A Second Look--July 27, 2011

We were on vacation last week, so the yard didn't get its usual inspection. It has not fared well in 90-100 degree weather we have been having with little rain. Large (1/2"-1") dry cracks are forming in the ground and most plants are brown and drooping. The deer have discovered the hostas and tomatoes by our patio. Even with all of that being said, there are a few hearty flowers that are managing to provide some color.

Note: There are two pictures of Queen Anne's Lace (wild carrot). The first is a lacy white bloom and the second is similar with a dark spot in the middle of the bloom. This is the first time that I have noticed a dark spot and at first thought it was a bug--but it is part of the blossom. The legend has it that the flower was named after Queen Anne and the dark spot represents blood from a needle prick that happened while the Queen was making lace.

See what I found on a Second Look around the yard this week.

Day lily

I hope the deer enjoyed their hosta feast.

Black-eyed Susan

Queen Anne's Lace (wild carrot)

Queen Anne's lace with dark red bloom in middle

Downed branch from tulip poplar tree

Spike gay feather

Dry, cracking dirt

Road Trip, Day Nine, Home again

 We got an early start this morning and had a good drive home. We have the car unloaded and the washer going. Even though the cats had excellent care from Aunt Martha and Uncle Billy, they are fighting over lap space. 

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.

Road Trip--Day Eight, Animals, animals, animals

Today we ...
--Visited Toronto zoo-- heard interesting keeper talks about Amur tigers and Komodo dragons.
--Went through customs--reentered the states at Buffalo after being stuck for an hour in Canadian traffic.
--Got a head start on our trip home by driving to Olean, NY to spend the night--had a great a great steak dinner in this small town and enjoyed their squirrel art.

Take a look of some of the sights we saw today.

Butterfly

Pygmy hippos

Sneaks thought this sign didn't apply to him.

Ronald McSquirrel in Olean park.

Gorilla

Amur tiger

Santy Squirrel

Jellyfish

Sneaks should not have been teasing the Komodo dragon.

Road Trip--Day Seven, Downtown Toronto

Thank goodness, today was about 10 degrees F cooler than yesterday. I never thought that 90 degrees would feel good, but we functioned pretty well in it.

Ward and Wally got up early and took a hike in a local park. Theo and I stayed back and did some necessary laundry.

 

This part of the ROM is made of 5 interlocking structures.

Then we set off for Toronto. Traffic was still busy, so we explored neighborhood streets trying to find our way out of the stop and go traffic on the main highways. Our destination was the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum), the largest museum of science and cultures in Canada. We only had time to explore a small portion of the museum, but we learned a few things:


--The Canadian flag with the maple leaf wasn't adopted until 1965.
--99 % of the species in the world are smaller than a bee.
--Summer camp groups are noisy.
--There are more red foxes in North America than there are dogs.
--Sneaks enjoyed the museum.

Sneaks swore that these quartz crystals were a hands-on exhibit.

After the museum, we explored more of downtown Toronto including the financial district, water front, and tourist areas. On first inspection, the city seems vibrant and diverse. In the tourist area, we visited the CN tower, a 1815' communications tower with elevators and observation decks. Until last year, this was the tallest tower in the world. On clear day, you can see Niagara Falls. It was not a clear day.

CN  Tower

Food Waste Friday, 7-22-11, Vacation

It's time for Food Waste Friday, when the Frugalgirl encourages us to post pictures from the previous week of wasted food from our household. This accountability hopefully will help us to be more careful with our food and maybe save some money. 

Niagara Falls

Here it goes for this week.


We have been on vacation for a week now in the Niagara Falls and Toronto area. We have been doing pretty well with our food waste by utilizing our cooler. Instead of listing our waste (because we're not keeping track of it), I have a few observations.





--Tim Hortons--Why is it that everyone in my family has heard of this Canadian chain but me? They are like a Dunkin Donuts and located on every street corner. We have enjoyed their wares several times ourselves and like their breakfast sandwiches.

--Speaking of breakfast, the hotel we are staying in serves baked beans for breakfast. Not a bad idea, just something new to me.

--And speaking of new, we have also discovered poutine, another widespread Canadian dish. It is basically French fries and cheese curds covered in gravy with whatever else you want to throw in. Tasty, but a steady diet of it would be too much for me.

--Also, we visited the birthplace of Buffalo wings at the Anchor Bar and Grill in Buffalo. And yes, they were good!

--Time to get ready for the day's adventures. Hope that it doesn't make it up to 102 degrees F like yesterday. The heat is putting a damper on some of our plans.

Note: See the rest of our vacation fun by reading my daily posts.