the skies yesterday

before and after

i got my hair shaved off my head to help raise funds to support research into pediatric cancer . . .

my principal lloyd schoenmaker travelled this difficult journey right aongside me . . .

the guy in the yellow t-shirt is constable keith calderwood. an incredibly brave man still recovering from being shot in a drug take down in lindsay over a year ago. keith is an inspiration to me and i was very proud that he asked to cut my hair for me . . .

first ride of the season!

what a great weekend! saturday i went out on a rainy windy day bike ride with the (almost at that time) 40 year old kris sieber and the published and insightful devon code. we met at the (closed at the time) silver bean and made our way to east city bakery inc. where we bought and hoovered back some cherry turnovers and had a good chat with the former marketing director of cheeseborough-ponds (!).

from there we rode out to douro, then over to warsaw and on up to north stoney lake.

from there we slipped back down to lakefield for americano's and really yummy bagels at the Nuttshell Next Door Cafe.

after that, a ride through some lovely countryside and back to my place on aberdeen for tasty beers and more good laughs and chats. my first ride of the season - seventy kms+ - yes it hurt. but it will stop hurting . . . right?!!!

a really lovely fun ride with two very good people!

pussy willows

pussy willows! i didn't know they burst into flower - really i didn't!

spring energy!

spring. it's next to impossible to hold onto the energy that flies around. 

stuff arrives and is transformed and then suddenly … it's done . . . 

then other stuff arrives and waits … poised . . .

an early morning ride

riding through beavermead park in peterborough, ontario with the early morning chill of a breeze blowing from the northwest and pushing me ever so gently along, i was surprised to see how far inland the river had progressed, crossing the bike path in a couple of places . . . no matter, i rode through it and took the opportunity to take pictures of trees standing in an unfamiliar-to-them setting . . .

the return of sid

sid is the neighbourhood tough cat. he rules the sidewalks, the backyards, and has no fear of anything on four legs. he will sit in the middle of the road and dare cars to run him over . . .

but he's also a cute cat who sometimes forgets to leave easter greetings. so he popped over yesterday and smiled and looked uncomfortable and then shared his thoughts . . . and left!

it's only two seconds, but click on the arrow and you'll hear sid's easter greetings (belated) to all . . . 

down by the waterfront

i biked in to school yesterday morning and the river is still rising giving the trees a rare chance to see what they look like . . .

first up and out!!!

flow . . .

this image suggests stillness . . .

and yet it is of a plant normally well back from the shoreline of the otonabee river . . .

here they come!

colour!

i love dogwood!!!

a river leaving its banks

a river with big ideas . . .

these pictures are one small part of my route to school in the morning. as you can see, the otonabee river is taking back some of its old stomping grounds . . . . 

dropping in on the silver bean - pre season . . .

i went down to the Silver Bean for ice cream this morning and remembered just before i got there . . . they're not open 'till may 1st. which is great if you don't need the business, but if you need the ice cream, that's a different matter!

anyhow. it was snowing (yep it's april 15th and i figure mother nature is having fun cleaning out some snow she's had lying around for the last twenty years or so)

and the lower deck at the bean was flooded over. 

even bean island was submarining in the wake of the torrent of rain water (now become river water) racing to the sea . . .

so i'm going to turn the furnace back on and root around in my freezer tonight for some ice cream . . . . come onnnnnnnnnnnnnn bean . . . .come onnnnnnnnnn may 1st!

twenty four hours (3) friday night to saturday night

leaving maggie's eatery after a yummy brunch, we walked down to pay a visit to naked chocolate where the happy chocolatiers plied us with their fanciful and tasty creations, not to mention the good vibes. that's one happy place to be anytime! here are their hand made and hand painted easter eggs!

from there we drove over to the peterborough garden show.

it's my first time going and i was amazed at the incredible displays and most especially i was happy that the scent of flowers filled the air!

at the show we ran into the wonderful and unrestrained patti peeters …

(patti and i go back almost a quarter century now!) who had an awesome display of plants and was holding court with her many many admirers. if she looks exhausted in this pic that's because she totally was - but happy!

our wanderings eventually brought us to the realm of my chum the master of metallurgical alchemy mr. james pronk who told us some very funny and entirely real stories from his life! you know the kind? where you're listening and thinking "that couldn't have happened" but you know that it entirely did!

the kyoto coffee people were there and the salubrious sarah mcinnis crafted a magical cup of homemade lemonade slush for me.

my body was deeply grateful for the hydration after last night's necessary but ultimately dehydrating excesses!!! we exchanged stories with sarah including a revealing discussion about meetings. meetings people. how many have you attended that resulted in something exceptional, worthy, transformative, or even necessary?! if you've got a story about such a meeting then share it here. oh and meeting your sweetie for the first time doesn't count!!

and then off we went home to look at the little treasures that we had found on our travels, and to laugh at our incredible fortune!

twenty four hours (2) friday night to saturday night

a late night that ended around two thirty in the morning was partially clarified through spending some mid-morning quality time at the caffeination station that i have cunningly installed in my kitchen. two mugs of joy juice and a pale blue-green pill and hey here we go!!!

our amazing saturday continued with a visit to the farmer’s market where we bought chocolate from my defiantly distinctive buddy dan ledandan who crafts mind-altering and soul-refining chocolate . . .

then over to visit with the pastry peddler people who sold me a maple chomeur . . . my second date with this stupidly good dessert made with cream and butter and maple syrup that (if i don't park the entire thing in my own deserving body), will be served up for sunday dinner dessert with wendy, dawson, and lexie! here's my pastry peddling chum colin . . .

from there it was time to break our fast with a late brunch, so we headed over to maggie's eatery where we ate an excellent meal of soup and salad, really tasty sandwiches, and some butter pecan shortbreads.

here's a happy girl!

while there we ran into a number of friends including mike reynolds . . .

and enjoyed the cerebral tightrope acrobatics of andrew tan wei aun . . .

of course while at maggie’s i also spent time with alan black whose restaurant it is (in this pic second from the right with my friends rickie young, bobby watson, and phil connor - all talented and recorded musicians)

al is somehow managing a slow to depart ear infection. all this while being a working drummer and harmonica player, and running a restaurant. not letting his unfortunate affliction get in the way of a good time, al and i continued to plan our photo show which is tentatively set for the evening of july 12th - a full moon and a damn good time is in store for both of us, and most especially all who know us. we're both very jazzed to get to share our pixillated joy with the public and astonished visitors!