Bumble bee, Toronto, Canada, 2 cm long, in cup. Photo by Don Tai
I heard this loud buzzing and thought my furnace had some issue, but the furnace wsa not on. It was a large bumble bee, buzzing inside my house, trying to break free. My front window was tricking it. He was beautiful.
I heard it yesterday in my house. How it found its way inside I do not know. By the time I thought of a plant to capture and release it outside, he had stopped buzzing and could not be found. Today near my front window he buzzed for a couple of seconds, then landed on the ground. I used a cup and captured it, and used a piece of stiff paper underneath to right the cup. With a transparent Pyrex plate on top I shot this macro at 3.5x.
My Birch tree has turned its leaves yellow already. We have had a couple of nights of near zero degree temperatures, signaling to the birch that it is time to go dormant. The cycle of life continues.
秋天桦树的叶子变成黄。
Birch Tree in Autumn, leaves turned yellow. Toronto, Canada
Yellow Lance leaved coreopsis in bloom, Toronto, Canada. Photo 1 by Don Tai
This flower, Coreopsis lanceolata, comes up every year and is beautiful. It is very successful at propagating and spreads quickly. I like this in a blooming flower, but not in a weed. It has literally taken over.
I had a bit of a search for the actual name: Lance leaved coreopsis.
About 5 years ago a neighbour gave us a clump of a few flowers. We planted it in our front yard that gets full sun. It has grown and expanded every year, irregardless of a hard or mild winter. While the roses are temperamental and need care, the coreopsis needs nothing.
Being seen by other motor vehicles is a critical safety factor when riding a motorcycle. Most rely on a single front headlight. There seem to be great safety disadvantages to this design. What other options could enhance safety?
Most motorcycles rely on a single white headlight for both illumination and conspicuity. Now that there is a law in North America that all cars must have daytime running lights, a motorcycle’s single white headlight may be lost on other drivers.
Newby I am, when it comes to diabolo, and so is my Little Weed. This is in no way an insult. In fact being called a newby should be taken as a badge of honour, because you are trying something completely different and are in the process of learning. Learning means personal growth, which is always a good thing. In this case our quest is to learn tricks with a diabolo. I have had a 5″ diabolo for many years but really did not do much with it because I could not figure out how to spin the thing fast enough to do tricks. The Little Weed seemed to take to diabolos. In a fit of deceit I ordered two 4″ diabolos, one for the Little Weed and one for myself. The 4″ diabolos are lighter and spin up faster. More importantly, there was so much information on the Internet, including videos and graphics that helped me learn how to spin up quickly. It still takes practice and lots of it.
Jamie Kennedy french fries served at the ACC look great. Do not ask if this dish is healthy. It is not. $6.50CAD per serving.
Intriguing, this. If there ever was an oxymoron, haute cuisine french fries is it. Still, I remain open minded. Our family loves home cut french fries, which gives us a warm and friendly feeling in our house. There’s nothing “haute” cuisine about them; maybe “moyennes” but not “haute”. Still, when Jamie Kennedy, whom I now know is a chef, serves his french fries at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre, I wanted to learn more. I think the ACC is where they have sporting events such as baseball, and hockey. The skinny: organically grown yellow potatoes from Ontario fried in sunflower oil, with two types of sea salt and a dash of thyme. Cider or chili mayonnaise sauce on the side. $6.50CAD a serving.
