May 28, 5:30 am Life
There was rain, thunder, and lightening this morning, so we packed up our stuff and headed back to Kingston.
May 27, 4:00 PM Life
We continued birding today, combining it with a little shopping in Picton. We first drove to ? and followed the road a short distance to Lake Ontario. We then drove to ? and did a longer walk to the lakeshore. Lunch was at an upscale restaurant in Waupoose. It was our special treat to ourselves and was delicious. After a brief stop in Picton we returned to Prince Edward Point and walked to the abandoned lighthouse. Then back to the farm house for a light dinner and an early bed.
May 25, 10:30 am Life
We drove from Kingston to Milford, Ontario this morning. We moved into a farm home that was vacant. I had been given the key by a friend in Lethbridge.
It took a couple of hours to get the unit cleaned up as the previous people who had used it left it in a bit of a mess.
May 23, 7:00 PM Life
Today was a travel day. We left Calgary shortly after 7:00 in the morning, taking an Air Canada flight to Toronto, where we caught another plane to Ottawa. We were met there by friends and then stopped off at a lovely pub & grill for a light dinner before continuing on to Kingston. We continued celebrating our getting together again with a lovely Australian red and a plate of cheese. Perfect.
May 22, 7:00 PM Life
We drove to High River this morning to take the RV in for regular maintenance. Then drove back to Calgary for lunch with relatives. Then we went over to the Mountain Equipment Coop where I bought a new pair of hiking boots.
The weather turned nasty in the late afternoon with high winds, lots of lightning and thunder, and even some hail.
We had dinner in a nearby pub and then went to bed early since we had our alarms set for 4:30 am to catch an early flight.
May 12, 4:00 PM Life
Another perfect day. I visited the LFC for a few weights, then mowed the lawn and trimmed the mugo pine. We then relaxed in the back yard with a cold one and watched the flowers grow.
Plus a "To Mom" bouquet
May 11, 7:30 PM Life
I walked 2 circuits of my coulee walk today, which burned enough calories (I think) to compensate for the evening meal.
I finally tried out the barbecue with three rib-eye steaks. The barbecue worked just fine, but I was a little disappointed with the meat. It was not as tender as I would have wished. P_ followed another recipe from "The Free Range Cook" - Couscous with Roasted Vegetables [p. 106]. This was fantastic! Then we had freshly baked macadamia nut cookies for desert.
240 calories! (but delicious!)
May 11, 5:30 am Life
The short list of activities that I identified yesterday morning is still valid today. It is too cool to think about outdoor activities in the morning. The afternoon looks better for a coulee walk. I want to finish the murder mystery "All My Enemies" first. Then I will give serious thought to trying some mathematics.
- Literature - finish reading "All My Enemies"
- Life - a coulee walk
- Mathematics
May 10, 3:30 PM Life
After a weight session at the LFC we went to a new Japanese restaurant for a late lunch. They serve what they call a buffet - but basically it is a collection of items that you order and it is then brought to you, but the order is a set price for the collection. If you order more than you can eat, you are charged the full price for any food left over. Neat idea. And the food was delicious.
May 10, 8:00 am Life
Now that I am on my second cup, it is time to identify a few activities for today. My tech problems have been solved, the snow has stopped and the sun is beginning to shine, both metaphorically and really. But it is a bit cool, and wet, for outdoor activities such as birding.
- Life - a weights session at the Lethbridge Fitness Center
- Literature - continue reading "All My Enemies"
A refreshing, short, list.
May 8, 7:50 am Life
Most of the home-around chores are finished, at least for the moment.
Today has an open feeling. What do I want to do?
- Geocaching: I have a geocoin and a Travel Bug that I brought back from Australia. I will place one of them today and the other tomorrow. Both of these days need a find. I should have tried for one yesterday but it slipped my mind.
- Photography: I will purchase the 400 mm telephoto lens this morning
- Birding: I will try the lens out at Henderson Lake
- Fitness: today is the day for weights at the LFC
May 7, 6:00 PM Life
The main task today was to take the old barbecue to the Lethbridge Waste & Recycling Center. Mission accomplished.
I then hooked up the new barbeque to the propane tank and tested it. Everything worked fine. Good. The next step will be to try it with food.
I was able to fit in a coulee walk before dinner. I noticed a real difference going up the stairs this time. I found it much easier than previous trips. Perhaps the leg press routine at the Lethbridge Fitness Center is making a difference.
There were a couple of "firsts for 2012" today:
- we had our first cup of morning coffee on the patio
- we had our first beer on the patio in the afternoon.
This is a sure sign that winter is almost over.
May 7, 7:50 am Life
Monday morning is a good time for either musing or getting organized. This time it will be the latter.
I have 2 books from amazon.ca that are due on Tuesday and Wednesday (separate shipments). It is possible they could arrive earlier.
I am waiting word that a telephoto lens has arrived at a camera store. This should happen today or tomorrow. Then I will test it out before making a decision on whether to buy it.
I have a message on an APL bulletin board asking for suggestions on how to download APL libraries from the Web. Hopefully there will be a reply in the next few days.
I have an email to a birding authority in Australia about a bird I saw in Canberra. He has been away but is due back early this week.
I need to take our old barbecue to the dump. But first I have to confirm that is the proper place for it.
Today is the day for a coulee walk.
Time for a second cup.
May 5, 11:00 am Life
It is really miserable outside. The temperature has dropped to +3 C, there is a light rain, and the wind is about 40 kph.
The barbecue is assembled. It only took the removal of 2 screws and I was able to release the hose mechanism. The remaining steps proceeded smoothly.
Propane hose now hanging free
Electronic ignition system
Only the grills need placing
Assembly complete.
Now to clean up the mess.
The next step is to read the instructions on how to use it. Although it still used propane, the heating is via something called infrared.
[2:00 PM] The weather has continued to deteriorate through the day and it is now snowing. We made a mad dash to bring the flowers into the garage. The temperature is 0 C and -7 C with the wind chill factored in.
May 4, 5:00 PM Life
I received a phone call from the photography store indicating that the lens I am interested in was not in Edmonton but Red Deer. They now say that it should be here by Tuesday of next week. Fortunately I am not in any hurry.
I bought a new barbecue at noon. The store said they would assemble it for free but that it would take a week. I said I thought I could do it a little faster than that so I ended up with a large, heavy cardboard box in the back of the truck. I soon was home and we had no problem unloading it in the garage.
I spent all afternoon assembling it. There are 14 steps to complete and I was on number 11 when I wasn't sure what it was saying.
beginning opening the box
Instructions
Now to begin ...
So far, so good. End of step 2.
Looking good. Step 11. But notice the plastic wrap around the hose.
I eventually figured the step out, but then noticed that the hose that connects the burners to the propane tank was still stored behind the control panel. Unfortunately I do not seem to be able to retract it.
A check of the instructions in step 3 when we lowered the main burner frame onto the cart included the sentence "Be sure the hose is hanging inside the cart". I was so pleased that the burner frame slid neatly onto the cart that I failed to notice that sentence. I am not sure how many screws and bolts I will need to remove in order to lift the burner frame up and release the hose.
I will find that out tomorrow when I begin phase two.
May 4, 11:00 am Life
I am back from my latest LFC session. I had used up my 3 free sessions, so today I signed up for one year with a special senior's discount. I'm not sure if the discount is because they think I will only use a few weights or because they don't think I will survive the year. Either way I spent less than the full rate.
The fellow who runs the center showed me the locker room which has an infra-red sauna room. I have just googled this and it seems that it might be a very good placebo.
But I do think the weight training program I am on will be beneficial.
May 3, 9:00 PM Life
While shopping today I bought a package of Tazo Zen green tea for our Keurig coffee machine. It it really quite good for a late evening drink.
May 3, 7:00 am Life
This is too good. I have just searched the Web for information on an Ontario wine that I have heard is very good. The wine is a Reisling from Tawse Sketches of Niagara (2009). Here is one of the reviews:
"With an enticing nose, it is on the palate where this wine really delivers. It has a lot of bright fruit character with big notes of citrus, green apple and peach. The acidity is racy and mouthwatering with a hint of petrol sneaking in already. Enjoy now, this wine is patio ready!" Only a Canadian review would include "a hint of petrol sneaking in" as a plus.
May 1, 1:50 PM Life
I am feeling alert and energized. Maybe because I have finally finished bringing these web pages up to date. Or maybe my fitness routines are beginning to pay dividends. Or maybe it's just my imagination. But I am back from a coulee walk. The air was rather brisk: the temperature was only +6 C and there were a couple of rain showers thrown in which helped keep me cooled off.