Been cruising ...

... the ship kind.  Marg and I returned home yesterday from a week of cruising on the Zuiderdam, north to Alaska.  Going to Alaska meant another item crossed off my bucket list.  In a word, the trip was 'fantastic'.  It was my first and Marg's third cruise.  I'm hooked now.  It was almost decadent to be so well looked after and so well fed, from start to finish.

Yes, it was expensive, as vacations go, but worth every penny spent.  We wisely chose a forward upper deck stateroom with veranda.  It was great to sit outside undercover, even when it was raining, and watch the beautiful scenery roll by.  For the most part, our cruise through the Inner Passage was very smooth.  No fear of being sea sick, wearing our anti-motion wrist bands.

After leaving Vancouver, we visited Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan.  For a map of our cruise, see http://www.alaskacruisefromvancouver.com/alaska_cruise_zuiderdam.htm

We both took the historic train ride to the Klondike from Skagway.  Marg also did a wilderness boat tour out of Ketchikan while I enjoyed remaining aboard the ship that afternoon.  Most of the gifts and souvenirs that we bought were from the ship's duty-free shops.

In my next couple of posts, I'll put up some of the pictures I took along the way.  I'll have to be very selective because I took over a hundred shots!

Fun and Games in the Garden

In between getting ready to leave on a trip and doing some last minute things around the house, I've taken a few more flower photos.   If you want to see them, I posted the best ones to my Flickr page earlier this afternoon.  Here's a few shots, at lower resolution:

Miniature Water Lily

Cone Flower Closeup

Field Thistle (just to show other 'flowers' that sometimes grow around our home!)



I still find it amazing to view flowers with a macro lens.  You see so many intricate details that you'd miss completely, just looking at them with your eyes.

Humidex 40

But, I'm not complaining!  It wouldn't do me any good and I'd just get told to suck it up by my favorite cousin anyways.

I did venture outside today to run some errands and to photograph a newly-opened miniature water lily from the water garden on my deck.  That plant, a sub-tropical, seems to be thriving in our heat wave.  I'll post a picture of the bloom tomorrow.

Now, I think I'll raid my fridge for another cold drink ...

Mornings are Best

Photography can be a challenge during this heat wave.  I've found that I best get out early to photograph the flowers in my yard.  Before they or I wilt.  This morning, I concentrated on some of my lilies and geraniums.

The lilies can be quite gorgeous when illuminated by the morning sunshine.  I continually bless the previous owner for her landscape planning; there has been a wonderful succession of different lily varieties coming into bloom over the last couple of weeks.

Margaret and I planted a variety of annuals in our larger containers in both the front and backyard.  I especially like the geraniums and the way that new blooms follow the demise of the older ones.

I've posted some of my flower images on my Flickr web pages (see link on this page ... upper right side).  You'll find them in the set called 'odds and ends 2011'.

Mowing, Weeding and Watering

Yesterday, we tended to the yard, doing the work noted in the title.  But, mostly we lazed around.  We spent some time on the deck and out on the back lawn in the shade, drinking water and Breezers.  It was a little too warm to do much else (but I'm not complaining!).  If it was January, we'd pay good money to enjoy this weather ... maybe in Barbados.

Hotter than ...

those wintry days we had.  It got up to 30 today, with a humidex of 37.  Sounds pretty warm but it seems it's just a taste of what's to come over the next week.  For my readers 'down east', get ready for it.  Make sure your air conditioner is working!  Maybe, stock up on cold drinks and ice cubes for the days ahead.

I was going to cut the grass today.  I even plugged the charger in on the lawn mower.  Then, I thought, not only is it too hot to be doing that, but the grass probably won't be growing too much either.  Maybe early tomorrow morning.  Tonight, I best spend some time watering my flower beds.  Some of the plants are looking a little wilted.  Maybe, I'll water myself too!

Making Memories

Last night, while attending another showing of Buddy Holly music at Celebrations Dinner Theatre with Margaret, I was wishing cameras were allowed (well, at least, my camera!) so that I could photograph some of the scenes for my visual diary.  Here's a shot of the poster ad for the show from their website:

During one of the breaks, my cell phone vibrated and I checked the email,  It was from my favorite cousin, Barb, commenting on my last blog post.  It brought a smile to my face and I thought 'how appropriate!'.

Recording Memories

Cameras are a great way of recording memories of good times.  Whether visiting friends or family or visiting someplace different or doing something different, a few photos can help bring back the whole time in memories.

It's kind of amazing how a photo of something or someone can aid the mind in recalling so many details of an event.  I guess that's one of the reasons I take so many pictures.  Otherwise, I might not even think of the event again.  I must admit, I don't have the greatest memory.  But, I can look at a photo and it all (well, most of it) comes flooding back.

Writing notes can do the same thing but a picture is worth a 1000 words!  Still, I also treasure my old diaries, especially those pages where I wrote down some interesting details of my day.  I suppose I should do more of that.  Which reminds me, I guess I should print out my blog soon.  You never know if something recorded off there in the digital world will always be there.  After all, some blog companies have disappeared!  But not tonight.  It's getting late and I'm getting weary.

Flowers

This morning, camera in hand, I wandered around the yard, looking for flowers that I might photograph.  I was rewarded with many choices as I spotted different clusters highlighted by the morning sun.

I find mornings best for flower photography because the winds are low, the lighting is warm, and sometimes there's dew that makes the blooms sparkle.  Well, this morning, the dew was already gone when I walked around the yard.  You can't always have everything you want in life.

I posted a selection of the photos I made this morning on my Flickr page (see link in upper right of this page).  But, I thought I'd post one here to encourage you to go to Flickr and see some more.

If you click on the photo above, it should show an enlargement in another page.

Aphids

I photographed some aphids infesting perennial sunflowers in one of the flower beds.  Their red color caught my eye on a yard tour yesterday.  Using a fancy macro lens on my DSLR camera, I was able to take shots with up to 5X magnification.  Here's a sample shot:

To give you some perspective, these aphids are slightly smaller than a grain of rice.  More than you wanted to know or see?  Okay, I'll stop now ...

'Twas Sunny and Hot!

Yesterday, the temperature was 30 degrees here.  There was a breeze and the humidity wasn't too high but it wasn't a day to be out in the yard for long.  Better to enjoy the indoors!  I spent a lot of time on my laptop, looking at comments on my newly posted Flickr photos, commenting on those of my contacts, following people on Facebook, and having a rather disjointed virtual chat with an old friend.

I took time outside to wander through the yard, looking at the flowers.  I noticed one clump of plants infested with red aphids.  Some people would run for the spray to kill them but I plan to take some samples and do some macro photography with them today.  Maybe, I'll post a photo or two of the aphids here later on.

Today, the forecast high is a more pleasant 23 degrees (it's  a cool 14 degrees right now).  So, we've opened all the windows to get some fresh air in the house.  This is more my kind of summer weather.  The hot days make you appreciate the more 'normal' summer days.

For those of you heading off to work, have a great week.  For me, I'll just follow the thread and see where it leads.  Happiness is ...

Fair Day

Yesterday, I picked up Vlad and drove us east of Winnipeg, for an afternoon of 'cameradery'.  We found some 'wildflowers' along the way to photograph.  Some people might call them weeds, but not us pseudo-botanists!

Here's a sample: purple vetch, a member of the pea family that you can see along roadsides throughout southern Manitoba right now.

And, today, I drove Margaret out to Carman to attend the Fair.  I hadn't been for a few years.  Marg hadn't been since she was a child.  It was fun walking through the kiddies' ride area, seeing all the little ones enjoying themselves.

After at mandatory stop at Syl's drive-in for some ice cream, especially after all the heat, it was home again, to relax in our air-conditioned home.  Happiness is ...

Write or Wrong

Sometimes, I open my blog to write a post without knowing what I'll write.  This is one of them.  The good news?  We have a new air conditioner.  What a difference it makes during these hot, summer days that we're enjoying.  Fans are okay but cool, dry air is wonderful, especially in the evening.

I've kept busy with my insect photography.  My pet swallowtail caterpillars have moved on and so will I now.  Back to flower shots?  Or, maybe, some pictures of field crops?  We'll see but I think I'm due to hit the road again.  Too many days lately, hanging around the house.  I need to get out and see what's happening in the rural world.

I met with my former PhD supervisor, Reiny Brust, for lunch today.  He's in town, visiting his daughter.  It's hard to believe that she and her husband are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary already.  It was good to see him again and talk about the changes we've witnessed in university research into mosquitoes and mosquito-borne disease.  Not all good.  There's been a general swing from field research to high-tech laboratory studies.  Because we were both field-orientated researchers, we wonder about the current graduate students and how they are missing the real adventure of entomology.

Now, as the supper hour approaches, I'd better start preparing a meal for Margaret and myself.  Time to stop writing ...

Bug Photos

I rarely post photos of insects to this blog or to my Flickr page so I thought that I'd post the following ones to give my readers an idea of some of the work I do in insect photography.  These shots were made this morning on my deck.  I had bought some dill seedling to plant in my herb garden but gave up on that plan when I noticed that they had some insect larvae feeding on them.

The two photos show one black swallowtail butterfly larva or caterpillar feeding on a dill seeding.  One shot shows the larva on the plant and the other shows the larva closeup.

The world of insects is fascinating!

JJ

Jillian Johns ... my newest grand-daughter.  We paid Josi and Greg a visit yesterday afternoon to see the latest addition to our clan, Jillian.  What a sweetie!

This is one of the first of many photos of her taken with my camera.  Stay tuned for more ...

Grooving with Holly

No, not my dog, Holly.  "Buddy Holly and Friends" at the dinner show tonight at Celebrations.  Lots of good early rock and roll songs from the 50's and 60's.  This was my second time at this show, the best show I've had the good fortune to attend with Margaret.  A couple of the cast members were in earlier shows.  They really shined in this one.  One of the cast, Roberto Padua, is new to the dinner theatre stage.  But what a voice, acting as Ritchie Valens.  Same praise for the veteran Debbie Plaquin, playing Ruby.  Can you tell I liked the show?

Enjoying the Heat

Well, we don't have much choice.  The new air conditioner will be installed on Monday afternoon.  Until then, we're coping by using fans and opening and closing windows when the times are right for cooling down the house.  Last night, the temperature got down to 14 degrees, making sleep quite enjoyable.  I guess you have to expect old appliances to fail when you need them most.

I made a trip to Carman during the week.  I wanted to pick up a special stain for the outdoor, wood furniture and visit some friends, the McClements, at their farm before they move into their new home in Carman.  It's always good visiting them and catching up on the local news from my old hometown.  It was great, too, to see the canola fields starting to come into bloom.  I pulled over at one spot on Highway 3 and took a few shots of a yellow field.  It was very windy, with the plants whipping around and the camera shaking a bit.

I'll have to go back and take better shots with my tripod on a calmer day.  I'm hoping to get a nice shot this summer with a yellow canola field right next to a blue flax field.

Yesterday was Canada Day.  The beginning of a long weekend for most people.  People are fleeing the city for days at the beach or cottage.  My son and daughter headed off to Northern Ontario to open the cottage for the season.  My favorite daughter was busy having her first daughter, Jillian.  Born at 12:14 on Canada Day morning.  Every one is doing well.

Tonight, we're off to attend a show of Buddy Holly music at Celebrations Dinner Theatre with family and friends of Margaret.  It should be fun (and air conditioned!).