Let's Make Some Art, Dammit

July 21, 2023. This tube forms a doughnut shape, and the cats love playing it in. Here Emma sits ready to pounce on any other cat venturing nearby. Nobody can see her, of course. https://flic.kr/p/2oRLTXD

July 20, 2023. This is an old rail trail near Crysler. After working from home for the day I took a quick loop through St. Albert and Crysler on the gravel bike. Building up muscles for bnikepacking. https://flic.kr/p/2oRKbde

July 18, 2023. If you go up to the second floor of the By-Ward market in Ottawa (but who does, really?) you'll see these cloud figures in the attic. I was downtown while working from the office to pick up more Hungarian spicy paprika paste, which I put on salmon. Delicious! https://flic.kr/p/2oRK2st

July 17, 2023. This is Lexi, the old lady of our household. She's a good 16 years old now, the eternal kitten who still plays with string and drinks water from the tap. She's thin and frail and I wanted to make sure I got a photograph in. But she's still alert and her ears tell me she's not in pain or anything. Here she is at 12 weeks old in 2007 (and her brother Alex who I still miss desperately). https://flic.kr/p/2oRJcTk

July 16, 2023. I took a bike ride to finch today and visited the Finch Fair. This is the cattle exhibit, pictured. But the runaway fave for me was the bird exhibit, especially the owls and parakeets. I also took a side trip along the Crysler trail on the way back. https://flic.kr/p/2oRmmc8

July 15, 2023. First day back from Tremblant. We were in for an afternoon RedBlacks game, won in a great comeback and overtime touchdown. Best game we've seen as season tick holders. Great stuff. https://flic.kr/p/2oRkP3W

July 14, 2023. This raccoon was sitting in a tree happily eating leaves our last day in Mont Tremblant. Super-early departure, then took Andrea to the hospital for an appointment. Cats were overjoyed when we got home, displayed it by ignoring us. https://flic.kr/p/2oRfdqU

July 12, 2023. We climbed Mont Tremblant today. This is a pond about three quarters of the way up. The full climb was 600 metres, as well as moving 7km horizontally. It was a challenge, of course, but we did it in about six hours total. Even better, I didn't have any soreness at all when we were done (or the next day). It was a bit cooler than the previous day, perfect for hiking. https://flic.kr/p/2oPvTAk

July 11, 2023. This is a gravel back road in the district of Macaza, near Mont Tremblant. I went out with the gravel bike and a half load to see how well the setup would work in the Quebec forest. It was a 47km ride, but I also gained 380 metres elevation, so it was a good test. All went well, and I felt fine after. Beautiful scenery and perfect weather. https://flic.kr/p/2oPqQHJ

July 8, 2023. Went on a long ride on the gravel bike, 80 km to Chesterville and back. It was quite comfortable, not a strain at all. https://flic.kr/p/2oNF4Jc

July 5, 2023. Lily in our back yard. Working at home, writing a new paper. https://flic.kr/p/2oNF4Jn

July 9, 2023. Today's walk was a very hot (and itchy) one on Petrie Island. I've uploaded a photo set. But also, I managed to install my own YouTube clone - PeerTube - on my own web server. Very happy about that. https://flic.kr/p/2oNzB4c

July 4, 2023. Back at work in the office. This is a late evening photo of Julia pondeing at the window. https://flic.kr/p/2oNDw8Q

July 6, 2023. I haven't been able to ride the bike for almost to weeks because of the itch and saddle sores. Now I have them mostly under control and was able to get back out there for a short 26 km ride. https://flic.kr/p/2oNDw8K

July 3, 2023. The view from the train station. We upgraded to business class to enjoy a pleasant ride back complete with a relaxing wait in the lounge and a nice meal served on the train. The cats were overjoyed to see us back again. https://flic.kr/p/2oMpZWa

June 29, 2023. The bike rack outside my office in Ottawa. Another day in the office, this time on a Thursday. I don't know what happened to Tuesday and Wednesday photos; the days blur together, especially with my constant attention to my itch. Over this week, though, I got my IRAP evaluations completed, which is good. https://flic.kr/p/2oMjDvx

June 26, 2023. This was on display in St. Laurant shopping centre. I think it's their contribution to Pride celebrations, but without any real courage of their convictions. I worked in the office today (and they finally got air conditioning working, yay) and also went to the mall for some new shorts, sandals and socks. https://flic.kr/p/2oMjAyW