Lone Mt Homestead

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=45 BGCOLOR="#FFCC33" TEXT="#080000" background="a6c46463.jpg"> <div> <B>LONE MT HOMESTEAD</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div>                                                                        </div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=300 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="a68c87d3.jpg"> <div> <B><U>Thursday, Nov. 19th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>Our cozy and ultra-efficient wood pellet stove is now on-line and pumping out enough heat to roast chestnuts!  It was installed on Wednesday, and we've been running it off and on (mostly off) since.  It is not nearly cold enough to use it except intermittently.  The gas will be turned down a lot this winter.  We are locked into a horrible contract for another three and a half years, paying more than triple the going rate for gas!  The stove is carbon neutral, too!  These new ones are very green.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="14db004d0.jpg" border=0 width="256" height="333" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Our wood pellet stove, in action!  This machine throws serious heat.</B></div> <div> <B> Another work week has come to an end, as we head into the home stretch before winter break!  11 weeks gone, and only 4 to go!!  Of course there are report cards to do in there and the small matter of the big Christmas Concert (my 29th and final one!!).</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="14dd05e30.jpg" border=0 width="261" height="227" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Smile of the week from two favourite Year 8 students, H. and K.</B></div> <div> <B>We had a small staff get together last night, our monthly pub night.  This was our third of the year, and interest is slowly growing.  On Monday night we had our private students' group lesson.  We hosted the younger children first, finding room for six kids and four parents.  Afterwards we hosted the older students, with six in attendance again.  Next week I start a new piano student, filling my timetable to the brim.  I've had a good week of practice this week so far, and hope to continue over the weekend.  Sunday we have plans to visit  Ann Arbor for a fun day.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Sunday, Nov. 15th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>Last night's concert by Vladimir </B><A HREF="http://www.feltsman.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.feltsman.com/"><U><B>Feltsman</B></U></A><B> was so good.  He is an amazing man, combining perfect piano technic with superb musicianship.  It doesn't hurt that he also has a tone to die for!  I last heard Feltsman in March 2008, when he performed a killer concert of a Beethoven sonata and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.  Last night he played the final sonata of Franz Schubert, and he had the audience in the palm of his hands from the very first note!  Totally sublime playing.  After intermission we heard all four Ballades by Chopin, where his blazing technic easily handled the untolled difficulties of those pieces.  For encores he played two waltzes by Chopin, Op 64 #2 & 3, charming and disarming all of us in attendance.  A wonderful evening.  There was a good Windsor contingent including Claire Durocher, Anastasia St. Amand, Curtis Hansen (a former APS student), and Philip and Ann Adamson.  Sister Claire had just returned from a two week jaunt in Spain, so it was fun to talk to her for awhile.</B></div> <div> <B>We went over to Detroit about 5 pm, getting right up to a US Customs booth.  In our Dearborn mailbox were the latest two rentals from Netflix (Vol. 2 of both "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" and "Torchwood" [season two]).  Also in the box was our newest issue of Backpacker Magazine.  I already have a plan hatching for next summer's epic drive west.  Not surprisingly it involves New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma and camping as well as hiking!  Trip #28 will be a blast!</B></div> <div> <B>We went to Buddys Pizza in Dearborn for supper, then headed up to Borders at Southfield Rd. and 13 Mile.  I bought a very cool foldout map book of central London, very compact, easy to read and extremely light weight.  Can't wait to use it!  After going to a nearby pet shop and on to Starbucks, we headed to the concert at Detroit Country Day school's auditorium at Lahser and 13 Mile Rd.  Coming home took forever.  There was a small lineup coming into Canada at 10:20 pm, but it took us forever to clear customs.  We weren't home until 11:30.  Luckily we were listening to a CD of C.S. Lewis' "The Magician's Nephew."  Very good dramatization of it, too.  We have all 7 books on CDs.  It was regular $60, but with coupons we got it on sale at Borders for $6!!!!</B></div> <div> <B>Today we walked at Malden Hill, then came home.  Deb wanted to record some harp music for a new short film Caroline is preparing, and I managed two hours of decent practice.  It's been a decent week for piano practice, my best in a long while.  I have some pieces going right now, and perhaps more about that another time.</B></div> <div> <B>In the late afternoon we bagged some leaves, though our yard is still quite buried in them.  It was a very fun weekend, and of course we can't wait until the next one!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Friday, Nov. 13th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>Binti, Deb's female orange-cheeked waxbill, passed away this evening. She had been sick for some time.  With a life expectancy of four years, she went far beyond that, lasting an amazing 9 years from her purchase in a local pet shop.  She had been at the store for some time before Deb got her, too.  Her partner, Nande, is still alive.</B></div> <div> <B>Another fine day, as November continues to put October to shame!  I got to sit on the John Deere this afternoon and chop the grass.  It hadn't been cut since September, and was getting a tad shaggy.  Of course the billions of leaves on the ground also got chopped up a bit, to help them decompose faster.</B></div> <div> <B>Another milestone has passed by today, as we have now completed 25% of the school year!!  Ten weeks down, 30 to go.</B></div> <div> <B>Our computer woes get better and better, as the old computer rebounds to its former glory.  Deb has us wireless now, as The Source had a sale on a wireless router ($40).  We can now use the laptops anywhere in the house.  Even the desktop is now wireless.  Maybe we'll open a cafe....</B></div> <div> <B>I was able to get the photo programs all up and running, so here are two photos of Willy Weng from Sunday's concert.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="14d9e9f10.jpg" border=0 width="233" height="241" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Willy Weng, Recital Hall at the School of Music.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="14da0ce00.jpg" border=0 width="268" height="224" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Willy knows his craft, and provided a very professional sounding concert last Sunday.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Thursday, Nov. 12th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>Things are falling back into place in the computer world, as we once again load all our programs, this time back onto the old computer that had the virus in the first place.  It seems quite stable now, so we will go with it for awhile and see how things pan out.</B></div> <div> <B>I have some photos of Willy from Sunday afternoon, but I can't get them off my camera yet--still installing things.  We had a good crowd, and actually made some money!  The reception was very well presented, too!  Willy spends at most two hours per day practicing, and accomplishing all he does on that amount.  Quite remarkable!</B></div> <div> <B>Yesterday we returned our new computer (and beautiful wide screen monitor) to Best Buy.  They didn't treat us very well, so I doubt we will be going back there.  Less said the better, but we ended up having to take the original tower back, and one that they gave us as replacement.  If we do buy another computer, we will likely buy it on-line directly from Dell again.</B></div> <div> <B>We got a walk in yesterday, two actually.  The first was in Dearborn through a lovely neighbourhood near our mailbox, and the second at a conservation area off Front Road in Lasalle near sunset.  If it hadn't been for the mud, we could have made it right to the Detroit River through a veritable sea of tall grasses.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="14d6faeb0.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="235" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Deb is dwarfed by tall grasses on our walk at Petit Cote in Lasalle.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="14d802c10.jpg" border=0 width="258" height="193" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Sunset from the observation tower.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Wednesday, Nov. 11th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>The computer saga marches ever onward.  We have returned a second tower to Best Buy, finally deciding to obtain a full refund and start up the old XP computer, which was wiped by the Geek Squad and had Windows reloaded.  It worked perfectly up until the virus struck, so we will use it for now.</B></div> <div> <B>Lots to report on, including Willy Weng's recital last Sunday.  Will be back here as soon as I can!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Friday, Nov. 6th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>We are in for a fine weekend--how strange and unusual is that?  Deb is busy tomorrow with a harp workshop in the morning and a concert in the evening.  My day is Sunday, as our local branch of ORMTA hosts the Young Artist winner in recital at 2pm at the university.</B></div> <div> <B>The week went quickly, though it ended sadly with a favourite student leaving and moving to Kingsville.  I've known Abbie since she was in Gr. 4, and this year she was in Deb's Gr. 6 class.  "Sweetheart" does not begin to describe her, and she is a really valuable music student.  So the smile of the week this time 'round is very poignant, as we say farewell to Abbie.  Deb bought her a little plush stuffed dog in a basket, and she carried it around everywhere with her today.  We got a lovely thank-you card from her a little bit later in the day.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="14d4fac90.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="201" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Farewell to Abbie.  It's always a bit strange when really nice kids suddenly disappear from your life, and vice versa.  Abbie was not really very happy today, as she leaves for Kingsville and a new adventure.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Wednesday, Nov. 4th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>Both vehicles went in to VW, with the Jetta staying overnight.  It occasionally won't start in the morning, especially if very damp out, so we left it for them to try tomorrow morning.  The Treg had an oil change.  We got to test drive a 2010 Touareg TDI!  What a fantastic machine, with as much torque and power as the old V8 gas engine.  This beast gets the same mileage as the Jetta!  Unfortunately, it is still a tad pricey, and even with trade we are looking at $40,000 out the door.  Youch!</B></div> <div> <B>This weekend there is a piano recital by the provincial winner of the ORMTA Young Artist Competition held each year.  </B><A HREF="http://www.ormta.org/news_youngartist.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.ormta.org/news_youngartist.ht"><U><B>Willy Weng</B></U></A><B> is from Kingston, and will play a program of Beethoven, Chopin, Ravel and Pepin.  I will pick him up at the train station before the recital.  If anyone out there would like to attend, it's at the university music building in Windsor, at the corner of Wyandotte and Sunset, in the recital hall at 2 pm Sunday afternoon.  There is a reception afterwards.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Sunday, November 1st/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>We</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFCC80" FACE="Arial" ><B> have had a fun and fantastic weekend, and as a bonus I seem to have fought off a bug.  I wasn't feeling well much of yesterday and overnight Friday, though I seemed to get better Saturday night.  We had our Samhain celebration, a major deal for us, which inlcuded a wood fire, great food (including homemade vegan pumpkin pies), single malt Scotch (Islay Quarter Cask), the year's Tarot reading, and much, much more.  This morning we went to Detroit for some Day of the Dead activities, including our annual visit to Woodlawn Cemetery, and a tour of some ofrendos in Mexican Town.  In the afternoon we met Andrea and her three children at Ojibway Park for a sunny nature walk, so we were outdoors almost all day for a change!  Deb also did more work on our new tiled floor area, where we hope to place our new wood pellet stove.  More on that later.</B></FONT></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="14ac06e10.jpg" border=0 width="262" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  </B></div> <div> <B>Autumn was mostly ending at Woodlawn Cemetery, Detroit, but a few trees were still shining bright.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="14ae08600.jpg" border=0 width="264" height="352" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Tiny angel overlooking two graves.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="14b005c40.jpg" border=0 width="261" height="196" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>More autumn colour, Woodlawn Cemetery.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="14b209c70.jpg" border=0 width="265" height="199" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>An "ofrenda" for Day of the Dead, Mextown, Detroit.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="14b40a620.jpg" border=0 width="266" height="354" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Ofrenda honouring Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="14b608e40.jpg" border=0 width="264" height="228" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Andrea and her charming three children.  L to R: Nathan, James, Emily and Andrea. They are visiting from Toronto.  We enjoyed a sunny walk in the woods at Ojibway Nature Center this afternoon, rounding out a very full and fun weekend for us.  Andrea presented us with two bottles of Mead(!!!).  More on those later.  Thanks, Andrea.  We love the colour coding on your kids!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Friday, October 30th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>The rainy weather stayed across the river in Michigan today, giving us probably the warmest day of October.  We were out on the back deck a few minutes ago (9:30 pm) and it was 71 F!</B></div> <div> <B>It was orange and black day at school today, and the sugar was flowing freely.  Sure hated to walk out that door at noon hour and miss all the afternoon excitement.  Luckily, there was a long assembly in the morning and I only ended up having to teach one class.  Once home, I had time to have a leisurely lunch, go to Lasalle and get a haircut, come home and read and take a nap, get up and start my piano practicing--and they were still in school!!  That half-time paycheck pays for itself every day!</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="14a805e10.jpg" border=0 width="261" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Our house in its autumn look.  The yard is filled with fallen leaves.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="14aaed540.jpg" border=0 width="237" height="340" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Student smile of the week.  It was quite a day, even though I was only there for half of it.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Thursday, October 29th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>Going to work continues to be like a game of Russian Roulette.  Today I taught a class of twelve students.  The rest were home ill.  It's going around and around, and like a game of dodge the ball it's only a matter of time before you tget whacked.  The flu vaccine is useless as it came too late for schools.  Watch out for headache, fever, sore throat and extreme tiredness.  It's coming to a human body near you.  I also heard today that a person can infect someone even one week after their fever has gone.  No way to beat that one, folks.</B></div> <div> <B>Yesterday we crossed to Dearborn and then went to Mextown in Detroit.  There are activites planned there for Day of Dead on Nov. 1st, so we will likely drop by after our annual visit to Woodlawn Cemetery.  Cafe Con Leche on Vernor Ave. is fast becoming our coffee house hangout, and the Busy Bee Grocery Store on Bagley is keeping us supplied with fresh salsa and homemade cornchips.</B></div> <div> <B>Andrea and the kids are visiting A'burg this weekend, so here's hoping it doesn't rain all the time.  Tomorrow, being Friday and the start to another Essex County weekend, promises to be rainy and miserable once again.  Sigh.  Another school camera club meeting where we won't get outside.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Sunday, October 25th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>One nice weather day out of a weekend is pretty good, I suppose.  Sunny and mild, though even warmer temps arriving tomorrow.  We got our beast of a wood stove in the door today, with the help of three neighbours.  Easy work for four, as it is heavy and bulky, but not too much so.  Now we need to tile the corner where it will sit, and find someone to install it for us.  Then wait for the inspection.  Hopefully it will be running by spring.</B></div> <div> <B>Caroline is down for the count, having contracted some nasty bug or other.  I've actually had one healthy week in the last four, and I enjoyed it immensely!  My sleeping sickness finally retreated, and I am able to practice piano now fully conscious!</B></div> <div> <B>We got out for a short walk on the Windsor riverfront today, as we headed downtown to run several errands.  Slowly we will get ourselves back into shape before the snow takes away our sidewalks.  We got the Hallowe'en decorations up, too.  Treats ready to give out to private students starting tomorrow.</B></div> <div> <B>I also added some Touareg pictures from last summer's trip (marked 2009).  They are currently spread among the older ones.  To add a Seasons photo folder opposite, I will have to take down Emma-Lee.  She has grown so much anyway.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Saturday, October 24th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>Windy and cold, but perfect for some Autumn photography!  I brought Deb to St. John the Baptist church in Amherstburg for her final harp wedding gig of the season.  That left me with nearly 90 minutes to spare, so I headed down to the Navy Yard park on the Detroit River.  The colours were absolutely unbelievably fantastic.  It was cloudy, but the leaves seemed to be on fire!  So here are some proper Autumn photos, though sadly they are quite small.  Perhaps I'll put a new folder opposite, a seasonal one I can change every few months (great idea!).  Watch for it soon.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="1492065d0.jpg" border=0 width="262" height="349" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>It was a dull and cloudy day, but it didn't matter beneath the trees of Navy Yard Park.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="149406c50.jpg" border=0 width="262" height="197" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Red hedge leaves, Amherstburg.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="149606c50.jpg" border=0 width="262" height="197" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Magic Path, Navy Yard, Amherstburg.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="149a07d20.jpg" border=0 width="263" height="210" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Tree on Fire.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="149c07c50.jpg" border=0 width="263" height="197" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>It was a wicked October day, but perfect for leaf photography.  Looking south towards Lake Erie, Amherstburg.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="149e04c30.jpg" border=0 width="260" height="195" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Burning Bush, in our backyard.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Friday, October 23rd/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>Question:  How can you tell it's the weekend in Essex County?</B></div> <div> <B>Answer:  Wait for the worst possible weather and assume it's Friday!</B></div> <div> <B>What a completely miserable day.  Despite heavy rain and strong, gusty winds, we ventured into Detroit this afternoon for a mailbox run, fuel stop, and fabulous coffee at a very fine Mextown cafe.  </B></div> <div> <B>I now have all but three of the books to my collection of the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series!!  We also received (via Amazon.com) two books on London.  Mine was Eccentric London, which includes some very fun walk tours, and Deb's was Underground London, giving a complete history of what lies beneath London (including the Tube, but there is so much else!).</B></div> <div> <B>I was very frustrated today by the lack of Michigan drivers using headlights, despite almost total darkness, heavy rain, and fogged windows.  It was literally impossible to see darker or grayish vehicles in the rear or side view mirrors.  Grrr!  Of course we saw accidents. </B></div> <div> <B>I did receive my JASC photo software today, and it did finally decide to install itself.  So here are a few photos from earlier in the week from the lagoon area behind our house (when it was warm and sunny).</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="148907f20.jpg" border=0 width="263" height="242" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Laneway sumac beside our lagoons.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="148b06090.jpg" border=0 width="262" height="265" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Popular leaves, lagoon laneway.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="148e07e00.jpg" border=0 width="263" height="224" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Soybean crop, lagoon laneway.</B></div> <div> <B>Once again autumn seems to be flashing by, and there is little we can do to enjoy it.  Next year at least, I will have no excuse for missing it.  I hope to even see a northern Ontario autumn once again, missing them all since I was 21 years old!</B></div> <div> <B>Luckily, the school week unfolded well.  Friday is supposed to be the Camera Club meeting, and today I had planned to take this large group outside, pile up some leaves, get kids jumping into them and throwing leaves around, and letting the cameras click.  Sigh.  Maybe next week, if the weather cooperates. In the meantime, here is a "cute kids" photo of the week.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="1490eace0.jpg" border=0 width="234" height="206" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Music room cuties!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Thursday, October 22nd/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>A decent enough week so far, with only half a day to go until the weekend.  Deb has her final wedding of the season on Saturday, as the daughter of one of our staff members gets married in Amherstburg.  She already has several bookings for next year, including gigs in Sarnia and Chatham.  I think she also has one booked for 2011!</B></div> <div> <B>After school tomorrow we are off to Detroit for some fun.  Borders Books with two 30% off coupons, coffee at Avalon Bakery, and hoping my photo software is waiting at our Dearborn mailbox.  If it is then I can begin adding some photos to this column once again!  All I have right now is the software that comes with Windows Vista, a less than impressive arrangement.  I have Photoshop CS2, but that is a mega project to load.  Maybe later tonight.  Our new 20" monitor gives astounding results with the photo images, and overall we have been very happy with the computer.  The older Dell is back at Geek Squad, getting completely wiped and reinstalling Windows XP.  We will likely sell it for around $200--it  will be a clean machine and ready to go.</B></div> <div> <B> We bought a wood pellet stove this week, a real beast.  I can't believe how heavy it is.  We don't know how we are going to get it into the house this weekend, or even unpacked.  It's sitting in the back of the SUV.  We are trying to find an installer, but they all seem pretty busy right now.  We have to get the building permit filled out and returned first anyway.  It wil be exciting when (if) we get it up and running.  It should heat most of the house all winter, though we mainly bought it as backup.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Tuesday, October 20th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>As I finally begin to crawl back into the world of healthy living, I am once again surrounded by very sick children and teachers.  Today I taught a Grade 8 class with 8 students absent, as well as the home room teacher.  Yesterday the other Grade 8 class had 8 away also (and today their homeroom teacher).  Tonight my high school flute player walked in for her lesson way too sick to be out of bed.  I never knew people could be that pale!  I'm sure I don't have enough immunity built up yet to fight off anything major, so I am likely doomed to catch something else.  This job can be a vicious circle that way.  There is always a wave of some virus thing or other going through the school and knocking people over like so many bowling balls.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Sunday, October 18th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>We made some good progress today with the new computer.  We managed to get all our old e-mails transferred (some good teamwork required, and three computers!), get my current game loaded and working (Dark Fall:  Lights Out), and put All Topo Maps on, with all necessary data we had saved on the old computer.  MCaffey and Spyware are working fine, too.  We also managed a walk today back towards our nearby forest.  I took a lot of photos but don't have any good photo software loaded as of yet, so I can't edit or shrink them to put them here.  Also got a batch in from Lynne of Emma in her pumpkin suit, sitting outside in a pile of leaves!  If you are lucky, you may get to see some of those, too.</B></div> <div> <B>The school year is now 15% over (5% every two weeks), so we are passing another milestone.  Things continue to run fairly smooth.  Even my first private teaching semester is now half done!  I had good turnouts last week for the first Recorder Band meeting, and the new school Camera Club.  The busier I stay, the faster the year will pass.  Still feeling less than myself, though slowly improving day by day.  Nasty virus got me and the computer (and at just about the same time).</B></div> <div> <B><U>Saturday, October 17th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>We had to bite the bullet and purchase a new computer.  The old one still has a nasty worm that is slowly eating away at Windows (which is what most viruses do).   The Geek Squad will take out Windows and replace it for us under the same ticket as last week, so we will have a totally clean computer to use in Deb's classroom.  The new one is a Dell Inspiron 537S (S stands for slim).  It came with a 20" widescreen monitor, which just fits on our desk, as well as a Pentium 2.5 ghz chip, 4 gb of RAM and a 640 gb hard drive (enough to hold all my photos forever more).  It took all day and evening to save what we could from the old computer and transfer it to the new one, including all of our website material.  Programs we lost and will have to reload will take forever to do, a nice long winter project.  Anyway, we are back, so look for regular updates again.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Monday, October 12/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>Definitely still sick, but definitely getting better.  Very fortunate that Deb and I did not have to carry the remainder of that wood--I got quite tired today just dismantling the pavilion and cleaning up the backyard a bit more, as well as rearranging the bin a little so nothing went higher than the edges.  I managed some writing today, and some piano practice.  The Beethoven seems at one time to be coming along nicely, then another time not so nicely.  It's nothing that consistent practicing won't remedy, however.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="14820ac00.jpg" border=0 width="266" height="192" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Our rental bin is filled with the remains of our old bridge and other assorted yard detritus.</B></div> <div> <B>I finished watching "Kiss of the Vampire", one of Hammer's eary vampire flics.  Not too shabby a movie, though certainly far less sensuous as their ones from 10 years later.  This one came out in 1964, and even so had to have another complete version (with no blood!) made for release to American tv.  Imagine a vampire movie with no blood!!  No big Hammer stars in this one, but Don Sharp does a very nice directing job.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="148402fb0.jpg" border=0 width="258" height="507" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>I continue to read through my Ballantine Fantasy books and review them from beginning to end, and am currently reading Book #4, </B><B><U>The Silver Stallion</U></B><B>, by James Branch Cabell.  Cabell is not everyone's cup of tea, but if you catch on to his humour and slick prose style, a real treat awaits!</B></div> <div> <B>Deb enlarged Ludwig's living quarters today by about half again.  He is a happy little guy, and very active.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Sunday, October 11/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>Christmas came early this year, as Santa and one of his taller elves stopped by whilst Deb and I were out this afternoon running errands in the'Burg.  On our return, our rented bin was filled to the top with wood.  We had already had two sessions of carrying the old bridge wood up to the bin, and had about three more to go.  Low and behold, the remainder of the wood had made its way into the bin!  It would have been quite a mystery, too, except Randy and David were caught in the act, carrying the very last bit.  If we had been home five minutes later, we might have never known.  Thanks, guys!  What a great surprise, especially for ol' wooden arm Deb.  Of course this freed up much of the afternoon, so I headed over to the piano and the harpsichord for a good practice session.</B></div> <div> <B>Tonight was Tofurky night, and we had delicious roasted potatoes and carrots, along with Tofurky and stuffing (so much tastier than the real thing, and far more environmentally friendly).  Somehow, though, we completely forgot about the vegan pumpkin pie!  Will have to go to Sobeys tomorrow and get the ingredients, to enjoy with tomorrow's leftovers.</B></div> <div> <B>Watching an old Hammer horror flic tonight, "Kiss of the Vampire".  Though a bit more pedestrian than some of their best offerings, it's still fun to watch, and the production values are excellent.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Saturday, October 10th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>It was sunny today, following upon the rainiest day I can ever remember!  A cool October day and we actually got out into the woods for a short time on the River Rouge Trail in Dearborn, MI.  We were supposed to be in Grand Rapids this weekend, but that had to be postponed due to all the unforeseen expenses we hit earlier.  We may still be able to salvage the trip for the near future--we'll see.</B></div> <div> <B>We had two coupons for 40% off of a book at Borders.  We got the new Farmers Almanac, and I bought a book of hiking trails in northern Michigan.  We actually spent a lot of time in the store today, which was quite relaxing.</B></div> <div> <B>Once home, the big task of hauling rain-sodden wood into the large disposal bin we are renting got started.  One big pile gone, one really huge pile to go.  This is very heavy wood, giant beams actually.  I also noticed that the grass really needs cutting.  Good thing we are staying home this weekend.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="147a05df0.jpg" border=0 width="261" height="223" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>From our walk today in Dearborn.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="147c03c20.jpg" border=0 width="259" height="194" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>River Rouge Trail, Dearborn.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="147e0ae30.jpg" border=0 width="266" height="227" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>One of the things I will certainly miss about school teaching once retired are the sweet faces of the kids, and the unique sense of humour they possess.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="148109d40.jpg" border=0 width="265" height="212" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Found this incredible poster on-line.  I must try and order one--the small print says "Do we even need any other hair colour?"</B></div> <div> <B><U>Friday, October 9th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>Our main computer has been in the shop for a week having a virus removed.  It was blocking all the virus scanning ware, and caused us hours of problems before I finally brought it in.  We seem to be back in business--we'll see.</B></div> <div> <B>It was a routine week at school (hurrah) except I still seem to be fighting off a virus which has left me feeling very tired all week, despite hours and hours of sleep.  Feeling better today, but the week has been a physical struggle for me.  Another milestone today, as we have now completed 1/8 of the year!!  No major problems yet, either.</B></div> <div> <B>We have a large bin at our house this weekend, in order to finally rid ourselves of the wood from our dismantled bridge.  We had planned to load it up this afternoon, but the all-day rain changed our minds.  We will get to work tomorrow instead.</B></div> <div> <B>I went downstairs earlier this week to begin the dismantling of my model railroad.  It actually seems to have come out of the flood in usuable condition.  There is a section of track that has to be replaced, but the engines all work and so do the lights and switches.  The smell seems to be gone, also.  A lot of scenery will have to be repaired, but I think I may be able to salvage most of it.  This would be good news indeed!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Friday, October 2nd/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>A very long week indeed.  I ended up taking one sick day (Thursday), while Deb took two (Thursday and Friday).  In addition to our colds, Deb managed to snag a pink-eye virus, so she is on a 7-day antibiotic for that.  So far it has missed me.  We are both feeling better now, though I am still far behind on my sleep.  Anytime I get a bad cold, my body goes into overdrive.  It's like I'm constantly drinking coffee, therefore no sleep. </B></div> <div> <B> I have a few more pics of Ludwig to share.  He is quite the little guy.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="147400d90.jpg" border=0 width="256" height="217" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Dinner time 1.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="147608e10.jpg" border=0 width="264" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Dinner time 2.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="147702db0.jpg" border=0 width="258" height="219" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Dinner time 3.</B></div> <div> <B>Today marks 1/10th of the school year completed, a minor milestone perhaps but a milestone nonetheless.  So far it has been a very decent year, with mostly well-behaved kids ready to learn.  If the rest of the year runs this smoothly, it will not only pass quickly but also pleasantly!</B></div> <div> <B>Tomorrow Deb plays a church wedding in Windsor, in the Italian section of Erie Street.  I'll have an hour to sit and read and to sip espresso at one of the cafes.  Luckily her last outdoor wedding of the season was last Saturday.  Tomorrow looks like depressing weather.  We have our first fire log of the season on tonight.  Tomorrow night being the Full Moon, we will have a much larger real wood fire, and hopefully a glimpse of the October moon.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Tuesday, Sept. 29th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>It's been a long week, and it's only Tuesday!  The living room floor got put down on Sunday, and went reasonably well.  We left a square in the corner undone, as we are going to install tile there for a possible wood stove.  Overnight Sunday, Autumn arrived with a vengeance.  Monday was a blustery day better suited to late October or early November.  The season was only five days late this year.  To me this means a long and possibly cold winter again.  On Monday the contractor came out to repair our leaky radiator valve, and away went a whole lot more money (we are now at over $1000.00 in one week and still going!).  On top of everything else, Deb and I (and most of the school) have head colds.  Tonight my voice is shot.  I do have to work tomorrow (long story) but will likely stay home and rest on Thursday.  We have yet to start in on disposing of the train set, so that will likely be a weekend project if we are feeling better.</B></div> <div> <B>I found out today from Steve that I am going to be Emma-Lee's Godfather!  Cathy will be the Godmother, as one of the pair has to be at the ceremony.  So there is some uplifting news to end off this write-up.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Saturday, Sept. 26th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B><U>8:30 pm:</U></B><B>  </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFCC99" FACE="Arial" ><B>Deb's wedding went well today, and the predicted rain did not materialize.  Afterwards we had lunch at Taloola's Cafe in Walkerville.  I went for a walk in the neighbourhood while Deb played harp at a wedding at Hiram Walker.</B></FONT></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="146801030.jpg" border=0 width="257" height="259" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Deb warms up for her wedding gig today in Windsor.  She played on the river at Hiram Walker.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="146a0bc90.jpg" border=0 width="267" height="201" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>The outdoor area behind the hospitality building features two fountains and lovely gardens, in addition to the views of Detroit.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="146b00020.jpg" border=0 width="256" height="258" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Hiram Walker hospitality building, next door to the distillery.  Deb has now played two outdoor weddings here.</B></div> <div> <B>After lunch we went and purchased replacement laminate flooring, and will probably begin the unenviable task of trying to fit the new pieces into the old ones that weren't damaged by water.  The train set still has to be dismantled and taken out of the basement.  It will be a busy week.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="146d04c30.jpg" border=0 width="260" height="195" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>There was water damage to about half of our flooring caused by a leaking radiator valve.  It also leaked into the downstairs room beneath, ruining my HO model railroad among other things.</B></div> <div> <B><U>9:15  am:</U></B><B>  </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFCC99" FACE="Arial" ><B>It has been a week when we are all too aware of being homeowners.  First, the bathroom sink sprang a leak.  It happened during our dual teaching hours one evening .  "Luckily" we have a program with a local plumbing company, and they were soon on the scene.  45 minutes later we had new bathroom sink taps and shutoff pipes, setting us back $580.00.  That was a nice little setback, as I now have to teach 16 hours to pay that one off.  Then came Thursday night.  Unable to get a connection to the internet, Deb went downstairs to check on the modem.  Water was leaking down from above and had filled the modem with water.  We soon discovered a leak in one of our radiator valves upstairs.  When we had finished cleaning up the basement, we realized that the HO model railroad was soaked and completely ruined, only fit for the junkyard.  Upstairs it was nearly as bad.  We had to pull up about half of our wood laminate floor.  The contractor is coming Monday to fix the radiator and check the furnace.  We will likely replace all three valves on the upstairs rads.  Deb plays at a wedding today at Hiram Walker in Windsor (an outdoor one).  We will then head to a store nearby to pick up some more flooring and hope we can get that started.  We have to get the train set out of the basement, too.  The final insult is that the water from inside the heating system smells very bad, so everything wet has to be washed or disposed of.  The only piece of good news is that somehow, once dried off, the modem still worked and we are back on-line.</B></FONT></div> <div> <B><U>Wednesday, Sept 23/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>One of the quieter birthday weeks I have ever had.  Years ago we used to celebrate the first day of Autumn, along with Bilbo and Frodo's birthday, by having our first roaring log fire of the season.  With temps near 80 today and the humidity very high, this marks the upteenth year in a row when high temps have delayed the arrival of the new season.  Yesterday I taught all day, so a party was out of the question.  Today we went to Detroit, with coffee at Avalon Bakery, then an early dinner with double IPA at Detroit Brewing Company.  Once home, we ordered five more of my books missing from my Ballantine Fantasy Collection.  So a decent enough belated birthday, though yesterday Deb silently marched her 5/6 class down to the music room during my prep.  I was working quietly at my desk and hardly heard them enter.  Then suddenly they burst out with a hearty "Happy Birthday Mr. Ethier" before silently retreating to their classroom.  So that was mildly amusing!  A quiet week so far, with school and private lessons going well.  Happy Belated Birthday to Frodo and Bilbo Baggins.  Next year I promise I will make up for the lack of enthusiastic party.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Sunday, Sept. 20th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>As per usual, the weekend has passed all too quickly.  With Deb playing at two weddings yesterday, it kept us busy from 2 pm until 8:30 pm.  Some relaxing time today before another very full week begins (with yet another Saturday wedding looming).  It all helps us look forward to another trip to London in March.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="146508c60.jpg" border=0 width="264" height="198" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>I enjoyed a sunset on the Detroit River while waiting for Deb to finish up a wedding dinner gig at the university on Saturday.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="1467f3c80.jpg" border=0 width="243" height="200" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Deb has fixed up a large outdoor area for Ludwig, and has been sitting outside with him every day.  He has something of the Touareg about him, as he goes over and through obstacles as if they weren't even there.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Friday, Sept. 18th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>I've been listening to some very good records lately from my collection.  A while back it was the complete Trio music by Schubert (violin, piano and cello) performed by the Beaux Arts Trio.  Then came the complete Beethoven Cello and Piano music performed by Serkin and Casals, and now it's the "10 Greatest String Quartets" of Mozart, performed by the Amadeus Quartet.  Incredible music and spellbinding recordings which I am lucky to have in my possession.  I love listening to records (when they don't skip).</B></div> <div> <B>Two weeks of school have passed, including one full one with private teaching.  Fridays seem wonderful again.  Have been practicing piano, too.  5% of my final year is now over!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Thursday, Sept. 17th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>My parents are celebrating 57 years of marriage today.  That's a long time!  I wonder if Deb will ever put up with me for that long....</B></div> <div> <B>7/8ths of my first full work week are over, but as they say in the child business, it ain't over till it's over.  It's been a relatively smooth week, though as usual the personal energy is flying out the window!  Two new private students started this week, a third grade boy and a girl starting kindergarten.  Both seem off to a good start and are eager to learn piano.  I had two teenage girls who came to lessons with terrible colds, so no doubt I am now walking around trying to fight off these germs.  I'll certainly know by Saturday or Sunday if I've been successful.  I'm happy to report that the boy who received multiple bee stings at school earlier this week is back and doing just fine.  Not a pleasant experience to go through.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Tuesday, Sept. 15th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>Judging by the photo Randy sent me last night (of him sitting in the Captain's chair of the USS Enterprise), he finally made it to the Star Trek exhibit at the Detroit Science Center.  It's a very good exhibit, and though our visit last May was a bit rushed we really enjoyed it .  Looking good, Captain Randolph!</B></div> <div> <B>I am suddenly remembering what a real work week is again.  Like last year, I end up working eight half-days each week (five at school in the mornings and three at home in the evenings).  When Tuesday evening's lessons are over, my work week is actually half done!  Half a day on  Wednesday, full one on Thursday and a half day on Friday left to go.  And next year?  Only three half days at home!!</B></div> <div> <B>Really warm weather is to be tempered by a northwest wind, so it will be less warm from here on in, though still pleasant.  The bees are incredibly abundant once again this September.  I had to bring a student down to the office at lunch who had just been stung four times on the inside of his upper leg.  Boy was he screaming!  Poor little guy.  Dad came and took him home.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Saturday, Sept.12th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>Harvest Festival was a good one, thanks to a little shopping spree at Remark Farms!  Excellent pasta primavera, among other things.  </B></div> <div> <B>It is probably past time to introduce my reading public to Ludwig the Tortoise, newest member of the household.  As he will likely be around longer than we will, Amanda has accepted the responsiblilty for him once we have passed on.  He is about 3 1/2 years old, and likely to live beyond 50!  He is a Russian Tortoise, though born and bred in Essex County.  These hardy little guys actually orbited the moon in the 70s on board Russian spacecraft, returning safely to earth after their mission!!  They are competely vegetarian, a welcome change from the lizards and Ike the Snapping Turtle.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="145d04c30.jpg" border=0 width="260" height="195" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Ludwig the Tortoise in his large abode in Deb's harp room.  He is chowing down on a plate of veggies specially selected for Harvest Weekend!</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="145f03c20.jpg" border=0 width="259" height="194" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Closer shot of Ludwig at the buffet.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="146104e30.jpg" border=0 width="260" height="227" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>He also enjoys forays onto the lawn outdoors when it is warm.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Friday, Sept. 11th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>We've both coasted through a relatively easy first week.  Deb likes her split Gr. 5/6 class of 22 students a lot.  I've only met  60% of my music classes, but so far so good.  Next week will be the real return to work, as we put in a five-day week at school and three evenings of private lessons at home.  In addition, Deb plays two weddings next Saturday.  No wonder we always seem to miss Autumn!</B></div> <div> <B>I've been working tirelessly on the journal of the recent New Mexico trip, and hope to finish it up this weekend.  I've been tweaking the website a bit, too, but I think it is now in its finished form.  There are 60 photos and maps.  I may add one or two more photos this week.  Tomorrow we are going to celebrate our annual Harvest Festival (one week late), searching out local products like corn and tomatoes and building a feast around them.  It's always a yummy affair!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Monday, September 7th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>It's time for the annual summer vacation eulogy!  This was my 28th long summer vacation as a public school teacher, and, alas, my final one.  Next July will be the really big vacation, the one in which I hope to finally become a full-time pianist and writer.  Because of all the travelling this summer, (Sudbury, Kingston, New Mexico) as well as the six week exercise program, piano practice took a bit of a beating.  However, pieces are in good shape and if I can continue to find time this fall I should be able to offer up a concert, though likely without much memorization.  I also continued work on my children's novel, "Valeria, the Vegetarian Vampire" and have pledged to finish it this month and get it off to Amanda for editing.  I know it will not be difficult to find a publisher for this story, as opposed to my darker one with the young pianist  Allie Tachbrook.</B></div> <div> <B>Highlights of the summer are many, and include seeing my newest neice, Emma-Lee.  Can't wait to see her again, though that will not be for awhile.  She now is 22" long and weighs 10 lbs 2 oz.  Must be something she's eating!</B></div> <div> <B>Our nephew Kevin's wedding was also a highlight, especially the moonlight cruise along the St. Lawrence River.  He is a lad I wish we could spend more time with.  The happy couple have returned to the Yukon for another year of teaching on a native reserve, so we are not likely to run into them casually.</B></div> <div> <B>Of course the most recent trip to New Mexico is a main highlight, especially hiking to the incredible summit of Little Costillo Peak.  It turned into a very good idea to invite Amanda along--she was a lot of fun and an amazing hiker!</B></div> <div> <B>Most recently, Ludwig the Russian Tortoise has landed at our house.  A full report on him/her will be forthcoming.  Life is never dull around here, at least for long.  I also got loads of reading done this summer, and hope to get through a lot of books this year too.</B></div> <div> <B>So it's back to work tomorrow, but I will be returning with enthusiasm beyond what I usually offer, and a new attitude!  Let's get it done!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Friday, September 4th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>Ludwig the Tortoise has arrived at his new home.  Deb has been planning for his arrival since our trip to NM.  Photos will be forthcoming, along with more info about it.</B></div> <div> <B>The New Mexico Website Update is now complete, after several marathon sessions over the past few days.  As usual, it's a big site with lots to see, so take your time and do a page or two now and then.  Changes will be forthcoming, but it is basically in its final form!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Wednesday, September 2nd/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>A fairly painless start to the year, as we got to go in and just do our own thing.  I had high hopes of updating the school website, but low and behold my classroom computer was gone (with all the web info and web program on it) forever.  Oh well!</B></div> <div> <B>The main thing is that our pay advance arrived today, meaning that we no longer have $163 in the bank!  Yay!!</B></div> <div> <B>Still working on the website update for the NM trip, but four pages should be up and running so far, including everything up to our arrival in New Mexico.  If you notice any typos, please let me know!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Tuesday, September 1st/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>Technically our holidays are over, as we have to report to work tomorrow morning.  However, as it is a teacher-directed PA day, we are free to just go in and set up our classrooms.  We always do this anyway on the week before, so in a sense we are getting paid to do it this year!  A good start to my final year of teaching.  Thursday there will be a workshop to attend, and then we are off until next Tuesday, when the kids return.  Not too bad a way to begin.  However, because of the late start this year we must labour on until June 30th.  Very sad.</B></div> <div> <B>Today I began work on the website update for Trip #27, and managed to get one entire page completed.  Feel free to read it--there are photos, links and descriptions of my solo drive to Tulsa.  If time permits, then tomorrow I will add another page detailing our adventures in Oklahoma.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Monday, August 31st/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>After a week of respite we have resumed a modest walking program.  No definite plans yet for further hiking, though we will try to keep a modicum of fitness.  We nailed every single goal of our recent trip, and feel pretty good about that.  We camped a record six nights, including five in a row.  Of course the weather had to cooperate, and it did.  I have completed my initial photo editing project, and have selected about  50 pictures to put up on the website.  I'm hoping to display some of the maps of big hikes as well.  Should start working on that by tomorrow, and perhaps have something to show by the early part of the weekend.  Stay tuned!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Saturday, August 29th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>Life is finally returning to normal.  Internet works fine, car works fine, laundry is done, and there is fresh food in the house.  Not much money, though.  It will be nice to get paid soon, something that hasn't occurred much around here since the end of June.  I am continuing to write the immortal journal of our 27th trip to New Mexico, and editing the photos.  I didn't take as many this time, mainly because I stuck to driving when alone; didn't stop as much either.  I should still end with about 200 good ones, and about a dozen great ones.  We had beautiful clear skies many of the nights, and aside from doing a lot of naked eye astronomy, I took some 30-second deep sky shots.  Because I used my camera's maximum ISO setting (1600), I took them in b&w to minimize noise levels.  This one's for you, Randy!</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="13b10ede0.jpg" border=0 width="270" height="222" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Skies were clear to the horizon at 8000'.  The Sagittarius star cloud shows up nicely through the trees.  From McCrystal Campground, NM.  S9000, 30 sec. @ f 2.9, 1600 ISO.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Friday, August 27th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>We've been dealing with little or no internet service since we got back.  thought we'd fixed it about ten times now, but we now think it is the actual in-house phone line to the jack.  Also, the alternator went on the Jetta, leaving Deb stuck on Malden Rd. yesterday.  Everything was covered by the dealer warranty, including the tow, but it was still a pain.  Then there was the mountain of laundry to attack...  I have been editing photos and writing in the trip journal.  Should have some big ones to put up by the end of the weekend.  In the meantime, here's one from my solo trip to Tulsa across Missouri.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="13b008bb0.jpg" border=0 width="264" height="187" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Meramac Spring, St. James, MO.  According to park literature, the springs could fill 60 bathtubs every second!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Wednesday,  August 26th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>Everyone is back home, and we all had a fabulous journey.  Much more later, especially on the opposite side as updates are added for New Mexico Trip #27.  Amanda proved to be a perfect travelling companion and would be welcome on any of our future trips anywhere.  Highlights?  Stay tuned, but the city of Taos really shone on this trip for us.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="13af09e90.jpg" border=0 width="265" height="233" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Deb and I (and Amanda) spent our 33rd anniversary struggling to the summit of Little Costilla Peak.  This was our most challenging hike to date, and the highest we have ever been while standing on solid ground.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Tuesday, August 11th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>We are wrapping up our sixth and final week of hiking preparation.  We did a muggy and hilly six miles today at Malden Hill, and could have easily done more if not for the incredible humidity.  That aspect is never a problem out west, but of course it is replaced by the rigours of dealing with high elevations.  Our first major hike will be in extreme western Oklahoma (right near the border with New Mexico), to that state's highpoint just below 5000'.  The second and the third big hikes will be at about  8000', and the fourth begins at 10,000' and goes past 12,500'.  The final hike will be above 10,000'.  As usual, weather conditions will dictate whether a hike goes forward or not.  Thunderstorms are frequent in August in the west.  We are as ready as we will ever be, though after a week at altitude the lungs begin to work as well as the legs.  Of course by then it's time to come home.  Anyway, NM Trip #27 is fast approaching, though you won't hear too much about it until late August or early September.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Monday, August 10th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>The website has been experiencing a bit of downtime lately, and it's largely due to the number of photos on this first page.  Every time I get a hit on the site, it takes up bandwidth and for the first time ever I had used up my bandwith for the month with MNSi.  Since this site is free, I can't really complain (but I did).  It appears the site has become a victim of its own success.  In the autumn I will likely switch the site over to a different (paid) web address, and use this one for my music studio website.  That will allow me to have unlimited bandwidth and space for even more photos, keeping exactly the same format.</B></div> <div> <B>We are now in the final week of the excercise program.  It's been tough this past week due to heat and humidity issues, but we have been carrying on like troopers.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Friday, August 7th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>We've been watching the tv episodes of </B><A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zatoichi" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zatoichi"><U><B>Zatoichi</B></U></A><B>, the blind sword-wielding  master that has enthralled us since our first encounter many years ago on Independent Film Channel.  The art is called Iaido (with an "i" at the beginning), and mostly involves getting the sword from the case, completing the cut with a swift and clean stroke, and returning the weapon to its case immediately afterward.  I was heavily involved in martial arts training in my high school years, studying both Judo and Karate in turn.  I've often thought of going back, but the time involvement and physical wear and tear can both be gruesome.</B></div> <div> <B>Today, out of the blue, Bill Triolet stopped by.  Bill was once a student teacher of ours, now living and teaching in metro Detroit.  He's married and has two kids.  We haven't seen Bill in many years, though we do consider him a dear friend.  Aside from visiting to reconnect, he also told me that Iaido is being taught in Windsor, Tuesday evenings.  He really thinks I should take it up, and I think I should too.  So some thinking will now occur.  It would involve some shifting of my private music teaching load away from Tuesday evenings.  Bill studies and teaches Aikido, and is nearly ready for his 3rd degree Black Belt.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="139d04c30.jpg" border=0 width="260" height="195" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Bill T. stops by for a few pop.</B></div> <div> <B>On another positive note, Randy has finally recieved a telescope mirror!  Not the one he ordered, mind you.  That one was to be a 22" or 25" monster mirror for the tube assembly he has already built.  Unable to complete his request, his builder instead sent him a consolation prize of a 15" mirror.  Randy hopes to sell this to help recoup his loss, as he had already paid a large sum for the bigger mirror.  All very complicated and sad, though there is hope that a large mirror may someday make its way towards Windsor.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="139ef3d50.jpg" border=0 width="243" height="213" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Photo from near the Ganatcho Trail in Windsor, taken yesterday.  I went for a bike ride while the Touareg was getting a tune-up.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Thursday, August 6th/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>We are gradually getting prepared for our trip to NM and CO, via OK.  We have repacked the "kitchen" box we use to prepare food at campsites, as well as repacked the camping suitcase.  Yesterday, the Touareg went into VW for a tune-up, and tomorrow I hope to apply a coat of wax to it.  The Canadian dollar is quite good right now, so we hope this lasts a bit longer.  Our 'mountain prep' excercise program enters its sixth and final week tomorrow.  As usual, I am very excited about the trip.  We will see a whole new area of Oklahoma, as well as a new part of NM (extreme nw corner).  We will head back to McCrystal Campground in the Valle Vidal, and once more hope to climb Little Costilla Peak.  Can't wait to get the journey underway!</B></div> <div> <B>I finally got around to updating the </B><A HREF="http://ormtawindsor.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://ormtawindsor.com/"><U><B>Windsor ORMTA website</B></U></A><B>--it had been a while.  We get a surprising number of hits on that thing, and it looks like another busy year of concerts and meetings.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Sunday, August 2nd/09</U></B></div> <div> <B>Our Kingston trip was a whirlwind, preceeded by 8 hours of sitting in the car and followed by seven hours sitting in the car.  We left at 9 am Saturday morning and didn't arrive downtwon Kingston until 5 pm.  We encountered horrendous traffic between the east end of Toronto through to Oshawa, even after following the 407 Tollroad as far as we could.  It took 2 hours longer to get there, and we were burned out by the time we asrrived.  We boarded the boat at 6:45 (Island Queen III), left the dock at 7 pm and returned to land at 1 am!!  I must say I enjoyed the cruise up the St Lawrence River a lot.  The evening was warm and lit by a three-quarter moon.  A very unique wedding, and certainly worth the long drive.  Very tired tonight, though.  Sleep needed, and no driving.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="13980dca0.jpg" border=0 width="269" height="202" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Boarding the Island Queen III at Crawford Dock, Kingston.  Kevin and Kathryn said their vows on board, then followed a very fine dinner (vegan plate was excellent), a moonlight cruise and dancing.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="1399f05f0.jpg" border=0 width="240" height="351" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Nephew Kevin and his bride Kathryn.</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id312.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Blog Archive 2009"><U><I><B>BLOG ARCHIVE 2009</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.harpymusic.com/id99.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.harpymusic.com/id99.htm"><U><I><B>BLOG ARCHIVE 2008</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.harpymusic.com/id65.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.harpymusic.com/id65.htm"><U><I><B>BLOG ARCHIVE 2007</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.harpymusic.com/id64.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.harpymusic.com/id64.htm"><U><I><B>BLOG ARCHIVE 2006</B></I></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=435 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="a6a40f03.jpg"> <div> <I><B>Welcome to Lone Mt Homestead</B></I></div> <div> To the left is a personal journal that is updated often.  Over here on the right side one can find the larger photo gallery.  It is not updated as often, though changes do happen after major journeys.  Nearly 100 photos from our last visit to New Mexico are currently on display, as well as several from the drive west in the Touareg section.  If you wish to use a photo seen here for any reason, kindly e-mail me and let me know (address near bottom).  The photos on the website are not very large or of very high resolution, and I may be able to send you a better version.  My main camera is a Fuji Finepix S9000; the walking camera will be the smaller but capable Finepix S700.  A newer Finepix A820 is now the everyday 'backpack' camera, as well as the one to be taken on particularly grueling mountain climbs when even the S700 will be too much weight.</div> <div> <A HREF="missouri_oklahoma_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Missouri Adventures and into Oklahoma "><U><B>NM Trip #27:  Little Costilla Peak</B></U></A><FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#FF00FF" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="ballantine_fantasy.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series"><U><B>Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series</B></U></A><B> </B></div> <div> <A HREF="id309.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Autumn Page One"><U><B>Autumn</B></U></A><A HREF="id309.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Autumn Page One"><U><B> Scenes</B></U></A><B>  </B></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#33FFFF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.harpymusic.com/id66.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.harpymusic.com/id66.htm"><U><B>LONDON TRIP #9!</B></U></A></FONT><FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#FF0033" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT><B>(</B><I><B>off-site location)</B></I></div> <div> <A HREF="touareg.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Touareg Photos"><U><I><B>Touareg Pages</B></I></U></A><A HREF="touareg.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Touareg Photos"><U><I><B>  </B></I></U></A><A HREF="touareg.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Touareg Photos"><U><I><B> </B></I></U></A><I><B> </B></I><FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>5 New Photos!</B></I></FONT></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#33FFFF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.harpymusic.com/id96.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.harpymusic.com/id96.htm"><U><I><B>Our Kitty Cats</B></I></U></A></FONT><A HREF="http://www.harpymusic.com/id96.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.harpymusic.com/id96.htm"><U><I><B> - 3 pages</B></I></U></A><I><B>  </B></I><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>(off-site location)</B></I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <I><B><U>Last Update November 19th, 2009</U></B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Who We Are</B></I></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> </B></I></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" ><I><B> </B></I></FONT><I><B> </B></I><B>  We are Michael and Deb, vegans and hikers from southwestern Ontario, Canada, where we live with our three cats Ferdinand, Gustav, and Mogollon, a very small indoor finch flock, Ludwig the tortoise and Penelope the </B><A HREF="http://www.harpymusic.com/vivarium.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.harpymusic.com/vivarium.htm"><U><B>lizard</B></U></A><B> </B><B>.  We have completed 27 hiking expeditions to New Mexico, finding that we cannot live without the skies, deserts and mountains of that unique place.  Another favourite travel destination is London, UK, where we enjoy making new friends, taking long walks in the city and outskirts, attending concerts in the city, and carrying out museum visits and pub pilgrimages.  We have also explored the Valley of Mexico in some depth (3 visits), spent an entire summer in Madrid and Barcelona, spent two weeks in and around Copenhagen, Denmark and visited great Mid-Western cities like Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati and others many times.  Detroit is our nearest big city, and we visit at least once a week.  Lone Mt Homestead is our attempt to share some of our adventures with relatives, friends and drop-in visitors.</B></div> <div> <B>     Michael teaches music at </B><A HREF="http://www.gecdsb.on.ca/schools/elem/aps/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.gecdsb.on.ca/schools/elem/aps"><U><B>Amherstburg Public School</B></U></A><B> (for one more year!) and</B><B> at home in his private studio.   When not teaching, performing, practicing piano or  attending concerts in the Detroit/Windsor area, he enjoys driving a VW Touareg and Jetta, actively pursuing  his photography hobby, and reading (as well as writing) fiction.  He also loves to study maps, watch old films, and work on his HO model train layout.  He enjoys microbrewed beer way too much.  Deb teaches Harp and Violin at home and Language Arts and Drama at </B><A HREF="http://www.gecdsb.on.ca/schools/elem/aps/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.gecdsb.on.ca/schools/elem/aps"><U><B>APS</B></U></A><B>.  She is an avid lever harp performer, composer and arranger.  Her works and performances have been featured in three short films for television broadcast (including England).  She also paints canvasses inspired by the spirit of the Southwest and enjoys a glass of red wine and the occasional pint of beer.  </B></div> <div> <I><B> </B></I><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#66FFCC" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.harpymusic.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.harpymusic.com"><U><I><B>Check out Deb's website here.</B></I></U></A></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Been to New Mexico?  London?  Like long road trips? Planning something?  Have a comment about this site?  Drop us a line....</B></I></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="mailto:pegasus48124@yahoo.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:pegasus48124@yahoo.com"><U><I><B>pegasus48124@yahoo.com</B></I></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>  <script type="text/javascript"> var sc_project=4981791; var sc_invisible=0; var sc_partition=57; var sc_click_stat=1; var sc_security="0f8f7595"; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.statcounter.com/counter/counter.js"></script><noscript><div class="statcounter"><a title="myspace profile view counter" href="http://www.statcounter.com/myspace/" target="_blank"><img class="statcounter" src="http://c.statcounter.com/4981791/0/0f8f7595/0/" alt="myspace profile view counter" ></a></div></noscript>   </B></I></div> </td> </tr></table></body>