.
It was a dull and cloudy day, but it didn't matter beneath the trees of Navy Yard Park.
Red hedge leaves, Amherstburg.
Magic Path, Navy Yard, Amherstburg.
Trees on Fire.
It was a wicked October day, but perfect for leaf photography. Looking south towards Lake Erie, Amherstburg.
Burning Bush, in our backyard.
Friday, October 23rd/09
Question: How can you tell it's the weekend in Essex County?
Answer: Wait for the worst possible weather and assume it's Friday!
What a completely miserable day. Despite heavy rain and strong, gusty winds, we ventured into Detroit this afternoon for a mailbox run, fuel stop, and fabulous coffee at a very fine Mextown cafe.
I now have all but three of the books to my collection of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series!! We also received (via Amazon.com) two books on London. Mine was Eccentric London, which includes some very fun walk tours, and Deb's was Underground London, giving a complete history of what lies beneath London (including the Tube, but there is so much else!).
I was very frustrated today by the lack of Michigan drivers using headlights, despite almost total darkness, heavy rain, and fogged windows. It was literally impossible to see darker or grayish vehicles in the rear or side view mirrors. Grrr! Of course we saw accidents.
I did receive my JASC photo software today, and it did finally decide to install itself. So here are a few photos from earlier in the week from the lagoon area behind our house (when it was warm and sunny).
Laneway sumac beside our lagoons.
Popular leaves, lagoon laneway.
Soybean crop, lagoon laneway.
Luckily, the school week unfolded well. Friday is supposed to be the Camera Club meeting, and today I had planned to take this large group outside, pile up some leaves, get kids jumping into them and throwing leaves around, and letting the cameras click. Sigh. Maybe next week, if the weather cooperates. In the meantime, here is a "cute kids" photo of the week.
Music room cuties!
Thursday, October 22nd/09
A decent enough week so far, with only half a day to go until the weekend. Deb has her final wedding of the season on Saturday, as the daughter of one of our staff members gets married in Amherstburg. She already has several bookings for next year, including gigs in Sarnia and Chatham. I think she also has one booked for 2011!
After school tomorrow we are off to Detroit for some fun. Borders Books with two 30% off coupons, coffee at Avalon Bakery, and hoping my photo software is waiting at our Dearborn mailbox. If it is then I can begin adding some photos to this column once again! All I have right now is the software that comes with Windows Vista, a less than impressive arrangement. I have Photoshop CS2, but that is a mega project to load. Maybe later tonight. Our new 20" monitor gives astounding results with the photo images, and overall we have been very happy with the computer. The older Dell is back at Geek Squad, getting completely wiped and reinstalling Windows XP. We will likely sell it for around $200--it will be a clean machine and ready to go.
We bought a wood pellet stove this week, a real beast. I can't believe how heavy it is. We don't know how we are going to get it into the house this weekend, or even unpacked. It's sitting in the back of the SUV. We are trying to find an installer, but they all seem pretty busy right now. We have to get the building permit filled out and returned first anyway. It will be exciting when (if) we get it up and running. It should heat most of the house all winter, though we mainly bought it as backup.
Tuesday, October 20th/09
As I finally begin to crawl back into the world of healthy living, I am once again surrounded by very sick children and teachers. Today I taught a Grade 8 class with 8 students absent, as well as the home room teacher. Yesterday the other Grade 8 class had 8 away also (and today their homeroom teacher). Tonight my high school flute player walked in for her lesson way too sick to be out of bed. I never knew people could be that pale! I'm sure I don't have enough immunity built up yet to fight off anything major, so I am likely doomed to catch something else. This job can be a vicious circle that way. There is always a wave of some virus thing or other going through the school and knocking people over like so many bowling balls.
Sunday, October 18th/09
We made some good progress today with the new computer. We managed to get all our old e-mails transferred (some good teamwork required, and three computers!), get my current game loaded and working (Dark Fall: Lights Out), and put All Topo Maps on, with all necessary data we had saved on the old computer. MCaffey and Spyware are working fine, too. We also managed a walk today back towards our nearby forest. I took a lot of photos but don't have any good photo software loaded as of yet, so I can't edit or shrink them to put them here. Also got a batch in from Lynne of Emma in her pumpkin suit, sitting outside in a pile of leaves! If you are lucky, you may get to see some of those, too.
The school year is now 15% over (5% every two weeks), so we are passing another milestone. Things continue to run fairly smooth. Even my first private teaching semester is now half done! I had good turnouts last week for the first Recorder Band meeting, and the new school Camera Club. The busier I stay, the faster the year will pass. Still feeling less than myself, though slowly improving day by day. Nasty virus got me and the computer (and at just about the same time).
Saturday, October 17th/09
We had to bite the bullet and purchase a new computer. The old one still has a nasty worm that is slowly eating away at Windows (which is what most viruses do). The Geek Squad will take out Windows and replace it for us under the same ticket as last week, so we will have a totally clean computer to use in Deb's classroom. The new one is a Dell Inspiron 537S (S stands for slim). It came with a 20" widescreen monitor, which just fits on our desk, as well as a Pentium 2.5 ghz chip, 4 gb of RAM and a 640 gb hard drive (enough to hold all my photos forever more). It took all day and evening to save what we could from the old computer and transfer it to the new one, including all of our website material. Programs we lost and will have to reload will take forever to do, a nice long winter project. Anyway, we are back, so look for regular updates again.
Monday, October 12/09
Definitely still sick, but definitely getting better. Very fortunate that Deb and I did not have to carry the remainder of that wood--I got quite tired today just dismantling the pavilion and cleaning up the backyard a bit more, as well as rearranging the bin a little so nothing went higher than the edges. I managed some writing today, and some piano practice. The Beethoven seems at one time to be coming along nicely, then another time not so nicely. It's nothing that consistent practicing won't remedy, however.
I continue to read through my Ballantine Fantasy books and review them from beginning to end, and am currently reading Book #4, The Silver Stallion, by James Branch Cabell. Cabell is not everyone's cup of tea, but if you catch on to his humour and slick prose style, a real treat awaits!
Deb enlarged Ludwig's living quarters today by about half again. He is a happy little guy, and very active.
Sunday, October 11/09
Christmas came early this year, as Santa and one of his taller elves stopped by whilst Deb and I were out this afternoon running errands in the 'Burg. On our return, our rented bin was filled to the top with wood. We had already had two sessions of carrying the old bridge wood up to the bin, and had about three more to go. Low and behold, the remainder of the wood had made its way into the bin! It would have been quite a mystery, too, except Randy and David were caught in the act, carrying the very last bit. If we had been home five minutes later, we might have never known. Thanks, guys! What a great surprise, especially for ol' wooden arm Deb. Of course this freed up much of the afternoon, so I headed over to the piano and the harpsichord for a good practice session.
Tonight was Tofurky night, and we had delicious roasted potatoes and carrots, along with Tofurky and stuffing (so much tastier than the real thing, and far more environmentally friendly). Somehow, though, we completely forgot about the vegan pumpkin pie! Will have to go to Sobeys tomorrow and get the ingredients, to enjoy with tomorrow's leftovers.
Watching an old Hammer horror flic tonight, "Kiss of the Vampire". Though a bit more pedestrian than some of their best offerings, it's still fun to watch, and the production values are excellent.
Saturday, October 10th/09
It was sunny today, following upon the rainiest day I can ever remember! A cool October day and we actually got out into the woods for a short time on the River Rouge Trail in Dearborn, MI. We were supposed to be in Grand Rapids this weekend, but that had to be postponed due to all the unforeseen expenses we hit earlier. We may still be able to salvage the trip for the near future--we'll see.
We had two coupons for 40% off of a book at Borders. We got the new Farmers Almanac, and I bought a book of hiking trails in northern Michigan. We actually spent a lot of time in the store today, which was quite relaxing.
Once home, the big task of hauling rain-sodden wood into the large disposal bin we are renting got started. One big pile gone, one really huge pile to go. This is very heavy wood, giant beams actually. I also noticed that the grass really needs cutting. Good thing we are staying home this weekend.
River Rouge Trail, Dearborn.
One of the things I will certainly miss about school teaching once retired are the sweet faces of the kids, and the unique sense of humour they possess.
Found this incredible poster on-line. I must try and order one--the small print says "Do we even need any other hair colour?"
Friday, October 9th/09
Our main computer has been in the shop for a week having a virus removed. It was blocking all the virus scanning ware, and caused us hours of problems before I finally brought it in. We seem to be back in business--we'll see.
It was a routine week at school (hurrah) except I still seem to be fighting off a virus which has left me feeling very tired all week, despite hours and hours of sleep. Feeling better today, but the week has been a physical struggle for me. Another milestone today, as we have now completed 1/8 of the year!! No major problems yet, either.
We have a large bin at our house this weekend, in order to finally rid ourselves of the wood from our dismantled bridge. We had planned to load it up this afternoon, but the all-day rain changed our minds. We will get to work tomorrow instead.
I went downstairs earlier this week to begin the dismantling of my model railroad. It actually seems to have come out of the flood in usable condition. There is a section of track that has to be replaced, but the engines all work and so do the lights and switches. The smell seems to be gone, also. A lot of scenery will have to be repaired, but I think I may be able to salvage most of it. This would be good news indeed!
Friday, October 2nd/09
A very long week indeed. I ended up taking one sick day (Thursday), while Deb took two (Thursday and Friday). In addition to our colds, Deb managed to snag a pink-eye virus, so she is on a 7-day antibiotic for that. So far it has missed me. We are both feeling better now, though I am still far behind on my sleep. Anytime I get a bad cold, my body goes into overdrive. It's like I'm constantly drinking coffee, therefore no sleep.
I have a few more pics of Ludwig to share. He is quite the little guy.
Dinner time 1.
Dinner time 2.
Dinner time 3.
Today marks 1/10th of the school year completed, a minor milestone perhaps but a milestone nonetheless. So far it has been a very decent year, with mostly well-behaved kids ready to learn. If the rest of the year runs this smoothly, it will not only pass quickly but also pleasantly!
Tomorrow Deb plays a church wedding in Windsor, in the Italian section of Erie Street. I'll have an hour to sit and read and to sip espresso at one of the cafes. Luckily her last outdoor wedding of the season was last Saturday. Tomorrow looks like depressing weather. We have our first fire log of the season on tonight. Tomorrow night being the Full Moon, we will have a much larger real wood fire, and hopefully a glimpse of the October moon.
Tuesday, Sept. 29th/09
It's been a long week, and it's only Tuesday! The living room floor got put down on Sunday, and went reasonably well. We left a square in the corner undone, as we are going to install tile there for a possible wood stove. Overnight Sunday, Autumn arrived with a vengeance. Monday was a blustery day better suited to late October or early November. The season was only five days late this year. To me this means a long and possibly cold winter again. On Monday the contractor came out to repair our leaky radiator valve, and away went a whole lot more money (we are now at over $1000.00 in one week and still going!). On top of everything else, Deb and I (and most of the school) have head colds. Tonight my voice is shot. I do have to work tomorrow (long story) but will likely stay home and rest on Thursday. We have yet to start in on disposing of the train set, so that will likely be a weekend project if we are feeling better.
I found out today from Steve that I am going to be Emma-Lee's Godfather! Cathy will be the Godmother, as one of the pair has to be at the ceremony. So there is some uplifting news to end off this write-up.
Saturday, Sept. 26th/09
9:15 am: It has been a week when we are all too aware of
being homeowners. First, the bathroom sink sprang a leak. It happened
during our dual teaching hours one evening . "Luckily" we have a
program with a local plumbing company, and they were soon on the scene.
45 minutes later we had new bathroom sink taps and shutoff pipes,
setting us back $580.00. That was a nice little setback, as I now have
to teach 16 hours to pay that one off. Then came Thursday night.
Unable to get a connection to the internet, Deb went downstairs to check
on the modem. Water was leaking down from above and had filled the
modem with water. We soon discovered a leak in one of our radiator
valves upstairs. When we had finished cleaning up the basement, we
realized that the HO model railroad was soaked and completely ruined,
only fit for the junkyard. Upstairs it was nearly as bad. We had to
pull up about half of our wood laminate floor. The contractor is coming
Monday to fix the radiator and check the furnace. We will likely
replace all three valves on the upstairs rads. Deb plays at a wedding
today at Hiram Walker in Windsor (an outdoor one). We will then head to
a store nearby to pick up some more flooring and hope we can get that
started. We have to get the train set out of the basement, too. The
final insult is that the water from inside the heating system smells
very bad, so everything wet has to be washed or disposed of. The only
piece of good news is that somehow, once dried off, the modem still
worked and we are back on-line.
8:30 pm: Deb's wedding went well today, and the predicted rain did not materialize. Afterwards we had lunch at Taloola's Cafe in Walkerville. I went for a walk in the neighbourhood while Deb played harp at a wedding at Hiram Walker.
Deb warms up for her wedding gig today in Windsor. She played on the river at Hiram Walker.
The outdoor area behind the hospitality building features two fountains and lovely gardens, in addition to the views of Detroit.
Hiram Walker hospitality building, next door to the distillery. Deb has now played two outdoor weddings here.
One of the quieter birthday weeks I have ever had. Years ago we used to celebrate the first day of Autumn, along with Bilbo and Frodo's birthday, by having our first roaring log fire of the season. With temps near 80 today and the humidity very high, this marks the upteenth year in a row when high temps have delayed the arrival of the new season. Yesterday I taught all day, so a party was out of the question. Today we went to Detroit, with coffee at Avalon Bakery, then an early dinner with double IPA at Detroit Brewing Company. Once home, we ordered five more of my books missing from my Ballantine Fantasy Collection. So a decent enough belated birthday, though yesterday Deb silently marched her 5/6 class down to the music room during my prep. I was working quietly at my desk and hardly heard them enter. Then suddenly they burst out with a hearty "Happy Birthday Mr. Ethier" before silently retreating to their classroom. So that was mildly amusing! A quiet week so far, with school and private lessons going well. Happy Belated Birthday to Frodo and Bilbo Baggins. Next year I promise I will make up for the lack of enthusiastic party.
Sunday, Sept. 20th/09
As per usual, the weekend has passed all too quickly. With Deb playing at two weddings yesterday, it kept us busy from 2 pm until 8:30 pm. Some relaxing time today before another very full week begins (with yet another Saturday wedding looming). It all helps us look forward to another trip to London in March.
I enjoyed a sunset on the Detroit River while waiting for Deb to finish up a wedding dinner gig at the university on Saturday.
Deb has fixed up a large outdoor area for Ludwig, and has been sitting outside with him every day. He has something of the Touareg about him, as he goes over and through obstacles as if they weren't even there.
Friday, Sept. 18th/09
I've been listening to some very good records lately from my collection. A while back it was the complete Trio music by Schubert (violin, piano and cello) performed by the Beaux Arts Trio. Then came the complete Beethoven Cello and Piano music performed by Serkin and Casals, and now it's the "10 Greatest String Quartets" of Mozart, performed by the Amadeus Quartet. Incredible music and spellbinding recordings which I am lucky to have in my possession. I love listening to records (when they don't skip).
Two weeks of school have passed, including one full one with private teaching. Fridays seem wonderful again. Have been practicing piano, too. 5% of my final year is now over!
Thursday, Sept. 17th/09
My parents are celebrating 57 years of marriage today. That's a long time! I wonder if Deb will ever put up with me for that long....
7/8ths of my first full work week are over, but as they say in the child business, it ain't over till it's over. It's been a relatively smooth week, though as usual the personal energy is flying out the window! Two new private students started this week, a third grade boy and a girl starting kindergarten. Both seem off to a good start and are eager to learn piano. I had two teenage girls who came to lessons with terrible colds, so no doubt I am now walking around trying to fight off these germs. I'll certainly know by Saturday or Sunday if I've been successful. I'm happy to report that the boy who received multiple bee stings at school earlier this week is back and doing just fine. Not a pleasant experience to go through.
Tuesday, Sept. 15th/09
Judging by the photo Randy sent me last night (of him sitting in the Captain's chair of the USS Enterprise), he finally made it to the Star Trek exhibit at the Detroit Science Center. It's a very good exhibit, and though our visit last May was a bit rushed, we really enjoyed it . Looking good, Captain Randolph!
I am suddenly remembering what a real work week is again. Like last year, I end up working eight half-days each week (five at school in the mornings and three at home in the evenings). When Tuesday evening's lessons are over, my work week is actually half done! Half a day on Wednesday, full one on Thursday and a half day on Friday left to go. And next year? Only three half days at home!!
Really warm weather is to be tempered by a northwest wind, so it will be less warm from here on in, though still pleasant. The bees are incredibly abundant once again this September. I had to bring a student down to the office at lunch who had just been stung four times on the inside of his upper leg. Wow was he screaming! Poor little guy. Dad came and took him home.
Saturday, Sept.12th/09
Harvest Festival was a good one, thanks to a little shopping spree at Remark Farms! Excellent pasta primavera, among other things.
It is probably past time to introduce my reading public to Ludwig the Tortoise, newest member of the household. As he will likely be around longer than we will, Amanda has accepted the responsibility for him once we have passed on. He is about 3 1/2 years old, and likely to live beyond 50! He is a Russian Tortoise, though born and bred in Essex County. These hardy little guys actually orbited the moon in the 70s on board Russian spacecraft, returning safely to earth after their mission!! They are completely vegetarian, a welcome change from the lizards, and Ike the Snapping Turtle.
Ludwig the Tortoise in his large abode in Deb's harp room. He is chowing down on a plate of veggies specially selected for Harvest Weekend!
Closer shot of Ludwig at the buffet.
He also enjoys forays onto the lawn outdoors when it is warm.
Friday, Sept. 11th/09
We've both coasted through a relatively easy first week. Deb likes her split Gr. 5/6 class of 22 students a lot. I've only met 60% of my music classes, but so far so good. Next week will be the real return to work, as we put in a five-day week at school and three evenings of private lessons at home. In addition, Deb plays two weddings next Saturday. No wonder we always seem to miss Autumn!
I've been working tirelessly on the journal of the recent New Mexico trip, and hope to finish it up this weekend. I've been tweaking the website a bit, too, but I think it is now in its finished form. There are 60 photos and maps. I may add one or two more photos this week. Tomorrow we are going to celebrate our annual Harvest Festival (one week late), searching out local products like corn and tomatoes and building a feast around them. It's always a yummy affair!
Monday, September 7th/09
It's time for the annual summer vacation eulogy! This was my 28th long summer vacation as a public school teacher, and, alas, my final one. Next July will be the really big vacation, the one in which I hope to finally become a full-time pianist and writer. Because of all the travelling this summer, (Sudbury, Kingston, New Mexico) as well as the six week exercise program, piano practice took a bit of a beating. However, pieces are in good shape and if I can continue to find time this fall I should be able to offer up a concert, though likely without much memorization. I also continued work on my children's novel, "Valeria, the Vegetarian Vampire" and have pledged to finish it this month and get it off to Amanda for editing. I know it will not be difficult to find a publisher for this story, as opposed to my darker one with the young pianist Allie Tachbrook.
Highlights of the summer are many, and include seeing my newest niece, Emma-Lee. Can't wait to see her again, though that will not be for awhile. She now is 22" long and weighs 10 lbs 2 oz. Must be something she's eating!
Our nephew Kevin's wedding was also a highlight, especially the moonlight cruise along the St. Lawrence River. He is a lad I wish we could spend more time with. The happy couple have returned to the Yukon for another year of teaching on a native reserve, so we are not likely to run into them casually.
Of course the most recent trip to New Mexico is a main highlight, especially hiking to the incredible summit of Little Costillo Peak. It turned into a very good idea to invite Amanda along--she was a lot of fun and an amazing hiker!
Most recently, Ludwig the Russian Tortoise has landed at our house. A full report on him/her will be forthcoming. Life is never dull around here, at least for long. I also got loads of reading done this summer, and hope to get through a lot of books this year too.
So it's back to work tomorrow, but I will be returning with enthusiasm beyond what I usually offer, and a new attitude! Let's get it done!
Friday, September 4th/09
Ludwig the Tortoise has arrived at his new home. Deb has been planning for his arrival since our trip to NM. Photos will be forthcoming, along with more info about it.
The New Mexico Website Update is now complete, after several marathon sessions over the past few days. As usual, it's a big site with lots to see, so take your time and do a page or two now and then. Changes will be forthcoming, but it is basically in its final form!
Wednesday, September 2nd/09
A fairly painless start to the year, as we got to go in and just do our own thing. I had high hopes of updating the school website, but low and behold my classroom computer was gone (with all the web info and web program on it) forever. Oh well! The main thing is that our pay advance arrived today, meaning that we no longer have $163 in the bank! Yay!! Still working on the website update for the NM trip, but four pages should be up and running so far, including everything up to our arrival in New Mexico. If you notice any typos, please let me know!
Tuesday, September 1st/09
Technically our holidays are over, as we have to report to work tomorrow morning. However, as it is a teacher-directed PA day, we are free to just go in and set up our classrooms. We always do this anyway on the week before, so in a sense we are getting paid to do it this year! A good start to my final year of teaching. Thursday there will be a workshop to attend, and then we are off until next Tuesday, when the kids return. Not too bad a way to begin. However, because of the late start this year we must labour on until June 30th. Very sad.
Today I began work on the website update for Trip #27, and managed to get one entire page completed. Feel free to read it--there are photos, links and descriptions of my solo drive to Tulsa. If time permits, then tomorrow I will add another page detailing our adventures in Oklahoma.
Monday, August 31st/09
After a week of respite we have resumed a modest walking program. No definite plans yet for further hiking, though we will try to keep a modicum of fitness. We nailed every single goal of our recent trip, and feel pretty good about that. We camped a record six nights, including five in a row. Of course the weather had to cooperate, and it did. I have completed my initial photo editing project, and have selected about 50 pictures to put up on the website. I'm hoping to display some of the maps of big hikes as well. Should start working on that by tomorrow, and perhaps have something to show by the early part of the weekend. Stay tuned!
Saturday, August 29th/09
Life is finally returning to normal. Internet works fine, car works fine, laundry is done, and there is fresh food in the house. Not much money, though. It will be nice to get paid soon, something that hasn't occurred much around here since the end of June. I am continuing to write the immortal journal of our 27th trip to New Mexico, and editing the photos. I didn't take as many this time, mainly because I stuck to driving when alone; didn't stop as much either. I should still end with about 200 good ones, and about a dozen great ones. We had beautiful clear skies many of the nights, and aside from doing a lot of naked eye astronomy, I took some 30-second deep sky shots. Because I used my camera's maximum ISO setting (1600), I took them in b&w to minimize noise levels. This one's for you, Randy!
Skies were clear to the horizon at 8000'. The Sagittarius star cloud shows up nicely through the trees. From McCrystal Campground, NM. S9000, 30 sec. @ f 2.9, 1600 ISO.
Friday, August 27th/09
We've been dealing with little or no internet service since we got back. Thought we'd fixed it about ten times now, but we now think it is the actual in-house phone line to the jack. Also, the alternator went on the Jetta, leaving Deb stuck on Malden Rd. yesterday. Everything was covered by the dealer warranty, including the tow, but it was still a pain. Then there was the mountain of laundry to attack... I have been editing photos and writing in the trip journal. Should have some big ones to put up by the end of the weekend. In the meantime, here's one from my solo trip to Tulsa across Missouri.
Meramac Spring, St. James, MO. According to park literature, the springs could fill 60 bathtubs every second!
Wednesday, August 26th/09
Everyone is back home, and we all had a fabulous journey. Much more later, especially on the opposite side as updates are added for New Mexico Trip #27. Amanda proved to be a perfect travelling companion and would be welcome on any of our future trips anywhere. Highlights? Stay tuned, but the city of Taos really shone on this trip for us.
Deb and I (and Amanda) spent our 33rd anniversary struggling to the summit of Little Costilla Peak. This was our most challenging hike to date, and the highest we have ever been while standing on solid ground.
Tuesday, August 11th/09
We are wrapping up our sixth and final week of hiking preparation. We did a muggy and hilly six miles today at Malden Hill, and could have easily done more if not for the incredible humidity. That aspect is never a problem out west, but of course it is replaced by the rigours of dealing with high elevations. Our first major hike will be in extreme western Oklahoma (right near the border with New Mexico), to that state's highpoint just below 5000'. The second and the third big hikes will be at about 8000', and the fourth begins at 10,000' and goes past 12,500'. A final hike will be above 10,000'. As usual, weather conditions will dictate whether a hike goes forward or not. Thunderstorms are frequent in August in the west. We are as ready as we will ever be, though after a week at altitude the lungs begin to work as well as the legs. Of course by then it's time to come home. Anyway, NM Trip #27 is fast approaching, though you won't hear too much about it until late August or early September.
Monday, August 10th/09
The website has been experiencing a bit of downtime lately, and it's largely due to the number of photos on this first page. Every time I get a hit on the site, it takes up bandwidth and for the first time ever I had used up my bandwith for the month with MNSi. Since this site is free, I can't really complain (but I did). It appears the site has become a victim of its own success. In the autumn I will likely switch the site over to a different (paid) web address, and use this one for my music studio website. That will allow me to have unlimited bandwidth and space for even more photos, keeping exactly the same format.
We are now in the final week of the exercise program. It's been tough this past week due to heat and humidity issues, but we have been carrying on like troopers.
Friday, August 7th/09
We've been watching the tv episodes of Zatoichi, the blind sword-wielding master that has enthralled us since our first encounter many years ago on Independent Film Channel. The art is called Iaido (with an "i" at the beginning), and mostly involves getting the sword from the case, completing the cut with a swift and clean stroke, and returning the weapon to its case immediately afterward. I was heavily involved in martial arts training in my high school years, studying both Judo and Karate in turn. I've often thought of going back, but the time involvement and physical wear and tear can both be gruesome.
Today, out of the blue, Bill Triolet stopped by. Bill was once a student teacher of ours, now living and teaching in metro Detroit. He's married and has two kids. We haven't seen Bill in many years, though we do consider him a dear friend. Aside from visiting to reconnect, he also told me that Iaido is being taught in Windsor, Tuesday evenings. He really thinks I should take it up, and I think I should too. So some thinking will now occur. It would involve some shifting of my private music teaching load away from Tuesday evenings. Bill studies and teaches Aikido, and is nearly ready for his 3rd degree Black Belt.
Bill T. stops by for a few pop.
Photo from near the Ganatcho Trail in Windsor, taken yesterday. I went for a bike ride while the Touareg was getting a tune-up.
Thursday, August 6th/09
We are gradually getting prepared for our trip to NM and CO, via OK. We have repacked the "kitchen" box we use to prepare food at campsites, as well as repacked the camping suitcase. Yesterday, the Touareg went into VW for a tune-up, and tomorrow I hope to apply a coat of wax to it. The Canadian dollar is quite good right now, so we hope this lasts a bit longer. Our 'mountain prep' exercise program enters its sixth and final week tomorrow. As usual, I am very excited about the trip. We will see a whole new area of Oklahoma, as well as a new part of NM (extreme nw corner). We will head back to McCrystal Campground in the Valle Vidal, and once more hope to climb Little Costilla Peak. Can't wait to get the journey underway!
I finally got around to updating the Windsor ORMTA website--it had been a while. We get a surprising number of hits on that thing, and it looks like another busy year of concerts and meetings.
Sunday, August 2nd/09
Our Kingston trip was a whirlwind, preceeded by 8 hours of sitting in the car and followed by seven hours sitting in the car. We left at 9 am Saturday morning and didn't arrive downtwon Kingston until 5 pm. We encountered horrendous traffic between the east end of Toronto through to Oshawa, even after following the 407 Tollroad as far as we could. It took 2 hours longer to get there, and we were burned out by the time we arrived. We boarded the boat at 6:45 (Island Queen III), left the dock at 7 pm and returned to land at 1 am!! I must say I enjoyed the cruise up the St Lawrence River a lot. The evening was warm and lit by a three-quarter moon. A very unique wedding, and certainly worth the long drive. Very tired tonight, though. Sleep needed, and no driving.
Nephew Kevin and his bride Kathryn.
Thursday, July 30th/09
Mogollon enjoys the holidays as much as we do!
Wednesday, July 29th/09
We've been watching the 2nd season of Dr. Katz on dvd, a laugh-aloud animated series where actual stand-up comedians take to the couch and talk to therapist Dr. Katz. You are guaranteed at least 10 good belly laughs per half hour episode.
I added a page for the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series of novels, since they seem to be occupying a lot of my thoughts and reading time again. Truly one of the greatest publishing events that ever happened, and I chanced upon it when it was happening back in the late 60s and early 70s. I am currently missing about 20 titles, and hope to complete the series in the near future. Detroit and Ann Arbor bookstores have been very good hunting grounds, and Amanda will search in Toronto for me.
Tuesday, July 28th/09
What do you think Deb found today while cleaning the upstairs bedroom? Besides enough dust to start her own desert, she found my glasses, missing now for several months! They had fallen between the desk and the bed, but in behind the bed. I am back in tri-focal territory again, after having to endure my old prescription with single lenses only. Life is good once again! Speaking of life, it has settled into an unbelievably fabulous routine, with plenty of time for piano/harpsichord, reading, gaming, house and yard maintenance, exercising and other fun stuff, like planning trips! In two years, we will both be paid for doing just this!! Yesterday we had a very fun day in Detroit, and I was able to add to my growing collection of Ballantine Adult Fantasy paperback books, published in the late '60s and early '70s. I am currently missing only about 20 books from the entire series of 85! Many of these authors really shaped who I am today, and I guess I must devote at least one of these blogs to the science fiction and fantasy writers who were and are my favourite authors.
In other news, Amanda L. is officially on board for the trip to NM, and will spend 10 days camping and hiking with us out west. Al least two former students (both public school and private piano) really stand out from the hundreds and hundreds I have taught, and the dozens I remember fondly: Andrea, whose recent trip to Scandanvia and London were written about here, and Amanda L. These two superheroines have definitely made my entire teaching career worth the effort. The trip to the mountains this year will be amazing enough, but with Amanda hopefully having her socks blown off by the adventures we will have, it should be doubly fun. I only wish that Debra and Dan, our friends from Idaho, were meeting up with us again.
Friday, July 24th/09
Deb wrapped up another summer harp camp with Anita in Woodslee on Thursday. They had a great turnout once again and the kids wished it had gone longer than the three days. Deb found it just long enough.
Some of the young harpers at the 2009 summer camp in Woodslee, Ontario. Deb has worked here about five summers now.
2009 Harp Camp gang!
Beautiful unmanicured spaces during the strike at Windsor's Malden Hill Park will soon come to an end.
3 unidentified denizens of Malden Hill Park today.
Monday, July 20th/09
Who and where was I in 1969 when Americans first set foot on the moon? I was a 16 yr old high school kid deeply interested in Astronomy and NASA, an interest that continues to this day. On the fateful night I was at the family cottage on Lake Penage watching proceedings on a grainy and very old b & w tv set. Also present were my mother and Bob Beckett, a family friend. I remember the night very clearly, even though it was 40 years ago!!! Magnificent achievement, and completely unmatched so far, except perhaps for the Hubble Space Telescope and it's repair missions. If you'd asked me back then, I would have thought by now we'd have cities on the Moon and colonies on Mars. Instead, we have wars to fight and banks and car companies to bail out....
We are nearly done our third week of preparations for New Mexico hiking, and we are beginning to feel pretty good. Our Malden Hill uphill bursts are strenuous but they work like magic.
Malden Hill trail.
The roof of the info kiosk was a flower garden!
A tiny caterpillar descends a thread of silk on our path. Wow!
A miniature waterfall along one of the paths. We hiked four different ones, all quite short. A fifth path was under construction.
Sunday, July 19th/09
When I first began to read Fantasy novels, there was very little in print besides Tolkien. However, I did discover Mervyn Peake and his unforgettable Gormenghast novels, and E.R. Eddison and the enchanting Zimiamvian series. These three series still form the basis of my love of fantasy, and for me will remain as the pinnacle in that field. This was back in the late 60's, and that was what was available in print (there were plenty of sci fi novels, my main interest at the time). Then came a remarkable series of paperbacks published by Ballantine Books, the incomparable Adult Fantasy books, with fabulous covers to seduce the lover of fantasy fiction. The first books I purchased were the two volumes of William Morris' "The Well at the World's End", which I am currently re-reading. Last read at the age of 18 (!), these works still hold up very well today, and I am enjoying them at least as much as I did back then. We own about a third of the 69 titles in the series, which mainly reprinted works long out of print, introducing me to writers like Lord Dunsany and H.P Lovecraft, among many others. I have nibbled at the series over the years, but have not read all of the books we have owned for decades. I am halfway through "The Sorcerer's Ship" by Hannes Bok, and have decided to finally collect the entire series and read and reread them! Tomorrow we are going to Ann Arbor for our long hike, and will visit some used book stores there to search for some titles afterwards. Here is the list if you want to check it out. Most of the books are still available on Amazon. Be warned, these are highly addictive novels.
Friday, July 17th/09
The day got off to a bad start. I was at the kitchen window early this morning filling the kettle when I heard a loud bang. About a second later a deer ran by the window, so fast it took me a moment to realize what it was. I went to the main window overlooking the highway and saw a large buck lying on the road, apparently dying after been hit. Deb called 911 and went outside. The deer had run full tilt into the side of a transport cab, then had been run over by another truck following the first one. It was eventually shot by a police officer and then taken away. The doe had escaped, running past the window I was at and the truck drivers did not even realize there had been a 2nd deer. This is the 2nd deer to be hit in front of our house, but the first one to be killed.
After breakfast we returned to Malden Hill for the required hill bursts. We are both finding it difficult to maintain the exercise program, as we both feel very lazy of late. We are into Week Three and are definitely hitting a wall. Luckily we have the discipline to continue, but only because we know how much we benefited last year with our mountain hiking.
Regular piano practice has resumed, but after three weeks I am finding it hard to get back into old pieces. I think I need a fresh start. I will keep the two Scarlatti Sonatas, the Beethoven Sonata (for now), and the two studies (Czerny and Cramer), but am dropping the Debussy, Albeniz and de Falla. I will replace them with some more harpsichord pieces. This will include Bach, Rameau, and Byrd. Despite the fact that summer is flying past, I seem to have very little ambition. Somehow I need to get in gear.
Wednesday, July 15th/09
I put up two pages of pics of Emma-Lee on the main page, opposite. I hope you take the time to look. She is such a cutie!
So much amazing development has taken place in the hills of Sudbury since I left home in 1976. The once barren mountains now sprout grasses, shrubs and many, many trees. It is an alien landscape to me, but it is quickly returning to its original look before logging and smeltering for copper and nickel took its ultimate toll. Deb and I spent two mornings climbing around areas near the super tower, places where I had explored as a youngster. It is completely incredible what has happened to the land.
Deb wanders the mountains near the family home in Sudbury.
We drove Beorn to Round Lake, on the Whitefish Indian Reserve. Roads were muddy and the mosquitoes were something else.
Typical northern scene near Sudbury. It was cool on our visit, but perfect for hiking and exploring.
Beorn at Round lake, with Deb poking around in behind.
Tuesday, July 14th/09
The Sudbury trip turned into a great time, and not just because of the usual endless amounts of good food and free-flowing booze! Emma-Lee, our newest niece, turned out to be quite a baby! I must admit to falling madly in love with her. At just a little over 6 lbs, there really isn't a lot of her to like, but what is there is totally amazing. She is now three weeks old, and is getting mommy and daddy up every two hours. She is a very good baby, with minimal fussing, no crying, and lots of eating and sleeping with a good deal of squirming thrown in. We just got back home tonight, so I will keep this short for now. Tomorrow I promise some pics of the Sudbury landscape and hiking and driving adventures we went on. Until then, enjoy some photos of Emma-Lee. I could drive back tomorrow just to see her again!
Some of my older film cameras weigh more than Emma-Lee does. I think we're bonding.
Photo taken after an absolutely exhausting session of bottle feeding. Gotta rest up for the next one.
Uncle Mike feeds Emma-Lee, while mommy Lynne checks out the soy formula tin. I think little Emma-Lee will always treasure this feeding! I might too.
Thursday, July 9th/09
Some days are certainly busier than others. I usually prefer the quiet ones at home, with a seemingly endless amount of time at hand to work on several projects. That was yesterday. I even managed to play a bit of piano, as my thumb continues to improve daily. However, I did get a callback from my doctor, and had to go in today. I went to see him after our third hill climbing session at Malden Hill Park. Due to decently cool and dry weather, these workouts have been going pretty well. Anyway, my right thumb did get broken, according to the official x-ray report. It is still swollen and does hurt when I do certain things, such as apply too much pressure, but as it is improving the best course of action right now is to do nothing. I can go for another x-ray next week if I want.
We came home long enough to get some lunch, then it was back out on the road again. Deb had a backyard harp gig in Russell Woods, Lakeshore. She played for a 60th wedding anniversary in a lovely shaded backyard overlooking a pool and flower garden. Although only booked for one hour, she was asked to stay on for a second hour. This delayed our visit to Tammy and Dave in Belle River, but we finally got to see their newest house (impressive) and fast-growing little boy Braelen (energetic and spirited). He starts JK in the fall. It was good to get home afterwards and put our feet up for awhile.
I don't think I've reported it here yet, but Deb's female lizard managed to lay eggs, and apparently they were fertilized too. At least one of them hatched, leaving behind a bouncing baby lizard. This is the tiniest little thing imaginable.
The result looks something like this, in extreme closeup. When Deb first spotted the baby she thought it was a piece of thread!
Tuesday, July 7th/09
A big day today, as we finally got the bridge over our creek dismantled. It had rotted away (it was 20 years old) and was sagging on one side. With the assistance of Roger and Jim, we made short work of things. It took about three hours to completely dismantle. We now have a single board over the creek!
Our trusty bridge was finally taken apart today, thanks to Roger and Jim. The first step was to pry off all of the bottom boards. That took about 40 minutes.
Step Two involved removal of the hand railings. This took about 45 minutes. Rotted wood can be seen in the foreground and about 1/3 of the way across.
While removing the handrails we came across a massive ant nest. The white mass is thousands of individual eggs!
I counted today as a cross-training day in our fitness program, so we are now one week into the plan. Not quite ready for the Rocky Mts., but getting there faster than one would think. We will get to try our newly emerging leg muscles on the hills of Sudbury this weekend.
Last night we celebrated the full moon, with a party beginning at 6 pm and lasting until nearly 11! Who says we're getting old! Sadly, the moon cakes we bought at a Chinese grocery store in Windsor were too stale to eat, but our moon-shaped pita pizzas with roasted veggies were awesome! We played a game of Carcassonne on the back deck, trying out our newest expansion set called "King and Scout". We also hiked four miles yesterday, as per our fitness plan. Next Monday's hike will be in Sudbury.
Saturday, July 4th/09
We had hoped to begin dismantling our bridge this weekend. However, the mosquitoes are so bad right now as to almost be beyond belief. Anyone who could stand on the bridge for five minutes and remain sane must be crazy to begin with! We may have to try on a hot, sunny day, working in short bursts. Either that or wait until late Autumn.
Yesterday we brought the Jetta in for an oil change and new front brakes. Bye bye money! We had a chance to eat downtown at Pause Cafe, where we have been noticeably absent for a long while. Deb had a kind of lentil soup, extremely tasty, while I tried a cold Spanish Almond soup, delicious and refreshing.
Today we stayed home and spent no money (still, averaging over two days, it is a very grim scenario). I worked on the New Mexico Trip #27 itinerary. Our next major adventure is scheduled for mid-August, and once again I am going to attempt the summit of Little Costillo Peak. I doubt Deb will try, but she may come up to the 11,000' mark and await my return. This year I am going to plan for the monsoon. Last year our entire trip was nearly wiped out by rain, and we had no backup plan. This year there will be a Plan B.
The thumb is improving, and I may try some piano tomorrow. However, it really hurts when it is stretched and then used to apply pressure, even on the harpsichord. I am so not into pain.
Thursday, July 2nd/09
Today we began our "serious" fitness program, the one that was so successful for us last summer in the mountains. Pulled from Backpacker Magazine, it purports to get one fit for mountain trails in six weeks, assuming a modest level of fitness to begin. It actually only took five weeks last year, and will likely take even less this year, though we are committed to the six. Thursdays and Saturdays we can do the program at home with the exercises given. Fridays and Sundays we need the services of Malden Hill. Monday is reserved for longer hikes, and Tuesday for cross-training (likely biking). Sudbury will come in handy for some real hill practice on the Sunday and Monday we are there. Wednesdays are rest days, which we planned due to summer teaching commitments.
I managed a short practice on the harpsichord today. Due to some pain when using the thumb I was hardly able to focus on the music--rather I was counting how many times Scarlatti requires the use of the thumb (a lot). I suppose it is getting better, though I still cannot use it for much of anything. I ordered some pc adventure games today from Amazon, as well as some cds for Caroline. We went to Detroit today, having received yet more discount Borders coupons. Deb bought another book by T.C. Boyle, while I got a sf novel by China Mieville, recommended by Toby. Gas is sure cheap over there compared to Windsor. So is food. We had lunch at a very fancy Middle Eastern restaurant on Michigan Ave. in Dearborn. Not only was the delicious lentil soup and baba ganoush sandwiches ridiculously inexpensive, but for lunches they also take off 30% of the total bill!! Gas, books, and lunch for a song. This is so not London.
Wednesday, July 1st/09
Today Deb played a harp gig at Fort Malden in Amherstburg. She played for one hour while people gathered for the Canadian New Citizens swearing in ceremony. Other events were going on downtown, and much of Amherstburg was in attendance. I strolled for an hour, meeting most of the people I had ever taught, do teach, or have worked with. At least it was a cool day and mostly cloudy. This would not have been fun in last Wed's heat.
Deb had her own body guard at the Fort today while she played.
A lot of people were gathering for the ceremony of swearing in new citizens to Canada.
Soldier walking, Ft. Malden.
Yesterday Deb had a meeting with Anita L. regarding the upcoming summer harp camp. It will last three days this year, with about a dozen kids. I popped over to visit Randy G. at work to talk a bit about the Sudbury trip while Deb was at her meeting. That trip should be a lot of fun, though it will be a very brief visit to the north country. We will have three nights and two days in Sudbury.
I ordered a new camera today (I know, I know). I love using the Polaroid Instant Camera, but the film for that is no longer made over here and is getting even more expensive and hard to get hold of. I purchased a Fuji Instant Camera at Adorama, along with 2 packs of film. It all costs about as much as three packs of Polaroid film. So far, the Fuji film is still available over here. Can't wait to get it. Time to pack up the Polaroid camera for good.
Monday, June 29th/09
This summer is a very long vacation for us, despite the fact that we return to school for two days before Labour Day for teacher meetings. Today was the first "real" day of holidays, when we would have normally gone to work. Instead we got up at our usual time and went for a walk! The heatwave has vanished, and we are left with very pleasant, seasonal temps. We enjoyed our annual champagne breakfast on the back deck this morning. Only two more of these fun events before we are both retired!
My thumb continues to change colours, appearing more yellow today. I booked an appt. with my M.D. for tomorrow. I am going to try some piano in a bit, and will report on my progress. If it is unusable for a time, I will work on the left hand only. I must get back to practicing.
The annual champagne breakfast photo.
New photo of Mogi. What a handsome devil!
Ferdie recently celebrated his 17th birthday with a roll in the ol' catnip.
Sunday, June 28th/09
Life without the use of one's right thumb is bad enough. Keys cannot be turned, objects cannot be picked up, and of course pianos cannot be played. Sigh. Not off to a great start for the holidays. At least the grass got cut... We celebrated the end of the school year yesterday with a day out in Dearborn and Detroit. The highlight was our walk from Wayne State to the Woodbridge Pub for lunch. We settled in at one of our favourite places with a bottle of wine (only $10 on Friday and Saturday) and two heavenly vegan bean burgers, just about the best burger money can buy.
The Woodbridge Pub is on Trumbull, across from the Wayne State University recreation complex. It is a very short walk here from the center of campus.
The day was meant to be enjoyed indoors and out. It was time for the indoor activities to begin, like eating and drinking.
A bottle of 2004 Chilean wine was ours for only $10. We'll be back!
Today we drove to Windsor for a morning walk (2.5 miles), then Deb went and purchased material for the baby's quilt that she is making. We spent a quiet afternoon at home (Deb is downstairs sewing), though I do find it hard to fill a day without being able to get to the piano. The thumb is entirely black and blue, and extremely sore to the touch. I'll decide tomorrow or Tuesday whether to get it checked out. The swelling is down somewhat.
I talked to Lynne today--she and Emma Lee are doing just fine. I don't have a photo yet, but will post one when I get it.
Friday, June 26th/09
We were officially done as of noon today. It feels wonderful beyond words! Mostly had to endure a longish staff meeting, then home to enjoy two months of bliss. Unfortunately my piano practicing has been postponed due to an injury I incurred today while cutting the grass. My right thumb came briefly in contact with a moving part on the lawn mower (not the blade), and has been bruised badly. It's already purple and of course very swollen. At least it's still attached and I can move it slightly. The high heat and humidity has been replaced by a gorgeous summer day. For the first time of the season we got to sit outside and enjoy our new gazebo netting and roof. Birds, bunnies, squirrels, ducks and a few muskrats kept us company. Off to Detroit tomorrow for a mailbox run, and will include a stop at Borders Books, lunch at Woodbridge Pub, and more map gazing at Wayne State Science Library. Good times are here again!
Thursday, June 25th/09
Deb and I are the proud Uncle and Aunt of a new niece. Don't know her name yet, but she weighed in at 6 lbs 6 oz. at 4:05 pm yesterday. We were at the local pub with the staff when we got the word! Can't wait to see her in a few weeks.
Despite the heatwave that nailed us this week, things went pretty smoothly for the final days of school. Watching Mary and Ruth all week as they leap into retirement was difficult for me, but knowing that Elaine and I are next up helps a lot. The music room is mostly cleaned up and ready for September. One last PA day tomorrow and we are done. Today was exceedingly hot, and we would not have wanted to stay there all afternoon. It really is quite inhumane for schools to be open on days when it is so hot. Classrooms are intolerable, it's hard to breathe, and the slightest movement or physical effort results in profuse perspiration. Tomorrow we meet the new principal and the many new teachers arriving. Then we go on the big holiday. Trips to Sudbury, Kingston, and New Mexico are on tap for the summer, as well as resuming our walking fit program and plenty of personal piano practice. Deb has two harp gigs in July as well as the kids' music camp.
Sunday, June 21st/09
Although it's only been about three weeks since the real stress began, it has seemed far longer. Today we both had a complete day off, and we enjoyed it to the max! I didn't practice piano or cut the lawn, and I should have done both. At least now we have some time to think about Lynne and her first baby, which arrives on Wed.! Don't know yet if we are getting a new niece or nephew, and the suspense is building. Whichever it may be, he/she will likely turn out to be a Red Wings fan.
We made a day of it in Detroit, including a trip to Borders Books armed with two 40% off coupons. I bought a book by Paul Theroux, detailing his wanderings from Cairo to the tip of South Africa. Should be a great read, especially if it turns into a hot summer. We had lunch at Forans Grand Trunk downtown Detroit. With 10 Michigan draft beer on tap, and a chef willing to prepare us vegan brunch entrees, we left there in very good moods, vowing to return. Four pints of beer cost us $3.00. Ask me about that sometime!!!
Forans used to be a ticket office for Grand Trunk Railroad. We enjoyed food and beer. No smoking on Sundays.
Afterwards we headed a bit farther up Woodward Ave., stopping off for coffee at Bigbys before heading to MOCAD (Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit) and then the Wayne State Science Library. I went there to look at NM topo maps for an hour, while Deb kept herself busy perusing some of their books on reptiles.
Last night's party was certainly one of the better ones. Deb and I didn't show up until about 7pm, and we arrived to see throngs of people having a good time, many of them from previous days at APS. The list of past staff names would be too long to relate, but we saw many people from the old guard. We stayed until around 10:30, enjoying a refreshing bike ride home.
Part of the crowd at last night's staff party.
Deb and I with former student Melissa, who is the daughter of Mary, one of two teachers retiring this year. We taught Melissa in Gr. 5 and onwards, and Deb played harp at her wedding a few years back.
Only four more days with kids and one final PA day left to go. With just five trumpets remaining to clean, I feel as if I am already on holidays!!
Saturday, June 20th/09
The end of the road is in sight!!! Deb played a three hour harp gig last night at an Erie St. restaurant, and did another wedding today way out near Wheatley. That pretty much wraps up our big commitments for June. I only have five trumpets left to clean, and I am finished my work at school (except for four more days there with kids). I went to a gathering of adult piano students in Lasalle last night. Roger performed his Minuet from the Gr. 4 book, and I played a duet with my partner Paula, a somber Romance by Rachmaninoff. There was excellent food and drink, too. I had to leave a bit early to go back downtown Windsor and pick up Deb from her gig. This morning I did absolutely nothing, but Deb had to practice for the outdoor wedding. We drove to Wheatley, specifically to Two Creeks Conservation Area, and while Deb played I went for a hike in the woods. It rained a tremendous amount overnight, so the trails were muddy. However, I was prepared (even brought the mosquito jacket) and had a decent one hour walk.
Dog Roses in bloom along the trail.
Part of the trail at Two Creeks Conservation Area.
Occasionally, the forested trail emerged alongside a farmer's field.
The staff party was held this afternoon, and after resting up Deb and I headed over. Hosted by a staff member who lives in Pointe West, it was close enough for us to ride our bikes. Too tired to write about it now, but there were so many great former staff members that it turned into one of the best parties ever. And Elaine and I got to start planning our party for next year at this time!!
Thursday, June 18th/09
It's the time of year when all the music room instruments get a good scrubbing, and I usually work with a small but select student crew. This year my main helpers are 4 kids in grade five and two in grade seven. While cleaning trumpets this morning with two grade fives, one girl tells me that Friday is her last day of school. I asked if she was going on an early vacation. Not really, she said, but her family is driving to Arkansas for a double funeral. Her two little cousins died early this week. The girl telling me this is a very good music student and has done amazing things this year. She went on to relate a tragic tale of a five and four year old in Arkansas that suffocated in the trunk of a car. Obviously very upset, she told me about the kids and when she last saw them (last summer). What an ordeal to have to go through. I feel quite devastated for her. She went home early today, not looking too well.
Wednesday, June 17th/09
Another major hurdle has been overcome, with Graduation 2009 now complete! This is when it starts to feel like the end of the year. The ceremony went smoothly, and it wasn't nearly as hot in the gym as in previous years. It was as packed as ever, though. However, we are still feeling rather numb by the 4 hrs we were there today, and by all that has gone on in the past two weeks. One more very big weekend coming up, mostly for Deb, as she plays two harp gigs. This summer vacation cannot arrive too soon.
Yours truly with the three recipients of this year's Music Awards--Stacey, Lauren and Adam will all be sorely missed.
Deb doles out the Drama Awards to Adam, Phoebe and Rebecca.
I had to miss Randy's astronomy talk on Tuesday evening, as he was giving it right at 7:30. I couldn't have gotten out of the house until at least 7:50, and it is a long drive to Maidstone. I had hoped he would present after the break.
Monday, June 15th/09
Sunday's concert of our (Deb and I) combined private students went quite well, with some very good performances by a few of them. We had piano players, violinists, a flautist and several harpers. I was very pleased with Tara, Jarod and Angela from my studio. It was held at Kensington Court in Windsor, a rather fancy retirement home. There was a large crowd of listeners. Many of our students could not attend for various reasons, but we still had a full slate of performers. I forgot to take the annual group photo! My mind is too scattered right now.
Today I attended a workshop for school music teachers, and taught a full load of students this evening. Still hoping to get to the astronomy meeting tomorrow night, if I have any energy left. This Friday Paula and I are performing a Rachmaninoff duet at a gathering of adult students (hers and mine), and I was going to perform a solo piece as well. My piano practice has been non-existent lately except for accompaniments (our walking program has also vanished), so I think I'll pass on the solo. That's how bad things are getting once again. Graduation this Wednesday evening is also a very big deal--those hurdles just keep popping up in front of us!
We did find some time yesterday to cut the grass, get more of the front verandah tiled, and put up a new roof and screening on the back deck gazebo. Now if only we had some time to enjoy our yard! That day will come, and very fast.
Saturday, June 13th/09
A big week down, but there is no slacking off for the weekend or the foreseeable future. Cleaning has commenced in the music room, and with the help of six hard-working student volunteers things are shaping up. Flutes, clarinets and saxophones have been cleaned, along with my desktop, cleaning supplies shelves and the floor of the back storage room. Hours of cleaning remain, including the brass instruments which take the most time of all. With only nine days of teaching left, I usually start getting a few extra preps here and there, since band is finished and field trips are in full swing.
Today Deb played a wedding at a church in Windsor, and for the first time (and an extra fee) I joined her by playing various recorders and flute. We practiced a lot last night and this morning, in between doing the laundry. It went well! Recorders always sound lovely in a church. Sunday is our private student concert. We both have significant accompaniments to practice for flute, clarinet and violin students. Also have to get the grass cut tomorrow. This has more or less turned into a 7-day work week! Monday I am off to a workshop for school music teachers (guess that only makes 8 days left of teaching), Tuesday evening after teaching I'm going to try my best to attend Randy's talk on Apollo 11 at the Astronomy Club meeting in Maidstone, and Wednesday night is Gr. 8 Graduation, with yours truly as M.C. Another wedding for Deb next Saturday, and the staff party right after that. No boredom around here, at least...
Tuesday, June 9th/09
As fast as we leap over the hurdles before us, new ones pop up to take their place! Yesterday Deb and I ran a 50 minute school assembly to give out the music and drama awards to deserving students, a big task that we do each year. I handed out awards for membership in Concert Band, Advanced Band and Recorder Band, while Deb gave out the Drama awards. I also awarded 4 bronze medals and a gold to five very deserving students.
From last week's school concert. Lauren, a Gr. 8 student, conducts the concert band for one of our songs.
Drama Club presentation of "Hilarious History of the Trojan War", from last Wednesday's performance.
Another memorable scene from the play, as the Trojan horse is offered as a gift....
Today I took the Advanced Band and the Recorder Band on tour. We played at two schools, Malden and Lasalle, and the students did an excellent job.
Five top music students received their medals at the Monday assembly.
Yours truly conducting the Advanced Band today on our school tour.
What's left to do? Report cards (due Monday), our wedding performance on Saturday (I'm playing recorders and flute!), our private student concert in Windsor on Sunday, lots of instrument and classroom cleaning at school, Gr. 8 Graduation, and 12 more days of teaching classes.
We heard from Lynne today--the baby is coming out two weeks from Wed., on June 24th! Exciting for the Sudbury folks. Also got a long letter from Amanda, who has been silent since December. Lots happening (and happened) in her life, too. A bit of a bumpy ride of late, and she appears to be growing restless in Toronto.
Tomorrow is the 10th of June, the day when I begin to slowly wind down. Despite all that is still left to do, that date for me marks the beginning of the end. May it come swiftly and painlessly.
Sunday, June 7th/09
After getting an estimate of over $2500 from a cement company to repair our neglected front verandah, Deb did some research and found outdoor black one-square foot tiles made from recycled vinyl that can be snapped together. Total cost about $300! Looks good, too, with about one-third now finished. Sold at Canadian Tire for $15 per ten square feet. Expect photos here when it is completed.
We got a 3.5 mile walk in today, though it was very warm and humid on the Greenway Trail this afternoon. We ended up having iced espresso afterwards at the Ciccarro Club. Yesterday we finally purchased a small, hand-held Garmin GPS unit. They were on sale at Shoppers. Seems to do the job just fine. Loaded with info on cities and towns all across North America, and it will work in Britain too, since the maps are actually on the nearest satellite and not in the unit itself. Most handy for hiking in NM, as it gives the altitude as you go.
Saturday, June 6th/09
Last night we attended our final major concert of the season, a DSO one conducted by Peter Oundijan. The Haydn Symphony #49 was outstanding, and the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra had been absent from our ears for too long! One of the greatest pieces ever written, and it was performed exceedingly well! We picked up a brochure for the 09/10 season, and are underwhelmed by what is coming. Looks like we may go to a few single concerts...
It was a very exhausting week for us, and the month is just getting started. We are very glad that the June heat is so far absent, with temps remaining a bit below normal for the season. Next week we have the Arts Awards Assembly at school, and on Tuesday I am taking the Recorder Band and Advanced Band to two other schools to perform. Report cards also have to be done this coming week, after having just completed a set less than two months ago. Next Saturday and Sunday are both booked, one for a wedding performance (both of us) and the other for our private students' concert. This too will eventually end (and none too soon)! Can't wait for summer!!!
Wed., June 3rd/09
The APS Spring Concert is history!! With two performances today, Deb and I are exhausted but happy. The kids did extremely well at both performances. I conducted the Concert Band, the Advanced Band and the Recorder Band. Deb directed "The Hilarious History of the Trojan War", and it went off well, garnering plenty of laughs at the evening adult performance. I will post pics to the APS website, and leave a link here when done. Lots and lots of work, but good fun. Will be sad to see many of the Gr. 8s graduate this year. Okay, one huge hurdle jumped today--what's left? Arts Awards Assembly, Private Students' Sunday afternoon concert, Report Cards, Gr. 8 Graduation, 16 teaching days.... A few more hurdles to go, but the time will fly!
Sunday, May 31st/09
Roger and I attended a piano recital last night by Yefim Bronfman, sponsored by the Chamber Music Society of Detroit. It was the third and final concert of the series, and we have subscribed to the next season as well. Bronfman played a very challenging program, including the Tchaikovsky G+ Sonata Op. 37, the Berg Sonata Op. 1, and the Prokofiev d- Op 14 Sonata. Two smaller works were also on the program, a Dumka by Tchaikovsky and Arabesque by Schumann (both immaculate and ravishing). The man has a huge, romantic tone, a fiery sensibility, and a technique that seems to know no limits. The Tchaikovsky received a performance that convinced me that the composer could really write for the piano. It's a big, romantic piece filled with heart and soul, and Bronfman took us along on an unforgettable journey. The Berg Sonata, which Bronfman played from the score, was also convincing. This was the first time I really enjoyed hearing the entire piece, and may add it to my "too do" list. I wish I could say the same for the Prokofiev, a much too difficult work which Bronfman pulled off as if it were something he does before breakfast every morning. Sheesh! The tarentelle movement was one of the danciest things I have ever heard. A winning piece to end a fabulous concert! For encores he played a charming and simple Scarlatti Sonata, so refreshing after the Prokofiev intensity, and ended with a rousing Chopin Etude.
Friday, May 29th/09
Another full-bodied week has come to an end. Only four more. Four weeks from today, if I am able to function at a computer keyboard, I will post a note of much happiness, joy, and goodwill! Helping us get through today was a morning assembly for the school, along with the second level of track and field competition. Many students were absent from classes because of the latter. Once home, it had been nearly two weeks since I cut the grass, so after lunch and a shopping trip to Essex to enable Deb to get costume supplies for the upcoming school drama presentation, I dutifully headed out upon the John Deere lawn tractor. No sooner had I begun to cut then fierce dark clouds appeared out of a clear, blue sky. I managed to somewhat cut the front and middle back lawns (my eyes were more on the approaching storm than on the grass I was cutting) before the darkness grew to a pronounced threat. Once safely inside the house, the heavens opened and we received our upteenth deluge of the week! The far back lawn will have to wait until tomorrow at the earliest.
Did I mention there are only four weeks of work left?
Thursday, May 28th/09
It has felt like a work week! Things are becoming more hectic as the countdown to our spring concert narrows to 3 school days. Tomorrow was to be our final band practice, but the regional track meet has put a bit of a crimp in that plan. Only about half of the band will be at school tomorrow!
I heard from Rachael Mc. this week. Rachael graduated from APS three years ago, and her family moved to Barrie. She will be in Gr. 12 next year!! Time certainly seemed to fly by there! Rachael was the music award winner for Gr. 8 that year, and was also my assistant in maintaining the school website. Great to hear from you, Rachael.
Sunday, May 24th/09
A very fun weekend is coming to an end, with only 24 teaching days remaining (plus the Spring Concert, the bands road tour, and Graduation). Good news for the Atlantis astronauts, as they finally landed safely in California (due to Florida's stormy weather pattern). What a great mission, and I followed it closely on the NASA website. Can't wait for Hubble to get going again!
Steve and Lynne arrived Friday afternoon, and Saturday morning we headed for the Detroit Science Center to see the Star Trek movie on the weird domed screen (Imax, sort of) and take a walk through the incredible Star Trek exhibit on display. The movie is very good, action-packed of course, but afterwards we went to Rogue's Gallery in Windsor and bought the official prequel graphic novel. The comic has a better story line than the movie, and is must reading to get a full understanding of what is going on in the feature film (which is a bit confusing). We had lunch at Woodbridge Pub on Trumball in Detroit, and I had the best vegan bean burger of my entire existence. I'll be back!
Last night Randy and Anita stopped by for a welcome visit (hope your head is clear today, Anita!). The party moved from the living room to the tv room (Pittsburgh vs Carolina hockey game) and back again, and a fun visit was had by all. I would love to get Randy and Anita to Sudbury in July for a few days, just to see Steve's apartment and bar set up (as well as the new baby, arriving around July 2nd), and to come for an unforgettable ride in the Treggie on some of the back cottage roads. I really want to get to Round Lake by vehicle this year. We used to go there by canoe and motor boat all the time. Haven't been there in maybe 12 years!!! Such a mysterious and special part of my earlier life in Sudbury.
Thursday, May 21st/09
Piano practice took a major hit last weekend as we were away, and it will again this weekend as company comes in from Sudbury. Steve and Lynne are expected tomorrow around 1 pm. The Beethoven Sonata is the big hold-up as far as giving a solo concert. Let's see if I can give some idea of what it is like to learn a major work by Beethoven. Practice practice practice. "Hmmm...this piece should be ready in about a month. A bit more work on the first and last movements." One month later.... "It's really improved, but it'll be about another month before it's ready to play in public." One month later...."nearly there. It's truly coming along great now. Hopefully in about a month...."
And so it goes, folks....
Tuesday, May 19th/09
Now only 5 1/2 weeks left in the school year, and so far the weather has been very cooperative. If only temps could stay in the high 60s and low 70s most of the year! The lawn received its 4th cut of the season. The tractor is back and repaired. The "reactor" needed replacing, and was causing the battery to run down.
The big news this past weekend has been the five successful space walks to repair the Hubble Telescope. $1 billion dollars later (probably enough money to buy every school on the planet a 6" reflecting telescope) and things should be humming along again soon. Can't wait until the science begins to roll in once more. The world will be continually astounded at what the new Hubble will do!
Andrea's London photos are now on-line, so take a look if time permits. They are quite fabulous! She has also added to her Sweden set.
Monday, May 18th/09
Kalamazoo Weekend, Part 4
Sunday morning was clear and cold. We headed back to the Water Street Coffee Joint for breakfast. We left town after breakfast (Irish Oatmeal and scones) for the Lansing area, following Michigan Hwy 43, a very scenic route for most of the way. We were heading for Okemos near East Lansing, home to the prosaically named Travelers Club International Restaurant and Tuba Museum! The menu, wine list and beer list go on for pages and pages, and there are many veggie and vegan options. May is Asia food month, so Deb and I both chose a coconut milk noodle stir fry and a glass of red wine.
Tuba fountain at the restaurant in downtown Okemos, MI. Next door was Triple Goddess Bookstore, another fun place to browse.
After lunch we headed a bit north of Lake Lansing, aiming for the hiking trails at Lake Lansing County Park. We walked the three mile green loop, finding it to be among the most scenic woodland walks we have ever taken. The scenery was constantly changing, and the trail had at least a dozen boardwalks over marshes. Deep woods varied between deciduous and evergreen. This is a highly recommended trail, with other longer loops possible. This was a terrific hike.
Part of the trail scenery at Lake Lansing County Park. A lot of work went into this great trail system.
Kalamazoo Weekend, Part 3
While absorbed in our game of Carcassonne and beer drinking at Bell's Eccentric Cafe, we were joined at table by three people wearing conference ID badges. The pub was filled with people, many of them wearing their tags. The guy who sat beside Deb turned out to be Gary Schwartz, an animator and instructor from L.A. now living and working in Detroit. He was one of the judges at KAFI, the animation festival going on in Kalamazoo. After talking with Gary about Detroit for awhile (specifically the Detroit Film Theatre), we decided to go to the screening taking place Saturday evening, the fifth in a series of short animations being judged. Gary was one of three judges. He's also been nominated for an Oscar for animation. We finished our game, ordered some food and headed over to the beautifully restored State Theatre for the 8 pm showing. The movies were amazing, and we saw about 20. It was a fun way to cap off our stay. We will undoubtedly see Gary more, as he is the leading organizer of the upcoming 2nd annual Detroit/Windsor International Film Festival. Stay tuned for Part 4 of our journey summary....
Kalamazoo Weekend, Part 2
The Kal-Haven Rails to Trails Path begins just outside of Kalamazoo, though it is now connected to downtown. This 34 mile trail will provide the main adventure segment for our long weekend in October (unless we sneak off to Denver again). We will bike ride the trail to South Haven and back, with an overnight in South Haven. There are a few logistics to work out, but it should be fun. The trail looks fantastic. We walked it for awhile, enjoying the enormous trilliums and a good showing of mushrooms, too.
Deb on the Kal-Haven Trail. There was pavement at the start and at road crossings, otherwise it was hard-packed dirt.
Large-flowered Trilliums were seen all along the trail today. It rained in the morning, but cleared up as we walked.
There were lots of pink trilliums, too.
...and fungi. Morel hunters were out in the woods.
After a vigourous walk we headed to Bell's Eccentric Cafe, right across from Water Street Cafe. This place has long been on our 'to do' list, and it felt great to finally arrive. We drank Amber Ale (cask conditioned, of course) and had vegan tomato-peanut soup and an enormous platter of veggies, pita bread and hummous. The pub itself is smoke-free (!!), large and open. The high-mounted stained glass windows were jaw-dropping in their size, colour and subject matter. Lots of light gets into this wonderful place.
One of three large stained glass windows at the Eccentric Cafe.
This one uses real moose antlers!
After lunch we returned to the motel for a rest, then headed into the downtown area to explore. The downtown core is small but has some really interesting stores. There was even another brewpub! Olde Penninsula captured us for a couple of their brews, then we moved on. Pleasant enough and decent beer, but nothing too memorable there, especially with Bells in town. There were many restaurants, including a fancy wine bar, and several cool cafes. Food Dance is a restaurant but also a cafe with free trade coffee and a bakery/deli. Deb drooled over some of the gift/clothing stores in town. We returned to Bells Cafe in the late afternoon, bringing in our Carcassonne game. We grabbed the last available table, ordered some beer and began to play. Some people soon shared our table, and therein hangs a tale. Part 3 of this fascinating trip summary will tell the story of the Kalamazoo Animation Festival International (KAFI).
Sunday, May 17th/09
Kalamazoo Weekend, Part 1
We are just back from an unbelievably fun weekend in Michigan. Friday we drove to Kalamazoo, with stops in Marshall at Dark Horse Brewery (pizza, beer and atmosphere to die for--our 2nd visit) and Battle Creek. At Dark Horse we made some interesting contacts with two sky divers (one a pilot)! In Battle Creek, the downtown core was celebrating the Arts in a big way, with all galleries having an opening night. There were snacks and refreshments at various locations in the compact downtown, and entertainment too. In addition to visiting galleries, we got to see the local HO train club and their setup, and I saw a man in short pants playing the accordion and yodeling. Definitely a trip highlight! We stopped at Arcadia Brewing Company once again (see last September entry) before finally heading to our motel in Kalamazoo. It rained and stormed overnight, and Saturday morning was cold and drizzly, with occasional steadier rain. We stopped by Water Street Coffee Joint, and would return to this great spot for food and coffee all weekend. Afterwards, with our hiking plans on hold, we went to the Kalamzoo Art Museum to view their impressive permanent collection. There was a really good Georgia O'Keefe travelling exhibit on, but we gave it a miss (expensive entry fee, and a lot to see without it). By late morning the rain was giving way to mist, so we headed to a trailhead not far from town. This trail will soon affect our plans for the annual Thanksgiving Weekend Journey.... (trip write-up to be continued tomorrow, with photos).
Monday, May 11th/09
Yesterday we had a fun trip to Ann Arbor, though as a result the lawn did not get cut. The main mower is still out for repair, and I hope it's back by Wednesday or we have to cut by hand again.
I picked up the first 4 Zatoichi movies at Borders. These Samurai films are the greatest, as the blind swordsman battles the bad guys with grace, humour, and style like you wouldn't believe. A great series that ran for 26 films (!) and then 100 tv episodes. If you like these kinds of movies, these will be the best you have ever seen! If you've never seen a good samurai movie, this is as good as it gets. Very highly recommended. We ate lunch at Arbor Brewing Company, enjoying great cask ale and vegan food to die for. We also got small gifts for two long-time teacher friends who are retiring this year (I'm next!!).
Weinmann Block, downtown Ann Arbor.
Nickels Arcade, downtown Ann Arbor.
Today was the school track and field day. Deb, me and two other teachers ran the girls' shot put event, an easy enough task for a Monday morning. There are less than 7 weeks left in the school year. There were some amazing clouds passing overhead.
Normal shot of some of the clouds passing over us today at the track meet.
Enhanced filtered shot, showing the cloud structure a lot better.
We ran the girls' shot put event at the track today. Gr. 4 teacher and her student shown.
Last but not least, the shuttle Atlantis lifted off today for an 11 day marathon in space to repair and upgrade the Hubble Telescope. Many of us have been waiting for this day for about 4 years now!!
Saturday, May 9th/09
Ike has been released into the wild, our most successful release since Deb nursed Phoenix the finch back to health and released her several years ago. Ever since letting Ike swim in our creek a few weeks ago, he has been going crazy in his aquarium, trying to climb into the background picture. Today it didn't take more than a few seconds for him to dig himself into the mud of a nearby pond once released. We think he will be very happy. It took a while to find someplace suitable and away from vehicle traffic. This pond is a fifteen minute bushwhack from the nearest road, so we think he'll do fine.
Ike's new habitat, a pond within the Big Creek drainage area.
We put him on the pond bank for a moment to adjust from his carrying case.
Deb placed him in the pond, and he reacted almost immediately....
Ike was last seen digging into the mud, air bubbles indicating his progress. A successful release! For Ike's origins, see entry for September 14th, 2008.
We finally got the winter tires off the Jetta today, and managed to cut the furthest back lawn with the push mower. It was quite a workout, from which I am still recovering. Tomorrow Deb wishes to visit Ann Arbor for Mothers' Day, so we're off to the Art Museum and downtown area, likely for lunch and the early afternoon.
Thursday, May 7th/09
The number of staff changes coming to our school next year is actually becoming rather amusing. Two new Gr. 8 teachers, two new Gr. 6 teachers (Deb will have a split 5/6 grade), a new principal (as in new to us and new to the job of being principal) and a new J/I special education teacher. It's going to be one very interesting final year of teaching for me. Sadly, Deb is stuck for two more years.
We were out very late last night. Deb came with me to Belle River for the school badminton tournament (our school got skunked), where I was assisting Heather W. Afterwards the three of us went to Taloola's for dinner. It was raw food night, and we also each had a terrific (and badly needed) glass of Argentinian Shiraz. We had a good talk with Heather, who is heading to Vancouver for a year with her husband, who is interning out there to complete his Psych. Doc program at a B.C. hospital. She is very excited about the move, and she picked a good year to exit the building!
Not much on tap this weekend, though we would like to release Ike in the Big Creek area. Sunday we may head to Ann Arbor, this time to visit the newly reopened and completely renovated Museum of Art. Anyone out there want to come along?
Monday, May 4th/09
The Turtle Sign Lady
On Sunday afternoon we walked the Windsor riverfront, coming across a ceremony in Dieppe Park. It was a naval commemoration of the Canadian ships sunk in WW11. There were eighteen of them, and a ship's bell was tolled as each name was called out. One of my piano students, Kyran, is in the Windsor Military Band, and she was there playing sax. Glad we came across this event. We stayed and watched.
Naval commemoration ceremony Sunday at Dieppe Park.
One of my piano students (and former APS student) was playing sax.
The tulips were lovely at Dieppe Park.
Saturday, May 2nd/09
11:30 am
Last night's DSO all-Beethoven concert was worth the effort to get to--it would have been worth the effort to go anywhere to hear music performed this good. I mean, how many times has the DSO played the 5th Symphony? With 80 year-old Semkov leading them like he was 29 (but with the musical maturity his 80 years have brought), this was a special night to remember, our third incredibly engaging concert here in a row. The orchestra is hot, hot hot! Jonathan Biss went deep into the piano keys to pull out a ravishing and huge tone for the 3rd Concerto, playing this work with enough boldness to make it a perfect match for the 5th Symphony. The concert began with a spine-tingling rendition of the Egmont Overture, which had me sitting on the edge of my seat (where I firmly remained for the entire concert). Again, we took advantage of $15 rush seats.
Before the concert we hiked at Kensington Metropark, beginning at the Nature Centre and heading into some very damp woods. The annual May 1st wildflower show in the woods was very subdued this year, except for acres of beautiful yellow marsh marigolds. They must prefer very damp climates! On our walk we saw many birds, chipmunks, black squirrels, tiny red ones, as well as 7 deer, a raccoon, a wild turkey and a sandhill crane. All in all, a good visit!
Marsh marigolds, Kensington Metropark, Detroit.
We saw several deer today.
This one let us get pretty close.
Knarly tree, Kensington Metropark
It was very dark and cloudy in the woods today. This guy probably just woke up and thought it was evening.
Sandhill Crane, Metropark. We were alone on the trails once away from the nature center.
Wed., April 29th/09
The week is marching along nicely, though there are still more than 8 of them to go. Tomorrow my Advanced Band is performing at the monthly school assembly, our concert debut. It's not a very sonically balanced group. We have 3 alto saxes, 3 clarinets, 3 trumpets, a trombone, a baritone, a tenor sax, a flute and a keyboard. However, the sound is rather nice on a good day. We'll see how things pan out. Deb and I have been playing a fair amount of Carcassonne lately. The game usually takes 45 minutes at most, so it's fairly easy to squeeze in one or two during a weekend. The more one plays, the more strategies one recognizes. A very good board game, with no battles involved.
I'm reading an older novel by Neil Gaiman, "Neverwhere". We picked up the book used in London, and Deb read it first. We have seen the BBC mini-series, but the book is so much better. Gaiman is a true master of fantasy in this grim though not unhumourous tale of a man/boy that gets sucked into the world of London Below. In this world, where London tube stations and districts have their names taken quite literally (for instance, there is a real angel in Islington), the underworld is populated by denizens who have slipped through the cracks of civilization, becoming unseen by the masses who live in London Above. Very gripping reading, and much more fun if you know London or have a tube map handy while reading. I've added the tv series to our Netflix queue for a second viewing.
Sunday, April 26th/09
11:45 am
Last night's DSO concert has firmly reestablished the orchestra as my #1 favourite thing about living near Detroit. Slatkin and the DSO have, in a very short time, become indispensable to my existence. We will try and take in as many concerts next year as we can with Slatkin at the helm. The Mahler 1st Symphony was by far the best the orchestra has played in years, even surpassing the Brahms of 2 weeks ago. There are no more Slatkin concerts until Sept., but the remaining guest conductors are going to find a big change. Next week one of our favourite guest conductors, Jerzy Semkow, conducts an all-Beethoven program, including the 3rd Piano Concerto with Jonathon Biss. We'll be there either Friday night or Sunday afternoon.
A storm arrived quickly last night in downtown Detroit. Sunlight catches the newest hotel.
As we came out of Detroit Beer Company last evening after dinner, the sky was turning very dark and menacing. We made it to our vehicle, even capturing this shot of the Greektown Casino Hotel bathed in a final burst of sunlight before the storm hit.
Yesterday was also Ike's picture day, when he gets his monthly update photo. Not only that, but we took him down to our creek for his first swim, in anticipation of next month's release. He was very excited, obviously ready to go.
Ike in the backyard creek.
Ike's April photo update.
Wednesday, April 22nd/09
A busy busy day, with lots of music related activities (except piano practice) interspersed with lots of house cleaning and furniture rearranging. My morning began with the usual Wednesday crosswalk duty and two periods of teaching Gr. 4 music, followed by a trip to the Windsor Symphony with all of the Gr. 4s, 5s, 6s, and most of the 7/8 Band (184 of us all together). The concert was at Villanova, and though the music and performances were top knotch, the auditorium was so hot that it was truly uncomfortable. Pity the suited musicians and conductor on-stage, who gave two school performances there this morning.
We got home later than usual today because of that, and after a late lunch the house cleaning and furniture rearranging began. From 4 - 5 pm we hosted the first of two student performance classes, the younger students coming first, followed by the older ones at 5:15 - 6:15 pm. We had ten kids and a parent for the first class, and 8 (mostly giddy) high school girls and my adult student Roger for the second class. Tara played quite well, but her arm tension is building up again giving her tone a harsh edge. We need to focus on this again. Roger played two pieces, and succeeded well at both. Al played too fast, and Karly hadn't practiced her study. Holly was sick and not really with us, Kyran did okay after a rough start, Mel did better than she did on Sunday, but Angela's flute study was none too brilliant (though her high notes were clear). Everyone made it through their pieces. The final student concert is in seven weeks, so it's time to tighten the screws on a few of them.
By the time we had the furniture back to normal I was too worn out to practice, but I have managed 24 of the last 26 days, so still doing quite well. The weather is supposed to turn very fine again this weekend. We both need a long walk or two. We also have a Mahler 1st Symphony performance coming up with Slatkin and the DSO. Could be the highlight of the year...
Monday, April 20th/09
After hearing about 40+ inches of snow in Colorado, I'm not going to complain about an all night and all day rain in our neck of the woods, especially if it falls on a Monday. We had a perfect weekend, while stranded travellers in Colorado were sleeping in school gyms.
Today as promised I would like to introduce readers to the site of a close friend, former student, and all-round creative and energetic person and mom x3. Andrea and her husband are currently in Stockholm, and she has a few days to wander the city while he is at an engineering event. In a few days they will head to London. She has been uploading some incredible raw photos to her site here. Please enjoy. (link no longer works, sorry)
Sunday, April 19th/09
Our day out to London yesterday turned out to be fun. Deb was involved with harp activites all afternoon, and I got to hike at Komoka Provincial Park just west of London. We were diverted off the 401 highway near Ridgetown en route, and had to take back roads for awhile due to a fatal rollover. The eastbound lanes were closed most of the day. The park is just a sign, small parking lot and walking trails both above and alongside the Thames River. The trails are very well used, and offer several options, including the long one I took that kept me busy for about two hours.
Sign at the parking lot. There are no facilities, just the trails.
Flowering Skunk cabbage
The Thames River from overlook bluff.
This fellow was on the path as I approached, but shyly headed into the woods soon after. Deb searched on-line and found out it was an Eastern Hog-nosed Snake, in its "halloween" phase of colouring.
I had time to visit a 2nd park before picking up Deb for the drive home, this one a small conservation area in Coldstream. There were trails, a lake and dam.
We finished watching Season Three of Dr. Who, in a brilliant 3-part finale that brought in characters from some of the spin-off series as well as recent cast members. Supremely well-done, and like many of the newer ones, quite emotionally engaging too.
In a final note, Hector the Mouse has left the building. Hector the field mouse was a rescue, discovered nearly dead one morning, found after a long night of "playing" with the cats. Deb nursed him back to health, and he lived with us for many years, running happily on his wheel up till a few days ago. We usually release such captures, but Hector was blind in one eye. We couldn't be sure if he was born that way or if the cats had harmed him, but we thought it unwise to release him.
More news tomorrow, including a link to Andrea's photos from Stockholm!
Friday, April 17th/09
What a glorious day! Sunny and low 70s and the same for tomorrow. It's not supposed to last but it feels so good. We went for a walk on the Rouge Trail in Dearborn, finding much of the trail carpeted in flowers.
Tomorrow we are off early to London, where Deb and Anita are giving afternoon harp workshops and a small concert. I will spend the day at a nearby Provincial Park along the Thames River, wandering with my camera. I'm hoping some flowers are starting there, too, but it is pretty early in the season. We were totally amazed at the amount of Dearborn blooming.
Wednesday, April 15th/09
We got our first regular paycheck today since getting our new contract with the Ontario government. What was all the fuss about? Our raise amounts to $6 per week each, or a measley $12 in take home pay for the full-time teachers at the highest point on the salary grid. Damn teachers! They always get so much. Well folks, so much for that theory! Where does the rest of it go? Your guess is as good as mine....
After the deluge ceased, we left the Ark and went for a walk on dry land. Turned into a pretty nice afternoon, too, with temps similar to those we had in England a month ago. Took a few pics of Deb's front garden flowers, and one of the colourful sunsets we saw.
A species tulip from our garden.
Another species tulip, bred from the original wild flower. They open very early.
Sunset from our front window.
Piano is now at 20 days straight. I am hoping for 22 before having to break off to drive with Deb to London on Saturday morning. Can't remember ever having done so many days in a row before. Quite productive, too!
Monday, April 13th/09
When we returned from London, it was with an armful of dvds that Caroline had recorded for us of sundry BBC tv shows. We are currently watching "Taking Over the Asylum" with David Tennant and Ken Stott, a very good short series that sees Stott set up shop as a DJ in an insane asylum, with help from the locals. Very funny of course, but much else besides. A series we had never heard of and are enjoying immensely.
17 days in a row of decent piano practice has seen things improve a lot! The first and third movements of the Beethoven sonata (Op 10 #2) are not memorized, but nearly everything else is. I am really going to focus on getting the Beethoven ready for performance, possibly in late May or early June. The Baroque pieces (4) and Spanish pieces (3) are virtually ready.
Deb is giving a harp workshop and concert in London Ontario this Saturday with Anita L. I will go too, but after dropping Deb off I will head out to explore a little known park along the Thames, hopefully to spend an afternoon walking and taking pictures.
Andrea heads off soon to the big London, her first visit. It will be brief, but hopefully intense and rewarding.
Very cool day here today. We walked a few miles on the riverfront in Windsor, but it was grey and very windy, not at all pleasant.
Sunday, April 12th/09
11:00 am: We made the pilgrimmage to Ann Arbor last evening to hear Schiff perform the last three Beethoven Sonatas. Am I glad we went! This came as close to a religious experience as I have ever had. The Op 109, 110 and 111 are not the last things Beethoven wrote for the piano, but they mark the end of his exhaustive exploration of the sonata. The final movement of the final sonata is a very troublesome beast, extraordinarily difficult both musically and rythmically, and Schiff is the first I've heard to get both so right! He had the audience at Hill Auditorium in the palm of his hand all evening, but never more so than in this final farewell. I've never heard a quieter audience, with barely a breath being drawn even between movements.
Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor
Our seats on the upper balcony were perfect, where the piano sounds both immediate and clean. That's a 9' grand down there, a long distance away.
Yesterday we attended "Hops for Hope", an annual fundraiser held at the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti, MI. For a $20 donation each we got to sip brews (including fair trade coffee) eat delicious veggie snacks and sample fair trade chocolate, all the while raising money and awareness for a rabbit rescue program. An unbelievably huge problem exists at Easter time when kids are given bunnies as presents. Many rabbits are abandoned as they require a lot of care. In comes the Midwest Rabbit Rescue.
After this we went to Ann Arbor for the late afternoon and evening. I purchased disc 6 of the Schiff performance of the sonatas. I still require #4, 7 & 8.
Downtown Ann Arbor was very busy. We spent about 3 hours here before the concert started.
Thursday, April 9th/09
It would appear that winter has heeded my warning and left the local area! We've had some great weather over the past two days, after a less than pleasant start to the week. I've completed work on my London Journal #9, filled with photos and fascinating details of our trip, such as how many trains we were on, and how many pubs we spent time at, and what we had for breakfast. Makes for essential reading that one simply can't put down, even for a minute. Seriously though, writing these journals and putting in the photos solidifies the memories for me, much more than just photos or the writing alone. As a result of these journals I remember a lot about our many trips that would normally be long forgotten, or worse, mixed up with details from other trips. Besides, for me the books are fun to put together.
Piano practice is definitely on a roll, and I have now hit 13 days in a row. This weekend I can restart the memorization process (which becomes more painful with each passing year).
While outside for moonrise tonight we noticed that our bridge is sagging. It appears that the support beams on one side have rotted. Not good. We are already looking at having to redo the deck, and the prospect of also repairing the bridge does not excite me. The joys of home ownership are sometimes almost too much to bear.
Monday, April 6th/09
It is now confirmed--winter is my least favourite season. Despite the small amount of snow we received overnight, it was nearly too much to bear! Go Away Winter!!!! And leave our daffodils alone!!!
I am nearly finished writing the London journal for Trip #9, currently doing the summative essay. Despite working long hours this week on this and on the website update last week, I have managed to practice piano for 10 days straight. For me this is nearly as rare as giving an actual concert! I give Joel Hastings credit for this feat. His work on the Beethoven Hammerklavier Sonata keeps me going. He performed it again last Friday in Ann Arbor, and if we hadn't already had DSO tickets we would have gone back to hear him play it again. Andras Schiff will play it Thursday night in Ann Arbor, but we are teaching. Very sad to have to miss it. However, we are going to make every effort to hear him on Saturday night as he performs the final three sonatas of the 32. Out of eight concerts presented we will only have heard four if we go Saturday. Next year's Opus 3 series with the Detroit Chamber Music Society promises three great solo recitals, featuring Vladimir Feltsman (we loved him last time), Emmanuel Ax and Yuja Wang. I love her playing far more than Lang Lang. She is absolutely awesome (and at 22, that's pretty scary). Her program looks to be the more interesting of the three as well, with Scarlatti, Beethoven and Prokoviev.
Saturday, April 4th/09
Last night's DSO concert was utterly amazing, and provided our first close look at the new music director Leonard Slatkin. We heard the Britten "Four Sea Interludes" and the Berg Violin Concerto from the main floor, moving up to the upper balcony after intermission. He has switched the positions of the cellos and the violas, and it has made an astounding difference in the overall sound. He is also fiddling with the ceiling acoustic tiles above the stage. The string sound is now so enriched as to be nearly unbelievable. We heard the Brahms 4th Symphony and nearly died of pleasure! I didn't think it was possible for the hall acoustics to be any better. The sound is even more immediate and clear, with the middle voices and textures projecting well. It is a bit louder, too. Several clarinet solos and a gorgeous flute solo sounded as if the players were standing directly in front of our seats! Slatkin conducted from memory, and his emotional rapport with the orchestra was evident. This is a veteran seasoned and gifted conductor that the older members of the orchestra deeply respect, and the younger members simply are in awe of. This promises to be a marriage made in heaven, especially with Slatkin's interest in acoustics. We stayed after the concert to hear him speak to the smaller audience that remained to listen (it was a decent house tonight). He impressed everyone with his ability to communicate clearly and succintly and not talk down to us. When asked where his favourite place to sit in the hall is (he listens when guest conductors are in town), he said that the upper balcony is like being in heaven, nearly literally. He returns in three weeks to conduct the Mahler 1st. That is going to be the most incredible concert of the year!!! If anyone wants to go, let me know soon. Deb and I wil likely go on Saturday evening the 25th of April. It will likely be a sellout.
Thursday, April 2nd/09
I just finished my report cards for second term, and feel like shouting "Woo Hoo" right about now! Half a day of work left and it's off to Detroit tomorrow afternoon and evening. We have tickets to the Detroit Symphony tomorrow night to hear works by Britten, Berg and Brahms (there are so many great "B" composers in music). Unfortunately, I will miss a concert of piano music by Rachmaninoff by Philip Adamson and some of his advanced university students. That one starts at 7 pm tomorrow and is at Walkerville H.S. auditorium.
No other plans yet for the weekend, except to continue working on my journal of the London trip. I've had very little time this week to write it. Deb will have to do her report cards. On Wednesday the Touareg came out of hibernation, and we have been happily driving it around for two days now. It started first time and kept all settings, which is amazing as it has been plugged in to a trickle charger in a nearby unheated garage since November 23rd! Not having it for four months makes it seem like we just bought a new vehicle! It warms my heart to think that road salt did not touch it at all this year.
Sunday, March 29th/09
I am still on a high from Joel Hasting's concert Friday night. That man has such technical control! Which of course means that instead of worrying about things, he can concentrate on the music. And what music! The Hammerklavier Sonata is too grand for mere words, and perhaps even for mere mortals. Joel compared the final fugue movement to a great genius scribbling equations furiously on a chalkboard, equations no one else could understand. What a great analogy!
On Saturday afternoon I helped judge the ORMTA competition at the Junior and Provincial levels. I was unable to attend the morning session, where Tasula won the Young Artist Award. Judging the Juniors was tough, especially with all four judges having quite different ideas. The Provincial winner was Danni, and that needed no discussion whatsoever. That girl plays at such a high level and with such intensity, she is certain to win the all-Ontario. Likewise with Tasula. Such amazing young women.
I have finished the London website update, and there are now many fine pics from our recent walking holiday. I had to post them to Deb's website, and it seems to be down right now. That figures.
Friday, March 27th/09
The first week back to school has finally come to an end. I wish our March Break in England had seemed to last as long as this week did! Speaking of which, I worked over an hour today on updating the website for the London trip. I uploaded and edited pictures, added commentary, links, and resized the pages themselves and the photos, only to have the program crash when I tried to save. Now I must begin again, likely saving after each photo has been added, which will add lots of time to the project.
Today my Gr. 4/5 Recorder Band (24 members) gave their first concert of the new season in front of the school. We played two ensemble pieces, and two pairs of girls played duets in front of the whole school, obviously completely terrorized by their surroundings. Still, things went really well. After the concert, a normally very quiet boy in Gr. 4 said to me "That was the scariest thing I've ever done in my whole life!" And he only played in the ensemble! Tonight we went to hear Joel Hastings play the Beethoven "Hammerklavier Sonata," Op 106. It was a beautiful performance, especially the 20 minute slow movement. Glad we made the effort to go. Tomorrow is the annual ORMTA Piano Competition, which I will help judge, so it's back to St. Andrew's Church in Windsor once again.
Wednesday, March 25th/09
It was a big day in many respects. We got Mogi to his first vet appointment without incident. We really thought he would explode, but he was a real pussycat. He weighs in at 14 lbs., certainly a healthy, big boy. Once back home he was still fine, and seems now to think he had a bad dream. Today I also got the grades placed on my 200+ report cards for Term Two. Comments still to go, but I feel good about having the grades on. The computer program we use makes it fairly easy, though still time-consuming. I resumed piano practice, and hope maybe someday to give the concert that is now about one year overdue. I will be attending a piano recital Friday night in Windsor to hear the Beethoven "Hammerklavier Sonata", a beast if ever there was one. Compared to my Op 10 No. 2, they hardly seem to be written by the same composer! Saturday I will help judge the local branch of ORMTA's student competition. The student playing level is extremely high, and I feel confident that our top student will capture the all-Ontario this year, and possibly the Canadian title as well, as Robert Biswas did a few years back.
I have begun serious work on the London journal, having printed 150 photos today at Shoppers. Many of those will make it into the journal, but only about 20 will be enlarged for the special album. It's always fun to write in detail about recent trips--it's like reliving them. We managed 25 pubs in our 7-day visit. I haven't added the miles of walking yet, but I am sure it will rival our New Mexico total from last August.
Monday, March 23/09
I am gradually recovering from our busy and active week in and around London. We went nearly non-stop for seven days, and are now paying a price. While the jet lag program we use worked liked a charm, there is no cure for over-exertion other than rest. Too many pubs and too many walking trails! We have continued to walk since returning home, including a longish one on Sunday and shorter ones today. I am feeling not too badly tonight, considering what my body has been through in the past week. The trip was awesome and unforgettable, and things all worked out according to our detailed plans. Walk after walk after walk kept us moving, and pub after pub after pub kept us sitting, so it was a fairly balanced trip. We were frequently on one train or another, and most of them were on time to the minute! I will begin work on my journal soon. I am still editing photos, having taken 257. I have some serious editing to do before printing the ones I want. I currently have the total down to 170. I was able to get several good ones flying over Greenland on the way home, from 36,000'! The weather was perfect day after day, a most unusual occurance for March. The website will get updated in a week or so, but until then here are a few pics in small versions.
Numerous walking trails are well-signed. Today we were on the London Loop.
Deb fixes her boot along the Thames on the London Loop. We are about 26 miles downriver from London.
We managed to have dinner with Caroline three times, and Toby once. Ian was sick, so we didn't visit him and Heather in their new home.
Somewhere in the countryside...
The Swan Pub, Ink Pen, Berkshire.
Over southern Greenland, from 36,000'!!
Sunday, March 22/09
We have had another fun and successful trip to London! We got to have dinner with Caroline three times and Toby once. We got back last night after the usual 19-hour transport marathon from our hotel in London to our front door. We left our hotel in Limehouse at 5:05 am (1:05 EST) to catch the Docklands Light Railway train (the 5:21) into Tower Gateway. We then walked to Tower Hill tube to catch a District Line train to South Kensington, where we transferred to the Picadilly Line to Heathrow. Next came Terminal One and a very painless check-in procedure. We had two hours until our flight, so we had some breakfast before heading to our departure gate. Our flight for Chicago left on time, and was very smooth and uneventful. We both read much of the way. Our flight path took us over northwest Scotland and the southern tip of Greenland, and I got some great photos of the landscape. Once in Chicago we arrived at Terminal Five. We had to go through passport control and customs, then recheck our bags for the flight to Detroit. A terminal to terminal train took us to Terminal One, where we waited for our final flight. We were in Detroit early by 25 minutes (17:50). Airlines Parking vans were waiting, and we were soon at our car. We stopped in Dearborn for fuel, beer and mail. The lineup into Canada was long, about halfway across the bridge, but we made it through quite fast. Home by 8 pm and in bed by 10. Today is all about unpacking, doing laundry, grocery shopping and working out the London expenses. I'll put some small pictures up today, but the main ones will take at least a week or so.
Wed., March 10th/09
The walking program is going well, though it is not advanced enough for our needs in London. Once again we will run the risk of exhausting ourselves if we are not careful. Long walks are planned for Sunday thru Thursday, though at least the weather looks very cooperative this year. Theresa is once again in charge of the house and critters. She always does a great job. Monday I walked home part-way from school, and today, despite a bellowing wind we walked for 40 minutes in Essex. The flooding out there is quite severe, mostly backyards and probably basements. All creeks and ditches are filled to maximum. Tomorrow I plan to walk all the way home from school.
Detroit River, from my walk home on Monday. Despite our best efforts, we need about two more weeks of walking to prepare for our upcoming trip. Illness and foul weather really hurt us this year.
Sunday, March 8th/09
For the first time since late November the weekend temperature hasn't been below freezing. However, it hasn't stopped raining. Yesterday we walked on the Rouge Trail and in downtown Detroit. We also visited the Detroit Beer Company, as they had cask ale today! It was so delicious! I know I will not find a better glass of beer in all of England (though I am going to search anyway). Hope they do casks here more often.
We are currently watching another of the very, very early Doctor Who series. In fact "The Daleks" was only the 2nd series to run on BBC, originally shown in late 1963 and early 1964. Here is a photo from the end of the first episode, with Barbara cornered by a Dalek. This is the first peek anyone had of a Dalek. Those fiends!!!
The business end of a Dalek. First glimpse of one from Dec. 1963.
For today's walk we started near the university and walked downtown to a cafe on Ouelette Ave. Coffee Exchange looks like a good place to hang out on a Sunday. The coffee was very good, and the surroundings comfortable and pleasant. A large aquarium separates the main room from a smaller back room. The walk downtown was during a pause in the rain, but the walk back was in moderate rain. Our gear did just fine. We feel so empowered, being able to walk in the rain with impunity!
Aquarium detail, Coffee Exchange.
Another aquarium detail, downtown Windsor Cafe.
Friday, March 6th/09
Temps today went soaring into the mid-60s, and we took advantage of it with a walk in Windsor. We started at Jackson Park and walked to a cafe on Erie Street, then back again. It was a glorious day, and we are not likely to see another like it until late April. Tons of rain predicted for tomorrow, and temps in the 40s. When we got home I took Ferdinand outside for some fresh air.
Ferdie finds a dried catnip patch outside today.
Ferdinand is our oldest cat. He went out in the backyard today to enjoy the fine weather.
Wed., March 4th/09
Our walking program is back on track, as winter weather recedes and spring shyly comes forth. It's about time. Yesterday I walked for about 60 minutes, including this Detroit River walk near our home to meet Deb coming home from school. It was still cold, but the wind had ceased to blow, so it was rather enjoyable.
Detroit River along Front Rd N., near our home on Tuesday. Far shore is Grosse Ille, MI.
On a very sad note, Peanut the Finch has passed away. Peanut was born in Deb's "bird room" in January 2002. His parents were Sprocket and Sprite. He was born with splayed legs, which means he could never sit on a perch. For a wild bird this is always fatal, since a bird that can't perch will soon be eaten by predators on the ground. Deb took him to the vet soon after he matured, and was assured that he could lead a quality life as long as he was interested in food, and a cage could be tweaked to accomodate him. Over the seven years plus, Deb in her infinite patience and ingenuity tweaked many a cage for him. These tiny birds seldom live longer than 4 years, and all of Peanut's kin died young. When he himself was young he could actually fly, but eventually he lost his wing feathers and avian abilities. Near the end he looked like a tiny plucked chicken, but still managed to manoever inside his cage and devour his corn and seed. He received a proper backyard burial today, and for the first time in seven years Peanut will not be at home tonight. Let's hope he finds his way to the big birdcage in the sky! You will be fondly remembered Peanut, for your stamina and grit against all odds of survival. You outlived them all, and then some.
Monday, March 2nd/09
Our walking program has suffered a setback due to extremely cold weather. The north wind has been blowing for three days and nights now, making any outdoor experiences not recommended. Hopefully tomorrow we can resume. It has been the longest winter I can remember since moving down here in 1976. I also seem to have pulled a leg muscle, and a blister has formed on my right instep. Another good reason to take a day off.
Despite losing 4 students recently in my private studio, I still have more teaching than I really want. I have rearranged the timetable so I don't have any long breaks between students, which helps with the flow of my evenings. Mondays I finish at 7 pm, Tuesdays it's 8 pm, and Thursday it's 7:30. Tonight's lessons went well, and it's always a pleasure to end the evening with Melissa and her pink clarinet. Such a happy-go-lucky attitude and a fun person to spend time with.
Saturday, Feb.29th/09
Friday was a PD day, thus no students. We were home a bit earlier than usual, too. In the afternoon we headed out for a long Detroit afternoon/evening. We returned to Borders in Dearborn, where CDs were now 50% off! We bought four, including Vol V of the Schiff Beethoven set. We also walked on the Rouge River Trail, gradually increasing our time. Perhaps next weekend we will try a long walk. It turned very cold and windy, with temps dropping from 51 F in the morning to below freezing by afternoon. We had dinner at Buddys, then headed into downtown Detroit to hear the DSO perform in an all-Baroque concert. Mostly made up of music by Handel and Bach, we enjoyed it very much. Very few concerts have been attended this year, and we have none planned for London. Afterwards driving home we merged onto I94 right at the scene of an overturned vehicle. Emergency crews had not yet responded, but people had stopped. Just a little ahead we hit a patch of black ice, undoubtedly the reason for the accident behind us.
Today we managed two walks, plus a visit to our cafe in Lasalle. It was bitter cold for the morning and afternoon walks. I talked to my parents in Sudbury, and they had a major snowstorm yesterday and were suffering unbelievably cold temps today. Temps seem to moderate next week by Wed. March is a very tricky month, and usually a nasty one.
The Rouge River was very high. From our walk in Dearborn on Friday.
Deb and me at the cafe in Lasalle on Malden Road. We sent this picture to Caroline in London, as we still learn to use Deb's marvellous little notepad computer. We are taking it to London.
Wed., Feb. 25th/09
Our week is going not too badly. Deb seems fully recovered from her virus, while I am at about 80% of my old self. Today the school band performed at an early morning assembly, and it tired me a lot. However, they played well and mostly cleaned up the room afterwards. We did manage a 40 minute walk after lunch, though. We are getting close to our London walking holiday, and as usual we feel underprepared.
Received a nice chatty e-mail from Lynne today. Her pregnancy is nearly at the midpoint, and she seems to be doing fine. She also talked about my mother's 80th birthday coming up in May. It's very unlikely we can get up there for a weekend, however. A tad too far. Speaking of family, I also heard from my cousin Melanie. She and her daughter and boyfriend may be moving to Windsor in the near future. Mel has always lived in Sudbury, so it's a bit of a shocker. Hope everything works out for her.
Yesterday afternoon, in the midst of our private teaching, we were faced with a plumbing emergency. We finally got a plumber here around 9 pm. I can't say enough good things about the guy (Brian) sent by Plumbing Now, who arrived within an hour of our call to them. He even wore a uniform! This is one professional organization, with all prices given up front. Given that it was an after-hours call, we knew this was going to be expensive. Our main sewer line that connects the house to the town sewer was plugged. It turned out to be tree roots from our large maple tree in the front yard, and the problem is likely to recur. The roots came in through tiny cracks in the line. Things were unplugged and back to normal by 10 pm, though we were considerably poorer. Still, this is a very highly recommended company. One of their guarantees (among many) is that a real person will always answer the phone, 24/7. It was true last night. Just for comparison, we also called Atkinson Plumbing, and they got back to us today in the middle of the afternoon! Big help.
Sunday, Feb. 22nd/09
I was supposed to play piano tonight at an adult gathering organized by Paula. However, due to my recent sleeping illness, I thought a night performance unwise. Today I felt not half-bad. We finished shovelling the driveway, which did tire me, and went for a walk along the Windsor riverfront. Due to the wind chill, it was a very cold walk to Taloola's Cafe, where we had an enjoyable lunch before walking back to our car parked at the river. I attempted to practice piano today with limited success. Body and mind are currently out of synch, though I will continue to go through the motions until I'm better.
Friday we went to Dearborn. Borders was having a very good sale, and we bought a few CDs and books. We also walked the Rouge Trail there for a bit. Walks are still in the 30 minute range right now, as I find longer ones too tiring. Yet in three weeks we have to walk about 9 miles each day. I am confident I can get to that point, but I must not rush things. Hopefully by next weekend we can increase the pace exponentially.
Rouge Trail, from our walk on Friday.
Today's walk on the Detroit River was a very cold one. Winter goes ever on.
Safe and warm inside Taloola's Cafe, Walkerville. We had lunch here before resuming our walk.
Saturday, Feb. 21st/09
Finally beginning to feel a bit better, though still a bit groggy until the afternoon. Our walking program has resumed, though today's snow may crimp our style somewhat. I tried to practice today and did manage some, but it wasn't very effective. I still feel like I could sleep for 12 hours and not get enough. The wind is really howling tonight. The last time I slept through a windy night like this I came up with Pan's Salterello, the song I heard in a dream and actually got up and wrote down. It still goes through my head, but not as much now. I need to get some words to that melody. E-mail me if you wish to hear it--we have a passable midi version I could send along.
I finished the New Mexico Trip #26 enlargement project, in which I wrote a short essay to accompany each of the 40 or so photo enlargements I did of last summer's trip, all collected in a nice little album. Looking forward to the next big photo project, the trip to London.
Wed., Feb. 18th/09
I seem to have contacted some type of sleeping disease, making it hard to stay focussed. I sleep very soundly at night, come home in the afternoon and take a long nap, yet remain tired until bedtime. It seems to be a followup to my cold from last week, and it's taking a long time to get back to full health. We had a lovely walk on Monday along the river in Amherstburg, but the weather today was worse than miserable. However, it did stop raining long enough to take a short walk. Ike had his monthly photo shoot today, and is growing into one big turtle! He eats every other day now, and seems to have a healthy appetite.
Our London itinerary is mostly finalized. Missing this year are the evening concerts, but we have added three days outside of the city for long country walks. Usually we plan only one day away. We will have a day in Berkshire and two in Bedfordshire, all by rail. We are getting very excited, though we fully realize how exhausting the trip will be. Last year it took a full week to recover.
Either that battery is shrinking or Ike is becoming larger by the minute!
Close-up of Ike.
Saturday. Feb. 14th/09
As Pagans celebrate the beginning of the end of Winter, Winter shows us that it is far from over. Despite spring-like weather all week and tons of rain, come the weekend we return to cold temps and significant snowfall. Figures. This is a long weekend for us, our provincial government's half-assed attempt at initiating a new holiday. The only problem for schools is that we now have to add on another day in June! A certain number of instruction days are mandated, and that was not altered by our far-thinking government. So instead of a productive day of teaching in winter, we trade it for a totally wasted day in June, sitting around our stifling classrooms frying in the heat and doing nothing. Full points for stupidity goes to our Premier.
We went to Detroit today, enjoying a great pizza at Buddy's in Dearborn, then walking on the Rouge Trail. It was a bit of a trudge through the snow, though a lovely walk. Once home, we both collapsed on the bed for a long nap. Deb still isn't fully recovered from her illness, not helped by the fact that she went to work all week rather than take a day or two off to rest up.
Orchestral Tea, Buddys Pizza, Dearborn. We last had this very brand of tea in Walsenburg, Colorado last August on our big trip west!
Detail of ceiling, Buddy's Pizza.
Rouge River, from our walk today.
Friday, Feb. 13th/09
A few things got done today. We finally got the attic and basement insulated, costing us about as much as a trip to London for 2. We will get money back on this eventually, though. Hopefully it will put a dent in our out-of-control heating bills. We still need to get the exterior walls done, but the foam is not allowed in Canada any more.
After that was done, we went to Amherstburg and bottled our newest batch of wine, a very fine Chianti. We sampled it tonight and are very pleased. Once home, we got my new music composition written in good on manuscript. This tune came to me in a vivid dream Wed. night, and I awoke and actually scribbled it down. It needs harmony and Italian words. We found a poem by Lorenzo di Medici that just might work.
We continue to watch Season One of "The Big Bang Theory" on DVD, tonight enjoying the episode where the boys purchase the original, actual time machine from the classic film! Great fun, and simply the best comedy show on tv.
Thursday, Feb. 12/09
A third student has pulled out of lessons this week. I am still oversubscribed, though, so I will enjoy the temporary respite. I'm certain the spaces will fill up. Had a very fascinating dream last night, as I got to listen to Pan (yes, that Pan) play the organ while accompanying a fabulous soprano in a rollicking Italian operatic style folksong! I woke up when the God said "There is a stranger in here", and then I immediately got up and went downstairs to write out the melody. I wish I had the Italian words that went with the song!! It is a great piece of music, though I feel as if I have stolen it.
We watched "Mon Oncle Antoine", my favourite Canadian film. It's a devastating glimpse into small town mining life in the north (Quebec), focusing on young Benoit and his sudden thrust from childhood into adulthood. There are so many fine moments, and one will often think of Fellini's films about youth, such as "Amacord". This is a film to watch in the chill of winter. Brilliant and a must for anyone who yearns for "the good old days", which for Benoit (and most of us), never were that good.
Saturday, Feb. 7th/09
I now have two less private students, as the twins have been pulled from lessons. This is likely due to financial reasons, something that will likely happen more frequently as time goes by. I still have way too many pupils, but it was fun having them. Though they will both be missed, Wendy was especially talented. I'm certain their spaces will fill up soon enough. In the meantime, I have an extra hour to practice on Thursdays!
We went to Detroit today, after having lunch in Dearborn and getting our mail. We wanted to go to a new cafe in Detroit, but when we got there a sign on the door said it wouldn't open until Tuesday! No problem, as we just drove down a little further on Woodward and went to Zacarro's Market, which now features loft apartments above it. Very cool! Next we walked through Eastern Market, something we haven't done in years. Lots of renovations going on there, and we'll return in the spring. Did I mention it was 48 F today? What a gorgeous day. Afterwards, we went to the Nature Centre at Belle Isle to view the turtles, and after that went to Atwater Brewery. We sat near a roaring fire and each had a pint of their Coffee Stout (heavenly), whilst enjoying the free wi-fi with Deb's notebook computer. Deb has a cold, but I am still fighting it off.
One of the denizens at the Nature Center on Belle Isle. This is a Blandings Turtle, enjoying the indoor pool and spa.
Goldfinch on feeder, Belle Isle Nature Center.
For whatever reason, the fountain on Belle Isle was still operating, causing a bit of an ice build up. Unknown suicidal male included for scale.
We love visiting pubs during afternoon quiet time, usually around 3 pm to 5 pm. This is Atwater Brewery in Detroit. Got to keep in shape for London.
Friday, Feb.6th/09
We are finally half way to March Break from Christmas Break. 5 weeks down and 5 to go. It's been as cold as I can ever remember, though at least the snow has dropped off over the past few weeks. This winter will be remembered as the one without any respite. Since late November when we put away the Touareg, winter has been unrelenting, and I have the gas heating bills to prove it! The one good side to all this is that we have had plenty of sunshine, more than I can ever remember for an Essex County winter. It's been fun watching the sun slowly climb higher, and rise earlier and set later. Today on our snowshoe walk, even though the temperature stayed below freezing, we could feel the warmth of the sun.
Snowshoeing in our back field. It was a glorious day for a walk. Deb's very stressful week has ended with her getting sick tonight, which makes it nearly inevitable that I will be sick soon, too.
Beorn sleeps in his cave for the winter.
Tuesday, Feb. 3rd/09
Momentum for the London trip continues to build, as we discover what's on. We have nearly finalized our itinerary in rough, and as usual the trip will include mostly new things. Besides half a dozen long walks (more about these in a later column) we are anxious to get to a few smaller museums. One of these is Red House, once the home of William Morris, a leader in the Arts and Crafts movement, designed by him. We will compliment our visit here with a visit later in the week to the William Morris Gallery. Situated in a completely different part of London, this is another place we have longed to visit. London has dozens of small museums that few people have heard of, and we have visited many of them. Fortunately, there are still many more to see. We will also attend an exhibit at the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art, home of one of the best Futurist collections in the world. The current exhibit is one we wish to see. I have visited here before for a different exhibit, but Deb has only been to the cafe. As far as large galleries, we will return to Tate Modern to view the latest installation in the Turbine Hall. These change annually, and a few of them have been among the best things I have ever seen. Check out the scale of this hall, and a view of the current installation.
The coup de grace for me this year is the exhibit "Brueghel to Rubens: Masters of Flemish Painting." What a stroke of luck for me, as the entire Royal collection of Flemish pictures goes up on display at one time, including the incomparable "Slaughter of the Innocents" by Brueghel the Elder. It's at the Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace, so we will be making our first visit there!
Our walking program is back on track. Today we completed our fifth walk in a row, enjoying some of the finest weather of the season. Today we went out on our snowshoes, circling the ponds behind our house. I have no private students this week, as we are all meeting at my school tomorrow for a group lesson.
The walking trails in Lasalle are kept plowed, so we have been using them.
The two ponds behind our house make for good snowshoeing loops. There are two shovelled skating rinks on them, too.
Monday, Feb. 2nd/09
Another very fine day, with plenty of sunshine and slightly mild temps. Two in a row now, so we may be getting spoiled. Today was the feast of Candlemas, reduced today to a really stupid event called "groundhog day". Candlemas for pagans means we are halfway to spring equinox, and the hours of daylight are most definitely returning. Winter is entering its final stretch, and slowly begins its inevitable decline. Sounds like a good occasion for a holiday to me. Oddly enough, London UK got socked today by its worst winter storm in over 20 years. The city ground to a complete halt.
Sunday, Feb. 1st 2009
Today I was supposed to accompany my flute student Angela at the monthly ORMTA student recital at the Windsor Public Library. Her mom called to say she was sick, so I headed downtown anyway to hear three of my piano students perform. Alicia, Karly and Tara each went up to the grand piano and tried their best. Musically and technically, Tara performed better of the three. Karly gave a rather tame reading of the Chopin e- Prelude, and Alicia totally messed up one of her pieces and did okay on another.
Tara performs her solo at the library recital this afternoon. Of three of my students performing today, she played the best.
Afterwards Deb and I walked from the library to the Erie St. cafe scene, enjoying a walk on a lovely spring-like afternoon and some very fine coffee. This was our third walking day in a row, as we gear up for a March walking holiday in and around London, UK. On Saturday we went to Dearborn, then came back to Windsor to eat at Pause Cafe downtown. We went on a bitter cold walk around the downtown streets before heading home. We got to try Deb's new computer on a wi-fi connection, surfing some fun sites related to our upcoming journey. We snagged a deal on Priceline.com, after searching for many weeks, that includes our flight and hotel. We are very excited, since we are planning even more day trips from London to walk in the countryside and visit village pubs. We spent all three weekend evenings at home, working on our various projects. Deb is heavily involved with her newest art works, while I continue on my Allie Tachbrook novel, volume two.
Ferdie and Mogi relax on the table. Ferdie is on a heating pad.
Wednesday, Jan. 28th/09
I finished reading "The Butlerian Jihad" in record time. The 700 page Dune novel kept me up more than a few nights! This is the tenth book of a mostly fascinating series, with the four most recently read novels in the series telling of prior events hinted at in the original Dune novel. These are written by Herbert's son, and certainly provide an unending source (he's still writing) of Dune material. Along with Herbert's original six books, I can safely say this is the largest series I have ever read.
I have switched gears and am now reading a Tony Hillerman novel, his last Jim Chee one, called "Shape Shifter". It gets less than stellar reviews, but he was very sick when he wrote it (Hillerman passed away last October).
We had another half-decent snowfall overnight, and the driveway and parking areas are about 60% shovelled. I hurt my back on Sunday carrying a pail of water out to the birdbath, so Deb has been bearing the brunt of most of the shovelling. I can push it around into piles, but she has to move it with the snowfloat and dump it .
Sunday, Jan. 25th/09
Another weekend has zoomed past. It seems the more fun they are the faster they go by! Saturday we made a quick trip to Essex for some shopping, but otherwise we were home all weekend. We had two very chilly snowshoe walks in the large field behind us. The two ponds are completely frozen over, and had been shovelled. Saturday a hockey game was taking place! Scenes from my childhood. Indoor activities included lots of piano practice, with good memorization results continuing, reading (Dune series), trip planning and gaming. There are still 7 long weeks to go before March Break. The weather will likely still be nasty well into March this year. We are certainly in a global cooling trend, going back to last February. It was not a hot summer by any means, and winter came early this year and has stayed with us. While manmade global warming influences continue, the earth appears to be cooling right now, possibly related to sunspot cycles that have been very low for sometime now. This has happened before. If so, then our house insulation can't arrive too soon. Good thing we are enjoying winter outdoor activities a bit, too.
Near sunset, from our snowshoe walk today behind our neighbourhood houses. It was very chilly and breezy.
Deb (centre, right) snowshoes through the fields on a cold Sunday January afternoon.
Friday, Jan. 23rd/09
A very good day it was, beginning with mild temperatures that didn't freeze one through and through, and followed up by a half-decent day of actual teaching. My two least-favourite classes are the last two I teach on Fridays, so often the weekend gets off to a less than favourable start. Today things went as smooth as glass. After lunch we headed to Detroit, where Deb picked up her birthday present, which was awaiting her at our mailbox. She got an Eee PC, a tiny laptop that disguises its power and usefullness in a very small size. With a Linux OS and weighing 1 kg, the thing runs beautifully and comes loaded with over 50 programs. Hundreds more programs are available, many of them free. Deb is very pleased.
Thursday, Jan. 22/09
I solved a big problem with the school website today, after trying since September! We have wanted to put the school newsletters on-line, but only had limited success with just the text version. Putting the actual newsletter into Adobe Acrobat was Step One, but then I had to figure out how to get that uploaded using Cutesite Builder. Today, after exhausting every possible option I finally hit on the right combination. Cha-ching! At last!
Tonight we watched the 1933 film "42nd Street", starring Ruby Keeler. It's one of my very favourite musicals, a high octane romp through some great singing (like "Shuffle off to Buffalo", "I'm Young and Healthy" and of course the showstopper "42nd Street") and dancing. Only the 30s could have produced such energy! I haven't seen this movie in about 10 years. It instantly puts you in a good mood, and I hope it lasts all weekend!
Wednesday, Jan. 21/09
I am so grateful for Wednesdays! It is my mid-week sanity break after putting in vigorous and rigorous Mondays and Tuesdays and half day Wednesdays. Today after schooI I practiced an hour after lunch, read, had a nap, practiced another hour, went snowshoeing with Deb, and then generally relaxed with a good bottle of beer. We have been seeking high and low on the internet for some way to travel to England economically on the March Break, so far with limited success. We could go to Phoenix for a lot less, so let's just say that things are up in the air right now. We had a preliminary planning session for the summer drive to New Mexico, with camping planned in Kansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. This trip will have a back up plan in case the monsoon season is frightful!
I did something today I haven't done since I was about 14 or 15. I took a photo with my Instamatic SLR camera using a flash cube! How retro is that?! Deb got me some vintage flashcubes on eBay, and I've had them for a long time. I finally remembered them AND had a fim loaded in the one camera that they fit. I took an indoor shot, fully expecting the picture to be ruined by a non-flash. The thing fired perfectly! I have 23 more flashes at my disposal, as well as over 250 shots left with my fresh film remaining. To my never-ending surprise, Shoppers Drug Mart develops 126 film, and does a super job! Anybody out there with Instamatic cameras, they are still fun and sexy to use.
Hard to believe Bush and Cheney are gone. That will take a while to filter through my system. Whether or not that country is salvageable remains to be seen. If it is, then I hope Canada goes along for the ride, because if the US sinks, there go we....
Tuesday, Jan 20th/09
I have added a "comments" box to the website (opposite page, bottom) and hope it works. We'll see. I'm always impressed where some of my website hits come from, and have seen dozens of foreign cities and countries represented. Many people come for the Touareg photos, others for the New Mexico and hiking stuff, and a few loyal readers actually peruse the writing occasionally!
Sunday, Jan. 18th/09
We ended up with about 6" of new powder snow this weekend, thanks to more of the stuff falling last night. So it was back to the shovelling early this morning, with more to do down near the road tomorrow. We skipped out of the DSO concert today, despite it being a very promising program. I was spooked by the amount of traffic that might be heading to the Detroit Auto Show, so we completely switched gears and went for a snowshoe outing in the county. We logged some distance at Cedar Creek Conservation Area in Arner, breaking in a trail through the woods.
Deb heads through the woods on our 2nd time around the trail we blazed with our trusty snowshoes.
Afterwards we went to Lakeview Estate Winery, overlooking an Arctic-looking Lake Erie shoreline. We sat and had a glass of wine, looking out the huge windows at the amazingly barren winter landscape before us.
View outside from the winery windows.
Our seats by the windows, overlooking Lake Erie.
Ike at 4 months.
We witnessed a beautiful winter sunset from our driveway when we got home today.
Saturday, Jan. 17th/09
Two weeks of miserable winter have passed, meaning only that there are two weeks less of miserable winter to suffer through. Our gas heating bill has gone through the roof--I really can't believe the bills we are getting! We are keeping the house at 67F, too. Our home insulation was supposed to be installed last week, but it wasn't. The company says there is now a shortage of materials, and we will have to wait. It was one of the coldest weeks I can ever remember in this area, though we were spared high winds. More snow fell today, and we will likely get about 4" of new powder. We did cross the border on Friday, going to Borders Books. Surprisingly, I found what I was looking for in the store--a recording by Jimmie Rodgers. Jimmie was a blues and cowboy singer and guitar player who made a big splash in the 1920s, then died young of TB. He was nicknamed the Singing Brakeman, and became famous for his Blue Yodels. He is widely considered to be the founding father of country music, and the double CD we found gives an excellent sample of his fine work. A nice addition to our growing collection of CDs.
At school on Friday Deb had 65 kids try out for parts in the Drama Club spring presentation! I had a decent band practice with the 7/8 Band, as we try to learn 6 songs for the spring event. It was a decent week for piano practice and reading, too. I am currently reading "The Butlerian Jihad", one of the books in the newer Dune series. I have been fascinated by this series since reading the original Dune by Frank Herbert. I went on to read all six of his books before setting out on the nine book series by his son, who continues in the tradition of Dune. Butlerian Jihad is the 4th book in the new series, and I am as hooked as I was on the first Dune novel. Tomorrow we have tickets to hear Slatkin and the DSO in a concert of all Russian music. Nice end to the weekend, possibly followed by dinner at Detroit Beer Company.
Wed., January14th/09
Our snowshoe trails are back, as we went for a walk today. Between our yard and our neighbour's, we have two acres of territory and have constructed a nice interlocking trail system. It had been a while since we have taken a serious walk, and after coming indoors my legs felt rubbery today. Our walk was preceeded by more shovelling, though we didn't get much new snow. It is so cold outside that I am having flashbacks to my childhood in Sudbury. Things are about as cold as they get here right now. Luckily there is no wind (that's coming tomorrow) so we are able to stay outdoors at length without freezing. I was standing outside at school this morning with my stop sign, and after 15 minutes I was glad to get back indoors. This looks like a winter that could last well into spring. Let's hope not. We are still exploring options for March Break. London is still a faint possibility, as is New Mexico. If we don't go away we may buy a new tv (42"), and take a short trip into Michigan to explore some distant brew pubs.
Sunday, January 11th/09
The word for this weekend is SNOW! It took three shifts of two people, but the driveway and parking areas are clear (at least until the snow plow goes by again). I took a drive into town today to buy more birdseed, as we are going through quite a lot right now. I also loaded up the Kodak Instamatic SLR camera with 126 film and took some photos across the road at the snowbound cemetery. Mostly we stayed home, Deb working on new art projects and me practicing piano and working on two new photo albums. I am putting together an album of enlargements from last summer's trip to New Mexico, and I am working on a general Winter album.
Deb shows off her technic as she clears one of our parking areas.
Our patio table indicates how much snow we received over the weekend.
We are all set for snow, thank you. The backyard snowshoe trails have reopened.
Saturday, January 10th/09
One week down, nine to go! We can do this! We stayed home all day, pretty much forced to by a major snowstorm. By nightfall it had left us with about 9" of fresh powder, easy to shovel and good for snowshoeing. As it was a full moon night, we celebrated in typical fashion, including a "moon cake", supplied tonight by a home made pizza!
Full Moon Pizza!
View of main intersection near our house, from our moonlight snowshoe walk tonight. It was still snowing.
Wed., Jan 6th/09
ARRGGGGHHHHH!!!!! Okay, now that my primal scream for the week is out of the way, I can say that things haven't gone too badly so far. Being able to come home on Wednesdays and have the entire afternoon and evening free (and the same on Fridays) helps keep me sane. Tuesdays are the most brutal, with 5 hours of private teaching tacked on to my hectic school morning. Wednesdays are hectic, too. A typical Wed. sees me standing outside the school at 8:45 with a crossing guard stop sign, helping students get safely from the parking lot where they are dropped off, and over to the school sidewalk. I also wear an orange vest! At 9:00 I zoom down to the music room, where a class of sleepy-eyed fourth graders are arriving. We sing. At 9:50 a group of wide awake fourth graders changes places with the first group. We sing some more. Recess begins at 10:40, and today that meant 40 kids from grades 4-7 arriving for a new season of Recorder Band (Tuesday involved much time at the zerox machine to prepare). We learn a new concert song. At 11:05 I get a 20 minute break to eat. I usually nibble on a Cliff Bar whilst working on the school website. At 11:25 a seventh grade class arrives, and soon a small army of trumpet, trombone, drum, flute, sax and clarinet players are doing their best to ruin my day! At 12:15 I am officially done, though today I had to go to the office and takes pics of the December Student of the Month winners (one of my'extra' jobs). Since the last day before winter vacation was a snowstorm, not enough kids arrived at school to take their photos. So today I took about 40 pictures of smiling little faces, which I now have to get printed soon and submit to the Vice Principal. After school today we bottled our new batch of Barolo Wine, 30 bottles of fine red liquid. I also started a new batch, a Chianti, due in 4 weeks. Our homemade wine is usually better than anything we buy at the liquor store. There are few exceptions. We came home for lunch, then went out for a walk at Malden Hill Park, and then on to the mall in Windsor. I got a new expansion set to Carcassonne (our 4th), which we can try out on Saturday night (Full Moon). Tonight we are trying to find a good deal online on a flight and hotel for March Break, to London UK. We have some very fine walks planned. Things are looking hopeful!
Sunday, Jan.4th,2009
It has been a mythical two weeks at our house. With holidays concluded we have once again temporarily reverted to who we must become, not who we really are. It seems so long ago that we struggled home through a snowstorm on our last day of school, jubilant and excited by our freedom. We managed to control the passing of time to a certain degree by living in the moment. Travel journeys are similar, when one is so far removed from the everyday routine that the days appear to pass more slowly as the mind fills with new and ever fresher experiences. As one regains an outer worldly appearance, by necessity readjusting to society and its strict confines, time will once again seem to pass more swiftly (at least in our occupation). Our next 10 week work segment shall pass, and I will move closer towards my final day of school work, as in 'retirement'. Next year at this time will bring so much hope and promise. If retirement will be anything like the past two weeks, then life will be good. My major accomplishment on this holiday was to once again become a real piano player. Each practice session went very well, and I made more progress memorizing repertoire in the past two weeks than I have in the past four months. Deb managed to complete ten beautiful artworks, which must each undergo a final phase of painting before being stretched and completed. They must be seen to be believed, and hopefully they will. She is plannng on having a showing. Her inspirational sources come from rock art, mythology, and the mandala shape. While tomorrow will be a painful return to work, we have our batteries recharged and we are ready for battle. I am looking forward to lessons with some piano students this week, knowing that a very select few have been working very hard. Right, Tara?
Friday, January 2, 2009
We did some work on the website today, transferring all of last years' blog onto Deb's website, thus freeing up space for this year. It has been a great few days, with lots going on artistically around here. Deb is on a total roll, creating art at breakneck speed. Watch for samples here soon. On Wed. I went into town to begin my New Mexico Trip #26 photo enlargement project. I had planned to print about 15 pics total, a mix of 5x7 and 8x10, but they had a half price sale on!! Woo hoo!!! I printed all 49 NM enlargements, and am happily at work on the newest album. It's fun remembering the trip so many months afterwards. We are already looking forward to planning next summer's excursion! I also have had a set of winter pics ready to enlarge for a different album, and on Thursday I returned to Shoppers in town and printed the entire winter set! These are some of the best photos I have ever taken, and they will look fabulous once that album is complete! I have also managed 3 walking days in a row now, as our sidewalks have been returned to us due to the thaw last week. Piano progress has been immense over the past two weeks, and is (I hope) a premonition of what is going to occur once I have retired from school teaching. 1.6 years remain!!
We finished watching the early 70s version of "The Wicker Man", a truly great and startling movie starring Christopher Lee as Lord Summerisle, head priest of a pagan society on an isolated Scottish Island. This is a memorable film, which we had seen only once before. It has a heart-wrenching climax, as the abhorrent side of paganism is given wide screen display at full throttle. This movie probably put a stop to a lot of psuedo-pagans flitting about in robes at the time, thinking it was a cool thing to do. Whilst the story is a bit implausible (but not totally), it is pulled off with style and conviction. Not to be missed, especially by neopagans.
I also recently finished reading Cocteau's "Les Enfants Terrible", a disturbing though highly entertaining book that I found difficult to put down. We have seen the movie a number of years ago, brilliant in its own way though very different from the novel. Once read or seen, it's story will never be forgotten. I've had this book on my shelf for several years, avoiding it until finally getting around to it this holiday. Glad I did. What's it about? Four very screwed up children, two girls and two boys, including Paul and Elisabeth, who are brother and sister. They live unsupervised in a large house, though mostly confine themselves to one room. No school, minimal outside contact, and self-destructive personalities like never seen before or since. A masterpiece of indoor blackness, perfect reading for winter solstice time.
The remainder of this entry has to do with black pepper and a very obscure archeology site. Deb is the main cook in the family, and frequently creates as she goes along. Our kitchen consistently produces some of the finest vegan food ever created. My job, aside from the occasional vegan cheese-grating episode or wine-fetching excursion to the basement, is to read aloud whilst Deb cooks. For the past several years we have read many volumes in the Time/Life "Mysteries of the Unknown" series, a surprisingly scholarly series of books on all things weird from UFOs and ghosts to mythology and archeology from far flung places. Our present book is entitled "Mysterious Lands and Peoples", and devotes a significant part of one chapter to Easter Island. No surprise there. But after that discussion comes a totally unexpected one, a topic completely unknown to us. These books are continually filled with such revelations and delights. Reading recently we came across the Pacific Island of Pohnpei, in the Caroline Islands. On the island sit the ruins of Nan Madol, "...a vast ancient metropolis built on coral reefs off the island...a one square mile complex..." We have researched this site since, and have found reasonable flights there from Hawaii. What a coup if we could visit this area someday! The island today is mainly known for its crop of superb black pepper. We found it for sale on-line, and ordered a small batch. Deb cooked with it tonight, whilst we continued to explore the book. How weird and perfectly beautiful is that?
