Let's Make Some Art, Dammit

August 27, 2020. Did a 2-hour presentation, worked on evaluations, and after work drove into the city only to find that the old Costco was closed and the new Costco - apparently one of the largest in Canada - is now open. It may be large but there still isn't enough space in the parking lot. https://flic.kr/p/2jAX5ie

August 26, 2020. Missed a photo yesterday. Been back at work in the home office, configuring VPN on the desktop, in meetings, and (today) spent a day working on Docker on Reclaim Cloud (with no evidence of progress). https://flic.kr/p/2jAoBdN

August 24, 2020. Back at work today in the home office - started the day with an online interview, got my desktop computer up and running, and caught up on office email Evening: thunderstorms and lightning. Pictured - the sky just after some lightning. https://flic.kr/p/2jAot4X

August 23, 2020. These are growing in our front yard. It was a cool and cloudy day today - it would have been fine for biking but my bike is in the shop. So I stayed in and watched the ball game and spent time working on a paper. https://flic.kr/p/2jArRVv

August 22, 2020. We went to visit family today. These flowers are on a small tree in their front yard (a hydrangea?). I went for a bike ride before the visit on a brand new back wheel - unfortunately the spokes were too loose, the wheel bent like a pretzel, and I had to do emergency repairs before limping home from Maxville. 57 km, 21.5 kph. https://flic.kr/p/2jz9AeY

August 21, 2020. Recall I mentioned weeds and flowers the other day. Here are our weeds. We have nice banks of goldenrod and fleabane, adding a lot of colour to the yard. I think it looks nice, personally. https://flic.kr/p/2jzdQdR

August 20, 2020. This is the milkweed forest we have cultivated in our back yard. They're specifically for monarch butterflies, which feed on them. Last year there were many monarchs, but this year, almost none. I'm not sure whether it's just an off year or whether there has been a catastrophic drop in their population. Either way, it's sad. Did some work and an online interview today. https://flic.kr/p/2jzcHZ4

August 19, 2020. Drove to Plantagenet and then cycled in a loop along the Ottawa River for about 40 km and then back via the Russell Trail (which (note!) has sinkhole in it, one of which sent me flying into the brush). 83 km at a leisurely 18.5 kph (lots of stops for photos). https://flic.kr/p/2jy7Emz

August 18, 2020. It's called a weed, but I like things like Canada fleabane in our front yard; the flowers are nice and the bees are happy. Another rainy day today, and another day spent at work in the home office, writing one proposal and evaluating two others. https://flic.kr/p/2jxGBKS

August 17, 2020. It rained throughout he day and in the evening we had some nice pop-up storms. I spent the day today working on a transcript of a talk and evaluating some funding proposals. https://flic.kr/p/2jxnAwC

August 16, 2020. A gorgeous day for a bike ride. This is Kirk Hill, a village composed of two very large churches and that's about it. It's one of several villages I visited on this ride around what was a brand new route for me, after I drove about a half-hour east of town. It's a historic area, settled by Scots in the late 1700s, and there are numerous old buildings and historic sites. https://flic.kr/p/2jx68CT

August 15, 2020. Lexi is very particular about her water, and the tap must be set at just the right speed. I spent yesterday preparing slides for a talk next week and today recording the video. https://flic.kr/p/2jx2gMP

via IFTTT

August 13, 2020. I put the bike on the car and drove to Cornwall today for a 91.1 km ride to Upper Canada Village and back (I would have rounded it out to an even century but I broke a couple of spokes and the bike was limping along in the homestretch (still averaged 19.9 kph over a bumpy paved bikeway). Beautiful day for a bike ride; I even saw some deer. https://flic.kr/p/2jw84i7

August 12, 2020. Our kittens are still carrying things all over the house. Charlemagne found a piece of balsa that had been retrieved from somewhere and while playing with it sent it flying - this is him twisting after it. https://flic.kr/p/2jw8zQk

August 10, 2020. I was up early this morning, and after repairing a rack and a broken spoke, was off on my bicycle for a 102 km ride to the Ottawa River and back. This shed is in a field of flowers a few km north of Clarence Creek. Got stung by a wasp and rained on but still had a great ride. https://flic.kr/p/2jv7mea

August 9, 2020. This is Emma weighing her options. Caught up on a lot of reading this rainy Sunday and wrote a number of posts. https://flic.kr/p/2jv2jcL

August 8, 2020. This little piece of paradise is on Robinsons Corners Road, halfway between Maxville and Warina. This was a ride of 63 km today (yes, I'm enjoying my vacation). https://flic.kr/p/2jumTKZ

August 7, 2020. This is where the Castor River and the Nation River come together, just a couple of kilometers east of Casselman. Another ride today, this time 68 km @ 21.1 kph south to Finch and Newington. I haven't been reading work email at all and I think I feel better for it. https://flic.kr/p/2jueSsU

August 6, 2020. Picked up a new tire today and went for a short 51 km ride to break it in. This is Reveler Conservation Area, between Chrysler and Cannamore. It's a 100 acre outcrop covered with scrub brush and distinctive rocks, as seen here. https://flic.kr/p/2jtJPCH

August 5, 2020. This is a wild turkey and three chicks we spotted by the road just on the edge of town. The wild turkeys are new to eastern Ontario, at least to my memory - I never saw them or heard of them being around when I was growing up here as a kid. https://flic.kr/p/2jtCc9U

August 4, 2020. This is Julia, our quietest and most serious kitten (though she can wrestle with the best of them). Indoor day today with a steady rain outside. Enjoying my vacation (which, I've discovered, is even better if I don't read any work email). https://flic.kr/p/2jt64wH

August 3, 2020. I wore through my bicycle tires and there were two large holes in them by the time I reached Finch, but (lessons learned from the past) I had some emergency duct tape and was able to hold them together long enough to get home. 57.8 km @ 20.6 kph. And I met my annual 2000 km goal with this ride. Pictured is St Luke's Presbyterian Church in Finch. https://flic.kr/p/2jsX2cP

August 2, 2020. Our unusually hot summer has resulted in a lot of thunderstorm activity over the last week or so, including a tornado watch in the evening. Nothing came of it here in Casselman but the skies make for interesting photography. Otherwise, it was a quiet day spent inside catching up on email and watching videos. https://flic.kr/p/2jsCSB1

August 1, 2020. Today was a beautiful day for a 105 km bike ride to Vankleek Hill and back. It was hot, but not too hot. Lots of cyclists were out, all faster than me (though I'm happy with my 20.3 kph over that distance). For the entire trip I listened to the first 15 chapters of Trevor Noah's book 'Born a Crime', which is really quite a good book. https://flic.kr/p/2jseM5C

July 31, 2020. Last year the air was thick with monarch butterflies. This year they have been scarce. This is the only monarch caterpillar we've seen so far in our milkweed crop in the back yard. Sunny day today but I felt like I needed rest more than cycling so spent it indoors. https://flic.kr/p/2jse96s

Juky 30, 2020. This is a grasshopper on a budding flower in our back yard. Today was a busy day, with an early morning meeting for an International Science Council group, then a presentation for Contact North later in the morning, followed by a trip to the Costco. https://flic.kr/p/2jse3uH