I fell in love with black-necked stilts for two reasons: They were drop-dead gorgeous and they were one of the first birds I identified after I took up birdwatching. Several years on, they still delight me.
I fell in love with avocets because I first saw them in Arizona, where I had the advantage of seeing the males in their breeding plumage. Oh. My. God. It never gets old. Continue reading
Forty? Fifty? Yeah, something like that. I neglected to count the number of shoe racks in the clearance center, but it was a big number. Each rack was at least six feet wide, with seven or eight shelves.
And each shelf was full of shoes. Full. Continue reading
My chicken is in your backyard.
It’s not every day that I open my front door to this message, but it isn’t a complete surprise: I mean, I know there’s a chicken in the backyard. I had not known whence it came.
Five minutes later, my across-the-back-cinder-block-fence neighbour is gone, chicken secured snugly under one arm. Although our dinner plans have to be revised, the incident wasn’t a complete waste. Continue reading
How can that be? Well, I’m just making a small photography joke.
Fuzzy? Yes, and that was my fault. As the roadrunners darted around, out of, and into the shrub evidently holding their nest, they moved so quickly and stopped so infrequently, that I never got a sharp shot of them with the nesting materials. Although, as you will see below, I had plenty of chances.
Focused? Yes, and that was all on the roadrunners. I’ve seen them wandering around sort of aimlessly — hunting, I presume, but looking very in-the-moment — but these birds were on a mission: Gather nesting material. Continue reading
I might have mentioned baseball a few times: Well, for sure I have. As just a few examples, I used baseball as a jumping-off place when launching my 6-year fitness program, celebrating the power of celebration, celebrating Canada’s National Treasures, and when considering the need for humility in our judgements. Continue reading
As discussed recently, it’s hard to get different photos if I always go on the same walk. Herewith, photos from a different walk: Butcher Jones Trail, about an hour from our rented accommodation in Gilbert. The result? Different vistas, different textures. Continue reading
Confusion arises over the plural of cactus
because its original plural form (cacti) derives from Latin
and native English speakers are drawn to cactuses,
which adheres to the standard ruling for forming plurals.
– Grammar Monster
Drawn to “cactuses” as the plural: Yup, that’s me. (Although I dispute that there’s any confusion involved.) Drawn to cactuses: Yup, that too. Continue reading
Well, not really. But this juxtaposition at first base had me scrambling for my phone and wishing for my telephoto lens.
What the heck does this sign mean?
Does it mean that men are allowed “only beyond this point,” restricting their movement?
Or does it mean that “men only” are allowed beyond this point, restricting the movement of oh, say, women? Given that it’s at the entry to a men’s changing room, I expect that is the meaning. That meaning might better be rendered as “Only men beyond this point.”
Or, perhaps, “No women or girls are allowed in this men’s changing room.”
Oh, if only only weren’t so pesky.
Posted: 2025 Jun 21
Thanks to John Whitman for this slightly dismayed face from downtown Ottawa.
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