105:365 Almost a day at the museum

First off, Happy Father's day to all the dads out there. :-)



Anna: Note to self. Do not try to go to the museum on a Sunday, when it's also Father's Day *and* the second day of a new display. Talk about crowded!

The museum has a new exhibit on dragons, and it's absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately, no photos allowed. We were told this as we went through admission. There was a big sign right at the entrance saying "no photographs." There were smaller signs saying "no photographs" at almost every display. You'd think people would clue in that this meant, you know, NO PHOTOGRAPHS. Of course, there were still people who took pictures anyways. *sigh*

We actually cut the trip short, taking in just the new display, then heading out shortly after. It wasn't worth trying to go into any of the other exhibits with our tripods and cameras in the crowds when we can come back any time. I didn't even take my camera out until we got outside, where I took a couple of photos of the biggest bearded irises I've ever seen. I didn't know they could get this large.

The beard looks like a sea slug to me. :-D








This is the top of the same blossom pictured above. I love those crinkly edges.














Philippe: The skies weren't sure whether or not to rain; turns out, this was the prequel.. Later in the afternoon, it hailed. :D

104:365 Botanical gardens

Anna: Took a short road trip today and visited the Devonian Botanical Gardens. We didn't come close to seeing all of the gardens, but that's ok. We'll definitely be coming back for more! What a fantastic place.




When I took this shot, I was so focused on the flower, I never even saw the bug! I had no idea it was there until the photo was uploaded onto the computer.













There were quite a lot of sculptures in the areas we saw. My favourite was this one.
























My darling husband got me a pro account on flickr, so you can see the rest of the set here.





Philippe: Back to my nice, big-sky shots.. As much fun as Macro is, I have to admit this is where my heart lies.














Philippe: My long lens allows me a few shots that would get me smacked around otherwise :P













Philippe: Even though the sky washes out a bit, I feel the water more than makes up for it (I love light shots )

























Took a wack more shots which are posted here.

103:365 This is what happens...

... when you eat "Shark Poo" candy.


Anna: The "Shark Poo" candy sent to us in a recent care package is really quite good. I didn't stop to think, however, just what that blue colouring would do to our mouths until my elder daughter happened to stick her tongue out at me.

Ew.

Of course, I just had to grab a camera. What else do you do when you see something this gross? *L*

102:365 Twisted

Anna: Today I finally got out of the apartment for more than a couple of minutes! It felt so good, even though it was going to the Dr. I've come down with a cold on top of my cough, so right now I don' t know how much of my cough is my usual cough, and how much if from my cold. That was ok with my Dr. After looking at my file and noting I've had it for 5 years, he promptly signed me up for some chest Xrays, plus a lung test to rule out asthma, even tough he doesn't think I have it. The chest Xrays, I can do any time - I'll wait until the cold is gone. The lung tests are in July. Since I was there anyways, I got a note for my job telling them I can't work tomorrow. Somehow, me around food while I'm hacking just doesn't sound like a good idea! ;-D

I enjoyed the outing so much, I went for a walk in the evening. I probably shouldn't have done that. The wind was a bit more brisk than I expected. Ah, well. I did get this picture, though. I think this twisted up dead tree looks really interesting, sticking out of the greenery overlooking the valley. I'm thinking maybe I should have taken it in landscape instead of portrait, though. Hmm..

The rectangular shadows across the valley are from a neighboring pair of high rise apartment buildings.

101:365 - Dead Bug

I wish I could call it something else.. but well,.....

100:365 Got it done

Our 100th day! Woohoo! ;-)

Anna: One of the good things about not feeling well (gotta find that silver lining, after all), is that I was able to finish a new project. I'd borrowed a couple of crochet pattern books from the library and wanted to try something new.

I don't like doing crochet from patterns. I started out doing a tank top. I had progressed quite well, to the point where I was supposed to start working on the arm holes. That's when I discovered that, although I was following the instructions - at least I *thought* I had it right - I had the wrong number of stitches. I counted back to see where I screwed up and found it. On the very first row. I went over the instructions again, and it *still* seemed like I was doing what it told me to do, but I ended up reducing by one on every row.

I undid the whole thing and started on this produce bag. *L*

I still ended up with things not turning out the way the instructions said they should've. Even though the counts were right as I worked it, when I got to where I had to build up the longer parts on the front and back, I found myself short one loop on each side. Which mean that, at the very beginning, I had to have been short a total of 6 stitches. So I did what I do best.

I winged it.

I think it turned out all right. :-D

On another note, I broke down and called my doctor's office to book an appointment. I'm getting tired of trying to stuff my lungs back down my throat after I finish another coughing fit. Amazingly, I got an appointment *this week.* Like, wow! That's a first. I'm in to see the doc. on thursday morning.

Now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they won't phone to reschedule tomorrow.

99:365 Close up thoughts

Anna: After being out and about all weekend, I just wasn't feeling up to heading out again to park day. It turned out to be prescient.

I have a cough. I've had it for about 5? 6? years now. Usually, it's just a tickle behind my sternum that I can ignore. I tend to forget about it, except when I try to laugh, which gets me coughing. Or breath deeply, which also gets me coughing. I've had all sorts of tests and X-rays. and they all came back normal. I was given an inhaler to try, which made it worse. After we moved, I just didn't bother going to another doctor to do the tests all over again. Most times, I can ignore it. Other times, like today, it becomes an all-out chest cough. I've found the only thing that helps is to keep my chest and upper back extra warm.

So I spent much of today wearing this shawl. It was made by my MIL. She'd actually made a bunch of them for her own MIL, in one big crochet weekend. This is the one her MIL kept for herself and used for many years. Shortly before she died, she gave it back to my MIL, who used it herself for years before passing it on to me a few years ago. I absolutely love it. And it's perfect for days like today. :-)



I've had people tell me flat out that you can't make "real" friends on the internet. Well, I tend to disagree. Just as I was able to form close friendships the old fashioned way with penpals, I've been blessed to find great friends online. One of these sweet people just came back from a Caribbean cruise. *envious sigh* Today, I received a care package from her. It included some gorgeous postcards and book marks, treats such as a bag of "shark poo" candies, and this - a hanging miniature of the ship they cruised on. I'm not about to tuck this away for the Christmas tree! Instead, I've got it hanging off a hook under the cupboards between the living room and kitchen. As I sit at the computer, I can look up and see it slowly turning with any drafts.

I've always wanted to go on a cruise. Maybe some day! :-D