21st
July
2008
Our new neighbours remind me of the backup cast for an episode of Desperate Housewives, right down to the Porsche SUV and the wine in huge plastic goblets. Since the chatter continued until well after the witching hour last night, I may begin to miss the bamboo windchime that they’ve replaced. Camping by the ocean, with the sound of the surf blanketed by tales of brave Ulysses (I think that was his name); the true test of our mettle.
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posted in computing, travel |
20th
July
2008
Can a village be musical? After spending the evening at the Rollo Bay Fiddle Festival, the question no longer stands unanswered. Very simply, yes. The village of Rollo Bay, PEI has a family that keeps the sound of the fiddle alive. Not just the fiddle, either; guitar, mandolin, djembe, even the Highland pipes on certain occasions.
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posted in music, travel |
19th
July
2008
We had heard the rumour that a new restaurant was open in Souris, and with the help of a mimeographed map from the tourist bureau, we made our way to the doorstep of La Belle Cloche. International cuisine in a town that used to be the delivery point for spices; everything comes around.
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posted in food, travel |
18th
July
2008
Someday I might move beyond the collecting parts stage and actually move on to the construction phase. Until then, the closest we come to an operating model railroad is the annual visit to the layout in Elmira. The remains of their car collection are gone, victim of climate, wandering vandals and advanced age. Now it might be better to speak of the rail station museum. Anyhow, there have been a few modifications in the displays, a new building to house the compulsory gift shop and an added committment to the miniature railway next door.
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posted in food, travel |
17th
July
2008
It was a beach day, by the usual standards, but we were already at the beach so such things didn’t matter. We only wanted to escape the sun. Shade of the van was sufficient for the first few hours, but then the intrusive sound of a neighbouring wind chime (bamboo torture instrument) had us planning how we could play “capture the flag” with something that made that much noise every time a breath of air touched it without anyone noticing. Finally, we capitulated and went for a drive.
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posted in travel |
16th
July
2008
Any hotel that compliments me with a breakfast is worth a return visit. In fact, a place that provides good coffee, fresh bagels, cream cheese, yogurt and sweet oranges deserves me as a fulltime tenant, but the commute from home to Fredericton is a bit long. We were on the highway before the day was too old, with a full tank of gas and some music in the dash. All the way to Parlee Beach.
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posted in travel |
15th
July
2008
The dice are cast; we’re on vacation and on the road. No big gamble here, because we’re following the trail of past years, but every summer brings the potential for adventure. Our departure was delayed until after the rush hour, and we then did a standard six hour haul to Fredericton, with one brief halt for coffee. There are a lot of Timmy’s out there.
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posted in travel |
14th
July
2008
History books tell us that in earlier times, men (generally, rather than generic) did gather together their equipment and foodstuffs, and they did set forth to explore the world. They discovered whole continents, the source of mighty rivers, even poles (why a pole?). I’m sitting here, late at night, and I’m puzzled. How did they ever get ready?
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posted in technology, travel |
13th
July
2008
In our world where everything seems to merit a copyright, I’ve decided that I’m jealous of the people that lived centuries ago. Why? Because they didn’t have the IP police standing in judgement over every single uttered turn of phrase. In a world where there were only a few hundred books lying about in the local library, and where there was only one big title on the shelf of every home, you could actually have an original thought.
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posted in media |
12th
July
2008
Part of the afternoon was spent working on the concept of video capture. There’s a whole world out there, free of any sort of conformity to standards, and the poor user who feels the need to save something digital to the local drive is in for a wild ride.
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posted in science |
