Author Archives: makielb

I found it interesting that the most prominent photo above “Entomology” was a spider, which is not an insect. Part of the 30+ people here for an end of season gathering of moth enthusiasts. Susan sitting in the range studying a tray of interesting micro moths. These are the types of moths that are perhapsContinue reading “A collection of moth-loving people”

As I am sitting down writing this as Thanksgiving approaches I found this particular cartoon quite funny. Over the years I have prepared turkey, chicken, duck and quail. But I would never threaten poor little Woodstock. The traditional Peanuts Thanksgiving dinner is popcorn and toast. Now on to Ithaca. The place we stayed in IthacaContinue reading “Fun in Ithaca”

If the Group of Seven were the stars of the McMichael Gallery, then the Tom Thomson exhibit was a super nova. The title of the exhibit was North Star. It was truly “exceptional.” This sums up the artist quite nicely. This painting perfectly catches the image of a frosty morning in the north. What theContinue reading “McMichael Gallery – part-3 Tom Thomson”

One of the reasons we went to the McMichael Gallery was to see the paintings by members of “the Group of Seven.” There was one gallery with many by the members. These are but a few. After each painting there is a brief description of the painting. I was amazed at how the artist caughtContinue reading “McMichael Gallery – Group of Seven”

The drive to McMichael “should” have taken 30 minutes. But the morning traffic was so bad it took close to an hour. In the evening it was similar due to the sleet and darkness as we headed back to the condo. This painting was both beautiful and disturbing. The interesting story behind this is describedContinue reading “McMichael Gallery art”

Crossing the Ambassador Bridge we could see the progress on the Gordie Howe Bridge. I can’t wait for it to be open and cross there. This was our AirB&B in Richmond Hills. It was on the fourth floor of a condo. We had our own private elevator (behind the closed door) that gave us accessContinue reading “Traveling to Toronto”

Back in sunny Ann Arbor after a delightful week traveling to Toronto then Ithaca, New York. The last of the leaves on trees here are turning colors and dropping. We did notice some interesting things with tree while traveling. We were amazed at the number of ginkgos that we encountered on our travels. More surprisingContinue reading “Home after a whirlwind trip to New York”

Today was the first day of the Ann Arbor stamp show. The highlight for me was the dealer bourse with dealers from 10 states. The U.S. post office had a table for getting recent U.S. stamps. The United Nations post office was also there. There was a food court and a children’s area with lotsContinue reading “Ann Arbor stamp show”

Here’s my one habañero plant. It was started from see in late March and spent May until late October in the garden in a bed with jalapeños and cayenne peppers. This however never turned orange. I lost hope of getting any ripe fruit. Then in late October I decided that I would dig up theContinue reading “Peppers from a friend”

I posted the cartoon that was the day before this one. Always carry a towel! A hitchhiker’s nnecessity. Waking up this morning to temperatures in the upper 20sF and a light dusting of snow emphasizes the need for cuddling. The garden one day apart. Without and with a little snow. Halloween decoration in our neighborhood.Continue reading “Halloween, 2023”