The Brown Knowser

You knew I was going to start in Costa Rica, didn't you? Even as 2024 was just in its infancy, I knew that I'd take no better pictures during January than I would at the end of the month, when DW and I travelled to the Central American country. And my best shot of the first month is coming up. If you're new to my year-end blog posts, welcome. If you've been visiting before, welcome back. On the last weekday of every year, I share a collection of what I feel are the best photos that I've taken over the course of the year. Sometimes, I share a lot of photos; other years, I share only a few. I've tried in some years to share only a dozen: one photo for every month. I haven't always succeeded. But this year, from the very start of 2024, I promised myself that at the end of each month, I would choose my one favourite photo: no more; no less. And I found it was pretty easy. Some months, when I had plans where I knew I'd be bringing my camera with me, I knew th...

I first posted this story in 2011 and have made it my holiday tradition ever since. For its tenth anniversary, I've made some minor edits. If you haven't read it before, I hope you enjoy it. If you have read it before, I'm hoping that you make it your holiday tradition in reading it again. Merry Christmas and best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season! At first, we did it out of excitement for the season and impatience, unable to wait until morning. Later, it became a game about how far we could go, about how much risk we were willing to take. It was a test in organizational skills and stealth. In time, it would become a ritual. The first time we crept from our bedrooms and down the stairs, anxious to see what Santa had left us, my younger sister, Jen, and I faced our biggest obstacle: each other. "Go to bed," I whispered, not wanting her to make any noise, thereby arousing the attention of our parents, who had only a half hour ago, or earlier, had gone to be...

First told in December, 2014, this Christmas tale is now a  Brown Knowser  holiday tradition. If you're new to my blog, I hope you enjoy it; if you've read it before, I hope that it puts you in the holiday spirit. He  never cared for Secret Santas in the office, or anywhere, for that matter.  He  d id n't feel the need to pick a random name from a hat and then try to figure out something about  that practical stranger  ( he  just kn e w  that, as luck  would have it, he would  pick  the name of someone  that worked in a distant part of the office, someone that he  d id n't know well), and he would then spend money and time choosing a gift that  would  not enrich the life of that individual , would not be something  t hat  would  give th at individual  anything that  he or she would  truly want. He  used to participate in Secret Santa at work, feeling compelled by peer press...

This blog post was originally posted on December 20, 2011, and has become a traditional  Brown Knowser  holiday tale. Over the years, I've cleaned it up here and there and have brought it up to date, now that my kids have grown. If you have read it before, I hope you enjoy it again. If this is your first read, I hope it won't be your last. Image: Perplexity On some level, I'm not a fan of Christmas. I'm not interested in decorating the house nor in sending out greeting cards (actually, the entire Brown Knowser family has pretty much given up on that activity). Nor am I, especially, in heading out to the stores to shop. I hate going near shopping malls and department stores at any time of year, but I particularly loathe going out at this time of year: fighting crowds, standing in lines, searching for that ever-elusive parking space. No, thank you very much. Not being a religious person, the spiritual side of Christmas is lost on a cynic like me. Our family doesn't go...

I brought three video cameras and a gimbal for my smartphone. Upon further reflection, it was all for naught. The last three times that I've been on the Mayan Riviera, I've shot video footage and have created content for my YouTube channel . I was incredibly inspired by my first video , though I was learning how to use my first 360-degree camera and wasn't sure I'd have anything to share, and then my video from my second trip brought the most views of any video I've shared on my channel. On DW's and my third visit to the area, and our second stay at the Akumal Bay Beach and Wellness Resort, we met someone who had made their decision to come to the resort after watching that popular video.  On this visit, we're with two other couples, some of our closest friends, and though I've brought lots of gear, I'm not feeling the need to capture video. I've even taken few stills, compared with previous visits. When I've shot video, I've had technic...

Every now and then, a little rain's gotta fall. As of writing this post, DW and I have awoken in the Akumal area 20 times. It's something that we always look forward to. At home, our bedroom faces a northern direction and the sun never awakens us with direct light. It's something that I liked about our house: not being a morning person, generally, I didn't want to be woken by rays trying to burn their way into my eyes. But when I'm on vacation, I look forward to sunrise. I like to see how the typical day starts, wherever I am. DW and I love the Mayan Riviera, especially Akumal Bay. All hotel rooms at our resort look out to the bay, and the sun rises out in the Caribbean with a warm glow. Most mornings. But it isn't guaranteed. In the 20 mornings that we've experienced in this Mexican paradise, two mornings have greeted us with overcast skies. And pouring rain. Including, yesterday. But we're on vacation and we have no agenda that is written in stone. We ...

It's hard to believe that while I'm vacationing in Mexico, I'm sharing another vacation from February. But after I had finally released the first full video of DW's and my Costa Rica adventure, last week, I wanted to keep going. At first, I didn't think I'd have part 2 of our travels out until the new year, but I had time on my hands the previous weekend—between cleaning the house, doing laundry, getting groceries, shovelling the driveway, and visiting my folks—and thought I'd get a start on the next instalment.  I finished it that weekend. And last Friday, I released it on my YouTube channel . Less than half of the length of the first part, this video shows our trek to the Nicoya Peninsula , on the Pacific coast, where we spent time in Montezuma and Santa Teresa. There are waterfalls, gorgeous beaches, and more. Take 10 minutes to give it a look: Part 3 will be released in January and I hope to have all videos on my channel before the anniversary of when w...

I could use a bit of serenity right now. Thankfully, in two more days, I'll have it. I take solace, in the meantime, of knowing that as of the end of business day, today, I'll be on vacation until the end of this month. I'll be on a sun-soaked beach, sipping mango margaritas and snorkelling with tropical fish. I'll also be with DW and four of our friends. Solace, indeed. When I saw the label on a can of beer, with its sea turtle, swimming in pastel colours of the sea and a twilight sky, I knew I had to pick it up (actually, I picked up two). I'm fascinated by sea turtles, ever since I first swam with them, in 2019, and will be seeking them again, on Saturday. It's only fitting that in my last beer review before my trip to Akumal Bay, Mexico--and probably, my last review of 2024, I check out a hazy, tropical ale. After all, these hazy IPAs have almost become my comfort ales. Let's see if this one brings me some comfort. Solace Hazy IPA (6.7% ABV; 30 IBUs) Co...

Lights in our 'hood. We have no lights up. We have no tree. All of our Christmas decorations are still in a bin, stored away in our basement. If I have any say in it, that's where they'll stay. DW wants a tree: with the exception of one year, during the pandemic, we've always had a real tree in our living room. But I told her that prices for trees, this season, are astronomical, with prices ranging from $70 to $120, and the type of tree we usually get ranging around the $100 mark. Paying that much for a tree that we'll only have up for two weeks is excessive, I've said. DW isn't convinced. But there's no way we'll have time to get a tree and have it put up by Friday night. And early, on Saturday morning, we're flying to Mexico for a week. The earliest we can shop for a tree is December 22. Plus, my home office occupies the space in our living room where we've always placed our tree. It's impractical to move my desk and there's nowhere...

Well, our first snowfall of the season hit Ottawa last week, and since then I've been being careful, not wanting to injure or over-exert myself. I'm going on vacation, this coming weekend, and I don't want to do anything to jeopardize my having a good time in the Caribbean. I'm no spring chicken. First snowfall. In the two storms that we've had, so far, we've had snow accumulations of about 10 to 15 centimetres, each. And with the second snowfall, temperatures rose overnight, making the snow heavy to lift the next morning. To avoid risk to myself, I've headed out with my shovel a couple of times, removing snow from my driveway and walkway when we've hit about five centimetres. When we reached another five, I'd go back out and shovel again. So far, so good, although the Sunday-morning task went slower because, as I said, the temperature was above freezing and so the snow weighed a lot, even for about five or six centimetres. Two winters ago, I thought...

It still amazes me that the orchid plant that we bought almost 10 years ago is still thriving. Before we bought it, DW and I were notorious for letting these beautiful plants die . We'd water them—but not too much—and give them the right amount of light, but as soon as their flowers shrivelled and fell from the stems, the plant would cease to produce any more. It would dry up, no matter how we cared for it, and died. But this particular plant has beat the odds, lasting since spring of 2015. It receives the same care that we gave to all other orchid plants before it, and it thrives. Still, I get nervous when the flowers wither, dry up, and fall off. Will we ever see the orchid blossom again? Is this finally the end? A few weeks ago, several of the flowers withered and dropped at the same time, and the same fear entered my mind. There are no fresh buds forming on the stem, and half of the stem has dried and needs to be trimmed back. But this happens all the time. I gathered up...

One thing that I try to do, when I visit Toronto, is to visit an LCBO store and search for beer that I haven't seen at my neighbourhood liquor store. And there are a lot to choose from. When I saw a pilsner from an Etobicoke brewery, I knew that I'd be hard-pressed to find it on my local shelves, so I picked it up. And because I'm not usually one to pick up a pilsner, I thought I'd give this one a shot. Pilly (5% ABV) Mascot Brewery Etobicoke ON Appearance: initially pours a clear, yellowy-gold with a foamy, white head that settles to a solid cap. The head was thick, out of the can, so I held onto the rest until the head settled (after I shot my photo). When there was enough room in the glass to empty the rest of the can, the clarity changed to an unfiltered haze, albeit slight. Nose: lemons, with a hint of flint. Palate: citrus and mineral tones, and a slight piney finish that was clean and palate-cleansing. There's a good body to it, if a bit on the light side...

I've finally seen what other people see in me. I have a resting-bitch face. I have a look, when I'm relaxed, that indicates that I'm pissed off, bothered that someone is paying attention to me. People have told me this look can be a little off-putting but I never knew what they were talking about until I put together DW's and my Costa Rica video. When DW was shooting video, I stayed fairly quiet when she had her camera pointed at me. I didn't know what she was going to say and I didn't want to interrupt her, so I sat quietly until I felt there was a point in which she wanted me to speak. And while I was in a good mood and was just sitting there, waiting for her lead, I seem either pissed off or non-participatory. And it's a bad look. At the beginning of the year, for those of you who don't know or might have forgotten, DW and I spent a couple of weeks travelling Costa Rica. Shortly after our return, I made a short video that highlighted those trave...