The other day I came across a unique device available from Lee Valley that really comes in handy at this time of year: the Rimroller. Its purpose is simple — to help good Tim Hortonians to quickly and efficiently roll up their rims! And at … Read More →
Category Archives: Observed
Turkeys & Sharks
Some tallies of unusual things I saw today: Wild Turkeys: 20+ Oh boy, we were cruising down Bolton road (narrow, gravel, treed, etc.), came round a bend, and then what was there up ahead but a massive army of wild turkeys! Although they beat a … Read More →
Up the Creek Without a Paddle
Come March, it’s easy to get caught up in lamenting the creek’s present impaddleability. However, as it stands (though, by definition, a creek isn’t standing water) the surface is perfect for snowshoeing (see “Focusing on the Positive”). Now, the key is to get out on … Read More →
Old Friends
It’s always interesting, I find, to run into old acquaintances, long lost friends, and the like. The last few times this has happened, I’ve noticed that I seem to have much to talk about with the folks I wasn’t really that close with previously; as … Read More →
I Pack Olives
On long treks, it seems wise to carry a small jar of olives. To the haggard and weary wanderer, they represent taste (seasoned, stuffed olives), culinary techniques (pickling, marinade), and even global trade (seeing as how they don’t come from around these parts) – touchstones … Read More →
The Two-wheeled Path (or, Bikes! Bikes! Bikes!)
The theory: cycling benefits humans on some spiritual level. Maybe: bikes are the antidote to the ails of our modern world. Bikes are quiet. Unless your chain is all messed up, you can roll around on those rubber wheels without making all that much noise. … Read More →
The Biblio-Cache: Not Just Library Book Leftovers
Well, I came across something unusual while working through the weekend’s library-book haul; in a book of short stories by Annie Proulx (about 3/4′s through Brokeback Mountain, as a matter of fact), somebody happened to leave this: Though dry (and flat), the flowers (lilac) still … Read More →
Philately after the Age of Exploration
I’m sure that if Marco Polo could have collected stamps, he would have. Of course, the first postage stamps were in developed in the 1830s, 500 years after Mr. Polo’s time. But let us consider the man, and his kind; how might we describe the … Read More →
The English Hermite
This past week I finally got a certain something off my chest — or off my desk — that’s been in the works for the last little while: my MA thesis proposal. The proposed work will centre on the writings of a neat old fellow … Read More →