A magical day

Yesterday was one of the days that made me think I was in a magical world. It started out as being a foggy day but when the temperature dropped and began to freeze, it turned beautiful. I was at work and in wonder but called Joe to take some pictures and boy, did he take pictures. Eighty-two in all but I only saved 61. Here are a couple that I found fascinating. They were all taken in our yard near Washington, Ontario.

My computer

I recently bought a new computer for traveling. It will allow me to download pictures from my trips abroad and store them on the computer.

Lately, I have been using the high speed wireless connection at the Plattsville library. Nice.

I have really got into using Google Earth. Something that I was unable to use using a dial-up connection. I've been able to see some of the places that I have visited in the past and some that I hope to visit in the future.

One more feature

The Canon G-7 also has the ability to switch colours. It involves assigning one colour and switching it with another chosen colour.

In this post I give you an example of one of our perennial gardens and the colour switched was: Orange replacing a variation of green.

Another colour accent

Earlier this year I told you of my new Canon G-7 Camera and it's ability to accent one colour in a scene.

I have been experimenting with this feature and have a better picture that I want to show.

It is a picture of the winter wheat late in the summer season. The colour that I highlighted was the orange glow of the field.

Our little kitty

About 5 years ago, a stray cat adopted Joe and I. She is a strange cat. She loves Joe and I to death but doesn't what to be bothered by others.

She is so at home with us that she often shows her tummy. Something that most cats do not do.

The other night, we had a fire lit in the wood stove and she just loves the heat from that. She often goes halfway up the stairs were the hot air is rising and basks in the heat.

Here is a picture in that position on the stairs.

The Boy's Weekend

Warren, Greg and Randy in front of the log cottage.

One of the fancy hotels in Bayfield.

For the first time on one of our bi-yearly trips, we decided to go to Bayfield. A pretty little town on Lake Huron.

In addition to our usual past-times we also took in the village and enjoyed the shops and the shoreline. Lake shore property is sure getting expensive.

My brother Greg, took up his movie camera and we took pictures of the band playing. The band is made up of brothers, Greg, Warren, Armand and Randy and friend of the family, John. While taking some camera shots and angles from the floor, I lost my footing and fell backward. That should make for even more artistic shots.

Joe and I go back to Montreal

Joe and I visited Montreal again this year. We took in Divers/Cité in the gay village. We saw Lila Downs (we own most of her CD's). There were 3 stages, each with a different theme. We took in the Festival Latino and the drag show called Mascara. After the shows each night, before midnight, everyone seemed to go to the gay village. Rue Ste-Catherine was closed to traffic but there were so many people that it was almost impossible to walk.

Catch up time

I have a lot to catch up on. Since June, we had many visitors and we saw lots of places.
Julia visited from Budapest, Hungary. We went to Toronto for the Pride Parade, Montreal, Stratford (Stratford Festival), Long Point and took two trips to Woodstock.

The trip to Montreal was most memorable. In addition to the regular stops the city was busting with excitement and entertainment. We visited the botanical gardens as well as the Gay Village. We went to the top of Mount Royal and visited the shops and restaurants of old Montreal.

Since a picture is worth a 1000 words here a few pictures.

Pride Parade in Toronto.

Julia with a young weasel in our back yard.

Joe, a drag queen and Julia, in front of Mado in the Village in Montreal.

Julia and me in old Montreal.

Randy and Patty's Day

Today is the wedding day for Randy and Patty. They have asked me to be their official photographer. I am always reluctant to do such things because it means so much to them and me. I am always afraid they may not like my work.

Pictured: Gale, Walter, Patty, Randy and Kylie.

Yesterday, Frank from Reno, visited and we are having some good times together. We watched a movie that is a bit of cult film from 1969 called Easy Rider. It was actually my first time to view it. I liked it. Great backgrounds of the south and mid-west America.

Busy Week

I have very busy this week while on holidays. The grounds had to be manicured and the gardens prepared and mulched. There is a chance of rain today and my outdoor activities may have to be suspended. However, there are another set of tasks in the house to do.

Spring is such a nice time of year and here is a picture to prove it.


The picture is of one of many lilacs on the property with a flowering almond that has gone wild in the background.

Julia Visits

In about 5 weeks, a very special visitor will be here. Julia from Hungary will spend at least 3 weeks with us.

We are spending at least 3 days in Montreal and a couple in Toronto during her stay.

Initially we thought we would spend a week up on the lake in a rented cottage but on second thought we are already live in the quite countryside and decided against it. We will likely go to the beach on Lake Erie at Long Point, weather permitting.

I am sure that when she arrives we will think of all kinds of things to see and do.

Hair Day

Last Sunday John, Cecile, Rich and Eve came to visit. Just like other times when we get together with John, we get hair cuts. Today was no exception. The pictures are of John and Rich and John and Joe. Next time we get together will be at the end of next month in Hamilton, the home of John and Cecile.

Another Dodge disappointment

Sheesh! This is getting ridiculous. I just found out that the tires on the Dakota are not available through Canadian Tire. It seems that the tire is a rare one and wasn't used on many makes of vehicles. I did find a tire store that had it in stock but for how long is anyone's guess. I ordered two but I need four but can't afford all four. I'm going to take a chance that the tire will still be around next year when I replace the other two. Wish me luck!

Now, to make matters worse, I had to take it in this week for a drive clean test. It failed. One of the routes to go is to have it analyzed to see what the problem is. Then, it can be passed temporarily for one year. This is what I did. But eventually it will need a catalytic converter at around $900 a shot. I'm not impressed.

Our visit to Alma

We visited our dear friends in Alma this weekend. They have the most beautiful home on many acres just outside Alma not far from Elmira. Their house is energy efficient and very unique in design. They have designed their house around a central plenum, which most heat releasing appliance use and then that heat is recovered and again used to heat the house. There is also large south windows and and dark ceramic tile floors.

Our friends are very involved in their businesses. They are constantly on the go and have very little time for socializing. So, we don't get together that often.

I attach a photo of the west side of their house and Paul is looking out the window.

Spring has arrived

Spring is in the air in Southwestern Ontario. With my new camera I can take as many pictures as like without wasting film. Great way to experiment. Here are a couple that I took a couple of days ago.

The new camera

I bought the Canon G-7 and am in love with it. It has a lot of point and shoot features as well as being able to use manual settings. It's everything I wanted in a camera and it is easy to use. One of the pictures that I took recently is of the western sky at sunset. The camera has a feature called Colour Accent which allows for highlighting on a particular colour in a scene and then using only those colours. Here is that picture:

Some improvement, finally

My cold/flu is finally breaking. It's been a very uncomfortable four days. Little sleep and lots of couphing and pain.

With any luck, I'll be back to work soon.

Change of plans

Unfortunately, I came down with a very severe chest cold/flu so I didn't go to Toronto with Joe. Instead I stayed at home and in bed most of the weekend. Sigh.

Sick

I was a bit under the weather today.

Yesterday, I felt a tickle in my throat. Last night and today it blossomed into a chest cold. I have been getting pletty of rest and am already feeling better.

The changing weather has a lot do with this. It has been very cold of late and then just recently it warmed up to a balmy 6 degrees celcius. Now, we are going back to the minus teens celcius. Maybe I should just go to bed for the winter. The bears do.

Conference in TO

We're off to Toronto.

This is a conference for COUSA members and non-members. I will like just be an observer. I am going as Joe's guest or spouse. The workshops are interesting if I have the chance to attend. I am interested in the workshop dealing with stress, depression and anxiety.

This is the first of a couple of conferences we will be attending. Another one that is coming up is with the OSSTF also in Toronto. This one is their biggies for the Annual Meeting of the Provincial Assembly. It will be held at the Toronto Sheraton Centre, WOW!

For an update as to what happened at these conferences, check back here.

A scare

Last night while dining at one our favourite restaurants, I began choking. At first, I thought that I could clear the food by just coughing. Usually works and besides it seems natural. This time however, it didn't succeed and the particle of food covered my windpipe. I then had shortness of breath and panicked. I wanted to make my way to the washroom in case I had to stick my finger down my throat. On the way over someone came up behind me and gave me the Heimlick maneuver. It worked.

I have never had an experience like that one before and hope it never happens again.

I went back to my table and continued to eat my food. Then the fire department arrived because one of the staff called 911. I explained what had happened and gave them my name.

I think I just used up one of my nine lives.

Photos with Picasa

Istanbul

The renovated bathroom.

The crystal staircase at Dolmabahce Palace, Istanbul.

An old wooden house on a street scene in Sultanhamet, Istanbul.

A plaza not far from the Spice Bazar.

Pictures from Turkey

Dolmabahce Palace, Istanbul.

Almost There

The bathroom renovation is almost complete. It sure is much brighter than it was. The contractor has two 100 watt bare light bulbs in the ceiling which make it stark. Once the bathroom lights go in and the counter, sink etc. it will be complete and clean.

The weather lately around here has been depressing. Lots of clouds, rain and cool temps.

I am going to booking my vacation time for next year on Monday morning. I hope that I get my first selections but I have backup weeks just in case.

That's all for now but I will post some pictures of the completed renovation soon.

Chaos

Once again the house will be in total chaos. This time the bathroom will be renovated and updated. I just cleaned out some of the stuff that has accumulated over the years. Sheesh.

In the end, it will all be worthwhile, However, since the house hasn't been painted in side for a number of years, I guess I have my work cut out for me.

This damn truck

I'll never buy another Dodge.

Three months ago I had to replace the universal joint, that wasn't bad, but it had damaged the transmission.

Now, once again, I am going to hand over $600 for a set of ball joints. Sheesh.

Ah Montreal

This trip was the best. We took in The Montreal Botanical Gardens and I was totally blown away. The feature for the next month is in the Chinese garden and it will feature the Lights Festival. And what a sight to behold. These aren't your ordinary garden Chinese lanterns, with some very large and look like a scene such as a fishing boat or row boat with a rowing crew. I'd definitely go back to the garden for other festivals. The Japanese garden is worth seeing too.

One of the areas of Montreal that I found fascinating was Outremont. Some of the streets are very pleasant for walking with a neighbourhood park on every other street. Very charming, although a bit pricey for living in.

I'm looking forward to another return to Montreal in the not too distant future.

This is a first

I have never done this before, but, what the heck, why not? Joe and I are going to Montreal for a second time this year. I have one more week vacation this year and decided to take in Montreal once more. We plan on visiting the neighborhood markets and the botanical gardens. We'll also just hang out on some of the streets of St. Denis and St. Laurent.

Again this time, we will take the Via Rail train. It is so comfortable and relaxing to let the train do all of the driving. We arrived relaxed and ready for a day on the city. We'll take the early train this time to maximize our stay. The best site for information on Montreal is Tourism Montreal.

I will not say if this is the last trip this year to Montreal. I always wanted to see Montreal in the winter.

Off to Montreal

In one week's time, we will be off to Montreal. This will make 5 years in a row that we have gone to this fun city.

This year we are taking in part of the 'Just for Laughs' festival. We have a live mike format with the 'best of the fest' performing at Comedyworks. Another venue is the 'Twins Weekend.' We haven't entered the contest yet but may once we arrive.

Some other events that we may take in are:

• International Fireworks Competition
• Sinatra sings Sinatra - Caberet du Casino de Montreal
• The Gay Body - contemporary art

We'll do things different this time though. We will nap in the daytime and then party at night.

Looking forward to it.

It's been 3 weeks

It's been three weeks since we returned for Europe. My, how time flies. I have posted many of the photos from our trip to Europe on Flickr.com. I am a bit disappointed with some of the results from the photo lab. I don't know exactly what happened. It could be bad chemical mix or the film got damaged going or coming from Europe. But they turned out a bit on the dark side and have a purple tinge.
Here is the link to my photos on Flickr.

We're Back

It's been a week since we arrived back home. I have been catching up on some my daily routines. The trip was exceptional and very adventurous. We spent a week in Istanbul and I was completely blown away by it's charm and beauty. We met some very friendly Turks in our hotel and spent some evening talking and smoking a water pipe with them. At first, I was taken back by the number of people on the streets but soon got used to the hustle and bustle of this city.

We then spent two weeks in Hungary visiting places like Gyor, Vesprem and Debrecen. Our hosts in Budapest were very helpful and accommodating.

I am anxiously awaiting the development of the 17 roles of slide film and will be posting several of my favourites here in the next week or so.

Even after this adventure, it is still nice to come home to the routine.

Countdown

It is now 3 weeks today that we arrive in Istanbul. Joe is drawing up an itinerary for our complete three week stay in Europe. We have a tourist book complete with all the sites of Istanbul. It includes a few walking tours that we are likely to do as well as several must see sites. Those sites include:
Blue Mosque
Basilica Cistern
Spice Bazaar
Topkapi Palace
Istanbul Museum (Archaeolgical)
The Bosphorus
Princes' Islands
Istiklal Caddesi and more

We hope to take them all in as well as others.

Istanbul Hotel

We have picked and reserved our hotel in Istanbul. It's called the Petrol Hotel Palace and is located very close to Sultanhamet Mosque. We plan to stay all 7 days and 7 nights at this hotel. The location is great because most of the tourist sites are within easy walking distance. It is also located close to a tram system.

We are anxiously waiting for our trip to begin. It's only 4 weeks today today that we have arrived and spending our first day in Istanbul.

The Waiting Game

It's down to the wire. We have our airline tickets and accommodation in both Turkey and Hungary arranged.

We are now looking over some of the guide books and making some final details as to where we want to go and what we want to see.

Some interesting sights for travel are:

• Turkey welcome you
  
• Budapest
• Istanbul
• Trip advisor

I have decided to use my Minolta for this trip. So I will scan some pictures and post here for your enjoyment.

Istanbul and Budapest, here we come

Well we've pretty well decided to take in Istanbul despite the recent unrest over the images of Mohammed. We think that by the time we arrive it will have died down. We're planning on getting all of our hotels and airline tickets on line for the first time.

Digital vs. analog:

I really think it is time to change the format for taking photographs on this trip. I still have a very good SLR camera but even that make (Minolta) is getting out of the camera business totally. The camera I have my eye on is the Nikon D70s. It is a digital SLR camera which still gives me the benefit of adjusting aperture and speed.

Reflections

In the next 14 months, I will have to publish and hope that it remains on the site, information and photos that I have accumulated over the last 10 years. I want to put as much on line as possible.

I just received a few pictures of transit staff from 1959. These are invaluable for telling a story with a picture. The last one I received shows bus operators from the late 50's in their uniform of the day. They were very much in keeping with the military style that was popular in that era. Our uniforms today are much more casual.

If you're interested, here is the link: CAW Local 4304
Then go to the photos page.

On second thought

We are now looking at the situation in Turkey very closely due to 3 deaths because of H5N1 strain. It is too soon to cancel the trip entirely but we may have to take a few weeks to see what happens. I hope it is just a blip on the map of this virus but time will tell.

I went to see Brokeback Mountain yesterday afternoon and really enjoyed this same sex love story. The theatre had a mix of gay and heterosexual couples and groups. The two main actors were very good with their protrayals of two men who fall for each other during a sheep herding stint.

Tis' the season

Well, here we are again. The end of another year. I am turning 57 years of age in May. By then, I hope to have arrived in Budapest for the second of our three weeks in Europe. The first week will be spent in Istanbul Turkey.

I have already looked into a couple B and B's in both Budapest and Istanbul and am looking a booking our flights on line. That will the first time. Normally, I have used a travel agent. This time because I am familiar with the internet, I have some trust with transactions over the net.

Here is one place in Istanbul that we are planning on staying. A bit on the expensive side but it looks charming. The Sarnic Hotel

I have been going through my collection of slides and came across one from the late 80's that I kind of like.

A couple more

Just to get a better feel of the house. Here a couple more pics. The second picture is from the kitchen side of the glass block wall.

It's done

Here are a couple of photos of the finished product. The living room and the hall are the most restored rooms now in the house. These photos were taken by Joe with a limited pixel digital camera. They are not the best quality.

House and Home

Well, it's finally finished. The renovation and restoration of our home in the country is completed.

I spent most of yesterday just making myself at home with the new surroundings. I bought a couple of items for the living room including a ottoman and a candle holder. I'm trying to use the glass block wall as the main feature and then duplicating and mimicing it in other areas. I bought a carpet called blocks along with two scatter rugs with the same design. They enhance the wall of glass very well. I am also introducing some curves and circles into the room to soften the sharp corners of the glass blocks. The ottoman is one such item.

I'm convinced that with enough money anyone can design and furnish a room.

October 2005

Here it is, October, already.
The days are shortening rapidly.
The fall colours are about to burst.

I have been renovating and restoring my country home. It was built around 1871 and is now in need of some upgrading. I have changed most of the windows and actually reduced the size of one. The house already feels warmer. The biggest project was to put in a glass block wall which enhances the western sky. Just finished the sanding and refinishing of the pine plank flooring in the living and hall.

Surgery

After surgery on Tuesday, I am resting at home for several days. Then I start one weeks holiday where my plan is to go to Montreal for another visit.

Montreal

Warren, Stacia, Joe and I just returned from 3 days of fun in Montreal. We visited the Jazz Festival several times during the weekend and also went to a concert at Place De Arts where we saw the Dave Holland Band. The band consisted of 13 members including 9 piece brass, xylophone, bass and drummer. Although I am not a jazz fan, I appreciated the live jazz of the band. We also took in the Montreal Arts Festival where I bought a oil painting called 'Rue LaSalle' by Raymond Savage. I will be publishing some pictures in the near future from this trip.

Warren and Stacia visit in June 2005. We had a great time in the back yard on very warm and breazy day. They pose in front of one of our perennial beds. 

We've got it

Now that we have the satelite dish I would like to say that I am ready to watch many cultures, news, sports, movies etc. From what I have seen so far, it has many European as well as African, Middle East and Asian stations. To my surprise the satelite is actually above USA and is a relay. So far, I have really only spent time watching Euro News, which is a great alternative to western news stations.

Satelite Dish

A satelite dish would be good to watch the news coverage of Europe. I have found an installer for such a satelite here. I think that it would be beneficial to get the news from their prospective and will enable my partner to keep up on his mother tongue (Hungarian).

Another waterway, more typical buildings and some leaning. This city is truly beautiful and charming. It is a must-see.

The Herrongract Canal with many typical buildings. One of the buildings is leaning noticibly in front of a church tower. There are many examples of buildings leaning but still livable in Amsterdam. The city is built on fill below sea level and the water is controlled by dams.

This is our B & B called Sunhead of 1617. The building was built in 1617 in the traditional dutch style. Our room was on the upper level and had a ceiling that extended to top window of the building. The breakfast here was exceptional with fresh fruit, cereal and on one morning scrambled eggs and a fruit parfait.

Sunhead of 1617

Amsterdam

The final leg of our travel in 2004 was a short flight from Budapest to Amsterdam, Netherlands. We spent 3 days in a B & B on the Herongract Canal near Dam's Square. This wasn't my first visit to Amsterdam. I was there in 1990 with Randy, another brother and his wife, Brenda. This city is best viewed with one of the canal boats for hire.

My trip this time was marred by a bout of a flu that I got on my last day in Budapest. However, after a day I recovered to the point that I could at least enjoy 2 days there.

I only took about a dozen photos from Amsterdam and will show you some of the better ones here.

This is one of many houseboats on the Herongract Canal in Amsterdam.