CaptainOrange

Note to Nobody in Particular Normally, my travel blogging is formatted with each day or two being a post. It has been a great way to help others follow along from home as if you were on the trip, but it can make for pretty punishing late nights. To make a long excuse short, I found myself watching The Witcher on Netflix at Brad's recommendation. So, this vacation is being collated as a single entry during my 6 1/2 hour layover in Minneapolis.  Episode IV: Cold Departure I think I managed to get the timing for this trip nearly perfect. Temperatures in the days before I left had lows of -36C and windchill values hit -52C. Prospects of my trip kept me relatively upbeat for the worst temperatures of the winter... probably, anyway. When the plane rises above the clouds, the added height makes the sunrise come much earlier. A symbol of hope for me. When I landed in San Antonio, TX, it was +18C (woo-hoo!). I Waited for Brad's plane to arrive from Virginia (via Atlanta),...

Link to the Google Photos Album for My New Zealand Trip

Fair Warning. This blog post, while it is about life's most delicious beverage, will be handwritten and published as JPEGs. Also, I'm still (and increasingly) angry with Google and Blogger, but I'm still here... for the time being. This Post represents about 3 months of coffee testing--from November 13th, 2018 to February 15th, 2019. The project is only partially completed, but I wanted to be able to share it with you right now. Perhaps you will benefit from our tasting experience.

If you read my blog about the new Calgary Central Library, you are already aware that Wendy and I went on a brief work/vacation trip. While in Banff, I was fortunate enough to have access to Dave as an avalanche avoidance mechanism and day-trip planner. This has a significant positive effect on standard wife-danger-o-meter sensors and I was set free in the Canadian Rockies, once again. I only gave Dave a few days notice that I was coming into his stomping grounds. I knew quite a bit in advance of my trip, but after about 2 years being out of contact, I was uncertain whether I ought to insinuate myself into his mountain fortress of solitude. I needn’t have worried. He was only too pleased to hear from me, and after a lucky break and a bit of schedule wrangling, he was able to take a day away from Canmore. We probably lucked out and had some of the best weather for hiking (or most other things for that matter) that they had seen for several weeks. It was gloriously sunny and the daytime ...

As we explored Calgary’s newest library, the differences between Wendy and I made themselves as clear as ever. We decided to do “he said, she said” comparison posts. Following is the Wendy Brain:  Library as art gallery When Mike and I arrived at Calgary’s new central library, it felt like we were arriving at an art gallery. There was big   sculpture shouting community out front, and the building’s architecture flowed. But when you get inside, the volunteers (yes, there are regular tours departing from the front doors) from tour groups to describe exactly how form and function are married in the building.  We’ll talk about that more as we go, but favorite elements. Mike loved the stairs and how they formed the heart of the building.  I thought the stairs, combined with open but demarcated spaces give you windows into all the special spaces. Finally, we both loves the geometric windows and lovely found spaces. You could spend days thinking about the use of light in ...