All posts by Paul Cipywnyk

Muggy, Smoky West Coast — Keep Your Pets Hydrated

Dunno about you, but I’ve been downing liters of water, unsweetened lemon juice, cold green tea, and, um, OK, a beer now that the clock is ticking into the evening hours. . .

What about your pets? Make sure they are hydrating, too. Especially with cats, it may take a bit of effort, but make it fun, and they’ll drink.

Fortunately our cat has a well-established drinking routine, and seeks us out for mutual hydration.

cat hydration

Barred Owl Chows Down on Mole in SE Burnaby

We heard a Barred Owl call during our afternoon walk in Byrne Creek Ravine Park in SE Burnaby. We looked for it, and eventually spotted it high in a tree. It sat there staring at us, while we stood there enjoying its beauty for several minutes.

We then realized it had caught a mole, and it began to nonchalantly shred and eat it as we watched. We didn’t hang around as we didn’t want to potentially disturb the owl’s meal.

A nature show right in “our backyard!”

barred owl eat mole
Unfortunately I got only a few usable shots out of about a hundred taken with my pocket Canon 720HS. I was hand-holding at max 40X optical zoom, and had the ISO boosted to 1600, both factors limiting image quality.

Here’s a wide shot to show how high up it was.

Barred Owl Byrne Creek

Welcoming New Hiking Boots

I’m a rambling man. . . 

An early birthday present. Vibram soles, breathable uppers.

Thank you my darling wife!

Dunno how many pairs of hiking boots I’ve worn out over the decades, ranging from traditional full leather to modern weird stuff.

These seem to be a nice balance of tried-and-true soles and moderately high-tech uppers.

Merrell Vibram hiking boots

Yeasty Spirits

That roller coaster of emotions as you’re 9/10 of the way through the bread recipe and you discover you have about 1/3 of a teaspoon of yeast.

Grumble grumble, not wanting to go to the store for one stupid little jar of yeast.

Check the cupboards.

A brand-spanking new jar of yeast!

My spirits, er, rose. . .

: -)