April 13 Photo: View From Your Bed

While the view doesn't even include a blue sky, what I am most sad about is that it no longer includes my beautiful tree. I no longer will hear birds chirping in the branches just outside my window.

When I first bought my place, my tree was in full spring bloom. A gorgeous deep pink blossom. And there was no need for curtains with the tree all that I could see from the bedroom window.

The springtime view from the same bedroom window 2009.

Another view of the tree from upstairs. This is in 2009.
The fireblight hit in 2008 and this was the first spring I noticed a change in the tree. 

 But after the fire blight took over, the once beautiful tree slowly wasted away.  The crown had completely died and a good pruning a couple years back couldn't save the tree from the disease, which continued to consume branches and eventually left the tree in a completely weakened state, sending shoots up all over the yard in its distress.

So just a few weeks ago, the arbourists came and took it down. The yard seems so empty and the exposure is a shock after having this dominant feature providing interest, a resting place for so many types of birds and shade to all the rooms of my home.

Anyone with some landscaping advice? It feels like a very blank canvas and I'm not sure what to do with the space. I just know that it will be a very different this year without being able to see the seasons through my tree.

April 12 Photo: In the Middle

Banana cooked "in the middle" of the pancake at the Pfanntastic Pannenkoek Haus.

I didn't mean for this to be another food picture. I have my niece sleeping over tonight so that I can drive her to her theatre class in the morning and we ended up a the Pfanntastic Pannenkoek Haus for dinner (I gave her lots of options and it was the one that appealed to her the most.) After hearing John Gilchrist talk about the restaurant on the CBC this morning, I wasn't unhappy with her choice. And when the waitress brought out  (this is only HALF a serving!) our dessert pancake - chocolate and banana, we realized the banana was not sliced on top like I expected but cooked into the pancake. Yum!

We had to sit and wait for a knife and fork, watching the whipped cream begin to melt away so to resist the urge to just abandon cutlery and go for it pizza style, I decided to take my picture for the day. 

We came back home to watch the Bollywood version of a classic, "Bride and Prejudice". It's silly but I think she enjoyed it. My favourite scene is the "Dola Dola" a dance done with sticks. (if you watch this clearly unauthorized upload of the clip, ignore the Darcy/Wyckham drama and enjoy the dance!)  It looks too complicated to pick up quickly as a couple of the characters appear to do, but really looks fun.

I'm adding this photo now but it may come down later - I need to clear it with my niece. She ended the night all tucked in with a teen magazine. She liked the room she was going to sleep in. My "garden" green apple reading room with lots of flower pictures/paintings and a big bookshelf of family classics to read. She may not get to lights out for a while. It was fun hanging out with her tonight.

Flickr Friday: Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

Again, using my addition formula, this time with 4/12/13, I chose this picture for Flickr Friday. Also taken on my trip in 2011 to Nova Scotia.

First person to leave a comment and a number between 1 and 543 will determine which page of photos I share from next week!

April 11 Photo: Detail

Another busy day. Outside the wind was blowing and snow was falling. Inside our new International students met as a group for our Spring term Welcome. As they all sat watching the presentation, I noticed the young man in front of me set down his books and the clicker to be used in the upcoming game, but he kept hold of the Canadian Flag through the entire ceremony. Sorry it is grainy. This is cropped from a larger image taken with my phone, but I chose content over image quality today.

April 10 Photo: A Place

Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore - The Duomo - in Florence, Italy

Since I spent my day at work or in front of a computer, the place I thought of sharing was my current screensaver.  I finally have started organizing my photos from my 2011 vacation to Italy, Cyprus, Turkey, Israel, and Egypt. This is one of my favourites. I loved Italy. Someday I hope to return. 

Here are a few more from the first leg of the trip.

The Grand Canal in Venice

Canals in Venice

River Arno and Ponte de Vecchio in Florence

River Arno  in Florence

The Roman Colisseum

St. Peter's Basilica

Inside the Vatican

St. Peter's Square and Basilica

I'll finish off with my favourite part of Italy - an evening walk and a gelato.

April 9th Photo: Tiny Classics

Tiny Classics, originally uploaded by whistlepunch.

This isn't the first time I've posted on the theme of "tiny".  The theme was used back on April 5, 2012 and I posted about this tiny ceramic cat.  And on March 24, 2012, for the theme of animal, I had shared a collage of some of my miniature animals.

a tiny cat

more tiny animals

Tonight, I spent my evening with friends at the Family History Centre on 17th Avenue in Calgary. So naturally, when looking for something tiny to photograph for the day's theme,I went with what was close at hand.  I lined up my mini-mini-cooper USB stick next to my friend's mini-mini-van USB stick. Looks like they are ready for a drag race but in reality they are just ready to get packed up with documents, images and all the family history stories, names and dates that we can find! I love how their headlights are on whenever they are connected.

As for the research, my quest for the parents of Patience Cobb was unsuccessful but I did find out more about where her and Sheldon Gray spent their time before they went to Minnesota. You can check out my family history blog for more on that story.

April 8 Photo: On Your Plate

Margherita Pizza at Hanni's

I apologize if you are viewing this when you are anticipating a meal and can't eat just yet. Because it was delicious.  And smell-o-vision or "Google Nose" has not been invented yet.

It was the first day of the new term but I was still able to get away on time to meet up with friends to celebrate a belated birthday for Colette! We all gathered at a local restaurant - Hanni's.  It was a fun time, good food, lots of chatter, plans for a games night (inspired by this post from some earlier cupboard de-cluttering), iPad lessons (Ingrid and Colette were reviewing apps and sharing tips), and some table dancing to a musical birthday card.

Is this key lime cheesecake as good as Ingrid's key lime cheesecake?? Hopefully we will find out soon!!

April 7 Photo: Dreamy

Looking out through 'Wonderland' by Jaume Plensa. 

Today's photo theme is dreamy.  So I'm pulling this one from the photos I took downtown yesterday.

When this sculpture was being installed in front of The Bow, I happened to be driving by on a dark winter night in January. The area wall lit up by tall spotlights and a crane was lifting the top of the head  into place.  There were crystals of snow floating in the air and if I hadn't been with other people, I would have turned my car around to stop and watch the event unfold. 

Yesterday was the first time I have taken the time to go down and walk around this sculpture. You can stand inside and observe the world through the metal grid. I love this new addition to our city's public art.   

'Wonderland' by Jaume Plensa

Calgary Food Bank Drive: President Spackman

Calgary Food Bank Drive. President Larry Spackman of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints being interviewed., originally uploaded by whistlepunch.

With yesterday's announcment, it wasn't a surprise when I found that this was my most viewed photo on Flickr yesterday.

This is our Stake President Larry Spackman being interviewed about the city-wide food bank drive conducted annually each September by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This one day volunteer effort set a Guinness World Record in 2008 that held until 2011 when another city following our pattern, set a new record.

I remember when we used to drop off our loaded trunks and vans at the Stake Centre, the church building next to the old Children's Hospital on 17th Avenue. The move to the Westbrook Mall parking lot made the traffic flow much better and it is a quick drive through while volunteers and missionaries unload your vehicle.

We just fell short of recovering the world record in 2012 when this photo was taken, but more importantly, a great deal of food was collected for a time of the year when family budgets are stretched with the beginning of school costs.

Yesterday at the afternoon session of General Conference, G Lawrence Spackman was called as a new Area Seventy and with that, the google searches began.

His new calling begins May 1 so I expect he will still be participating in a special Holocaust Remembrance Service on April 21, at 7:00 pm.
It is described here:

This event, by the Calgary Council of Christians and Jews, will be an evening of music and word focusing on the lessons of the holocaust. There will be three choirs: one choir of Jewish seniors, and two choirs of young people. We will be pleased hear a violin solo by Cenek Vrba, who was concert master at the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra for 30 years. He will play a song from "Schindler's List". We will listen to stories of both Jewish and non-Jewish young people about what they experienced visiting the death camps and memorial sights. We will watch some video of the particular effects on the children who experienced and died in the holocaust.

 Here is an invitation to this event - open to all.