Spotted this beauty stalking a fly trapped in its web on a bridge in Fraser Foreshore Park in Burnaby.
I’m thinking a kind of orb weaver?
Burnaby Balcony Wild Kingdom
Sora the Cat and I had lots to look at while hanging out on the balcony this morning.
Nuthatch
Chickadee
Burnaby Balcony Staredown
Crow and cat size each other up. . .
Anna’s Hummingbird at Centennial Beach in Delta, BC
Yumi spotted this cute hummer checking out blossoms on our three-hour ramble of trails at Centennial Beach in Delta, BC, today.
Great Blue Heron at Centennial Beach in Delta, BC
Uh, don’t think I’m gonna fit, eh? 🙂
OK, I Watch Romance Movies Now and Then
Color Me True
Sweet story, with giggles and moistening eyes now and then.
I can’t put my finger on it, but if Hollywood did this it would likely be over-the-top silly.
But there’s a tradition in Japanese film for understatement.
This could have been a really sappy movie, and yes, it is a goofy, tear-jerking romance, but it all came together, at least for us.
It was also fun to try to pick up on visual references in homage to films from long ago.
Much of the theme is the power of film to transport us to other places, and the struggle that writers have to achieve moving, engaging scripts that leave an audience fulfilled.
BTW, the movie poster is little like the film, which is all about B&W slowly blossoming toward muted colors. ..
Refinishing Stair Handrails – Covid Project #33b
Three rounds of stripping and scraping using an environmentally benign gel, and several hours of sanding over the course of a few days and the handrails from our stairs are finally denuded of what seemed like about 10 coats of paint. Whew!
Was pleased at the decent quality of the wood underneath all those layers. Will likely go with a mild stain/varnish and sealer.
It was a lot work, but I hate wasting good wood, and had some time on my hands. . .
UPDATE (June 28): The boss chose Varathane in Golden Oak. Looking good! I’ll do another coat later today, let them sit overnight, and install tomorrow.
Kitty Spots a Hummer
Sora the Cat was sitting at the dining room window looking through the screen when she started chattering.
We looked up and there was a hummer on the tree outside. Fortunately it stayed while I ran down to my office to get Big Bertha, spinning the ISO up to 3200 and shooting handheld at a 35mm equivalent of 900mm.
Nikon D7200 and Tamron 150-600 zoom, first gen.
Northern Flicker, Brown Creeper in SE Burnaby, BC
A gorgeous Northern Flicker visited our balcony late this afternoon.
And then Yumi spotted a Brown Creeper on a nearby cherry tree. Amazing how they blend in. . .
It’s just above the circular knot
Ah, that’s better!
Ah, The Joy of Giggling Children
Awhile back we got new neighbours with a pre-school girl next door in our townhouse complex. Out of over 100 units, I’d guess at most a dozen have children, and those mostly teens.
As I work from home a lot I was a bit nervous, but dang it if hearing that little girl giggle doesn’t bring a grin to my face. The other day she had a playdate on their balcony with another little girl, and it was joyful.
Giggle on!
We have also seen the development of a bike gang in the complex--three or four kids in the 5-7 range who like to zoom around in circles. That’s prompted warning signs to go up to watch for children on the road.
All good, eh?