TOULOUSE LAUTREC EXHIBIT MMFA

Toulouse Lautrec is still not my favourite artist, but it was an interesting perspective on  La Belle Epoque. He was definitely in the heart of it, and I did not know before how he was affected by a congenital disorder that made his life as a painter make sense. He had more admirable works than I had seen. I do like La Toilette  and Portrait of Van Gogh. I recognize his style, and respect that development, but I feel like the original critics of impressionism. His distortions in colour and detail make me feel his disrespect of the women in his world, and I find most of his work ugly. To each his own, and time will tell!

Miss Marcell Lender 1895 by Toulouse Lautrec (TL), an obsession of TL. She played Galswinthe in Hervé's Chilpéric (operetta) at Théâtre des Variétés, dancing the bolero in a Spanish costume. 

At the Circus 1887 by L. Anquetin, a favorite subject of TL

Chez Bruant (Mirliton, Montmartre), of Black Cat fame.  1886-7 by L. Anquetin. La Goulue is the girl centre stage. Artist Paul Tampier is on the right, seen from the back. Painter Émile Bernard is on the left. TL is behind in the far background, standing on a table in a red shirt. 

The black cat from May Belfort fame

ART DECO POLICE/FIRE STATION ON STE-CATHERINE

AUX VIVRES EXPRESS ON CRESCENT

DRAGON SANDWICH  (tempeh, carrots, lettuce and cabbage) with the famous dragon sauce, and a strange combo drink a little too heavy on the cucumber for my liking. Nice filling lunch after rounds downtown.

THAI EXPRESS, CONCORDIA GHETTO

spring roll and pad thai with mango juice

CARAVAN CAFÉ, CÔTE-DES-NEIGES

mural

bathroom, refurburshed

CEDAR PARK POOL CANTEEN SPECIAL

Fairmount bagel with cream and cheddar cheese

SPANISH CLUB ON ST LAURENT

Menu for next time?

Bacalao (cod and potato croquettes) - yum

Patatas bravas (for the first time!)

Garlic mushrooms

SUMMER FUN

Camping with dolls on a playdate

St Irené beach

Chalk drawings

Malbaie beach

Quebec City Mountains

Roger's cup Tennis

Marsh Boardwalk, Ile Bizard

Home camping and roasting marshmallows

Ice cream

Mini-putt

Time to braid!

Sprinklers

ROGERS CUP AS A VIP

It was a scorcher at the Uniprix stadium, so I was glad I brought an umbrella to wait out the pauses before and after matches. The seats we had were incredible, but the ability to walk up the stairs behind us for lunch, water and ice cream was almost necessity! It was a nice reprieve that the players couldn't take advantage of! Thanks to my friend for this generous invitation! I feel very privileged to have shared this event with you!

The first match was Romanian Monica Niculescu vs Polish Agnieszka Radwanska,  number three  and number 46 seed. The crowd was totally for Monica, the underdog, who seemed really nice and she fought hard, but just wasn't ready to defeat the superior player who seemed cold but fashionably dressed (I respect the pink and ruffles!)

The second match was American Venus Williams vs Czech Barbora Strycova , the number nine and number 30 seed. At first Venus did not look that invested to start, but stepped up when she felt herself falling behind, and deserved her win.

It was fun to be in a crowd and see the dynamics evolve. The game of tennis at this level is very strange though, to an outsider. The hierarchy is so rigid, with the players who act almost like servant masters. Very weird. But fun to play on my local public court with my daughter! It is a little more thrilling after watching these strong athletic women show me how it's done!

GOLD LOGE section 103 E1

A NEW SITE OF ALL THINGS BEAUTIFUL

This is colossal

DDO'S WILLIAM COSGROVE CENTENNIAL PARK

QUOTES FROM ALBERT EINSTEIN (internet sourced)

 Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
(My favorite quote, that strangely comes up at work a lot!)

A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.

I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.

Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.

Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.

Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.

He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.

The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagination.

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.

Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.

Joy in looking and comprehending is nature's most beautiful gift.

Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.

There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle. (You choose!)

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.

Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.

Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions.

The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind. (So turn off netflix, and find a routine!)

Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.

The only source of knowledge is experience.

Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.

It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.

If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.

Love is a better teacher than duty.

Everyone should be respected as an individual, but no one is idolized.

Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.

The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.

My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.

It is the experience of mystery - even if mixed with fear - that engendered religion.

Before God we are equally wise - and equally foolish.

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.

The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.

Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves.

When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity.

The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once.

VELVET MOUSTACHE CUSHIONS

I am obsessed with this Montreal company. They make some of the most original cushions, with the sleepy eyes as the standout theme. If I didn't have two cats with claws, hair and teeth, I think I would have this collection by now!

Chinchilla

Blue Caribou

Red Fox

Panda

Sheep

Rose cat

Raccoon

Blue whale

Sleepy Koala

Beaver

Houndstooth pug (how cute is that!)

Hedgehog

Penguin

Calico cat

HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY CALICO!

MAZDA CS9

Confectioner plutôt que fabriquer

Crafted versus built.

Confection

Candy=craft

Candy is art!

WHOOPIE PIES BY BETTY CROCKER

I remember my grandma making what I thought of as homemade oreos. So when I went looking through her hand written recipes, I was surprised to recognize the recipe under the heading of Whoopie Pies. Not only did that surprise me, but it was totally identical to Betty Crocker's recipe with their boxed Devil's Food Cake and White Frosting! Here is the modern recipe:

Let’s Make Whoopie Pies

Prep Time 30 MIN
Total Time1 HR 15 MIN
Servings 18

Ingredients

Cookies

1 box Betty CrockerTM SuperMoistTM Devil's Food cake mix
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 box(4-serving size) chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix

Filling

2 containers Betty CrockerTM Whipped Fluffy White Frosting


1. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper, silicone baking liners, or lightly spray with cooking spray.

3. In large bowl, beat all cookie ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until moistened; beat 1 minute longer on high speed.

4. Pour batter into a 1 gallon resealable plastic bag. Seal baggie and cut small hole off of one of the bottom corners.

5. Pipe batter into 36 small circles onto cookie sheets about 1- inch apart to allow for spreading.

6. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until set being careful to not over bake. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets and place on cooling rack. Cool completely before filling.

7. Once cookies are cooled spread frosting on flat side of one cookie. Top with the second cookie, flat side down to make a sandwich.

Here is another version my mom had, called Grandma's Oreo Cookies:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together in a large bowl:

1 c. margarine (softened for easier blending)
4 eggs
2 boxes Duncan Hines Devil’s Food cake mix
2 tbsp. flour

Roll into balls the size of a walnut. Put on cookie sheet 2-3“ apart, but don’t press down. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes and take off sheet. Cool completely.

Filling:

Cream together:
2 cups icing sugar
1-8 oz. package of cream cheese

Spread on cooled cookies. Put two flat sides together. (Hint – put a blob on one cookie and squish with other cookie)


Makes 24 and freezes well.

WISH LIST: NEW YORK RESTAURANT BLUE HILL FARM

Featured in Chef's Table documentary, the evolution of Dan Barber's farm came from a place I admire. Trying to make the best food possible, he searched for a source, and developed a hobby farm that even features veal that tastes freedom before its demise. The taster's menu sounds amazing, but I think my first visit will be to the Café.

WHAT DID YOU DO THIS WEEKEND?

Sometimes I feel like an underachiever. People like Dr. Dionne Tatlow both impress and depress me. She decided to spend two days swimming across a 45 km wide lake in Saskatchewan. When she started swimming across Lac La Ronge, she had plans to swim 12 hours on Saturday, and finishing on Sunday. She planned, however, to start at 5:30 am, just in case she felt good enough to do it in one long day. She divided the swim into 5 legs, and five minutes shy of 15 hours of swimming later, she had just achieved what no one else had ever done before. Not my ideal day, but a kick in the butt when I contemplate binge watching a tv show. I could do better!

ARE YOU A NIMBY?

NIMBY

An acronym for "Not In My Back Yard", the most pejorative use of the word is when someone is okay for something bad to happen, as long as it doesn't affect them.

WHERE I WAS JUNE 1ST, 2016

The train from Fuessen to Rothenberg ob Tauber runs right through Ansbach

THE YEAR YOU WERE TEN

You passed Olympic Way Red!
You had a marathon swim with Audrey Cavanaugh for 6 hours!
You won two fourth place ribbons for front crawl!
You swam a length of butterfly for the first time!
It hailed in July!
You gave a circus show with Jasmine.
You planted a table full of potted plants with Jasmine.
Your friend Laura had a cast when she fell at the playground.
You finished grade four with flying colours and made the most wonderful stone Kitty Castle!
You Read Amelia journals over and over again!
We went to Bavaria and Austria together.
Your favourite animal is a cheetah.
You love maple sugar ice cream!
You watched the Sound of music with me, and it was so much fun to see placed in Salzburg we had been together!
You help with Nancy Drew and Calico. Calico loves when you play with her!
You saw your first firefly!
You still love playing with dolls!
You joined a book club!
You love graphic novels by Raina Telgemeier and Marisa Moss (Amelia)!
You ran a cross country run of 1.5 km!
You chose Steve Jobs for president!
You chose the American Basswood (the Linden family) for a project on Le Tilleul.
You get your bag ready every morning.
You had your first cavity.
You got glasses (and eyedrops to prove the headaches were from your vision).

PLANET MONEY

On my way home from bookclub this evening, I listened for the first time to a podcast called Planet Money. The talked to a doctor who ran an unusually sensitive health insurance company in the States, remarkable in his policy to give dissatisfied patients their money back. I don't remember the name of the company or what the context was of the quote I walked away with, but his reference was in trying to avoid being "the cream of the crap"! I think that's funny!

850 m

Today I joined at a group at our local pool for "master's swimming". I was misled into thinking that we were a group of non- swimmers, but I was clearly out if my league! Having said that, I was there to improve my swimming, and after nearly 30 years, thanks to some teaching from my mermaid daughter and the assistant manager coach, I managed to swim 50 m ( 2 lengths) of "freestyle" ( not nearly as fun as it sounds, but actually what I consider front crawl).

This was our fourth trip to the pool today. It started with my daughter's first swimming lesson of the summer. She came out and we volunteered at the cantine, until she suggested minutes before my aquafit class that she wanted a grill cheese sandwich, so we walked home (less than two blocks) and rushed back for our second visit to the pool for an excellent aquafit class.

Four hours later, we were back for a third time at free swim, and it was then my daughter gave me a very important lesson on how to breath without raising my head out of the water, which was life saving when it came time for the master's swim.

My last swimming lesson of childhood was an indoor class at the only pool I knew of at the time; Regina's Lawson Pool. I recall attempting to do the front crawl with a breath every third stroke, and I felt like I was going to pass out. Fast forward almost three decades, under the careful watch of my daughter, I practiced, with some trepidation, I attempted a modified freestyle with breaths every two strokes. It was going well on the way out to the deep end, but I had a few difficult breaths on the way back, finding myself fighting against the current that pushed me against the lane markers. I had to crawl to the end, head above water, causing my lane mate to run into my feet!

It was difficult with multiple rests to regain my breath, but the last 100m was as smooth as any before, and I was able to return to the much simpler rhythm of 1:3 breaths:stroke. I am pretty amazed that it finally came together! And for the first time in my life, I swam a length that I actually measured! Maybe I can do a mini-triathlon afterall!

ZYARA AT DIX-TRENTE IN BROSSARD

 I am happy that a trek last year to the 10-30 became a tradition when my friend and I made a repeat visit this year. It was a little cold for the summer dress I was wearing, but we warmed up quickly in the resto that my friend suggested for lunch. A new Lebanese place on the second floor, the menu for the lunch looked good, so we took the elevator up and walked in.

I had just come from two weeks in Europe, and was happily reminded of the decorating skills in the the castles and hotels of Austria and Bavaria. It was a little like entering a harem in a fantasy Arabian nights kind of way. The decorating started in a bright colourful mirrored lobby, with mother of pearl mosaic tile on the floor.  The restaurant was filled with repeating colours and matching furniture. There were minaret silhouettes, and arabesque shapes on the walls and in mirrors. It was interesting and rich and luxurious.

They brought out a platter or warm fat pitas to dip into an oil dressing with sumac and sesame while we perused the menus, and we were in foodie heaven. The table was set with Villeroy and Boch flatware. The soup came out in a bowl that was designed to sit on the plate, and I realized that the key to a great lentil soup is to use less than I usually do! It was creamy and the crispy pita croutons were generous giving a great texture without being too starchy. I couldn't help but say yes to a second round of pita (they looked small but they were filling!), but when I got my mezze platter, containing a beautiful hummus and requiring a third pita, I was too full to say anything but no!

I  hadn't really understood that there was a Middle Eastern version of hors d'oeuvre or tapas or dim sum or thali or antipasti, but as a vegetarian, it was a real treat to discover this tradition of small dishes. I  really enjoyed the variety.

I liked the wish, Sehteyn. It reminds me of a Lebanese friend who had a greeting for everything. I had a good appetite for this meal, and I couldn't finish it. I think it's the first time I actually had to send back the dessert!

My most surprising adventures were in the drinks; both new to me; both I had never heard of before! The liquorice tasting milky liquor was called Al Shallal (Arak) was the start, and white coffee (hot water with a rose water flavour) was the finale.

Lentil soup

(Clockwise from upper left) Rice stuffed vine leaves, hummus, salad, couscous and veggie taguine, spinach stuffed kebbeh,  deep-fried  cheese pastries

QUOTATIONS

ALAIN DE BOTTON
 A good half of the art of living is resilience.

SEINFELD
Pain is knowledge rushing in to fill the gap.

LAST MAN STANDING SEASON 4 EPISODE 3
Vanessa Baxter: Women are really good at resolving conflict.
Mike Baxter: That's because they cause most of them! You guys are like firemen that turn out to be arsonists.

GOOD WIFE SEASON 6
Eli: Absence of yes times time equals no.

BARRY M. SHERBAL (Introvert or misanthrope?)
I don't chase after people anymore. If they like spending time with me they will do so. If not, I'm content in my own company.

GUSTAVE FLAUBERT
The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe.

PLACES TO HIKE

QUEBEC

Mont St Hilaire (near St Jean Baptiste de Rouville) - Burned Hill to Pain de sucre to Dieppe to Lac Hertel - moderate, 4.5 hours

Mont Tremblant (Lac Superieur) - Parking du centenaire - moderate, 7.5 hours

Oka - Gr Baie Park Trail - circle at lac deux montagnes (beach, boardwalk) - moderate, 3.5 hours

Grands Jardins north of Baie-St-Paul near St Urbain - water, view to valley - moderate, 7 miles

Shawbridge (near St Sauveur)- from de la Station via Park des Falaises - moderate,  8 miles

Orford - Sentiers des Crêtes - difficult, 11 miles, 7.5 hours

ADIRONDACK

Avalanche Pass to Lake Golden

CAMPING MUSTS

Maine's Cadillac Mountain at sunrise
Green Mountain Trail, Vermont
Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Pennsylvania
Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland (beaches and wild horses)
Yosemite National Park (High Sierra, Half Dome Rock)
Glacier National Park, Montana (Going-To-The-Sun Road)
Grand Canyon National Park
Big Bend National Park, Texas (Devil's Den hike)
Achry Park in Algonquin Park (natural waterslide - look for cheater path to falls)
Sunshine Coast Trail, BC 180 km hut to hut trail