Let's Make Some Art, Dammit

October 30, 2015. I'm in one of my favourite places in the whole world, Lake Louise (and even better, staying for the first time ever in the Chateau Lake Louise, which is truly one of the best hotels I've ever been in). I expected to open with the classic photo of the glacier, but the day greeted me with snow and fog. Oh well. I had a talk to prepare and give anyways. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1PV6ufc

October 30, 2015. One of the nicer things about working in a larger office is that there is more varied community and people do things like this. This isthe current state of the door of the HR staff office, just down the hall from me. So cool. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1PV6vQi

Octiober 28, 2015. We drove to the nearby town of St. isadore to open our local Caisse Populaire account (the Casselman branch was too busy). This charming witch was on display in the office. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1kh8jWi

October 27, 2015. A beautiful blue day without too much work and time for a nice walk up Montreal Road at lunch time, where I spotted this bit of brush around the 1800 block or so. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1O6jtdr

October 26, 2015. Casselman is bordered by farmland on two sides, and a large natural area on the other two,with this river running between them. So in the fall it is host to hundreds of geese as they fly south (I keep yelling at them to come back, that summer's not over, but they don't listen). From Flickr http://ift.tt/1GusACi

October 25, 2015. This is how we buy pumpkins in the country. Go to a farm a couple miles down the road. Pick out the pumpkins we want. Leave the money in the mailbox. Sadly they won't be back in this location next year, so we may have to grow our own. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1GBoxUA

October 24, 2015. Rare day off, Saturday around the house. Got part of the lawn mowed (until the battery was exhausted). The garage cleaned and organized. And Bones (pictured) is up (and Andrea repaired his broken beg). We've had Bones since the very first year we owned a house, some 14 or so years ago. We put him up every fall. The more beat up he is the better a decoration he is. Next task: pumpkins. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1Ntcx7h

October 23, 2015. I spent the entire day elbows-deep in spreadsheets preparing program quarterly reports and financial projections. I'm learning Excel by using it. At lunch, though, I took a nice walk around the CSEC and CSIS buildings, stopping at a Starbucks for coffee. On the way back up I photographed this tree along Blair Road. Good for a chuckle before I turned my head to the unholy grids. Tonight: Jays game. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1PMhL0f

October 21, 2015. The view from my office window. I'm not complaining. Not at all. Sent from my Samsung device over Bell's LTE network. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1hYnMt5

October 21, 2015. One advantage of being in Ottawa is that I can zip downtown to check out the trade show at the GTEC conference. From Moncton this would require travel authority, a flight, and accommodation. And I would eat to take in the full conference - another $500 or so - if I were spending that kind of money. Total investment would be $2000 or so. So that's what I saved NRC today by moving here to Ottawa. Did they pay the cost of my move? Nope. They even charged me to move my office. Anyhow, this is a petabyte of flash memory. I didn't ask how much it cost. Sent from my Samsung device over Bell's LTE network. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1hYnMt1

October 22, 2015. This is Casselman in the morning, my small town home as I head into the city. I haven't really had the chance to enjoy the town yet, I've been so busy. I do like the new house, though. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1hYnLFx

October 19, 2015. Election day. Also a Blue Jays home game. The Jays won, and the people of Canada got the change we so desperately wanted. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1OV6v0K

October 18, 2015. I've driven by the town several times, but this time instead of just marveling at the building on top of the hill, I went up to take a closer look. And was rewarded with this gem, hidden off the highway in a small town an hour and a half north-east of Quebec City. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1OV6uKq

October 17, 2015. Stopped at the Tim Hortons on Beardsley Road near Woodstock, New Brunswick, with a car load of forgotten items and some of Andrea's rocks. Still marveling at the beauty around me during this quick trip to the east and back. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1OV6uKo

October 15, 2015. Three meetings today, and on top of that a blood test, after which I waited in the mall to buy a hew hat (lost my old one). As I sat I listened to the woman in the picture talking to a colleague from another store. "Are you happy the came into the store?" she asked. "You have to show them you appreciate this." It's unusual to hear such things in Moncton. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1G9Vsjd

October 14, 2015. Drove down the Saint John Valley to Fredericton, and again the light and the clouds and the colours were simply brilliant. Had a meeting on Fredericton, then listened to the Blue Jays game on the way to Moncton - a game, I might add, for the ages. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1ZIWZTC

October 12, 2015. It was back onto the highway today, first down the road for an afternoon meeting in Boucherville, then on down along to Riviere du Loup. The light was incredible in the late afternoon and evening - this photo doesn't capture it. The sky, the earth, the trees - all with a reddish golden glow. Truly spectacular. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1VWu5dU

October 11, 2015. I'm not sure what you call a mass of ladybugs, but I'm calling it an inundation. We had lots, and when I mowed the lawn in the back we were swarmed with them. Of course, ladybugs are good bugs, and I'm happy to see them. But, too much of a good thing? From Flickr http://ift.tt/1QAKYcC

October 10, 2015. Back home. I've been worried about Bart recently and especially today as he has lost a lot of weight. I'm concerned he may be I'll, but it might just be the stress of moving. Either way, we're pain special attention to him. Sent from my Samsung device over Bell's LTE network. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1QAKYcA

October 9, 2015. Another day of meetings, and then there was some time free in the afternoon for me to take a bike ride around the streets of Paris - Robert was kind enough to show me how the rent-a-bike system works, and from there on it was smooth sailing. Well, as smooth as it gets in Paris traffic.

October 8, 2015. This morning I joined the throngs headed for work in downtown Paris. The day was fully occupied with meetings at the OIF offices, working to develop a strategy for open educational resources. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1MfWOFv

October 7, 2015. Arrived in France to this sight, the dome brightly lit in the sunlight. Slept for a while and then went for a short but very civilized walk along the banks of the Seine. That was my Wednesday. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1GxLcvD

October 6, 2015. So I commuted for exactly two days before getting back on an airplane and flying somewhere, this time from Ottawa to Paris for OIF meetings. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1jPXTgD

October 5, 2015. I'm beginning to adapt to my new lifestyle. Part of it involves a commute to the office - it's about half-an-hour door-to-door down highway 417 (pictured). As the polite police officer pointed out to me just a few minutes after this photo, driving "at the speed of traffic" is slower than I had first judged, especially in construction zones. You can be sure the message (and warning) was taken to heart. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1Npm2qR

September 4, 2015. Settling into my new home. This is a pastoral scene from a country road near my home. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1RvfHJ5

October 3, 2015. We went into the city to run a bunch of errands. Andrea now has internet and telephone again. Got back in time to enjoy this lovely fall view in the back yard. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1WFTx9R

September 2, 2015. This is my new office in building M-50 at NRC in Ottawa. It's actually a lot brighter than the photo makes it look. I haven't moved anything in yet. But I have inherited an unusually large fire extinguisher. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1WFTx9H

October 1, 2015. Back home (where 'home' is now Casselman). This is my new kitchen, as seen from what has become my usual spot in the dining room (where it's nice and sunny and bright). From Flickr http://ift.tt/1WFRcvF

September 30, 2015. One last photo from Naples. This is some artwork from the airport. Today would be a day of three flights and a drive home back to Casselman. Photos are ready for uploading but I need bandwidth. Coming soon. From Flickr http://ift.tt/1L7KZAo