squirting in the back alley

With spring just around the corner here on the west coast (Vancouver, BC area) and then summer not far away after that, Andrew Christian has given us some ideas for summer fun.  The swimsuits look awesome too!  What do you think?

Meantime, we have spring heather coming into full bloom here and there is some on my apartment balcony which is also starting to flower.  Have an awesome weekend! - V

morning mist

I take the time (and opportunity) to take photos when the mood strikes me.  In this case I was living on the 12th floor of a 16 floor apartment building in north London (Ontario) during the mid-1980s.  As summer starts to cool, they air may be cool but the ground is still very warm, so ground mist collects along the ground.  This is just one of many images I took during a morning that featured plenty of this.  Then there was the sun trying to burn its way through the next cloud layer.  Enjoy the photo, there are more if you'd like to see them! - V

summer's gone and soon the same can be said for autumn

Model Victor Bell briefly take our thoughts back to the summer we just had.  Autumn is just about over with December just around the corner.  We can begin planning for the next hot season but for now its winter and all it has to offer.  Meantime, we can dream, or head south to a warmer climate for a week or two of awesome weather!  Either way, work on your physique so that you're ready for what ever comes.  Have an awesome week, guys! - V

summer past

Now that we're well into autumn and summer is well in the past, we can put the idea of warm, pleasant weather in the back of our minds until spring but we can certainly keep the memories alive! Currently, I've got the thermostat as high as it will go and all the windows closed to keep the place warm. Perhaps keeping busy in the kitchen for a while cooking a soup or something of that nature will warm up the place further. When it really gets cold, the heating systems here on the west coast have some trouble keeping up. Ideally, I would have had a cabin of my own with a wood stove to keep the place warm, very warm, but that's not the case! We do what we can with what we have. - V

Norbert and company

This is a photo taken at our first house in east London (Ontario) about June 1964. My brother Norbert is in the centre plus two kids, one that lived next door and the other on a corner on the next street. Norbert was nine going on ten at the time. This was before our house got new siding to cover up the old stuff. The addition on the front of the house was done or nearly so. - V

a summer in Ipperwash, Ontario

While we're still in summer, I scanned some album photos today and this is just one of the few that I scanned. The scene is Ipperwash, Ontario about 1968 or 69 during the summer. In this photo are my mother's sister Liesel, my cousin's wife Angela and my half-sister Barbara. My aunt has long since passed on in the mid-1990s but the others are still living. I love the colours in this image. The scene is on a sand dune with Lake Huron behind us which you can barely see in the photo. My aunt helped me set up this photo before I took it. The cottage where everyone was staying was behind me. I hope you have some pleasant memories from summer present or past! - V

towel

Here Sadik wearing a towel after a shower poses for us. The image is by photographer Luis Rafael. I guess most of you across the United States and southern Canada could use a shower with all the extreme heat you've been having. It feels like a wall of super heat and humidity! I know, I lived in southwestern Ontario most of my life and dealt with it every summer. Do what ever you can to cool off and stay comfortable! - V

summertime

Well, since its summer now (or supposed to be!), here is a photo taken in the late 1950s in a park in London, Ontario. My mother made the outfits but things have changed a lot since those days! My father was taking the photo. Can you remember those days as a child when you had no worries and were carefree, just living from day to day? - V

beach

If the beach you're frequenting is too busy, too loud and people are crammed in like so many sardines, how about trying this one? - V

here's to summer!

Well, its not officially summer yet, tha'st about a week or so away, but some have the honour of having such weather all year round while those of us further north (or south!) have to make due with a much shorter season. Make the most of it, guys! Summer's gone all to fast.

Check out what Yorsh has at Os Meus Garotos. You should get enough summer ideas there! - V

water

We're in the grips of winter, well, most of the country is, but some parts of the world are into summer with plenty of sunshine. Some places are getting rain, and too much of it, such as in Queensland, Australia. I've seen some of the video of a flooded town (Rockhampton) with one death so far that I know of. Anyway, regardless of where you are in the world with its strange weather patterns, be safe and enjoy the good things that life has to offer. You just never know when your number is up! Take care!!! - V

on the bench

As I've said previously, summer's soon over here but you can start thinking about where you'll be next summer and what you'll be wearing, that is, unless you can afford to go to a warmer climate during the winter! Dreams are what life is made of. - V

dreams

Dreams of a summer past and one yet to come! I hope yours was an awesome one!!! - V

hot weather and grooming

The other day I decided to shave my underarms and balls with the hot weather we're having. I also trimmed my pubic hair. I also shave my body hair but leave the hair on my legs and forearms. Its in part to stay cooler and esthetically pleasing in such weather or at any time of the year, something I've been doing for over 20 years. It also keep hair from collecting in corners and along the baseboard in the apartment, especially the bathroom. I'm the one that has to clean up, at least for now! A haircut is next in line. That's likely happening this weekend after some delays.

The pride parade is on Sunday which I intend to go to once again. Expect some awesome photos from the event plus from what ever is happening at English Bay and Sunset Beaches. So, whats new in your world??? - V

hot

Its day four of hot, sunny weather here on the west coast, the lower mainland and southern Vancouver Island anyway! Some people started complaining about the hot temperatures the first day but it could be a lot hotter as those in southern Ontario and Quebec know all too well.

And having lived in southwestern Ontario most of my life, I've certainly seen it a lot hotter. The hottest temperature I've experienced was during a summer a year or so before I came out west. The humidex was at 44 degrees in the midst of a heatwave. It was hot in the shade and boiling in the sun! I slept in the basement. It was cooler there and when outside in the evening, I would sit in the shade and do what I could to keep the flowers and other plants watered. The lawn was left to go dormant for the summer and would revive in the autumn when the rains came back.

One exception I made was to water a patch of lawn in the backyard. This was for the benefit of the many robins in the area who needed worms to eat in order to stay alive. I also provided some water in a container for all the birds, and even animals, of the area. They require a source of fresh water as much as us humans do!

Now with this fine weather here, I'm finally able to get up to Sasamat Lake northwest of Port Moody and will be leaving home shortly. Expect some awesome photos once they're uploaded and edited. Have a great weekend, guys!!! - V

humidity

The humidity is building and night time temperatures are getting warmer. Its currently 22 degrees Celsius and expected to drop to the upper teens overnight. The temperature for Thursday is forecast to be 28 with a humidix around 32. Its expected to be a bit cooler over the weekend at around 24 or 25 but the humidex will be climbing. Well, the temperatures had been cooler than normal with dull, grey, overcast skies, so we've got what we were asking for, perhaps just a bit too much.

Someone I know just came back from a vacation in Saskatchewan, you know, the Canadian prairies where they've been having severe thunderstorms and tornadoes lately? The light show at night (lightning) was compared to the neon lights of Vegas. Flooding was everywhere and severe in places. There is another front building in western Alberta with the jet stream between there and Saskatchewan. Looks like another light show coming, and with that, those funnels called tornadoes! Interesting weather across the country I'd say!

With the weather being what it is, I plan a hike around Sasamat Lake and over a mountain trail to Belcarra for Saturday. The mountain route will take me past a swamp! That's on the north side of Burrard Inlet. Sunday will likely take me on a walk along the seawall on English Bay. My camera will be along both days, so photos will be posted in this case!

Enjoy the hot weather but stay sensible and find ways to keep cool!!! More news coming soon. - V

a real summer

Well, the hot weather people have long been looking for after weeks of dull, grey overcast skies has finally arrived. I've even heard one person complaining about the heat and its only been Tuesday that we've been through. There's more coming! It early morning, closing on 7 am and its 16 degrees Celsius with the humidity at 82 percent. As the day progresses and it gets hotter, the humidity level falls but from past experience, it doesn't seem to fall much below 50 percent. The forecast high today is for hot, sunny weather at 28 degrees Celsius with a humidex at perhaps 30 degrees. I'll find out on the weekend how much people are enjoying this weather when I get a chance to see the activity at the beaches. This should be an indicator if there are, as usually is, a lot of people enjoying the sun, fresh air and water! - V

weather

Midland, Ontario suffered the effects of a tornado the other day and is still recovering. At the same time, there was an earthquake at 5 on the Richter scale in the Ottawa area to the east of Midland. A tornado was also sighted in southern Saskatschewan as the prairies have been receiving severe thunderstorm over the last little while with flooding and washed out highways being a result from all the rain. Its certainly been interesting and not our usual summer any where in Canada!

So locally? Well, I woke up this morning to mostly clear blue skies with some cloud in the distance. Its about 15 degrees Celsius now and expected to rise to 20 this afternoon. And the humidity? Its at 77 percent. People complain about the humidity in places like southwestern Ontario but if we had the heat like they have there on top of the kind of humidity that is encountered here, it would be unbearable to say the least! Enjoy your summer weather where you are, regardless of the conditions! - V

summer

Monday, June 21st, was officially the first day of summer though you wouldn't have known that with the dull, grey, overcast skies that day with temperatures a bit cooler than normal. This morning as I write, its 15 degrees Celsius with an overcast sky and a humidity of 72 percent. There is sun in the forecast, so we'll see what happens.

We rarely see any thunderstorms of any kind but there is the odd occasion where lightning is seen followed by a clap of thunder. Its very rare though. On the prairies and eastward all that is a different story. There you're seeing plenty of the light show and tornadoes as well.

I have a fan running in the apartment to move the air. There's no wind to speak of, so the fan is a necessary thing but July tends to be worse as far as heat and lack of air movement, so we shall see what comes our way. Have a great day where ever you are and what ever you plan to do!!! - V

shades

Is it summer yet? Here it is with winter with us, spring just around the corner and summer just a thought in the not too distant future! I'm thinking about getting some shades (sunglasses) to add to my collection of summerwear and to that some clothing of pleasant design. The guys wearing the shades bring all this to mind, not that its been a terribly hard winter, it hasn't! - V.