Let's Make Some Art, Dammit

August 8, 2026. Castor River. Cycled to and from Embrun today to spend the afternoon visiting family, then watched the baseball game in the evening. That's it for a relaxed Saturday. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/imcpBMQ

August 9, 2026. Ducks. We went to the Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary today for a short hike and a lot of photos. It was humid and warm and there were a lot of mosquitos. But the pictures made it totally worth it. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/6fSMTtg

August 7, 2026. Friday night at the ball park. There was a great crowd on hand for the Ottawa Titans game against Trois Rivieres. It was country theme night - hence the horse - with fireworks after the game. Very entertaining. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/tib85hC

August 6, 2926. Highway overpass. Almost no wind today, except near the thunderstorms, and I noted how smooth the water on the Nation River is. The highway above is the 417 near Casselman, on my usual cycling route. No, I did not get rained on. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/y0vAOln

August 5, 2026. Corn. Another day just like yesterday as I made a bit more progress cleaning my office and went out for another 25km bike ride. This is a corn field just south of town. Looks like a good year. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/JLThsft

August 4, 2026. Town Hall. This is part of a display for the library in our town hall. No, I did not go to sign up for municipal election (though it's tempting) but rather to get stickers for extra garbage bags. I feel like I'm now at the start of my post-retirement life, and job number one is to clean and restore my environment. Also went for a bike ride today. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/VZhswjl

August 3, 2026. Small butterfly observed on our hike today in Pine Grove Forest. Lots of water on the ground, but at least it wasn't raining. <a href="https://flic.kr/p/2stwfMv">https://flic.kr/p/2stwfMv</a> August 3, 2026 at 09:58AM

August 2, 2026. Rain Day. Normally we go for a hike on Sunday but with torrential rains all day we postponed to Monday. So it was an indoor day, puttering on the computer, not especially productive. Also, I had really itchy feet all day (a bad sock choice for cycling the day before). #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/cGMusyz

August 1, 2026. I dropped off Andrea, picked up the bike, took the car in to be cleaned, then spent four hours cycling to Osgoode on the old rail trail, and back via River Road. A nice day, and to top it off, the Blue Jays won. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/MPsF90m

July 31, 2026. RedBlacks. It was Friday night football day today. Kind of a long day; I was an hour early for my doctor appointment (the risk of scheduling while cycling in the rain in a different time zone). Got some new Crocs to replace the ones lost on the ride. The game itself wasn&#39;t good; Ottawa quite rightly fired the defensive coordinator after, and the coach/GM has to be hanging on by a thread. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/wZF6oI8

July 30, 2026. Billy. Before I went traveling I went to Idea for a case to keep my various speaker's gifts from over the years; I wanted glass doors so they wouldn't collect dust. Getting the Ikea Billy bookcase set up was a task, and then it didn't fit right. Today I shook up my home office and moved it to its new location. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/F2VOexT

July 29, 2026. Moon. Today was dentist day as I went in for a regular cleaning and then took my bike into the shop for some repairs. I usually go to A&W after the dentist, which I did today, but it didn't sit well with me this time; looks like my one fast food treat tradition won't survive GLP-1 treatments. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/2Yvr4hm

July 28, 2026. Baseball. When I was pushing through the cold and the rain over the last month I was dreaming about sitting in the stands on a sultry summer evening watching a ball game. Tonight we went for an Ottawa Titans doubleheader. First game was a dog but the second was a 1-0 thriller. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/Nq3X8rT

July 27, 2026. Jeff Banister and the Lenses. Scene from a shelf in my home office, where I spent most of the day puttering. I&#39;m still in trip recovery mode, but beginning to do stuff again. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/rOMHswA

July 26, 2026. We went for a hike in Larose Forest west today; I haven't been there in the summer for quite a while. Listened to the ball game, though that was just disappointing. <a href="https://flic.kr/p/2srvJ22">https://flic.kr/p/2srvJ22</a> July 26, 2026 at 09:18AM

July 25, 2026. Grass, as seen from the basement window. Today&#39;s accomplishment was to upload a video. We also went to Costco. Also got some OLDaily posts done. Still not very ambitious. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/kJBbCuL

July 24, 2026. First day back. This is the basement floor. It&#39;s my first day back after a long time on the road. I got my photos uploaded to Flickr, which is plenty for one day. So tired. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/TiGjH4M

https://www.youtube.com/watch/oU1yQHRzrEE

July 23, 2026. Home again. Back after a long travel day in which a lot of things did not work the way they should. A case of summer travel? Luggage will follow, but at least my bike box arrived - beaten and ragged and sent to the wrong belt. Sore and tired - not just sleepy but body tired. It&#39;s good, though. It&#39;s what adventure feels like, and what am I without adventure? #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/O4eDVcw

July 21, 2026. Borgarnes. Iceland, Day 27. I picked up a rental car to transfer all my stuff to the airport in time for my morning flight Thursday, retrieved my trailer, then kept heading away from the city for as much time as I had, which got me to Borgarnes and one last beautiful mountain shot. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/3MdypU6

July 20, 2026. Botanical Gardens. Today was a day for getting stuff done as I dropped off the bike to get boxed and did all my laundry. But I also took some time to walk around the botanical gardens in the rain, where I spotted this beauty. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/UjP1eqI

July 19, 2026. Back in Reykjavik. Iceland, day 25. Packed up in the rain and the wind, rode down to the port, caught the ferry, then took two buses in Reykjavik, rode through better weather to the campsite (thus pic at a grocery stop en route), set up, ate, then watched the world cup. Congrats and well deserved Spain. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/hGM6pFA

July 18, 2026. Puffin. Iceland, Day 24. Sure, there are many puffins in the world but what makes this one significant is that I cycled here from the airport and climbed to the cliff to take this photo myself. No artificial tech like cars or buses. I also visited the beluga sanctuary in my second day on Heimaey. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/WedZHsP

July 17, 2026. Bjarnarey. Iceland, Day 22. I sent the day on the main Westmann Island, Heimaey, exploring and relaxing. I also took a boat excursion that gave us a good look at an outer island, Bjarnarey. Currently camping in an old volcano crater. For once, the weather was sunny! #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/5kHbh0c

July 16, 2026. Westmann Islands. Iceland, Day 22. I cycled 45 km from Hella to the ferry, happily no rain (except at the island) and not so many hills. The wind, though not really a help, was at least not in my face. It was still cold, though, and I was happy to take breaks where I could. This was probably my last long ride of the trip, which should do wonders for my aching bones. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/vtHagZR

July 15, 2026. Walter Mitty Bridge. Iceland, Day 21. Cycled from Selfoss to Hella today. Lots of traffic and the weather did not clear up as promised - instead I fought wind and rain the whole way. This is my second time seeing the Walter Mitty Bridge, but I&#39;ve never seen the movie. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/3Ng8M7Y

July 14, 2026. Still in Selfoss. Iceland, day 20. Second zero day. It was well chosen. There was a steady heavy rain all day along with a high wind. I rested indoors, except for a brief outdoor walk where I spotted these creatures under the Selfoss bridge. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/XDA3amN

July 13, 2026. Selfoss. Iceland, Day 19. This is a genuine zero day, complete with a hotel stay (and may I say, the $150 suite I got at Aska Selfoss is the best deal in Iceland). It&#39;s pouring rain outside. I&#39;ve caught up on sleep, dried out, gotten some proper food in me, and am easing my various aches and pains. Seen is the Ölfusá looking downstream just near the bridge. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/lwOhEfr

July 12, 2026. To Selfoss. Iceland, Day 18. This was the scene to my right as I pushed my bike up yet another hill. I had already spent a couple hours cycling slowly through that cloud you see at the top. Rain and wind throughout. It&#39;s funny to think that only 22 km would take so much effort on my part, but that is how it is this trip. Better reward and the end, though - a hotel room and pizza. Gotta try to build up my strength. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/aFBbOf6

July 11, 2026. Borg. Iceland, Day 17. Today was brutal. Took down the tent in the wind and rain, rode all day against both, and set it up in a plain field in the windy rainy campsite at Borg. Thank goodness for dry-bags. Huddled in my tent and tried to stay warm in the evening; there are no services here at Borg. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/c18Yx9A

July 9, 2026. Flúðir. Iceland, Day 15. From Reykholt I took a day trip to Flúðir, about 12 km each way. This is the Alda Aldanna statue in the centre of the small town in front of the school. I visited the Secret Lagoon while there and spent maybe an hour soaking in the hot spring water. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/gOjLTNS

July 9, 2926. Horses. Iceland, Day 15. Today was rainy a good part of the day so I did nothing but laundry. I also ate a lot of food. Also got my newsletter working again. Mostly, today was about rest. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/fjU7Vvt

July 8, 2026. Faxafoss. Iceland, Day 14. Cycled about 20 km to Reykholt in a short break in the rain, where I was able to buy real food and find a campground with proper services (except picnic tables). Other than that, it rained, pretty much non-stop. Everything I own is at least a bit damp. There&#39;s laundry here, though, thank goodness. When I got here I discovered that the pain in my stomach was hunger. I devoured half a loaf of bread and peanut butter, plus a can of peaches. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/mcGgJ4k

July 7, 2026. Geysir. Iceland, Day 13. Today was a rain day, but in between rain showers I took the opportunity to explore the geyser site and to walk up the small mountain overlooking (beyond which the scenery was gorgeous). #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/8v2cykn

July 6, 2026. To Geysir. Iceland, Day 12. A bit longer a ride today (I didn&#39;t feel like staying in Laugarvatn) and fewer hills, but cooler and again against the wind. I made it feeling better than the previous day - still not strong but I made good time. I didn&#39;t actually go look at the geysers - time for that tomorrow. It&#39;s a major tourist draw and - disappointingly - you can&#39;t buy food here, only order from the restaurant. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/2y0glsB

July 5, 2026. Laugarvatn. Iceland, Day 11. Cycling on a bright sunny warm day with a lot of uphill and against the wind. Less than 30km but it still took a lot out of me - felt weak entering Laugarvatn so I set up camp then went and ate a pizza. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/AWYI2Pa

July 4, 2026. Exploring Thingviller. Iceland, Day 10? It was a beautiful sunny day at maybe 14 degrees and I got all my errands done and had time to explore the national park. This is Silfra (sp?) where the continental plates are pulling apart. People dive in these crystal clear waters - I watched them. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/yo3dgRD

July 3, 2026. Thingviller. Iceland, Day 9. Today (supposed to be sunny all day) started with a downpour for several hours. Meanwhile, I split my stuff in two and left the heavier stuff - including almost all my electronics - in the trailer, which I left in the care of the campsite. So now I traveling a lot lighter, which made it a lot easier to get over the pass, kind of necessary in my current weaker state. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/HpadqKV

July 2, 2026. Campsite. Iceland, Day 8. I had a nice relaxing day at this beautiful campsite as it rained torrents off and on through the day. Mostly I spent the time reading. As I said to Andrea today, I&#39;m in a good place right now, happy and calm. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/iyExKcW

July 1, 2026. Colossus. Iceland, Day 7. The photo doesn&#39;t do justice to the size of my new tent neighbour, which I call Colossus. It&#39;s battery powered, air cooled, and holds four (though they had extra help setting it up last night). I&#39;m not going to let it get to me, though it did have me thinking thoughts about how to be more happy and less grouchy. It&#39;s not so easy some days. Ah - but this campsite is beautiful, I&#39;m staying extra days. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/z90s13q

June 29, 2026. Iceland, Day 5. Recovery Day. This is a fledgling robin busy molting its baby feathers to reveal it&#39;s full colours. Apt. I spent the day at Reykjavik campsite recovering, doing nothing but reading, writing, and eating a lot of food. By the end of the day I felt human again. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/nrUMs29

June 28, 2026. Art Museum. Iceland, Day 4. Spent at least a little time admiring the art while I stopped for an emergency break. A rough day today, and I bailed part way through (but late in the afternoon) and went to Reykjavik campsite. Still ill and tired. I will probably rest here for a day even if I feel good to go. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/EVTOAgI

June 27, 2026. The watch. 1991 by Timo Solis. Stands above the Hafnarfjordur campsite where I&#39;ve been all day, doing nothing. I&#39;m under the weather and really needed a rest day. This isn&#39;t the best place for that, as there are no services, but it will have to do. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/YQHhgfr

June 26, 2026. Iceland, Dar 2. Nardvik to Hafnarfjordur. Cool, but not too rainy, wind at my back. Most of the ride was along the major highway. Caught a cold, naturally. Trying to balance the physical exertion with the various meds I&#39;m on is a trick. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/mYzI5iy

June 25, 2026. I&#39;m in Iceland now, in a tent, and recovering from an Odyssey that took me from below the equator to the edge of the Arctic Circle. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/KQecFr6

June 23, 2026. Union Station. After a bus ride, two flights, and the UP train, I&#39;m at Union Station in Toronto, there to catch a train to Ottawa, from which I&#39;m supposed to drive home (don&#39;t bet against me just booking a hotel room and then driving home and thence to Montreal tomorrow. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/yh7mF6p

July 22, 2026. Andes. Took the bus back from Cuenca to the coast and had a much better view of the mountains. It really is spectacular scenery, with steep slopes and narrow winding river valleys. Taking the red-eye to Toronto tonight, then the train home tomorrow. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/LTUDKx5

June 21, 2026. Cuenca. Went for a long slow walk through the city today, taking great care not to injure my knee (don&#39;t want a repeat of last year). #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/cM5FeNZ

June 20, 2026. Cuenca. I&#39;m in a little pub &amp; restaurant in Ecuador&#39;s third largest city watching their team in the World Cup. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/K4XNSfw

June 18, 2026. Guayaquil. Switched hotels today, spending time exploring a different part of the city. Most of the day, though, was focused on preparing my talk #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/P8Y4wte

June 17, 2026. Iguana Day. I gave my online talk this morning and then went for a walk in Guayaquil where I spotted this beauty. #SDDaily. URL: https://ift.tt/F9EVt2O