Hints of summer, a new resident at the Seidlitz bed and breakfast, and multiple short trips

Spring is sort of here... and is still here... and it is June already. Even with our chilly weather, we have still gone out to do a few things.

First off, we have a new person living with us! I know, eventually that statement is not going to surprise anyone... Staying with us this summer is Wendy's cousin's daughter (Christine). She volunteer's at the hospital with Wendy's manager. This opportunity for some healthcare system experience could prove useful for her future goals.

Hiking at one of Hamilton's many waterfalls

Although a month later than normal, our crabapple tree bloomed gloriously this May. It was so cold out that the blooms also lasted far longer than expected. Guess they were needed for insulation.

One day, Wendy was looking at a picture of her father (Ron) and his older brother (Roy) and decided to take a photo of their two grandchildren (Parker and Christine) holding the photo. This also gave me a chance to try out the portrait mode on my new phone (Google Pixel 3a, if you are interested).

We recently decided to go into Toronto to take in a Blue Jays game, stopping first at our niece's place nearby for lunch. Leanne, Scott, Elyse, and Brynn joined us at the game and sat in the next row from Wendy, myself, Ying, and Fanfan. The girls seemed to have a great time; the dads found the one discount beer stand on our level (hint, instead of buying an $11 beer, the same one costs $5 at the Dugout Deals stand on each level of the Rogers Centre).

Ying and Fanfan under the CN Tower

Scott photobombing our selfie

Elyse taking it all in

Brynn likes the camera

Fanfan also loves the camera

 Since the game was a "Junior Jays" event, the girls got to go onto the field after the game (the Jays won by a mile) and ran the bases. Fanfan wasn't completely sure what the big deal was, but she enjoyed it nonetheless.

On the field

Our spring flowers are in full swing now (yes, in JUNE), but they will soon wilt as the heat comes rushing in later in the month.

Last week Wendy took a trip with her manager to attend a conference in Detroit. It was purely a work trip, but she noted that her hotel was directly beside the border crossing as you come out of the bridge from Windsor. They decided to drive there, since it would be too much hassle to fly.

Another last minute trip was scheduled after Adam called us last week and asked if we could come up to North Bay on the weekend to attend the Annual Parade and Banquet for the Cadet Squadron where he is a civilian instructor. He acted as the MC for the parade, and this occurred in the hangar at his college. Over the course of the long day, we got the full tour (inside the aircraft as well - including the 727), and learned how he helped move all the aircraft around to accommodate the parade. We also got to meet many of the people that he has talked about over the last year.  If all works out, the next time we are up in North Bay, we may be able to get a guided tour of the NORAD facilities at 22 Wing, the air force base next to the college. Adam may  no longer be a civilian in the next few months, but that event may appear here in a later post.

The MC at work

The weekend ended with a nice breakfast at our hotel, where they said Adam could come to eat for free. Small towns are great!  Long drives home through Toronto cottage country traffic... not so much.

One last note, here is a photo to show Christine in her uniform at the hospital. Although we frequently drive in together to work, Wendy is the only one who see her 'at work'.

Coming up this week, I go to a conference in New Orleans that I stumbled upon only a few weeks ago. Wendy won't be able come along, as I will arrive Friday late afternoon and leave Sunday noon (I need to get back to teach on Monday). Too expensive for 1 day (while I am in conference). Looks like it will be a very interesting meeting (it is called the Teaching Professor Conference!), and the weather there is likely going to be very hot (30-35C, plus humidity).

Later this summer will see a short trip to Calgary and Banff, then a week at a rented cottage on Sauble Beach (Lake Huron). Glad I bought a new carry-on bag - it will likely pay for itself in the next several months!

Our somewhat busy winter

I guess it has been busy over the last several months, although not too many photos to show you.  Check out the captions to see what's been up.

Maddy with a new haircut

All of us visiting family in Toronto

View from niece and her family's condo

No snow for Maddy (March 1)

Lots of snow for Maddy, the very next day (March 2)

Another trip to Toronto for a great niece's birthday party!

Toronto wildlife

A more sedate version of Toronto wildlife

Wendy has been trying to cook more

Museum in North Bay (northern air defence)

At the museum in North Bay

First bloom of the spring - later than normal

Parker's graduation photo

First hike of the season

Maddy on our first hike... she picked up a tick...

New office at work - still under construction

Our mourning dove has come back for another try

So that about sums up the last 4 months. Next on the agenda?  A trip to San Francisco, Maui, Oahu, Hawaii, and Vancouver - all in 3 weeks!

More photos to come!

Paris day 2

Off to the Paris airshow today.  It seemed to be mostly a trade show (you want a weapon system, you can buy it here) but there were some interesting static displays. 

I did find a type of coke that I had never seen. It is called Coke Life and has 25% less sugar. Not bad.

We saw rockets, helicopters, drones, jerry's, tools, etc. Even watched the Airbus A380 do some fancy aerobatic moves.

After the airshow we took the metro to the Arch de Triomphe. Way too many stairs (almost as many as Sacre Coeur Abessess station.

I am mostly showing selfies here - I can post the pics on my phone but not from my camera (need a computer). Below is another view from the top of the Arch. 

We walked the entire Champs Elysees then had dinner near the Louvre, walked across Pont Neuf,  then a train back to Pasteur station. My fitbit says I walked 25.52 km - almost 30,000 steps! Hope I can walk tomorrow. 

Before I forget

I recall now that I said I would post some more pictures from our trip to Ottawa. I had better do it today, before I forget.

The first thing I did after dropping Wendy at the Chateau Laurier was to walk over to Parliament Hill. The weather wasn't nice, so thought the fence around it was interesting.

My next jaunt was over to the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum. It had been a few years since I was last there, and they have added a number of new displays.  Below is a view from a small balcony.

 I thought this first world war biplane was interesting. Looks a little worse for wear.

They had some more modern equipment, including this passenger jet engine. Might make a great wallpaper for my computer. It is a great museum for those interested in aircraft and aviation.

As always, my favourite piece is the front section of the Avro Arrow (CF-105) with "cut here" still visible, scribbled hastily on the aircraft by someone in 1959 in a rush to destroy the evidence...

Government workers and torches should never mix

Shame!

After a few hours looking at airplanes, I went back downtown and hit the Canadian War Museum. Not much had changed since a few years ago, but it was a nice quiet (and gladly warm) respite from the Ottawa winter weather. Below is Adolf Hitler's armoured staff car. I didn't show the "bullet proof" windows, but they are quite damaged by numerous bullet holes. This apparently happened (due to an unknown gunfight) before the vehicle was captured by the Americans in 1945.

There was a special display on Flanders fields and WW1 at the museum, but I didn't take any photos there. Below is a track on a tank in the heavy equipment area. There were way too many to see in a short few hours.

On the way back towards the hotel, I walked across a bridge and found a vantage point showing the partially frozen river with Parliament in the background.

Again, walking by Parliament, the wrought iron fence was more interesting than the Peace Tower. This also will go into my wallpaper folder.

Across the street is the War Memorial, and in light of recent events here, I thought this more solemn image fit the mood.

Towards Rideau Centre were a number of busts that I have often seen but had never really examined.

The most symbolic thing I could find about winter in Ottawa was this lonely abandoned bicycle, embedded in the snowbank and likely not to be disturbed until spring.

The ice sculptures on the canal were great the next morning, with no crowds to get in the way. Not many people out at 7:30am.

Some of them were quite detailed and many followed the stated theme of "play".

The most frequent ice-related item I saw all across the city were various versions of this sign. Apparently, everywhere you walked there was a threat of falling ice.

Wendy and I took in the National Gallery to look at some art on our last day in the city. This is the ceiling in the main entrance area.

This one is the ceiling in one of the wings of the museum. Being so grey and cold outside, the tiny splash of colour was most welcomed (this was before we entered any of the galleries!).

Between some of the galleries there were these strange port holes looking in/out from some oddly well-lit areas clad in lots of shiny yet partly tarnished pieces of metal. Wendy went to the other side for me to take this image.

This is more what it looked like with your own eyes. Might this be art....? Not sure.

Yes, we actually did look at the art and not just the building itself. Wendy thought this piece was striking. You wouldn't want to get too close though, as the circles tended to draw you in... a bit disorienting for me.

Both of us very much enjoyed the special exhibit of M.C. Escher prints. Fantastic work, and it was most interesting to see the variety of styles he had produced. The National Gallery has the second largest archive of his work in the world.

I realized that I very much like many of the works of Lawren Harris (Group of Seven) that were on display. I'm now getting some ideas for some potential similarly-styled stained glass pieces...

That evening we went with Wendy's friend Laurel (who organized her conference) to dinner and then took a cold and brief shuffle along the canal. We also went through the ice sculpture area but the crowds were horrendous.  There was no debate at all about skipping the hour long line just to see the ice sculptures - especially since I had taken pictures of all of them in the morning. Below is one near the main stage of the Winterlude festival.

Most of the sculptures, however, were brightly lit at night, adding a new dimension to the enjoyment of the pieces.

What struck me as most intriguing, however, was that even the crowd control measures were ice sculptures themselves!

All in all, it was a nice break for me to wander around Ottawa for a few days. Often Wendy does this while I go to a conference, but the switch in roles was really kind of fun for me.