Tuesday, Dec. 30th/08
Big news out of Sudbury, and you can read it here first! Lynne, my brother's wife, is expecting a baby in early July. Steve called us last night to pass on the news, after telling me about the hockey game that was on tv at the time. Anyway, congrats you two, and good luck to all. Looking forward to being an uncle for the 7th time! Randy and Anita were over for the evening, so Steve got to talk to Randy for a few minutes. The news on Randy's 20" telescope mirror has been deafening in its silence. It was supposed to be finished and delivered this month, too. More news when it becomes available. Anita won a hard-fought battle of Carcassonne, catching on quickly and out-investing and out-thieving the rest of us. She ended up with the largest city, too. Beginner's luck, no doubt. A rematch is certainly called for.
We spent the afternoon in Ann Arbor, sampling the wares at two brewpubs early on, then perusing the book and cd stores, as well as cafes. What a great little city it is. As well as being a shopping and restaurant destination, it is one of the cultural powerhouses of the American Midwest. Their concert and theatre seasons are the stuff of legends.
7 beer on draft plus two cask ales on hand pull make Grizzly Peak Brew Pub a must visit when in the area. They had a White Christmas Wit and their usual unbeatable ESB on hand pull. Deb had a delicious pint of stout. We also had a fab bruschetta.
Just up the road is Arbor Brewing Company, with the aptly named Sacred Cow IPA on hand pull, and their excellent bitter on draft (funds go to helping animal causes). My date for today was an educated, erudite and very beautiful Deborah (last name escapes me).
It was Happy Hour all day. What can I say? Anything to help out the critters. Draft bitter on left and Sacred Cow Cask Ale on right. We nibbled on veggies, hummous and pita.
The Arcade in downtown Ann Arbor, looking very festive.
Saturday, Dec. 27th/08
Epic days of fun and games march on. I'm getting a lot of reading done, and will finish my 650 page Bourne Ultimatum tonight. Definitely not as good as the first two novels in the series, but a good read nonetheless. I also went back and reviewed and reread a lot of the Myst story, as told in the 6 games and 3 novels. It is as much an epic story as anything Tolkien wrote, and someday I will replay all of the games in sequence. We are currently listening to one of the novels on cassette, and have another coming in the mail. The Myst games are easily my favourite pc game series, though I really like the Lara Croft series too, despite the amount of gunplay involved. We loaded and began playing The Sacred Rings tonight, the sequel to a game called Aura: Fate of the Ages. We played that game together a while ago, and have started out together playing this one. Beautiful graphics so far, and a number of puzzles to solve.
Speaking of games, Amanda came over last night for dinner and gaming. We played Carcassonne with River 1 expansion, and then moved on to Lord of the Rings. Both board games play better with three people than two. Deb cooked up a batch of delicious food, which we ate between games. My cousin Cathy sent us a parcel which we retrieved today. In it were two shirts that once belonged to Moreno and seem to fit fine. He bought them for their trip to New Mexico, and wore them in Santa Fe. That was the trip we all met up for a few days of fun and exploring. Thanks, Cathy. The belt you game me earlier is getting good use, too. I don't know how much he paid for that in Santa Fe, but I'm guessing it was a lot!! Deb continues to make improvements to Ike's aquarium palace, as well as to the bird environments and Hector the Mouse's abode as well. Here's a recent shot of the turtle tank, with new driftwood and filters and plants.
Ike's fancy digs. He's getting to be a big boy now.
Wed., Dec. 24th/08
We are into the rhythm of the holidays, and what I hope will be the rhythm of semi-retirement someday soon! I especially like that no matter how busy the day gets, piano practice still gets done. The pieces are sailing along, and the memorization is proceeding steadily. Today I finished my final edit of "The Dulwich Haunting", and now have it ready to send off. We will get one copy printed first, then proof read it before making more. We have figured out a way to attach a piano CD to the back of the book! It will be great to finally have this project complete, after so many years. Today I also worked on the new bulleltin board that Deb designed in our entranceway. It contains a photo of each of our students (numbering in the twenties now and growing), as well as a detailed calendar until the end of June.
Detail of the new bulletin board in our entrance.
Our house yesterday.
Neighbour's house across the street. The snowbank is over 3' high.
Sunday, Dec. 21/08
Winter Solstice has brought with it the full blast of Old Man Winter. It was chilly out there this morning, and then the temps just kept falling, even as the wind howled. Our hard-earned gains with clearing the driveway were mostly lost to drifting snow. However, about 4 pm, exactly two days after the snowstorm stopped, our plow service showed up! Better late than never, I suppose. We also went outdoors three times to feed the birds, including two times when we went for a walk with our snowshoes. They are fun, especially once a trail has been laid. The snow is deep and should last for a while. If this wind lets up we will head out farther afield with them. We kept an all-day fire going in the fireplace, and there were good eats all day (and drinks!). The Beethoven Piano Concerti became the music for today. I had never heard them all in sequence before, and found it a very fun listening experience. Today was also the day for Ike's monthly photo. He has grown enormously since last month. He also has new digs in a 40 gallon palace, leaving behind the 10 gallon ranch.
"...and the stockings were hung by the chimney with care..." The house is decked out for winter.
The wind howled all day, though we did venture out twice with the snowshoes.
Ike hath sprouted! He's getting to be a big boy, thanks to Deb's feeding program.
Ike hath a new home, larger and roomier. He's in there somewhere, lurking.
Lots of time for indoor activities today! Mogi takes a rare nap.
Solstice sunset from our front window. Bring back the sun! Long live the sun!
Saturday, Dec. 20th/08
11:00 am: It's been a week, folks! At long last, winter break is here, and we are not completely broken. Friday's cancellation of school buses due to a snowstorm was a godsend. Deb ended up with three kids in her class! I taught one period, having only 9 kids. There was an assembly first period, and a teacher/student volleyball game during 3rd. We left at the height of the storm, barely getting the car into the garage. The problem is always the snow from the plows that comes across our driveway. We made it inside, safe and sound.
Last Wednesday we had two successful school performances of the Winter Concert. The Band and Recorder Band, as well as various chamber groups, all performed very well, and I was pleased as could be. There were also skits and plays and songs from many different grade levels. I likely acquired two new private students as well, one on clarinet and one on keyboard.
7M pulls out all the stops for the final act of the school production.
Gr. 8 instrumentalists accompany a Gr. 7 singer in "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree."
On Friday we got to try out our new snowshoes! We made a lengthy path around and about our yard. The shoes work well, though as expected, it is a tiring hobby. Should be a great way to keep our exercise program alive during the winter!
Wearing my new snowshoes. Waterproof winter/hiking boots slip right into the adjustable harness. They are quite easy to walk in.
Deb hikes the back 40 of our property in her new snowshoes. Looks like we picked a good winter to get involved with this activity! We have had two snowfalls within 4 days, with more on the way.
9:00 pm: Speaking of exercise programs, the driveway has been completely shovelled by hand. Shovelling heavy snow and practicing piano are two activities that should never be mixed. I am determined to practice as much as possible over the next two weeks, but my arms are numb right now. More snow arriving tonight and tomorrow night. Just can't wait. And we haven't touched our two small parking lots yet. Luckily no teaching is scheduled during the break. We put up the Solstice decorations tonight, everything except the change of art on the walls. We will hang the winter pictures tomorrow and retire the autumn ones. I have loaded an older game on the upstairs PC, called Byzantine: The Betrayal. It was distributed by the Discovery Channel back in 1997, but it works fine on the oldest computer. It all takes place in Istanbul, and I am involved in a dangerous attempt to corner some smugglers! We are also watching the 4th Potter movie again, the Goblet of Fire. They are fun to watch, especially with the same actors growing older as the series proceeds. Brilliant scheme, and it works perfectly! As to reading, I am still involved in the third and final Bourne novel, The Bourne Ultimatum, and am enjoying it nearly as much as the other two. If only these movies had been as faithful to the books as the Potter series. The Bourne movies do not resemble in any way the very fine novels.Sunday, Dec. 14th/08
I just got off the phone with my parents in Sudbury, and things are pretty snow-filled up there. They are already out of room to put the stuff that continues to fall. Another reason to celebrate living in Essex County! Bring on the rain! Yesterday, Deb went to a reptile show in Taylor, MI, and I took the opportunity to take a one hour walk through some peaceful and highly decorated neighbourhoods. Too bad I couldn't see them at night. Afterwards, we ate lunch at Zacarro's on Woodward (yum!), then went to the DIA for an hour. We finally saw the exhibit of modern masters from Cleveland (visiting here while that museum undergoes a complete remake). It is an easy show to digest, and there were some really good paintings, especially by Cezanne and Van Gogh. We also explored a bit more of the permanent collection in Detroit. I am depressed about how the 17th C. Flemish paintings have been spread around the museum, though they do have quite a few works out on display. This winter painting by Leytens has always been one of my favourites, and is currently hanging on the third floor.
17th C Flemish painting hanging at the DIA, depicting a winter fantasy scene. Two details
follow.
follow.
Detail of left side.
Detail of right side.
The final week of school will soon be upon us, and that means last minute preparations for the school concerts, this Wed @ 11:30 and 6:30. I have responsibility for the Senior Band, along with a few solo groups, and the Recorder Band. Only two more Christmas concerts remain in my career!
The recorders back up two Gr. 4 girls I have chosen to sing a Christmas solo. This will be our big showstopper number for the Recorder Band. We have yet to practice with a live mic.
More recorder players. There are any amount of them, Gr. 4-7 (left half of group not shown).
Central group of the Senior Band, with whom I have prepared 5 Christmas songs. A few students have grouped themselves into smaller ensembles to provide even more music of the season, in case there is a shortage.
Friday, Dec. 12/08
A cold and grueling week, though I've been kept sane by watching episodes of Season 4 of Dr. Who, and playing Dark Fall on the pc. We are really enjoying Catherine Tate's presence in the latest series. There are 5 more days to go before winter holidays begin. We haven't done much in the way of walking this week. Tuesday was an all-day rain affair, followed by a deep freeze that continues today. Wednesday night I went and heard the high school concert, reconnecting with many of my former elementary music students. There were 18 APS graduates in the band! Some good news on the publishing front, as I was finally able--thanks to a colleague at school (thank-you Heather!)--to get my Dulwich Horror novel into Microsoft Word. From here it should be an easy step to get things finally done right at Lulu press, where I had untold amounts of agony when the novel was on Appleworks. Now I need to think about the cd that is supposed to go with it.... Saturday we are going to a reptile exhibit in Taylor, MI (by coincidence that is where we purchased our winter tires last weekend).
Sunday, Dec. 7th/08
A bitterly cold Januarly-like day, but it was sunny at least. I enjoyed a decent piano practice this morning, continuing to have success with the memorization of my short program. The concert seems to be divided into threes: three Baroque pieces for harpsichord by Kregs and Scarlatti; Beethoven Sonata in F+, Op. 10 #2 in 3 movements; and three Spanish pieces. The program is short, but just ambitious enough for right now. Hopefully an early spring recital date can be set in the near future. I have also returned with a vengeance to PC gaming, spending a lot of time today and last night on Dark Fall: The Journal. This is a puzzle adventure game, with some pretty tricky ones. Many very scary bits, too. This afternoon we took a walk, dressing up in very warm clothing before venturing out. We walked the Windsor Trail from Malden Road, doing a total of about 3.5 miles. We never got really cold, once again being sheltered by the woods for much of the adventure.
Deb, all bundled up for today's walk.
Turkey Creek was frozen, and light snow remained from yesterday's mini-blizzards.
Saturday, Dec. 6th/08
Winter appears to have arrived, and our winter tires got purchased and installed not a day too soon. After unsuccessfully calling all over Windsor to find some for the Jetta, we finally gave up and located a set (easily) at a Wal Mart in Detroit yesterday. They got a decent workout on today's snow-covered roads, and seem fine. The work week can best be summed up as lots of music teaching, a whole lot to be more precise! Weekends are a return to sanity, piano practice, and even some PC gaming. I am currently playing two games: Tomb Raider 4, an Egyptian adventure, and a puzzle adventure called Dark Fall. This is a ghost story, and has some pretty good atmosphere and scares to it. We are also finally watching the dvd version of Dr. Who Season 4 this weekend. The Christmas special was undoubtedly the best one yet, a parody on The Poseidon Adventure, and much more. We have just begun viewing the regular season episodes. We also played another game of Carcassonne tonight, this time with another expansion (River 2). The game now nicely fills our table, and is becoming more complex. Of course the cats weren't far away, as we had usurped 'their' table!
Top to bottom: Gustave, Mogi and Ferdinand.
Sunday, Nov., 30th/08
A good week for piano practice has just come to an end. There has been definite progress in facility and memorization, which once again is in full swing (must keep eating blueberries, which have been discovered to be great for memory improvement even in severe cases like Alzheimer's).
The highlight of the day was attending our first DSO concert of the season (we missed one earlier when I was sick). One of our favourite guest conductors was on the podium, leading the orchestra in excerpts by Wagner from Tannhauser and Meistersinger. After intermission, he was joined by soloist Stephen Hough for Piano Concerto #1 in d Minor by Brahms. The entire concert was absolutely top knotch, though the Brahms went way beyond my expectations of what constitutes great rapport between orchestra and soloist. There were so many fine moments during this piece that I feel at some point I must learn it, or die trying (undoubtedly the latter). Hough has recorded all the works for orchestra and piano by Saint-Saens, and they have created quite a stir in the classical music world. I will own these very soon (Borders coupon, where are you?).
Alicia, my hard-working and faithful piano student, came to the concert with us, along with her dad. Afterwards, we went to Buddy's in Dearborn for supper, then on to Barnes and Noble for a good browse before heading back home around 7:30 pm. We dodged a major winter bullet today, I'm happy to report, though we are getting a very large amount of rain. A truly miserable day, but it could have been so much worse!
L to R: Scott (Al's dad), Alicia, Deb and me. We had salad and pizza at Buddy's in Dearborn after the concert.
Saturday, Nov. 29th/08
We have watched two Gammera movies lately, with the original 1966 "Gamera the Invincible" providing the most amusement. For some reason I don't think I ever saw this film before! It's exactly like several other movies of the genre, except this time around the creature is a giant turtle that eats fire for food and can fly like an alien saucer. It's in b&w, and the Americanized version offers some hilarious characters in small roles, such as the two scientists 'debating' on live tv, resorting to name calling and nearly coming to blows over the possible existence of a giant flying turtle. The monster gets to destroy many miniature sets, and seems to relish the attention he gets from doing it. Of course Gammera doesn't die at the end, since he has to come back for many more features. He also begins his friendship with children, something that carried forward once he became a good turtle and helped mankind. Sorry, but I love these films.
Poster from "Gammera the Invincible", the first of many Gammera movies.
Scene from the Windsor Trail yesterday, with the sun shining.
Bakery and Tearoom near Sandwich St. and Mill, Windsor. We hadn't been here in a long time, and will try to return often on our walks.
Deb enjoys tea and old-fashioned scone at the Bake Shoppe. This place is exactly like something you would come across in an English village while out walking.
Thursday, Nov. 27th/08
We recently watched "Bob Le Flambeur" (Bob the High-Roller), a classic b&w French film from the mid-fifties. A gambler, now getting on in years, decides to go for the big one by organizing and robbing a major casino. The plans are laid, practiced, and finally acted upon. Quite a good film, and so well acted by Roger Duchesne. His Bob is a man of principles, and treats females, even prostitutes, with the greatest respect. He once saved a policeman by pushing him out of the way of a bullet. Isabelle Corey makes her film debut as a teenage sexpot intent on getting to the top of the sleazy nightclub world as fast as she can. The last few lines of dialogue in the film are just unbelievably good, and worth the price of rental! Glad we finally saw this, and would watch it again.
I also finished a short book entitled "Ravel: A Novel" by Jean Echenoz and translated from the French by Linda Coverdale. In nine brief chapters of easy reading, we learn much about Ravel, perhaps as much as if we had read a 900 page biography. Not only that, but we also learn about travel by ship in the 1930s, and by first class rail, and the soirees, concerts and social events of the time, particularly in Paris. The book is amazing in its simple clarity, and I will undoubtedly read it again sometime. Ravel suffered from extreme dementia, probably brought on by a previous blow to the head in an automobile accident, and died at 57 quite unaware of his role in the grand scheme of things. Highly recommended.
Wed., Nov. 26th/08
Today was a hectic day at school, due some extent to a number of supply teachers in the building because of teacher workshops. There are also a large number of student teachers right now. Limited to a single 20 minute recess every day, I also find it very chaotic trying to run clubs and bands in that morning time slot. Besides normal teaching duties (Gr. 4 through 8 for music), I use every recess and two scheduled class periods. Monday it's Camera Club, Wed. it's Recorder Band, and Tuesday and Thursday it's open practice for students. Friday I have yard duty. Camera Club is very small this year, with about 6 full-time members. Recorder Band began small, with about a dozen students in Gr. 4/5. It has since blossomed into about 40 students in all grades (4-8), and it is a very difficult rehearsal to run in a short time period. Half of the recess is getting everyone in the door, outfitted with music and a recorder, and warmed up. Open rehearsal days involve around 50 students voluntarily staying in for recess to try tests, retests, and to do general practice. Mondays I also have Gr. 7 Band, which is coming along well. This group is made up of volunteers from two Gr. 7 classes, and is small but dedicated. We are beginning to play full-part band sheet music, with some degree of success. Friday morning is Gr. 8 Band, my advanced instrumental group. It includes a few Gr. 7s who have over-achieved and have made it into this group, but it is mostly made up of volunteers from both Gr. 8 classes. It is a much larger ensemble. Of course the annual Christmas Concert is coming up, and the urgency of wisely used rehearsal time increases. Everything usually comes together, but at what cost to me from aging?
Tomorrow night I begin teaching my newest private student, the fifth one in two weeks. He is an M.D. who typically brings his daughter to lessons, and has decided to have a go himself!
I got a good walk in today, and managed a full piano practice. Memorization of pieces is proceeding slowly but methodically. Despite so much going on in my day, I must try to stay focused when at the piano, which is easier said than done. I figure I have around 275 students at school, and 17 private ones. It's no wonder that I love wilderness vacations.
Monday, Nov. 24th/08
I've finished reading T.C. Boyle's "The Road to Wellville", his novel about the doings in Battle Creek, MI during the turn of the century when that city was a leader in health food and healthy lifestyle. The book is hilarious and tragic at the same time, following three separate story lines. The first is about a couple visiting the 'San' for an extended stay, as many of the rich and well-to-do did. The couple, growing increasingly apart as their stay lengthens, each take 'the cure' with different perspectives and results. The event that unites them in the end is quite hilarious and tragic at the same time, much as the rest of the book. The reader is either laughing out loud, or shaking one's head in total disbelief. Boyle seems to know every nook and cranny of that massive building, part hotel and part hospital, as if he had stayed there himself. This is quality writing at its finest. The second story involves Charlie Ossining, a shady business type hoping to start his own breakfast cereal company. Very naive at first, Charlie eventually gets the hang of things just as he is being carted off to jail! Boyle's description of Charlie's first night in Battle Creek is worth the price of the book in itself, from his welcome at the train station to his first night in a cheap rooming house. Great stuff! The third story tells the tale of Dr. John Harvey Kellogg himself, a man who was so right about many lifestyle things, and also so wrong about just as many others. Boyle seems to have a grasp of character that leaves the reader dazzled, entertained, energized and wishing there was more. A great read, and highly recommended for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. You will never eat corn flakes or grape nuts and think about them in the same way again.
Sunday, Nov. 23rd/08
Frosty the Snowman seems to have arrived for an extended stay, despite the fact no one seems to want him around. It's been unseasonably cold, more like December. We have managed to dodge a major snowfall, at least. We finally got all the outdoor chores done today, giving in at last to the fact that summer is, indeed, over. We took down the screened gazebo, put the deck chairs away, stored the birdbaths and hoses, shovelled leaves off the back deck and grudgingly acknowledged the arrival of colder weather. Yesterday we stored the Touareg in a neighbour's garage. It was difficult to part with it for the winter months, especially with gasoline being nearly free at this point! We paid $1.59 per gallon US in Dearborn, and just over half a tank of fuel for the Jetta cost us $10.75 US. That is amazing!
Friday night Deb had a harp gig in St. Clair Shores. We got home around 9 pm and found our house rather chilly. The furnace pilot light was out, and despite my efforts to light it again, it would not happen. Thus passed a rather chilly night, with circuit breakers aplenty blowing merrily as we attempted to heat with electrical space heaters. Not much sleep that night. The furnace was fixed by 10 am Saturday, and all is now well. The birds and cats were not impressed by the whole ordeal, however. It was a cold night.
We have managed to keep up the walking program, despite the chilly temps. If anything, we are sometimes too warm when we walk. Modern winter clothing is quite amazing!
Our nearby pond is frozen solid. From our walk on Friday afternoon.
Monday, November 17/08
The weather has turned to that of December, and yesterday we had our first real taste of snow. We began the day on Sunday by walking the Rouge Gateway Trail in Dearborn, putting in over 4 miles. We chose this trail because it is sheltered. We finished just as the first of several heavy snowfalls began.
Giant tree along the trail in Dearborn. What a beast! Would love to know how old this one is. Not even sure what kind it is, as it was too cold to stop for long. Perhaps an elm?
View from Science Library, Wayne St. Univ.
Final rose bloom, our house Sunday.
Saturday, Nov. 15/08
It's been a banner week for piano practice! 51 more just like it and I might actually get somewhere with my upcoming program. I've begun to memorize the Beethoven Sonata (Op. 10 #2, as I'm sure you all remember), the Debussy, de Falla and Albeniz. I'll give the Scarlatti more time to settle in.
Deb had a harp gig in Chatham today. It didn't stop raining from Friday noon hour through Saturday evening--2.4" in the rain gauge, following on the heels of Wednesday's 1.5". That's a lot of rain. I chilled out downtown in a very fine cafe on William St., across from Sears. It is called Coffee Culture, a chain I have never seen before today. I sat at a large window, watching the rain pour down on mostly empty streets. No walking today because of practicing piano, and the church wedding (which took up a total of 4 hrs. of our day from leaving home to returning). Our rain gear would have been perfect for walking today.
Downtown Chatham, Ontario on a cold and wet November day, from my cozy perch at Coffee Culture Cafe.
Coffee Culture, Chatham.
Thursday, Nov. 13/08
First term reports cards are done and e-mailed into the office. Five more sets to go and I will be a retired music teacher! Mine were pretty easy, despite the addition of 3 more classes to my schedule. Deb's are much more complex, and took a lot out of her this week. We went out to celebrate at Buddy's Pizza in Dearborn (one of the top 5 pizzas in the US!), and came home with two cds from Borders--a re-release of an old Pogues album, and a newer one by Orchestre Baobab. Both are fabulous!
Last night we held the first performance class of the year, hosting 13 students at the house (all girls!) ranging in age from 8 to 16. They all performed for each other, and I offered some suggestions for preparing and executing successful performances. It's still early in the season, but several students did a great job. They managed to devour most of the food we put out for them at break. They eat like boys!
I have finally had to give in and open another teaching night (Mondays), as I have suddenly acquired 4 new full-time private students! Two more girls and two boys. We definitely won't all fit into the house next time.
We got 1.5" of rain overnight. We have roses blooming in our yard, and the grass is now way too long. Not much I can do about the lawn, unless it gets very dry and warm again. Most of the leaves are down, but a few trees are holding out for the next gale.
Flowers are still blooming, and a few trees have held on to their leaves. From my walk today along Front Rd. N.
Tuesday, Nov. 11th/08
Support the Canadian Legion.
Sunday, Nov. 9th/08
I have done some major upgrading to the main webpages, adding more text describing certain hikes, a few more photos, and some topo maps of selected hikes! I find that I tend to upgrade and work on the site when I have been inspired by other websites. When I first read Mouser's blog several months ago I did some serious rethinking about this site, and again more recently when I discovered Kev and Liz's site. Their writings on the North Downs Way near London are indispensable reading for anyone wishing to walk the English countryside, either armchair style or actually going out and doing it. So if the Lone Mt Homestead website is in any way half decent, it is thanks to other sites I occasionally come across that inspire me to improve my own.
Today we walked the Windsor Trail, clocking 3.3 miles thanks to our new rain gear. It was raining, but things turned out great. As I slowly get my strength back, I look forward to increasing the length of the walks on weekends to around 10 miles for Stage One, and even longer (Stage Two) if we go ahead and purchase airline tickets to London for March.
Trail alongside Turkey Creek, Windsor. We walked in the rain, sharing the path with the occasional cyclist, one jogger, and 5 or 6 teenagers on bikes in a clearing in the woods having a paintball war. They were very pale-looking warriors, so it was good to see them getting some fresh air, instead of stuck indoors at their computers!
Deb models her newest rain wear. Today was the very model of a November day; dark, chilly, grey and damp. Yesterday's gale had blown most of the leaves off the trees.
Saturday, Nov. 8th/08
It was a cool, windy and occasionally damp day. We still managed a walk, putting in 4.3 miles on the Windsor riverfront path. However, we resolved to purchase some updated rain gear, and we soon did. We are now set for all-weather situations! We had soup downtown at Pause Cafe before setting out. I had Country Vegetable and Deb had an African Sweet Potato with Peanuts. Both were vegan and delicious. The waterfront trail was empty today, and we had the east half to ourselves.
The trail along the river in downtown Windsor was deserted. We walked from downtown to Walkerville and back.
Downtown Detroit from Windsor riverfront.
Belle Isle Bridge, Detroit. Very few boats were on the river today.
Taloola Cafe, Walkerville. It was closed on our arrival due to a power failure. Drat!
Friday, Nov. 7th/08
It's been almost two weeks since I've been out and about, so today's trip over the river to Detroit seemed quite special! We went to our US mailbox, where we had a Tom Baker Dr. Who dvd waiting for us from Netflix, as well as various catalogues. Then we headed downtown. First we went to John King Books, where we still have a credit from trading some of ours. I snagged "The Road to Wellville" by T. Coraghessan Boyle, a fictional account of the rise of Battle Creek, MI as a turn-of-the century vegetarian health resort, headed by Dr. Kellogg. I've been wanting to read this gem for some time now! I also scored one of the Myst books on cassette, a full cast production with music and sound effects of "Myst: The Book of Ti'anna". Right up there with my Gormenghast tapes Caroline recorded for me from BBC radio!
Deb got a volume of three novels by Rosemary Sutcliffe, and a few by Mary Reneault (the Theseus cycle).
I just finished reading Alan Alda's autobiography "Never Have Your Dog Stuffed", so the timing for me is perfect to start the Wellness novel. Alda's book is very good, and is a must for M*A*S*H fans like ourselves.
We went to Avalon Bakery afterwards, one of Detroit's jewels, enjoying coffee and vegan focaccia before visiting the Detroit Institute of Arts. Of course we came home with a loaf of Motown Multigrain from Avalon. Came across this Dutch painting by Van Goyen at the museum that seems to sum up a lot about the month of November. Since I haven't walked now in two days, this photo will have to suffice.
A Windy Day, Jan Van Goyen, Dutch 17th C. Detroit Institute of Arts (3rd floor).
My goal today was to get through a full work day, nothing more, nothing less. Fortunately I have time to lay down and snooze after the morning shift at school and before the afternoon shift of private students begins. I read a bit and napped after lunch, and have made it to the end of a full work day, somewhat victorious. I am definitely on the mend, but still tire very easily. Sadly, there was no time to walk this afternoon, so I'll have to post a few more pics from yesterday's walk instead.
Two more photos from my local walk yesterday afternoon. Autumn is fading fast, though quite a few trees are still at peak colour. Weather this week has been phenomenal!
Even more sadness, as I found out that Caroline has been quite ill too, and with London having a very damp and chilly autumn the weather is doing little to cheer her up. Hope you get well soon! Sounds like we are in for a bit of London weather this weekend ourselves.
Wednesday, Nov. 5th/08
Watching the Canadian dollar closely after the US election. If we can get it to $1.10 against the US dollar, I will book us into London for March Break. Still got a ways to go, but it was moving in the right direction. I have another great week of walking planned over there, and if we can maintain our fitness throughout the winter the walking will be very easy compared to New Mexico.
I returned to work today, but had to nap right after lunch when I got home. I found talking to be very difficult and tiring. After my nap I read, did the laundry and eventually took a sunset walk out back once again, completing another 2.1 miles. Not feeling too bad tonight, though I am not looking forward to having to talk and/or sing in classes tomorrow.
Geese were bedding down on Lagoon #3 (the clean one) when I passed by at sunset on my walk. There was also a very lovely first quarter moon in the sky. Weather continues to be too perfect!
Tuesday, Nov. 4th/08
How nice is it outside today? Let's just say it is ridiculously nice outside, with temps heading for 70 F and the sun shining like it was early September. I stayed home a 2nd day, but am feeling stronger. My walk today was 2.1 miles, and I coughed out a lot of bad stuff. I will teach my 5 hours tonight, and hopefully be able to go back to school tomorrow. Once home at noon hour tomorrow, I can rest all day if needed.
Like most people, I am anxious for the US election to be over and settled. America appears set for its first black President. I've also been watching our dollar slowly recover some of its previous strength. Funny how it can crash in just a few days, but takes forever to get back up towards par.
From my walk today, towards the woods. I made it to the edge of the woods today, walking a total of 2.1 miles. The weather was glorious.
Not a bad looking sky.
Monday, Nov. 3rd/08
Feeling a bit better, but I stayed home today to rest some more, and likely will tomorrow. We had an energy assessment done of our house today, something I recommend. Up front it costs $500, but we will get $150 back from the government. Basically, it shows exactly where the house is badly leaking air, then the assessor goes about telling you how to fix things. Mostly we need insulation and lots of caulking and a few new windows, but things have been pinpointed with great accuracy. The best part comes near the end of the assessment, when you are shown the government grants available to get the work done. There is a lot of money out there to fix up these things, including $1200 towards a more efficient furnace, and thousands of dollars for new and better insulation. We'll be looking into it. 18 months is the maximum time allowed to get the work done to receive the grant money. The assessor is not affiliated with any home renovation company, and whether you do any improvements is entirely up to you.
Took a slightly longer stroll towards the woodlot today, covering 1.5 miles. Maybe 2 tomorrow. I'm aiming for nine or ten by the end of the month, as I try to get my stride back after this setback. Some dramatic scenery back there today.
Late afternoon sun catches the leaves on my short walk today.
Sunday, Nov. 2nd/08
The good news--my 6-day old beast of a cold is waning. The bad news--it still is a miserable cold, a whole weekend has gone by me, and a full work week awaits. Sigh. As if the cold wasn't bad enough, I have had a giant mouth sore, or canker, on my inside bottom lip since Friday, probably caused by my all-night cough drops when I had a sore throat. Even drinking water is painful, so no doubt I have lost some weight too. Of course we had to miss our symphony concert in Detroit this afternoon--I just wasn't up to a border crossing today.
Anyway, I did get outdoors for a short walk (1 mile) and a small backyard photo shoot.
Our backyard maple tree is peaking in colour.
More of the backyard.
Ike's redesigned, very cool living quarters. He's the tiny turtle floating in the bottom left of the tank.
Finally, we managed to play a board game called "Lord of the Rings" this afternoon. We bought it used from e-Bay, but it looks as if it had never been played. It is a cooperative game, where up to 5 players have to join forces to defeat Sauron. Fairly complex, we got defeated by the Dark Lord quite early on. We'll see how future games go.
Part of today's action as we played Lord of the Rings. The powers of darkness won this time, but we'll be back, stronger than ever.
Saturday, Nov. 1st/08
9:00am
It's been a long and grueling week for me, as I maintained a full schedule of work and teaching while putting up with a lousy, energy-sucking throat infection and cold. Monday night we had a very long game of Middle Earth: The Wizards. Overnight my throat was bugging me, and by Tuesday things were well underway. Very little sleep on Tues. and Wed. didn't help. Yesterday was the worst, and thankfully due to school assemblies and various Halloween shenanigans I didn't have to teach a single class! I had to watch a Gr. 3 class for a few minutes, and I gazed bemusedly at the dozens of cupcakes and bags of candy that parents had sent in for the class. Luckily Deb and I left at noon hour, just as the whole school was getting sugared up!!
We had a quiet Samhain by the fireside, choosing our Arthurian Legends tarot cards for the upcoming year (Celtic New Year starts today). Deb had an outstanding year as far as transforming herself into someone new, both physically and artistically, and if the cards are right she will have another great year.
My readings were a bit more muddled, though I seem to be steadying the course (for where?).
9:00 pm
Another miserable day is coming to an end (for me). Deb went walking today and put in over 6 miles. I probably did 1/10 of a km walking from the bedroom to the computer and to the kitchen and bathroom all day. Couldn't sleep, so I got to enjoy this cold all day. We are supposed to go to Detroit tomorrow to hear the orchestra play, but it's looking very doubtful. I have taken to coughing lately.
Forced to rest, of course I surrounded myself with hiking books and Backpacker magazines whilst lying in bed. The pile eventually grew to a respectable height! I then switched my research to the www, focusing on searching a few longer walks that are near to London. One of them is the North Downs Way, and I found a highly entertaining website report by a couple that hiked it in stages from their home base London. The website looks like it will provide me with a lot of reading in the days to come. Here is the link if you'd care to dip in and visit. At one point the writer (Kevan) renames the North Downs Way as the Muddy Forest Way. We have hiked a segment of this path high above Gomshall and Shere, and the description is more than apt! In fact, since our last escapade along the Arun River, we will now come to expect mud on every hike in England, though not necessarily as much mind-numbing forest.
I wanted to get outside in our yard today to take photos of our incredible changing leaves--the light in the morning and at sunset resembles Lorien! Perhaps tomorrow.
Sunday, Oct. 26/08
Deb and I had a great time Friday night with my cousin Cathy. We met her around six at the Renaissance Center in Detroit, then headed up to the Art Institute for wine and talk. I hadn't much time with her in Sudbury at the memorial in July, so it was a perfect time just to chat. Of course we talked a lot about Moreno, and I first heard details of their Las Vegas wedding and the engagement weekend in Paris. Fun stuff, Cathy! I proposed to Deb at the Coulson Hotel in Sudbury, upstairs in the Crusader Room bar....
After strolling through some art galleries, the three of us went to Traffic Jam for dinner, wine and lots more talk. I was really looking forward to touring a few local spectacular wineries and showing Cathy our Autumn set-up at the house (we change the art 4x per year), but they decided to head back to Sudbury today instead. Hopefully another time.
Which frees up an entire day for us, meaning we can get started on the new report card program, Deb can get her marking done, and we can take a long walk in our nearby woods. Still, we would have rather done the wine tour.
Yesterday Deb played a very chilly outdoor wedding in Kingsville (48F) at the Golf and Country Club, whilst I managed a 3 mile walk on the bike trail after helping her set up her gear. I took photos with the Rollei 35mm. Then it was home for an evening fire in the fireplace and a relaxing night.
Thursday, Oct. 23rd/08
Just finished watching "Nightmare Castle", a b & w film from my collection called '50 Horror Movie Pack'. Dubbed into English, it is missing 10 minutes from the original Italian version. It's a great little flic starring Barbara Steele, Queen of Horror. She plays dual roles and gets to show a little more depth than usual. Some neat photography sets this apart from your average mid-60s horror films, and I like how the characters tend to move slowly, as if in a dream. The way Ms Steele is made up at the end (she returns from the dead) is amazing, and one will certainly see her influence on Tim Burton's film heroines.
This weekend we are being visited by Cathy and Melanie, two of my first cousins from Sudbury, and Melanie's daughter Marlene and Mel's boyfriend Jaime. They are staying in Detroit and will be seeing "So You Think You Can Dance" at Joe Louis Arena on Saturday night. Friday night Deb and I are getting together with Cathy for dinner downtown, possibly Detroit Beer Co. Sunday they are coming to A'burg, and we will tour some local wineries. Saturday Deb plays at a wedding in Kingsville.
Sunday, Oct.19th/08
Deb did her Free Press half marathon today, completing her 13.1 mile walk in exactly 3 hrs. and 20 min. Her average mile came in at just over 15 minutes, putting her in the top 10% of the pack of 11,000 half-marathoners (many did not finish). Over 18,000 participated, and despite the beginning and end of the race being chaotic, all's well that ends well.
Deb (arms raised) is past Mile 12 and approaching the home stretch in her 13.1 mile walk today, which crossed from Detroit into Windsor by bridge and came back to Detroit by tunnel. This was her first marathon, and likely there will be others.
Friday, Oct. 17th/08
A short but intense week has come to an end. Things are still going remarkably smoothly as far as switching to morning shift at school. We both love it, though the real test will be on those cold, dark winter mornings when we have to arise and head off to work.
I have just managed to update the main page with ten photos from our recent camping weekend in Ohio. The London photos will soon be coming off-line to make some room. It was a low-key but nonetheless memorable trip, our last big outdoor event for this year. With one exception, of course.
We went to Detroit this afternoon, specifically to Cobo Hall so Deb could pick up her number for this Sunday's Detroit Free Press Marathon. She has been preparing to walk a half marathon, 13.1 miles, for some time now. The weather looks perfect, and she should have no trouble completing the mission. Go Vegan Power!
Tuesday, Oct. 14/08
Our camping trip to Ohio was a great success, though it seemed rather short. We left Saturday morning, arriving at the campground at Lake St Marys about 2:30 pm, after long stops in Dearborn. We left for home on Monday morning, arriving back about 3 pm after a long stop in Findlay. Leaves were very colourful, and I got a lot of great photos. A separate Ohio page will be placed on the main page very shortly.
Grand Lake St Marys, Ohio. It is a huge man made lake dating from the mid 1800s, and was used to maintain water levels on the Miami and Erie Canal.
Autumn leaves were very colourful this past weekend in mid-Ohio. Taken from the old canal tow-path trail, now part of a State-wide trail system known as the Buckeye Trail.
Thursday, Oct. 9/08
I can't believe how fast the days are passing. Tomorrow will be six weeks since we started back to work. Things have been remarkably quiet at school so far, with very few discipline problems occurring. Much of this is likely due to switching from afternoon teaching to morning. I had two new piano students register this week, meaning my already crammed evening private lessons schedule is ready to explode. And Deb ended up getting a last minute harp gig at the university tonight, replacing someone else at a cocktail reception. She also got another gig booked for November, and yesterday got another wedding request for October (next weekend). She has been swamped so far this autumn.
We had plans to leave tomorrow for a three-night camping excursion to Ohio, but we are now feeling too taxed to leave right after work. We have delayed the trip by a day in order to have some breathing (and packing) room. We are going to Grand Lake St. Marys State Park, and will stay over Saturday and Sunday only, with day hikes planned for those days. We will try to be back early Monday. Theresa will look after things here for us. Weather looks like it is going to be incredible!
Ike the Turtle has been eating well, though only every other day. He seems to especially enjoy eating tiny worms.
Sunday, Oct. 5th/08
1/8th of the school year is now over! Only 35 weeks left! At the rate things are going, it will go by in a flash. The weekends seem to fly by, at any rate. Today I managed a decent two hours at the piano, and the Beethoven Sonata is creeping along. I am going to memorize the Spanish pieces and the Scarlatti Sonatas once again, then start in on the Beethoven memory work. I would like to perform the program in Windsor and Sudbury next year. This coming week I have two new students coming for piano lessons, one an 8-yr old beginner and the other a returning older student. Tara has been living in the US for the past two years, and her family has just returned to Amherstburg. She left just after finishing the Gr. 3 piano exam, so it will be interesting to see where she is now.
We hiked from our house today, completing a 4.3 mile loop up County Road 10 and into the fields and nearby forest before returning home via the lagoons. That makes 8.5 miles of walking for me this weekend, and I am happy with that.
Our hike today lead through the woods and past the sewage lagoons (not as bad as they sound).
Later in the afternoon we finally got around to playing our new board game, Carcassonne. There is a good board and card game shop at the mall in Windsor, and we bought it there a month ago. The game is easy to learn and fun to play, the object being to acquire points by building cities, farms, monasteries and roads by assembling tiles. We have an expansion set too, which we will save for later.
A little hard to see on our hand-painted table, but the game ends up looking something like this at the end. Up to five can play, so we would like to try it with some friends.
Saturday, Oct. 4th/08
It has been a hectic weekend so far. Deb had a harp gig at the university last night. I helped her get set up, then left in the Jetta for Detroit. I went to hear a pianist by the name of Christopher Taylor perform under the auspices of the Chamber Music Society. He should not have been engaged as a performer on such a prestigious series. He performed a multi-movement Bach Overture (b minor), and had serious problems with it. Despite a gorgeous tone when he wanted it and a prodigious technical ability, he tended to bang a lot. The Bach came out sounding rough and course. His phrases had large "wows" in them, and tended to fade at the ends. The last movement, an "Echo", was the worst of the set. His fortes were so loud that the ensuing echo was barely heard, because the big sounds hadn't dampened enough. Next came Beethoven's "Waldstein" Sonata, and with the pianist's wildly varying tempi, excessive banging (again) and annoying habit of "singing" loudly (out of tune) as he played, it added up to an unpleasant experience. At times his piano tone was among the finest I have ever heard, such as when emerging from the 2nd movement and beginning the 3rd. A very inconsistent performance, with some poor phrasing and no real concept of the music and where it needed to go. However, it was fast and it was loud.
After Intermission came the Chopin Etudes, Op 25. Here was playing that Taylor was finally attuned with, and the set of 12 turned out to be absolutely ravishing. The playing was so good, restrained when needed and volcanic when needed, that I really didn't mind his obnoxious vocalizing (I hate to call it singing). For an encore he played a beautiful, mellow Rag by William Bolcom. I attended the concert with Roger and Dave, two adult piano students that study with me. Afterwards, we stopped at Copper Canyon Brewing Co. in Southfield for a pint before heading home. The cask conditioned IPA was among the best beer I have ever set my lips to. We were lined up and stopped by U.S. Customs at the Bridge heading back into Canada, on the American side. Good grief! I got home very late, and wasn't in bed till nearly 1 a.m.
Today Deb had not one but two harp gigs, including a wedding at Heritage Village in Essex and another one at the University right afterwards. I helped out at both, and managed a 4.2 mile walk in Windsor while she played at the University. We were both pretty tired tonight, and will likely hit the sack early. Tomorrow we plan to stay home, except for a hike through our nearby woodlot.
Wed., October 1st/08
Ike the Turtle has moved in for the winter, as previously reported. Deb has him fixed up in his own aquarium, though she puts him in a separate "feeding tank" for an hour each day. This saves a lot on keeping the main tank clean. She can also warm the feeding water to a higher temp when he eats, stimulating his appetite. Here are a few pics of the setup in Deb's Harp Room (also home to a mouse and five finches).
Two of the bird cages and the turtle tank, in Deb's music room.
The turtle tank up close. Ike is tiny, and in the back right corner beside the rock and tree.
Ike relaxes in his tank. This guy has it made for the winter!
Tonight we finally got to celebrate Autumn Equinox with a wood fire in the home fireplace! For the past several years it has been much too warm on Sept. 22nd, and we've had to wait. This year proved no exception. This was the first cool day of the season! I even baked a vegan pumpkin pie! Dinner consisted of some first-class nachos!
Monday, Sept. 29th/08
We had a really fun weekend, taking off early Saturday morning for Battle Creek, MI, as well as nearby Marshall and Albion. We were doing some urban walking and hiking, and visiting two new (for us) brewpubs and an historic hotel pub. We did a downtown river walk in Battle Creek. They have a great set-up there with something called the Linear Park, 22 miles of bike path and walking trails. Also downtown is one of my favourite microbreweries. At Arcadia Brewing Company we sampled all 9 of their beers, as well as their two cask conditioned ales. Yum! The food was good but not great. The beer, however, was fantastic.
Arcadia Brewing Company, Battle Creek. S700 photo.
Downtown Battle Creek, from the River Walk Trail. S700.
Next up was Dark Horse Brewery in Marshall. A bit hard to find, it was worth it. We had beer and pizza, one of the best non-cheese pizzas ever! The place is like someone's large garage, with hundreds of unique beer mugs hanging from the ceiling and walls. They belong to mug club members, of course. The beer was fabulous, too and we would love to return here. It sure was lively here for a small town pub on a Saturday night.
Dark Horse Brewery, Marshall, MI. Those are mugs on the ceiling and walls!. A fantastic pub!
Next day was given over to hiking. We used the Whiteman Nature Center at Albion College, putting in 6 trail miles on Sunday before heading back home. We stopped at a cafe in Jackson and a pet shop in Ann Arbor. Ike is now set up for the winter, and the next post will deal with him and his new environment.
All 3 towns had walking trails, with the one in Marshall being the most elaborate and expensive, albeit the shortest. View from the end of the trail, Marshall.
Deb on the trail in Marshall, MI.
Friday, Sept. 26th/08
One month of work down, 9 to go! No kids today, as the day was given over to some pretty decent professional development. That leaves 1.9 years till retirement!!
This weekend we are heading to Michigan to do some walking and to visit a few new brew pubs. Reports will follow, and hopefully some pics. I just finished my trip journal for the recent NM voyage, and can finally move on to other things in my life (like reading, and perhaps gaming). At 245 pages, it is the largest single-trip journal yet. I will also try to update the VW webpages, mostly with some unpublished photos of the trip with the Touareg.
Tuesday, Sept. 23/08
The final update of the website is complete. Dozens of Trip #26 pics were added to the site. Some tweaking will occur, and not all images will stay on indefinitely, so please have a glance when you can. I will work on the Touareg photos next.
Sunday, Sept. 21/08
A busy day, but we had lots of fun. Sundays used to mean laundry and groceries, but since we have shifted things around a bit, the day is now mostly free. We began by going to A'burg early this morning and printing the remainder of the New Mexico trip photos. We continued on into Harrow, and we walked along the Greenway. I put in 5 miles and Deb walked 6. She did 2 more when we got home, while I washed the Jetta. Her half-marathon walk is only 4 weeks away. That makes 8 miles I have walked since yesterday, meaning I am managing to maintain myself physically so far, even with no immediate major hiking goals in sight.
Once home, I continued work on my never-ending, ever-enlarging trip journal. It is now the fattest school notebook I have ever seen. I'm not sure it will hold together for the remaining entries, though I am nearing the end. Weather continues to be unbeatable for this time of year. It is the last day of summer, though.
Caroline heard word today that her winning Holmes script is being shelved, and won't even be seen by the A list British actors for whom it was written. What a shame, as we were all convinced it was a winner.
Saturday, Sept. 20/08
I can't believe a month has passed since our 32nd Anniversary Hike in New Mexico! We are keeping up the fitness levels, too, which is really amazing. We walked three miles today in Dearborn, trying out Deb's new wrist GPS/Heart Monitor. We can download the hike info onto my topo map collection. It gives profiles of altitude and even gives the weather. Next week we are going deeper into Michigan, hiking in Marshall and Albion.
This past week was a busy one, complicated by "Meet the Teacher Night" on Thursday. We did some rescheduled private teaching on Wed., and after the school function Thursday rushed home to take the remainder. We still took a bit of a financial hit, as some people could not reschedule. Friday, Deb had a harp gig in Belle River. However, the main reason I have been lagging in my blog entries is because whenever I do have a spare moment I've been either editing photos from the NM trip or working on my journal or website updates. In addition to my own website (welcome to it!) I also look after the school's and the one of our local branch of ORMTA.
Austin Miles Update: Austin is back full time at school after his horrendous ski accident last January (see entry for Jan. 30th, below, and others following). Regular readers will remember that Austin got caught up in a ski grooming machine. Not only did he somehow live, but he now has nearly normal use of the leg that was wrapped around the studded groomer cylinder. Thank-you again Univ. of Michigan Children's Hospital!!! He had more physio over the summer, but all seems well. It does my heart good to see him take gym class with the rest of the kids.
Ike the Turtle Update:
Ike will remain with us over the winter, until he is big enough to release. He is so tiny, we feared he would not get big enough to survive a long hibernation. Deb has him set up in a large aquarium, and has been researching baby snappers.
One of Deb's adult harp students was in a run across Essex County today for Alzheimer's disease. Rhonda and company ran past about 5:45 pm this afternoon, and we went out to cheer them on.
I haven't added a lot of pics to the blog lately because I have been using some of my old 126 Instamatic cameras. Shoppers Drug Mart still develops them, and does a great job. Today I received 10 more film cartridges, plus 24 flash bulbs--remember flash cubes?--I found some on line!! I have two top-of-the-line 126 cameras, including the Instamatic 500 (made in Germany) and an SLR with three lenses (also made in Germany). They take incredible pictures!!
Alzheimer's fundraiser run went past our house today. Deb's harp student was in it. S700 photo.
While sitting across the road waiting for the runners to pass, we noticed how high our locust tree was getting! Note hydro pole at left. S700 photo.
Sunday, Sept. 14th/08
Tropical Depression Ike paid us a visit all weekend, dumping 5.7" of rain into our back yard. The creek, needless to say, is very high. Other than a quick trip to the mall yesterday, we fortunately had no weekend plans, managing to stay home for the wet weather. Looks like grass cutting will resume, after the driest August on record in the county.
I have been working hard on my journal of our recent trip to New Mexico, having now completed 12 days of 16. I am well past page 200!! Even by drastically reducing the number of photos, I still have more than from any other trip. This is a good thing, because I also have a larger number of superior pictures than from any other trip. Reduction will continue over the next few months. Part 3 of the website update is now complete, and Part 4 will make it online eventually.
On our walk this morning (it wasn't raining) we came across a teeny weeny snapping turtle sitting in a gutter beneath a curb in Pointe West subdivision. We scooped him up and brought him home. We will keep him a week or so, until we are certain he can make it at the local pond. Not sure how he got there, but he must have been washed down the curb during the storms. His name (of course) is Ike.
Ike, rescued from a roadside curb, will spend a few days with us before returning to the wild.
Monday, Sept. 9th/08
Part 2 of the website update is now on-line! It includes at least one photo of each of the 7 hikes we completed in this phase of the trip. We were north of US 64, up north of the Hopewell Lake area for two nights, though the photos also include shots of Colorado and Taos, NM. Enjoy. Part Three will be sometime in coming, followed by a section of Touareg shots from the journey, so stay tuned.
Sunday, Sept. 8th/08
Our first real weekend in over two months has come and gone. I have spent much of it practicing piano, writing up my travel journal, working on the website, and continuing the walking program. We actually had a lot of fun this weekend, getting over the border on Saturday morning to our mailbox and to a large Barnes and Noble bookstore. It was an incredible weather day, and I'm glad we got outdoors. We returned to Windsor for lunch at Pause Cafe (our third meal there in a week!), then walked three miles through downtown and along the river. Sunday we walked at Malden Hill, putting in another three miles. We finally had some rain this morning, though barely enough to wet the grass (4/10"). We need a good two-day soaking to get things back on track.
This week we resume full teaching duties, with a record number of private students and teaching hours. It's also a five-day week at school. Will report back by Friday to see how things went!
Friday, Sept. 5th/08
The first week of work is over, and we are both glad it's Friday! Next week, the full teaching load will hit us as our private students commence lessons too. I am unbelievably tired right now, and can't keep my eyes open. Getting up early every morning and going to work is something I haven't done in over 15 years! The shift from afternoon teaching to morning is taking its toll, though I'm sure I will adjust quickly.
Work on the travel journal is going full speed ahead, though I will pause this weekend to get the second website update online. I have currently written up to the 4th hike. There are 11 all together, so I have a ways to go.
Tuesday, Sept. 2nd /08
We have made it through the first day of school, with only 189 more to go! Can't wait till next summer vacation, even though no plans have been formed as yet. I now have two years less a day remaining in my committment to teaching school music. Let the countdown continue. The real challenge this year will be maintaining our fitness level while trying to keep up with piano, writing, attending concerts and perhaps even sneaking in some autumn nights at the telescope eyepiece. September will definitely set the tone. Our next major hiking expedition isn't until March /09, but we don't want to lose what we've worked so hard to achieve.
We left school at 12:15 today (and will every day), meeting up with Amanda and going downtown Windsor for lunch. We have discovered the delights of a little cafe called "Pause". I also got my 2nd batch of New Mexico photos today, so I can now work on the journal again, writing about the actual hikes we did during the first segment of our recent outdoor adventure. So much to do yet on that opus, my largest travel volume to date.
I am gradually getting my private teaching nights organized. The hours will be even longer than last year, and we have put our rates up slightly as well. Financially, it should be a good year, paying down the Touareg so that a year from now the loan will be almost nothing. Then we can attack the Jetta loan. All debts must be cleared before I can retire, and they will be, we hope.
Sunday, August 31st/08
Only one day left! I console myself in the fact that our private teaching doesn't begin until next week, so things won't be too bad for the first week back at school. I managed a decent piano practice today, and began work on the gargantuan task of editing the mountain pictures, getting them printed, writing the journal entry and inserting the photos, adding some to the website with commentary, and lastly getting enlargements of the best of the best and putting them into an album. All this whilst trying to work, practice, and keep fit! September will be a busy month.
Deb went out and bought new clothes for school, since she doesn't fit into any of her old things anymore. She has dropped from a size 11/12 pants to a size 6, and all her blouses now have to be sized small! Remarkable what diet and exercise will do (and won't do, if you ignore them).
As I was preparing the outdoor table for a card game of Middle Earth: The Wizards this afternoon, Randy and Anita appeared at the door! We had a nice little visit and they saw the first part of my journal, The Drive West.
Speaking of which, the first part is now on-line, right across the hall here. It will take a long time to get the mountain pictures posted, but it will happen. Randy's telescope mirror is in "fine grinding" stages right now. Woo hoo!!
Heard from Amanda tonight, too, and we are expecting to see her very soon as well.
Sat., August 30th/08
Our remaining holidays are speeding past all too quickly! I have been busy resuming piano practice as well as working on editing photos and writing the travel journal for our recent voyage. We've also had three long walks in recent days, including today's epic 7 mile one along the Windsor riverfront. It didn't even tire us! If only we had hills here, to maintain our current level of super-fitness. Flat walking, no matter how long, only gets your body working so hard.
The first part of the website update should be ready soon, detailing my solo drive from Amherstburg to Colorado, where I met up with Deb. So stay tuned.
Wed., August 27th/08
We are back, safe and sound. The trip was absolutely perfect, and seemed to last and last (it was 16 days for me). I took nearly a thousand photos, and spent all of today doing a fast edit on just the ones I took on my solo drive to Colorado Springs. I pared them down to 'only' 272 4 x 6s, and printed them at Amherstburg's Shoppers Drug Mart, my lab of choice now. Their equipment is all by Fuji, and far superior to anything I have come across elsewhere. A few shots may appear on the website by the end of the weekend, but it will likely take much longer. To make room on the website, the Trip #25 pics will disappear, as will the Colorado ones.
Did we manage to climb our designated peak, Little Costilla? Anxious readers will just have to wait and see. Suffice it to say we hiked every day for 8 days, and did more miles than ever before. Our fitness level was the main reason for this. Can't wait to see a photo? Okay, I'll break down and include one, but just this once.
Hailstorm on our arrival in NM! It was cold, windy and very wet all weekend. It was not a good start to a week of camping!
Saturday, August 9th/08
We have just returned from a hike in Ann Arbor, revisiting the U. of Mich. Nichols Arboretum. We last hiked here May 25th (see below), when we were only two weeks into our initial training program. Today we returned for a strenuous hike in Week 9 of just over 10km. The hills are very steep, and the back country trails are as rugged as any in the Midwest. We aced the hike, giving us confidence and added quad and calf strength! We walked for two hours and 15 minutes (not counting a few short breaks), chalking up over 6 miles of steady up and down forested terrain. Afterwards, we had a fabulous vegan lunch at Earthen Jar in downtown Ann Arbor before heading home. The food here is sooooo good, and we haven't visited in a while, perhaps because it's closed on Sundays.
Tomorrow the packing of the SUV begins in earnest. As I check over the weather maps, the monsoon season is really firing up in northern New Mexico. It's so hard to plan mountain hikes there this time of year. Hopefully we'll have better luck in March, when we make a return to the Cornudas Mts. and Alamo Mt. in the far south. We have not had a desert adventure for many years.
Nichols Arboretum overlook. S700 self-timer.
Fields of flowers in the prairie section of the park. Finepix S700.
The Huron River was filled with canoes and kayaks this afternoon, forming a nearly endless parade. S700.
Boardwalk at the park is short but sweet. The park has so many varied kinds of terrain that hiking here is never boring. Deep forest, formal gardens, riverside paths, prairie expanse and small marsh keep our interest and energy up. S700.
Thursday, August 7th/08
The upcoming voyage marks my third drive from Windsor to New Mexico, and the second with Beorn, our trusty and capable VW Touareg. Our ultimate goal is to hike to the summit of Little Costilla Peak in northern NM, our first attempt to break the 12,000' altitude mark. This will entail a grueling 7-mile hike (no trail, just a scramble) with a net elevation gain of about 2,600', the most gain we have ever attempted on a single hike. Remember, we are flatlanders living here in Essex County.
We have used two training programs to prepare ourselves. The first was our usual 4-week walking plan from Walking Magazine, and the second a 6-week hiker-specific one from Backpacker Magazine. The first program did a good job of getting us from completely unfit to a decent level of basic fitness. The second plan is much more advanced. As I write this a few days before departure I am halfway through Week #5 in the second program, and I have reached a level of fitness not known by me in decades!
That means I went from zero to very fit in 9 1/2 weeks! The icing on the cake has been Deb's focus on healthy vegan meals and our reduced caloric intake. Both work together beautifully--focused exercise and fresh and healthy vegan food. I honestly feel 10 years younger than I did 9 short weeks ago! If we fail to achieve that mountain summit it won't be due to lack of fitness--rather it will be weather-related. The last mile of the hike is above treeline, and exposed to wind and lightning. Even if it is a "nice" day up there, the weather will still be autumnal at best.
Deb has been visiting her mom and sisters in Lindsay since Monday, and is due back tonight at 9 pm on Via Rail. The cats have been very well-behaved, and don't seem to mind me feeding them. Still, it probably tastes better when Mom is home.
Saturday, August 2nd/08
Our backpacker fitness program dictates one longer hike each week. Today we returned to the Johnson Nature Centre. We abandoned a hike here several weeks ago due to horrendous mosquitoes. It is a lovely facility, with a modern exhibit building, washrooms, drinking water, and an outdoor deck with seating overlooking a small lake. The mosquitoes were still there, but we were ready for them! We had deet, but better yet we had our new mosquito jackets with hoods to bedevil the little vampire buggers. Our biggest problem was how to complete a 4 mile hike in a 32 acre park. The perimeter trail was only 0.9 miles long, but luckily there were many inside trails and connecting paths. Even so, we had to loop around the same areas several times. The hills were a big plus, and we surprised ourselves by easily climbing them over and over with barely a huff and a puff.
Waterlily at Johnson Nature Center, Bloomfield Hills, MI. Finepix S700.
Afterwards, we headed for lunch at Copper Canyon Brewery, enjoying the excellent hand-pulled IPA, a salad and a portobello mushroom sandwich to die for!
Yesterday Amanda L. dropped by, her first visit in a long time. We ate lunch on the deck, then went inside to watch the BBC Scotland adaptation of Iain Banks' novel "The Crow Road". Except we couldn't find it. So we watched "Altered States" instead, a great sci fi movie from 1980 that can still knock your socks off. William Hurt makes his film debut in Ken Russell's fun and engrossing little masterpiece about the ultimate search for oneself. The hero finds himself, but it sure takes a lot of magic mushrooms.
Poster for the movie. I've been finding these images on Wikipedia.
Afterwards, I delved deep into my dvd collection of martial arts movies, and came up with a very rare, bizarre film called "Crippled Masters". I can't believe I saw this movie! Starring two severely handicapped guys--one legless and the other armless--they take on the bad boss and his syndicate after receiving more humiliation than a character from a Dickens novel! Definitely a guilty pleasure.
Thursday, July 31st/08
It was Ferdie's turn for his veterinary check-up. Dr. Ross thinks he is doing just fine! The ride home was the usual exciting event. Ferdie does not do well in moving vehicles...
A good piano practice and full series of exercises helped fill the day. I tried to cut the lawn, but the damn battery is dead again. Deb is working on finishing her mom's small painting. She will bring it to her on her upcoming visit to Lindsay.
I watched a Roger Corman movie that I have somehow missed over the years. A fun entry in his series of low-budget films. The movies seem to be put together during parties in various parts of California and Mexico, and this one is no exception. Good fun, from my Mill Creek series. One of the funniest creatures ever seen on film. Love the poster, too.
Wed., July 30th/08
Steve and Lynne have come and gone. We went to Colchester on Sunday afternoon and met them at Viewpointe Estate Winery, the most spectacular winery in the county. With enormous windows looking out upon Lake Erie, the building and setting are hard to beat. The wines are very good too! Afterward, we went to Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery, another excellent source of local wine, and close to home.
Deb and Lynne line up for free wine at Sprucewood Estates Winery.
Steve driving his first VW.
We enjoyed the spectacle of this sign painter on the roof, downtown Detroit. Just a guy on a ladder up there, nothing else.
At a park in Troy, after our picnic. Lynne, Steve, Deb and me.
Steve's favourite pizza is in Greektown, Detroit.
Massacre) finished off the day, and the company was gone early Wed. morning, heading for Upper Michigan to camp overnight before returning to Sudbury.
A great group shot courtesy of John, Randy's teenage son. L to R: Randy, Anita, me, Lynne, Deb and Steve. Taken outside Randy's gazebo beside the pool.
Saturday, July 26th/08
I can't believe it's been almost a week since I last blogged! Time is flying much too fast!! Heard from Cathy via e-mail today. She returns to work on August 1st and hopefully some kind of "normalcy". She has an actioneer helping her with stuff from Moreno's motorcycle shop. There are so many tools and parts left over from their cycle shop that it simply boggles the mind. Of course Cathy felt completely overwhelmed by everything after the funeral and memorial, not the least of which was disposing of the shop stuff. Hopefully this will now go forward smoothly. Love ya, Cathy! Deb will be sending her a recent painting back with Steve and Lynne, who arrive here tomorrow for a few days' visit.
Also this week Caroline, our good friend from London, UK, got a well-paid university research job. It lasts one year and should stabilize her finances while she continues her film-making career. She has been working on a Sherlock Holmes script for a major tv production that sounds like a don't miss thing. If she gets her script chosen it will be a major breakthrough for her, so we are keeping our fingers crossed. News here as soon as we know.
Deb and Anita reduced their annual kids' country harp camp to one long day and night this year. 22 children spent the day at Anita's house in Woodslee harping, swimming and visiting the horses. In the evening they had a small bonfire, then Randy and I came out with small telescopes. Randy gave a great intro talk on the summer sky, then we let them have turns looking at a few selected celestial objects.
Summer Harp Camp 2008 was a great success, with 22 kids participating.
Anita has several horses and ponies at her place in Woodslee, and they are always a big attraction for the kids.
Randy (left) brought his 6" Go To telescope out to Anita's, while I brought the 4" Astroscan. I am wearing the latest in mosquito fashion wear.
Deb and I, summer of 1977 at the family cottage on Lake Penage. I had recently purchased the Edmund 8" Reflector, which remains my main telescope to this day!
Sunday, July 20th/08
Despite morning rain (once again predicted for the afternoon, which was sunny), we got a major walk completed along the Windsor riverfront. Over the course of three hours we walked at least 10 km, stopping at a downtown cafe for refreshment, and at the new bus terminal to purchase a ticket for Deb's upcoming trip to Lindsay to attend her mother's 80th birthday. It was cloudy for much of the walk, but near the end the sun appeared and the temps soared. We were done by 12:25 and on our way home, nearly done in by the humidity.
A favourite sculpture set from the Windsor riverfront walk, and a detail below.
While surfing the Henry Ford Museum website last night, I came across an older on-line exhibit of photos taken by the Detroit Publishing Company. This turned into an amazing discovery! The company sent photographers all across the globe at the turn of the century to take pictures, selling them to calendar makers, encyclopedia companies and publishers of books and postcards. Over 250 images are on the site, though unfortunately even the larger versions are quite small. Still, there are some unbelievably good pictures to look at in several categories.
We watched Sherlock Jr. tonight, a Buster Keaton silent film classic in which he nearly kills himself many times over doing his own outrageous and very dangerous stunts. The movie is hilarious, fast-paced, imaginative and only 50 minutes long. We have been Keaton fans for as long as I can remember, though we haven't watched one in a few years.
Saturday, July 19th/08
We test drove the new Jetta TDI yesterday, the 2009 clean diesel model, and I want one! It was so fast I still can't believe it! And quiet! How long can I live without one of these machines? As VW continues to go towards all-diesel until a switch to electric around 2016, the technology behind these engines becomes increasingly astounding. 1000km on 55 litres of fuel is something we would like to be able to do once more, after selling our 2000 TDI to buy the Touareg. Of course right after buying the SUV, gas hit $1 per litre for the first time, and hasn't gone back! Anyway, even the Touareg will have a new clean diesel engine starting next April. Can't wait to test drive one of those.
Deb had a wedding gig in Blenheim today, a small farming town about 90 minutes drive from Amherstburg. We packed up the Jetta with her gear and drove out on a cloudy, very dull summer's day. While she was playing harp at the church I strolled through town, enjoying the annual Cherry Festival and ensuing carnival. The main street was blocked off, a nice enough event in itself, and the folks were out enjoying the rides and major sidewalk sales. The Chatham-Kent Parrot Club had a tent and some birds, and it was attracting a good crowd. I eventually found a great independent cafe and settled in for an hour. Deb was happy with her wedding performance, which paid quite well. Driving home we stopped at two wineries we have not visited before, one just west of Blenheim and the other in north Ruthven.
Deb warms up at St. Mary's Church, Blenheim.
Attractive storefront, downtown Blenheim.
Blenheim main street during the annual Cherry Festival. They were running low on cherries.
African Grey parrot on display at the festival.
Scarlet Macaw, Blenheim festival. All photos today courtesy the Finepix S700.
A very warm and humid day, and of course we were walking around downtown Detroit! It can be a fun town in daytime or evening. We had coupons for Borders Books, and purchased a new Uncle John's Bathroom Reader (Music!), as well as a 2008 movie guide by Leonard Maltin. The main highlight was a visit to a trendy new wine bar in the First National Building, "Enoteca". We sampled six wines, three from South America and three from Italy. Our favourite was a red from Verona, and we will look into getting some soon. They also had a bruschetta sampler plate, and we were able to order 4 different kinds. It is a lovely spot with great views into the heart of the city at Campus Martius.
At the bar, Enoteca. A very urban experience.
Scene along Woodward Ave., Detroit.
Looking out from inside Oslo Restaurant, downtown Detroit. Finepix A820 photos.
Monday July 14th/08
We have hit a block of good weather since our hiking fiasco on Saturday morning. Things are gradually heating up, however, and midweek promises to be scorching. We waterproofed the new tent today. We need to ramp up the fitness program a bit more this week, always pushing ourselves a bit further until the major climb in five weeks time. I am confident that we will be fit, but I am not so confident the weather will allow us a safe ascent. We will have two chances to climb, and then it's over for another year.
We enjoyed a delicious perry cider tonight, something I first discovered in London but now find at the LCBO store. It is one of the most refreshing beverages I have ever enjoyed. Dry and crisp with very little taste of fruit, Perry Cider is one of my favourite drinks. Look for it in a green can, near the Stongbow and other ciders.
Saturday night we watched a harmless and somewhat entertaining French film called "My Best Friend." It certainly didn't go too far into new cinematic and philoshopical grounds, but it told an interesting tale of a businessman who had no friends and had 10 days to find one to win a bet. Many of the performances are first rate, if the writing is a bit dry. Good foreign flic, and recommended.
Last night I went to Randy's. We finally got together after months and months to watch Season One episodes of the new Dr. Who. The series, now finished its 4th season, is simply the best scifi tv program on the air. I liked the first season Dr. a lot (Christopher Eccleston) and was sad to see him leave after only one year at the helm. We watched Episode One and then Episode Six (I had shown #Two recently to a Gr. 8 class), which has the reappearance of a single Dalek. It is a very moving story, and a brilliant touch to infuse the last Dalek with human feelings. Of course it can't stand the ordeal (the physical torture earlier was no problem by comparison) of dealing with human emotions (can any of us?) and kills itself. All of the episodes are good, and I hope to get back to Randy's incredible tv screen to view a few more.
Randy went and bought himself a 2008 Mustang, a V8 Bullitt limited edition. An exciting car, and somewhat fun to drive, though I have always found Mustangs claustrophic to be in. As nice as it is, I don't think I would have sold my 6-speed VW Jetta TDI to get one! Ah well, that's what makes life (and friends) so interesting. Each to his own, and I know Randy will get a big kick out of driving it for as long as he owns it. His purchase is certainly supporting the local economy.
Not such good news on the 22" telescope mirror he is hoping to acquire. Right now Corning cannot supply his mirror maker with glass of the correct thickness. Randy has been playing a waiting game for months, and looks like he will have to continue waiting indefinitely. Work continues on the mount, and it should be complete very soon.
Saturday, July 12/08
Today was supposed to be a big hike, several miles and several hours. We left in good time for the Windsor riverfront pathway, though we no sooner exited the car than the thunder began. Despite weather forecasts on the radio saying it would rain in the afternoon and evening, it didn't. It rained in the morning. We walked about an hour, getting completely soaked. By the time we got home it had stopped, and it never rained again all day. I don't know how meteorologists can show up for work day after day, pretending they know something about weather forecasting. It was pouring rain in Windsor and downtown Detroit at 10 am, yet the live forecast on WWJ radio kept saying it would rain in the afternoon and evening. People had to phone in from their cars to say it was raining, and raining hard. Anyway, our hike was not successful, but that is likely what we will encounter in New Mexico in August. During our first 23 years visiting down there we were seldom bothered by the monsoon season, as they were in a very bad drought. Recently the summer rains have returned with a vengeance, making summer plans in the southern Rockies as iffy as predicting weather. Tomorrow we are supposed to cross-train, so we might go bicycle riding.
While heading out to the back deck with Gustav this afternoon, we saw this little dragonfly. I snapped a photo with the tiny A820. It looks better enlarged, but for a $99 point and shoot camera (sale price), it takes good closeups!
Dragonfly on our back door.
Friday, July 11th/08
We enjoyed a brisk cardio workout this morning on the hills at Malden Park. We sprint up a steep hill for about one minute, cool down then repeat 5 more times. The calves and quads are getting a great workout.
Butterfly seen on our walk at Malden Park this morning. A820 Finepix.
Wyandotte, MI Street Fair, the 47th annual.
The tempting blackboard at Fort Street Brewery!
Once home, we washed the Touareg. The tank got filled today in Michigan ($57), only the second time since buying the Jetta! Then we made some espresso and headed out onto the back deck, with Ferdie and Gustav in tow. They love it outside, and we try to go out every day with them.
Ferdie and Gustav in the screen room.
Gustav outside, but in the screen room.
Wed., July 9th/08
I am getting back on track again as far as piano goes, and it feels good. I am working on the entire Beethoven Sonata Op 10 #2, and keeping the two Scarlatti Sonatas and three of the Spanish pieces (Debussy, de Falla, and Albeniz), as well as Deb's tango piece for harp and harpsichord. It's been a long time since I undertook a major sonata, and it feels good to be grappling with truly great music again on a larger scale. My student Kady got her Gr. 5 Flute exam results, scoring a very respectable 87%! And Alicia got 82% on her Gr. 3 Piano exam. I am proud of both girls, though Al is especially to be congratulated. Since her mom passed away last summer, she has been doing the practicing on her own, without prodding. She has been a real trooper, and continues to be a successful pianist. We have started Gr. 4 pieces during summer lessons, and she appears eager to move on.
Deb and I also stepped up the fitness program today. I have just over four weeks remaining until I leave for Colorado! Deb has fixed up the first basement room as a small gym, and we do some of our training there now. We are working on a hiker-specific program, and hope it helps us achieve our lofty goal of climbing Little Costilla Peak. If we were guaranteed nice weather all day I know we could climb it. However, sometimes there are only a few hours in the morning before the storms arrive, and rushing up and down a mountain is not my idea of fun. So if we can't get up this summer, we will try at a better time when we are retired, either spring or fall.
I watched a "B" movie tonight, written and directed by Curt Siodmak called "Bride of the Gorilla". It was watchable, with good acting and intelligent dialogue, but was woefully lacking in 'gorilla' stuff. It was a selection in my 50 horror movie pack.
Monday, July 7th/08
I'm back from my whirlwind visit to Sudbury, home of very bad roads. The memorial afternoon dedicated to Moreno (alias Munga Funga!) was a great success, and a large number of people showed up for it, many of them bikers. Cathy was strong and amazing throughout the day, and it was good to hear her laugh as the many speakers went up to the microphone and told some hilarious stories about Moreno. There's no doubt in my mind that he was a very special human being, though virtually every speaker echoed the same thing: Moreno was a scary looking guy, but when you got past the biker exterior, he had the heart of a teddy bear. May the memory of you live on forever, Moreno!
The drive up and back was mostly uneventful, except for how much it cost to drive the Jetta there. Once I fill the tank tomorrow, I'll report on the round trip cost. My parents look very well, and Steve and Lynne continue to improve the outdoor pool and downstairs bar, until it's the only place I want to be when I am visiting Sudbury! Steve also bought an amazing SUV, an Eddie Bauer Ford Explorer. He got a killer deal on it, and now has even less excuse not to come to NM with us someday soon (except for the cost of fuel). He and Lynne were super hosts, as ever, and I wish I could spend more time with my brother and his wife.
I managed three decent and hilly walks while there, and Lynne came on two of them, including a pilgrimage to the Supertower. She is a walker and explorer after my own heart, and a hell of a cook too!
Deb stayed home, as she had to play harp for Heather's wedding. Apparently Heather looked quite beautiful, and I am sorry I missed the occasion of a fellow teacher getting married.
Lynne and me at the supertower summit, overlooking the west end of Sudbury. This was part of my old stomping grounds, though there were no trees back then due to horrible pollution by INCO.
Moreno's cake, with him and his hero side by side. Along with the cake came a shot glass filled with JD! Not sure who did the cake spelling...
Cathy rented a large tent, which was set up on her property in Hanmer. There were about 120 guests, and everyone was fed. I overloaded on relatives, but did get to talk with Jeffrey for a short time. More on Jeff later.
Cathy took this incredible photo of Moreno on one of their many adventures. Looks like the Dakota badlands in behind. I must ask her for a larger image! Definitely my favourite shot of Moreno!
Thursday, July 3rd/08
A whole week of holidays has already passed. I have resumed several projects after a lengthy hiatus, including piano practice. I am learning the Sonata Op. 10 #2 by Beethoven, long a favourite of mine and on my "to do" list for many years. I am continuing to summarize the 25 New Mexico journeys in a separate volume, and have completed 17 so far. I limit myself to two pages of writing and two photos for each journey.
Yesterday was our private teaching day, but I only had Alicia and Holly. Deb had three students. Pretty easy work week! We took both vehicles in to VW this morning for service. The Jetta is ready for its run to Sudbury tomorrow, and the Touareg is ready for its August trip to NM. We test drove the lone Tiguan in the lot, a nice looking 4x4 in black. Coming from a luxury model like the Touareg, the Tiguan is nothing too special. However, as a much smaller SUV with some off-road capability, it seems just fine. They are made in Wolfsburg. We awoke to 3.2" of rain in the gauge this morning--it was a very damp night. The creek was roaring all day.
We went to our Dearborn mailbox, where my latest All Topo map upgrade was waiting. Instead of 29 cds of about 5000 topographic maps of New Mexico, I now have 4 dvds. What a treat!
Sunday, June 29th/08
On Friday evening our long-suffering, good friend Moreno passed away. According to Cathy, he peacefully drifted into a coma at home and died a short time later, in hospital. Moreno had lung cancer a few years ago, and seemed to have beaten it. We were all shocked and saddened when he developed a brain tumour several months ago, though he managed to hang on to a quality of life until his last day. You were an amazing man, Moreno, and though we did not know each other for long, I felt I knew you like a brother. It took me less than five minutes after first meeting you to figure out that you were deeply in love with my cousin and life-long friend, Cathy. She obviously made your life very special, and the two of you carved out a loving and lasting relationship that was the envy of many. Your adventures and many happy memories together will remind Cathy until her dying day of the kind of person you were, and why she loves you so much.
Even before our trip to New Mexico together, Deb and I knew we had found a kindred spirit, a man driven by perfection in his work with motorcycles the same way we seek perfection in our music performances. Moreno made us feel welcome and comfortable whenever we were together, and it seemed as if we had always known him.
The New Mexico trip was special to the extreme, including Moreno's sly way of contacting me months ahead of time trying to secretly purchase a trip to Santa Fe for Cathy for her big birthday year surprise. Because of a careless slip on your part (the old note-in-the-shirt-pocket discovery, the downfall of many a man) Cathy knew about it all along, so all those secret e-mails and half-whispered phone calls between us were all for nothing! Deb and I spent a brief but unforgettable time in NM with Cathy and Moreno, exploring The Turquoise Trail and reaching the summit of the Sandia Mts. Later, back at the motel and packing for home, the four of us were watching the sunset from the upper balcony, drinking the last of a bottle of Jim Beam and just talking. Nearby, Albuquerque was putting on a fireworks show just for us. Either Deb or Cathy casually mentioned something about getting hungry. About ten minutes later, we noticed Moreno was gone. Maybe he went for some cigs, we said. Another ten minutes go by, and we see him down in the parking lot, arms filled with bags of take-out food from some nearby restaurant. That was Moreno--his own man with his own ideas, but thoughtful of his friends to the max. That simple gesture endeared me to him more than anything. Miss ya, Moreno. Hope to meet you at the big Madrid Saloon in the sky someday, or maybe even someplace better....
I'll be in Sudbury soon to say goodbye.
Moreno in Cerillos, NM.
The NM gang, in a sunny and very hot Cerillos.
L to R: The now-famous geezer (actually a rancher and Korean war vet), me, Deb and Moreno at the most perfect bar in NM. When the dust had settled, Deb was elected to drive the winding road to the Sandia ski lift.
Friday, June 27th/08
Our first full day of vacation has passed by, and it was a fun one. We were in bed very early last night, and both slept for about 10 hours, getting up refreshed and ready for summer. By 11 am we were enjoying our annual Champagne Breakfast, with local berries, soy yogurt, and delicious home-baked banana loaf supplied by the Pillon family.
I have resumed working on my New Mexico summary project, recently completing two-page/two photo reports of Trips #13, 14, and 15. #14 was when Dad and I went camping at Lackey Point, NM, and #15 was when Deb and I witnessed an incoming meteor, missing us by just metres as we climbed Cougar Mt. near Corona, NM. Trip #13 included the now-legendary hike along Tadpole Ridge.
We have a big local hike planned for tomorrow in suburban Detroit, followed by a visit to a new (for us) microbrewery. Stay tuned.
Thursday, June 26th/08
A very challenging year has finally come to an end. I kept my sanity by attending a record number of piano concerts, taking photographs, reading, planning the trip to London in March (and doing it!), and planning the big drive west this coming August. A number of students also helped keep me sane, overbalanced by the number driving me insane. The last week went well, and we were blessed with moderate weather (much of it wet). Tuesday evening I drove Deb to a harp concert deep in the suburbs of Detroit, and last night she attended a gala to honour Judy Loman, Canadian harpist extraordinaire. Deb had her new piece for two harps performed at the late night venue, held at the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn, which was very well attended as part of the American Harp Society Convention. She also gave Judy an artwork she had made for her. We got to bed after 1 am, luckily able to sleep in before venturing to school for final cleanup and goodbyes to staff.
We had another storm today, and Dearborn seems to have been hit rather hard. We'll be watching the news tonight.
Deb, Anita and Janice. Anita and Janice performed Deb's new composition.
Anita, Judy Loman, Deb and Janice. The event was held in the rooftop circular room at the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn.
Sunday, June 22nd/08
A busy Sunday, and the whole weekend whooshes past us! Good thing the 'big' weekend starts next Friday, lasting until the day after Labour Day in Sept.! We took a long, hilly walk at Malden Hill Park, followed by grocery shopping. Home for lunch, and then out to cut grass. Back in to do laundry, and on it goes. Deb finished her info display for Wed. night at the Harp Convention. The American Harp Society's annual convention is in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn this year, and the Canadian Society is joining in. Deb is involved in the Wed. night Canadian shindig, which will feature a tribute to Judy Loman, and the premiere of a piece Deb wrote for two harps. Deb will also have a small speech to give. She's more worried about what her hair will look like than she is about her harp piece. Anyway, it's back for three more days of kiddies, then a day of cleaning, then off to summer vacation land....
Macro shot with the S700, taken today at Malden Hill in Windsor.
We hiked this morning under a lovely sky. Afternoon storms passed us by. S700, ISO 64.
Saturday, June 21st/08
We had a lot of mail waiting at the Dearborn mailbox today. I got my photo albums and black refill pages, and was finally able to complete my London enlargement project. I now have a lifetime supply of albums and refill pages. I plan to work on the winter album this summer. Speaking of which, Deb had a vivid winter dream last night, something I usually do on summer solstice! I also got a book on hiking in Derbyshire in the mail today, as well as two more dvd packs (more about them in a moment). We walked for an hour in Dearborn today, using Ford Park and surrounding streets as the focal point. By the autumn the park will join up with the Gateway Trail, giving about 22 miles of one-way hiking/biking.
Covered bridge across the Rouge River in Dearborn, at Ford Park.
A second bridge over the river, same park.
Tonight we watched a creepy old movie we have not seen in a long time. "Carnival of Souls" is one of the greatest and creepiest B horror flics ever filmed. An independent feature filmed in Salt Lake City, it was panned and ignored at the time it came out (before "Night of the Living Dead"), but is now a recognized cult classic. It came on my new dvd disc series called 50 Horror Classics, which I got for $13, shipping included. I also got 50 Drive-In Movie Classics for the same price. I already own the 50 Sci Fi Movie pack. These are incredible bargains, with usually 4 movies on a dvd, using both sides. There are no "extras" on the discs, but the prints are good. I plan on buying more of these packs in the future. Anyway, we enjoyed being creeped out by tonight's showing of Carnival of Souls, which is worth the price of the dvd pack in itself.
Friday, June 20th/08
I am writing this at approximately the time of Summer Solstice, so Happy Solsitice to my thousands of daily readers (or is it just my mother?)! How can life become so hectic and distracting that there is no time for friends, let alone piano practice. Tonight I was supposed to perform two Scarlatti Sonatas at an adult piano gathering organized by my good friend Paula. I had to bow out, as I haven't practiced nearly enough, and have had an incredibly hectic past two weeks. More on that later. Here is a totally amazing picture of the flooding that is hitting Iowa, Missouri and Illinois. I look at this picture in total disbelief and denial. This is going on whilst I fret about report cards, graduation ceremonies, private students, and surviving the final days of teaching elementary school for the season! I should be so fortunate.
Flooding continues in the American Midwest.
Diane Hunt, Holly's mom, took photos at last week's private student recital. She gave me a cd of them last night when she saw me at Gr. 8 Grad. Many are very good. She has a Nikon D80 DSLR and knows how to use it!!
Kady, a top student, has just been passed on to Averil Clarke, a flute specialist.
Diana's lovely daughter Holly, who recently switched from clarinet to piano.
Alex gave a very moving rendition of Aishou, theme music from the anime series Full Metal Alchemist.
Nathan studies violin with Deb and piano with me. His lessons are back to back. He performs with great sensitivity.
Deb's little harp elf, Julia.
Angela, another top student of mine, will be entering high school in Sept.
Alicia has worked very hard this year.
Last night was Gr. 8 Graduation, the last of our big school committments. Once again I had the honour of being emcee, which included two introductory speeches (laced with jokes), reading the student names as they were presented with their diplomas, and of course giving out the music award. Deb presented awards for Drama and Citizenship, and also ran the microphones and the final slideshow. Everything went really well, unless you were Jessica and didn't get the music award. Sorry, Jesse, but you have to a.) be an active member of at least one band (which you weren't), b.) have the highest music grade average (which you didn't), and c.) be a top notch citizen of the school (not bloody likely).
There is no doubt in my mind that you are the most talented music student this year, but that only gets you so far if you don't fully act on it. Anyway, congratulations to Jenny S., Rebecca P. and Forrest D. You are such fantastic and awesome music students and have made my year of teaching so much better.
Graduation Music Awards: L to R: Me, Jen, Forrest, Rebecca.
Drama Awards: Matt, Deb and Rebecca.
Wed., June 18th/08
Why is it that June never speeds past? We are both at our busiest, with barely time to glance at a clock. So why does June take so damn long to end? Probably because we are anticipating the big vacation. The count is down to five days remaining, but it's taken so long to get there from ten. Could be some kind of time vortex, worthy of another Einstein to figure out. Actually, the whole idea of time passing differently for each person, even during the same event, is a fascinating topic for discussion. Take tomorrow night's Graduation Ceremony at our school. For some, the evening will fly past, while for others it will drag on and on. This will be our final big evening committment to education for this season, to be followed all-too-quickly (why is that?) by "meet the teacher night" in September.
At least we can't complain about the weather this week. It's been gloriously chilly, the classrooms manageable (one can actually still 'teach'), and the home cooling bill much reduced. Speaking of bills, we got our quarterly water bill today. Actual water use: $17. Actual bill: $165. Now that is a sign of modern times. Kind of like finding an airfare to London for $600, but it actually turns out to be $1300. Welcome to the new doublespeak.
Saturday, June 14th/08
We had another 0.8" of rain yesterday, though I still managed to walk to the ice cream parlour with my recorder band students. Deb and I were both very tired last night, after a long and grueling week. I was in bed at 9:30 pm (it was still light outside!) and asleep before ten o'clock. This morning we were up bright and early, walking once more on the newer Gateway Trail in Dearborn. It was a spectacular and beautiful morning, and we enjoyed our 60 minute walk through and alongside woods, ponds, and across the Rouge River.
Yellow indicates the trail. Blue is the Rouge River. We walked about three miles this morning in Dearborn.
There were many ponds along Hines Drive, where the Dearborn Trail joins with another trail.
The first coat of wax was applied to the Jetta. The Touareg is next in line.
Wed., June 11th/08
19 students performed at our concert of private students tonight. Only Roger and Rhonda did not make it. We had pianists, flautists, violinists and harpers, all in good measure. Some of the highlights were fine performances by Alex, Karly, Nathan and Mary. Everyone did very well, and Deb and I were very proud teachers tonight!
Student performers at the annual private student concert. Thank-you to Paulin Memorial Church in Windsor for the use of their fine piano.
Tuesday, June 10th/08
Two wicked late-spring storms are now behind us. Sunday afternoon's was the windiest, and parts of Detroit are still without power two days later. Last night began with wind, but the lightning was the real showstopper. Our power flickered several times, and nearby Lasalle went down, but we managed to keep on truckin' here. It also rained all morning today, giving us a total of 2" for both storms. Needless to say, I will have to cut the grass tomorrow morning. Tomorrow night is the concert featuring our private students. It is in Windsor at Paulin Memorial Church. If I remember to bring the camera (lots of music to remember and think about), I'll nab a few group shots.
Yesterday, Philip Adamson came over to practice with Kady, my flute student who is doing her Gr. 5 flute exam in Windsor at the same time our school's graduation dinner and ceremony is happening in Amherstburg. Of course I can't accompany her myself, but it's good to know she is in even better hands now! Thank you Dr. A.! I will accompany her at the concert tomorrow night.
I managed to complete my Year 7 & 8 report cards, and have the 5s and 6s left to go. Things are wrapping up quickly. There are 11 days remaining in the teaching year. Our fitness program continues on track, and is surely helping us get through these final few days.
Saturday, June 7th/08 9:30 pm
We completed our initial walking program today, a one hour walk through a new (for us) trail in Dearborn along the Rouge River. We will now pick an interim plan until summer vacation, when we will start the six-week workout from Backpacker Magazine specifically suited to mountain hikers. The current program is helping us get through the final segment of the school year. We have more energy and stamina now.
Deb crosses a bicycle/footpath bridge over the Rouge River in Dearborn. We finished up our walking program with a warm and humid one-hour hike.
Rouge River, Dearborn.
Gustav with Peacock Feather. Taken today.
Amanda's new kitten, Boris. What a cutie pie!
Friday, June 6/08 10:00 am
The Detroit Red Wings have won another Stanley Cup, in a series against Pittsburgh that started as a rout and ended as a heart attack-inducing trauma. The big victory parade is today in downtown Detroit, and I bought the special Free Press edition for my brother Steve. We talked on the phone for the final 10 minutes of the game on Wed., watching in disbelief as Detroit once again got a penalty with only 2 minutes left to go. Pittsburgh scored, of course, coming within one goal of Detroit, and nearly scored once more with only one second remaining! It's over now, and life (and blood pressure) can once again return to normal. Brad, a Year 8 music student of mine, was coming out of a concert at the Fox Theatre Wed. night just as the celebrations were beginning. He said he saw a guy walking down the street in Detroit wearing a Penguins hockey shirt. About ten guys jumped him, ripped his shirt off and set it on fire! Nice. Classy. Sports always bring out the best in human character, it would seem.
Yesterday was the beginning of our first heatwave of the year. It also happened to be the afternoon I had chosen to take my two bands across the county by school bus to perform at another school. I'm sure I lost 5 pounds. The gym where we performed just got hotter and hotter. Loading and unloading all of our equipment was another fun activity. The students were great, however, and performed nearly flawlessly.
The wheels of the bus go round and round...
Students in Gr. 5 through 8 participated in the concert.
The recorder band performs a #1 hit from the Renaissance era.
Four of my top Year 8 players perform. We were visiting Maidstone Central School.
Our small but rather good concert band performs, whilst yours truly proceeds to sweat and lose weight.
And the audience went wild...
Tuesday, June 3rd/08
Time is ticking. When June arrives, teachers begin to smile. At least these two teachers do! So far it's been a good week. Thursday afternoon I am taking the Recorder Band and Concert Band to another county school to perform. However, I still need to collect a lot of permission forms from the kids. It's always a huge hassle to arrange this and execute the trip (stuffing a school bus with over 50 kids, music stands, drums, large instruments), but at least it's not an overnight trip somewhere. Getting too old for that kind of nonsense. Other than the band trip, it's just a normal week. There are 16 days of school remaining with students, and quite a few of those will be disturbed by field trips, assemblies and graduation practice. I updated the school webpage today with the new fangled time table for next year. Looks like Deb and I will be teaching in the morning instead of afternoon, something we are both okay with. 2.1 years remaining for me, and 3.1 for Deb. The initial walking program is in its final week, and we have to switch to something bigger soon. August is coming, and so is Little Costilla peak!
Sunday, June 1st/08
It was a very busy day! It began with the cutting of the lawn, which I seem to have down to about a one-hour job. After lunch came our second long walk of the weekend. We have now completed three consecutive weeks of our four-week program. We haven't really decided what to do for a follow-up, but we have a number of options. Today's walk began and ended at our house, taking us deep into a nearby woodlot. We saw a large coyote, but after seeing us it disappeared too quickly to take a photo.
Before the forest is reached, we have to walk this beautiful laneway just north of the Anderdon sewage lagoons. Not as bad as it sounds.
These woods are a favourite destination of ours in all seasons. Today the mosquitoes were biting, thanks to recent rain. The number of songbirds was phenomenal.
After the nearly-perfect walk came the weekly grocery excursion to Zehrs in Lasalle, though we have been buying most of our veggies from a local highway stand nearby. Then it was home to do four large loads of laundry. While I was out cutting the lawn earlier, Deb had been cleaning the upstairs room, thus accounting for enough laundry to last from 4 pm until nearly 10 pm! It was a perfect day in many respects, with bright sunshine, low humidity and temps near 70F. Just like New Mexico in August at 10,000'! I also did some work planning the summer drive to New Mexico via Colorado Springs. It will rival, and possibly exceed, the trip from the summer of 2006.
Saturday, May 31st/08
Last night we attended the final Detroit Symphony concert of the regular season, highlighted by the 9th of Beethoven led by Toronto Symphony conductor Peter Oundjian. The performance reached great heights, and the choir and soloists were magnificient. After the concert it was pelting rain as we ran for the car. We needed the precip quite badly. The concert was a very fitting end to one of the best concert seasons, all round, that I can ever remember. Next year looks like it will rival it, as the brochures promise some big things, including the completion of the Beethoven piano cycle by Andras Schiff.
Today we walked on the ERCA trail in Essex. It currently begins near Sadler Pond and extends (paved) to Hwy 3. It took us nearly an hour to walk from downtown to the end and back. It was very hot and extremely windy.
Flox and wild mustard run rampant in a field ajacent to our walk today in Essex.
Wednesday, May 28th/08
The big school spring performance has come and gone. Both the 1 pm show and the 7 pm show went extremely well! There were two plays, a primary choir, the concert band and the recorder band. I took some pics but am too tired to post them tonight. It is so incredibly clear right now that if I had any energy left I would head to Malden and observe some galaxies with the 8" reflector. Instead, I'll think about them before I pass out in bed. Too tired to watch the third period of the hockey game. Looks like the Red Wings might finally lose a game to Pittsburgh.
Sunday, May 25th/08
Another beautiful day today as we headed to Ann Arbor for our second major walk of the weekend. We have now completed two weeks of our initial walking program, with two more weeks to go. Thanks to two old books I've kept and treasured over the years (Tom Powers' Natural Michigan, and Vol 2 called More Natural Michigan), we keep finding these incredible places to hike and explore. Today we visited Nichols Arboretum, alongside the lovely Huron River and near the vast U of M medical centre complex. Its 130 acres hold one of the most complete tree and plant collections in North America, and the walking/hiking is first rate. We lasted about an hour today, but will return when we are ready for a challenge hike. By doing most of the loops and back trails, a decently long walk can be done here. The steep hills make it a great place to tone up for our upcoming adventure in the Rockies!
Deb follows a steep trail through a bee-loud glade of wildflowers.
Azalea from Nichols Arboretum.
More azaleas. The colours made a good test for the Finepix S700, my main hiking camera.
Large red tail hawk with a squirrel in its claw. This was an exteme telephoto shot, going well beyond the 10x/380 mm normally used and into digital zoom. There was so much purple fringe distortion at this range I had to make the photo b&w. The bird was very high in a distant tree.
The scenic and inviting Huron River flows alongside the park. There is a canoe in the distance.
This is a pint of ESB cask ale from Arbor Brewing Co., now a favourite dining spot of ours. The crazy cat lady studying the earth-friendly menu is Deb.
Saturday, May 24th/08
We returned to the Detroit Symphony last night, hearing the beloved Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #2, and Pictures at an Exhibition arranged for orchestra by the conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy. Deb and I took Kady and Julia R. Even though they are now in high school, both girls come by the school occasionally to volunteer with the band. The concert was stupendous. The last one of the season is next Friday night (Beethoven's 9th).
Standing ovation at Orchestra Hall, Detroit.
Path underneath the forest canopy at Ojibway Prairie.
This lovely little lake is near Malden Road, reached by pathways that were quite muddy. There is a bench to sit upon, and the lake is clear and filled with fish (including koi) and tadpoles.
Ferdinand models the latest in cat rainwear, much to Deb's amusement. He didn't mind the hood either, but you couldn't see him at all when it was on.
Wednesday, May 21/08
Watched a great dvd tonight called Horowitz in Moscow (2000), where the 83 year-old pianist proves that he can still play the Romantic repertoire as well as any living artist. But even more impressive, he proves he can play Scarlatti and Mozart better too! He also performs works by Schubert, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Schumann and Chopin. It is a remarkable concert, highlighted by the 2nd Scriabin Etude on the program and the 2nd Rachmaninoff Prelude. Wow!!!!!!!!!! What a sound!!!!!!!!!
Got an e-mail from Amanda today. She has a kitten and wants a cool name for him. I know she will think of something. Will post a pic here when she sends one to us.
I wrote to Kati G. tonight, as we hope to connect over the summer at one of her concerts here in southwestern Ontario. It's been way too long since I heard Kati perform.
Monday, May 19th/08
We stayed home today. Deb got really ambitious and cleaned the tv room top to bottom, and even painted the far wall a lighter green. I mostly loafed, reading a lot. I am nearly finished my latest Inspector Morse novel, and I read the camera manual to the A820, as well as re-read the manual to the S700. I took a lot of experimental photos today, and plan on doing more of the same in the next few days, comparing the three cameras (7mp, 8mp and 9mp). It has been a glorious weekend, but now it's nose to the grindstone for the final six weeks.
Mogi and Gustav await the evening meal.
Sunday, May 18th/08
We continue to have a very good time on our final long weekend before summer vacation. We spent the day in Downriver MI communities, specifically Wyandotte and Lincoln Park. We enjoyed a long walk at Wyandotte's two fine riverfront parks, discovering a lovely new restaurant at the same time. We popped in to check it out, and will return. The bar looks up the Detroit River towards the distant skyscrapers of Detroit.
Deb on the waterfront path, Wyandotte MI.
Monument to Wyandotte Indian family.
Fort Street Brewery, Lincoln Park, MI. This marks our 9th Detroit-area microbrewery experience, and they have all been positive.
A small glass of Mild Adversity awaits me at Fort St. Brewery.
Saturday, May 17th/08
Since having to restart the walking program because of my illness, today was our first long walk, with another planned for tomorrow. We went to Ojibway Forest, enjoying a very peaceful time. The crowds were near the main building and we had the back of the park to ourselves. We had a woodland deer encounter, and saw many, many turtles. Lupines, spring beauties and wild geraniums were running rampant in the woods as well.
White-tailed deer spotted today at Ojibway Park, Windsor.
The logs in the ponds at the park were crammed with turtles. There are 17 here!
Last night we went to the DSO to hear the Mahler 9th Symphony, conducted by the brilliant British conductor Mark Wigglesworth. The performance, as expected, was superb and the sprawling work was the only thing on the program. We chatted briefly with the conductor afterwards. He is from Sussex, and we had just visited there in March.
Tonight we had our first home martini of the season, in conjunction with the first episode of season four of M*A*S*H.
I purchased a new camera today, when I went up to Shoppers to print my zoo pics from last weekend. They had a Fujifilm Finepix A820 on sale for $99, which will automatically replace my older A400 as the standard backpack camera and high mountain camera. I'll give it a good tryout tomorrow. Lots of features, up to ISO 800, and a 4x zoom (39mm to 159mm). Should be perfect for New Mexico hiking.
Monday, May 12th/08
I check an on-line earthquake site several times each day, often catching earthquakes within minutes of occurring. When I saw the 7.9 event in central China this morning, I knew that the BBC news page would be covering the story. What a monster quake, and right in an extremely highly populated area during the busy afternoon. Hundreds of students and teachers have been killed as their schools collapsed around them during lessons. Too horrible to even contemplate!
Deb and I have restarted our walking program, back at Day 1 again. I am finally feeling better, and hope to have better luck this time. Little Costilla Peak awaits, although if gas prices hit the $5 US mark, our drive west will be in considerable jeopardy.
I added two new pics of the Touareg, opposite. That vehicle only comes outside once or twice a week now, thanks to our Jetta.
Saturday, May 10/08
Things ran very smoothly Friday, and we got to Deb's gig at the university in plenty of time. She played harp music for 2 1/2 hours during dinner for the doctoral recipients from Assumption University. Receiving an honourary degree later that night was a famous Bollywood actor by the name of Akshay Kumar, a tall and dashingly handsome action hero from over a hundred Indian films. There were Windsor police there to keep the fans back. As soon as Deb was done, we packed and left for Philip Adamson's piano recital downtown. He played six works by Searle, Bax and Bridge, pieces written during and after WWI. The major work was the Bridge Sonata, a piece as massive as the Hammerclavier Sonata by Beethoven, but influenced strongly by Irish music. Philip will be recording them in a few weeks. The concert was really enjoyable, marred only a bit by a less than perfect Yamaha piano. Roger attended, as did Dave and Rose. Afterwards, Roger, Deb and I went back to Ann and Philip's house for a drink and some snacks. We didn't get to bed until quite late.
This morning we were up early and off to the Detroit Zoo. It was supposed to be a camera club trip, but the students were tardy in getting their forms and money in, so Deb and I went alone. It was a gorgeous day, sunny and low 60s, and the zoo was very busy.
Rhinoceros.
Percival the tiger was a rescue from an abandoned drug dealer's house in Detroit.
Afterwards we went to a brew pub in nearby Ferndale, called Woodward Avenue Brewery. One of their guest ales was London Pride!! Needless to say I had a small glass. Deb tried their Porter and really liked it.
Woodward Ave. Brewery, Ferndale.
Thursday, May 8th/08
Mogollon the cat has finally settled into family life. I can touch him and pet him and rub him and brush him at will, and even guests can now play with him. Deb can pick him up. It's taken a long time, but he really is a lovable little guy and it was worth the effort.
The long work week is nearly over, but we have a busy Friday ahead. Deb has a 2 1/2 hour harp gig at the university tomorrow, and we must get down there right after school. I will pick her up afterwards at 7:30 pm, and then we will rush off to Philip Adamson's piano recital at St. Andrew's Church in downtown Windsor. I will have some free time while she is playing.
Saturday we hope to visit the Detroit Zoo. This started out as a Camera Club trip, but there wasn't enough interest from the kids, so Deb and I are going anyway.
Meanwhile, gas prices are getting so high we are now thinking about cancelling our summer drive to New Mexico. Grim times are ahead.
Sunday, May 4th/08
It's now official--only 2.2 years of classroom teaching left before I can retire--22 months of work remain. 7 more sets of report cards!
With a lot of money in the bank thanks to private teaching final semester funds coming in, we paid off another large chunk of money on our Touareg loan. This month we begin paying off the Jetta, as well as managing the extra cost of insurance. That's about $400 a month more expenses, less about $100 savings on gas by parking the Treg during the week. We have never owned two vehicles before, so I'm sure the extra cost will hurt us in the long run. However, since the Jetta will be parked for the winters, we'll save a bit on insurance and not having to purchase winter tires. We have only driven both vehicles together once in a month.
Still enjoying the high of yesterday's hike at Timberland Swamp. I managed to get several decent photos. Shoppers had an enlargement sale, so I got 26 photos from the London trip enlarged and put into an album. I will have to write some comments to add in. Here are a couple more shots from yesterday's visit to the woods:
Awakening forest, Timberland Swamp.
Timberland Swamp, Michigan
I also worked on a few shots of Mogollon and Gustave taken last week.
Saturday, May 3rd/08
Despite a relapse in my throat virus and a very tiring end to the week, we managed to go on our annual Beltane spring wildflower walk. We chose a secluded and underused plot of land owned by the Michigan Nature Association. Just north of Pontiac is Timberland Swamp, a peaceful haven far off the beaten tourist track. We walked a primitive trail that led us through carpets of purple and yellow violets. Occasional while trilliums and spring beauties were also seen, as well as acres of May Apples. We were perhaps a week early for the best of the season of wildflowers, but we still had a very enjoyable time. We saw deer, wild turkeys and frogs, and the trees were home to countless singing birds. We will likely return here for an autumn stroll in late October.
Pond at Timberland Swamp.
Trillium along the path.
Purple Violet, the most common flower observed today. We were a bit early for the others.
Small stream cutting through the woods at Timberland Swamp.
In the meantime it has been raining a lot, over 1 1/2" since yesterday. Needless to say the school Camera Club trip had to be cancelled yesterday. I was glad, since I was really sick and exhausted last night. I slept from 4 pm till 6 pm, then again all night, and two more hours this afternoon. What cannot be put off any longer is the first grass cut of the season. The lawn mower just got back from the shop yesterday, so I have to cut grass tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 30th/08
The finch flock is down by one again today, as Chick Pea the Society Finch is no longer with us. She was 8, which Deb reckons is about 200 in human years! She was the last of the original flock. That leaves four birds in the main cage, and Peanut in his own cage. Hector the Mouse is doing fine, thank-you for asking.
It was one of the quieter Beltane eves we have celebrated, though things should be picking up on Saturday when we go for our annual wildflower walk. Friday after school I am taking the school Camera Club to Ojibway Prairie in the hopes of catching some spring flowers as well.
We still don't have a functioning lawn mower, so things are getting rather out of control in our yard. We managed to get the roof up on our summer pavilion. I really have to clean the carpet before we move the furniture out and attach the screens. There are a lot of bugs already.
Tuesday, April 29th/08
We are into our second week of preparedness for our August ascent of Little Costilla Peak, a 12,500' summit in northern New Mexico's Valle Vidal. If achieved, this will be our highest altitude ever. One can drive much higher than this in Colorado, but somehow that just isn't the same thing. Anyway, I've been researching other climbers' attempts on the web, and came up with some route descriptions and a couple of photos of the summit. If the weather cooperates, we will make it to the top. However, August monsoons bring lots of lightning to the open ridgetops on the mountains, and one has no choice but to turn back and descend back into the tree line.
Little Costillo Peak, centre. Looking west. Web photo.
Little Costillo Peak rises well above tree line (web photo). Looking north. There should be no snow in August, though nothing is impossible at high altitudes.
Monday, April 28th/08
An easy day of babysitting at school, as all of my upper year classes were involved in an Earth Day presentation. No real teaching at all, except for Recorder Band practice at noon hour! After school was the final team badminton practice. The two tournaments are Tuesday and Thursday evenings, so of course I cannot attend due to teaching committments here at home. Heather W. will look after things.
We went to Dearborn after school. We took the Touareg for its monthly fill-up ($75) and treated it to the deluxe wash with full detailing ($25). It is now in our garage with a full tank of gas and a super clean body inside and out. Hopefully the tank of gas will last a month, as we mostly use the Jetta for our errands and going to work.
Our new waterproof tent came in today from Sierra Trading Co., and also my new vegan hiking boots. The boots are too small and will have to be sent back. We will try to set up the tent on Saturday.
Our run of very warm weather has come to a sudden end. Tonight it is very chilly and windy, and the furance is likely to come on. Quite a change from the past three weeks.
Saturday, April 26th/08
It's been a busy week, as fitness levels slowly begin to rise here at Lone Mt, and practicing for our upcoming Spanish concert resumes. We have completed 6 days of our initial 28-day walking and fitness program, and we ache in various places from our efforts.
Last night I had my private students over for the final performance class of the year. Karly, my top player, was unable to make it. Most of the kids played miserably, and I have my work cut out to prepare them for the June concert. Kady played decently, of course, as did Angela, but Alicia just wants to play everything really fast. Others were simply not prepared in any way to perform their pieces last night, so it's back to square one next week.
Deb performed for two hours tonight at a wedding reception in Windsor, so I spent some quality reading time in the Touareg while she was busy. I am hoping to begin spring astronomical observing soon with the 8" reflector, possibly Wed. evening. I will be returning to my field site in Malden if I can get permission by then from the landowner.
Wed., April 23rd/08
The fourth and final Beethoven piano sonata concert of Andras Schiff is over for the season. Roger, Deb and I made the last of eight journeys to Ann Arbor for a variety of piano concerts this year, anchored by Schiff's four Beethoven programs. The concert was spectacular, as he performed the Op 26, 27 and 28 works (4 in all), as well as a massive encore consisting of the Bach French Suite in G! What a guy! We have heard him four times this season, and will hear him four more next year as he completes the cycle. It was fun hearing the first movement of the Moonlight Sonata with the pedal down the entire time! His Bach is simply the finest I have ever heard, as is the Beethoven, with the exception of Ivan Moravec.
And so we have come to the end of our 12-concert piano season, an amazing parade of major artists performing at peak form. Time for me to get my own Spanish program back up and ready, perhaps for a summer concert with Deb.
We dined out in Ann Arbor, returning to Arbor Brewing Company (first time for Roger) for wonderful veggie food and cask conditioned ale. This beer was as good as anything I have ever had in Britain. Roger and I each had a pint of yummy ESB.
Before dining, we paid a visit to nearby Grizzly Peak Brewing Company, just down the road. We each had a half pint, and again they had cask conditioned ale. I had one with rose hip in the name. What a treat!
We took the Jetta, and discovered we are averaging over 36 mpg (Canadian gallon). Whoo hoo!
Monday, April 21st/08
I began training today for my major climb this summer. I hope to bag my first 12,000' peak, Little Costilla in northern New Mexico. Although there really is no way to train near sea level for hiking in high altitude conditions, it does help to be in shape. We initiated a 28 day walking program to get us warmed up, which will be followed by a more intense 6-week training program geared specifically for mountain hikers. Even though I am still getting over a bad cold, today's first walk went well. The birds were a twittering and a few frogs were still singing in the ponds.
Tomorrow we return to Ann Arbor for the final piano concert of the season, and the 4th in a series by Andras Schiff performing the entire Beethoven Sonata Cycle. We subscribed to 12 recitals this year, including one in London UK. So far we have only missed one, due to our autumn trip to Colorado. We still have three DSO concerts remaining as well!
I booked Paulin Memorial Church for our private students' recital. More about this as we get closer to the date. I also snapped a few pics of Mogollon and Gustave today, sharing space on their favourite "tree".
Mogollon and Gustave, at home.
Sunday, April 20th/08
We spent the day in Ann Arbor, MI, eventually making our way to Andras Schiff's 3rd concert in his totally unforgettable Beethoven piano sonata series. This was Concert #3 of 8, and again featured early works (the pianist is performing them in chronological order). I had the good fortune of having learned and performed the first three sonatas on the program (Op 49 miniatures, and the much bigger Op 14 #1). It is just so great to see such a seasoned artist perform these works, which are usually heard only from the hands of students. He played 5 sonatas today (all magnificiently), then came out for an encore consisting of an entire Bach Partita (#1). It lasted over 20 minutes! I guess he really felt like playing today.
On a slightly less esoteric tone, with our winter cache of microbrewed beer finally finished, we have started into the fresh batch, purchased in Dearborn on our return last month from London. Good times !
I have a few different kinds of Celis beer, including this fine speciman.
Thursday, April 17th/08
Some news about Austin Miles: he is back at school on a half-time basis! He gets around well on crutches, but had more surgery a few weeks ago. I haven't asked mom how his physio is going, but Austin appears to be glad to be back.
I have had a hectic week filled with no practicing whatsoever. Tuesday morning the Jetta went to VW for a warning light issue, and was in for over 2 hrs. Wednesday evening we went to Detroit for the evening--I received a second book about walks near London. This morning I went to a piano workshop regarding the new Royal Conservatory books, led by Tom Green. I ended up purchasing the Gr. 1-8 books, as well as a syllabus and teachers' guide. That will cost a bundle! I got a call from my accountant that my taxes are done--no word on whether I owe or receive, though I expect to owe quite a bit this year. Deb is mostly over her nasty cold, which struck suddenly and fiercely last weekend. I seemed to have ducked it somehow!
Sunday, April 13th/08
As expected, yesterday turned into an epic day of listening to piano. Due to Dr. Adamson's absence I was the host for three student piano competitions held yesterday at the University of Windsor. 13 students performed for three hours in three levels of competition. The three winners (Junior, Provincial and Young Artist) now travel to the Zone level, held this year in Woodstock on May 24th. As usual we heard some dazzling performances, none more so than Tasula C.'s riveting Hungarian Rhapsody #2 by Liszt! This very talented young woman certainly has a chance of going all the way to the Nationals.
Yours truly presenting the piano competition winners with their monetary awards, courtesy of Bob Ouellette of Ouellettes Music. Top: Junior winner Si Qi Liu; middle: Danni Feng, Provincial Winner; bottom: Tasula Calfas. Young Artist.
Photo by http://www.photomitic.com/
I was forced to take the Touareg all day, as a warning light came on in the Jetta as we were driving Gustav to the vet on Friday morning (routine exam). So I'll be off to VW on Tuesday morning....
Whilst I was out on Saturday Deb painted the main hallway and entrance area. The colour chosen does offend my sensibilities somewhat (sort of off-green), but anything is better than what it looked like previously.
Wed., April 9th/08
Deb got ambitious on the weekend, getting her income tax report done and sent in. She also revamped our wills, and they have been brought up to date. We need to fill Randy G. in on some details, as he is our executor. We also got our prepaid funerals registered at Lasalle Funeral Home, and went in and met with their manager today. I still need to get my taxes ready for my accountant, and that should happen very soon. Gustav is due for a rabies shot at the vet, and that is happening Saturday morning, before I head out for my all-day piano adventure.
We went to Detroit after school. At the mailbox I had two books on walks near London waiting for me, and our Lord of the Rings Board Game was in. No time to play for a while yet, but someday. We had dinner at the Detroit Beer Company, enjoying a fabulous veggie pizza.
Food at Detroit Beer Co. is very good, and the beer is superb. Deb had Steam Tunnel Stout. I had a perfect glass of Wit beer.
Our table near the front had a great view of the control panel and several beer vats.
Monday, April 7th/08
We got our fully loaded 2003 Jetta today, and she is a thing of beauty. The only downside to buying the Touareg two years ago was the fact we had to give up our 2000 Jetta TDI for trade. With another Jetta back in the family (and we still have the Treg), I couldn't be happier! I've posted more pictures on the other side of the website, in the Touareg section.
Two happy customers at VW of Windsor today after school. It was 70 F!
Sunday, April 6th/08
It was a beautiful weekend, though despite the warm temps and abundant sunshine, parts of the county are still quite flooded. On Saturday we walked at Sadler's Pond in Essex, and high water was everywhere. Still, spring is here and we can all rejoice. It snowed overnight in England, and even in London, so I guess we're doing alright.
We are excited about picking up our newest vehicle tomorrow. I'm just hoping that the added insurance cost isn't too damaging to our budget. Philip is coming over tomorrow evening to fill me in on Saturday's piano competition details. Originally I was just going to help judge the students, but as he will be in London UK, I am now running the whole show. Not only that, but I will have a piano concert to attend that evening in Detroit!!
Due to parent/teacher interviews on Friday, we have a 4-day teaching week. I actually have only three, as Tuesday afternoon I am required to sit in as supervisor during the Gr. 8 boys' public health sex education classes. Now that should be an interesting afternoon (not).
Sadler's Pond, Essex was overflowing. Essex water tower in background.
Our own front flower garden is finally singing away, with snowdrops(not shown) and crocuses providing a good show.
Saturday, April 5th/08
Tonight we heard pianist Ingrid Fliter in concert, performing a beautifully balanced program of works by Schubert (2 Impromptu, Op 90, #s 1&2), Beethoven (Op 110 Sonata), and Chopin (a Nocturne and the Sonata in b-, Op 58 #3). All of the works were played with total committment and very warm but convincing musicianship. Her Beethoven was a joy to hear, and the final movement of the Chopin Sonata was absolutely electrifying. The Beethoven is a piece I once learned many years ago, though never worked on it long enough to get the third movement to performance standards. It might be time for me to revive this incredible masterpiece. She performed on a top-of-the-line Bosendorfer piano, built in Vienna and truly the finest concert piano I have heard in a long time.
In other news, we bought a car today. We payed more than we wanted for a second vehicle, but Windsor Volkswagen had an '03 Jetta loaded with goodies with only 21,000 miles on it. We walked away with a car in mint condition and a full warranty for two years! We can now free up the Touareg, saving miles for an annual drive. This year we are returning to New Mexico for five nights camping and three nights at Sherri's B & B. This will undoubtedly include some fine back-road driving! A photo will be posted of our newest wheels when we take possession on Monday.
Thursday, April 3rd/08
Roger, Deb and I travelled to Ann Arbor last night to hear Lang Lang (pronounced Long Long!), an established 25 yr. old dynamo pianist who has been attracting a large following for several years now. Hill Auditorium (3,000 seats) was sold out for the long and difficult program chosen by the artist. We heard Mozart, Schumann, Granados, Lang himself, and two works by Liszt. I must say I left mostly unimpressed. In my opinion, last week's concert by Vladimir Feltsman was much richer and fulfilling. Lang chose to drift through many of the larger works, wandering about looking for something and never really finding it. His biggest success was with his own transcriptions of several Chinese folk songs, where his playing was heartfelt and communicative. The Mozart and Schumann in the first half saw Lang wander around the keyboard, unable to engage the audience very much (or even himself) except in the 2nd movement of the Schumann Fantasy. The Granados Goyescas movement he performed (the first) had a lot of bite and wit to it, and Lang seemed comfortable with the complex rhythms and big sounds required. The concluding Liszt Rhapsody #6 was a travesty, as Lang skipped the music part and went only for effect. Of course the audience loved it, wildly jumping to their feet afterwards. Everyone loves effects.
We didn't get home until nearly midnight, and then were awakened around 4:30 am by two of our cats getting into it big time. We think an outside cat is coming to the window and this is stirring things up amongst our indoor friends. Either way it was a rude and sudden awakening.
Yesterday I also enjoyed my first ride to school and back on the bicycle, and hope to repeat my feat of near-magic tomorrow.
Sunday, March 30th/08
Deb was gone with the vehicle all day yesterday and well into the evening, so I had a day at home. She and Anita gave a harp workshop and concert in London, Ont. I fine-tuned my London Journal, added some comments to my London website photos, and perused the websites of Walking London and National Trails, fantasizing about future walks and trips in England.
I also completely rethought and replanned our upcoming summer trip to New Mexico. We will be returning to the Zuni Mts. and El Malpais area, and will try to include 4 nights of camping, and 3 nights at Sherri's B & B. I will drive Beorn to Albuquerque to pick up Deb, who will fly down a few days after I leave, optimizing her time in NM. If we have a 2nd vehicle by then, I may even drive Beorn back alone, Deb flying back again ahead of me, allowing us to spend a full 10 days in our favourite State.
Our electricity was off for 4 hrs. today whilst our street's transmission lines were upgraded. We decided to go out during that time (noon to 4 pm), and went for a walk at Malden Hill Park. Yesterday I enjoyed my first bike ride of the new year, and should be starting to ride to school this week on non-rainy days.
Friday, March 28th/08
I finished work on the London trip journal, including in it most of the photos I had printed. It wasn't as busy a week at school as some, despite the fact I am now practicing piano once again and am running badminton practices three times a week with Heather. Deb is off to London Ontario tomorrow with Anita. They are performing and giving a half-day harp workshop, so I am stuck at home all day and evening. I hope to get out for my first bike ride of the season tomorrow, though, and put in some serious hours at the piano. We had another significant snowfall last night, but it had mostly melted by this evening, thanks to the ever-increasing angle of the sun. It still isn't very warm out, not even approaching the coolish temperatures we had in London a few weeks ago. The trip continues to resonate with me. I will be adding more text to the on-line London photos this weekend.
Tuesday, March 25th/08
With Deb's help (and bandwidth from her website), I got my London pictures up on the main website. I will be adding to the dialogue, and trying to fit the photos in a little tighter in the days to come. I had some time off tonight as the twins were unable to come to lessons, and Ashley skipped out again. I worked on my London journal, and am nearing the end. The trip is really resonating with me as I try and recall all that we saw and did. One would think that after 8 trips to London we would have seen it all and done most of it. Ha ha, I say. Not a chance. I had enough ambition to practice piano today, and hope to do it again sometime! I finished a very enjoyable Inspector Morse book last night (Daughters of Cain), and will likely read another now. I am nearly done the series of twelve books.
Monday, March 24th/08
Our final vacation for a long while has come to an end. The May long weekend is about 7 weeks away, I'm afraid. I really got a lot of work done on the London journal, and even managed to get the website photos of our recent trip ready to publish. I spent today writing about our day trip to Arundel, which included a pilgrimmage to the gravesite of Mervyn Peake, one of our favourite writers. While in his home village we had a lengthy pub stop at the George and Dragon, and they served beer from Arundel Brewers, a local brewery. I was able to enjoy a pint of Old Knucker from the hand pump! How fitting that I had this at the George and Dragon.
More locally, this weekend I enjoyed a bottle of Bell's Winter Ale, along with some Winter Cheer from Spanish Peaks Brewery in Montana and Stoudts Winter Ale in Pennsylvannia. I still have 15 bottles left in the basement from my winter collection, and must finish these before commencing the thankless chore of drinking the 48 waiting spring bottles.
From Spanish Peaks Brewing Co.
It's been a good winter for beer!
Sunday, March 23rd/08
Last night's concert with Vladimir Feltsman was the opener in the short but intense piano series hosted by the Chamber Music Society of Detroit. He opened with a very astute reading of the Bach English Suite in A Minor, opting for emotional impact rather than contrapuntal sounds. The Prelude was dancy and clean, and the Allemande sparkled with clarity and lightness. Feltsman certainly makes a case for playing Bach in recital--no dryness here, but an inner light and life that seem to bring out Bach's modernism and relevance. The Sarabande and Double were played with a weeping quality and sensitvity that made one long for more Bach in major concert halls, but only if played by Feltsman.
He followed up with Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata, imbuing it with freshness and a sense of the revolutionary fervour Beethoven intended for his breakaway piano piece. This work separated him forever from his Classical upbringing. The slow movement had a lyrical grandness and importance to it that made one want to hear it again. That movement has never seemed so short.
The concert finale was the original piano version of Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky, and it was performed with flair and supreme technical accomplishment. The colours Feltsman drew from the piano would make an orchestra envious! Needless to say, it was a memorable concert. Roger's wife was supposed to come, but was too ill. Despite trying several different people to give away a ticket, the seat went empty. Roger, Dave and I return for the second concert in the piano series in two weeks, followed by the third and final one in three weeks.
We both stayed home all day today, me working on my London journal and Deb practicing for her concert next Saturday.
Friday, March 21st/08
Spring is definitely not receiving a very warm welcome in our part of the world, as we sit and watch yet another snowstorm decimate the region. We are due to receive anywhere from 5" to 8" tonight. I began feeling better only yesterday, and today am pretty much back to normal. I have printed my London pictures, and am working on the journal. Still no piano, though tomorrow things should resume. We went to Detroit today with Amanda, visiting the Detroit Institute of Arts as well as Royal Oak Brewery and the Motor City Brewing Company. We returned to our house during the storm, and the party is still going strong at this point, with Amanda and Deb watching the first episode of the new Dr. Who. It's good to be feeling fine once again--I was dead tired all week and barely made it through.
Monday, March 17th/08
I definitely was not ready to return to work today, and I'm afraid I was not in a very good mood after about 2 pm. I still can't shake the loss of appetite and general malaise I've had since early Friday, though my strength is up somewhat. Luckily I've got the night off and all morning tomorrow. I finished reading Iain Banks' breakthrough novel "The Wasp Factory", and have begun another Inspector Morse novel to try and regain my faith in literature! Banks went way beyond where he needed to go with his first novel, and fortunately for me (and him) this was not the first thing by him I read (it would never have got finished, and I would never have read anything by him again).
I have reduced my London photos to 100, and will print that many before continuing to weed them down some more. There appear to be about a dozen really good ones, for which I am thankful. The weather in England on our visit was dreadful, and the camera was frequently tucked away whilst the rain poured down. Tonight I will begin working on the written journal, and try to get the prints done on Wed. The website should be ready for updating by the weekend, as time permits. Right now, report cards are in progress....
Sunday, March 16th/08
We slept really long and well last night, and even had a nap this afternoon. The laundry is finally done, and the kitchen has been restocked with food. I began working on the newest London journal (Vol. 8), and have completed my first "fast edit" of the London photos. They have been reduced in number to 117, though I would like that down to 100 or less before printing them. I am still feeling under the weather, though definitely getting better. All I need now is an appetite.
It rained every day except one. At least we were prepared this time. Clerkenwell, London.
Vegan food was plentiful and delicious.
Saturday, March 15/08
We are back from our voyage to London, UK. We are very tired and in need of some serious sleep! So until tomorrow, here are a few characteristic photos of our wet and windy adventures. I took 188 pics, but will reduce those quickly to 100 by tomorrow, and down much further as the week goes on. Some of the best will be shown soon in larger format, opposite.
Afternoon rain at Pembroke House Cafe, Richmond Park, London.
Morning rain in Amberley Station, South Downs.
Saxon Church along the Arun River, South Stoke.
Tuesday, March 4th/08
Austin Miles Update
Austin visited the school yesterday. Though now able to use crutches, he came in a wheelchair for safety reasons. His leg is very tender still, though he can now bend his knee to a 53 degree angle! Great work, Austin. Of course he is bored stiff at home, and is now even ready to do some school work. It will be at least a month before he is ready to return to classes. I can't tell you how good it felt to see that boy come through the door of the music room once again! Hopefully next time he will be ready to resume his trombone studies.
It is not only snowing again as I write this, it is a genuine storm again. I cannot believe the weather we have been having, but when I look at my recent gas bill for heating the house, I begin to believe. It has been a miserable winter, and it's not going away. London temps for next week look great--mid 50s F! Our itinerary is final, and barring any last minute illness we should have some great walks to do soon.
Mogi made some great strides today, too. Angela, a flute student, got to play with him tonight whilst her sister was having her clarinet session. He usually disappears when kids arrive. Even better, I got to scratch the side of his head for the very first time!!
Monday, March 3rd/08
The ORMTA concert yesterday was a bit weird. No one brought a key to unlock the piano, and the library could not find the one we left there for emergencies. At about 2:50 pm, we finally called off the recital. Just then, the caretaker got the lid open with some old key he had! I had already made Kady play her flute piece without accompaniment, but the rest of the solos were piano. Some people had already left, but most kids got to play, including Alicia and Karly, two of my advanced students. They played well, despite Alicia forgetting to bow, and Karly telling me afterwards "I totally blanked out--I didn't know what I was doing."
We have been managing to walk a bit in preparation for London, including the riverfront on Sunday and the paved path at Malden Hill this morning. It was very mild and raining a lot today, but it looks like the inevitable weekly winter storm will arrive as expected tomorrow night and Wednesday. If this wasn't a family website, I would swear loudly right now!
Saturday, March 1st/07
We enjoyed a sunny, fun day in Detroit. My new bear ring was waiting at the UPS mailbox. Deb found me this one on-line from Arizona, replacing my other bear ring which had just fallen apart over the years (it's now hanging on a pahoe tree overlooking Knight Peak in New Mexico). The new one is amazing, and has about 70 pieces of inlaid precious stone.
My new bear ring, purchased on-line from Phoenix AZ.
This is quite a good exhibit, featuring 80 American oil paintings that depict many facets of pleasureable city life in those years. The exhibit is intelligently presented in several themes, including Bars and Restaurants, Parks, Sporting Events, Performances and others. This is a recommended show, certainly not a blockbuster but an interesting and often very fine exhibit.
Back at home, I was finally able to capture some images of Mogi the cat, and have uploaded images to page 3 of the cats pages. As better photos of him are taken, I will replace these. On the subject of cats, enjoy this one of old man Ferdie, now late into his 15th year.
Friday, Feb. 29th/08
I couldn't resist posting on a leap day! Won't get another chance at that for four more years. Which brings me to today's topic: most people haven't got a clue as to why we add an extra day to our calendar every four years, and even less people know that on millenium years (2000) we forego a leap year altogether. I'm talking about teachers here, too, not just the educated masses. I'm too tired to explain it here, so Google it and see what you come up with. Of course it's no surprise why Astronomy has taken a back seat in the public's mind. Because of light pollution, we can no longer see the stars as they were meant to be seen. The same thing will happen to wilderness areas as less and less people explore them, choosing Disneyworld for their vacations instead of the backlands. They will disappear from our maps and conscious minds just like the stars.
We really actually had more snow today. What a joke! We've had more snow this winter than I can ever remember, yet we never did get "the big one", just a bunch of little ones. We have used our plow service guy 5 times now.
I am thinking more and more about our upcoming trip to London, England, and hoping the weather is somewhat fairer than our last few visits. This weekend we will begin to pack our things, mostly the extras like books and maps. I'm also bringing over a few things for Caroline. We have a few events planned with her, and hope to see Nadia as well. Deb will also be visiting a harp e-mail friend to view his collection of antique harps. We have five big walks planned, four concerts, several museums, a gaming night with a large gathering of new friends, and all the pubs London can send our way.
Tuesday, Feb. 26th/08
Winter refuses to back off, as we received about 4" of heavy wet snow today. It was enough to cancel busses though, making for another light day of teaching. The drive to Windsor this morning for Angela's flute exam was not bad at all, and she played quite well! As her accompanist, I was very pleased with her exam performance. Once at home, I had a few minutes before school to get out into the backyard and enjoy the snow yet again. This winter has certainly produced a lot of fine snow pictures.
Backyard photo from this morning with the S700. 380 MM shot, f5 at 1/200, ISO 64.
Monday, Feb 25th/08
It was a lovely weekend with lots of sunshine, and despite both of us fighting off a mild flu bug (headache, aches, loss of appetite) we managed to get outside for a short walk yesterday. Deb played a wedding on Saturday afternoon despite feeling unwell, otherwise we were home all day. I finally got this side of the website finished! I have cached the 2006 and 2007 logbook entries and all small photos offsite, using up some of Deb's nearly unlimited web space she purchases for her harp website. I may put the upcoming London Trip #9 photos there as well.
Another winter storm is approaching, and is due to nail us tonight and tomorrow. Normally this would be miserable enough, but Angela, a flute student, and I have to be in Windsor tomorrow morning at 9:40 am for her Flute Exam. Hopefully the worst of the snow and freezing rain will pass us by.
Friday, Feb. 22/08
Word is out that Austin Miles is back at home in Amherstburg, very good news indeed. Austin's recovery has been rapid, though undoubtedly filled with pain. Hopefully he will be back at school before very long. His classmates and friends really miss him. So does his music teacher!
From the cellar tonight comes a very fine English Cider, from Weston's Cidery in Herefordshire. It is one of the exact ciders served at Chimes Restaurant in London. Deb and I will be there in two weekends from now! We hope to visit on the Sunday to sample some ciders, and then return for dinner on the Friday evening.
Yummy English Cider!
Randy G. is going splits with me on Dr. Who Season One. It is now ordered from Amazon, though it will likely be after March Break before we get to watch it.
Work on updating the website journal photos continues at a pace. I am now caught up as far as Oct. 31st/07. Still no good pictures of Mogie the Cat.
Wednesday, Feb. 20th/08
The skies were spectacular and clear tonight for the total lunar eclipse. It was far too cold to set up any photo equipment, so we just enjoyed it visually. Things are approaching mid-totality as I write this, and sadly I am far too tired to stay awake for the remainder. My job as a school teacher is so unpredictable. One can never tell when all of one's energy will get used up at work. Today was one of those days, when I went flat out for 4 hours surrounded by nice but very hyper students. I also got the school website updated after school whilst Deb coached drama club. Afterwards we headed across the river to our Michigan mailbox, then went out for dinner. The eclipse had started as we drove home. I am amazed and thankful that it wasn't cloudy, though the cold temps minimized my time outdoors.
Tuesday, Feb 19th/08
I had a piano lesson with Philip Adamson this morning. We spent the entire lesson on the Debussy Prelude, "Gate of Wine", which is the centrepiece of my solo works for the upcoming Spanish recital. It is really amazing how a Frenchman who had never set foot on Spanish soil was able to nail down the whole Spanish affect so convincingly. Even Manuel de Falla acknowledged Debussy as the greatest composer of Spanish music. The piece is amazing, a 'Habenera' that cuts right to the heart of what it means to be a Spaniard (hot-blooded, passionate, and not very subtle). There is still work to do on this piece.
Saturday, Feb. 16th/08
I continue to revamp this entire website, making the pictures larger in this journal. Mogollon is still very hard to photograph, so page 3 of the Kitty Cats will be some time in coming. Yesterday I attended an ORMTA meeting in Windsor. Afterwards, I had a few routine medical tests to take care of, and was able to spend the rest of the day shooting winter pics in the county. Deb and I had a great Lupercalia last evening, celebrating the breaking of Winter's back. We used candles, flowers, a fireside bottle of champagne with chocolate, strawberries and kiwi, and later in the evening a fabulous pasta. This is the time of year that it becomes much lighter in the evening, and though winter can still sting it is in serious decline. The celebration begins at Candlemas on Feb. 2, one of the Celtic cross-quarter holidays. We can now look forward to the arrival of Equinox in a mere five weeks.
Footbridge in Kingsville Park.
Minimalist landscape.
Wednesday, Feb. 13th/08
I resumed work recently on the second Allie Tachbrook novel. It is about half complete, and I had set it aside for a long time. I'd left Allie in a bit of a bind, so it will be good to finally get her back into the story. I hope to write some every day for the next little while.
After school we went to Detroit for a mid-week escape, in lieu of going on the weekend. We had coupons at Borders for 40% off on single cds. I couldn't resist a Joe Cocker album featuring "Cry Me a River", one of the best recordings ever made. We played it on the way home. Hadn't heard it in many decades. We also went for a pint and fabulous brick-oven pizza at the Motor City Brewing Company tap room. This is one funky little big-city hideaway pub, serving very good beer and pizza.
At home we watched the first episode of "Black Books" Season Three, a very funny and off-the-wall comedy about three losers running a small bookshop in London. It was Amanda who turned us on to this great series. It must be getting close to your birthday, Amanda, so from all the critters and us "Happy Birthday"!
Monday, Feb. 11th/08
Austin Miles Update
Austin had what is hoped to be his final surgery today. His leg is finally all closed and stitched, and therapy will be starting in earnest to try and restore the leg to normal. With major breaks above the knee, at the knee and below the knee on his left leg, he still has a ways to go before he's jumping around and shooting hoops. I am considering revisiting him in Ann Arbor again on Wed., but not if it's snowing this time!
Tonight we continued our pattern of walking on Monday evenings and going out for a light supper affterwards. We walked the Windsor riverfront, but the paths were perilous due to ice. It was cold, but there was barely a breeze, so the temperature didn't bother us. For dinner we ventured into Escape On the River, a Lebanese restaurant that delivered some mighty fine food. We had lentil soup, baba ganoush and fatoush salad. Everything was perfect. It is licensed, and Deb had a glass of wine with her meal. The place is large and very nicely appointed. I especially appreciated the low lighting and great view of the river, downtown Detroit and the Ambassador Bridge
At home we watched the final episode of Dr. Who Season 3, a hokey potboiler featuring The Master from the old episodes. The whole thing was way over the top and quite silly. There was a cool explanation of who The Face of Boe probably was in those earlier episodes.
Sunday, Feb. 10th/08
Despite this being one of the coldest and windiest days of the year, we ventured outdoors for awhile this afternoon. We went to Essex, primarily to make some purchases at the fine pet supply store out there. We also went for a brief and painful walk at Sadler's Pond, lasting about ten minutes before getting back to our vehicle in a near-whimpering state. It was VERY cold, especially on the tiny bit of facial skin we had brazenly exposed to the elements. After that it was back home. I managed two good piano practices this weekend, and much of the memory work is gradually solidifying.
I have been busy with a new page on the website entitled Our Kitty Cats, sure to be a hit with cat lovers everywhere. Since moving to Southern Ontario, we have adopted 5 cats, three of whom are still with us. Syracuse and Chaco have gone to the big catnip patch in the sky, whilst Ferdie, Gustav and Mogollon continue to provide companionship and home entertainment.
Friday, Feb. 08th/08
We awoke this morning to a deer being struck by a car in front of our house. Deb heard the impact. The car stopped then continued on, minus part of its front bumper and its coloured turn signal light. The deer stood in our driveway until Deb was able to get around it and shoo it into our backyard. She called Wings, and four members arrived within 15 minutes. They watched the animal for awhile, then determined they couldn't catch it. It wandered away, hopefully not too badly hurt. After school today we hosted a performance class for our private students, with about 7 of them actually showing up to play. Afterwards we watched The History Boys, an amazing film version of a London West End play detailing the final push made by a group of young men striving to get accepted into Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Highly recommended fare, with intelligent writing, superb acting and many hilarious and touching moments. It was filmed in Dulwich and at several of the schools there.
Thursday, Feb. 07th/08
Once again our yard is a winter wonderland, as new fallen snow makes everything seem clean and bright. We have had this sequence of events many times this season, with snow appearing and disappearing repeatedly. This weekend is Detroit's Winter Carnival, so hopefully the snow will last that long. We will try to visit on Saturday. Here are a few shots from the yard early this morning.
Scenes from our yard this morning.
Wednesday, Feb. 6th/08
Austin Miles Update
We managed to get out to Ann Arbor to see Austin tonight, one week after his terrible accident. The best that can be said is that he is "resting comfortably", though he is obviously getting restless too. Still in considerable pain, he was awake and alert tonight. We spent about an hour, talking mostly with mom and step-dad. He has to have more surgery tomorrow and next Monday, so he won't be coming back to Windsor for at least another week. Mom has been at the hospital for a solid week now, but seems to be holding up under the strain. He has been visited by the sheriff, a firefighter and EMS worker who assisted, as well as a member of the ski patrol and the helicopter pilot who was unable to land at Mt Brighton due to high winds. Austin has lost considerable weight, but has started eating solid foods (some cereal and chile today). Needless to say he is getting phenomenal medical care, and there is nowhere else from which I would wish him to be receiving it.
Our drive to Ann Arbor tonight took 2 1/2 hours due to some bad weather, mostly ice and snow combined with heavy rush hour traffic. We left A'burg at 4:30 pm and arrived at Mott Children's Hospital at 7 pm. Coming home later in the evening only took 1 1/2 hours, but the roads were still icy. We have had so much precip over the past few days. Our creek in the backyard is roaring. We had a major thunderstorm overnight Tuesday, and it rained all day today. In addition we currently have about 3" of new fallen very heavy wet snow on the ground.
Monday, Feb. 4th/08
I found out today that I am not really ready to be teaching full classes yet. For one thing, most kids don't realize how serious Austin's injuries are, and how much surgery he has been having. For another thing, they hardly remember the ski trip last week let alone the accident. Even though I am not ready for the classroom, it did do me some good to go in today and teach, because you get so busy and caught up in the job of teaching music that it takes your mind of things for awhile. Deb and I will try and visit him on Wednesday evening.
After school today we went to Ojibway Park for a twilight walk in a foggy, drizzly woodland. There were two deer on the trail, and I managed to snap a few pics, despite the very low light.
Tonight we walked at Ojibway Park.
Sunday, Feb. 3rd/08
Austin Update
The news continues to be positive, and even the Windsor Star finally ran a decent story. Read it here. His homeroom teacher went to visit him today, so I am looking forward to speaking with him tomorrow at school. Austin is in my Gr. 7 music class, and plays the trombone. I was photographing the kids at the ski slopes, and have many "normal" photos that I hope can be placed on the school website this week. I also have some of the emergency vehicles (3 ambulances, many fire vehicles and the police cars), as well as a few from the early stages of the rescue, before I got busy supervising children.
In other news, we were in Ann Arbor last night for a concert, which featured 6 pianists taking turns performing works for piano four hands and also for two pianos. We heard pieces by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Faure, Witoslowski and Stravinsky (Rite of Spring, 4 Hands!). The latter piece was all but ruined by high pitched noises coming from somewhere in the auditorium, likely someone's hearing aid giving horrible feedback. Still, the piece, arranged by Stravinsky himself, was riveting.
Today I continue to feel better, especially as more positive news regarding Austin comes forth. I know he is still a mess, and positive news does not mean he will actually have normal use of his leg ever again. Kids are amazing creatures, though, so maybe a bit of hope is not a bad thing right now.
Saturday, Feb. 2nd/08
Austin Update
Aside from the misplaced mention of God, the article below gives a blow by blow description of the rescue. I'm afraid I believe firmly that Austin was saved by human actions and not by somebody 'up there'.
News Article about Austin's rescue. Not for the squeamish.
Yesterday we had a few inches of snow, cancelling busses for the day and giving us all a bit of a breather. I still taught my three 50-minute classes, but they were less than half their normal size.
I am still having enormous difficulty with concentrating, though I am managing to practice today with some effectiveness.
Tonight we are attending a concert in Ann Arbor with Roger. A number of pianists will be performing works for piano four hands and six hands, as well as for two pianos. Today we are staying home, though I have to go out and bottle some wine this afternoon.
Thursday, Jan. 31st/08
It seems now that Austin will likely survive the ordeal, so to all the Brighton Michigan EMS and Fire Rescue personnel that responded so quickly, our heartiest thank-you. To the doctors at University Hospital Ann Arbor, we already knew you were amazing, and we are most thankful for it and fortunate that Austin ended up in your care. According to Austin's father, Austin came out of a lengthy surgery at 2:00 am this morning with a leg badly broken in three places. Many pins are in place, and extensive rehab will be required. His foot is also punctured in many places. His condition has been upgraded from critical to serious. Go Austin!
The day was a total write-off for me. I tried to practice, and did, but it was a mostly hollow affair. Today was a professional development day, but the PD segment was cancelled so teachers could talk about what happened. My teaching tonight at home helped take my mind off things for awhile. I kept waking up last night, and images from the accident scene would immediately flood into my consciousness. I have been on many school ski trips to Mt. Brighton and we have had some injuries, but managed by the ski patrol. Not this time. We had an overwhelming response from Brighton emergency services. Although the helicopter was unable to land due to high winds, and Austin had to be transported by land ambulance, the air ambulance medical team made it to the scene by car. More updates on Austin as I hear them. We are relying on info from dad and not the media, which has had some pretty wild accounts of what transpired. The most reliable source outside of dad has been the Ann Arbor News.
Wed., Jan. 30th/08
Ski Trip Horror
Worst-case scenerio happened to us today on our school's annual ski trip to Michigan. A Gr. 7 boy from our school got hit by and caught up in a large snow grooming machine (think harvest combine). It took EMS and Fire Rescue over an hour to extricate him. Did I mention it was very cold and windy? The student was eventually taken to Univ. of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor in critical condition. So, the trip started out bad and then got much worse. The medical and legal effects from this incident will last well into my retirement year, I'm sure. I was sitting in the cafe with some of our parents who had tagged along on the trip. I had just been relieved by another teacher after staying with a child in First Aid who was violently ill all day. Suddenly, a guy comes in to the cafe and announces that a child has been caught and dragged about 150' by a snow groomer. The parents went flying out of there, leaving me to look after purses and bags etc. They had to eventually use acetylene torches to cut the student out of the machine. Not a good field trip. Doctors were on scene prepared to amputate the leg, but they finally got him out. I didn't sleep last night, either. The wind was howling all night and kept us awake. Right now I feel quite terrible, very tired and ill at ease. Hopefully the morning will bring positive news.
Sunday, Jan 27/07
Our week-long cold spell broke today, and we walked at a new Conservation Area in Lasalle and then afterward at Ojibway Park in Windsor. The new area has a short boardwalk that leads to a small observation tower, overlooking a large marsh and in the distance, the Detroit River. It's more of a bird-watching area than anything else, but it's nice to see something new so close to home.
Deb on the new boardwalk, Petite Cote, in Lasalle off Front Rd.
Ojibway Park trail after a fresh snowfall.
Pond and walkway at Ojibway Nature Park, Windsor.
One of our 'must visit' pubs this time is the London home of one of our favourite brewers. The Jerusalem Tavern features St. Peter's beer, just about the finest brew anywhere. Their organic ale is available in Windsor, but I had to look in Dearborn for their Winter Ale. It was worth it, though I was only able to obtain their last bottle!
We made our usual excursion to our Dearborn mailbox. I had two new passenger train cars waiting, both Santa Fe streamliners, lighted.
Santa Fe 60' domed streamliner, a new addition to the HO layout.
At the Dearborn Target store I finally was able to obtain my 2 gb Kodak SD memory card for my S700 camera. I've had a raincheck at a great sale price since Christmas.
The fine winter brews just keep on rollin' out of the basement, where the cellar floor keeps the beer at optimum drinking temperature. We also played a game of Middle Earth: The Wizards tonight. Deb has now won 3 games in a row!
Bells Brewery in Kalamazoo MI is quickly becoming a favourite of ours.
Deb plans out her heinous attack on my innocent company, in a raging all-out game of "Middle Earth: The Wizards." She has now won three in a row. Utterly ruthless.
Friday, Jan. 25th/08
Today I learned about Voytek the Soldier Bear, and now you can too. Truth really is far more interesting than fiction. This is one of those stories that someone couldn't make up. The saddest part is that Voytek was cut off cigarettes and beer once he went to the zoo. Poor Voytek.
We had a very small staff gathering after work today at a local pub. It's so hard to get people to slow down for even a few minutes. We had some laughs. Cindy will be gone in just a few more days, when her baby is born. She is taking a year off from work. Ruth never made it, getting waylaid somewhere.
At home tonight we watched the totally dreadful "Monstrosity", known on our disc as The Atomic Brain. If you must watch this sick puppy of a movie, then at least try to get the MST 3K version. We had to watch the original, reminding me of something Count Floyd would show on Monster Horror Chiller Theatre, only worse.
Thursday, Jan. 24th/08
It's been a cold week, especially outside on school bus duty after school each day. Really can't complain, though, as there is virtually no snow yet. Let's hope it stays that way. The annual school ski trip is next Wed., so after that it can even warm up and I won't mind!
I have done some work on planning our upcoming visit (the 9th!) to London, UK. We have a very full itinerary, inlcuding two excursions outside of London. One is a long walk between Amberley and Arundel in the south, while the other is a return visit to Gomshall and Shere, visited two years ago but spoiled somewhat by the filming of a Hollywood movie in the tiny medieval village ("The Holiday") while we were visiting.
London itself will see long walks between Wimbledon and Richmond, and more civilized ones in Clerkenwell and Islington. We have concerts booked at Royal Festival Hall (piano) and Wigmore Hall (Baroque ensemble). Other concerts will be booked upon arrival. Visits to the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Tate Modern, Tate Britain and the Estorick Collection of Futurist Art are also on the agenda.
Despite a full slate of private teaching this evening, I managed to play some Tomb Raider 4 again. I am in Level 26, but really rusty in controlling Lara. Still managed to shoot some bad guys and do some impressive flips. I seem to be in an interesting puzzle area now, called 'The Compass Room'. Despite being a somewhat violent shooter, the TR games have some of the best puzzles since Riven. I am glad that Caroline got me started on them.
At school I am playing surrogate parent to Jesse, trying to see that she gets her Gr. 8 homework done on at least a basic level so that she can continue to attend band practices. She excels in music and really loves it, but doesn't care much for too many other subjects. So far so good, but it's always a day by day process with kids like her.
Sunday, Jan. 20th/07
Yuja! Yuja! Yuja! We left for Ann Arbor at 10:00 am and didn't get back until nearly 8 pm, directly after Yuja Wang's incredible piano concert. She played a heavy program consisting of two Ligeti Etudes and the Liszt Sonata in the first half, and followed up with Sonatas by Scriabin (#2) and Bartok, and ending with La Valse by Ravel. She also played three encores. She has a hugely powerful and lightning fast technic, but can also sing beautifully through the slower, softer sections. She is only 20, but her name will likely rival Lang Lang's within a very short time.
We brought Alicia with us for her first visit, and she enjoyed the bookstores, veggie cafes and funky clothing stores that Ann Arbor has in nearly endless supply. She came home with five books and a full stomach and a head full of piano music. It was a very cold day, but we didn't get any snow squalls so the driving was fine.
Saturday, Jan. 19th/07
We mostly stayed in today as planned, though I made a quick run to Canadian Tire for our years' supply of fire logs. I began my delectable journey of imbibing in winter ales at long last, enjoying two beautiful brews from my latest collection.
The 2nd winter brew of the season was this gem from Detroit. Amazing as it sounds, the label seems to reflect much about the film we watched tonight (see above).
Dinner consisted of warmed-up pizza from last night, and deli-bought goodies from our visit to Whole Foods. Yum! The cake from Chicago Diner was also superb, being very dense and chocolately. No one would guess it was vegan.
Tomorrow Deb gets to shop in Ann Arbor, and have lunch at Seva (and go to a piano recital)
My plate of vegan goodies, enjoyed whilst watching "The Fountain".
Friday, Jan. 18th/08
The Birthday Weekend Bash got off to a fun start once we were home from work. I did have a productive band rehearsal today at least, and the kids are beginning to sound somewhat musical.
Deb and I soon headed over to our Dearborn mailbox, then wandered deep into the suburbs to begin the celebration of Deb's " _1st Birthday" (fill in the missing number and win a prize). We started at The Berkley Front, a divey but extremely beer-friendly bar on W. 12 Mile Rd in Berkley.
There are 42 beers on tap, many of them microbrews, and all listed on the white board!!!!!!! They have 80 different kinds of bottled beer too.
After dinner we moved on to the Whole Foods Market in Troy, in search of a vegan cake for tomorrow. We found only two complete cakes left, neither of them chocolate, and settled for two individual pieces of vegan chocolate cake instead. The cakes are from the famous Chicago Diner. We also bought several things at the vegan-friendly deli food counter, which we will eat tomorrow (along with leftover pizza!) instead of cooking a big meal.
Tomorrow we plan on staying at home, except perhaps for a walk to the nearby woods. Sunday we are off to Ann Arbor for the day, culminating in a late afternoon piano concert at Hill Auditorium. Fun!
Wed., Jan. 16th/08
We officially began imbibing the supply of winter ales tonight, warming some Scrumpy's Hard Cider on the stove in a suacepan and adding some spices and orange peel. The party just took off from there, and we had a great evening. One of the highlights was viewing an incredibly good episode of Dr. Who, New Season Three. "Blink" is one of the best episodes about time travel ever seen on television. It was just too good to believe! Another highlight was Deb's incredible pasta creation, which included a vegan cheese sauce to die for.
With the week more than half over, and a fun weekend planned, I think I'll be able to make it to Friday with some amount of my meager dose of sanity in place.
The winter session of drinking microbrewed beer and cider has officially begun!
Tuesday, Jan. 15th/08
My last two music students (sisters) were both ill tonight, so I managed to finish at 7:30 pm instead of 8:45. Awoke to some fluffy snow this morning, which has now mostly melted. Fine with me.
Gustave is now A-OK, though he still has three more days of meds to go. He does tire easily and still sleeps more than normal, but his appetite is back and so is his personality.
School has been going well. I have a gung ho group of girls in Recorder Band (about 30), and we began our newest songs at lunch recess today. I also have a huge group trying to achieve bronze medals in music. They have to participate in a music group and practice at least 6x each week--30 minutes daily for Gr. 5 & 6 students, and 40 minutes for Gr. 7 & 8s. Camera Club meets tomorrow, and I have been getting some very good pictures from those students based on photo assignments they get from me. It is a wonderful group, though not too keen on learning much about manual controls on their cameras! Lastly is the Concert Band, which meets on Friday afternoons. Some very talented kids, but as yet this band is not sounding as good as others have in the past. Perhaps all of this practicing for medals will begin to pay off soon in better reading skills and tone quality.
My own practicing is going very well. Everything for the concert (tba) is now memorized, though just barely. I need to secure the memory, have many different 'jump in' places ready, and perform the pieces for someone several times each, to find the weaker spots. I have managed to get to the piano 15 of the last 16 days!!!!!
Sunday, Jan. 13th/08
Gustav appears to be getting better! He ate three small but adequate meals today, and seems more like himself. For his part, Mogi seems to be making progress every day in adapting to his new indoor life. He is out of his room more than ever, and isn't quite as afraid of me anymore, though he certainly won't come to me yet.
We enjoyed another decent walk today, both of us trying out our new waterproof hiking boots. Mine were not very comfortable, despite new insoles. Hmm. Deb likes hers alot. We have two long hikes planned for London in March. The first is from Wimbledon to Richmond via Richmond Park, a vast natural area I have wanted to visit for some time. The second is a walk from Amberley in the South Downs to Arundel, via Burpham. This walk is along the River Arun, and we expect it to be wet. Caroline is also setting up a gaming evening with some of her London friends. We will join in, and sample some Scotch with them as well. There will also be concerts, museums, shorter walks within London, and, of course, the pubs!!
Saturday, Jan. 12th/08
A fun day in the Motor City, though it was a bit difficult to find downtown parking due to a fan event at Tiger Stadium. They sure had a great day for it. Temps downtown were in the high 40s, and you could actually feel the radiation from the sun, something I have never experienced before in January.
We had lunch at the Detroit Beer Company. Deb received a free entree and a logo pint glass because of her birthday next weekend! Beer is brewed in-house, and the People Mover Porter was on, and we enjoyed it along with their amazing black bean dip and chips and a veggie pizza.
After lunch we took a walk around downtown before heading back to Windsor and running some errands. We visited Greektown and the skating rink at Campus Martius Park. It really was a great day to be outdoors.
Greektown, Detroit. The casino is expanding, and the hotel is rising.
Families were skating at Campus Martius Park, in the heart of downtown Detroit.
Friday, January 11th/08
It has been a very long week, and certainly seems like we have been back in the rat race much longer than 5 days. The school week was actually okay, just long. We received word that Deb's older sister has cancer of the uterus, and will require surgery in 6 to 8 weeks. Deb's other older sister just finished a successful battle with breast cancer, so this new blow was not really needed at all. Steph lives in Swift Current Sask., and has lived near there since marrying many years ago. Hopefully Steph will have the same success as Sharon did, though it seems like a long wait for surgery.
In our own home, Gustav the cat has been sick since last Saturday, refusing to eat anything except a few treats. The diagnosis at the vet Wednesday was "Fever of Unknown Origin". Yes, this is an actual illness in animals. We are hoping the meds start working anytime now.
Tuesday, January 8th/08
It was so mild yesterday (temp hit 62 F.) that after our staff meeting we headed to Windsor for a walk on the riverfront. We walked from the DH to the Kildare House, just over 6km. When we arrived, we found out the pub had lost its liquor license for 10 days! We went around the corner instead to the Victoria Tavern. It is quite a good place, actually, with a very impressive Scotch collection. We had Guiness there, then took the bus back to the DH for dinner before heading home.
Detroit skyline at night from Windsor riverfront walk. This was taken with my tiny Fuji A400, resting on a picnic table and set on Night Scene.
Sunday, January 6th/08
16 glorious days of holidays have come to an end. Some things I achieved during that time were, in no particular order:
I got well, after nearly 3 weeks of illness.
I got lots of rest, including our fun mini-vacation at the Hyatt in Dearborn. Sleeping became a hobby.
I got more done with my piano program in two weeks than in the last two months. Much of it is now memorized, with only a few dark corners yet to clean up.
I revived the HO train layout. It takes a lot of work to keep it up and running at optimum levels.
I managed to get in 7 bike rides and 2 walks.
I read a lot, including several back issues of Clavier magazine, as well as a brilliant little story by Deb that she has entered in a writing contest.
We got to see how Randy's 22" telescope project is coming along. That is going to be some piece of equipment! Randy builds telescopes with the same care, craftsmanship and skill that I would apply to learning a Beethoven Piano Sonata. Can't wait for first light.
The Dobsonian box that will hold Randy's 22" telescope mirror is finished. Stay tuned for further updates.
No boxes of books were carted off to John King in Detroit. Our house is overflowing once again.
No writing got done on my two main projects--the Allie Tachbrook sequel and the Valeria novel.
No computer gaming was undertaken. This was very unusual, but probably due to the large amount of time I spent working on the HO layout.
Alas, I did not quite finish drinking my "autumn collection" of micro brews. However, I only have 5 bottles left, and then I can start on my magnificient "winter collection". Yum!
Saturday, January 5th/08
Except for my 6th bike ride of the holidays, this was a stay-at-home day for me. Piano practice and planning for our upcoming trip to London in March kept me busy, along with some reading and a bit more work on the HO train set. Earlier in the week I purchased a new Athearn 40' box car, getting it assembled and running with help from Deb. So far I have cleaned the track 3x, and have most of the cars running and three of the four engines. Train operation is as smooth as when we first set it up! The layout needs a good vacuum now.
A new box car is on-line on our model railroad.
A favourite scene from the HO layout--a caboose turned into a desert dwelling!
Tuesday, Jan. 01st/08
I finished listening to Verdi's opera "Macbeth" last night, finding it riveting from beginning to end. I have the original recording, with Thomas Schippers conducting and lead roles sung by Birgit Nilsson and Giuseppe Taddei. It'a bit scratched up in places, but overall the quality of the records is still very good. We heard the MET sing this work one time many years ago when they used to visit the Masonic Temple in Detroit for a week each year, and it remains a favourite with me.
After I hear a few more Haydn Symphonies in my bid to get through all 104 of them, I will return with a new opera, likely something by Handel. I have so many records left to hear, a gift from our school secretary whose husband passed away and was a classical music aficianado. I ended up with several hundred records, but if space had permitted I could have had about four thousand.
Mapman Mike
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