2015 Daily Blog Entries
Monday, Dec. 28th/15
21:00 Winter Weather Update
Despite a most hideous day, we have so far made out just fine. Power has stayed on, though there are a lot of lines down around us. After a day of snow, sleet and freezing rain, it has been mostly raining for the past hour or so, and raining heavily. What a mess! The good part is just arriving in Toronto.
It's supposed to warm up overnight, then turn cold and windy again tomorrow. We'll see if our Detroit excursion is a go--if not, we'll remain in Windsor for the day.
We are sitting here mid-afternoon watching as an ice storm makes its progress over us. It's nasty enough now that no one should be driving, and yet the traffic whizzes past unabated. We are listening to the scanner as accidents begin to pile up. There is no hope for the human race. Our generators are standing by, and we have a lot of firewood ready, too. It's quite likely that wires will be down soon, everywhere. The storm is supposed to progress through much of southern Ontario. The real fun begins when it hits Toronto, later today.
I have completely finished blogging about our recent trip to London. I am also caught up on my astronomy blogging, at last. However, an article is due soon for the astronomy club's newsletter. Unlike previous articles, this one will focus on small telescopes and what to see with them this winter.
I keep a separate logbook of all our New Mexico journeys (35 so far), summarizing each major trip with two pages of writing. Two small photos of each trip are also included. As each regular trip journal is usually over 100 pages, this slimmer volume is a handy reference guide to our trips, and what makes each one totally unique. Anyway, I had fallen behind, but am now nearly caught up. I do a similar journal for our London trips (13 so far), and will update it following the completion of the NM one.
Meaghan M. stopped by again yesterday. We bought two more headbands from her, one for Deb and one a present for Amanda. She stayed for vegan eggnog, her first time trying it. She has been vegan for about 10 months now, after learning of the horrors of factory farming and especially dairy farming. Her family and boyfriend, once very skeptical, are slowly coming around. She got a Vita Mix for Christmas, and a vegan cookbook!
Tomorrow we have a big Detroit outing planned with Amanda, if the power stays on over there. Lunch, John King Books, and two brewpubs on the agenda, weather permitting. It's supposed to get warmer overnight and tomorrow.
Saturday, Dec. 26th/15
Fun, relaxed times continue unabated here at Lone Mtn Homestead, even as our "social life" kicks into high gear!
Last Tuesday's Solstice Day was another incredible celebration of Nature's way of keeping things interesting. After all, "The tilt of the Earth is the reason for the season," as they say. In addition to a low-key all day fire (it was a rather warm day), there was great food and beverage, a Handel oratorio (Belshazzar--too fantastic, actually!), naps, gaming and no internet!
On Wednesday we headed into town for a few things, then got comfortable for the long haul. Watching the crazy amount of traffic pass by our house, knowing that we didn't have to be a part of it, was a good feeling. It looked like sheer madness out there, including today.
On Thursday Meaghan M. came by for a short visit, mostly to deliver my hand crocheted ear band I ordered from her, in her effort to raise some funds for a dog shelter in Detroit. Meaghan, a former APS student, is likely the sweetest person in the entire world. A vegan and strongly into animal rights, she was still recovering from a bad car accident last week, a hit and run that left her carless. After one night in a hospital she was pronounced okay, despite the big bump on her head. Anyway, we had a nice long chat before she was off.
On Christmas Day we visited Ruth A. in the afternoon. Ruth is a great friend and former APS colleague. I brought some ales and cider to try, and Ruth provided some fun snacks, including ultra-decadent home made butter tarts! We chatted a lot, but also played a few rounds of Carcassonne. This is becoming a Christmas Day tradition.
We've heard nothing from Amanda, though we have a Detroit day planned with her early next week. We've been watching Shout Factory TV a lot, several original Dr. Who series, some Tenant Dr. Who, some Brett Holmes, and of course the Dr. Who Christmas Special, with the now utterly fabulous Peter Capaldi. He had a slow start in his role as the doctor, but he now owns it. I hope he stays on for many more seasons. His duet with River Song this year was quite fantastic--they certainly make a perfect pair.
The best part of the holidays is how much we are staying home, with only a few short trips to A'burg. We need groceries tomorrow, among a few other things, so sadly we will come out of hibernation and re-enter the cruel world. Back at home later, the exciting world of staying indoors will continue.
Sunday, Dec. 20th/15
Today was our gathering day. We went to Whole Foods in Detroit, gathering good things to eat and drink for our Solstice Day celebration on Tuesday. Solstice begins here near midnight Monday, so the first real day of Winter isn't until Tuesday. It's supposed to be mild and wet. In order to have an all-day fire we will shut off the furnace in the early morning.
We also went to Michigan's largest board game shop. We went looking for a game called Tokaido. They were sold out. Instead, we came home with Renaissance Man, for 1-5 players. We'll give that a spin this week and see how it is. We usually buy a new board game every
Winter Solstice.
Our two-day cold spell is over, and we are expecting lots of rain overnight and all day tomorrow.
I have been working a lot on the final page of the London website update, but it is pretty involved and taking longer than I first thought. I have completed writing about 14 of the 24 pubs we visited, and will continue tomorrow.
Saturday, Dec. 19th/15
The holidays are in full swing! No students for two weeks, no Iaido. Reading, writing, gaming, hopefully some piano practicing...all is well for the next little while.
We are having two days of cold, windy weather. As a result we actually felt like putting up our little tree and the mantelpiece decorations. However, it is supposed to return to above normal temps beginning tomorrow. Our indoor all-day fire on Solstice (Tuesday this year) may be in jeopardy, unless we wear our swimsuits.
We played a game of Akrotiri last night, a two-person board game that involves excavating temples on Greek Islands. It's kind of fun, though due to all the details of playing it becomes a bit tedious after awhile. Tomorrow we are off to Detroit for the day, and one of our stops will be Michigan's largest board game store. We are hoping to find something good for two people to play once again. Deb was looking on-line at a game called Bruges.
We are playing Legend of the Prophet and the Assassin on the PC. It's another in a long line of otherwise good games where you have to continually die to learn something new so you can continue to play the game. I mean, how great a gameplay feature is that?
My big project for today is to get the London pub page on-line. With 24 different pubs to report on, it is quite a large undertaking.
I now have a Facebook friend from the Island of Jersey! She is one of the lovely young singers we heard at the 2nd concert we attended at the Greenwich Early Music Festival.
Looking at next year's festival dates, we might be able to do it again, too. As for a visit to Jersey someday, who can say? There is great walking there, and a number of attractive pubs.
Tuesday, Dec. 15th/15
Another fairly good day, though I can feel pressure building up in my ear again. We went for groceries, I practiced for an hour, I did some yard work and even went for a walk, all before teaching duties began. This is the final week until our long winter break! 11 more students to go...
Another page is up on the London blog. This one deals with our Greenwich experiences, and our short trip to Brighton.
Deb is off to Iaido again, her final class for 2015. I will likely return in January, if my balance stays predictable enough.
Even though the weather is cooling down, we are still way above normal. Friday and Saturday promise us a little taste of winter, though. One week to Solstice!!
Monday, Dec. 14th/15
Gift from Sudbury arrived today--thank you!!
It was another very good day ear-wise, and thus it was a very good day! We had to bring the Golf back to VW--it has been rattling underfoot. We had a loose left sway bar, and a link needed to be replaced. All under warranty! Glad we bought that extra warranty, as we have used it twice lately.
Then it was off to Detroit for lunch and a quick mailbox run. Three Dr. Who classic dvd discs were in, so we will be watching a lot of those this week.
Lunch was at Jolly Pumpkin Brewpub. Their vegan pizza is simply the best there is, and their beers are legendary and mostly outstanding. They had 20 different taps on today, all of their own beer. I enjoyed a pint of Maracaibo Especial Winter Brown! We walked around Midtown in the rain doing a bit of shopping, then headed to Avalon Bakery for dessert and coffee.
Once home it was time for a brand new tournament of Middle Earth The Wizards card game. This was the first of ten games in the tournament. I won the overall tournament last time, which took nearly a year to complete! This evening Deb won the first game of the new series. Revenge will be mine!
A few days ago we finally finished a very long pc adventure game called "Next Life," sometimes known as "Reprobates." It is a really fun and imaginative game, but it just goes on and on and on. Some of the greatest gaming moments I've ever played are in here, especially the harrowing skyscraper sequence. The morgue sequence is very grim. All of the scenes on the island are pretty fun, too, considering that the only tools you have available are sticks and stones! There are some silly arcade game moments that nearly ruin the game, but not quite. Recommended if you want a really long and memorable game!
Yesterday we loaded another oldie called "The Legend of the Prophet and the Assassin." It is based on a story by Paulo Coelho. We've just started, but it seems ok so far. Great abandoned desert city to explore.
Looking forward to some piano practice tomorrow, if things remain neutral...
Sunday, Dec. 13th/15
Ho ho ho! We are setting new records for warm temps. Tonight's low is supposed to be 54 F. Scary stuff, actually.
It's been a great weekend so far, mostly because we have been home for much of it. We haven't even driven our newest vehicle, other than to drive it home from the dealer.
The Ipad, on the other hand, has been getting lots of usage. Pretty cool little instrument. We will take it to Detroit tomorrow on our weekly expedition. We are going to John King Books, our mailbox, and out somewhere for lunch.
Now on to Shout Factory TV--so far we've watched 3 episodes of MST3K, two of Thunderbirds, and one each of Supercar, Captain Scarlet, Ultraman, and Ultra Q. That website is the best thing to happen since computers!
After a pretty horrible week with my right ear, things have settled a bit today. I even managed a full two hour practice, my longest since returning from our London trip. I also played a recording of Haydn Symphony #67, and enjoyed it a lot. It is a brilliant work, and one that has many unusual features.
Speaking of the London trip, there are now 3 webpages on line to view, with two more to post. Page 4 is half done and should be completed tomorrow evening.
Despite the mild weather it has been overcast since last Sunday, my last astronomy outing. As we are now into a waxing moon, it would appear that I am done until January. We may be able to undertake a lunar observation from our deck with Space Eye on the weekend.
Thursday, Dec. 10th/15
Our 2012 Tiguan went back to the dealership today, and we drove home with a 2016 model! Luckily nearly everything is the same inside and out. We got such a deal on this I still can hardly believe it! Some of it was due to the fact that we drive a VW diesel model, too. That gave us around $3000.00 more. But the dealership also gave us $2000.00, plus some other rebates. We got out of the old lease two months early, but they gave us cash for the final two payments, too! And they are paying our first two payments of the new one, so we don't pay anything until Feb. And we got a new Ipad mini on top of all that! Thanks to Dan Nikita at VW for all his hard work and help!!
So we get to drive a brand new, fully warrantied vehicle for four more years for about the same amount of money as the last one.
We also got a new phone today, as our contract with Bell was up for renewal. We are also very happy with that deal--free phone upgrade and the same corporate (teachers) plan.
Even better, it is really mild outside lately, with no snow in sight! We had one storm in November, but things have been great so far for December.
I'm done teaching for the week (it was a full and busy schedule), with one week of lessons remaining until our winter break.
On top of everything else today, Deb had her bi-monthly drug infusion. After we left her doctor's facility we went and got our new phone, then went and got our new vehicle (and Ipad).
And now it's the weekend once again. Let it begin!
Sunday, Dec. 06/15
I have managed to get out to Comber and do some observing! Friday night and tonight were both very clear, though incredibly damp. I managed about two hours of observing each night before extreme dew forced me to stop. Nevertheless I had some very fine observing in there.
Saturday was extremely foggy all day, and it's been foggy each night, including tonight. My drive home from Comber was in fog, and that was at 8:30 pm.
We have leased a new VW Tiguan, and will go and get it tomorrow. We have to completely empty out the older one tomorrow morning, including all of the astronomy equipment still in there.
My ear has been as bad as it ever gets. It is most frustrating, as things seemed to be improving and I had even optimistically started practicing piano again. So much for that.
I have put a 2nd page on-line from our London trip last month. There are a few more pages to go including the grand climax, where I will discuss all of the pubs we visited.
Thursday, Dec. 03/15
There are only two weeks left in our 2015 teaching schedule! I am getting used to semi-retirement, and it suits me well. I picked up another student this week, too, so the travel fund is in no danger of shrinking. We managed three large trips this year, and yet we have the same amount of funds in the account as last year.
We also leased a new vehicle, another VW Tiguan. Our 2012 will return to VW next week and our 2016 will get driven home. It has been an invaluable vehicle for astronomy purposes, able to transport 3 telescopes, two eyepiece cases and two chairs. Friday and Saturday are supposed to be clear, so it will be the final two trips to the observatory for the older Tiguan. We got a hell of a good deal, I might add.
I have been busy on the blogging sites, too. The first part of our London trip is now on-line (see link opposite), and I have managed to get two new astronomy articles up, one of them very long and involved. Another London page will get done this weekend, so check back there on Sunday or so.
Tuesday, Dec. 01/15
I am just preparing to begin my 3rd week of teaching, post-London. I have completed my written journal and work has commenced on the website update. It shouldn't take too long, as it mostly involves uploading photos, with much less writing than my journal.
Yesterday was "Motown Monday," and we spend the morning and afternoon in Detroit. Hopcat had something called "Dark Saturday" a few days ago, where all 130 taps were taken over my one of our favourite micros. Dark Horse Brewery provided 130 different taps, to set a new record for such a thing. Though we didn't get there till yesterday, there were still nearly 100 taps available. I tried three and they were delicious. We had lunch later at yet another Midtown veggie restaurant/deli. Midtown Detroit is home to Orchestra Hall, the Art Institute, Wayne State University, more beer taps than any man could ever get through, wonderful cafes, shops, and restaurants, not to mention Whole Foods grocery store. The coolest lofts anywhere are also here.
In three days my work week will be over--clear skies are a possibility from Thursday through Saturday. What a treat that would be!
Saturday, Nov. 28th/15
It's hard to believe that we have been back home nearly two weeks already, and that I have taught that many music lessons. Three more weeks and it will be time for the winter holiday break.
Thursday was the American Thanksgiving, and there used to be a wonderful tradition on that day. Comedy Central used to show episodes of MST 3K all day, calling it "Turkey Day." Joel and/or Mike and the robots used to watch really bad movies and make comments as the movie progressed, many of them priceless that would have us rolling in the aisles. There were also hilarious skits in between, and a continuing story that went on for years, involving mad scientists on earth torturing our heroes by sending them bad movies.
Well, Turkey Day has moved to the internet, and we watched silly movies with the MST crew all day, except when I was teaching. It seemed like a holiday! By doing so we discovered Shout TV, which has, among other things, 48 MST episodes to watch on-line! They also have all of the Gerry Anderson episodes, including Thunderbirds, Supercar, etc. Wow! What a discovery! And there is a lot more there, too. It is our new favourite tv station, all free on-line!
In other news, my ear appears to have stabilized. I have slowly resumed practicing piano, at least for the interim. It is going well, though I am a bit rusty after missing about a month. I still cannot hear, but the pressure is down a lot, and so is the ringing.
The new astronomy session begins tomorrow night, though December is a notoriously cloudy month here. I'm hoping for 2 or 3 usable nights to finish up the observing year, which hasn't been too bad when all is said and done.
I am just finishing up the London notebook. If it is cloudy tomorrow night I will likely commence the web version on my Europe blog. Stay tuned to this channel!
Wednesday, Nov. 25th/15
It was a glorious day today, and the snow from Saturday has finally disappeared. Lots of sunshine and above normal temps lured us outside for our 2nd day of walking in a row.
Tonight's Full Moon celebration was pretty low key, though Deb made us a pumpkin pie from scratch. We had it with coconut whipped cream again, and it was the best! I taught until 7:30 pm, but we saw the moonrise off and on, following on the heels of an incredibly colourful sunset. I lit a wood fire for an hour or so after teaching, but the house was already pretty warm. The cats are snuggled around us.
As to the London journal, I am nearly finished writing it. I am just finishing up our day in Brighton. Then there will be a short essay on our return home, followed by a longer essay summarizing the journey. Likely sometime this weekend I will be able to start work on the webpage version.
Sunday, Nov. 22nd/15
It was 63 F on Wednesday. Thursday it began to chill down. Saturday we had a snowstorm, and the snow is still on the ground. It is going to 17 F overnight. Brutal weather. However, by Wed. it will be warm again, and as if it had never happened.
My first week of teaching went rather well. I nearly snagged a new student. They had left a message when we were away in England. However, by the time we returned they had already found another teacher. Bad luck. Deb is down a student this semester, as the mother who drives her daughter to lessons (from a considerable distance) has had surgery on both wrists! Ouch! Needless to say she cannot drive for some time.
On Friday evening and Saturday afternoon we attended an Iaido workshop at our dojo. The head honcho, Sensei Jarrett and his totally amazing son Chris kept us entertained and working for a total of 7 hours! A good time was had by all (about 15 participants), but we are rather tired today.
I will take a break from studying Iaido for a few months, at least until my upcoming hearing aid is paid off. Deb will continue to attend, weather permitting. After the session ended yesterday we drove home in the middle of the storm. It wasn't pretty, but it only took us 30 minutes--I had expected an hour at least.
I am making really good progress on the London journal, describing the walks, pubs, cafes, and concerts we attended. As soon as it is complete I will begin work on the on-line version.
Deb is going to purchase a new harp, actually having it made by an American builder. It will be a medieval gothic harp, 26 strings, and she is certain her shoulder will be up to the challenge. Her current harp causes her any amount of pain and discomfort, even after five or ten minutes of playing, as she has to rest it back on her shoulder and reach all the way around to access the strings. Her new harp will be very thin, light and easy to reach the strings.
Tuesday, Nov. 17th/15
We returned home at around 1 am this morning. Unpacking is done, and the laundry. I have downloaded the photos and just begun to edit them. I will begin writing the journal later this week, eventually moving on to the website version. Besides the Facebook photos, I will publish a few of them here from time to time until the update is complete.
For the near future, our travelling days are over. So far this year we have managed a visit to Kansas City, two visits to London, and an epic drive to New Mexico. It's been a busy year for us. Europe is still on our list for next year, though we will certainly be awaiting the impact recent terrorist attacks are having on the major cities. It's not going to help convince tourists to travel. Airport security wasn't any different this time around. I'm not certain how much more can be done in that regard.
The London trip was fantastic, and things couldn't have been better. Besides our four planned walks, all of which were carried out successfully, we attended five concerts at the Early Music Festival in Greenwich. That aspect of the trip was an incredible bonus, as we heard some of the finest music making we have ever encountered.
We also managed a visit to the esteemed Wallace Collection of Art in central London, and a stop at Stanford's Travel Book and Map Shop. This has to be one of the world's finest bookstores!
There were no less than 25 pub stops, too, spread over 8 days. This included some stupendously good beer and cider, and some truly wonderful pubs, both in the city and out in the countryside.
On our final day we went to Brighton, accompanied by our good London friend, Caroline, herself just recently back from two weeks of visiting ancient Asian temples in Cambodia and Vietnam. We managed a visit to the incomparable Royal Pavilion in Brighton, and made it to their beach on a very windy day.
All four of our flights were very good, and our vegan meals were delivered as promised. Eastbound from Toronto we were on board for seven hours, while westbound it took nine hours. Our airspeed going over was 650 mph, but only 450 mph coming home. It was clear over Canada, and I had great views passing Montreal and Ottawa. I came home with a bottle of 21 Year Old Glenfiddich, aged in Cuban rum barrels. This is one of two favourite single malt Scotches of mine, and I have been without it for four years now. That bottle will get cracked open very soon!
Of course it was back to teaching today, as Semester Two (10 weeks long) gets underway. I had a deep nap this afternoon, but even so I will be in bed early tonight.
Saturday, Nov. 7th/15
Semester One teaching is now complete! 25% of the year has flown past. Last night was our group lesson, with about 13 students in attendance and performing, along with a large number of audience members, mostly parents and relatives. There were some amazing performers, including Sarah on piano, Julia on harp, and Kaeleb on trumpet. We held the event in the Savoni home, just up the road from us. Twenty-five people or so in the house and it didn't seem that crowded!
After an entire week of ridiculously beautiful weather, temperatures have returned to more normal values for this time of year. However, it appears that it will warm up again somewhat.
Today is packing day, and things are going well. Due to mild temps expected in London, we are packing fairly light. Should we need anything warmer, no doubt we can find it. Our hotel is right amidst downtown Croydon, with two indoor shopping centers and any amount of smaller shops along the streets, as well as pubs! Should the weather be so terrible, we would still manage to have a fun time.
Our tram stops right in front of the hotel. East Croydon rail station is about 4 minutes walk away, and West Croydon station is about 10 minutes. Most of our walks are not far from Croydon, and our train to Brighton leaves from East Croydon Station. Reaching central London takes about 25 minutes from our hotel room!
We will also spend three afternoons and evenings in Greenwich next weekend at the International Early Music Festival! So, good concerts, good walking, pubs, bookstores, and at least one major museum (Wallace Collection) await. Caroline will return from Angkor on Wednesday, so we may see her Thursday onward.
No updates will appear here. However, we will post occasionally on Facebook. Adieu!
Wednesday, November 4th/15
This has been the finest start to any November that I can remember. Not only is it warm and sunny, but I have enjoyed three clear, fairly warm nights of observing in a row out at Hallam. Deb came out for the first two nights (Sunday, Monday), but she had to go to Iaido on Tuesday night. Tuesday night turned into the best of the three, with excellent conditions until moonrise just after midnight. There were a lot of people observing out there last night, for a change.
Deb had to complete the cutting portion of her Nidan test. She aced it, and was promoted to Nidan, or 2nd Degree Black Belt! We both now have that rank. There is one further test, but it takes 250 more classes to get to it. I have 20 now, and Deb has zero. So it will take several years if we wish to attempt it.
Saturday, October 31st/15
Another Celtic year has come to a conclusion, as we celebrate Samhain today and tomorrow. It's been a pretty amazing year overall, with two major trips completed, and several more lined up for next year.
We are both looking forward to our new card readings later tonight! Party for two on the horizon....
There is one week left to go in Semester One. That includes all regular lessons, plus a group lesson next Friday. Then we are off for a week until Semester Two begins.
This is officially the start of the new astronomy observing session, though clouds and rain are forecast for tonight. Some sunny and very mild weather is on the way, however, so we may be able to get a few decent observing nights in. With the time change, it will now be dark enough to observe by about 6:30 pm.
Deb's shoulder and back are healing nicely, thanks to physio and home exercises. However, we were walking at Malden Hill last Tuesday when she twisted her ankle quite badly. It seems better now, too, and she will try it out tomorrow.
Our very good London friend, Caroline, is off on a trip of a lifetime as of now. Last year she visited Japan and New Zealand, and this time she is off on a very intense visit to Angkor. She is gone for nearly two weeks, and will visit most of the temples in depth with her guide, including many that are seldom open to the public. We will meet up with her in London later in November.
Monday, October 26th/15
As it turns out, the Greenwich International Early Music Festival is on during our upcoming stay in London! So far that has meant several evening concerts added to our agenda, along with some browsing time at the "world's largest Early Music Marketplace", featuring music, instruments and their makers, and small demonstration concerts. This all takes place on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday of our visit, which works out pretty well for us. In addition to the events in Greenwich, we have four walks planned in south London, and a visit to the Wallace Collection of Art, along with some time in central London. As our travel cards expire late Saturday, we are leaving London on Sunday for a day away.
In local news, my ear continues to slowly improve, provided I keep taking my water pill, along with some beta histine 2x per day. Very poor hearing still, but no great pressure any more. I am hopeful the hearing will return at some point.
Apparently the remnants of Mexico's hurricane are to hit us around midnight Tuesday. We are in for some rain, followed by some wind. We'll see how that goes--we are pretty rain-deprived here at the moment, so I might be accepting of an inch or two.
We received a new pair of Celestron binoculars today in the mail. These are mini ones, for hiking. The case fits through a belt loop. We will take them to England with us. They are 8 x 21, and fold up really small. We found them for $20!
Our new Celestron 8 x 21 mm minis!
Sunday, October 25th/15
We had a really fun day in Detroit yesterday, hitting three pubs, the DIA, a cafe, and a funky Mexican grocery store with Amanda L., who is visiting this weekend.
It all began at Jolly Pumpkin, where we had lunch and the first of several pints today. I enjoyed their La Parcela, an amazing pumpkin ale! Not overly spiced, and in the farmhouse category, it was to die for! So is their vegan pizza, which Deb and I shared. Amanda went for one with goat cheese.
After lunch, we walked to Avalon Bakery for coffee, then headed
on foot to the DIA. We had two goals today at the museum: view the updated Near Eastern Art galleries; and visit this year's Day of the Dead exhibit. The Near Eastern galleries are outstanding, beautifully lit and displayed, and contain virtually all of the major treasures held by the museum.
Part of the Marduk tiles, and once part of the famed Gates of Babylon.
After leaving the DIA we walked back to the car and headed to a pair of breweries in Corktown. I enjoyed another fabulous pumpkin ale at Brew Detroit, and then a farmhouse sour ale at Batch Brewing ("Fresh Cut").
Today (Sunday), Deb and I walked at Malden Hill, then went to a vegetarian restaurant near the U. of Windsor, now a favourite place to eat.
Tonight we managed to get the Samain decorations and lights up, including our miniature Day of the Dead display. Six days to go before the big holiday!
Friday, October 23rd/15
We made use of last night's beautiful sky conditions to observe the moon again with Space Eye, this time focussing on Sinus Iridum, the "Bay of Rainbows." The Jura Mountains were spectacular! Deb did another sketch, now posted on the astronomy blog. Next time we are going to try some through the lens photography with it, so stay posted.
It's cloudy tonight. We were home all day, except for our usual Friday evening visit to the dojo for open training. My fees expire on Nov. 3rd. Once we are back from London I will decide if I will return to training. We are attending a weekend Iaido seminar on Nov. 16/17, so I will get a boatload of training that weekend. We won't know for a while yet if Deb will be promoted after her test on Tuesday. She is waiting for a damaged tendon to heal before attempting the cutting portion of her test.
Once again we had perfect attendance at music lessons this week. Two more weeks to go in Semester One.
We also concluded our first of three advanced training weeks, gearing up for a lot of walking in the outskirts of London. I have an itinerary sketched out up till the Thursday so far. We arrive on a Sunday and leave on the following Monday.
Amanda is in town this weekend. We have a Saturday excursion to Detroit planned with her, involving Near Eastern Art at the DIA, and visits to at least two outstanding craft beer taprooms. Can't wait!
Tuesday, October 20th/15
It's late afternoon and my first students of the week are due in less than an hour. After that, it's off to Iaido, where Deb will be undertaking her 2nd degree black belt test tonight. She is more than ready, and she should ace it. Quite remarkable for a woman who could not get out of bed by herself three years ago.
We are on track to be in reasonable walking shape for London, too, as we are now 3 1/2 weeks into our training. The weather is cooperating, as it has been sunny and very dry. Today we broke 70 F, too! A lovely autumn so far.
My ear continues to bother me, but I managed to fend off a vertigo attack on the weekend, getting the meds swallowed in time. There might even be a marginal improvement in my hearing, too. We'll see what the next week or two brings.
I have begun work on the London itinerary, keeping two days completely free for museums even if it is beautiful walking weather. Four big walks are planned, plus an out of London outing, a day trip. So far I have completed Sat. through Tuesday, and will resume work next week.
The New Mexico blog update is now complete, though some proof reading is still required. See the opposite page, NM Trip #35.
And a new Space Eye report will be going up on the astronomy blog momentarily. I managed to snag a beautifully clear night on Sunday, going out alone to Comber. It was very chilly, but dry and still. It was 34 F when I arrived just after 9 pm. However, I was really bundled and had a very enjoyable time.
Last night from our back deck we enjoyed our first lunar observation with Space Eye. The little telescope is quite remarkable! Deb's sketch of two craters we zeroed in on will appear in the blog report on my astronomy page.
It's hard to believe that Harper, our Prime Minister, is finally gone! It will take many years to undo the damage he has caused. Friend to oilmen, and not many others. When the price of oil collapsed, so did Canada. Bye bye.
Thursday, October 15th/15
As I write this on Thursday evening, the wind is howling outside. Of course it's the night to put out the garbage and the recycling boxes. Last night was a beautifully clear night, one of the finest we have had. So just before leaving for Comber, guess who has his first Meniere's attack in nearly 2 1/2 years? If you guessed me, you would be correct. The vertigo lasted about an hour, but the meds taken knocked me out for 12 more. And so tonight it's cloudy, of course, and tomorrow night it will be cloudy. So I am very grumpy today.
And I won't even begin to talk about the latest car repair bill, setting us back for another month. Sheesh.
We have taught six music lessons so far for the autumn semester. So far we have had perfect attendance. Three more lessons remain, then comes our group lesson, and then next day we are off to London. Tomorrow we will complete Week Three of the prepratory walking program, shifting things up a gear or two for the remaining three weeks. Of course we realize it could rain and storm the entire week we are there, but it never hurts to stay in shape! Good for the immune system, too. Should it rain, London has plenty of (free) indoor activities to keep us busy.
Speaking of immune systems, Deb had her bi-monthly infusion today, so she should be feeling pretty chipper by tomorrow. She is taking her Nidan test in Iaido on Tuesday night (2nd degree black belt).
I will be taking a leave from the dojo later this month, and perhaps returning in January. It's an expensive hobby for two. Deb's test costs $300! Tuition for two every three months comes to $360. Then there's those car repair bills. And hopefully enough someday for my hearing aid. We still try and live off of the half pensions we receive, and bank the teaching money for travel. So far it's worked, but things have been pretty stretched the last two months. We haven't even been to Detroit, except to get to our mail box. Hopefully Saturday we can have a fun day there. The Art Institute has recently reinstalled their Near Eastern Art collection, which contains several of our favourite pieces, so we are looking forward to that. And at 4 pm their film theatre is showing "Kiss Me Deadly," one of the wackiest and best noir movies ever made!
Monday, October 12th/15
Thus endeth another 4-day weekend. Can't really complain, as we mostly stayed home during the daytime. Saturday and Sunday nights were clear, with Sunday being spectacularly so. It was one of those nights where everything clicked--it was perfectly clear, it was dry, it was warm, and we were free to observe as late as we wished that night! We observed until 1:30 am and it was still above 60 F!
We had a Thanksgiving Feast on Sunday. Deb roasted a Tofurky (comes with stuffing and vegan gravy), along with her homemade roasted veggies, baked chile corn bread from NM, and she also made two pumpkin pies from scratch, topped with coconut milk whipped cream! We ate at 5:30 pm and left for Comber, quite full, around 6:45 pm.
Our weather is due for a big change, beginning later tonight. Much cooler weather will arrive, and linger for a week at least. Any further clear nights this week will require full winter gear.
I've been doing my best to finish up the New Mexico trip blog, but there are still several pages to go. I'll get there hopefully before our visit to England. I managed to put up a new Space Eye blog tonight, and all day today I was busy writing up observing notes from Sunday night.
Tomorrow begins our very busy three-day week. Iadio, teaching, walking, practicing piano, hopefully some observing...
Friday, October 9th/15
Five weeks of lessons down, four to go! Two weeks of walking prep down, four to go! To date it's been a pretty amazing beginning to autumn, with lots of sunshine and above normal temps. We have yet to run the furnace, other than to check if it is working, though we did put the wood stove on for a couple of chilly mornings last week. Today it is much cooler and grey, but the weekend promises to be quite exceptional.
We have had two clear nights last week, including Monday and Wednesday. We've been having fun with Space Eye, our newest telescope, along with our usual more serious observing programs with our much larger scopes. It is supposed to clear up later tonight, so I may be heading out to Comber after Iaido.
It could turn into an observing marathon run beginning tonight, as the forecast looks promising for several upcoming nights. We will have our Thanksgiving dinner Sunday afternoon, which will include home made pumpkin pie. There is a Tofurky in the fridge with our name on it, too. Perhaps some sweet potatoes. And then off to do some more observing! A perfect way to spend the holiday!
Sunday, October 4th/15
We are almost halfway through our 2nd week of walking. I'm beginning to wonder if 6 weeks prep will be enough. Hopefully there will be a lot of leg muscle returning in the next month! We are also four days into the new observing session, and three have been completely overcast. Thursday's outing would have never happened if we hadn't had a new telescope to try out that night, as it was 90 % cloudy, very windy, and 100% frustrating.
The weekend was cold and miserable, but it seems to be warming up this evening. We made it to Iaido, as Deb continues to train for her upcoming Nidan test.
Things are slowly getting done while cloudy nights last. I managed to get two parts of the New Mexico trip on-line. See the link on the main page, opposite, for "New Mexico."
Practicing has been going okay--I am still going to attempt to run through the pieces in front of a few friends sometime before our trip. The pressure has come down a lot in my ear, though it remains blocked as far as hearing goes. If I could do more telescope observing it would bother me less. But not in our climate. This year has (so far) been the worst in memory for number of clear nights during the dark moon phase (he says this dreaming of New Mexico skies, and a Can. dollar on par with the US dollar).
Friday, October 2nd/15
Autumn weather has arrived, and with it an urge to get some observing done. However, it is not to be. The 7-day forecast shows no promise. Big surpirse.
We completed our first week of walking by hiking along the River Rouge Trail in Dearborm, MI, and then into the woods at the Nature Center which adjoins the trail. Only one tree was showing some colour today, but it won't be long. There are many places in Detroit where it feels as if we are on the London Loop, and today's walk was one of those. Our hike lasted just over an hour. Afterwards, it was on to the mailbox to pick up our newest telescope!
Walking Trail Bridge, Nature Center, River Rouge, Dearborn. There was a wood fairy sitting on it!
Our scope was awaiting us, and Deb also had a new hakama waiting, part of her new Iaido wearable gear.
At home we set up the scope after lunch. I have a detailed description of the setup here. It was supposed to be "mainly clear" last night. Somewhere. Certainly not in our area. We drove to Comber with the new 2" scope and Deb's 6", but conditions remained poor. Still, we managed to find some openings in the clouds, observing five objects with the new scope. Later tonight I will also blog about that experience on my astronomy website.
Deb takes a peek through our new small telescope, a 50 mm refractor from Vixen.
Tuesday, Sept. 29th/15
We are hoping to finish the month a bit ahead financially, so we can finish paying off the car repair bill. It was a whopper. We also got hit with a garage door repair this month, Deb's visit to the dentist, and we sent $500 to a friend in need. Needless to say we haven't been spending any fun money this month, and our trips to Detroit have been pretty business-like. I also bought myself a new telescope eyepiece for my birthday, costing more than twice as much as our new little telescope. This was before we knew about the friend or the car brakes. "Space Eye" will be delivered Wednesday to our Dearborn mailbox, and we will pick it up Thursday. First light could be Thursday evening.
It has finally turned to autumn here tonight, so perhaps tomorrow we will get to have our first fireplace fire of the season, now a week overdue. Iaido continues to go pretty well. Tonight I was the 2nd highest ranking student on the floor. Ultimate power!
We are 4 days into our newest walking program, preparing for some very long autumn walks in London. We were in great shape after New Mexico, but when we returned home it was too hot to do anything for the first week. During the 2nd week it was clear 6 nights out of 7! That really messed up our days. So that was the end of the "in-shape" period of our life. Now it's back to basics. Long walks are planned tomorrow and Thursday, with Thursday's one in Dearborn taking place on a lovely wooded and river-crossing trail. And we'll be bringing home "Space Eye!"
Saturday, Sept. 26th/15
Three weeks of teaching have been completed! Six more and we are off to London. This means that our walking prep program is underway. In six weeks we hope to be in shape for some long walks on the Capital Ring and the London Loop. It was a very warm start to our newest program, as September continues to be warmer than average, and sunny. This is likely to be a six-week program that begins in shirt sleeves and ends in winter coats!
I have decided to postpone/cancel any upcoming piano recital. My ear is severely interfering with my ability to hear chords correctly, and I barely notice small mistakes. So far nothing medical is helping. There is no treatment or cure for this. It is not tinnitus, though some of the symptoms are related. There is a constant pressure from within the ear, and a sound that is a mixture of what one hears in a seashell and of loud electric wires humming. It also tends to pulse.
We bought a small telescope today, and we have a few little projects in mind for it. It is a 2" refractor, and it is supposed to be of very high quality. Though tiny, it should be fine for what we wish to do. It will be a supplement to our on-going observing programs with our larger scopes, and will take very little time each session. I already love the box! We got a great deal for $80 Canadian, and it comes with a free flashlight! It is being shipped from New York to Dearborn, and should arrive by Wednesday.
Wednesday, Sept.23rd/15
Well, that was some birthday. Grocery shopping in the morning, an hour of piano practice after lunch, pick up the car with a repair bill of over $1200 (brakes on all four wheels) in the afternoon, teach 4 students, and then go to Iaido. Yippee. At least it was a good Iaido class.
I can't say the same for my piano practice--my hearing has become so bad in my right ear again that I will have to get a hearing aid. Even if it clears up again, the periods where it is 80-90% blocked are becoming long and tiresome.
Today I managed to finish up my New Mexico journal (#35!). It just needs proof-reading. I'm already excited about next October's hiking trip, to the summit of NM's tallest peak!
I also managed to have my first Scotch of the season this evening, a tiny shot of Teachers' after I finished up with today's 5 music students. 5 more await tomorrow. Deb also baked me a cake today, a two-ton carrot cake that approaches the density of a neutron star. It's pretty good, though perhaps better as a meal unto itself. There were no 62 candles to be seen.
With the NM notebook complete, there might be time to work on the website version of the trip this weekend. Tomorrow night is Dr. Who episode 1 of the new season. We'll see how that goes.
Sunday, Sept. 20th/15
We were able to squeeze in one more night of fabulous observing, before calling it quits for this session. Due to a busy public event at the observatory, we chose to go a little farther and set up at a favourite location on Lake Erie. This is a much darker site with even more of the sky visible. It was certainly worth the drive tonight, as viewing conditions were about as good as they get down here. We made it home shortly before 4 am, exhausted but happy. We've had nine long outings this session, not a record but pretty close.
Today was laundry day, some piano, writing up observing notes in good, and later in the evening, Iaido. We have been unable to watch the new Dr. Who season opener, missing it once last night because of astronomy, and tonight because of Iaido. Hopefully we can catch it Thursday night at 10 pm. We can watch it on-line, but would rather see it on our big screen tv.
Friday, Sept. 18th/15
We have survived, but barely. I don't know if I've ever done five nights in a row of observing before. It was tough, but somebody has to do it. Monday thru Thursday were clear, resulting in some great observing nights but little sleep. My 14 private nusic students seemed like 28 this week. Deb went to Iaido on Tuesday night instead, but I skipped out and went to the observatory. Here are some facts from my observing week.
Number of nights: 5 in a row.
Number of observing hours: 22.5.
Number of objects observed: 94.
Number of pages of detailed notes: 14.
It feels great to finally have a cloudy night! The Tiguan needed servicing way out on the far side of Windsor. We brought the vehicle out there later this afternoon, had dinner afterwards in Windsor, went to open training at the dojo, then did some grocery shopping on the way home. It has been a terribly busy week trying to do normal things as well as observing. Most nights we were home by 3 am. Saturday night should be clear, and possibly Sunday, too. The moon is now growing brighter and setting later, so our observing start times will be later, too.
Exercising and piano practicing have gone out the window. However, extra money is rolling in again from our teaching, and the travel savings account is growing once more.
Tomorrow will be our first visit to Detroit since before our trip to NM!
Whenever this astronomy session ends I will resume work on my NM travel journal, which is about three-quarters done right now. Then I can start the website update. Hopefully this will happen before we set off for London again!
Monday, Sept. 14th/15
The madness has begun! Last night was one of the finest observing nights I've ever experienced in Essex county, and tonight we are heading out for the second in a row! A possible streak of five clear nights in a row could see us pretty sleep-deprived by the weekend. Even now we are running on low steam, having only slept 3 or 4 hours.
Early this morning I had to go to Windsor for my annual check up with Dr. Ling, my ear doctor. He seems convinced that my Meniere's Disease has stabilized. Good news indeed, though I cannot hear a thing from my right ear. This is likely the new norm. However, I haven't had severe vertigo now in over two years.
Worked on astronomy notes today, and we tried to nap. However, no sooner had we passed out than the UPS man came banging on our door. Impossible to get back to sleep afterwards.
Yesterday I made a lot of progress on the New Mexico trip journal. It is about 3/4ths done, though it will have to wait for a cloudy night to see more progress.
One hour to astronomy lift off--wishing it wasn't such a long drive to dark skies...
Saturday, Sept. 12th/15
The unthinkable may be about to transpire here in Essex Co. We are on the verge of getting four very fine clear nights in a row, at new moon!!! Of course it hasn't happened yet, but it's all supposed to begin Sunday night and carry through till mid-week. That would be our first streak of 2015. While I am ever hopeful, I am also ever cynical. It's been cloudy now for seven nights in a row, so I'd say we are due for something good to happen.
I finally got my 4 x6 photo prints done today! I've been working on my journal again as much as possible. Still lots to go, but it's about half done, maybe a bit more. Once the volume is complete I will work on the website updates. However, if we ever did get 4 clear nights in a row, there would be precious little time left for anything else except writing up astronomy field notes.
Last night was one of the very rare appearances of Orchestra Baobab, a high energy big band from Senegal. These guys are nearly too hot to handle, and too cool not to hear. They are among the finest musical ambassadors Africa has ever sent out. How rare are their overseas performances? One performance in London (last night); the next one is in Paris, in February of next year. That rare. I celebrated today by replaying one of their albums, always a favourite around here. It's impossible to stay still when this music is on.
Amanda paid us an afternoon-long visit today, her second and final one of this trip back to her hometown. Hopefully we will see her again next month, either in Toronto if I can get my solo concert off the ground, or back here in the Burg on her next visit.
Thursday, Sept. 10th/15
14 students later, I am done with my first week of teaching. I have not had this many students in a long while. One has gone off to college, but five others have arrived. The travel fund is in no danger of being depleted this year. Which is probably a good thing, as our dollar is next to useless as currency anywhere else just now.
Of my 14 students, I can say unequivocally that I like them all. Some are actually talented, too, and even will do the work assigned. It should be a good year. 37 weeks to go.
Today was the first day that our overly warm, extremely humid days finally came to an end. We headed out on our bikes for a ride this morning. Tomorrow, before our Iaido open training class, we are going to a Windsor bike shop to look for a new bike for me. Hopefully we have many more rides ahead of us this autumn.
I determined, however, that the walking program has to resume on September 26th if we are to be ready for our London adventures. We will not have the same number of daylight hours to get the hikes done, so it is even more critical to be in shape than it was last April.
Amanda is in town this weekend, and has already come and gone on her first visit. I am trying to talk her into coming to London with us in November. Flight funds are there, but accommodations are the current sticking point. We'll see what we can find for her that is classy but in her budget range...
Monday, Sept. 7th/15
I am still recovering from my 2nd night in a row of late astronomy. Last night we stopped observing at 2:38 am, packed up and left the observatory at 2:58 am, were home by 3:38 am, and in bed by 3:58 am. It was a night of 8s!!
It was a totally amazing night, warm with a light breeze, and as clear as it gets from our location. Again the place was hopping with observers, including Randy and his 22" scope. Almost as fun as climbing the stepladder and looking through that scope (Crescent Nebula last night was a highlight), is when Randy brings some of his high quality eyepieces over to my scope and I get to see what my instrument can really do! The Swan Nebula (M17) was perfection last night, and we spent nearly 45 minutes admiring it through my 12" mirror. Bliss!
There are a lot of depressed teachers in our area tonight, as tomorrow is the big back to school downer. Can't say I miss that too much. My 3-day work week resumes tomorrow, too. I must be resigned to 4-day weekends once more. Sigh. The suffering continues.
Hopefully the private lessons teaching money will continue for a few more years. Visiting London is on the near horizon, with Vienna coming up next Spring.
I still do not have my recent NM trip photos printed, though they are all edited and on a USB stick ready to go. Perhaps tomorrow.
Sunday, Sept. 6th/15
We got our first clear night of the new session last night, and the observatory grounds were busy with members observing (five of us, a high number even for a summer Saturday). Randy was out with his 22" scope, and we enjoyed some wonderful views of a few choice objects through his scope at the end of the night. However, it was really, really damp. The official humidity reading at 2:30 am for Comber was 97%!! Will it clear up tonight? It's supposed to, but so far (8 pm) it appears quite terrible.
We finished watching a very fun and fine film today, called The Band's Visit. It depicts a lost 8-member Egyptian police band spending a night in a dismal outpost Israeli settlement. Funny and heart-warming, this is a don't miss film. About half is in English, with the rest subtitled. The plot is not significant, as the whole story revolves around character interactions. A true sleeper.
Spent some of the day working on my observing notes. I did get back to the piano yesterday, enjoying a decent practice. Another coming up tomorrow. Not much work done yet on the journal of the recent mountain expedition, but I hope to print some photos tomorrow.
Friday, Sept. 4th/15
Just finished watching the final Doctor Who tv serial episode before it went off the air. Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred are at their best in "Ghost Light," a perplexing and energetic 3-part serial that really harkens to the modern version. The characters and relationship of the Doctor and Ace have never been closer and more symbiotic, and they really foreshadow the later pairing of the first new doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Rose Tyler. This is a very good entry, and really makes you wonder why the plug was ever pulled on the series. Highly recommended for fans. And the newest series begins here in Canada on September 19th. Can't wait!
I am gradually catching up on my sleep. Hopefully piano practice will resume tomorrow, though my right ear has been fully plugged once again for several weeks now. We'll see how that goes. It is warm and very humid here, and will remain so for the foreseeable future. So much for astronomy.
Even the dojo is closed this weekend, so we will not resume our training until Tuesday, Sept. 8th.
The lawn is cut, the unpacking is mostly done, and the photos have been edited. I used a new Fuji S4800 this time, and wish I'd brought by old S 9000. I am pretty disappointed in the quality of the photos this time around. Last trip for this camera.
Thursday, Sept. 3rd/15
We arrived home early last evening, exhausted but fulfilled. I was out the door for 12 days, Deb for 10. The big news is that Deb was able to sleep in a tent again, and hike as well as me in the high country. That is one of the most amazing success stories in modern medicine. Even 10 years ago such successful treatments for RA were not available.
Anyway, the trip was everything we hoped it would be, and considerably more. A detailed account on-line will follow when I am finished the hard copy written account, and all of the photos are edited.
We are still unpacking and finishing up the laundry. It is very warm and humid in our area, with frequent storms today. Looking forward to some astronomy later this weekend.
Friday, August 21st/15
Well, about all that can be said about our 39th wedding anniversary is that we spent it together--cleaning, doing laundry, packing. It's been another busy day at the homestead. Most of the work was done by evening, so off we went to open training in Iaido.
I was promoted to Nidan on Tuesday night. Next main event is the trip to NM. Following that will be the piano recital, and Deb's Iaido test. And then comes London again. And hopefully lots of astronomy in between.
Since it is first quarter moon, it is perfectly clear once again tonight. And tomorrow night, too, so they tell me. It is quite ridiculous. Our next observing session will be Sept. 4th. Watch for the storms and clouds.
Bon voyage! Lots of miles to drive over the next 12 days. Check in on FB for updates and photos, or email me at my yahoo address.
Wednesday, August 19th/15
This evening marked the conclusion to our summer teaching program. The money earned gives our upcoming trip a boost with expenses, especially the ever-declining exchange rate with the US dollar. Tomorrow will be banking and exchanging money day, as well as some last minute errands around town. We are fortunate to have a house and pet sitter, too!
Cleaning of the house also began in earnest. As it was teaching day anyway, some cleaning had to be done. We are mostly packed except for clothing, which will be last minute. A few warm things are needed for camping above 8,000', but mostly we will have summer clothes, which don't take up a lot of room.
The camping gear seems to be in good shape, and we don't need to replace anything big. Will it all fit into the vehicle? It usually does, but one never knows.
We may snag one more astronomy night on Thursday, though with a late setting moon we cannot begin until about 10:45 pm. Friday will be laundry and clothes packing day, and loading of the vehicle. While we are gone, updates on this blog are not possible, but I do post every few days on Facebook, including some photos.
We are getting excited!
Monday, August 17th/15
It has been an interesting week for us socially. Usually we are like hermit recluses, but last week was a whirlwind of activity on the people side of things. Last Monday morning we visited our Windsor friends Randy and Anita. Randy is recuperating (very successfully!) from a pretty big surgical procedure. Randy has been a close friend since university days, through music and astronomy. I don't think he has missed a single piano recital of mine. We also saw Randy Wednesday night out at Hallam Observatory for the Perseid meteor event, and again Saturday night on a regular clear night. He observed with his binoculars as he cannot yet attempt lifting his telescope. While we were at Randy's home having tea, sitting outside in their back garden gazebo, John Thompson stopped by, visiting from Ottawa. John is a friend through astronomy, and we see him about once per year.
After visiting with Randy and Anita at their home, we continued on further into Windsor and met our retired teacher friends Ruth and Mary for lunch. We took them to a vegan place and they totally loved it!
Tuesday was my Iaido test (results tomorrow night), and Wednesday there was a pretty large gathering of members at the observatory for the Perseids. Friday we met up again with Ruth, this time also with a former school secretary, Pam. We ate and drank at a new pub in A'burg.
Saturday night was the big social event, as we attended a Gr. 8 class reunion of a class that graduated APS in 1987! Most of the people who attended we had not seen since they graduated at age 13 and 14! We were the only teachers who made it out that night, though I think only two others were contacted. It turned into a fun, if slightly weird, evening, though we left early due to clear night skies.
Today, Jim and Pat stopped by our house for a visit while they were out on a bike ride. We had been neighbours for many years until they moved into the town about three years ago. Again we hadn't seen them in a long time, and we sat outside and did some catching up.
So there, we are socialized until at least Christmas!
We recently watched "Interstellar," and quite enjoyed it. Though the happy ending more or less destroys much of the story's plausibility, I don't mind happy endings. The way the story is told is quite well done, and viewers' interest is held throughout. It has a nice feel for alien landscapes (Iceland subbing for one of them) and space travel, and the human story is quite touching. Owing a lot to 2001: A Space Odyssey, in places it seems more of a tribute than its own film. Highly recommended. Sequel anyone?
Our most recent film seen was a "giallo," a particular type of Italian horror/crime film. "Short Night of Glass Dolls" was more crime than horror, though it had more than its share of creepiness. From 1971, this one shares the genre's literary roots, as it would make a quite readable thriller novel. Very well done, with some wonderful Prague locations. Very little blood, and no gore. Lots of tension.
Preparations will go into full swing tomorrow for loading the SUV with camping gear and such. Packing and final loading will take place Friday, no doubt combined with some last minute running around in town.
Two fabulously clear nights in a row (Saturday and Sunday) have left us pretty sleep-deprived. It has been too hot and humid to maintain the exercise program, though we have only missed two days. We can make one of them up tomorrow, if it doesn't storm as predicted in the morning. The main heat and humidity crisis seems to have passed.
Thursday, August 13th/15
Happy "World Left-Handed People Day." Deb has been celebrating all day. Today was her RA drug infusion, and she is good to go until October. Overall, she is feeling better and better with each one. Tomorrow she sees her heart doctor for a routine check and a prescription refill.
We went to Detroit after today's medical stopover, enjoying a late lunch and some Kroger shopping. We mostly stocked up on Clif and Lara bars, which we have been using for breakfasts on our early morning hill hikes. Despite horrendous traffic in both cities, we slipped through without mishap, making it back home in time for another episode of M*A*S*H. For me there was a small martini; for Deb, some elderflower water.
The fact that I am blogging again indicates to loyal readers that we finally had a clear night this session. We've had 7 unsuitable nights in a row. Last night was spectacular until about 1 am, when it began to cloud over. We quit about 1:45 am. There was a large turnout at the observatory for the Perseid meteors. We saw a few nice ones, despite the fact we were just carrying on with our usual observing program. The next two nights will be cloudy, with Saturday possibly clear.
Tuesday night was my Nidan Iaido test (2nd degree black belt). Despite beginning an hour late (my test finally began at 9:50 pm), everything went well. I was happy with my performance. If I am promoted it will happen next Tuesday at class. Deb is hoping to test in early October.
Saturday, August 8th/15
Four cloudy nights in a row and counting--are any loyal readers surprised? Sunday and Monday are also supposed to be cloudy. In fact, the next clear night is supposed to be Tuesday--the night of my Iaido test. Are any loyal readers surprised? There is witchery afoot, and I am not amused in the least.
The fitness program drudgery continues unabated. However, today we had our first cloudy walk since beginning the program 3 1/2 weeks ago. Usually it is bright and sunny on our hill walks, and we have to be up very early as a result, or die of sunstroke. The alarm was set for 7:30 am this morning. However, for whatever reason I was unable to sleep until daylight. The alarm was duly switched off and I finally awoke near 10 am. We still did the walk, but were saved from total misery by clouds. Tomorrow is our weekly bike ride, and Monday is a longer hike, followed by a lunch meeting with our retired teacher friends Ruth and Mary.
Tuesday is my Iaido test, along with a chance of clear skies afterwards. Sigh.
Next Saturday night is a reunion of sorts, with students who graduated from the elementary school where we taught hosting an informal get together at a local pub. These particular "kids" would now be forty years old. They were memorable, many of them being students that made getting up and going to work a lot of fun. It might be a fun evening, though if skies are clear our visit will be short and sweet.
I have decided not to post here any more until we get a bonafide clear night, so you may never hear from me again....
Thursday, August 6th/15
Now that the new astronomy session is underway, so are the clouds and haze. During nine nights before, during and following the full moon, it was clear for eight of them, often spectacularly so. This is a record number of clear nights for Essex County in such a short time, and yet none of them were usable for observing, other than looking thru the eyepiece at a very bright moon and going partially blind. Tuesday night was clear, but as I am less than a week from my Iaido test, I had to attend class. Last night and tonight were predicted to be clear, yet here I am at home typing. It is cloudy once again.
We are gradually preparing for our upcoming trip to the mountains, though there is much to do. When we bring the camping gear, it is a huge undertaking. Tents, air mattresses, sleeping bags and the kitchen box take up a lot of room in the vehicle, not to mention our clothing, boots, backpacks and other miscellaneous gear. Once again we will be camping in a different campground each night, meaning that tents must be set up, then broken down, mattresses inflated, then deflated, sleeping bags unpacked, then rerolled tightly, four times...do I sound like I'm losing some enthusiasm here for camping? Getting old, perhaps?
It sounds as if Randy's surgery went well, and he is now in the recovery phase. The searing pain he was experiencing for the last several weeks is gone. I'm sure he will be a much happier guy!
Monday, August 3rd/15
That was quite a night of storms last night! It began around 11 pm and continued on and on and on. One batch of storms would pass, we'd think it was over, and a new batch would arrive. This happened several times. 1.4" in the rain gauge this morning. Needless to say it is clear again tonight, the sixth such night in the last seven. Our observing program will restart on Wed., but they are already calling for cloudy skies then and beyond.
I mostly finished the rough outline of the NM trip itinerary today. It was a rest day from piano practice so I had a lot of extra time on my hands. I will be gone for 12 days, and Deb for 9. We need to find her a ride to the airport once I am gone ahead with the vehicle and gear.
Deb has created a new blog, highlighting much of the new Japanese-themed arts and crafts she has been spending much time on. She has also posted it on our dojo's Facebook page.
Today we completed Week Three of the fitness program, with a 66 minute walk around the neighbourhood. Tomorrow is a rest day, though there will be an Iaido class in the evening. Three weeks from tonight we should both be in Denver, at the start of our newest adventure in the Rocky Mountains. We are getting excited!
Wishing our very good friend luck and quick recovery with his surgery on Wed. Randy G. is heading to Toronto tomorrow for admitting, and should be released on Saturday. It's going to bugger up his observing this August session, but he should be feeling a whole lot better next time we meet.
Sunday, August 2nd/15
We are currently under a severe weather watch, and things are due to hit us near midnight (about 2 hrs away). Radar is showing a very nasty line of storms to our north, gradually heading our way. We need some rain, but we don't need it to be accompanied by total destruction. It's been very warm and humid today, and that usually means trouble.
Two more Iaido classes remain until my test. The dojo was very warm tonight, and I was off my game as a result. I also injured my back on one of the katas. As we had a long bike ride this morning, it might be related. Taking things easy just now.
We are both looking forward to Wednesday and onward, which is the start of the next astronomy dark sky period. We are hoping for better luck than the last nine months--it's been that long since we have had a really fine session.
It would appear that the Colorado/New Mexico trip is on. I have added more camping into the mix, and we shall have to be careful with overall expenses, due to our now nearly useless Canadian dollar. It seems okay against the Euro, but not the Pound or the US dollar. I've booked some budget independent motels that seem to get a lot of very good reviews on-line. We have one fancy htoel in Denver, but we got such a good deal on it I couldn't resist. We should be there 3 weeks from tomorrow.
Monday's longer hike will conclude our 3rd week of intense training. At that point we are really well prepared for walking in England and such. However, a few more weeks are required before we can face a long climb at high altitude. One of the hikes exceeds 11,000'. It's not fun breathing there when you are standing still--thus it can be a real challenge when hiking up a mountain! We will use Acli-mate 3 days before arriving in the mountains, and the entire time we are there. It worked like magic the last time we used it.
As soon as my Iaido test is done (11th), we will begin preparing the camping gear for the journey.
Friday, July 31st/15
And there goes another week, whooshing past us! Should I even mention that most nights have been exceptionally clear? And none has been finer than tonight, the full moon. It's uncanny how many incredible skies we get at and around full moon. By next week, when it is dark enough to begin observing again, the clouds and thunderstorms will return. Tonight's sky conditions remind me of something I might have seen in my teen years in Northern Ontario; it is that clear and dry outside tonight.
We are halfway through our third week of intense training, and I am beginning to have serious thoughts about scuppering the entire trip. Our dollar is falling further each day, and we may have hit its lowest value in over 12 years. It's supposed to continue to worsen. The way things stand now, for every dollar we spend in the US, it costs us nearly $1.35. The good news is that gasoline is now very inexpensive across the border (not here). Even with some camping nights, there are about 10 motel nights required. Decision coming soon.
Training for 2nd degree black belt continues--I have about 3 more classes until test night. My forms are pretty good, though there are still enough basic things I need to improve that I could be kept busy for several more weeks. However, the time has come to do the test and move on.
We visited Royal Oak on Thursday, a Detroit suburb with a walkable downtown filled with shops, cafes, brewpubs and veggie restaurants. Detroit and its suburbs have a nearly infinite number of fun areas to visit, and we try to hit many of them at least once a year.
Today we watched "Red Desert," Antonioni's take on one woman's constant battle with madness. This rich film from the 1960s still has power to resonate with a certain portion of contemporary audiences. No one makes films like these any more. Sometimes depth can be achieved by saying less and letting the camera do its work. Filmed near Ravenna, the industrial landscapes are haunting and unrelenting. It helps that Monica Vitti gives a tour de force performance of a semi-mad housewife living constantly at wit's end. She's up, she's down, she's all around. Where does she fit in this world? She is still searching for her place in it. Haven't seen this one in many years, and very glad that I did.
Monday, July 27th/15
It's been another exciting and fulfilling day here at Lone Mtn Homestead. We began very early with our hilly hike at Malden Hill Park, completing the 2nd week of our intense training for our upcoming expedition to the American Rocky Mtns. 3 1/2 weeks of training to go! It was warm and humid, and it will remain so for the forseeable future.
Afterwards, I went to the university for my 3rd piano lesson with Philip Adamson, working exclusively on the Beethoven Sonata Op. 110. Deb went to the university library for an hour. After that we went to The Garden, a nearby Asian vegetarian restaurant, one of the very best there is! And it's in Windsor!! Now if only the Windsor craft beer scene would improve.
In the late afternoon we watched the 3rd and final Apu film. I can't wait for the restored version to come out on dvd. The third film takes our hero into married life and fatherhood, though not in any way, shape or form the viewer could expect. These are all truly wonderful, don't miss movies! We ended up watching the Youtube version, which was much better than our VHS copy.
Today's film was the 3rd and final one of the unforgettable and unmissable Apu trilogy. Directed by Satyajit Ray, with music by Ravi Shankar.
Gudea of Lagash, near 5,000 years old.
From a pair of gold earrings, ancient Assyrian.
The Day of the Dead exhibit wasn't as consistently good this year, but the highlights were absolutely fantastic!
Life size Offrenda from the DIA Day of the Dead exhibit. this one was a highlight!
This Offrenda, another highlight, was dedicated to the Monarch Butterfly.
Detail of the butterfly Offrenda.
After leaving the DIA we walked back to the car and headed to a pair of breweries in Corktown. I enjoyed another fabulous pumpkin ale at Brew Detroit, and then a farmhouse sour ale at Batch Brewing ("Fresh Cut").
Today (Sunday), Deb and I walked at Malden Hill, then went to a vegetarian restaurant near the U. of Windsor, now a favourite place to eat.
Tonight we managed to get the Samain decorations and lights up, including our miniature Day of the Dead display. Six days to go before the big holiday!
Friday, October 23rd/15
We made use of last night's beautiful sky conditions to observe the moon again with Space Eye, this time focussing on Sinus Iridum, the "Bay of Rainbows." The Jura Mountains were spectacular! Deb did another sketch, now posted on the astronomy blog. Next time we are going to try some through the lens photography with it, so stay posted.
It's cloudy tonight. We were home all day, except for our usual Friday evening visit to the dojo for open training. My fees expire on Nov. 3rd. Once we are back from London I will decide if I will return to training. We are attending a weekend Iaido seminar on Nov. 16/17, so I will get a boatload of training that weekend. We won't know for a while yet if Deb will be promoted after her test on Tuesday. She is waiting for a damaged tendon to heal before attempting the cutting portion of her test.
Once again we had perfect attendance at music lessons this week. Two more weeks to go in Semester One.
We also concluded our first of three advanced training weeks, gearing up for a lot of walking in the outskirts of London. I have an itinerary sketched out up till the Thursday so far. We arrive on a Sunday and leave on the following Monday.
Amanda is in town this weekend. We have a Saturday excursion to Detroit planned with her, involving Near Eastern Art at the DIA, and visits to at least two outstanding craft beer taprooms. Can't wait!
Tuesday, October 20th/15
It's late afternoon and my first students of the week are due in less than an hour. After that, it's off to Iaido, where Deb will be undertaking her 2nd degree black belt test tonight. She is more than ready, and she should ace it. Quite remarkable for a woman who could not get out of bed by herself three years ago.
We are on track to be in reasonable walking shape for London, too, as we are now 3 1/2 weeks into our training. The weather is cooperating, as it has been sunny and very dry. Today we broke 70 F, too! A lovely autumn so far.
My ear continues to bother me, but I managed to fend off a vertigo attack on the weekend, getting the meds swallowed in time. There might even be a marginal improvement in my hearing, too. We'll see what the next week or two brings.
I have begun work on the London itinerary, keeping two days completely free for museums even if it is beautiful walking weather. Four big walks are planned, plus an out of London outing, a day trip. So far I have completed Sat. through Tuesday, and will resume work next week.
The New Mexico blog update is now complete, though some proof reading is still required. See the opposite page, NM Trip #35.
And a new Space Eye report will be going up on the astronomy blog momentarily. I managed to snag a beautifully clear night on Sunday, going out alone to Comber. It was very chilly, but dry and still. It was 34 F when I arrived just after 9 pm. However, I was really bundled and had a very enjoyable time.
Last night from our back deck we enjoyed our first lunar observation with Space Eye. The little telescope is quite remarkable! Deb's sketch of two craters we zeroed in on will appear in the blog report on my astronomy page.
It's hard to believe that Harper, our Prime Minister, is finally gone! It will take many years to undo the damage he has caused. Friend to oilmen, and not many others. When the price of oil collapsed, so did Canada. Bye bye.
Thursday, October 15th/15
As I write this on Thursday evening, the wind is howling outside. Of course it's the night to put out the garbage and the recycling boxes. Last night was a beautifully clear night, one of the finest we have had. So just before leaving for Comber, guess who has his first Meniere's attack in nearly 2 1/2 years? If you guessed me, you would be correct. The vertigo lasted about an hour, but the meds taken knocked me out for 12 more. And so tonight it's cloudy, of course, and tomorrow night it will be cloudy. So I am very grumpy today.
And I won't even begin to talk about the latest car repair bill, setting us back for another month. Sheesh.
We have taught six music lessons so far for the autumn semester. So far we have had perfect attendance. Three more lessons remain, then comes our group lesson, and then next day we are off to London. Tomorrow we will complete Week Three of the prepratory walking program, shifting things up a gear or two for the remaining three weeks. Of course we realize it could rain and storm the entire week we are there, but it never hurts to stay in shape! Good for the immune system, too. Should it rain, London has plenty of (free) indoor activities to keep us busy.
Speaking of immune systems, Deb had her bi-monthly infusion today, so she should be feeling pretty chipper by tomorrow. She is taking her Nidan test in Iaido on Tuesday night (2nd degree black belt).
I will be taking a leave from the dojo later this month, and perhaps returning in January. It's an expensive hobby for two. Deb's test costs $300! Tuition for two every three months comes to $360. Then there's those car repair bills. And hopefully enough someday for my hearing aid. We still try and live off of the half pensions we receive, and bank the teaching money for travel. So far it's worked, but things have been pretty stretched the last two months. We haven't even been to Detroit, except to get to our mail box. Hopefully Saturday we can have a fun day there. The Art Institute has recently reinstalled their Near Eastern Art collection, which contains several of our favourite pieces, so we are looking forward to that. And at 4 pm their film theatre is showing "Kiss Me Deadly," one of the wackiest and best noir movies ever made!
Monday, October 12th/15
Thus endeth another 4-day weekend. Can't really complain, as we mostly stayed home during the daytime. Saturday and Sunday nights were clear, with Sunday being spectacularly so. It was one of those nights where everything clicked--it was perfectly clear, it was dry, it was warm, and we were free to observe as late as we wished that night! We observed until 1:30 am and it was still above 60 F!
We had a Thanksgiving Feast on Sunday. Deb roasted a Tofurky (comes with stuffing and vegan gravy), along with her homemade roasted veggies, baked chile corn bread from NM, and she also made two pumpkin pies from scratch, topped with coconut milk whipped cream! We ate at 5:30 pm and left for Comber, quite full, around 6:45 pm.
Our weather is due for a big change, beginning later tonight. Much cooler weather will arrive, and linger for a week at least. Any further clear nights this week will require full winter gear.
I've been doing my best to finish up the New Mexico trip blog, but there are still several pages to go. I'll get there hopefully before our visit to England. I managed to put up a new Space Eye blog tonight, and all day today I was busy writing up observing notes from Sunday night.
Tomorrow begins our very busy three-day week. Iadio, teaching, walking, practicing piano, hopefully some observing...
Friday, October 9th/15
Five weeks of lessons down, four to go! Two weeks of walking prep down, four to go! To date it's been a pretty amazing beginning to autumn, with lots of sunshine and above normal temps. We have yet to run the furnace, other than to check if it is working, though we did put the wood stove on for a couple of chilly mornings last week. Today it is much cooler and grey, but the weekend promises to be quite exceptional.
We have had two clear nights last week, including Monday and Wednesday. We've been having fun with Space Eye, our newest telescope, along with our usual more serious observing programs with our much larger scopes. It is supposed to clear up later tonight, so I may be heading out to Comber after Iaido.
It could turn into an observing marathon run beginning tonight, as the forecast looks promising for several upcoming nights. We will have our Thanksgiving dinner Sunday afternoon, which will include home made pumpkin pie. There is a Tofurky in the fridge with our name on it, too. Perhaps some sweet potatoes. And then off to do some more observing! A perfect way to spend the holiday!
Sunday, October 4th/15
We are almost halfway through our 2nd week of walking. I'm beginning to wonder if 6 weeks prep will be enough. Hopefully there will be a lot of leg muscle returning in the next month! We are also four days into the new observing session, and three have been completely overcast. Thursday's outing would have never happened if we hadn't had a new telescope to try out that night, as it was 90 % cloudy, very windy, and 100% frustrating.
The weekend was cold and miserable, but it seems to be warming up this evening. We made it to Iaido, as Deb continues to train for her upcoming Nidan test.
Things are slowly getting done while cloudy nights last. I managed to get two parts of the New Mexico trip on-line. See the link on the main page, opposite, for "New Mexico."
Practicing has been going okay--I am still going to attempt to run through the pieces in front of a few friends sometime before our trip. The pressure has come down a lot in my ear, though it remains blocked as far as hearing goes. If I could do more telescope observing it would bother me less. But not in our climate. This year has (so far) been the worst in memory for number of clear nights during the dark moon phase (he says this dreaming of New Mexico skies, and a Can. dollar on par with the US dollar).
Friday, October 2nd/15
Autumn weather has arrived, and with it an urge to get some observing done. However, it is not to be. The 7-day forecast shows no promise. Big surpirse.
We completed our first week of walking by hiking along the River Rouge Trail in Dearborm, MI, and then into the woods at the Nature Center which adjoins the trail. Only one tree was showing some colour today, but it won't be long. There are many places in Detroit where it feels as if we are on the London Loop, and today's walk was one of those. Our hike lasted just over an hour. Afterwards, it was on to the mailbox to pick up our newest telescope!
We found a tree with red leaves!
Our scope was awaiting us, and Deb also had a new hakama waiting, part of her new Iaido wearable gear.
At home we set up the scope after lunch. I have a detailed description of the setup here. It was supposed to be "mainly clear" last night. Somewhere. Certainly not in our area. We drove to Comber with the new 2" scope and Deb's 6", but conditions remained poor. Still, we managed to find some openings in the clouds, observing five objects with the new scope. Later tonight I will also blog about that experience on my astronomy website.
This is the largest refractor I have ever owned! I once had a table top 40 mm one. We have some special projects planned for this little gem.
Tuesday, Sept. 29th/15
We are hoping to finish the month a bit ahead financially, so we can finish paying off the car repair bill. It was a whopper. We also got hit with a garage door repair this month, Deb's visit to the dentist, and we sent $500 to a friend in need. Needless to say we haven't been spending any fun money this month, and our trips to Detroit have been pretty business-like. I also bought myself a new telescope eyepiece for my birthday, costing more than twice as much as our new little telescope. This was before we knew about the friend or the car brakes. "Space Eye" will be delivered Wednesday to our Dearborn mailbox, and we will pick it up Thursday. First light could be Thursday evening.
It has finally turned to autumn here tonight, so perhaps tomorrow we will get to have our first fireplace fire of the season, now a week overdue. Iaido continues to go pretty well. Tonight I was the 2nd highest ranking student on the floor. Ultimate power!
We are 4 days into our newest walking program, preparing for some very long autumn walks in London. We were in great shape after New Mexico, but when we returned home it was too hot to do anything for the first week. During the 2nd week it was clear 6 nights out of 7! That really messed up our days. So that was the end of the "in-shape" period of our life. Now it's back to basics. Long walks are planned tomorrow and Thursday, with Thursday's one in Dearborn taking place on a lovely wooded and river-crossing trail. And we'll be bringing home "Space Eye!"
Saturday, Sept. 26th/15
Three weeks of teaching have been completed! Six more and we are off to London. This means that our walking prep program is underway. In six weeks we hope to be in shape for some long walks on the Capital Ring and the London Loop. It was a very warm start to our newest program, as September continues to be warmer than average, and sunny. This is likely to be a six-week program that begins in shirt sleeves and ends in winter coats!
I have decided to postpone/cancel any upcoming piano recital. My ear is severely interfering with my ability to hear chords correctly, and I barely notice small mistakes. So far nothing medical is helping. There is no treatment or cure for this. It is not tinnitus, though some of the symptoms are related. There is a constant pressure from within the ear, and a sound that is a mixture of what one hears in a seashell and of loud electric wires humming. It also tends to pulse.
We bought a small telescope today, and we have a few little projects in mind for it. It is a 2" refractor, and it is supposed to be of very high quality. Though tiny, it should be fine for what we wish to do. It will be a supplement to our on-going observing programs with our larger scopes, and will take very little time each session. I already love the box! We got a great deal for $80 Canadian, and it comes with a free flashlight! It is being shipped from New York to Dearborn, and should arrive by Wednesday.
Wednesday, Sept.23rd/15
Well, that was some birthday. Grocery shopping in the morning, an hour of piano practice after lunch, pick up the car with a repair bill of over $1200 (brakes on all four wheels) in the afternoon, teach 4 students, and then go to Iaido. Yippee. At least it was a good Iaido class.
I can't say the same for my piano practice--my hearing has become so bad in my right ear again that I will have to get a hearing aid. Even if it clears up again, the periods where it is 80-90% blocked are becoming long and tiresome.
Today I managed to finish up my New Mexico journal (#35!). It just needs proof-reading. I'm already excited about next October's hiking trip, to the summit of NM's tallest peak!
I also managed to have my first Scotch of the season this evening, a tiny shot of Teachers' after I finished up with today's 5 music students. 5 more await tomorrow. Deb also baked me a cake today, a two-ton carrot cake that approaches the density of a neutron star. It's pretty good, though perhaps better as a meal unto itself. There were no 62 candles to be seen.
With the NM notebook complete, there might be time to work on the website version of the trip this weekend. Tomorrow night is Dr. Who episode 1 of the new season. We'll see how that goes.
Sunday, Sept. 20th/15
We were able to squeeze in one more night of fabulous observing, before calling it quits for this session. Due to a busy public event at the observatory, we chose to go a little farther and set up at a favourite location on Lake Erie. This is a much darker site with even more of the sky visible. It was certainly worth the drive tonight, as viewing conditions were about as good as they get down here. We made it home shortly before 4 am, exhausted but happy. We've had nine long outings this session, not a record but pretty close.
Today was laundry day, some piano, writing up observing notes in good, and later in the evening, Iaido. We have been unable to watch the new Dr. Who season opener, missing it once last night because of astronomy, and tonight because of Iaido. Hopefully we can catch it Thursday night at 10 pm. We can watch it on-line, but would rather see it on our big screen tv.
Friday, Sept. 18th/15
We have survived, but barely. I don't know if I've ever done five nights in a row of observing before. It was tough, but somebody has to do it. Monday thru Thursday were clear, resulting in some great observing nights but little sleep. My 14 private nusic students seemed like 28 this week. Deb went to Iaido on Tuesday night instead, but I skipped out and went to the observatory. Here are some facts from my observing week.
Number of nights: 5 in a row.
Number of observing hours: 22.5.
Number of objects observed: 94.
Number of pages of detailed notes: 14.
It feels great to finally have a cloudy night! The Tiguan needed servicing way out on the far side of Windsor. We brought the vehicle out there later this afternoon, had dinner afterwards in Windsor, went to open training at the dojo, then did some grocery shopping on the way home. It has been a terribly busy week trying to do normal things as well as observing. Most nights we were home by 3 am. Saturday night should be clear, and possibly Sunday, too. The moon is now growing brighter and setting later, so our observing start times will be later, too.
Exercising and piano practicing have gone out the window. However, extra money is rolling in again from our teaching, and the travel savings account is growing once more.
Tomorrow will be our first visit to Detroit since before our trip to NM!
Whenever this astronomy session ends I will resume work on my NM travel journal, which is about three-quarters done right now. Then I can start the website update. Hopefully this will happen before we set off for London again!
Monday, Sept. 14th/15
The madness has begun! Last night was one of the finest observing nights I've ever experienced in Essex county, and tonight we are heading out for the second in a row! A possible streak of five clear nights in a row could see us pretty sleep-deprived by the weekend. Even now we are running on low steam, having only slept 3 or 4 hours.
Early this morning I had to go to Windsor for my annual check up with Dr. Ling, my ear doctor. He seems convinced that my Meniere's Disease has stabilized. Good news indeed, though I cannot hear a thing from my right ear. This is likely the new norm. However, I haven't had severe vertigo now in over two years.
Worked on astronomy notes today, and we tried to nap. However, no sooner had we passed out than the UPS man came banging on our door. Impossible to get back to sleep afterwards.
Yesterday I made a lot of progress on the New Mexico trip journal. It is about 3/4ths done, though it will have to wait for a cloudy night to see more progress.
One hour to astronomy lift off--wishing it wasn't such a long drive to dark skies...
Saturday, Sept. 12th/15
The unthinkable may be about to transpire here in Essex Co. We are on the verge of getting four very fine clear nights in a row, at new moon!!! Of course it hasn't happened yet, but it's all supposed to begin Sunday night and carry through till mid-week. That would be our first streak of 2015. While I am ever hopeful, I am also ever cynical. It's been cloudy now for seven nights in a row, so I'd say we are due for something good to happen.
I finally got my 4 x6 photo prints done today! I've been working on my journal again as much as possible. Still lots to go, but it's about half done, maybe a bit more. Once the volume is complete I will work on the website updates. However, if we ever did get 4 clear nights in a row, there would be precious little time left for anything else except writing up astronomy field notes.
Last night was one of the very rare appearances of Orchestra Baobab, a high energy big band from Senegal. These guys are nearly too hot to handle, and too cool not to hear. They are among the finest musical ambassadors Africa has ever sent out. How rare are their overseas performances? One performance in London (last night); the next one is in Paris, in February of next year. That rare. I celebrated today by replaying one of their albums, always a favourite around here. It's impossible to stay still when this music is on.
Amanda paid us an afternoon-long visit today, her second and final one of this trip back to her hometown. Hopefully we will see her again next month, either in Toronto if I can get my solo concert off the ground, or back here in the Burg on her next visit.
Thursday, Sept. 10th/15
14 students later, I am done with my first week of teaching. I have not had this many students in a long while. One has gone off to college, but five others have arrived. The travel fund is in no danger of being depleted this year. Which is probably a good thing, as our dollar is next to useless as currency anywhere else just now.
Of my 14 students, I can say unequivocally that I like them all. Some are actually talented, too, and even will do the work assigned. It should be a good year. 37 weeks to go.
Today was the first day that our overly warm, extremely humid days finally came to an end. We headed out on our bikes for a ride this morning. Tomorrow, before our Iaido open training class, we are going to a Windsor bike shop to look for a new bike for me. Hopefully we have many more rides ahead of us this autumn.
I determined, however, that the walking program has to resume on September 26th if we are to be ready for our London adventures. We will not have the same number of daylight hours to get the hikes done, so it is even more critical to be in shape than it was last April.
Amanda is in town this weekend, and has already come and gone on her first visit. I am trying to talk her into coming to London with us in November. Flight funds are there, but accommodations are the current sticking point. We'll see what we can find for her that is classy but in her budget range...
Monday, Sept. 7th/15
I am still recovering from my 2nd night in a row of late astronomy. Last night we stopped observing at 2:38 am, packed up and left the observatory at 2:58 am, were home by 3:38 am, and in bed by 3:58 am. It was a night of 8s!!
It was a totally amazing night, warm with a light breeze, and as clear as it gets from our location. Again the place was hopping with observers, including Randy and his 22" scope. Almost as fun as climbing the stepladder and looking through that scope (Crescent Nebula last night was a highlight), is when Randy brings some of his high quality eyepieces over to my scope and I get to see what my instrument can really do! The Swan Nebula (M17) was perfection last night, and we spent nearly 45 minutes admiring it through my 12" mirror. Bliss!
There are a lot of depressed teachers in our area tonight, as tomorrow is the big back to school downer. Can't say I miss that too much. My 3-day work week resumes tomorrow, too. I must be resigned to 4-day weekends once more. Sigh. The suffering continues.
Hopefully the private lessons teaching money will continue for a few more years. Visiting London is on the near horizon, with Vienna coming up next Spring.
I still do not have my recent NM trip photos printed, though they are all edited and on a USB stick ready to go. Perhaps tomorrow.
Sunday, Sept. 6th/15
We got our first clear night of the new session last night, and the observatory grounds were busy with members observing (five of us, a high number even for a summer Saturday). Randy was out with his 22" scope, and we enjoyed some wonderful views of a few choice objects through his scope at the end of the night. However, it was really, really damp. The official humidity reading at 2:30 am for Comber was 97%!! Will it clear up tonight? It's supposed to, but so far (8 pm) it appears quite terrible.
We finished watching a very fun and fine film today, called The Band's Visit. It depicts a lost 8-member Egyptian police band spending a night in a dismal outpost Israeli settlement. Funny and heart-warming, this is a don't miss film. About half is in English, with the rest subtitled. The plot is not significant, as the whole story revolves around character interactions. A true sleeper.
Spent some of the day working on my observing notes. I did get back to the piano yesterday, enjoying a decent practice. Another coming up tomorrow. Not much work done yet on the journal of the recent mountain expedition, but I hope to print some photos tomorrow.
Friday, Sept. 4th/15
Just finished watching the final Doctor Who tv serial episode before it went off the air. Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred are at their best in "Ghost Light," a perplexing and energetic 3-part serial that really harkens to the modern version. The characters and relationship of the Doctor and Ace have never been closer and more symbiotic, and they really foreshadow the later pairing of the first new doctor (Christopher Eccleston) and Rose Tyler. This is a very good entry, and really makes you wonder why the plug was ever pulled on the series. Highly recommended for fans. And the newest series begins here in Canada on September 19th. Can't wait!
I am gradually catching up on my sleep. Hopefully piano practice will resume tomorrow, though my right ear has been fully plugged once again for several weeks now. We'll see how that goes. It is warm and very humid here, and will remain so for the foreseeable future. So much for astronomy.
Even the dojo is closed this weekend, so we will not resume our training until Tuesday, Sept. 8th.
The lawn is cut, the unpacking is mostly done, and the photos have been edited. I used a new Fuji S4800 this time, and wish I'd brought by old S 9000. I am pretty disappointed in the quality of the photos this time around. Last trip for this camera.
Thursday, Sept. 3rd/15
We arrived home early last evening, exhausted but fulfilled. I was out the door for 12 days, Deb for 10. The big news is that Deb was able to sleep in a tent again, and hike as well as me in the high country. That is one of the most amazing success stories in modern medicine. Even 10 years ago such successful treatments for RA were not available.
Anyway, the trip was everything we hoped it would be, and considerably more. A detailed account on-line will follow when I am finished the hard copy written account, and all of the photos are edited.
We are still unpacking and finishing up the laundry. It is very warm and humid in our area, with frequent storms today. Looking forward to some astronomy later this weekend.
Friday, August 21st/15
Well, about all that can be said about our 39th wedding anniversary is that we spent it together--cleaning, doing laundry, packing. It's been another busy day at the homestead. Most of the work was done by evening, so off we went to open training in Iaido.
I was promoted to Nidan on Tuesday night. Next main event is the trip to NM. Following that will be the piano recital, and Deb's Iaido test. And then comes London again. And hopefully lots of astronomy in between.
Since it is first quarter moon, it is perfectly clear once again tonight. And tomorrow night, too, so they tell me. It is quite ridiculous. Our next observing session will be Sept. 4th. Watch for the storms and clouds.
Bon voyage! Lots of miles to drive over the next 12 days. Check in on FB for updates and photos, or email me at my yahoo address.
Wednesday, August 19th/15
This evening marked the conclusion to our summer teaching program. The money earned gives our upcoming trip a boost with expenses, especially the ever-declining exchange rate with the US dollar. Tomorrow will be banking and exchanging money day, as well as some last minute errands around town. We are fortunate to have a house and pet sitter, too!
Cleaning of the house also began in earnest. As it was teaching day anyway, some cleaning had to be done. We are mostly packed except for clothing, which will be last minute. A few warm things are needed for camping above 8,000', but mostly we will have summer clothes, which don't take up a lot of room.
The camping gear seems to be in good shape, and we don't need to replace anything big. Will it all fit into the vehicle? It usually does, but one never knows.
We may snag one more astronomy night on Thursday, though with a late setting moon we cannot begin until about 10:45 pm. Friday will be laundry and clothes packing day, and loading of the vehicle. While we are gone, updates on this blog are not possible, but I do post every few days on Facebook, including some photos.
We are getting excited!
Monday, August 17th/15
It has been an interesting week for us socially. Usually we are like hermit recluses, but last week was a whirlwind of activity on the people side of things. Last Monday morning we visited our Windsor friends Randy and Anita. Randy is recuperating (very successfully!) from a pretty big surgical procedure. Randy has been a close friend since university days, through music and astronomy. I don't think he has missed a single piano recital of mine. We also saw Randy Wednesday night out at Hallam Observatory for the Perseid meteor event, and again Saturday night on a regular clear night. He observed with his binoculars as he cannot yet attempt lifting his telescope. While we were at Randy's home having tea, sitting outside in their back garden gazebo, John Thompson stopped by, visiting from Ottawa. John is a friend through astronomy, and we see him about once per year.
After visiting with Randy and Anita at their home, we continued on further into Windsor and met our retired teacher friends Ruth and Mary for lunch. We took them to a vegan place and they totally loved it!
Tuesday was my Iaido test (results tomorrow night), and Wednesday there was a pretty large gathering of members at the observatory for the Perseids. Friday we met up again with Ruth, this time also with a former school secretary, Pam. We ate and drank at a new pub in A'burg.
Saturday night was the big social event, as we attended a Gr. 8 class reunion of a class that graduated APS in 1987! Most of the people who attended we had not seen since they graduated at age 13 and 14! We were the only teachers who made it out that night, though I think only two others were contacted. It turned into a fun, if slightly weird, evening, though we left early due to clear night skies.
Today, Jim and Pat stopped by our house for a visit while they were out on a bike ride. We had been neighbours for many years until they moved into the town about three years ago. Again we hadn't seen them in a long time, and we sat outside and did some catching up.
So there, we are socialized until at least Christmas!
We recently watched "Interstellar," and quite enjoyed it. Though the happy ending more or less destroys much of the story's plausibility, I don't mind happy endings. The way the story is told is quite well done, and viewers' interest is held throughout. It has a nice feel for alien landscapes (Iceland subbing for one of them) and space travel, and the human story is quite touching. Owing a lot to 2001: A Space Odyssey, in places it seems more of a tribute than its own film. Highly recommended. Sequel anyone?
Preparations will go into full swing tomorrow for loading the SUV with camping gear and such. Packing and final loading will take place Friday, no doubt combined with some last minute running around in town.
Two fabulously clear nights in a row (Saturday and Sunday) have left us pretty sleep-deprived. It has been too hot and humid to maintain the exercise program, though we have only missed two days. We can make one of them up tomorrow, if it doesn't storm as predicted in the morning. The main heat and humidity crisis seems to have passed.
Thursday, August 13th/15
Happy "World Left-Handed People Day." Deb has been celebrating all day. Today was her RA drug infusion, and she is good to go until October. Overall, she is feeling better and better with each one. Tomorrow she sees her heart doctor for a routine check and a prescription refill.
We went to Detroit after today's medical stopover, enjoying a late lunch and some Kroger shopping. We mostly stocked up on Clif and Lara bars, which we have been using for breakfasts on our early morning hill hikes. Despite horrendous traffic in both cities, we slipped through without mishap, making it back home in time for another episode of M*A*S*H. For me there was a small martini; for Deb, some elderflower water.
The fact that I am blogging again indicates to loyal readers that we finally had a clear night this session. We've had 7 unsuitable nights in a row. Last night was spectacular until about 1 am, when it began to cloud over. We quit about 1:45 am. There was a large turnout at the observatory for the Perseid meteors. We saw a few nice ones, despite the fact we were just carrying on with our usual observing program. The next two nights will be cloudy, with Saturday possibly clear.
Tuesday night was my Nidan Iaido test (2nd degree black belt). Despite beginning an hour late (my test finally began at 9:50 pm), everything went well. I was happy with my performance. If I am promoted it will happen next Tuesday at class. Deb is hoping to test in early October.
Saturday, August 8th/15
Four cloudy nights in a row and counting--are any loyal readers surprised? Sunday and Monday are also supposed to be cloudy. In fact, the next clear night is supposed to be Tuesday--the night of my Iaido test. Are any loyal readers surprised? There is witchery afoot, and I am not amused in the least.
The fitness program drudgery continues unabated. However, today we had our first cloudy walk since beginning the program 3 1/2 weeks ago. Usually it is bright and sunny on our hill walks, and we have to be up very early as a result, or die of sunstroke. The alarm was set for 7:30 am this morning. However, for whatever reason I was unable to sleep until daylight. The alarm was duly switched off and I finally awoke near 10 am. We still did the walk, but were saved from total misery by clouds. Tomorrow is our weekly bike ride, and Monday is a longer hike, followed by a lunch meeting with our retired teacher friends Ruth and Mary.
Tuesday is my Iaido test, along with a chance of clear skies afterwards. Sigh.
Next Saturday night is a reunion of sorts, with students who graduated from the elementary school where we taught hosting an informal get together at a local pub. These particular "kids" would now be forty years old. They were memorable, many of them being students that made getting up and going to work a lot of fun. It might be a fun evening, though if skies are clear our visit will be short and sweet.
I have decided not to post here any more until we get a bonafide clear night, so you may never hear from me again....
Thursday, August 6th/15
Now that the new astronomy session is underway, so are the clouds and haze. During nine nights before, during and following the full moon, it was clear for eight of them, often spectacularly so. This is a record number of clear nights for Essex County in such a short time, and yet none of them were usable for observing, other than looking thru the eyepiece at a very bright moon and going partially blind. Tuesday night was clear, but as I am less than a week from my Iaido test, I had to attend class. Last night and tonight were predicted to be clear, yet here I am at home typing. It is cloudy once again.
We are gradually preparing for our upcoming trip to the mountains, though there is much to do. When we bring the camping gear, it is a huge undertaking. Tents, air mattresses, sleeping bags and the kitchen box take up a lot of room in the vehicle, not to mention our clothing, boots, backpacks and other miscellaneous gear. Once again we will be camping in a different campground each night, meaning that tents must be set up, then broken down, mattresses inflated, then deflated, sleeping bags unpacked, then rerolled tightly, four times...do I sound like I'm losing some enthusiasm here for camping? Getting old, perhaps?
It sounds as if Randy's surgery went well, and he is now in the recovery phase. The searing pain he was experiencing for the last several weeks is gone. I'm sure he will be a much happier guy!
Monday, August 3rd/15
That was quite a night of storms last night! It began around 11 pm and continued on and on and on. One batch of storms would pass, we'd think it was over, and a new batch would arrive. This happened several times. 1.4" in the rain gauge this morning. Needless to say it is clear again tonight, the sixth such night in the last seven. Our observing program will restart on Wed., but they are already calling for cloudy skies then and beyond.
I mostly finished the rough outline of the NM trip itinerary today. It was a rest day from piano practice so I had a lot of extra time on my hands. I will be gone for 12 days, and Deb for 9. We need to find her a ride to the airport once I am gone ahead with the vehicle and gear.
Deb has created a new blog, highlighting much of the new Japanese-themed arts and crafts she has been spending much time on. She has also posted it on our dojo's Facebook page.
Today we completed Week Three of the fitness program, with a 66 minute walk around the neighbourhood. Tomorrow is a rest day, though there will be an Iaido class in the evening. Three weeks from tonight we should both be in Denver, at the start of our newest adventure in the Rocky Mountains. We are getting excited!
Wishing our very good friend luck and quick recovery with his surgery on Wed. Randy G. is heading to Toronto tomorrow for admitting, and should be released on Saturday. It's going to bugger up his observing this August session, but he should be feeling a whole lot better next time we meet.
Sunday, August 2nd/15
We are currently under a severe weather watch, and things are due to hit us near midnight (about 2 hrs away). Radar is showing a very nasty line of storms to our north, gradually heading our way. We need some rain, but we don't need it to be accompanied by total destruction. It's been very warm and humid today, and that usually means trouble.
Two more Iaido classes remain until my test. The dojo was very warm tonight, and I was off my game as a result. I also injured my back on one of the katas. As we had a long bike ride this morning, it might be related. Taking things easy just now.
We are both looking forward to Wednesday and onward, which is the start of the next astronomy dark sky period. We are hoping for better luck than the last nine months--it's been that long since we have had a really fine session.
It would appear that the Colorado/New Mexico trip is on. I have added more camping into the mix, and we shall have to be careful with overall expenses, due to our now nearly useless Canadian dollar. It seems okay against the Euro, but not the Pound or the US dollar. I've booked some budget independent motels that seem to get a lot of very good reviews on-line. We have one fancy htoel in Denver, but we got such a good deal on it I couldn't resist. We should be there 3 weeks from tomorrow.
Monday's longer hike will conclude our 3rd week of intense training. At that point we are really well prepared for walking in England and such. However, a few more weeks are required before we can face a long climb at high altitude. One of the hikes exceeds 11,000'. It's not fun breathing there when you are standing still--thus it can be a real challenge when hiking up a mountain! We will use Acli-mate 3 days before arriving in the mountains, and the entire time we are there. It worked like magic the last time we used it.
As soon as my Iaido test is done (11th), we will begin preparing the camping gear for the journey.
Friday, July 31st/15
And there goes another week, whooshing past us! Should I even mention that most nights have been exceptionally clear? And none has been finer than tonight, the full moon. It's uncanny how many incredible skies we get at and around full moon. By next week, when it is dark enough to begin observing again, the clouds and thunderstorms will return. Tonight's sky conditions remind me of something I might have seen in my teen years in Northern Ontario; it is that clear and dry outside tonight.
We are halfway through our third week of intense training, and I am beginning to have serious thoughts about scuppering the entire trip. Our dollar is falling further each day, and we may have hit its lowest value in over 12 years. It's supposed to continue to worsen. The way things stand now, for every dollar we spend in the US, it costs us nearly $1.35. The good news is that gasoline is now very inexpensive across the border (not here). Even with some camping nights, there are about 10 motel nights required. Decision coming soon.
Training for 2nd degree black belt continues--I have about 3 more classes until test night. My forms are pretty good, though there are still enough basic things I need to improve that I could be kept busy for several more weeks. However, the time has come to do the test and move on.
We visited Royal Oak on Thursday, a Detroit suburb with a walkable downtown filled with shops, cafes, brewpubs and veggie restaurants. Detroit and its suburbs have a nearly infinite number of fun areas to visit, and we try to hit many of them at least once a year.
Today we watched "Red Desert," Antonioni's take on one woman's constant battle with madness. This rich film from the 1960s still has power to resonate with a certain portion of contemporary audiences. No one makes films like these any more. Sometimes depth can be achieved by saying less and letting the camera do its work. Filmed near Ravenna, the industrial landscapes are haunting and unrelenting. It helps that Monica Vitti gives a tour de force performance of a semi-mad housewife living constantly at wit's end. She's up, she's down, she's all around. Where does she fit in this world? She is still searching for her place in it. Haven't seen this one in many years, and very glad that I did.
Monday, July 27th/15
It's been another exciting and fulfilling day here at Lone Mtn Homestead. We began very early with our hilly hike at Malden Hill Park, completing the 2nd week of our intense training for our upcoming expedition to the American Rocky Mtns. 3 1/2 weeks of training to go! It was warm and humid, and it will remain so for the forseeable future.
Afterwards, I went to the university for my 3rd piano lesson with Philip Adamson, working exclusively on the Beethoven Sonata Op. 110. Deb went to the university library for an hour. After that we went to The Garden, a nearby Asian vegetarian restaurant, one of the very best there is! And it's in Windsor!! Now if only the Windsor craft beer scene would improve.
In the late afternoon we watched the 3rd and final Apu film. I can't wait for the restored version to come out on dvd. The third film takes our hero into married life and fatherhood, though not in any way, shape or form the viewer could expect. These are all truly wonderful, don't miss movies! We ended up watching the Youtube version, which was much better than our VHS copy.
In the evening I worked on new blog entries on my astronomy blog site. I managed to get one posted yesterday, and I now have several more on the go. Deb worked on her box decorating project. She buys inexpensive little boxes, plain wooden ones, then tarts them up with wonderful Japanese paper of various designs. They usually sell out at the dojo as fast as she can make them. She sold most of her recent sageo crop as well.
I also listened to Haydn Symphony #67 in F tonight. Discovering many of his symphonies for the first time has been a truly amazing awakening to the genius of this composer. #67 is extra special in many ways, and I hope I live long enough to hear many of them, including this one, again! Most of them remind me of what it is like to discover a deep sky gem at the telescope eyepiece--each one is unique, sparkling and worth many visits.
Sunday, July 26th/15
We watched Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland today, and quite enjoyed it. Johnny Depp as the Hatter is very good, as is the young actress playing Alice. While the plot is a bit simplistic, there are enough twists and turns and unusual characters to keep one's interest. The CGI is non-stop, something that doesn't bother me in a fantasy story. Worth a watch. It is Burton's most successful film to date, and took in over a billion dollars, making it the 19th most popular film of all time.
I am currently reading two books, each by a favourite author. William Least Heat-Moon writes the best road trip books on the market. I have enjoyed Blue Highways and Prairie Earth, and now am absorbing Road to Quoz. It is in several sections, and I just finished the one where he travels from the source of the Ouichita River (pronounced WASH-it-taw) in Arkansas to its head in Louisiana. It's hard to put this one down, especially if one loves road trips as much as I do. Before I begin the next section I am dipping into the Lovecraft volume, beginning with his early, Poe-inspired tales. Great stuff!
One of two sizeable volumes I am now reading.
I am alternating Quoz with this volume, printed by Barnes and Noble in a very good, inexpensive edition. It's over 1000 pages long.
Friday, July 24th/15
We struck gold again last night at the observatory. We enjoyed a crystal clear night, dry conditions, and warm temps--it was summer observing at its finest! We left home around 10:30 pm, under a bright 6-day old moon. We were observing by 11:30 pm, and even before the moon set we were enjoying splendid skies and conditions. We stayed till 3 a.m., and were home by 4. We discovered our curbside garbage torn and strewn across the lawn, so before we could unpack and get in the door, we had to rebag the refuse. A fun way to end a near perfect night.
Of course we always pay the price next day. It is currently 10 pm, and I can't wait to finish this and roll into bed. We made it to Iaido training tonight, and I managed to get all my exercises done today. Tomorrow, due to expected hot and hazy conditions, we will be up at 7 am for our hill walking in Windsor. Then we are off to Eastern Market in Detroit for the morning.
Life continues at a fast pace. My Iaido test is August 11th. Until then, there will be no slouching around here.
Monday, July 20th/15
We finally got a perfect summer night of observing! We left home after dinner and Iaido training, arriving at the observatory around 10:20 pm. Conditions were poor upon our arrival, but quickly improved. We soon had a perfect night--warm, light breeze, dry and crystal clear skies! We locked up the place at 4:20 am, headed for home and got to bed at 5:30 am! The sky was pretty light when we tumbled in. We were up around 11 am. I worked on my observing notes today. It was a day off from piano practice anyway.
Though tonight is cloudy, Tuesday and Wed. nights are supposed to be very good to excellent. Can't wait! Finally!!
Yesterday we cleaned up our bikes and went for our first ride since Deb's illness, so probably three years at least. We both did fine, and after having done so much walking lately it felt great to move as such high speed!
Speaking of walking, we have survived Week 1 of our mountain training program. Combined with three nights a week of Iaido, we should be in pretty great shape for our August trip to the mountains.
The grass was supposed to get cut today, but it should get done tomorrow. It's so unusual to have our day thrown off by late night astronomy this year. Plus, we had to do a long walk today to complete our first week of training.
Anyway, it's coming up to 9 pm, and I am more or less still awake. Time for a Haydn Symphony (#65 is next) and then prepare for bed. I'm glad it isn't clear tonight--we'd be dragging ourselves out there right about now.
Saturday, July 18th/15
Today was the first uncomfortably warm, humid day of the summer. Our ac ran all day, even though it is set at 77 F. As a result of the predicted heat we got up at 7 am for our hill walk at Malden Hill Park in Windsor. We were on the trails by 7:32 am! Not bad--32 minutes from bed to out walking in Windsor. It is especially noteworthy for Deb, whose morning stiffness seems to be receding. Two more days of training and we will have completed our first of six weeks worth of workouts. Tomorrow is a cross training day, so we will bike in the morning (and undertake Iaido in the evening).
Tonight was open house at the observatory, but of course it was hopelessly cloudy. Needless to say we stayed home--no use wasting gasoline or polluting the air for nothing (45 minutes of driving, each way).
Instead, I listened to the final Beethoven String Quartet, his Op. 135. Over the last several years I have listened and studied all of them, one of the most remarkable bodies of music in the repertory. Op 135, one of the last things he ever wrote, has been added to my list of favourite works by Beethoven, in the non-piano list.
Thanks to working with Philip Adamson over the past two weeks, my understanding and ability to play the Op 110 Sonata has been greatly aided. I look forward to performing it soon!
I also resumed listening to the complete Haydn Symphonies, all 108 of them. Recorded by Antal Dorati several years ago, I have been making my way through these unique gems for many years now. I am more than halfway through the list, though many of the earlier ones are quite short. Tonight was Symphony #72, misnumbered as it is an earlier work. Haydn had just received two new horn players into his orchestra (he now had four!), and the piece features plenty of horns. All in all a wonderful little work, and worth a repeat.
We attended open training night at Iaido on Friday evening. I seem to be ready for my upcoming test, though I still need to work on fluidity of motion in a number of katas. Still, my progress over the past two years, when I tested for black belt, can be measured. I use a lighter sword now, too, helping me save wear and tear on my elbows. We will attend class tomorrow night and Tuesday, heading out to the observatory with our equipment afterwards if it is clear, as predicted.
Thursday, July 16th/15
The time has come to ramp up the walking program, in preparation for our late August visit to the American Rocky Mountains. We have been walking regularly since March 7th. That program got us through a lot of walking in England. We have been on a maintenance program since then, and are now ramping things up. Roughly 6 weeks of intense mountain hiking training (for flatlanders) will see us ready to conquer some severe elevation and trails in New Mexico and Colorado. We are feeling the love today, after two days of increased activity.
Last night looked as if it would be a classic night of clear skies. It was pretty good for about two hours, and then it just clouded right over, despite predictions to the contrary. Sigh. I don't know what has been worse this year; the weather or the forecasting. Neither have been impressive. We did, however, get our confirmed sighting of Pluto, my first since April 1978, when I viewed it through Randy's 12.5" scope. I saw it last Friday evening, then confirmed the sighting last night ("it" had moved slightly against the background stars--that is the only way one can tell it is the planet and not a very very faint star).
The images starting to come forth from the successful Pluto mission are astonishing. In my lifetime I have seen the entire solar system explored, both by robotic craft and by men on the moon. Many of the missions have been successful beyond anyone's wildest dreams, and I would certainly have to include the Hubble Telescope in this group. It has been a golden age of solar system exploration. The deep sky discoveries made by modern telescopes has been equally astonishing.
Just when Detroit really gets to be a great world city once again, the Canadian dollar decides to tumble to ridiculous levels. We have such a screwed up country it isn't even funny. We are fast on our way to becoming a third world country again. We endured many years of a low dollar, and thousands of our hard-earned dollars were lost to banks and exchange rates. It is happening again.
In a very few days I will be ramping up the Iaido practice, as I prepare for my next test in three short weeks. I have had to place the piano recital on the back burner for a few weeks. Too much happening in my life just now, even with mostly cloudy skies.
Saturday, July 10th/15
I am now halfway through my six-day weekend, and the scars of my long work week (Wed, for 7 weeks in a row) are nearly healed. Today was a non-driving day (if you don't count the lawn tractor for an hour), which for me are always the best days. Yesterday we were out of the house three times.
In the morning we had to head into A'burg for some much needed cat food and other supplies (like my sinus meds). Much later in the day there followed a trip to the dojo in Windsor. Which was closed. Which Blake failed to mention. Which meant a bunch of us were hovering around waiting for the keyholder, who never came. Sigh. Back home for dinner, followed by the loading of the SUV with our astronomy equipment. Forecasts were for clear skies.
We left home for the observatory around 10 pm, and it was pretty cloudy. However, upon arrival it miraculously cleared up! We had a great night of observing up until about 2:30 am, when it began to cloud over again. We got home around 3:30 am, happy to have finally had a clear night. No other ones are in the immediate forecast.
On Thursday we went to Detroit with Jenn G., visiting us for one day from B.C. We went to the Diego Rivera exhibit at the DIA (it was positively jammed), walked around Wayne St. Univ. campus to see some architecture (Yamasaki, among others), then headed to Hopcat for lunch and refreshment. I had a superb glass of Bilbo Bitter Baggins, a beautiful pint of British inspired ale, and then I had a Fluffer, a session IPA from one of my fav local breweries, Kunnhen.
We did some more walking before settling in to Avalon Bakery for coffee and some vegan sweets, then we moved on to Brew Detroit and Batch Brewing, both in Corktown and both filled with great beer. They did flights at Brew Detroit, and we sat and watched "The Happy Road," with Gene Kelly and Brigitte Fossey. The sound was down but it was captioned--what a great movie! Must add it to the queue.
Fortunately it was cloudy on Thursday night. I had drank a lot of beer, and was glad to stay home afterwards!
Wednesday, July 8th/15
My summer holidays came to a grinding halt today. Yes, it was back to the work-a-day world. Deb has one student returning for lessons, but I have a small truckload of them. The summer teaching money will go towards our gas, food and motel bills on our summer drive to the mountains and back. Even though my summer holidays are over until our trip in late August, I can at least try and relax a bit during my six-day weekends. Bahahaha! I ended up with 7 students today. Each week is a bit different in the summer.
We are well into the July astronomy session, and the weather, as expected, is awful. Not a clear night in sight, and an all-night rain is about to descend upon us. Like last summer, it has been cool, cloudy and wet. I don't mind the cool part, but the wet I can do without.
Tomorrow (Thursday), Jenn G. is arriving from B.C. We are going to the DIA with her to see the Rivera/Kahlo exhibit, then off to explore some of Detroit's newest beer oases. Huzzah!
Saturday, July 4th/15
Clear skies continue, as it is too near the full moon to do any meaningful deep sky observations. This has been the pattern for months now, and is one of the most frustrating things in my life at the moment.
In happier news, we were finally able to watch the 2nd part to the Apu film trilogy. We saw the first part at DFT a few weeks ago. We own VHS copies of the final two parts, though when we started to watch Part 2 we soon realized it was unwatchable. Into the garbage it went. Not to worry, as a very good version was on Youtube. We finished watching it on the computer. This is by far the best film series we have ever seen, and once it comes out on dvd in its newly restored format we will own a copy and treasure it.
Here is the third photo of Deb's recent sword bag sewing project--two other photos will be displayed for a short time on the opposite page.
Thursday, July 2nd/15
Busy lives of busy people continue unabated. Lone Mtn. Homestead should be doing hourly updates! Today we revisited Detroit (we also went last Saturday, to a film at DFT), enjoying lunch at Jolly Pumpkin Brewpub, doing some shopping at Whole Foods and bringing in a box of books for trade to John King. I came home with a single volume, the 1905 Baedeker guide to London, with all pages and maps intact! Under map sellers the old guide lists E. Stanford, located at 12-14 Longacre. And Stanfords is still there!! My guide is still up to date! I've read about the many omnibus lines; I am just getting to the railroads and tube.
In other news, the Delius Festival project is now complete. We have listened to all 17 cds of Delius' music, 98% of which was top knotch material, worth many hearings, I will likely take the set with me on my drive west later this summer. We are now ready to embark on the 37 cd set of Benjamin Britten!
We continue to make small headway with yardwork and clearing out of the basement. Much remains to do, especially yardwork with all of the rain we have had. May and June have both been the wettest months on record. We have yet to have long lasting major heat waves, something that gives us great joy.
Our walking program continues, though I will be scaling back the New Mexico hikes somewhat, and trying to enjoy the surroundings in other ways.
With last night's full moon, we are now about 5 days away from our next 2-week observing session. Practicing is going well (I took today off), and Deb has sold a bunch of her home made sword bags at the dojo, which she has been sewing for the past two weeks. She orders old kimonos from Japan, using the material to create unique, beautiful, and highly sought after storage bags for Iaido swords and knives. She has also resumed making sageos, also very popular with our dojo and other dojos. When I get some time I will try and post some photos of her work.
Saturday, June 27th/15
It has been a truly awful day of bad weather. It was so bad that we postponed our trip to Detroit until tomorrow. We've had over 2" of rain and very strong winds, along with quite a chilly temperature. Strictly an indoor day.
I discovered something interesting today. I've been looking at a far north driving adventure for us (next year), in Eastern Canada. There is a road that goes through northern Quebec to Labrador City and beyond, and that has tempted me in the past. However, today I discovered that a good road goes north to a small community on James Bay, about 3/4ths of the way up its eastern shore towards Hudson Bay. This is astounding, and something I did not know existed. The road is called the James Bay Road. The community is Chisasibi. It is Cree, and English-speaking. In addition, every August they have a powwow on a large island in James Bay, where their community was originally located. Sounds like a plan for next August!
Wednesday, June 24th/15
It's really funny how clear nights seem to miraculously appear as the moon grows brighter in the night sky. Last night we came out of our Iaido class around 10:15 pm and the sky was beautifully clear, even as the first quarter moon shone down upon us in the parking lot.
With a second wind that would rival teenagers, we drove home, repacked the SUV (I had just taken all the equipment out that morning) and left for Hallam at around 11:15 pm. By 12:15 am we were observing under a remarkable sky, and we stayed again until 3:15 am. In bed by 5 am, as the birds began to chirp. The moon had set just after 1 am, so we had a few very good hours of dark sky! While it took a lot of effort, we managed to salvage what was almost an impossible two week observing session. The weather has been unforgivingly cloudy for the most part.
Monday night was one of the worst storms we have ever had, with about two hours of solid lightning, some very heavy rain, and tornadoes across the river in Michigan. We had some branches down in our yard, but no major damage. And the power stayed on, too.
I have decided to try and perform my piano repertoire near the end of July, and to take my 2nd degree black belt test in Iaido in early August. Without my 3 days a week of teaching, I seem to have regained some energy and perspective, though when September rolls around there will be some big changes coming.
Still two weeks to go before I have to teach again--I have a lot of students returning and will have a busy day of it each Wednesday. In the meantime I will try and get caught up with some yard work, and with cleaning out the basement. The train layout has been dismantled, and I have salvaged what I can. A rebuild is in the future, a somewhat larger layout than the previous one.
Early to bed tonight--no more late night astronomy sessions for at least two weeks.
Monday, June 22nd/15
I received the best Summer Solstice gift possible--an actual superb clear night! As this was the final night of observing this month (the moon is now too bright and sets too late), we really lucked out! It was dark by 11:45 pm and we observed until 3:15 am out at Hallam Observatory. We both had great success hunting down our various deep sky objects, under really fine skies that just got better as the night went on. We were home by 4:30 am and in bed by 5 am. It has been a bit of a rough day today, but the only thing on our agenda was a trip out for groceries, and writing up our notes from last night.
We've had a busy weekend, too. Friday afternoon we went to the staff party, honouring Linda S. who is retiring this year. Like most teacher staff parties, the discussion centered around school and kids. However, there were a few people interested in talking about travel plans, etc. We went from there to my friend Paula's piano studio, where she was hosting her annual adult piano party. My student Jenn performed, and did a great job! I performed a Brahms Waltz duet with her, too.
Saturday was Sarah's 2nd extra lesson in preparation for her exam this morning. We went over pieces and scales, sight reading and ear training.
I spoke with Sarah on the phone this evening, quizzing her about the various parts of her piano test today. She seems to have messed up her first piece (4 pieces were required), and her sight reading. The rest sounds good. I'm hoping for a grade in the mid-70s. We'll know in several weeks.
Sunday afternoon was the big show, as Deb and I combined our students for the annual student recital. Those are always well received by the adults. Kids like the sweets we provide at the end of it. We have at least 9 students returning for summer lessons, which begin July 8th. Until then, we are officially on vacation!
Thursday, June 18th/15
I am approaching burnout--days are too full of "things". I really need to get back to basics and what is important. Nearly impossible to do. Today was the end of regular teaching for the school year. Summer session begins July 8th. Sarah, a 10 yr old piano student, will be coming for an extra lesson on Saturday, as her Level 2 piano exam is first thing Monday morning. She's nearly ready--another week or two would have been ideal. Friday night we have to make an appearance at a former colleague's retirement party, then I am off to an adult student piano performance class. Sunday afternoon is our main student recital, at the University in Windsor. After that, it will be home for our Summer Solstice celebration, and the beginning of two and a half weeks of down time. Of course that will be filled with walking, piano practice and Iaido.
I am seriously thinking of bowing out of Iaido, possibly for good. I do not enjoy the drive to Windsor 3x weekly, even though I still like the classes. I am overbooked and need to have a less hectic life. Deb wishes to continue, and will likely go alone. I will stay home and listen to my record album collection, among other things. I recently acquired hundreds of topo maps of Canada on dvd, and will enjoy just sitting and looking at them on the computer!
Deb had her bi-monthly drug infusion today. She sees her doctor every four months, and today was the day. Everything is going well on the RA front. The disease appears to have been halted by the drugs (and the early diagnosis and treatment).
My dad recently had surgery to repair a hernia. He seems to be doing well and recovering okay. Deb's sister Sharon just had her 2nd knee operated on, and will be in the hospital for several more days before getting sent home. There, that's my medical news report for this week.
As for astronomy, the crescent moon is already waxing and we have yet to have a clear night. Tomorrow is a possibility (remember, we have a party tomorrow night AND and an adult performance class to attend, so it likely will be clear).
Thursday, June 11th/15
Too tired to write much--trying to stay awake until 10 pm. Lots to talk about, but no energy to say it or type it. One more week of 3 days a week teaching, then two student concerts followed by two and a half weeks off. Yard work and cleaning out the basement will receive top priority during that time, though Deb got a good start on the basement today. It's like an abandoned landfill down there.
Great films this summer at the Detroit Film Theatre and other indie venues--we are hoping to catch one or two a week at least, if we can stand the cross-border traffic. I skipped out on Iaido this week as I simply couldn't face another drive to Windsor. Hopefully I'll be up for it tomorrow. Years-long road construction has become more than a major pain, and it won't be over for several more years as they prepare to build another bridge to Detroit. Also, traffic volume seems to be way up this year, at any time of day. Apparently everyone in Windsor is retired and likes to drive around. No one seems to work anymore.
We were promised up to three clear nights this week, though we failed to get even one. The weekend looks worse. New moon is Monday, and then it begins to grow and brighten, and then astronomers put away their gear once again, which they never got to use. As tired as I am, if it was a clear, dry, cool night, my energy levels would miraculously revive enough to get out to the observatory for several hours. We could get skunked this month, meaning that not a single clear night for observing occurred. It was somewhat clear last Saturday, but the nearly full moon rose 75 minutes after darkness fell, so that one doesn't count. Besides, it was quite hazy.
The walking program is still on track. 4 more weeks of modest levels and then we ramp up the training to mountain hiking levels. It is also time to get very serious about my upcoming Iaido test! Piano gets done whenever it can, along with writing, gaming and reading.
I am really looking forward to returning to high altitude New Mexico. Our bed will be at 8,000', and our hiking begins there and goes up. In the meantime, I would settle for a couple of clear nights.
Monday, June 8th/15
Here we go again--an astronomy session rolls around and the skies cloud over, the humidity builds, and hope for amateur astronomers dies. Tonight is last quarter moon, the ideal time to begin serious observing. Not much good news in the forecast for the next 7 days. No real surprise there. 2015 is shaping up to be a disastrous year for usable clear nights.
Today was visit Detroit day for us. We almost didn't get onto the bridge, which was backed up due to a vehicle accident. It was in the opposite lanes, but our side just managed to slowly squeeze through. After the mailbox we went to Kroger, a large grocery chain, for a few items. I snagged a four-pack of 4.6% ginger beer, but it turned out to be too sweet for my taste. Much like drinking pop. Lunch was at Avalon, one of the world's great bakeries, preceded by a pint of pale ale at Motor City Brewery.
Yesterday was Deb's walk for arthritis. Instead of fund raising this year and doing the walk, she volunteered to help organize it. She was in charge of the dogs (it was a dog friendly walk), making bandanas for all of them, getting treats, water and door prizes, along with doing the registration. The walk is held on the same day across Canada, and just over $1,000,000 was raised overall. I will post some photos soon, mostly of the doggies.
In addition to our big trip to New Mexico in August, we will return to London in November, hopefully for more walking. We scored a good fare from Windsor with Air Canada. We will book our same hotel in London, which is ideal for our purposes.
Back to piano teaching tomorrow. There are only two weeks of lessons left in the school year, in addition to the final concert on June 21st. Summer lessons will begin July 8th, for seven weeks. I will soon go from having a four-day weekend to having a six-day one, which is much preferred (those four-day weekends seem to fly past).
Thursday, June 4th/15
All my life I have been haunted by certain types of landscape. On early drives to Toronto from Sudbury, when I was in Gr. 4 or 5, I would count how many bridges we crossed. At 10 years old I took the train to Regina with family, spending my entire waking life in the dome car, watching the scenery pass by.
Lakes, rivers and forests dominated my early love of landscape. I became enamoured with topographic maps at an early age, probably twelve or thirteen. An uncle had stored a box of his prospecting maps in our basement for a time, and I examined most of them minutely. They covered land and water between Sudbury and Timmins in great detail, and I fell in love with landscapes I still have never seen, but know intimately.
Northern Ontario landscape is totally unique, with literally millions of lakes and marshes. This is not counting Georgian Bay, part of the Great Lakes! One can drive along the main highway and see a new lake or river or marsh every half mile. Though I've been driving this highway towards Parry Sound for at least 52 years, and the scenic road to our former cottage even longer, I am still amazed by the drive and the scenery that flashes past.
I always wanted to make the drive last at least a week (the scenic part lasts under three hours) and stop and visit and photograph every worthwhile place. A week would not be enough time. If you don't believe me, go to Google Earth and follow the highway from just south of Parry Sound all the way up to Sudbury. Zoom in and out and be utterly amazed at what Nature and glaciers have wrought.
Much later I also fell in love with desert landscape, along with the western mountains. However, northern Ontario was my first love, and will always hold a special place in my heart. Our drive home Monday from Sudbury, with a rich, beautiful blue sky above, brought home for the upteenth time how incredible this area is, especially in the first blush of summer. If only it wasn't so damned cold here in the winter...
Tuesday June 2nd/15
We returned yesterday afternoon from Sudbury, where we attended a memorial service for our late Uncle Jim Miller. It took us 8 1/2 hours to drive there on Friday, and just over 8 hours to get home on Monday. Deb survived the drive, but we did need to stop fairly often for a stretch. We managed to see and at least briefly talk with nearly everyone in my extended family. Deb's sister Sharon lives in Sudbury and we even managed to have coffee with her, just before the cemetery visit.
The service itself was a quick get-together at the cemetery, where Jim's ashes were buried. It was cold, windy and raining a bit. Jim is survived by his wife Pauline, who is my mom's sister and best friend. They had four children, and they all made it to Sudbury, even though only Cathy lives there. Melanie lives in Newfoundland! Judith and Melanie both have children, and they now both have grandchildren. I had never seen the entire Miller family before at one go!
Of course I saw the rest of my family, too. In addition to Pauline, my mom has another surviving brother and sister, both with families. So it was a fairly large gathering. We were all invited for a light lunch to a country club afterwards. This all took place on Saturday. On Sunday, Pauline came for dinner, along with Cathy and George, two of Jim and Pauline's children, my cousins. It was a more intimate gathering than the previous day and we got to talk before and after dinner.
With luck Cathy will be retiring this year from her job at Revenue Canada, so we may be seeing her again in 2015! George is a busy commercial pilot and I seldom get to see or talk with him, so it was a fun gathering.
My parents seem to be both doing and looking very well. Though into their mid-80s they seem healthy and still very independent. My only sibling, Stephen, lives in the same giant building with them, with his wife Lynne and their kindergarten aged daughter, Emma Lee.
It's always a bit of a blur on such a short visit, meeting and talking with so many people. Deb last visited 3 years ago, and I went again 2 1/2 years ago.
Today was grocery day at Lone Mountain Homestead. I have 2 1/2 hours of teaching beginning at 4:30 pm. 30 minutes after that is done, we will head to Windsor for our late evening Iaido class.
When we returned home there were 3 1/2" of rain in the backyard gauge. I will attempt to cut the grass after lunch, but it will probably be too squishy.
Wednesday, May 27th/15
It's been a warm, humid and stormy week, and it's only Wed. We are managing to keep up with our walking program, though I was off for two days with some kind of tendon problem near my left big toe. I injured it in Iaido Sunday night, attempting a "springing Ninja" move. Definitely getting too old to be a springing Ninja!
I met and taught my two new piano students yesterday, a brother and sister with considerable piano background. They should fit in just fine. They are unable to make it to the final concert, however.
I plan on updating my astronomy blog soon. I have been transferring all of my travel write-ups to new Google blogs. I now have a separate Google blog for astronomy, one for nearby travels, one for travels further west, and one for London/Europe. This is already freeing up loads of space so that this little blog can have more images. I have had to limit what I can put on this site up till now. I am finished updating the Albuquerque Amtrak link, and am half finished the California Amtrak journey.
Once that is done I will be writing a lot again in the astronomy blog. Astronomy is finished until after the next full moon. We should be able to resume observations by June 5th or 6th, weather permitting. June is a challenging month to observe, as it doesn't get dark enough until nearly 11 pm.
We are off to Sudbury Friday, heading to a memorial service for my late Uncle Jim Miller. It's a full day's drive to get there, and we will return Monday. The usual house and pet sitting arrangements are in place. It will be our first visit to Sudbury since Deb became ill. In addition to much of my family living there, one of Deb's sisters also lives there. We should be able to see virtually everyone in my family at the memorial gathering. We will visit with Sharon separately.
Sunday, May 24th/15
With a nice high, bright 5.5 day old moon, of course it was clear last night! Undaunted, I set out late for Hallam Observatory, arriving around 11:30 pm. The open house event was winding down, but the moon was still quite the pest. I set up at the end of the barn, blocked from it's direct light, and set to work. It was a fabulous night, with excellent conditions. I eventually left around 3 am. Deb stayed home and went to bed early. This past month, with the session now over, we had 3/17 clear nights. Not good. Last year I had 8.
Despite a nap this afternoon, I'm still dragging myself around today. I managed to cut all three lawns, though, and sell my older Fuji camera. And I even put in an hour of piano practice, and wrote up my notes from last night's observing.
And did three loads of laundry. In a short while we will be off to Iaido. Not sure how well I will handle a sword tonight.
I have lots more to babble on about, but words are just not coming to me. Looking forward to a long night's sleep. Amanda is visiting tomorrow, before heading back to Toronto.
Saturday, May 23rd/15
By the powers invested in me at birth, I hereby proclaim the Symphony #1 by Mahler to be the best symphony ever written. Pretty much summing up Nature, the Alps and Vienna, it also sums up Music, and on its own makes a case for the continuing of symphony orchestras for at least another 100 years!
Which work is #2 you ask? Easy. Mozart Symphony #41, "Jupiter." Followed by other Mozart Symphonies, then perhaps the 7th and 3rd of Beethoven, then the 5th and 9th, and then all of the other Mahler symphonies, and those by Brahms and many by Haydn. Placing Mahler 1st is not a slight to Ludwig--it's always the goal of any good teacher to produce a student who surpasses him/her. Mahler learned much from Beethoven, took the learning to heart and ran with it.
Anyway, yesterday's performance in Orchestra Hall broke all boundaries of what the human body, mind and spirit should be capable of doing. Hearing the world's finest large work for orchestra performed by one of the world's finest orchestras in quite likely the world's finest concert hall is an experience not to trifle with. One must "see" the music performed to get an inside understanding of how innovative Mahler was. By watching the orchestra and conductor as the music pours forth, one gets glimpses into how Mahler's ear and brain worked.
There are no words to describe how and when the final movement gets going. I was certain I was going to have a stroke just sitting there trying to absorb it all. My heart was racing, my breathing was fast and shallow, I was getting sweaty--hearing Mahler's music can give you a good workout, and possibly kill you!
In other music news we have completed listening to the final two Delius concerts of music from his 3rd period. Of the many highlights in this mature period of his writing I would have to single out "Hassan," incidental music to a play by Flecker. Delius continues to amaze and delight us. We now have to organize the works of his final period into the remaining concerts of our set, now numbering 16. His sudden onset and horrible symptoms of syphillus virtually put a halt not just to his composing at this time, but to his life. Assisted by Eric Fenby, he was eventually able to complete several pieces during this time.
Amanda is in town this weekend, and we are looking forward to seeing her later today or tomorrow or the next day...
Notice how I am not commenting on the weather, and how we have been robbed of good skies all week. If you didn't notice, then please do so at this time. Because I could go on and on...
Wednesday, May 20th/15
The London website is fully up, though proof reading will continue for some time. It, along with the written journal, were a ton of work. I should have considerably more free time in the evenings now. Maybe I can get back to my current PC game, Next Life.
I have also begun transferring my Amtrak travel blogs from this website to a new Google one. This way they will be permanent. Usually after a new trip I have to take down the old one to make room for the new. The Amtrak trips will be deleted from here once the transfer is complete. The links will remain on the left, but they will link to a Google blog soon.
Despite promises from the weather predictors, Tuesday night was cloudy. Tomorrow was originally forecast to be clear, but again they seem to be back pedaling. Just as well, as Friday morning we have an early morning DSO coffee concert. In addition to hearing Midori perform, we are going specifically to hear the Mahler 1st Symphony. Alpine in feel and inspiration, it is one of our favourite pieces in the repertoire. The finale usually brings down the hall! Can't wait.
Tuesday, May 19th/15
Okay, now we are 2 for 12. Last night it was pouring rain just after 9 pm. However, it was supposed to clear up right afterwards. And it did! We were set up and observing by 10:45 pm and we enjoyed a wonderful night at Hallam Observatory! Of course there is always a severe penalty to pay the next day. Deb managed to drag herself to Iaido tonight; I stayed home trying to finish the web page updates for London. Getting there. When that is done, I hope to transfer some of my travel photos from my own web page, which is now getting too large, to a new Google account.
I managed to get two new piano students today. They will begin lessons with me next week. This came out of the blue, and will help fill in some gaps next year when some of my students leave. Our teaching money is essentially our travel money, so the longer we can keep students interested, the more years we should be able to travel. I also have two students who will expand their lesson times next year from 30 to 45 minutes each, so that will help, too. There is a small possibility of two further new students for Sept., though the times when I can fit them in are very limited.
Sunday, May 17th/15
Here we are 10 days into the astronomy session and it's been clear enough to observe just one time. Ouch. Better skies are predicted for later in the week, but the moon will be brightening.
A lot more photos have been posted to the London trip website (see left side). I think I have two more installments to go. Sadly, it doesn't appear that we will have enough funds to return to London this year. Instead, we are going back to the mountains, at less than half the cost. Neither of us was expecting Deb to do so well with the London walking, so New Mexico camping and hiking wasn't even on the horizon. However, now that we know she can do almost anything I can, back to the Southwest we go! We will load up the SUV in late August and head for the hills. We leased our SUV for four years in 2012, hoping to take it west four times. We managed it once before Deb became ill, so this is our final chance before giving up the lease on it next winter.
In domestic news, we got the oil changed on the tractor lawn mower yesterday, and all three lawns were cut. Deb weeded her garden, then went out today and bought plants to fill it. She planted kale, two kinds of sweet peppers, celery, brussel sprouts, swiss chard, romaine, tomatoes, basil, sweet peas and sage! The tortoise has been spending quality time in his outdoor enclosure, and we have been walking regularly again. Only 14 weeks till mountain hiking season!
Thursday, May 14th/15
It was clear last night! I managed to snag a night of observing, my first since April 17th! It began to haze over just after midnight, and by 1:30 am it was getting too thick to continue. I managed to log 7 new galaxies. Deb stayed home due to very chilly temps. Two other astronomers were out at the observatory. Randy G. spent some time with me at the telescope eyepiece, as he'd only brought binoculars out. In addition to observing some small and very faint galaxies, we also viewed several of the summer sky showpieces.
I am working hard on the travel blog, and now have three sections of it up and on line (see London link on right side of this webpage).
Another week of teaching has passed by, and there are only five lessons left before the final concert.
I continue to prepare for my August Iadio test, for the rank of 2nd Dan. It took me two years to achieve 1st Dan, and it has taken two more to get ready for 2nd. The highest I can test for is 3rd Dan, which would be at least three more years of study after 2nd Dan.
We have moderated our walking program considerably, until we start to get a little closer to New Mexico dates. Still, we are trying to walk six times a week.
And piano practicing continues. I am hoping for a late June or early July concert date. I should know soon. Is it any wonder why I have such little time for yard work?
Monday, May 11th/15
It took a solid week using almost every available minute, but the London journal, written version, is complete! At 100 pages and lavishly illustrated with photos and maps, it gives a pretty good idea of what we were up to whilst over there. I will soon begin the on-line version, on a new blog site. Stay tuned to this channel for further updates!
Deb's success with the London walking (39.3 miles of trails, plus at least 10 more miles of casual city walking) has given us new hope for a big camping and hiking expedition in the American Southwest. We are booked into a mountain cabin for late August, and we will also camp out for three additional nights, at least. Deb will fly to Denver, where we will rendezvous, and then she will drive back home with me after the adventure. If the summer is cool like last year, and I am able to train properly, I may yet attempt to scale Wheeler Peak, the highest peak in New Mexico. We are already very excited!
It has been an abysmal start to the May astronomy session, with storms and clouds and heat and humidity wiping out any hope of decent skies. There will be a weather change tonight, and we have a chance of a cool, clear night on Wednesday. If only...
Thursday, May 7th/15
I'm still here, and very much alive! It's been a very busy week, as it has suddenly turned into summer here and there are many things to be done. Today was the first time I got to the piano, and the first time we went outside for a walk! Even the tortoise made his outside debut! But we are getting caught up on things. I have been working in my spare moments on my travel journal, as well as editing and sorting the 198 photos taken on our recent journey to London.
We've had some serious rain here, with 2.1" in the gauge yesterday morning. That's a lot of rain, following up on 0".7 the previous day. Grass is growing faster than ever.
Tonight it was clear but very hazy, so we stayed home. It's still a very early moonrise time. However, the next several days look very bad for astronomy. Such is life here in Essex County. Anyway, the work week is over and it's finally time to relax a bit.
Sunday, May 3rd, 2015
Watched a beautiful full moon from our deck tonight. Deb even made a mooncake! I went off to Iaido, but Deb stayed home. I have 118 classes towards my required 125 for my next level of testing.
Our trip to London was very successful, and we managed to accomplish most of our goals. All of the walking we had planned got done, and it was quite a lot. We didn't get into London proper very much, spending much of our time in the outskirts, hiking across fields, through vast parks and semi-remote villages.
Deb did as well as I did, and we were both very tired at the end of each day. Our Air Canada flights went well, and other big trips are certainly in our immediate future. We kept our costs way down by purchasing our breakfasts and lunches at small grocery stores. We had a dinner out each night, including one at Caroline's house. She prepared a vegan feast for us last Thursday evening, and it was welcome and delicious.
I have selected and edited some photos for my written journal, which usually takes about a week to complete. After that I will work on the on-line version. In the meantime I will put a photo up on Facebook now and then.
Thursday, April 23rd/15
A million things to do, and about 900 thousand of them are done! We took our final walk today, a long one with hills. Before that, Deb went and had her bi-monthly infusion of Symponi. Home for cleaning, teaching, laundry and some initial packing. Of course it is remarkably clear tonight, but the moon is too high and bright for galaxy work anyway. Sigh. Deb also finished her article for Aurora, the astronomy club's newsletter.
Next update here won't be till May 3rd, but you can follow us on Facebook.
Tuesday, April 21st/15
Two more walks and we are going to London! In six and a half weeks, we have not missed a single walk. There have been some weather issues, but we made it this far. There were days when we felt like skipping out. But we didn't! Today's extreme wind seems to be a pattern around here lately. The walk wasn't fun.
We are now on the 3-Step Jet Lag Program! Caffeine only between 3 pm and 4:30 pm. It was a feast day, so we were allowed to gobble calories. Tomorrow is a fast day, so we try to eat minimally. Same caffeine restrictions. This program will eventually reset the body's clock, so our five hour time difference will not be felt. It is used by the American military's rapid deployment units, and works like a charm. It requires a bit of discipline, but we have used it successfully since the early 1980s!
The astronomy session is officially over for this lunar cycle. Tomorrow the waxing moon doesn't set until until nearly 1 am. This has been one of the worst ever observing cycles--only 2 1/2 nights out of 14 were clear! Luckily we were able to make use of them. Shortly after our return from London we will begin a new cycle. However, the stars will have moved dramatically, as Spring skies are on a sped up time table, due to the increasing daylight hours, making observations of them extremely difficult when Nature does not cooperate with enough clear skies. Summer stars, on the other hand, stay out until very late autumn. This is why many people have observed all that the summer skies have to show, but not the Spring ones. In Canada at least, it's obvious why the Winter constellations are seldom observed, clear skies or not!
Saturday, April 18th/15
Friday was one of the busiest, best days in quite a while! On our long hill walk Friday morning, Deb announced that her morning stiffness, one of the most persistent symptoms of her illness, was beginning to disappear! We aced the hill walk, too, completing six weeks of easy to moderate training. With a week to go, the program has worked wonders.
We went to the university area for lunch, to a newer veggie and vegan restaurant. Serving many types of Asian food, they use faux meat in many of their dishes. It was delicious, and we will be back many, many times! Deb brought home enough for her dinner later. Her combo meal was served in a bento box! Windsor now has two vegan restaurants!!
We came home for a rest, then headed out the door for our students' performance class. Held at the home of one of the students, ten students performed, some of them playing 3 or 4 pieces. It went really well. The final concert will be sometime in June.
We came in the door of our house afterwards, fed the cats and headed out to Iaido open practice. After an hour of training we came home, ate dinner, then headed out to the observatory.
The skies were not promising, but more than one website was predicting good skies. We arrived to not good skies, but perfect skies! We stayed out until 1 am, when Deb began to get a bit chilly and tired (no wonder, after the day we'd just had!). We were visited by the wife of the farmer who owns the land. She had five teen girls in tow, along with her younger son, and asked if we could show them some things in the sky. My scope needed time to cool down, so Deb gave them a tour of several fine objects using hers, as well as a visit to the deck of the observatory to see the planets in the correct distance scale. One of our members, Dave P., has done a superb job of building and displaying the Sun, Venus, Earth and moon, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn at their relative distances. And they are lit!!
After the group left, we got down to the serious (and really fun) business of observing galaxies. I added ten new ones to my life list, including a wonderful triple system! We left at 1 am and were home and in bed by 2:15 am. There is a good chance of clear skies tonight, too!
Wednesday, April 15th/15
5 1/2 weeks ago we were nothing but couch blobs. Now, we are two long walks short of completing our 6th week of training for our walking holiday in England. We have three long walks scheduled in and around London, and a moderate length one in Lincolnshire. And we are ready! We are growing more and more excited about our upcoming visit. We have two concerts booked so far, too. Should the weather not prove suitable for hiking, well, I'm certain we can find something else to do in London. Flying out of Windsor is a first for us, too, eliminating the stress of crossing the border and going through Detroit Metro. We'll see what Air Canada is like.
Now in catching up business, Monday was a really fun day. It was our weekly trip to Detroit. We did our required walk over there. At the mailbox Deb picked up her newest computer, which she is now using strictly for music activities and recording.
We headed to Midtown for lunch. Jolly Pumpkin, one of our favourite breweries, has opened a gastropub right in the thick of things. I tried six samples of their beer, three from their extensive sour list and three from their normal list. All were good, but their farmhouse ale was fabulous! I have about three more visits before I will have tried them all. Here is their beer list...
Now in catching up business, Monday was a really fun day. It was our weekly trip to Detroit. We did our required walk over there. At the mailbox Deb picked up her newest computer, which she is now using strictly for music activities and recording.
We headed to Midtown for lunch. Jolly Pumpkin, one of our favourite breweries, has opened a gastropub right in the thick of things. I tried six samples of their beer, three from their extensive sour list and three from their normal list. All were good, but their farmhouse ale was fabulous! I have about three more visits before I will have tried them all. Here is their beer list...
I know you can't read it, but you get the idea. They brew all of these, and more!!
At first it didn't look like there was much for vegans on their menu. Vegetarians yes, vegans not so much. Then we got to chatting with our buss boy. He thought he had heard something about vegan cheese, and went to check for us. One has to go up to the counter to order, so we had no waiter. It turns out they did have vegan cheese! They've only been open three days, and had not put it on the menu yet. Anyway, we had one of the most impressive thin-crust pizzas ever, with brussel sprouts, caramelized onions, herb-infused oil and other good stuff. Yum!! We'll be back, often. There are vegan sandwiches now, too!
This is now Detroit's most funky area--cafes, shops, brew pubs, Hopcat (130 taps!), bookstores, an outstanding bakery, watch and bicycle makers--it is not the Detroit we are used to, but I think I can get used to it.
Even better, it was clear Monday night!!! Deb came out to the observatory for the second time this year, so I wasn't all alone, as usual. Passing clouds occasionally interfered with planned activities, but parts of the sky always remained pristine so we wandered off into other areas as needed. I logged 10 new galaxies, as well as a few double stars. A fun and very full day!
Of course Tuesday we were both tired. But today we are all caught up on sleep, and hoping for clear skies Friday and Saturday nights. There should be others at the observatory, too, as it is a weekend and new moon.
Tomorrow we go and sign our taxes at the accountant's home. Refund or owing? Stay tuned to find out. A refund would mean a bit more spending money for London. Owing would mean a bit less...
During this week's music lessons we are preparing students for Friday's performance class. Should be a fun time!
Sunday, April 12th/15
It was clear Saturday night!!! Really clear. Spectacularly clear. I spent the night (until 2:45 am) at the observatory, along with one other member, picking off faint galaxies in two different constellations. Out of seven possible nights so far this session, it's been the only clear one so far. I snagged 15 new galaxies for my life list, and split a few close double stars, too. I am still training my left eye to observe detail again, and it is doing quite well. Much better than my clouded-over right eye. I finished up by observing Messier 3, a globular star cluster. It was the finest star resolution I have ever had with any of my scopes. Literally hundreds of pinprick stars resolved after some slow, patient focussing. It was a superb fireworks finish to a very productive night.
Today I am dragging myself around, trying to make it to an early bedtime. I managed to write up my notes, begin our 6th week of walking, and go to Iaido. I am ready to fall over right now. Mercifully, it is not clear tonight. Because if it was...
I came across this article in the Guardian, on someone's 10 "best" national and state parks in New Mexico. My list would be different. Significantly different. Anyway, here it is. We have visited them all, along with many others. I guess I need to make my own list.
Friday, April 10th/15
It's Day 5 of astronomy week! And it's raining again. Clear skies predicted tomorrow night. We shall see....
Today, due to very high winds, we had to miss our long walk. This is the first walk we've missed in 5 weeks. It shall get done tomorrow. We have walked in the rain much of this week.
We finished watching a little B picture tonight. The Sleeping Tiger is a British film, made by an American director using a pseudonym. Made in 1954, the director was blacklisted in the USA due to the McCarthy-era witchhunts in that land of the free. Some of the British actors were afraid to work with him in case it affected their Hollywood careers. Fun times. The director went on to make several more movies with Bogarde, who plays a criminal who becomes a live-in patient with a doctor he tried to rob. There is tension between the two, as well as when the wife of the doctor falls for the criminal. Well written and well acted, it certainly brings up some interesting, though dated, social theory in how to deal with criminals. The ending is good, too, with little surprise after surprise. Definitely worth a watch. I had never come across it before. It hovers somewhere between luridness and decency, and does it quite well!
The rest of the week was used getting bits of business done--hair cut, prescriptions filled, taxes taken to the accountant, winter tires switched back over to the summer ones. Now that Iaido training has resumed full time, there are very few spare nights at home. And there are only two evenings available now when I can enjoy a beer! If it's clear on Saturday and Monday, it will be a brewless week for me. I file this fact under "hardship."
Wednesday, April 8th/15
My tarot card for this segment of the Celtic year. Does the weather look familiar?
Yes, it's astronomy week. How can you tell? Look outside. It's rainy, cloudy, and foggy 24 hours a day; that's how. I hope not too much bitterness is coming through here. Saturday is supposed to be a good night. It might be the only one.
We just finished watching "Throne of Blood," Kurosawa's take on "Macbeth." We haven't seen this film in a good while, and it's even more interesting now, with our backgrounds in how samurai lived, and the codes they lived by. By all accounts, the samurai who killed his lord is a murderer most foul. Loyalty to one's lord was everything; anything less was treason. Mifune Toshiro is, as usual, superb as the hen-pecked, easily swayed warlord who's greed and ambition crawl into his heart. One of the great movies, for sure.
With two of three days teaching out of the way, I am already looking forward to the weekend. We are beginning to get rid of more boxes of books. Some are going to charity, with others going to King Books for trade. About 8 boxes total will be going out the door. Then there should be room in the basement to dissemble and store my model railway. It needs to be completely redone, from scratch.
We are back to Iaido three nights a week, and with our walking program in high gear, time is once again at a premium. Tomorrow and Friday are long walks. Besides the walking and Iaido training, which can be very strenuous, I am doing some weights and tummy crunches, as I begin to rebuild my core. I need it just to lift the telescope around comfortably.
We are both feeling fine lately, and hope it continues. Our London trip is coming up on us fast. The weather for walking there is always a gamble. I have yet to draw up a firm Plan B, but it will happen, and will involved museums and concerts.
No other travel plans are setyet. We may drive west in August. We may go to Vienna in the autumn. We may return to London in the autumn. We may drive to New Mexico with our telescopes in the autumn. Too bad autumn wasn't really really long lasting!
We are waiting to see how flying over the Pond is with Air Canada before making any further flight plans. If Deb is comfortable enough, then we will likely fly again soon, taking advantage of her remission. Driving is much more comfortable for her, plus we can stop whenever we like.
Still, we are both excited for our first trip to London since late 2011!
Friday, April 3rd/15
Welcome to the (nearly) all-movie version of today's blog. We've recently watched 4 movies, and I am going to tell you about each one of them. I will not be discussing the weather. Lucky you.
Firstly, we have completed our 4-week basic boot camp walking program. Huzzah! We even walked on our day off today, all over downtown Ann Arbor. London Loop, here we come! Beginning Sunday we will undertake a 3-week enhancer, trying to build ourselves up for even longer walks. As of now, 4-5 miles are easy for us, a far cry from four short weeks ago. Now, on to the movies...
First movie--"Blood Tide." This B horror movie, filmed on a lovely Greek island, really gets canned on most internet sites, despite having what every B horror picture should have--nudity, blood, and even virgin sacrifice. I found it watchable and not half bad, thanks to the presence of James Earl Jones. He plays a drunken treasure hunter who sets a prehistoric monster off on the wrong foot. The villagers (led by Jose Ferrer!) are not pleased. However, life must go on so they sacrifice women and girls to it to try and keep the creature happy and fulfilled. A young man arrives by boat with his girlfriend, looking for his sister. She is living in a convent, uncovering icons that hold secrets about the underwater beast. Great scenery, and with Jones spouting Shakespeare in a drunken slur for much of his screen time, I don't know what else could be added to this film to appease the "critics." There is even a nun massacre! Fun stuff
Next movie--"Grand Hotel Budapest." Wes Anderson's latest is eye candy at its best. The story is just plain silly and completely outrageous, but still manages to charm and delight. It basically tells the story of how the owner of the hotel worked his way up the ladder from Lobby Boy. Wonderful nonsense from a master of the genre.
The third movie was called "Ichi," a modern (2008), loosely connected film to the old Zatoichi series that we love so well. This time we meet the great blind swordsman's daughter, whom he (apparently) trained on his infrequent return visits to see her. Some great action scenes, and the basic, predictable plot certainly hearkens back to the old series (26 feature movies were made, and 100 tv episodes!!). Some silly nonsense about a samurai who cannot draw his sword due to psych issues is only one way this film connects to American westerns. The dusty town and the final showdown are also direct ripoffs of that genre. The ending sets us up for a sequel, which never happened. Takao Osawa is solid in her role, and she is not hard to look at.
Lastly comes "The Passenger," by Antonioni. The Italian name was Profession: Reporter, a title that actually fits the movie. Wonderful photography, especially the next to final shot, which lasts 8 minutes and includes scenes from a hotel window. This part is chilling and unforgettable. The plot is very weak, though, as Jack Nicholson stars as a reporter who uses an opportunity to change his identity. Unfortunately for him, the man he chooses to replace is a gun-runner, and not popular with a certain African government. The pace is slow, which is fine, the acting is really good, and it's wonderful to see so much of Barcelona! A bit of London is in there, too. Probably worth a second viewing, to focus even more on the superb camera work.
Wednesday, April 1st/15
There is one workday left in our week! And only one more walk is left in our 28-day fitness program! The fitness program has worked wonders! One more long walk to go. Today was a one hour trek at Ojibway Park and Prairie. It was easy! The turtles were out sunning themselves on logs, and we came across a very friendly trio of deer!
Once the walking program is complete, we should be able to handle a 4-5 mile hike without too much pain. Since we have 9 mile long hikes planned for London, we will continue the program for another three weeks. This will add about a mile of endurance to our bodies for each extra week. Theoretically, we should be ready for hikes of 7 to 8 miles by the time we leave. Not New Mexico mountain hikes, but rather more like hikes near sea level on gently rolling surfaces.
I finished my astronomy blogs on deep sky objects of Monoceros, and have put up a first edition of my "Poetry of Galaxies" essay. Even non-astronomers should be able to easily read it.
Sunday, March 29th/15
Spring marches on, in its own way and to it's own beat. Still, it's nearly April! Once we get this full moon out of the way, Spring observing will begin in earnest. Hopefully the temps will be suitable next week for removing gloves for a while and doing some sketching at the eyepiece.
I managed to get my 2nd astro blog published in regards to objects to see in Monoceros. One more big entry to go, and then I will work on a more philosophical essay, which I am entitling "The Poetry of Galaxies." Astronomers are usually obsessed with the mathematics of galaxies; I would like to focus more on why I observe them, and what they mean to me.
Today we attended a fabulous piano recital in Detroit. The focus of the first half was Bach's influence on different composers, in this case Franck and Barber. Inon Barnatan is a young virtuoso with enough technique to handle the biggest pieces with elan. He is also deeply focussed on the essence of the music, and his performance today was stellar in both respects. He opened with the Toccata in E minor by Bach, quickly following up with Cesar Franck's Prelude, Chorale and Fugue for piano. This piece contains some very deep music, much of it very soft and lyrical. I need to hear this one again.
The first half ended with Samuel Barber's Sonata in E-flat minor, Op 26. This four movement work lasts about 20 minutes, but is packed with dense writing and intense counterpoint. It is the kind of piece I could never play well, because bringing out the nearly buried voices is extremely difficult. Inon played it perfectly, as if he was born to play it. The crowd went quite wild when it was done, and we decided to leave at intermission. Despite only staying for half the concert, we had really heard more than a full one! There was no room in our heads for any more music today. It was a brilliant concert!
Friday, March 27th/15
It's very hard for me to believe that it has already been one full week since we saw Tempe dance in Kansas City. Wow, that was a fast week! And a cold one.
Today we did not make it above freezing, or even close to it. It was a January day, with snow flurries and a nasty breeze. Still, we managed our 55 minute walk, and we have now completed 21 days of our 28-day walking project. We are feeling pretty good, too. It's working!
Tomorrow, we will have a Februaryish day, with an expected high in the mid-thirties F. On Sunday it will return to being March, with highs in the mid-40s. Three days and three months worth of weather!
Besides all of the walking and teaching this week (and even some practicing), I managed to get quite a bit of blogging done. I have written and edited the Kansas City blog a few times, and hopefully it's where I want it now. I also did a highly detailed one (of three) in my astronomy blog on objects seen in the constellation of Monoceros. It took me three years of observing to get through them all, but it is done! It is one of the best constellations for telescope observers, rich in star clusters and other fine objects.
I have completed reading all of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy novels, too, writing the final review last Thursday before we left. That website will be a closed one now, except for one last series I wish to mention before signing off.
Also last Thursday I had a hearing test. My hearing had improved a lot, being about 3.5x better than on my February test. So the diuretics work. As if to prove it even more, I stopped taking them on the weekend trip, for personal comfort reasons. By the time I was back home Sunday night it was plugging up again. By Monday my hearing had nearly disappeared again in my right ear, so I went back on the pills. Tonight my ear is clearing up again, but the hearing is still poor. It should come back soon. Looks like a lifetime of diuretics lies ahead. Not so great for a man that loves pubs! And sleeping through the night.
Monday, March 23rd/15
From sunny low 70s in Kansas City to a high of 32 today in A'burg. Something is not right here, folks. We got home Sunday evening at 6 pm. It was clear, so I headed out to Comber for an evening of very chilly observing. By the time I packed up at 11:30 pm, everything was coated in frost and ice, including my mirrors.
The trip to KC was really fun, and seeing Tempe dance was an eye-opening pleasure at its finest. For a report on the trip, link to my American Midwest Travel Blog, just below the picture over on the top left side on this page.
We are managing to keep up with our walking program, despite the journey and busy itinerary we had. We have now completed 17 of 28 days of the initial phase.
Early to bed tonight--quite exhausted. Hopefully back to piano tomorrow. It's back to teaching it, anyway.
Wednesday, March 18th/15
Another visit today from a former music student. Ashley was a top clarinetist from my public school teaching days, and she continued studying privately with me on into high school until her life bottomed out and she entered the nearly inescapable world of drugs and alcohol. It was a sad and bitter loss. But she has managed to rise from the dead. At 22, she is back on her feet, attending school full time, and, tobacco aside, is drug free and counting. She brought her clarinet along, and we managed to play together for about twenty minutes before both our mouths gave out. I am always flattered when a student even remembers me, let alone wants to come over and visit and talk. She is a very smart person, and could go a long way in life. In addition to attending a full-time accounting program, she is managing a domestic and industrial cleaning business. She even seems interested enough to want to keep playing clarinet! I wish I could take credit for things like this, but it's just the way teachers connect with some and not with others. Ash and I connected when she was in Year 5, and I'm happy we are still connected (and that I got to skip over all her bad years).
I have another hearing test tomorrow. It should indicate that I can now hear with my right ear again, though perhaps at 60 to 70% of the left one.
As to my eyes, last night was beautifully clear once again, and I enjoyed 3 1/2 hours of observing. My left eye is picking off faint galaxies much easier than I ever could with the right eye. I am looking forward to a wonderful spring and summer of observing!
Tomorrow we are off to Kansas City. We will be seeing a ballerina/ friend dance the lead in "Giselle," a full-length Romantic-era ballet. Can't wait to see Tempe dance!!!
Monday, March 16th/15
There has been a lot of activity at Lone Mtn Homestead since the last update. Not the least of all has been the phenomenal melting rate of snow. We are 96% snow free, after 10 days of Spring weather! Only clumps are left, and a few areas under trees. Temps have remained above freezing the entire time, and mostly above average. The river is ice free, too.
It's been cloudy, but tomorrow night looks promising for astronomy! It will be the last hurrah for Winter constellations.
We have booked a three-night trip to Kansas City. A friend of ours, Tempe O., is dancing the lead in that city's ballet company's "Giselle." Can't wait to see her dance in the big league! We have other fun activities planned while there, including a day trip to Lawrence, KS, a fun university town with a great downtown shopping and pub area. Loads of pics to follow!
Last Saturday we spent a very fun day in Detroit and area with Amanda L. and her mom, both recently returned from a short vacation in Florida. We began at a giant bookstore, then headed to Michigan Growler Co. to sampler some of their 26 beer and cider taps. Afterwards came a relaxed cafe stop in Franklin Village, a small town from another era smack in the middle of Metro Detroit. I love finding places like this in London, UK, on our long walks, but it's nice to know that Detroit has them, too.
Afterwards came a visit to Berkley, MI, a closer suburb and one that Deb and I always enjoy visiting. This is the first time we have brought others to this fun area. Gift stores, a great comic store, a pub to die for (over 40 taps), and Amici's Pizza, with three vegan offerings, await the explorer. We had some beer at Berkley Front, then had pizza at Amici's (with enough to take home for supper), went into another two bookstores (one of them with two delightful doggie greeters) and several gift stores, and, of course, the comic store, where THIS was on sale!
The busy beer board at the Berkley Front Pub!
In yet other news, we continue to finalize our plans for our upcoming trip to London, UK. We purchased our 7-day, 6-zone Travelcards today, and they should get mailed to us tomorrow. These are such a bargain for people who love trains and getting all around the big city, hassle free. We also booked our train to Peterborough, UK and back to London. We will be travelling on Virgin Trains, a new experience for us.
And, finally, we have now completed 10 days of our walking program! 18 more to go!!
Friday, March 13th/15
Four nights out at the observatory have left me tired but happy. It was clear Sunday and Monday, and Wednesday and Thursday. Thursday I was hustling my last student out the door at exactly 7 pm. The vehicle was loaded already. It currently gets dark about 8:30 pm, but that will quickly become later and later. Though cold, it is not beyond what our clothing and bodies can easily handle. On Wednesday I stood out there for nearly four hours, in one of the best winter skies ever! Deb came out for the first time with me on Thursday, and had a great time with her scope. Winter constellations are still accessible early on, followed quickly by early Spring ones. It was cloudy tonight, so we went to Iaido open training.
Today we managed to finish up Week One of the walking training program. We found the two long walks a bit much near the end, as we are both in terrible shape. Hopefully by this time next Friday we will begin to notice some improvement. Tomorrow is a rest day.
We are going to Detroit with Amanda tomorrow, visiting some pubs, bookstores and cafes. She just came back from Florida, and is finding it a bit chilly here. Awww.
It is school break next week, so we are free from teaching duties for about 10 or 11 days. It coincides with new moon, too, so hopefully we will get another run on clear nights.
Wednesday, March 11th/15
On our way over the bridge to Detroit this morning, the lovely blue sky was suddenly dampened by a thick, dark and enormous cloud of smoke. Within minutes the radio was telling of a gasoline tanker explosion on the freeway, right at the exit we normally use to enter Dearborn! Needless to say, we took a different route, eventually getting to our mailbox. Here is a news helicopter video of the event. We saw the helicopter arrive about ten minutes after the explosion--we had just cleared US Customs. It's 90 minutes long, but the first few minutes gives a pretty good idea of what went on. The freeway will be closed for awhile. Gasoline leaked into the storm sewers and they also caught fire, sending manhole covers 50 feet into the air. If we had left home 15 minutes earlier, it would have put us almost directly at the scene when it happened!
In other news, my hearing has spontaneously returned to my right ear. Don't ask. I now am going for another hearing test a week from Thursday. I am hearing fine at the moment.
Monday night was clear, and I managed two hours of observing. Tuesday was foggy, but tonight looks like a stupendous night, so right after teaching Emily I will be out the door, heading for the observatory!
Monday, March 9th/15
Day Three of the walking fitness program has been completed. In 25 days we will have completed basic training, and should have left our sluggish winter selves far behind! Usually after two full weeks the benefits can be felt. We'll see.
This is the 3rd day in a row of sunshine and seasonal temps. It feels as if we have won the lottery, despite the vast amount of snow still remaining on the ground.
Last night I was officially able to get the observing season underway. I drove the very bad roads (that's what a horrible winter does) to Comber, and had the observatory and grounds to myself. The skies were exceptional, though the area is still in deep winter mode. A small patch of the gravel parking area was free of snow, so I was able to set up the 12" scope and enjoy some winter constellations, at last. It appears as if I will get a 2nd night in a row, too! It was 31 F, but I was bundled, and despite a breeze managed to stay warm.
We are still refining our London itinerary, and have pencilled in a few evening concerts. I also cancelled one of our days out of London. Much as I hated to do it, we will not visit the castle in Arundel this time around, though the option is still there if we wish to reinstate it. Instead, we will spend more time in Peterborough on our overnight excursion.
Thursday, March 5th/15
And a happy Full Moon to one and all, wherever you may be (on Planet Earth)! Once again it is too cold to have an indoor fire. How can it be too cold to have an indoor fire, you ask? Well, after the fire burns out, the ashes continue to smoulder for hours. That requires leaving the chimney flue open. As soon as the fire dies down, vast amounts of very cold air get sucked down the chimney and into the house. That's how.
How cold is it? Again, if it was mid-January, it would still be way too cold, and far below the average temperature. Seeing as it's March 5th, and our average high is 42 F, we are still getting killed here in the deep south of Canada. As I type, it's 7 F, and it's going to get a lot colder tonight. Still, it is clear, and Venus, Jupiter and the bright full moon looked exceptionally wonderful as I hurriedly took out the two recycling boxes to the curb, and our single bag of garbage. No dilly-dallying out there tonight, as usual.
It is going to seem slightly unreal when the temps do rise and we finally get our Spring. This should begin on Saturday, which will put us three weeks behind seasonal norms. It might even be mild enough next week to undertake some telescope observing! I have yet to use my new eye with the 12" scope.
Today was Deb's regular bi-monthly drug infusion. She sees her doctor every four months, and today was the day. He examined her and pronounced her in remission, officially declaring that her meds are working as they should. Drug remission is different from actual physical remission, however. If she were to stop taking the drugs, she would be back to square one. But she is mobile and relatively pain free, thanks to an early diagnosis and an aggressive attack by her doctor.
We will begin our basic training walking program on Saturday, in preparation for our upcoming trip to London. Walking will be on the daily menu there, and the trip will serve as a good indicator of how much progress Deb is making.
Tuesday, March 3rd/15
Well, it went briefly above freezing this evening, but not very much over. Snow and freezing rain made a total mess of everything, but it's done. Temps are falling again. Apparently we will remain much below normal through April. Yay.
In the midst of the freezing rain today I had to drive into town for my 2nd trial hearing aid. This one seems to be staying in. It's difficult to evaluate music. The piano is so loud and rich that it overwhelms the sensors. Still, overall hearing is much improved, though even when scratching my head it makes a loud sound! We'll try it for a week and see.
I managed to get out on the deck last night with Deb's scope, and had a great look at a few objects, including the Orion Nebula, Jupiter (with a shadow transiting, from moon Ganymede) and the moon, especially the area around Schickard, a vast plain seen to best advantage about 11 or 12 days after new moon. The full moon is Thursday, and about five days afterwards the new observing session will commence. We shall see.
Monday, March 2nd/15
Today we enjoyed a fine January day, sunny with temps in the high 20s. We went to Maidstone Conservation Area near Essex, a place we usually visit on May 1st to see wildflowers. Not today. Today was snowshoe outing #4. It was sunny and cold, but we were out of the wind in the woods and quite cozy. Sitting around tonight, we are both stiff and sore, especially the legs.
Tomorrow we will go above the freezing mark for the first time in 17 days. However, there is a heavy price to pay for this bit of luxury. We are due to have a storm tomorrow of snow, freezing rain, ice, and finally rain. It's our first real sign that Spring is finally on the way.
Sunday, March 1st/15
Well, the two worst winter months are history, and they will be history for a long time. Possibly the coldest winter since leaving Sudbury in 1976/77. It was the coldest February ever. Toronto did not even get above 0 C once during the entire month!! I think we made it twice, very briefly. Anyway, March is carrying on the tradition. Today's high was in the low 20s F, cold even for mid-January. Yet it didn't feel too bad by comparison to all the other days.
We have another snowshoe expedition planned for tomorrow, if sunny skies hold and it gets up to at least 25 F. In the meantime, indoor activities continue.
We watched a cheap Bert I. Gordon movie from 1960, a creepy b & w one called "Tormented." On one hand, it is an easy movie to ridicule due to a low budget. However, the acting is pretty solid, and the script isn't bad, either. The abandoned lighthouse setting and seaside is used to good advantage. One of the stars of the show turns out to be the Gordon's 10 year old daughter, cast in the role of the little sister to a gal who is marrying a jazz pianist. He is a number one creepo who is haunted and tormented by a former lover who died on his watch. He didn't exactly kill her, but when her life was in peril he offered her no help. Instead, he stood by and watched while she fell to her death, rather than reach down and help her. As I said, a creepo. Anyway, a diverting little flic.
Another even better old b & w movie, this one a sci fi, was "The Unknown World." Making an odd couple with the recent Kurosawa movie we watched ("I Live in Fear"), a group of scientists invent a mole machine to journey into the earth, in the hopes of finding a utopian existence apart from radiation, fallout, and other nasty ways humans are using to destroy themselves on the surface. I don't know how I missed some of these old movies back in the day, but this one was really good. Instead of being inside a spaceship and exploring other worlds, we go deep inside the Earth, encountering realistic topography and creatures. A lot of it was filmed in Carlsbad Caverns, NM, much like "Journey to the Center of Earth." Only half of the crew make it out alive. I really liked this one!
Saturday, February 28th/15
If you are of the opinion that pianists just go to the piano and practice every day without some kind of struggle, you are sadly mistaken. Every day I can think of at least 52 easier and fun things to do than sit at the piano for 2 hours and practice the sames pieces, day in and day out, until they are perfected. Somehow it gets done, but it is difficult, more so on some days than others. Usually the earlier I start the better. If I put things off until the afternoon, it seldom gets done. Teaching days are the worst.
Usually by this time of year my piano program is up and running and nearly ready for performance. Not this year. Due to a very difficult Beethoven Sonata (his 6th most difficult of 32), things are taking longer. I have slowed down the progress on the other pieces accordingly, but could likely have them up to performance level within about two weeks if needed. However, the 3rd movement of the Op 110 sonata is devilishly difficult, and though progress is being made every day, it will come on-line in its own good time. I suppose if I was on a schedule I could have it ready by a set date, but that would mean putting my life on hold for a month or two. So we'll just let things percolate, and see where we are in a month.
We are currently playing a new (for us) PC game called Next Life. Widely criticized for its v-e-r-y slow pace, it is an earlier game by the same company that created the Black Mirror trilogy. This game was made before the very first Black Mirror segment. Essentially the hero is killed in a fiery car crash, and awakens on a mysterious island, with a few other people, each in their own little cabin. A lot of time is spent here learning the surroundings, using inventory items to try and solve the mystery of where we are. In Part 2, where we now are, we seem to be in a dream, in an impossibly high skyscraper under construction, wandering around the girders trying to get down. The pace is slow, but the game is oddly intriguing.
Friday, Feb. 27th/15
A funny thing happened yesterday. Our house, and about one half square mile around it, had a mini-snowstorm. People were arriving for their lessons, saying that just down the road in either direction it wasn't snowing! It did at our house. This is getting personal. One more day and the most miserably cold month of February ever recorded will be over. But wait--the 30 day outlook is for below normal temps. Now there's a surprise!
Our walking program should have begun two weeks ago. Who knows when we will be able to start it? More snow coming Sunday. And we continue to break records for coldest day and/or night.
At least we have been getting out to Iaido twice a week, and today we went to Detroit. We were the only car driving around that was covered in snow!
And in one final note, it's pretty difficult to evaluate a hearing aid when it continually falls out of your ear. Hopefully I will get a better fit next week.
A recent delicious bottle of Sam Smith organic ale. It was nearly as good as the cherry one.
And last but not least, goodbye Mr Nimoy. You were an amazing man, and will be sorely missed.
Tuesday, Feb. 24th/15
This blog will be entitled "Everything You Wanted to Know About Hearing Aids but were Afraid to Ask."
1) They are very, very expensive. I was offered two to try, for a week each. I currently have the 2nd least expensive one. It is $1735.00, after my government health care kicks in $500. Then, my private health care kicks in another $1000. I will be out of pocket $735 if I choose this one (I'm certainly glad I don't require two hearing aids.) Next week I will try one that is $250 more. It has six extra listening channels (16, versus 10 for the cheaper one). You don't want to know how much the next two levels cost. Assume that very rich people can hear very very well if they wish.
2) They work. They are essentially small computers, and they make adjustments for different situations. I tried practicing piano with the cheaper one today. The sound is tinny. It seems to favour the treble range, probably to make speech easier to understand. I'm told that the 16 channel one will be better for music. We also listened to another cd concert of music by Delius tonight. Again, it wasn't great sound. I'm sure I'd get used to it, but I think it's actually better with the hearing aid turned off. We'll see. Orchestra Hall will be the better test.
3) They are small and unobtrusive. Most people would not even notice it. They are not uncomfortable. However, I am having some difficulty keeping the ear bud ideally placed within my ear.
More reports as the week goes on, and especially next Tuesday when I try the higher level one.
And now, I am not even going to talk about the next Arctic front bearing down upon us as I type...
Monday, Feb. 23/15
It's now beyond ridiculous--8 days in a row below freezing, day and night, at a time when we should be seeing some snowdrops blooming. We continue to break cold records, and in four short days we shall break the record for coldest February EVER in our county. How's that for a record no one wanted to break? Frozen and burst water pipes and water mains continue to plague people, even seriously affecting downtown businesses in Windsor. Our average highs for today are 37 F. Today we reached 12 F. Nights are sub-zero F. Add in a chilly little breeze and die.
Of course there have been any number of wonderfully clear nights. We went outside Saturday evening for 45 minutes, setting up Deb's 6" scope on the back deck. The deck hadn't been shovelled yet from the Feb. 1st snowstorm. Nothing had melted, either. We shovelled 12" of packed snow from half of the deck. We wore everything we had, as it was 10 F on the deck. Luckily we were sheltered from the wind. It was too cold last night and tonight to set up.
No let up in sight. Ten day forecast continues to say it will be very cold. We continue to live indoors. It's very icy outside, too. Lots of slip and falls occurring. We are beyond fed up. No walking program yet, of course. We are attending Iaido on Fridays and Sundays now.
Tomorrow Deb goes for her monthly bloodwork. I am going to have a go with a hearing aid. It seems my right hearing loss is permanent. Nothing can be done. It's been a bit surreal trying to continue piano practice. Not sure if hearing aids will help with piano, or if I will calling it quits. If I do have to quit piano, I will have much more time to blog about the weather!
Monday, Feb. 16th/15
Winter seems to deepen every day. It feels as if we are entering an ice age. Eastern Canada and Eastern USA continue to get clobbered by storms and record cold temps. Boston has already broken their all-time record for Feb. snowfall, and it's only the 16th! We are luckier--just Arctic air for us, though I know that more snow will arrive whenever temps begin to moderate. We are breaking cold temp records left and right, not only for the coldest nights, but also for the coldest days.
Despite a few clear nights, it's been impossible to even contemplate any serious telescope observing. As a result I've been making plans, in case spring ever arrives and I am able to observe again! For the past two years, Nov. thru Feb. have not been suitable for observing, either due to clouds, snow, unbelievably cold air or various combinations of the above. That means that 1/3 of the year is automatically stricken from the record before we can even begin! Usually we can squeeze one or two nights in during each of those months, but not in 2013 or 2014. With new moon approaching, the weather continues to worsen.
We went to Iaido last Friday and Sunday nights, and to the mailbox in Dearborn today. But it's just running from the house to the car, car to the dojo, etc. Friends in Windsor and elsewhere have seen their pipes suddenly burst from the cold, causing thousands of dollars in damage to their homes. Not pretty. Not fun to contemplate...
Friday, Feb. 13th/15
A very short entry tonight--and I won't even mention the weather, I promise!
Here is a link to my Uncle Jim's obit--a very unique and remarkable man. The Ethiers mentioned at the end are my parents, and brother Stephen. Please read if you have a moment...
Thursday, Feb. 12th/15
It was a spectacular clear night tonight, and the moon was even out of the way! How's that for good luck? What's that you say? It's currently -14 C, with a wind chill of -21C? And there is so much white snow cover reflecting back on the sky that it's like looking through a creamsicle? Oh well, it's just winter astronomy in Canada. We call it indoor astronomy, looking through our charts and notes from within the house.
We actually went out snowshoeing today around noon hour. However, the temperature was dropping, and by mid-afternoon it was getting hard to breathe. Yes, it was sunny, but the temperature dropped all day. And it wasn't very warm to begin with. This weekend, winter is bearing down on us full speed ahead, much as it did last year. By mid-February in our location, it is usually the beginning of early spring. The sun is setting quite late now, and average daily highs are around +2 C. No average for us this year. We are getting kicked in the teeth again by winter, and it just happens to be dark of the moon. Another year at waving to winter stars as they pass us by, unobserved. Last year this nonsense went on for six weeks longer than it should have, as we froze in February and March. We had a major snowstorm in mid-April!!
The current 14-day outlook is for it to remain below freezing, night and day. Sunday's high temp is predicted to be -16 C, with a steady wind. With the lakes frozen solid again, it's going to be a very slow spring once more. As Charlie Brown would say, "I can't stand it."
Monday, February 9th/15
A dear uncle and friend passed away in Sudbury this weekend. Uncle James Miller was a great supporter of me and Deb. He gave us troves of art books, records, and even furnished my very first astronomy library when I was much younger. He had been ill for some time, but died suddenly and unexpectedly. He leaves behind my Aunt Pauline, their four adult children, several grandchildren, and a few great grandchildren. I will have more to say about Jim at a later date. There will be no funeral now, just cremation. Burial and a service will be held in the Spring.
Tonight we got back to the music of Delius. I didn't realize how much I missed it until the first piece began. His music fits no category, and the forms he uses, mostly through-composed, do not intrude into the structure. His music is completely organic, and often has to do with Nature. He does not describe a scene, but rather his emotions when seeing or thinking of it. We have begun his third phase, written during WW1. Many of the works had to wait quite some time for their first performance. We began with North Country Sketches, a typically outstanding piece, this one in 4 movements: 1) Autumn: The Wind Soughs in the Trees; 2) Winter Landscape; 3) Dance; and 4) The March of Spring: Woodlands, Meadows, and Silent Moors. Astonishingly good stuff, especially sitting and listening with closed eyes. He wrote it as a look back to his youth growing up in Yorkshire.
Delius writes using very short motifs, which grow and prosper as the piece progresses. Everything is smoothly and organically connected. It's like viewing a vast landscape on slow pan, absorbing every detail and how it connects to the next one.
The 11th Delius Concert continued with Dance Suite #2. After intermission, we heard the Violin Concerto, performed by Yehudi Menuhin. The slow movement has to be one of the most beautiful and imaginative pieces of music I have ever heard.
Black Mirror Castle grows darker and darker. Lots of conversation in the game; sometimes it's like watching a movie. Some very funny scenes, too. All in all one of the better games I have played. We haven't died once yet, either, though almost everyone else has.
Saturday, Feb. 7th/15
February is 1/4 over. Please please please go away, February. Bring spring, flowers, warm air, and especially clear skies!
In our effort to "embrace" winter like all good Canadians, we headed out on another snowshoe expedition today. This time we went to nearby Holiday Beach Conservation Area. It's closed for the winter, so one has to park at the entrance and walk in. The roads were all plowed, so we ended up having a winter walk instead of a snowshoe hike. We walked to the beach, out on to the frozen lake and back. Walking on the plowed surface of the road was a bit like walking in sand, as our boots sank with each step. All in all it was a very good workout, though not as strenuous as snowshoeing.
It is supposed to rain tomorrow, before freezing over again later in the day, so we will need fresh snow if we wish to snowshoe again this year. I have no doubt we will receive much more snow.
Lake Erie is frozen solid. It will likely be a long, cold spring.
Last night we attended a brilliant concert. This weekend ALL of the Beethoven piano trios are being performed in Detroit. Due to weather concerns we only bought a ticket to the opening concert at Orchestra Hall. Trios (piano, violin, cello) are an ideal way of introducing oneself to chamber music. It is easy to follow the main themes through all of the instruments due to each one having such a unique voice. String quartets can be hard to unravel to untrained ears, but not so trios. We heard Beethoven's first trio (Op. 1, #1), and actually his first published piece, as well as his final one (Op. 121a), composed just before the 9th symphony. The calibre of playing, like most professional performances we hear in Detroit, was off the scale in terms of musicality and technical proficiency, the kind of performance us amateurs can only dream of.
To our surprise, the sidewalks were cleared and salted in Detroit, after last Sunday's big storm. In past years this would never have happened. Midtown was hopping with action, too. Detroit at night isn't what it used to be.
We've been perusing walking tours abroad, the self-guided kind. The company books your accomodations, transfers your luggage ahead for you, and provides you with an emergency cell phone, along with other types of support. We are eyeing one in Tuscany. We figure we could easily manage on Tuscan food, too. Airfares from Windsor to Florence are very reasonable. It is about an hour's bus ride from the airport to Sienna, where the walk begins and ends. Watch for this one to happen, if Deb continues to improve.
Wednesday, Feb. 4th/15
Our temperatures soared to 32 F. today, so we headed out with our snowshoes. It was the first time in many years. Last year we had plenty of snow, but it was always way too cold. The snow was deep, and we certainly got a workout!
One of the Rhinemaidens, in winter attire.
Afterwards, we went to Harrow, a nearby farming town, for lunch. We stopped first at a great feed store, stocking up on bird seed and suet, as well as a few other necessities (like a new broom!). Then we went to Drifters, a small pub, for lunch. They are very accomodating, and always have something vegan to feed us.
Tonight we finally managed to finish the Wagner Ring Cycle, 40 Lp sides worth, which we began on Winter Solstice. Epic stuff!!!
Lots of good progress with Black Mirror 3 as well. A grim game, and getting grimmer.
Tuesday, Feb. 3rd/15
Well, we got hammered pretty good by snow. We received between 14" and 15" here at Lone Mtn Homestead, not that much for a former Sudburian, but enough to break the record for Essex County. We are mostly shovelled nd plowed now, and we even went to town today to do some errands. More snow is arriving tonight, just a few inches.
Imbolg was yesterday. It's usually a half-holiday for us, as we wait until mid-February to celebrate the beginning of the end of winter. However, in Celtic climates, the light is coming back and it's not far off until the appearance of snow drops. This year, since we couldn't get out of the house yesterday anyway, we stayed in and had a full wood fire and began listening to the final Wagner opera in the Ring cycle. Gotterdammerung lasts for 12 LP sides. We managed to get through half, and then three more sides today. Act 3 remains for tomorrow!
I also enjoyed another of the beers that Amanda brought me for Christmas--I only have one left now. This is our off week, so no teaching at all, though Deb will do a weather related make-up lesson with a student tomorrow.
We hope to go snowshoeing tomorrow, too! It's been a very long time.
I have recently discovered the pleasures of Sam'l Smith's organic fruit beers. There are 4 flavours: Cherry, Apricot, Strawberry and Raspberry. So far I've tried the first 2, and they are legendary! We have a slight chance to visit the Stamford brewery in April, though likely won't have time this trip.
And now, on to movies. A good one to watch this time of year was Snowpiercer, inspired by the graphic novel. The concept is brilliant, as the last of the human race rides a train encirlcing the globe, unable to stop or they will freeze to the tracks. It is always winter and too cold to live outside, and so the train goes round and round, one revolution per year. The scenes where you can see the outside world are great, as well as several of the cars. This train is about two miles long, and very, very fast. Quite a smooth ride, too, most of the way. The story is good, and will appeal to gamers, as the hero has to work his way from the very back of the train, where the downtrodden barely exist, to the engine. There is an awful lot of violence, again no doubt inspired by gaming.
There are problems with the film, as a lot of it is hard to swallow, but as pure escapism it works just fine. Sit back and watch. The second graphic novel deals with the survivors who do eventually wander outside the train. No doubt there will be a film sequel, too.
Sunday, Feb. 1st/15
How often do really big snowfalls happen in our area? Since record keeping began about 130 years ago, there have only been 5 snowfalls of 12". The last one was in 2005. We appear to be set to beat the all-time record for the largest single snowfall in our area. It is a white-out here along Count Road 20 in A'burg. As I write this we have already had 11" of snow in our yard. We are a little more than halfway through the storm. This makes two winters in a row of utter misery. January has already been one of the coldest on record, and February has plans for a similar feat. I now officially hate living in the southernmost county in Canada. What's the point? Michigan schools have already announced that they are closed tomorrow. Our board will never close the schools, even if the nuclear power reactor plant in MI exploded. Will the county school buses run tomorrow morning? Of course not. Will they tell anyone tonight? Of course not. Get up at 6 am to find out that there are no buses running tomorrow. Assholes.
Needless to say we have been home all day, watching unending streams of traffic go past the house. We've shovelled off the car and area around it twice already. Lots of gaming tonight, and watching movies.
Speaking of gaming, there are now 4 versions of Myst out there. Original Myst; Myst Masterpiece Edition; RealMyst; and RealMyst Masterpiece Edition. The only version that plays on any of my computers up to now was Myst Masterpiece Edition. RealMyst does not work on anything we own. However, today I found out about RealMyst Masterpiece Edition. We bought it (cheap) and downloaded it. It runs beautifully on the main desktop, the one with the big, new monitor!! It is already the most amazing version of Myst I have ever played, and we are still on the main island. We are enjoying the sunset and waiting for the stars to come out and the moon to rise. We even have a flashlight! Too amazing for mere words!
I recently finished Myst 3, which played perfectly on the upstairs XP computer. It was as excellent as I remember it to be! And I am still happily immersed in a replay of Obsidian, simply the most artistic and original adventure game ever designed and executed! And progress continues with Black Mirror 3. So, lots of PC gaming going on here again. And lots of winter.
Saturday, January 31st/15
Well, the good news is that we got through January without a major snow and/or windstorm. How about that? As wonderful as that may be, we will be barely one hour into February when our first big snowstorm and high winds begin. Not only that, but the next two weeks are expected to see temperatures not rise above the freezing mark. We will be below 0 C. for the first half of February, like we were the first half of January. So far this year's record is 13 days staying below 0 (not wind chills, but temperatures). I hope we do not beat that record. I want Spring. So do the dozens of ducks that have been coming to the bird feeding areas.
We had a busy but fun romp to Detroit today. We had a lot of empty bottles and cans to return. I've been looking for Samuel Smith fruit beers, and they had all four flavours at our Dearborn wine, beer and liquor superstore! I've already tried and loved the cherry flavour, but now I've also tried the apricot one. I still have the raspberry and strawberry ones left. They are made from organic fruit on 19th C. steam engines in Stamford, Lincolnshire! And they are damned good! Caroline, if you are reading this, please try and stock one of them for me for April!! Please and thank you!!
Caroline has been in Belgium since Thursday, enjoying a mini-vacation abroad. Here's hoping it's been fun!
Thursday, January 30th/15
Semester Two is done--we are half way through the teaching year. I am teaching 7.5 hours a week, a bit more than I want but the money is going into a travel fund. We now have eleven days off before Semester Three commences.
I haven't been blogging here much this week, as I have been working on summarizing my autumn observing of Cassiopeia deep sky objects from 2013 and 2014. It is a busy constellation, and my astronomy blog now has 3 new entries, highly detailed ones. It's fun reviewing the notes and remembering the good times!
Deb is feeling better, and seems to have shaken off her virus. She didn't have to miss any meds, as she was better by the time she needed to take them again. There were a few rough days in there, though.
We recently watched Topline, a weird conspiracy/sci-fi/adventure film done in Columbia. Starring Franco Nero (he's great as an alcoholic writer who stumbles upon a great secret) and Deborah Moore (daughter of Roger Moore!), it involves a crashed saucer that had taken a Spanish galleon aboard several hundred years ago. Overall it was a disappointing movie, but it had some great moments, including when a gorgeous naked blonde slowly turns into a hideous (of course) alien being. Not for all tastes, but it was an entertaining 90 minutes.
Sunday, January 25th/15
I made a solo excursion to Detroit today, as Deb is still feeling poorly. The main event was a solo piano recital by Jeremy Denk, and it was totally fabulous! Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann and Janucek pieces were on the program. No movement lasted longer than five minutes, so it was an afternoon of smaller masterpieces. The largest work was Carnival by Schumann, and it was performed last. It is one of my favourite pieces in the repertoire, and it is a suite of about 20 very short pieces, lasting about 20 minutes. It is a thrilling piece to hear, and more thrilling to hear it live under such a master. Good times!
The venue was at 13 Mile and Lahser Rd, deep in the suburbs. Detroit is a vast, sprawling city which is often unfairly criticized by outsiders for not having adequate public transport. What critics fail to consider is that Detroit, at least the modern era portion, was built for the automobile. The city and surrounding area have a vast network of freeways second to none in the world. People say LA's is better, but I beg to differ. Most of the day the freeways in LA are parking lots. Detroit's fabulous system usually runs quite well. My ride to the bridge from the concert hall was 22 miles, and it took about 18 minutes. If I had to cross 22 miles of say, London, either by car or public transport, it would take a lot longer than that! Accepting the fact that it is an auto city will make it much easier to critique Detroit's public transport needs. Still, it would be nice to have several light rail lines running through the city, and enough buses to ensure good service throughout the day.
This is an off year for us as far as attending concerts and such. This is only my third since September, and we have tickets for three more. I'm sure a few more events will sneak in there, too.
As we enter the final week of January the weather is taking a chilly turn once again. Nothing too terrible, but cold enough to limit outdoor activity. I can't wait to get our walking program geared up for the April London trip. Hopefully we can begin around the 1st of March.
Friday, January 23/15
We are sneaking through January without a major weather incident. Sshhh. It's not unheard of, just unusual. No big storms. No big winds. Two weeks of seriously cold temperatures, but it is winter, after all. We have a minimal amount of snow on the ground. My driveway has been plowed twice, though if I didn't have the service I could have easily managed it myself so far. Not like last year's nightmare of shovelling snow. However, February and the first half of March have yet to arrive, in all their wintry glory. Still, small victories are good for the morale!
Deb is fighting off a small cold at the moment, her first in about ten years. So far I have managed to elude it. It may even be a good sign for her, indicating that her immune system is finally lowered enough to actually get sick. Her RA symptoms have been quite manageable lately, so we will have to see what transpires.
I have managed to get one of my favourite old pc games running on my upstairs machine, which has Windows XP Professional. Obsidian is the most original and well-crafted adventure and puzzle game I have ever come across, and it was an expression of shock and joy that came over me when I managed to get it running this week! I have been replaying it for the first time since January 2000! It impresses me as much or more now than it did back then.
I am still playing Myst 3, though I slacked off after I got Obsidian running. Deb and I continue to play Black Mirror 3, from another very good series.
We are hoping to get to a piano recital in Detroit Sunday afternoon. Jeremy Denk is presenting a formidable and very intriguing solo program. We were originally going to get some snow, then they said no, and now they say maybe. Science marches on.
Meagan M. stopped by today, a former APS student of ours, one of the best. She is in 4th year of university and hoping to become a teacher, but she will take next year off and do some travelling, including an extended visit to New Zealand. Anyway, she volunteers at the local Humane Society and is undertaking a personal fundraiser for them. She is collecting bottles and donations. We had a bag of bottles for her and we gave her a cash donation, too. We got to catch up a bit, and she got to meet the cats and tortoise. She has raised about $350 so far!
Monday, January 19th/15
That's one birthday for the weather record books--usually Deb's big day is a wintry nightmare. It was originally predicted to be quite cold, but it actually went above freezing again, the third day in a row! Ships are moving on the river, the snow is nearly gone, and we enjoyed our third day in a row of outdoor walking. Today we walked in Midtown Detroit, after first having a nice long visit to a bookstore and cafe. I came home with a one-volume collection of all the fiction that H.P. Lovecraft ever wrote! It also includes an essay he wrote in the late 1920s on fantastic fiction! Good stuff!
We had a leisurely lunch at Seva in Detroit, then coffee and dessert at Avalon. We moved on to Whole Foods, and then back to our car. It made for a long but fun walk. The day was amazing, mid-30s with no wind. I wore my autumn jacket!
Deb got herself a lovely hooded sweater at Whole Foods, some special tea, and once home she ordered a new backpack that she will take with her to England in April.
At home, we played our third game of Akrotiri, the first time we have actually played it correctly. It is a fun game, and doesn't take that long once you know what the hell you are doing. Then we played three quick games of Snakes and Ladders. Ha ha, yes, you read that right.
I have finished reading "Frankenstein," and I am still amazed that I had never read it before. It is a very strange novel, not very well written, and frustrating due to the main character (Victor Frankenstein) being possibly the most helpless and hopeless hero to ever come out of fiction. There were so many ways to resolve his situation with the monster, but none of them were ever sought. More than anything the book is relevant to anyone raising kids who ignores them or doesn't raise them in a loving, caring environment. Watch out; they may come back and wreak their vengeance upon you.
With new moon now arriving, and no clear nights in sight, it looks like the January astronomy session will come and go with a very poor showing. Hopefully by mid-February we will be out of the worst of the winter weather, and be able to make use of any available clear nights.
Saturday, Jan. 17th/15
A mild day, reaching more than 40 F in Detroit, but only about 37 F in A'burg. Still, it was our first day with temps above the freezing mark since Jan. 4th! It's been a hellish January, though much less so than last year. Two main differences--no howling winds and almost no snow. We got outside for a walk today, and we saw a parade of ships moving up and down the river, after the coast guard ice cutter plowed a channel open. It's very weird to see ships moving in January!
In movie news, we have watched one film of interest. Wes Anderson's "Darjeeling Limited" is about three brothers who undertake an epic rail journey in India to visit their mother. Like most of his films, this one is odd and very entertaining, and somewhat moving. From the creator of "Moonrise Kingdom," "Rushmore," and "Grand Hotel Budapest," he is a filmmaker not to be ignored. There are some very funny moments, some are poetic, some are just ordinary, and some are transcending. All are of interest to the voyeur/cinema goer. Highly recommended. Bill Murray has a bit role in this one. Our Netflix DVD had a short film by the director that is meant to be viewed before the feature.
I finally managed to write a new blog on my astronomy page, briefly discussing my success in 2014 as far as observing goes. I am officially getting anxious and excited about getting 2015 work started!
Thursday, January 15th/15
My first newly expanded work week has just been completed. 1 1/2 hours of teaching on Tuesdays, 2 1/2 hours on Wednesdays, and a whopping 3 1/4 hours on Thursdays. No more, please. I do still enjoy it, though.
It's been almost two weeks now since our temperatures have been above freezing! It will rise marginally above on Saturday and Sunday, then bomb out once again. It's an indoor life, because of the cold and the slippery conditions on the sidewalks and roads. I long to resume walking once again. Tomorrow at noon January will be half over. So far no major snow, just the bitter cold, far below average. In our area the "dead of winter" statistically occurs from January 10th until about the 30th. After that, it begins to warm ever so slightly. By mid-February we are (normally) in the clear for the worst of the cold spells, though as it gets milder it seems like we get more snow and ice falling. So far January has been much colder than average, and it looks to stay below average for the rest of the month. Two days of milder temps, then back at it. We missed Iaido Tuesday due to the cold, but we should be able to go tomorrow.
I paid the VISA bill today for our upcoming trip to London (flights and hotel), as well as for our December jaunt to Buffalo. It was quite the bill.
I am enjoying replaying Myst 3 on the upstairs computer. It is one of the best of the series, with a good back story, incredible graphics, tough puzzles and remarkable payoffs for solving them. Along with Myst 4, the series really peaked with these two games. Myst 5 was a let down. The Uru games are amazing, but extremely difficult, even with a walk through. Still, I hope to replay them all while I still have Windows XP on one of the computers.
There are three big games coming out this year of great interest to us. Syberia 3; another game in the Lost Crown series; and a continuation of The Longest Journey (#3) should all be highlights for us. Already out are two updated games I would like to have. Scratches original version does not play on any of my computers, and a newer version of Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers has also been released to play on Windows 7.
Black Mirror 3 is also proving to be as incredible as the first two games in that series. It seems to have really fair puzzles, a great storyline, and some wonderful, dark humour. We are playing this one together.
The weekend is upon us! Hopefully it shall not be wasted. Deb's birthday is Monday, so we hope to do something special in Detroit and/or Windsor that day. Unfortunately it now appears to be the coldest day of next week, according to current predictions. Such is the life of January babies.
Monday, Jan. 12/15
I have shuffled my teaching around a little bit, as well as taken on a new student. Technically Jen is not a new student. I taught her when she was young, and then again briefly when she was an adult. She wants lessons again so we will give things a new try. I now teach the three Savoni children at their house on Tuesdays. I still have the same Wednesday schedule with three students, and Thursdays I now have five students. I finish at 7 pm Thursdays, making it easier to get out with the telescope on those clear nights (I used to finish at 8 pm). Wednesdays I am done at 7:30 pm, and Tuesdays at 6 pm.
It snowed last night, beginning on our drive home from Iaido class. We still ventured to Detroit today, but it was slushy and messy. We had ordered a replacement bird bath heater--the old one had burned itself out--and also went out for lunch. As it was still mild we went for a short walk in Dearborn, enjoying the new-fallen snow in the woods. The Rouge River is frozen solid. We also visited the new Dearborn train station, a vast improvement over the tiny old one. Departures will be a bit more comfortable now.
Then it was home for some more gaming, this time on the computer. On the main computer downstairs we have loaded "Black Mirror 3." I really enjoyed the first two in this series. I played the first one alone, and half of the second one. Deb joined in halfway through 2, and we are both starting out on 3. The puzzles are fair and fun, the dialogue is often very funny, the graphics, sounds and locations are excellent, as is some of the voice acting. All in all a very worthwhile series, with some good scares, too. Upstairs I have loaded Myst 3, my first replay of this unbelievably fantastic game. Coming after Riven, it is similar in look and style, but even better than that nearly unbeatable adventure puzzler. Unbeatable graphics and an even more organic look and feel to the game than Riven. I can still play all of the Myst games upstairs on Windows XP. They do not run on Windows 7.
After less than 48 hours of near average temps, we are taking a major plunge yet again. The permanent warm-up that was predicted has now been put off until Saturday. It should stay near average for the rest of the month beginning then. Or so they say....
Saturday, Jan. 10th/15
I haven't written 2014 once yet this year! I am so impressed with my amazing mental faculties!
We are hoping that our week-long spate of miserable, far-below average temperatures will be gone by tomorrow, if only for a day or two. It would be nice to be outside for longer than five minutes at a time. At least nearly one third of the year's worst month is now over for 2015!
I've been enjoying some very good beer recently from our cellar. One thing the cold spell has done has chilled the basement to a perfect temperature for beer storage.
We have watched two very good black & white films lately, one directed by Roger Corman and the other by David Lean. Yes, the two films are rather contrasting. The first was "The Little Shop of Horrors," the original 1960 version. What a delight to see this again after so many years! Very very funny, and worth a repeat for the great dialogue. Jack Nicholson plays a deranged dental patient.
Second in line was "Brief Encounter," a wonderful romance with a difference. The difference is that it is a David Lean film, and it is one classy and well put together picture. Essentially a woman's picture from the 1940s, the fact that it is a Noel Coward script doesn't hurt, either. Wonderfully acted, directed, scripted and photographed, it is essential viewing for Lean fans. Lots of great railroad and station footage, too. It had to be filmed outside London during the war, as lights were not allowed after dark in the capitol.
We finished the night with a rousing board game. Lord of the Rings is for two to five players. With only two it is virtually impossible to defeat Sauron. It's a cooperative game, but I'm not even sure it can be won with three or more, but I think the odds are better with more players. It's a Riener Knizia game, and well worth seeking out. It's played with cards, tokens and five game board sides. We made it to Mordor before dying miserably. We last played on Christmas Day 2012.
I have begun reading "Frankenstein," a book that had mysteriously eluded me until now. I have a nice hardcover version, with some colour illustrations. I'll have more to say about it later. So far I've read two introductions (one by the authoress), a prelude consisting of three letters, and the first three chapters. The original story actually begins where Chapter Five is now. The entire beginning segments were added later by Mary Shelley at the insistence of Percy. So I really haven't even come to the original portion yet. Stay tuned.
Friday, January 9th/15
Winter continues to bite us hard. I was out briefly last night and it was like a night in the Arctic--high winds, obscene temperatures and white-out conditions in blowing snow. We stayed in today, not venturing out to Iaido this evening. Things are supposed to moderate briefly on Sunday--it can't come soon enough for me.
Today in Michigan, about 100 miles west of us, there was a 150-vehicle pileup on the Interstate. So far only one person has died, a trucker from Quebec. It really is nasty outside.
Yesterday morning we had to go across the county to Tecumseh for Deb's bi-monthly infusion. Though it was bitter cold, the roads were clear. It didn't start getting bad until about 6 pm. Anyway, her infusion went normally. Deb is feeling really good these days, and we hope she can continue using both drugs (Metho and Symponi) to keep her disease at bay. It is working wonderfully right now.
After sunset tonight we had another look at Venus and Mercury, both brighter and higher than even a few nights ago. We'd hoped to have another glance at the comet, but it clouded over again.
Wednesday, Jan. 7th/15
The incredibly stupid weather month of January marches on. It is now colder than ever, with a wind blowing. But it's clear! At sunset we were able to view Venus and Mercury low in the southwest, and later at night we bundled up for a quick binocular view of Comet Lovejoy. It's much higher in the sky now, and thus easier to view. It appears larger and brighter, and I was able to see it with just my eyes after a few moments. The waning moon was just rising.
Teaching duties resumed today, with one more day to go. Early tomorrow morning we have to drive to Tecumseh for Deb's next bi-monthly infusion of Simponi. That's going to be a chilly ride! We haven't been outside much at all since last Sunday, though we did go to Iaido class last night. The cold spell will last through Sunday at least, when it may begin to moderate to more normal levels. In the meantime, one week of January has fled--3 1/2 weeks to go...
Monday, Jan. 5th/15
It's getting awfully close to back-to-work time. One more day and we will be slogging it out with our two-day work week again. Damn. I need a union. These conditions are nearly unbearable.
January is a month to be feared by any sane person, at least in Canada and a few other parts of the northern hemisphere. Not only is it our coldest, darkest month, but it's our coldest, darkest month. Well, 2nd darkest, actually. But it's really cold! There is nothing in January to look forward to. Nothing. Nada. Except February, and that isn't really a wonderful month, either. At least that one is short, and spring comes after it. But January? Whoever invented this month should be set upon a lonely island where it is always winter, and never Christmas. Just get this month over with. 5 days gone, 26 to go. Arrgghh!!!!
Anyway, we have descended into the pit of coldness here in Canada. We, in the very south, are firmly below freezing and will remain there for at least a full week. Daytime highs will not even come close to the freezing mark. I don't wish to even contemplate what the north is like.
The only good part is that we have only a teeny tiny coating of snow in our county, barely enough to call things white.
Despite the frosty temps we made our weekly excursion to Detroit, beginning at the mailbox to pick up some Netflix dvds, and some new reading glasses for me. I now have a pair for close reading (for books, maps, etc.) and two identical pair for computers and memorized piano playing. I still need a 2nd pair of close ones. So far I've only spent $30 for three pair of prescription glasses, by buying them on-line from the US. They are perfect, too! What a rip-off business that is, as most people are soaked for about $400 a pair through normal channels.
Not only that, but coming home we were able to fill up our diesel tank at $2.11 per US gallon! That, my friends, is a bargain. Regular gas in Detroit is around $1.77. Virtually double that in Canada. Never thought I'd see those days again.
There has been a load of gaming taking place here lately. Last night I lost a game of Middle Earth the Wizards, and the night before I lost again in Akrotiri. We still haven't figured out all the rules yet, though. We are getting better, but it's a bit complicated. Maybe by game three we'll have it all figured out.
Tonight I won Carcassonne twice, but lost a game of Courtyard. And so the battle, and life, and January, goes on (and on).
Saturday, Jan. 3rd/15
I have begun transferring over the 2014 blog entries to their own webpage. It will take a few days at least. The links to previous years are at the very bottom of this column.
A quick trip to Essex for bird seed and some pet supplies, but otherwise we were inside all day. Good thing. It was cold and rainy all day. No snow, at least. However, a wicked cold front is going to hit us Sunday night and last through to Saturday, with a few extreme days ahead. I am never happy at times like this.
We watched a dumb movie today from the early 1960s. "Atlas In The Land Of The Cyclops" purports to tell the story of the descendants of Polyphemus and Circe, still trying to get revenge on Ulysses' family. It's totally silly and juvenile. However, it features an actress by the name of Chelo Alonso in the role of the bad queen (she turned out to be okay in the end). A Cuban actress of stunning beauty, she certainly made the film interesting!
Thursday, January 1st/15
Another fun two days have slipped past. Today was Wagner Ring Cycle day, Part 3. So far we are 80% of the way through "Siegfried," the 3rd opera of 4 in the Ring cycle. It's been too cold and windy to be outdoors, so indoor activities have dominated. Way too much eating. And drinking. Earlier today I had Jim Beam dark whisky with vegan eggnog. I am now enjoying a small bottle of sake as I write my first entry of 2015.
Some of the zesty, life-enhancing beverages I have been enjoying of late. This was an alcoholic ginger beer!
Yesterday we watched "Amarcord," my second favourite Fellini film. Haven't seen it in several years, after being reminded of its glory by Andre Laplante. Pure cinema magic! Few films can leave the viewer feeling so wonderful afterwards.
Last night we played five rounds of three different board games. I won none of them! We began with two rounds of "Courtyard," a game designed to bridge the gap between checkers and chess. It's very easy to learn, and lasts about 20 minutes. Both games turned out to be draws. Capturing the opposing king does not end the game, but when both kings are subdued then it ends in a tie.
The box...
The set up... it is similar to checkers. There are 10 serfs, 4 guards and a king on each side. The courtyard is in the center, and the king must be placed there to win the game.
Next came a new game, a very long sitting of Akrotiri. It's supposed to last around 45 minutes, but it went on for nearly two hours. Hopefully the next game will be faster. It's a bit complicated, involving excavating temples on Greek Islands using special maps. It's a tile placing game, so the board expands as the game goes on. It's hard to judge such a game on one try, so I will reserve judgement until we play it again, possibly this weekend. I lost this one 26 to 21. Only two people can play it.
A newly opened box of Akrotiri!
Carcassonne.
On Friday the dojo is open for business, and we will be off to open training to get loosened up for Sunday's first class of the year. I will be winding myself up to test for Nidan level sometime this year, possibly June. Lots of work ahead for that one.
A few welcome days of mild weather ahead, and then we get really clobbered with several days of temps that will rival the ones from last year's most evil of winters. I feel sorry for the kids heading back to school who will be standing at the bus stops on Monday morning.
Oh, and Happy New Year! We pagans celebrated ours on Oct. 31st.
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