The Brown Knowser

When I was planning my trip to New York City, my main goals were to spend time with my best friend, and to visit and spend some time with another friend who lives in the city. Along with those goals were plans to drink some coffee, drink a little more beer, and take lots of photographs. I made lists of places I wanted to visit for photographs and what I wanted to shoot, and, always thinking about ideas for blog posts, I devised ideas for Wordless Wednesday and Photo Friday . (This is the where you insert the song "Ordinary Day" by Dolores O'Riordan as a soundtrack to this post.) In addition to visiting sites for photo ops, I thought it might be nice to use my meeting with my New York friend, Miriam, as another opportunity. Something that I might be able to use for Wordless Wednesday . I was going to use our first encounter as the theme for the photo shoot. Having never met Miriam face-to-face before, I asked her if it would be okay if, while we chatted and got t...

For months, my kids knew that I was going to New York City at the end of May. Almost every day last week, leading up to my departure, we talked about how I would be leaving the house before they woke up on Friday, and that I would be home after they went to bed on Sunday. My youngest daughter, Lainey, even asked me on Thursday, as I tucked her in bed, how many nights I would be gone. "Three," was my answer. "How much is 45 times three?" she then asked. My answer was 135. "Then you have to snuggle with me right now for 135 seconds." "But I usually give you a 30-second snuggle each night. Why 45 seconds?" It was my turn to ask a question. "Interest," was her answer. On Friday, my friend, Stuart, and I arrived at our hotel shortly after 4 pm. We were just unpacking our things and I decided to take a photo of the view, which I posted as an Instagram image. Here is the shot. Just as I tapped Send , my phone rang. It was...

The other day , I said that my friend, Stuart, and I were in New York City for what we called a weekend of coffee, beer, and photo ops. But what I didn't say was that I was also in NYC for another reason: one that made this vibrant, beautiful city only the setting. I was there to be with friends. Stu and I have known each other since the ninth grade, when we were 13 years old. That was 35 years ago. Thirty-five years! I have friends today who weren't even born when Stuart and I started hanging out together. Throughout high school, Stuart and I were inseparable. He would pass my house on the way to school and we would walk the rest of the way down the street to school. We were in many classes together, including music and drafting, algebra, and English. On our breaks we would hang out in the cafeteria or in the student lounge, which was known as the Red Room. And, at the end of the day, we would leave school together. Our after-school activities were rituals: I would dro...

So, I just returned late last night from a quick trip to New York City and I have lots to tell, but no time to tell it all today. What I will say is that I spent about 48 hours with my best friend in our pursuit of coffee, beer, and photo ops (not necessarily in that order). I also met my oldest virtual friend (we've known each other through LinkedIn and Twitter for a couple of years), who is virtual no more. In those 48 hours, I sampled hot beverages from four independent coffee houses, drank 15 different beers, and captured countless images. And, most importantly, I've solidified and strengthened friendships. This week, I will be devoting this blog to this past weekend, with photos and writings, and perhaps some reviews. At Beer O'Clock , I will have several reviews. For now, just a couple of photos. I LOVE NY!

For weeks, we in the Ottawa area have been calling for rain. The thaw was quick and the ground was dry, making way for plenty of weeds. This week, our calls were answered. For the past three days, it has poured on our city. Buckets full. But the nice thing is that when the rains subsided, the neighbourhood turned into a photographer's dream. I shot these photos an hour before sunset on Wednesday, after the rains had turned my quiet street into a river. Luckily, there was no flooding. Happy Friday!

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT If you haven't seen Star Trek Into Darkness but want to, you might want to hold off on reading this post. Or, at the very least, only read until I warn you again, further down. I'm going to reveal stuff that will make you hate me. But you can read the first part. I don't even talk much at all about the film. I was three or four years old when I saw my first episode of Star Trek . It was on a black-and-white television, and I can clearly picture the cast on the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise . Kirk was on the bridge, flanked by Spock and Bones. Uhura was opening hailing frequencies, and that's about all that I remember. At such a young age, I couldn't tell you what episode it was, but the mix of men, women, and aliens captivated me. I don't think I saw much of the episode: my mother probably thought that I was too young to watch the show, or it conflicted with something she or my dad wanted to watch. I don't think I saw ano...

So, my training for the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour is going somewhat well. I'm on my bike somewhat regularly and I've done some serious distances. I've practiced climbing and drafting, and I'm feeling that, though it will be a tough slog, I will be able to complete the 177-kilometre trek from Ottawa to Kingston. And back. Yesterday, I set out on my longest ride to date. I vowed that I would cover 100 kilometres, venturing into the Gatineau Park and ascending the steep-sloping parkway to the Champlain Lookout. I once cycled to the lookout a couple of years ago, after months of cycling the 32-kilometre distance to my office, which was also in the Gatineau Park. The trek to and from the Champlain Lookout, from my front door, is 80K. To complete 100 clicks, I had to pick a new route. I headed out yesterday morning, leaving my neighbourhood in Barrhaven and following Fallowfield Road to Prince of Wales Drive, and then north to Hogs Back. From Hogs Back Park, I continued ...

What started out for me taking a couple of days off from blogging turned into a week. And it's true what they say: if you stop writing for a while, you'll get rusty. The creative juices will slow. You'll get writer's block. And while that's true, it's not the only reason why I haven't written a word in more than a week. I've been incredibly busy. Last Sunday, when I usually put together my tasting notes for Beer O'Clock and get my head into a frame for writing a Brown Knowser post, I was tired after having spent the weekend at yet another dance competition with my kids. I was so busy last weekend that I actually didn't have any beer. I didn't drink a drop. For me, not having any beer on a weekend is virtually unheard of. And yet, I survived. On Monday (I swear, I won't do a day-by-day breakdown of my week), after dinner, the family and I got caught up on some much-neglected house work, I decided that I would take one more day ...

It figures. I was going to take Thursday night off and not post anything. But oh, no, somebody had to solve my Where In Ottawa challenge. Thanks very much, Coreen! All kidding aside, I want to congratulate her for figuring out where Monday's photo was taken. It is the old Barrhaven school house, on the corner of Strandherd Drive and Jockvale Road. This is the first time that I've used a location from my own neighbourhood. Here are the clues, explained. Not the address: the school was built in 1906. I wonder if Mel went there: Barrhaven was named after Mel Barr. There's a chance the school was still operating when he was there, but I have no information to that effect. That's what I call "old school:" need I say more? Congratulations again, Coreen. The next challenge is Monday, June 3.

I've decided to take a break from blogging for a couple of days so that I can focus on other tasks that have been piling up on my To Do list. Last night, however, as I was riding a 48-kilometer route around Ottawa (that makes 121 kms so far this week ), I was reminded of a post I wrote last June and thought I would share it again. Because it's that time of year. I don't do repeats often: I hope you enjoy the read... This week, the Ottawa police are performing a blitz to ensure that cyclists are obeying the rules of the road and are exercising safe biking habits, and I applaud them. Cyclists need to keep themselves and others who share the roads and pathways safe. The police are also checking to make sure the bikes are equipped for safe travel. They are ensuring the bikes have adequate brakes (no argument there), lights (sure, if it's dark), and... bells. I own two bicycles: a big, hybrid cruiser and a lean street bike. I ride the hybrid when I have t...