Saturday, August 29, 2009

I am not Spiderman

My little 3-year-old niece defines herself every morning by what she is not. Today she is NOT Spiderman.

It's an interesting approach to discovering who you are.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Stalking any Farmer's Stand with Corn at it

The corn in Ontario is ready. And, oh, is it good!

Grey Ladybug

I've never seen a grey ladybug. Perhaps this is the albino version of this creature?

Friday, August 21, 2009

Pretty Poppy

This is one of the prettiest poppies that I've ever seen.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

I know that to paint the sea really well, you need to look at it every hour of every day in the same place so that you can understand its way in that particular spot and that is why I am working on the same motifs over and over again.
— Claude Monet

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Tuesday Tooth Report

My next appointment is September 3. See you again after that!

Inside an Exoskeleton


Here is the left-over exoskeleton of a Dragonfly Nymph. The nymph is the under-water bug stage of a dragonfly. When it's ready to transition, it climbs out of the water, attaches itself to a stalk of grass or wood and literally pulls itself out of its shell. An incredible creature at every stage of its life.

Afternoon Nap

This male duck takes a leisurely afternoon snooze in the Sackville Waterfowl Park.

Trapped in Time

M. Campbell identified this substance as tree resin. It will harden over millions of years into amber. Notice the bug trapped in it at top-right. If resin keeps pouring over this bug, it could be perfectly preserved in time.

Every Kid's Anthem — "I'm going to scream my head off"

Anyone with kids will enjoy this 26-second video...

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Koyman Galleries Art Submission

Click any image to enlarge.

Adirondack Fish
Acrylic on stretched canvas (triptych), pieces of an old adirondack chair, bolts, nails. Complete re-use of an old adirondack chair. All components of the chair were integrated -- even its teeth are nails. The whole thing unscrews to make it easy to ship.
$3780
12' x 4.5'


Fishtych (with glow-in-the-dark "dark side" animation to show you what it looks in the day time and what it looks like at night)
Glow-in-the-Dark acrylic on canvas. Two paintings in one!
$3000
60" (5 feet wide) x 38.4"

Inspired by the natural phenomenon where fish of the deep sea use bioluminescent nodes to glow in the dark, this artwork 'charges' in the daylight then creates a whole new painting for the wall on which it is hung after lights-out.

The name Fishtych (pronounced 'fishtick' — not accidently similar to 'fish stick!) is derived from the word for a painting that's been produced on two canvases: diptych. The fish lives a dichotomous life hinging on the magical time of sunset -- it's a colourful, playful entity by day, and a dark beast after lights-out.


Plainfin Midshipman (animated to show you day/night time views)
Glow-in-the-Dark. Two paintings in one!
Acrylic, glow-in-the-dark beads.
Professionally framed
$500
25.5" x 9.5"


Marquis de mer II (animated to show you day/night time views)
Glow-in-the-Dark. Two paintings in one!
Watercolour; glow-in-the-dark acrylic; beads and jewellery findings
Professionally framed
$500
19.5" x 17"

Fly Fishing
Watercolours with re-used staples and bead
Professionally framed
$300
17" x 13"

Fish Stick
Acrylic, beads and sewing findings
Square canvas is hung on the diagonal as shown.
$50
8" x 8"

Cow Fish
Watercolour, clay, recycled beads and wire
Professionally framed
$500
19.125" x 16.5"

Fillet
Acrylic on canvas with button and wire
Professionally framed
$300
20" x 7.75"

Skeleton Fish
Watercolour, nails, jewellery findings, and shoe findings from my late Grandfather's shoe-making supplies
Professionally framed
$300
17" x 13"

Clay Fish
Watercolour on Arches, clay, recycled jewellery findings and beads, recycled string
Professionally framed
$275
13" x 14"

My First Braid in 20 years


Not bad, eh? Having kids wouldn't be a bad thing at all. You get to braid their hair.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Google Doodles the Birth of Electromagnetism

Or, at least the birth of electromagnetism's discoverer, Hans Christian Ørsted.

The Guardian.co.uk

Word Etymology — Canuck

1835, cross between Canada and Chinook, the native people in the Columbia River region of British Columbia. (I guess that's why the Vancouver Canucks are called that!)

Dictionary.com
Vancouver Canucks

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The Early Bird Gets the Spider

I was up pretty early this morning and everywhere I walked I cleared the spider webs for the next person. I'd like to say it was an intentional kindness but I wasn't clearing them with my hands, I was running straight through them. I even managed to scoop a spider up with one of them. The hazards of waking up early.

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

A sincere artist is not one who makes a faithful attempt to put on to canvas what is in front of him, but one who tries to create something which is, in itself, a living thing.
— William Dobell

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Breakfast for Dinner

No, it's not burnt — it's chocolate! A two-toned pancake made with vanilla and chocolate batters on a funky bug pan that my sister gave me. Kid-approved!

Finally Attained Dual Citizenship ;-)

Another surprise today. I'm part of a VERY exclusive club — I've been granted official citizenship of Boozunland. It comes with many perks including poop-scooping.

Tuesday Tooth Report

Nothing really to report so I won't waste your time!

Monday, August 10, 2009

J'aime les Jems [sic]

Today I came home to these little treasures...
I love kidsitting. They made everything, including the box! The foam is a chunk of an old memory foam mattress.

And, don't you just love the name of the jewellery business? They created an icon and everything -- it's a complete logo! Awesome.

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Over 12 Times the Travel by Rail

CanRailPass gets you 12 days of unlimited travel for less than the cost of 1 return flight — sign me up!

• Air: $801.34 for 1 return flight, Moncton, NB to Vancouver, BC
• Rail: $650.00 for 12 days unlimited travel coast to coast within a 30-day period.

Very cool. Can't wait!

(Research: WestJet.ca and ViaRail.ca; off-season rates.)

Did you know there are 42 Canadian National Parks?

• Listing of National Parks at the Parks Canada web site
Tourism Canada (official Federal Government website)
Canada.travel (official Federal Government website)

Sunday, August 02, 2009

Vacation Yard — Bizarre 4-legged Insect has to be from Toronto, right?

I'm on vacation at my sister's in Toronto and I have the pleasure of spending every morning with my coffee on her patio. Today, I suddenly realized that it's not just me with an incredible yard. So, I'm posting a "Yard: a word worth 1000 pictures" from T.O.!

As far as I know, a 4-legged bug is unusual; most have 6 legs. His shape and antennae make me think he's a wood borer. I can't find it in my National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects & Spiders. Anyone care to weigh in?

Here he is up close...


Here's a photo with my finger and thumb to show scale.


Because of his 4-leg configuration, walking was a little different from most bugs so I captured it here in this short video.


He had an interesting behaviour. Whenever I got close, he'd cock his head and angle his body to look closely. I think he's got great eyesight.


Here he is from above.

Saturday, August 01, 2009

Feelin' Groovy

The two things I photographed today have something in common... "Slow down, you're going too fast. We've got to make the moment last."


In all the things we do.