Saturday Photo: Stars of the End of Summer

This is the time for asters, whose name reflect how heavenly they are!
 

Saturday Photo: Queen Anne's Lace for a Time When the Monarchy Is in View

Seventy years is a long a time to stay at the same job, but that's what Elizabeth II did.  There is so much about her reign and her successor in the media this week that is hard to not to think about it and her.

My contribution is this photo of the perennial plant, Queen Anne's lace, which is just finishing up its reign as queen of wild spaces just now.  A member of the carrot family, it supposedly is named after Queen Anne, the wife of England's King James II. She wore a lot of lace ,it seems.  

The connection with the monarchy is clear, and so is the beauty of the plant.

Saturday Photo: Showing the Way

When you get to the end of the road at Kegaska, you can continue by going out to sea.  Manypeople must have considered doingtht, becausethe harbourhas many inukshuk, those Inuit cairns, that show the way.  

 

Saturday Photo: The End of Highway 138, a Great Trip

 I'm surprised that it's been so long since I last posted, but here is a photo of part of the reason: our trip to Quebec's Côte Nord.  

This is as far as you can go on a road up the north shore of the St. Lawrence river. To reach the small villages beyond, you have to take a boat, or fly in.

Kegaska is about 1300 km from Montreal, and we took three days to get there and eight days to come back.  Wonderful weather, great scenery and generally a good time.  

More photos to come, as fall approaches and the world closes in upon us.

When a Veil Is Not a Veil: Fashion, Modesty and Evolving Rules

Just as France begins to consider prohibiting women from wearing niqab, or a full veil, fashion designer Riccardo Tisci features a very attractive young woman wearing a sort of pseudo-veil in his new collection for Givenchy, seen at left as shown in The Globe and Mail. The juxtaposition throws a spotlight on the place where fashion and ideas about modesty—religious or not—intersect. As I’ve said before here, wearing a veil may be a signal of Muslim belief in some quarters, but it doesn’t stop women from caring about how they look. And, as I’ve just learned, the veil is not only a Muslim thing. It has been a strategy to avoid harrassment in other places, and has gone through some interesting transformations elsewhere too. I’m reading Louise Levathes’ fascinating When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne, 1405-1433 as I research my book about the Portuguese Making Waves. After the great period of Chinese maritime adventure, its defences against attack from the sea declined until its coastal areas were prey for pirates and raiders in the 16th century, frequently called wako. “China’s coastal famers and fishermen...who had been robbed of their livelihood as well as, at times, their wives or daughters, never forgot the wako. Young girls in the Hui’an peninsula ... to this day tie blue scarfs tightly around their heads, hiding their faces...it has become the local fashion,” she writes. “But the stories, passed down for generations in villages, of a time when yong women fled from the lecherous glances of the bandits who came from across the sea in ships with red sails, have not died.” Hui’an women are reputed for their beauty, and now wear very short jackets which show their navels along with their scarves. “Sexy Lady on the Sunny Beach – Hui'an Women” one story about their traditional dress says. Fashion trumps all! Photos of Hui'an women from Chinavista.com and Chinaculture.org. Photo of Tisci creation from onsugar.com Note from March 6, 2011: for more about Muslim women, the veil and female affirmation see "Good News from the Arab Spring Revolutions: "When Women Change, Everything Changes."

Saturday Photo: Resting Rabbit...

Animals often seem to know when they're not likely to run into danger from humans.  This rabbit is a case in point.  We met him last Sunday when out for a walk near the wild space by the airport.  It is more or less protected, and certainly there are not likely to be anyone hunting for rabbits.

So this guy just ambled out, kept a wary eye on us (who had stopped to look at birds) and proceeded to scratch his belly on the sandy soil.  Trying to remove parasites?  Scratch mosquito bites?  Who knows?  Obviously as long as we were still he felt no fear.  But as soon as we moved he took off...
 

Saturday Photo: Monarchs...

If you look closely, the purple cone flower to the left is the launching pad for a Monarch butterfly.  I think it must have been freshly hatched, as it slowly flapped its wings in the morning sun, and made no move to fly.

This comes as the Monarch is being declared an endangered species, in large part because of wholesale destruction of its breeding fields in North America.    Glad to see that some people are still planting those species that Monarchs like. Very unhappy to see that sometimes the fields of milk weed and cone flowers get mowed by public agencies who don't seem to know what they'e doing.

Saturday Photo: Trees and the City

It's hot today, and the trees in this part of town offer a welcome respite.  The shadows are dense in the morning, and people are seeking them out.

Planting street trees and greening parks are  important parts of any plan to combat climate change.  Besides, they're beautiful.
 

Saturday Photo: Sun and Shade and Water

 These are the days of sun high in the sky, and shadows directly beneath the trees.  It has not been really hot here, but gardens with shade are much appreciated in the middle of the day. An island of cool in the busy city.

Saturday Photo: Fathers' Day Gathering

 Scene last Sunday at the Lachine Rapids: a couple of geese families enjoying a picnic while the Old Guy watches.

Geese are quite tame and not at all bothered by our presence.  Young are of various ages. Nice to see on Fathers' Day.

Saturday Photo: The Best Grass Is No Grass

 Just a reminder that a well-tamed grass lawn is a nuisance to keep up, not nearly as interesting as a wilder collection of plants, and less than ideal from the standpoint of the environment.

Saturday Photo: First Rose of Summer

 The first wild roses are in bloom.  What a wonderful time of year when all the flowers are bursting forth!

Saturday Photo: Goslings on Parade

Sunday morning outing at the Technoparc: mom and dad and six goslings paddling around. 

Just a few minutes earlier a noisy flock of geese landing in a nearby pond to feed and splash around. Why were they not with their partners raising more goslings? I wondered.

 Turns out that for the first couple of years young geese don't settle down to raise little ones. The bird books didn't say so, but it looked like the flock must have been a group of rowdy goose adolescents without responsbilities yet. Wonder what they did on Saturday night.

Saturday Photo: Journée des Patriotes

I've run this before, but it bares repeating: in Quebec  this weekend  is not Victoria Day but the Journée des Patriotes.  It commemorates the Rebllion of 1837-38, which was that nearest thing to a revolution Canada has ever known.  

And it wasn't just the French speakers of Lower Canada who were demanding  a larger say in government,  William Lyon Mackenzie (grandfather of William Lyon Mackenzie King) was one of the leaders of the uprising in Upper Canada, not to mention Wolfred and Robert Nelson who were leaders here.

Saturday Photo: Still Life with Morning Light, Flower and Clementines

 Lovely Mothers' Day floers and other nice things

Saturday Photo: It's in Bloom.....

 Until this spring I've killed all the orchids that have passed through our doorway.  Can grow a lot of other things, particularly those from dry and mild places like lantana, plulmbago, jade plant, and Christmas cactus.  But I always murdered orchids for reasons I amonly vaguely aware of.

However, about18 months ago I took up the challenge, bought a healthy and blooming plant, and then tried several methods.  Didn't write them down, so I can't really say what worked, but something did.

The plant began blooming this week, and I'm hoping we'll have a couple of months of blooms.  Yay!!

Saturday Photo: Coming up Soon to a Woods Near YOU

Leaves will be on the trees before you know it! At last!
 

Saturday Photo: More Spring Flowers

 Had snow this week, but the flowers nevertheless persist.  Good to see.

Saturday Photo: Easter Eggs

 Latvian eggs: dyed with onion skins only.  These were done a couple of years ago when Easter was earlier, and there was still snow on the ground.  But I did some this year too, even though our Easter celebrations will be quiet. Third year in a row that Covid 19 has played havoc with having a good time!  This is getting old!

Saturday Photo: Pussy Willows

 Another sign of spring.  Am I right that the French term is saule discolore? What a disappointing name!

Saturday Photo: Fig Leaves?

The fig tree spent the winter in the basement, getting watered when I remembered to do so, but receiving very little light from the small window.  The temperature was chill most of the time, but never dropped below15 C,

Nevertheless, somehow the plant last week sensed that spring was upon us and started sending out green leaves.  Lee carried it upstairs to the second floor landing on Sunday, and now it is growing wonderfully under the skylight.

I find it amazing that minimal cues can prompt plants into new life when spring arrives.  There are a lot of things that we don't know about the world...
 

Saturday Photo: The Thaw Continues...

 Break-up at the Lachine Rapids park. Above freezing but still chilly. 

Many birds though, including red winged blackbirds that seem to be delighted to be back where they nest.

Saturday Photo: The Break-up and the Moon

 

Full moon this week, which coincided with the break up of ice on the St. Lawrence, which in turn meant strong tidal flow.  Half the day the fractured ice flowed with the water down toward the sea, but for the other half it was pushed back by the incoming tide.  

It's easy to forget just how far the tidal influences extend up the St. Lawrence estuary.  I knew tides were felt as far as Quebec City, but I really didn't realize the extent of that flow until this week when we spent a few days there.  One of the day's two high tides came at the end of the afternoon so we spent a lot of time watching the ice run upstream.  Fascinating!  

Once again, I bowled over the wonders of nature.

Saturday Photo:Two from The New Yorker

 I have two indulgences.  One is a good haircut from Wayne McLaughlin at Furisme.  The other is a subscription to The New Yorker.  Must go see Wayne soon, because I'm getting shaggy, but here are two great covers from the magazine.

Saturday Photo: More Bad News on Climate Change, But Winter Is Terrific Here

 March 5 here, and there's still a lot of snow on the ground.  This has been a great winter for skating, playing in the snow, skiing (I guess, I don't) and just enjoying brisk and sunny days.  Often by now the snow is gone, and certainly skating outside is problematic.

As I've been enjoying the weather (much prefer sun and cold to mild and grey) I've been wondering if we all should be storing up a lot of memories of what a good winter is like.  The latest report by the International Panel on Climate Change says that things are going to get worse. 

According to to the background info: “This report is a dire warning about the consequences of inaction,” said Hoesung Lee, Chair of the IPCC. “It shows that climate change is a grave and mounting threat to our wellbeing and a healthy planet. Our actions today will shape how people adapt and nature responds to increasing climate risks.”

Take heed, everyone.  And enjoy what we've got when we can. 

Saturday Photo: Well, Now That Maybe We're Going to Be Able to Get out and about...

  A friend just sent this.  Seems it was made nearly two years ago, but it's still funny today.  Maybe we'll eventually get out of this .....

Saturday Photo: What I Feel Like with Rain and Turkeys demonstrating

Well, actually it's just a snow person who's a little the worse for wear, given the couple of days of above-freezing temps.

But given all the stupidity going around, I'm feeling just as out-of-sorts as he  does.

I've spent far more time on pickets lines and at various demonstrations than I care to remember, but I've never seen such folly as in the last few days.
 

Saturday Photo: The Light Is Different These Days

The days are getting longer, and during the days themselves, the sun is riding higher in the sky.  The result can be glorious, cold days like today after a little snow.  Makes winter worth it.
 

Saturday Photo: Solution for the Housing Crisis?

 Fixer-upper near all conveniences.  Or ready to move in if you've got a good  snowsuit!  This cold January has had some very fun moments for kids in or neighborhood.

Saturday Photo: Fumée de mer, or Freezing Fog

 Awfully cold here.  The St. Lawrence is warmer than the air, and is in effect steaming.  But once the mist rises it freezes leaving ice-encrusted bushes and trees and magical landscapes like this.

Saturday Photo: My Living Room Forest

The hibiscus are taller than I am, and nearly as old as my kids who have been on their own for decades.  I bring them in every fall and cut them back but they still grow and grow.

There's a decorative orange tree too, that spends the winter at the top of the stairs under a sky light.  Until last summer we took it outside too, but it now is really too big to wrestle down the stairs.  Last summer we got it out on a balcony, but I dont know how long that dodge will work.

Nice to have plants that live a long time, particularly when the world seems to be so dangerous these days...
 

Saturday Photo: What to Do on a Sunny But Cold Saturday

 SKATE!

The photo was taken several years ago, but I still like it.  Saw several kids out this morning trying their skates out.

 I hear our youngest grandkid just graduated from two-blade skates to the real thing, and I imagine he's out today despite the cold.

 The only thing to do in the middle of a pandemic, even when it's cold, is go play outside!

Saturday Photo: What I'd Like Everything to Be

 As we start the new year, I've been doing quite a lot of reflection about where we should be going.  At the moment, I'm really not sure. But I think we'll find the proper destination if we keep looking for it. And to do that we need to keep our spirits up.  Hence the mantra "All's Good."  

Remember it, friends, when the way looks obscured ahead.

Saturday Photo: Sunrise on Christmas...

 Over the hump, the days will be getting longer soon..

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday.  Here's the link to our blog:

https://soderstromyule.blogspot.com/

Saturday Photo: Christmas Lights

 Lots of lights around here this year.  I think people are fed up with darkness.  This is my little contribution.

Saturday Photo: Countdown to Christmas Means an Afternoon Making Sil

 This year I didn't have quite as many, but I was finally able to buy salt herring with which to make sil, the Swedish pickled fish delight. 

My hands smell like fish now, but there are four jars in the fridge to be opened when the holiday festivities  begin.

Saturday Photo: The Fraser River Flood Plain

 This is a photo I found on WikiCommons of the Fraser River flood plain in non-flood times.  You can see how lush it is, and how the river meanders.  No wonder people have wanted to farm and live near it.  But you can also see the danger.  When the big storms come, when the atmospheric rivers bring enormoous quantities of rain this land is going to flood.  As sea levels rise, the possible--no, probable--damage will mount.

What has happened in BC and to a lesser extent in Washington State these last couple of weeks should summon us all to action.  Will it?

Saturday Photo: Winter Smiles and a Little Snow

 Actually the photo was taken a year ago, but it fits today, the first morning we have snow in Montreal.  Oh, there have been a few snowflakes but nothing that's stayed on the ground. Not that there's much today either, but at least winter has begun. 

And the first snowfall is about two weeks later than it has been over the last several decades.  My bench mark has always been my birthday, Nov. 8, before which a few flakes have fallen every years since we came to Montreal in 1968.  Not so this year, another bit of evidence to confirm the climate change trend. 

Not something to smile about, but at least we've been spared weather drama around here so far this year. 

Saturday Photo: Jakarta Waterfront: Old and New

 No post last Saturday because I was deep in the final stages of preparing my new book Against the Seas for submission.

It was all done by Monday afternoon, the delivery date the publisher and I had agreed upon.  So, I never did make it to Jakarta, but the book has come together anyway.  This is a photo taken by my "eyes" in Jakarta, Aly Fauzy and Thareq M. 

Saturday Photo: Puget Sound Storm, and My Book

 Going into the home stretch with my book Against the Seas: Saving Civilizations from Rising Oceans.  Spent some time yesterday looking for images, and came across this painting by Alfred Beirstadt done in 1870.  Seems the artist had not yet traveled to the Pacific Coast, and painted it from descriptions of the area.  Still it seems strangely evocative of bad weather, which is what we're all going to experience in the coming decades if we don't get serious about climate change.

Saturday Photo: Halloween Anyway

 No kids at our house going out trick or treating this Halloween, but I did buy a pumpkin.  The photo is of someone else's house, but I'm sharing it just because I like it.

Take care!

Saturday Photo: Resilience,, Times Two

 This is the Bibliothèque Mordecai-Richler, lodged in what was formerly The Church of the Ascension, an Anglican church that closed its doors something like 30 years ago.

Using the church building as a library was a great thing to do, and the fact that the library now bears the name of Montreal's legendary Jewish novelist is either wonderfully eceumenical, ironic or simply classy.  Certainlly it shows the resilience of several aspects of society: urban planning, cultural continuity, humour....

But the photo shows another sort of resilience: the sunflower growing in the gutter on the roof.  Tried to get a better photo of it, but was too far away and messing with Photoshop doesn't help.  That flowers will grow so far up is really great...

Saturday Photo: Resilience, or Something to Remember When You're Feeling Caged in

 This was taken in a new park in my neighborhood.  The plantings are all perennials, and most are native to the  region.  This has mean that they'd done very well during this hot, dry summer.

So well, in fact, that some of them have sprouted off spring, including this little flower that seems to be overflowing with life.  You can bring beauty nearly everywhere--or at least take a stab at it.

Saturday Photo: Happy Thanksgiving, Despite Everything

 This Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.  The statutory holiday is Monday but we've always celebrated whenever it's convenient for friends and family to get together.  At times we have had big potluck parties (we did the turkeys and several sides, while everyone else brought something to share), but I'm afraid that is behind us, what with Covid 19 and all.

Nevertheless, while I'm far from a believer, I think it's a very good thing to stop now and then to realize just how many good things have come my way.  I invite you to do that this weekend, even if I can't invite you to supper.  Doing so puts everything in perspective....

Saturday Photo: The Streams That Flow to the Fleuve

 I've always wondered at the distinction made in modern French between fleuve and rivière. For a long time I thought that one was big and the other little, but that's not it.

What makes the difference is whether the watercourse flows into the sea. If it doesn't, it's a rivière no matter how bit it is. 

A fleuve, on the other hand, goes directly into the sea.  The St. Lawrence is a fleuve  but all its tributaries are rivières.

 The photo is of a small stream that drains one of the fields along the St. Lawrence.  In this summer of drought, it was very small indeed.

Saturday Photo: Summer's End But the Weather Continues Warm, Maybe Too Warm

 Like kids in a class portrait at the end of the school year, these sunflowers stood tall a week ago when I walked by them, enjoying the amazing summer-like weather.  This is the first weekend in fall, offiically, but it continues unusually warm. The temptation is to enjoy it, which I am, but also I worry just what this very slow end to summer means. We haven't had the crazy weather that the western part of North America suffered, but who know what climate change has in store for us next...

Saturday Photo: The Salish Sea from Space...

The Salish Sea--the Puget Sound, Strait of Juan da Fuca, Georgia Strait area-- is one of the regions I look at carefully in my new book Against the Seas: Saving Civilizations from Rising Oceans.  

Getting closer to a contract, writing hard...

Saturday Photo: Mangroves, Another Tool in the Fight against Rising Seas

 Glad to report that it looks like I'll be signing a contract very soon for my next book Against the Seas: Saving Civilizations from Rising Seas.  Details will follow, but in the meantime here is a photo of mangroves near Jakarta, Indonesia.  The tree is one of the natural tools that should be used more and more as we learn to live with climate change.