Capt. Mondo's World o' Mondo-ness

2009-07-04T20:13:00.001-04:00

Young Swallows

Went to the foot of Bathurst Street with the intention of heading over to Fort York to take some pictures. When I got there I discovered much to my dismay that it was closed due to the civic workers strike.

On the bridge heading over to the old Fort I found that there were some young-looking, just-fledged, somewhat fluffy-looking swallows perched on a line that was below me. I got out the telephoto lens and snapped the following pics.

2009-06-28T20:22:00.001-04:00

Annie's Piano Recital and Mega-Hopscotch

This afternoon Annie had her piano recital. She goes to Beach Music Studio where she takes piano and song.

I was wondering why she wanted to go dressed in one of her dress-like dressing gowns, but as her teacher explained at the start of the show, Annie was a "double-threat".

Annie Playing her Piano Tune

Turns out she had arranged to do a song-and-dance routine with her music teacher, singing "Barbie Girl" with her.

Annie and Her Music Teacher Singing "Barbie Girl"

Despite a few duff notes here and it was a good show, and it was interesting to see other students showing improvement over previous performances.

Annie Posing for a Shot by the Piano

I walked the kids home and got them lunch at the local Licks restaurant while Erika went off for another trumpet performance downtown.

The kids started playing with the neighbours, and after a while Vanessa came in and asked me what the world-record was for hopscotch length. She and Devin from a couple of doors over had made a hopscotch path that led all the way up the block, and went up to 550 (which unfortunately is a fraction of the world's largest). Still, they had fun with it, as did I in taking pics of Vanessa hopscotching up the sidewalk.

Vanessa Making Her Way Up the Mega-Hopscotch on the Sidewalk

2009-06-27T22:18:00.000-04:00

A Selection from "Lizards and Snakes: Alive!" at the Ontario Science Center

Took the girls to see "Lizards and Snakes: Alive!" at the Ontario Science Center today. Renewed our membership there and we spent the whole day there seeing one thing or another.

This was one of the two new temporary exhibits, and certainly the more photogenic of the two. Here's a selection:

A Veiled Chameleon

A Green Tree Monitor

A Blue-Tongue Skink

2009-06-26T23:59:00.000-04:00

Concert at the Balmy Beach Club

A neighbour of our arranged for terrific concert at the local Balmy Beach Club this evening. It featured a number of artists, though the headliner was for Mark Seymour, previously of the well-known 80's Aussie band "Hunters and Collectors".

All of the bands playing were good-to-great, and I was particularly struck by Paul Price, whose music and lyrics reminded me a of Radiohead; an influence I was convinced of when he did a stirring solo of Radiohead's "High and Dry". Here are some pics from that set:

A particularly good singer I thought -- enough to convince me to buy his CD.

Another act followed (which didn't really do anything for me), and then came the marquee act: Mark Seymour. Ended up taking about a hundred pictures of his set, and only singled out the following. (Note to self, save up now to buy a faster telephoto lens for taking better and sharper low-light pictures).

Fellow Aussie Cameron McKenzie (hope I have his name right) with the Canadian drummer in the background.

A great show filled with lots of energy which some of these pictures only hint at. Would definitely see him on stage again, though I doubt I'll ever get the chance to see him at another venue as small or as intimate as this one was. A memorable concert.

2009-06-25T23:24:00.002-04:00

A Fly and a Moth

Even our small backyard can reward the patient photographer equipped with a macro lens. I started shooting some flowers, but in the end got taken in by a couple of insects instead.

Hover Fly on a Leaf

Interesting bug #1 - a Hover Fly, which looks like a fly with bee markings (a type of bee mimic).

Hopefully it is the sort that eats aphids, which are currently plaguing our honeysuckle.

Interesting bug #2 - Nope, not what you might think it is at first. Look more closely at what seems like a bird dropping on a leaf and you'll see an antenna, wings, and a fussy eye looking straight at the camera. Am pretty sure it's a Codling moth, which is apparently a real pest to Apple farmers. And looks like bird poop.

2009-06-23T21:14:00.000-04:00

Grape Vine Silhouette

Took over 70 pics today, mostly conventional shots of flowers from our back yard, and in the end I took about three shots of a grape vine silhouetted against the sky. Guess which one I liked best of the bunch.

To my mind it proves that experimenting with new angles and subject are always worthwhile.

2009-06-22T20:54:00.000-04:00

A Fancy Onion!

Took the dog for a walk down by Woodbine Park, and I ran across a bunch of these purple flowers, which are arranged in a sphere at the top of a think stalk. Too cool for me to pass up, especially since I had my macro lens with me.

I had no idea what it was, but then I found that a friend and former colleague had posted similar pics on his blog, and somebody mentioned what they were in the comments section: Allium, which is from the onion family. A very fancy onion indeed!

2009-06-21T19:45:00.000-04:00

Bard in the Park

Was out with the girls in the afternoon, on a hunt for "puffy stickers" which are all the rage at Annie's school right now, and along the way I insisted that we catch part of the free Shakespeare play ("The Merchant of Venice") that was running in the large gazebo in the middle of Kew Beach park. Here are some shots taken with the telephoto lens.

2009-06-21T15:23:00.001-04:00

Pictures Taken During a Saturday Stroll Through the Beach

A glorious sunny day, so I took the dog for a long walk down by Woodbine Beach park. Here are some pics taken along the way.

A team practicing in a big ol' canoe down by Woodbine Beach Park.

An unhappy female Red-Winged Blackbird telling me to go away from her nesting site in no uncertain terms.

An immature mallard drake checking me out. (Sorry, no bread).

2009-06-20T22:51:00.000-04:00

Annie's 8th Birthday Party

We held Annie's birthday party today -- well over a month before her actual birthday since we've discovered that it is hard to get ahold of her friends for anything outside of the school year. It was a relatively small affair this year: a sleepover with three young friends invited (only one of whom ended up staying the night).

Cake was courtesy of Dufflet Pastry, from a gift certificate Annie won in a contest earlier in the year. Vanilla cake with chocolate icing - yum!

It was a rainy day all day, and having promised the kids attending that they could expect to go in Annie's jumping castle, we actually managed to set the thing up in the living room. All possible breakables were moved away, and everything worked as expected, Annie's friends working off their sugar intake a bit in the process.

2009-06-04T18:11:00.003-04:00

Ants on a Peony Bud

We have peonies in our backyard garden, on the verge of flowering. I saw that there were ants on every single bud. I had see this before, and didn't think it a cause for alarm as I have never seen any damage done to the plant or to the flower, but had never looked into it.

What little I could find on the Web suggests that the ants are definitely not harming the plant in any way, though nobody seems to be entirely sure what they are doing.

Watching the ants it definitely appeared as though they were interested in some substance on the buds -- the following picture shows a pair of ants with their pincers down on the split in the bud, seemingly touching the top surface but not doing any visible harm to the plant, or even gouging anything out of it. Whatever it is they are interested in must be on the top layer of the bud, perhaps a fine layer of liquid sugar or something similar. I also wonder if perhaps there is some benefit to the emerging flower, the ants likely driving away anything else that might do real harm to the plant.

2009-05-30T23:38:00.006-04:00

Counterpoint Community Orchestra Concert

This was the big night that Erika had been practicing for months: playing in CCO's performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony. I had been asked to bring my camera equipment along, having taken a few pictures for the orchestra at a previous concert.

The event was held at the University of Toronto's MacMillan Theatre, which is a nice large, acoustically robust stage. I'd been in this theatre before, taking in an opera performed by U. of T. student from about a year ago, so I already had a good idea as to the place's layout, and where to set up in order to get some good pictures.

Vanessa had fractured her foot only a few days before, so we had borrowed a wheelchair so that we could get her to the concert. Thankfully she was in no pain, and managed to hop the few steps over to the seat we ended up taking in the balcony, where I set up my camera and tripod.

Before the concert started, I managed to make my way down to the main level and take a few shots of people practicing before the concert started.

The conductor in a blue t-shirt and jeans during the final practice.

The string section listening to the conductor's final words of encouragement.

Practicing her cello

Practicing on the double-bass.

The first piece was a flute concerto in d minor by C.P.E. Bach, with Jennifer Langton dressed in a gold sequined dress playing flute with the woodwinds.

Jennifer Langton taking her bows

The chorus taking their seats for Beethoven's 9th Symphony

The conductor addressing the audience on the subject of Beethoven's 9th Symphony.

Conductor explaining how the various parts of the piece come together.

Erika on trumpet, our neighbour Dave beside her.

Tympany and strings

Everybody assembled for the final movement

Close-up of part of the chorus

Close-up of another part of the chorus, with Erika and Dave playing trumpet below.

Jennifer Raxor (soprano) and Martha Spence (mezzo soprano)

Trombones and strings

More of the string section

The conclusion of the performance, and everyone takes their bows.

It was a good, stirring performance. Beethoven would have been pleased.

2009-05-18T22:56:00.001-04:00

Victoria Day at Ashbridges Bay, 2009

Good show this year.

I took the girls down to the beach, walking straight down from our house. (Unfortunately Erika had an important practice to go to, so wasn't there for it. This time last year, I was away in China, so I missed out on last year's show).

Everything started at about 9:45pm and lasted for maybe 15-20 minutes. Lots of very noisy fun!

The following pics are a small selection of favorites I took during the show.

Annie illuminated by the light of a sparkler

2009-05-17T23:08:00.003-04:00

Fountains and Birds Down by Woodbine Park

After lunch, the girls, Yo-Bob and I headed down to Woodbine Park. I took the ball chucker in order to wear-out Yo-Bob, and the girls played in the playground. The fountain had also been turned back on, and the water-level of the pond has risen considerably, making it attractive for people and for the local birdlife.

The fountains at Woodbine Park

Close-up of the smaller "sub" fountains by the base of the big fountain

Shot of an accommodating female Mallard duck who was swimming with her drake

This female Red-Winged Blackbird alighted on an adjacent bench, and allowed me to take a couple of quick pics before she flew off

2009-05-13T17:55:00.000-04:00

Shooting Shy Birds and the Inevitable Twig in Front of Them

Took a walk by the scrub-land adjacent to Livingstone Park, which is close to where my office is located, and saw this Baltimore Oriole and his mate in a tree. Almost every shot I took had a big twig directly between me and a bird. This was the best shot of the bunch.

2009-05-12T18:42:00.000-04:00

Learning More About How to Shoot Using the Macro Lens

Even with the macro lens, it is increasingly clear to me that good composition matters along with an interesting subject. So I'm glad this fly landed (and stayed still long enough) on this ripped leaf.

2009-05-11T23:47:00.004-04:00

Dandelions and Miniature Fauna

A trio of dandelions on the verge of flowering

Close-up of a closed-up dandelion

Found this little guy lurking on the side of a tulip in our back garden. He crawled inside the closed flower soon after, settling in for the night.

Small fly on the underside of a leaf

2009-05-10T21:18:00.001-04:00

Scenes from the Toronto Comic Arts Festival

After visiting Michael's gallery showing on Saturday, I still had time left over and decided to head up-town to check out/reconnoiter the Toronto Comic Arts Festival which was happening at the Toronto Reference Library on Yonge just above Bloor. I was planning on talking my daughters to it the next day (which I did) but I thought I'd scout things out first.

Glad I did because I knew what might interest the girls and what might not. I also found the place to be pretty crowded, so I vowed to take the girls here early On Sunday in an effort to avoid the crowds.

On the first run-through I discovered that David Malaki, who is the artist for one of my favourite online cartoons (Wondermark), was there. I ended up buying all three of his comic strip compilations from him directly, along with his autograph.

I brought the girls on the second day and they had fun making their own comic strips, and enjoying a lot of the freebie comic books stuff that was being handed out. They both ended up buying posters from Imaginism Studios, Annie bought a book from Matt Forsythe (which was signed by him), and I bought a signed illustration from him.

Annie and Vanessa creating their own comics during the second day of the event

Annie explaining her "Super-Budgie" comic strip to Vanessa

Annie and Vanessa having fun with a cut-out

Comic artist Matt Forsythe adding a dedication in one of his books for Annie, drawing one of his trademark squid characters on the frontispiece.

Graphic novel artist Seth

She knitting "Plushtaches" for sale. $8 apiece.

2009-05-09T22:40:00.002-04:00

Hailstones

It hailed this morning and during a lull in the storm I went out and took a few shots of some of the pea-sized stones that fell on our deck.

Everything melted/dissolved in the rain about 5 minutes later.

Hailstones piling up on the deck

Inside the planter

2009-05-09T11:17:00.000-04:00

Michael Willems at his Intravenous Gallery Showing

I had the chance to get out sans kids to see friend and former work-colleague Michael Willems' photography exhibit Intravenous gallery showing at the New Gallery at New Gallery in Parkdale.

2009-05-06T21:04:00.002-04:00

Bleeding Hearts and a Fiddlehead

Purple and white Bleeding Heart (Dicentra) flowers. Can't help but think of the logo for "Hairspray" when I see these.

Fern "fiddlehead" unfurling.

White Bleeding Heart flowers close-up.

2009-05-05T21:28:00.000-04:00

Acer Aspire One

I picked up a netbook today: an Acer Aspire One. I felt a little bit guilty about buying something which is powered by our main CPU rival, but I haven't been able to find one made by AMD as yet and, well, this was on sale.

My plan is to use it for writing while commuting. You will likely will see more written blog entries as a result.

One word of warning for those contemplating getting one of these: it takes a good half-hour or more for it to set itself up with Windows XP before you can actually do anything with it. Didn't get a lot of time to spend with it, though I did manage to install a few programs I expect to want, such as OpenOffice, Winamp, a movie codec pack and Stellarium to start.

Thought about going with a Linux-based version, but in the end I like convenience, and venerable Windows XP still delivers. (I have two machines that came with Vista, and much prefer the older OS, if only because it doesn't get in my way and is as top-heavy as the new OS).

A couple of other observations: I hate the fact that somebody decided that it would be a good idea to sacrifice a double-width Shift key for a single-key sized version adjacent to the little-used pipette/forward-slash key (I wonder if I can easily remap it?). Also, am amazed that Microsoft or Acer didn't reduce the multi-level nav-bar for Internet Explorer, as the default config takes up well over a third of the display. I ditched that almost immediately for a lightly customized Firefox browser.

Needing to take a picture of the day, I chose my new "toy".

Here's a close-up of its vast keyboard. ;-)

Close-up of the screen (displaying Stellarium) using the macro lens.

2009-05-04T21:52:00.002-04:00

Macro Through the Garden with Me

A small dandelion alongside some small purple flower.

An even smaller blue flower (maybe half the size of a dime)

Extreme close-up of a small maple leaf from a baby tree

2009-05-03T18:21:00.004-04:00

A Walk Down by Woodbine Park and Woodbine Beach

A trio of daffodils shot at mid-day down by Woodbine Park

This Mourning Dove paitently let me take a photo of it.

Some sort of goose(?) shot from amongst the reeds at Woodbine Beach.

There were a few guesses out on what this bird is, but a birder friend of mine thinks it is likely a Muscovy Duck, possibly a Muscovy/Mallard hybrid. Almost certainly an immature hen, since it doesn't look like a Muscovy male at all.

I stumbled upon the starting point for the "Steps for Life" (http://www.stepsforlife.ca/) walk while down at Woodbine Beach. All along the pathway were small signs to commemorate people killed in various workplace accidents over the years. Took a pic of the people coming around a bend in the path they were to follow, which I think gives a sense as to the turnout they had.

2009-05-02T20:05:00.000-04:00

Late Evening by Woodbine Park

The trilliums (trillia?) in our front garden have finally bloomed. Here's a close-up of one of them using the macro lens.

Being squawked at by a red-winged blackbird down at Woodbine Park. Unfortunately the bird is not in as sharp a focus as I would have liked, but the expressions is great.

It's warm enough now that our dog Yo-Bob can go fetch balls thrown into the pond by Woodbine Park. I bought a throwing-stick for dog-balls today and we got him good and tired having him chase the ball all over the park.