Let's Make Some Art, Dammit

January 29, 2018. While I was away my print arrived. It's an A.J. Casson print titled The Blue Heron. It was an auction bid for a local charity at the Metro store here in Casselman. Still deciding where to put it. But the main thing is, Alex approved of the choice. https://flic.kr/p/22T6vXG

January 28, 2018. On the way home from Bayonne in Charles de Gaulle Airport. I just noticed this unassuming entrance by accident to a secret passage that runs the length of terminal L behind all the shops and gates. I wasn't until I got home that I also noticed the French flag. https://flic.kr/p/22Qv1Sh

January 27, 2018. I had hoped to go to San Sebastian but there wasn't time, so I took a bus into the country and visited the small Basque town of Cambo-les-Bains in the Pyrenees foothills. It was very peaceful, very picturesque, and not even raining! https://flic.kr/p/JYn4ZZ

January 26, 2018. The conference organizers and I went down the coast, first to Saint-Jean-de-Luz, and then to Hondarribia in Spain. One of the highlights was this church in which Louis XIV was married to Maria Theresa of Spain on June 9, 1660. The three-tiered balcony is exceptional (but not unique, as I would see another the next day). It was a great day and I learned about and saw a lot of basque country. https://flic.kr/p/22PEzXy

January 25, 2018. The weather only got worse on Thursday and I ended up cold and very wet after walking in the driving rain to take photos if Biarritz on the Bay of Biscay coastline. Worth it for the views, though. https://flic.kr/p/23RrzZb

January 24, 2018. Bayonne was shrouded in mist this morning as we walked to the conference venue. This was the view as we crossed the Nive River on our way. I gave y talk in the morning and went to the school for lunch some activities after (I had a long conversation with the restaurant manager who described how the food was locally sourced and how the students participated in its production - the food was overall quite good though sadly the beef failed my nose test. https://flic.kr/p/22wQShk

January 23, 2018. Sitting in the Adour River in front of the fortress in Bayonne this is the Djébelle, waiting for spring. Today featured a reception with dignitaries in advance of tomorrow's conference presentations. https://flic.kr/p/EeZtMp

January 22, 2018. Recovering from jet lat I took the opportunity to walk around Bayonne and though it wasn't cold it was very rainy. As I commented to one person, lousy weather results in better photos. This photo very much reflects my introduction to the city, through a blur of water on the lens and the bright colours struggling against the haze. https://flic.kr/p/EeSwKn

January 19, 2017. The drive home. Traffic slowed to a crawl on the 417 as some guy (you can see his lights to the right) went off the road. Working on the gRSShopper aggregator today. https://flic.kr/p/FuUyow

January 18, 2018. We both have colds at home but I've been managing to get into work. Andrea's voice is squeaking because of a sore throat. I'm on cough lozenges and drinking plenty of fluids, including a decaf from Timmies for the ride home. https://flic.kr/p/22vD2Xb

January 17, 2018. Another day, another visit to Costco. This is the usual check-out line for a Wednesday evening. The usual list: Jelly-Bellies, grapefruits, bell peppers, bosch pears, ambrosia applies, sugar snap peas, frozen cod, frozen raspberries, omega-3 eggs, frozen diced carrots with corn and peas, fudgsicles, 0-fat yogurt (for Andrea; I can't stand yogurt) https://flic.kr/p/22vCra5

January 16, 2018. This is the Nomad, my special-class fighter in Mo Man's Sky. I often play for an hour or two in the evening while watching Jeopardy. According to the game I've played more than 100 hours so far. I like it because it's calm; sure, there can be periods of panic when you're fighting pirates, but mostly it's about exploring and building things. https://flic.kr/p/JDvDMB

January 15, 2017. A beautiful crisp winter day, cold but not too cold. There were kids sliding in the park when I stopped by after my dental appointment to capture this pristine Canadian winter vista. https://flic.kr/p/23AmF12

January 14, 2017. Indoors today coding gRSShopper. These are stars in our front window, the result of German Christmas market purchases. http://ift.tt/2EHGJMy

January 13, 2017. We said good-bye to my brother Allan today. Lots of family and friends, including the whole crew from where he worked. Obit: http://ift.tt/2mAB3xb... Instead of replying with comments and condolances please consider donating to the Diabetes Association. http://ift.tt/2msMiqP

January 12, 2017. It's the January thaw. Our local microclimate treated us to fog. This is the Casselman bridge, with sewage system construction happening in the foreground. http://ift.tt/2EG1l7I

January 11, 2017. I spent some time today coding and some time today printing pictures. This is from Brian's, a local restaurant near the highway in Casselman, where we had a nice dinner with family. http://ift.tt/2FAXkmC

January 10, 2017. Cold day today, and we were greeted with this lovely scene in the back yard in the morning. We went into the city today and while I browsed around Rideau Centre and Chapters Andrea bought some suitably sombre attire. I discovered Rideau has a We store (as in Me-to-We) on the top floor (there's also a lounge up there). http://ift.tt/2CYGtsb

January 9, 2017. Another quiet day spent mostly coding. This is a red abalone (a type of sea creature that produces pearls) that sits in our kitchen. The holes are respiratory apertures. Andrea has had it since forever. http://ift.tt/2DsIjCM

January 8, 2018. Quiet day today spend watching the snow fall outside and coding gRSShopper. http://ift.tt/2FrESfT

January 7, 2017. Another day disrupted by the events of yesterday, though we did have a nice dinner with family this evening. I had to run out for an errand this afternoon and noticed these Tesla charging stations under constriction at the Metro. Nice. http://ift.tt/2Ew0FBZ

January 6, 2017. This is the ceiling of my bedroom. I look up and see images of dogs in the knots (can you see Snoopy in the lower left?). Today we received some terrible news and I didn't do or think much of anything else for the rest of the day. http://ift.tt/2D46mdq

January 5, 2018. I was in Gatineau for the day today working with the people at CSPS on the business intelligence project (it was my introduction to using IBM Cognos). I spotted this on the way home. According to Google Maps it's called Papa. I quite like it. It's on Boulevard des Allumettières at Maisonneuve. It's notable because this is a new route home from the school, and i has worked out quite well so far. Very cold again today, cold enough that I was actually worried. http://ift.tt/2m7tAFU

January 4, 2018. It was back to the dentist today to get my tooth repaired (and I think this is the first time in my life I've had dental appointments on consecutive days). The main result after was a sore stomach, so I had a burger and poutine at the new A&W. Low-quality burger but the poutine was outstanding. An afternoon meeting and some coding and that was my day. http://ift.tt/2CL9YS2

January 3, 2017. This was my regularly scheduled hygene appointment, but with an added bonus: I got to tell them how I'd broken a tooth over the weekend. Other than dentistry - some coding, some meetings. Still bitterly cold. http://ift.tt/2AB7MGL

January 2, 2018. It's back to work after far too short a vacation. The plants are a little worse for wear due to the lack of watering (though there are developments in the window plant I will cover later). http://ift.tt/2CEmWAn

January 1, 2018. The sun rises behind the trees in the back yard. Today was a quiet day, bitterly cold and thus spent indoors coding the new gRSShopper editor. http://ift.tt/2lZV9jB