Category: Family and Friends

Posts about my family, friends, and acquaintances.

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Tiffany Falls and Sherman Falls

Yesterday we were able to get away for one of our favorite summer activities. “Waterfalling” is the term we coined for it. It really is quite simple, especially for those that live in the Golden Horseshoe. This is a region of southern Ontario, Canada that wraps around the western end of Lake Ontario. The area is full of naturally occurring waterfalls thanks in most part to the geography of the Niagara Escarpment.

Here are some pictures I took with my iPhone of Tiffany Falls and Sherman Falls; and, the trails leading to them. All of the pictures are in order with the first nine from Tiffany Falls ending with the old stone fireplace. The balance are from the short hike into Sherman Falls.

I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as we enjoyed the waterfalls in person.

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Digital Darkness Day

Yesterday was our 17th wedding anniversary and as requested I spent the entire day away from my computers, and did not use my iPhone … no emails, no web surfing, no phone calls. It was quite peaceful and I thank my wife for the request and quite honestly look forward to making this an annual event.

Of course, this was made much easier by considering the day as a holiday, but also as a last-minute decision it was greatly appreciated by my family, friends, and colleagues to honor our choice, too.

So, I would like to propose that March 25 be set aside as Digital Darkness Day when you take the time to turn off your smart-phones, your computers, and any other devices. Take a quality day for you, your family, and your friends; and, if March 25 is not the best day for you then choose a day that is … but most of all, enjoy!

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Lasagna and a Guitar

Christmas lasagna and a new guitar; I’m not sure there is much more I could ask for today.

For the last few years I have been half-joking, half-seriously offering or suggesting lasagna for Christmas. I’m not talking about just any lasagna; I’m talking about my Cheesy Mushroom Meat Lasagna. This year I am happy to write we just finished having it for dinner.

I hadn’t made my lasagna in what seemed like forever so I was a bit out of sync in the kitchen but everything came together quite well. As the lasagna was browning, I prepared the Caesar salad; and, as the lasagna was cooling, I finished the garlic loaf. I’m about to go brew a nice after dinner coffee and enjoy a homemade cupcake my daughter made last night … fruitcake is on the menu for later tonight!

Also, later tonight, I will pick up my new guitar and play for another hour or two. My wife, Terri, went to great lengths to get this gift for me. It was a well kept secret until our family Christmas last night at my son and daughter-in-law’s home. I’ve been interested in playing the guitar for some time although I would have never purposely went out and bought one for myself … I’m glad my wife bought one for me. I’ve even been taking song requests for next Christmas. It’s a great feeling to look forward to Christmas again.

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family, and my readers, too!

… and a special thank you to my wife, for giving me the gift of Christmas spirit.

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Coffee, Tea, or Keurig

I enjoy a good cup of coffee as much as I enjoy a good cup of tea. I also appreciate convenience and quality, too. You may be asking yourself why am I writing this? In a word: Keurig.

What is Keurig?

CHOOSE. BREW. ENJOY.®
It’s how we see the world. It’s how we work. It’s how we relax. It’s how we wake up. It’s how we power down. Welcome to Keurig. For coffee, tea, hot cocoa and iced beverages, the world has discovered Keurig and it’s how you brew. With over 200 varieties to choose from, it’s always easy to find the right one-for you.
from the Keurig.com website

My wife recently put in a great deal of time, energy, and extra hours at her work to help with one of their charity drives. One particular event this time was tea and coffee service brought to everyone’s desk. They used a Tassimo machine to brew the coffee and teas they served. As she was telling me about her day we started talking about the various “coffee machines” that use this “cup” system. That was about a week and a half ago.

After some online research and some personal opinions we started to seriously look at the Keurig brewers. The brewer and K-Cups are competitively priced but the true deciding factor was simply the abundant brands (read: choice of flavors) that support the system.

Friday night we went shopping. It had been a long week and a little retail therapy was in order. We decided on the Cuisinart Brewing System and as fate would have it our old drip coffee maker needed to be replaced after its six years of nearly daily use. The warming element had just recently became exposed, which I only noticed as I was cleaning it for storage. The timing was just right.

Now, it’s time for my morning coffee but I have a serious dilemma: what flavor do I brew next?

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10 Minutes

Start writing … and do not stop for ten minutes. This was a suggestion by a friend on how to generate content for a blog. It’s not a bad idea as it can be used as a stream of consciousness exercise. As long as you keep typing the content will keep growing. Although you may not have any serious masterworks of prose it does provide a good base to start from and with judicious edits it is a great post idea.

The whole concept in my opinion is to not really think about what you are writing in as much as make sure you are. A practice to create a habit, a habit to create a skill, a skill to replace a practice.

The opportunity to delve into your own creativeness simply occurs on its own as the thoughts start to flow freely and easily. A great idea or an insightful bon mots are just some of the potential you can, and will, discover.

There will always be more that can be written and there are never-ending streams of ideas to put to digital paper at least in the case of a blog. This method works just as well with the “old school” tools known as pen and paper, too. I believe with living in this digital age the environmental benefits of not using a resource that can better be used elsewhere is a good idea. I’m writing this on my iPhone, as is common for my Sunday posts, and it actually saves me edit time afterward with its auto-correct functionality … stop writing.

Thanks to Alex Frakking for suggesting this idea at the last WordPress Toronto Meetup gathering on August 21, 2010 … just another of the many benefits of the group.

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Happy Birthday Jackie!

Did you know July 17 is …

… and the celebrity birthdays of:

  • Phyllis Diller – 93
  • Donald Sutherland – 75
  • Angela Merkel – 56
  • David Hasselhoff – 58
  • Mark Burnett – 50
  • Jaclyn Wilson – 27

Here are some interesting links to follow:

… and on this day the Internet domain name JaclynWilson.com was registered. Happy Birthday!

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Bangers and Mash au Gratin

One of my favorite dinners is bangers and mash au gratin. It’s a simple dinner to prepare and only takes about an hour from start to table. It may not be the best dinner to serve with our current temperatures but it is well worth the heat and efforts. Below is a gallery of random pictures of dinner tonight. The basic recipe is rather simple although it is not always the easiest to find the bangers to use.

Follow along if you will:

  1. Start with instant mashed potatoes (it’s just easier)
  2. While the mashed potatoes are cooking start the bangers
  3. The potatoes will be ready long before the bangers, put a lid on them and set aside for later
  4. After the bangers are cooked, make the sauteed onions
  5. Grate the cheese while the onions cook
  6. Once the onions are ready add the gravy and cook together
  7. Put everything together: bit of gravy/onion mix; bangers; rest of gravy/onion mix; potatoes; grated cheese
  8. Bake for 20 minutes at 400°F in the oven
  9. Serve … and Enjoy!
  10. … and do not forget to share.
Fresh out of the oven
Sauteed onions
Bangers and Mash au Gratin
Ready to eat …
Freshly served
BooBoo … after dinner
Sauteed onions in gravy
BooBoo waiting patiently …
Bangers in the baking dish
Grated cheese for the au gratin.
The Mash!
Going into the oven
The table setting

PS: Alcoholic beverages are purely optional … but strongly suggested.

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Pi and I

Last month I recapped the Toronto WordPress June 2010 Meetup and wrote about the new friends from China I met on the TTC subway system. I did not think to take any pictures myself, but most of these visitors did. I asked one to send me a copy and was very happy to open my email this morning and find this picture from Pi Yizhou:

Myself and Pi Yizhou