Let's Make Some Art, Dammit

July 30, 2021. It was back home from Tremblant today. This is the view from the Casse-Croute du Lac Remi (ie., a chip wagon). I have a lot of photos to look through, a Blue Jays home opener to watch, and planning to do for my next adventure. https://flic.kr/p/2medyoZ

July 29, 2021. It was a cool and rainy day at Tremblant but that didn't slow us down as we walked the 360 trail at the summit; this is a view from that walk. We also went to the bike shop in town and some shops near the hotel. https://flic.kr/p/2meaq1W

July 28, 2021. We went for a hike to the waterfall near the base of the mountain then took the Gondola to the top to enjoy views like this one. Beautiful day today, nice and warm and sunny. https://flic.kr/p/2mdTR5r

July 27, 2021. Today was a 122 km ride from Mont Tremblant to Lac Nominingue and back. Cool and cloudy for the most part; I cycled pretty fast (for me) at 19.9 kph or the distance, leaving me pretty tired at the end. But rightly so; it's the second-longest ride I've ever made. I made some TikToks for the ride as well. https://flic.kr/p/2mdL4uz

July 2, 2021. We spent the day packing and driving up to Mont Tremblant today to enjoy a few days of well-earned vacation in the Laurentian Mountains. This is a detail from the splash pad near our room. We're in a different building today, Sommit de Neiges, and the room is excellent. https://flic.kr/p/2mdFuHG

July 25, 2021. We went hiking in the Marlborough Forest today, which is at the very south-west corner of Ottawa city limits. Much fewer people than elsewhere, beautiful cedar and scrub forest, the walking trails rougher but still very walkable. The weather was warm and nearly perfect. https://flic.kr/p/2mdpF3T

July 24, 2021. This is the gravel bike and tent (unstaked) test set-up. The bike is cleaned and oiled and the bags have been fitted into place and tested. The tend fits into the handlebar bag; I'll be putting heavy stuff into the frame bag, clothes, food and bedding in the rear panniers, and bicycle repair stuff in the saddle bag. On Monday we're headed for Tremblant and I'll take it for a test ride on the trail (we're also planning some hiking on the mountain). We'll get back Friday and my bicycle trip will begin some time the following week, depending on when my mini-CPAP arrives. https://flic.kr/p/2mdaMWz

July 23, 2021. On the way back from Chesterville I took what turned out to be a dead-end road and found myself pushing my bicycle beside a bean field alongside the Nation River, which is where I took this photo. It's called 'Nation Rise' because that's the name of the wind farm you can see behind the foliage. The windmills were strongly opposed by farmers in the area, and actually cancelled by the Ford government, before it became clear construction was too far along to just stop now. I've long thought it ironic that farmers - who have completely transformed the landscape, would oppose the wind farm. But as you can see, they all work together in harmony. https://flic.kr/p/2md3e5t

July 22, 2021. This is what it looks like alongside the driveway in the front yard: a sea of flowering goldenrod. Yes, this is another plant considered a weed by many, but I would much rather have this splash of colour in my front yard than plain grass. Today was a rain day spend almost entirely inside. I wrote a short blog post on ethics. https://flic.kr/p/2mcXMxA

July 21, 2021. This is the church at Saint-Pascal-Baylon, a tiny community in Clarence-Rockland. It was the objective of my ride today, which was ultimately a 100 km trip north to the Ottawa River and back. I was testing some new gear - a bike saddle bag and a power bank for the phone (which allowed me to record a bunch of TikTok videos from my ride). https://flic.kr/p/2mcHkrm

July 20, 2021. This is the gravel bike, stripped down and ready for cleaning (I was in the mud this spring). I'll be riding this bike on a long road trip in a few weeks. We went in to Bushtakah to pick up some bikepacking supplies, including especially the bags I'll be mounting on the bike. I'll be doing some trial runs in preparation, and I plan to document it all on YouTube (and yes, I'll have some TikToks about it as well). Anyhow, after today, it's getting real! https://flic.kr/p/2mcouQc

July 19, 2021. These are tiny tiny flowers found on a forest floor when I was out for my ride today (I used the macro lens to get the shot). I have no idea what they are, but I like them. 58 hard fought kilometers today in steamy summer weather to Vars and Embrun (family weren't in, I checked) and back. https://flic.kr/p/2mctxiT

July 18, 2021. We went to Petrie Island on the Ottawa River for our hike today, a little more than 6 km but with a lot to see and photograph. First time I've been there, but I'll be sure to return. Super-nice photo set, available here . https://flic.kr/p/2mc5MZS

July 17, 2021. It's hollyhock season in Avonmore, where I stopped briefly on a leisurely 55 km ride today. The weather was low and damp, but we were only at the edge of the rain system and aside from a few drops I felt nothing at all. First day of vacation, so I basically did nothing else but listen to baseball games. https://flic.kr/p/2mbVxam

July 15, 2021. This is Billy Gebbie Arena, part of the Glengarry Sports Palace, in Alexandria, where we drove today so Andrea could get her second vaccine. I took a short walk around (very short, as her process was very fast) and dropped my 300 lens on the sidewalk. The glass is OK but I may still have damaged it. https://flic.kr/p/2mbEBDx

July 14, 2021. This cheese cooperative is an historical operation making some of the finest cheeses in the world. It's a regular stop on my bike rides. I took this photo to add to the public record via WikiShootMe but it proved utterly impossible to figure out how to add the photo, either directly (it was stuck in an authentication loop) or via Wikipedia. So, I'll just send it to Google. https://flic.kr/p/2mbKjtg

July 13, 2021. We have an outbreak of beetles in the back yard - they're munching on this berry tree along with the willow and the ash. Their bright golden shells glinting in the sun were what caught my eye. Today was mostly a catch-up day, with one meeting and some paperwork to complete, plus a little more work on my paper (which is due Friday). https://flic.kr/p/2mbeirQ

July 12, 2021. Bonus photo, taken while I was waiting for the monarch butterfly to land. https://flic.kr/p/2maUaXS

July 12, 2021. This solitary monarch butterfly was flitting around our back yard today, obviously interested in our milkweed plantation. It was nice and warm in the sun when I took this photo, but I still had a bit of a post-vaccine headache so I did get out biking. https://flic.kr/p/2maPkmW

July 11, 2021. As seen in Stony Swamp Trail (NCC 25) where we went for an 8 km hike today. The trail varied between a wide bike pathway to a narrow path alternative between roots, stones and mud. Great hike. Felt much better today now that all my systems have adjusted to the vaccine. https://flic.kr/p/2maC3fi

July 10, 2021. These are mallows in the front yard. I ventured outside today all of 30 seconds to take the photo. Adjusting to my second Covid vaccine took the rest of the day as my immune system kicked into high gear, making me tired, sore and head-achy. https://flic.kr/p/2maBcXB

July 9, 2021. Emma and Char were snuggled together in the box, which by itself was a great photo, and then Emma decided to raise the stakes. Today I got my second vaccine, bought a power bank, and attended a longish meeting in the afternoon. https://flic.kr/p/2mauDfF

July 8, 2021. This is Julia checking out the bird life in the back yard. Worked on a paper today but I'm finding it a struggle to write. I've decided, I think, that I need a vacation - so, one more week or work and then that's it for the summer. https://flic.kr/p/2mapNWy

July 7, 2021. We have dedicated almost our entire back yard to milkweed in an effort to help the monarch butterflies. It doesn't seem to be helping. They were numerous two years ago, but much fewer last year, and this year I've only seen a couple. Nonetheless, we'll keep up with our milkweed until the monarchs disappear entirely. https://flic.kr/p/2maoj4q

July 6, 2021. These are daylilies growing in the back yard (we also have some in front) and they grow wild all over this area. I took this photo after a quick bike ride to St. Albert and back. Finished a paper draft today; it still needs a lot of work, but I have to do a different paper by Friday. I'd take a vacation, but if I have to keep writing papers I may as well be on the job. https://flic.kr/p/2m9WCh7

July 5, 2021. This is our front lawn, right next to the driveway, an assortment of wildflowers that looks nicer than any manicured lawn. Took a rest day after all the cycling and walking on the weekend, let my sore muscles heal, and focused on working on a paper. https://flic.kr/p/2m9WyY8

July 4, 2021. Many nice photos today, but this chipmunk wins the day only because there were so many on our walk we were actually tripping over them! This was out on the Lime Kiln trail in the western Greenbelt, which ranged from forest to beaver dam to marsh to rock walking. 6.5 km or so. https://flic.kr/p/2m9pKxY

July 3, 2021. The thistle is probably the most appropriate image for my ride today which took me on a 107 km loop through the north of Glengarry county, stopping in Dunvegan, Alexandria and Maxville. I pushed against the wind the first 50 km out there, and maybe a quarter of the ride was on gravel roads. It was a tough 100 km (but aren't they all tough) but the fulfillment of a long ambition, made tougher by being the third long ride in as many days. https://flic.kr/p/2m9h5ZU

July 2, 2021. This is the scene on a country road just west of Maxville. I took a lot more care before leaving on my ride today, making sure I had two spare tubes, a proper pressure gauge, batteries charged, etc. and had a much nicer ride. It was pretty cool today with a strong wind. Strava said 55km but I left it turned off for a five km stretch (all downhill and with the wind) heading out of Maxville. https://flic.kr/p/2m9fQQG

July 1, 2021. South and west of Finch is the former town of Sandtown, once the site of sand quarries, now mostly peaceful agricultural land. This piece of equipment is a reminder of the early days. I had a tough 70 km ride today, complete with a flat, a broken helmet strap, low batteries and just plain difficult riding. https://flic.kr/p/2m9fjiE

June 30, 2021. These are male and female purple finches enjoying our new feeder. Days like this I wish I had a better lens to capture them. But I'm still pretty happy with this photo. I did a little work on my paper and learned that while one A&W mozza burger is OK, two will make me feel ill. That's probably a good sign. https://flic.kr/p/2m8HQTg

June 29, 2021. This is the Castor River where it meets the Nation River just west of Casselman. It was a perfect day for a bike ride today, and after repairing my flat yesterday I went for a brisk loop to St. Albert. My paper is also progressing well. https://flic.kr/p/2m8Lzme

June 28, 2021. This is a telecom truck out front running cable. Is it fibre? What else could it be? No idea. Ironically, I'm also testing a modem for TechSavvy, which means that the internet signal was interrupted at exactly the time the truck was out front. The two events are completely unrelated. But the timing was funny. Anyhow, the new modem works fine. Changing the modem was about my only productive work for the day. https://flic.kr/p/2m8GKZy

June 27, 2021. This is grass as seen from the bathroom window in the basement. I like the way we see the clouds behind it. Still working on papers. I'm not actually posting this until a few days later - you can get a sense of my state of mind by how I upload my photos. If they're from my phone (as this is) I'm distracted. If they're delayed I'm struggling a bit. And that's true. It's this stupid debate with Stommel; at the same time he is criticizing my (non-existent) ad hominems he advances very personal attacks. Things like this bother me a lot. So it has been hard this week to get on track. https://flic.kr/p/2m8MVGy

June 26, 2021. Andrea says this is a type of finch, because of the shape of the bill, and although it looks like a sparrow I am inclined to agree. It's probably a female, and might be a purple finch. Anyhow, as you can see, we have a new feeder, one specifically designed for smaller birds. We also have a new large tray feeder as well, but there's no urgency to get that one out. I've been working on papers recently, and with the so-so weather haven't been out for a ride. https://flic.kr/p/2m8Hwr6