It was a very emotional return. The Manager was fighting back tears. And to top it off they won 6-4 against the Kansas City Royals. Way to go Blue Jays! It's so great they will be back in Canada for their home games.
Espinal made an amazing catch in the last inning...wow!
It was lovely down at Spanish Banks and the water is warmer than our pool which is 78-80F. High tide was rather late so it was dusk when we swam. Lots of volleyball going on. Well, the ball is white so I guess they can see it.
And the Blue Jays beat the mighty Red Sox 13-1. They will be back at Rogers Centre in Toronto Friday after two years away. It will be quite a celebration!
https://janicesextonart.blogspot.com/2008/07/and-now-some-pasadena-photos.html
It was a beautiful evening and Jim got talking to a guy who was restoring a '53 Chevy. Jim's parents had one like it only a four door and green so not the really cool white with red trim. He got talking about the day of his Sunbeam Alpine adventures in restoration and supplying parts to people. He had a real knack for that business.
I'm getting lots of interesting things from Euronews. I don't really find the Games themselves particularly interesting but what Tokyo has done is quite fascinating.
Japan has every right to be proud of its ancient heritage sitting comfortably alongside a passion for modernity. Centuries-old Shinto shrines nestle between glass skyscrapers, while traditional ryokans (inns) and teahouses compete with capsule hotels and robot cafés.
In the countryside, 285 kph bullet trains speed past cherry orchards which have barely changed for hundreds of years.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games are a natural extension of Japan’s unique blend of old and new, say the Games’ organisers. Right from when the Games were awarded in 2013, the vision has been to build on Tokyo’s ancient cultural heritage whilst aiming to accelerate the city’s transition to a carbon neutral, sustainable future.
Historic sports facilities such as the iconic Nippon Budokan - spiritual home of Japanese martial arts - sit beside brand new venues built with the latest sustainable technology. Under the banner 'Be better, together – For the planet and the people', Tokyo 2020 is showcasing solutions for a sustainable society.
I always find articles like this quite interesting. I think I'll have to buy the magazine to find out why Winnipeg is listed. I had reached my maximum online articles so couldn't' read why. We've been to 19 of them....more than I would have thought since so much of our travel is back to the same old places. I would guess Linda and Cec have been to over 80. Will be interesting to know.
Ones we have visited:
Bangkok (well, just me), Bath, Cannes, Edinburgh, Design District (London), Houston, Island of Hawaii, Jasper (Alberta), Loire Valley (France), Los Angeles, Madrid, Napa Valley (California), New York City, Paris, Sante Fe (New Mexico),Seattle, Tuscany (Italy), Venice, Winnipeg (Manitoba).
We sat outside the whole evening at Biercraft....the temperature was perfect.It was great to see them and we had lots of laughs. They cycled over. They are really getting their exercise these days. Good on them!
We always really enjoyed Rose Mallett
Dear Friends of the Purple Room,
WE ARE REOPENING TUESDAY, AUGUST 31!
I really have to admire all the effort into making these very "green" games. Good on Japan!
The Olympic and Paralympic Games aren’t just a showcase for the greatest sporting talent on the planet - they are also a platform for emerging technologies helping to create a more sustainable future.
Under the banner 'Be better, together – For the planet and the people', the Games’ organisers aim to promote a circular economy that will benefit Tokyo’s 14 million residents well into the future.
According to a recent report from Harvard University, “by using circular economy strategies, which seek to maximise resource reuse and minimise waste, Tokyo 2020 may be able to achieve both goals simultaneously.” The resulting benefits are a more sustainable environment, long-term cost savings, and a more content population, it says.
Tokyo 2020 has pledged to be ‘net carbon zero’ by reducing energy, resource consumption and minimizing construction. Where it hasn’t been possible to use renewable energy, green power certificates will be used to compensate for the use of non-renewable electricity.
The Games plans to compensate more than 100 per cent of its remaining emissions by acquiring carbon certificates from over 200 Japanese companies that have implemented reduction measures. The carbon offsetting programme covers all direct and indirect emissions related to the Games, including construction and transport.
When it comes to where the events will be held, Tokyo 2020 is also leading the way by resuing as many existing buildings as possible. Of the 43 competition venues, 25 were already in use - some of them dating back to the 1964 Olympic Games. Many of these existing locations have also been retrofitted with advanced building technologies to reduce energy consumption.
Rest of the article here:
The Tyee asked for submissions from readers for items readers loved. A surprising one was this very simple item...a potato peeler. I have one just like it and love it too. We've encountered various contraptions for peeling in our travels and also no vegetable peeler at all in the kitchen drawers.
"One of my first kitchen utensils, a peeler. I bought it at the corner store beside my first apartment in 1985. It takes off a micro thin layer of peel, so there’s very little waste, the ultimate carrot peeler for that reason. I have never sharpened it and it has never gone dull, yet I use it all the time. It makes me smile whenever I use it. — Bob Preston"
But I absolutely love this opener for jars. There was one in our condo in Palm Springs and we made sure we packed it when we sold.
I see you can buy one at Amazon cheap and they seem to be designed specially for people with arthritis and with weak hands. I think I have quite a bit of hand strength but some jars really defeat me.
I have never heard of him but I can see why they say he is "America's Matisse".
| MILTON AVERY |
| (Untitled) Woman in Blue, c.1939 oil on canvas, 36 1/4 x 28 in. |
Often characterized as America’s Matisse, Milton Avery had his own unique vision that made him a quintessentially American artist. His independence manifested in his art and on his own terms: big flat shapes, non-associated colors, and no emphasis on light, shade, or heavy modeling. Executed towards the end of the Great Depression, Avery’s use of paint in Woman in Blue is undoubtedly informed by the austerity of the time. Here Avery achieves glowing color through deftly brushed washes of paint as the canvas offers contrasting fields of transparent and opaque applications, and Avery’s unrivaled glowing colors and simplified forms made him a lasting influence on painters throughout the twentieth century. |
"51" is also a popular brand of pastis in France. The round item is an ashtray which we have no need of but bought it anyway. When Don and Elaine visiited us in 2005 in our villa in Carqueiranne when Jim was teaching, we went to the "La Maison du Pastis" in Marseilles and they had probably over a hundred different specialty brands of pastis and absinthe. Don was in heaven doing tastings.
http://www.lamaisondupastis.com
This post from "Parisian Fields" made me think about our own collection of pitchers and glasses we collected at flea markets when we were in the south of France. It became quite fun to be on the search for these souvenirs. We gave some to Don and Elaine Curling since Don just loved pastis but we still have a lot left. I'll take photos of ours and make a special post.
"Many years ago, a friend gave me a birthday present consisting of three small objects, with a card that read: “What every young woman needs: a car, a taste of France, and a chance at a million.” The car was a toy car. The chance at a million was a lottery ticket. And the taste of France? Chewing gum flavoured with Pernod.
It was the perfect choice. Pernod and all those other anise/liquorice flavours (from fennel to tarragon) really do represent the taste of France to me. I didn’t grow up with them, other than the occasional box of liquorice all-sorts at Christmas (which invariably looked nicer than they tasted) or a long thin twist of red or black liquorice from the general store near the beach we visited in summer.
In France I first encountered the flavour in liquid form, but it wasn’t Pernod. You could buy a concentrated syrup of anise to which you added still or sparkling water, rather like the orange squash or Ribena we used to get in the U.K. To me it seemed a refreshing non-alcoholic drink, and oh-so French.
The alcoholic forms like pastis also required adding water, which accounts for all those colourful water jugs and carafes labelled “Ricard,” that you find in flea markets (some of ours are shown above)."
Read the rest here:
Read the rest here. This article was originally published by "The Art Newspaper" an editorial partner of CNN Style.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. becomes youngest MLB All-Star Game MVP after hitting 468-foot homer at Coors Field.
Jim was doing his Spanish class so didn't see the fabulous home run he hit.
And the Blue Jays beat the Texas Rangers 10-2. yesterday.
But the best news of all is that the Blue Jays will return to Rogers Centre in Toronto to play home games in Canada starting on July 30. The club has received a national interest exemption from the federal government that will allow players from the Blue Jays and other teams to travel into the country.
Rogers Centre has a roof that can be used when it rains so no cancellations of games. The Tampa Bay Rays are the only other team to have a covered stadium and the roof is permanent so the games can never be played in the open air.
Liz ia away for a week and wanted us to water her plants. She is just minutes away in a condo in Hampton Place. It worked out really well since this week they've been doing roof repairs and it's rather noisy. She was happy to have us hang out there. It's been great....thank you, Liz!
There was a hummingbird feeding on the plants so went to get my phone, It left so had to settle for a photo of Jim:)
Ah...we well remember the midges in Scotland and Ireland. hat I understood as "the midgets" so thought he was talking about l
"Dr Blackwell said: “This year there’s due to be a bigger hatch than ever of Scotland’s famous Highland Midge – but that doesn’t mean you have to hide indoors all season.
"Using a combination of natural deterrents like rosemary, thyme, garlic and bay leaves can help save summer by making midges less of a nuisance."
The midge expert added that with the season becoming even longer each year, having an arsenal of ingredients to call upon will be key to outwitting the midge.
She said: "As well as the ingredients used for the Scotch Beef marinade, other herbs like mint, dill, lavender, geranium leaves and lemon balm are also effective, pairing well with beef as well as meats like Scotch Lamb.”
Lesley Cameron, director of marketing and communications at Quality Meat Scotland, the industry body that promotes Scotch Beef PGI, said: “There’s no better way to enjoy the Scottish outdoors than with a barbecue surrounded by family and friends cooking top quality Scottish ingredients – that is until you’re suddenly swarmed by unwelcome guests in the form of midges.
“With the news that this year’s season is set to be particularly ferocious, we’ve consulted the experts to devise our midge-busting marinade as a brief respite from being eaten alive.
"As well as being a delicious addition to Scotch Beef PGI, it’s proven midge-proof properties are guaranteed to make it a winner at any summer get-together.”
The marinade was devised and put to the test with the help of chef Paul Green of The Torridon Hotel on Scotland’s west coast; an area with some of the country’s most spectacular scenery."
This post was inspired by Carol's blog which focuses on how John had to outwit authorities and the law to get good photos when he was newspaper photographer.
http://mountdunbar.blogspot.com/2021/07/he-made-me-do-it.html
I picked up this chart by googling but had to add #9 Canada at .81 and #10 Australia at .81
I guess New Zealand and Australia surprised me the most. I probably could have guessed the others.
| 1 | Denmark | 0.89 |
| 2 | Norway | 0.89 |
| 3 | Finland | 0.87 |
| 4 | Sweden | 0.86 |
| 5 | Netherlands | 0.85 |
| 6 | Germany | 0.83 |
| 7 | New Zealand | 0.81 |
| 8 | Austria | 0.81 |
It was Jim's birthday yesterday so we went to Las Margaritas and had our usual choices. Excellent as usual....yum, yum,yum.
Then we had a really nice visit with Liz. We are looking after her plants while she is away.
And we finished off the day with an ocean swim.
I love Calder and he painted this in the year I was born.
The Palm Tree
We both went down to Spanish Banks at sunset last night and I went in the water too. It was amazingly warm....78-80 F. Wow...I didn't really believe Jim when he said it was so warm the previous nights.
A beautiful evening.
Well, Jim went swimming and it was quite warm apparently. When we were walking in Trafalgar Park yesterday I got some nasty insect bites. Not sure what it was but I didn't want to take a chance getting them infected. Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
I was pleased to see the wading pool filled with water and lots of kids enjoying it.. I remember when I worked for the Vancouver Parks Board as a university student filling the pools. I think we put some chemical in too. I hesitiate taking photos of kids and posting them on my blog so no photos of that.
