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>Monday, Feb. 8th/10</U></B></div> <div> <B>Looks like all of my wishful thinking for a nice, easy end to winter has been in vain!  As I write this on a bright, sunny Monday afternoon near sunset (with temps above freezing, too) I think to myself "Why couldn't Winter just curl up and go away?"   I won't repeat the answer I received from Winter himself, but suffice it to say he is not going away anytime soon, as hoped!  At least the Detroit Winter Carnival this coming weekend will be the genuine article!  We hope to attend it on Friday.</B></div> <div> <B>My fifth physio visit  today brought me some hope, though I was told not to shovel any snow.  I now have my full range of motion back in the elbow, though a lot of pain still.  Now I just need to figure out how to make ten inches of snow disappear from my driveway tomorrow without shovelling!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Saturday, Feb. 7th/10</U></B></div> <div> <B><U>9:55 am:</U></B></div> <div> <B>It has been an odd winter for us here in Essex County.  It has been colder than the norm, but not by all that much, with daily temps getting close to freezing but usually not achieving it.  And then there is the snow, or rather lack of it.  Once again a giant storm has socked our neighbours to the south, missing us completely.  It is certainly not a winter to complain bitterly about, unless one loves snow.  Deb and I have not had one opportunity to use our snowshoes this year.  The 10-day forecast calls for much of the same--somewhat cold and relatively dry.  Even if we were to get a big storm now, it would not last long enough anyway.  No complaints here!</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="150e02c20.jpg" border=0 width="258" height="194" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>A plethora of squirrels (in this case 9) feeding outside our window today.  A relatively easy winter means that most of them are surviving, and we can look forward to lots of babies in the spring....</B></div> <div> <B>My elbow continues to cause me pain, and my piano playing is restricted to the bare minimum, currently preparing the accompaniments for Angela's upcoming flute exam.  I've been to physio four times with no appreciable end to the pain.  Mobility improves at the physio, but not so much afterwards.  It's only been two weeks, so we'll see what happens after two more.</B></div> <div> <B>Last night Roger and I attended a recital in Detroit by </B><A HREF="http://www.emanuelax.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.emanuelax.com/"><U><B>Emmanuel Ax</B></U></A><B>, one of today's most sought-after pianists.  A quick glance at his schedule from his website shows a performer I feel fortunate to have heard.  The program consisted of works by Chopin and Schumann (both composers born in 1810, and thus a bi-centennial year celebration).  The highlights for me were the two major works by Schumann, the seldom heard Fantasy in C, Op. 17, and the delightful series of shorter works Op. 12 Fantasy Pieces.  Amazing performances of incredibly fine music!  By Chopin, Ax performed three Mazurkas, the Polonaise-Fantasie Op. 61, the Andante Spinanato and Grande Polonaise Brillante Op. 22, and the lone encore, a Nocturne (Op.27 #1).</B></div> <div> <B><U>Brad Update:</U></B></div> <div> <B>Brad has a room in Hotel Dieu and continues to make good progress.  Visitors have commented on how his personality remains unchanged, a very healthy sign.  He does tire very easily, and continues to have some difficulty with reading and forming sentences, though all indications are that he will make a complete recovery.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Tuesday, Feb. 2nd/10</U></B></div> <div> <B>Today marks the beginning of the end of winter.  Celebrated by Pagans, Candelmas sees the return of the daylight to northern areas of the globe.  The sun is now streaking higher each day towards Equinox, and Candelmas falls roughly halfway between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox.  Now horribly distorted by one of the most idiotic of media events (ground hog day), a major celebration still occurs in many parts of the world.  For us in Essex County this time of year marks the end of the severest part of winter.  This year winter has been anything but severe.  With barely any snow and only a few truly dangerously cold days, it has been a non-winter compared to the last one.  Over the next two weeks the daylight will increase significantly, so that by the middle of February we are nearly out of the woods.  Any snow that falls after that date does not stick around for long; nor do colder temps.  No sign of our snowdrops in the garden yet, but we expect them soon enough.  As we taught tonight there was no home celebration, so we have put it off until tomorrow.  New Tarot cards from our Samhain reading, our annual imbibing of Benedictine Liqueur (the real stuff made by the monastery monks, not the imitation), another real wood fire in our fireplace, and the displaying of our Brigid doll, the Celtic goddess responsible for returning the earth to fruitful life following winter are all part of the festivities!  It's great fun marking the subtle changes in seasons as they occur each year!</B></div> <div> <B>Tomorrow also marks a landmark day for us, as our school year will be exactly half over!  20 weeks down, 20 weeks to go!!</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="150afacf0.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="207" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>It's been a very light year for snow, as our winter begins to end.  Scene from my walk home from school</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="150bfbcb0.jpg" border=0 width="251" height="203" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Smiles of the week, as school reaches its half-way mark tomorrow.</B></div> <div> <B>Deb's class held a bake sale earlier in the year to raise money for some sports equipment for the class.  They purchased free trade soccer, football and basketballs, and even had enough left over to donate $100 to the School Board's Haiti fund.  Our school raised over $1000 for Haiti, and the Board total was over $97,000.00!!  That amount was matched by the government, too.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="150d0ad90.jpg" border=0 width="266" height="217" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Deb's class raised money to purchase free trade sports equipment, meaning that the adult workers were paid a fair wage for their work.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Saturday, Jan. 30th/10</U></B></div> <div> <B>Last night's full moon rise was a beauty, and we celebrated by visiting the back deck a few times to observe it.  By coincidence Mars was at opposition last night, thus appearing near the moon all night long.  As usual for lunar holdiays we had a roaring wood fire, baked a mooncake (round, of course), had a roasted veggie pizza with whole grain organic crust, and sipped some fine dark rum.  For the second full moon in a row we have listened to music from our large cassette collection.  I began with some Navajo songs to set the mood, then we listened to the Alexander Nevsky suite by Prokoviev, a winter favourite that we haven't heard in years!  We warmed up afterwards with NIghts in the Gardens of Spain by Manuel de Falla, and concluded with some Argentinian guitar music and song by the legendary Eduardo Falu.</B></div> <div> <B>I've been fighting off a minor bug since Thursday (very tired and no appetite), but I was much better last night and today.</B></div> <div> <B>Speaking of much better, Brad is now on the 8th floor of the hospital, and may be discharged on Monday to be cared for by his parents at their home.  A part of his skull has been removed due to brain swelling, and will not be reattached at this time.  He will have to wear a helmet and be very careful not to bump his head in any way.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Friday, Jan. 29th/10</U></B></div> <div> <B><U>Brad Update:</U></B></div> <div> <B>We have been hearing more and more good news.  Brad has been able to get out of bed, and seems to be making a miracle recovery.  A week ago doctors were not certain he would still be alive. He has difficulty putting a sentence together, but is otherwise alert, curious, impatient to move around, and asking about his class, basketball team etc.  Many get-well cards are on the way to him today, at least one from each class in our school plus one from the staff.  They may be moving him out of ICU soon.</B></div> <div> <B>In other news, Andrea will soon be in Harbin, China, one of the coldest cities on earth in January.  Her husband is attending a conference and she will spend a week there and 4 days in Beijing afterwards, presumably to thaw out.  She sent me a link to the </B><A HREF="http://www.rtoddking.com/chinawin2009_hb_if.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.rtoddking.com/chinawin2009_hb"><U><B>Ice Festival</B></U></A><B> that is held in Harbin each year, and that she will be visiting.  Check out at least the first two pages!  This is amazing stuff that almost no one has heard of!  Probably anyone who has actually seen it has froze to death, not living long enough to tell the tale.  Let's hope Andrea bundles up!</B></div> <div> <B>After my second physio-therapy session on my elbow, I realize how much work there is to do.  I do need to practice piano very soon, as I am playing for my flute student's exam Feb. 19th.  I will continue to rest it for as long as possible, with hopes that the little exercises and frequent icing will help.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Tuesday, Jan. 26th/10</U></B></div> <div> <B><U>Brad Update:</U></B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#DDDDDD" FACE="Arial" ><B> Slight improvements, though things are happening slowly.  Brad is reportedly getting restless, and wants to get up and move around.  Of course he is still in ICU and hooked up to too many things for that.  He ate a popsicle today, his first meal since the accident.  He is recalling a few details about the crash as well.  So good news, at least.</B></FONT></div> <div> <B>Tuesday marks my halfway point through the workweek, with four half days completed and four to go.  There have been no private students absent yet this month, an unusual thing in itself.  Today our energy assessor returned.  We will receive a second report soon to see how much money we qualify for.  We expect some from installing four new windows, having the basement headers insulated as well as the attic.  The only other things we could do would be to insulate the walls, install a final two windows, and put in two new doors.  Not going to happen anytime soon.</B></div> <div> <B>Yesterday I attended my first physio session for my right elbow and assorted attached tendons and muscles.  Haven't played piano now in 10 days.  After just one session of proper exercises my arm is better than it was after a week of pills and ice.  So there is hope this thing can be fixed (a classic case of "tennis elbow").  Brought on by thirty-five years of piano playing, but made acute by wood chopping and some heavy lifting over the holidays.  I return tomorrow for part 2.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Sunday, Jan.24th/10</U></B></div> <div> <B>Last night we watched a tv show on the 10 most significant and unexplained UFO sightings of all time.  It was rather good, and certainly leaves room for much discussion of the topic.  Many retired air force personnel are now talking.  All of them were debriefed at the time of their reports and forced to remain silent about events throughout their careers.  Many of them refused to report any further sightings afterwards, and told others who did see strange things not to report them either.  Too much hassle from the brass, which then swept everything under the table.  No one is saying that the cause of all these sightings are aliens from other worlds.  However, no one is seriously investigating just what the hell they are.  Natural phenomena?  Hallucinations?  Other dimensions?  By coincidence there was </B><A HREF="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/7066554/Aliens-might-not-be-friendly-warns-astronomer.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/scien"><U><B>an article</B></U></A><B> in the Telegraph of London today about earthly attempts to contact alien cultures.  There is a conference in London currently taking place that is discussing first contact and its ramifications for science and humanity.  Some scientists think we should not hasten contact, as it might be hostile.  All one has to do is think of the places on earth we have explored and exploited throughout history.  Would we be friendly if we landed on other planets and found life there?  More likely we would see if they tasted good (especially if they had four legs), or had any minerals we could pull from the ground....A little taste of our own medicine, perhaps?  One is reminded of the classic episode of Twilight Zone, "To Serve Man."</B></div> <div> <B>No Brad updates today.  Hoping to hear some good news tomorrow.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Saturday, Jan. 23rd/10</U></B></div> <div> <B>The Windsor Star has finally acknowledged that someone was seriously hurt in Wednesday's crash, even though everyone has known it since Thursday morning (reported this evening around 5 pm on-line).  Sheesh.  For some odd reason they are not giving out his name.  Anyway, the latest update we have received is that Brad is still critical, but breathing on his own.  He is in and out of consciousness, but did recognize his wife, and managed to tell her that he loves her.  So some good news there.  Go Brad!</B></div> <div> <B>Our walking program continues, though it is not due for its much-needed upgrade until early February, when things will shift into higher gear.  I am using the new guidebooks which I received yesterday from Amazon to plan some superb hiking this March.  New Mexico, like much of the west, just received a severe blast of snow and ice.  On several March trips we have encountered snow.  It can go either way.  At least I now have enough hiking choices to deal with almost any weather-related issues (except flooding).</B></div> <div> <B><U>Friday, Jan. 22nd/10</U></B></div> <div> <B>Not much news on Brad's condition.  He is in an induced coma at Hotel Dieu, has had at least one operation, and this weekend will be a critical period.  Very tragic, very sad.  He did nothing wrong except be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  One second can change one's life.  Most of the kids at school are still unaware of how serious his condition is, though the community is finding out and word is spreading.  Brad has driven out west a couple of times in his vehicle, enjoying Colorado a lot.  Let's hope he gets to go again someday.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Thursday, Jan. 21st/10</U></B></div> <div> <B>We both had our birthdays on a Tuesday this past year, a work day when it is virtually impossible to celebrate.  So for Deb's event this year we waited until Wednesday, heading over to Detroit with Mary, Ruth and Barb for some wine at  Enoteca in Detroit, followed by the main event at Detroit Beer Company.  Mary drove, so I was able to consume beer at an alarming rate for once.  It was a good party, and the food and beverages were outstanding, as was the company and converstaion.  We got home late, finding a message on our machine.</B></div> <div> <B>One of our school staff members had been involved in a serious car accident on the EC Row Expressway in Windsor.  It had happened at 5:45 pm, about 15 minutes before we passed by.  Brad is a Gr. 4 teacher and basketball coach at our school, and was travelling with his wife (expecting a child) when a car came flying across the medium from the other side and struck them on the driver side.  Even though the local paper has been reporting "no one seriously hurt", Brad has been in the ICU since it happened, and has had at least one bout with surgery on his head.  Sounds pretty serious to me.  No update at all today so far.  His wife is reported to be just fine.  So a very strange day at school, with another one likely coming up tomorrow.  Hopefully there will be some good news.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Monday, Jan. 18th/10</U></B></div> <div> <B>I went to see my family doctor today about some serious problems I'm having with my right elbow and lower arm tendons.  No piano for awhile.  The pain was likely brought on by some holiday wood chopping, and has been growing progressively worse when I practice.  Hopefully some rest, ice, anti-inflammatories, and maybe some physio-therapy will take care of things quickly.  I'm on it!</B></div> <div> <B>Five months after the fact, I have finally managed to upload my little movie to Youtube from the summit of Little Costilla Peak.  You can watch it </B><A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCkh5793N6k" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCkh5793N"><U><B>here</B></U></A><B>.  It's unoffical name is "Attack of the Summit Flies."  Amanda makes a brief appearance near the end, and Deb and I both sputter from the bugs.  No bugs anywhere else on that hike--just the very summit.</B></div> <div> <B>We heard from Steaming Cliff today, a man we met in England last year.  He was wondering if we were returning this year, and was about to tell us about all the upcoming beer festivals.  Drat!  Still, we are very excited to be going to New Mexico for some desert hiking.  We haven't done that in ages, having stuck to much higher elevations during our annual summer visits.  We are bumping up the walking program, and will soon have it in high gear again.</B></div> <div> <B>I got a new piano student tonight.  Alex had studied with me before but had stopped for a year and a half.  He is a very talented young man, nearly finished his high school diploma now.  Good to have him back.  I now have five male students, a record for my studio! </B></div> <div> <B><U>Saturday, Jan. 16th/10</U></B></div> <div> <B>Our next mountain adventure is only 8 weeks away!  We have booked a flight to Albuquerque for March Break, along with a hotel for one week and a car, all for around $1000 Canadian (Priceline.com).  What a deal!  Gas and food will be our only expenses.  Couldn't get anything to London for much less than $2000 US, flight and hotel only.  This will be our first March visit to NM in many years.  Hiking will be at much lower altitudes than in summer, but the desert mountains are so spectacular.  I've ordered three new hiking guide books to help us prepare.  Now we have to get the legs and lungs and heart ready once again.  We did a brisk 40 minute walk today, and will again tomorrow.</B></div> <div> <B>I've uploaded another set of photos to Webshots.com.  </B><A HREF="http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/576363489tcUfLa?vhost=outdoors" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/57636"><U><B>This folder</B></U></A><B> contains many more photos than this website of our hike last August to Little Costilla Peak.  The photos are also larger, so please give them a look.  </B></div> <div> <B><U>Friday, Jan. 15th/10</U></B></div> <div> <B>Preliminary plans for our summer mountain trip continue apace.  I am now thinking of tackling three 12,000' summits in one overnight backpacking trip.  These would include Santa Fe Baldy, the highest for us so far, as well as Lake Peak and Penitente Peak.  The distance and elevation gain would not be significantly different from just ascending Baldy, so we might as well try for all three.  The catch is water.  For the single peak climb we would not need to carry much water, as we would pass several reliable streams.  However, the triple peak endeavour does not have any water at all until the second day, meaning we'd have to carry a lot with us.  However, this could be alleviated significantly if the Santa Fe chairlift is running at the ski basin.  It often runs in the summer for tourists.  This would save us much elevation gain, and we could carry our water.</B></div> <div> <B>Here is a link to a short summit movie on Youtube taken from the summit of </B><A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWrlf4bD7Jc " TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWrlf4bD7"><U><B>Santa Fe Baldy</B></U></A><B>.  Very atmospheric.</B></div> <div> <B>Here is another taken </B><A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lf5MCv0SSA " TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lf5MCv0S"><U><B>from Lake Peak</B></U></A><B>, with views of Baldy at 35-40 seconds in and at the very end.  Very inspiring stuff!  I love these videos, and the image quality of the second one is amazing!</B></div> <div> <B>After two weeks of temps never rising above freezing, we finally made it yesterday!  The long range forecast (for the coldest part of the winter) is for seasonal temps, if not slightly above average.  Hurrah!</B></div> <div> <B>We had a good walk in Dearborn today, then stopped by one of our favourite cafes, Cafe Con Leche in Mextown Detroit.  Across the street ( where we parked) is Clark Park, home to this funky bench.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="150604cb0.jpg" border=0 width="260" height="203" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Street bench at Clark Park, Detroit.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="150704cc0.jpg" border=0 width="260" height="204" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Cafe Con Leche, Detroit, looking across West Vernor towards Clark Park.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Monday, Jan. 11th/10</U></B></div> <div> <B>We both went to a retirement workshop today, sponsored by our Union.  I am qualified to retire on March 1st, but will continue until June 30th as planned.  The event was packed with good info, though we left early (home teaching duties, and the fact that the latter portion was about health insurance, which I won't need next year as I will be covered under Deb's).  We got a free dinner, too.  Veggie pasta, stuffed green peppers and salad and potatoes.  Yum!  There are lots of things I need to do before my retirement, in the way of forms to fill out and people and places to notify.  The fact that I am having a decent year at school is helping a lot.  Had it be a stressful year like many of the past ones, I likely would have gone at Christmas, or March 1st at the very latest.</B></div> <div> <B>Of course one takes a sizeable hit with gross income, but the net income isn't that much different.  Let's face it, if someone paid you a decent wage to stay home and not come to work anymore, wouldn't you take them up on the offer?</B></div> <div> <B><U>Sunday, Jan. 10th/10</U></B></div> <div> <B>Today traditionally begins the "Dead of Winter", the coldest part of the year.  In Essex County, Canada's southern-most area, this only lasts about three weeks.  Once we make it to the beginning of February, the amount of daylight available begins to affect the climate, however slowly at first.  By Feb. 15th, Spring is well on its way.  In other parts of Canada, winter is still going strong on Feb. 15th, and the Dead of Winter lasts at least six weeks.  Looking today at the ten day forecast, we are going to get above freezing this week, our first chance since New Years' Eve.  Any "warm weather" luck we can grab onto this time of year goes a long way to helping with the heating bills and general gloominess.  My walk today was a chilly one, especially with a stiff breeze out of the southwest.  However, with the sun shining on snow that is still white, and kids skating and playing hockey on the ponds, it was like a peek at a traditional Canadian winter.  Let's hope the Olympics have such luck.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="150306d40.jpg" border=0 width="262" height="212" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Sunset from my walk a week ago, before the snow arrived.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="1504f8d00.jpg" border=0 width="248" height="208" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Today things looked (and felt) quite different!</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="1505eeda0.jpg" border=0 width="238" height="218" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>The wind was enabling patterns to appear in the snow.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Saturday, Jan. 9th/10</U></B></div> <div> <B>Yon rising Moon that looks for us again--</B></div> <div> <B>How oft hereafter will she wax and wane; </B></div> <div> <B>How oft hereafter rising look for us </B></div> <div> <B>Through this same Garden--and for one in vain!</B></div> <div> <I><B>Omar Khayyam, </B></I><I><B><U>The Rubaiyat</U></B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>I found out today that</B><B> one of the greatest poets of all time was also a very important Astronomer!  How important?  He gave us our solar calendar.  Up until his intense calculations, the calendar had been based on lunar months, giving a year of only 354 days. This caused a number of obvious problems.   He measured how long it took the sun to pass through each sign of the Zodiac, figuring out the year to within 12 decimal points (accurate today to the first  five).  His calendar was more accurate than the one developed and used in Europe over 500 years later!  Impressive.  He died in 1141.  Even more impressive.</B></div> <div> <B>Quite a chilly day, but oddly enough one does get used to them.  We walked today in Essex, as they had plowed the trails at Sadlers Pond.  There was a minimal wind, which helped.  We have been below freezing since Dec. 31st!  And this is the most southern part of Canada!  The wood pellet stove continues to make our life very comfortable.  I am sitting at the computer in a tee shirt right now.  It also dropped our gas bill dramatically this month.  Woo hoo!</B></div> <div> <B><U>Friday, January 8th/10</U></B></div> <div> <B>Winter has finally officially arrived in Essex County, though in a less than serious manner.  Our driveway received about 4" (10cm) of new snow, the first real snowfall of the season.  All of my private students managed to get to their lesson here last night, despite some messy roads.  There is not enough snow to snowshoe, yet the sidewalks are too messy to walk.  Looks like treadmill time.  With Santa Fe Baldy looming on our horizon, we cannot afford to stop walking.</B></div> <div> <B>I had yard duty at school on Wednesday, and it was quite sad and heart-rending to see young kids trying to make snow forts and the like with about 1/16th of an inch of snow on the ground.  There were many happy little faces today, however.  Just enough snow to make it interesting for the kids, and not enough to make it totally miserable for the adults.  It's called Nature in balance!</B></div> <div> <B>Kati Gleiser sent us 4 cds of herself playing piano in concert!!  It will take me awhile to get through it all.  Tonight I listened blissfully to her grad recital recording (live) of the Bach English Suite in g-.  Quite sublime, and I will listen again to it very soon.  Also had time for the Op 17 Mazurkas by Chopin.  Overall not my favourite set, but it is capped off by #4, the magical a- Mazurka, one of my very favouites.  I still have the Chopin Sonata in b-, Op 58 to listen to on that first cd.  There are also two recordings of the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #2 in c- to look forward to, one with piano accompaniment and one with orchesta!  Lots of other goodies, too.  Thanks, Kati!  Can't wait to hear you live again (and again!).</B></div> <div> <B><U>Wednesday, January 6th/10</U></B></div> <div> <B>It's comforting to know that it won't be climate change that destroys our planet, or even a roving asteroid.  If those petty means of destruction are keeping you awake at night, fear not.  The real reason that the earth will die (and rather rapidly) has been revealed by an article I read today in the Guardian of London.   A relatively nearby star is about to go supernova on us, and will obliterate everything on earth.  You can </B><A HREF="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/6940111/Earth-to-be-wiped-out-by-supernova-explosion.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space"><U><B>read the article here</B></U></A><B> if you currently having nothing in particular to worry about and you feel that something significant is required.  Makes me want to get on with some of the reading I've been postponing, quick time.  Happy dreams!  Another article in the same on-line edition brought up a good point.  The writer asks if British children should be learning to speak and read Chinese.  Good point indeed, since China is fast becoming the global leader in so many things, not the least being manufacturing, engineering, running the economy and keeping its people employed and under control.  Kinda makes learning French as a second language not exactly the great idea it might once have been (somewhere).  Can you imagine our poor, overworked stressed out children trying to learn Chinese?  Ha!</B></div> <div> <B>Locally, 40% of the school year is over as of today!  Even better, I have a retirement workshop to attend next week.  That should help make it seem real.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Monday, January 4th/10</U></B></div> <div> <B>As an infamous sci fi tv doctor used to say, "Oh the pain, the pain..."  Working for a living can sure put a crimp in one's lifestyle!  I did manage to practice for an hour and do some reading, but the rest of the day was not much to write home about.  At least I have a few shining private students right now (and a few where the light bulbs need changing).  Deb and I managed to get her "Tango Barocco" piece recorded yesterday.  It's fun to play it (harpsichord and harp duet), and should be fun to hear.  Her CD is nearly ready to be sent off for mastering.  It's all original compositions, and much of it is quite good.  A package arrived in Dearborn today from Katie, our doctoral piano performer student friend in Indiana.  We'll pick that up Wednesday and give a listen!</B></div> <div> <B>It's official--we have selected our major goal for next summer's mountain climb!  We are going to tackle </B><A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Fe_Baldy" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Fe_Ba"><U><B>Santa Fe Baldy</B></U></A><B>!  Slightly higher than last year's Little Costillo Peak, the climb is also nearly twice as long.  This means that we will have to hike in and up with gear, and then camp beneath the peak for one night, so that we can ascend early the next morning to avoid afternoon lightning.  Last year we got very lucky with our all-day assault on Little Costillo, as the weather was sunny.  This is very rare in August.  This is a mountain I have wanted to tackle for over 20 years now, having seen it on our first visits that long ago.  Hopefully we will be ready for the challenge, and hopefully we will dodge the nasty weather that can strike up there on just about any day.</B></div> <div> <B><U>Saturday, January 2nd/10</U></B></div> <div> <B>It has been another epic holiday, my last winter vacation until the biggest one of all.  As things draw to a close and we prepare to reenter civilization, it might be good to take a quick look back.  Firstly, my piano and harpsichord pieces are sounding better and better.  That is to be expected when one practices intently nearly every day of the week!  Secondly, Deb has recorded nearly her entire CD of original material.  We have a big session planned for tomorrow to try and nail "Tango Barocco", a piece for harp, harpsichord and percussion.  When the CD is eventually ready, you'll hear about it.</B></div> <div> <B>We saw at least two very good movies over the break, both rare and courtesy of Netflix.  The first was "Accatone", Pasolini's first big film.  It tells the tale of a pimp who survives (barely) in the slums of Rome.  Shot in b & w in some very raw parts of Rome, the film is a don't miss for those interested in post-war Italy and what was going on there (not much).  I also really enjoyed the short documentary about Pasolini included on the DVD.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="14fd066b0.jpg" border=0 width="262" height="363" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> </B></div> <div> <B>The second worthwhile film we saw at home over the break  was a Japanese one from about the same time as Accatone.  From 1963 came Kon Ichikawa's "Revenge of a Kabuki Actor."  Filmed in unbelievably gorgeous colour, many scenes are set up to look like Japanese prints.  Even if you didn't have the subtitles on, this would be a film worth watching.  I would love to see this on a big screen, and will watch for it at various Detroit art houses.  Strange and disturbing, it certainly takes the viewer into a part of another culture that is alien to westerners.  Highly recommended.</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="14fec8220.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="290" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>In additon to any number of indoor activities (eating and drinking not the least of them), we managed several walks outdoors.  I went alone the past two days, while Deb used the treadmill.  It was especially cold out, but I bundled up and kept moving!</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="15000aef0.jpg" border=0 width="266" height="239" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Kids skate on the large pond behind our house.  Despite the cold, we are still able to find dandelion flowers to pick for the tortoise!</B></div> <div> <B>We had a fun time on New Years Eve, though admittedly we didn't last until midnight.  Which is fine, because we always celebrate with London and Greenwich 5 hours early.  So we opened our champagne bottle at 7 pm, and lit our wood fire, keeping it fed until we went to bed around 11 pm.  Not only was it the Big Night, but also a full moon.  That meant a mooncake was called for, and this time we outdid ourselves!  I just finished the last piece tonight.  Based on a recipe made with espresso and rum and lots of nuts, it is the best vegan cake we know how to make.  And this one was the best of them all!</B></div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="15010de10.jpg" border=0 width="269" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Serious looking Full Moon Cake, homemade with the usual ingredients  plus espresso coffee, rum and pecans.  Yum!</B></div> <div> <B>Deb helped me to move the 2009 blog onto her hosting site.  Every old blog can be read somewhere now thanks to her.  Why anyone would want to I cannot imagine....</B></div> <div> <B>In addition to seeing Amanda and meeting Martin, we also had a visit from Julia R., her sister Jessica and their dad (who stayed for coffee but not for Carcassonne).  Amanda left us a book and some fabulous tea, Julia left behind some wonderful baking, and after Randy and Anita's too-short but always welcome visit, they left behind a bottle of Scotch!  Yes Virginia, there most certainly is a Santa Claus!!  Randy also has the latest Star Trek movie on blue ray, so I may try and invite myself over soon to watch it on his 9 million inch hd tv!</B></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.harpymusic.com/id139.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.harpymusic.com/id139.htm"><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><B>"</B><FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#FF00FF" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <div> <A HREF="http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/576363489tcUfLa?vhost=outdoors" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/57636"><U><B>Little Costilla Hike </B></U></A><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#33FFFF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/576363489tcUfLa?vhost=outdoors" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/57636"><U><B>(large pics!</B></U></A></FONT><A HREF="http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/576363489tcUfLa?vhost=outdoors" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/57636"><U><B>)</B></U></A><B> </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Arial" ><B>(off-site location) </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="http://community.webshots.com/user/beorn53" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://community.webshots.com/user/beorn"><U><B>Detroit</B></U></A><B> </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Arial" ><B>(off site location) </B></FONT></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></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 February 8th, 2010</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 half a  year more!) 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>