Hiatus

A.

Hold that thought...

Tulips and anemones

Harbingers of things to come...

Office view

It's hard to believe that 10 days ago I needed a zoom lens to see spring. Every time I look around something new is growing or blooming. I can't believe I ever doubted its arrival.

Thames

The sun shining through the shallow water of the Thames today revealed a dozen large fish hovering in place. My ignorance of fish habits being encyclopedic, I don't know if they were spawning, feeding, just hanging about, or even their name. Nice though.

The beauty of working late on cold nights...

is that eventually you can get a warm sunny afternoon like this

kitephotography

Kite photography is tough, though some people are really good at it. It probably helps to be expecting to see a kite and having a tripod or something. This odd shaped specimen had the look of a science experiment. It was a perfect day for flying.

Photo to accompany facebook status update

Heidi is going for a walk and leaving BobbleHead Curtis with her revisions. Hopefully he'll delete 1300 words by the time she gets back.

A view of the Thames (Ontario version) in Spring sunshine. It's a very shallow river, though two weeks ago with the melting snow it had risen to cover the walkway.

The neo-retro-ironical-classical but actually sort of alright movement continues.

Bobble Head!

Day trip to Toledo

Today was a really nice day and I can't decide which photo to put up and what part of the day to stress: the lovely, the odd or the fun. So, here are three photos.

The lovely: Toledo has a stellar art museum. It's really worth a visit. I found this magical sculpture outside. This morning was quiet, grey and springy and the air was scented with blooming hyacinths.









The odd: It's hard to have grown up in Alberta during a certain era and not seen every single MASH episode at least 8 times. Mention Toledo to any Albertan over the age of 20 and nine times out of ten they'll say "Klinger!"Friends reminded us that Tony Packos is one of Klinger's favourite establishments and so off we went. They even have vegetarian chili; bless them. This is a photo of 6 of hundreds of celebrity autographed hotdog buns. It's worth clicking on the picture to check out some of these celebrity hotdog bun signers. As D noted, "this is what I like about America. Where else would people sign, frame and hang autographed hotdog buns?"


The fun: Curtis is coming off the DL and is playing some games in the minors. It really isn't a coincidence that we happened to be going to a Mud Hens game when he was playing. Here's my answer to the "Who's your Mud Hen?" question. [PS: after this post went up, two family members wrote and said "Mud Hens! MASH!" See? It's true.]

There are more photos on my flickr site of today's sights; check them out if you're thusly inclined.

A fresh bud of a young chestnut tree in the park: in the sunshine of the past days growth time seems to be on fast forward.

Some interesting shows coming up. The London Music Club draws a pretty impressive lineup.

What's Opera, Doc?

Sigh. Just back from seeing La Rondine at the Detroit Opera House. It was beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. "Chi il bel sogno di Doretta" makes me teary. And the building itself is lovely, lovely, lovely.... Sigh.

So many options

I wonder if sushi is a dating do or don't...

Two things I really needed yesterday

1. A cupcake

2. Staying up way past my bedtime on a school night listening to great music and hanging out with great people.

Fagus Sylvatica L.

This magnificent tree is a Purple European Beech. It looks like it's been there for centuries and has bark like the skin of an elephant. The perfect climbing tree.

Magglio at the ballpark tonight

Favourite thing overheard tonight: "Ok, son, watch Pudge. He's the catcher. That's what you're going to be. A catcher. Because you're short."

Sky IV

Zoom.

In desperate need of spring, I set out tonight to find more evidence of its rumoured arrival. I found some new evidence in the tiny buds on my pink rosebush. I should add that when I took this photograph, I was wearing my winter coat, my hands were shaking from my shivering and I think I saw my breath. But, even though you sometimes need a lens to see it, spring is coming.

Mysterious Artifact

Kinesio-archaeologists have uncovered a mysterious object they claim has been buried for months. Speculation abounds but the general consensus is that it may have been an object of some veneration among fringe members of the local population.

Marsh Life

It's wonderful that this little spot between a baseball field and the river has been left in peace, and even encouraged by the planting of trees nearby. I think at one time it would have been seen as wasteland but is now recognized as healthy and desirable. On an April morning it seems to contain an incredible density and strength of life, with Redwing Blackbirds, Robins, Sparrows, probably billions of insects, and even a Hawk that went over chased by a gang of Crows.

stirring Dull roots with spring rain

I quoted The Wasteland to myself this morning as I stared out the window and saw grey, rain, cold and snow. While a huge part of me felt like hibernating, I decided to make the most of a grey, cold day and walked to the gym. After some quality time with a treadmill and music in my ears with lyrics like "Du du du du/ Let's go/ Du du du du/ Whoo!!" April didn't feel so cruel after all. On the way home, the snow had stopped and the sun was peeking through the clouds. In celebration of the tiny hint of spring, I made sure to walk past the window of the cute dress shop. Shortly thereafter I passed these little dudes dancing in the window of a closed fish and chip shop. I think I could hear them singing "Du du du du/ Let's go/ Du du du du/ Whoo!!"

Refuge

From Environment Canada:

Tonight
Showers. Wind southwest 20 km/h becoming northeast 20 near midnight. Low plus 2.

Sunday
Day: A few showers ending in the morning then clearing. Wind north 20 km/h. High 6.
Night: Clear. Wind northeast 30 km/h becoming light in the evening. Temperature steady near plus 1.

Monday
Cloudy with 40 percent chance of flurries or rain showers. High 6.

Friday

The perfect black and tan

Mural

A retro-future mural at the entrance of a small high school.

Happy Birthday Paul!

Ink

Design

The Return of Spring; Or, Ohh. Ok. Maybe I should have read the manual.

The Return of Spring:
To me, this is the amazing thing about spring: for the past few weeks I've been whinging about winter and wondering if spring will ever come but meanwhile, under the snow and the leaves, these little entities are waking up and pushing out of the earth. I'd thought the daffodils and crocuses had been eaten by squirrels over the winter since they're usually up by now. On Saturday, I did some yard tidying and found them under the leaves. "'O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' [s]he chortled in [her] joy."

Or, Ohh. Ok. Maybe I should have read the manual:
For the past few months, I've been taking an inordinate number of bad, blurry images. I thought it was just me. Last night I actually took out the camera manual and realized I'd somehow got the camera stuck on a setting that appears to have no other function other than making a girl feel cruddy about that inordinate number of bad blurry images she keeps taking. Oops.

Looking sideways

I realize I often look up and I often look down but last week I happened to look sideways on a fairly well-traveled route. I was dashing to a meeting when I saw this secret garden. I had to go back today to make sure I wasn't imagining it. I'm not sure if I'm delighted it's still there or disappointed that I hadn't seen a portal into a gardener's Brigadoon.

Baseball at Dusk

I know some day in July I will think fondly of the night that was 51o at first pitch.

Discovery

While exploring I stumbled upon a tree filled ravine with a big stream running through it. Canada geese were nesting and calling and there's a classic baseball diamond just beyond the fence. And I saw this culvert (is that the word?) with these beautiful markers.

Silhouette

Return of the Tiger Lillies

Spring: it's more than just wishful thinking now.

Why I like living near Detroit: Reason 412

Going to see live music even though it's a school night.

Amazing Machine

A sight to thrill your inner eight year-old, this amazing contraption apparently pushes pipes or tubing for gas and electricity under the ground, or something. Though it really looks like it's ready to begin a steam punk journey to the centre of the earth.