Let's Make Some Art, Dammit

July 30, 2018. 25x50 Day 12. I did a loop through LaRose Forest to Bourget and Pentland. Beautiful day for a ride. This is where I had lunch. https://flic.kr/p/MwdCJW

July 29, 2018. We had a thunderstorm pass over just at sunset, producing this rainbow that got fainter as the sun actually set. This was captured with my wide angle lens; I'm not sure what the black is on the left; it's not a smudge, maybe some reverse lens flare? There was also lightning framed by the rainbow but I wasn't able to capture that (it was pretty spectacular though). Today was a rest day, especially for my glutes, and I spent it working on the analysis engine for gRSShopper. https://flic.kr/p/Mvm9X3

July 28, 2018. 25x50 Day 11. I started the day with a quick ride to Avonmore (so in the first 25 hours of owning the bike I put 100km on it) and then we went to Costco. This barn is on highway 43 just west of Avonmore. That's about it for the day. Alex is right in front of me, purring, as I type. https://flic.kr/p/26PJom3

July 27, 2018. Today was new bike day and new kitchen faucet day. First, the bike, which I picked up and immediately took for a 50 km test ride to Chesterville (from Embrun, where I bought it). Here you see it at the park in Morewood on the way back. It's a tad heavier and slower than the old, but that much more sturdy. Meanwhile, Andrea was installing the new kitchen faucet, which arrived by courier yesterday. It took some work (and a trip to Cornwall for a wrench that would solve the old faucet) but as I type the water is flowing successfully. https://flic.kr/p/29tVmZb

July 26, 2018. The good news is that the second Reclaim gRSShopper install went off easily and without a hitch. The bad news is that the bicycle needed to be replaced; that wailing you hear was my bank account crying in pain. These lilies are in our front yard. https://flic.kr/p/MozQuf

July 25, 2018. There was a heavy rain all day today until late evening when the clouds broke and we got quite the colourful sunset. So I spent the day indoors mostly working on gRSShopper. https://flic.kr/p/MmTgBh

July 24, 2018. I had intended to do some coding today, it being a rainy day with the bike in the shop, but instead we made the rounds of eastern Ontario looking for a specific kitchen faucet (end result: unsuccessfully). This is a scene from the Home Depot in Cornwall, where the wall of mowers display was oddly awe-inspiring. https://flic.kr/p/28nhhJs

July 23, 2018. 25x50 Day 9. I rented a bike and pedaled 52.5 km from Cornwall and around the Long Sault Parkway on the St. Lawrence River. It was a beautiful day for a bike ride but the rental was slow and heavy so it took some extra effort. I can't wait to cycle this route (and maybe a bit more) on my regular bike. https://flic.kr/p/29qWjWD

July 22, 2018. We went to the ball game and after a short rain delay, it cleared up and we watched nine innings of excellent ball (unfortunately the game was 10 innings and we took an 8-1 loss). This is a cockatoo, one of several animals brought to the game by the Zoo Crew (who do hands-on animal displays for childrens' parties, etc. (I love stuff like this - you haven't lived until you've petted a live chinchilla)). https://flic.kr/p/29mJre7

July 21, 2018 - Though our milkweed plants are still too young to flower (it takes three years) we are delighted to find that they are still capable of sustaining monarch butterfly caterpillars like the one pictured here. We have a nice crop of milkweed in the back yard andf are doing our part to repopulate them. P.S. bike is in the shop so I spent the day coding and watching the ball game. https://flic.kr/p/29hHHf1

July 20, 2018. 25x50 Day 8. This was a 52 km ride to Maxville and back, a bit later in the day because we ran errands earlier. On the way back the bottom crank (where the pedals go) began to seize. So it's back to the shop for the bike. *sigh* https://flic.kr/p/29he89w

July 19, 2018. 25x50 Day 7, 53km. Did some coding this morning, fixing the last of the gRSShopper issues in its new home (almost done now). Then took a quick 53km ride to Cannamore (which is actually an apple orchard and four houses). Beautiful day, not so hot. https://flic.kr/p/KBV8ma

July 18, 2018. This is what our back yard looks like. I know we're supposed to mow and have a nice green lawn, but the grass is all brown in the drought anyways and I'm glad we kept the wildflowers. I was up early to do a bit more office work, but I slept really badly and didn't do a thing all day except listen to music and do some coding (which always makes me feel better). https://flic.kr/p/28d5chJ

July 17, 2018. I went into the office today, got caught up on email, watered the plants, completed a proposal evaluation, parked too close to some guy parked in the e-car parking spot, completed a longish survey (that closed last week)... then in the evening, I went to an Ottawa Graph meetup to learn more about Merkle DAGs (which I did, though I was totally at home with the discussion, bonus). This is a display in Ottawa City Hall, where I parked (no e-car spots, sadly - there's one occupied spot outside, that's it). https://flic.kr/p/MaE5Js

July 16, 2018. I took a break from biking in order to run errands and to help gRSShopper adapt to the new environment (including turning on caching to relieve Reclaim's poor CPUs). Meanwhile this monarch butterfly ran some errands of its own in our back yard. https://flic.kr/p/298NZBo

July 15, 2018. Watched the World Cup game then went out for what should have been a short ride but ended up being the longest ride of the year. It was warm, conditions were perfect, and I also biked at the best pace of the year, our to St-Bernardin and back, some 74 kilometers. https://flic.kr/p/27NeUfc

July 14, 2018. Another hot and humid day, not exactly ideal weather for a frog, but this tree frog seemed comfortable nestled in the buckthorn. I went out for a bike ride today, just a quick 50 km. https://flic.kr/p/Ku7WhF

July 13, 2018. For our last day at Mont Tremblant we took the gondola to the top of the mountain and hiked the 360 trail. The day was a bit hazy instead of the brilliant blue skies we've been having, but it was still very warm, even at the summit. https://flic.kr/p/297xbov

July 12, 2018. We went into Mont Tremblant National Park for the short hike in to see La Chute du Diable. Another perfect day in the sunshine, followed by an evening show at the Blues Fest. https://flic.kr/p/27Zttwj

July 11, 2018. 25x50 Day 4. Cycled from Mont Tremblant to Labelle along the route of the former Petit Train du Nord through some beautiful northern lakes country. This evening: Sue Medley Band. https://flic.kr/p/27XtKQy

July 10, 2018. We drove up to Mont Tremblant today and among other things saw a couple blues bands at the festival. We also bought jelly beans, walked around for a bit, and ate pizza. Beautiful day, spectacular weather, and I got a load of photos. https://flic.kr/p/28WKqFL

July 9, 2018. There's a whole ecosystem at the tip of the flower, with the hovering bee being only the most obvious participant. Today was a half-work day as I went into the office for a bit. I also continued the server migration to Reclaim. https://flic.kr/p/27TzVJU

July 8, 2018. 25 x 50 Day 3. Tough cycling into the teeth of the wind for 30 km to reach Morewood. Another very warm day. This overgrown yard is on Morewood's main road. https://flic.kr/p/27RE4Pf

July 7, 2018. 25x50 Day 2. This is a corner long highway 14 where I rested for a bit on my ride to Northfield and Dixson (total distance 71.7km). It was a very hot day and while I had enough water, I still had a bit of leg cramping. https://flic.kr/p/LMzwjs

July 6, 2018. So we decided to take the car an run a few errands, niot because they really needed doing, but because, well, you know. Also, it was too windy for biking. Tomorrow, though. These malvas are in the front garden and go really well with the grey stone driveway. https://flic.kr/p/28P7FAw

July 5, 2018. Pictured here is our brand new Honda Clarity. It's a PHEV - a Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle. What that means is that it runs as an electric car, but has a secondary gas motor in case power, range or speed are needed. We ordered it back in March and took delivery today. So far (after 40 km) I'm delighted with the car. https://flic.kr/p/27tBeip

July 4, 2018. Another quiet day getting a little stuff done, puttering on the computer, picking blakcaps, and getting ready for an exciting day tomorrow. https://flic.kr/p/264QgLS

July 3, 2018. We think this shrub growing near the back shed is a huckleberry. Wouldn't that be nice! Another quiet day with a bit of paperwork done, a visit to the bike shop, more reading on blockchains, and some enjoyable World Cup watching (though I really feel for my friends in Colombia). https://flic.kr/p/28MVM1M

July 2, 2018. I spent a very quiet day indoors reading about blockchains. Outside, it was stifling hot. We thought we might get hit by the big thunderstorm, but no such luck. https://flic.kr/p/27ECYjL

July 1, 2018. These are the Ottawa Senators prospects visiting for the national anthem at the Champions game on Canada Day. It was incredibly hot, but we were treated to an excellent 2-hit shutout by Champions pitchers. https://flic.kr/p/LAkTRj