Trew Dat!

We could not believe our good fortune when we saw that the The Trews were bringing their acoustic tour to the Capitol Theatre in Chatham. Not only was it close to home, and designated seating rather than fighting for space....but the venue is right across the street from Mama Maria's, one of our favourite restaurants!

We were joined for dinner and the concert by John and Julie, and Dora and Mike.

The boys brought their 'A' game, as they always do, but in this intimate environment the acoustic set rang even more Trew. Lead singer Colin MacDonald in particular diverged frequently from the standard "album" melodies, letting his vocal talents wander into new (for us, anyway) and decidedly wonderful territory. Count me among those who love to hear a new imagining of songs at a live show, rather than the sticking to the recorded script.

Great show and a great night!

John-Angus breaks out the mandolin!

Jeff Heisholt on the accordion...

...and the piano!

Colin works his vocal magic

While J-A brings the licks

Rhythm Banana

Sing Your Heart Out

Colin canters!

Ishmael and Maggie sing along to end the night!

There we are - third row up on the left!

Two Sets of Acoustic Goodness

Candle Power

While spared the worst of the latest big winter storm in southern Ontario, we did get a lot of rain and ice instead. A lot less to shovel, to be sure, but all that ice buildup often has negative consequences on Wheatley's wonky power supply.

So we lost power in the early evening, taking the heat with it as well. What to do? Light a bunch of candles, grab some wine and blankets, and play card games in the shadows. As always, by the end of the night we tell each other that we should impose this sort of condition upon ourselves more often than Mother Nature does.

The power didn't come back on until 3am or so, but the scene that revealed itself by the dawn's early light was something to behold. The photographs below can't truly capture the beauty of ice-laden trees glinting in the embryonic sun....but I tried.

Munchkin Loot Letters

A little heat...

...and a little more light....

....and some warmth for the insides...

Citadels by candle light

Sunrise brings light, heat....and power!

Branch-sicles?

Icy trees

Grand Times in Grand Bend

We had the opportunity recently to visit with John and Julie up at a cottage in Grand Bend - sure, the landscape was still a little wintery, but we got lucky with a gorgeous spring-like weekend, accompanied by a solitude altogether foreign to Grand Bend come the summer months.

A rousing weekend of board games and card games was to be had, amidst the usual levity and laughter that inevitably abounds when the four of us assemble. Over the course of the weekend, we played Loot Letters, Saboteur, Ashes, Smash Up, and Dead of Winter.

In between, we managed a brisk walk around Grand Bend for some fresh air and scenery.

'Snow-body here!

Winter in Grand Bend....or post-Zombie Apocalypse???

No Lifeguards on duty

The Beach is but a shadow of it's summery self

Lake Huron locked in winter's icy grasp

The Main Drag

Who doesn't love....fries?

A Sign of things to come!

Full Circle

I had an interesting and vaguely surreal experience last weekend, when I was asked to deliver some enforcement training on a sunny Saturday. Why Saturday, you ask? Well it's the only day we can assemble large groups of specific staff (in this case, every federal poultry veterinarian in the province) without leaving affected food processing plants unable to operate.

We normally do this sort of thing on Family Day, when federal employees have to work but when the private industry staff have the day off. This year, there was already some other training that day.

To facilitate the session and present a central destination for attendees, we were able to secure space at the Ontario Veterinary College, located on the University of Guelph campus. Some of you will know that I graduated from Guelph over twenty (ugh!) years ago, and used to haunt these buildings and byways for a time.

The situation presented an odd juxtaposition for me - the returning student, suddenly standing in front of a room full of Veterinarians, with ME lecturing to THEM.

I joked with a colleague about staying up all night to get my acetate overheads ready....well let's just say we've come a long way in twenty years. I plugged a USB stick into the lectern, and ran ran my Powerpoint presentation as it was displayed on two large screens behind me, with smaller floor screen in front for me to read from. Slick.

I was also able to stick around for my fellow presenter, a noted pathologist whose session included a hands-on poultry necropsy demonstration in the lab across the hall.

It certainly didn't hurt that Saturday favoured us with sunny skies and record-breaking double-digit temperatures for late February, making for a pleasant and literal stroll down memory lane, and an equally pleasant drive home afterwards. Great day!

Pathobiology Building at OVC

Iconic Johnston Hall

Modern lecture hall!

Mixed Signals from Groundhogs

It's hard to know which rodents to believe these days....particularly during the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries south of the border. But I digress. The Canadian groundhogs couldn't appear to agree on whether spring would come early or not....though it was never clear whether they were asked if winter had actually come yet.

Some said early spring. Some said more winter. Poor Winnipeg Willow out in Manitoba was so anxious about being the tie-breaker that she up and died, mere days before prognosticating.

Winter showed up about a week into January, after a green Christmas and New Year's. Then it went away again, with temperatures climbing to a ridiculous 20 C for a few days in late January. Great excuse for yardwork and barbecue.

As of this entry on February 9th, it just began to snow again today, and winter appears to be returning. Jane has predicted six more weeks of winter, and decided to stay in Chatham tonight with friends, rather than risk sleeping at the Tim Horton's in Tilbury again in a whiteout. To be fair, she did grow up near Wiarton, so maybe some Willy rubbed off on her.

Winter finally arrived in mid-January....

....and promptly left again

Momma Pook is not amused

OK, maybe she's a little amused

Spring by February?

I've got no beef with that!

Well hello there, 2016!

Forgive me, you sort of snuck up on us!

This Blog begins it's tenth year, since inception on New Year's Day 2007 as a house full of groggy friends cleared out The Morning After and headed home. Simply put, Morale has not Improved....and on we go.

Ridiculously unseasonable weather persisted into late December and favoured us with pleasant travel conditions for festive visits to the North....both there and back again. We got home on the morning of December 28th after a week away, literally an hour ahead of a cold front and freezing rain storm that left thousands including us without power, and the roads a treacherous mess. It was great to see friends and family and share in the holiday spirit, even if the experience was slightly diminished by the green backdrop.

Farewell to 2015, a great year by any standards, including a fabulous cruise through Eastern Europe in the spring, a guy's trip to Boston and area in the summer, and some leisurely and colourful northern Michigan camping in the fall.

I managed to make it to a game in all three major sports in 2015, catching the Red Wings and Lightning at The Joe in March, the Red Sox and A's at Fenway in June, and the usual Bears-Lions game at Ford Field in October.

Having decided to make a concerted effort (pun intended) to see more live music last year, we witnessed some memorable shows across Ontario and beyond, including The Trews, The Tragically Hip, Noel Gallagher and his High Flying Birds, Gordon Lightfoot, Heart, Of Monsters and Men, Big Wreck, The Motorleague and even Weird Al Yankovic.

Work has been good for both of us, fraught with stress at times yet rewarded with success.

But these pursuits are peripheral to the predominant purpose.

We lost a pet late in the year (poor Bill), but otherwise the Furry Crew is healthy and happy and amuse us daily.

We are most fortunate for each other, and the good friends and family who continue to enrich our lives. Continued good health and good fortune to all in 2016!

This time last year, this ship up North was iced in with snow drifted all around....

....but not this year!

Making the best of temporary loss of Hydro with Ticket to Ride!

New Year's Eve 2015

Boardgames and finger foods were the order of the day

New Year's Eve movie marathon

Ringing in the New Year with good wine in Venetian and Bulgarian vessels

New Year's Day movie marathon