Dog & Bear Pub, Toronto, ON

Gord and I had supper this evening at the Dog & Bear (Queen W/Dovercourt), which is in our 'hood.

We both ordered a burger.

Redpath Waterfront Fest 2019, Toronto, ON

Gord and I checked out the Redpath Waterfront Fest 2019 this afternoon.  Every three years, the festival welcomes a fleet of tall ships to Toronto’s waterfront.

This year, there are ten tall ships on the tour and they will be here until tomorrow.

The tall ships are:

• HMCS Oriole, Halifax, NS - a sailing ketch launched in 1921
• CCGS Constable Carriere, Sarnia, ON
• Picton Castle, Lunenburg, NS - a deep sea square-rigged sailing ship built in 1928
• Bluenose II, Lunenburg, NS - a fishing and racing schooner launched in 1963
• Denis Sullivan, Milwaukee, WI - a Great Lakes schooner
• U.S. Brig Niagara, Erie, PA - a two-masted, square-rigged sailing vessel launched in 1988
• Pride of Balitimore II, Baltimore, MD - passenger vessel commissioned in 1988
• Fair Jeanne, Ottawa, ON - a passenger and sail-training vessel designed and built between 1979 and 1982
• St. Lawrence II, Kingston, ON - Sail-training vessel built in 1953
• Playfair, Toronto, ON - a sail-training vessel launched in 1983

You can walk around and view the tall ships for free.  In addition, there are activities including entertainment set up at Harbour Square Park and Sherbourne Commons.

Gord and I bought tickets so we could go on the tall ships, which was interesting and fun.  We walked to Sherbourne Commons and checked out the boats there first and then headed westward.

HMCS Oriole, Halifax, NS - free for everyone to go on

Picton Castle, Lunenburg, NS

Allwyn’s Best Caribbean Jerk, Toronto, ON

I had lunch today at Allwyn’s Best Caribbean Jerk (Queen Street W, east of Spadina Avenue).  It opened about two months ago.

I ordered a curry chicken roti and ate it there.  The roti was stuffed with chicken, potato and carrot, which was great.  The curry wasn't overpowering.  The roti had powdered stuff in between the layers (cornmeal maybe?) that was a bit too much.  Though the roti was stuffed, it would have helped to have a bit more sauce to make the roti more enjoyable because of the powdered stuff.

Book ~ "Remember Me When This You See" (1973) Lillian Morrison

I was doing some cleaning last week and came across this book.  I have very little from my childhood besides this ... according to what I'd written in the inside cover, I'd got it in the spring of 1973 (I would have been 11).

Remember autograph books?  They were all the rage when I was young and this book was full of verses for them.  I had the autograph book for many years but it got accidentally tossed out during a move about 25 years ago.

The verses were short and it would be something to write in someone's autograph book.  Some were silly, some were cute.

Roses are red
Lilies are white;
Here is my autograph
To prove I can write.

Now I lay me down to rest,
I pray I pass tomorrow's test;
If I die before I wake,
It's one less test I'll have to take.

Ashes to ashes,
Dust to dust,
You're one friend,
That I can trust.

Be cool, don't be a fool,
Go on to high school.

May you live as long as you want,
And never want as long as you live.

Here's one I used often (writing in and around other's verses around the page):

Then after you'd written your verse, you would sign off with something like ...

Yours till ice screams.
Yours till the pillow cases go to court.
Yours till hens lay soft-boiled eggs.
Yours till the river Seine becomes insane.

Yes, it was a different time back then!  Ha!

Monster Jam, Scotiabank Area, Toronto, ON

Gord and I went to Monster Jam this afternoon.  It's our fourth time going and the first year at the Scotiabank Arena  It's LOUD and fun.

Our seats were in the first row in the middle.  There was a fair size crowd and lots of kids.

The drivers were:

• Armando Castro - El Toro Loco
• Blake Granger - Max-D
• Cynthia Gauthier - Monster Mutt Dalmatian
• Joe Urie - Zombie
• Krysten Anderson - Grave Digger
• Bernard Lyght - Alien Invasion

The show started at 1pm and we got there about 12:30pm.  Before the show, Blake Granger was interviewed a couple seats away from us.

Fan favourite Bernard Lyght was also interviewed by his truck.

There were six competitions.  Rather than having a panel of judges picked from the audience, everyone was encouraged to log on and vote online.  This was much better because I found the panel of judges lame.

The first was racing and Monster Mutt Dalmatian won.

Celeste Barber, Danforth Music Hall, Toronto, ON

This evening Gord and I had tickets to see Australian actress and comedian Celeste Barber at the Danforth Music Hall.

You could buy autographed copies of her book for $40 in the lobby.  I'd read it last month and enjoyed it.

I follow her on Instagram and think she's a hoot!

The show started 15 minutes late.  Celeste told funny stories and showed pictures from her Instagram account.

Though I enjoyed the show, I was surprised that it was only an hour.  The audience, mostly women, gave her a standing ovation.

Louis Cifer Brew Works, Toronto, ON

Gord and I had supper this evening at Louis Cifer (a play on "lucifer") on Danforth Avenue.

Toronto Wolfpack 28, Toulouse Olympique 16, Lamport Stadium, Toronto, ON

The Toronto Wolfpack RLFC is a Canadian professional rugby league club, based in here Toronto, which competes in the British Rugby Football League system.  In 2018, the club competed in the Championship, having begun to play in 2017 in League 1 and won a promotion in its inaugural season.  Gord and I have been going to the most of the games since 2017 and have been season ticket holders for the last two years.

The club is noted as being the first North American team to play in the Rugby Football League system, the first fully professional rugby league team in Canada and the world's first transatlantic rugby league team.  Their home stadium is Lamport Stadium (aka "The Den"), which is just a couple blocks from where Gord and I live.

Today the Wolfpack (17 wins/1 loss) were playing the Toulouse Olympique ... the last time they played, Toulouse had won.

It was sunny and warm (24C).

Here are Gord and I ...

Gordo was out and about ...

The Wolfpack Dance Squad ...

Then they entertained.

Book ~ "Read This If You Want to Take Great Photographs" (2014) Henry Carroll

From Goodreads ~ Photography is now more popular than ever thanks to the rapid development of digital cameras. "Read This If You Want to Take Great Photographs" is for this new wave of DSLR dabblers and users of compact system, and bridge cameras. It contains no graphs, no techie diagrams and no camera club jargon. Instead, it inspires readers through iconic images and playful copy packed with hands-on tips.

Split into five sections, the book covers composition, exposure, light, lenses, and seeing. Images taken by master photographers – including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Sebastião Salgado, Fay Godwin, and Martin Parr – serve to illustrate points and encourage readers to try out new ideas.

Today's aspiring photographers want immediacy and see photography as an affordable way of expressing themselves quickly and creatively. This book answers that need, teaching readers how to take photographs using professional techniques.

I take a lot of pictures with my phone and/or camera but it's been a while since I've taken photographs ... yes, there's a difference.  I like reading books about photography and using cameras.

This book is directed to beginners to give them a high level explanation of the different things they should know about their camera:

• Composition - framing, symmetry, getting close, leading lines, etc.
• Exposure - modes (program, shutter, aperture and manual), ISO, exposure compensation, etc.
• Light -  hard, soft, natural, artificial, etc.
• Lenses - wide angle, telephoto, prime, macro, etc.
• Seeing - dangers of perfection, a different point of view, etc.

While it is directed to beginners, I don't think there is enough information to fully educate a beginner.  But it lets them know that there is so much more to know so they can move on to read other books, websites, etc. and get out there and practice and figure it out for themselves.

Though I didn't learn anything new, it was a good reminder that I've gotten lazy.  I always shoot in "P" mode (program, which the author approves of) but it's been a while since I've shot in "A" (aperture) mode (I used to all the time).

Coronation Park, the Trillium Park and William G. Davis Trail, Toronto, ON

It was a warm sunny afternoon (24C) and I went for a walk to get my 10,000 steps.

I headed to Coronation Park and walked through it.

Book ~ "Dogtripping: 25 Rescues, 11 Volunteers, And 3 RVs On Our Canine Cross-Country Adventure" (2013) David Rosenfelt

From Goodreads ~ When mystery writer David Rosenfelt and his family moved from California to Maine, he thought he had prepared for everything. 

They had mapped the route, brought three GPSs for backup, refrigerators full of food and volunteers for help. But traveling in three RVs with twenty-five dogs turned out to be a bigger ordeal than he anticipated. 

Rosenfelt recounts the adventure with humor and warmth and tells how he and his wife became passionate foster parents for rescue dogs, culminating in the creation of the Tara Foundation.

I discovered David Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter series about four years ago.  I've read and enjoyed them all ... the first one was published in 2002 and I'm looking forward to #19 coming out next month.  Andy is a lawyer who is married to Laurie and they have a young son named Rich.  He also has a golden retriever named Tara, who he thinks she's the best dog in the world..  I've also read his Doug Brock series ... the first was published in 2012 and the third/last one was published this past March.  Doug is a police officer who was shot in the line of duty and has lost the last ten years of his memory.

I enjoy reading books about animals.  I knew David and his wife, Debbie, are involved with rescue dogs so have been wanting to read this book and Lessons from Tara: Life Advice from the World’s Most Brilliant Dog for a while (I volunteer with a cat rescue).  I read and enjoyed Lessons from Tara: Life Advice from the World’s Most Brilliant Dog earlier this week so was looking forward to reading this one right afterwards as it is referenced in Lessons from Tara.

When David and Debbie started dating in the early 1990s, she had a golden retriever named Tara who he soon grew to love.  Tara passed away within a year and they eventually started getting involved in dog rescue.  Their mission was to take, place and/or adopt older dogs that would be euthanized because most people want younger dogs.  They started the Tara Foundation, named in honour of Tara.  In Tara's memory, they have never not taken in a golden retriever, regardless of how many dogs they had.

According to his website, David and Debbie currently have 27 dogs.  David and Debbie are both from the east coast, missed the different changing seasons and, after a scare with wildfires getting too close to their home in California, they decided to move to Maine.  This book is about their move from California to Maine.

At that time, they had 25 dogs.  How do they transport 25 mostly senior dogs across the country!?  Flying would have been expensive.  Plus the dogs would have to travel in cargo and most needed medicine on a regular basis.  And there's no way they would be able to fly all the dogs there at the same time.  Once they realized John Travolta or Oprah weren't going to volunteer their private jets, they eventually decided to transport the dogs in rented RVs.  But they needed people to drive the RVs plus help out.  They were surprised but grateful when friends, friends of friends and strangers stepped up to help them during their journey.

David and Debbie have rescued almost 4,000 dogs and found them homes.  Their own home has became a sanctuary for those dogs they rescued that are too old or sickly to be wanted by others.  In alternating chapters, David describes some of the dogs they have rescued and/or adopted over the years.  Some of these dogs made the trek to Maine (and all made it!).

I like the writing style of this book ... like his Andy Carpenter series, it was funny, sarcastic and amusing.  I like that he gave props to everyone who has helped them along the way (vets, rescues, the volunteers who traveled with him, etc.) and named names to acknowledge them.

Book ~ "Lessons from Tara: Life Advice from the World’s Most Brilliant Dog" (2015) David Rosenfelt

From Goodreads ~ David Rosenfelt's loyal readers of the Andy Carpenter series are familiar with Tara, the golden retriever sidekick. Many also got to know Tara from "Dogtripping", David's nonfiction book about becoming a slightly nutty dog rescuer and the dog that started it all. Here, finally, is a book all about the inspirational canine who taught David everything he knows. Well, he did know how to tie his shoes before he met and came to love Tara but that's about it. 

Through Tara, David learned about dating, about being able to share his emotions and also about everyday stuff like who gets to use the pillow if several dogs are sleeping in your bed (clue: It's not the human) and why random barking will never be something that can be eliminated. 

I discovered David Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter series about four years ago.  I've read and enjoyed them all ... the first one was published in 2002 and I'm looking forward to #19 coming out next month.  Andy is a lawyer who is married to Laurie and they have a young son named Rich.  He also has a golden retriever named Tara, who he thinks she's the best dog in the world..  I've also read his Doug Brock series ... the first was published in 2012 and the third/last one was published this past March.  Doug is a police officer who was shot in the line of duty and has lost the last ten years of his memory.

I enjoy reading books about animals.  I knew David and his wife, Debbie, are involved with rescue dogs so have been wanting to read this book for a while (I volunteer with a cat rescue).  When David and Debbie started dating, she had a golden retriever named Tara who he soon grew to love.  Tara passed away and they eventually started getting involved in dog rescue.  Their mission was to take, place and/or adopt older dogs that would be euthanized because most people want younger dogs.  They started the Tara Foundation, named in honour of Tara.  In Tara's memory, they have never not taken in a golden retriever, regardless of how many dogs they had.

According to his website, David and Debbie currently have 27 dogs (they live on a property in Maine so there is lot of room for the dogs).  This book is about the rescue process, finding homes for the dogs and what it's like living with that many dogs ... who sleeps where, who is friends with who, the barking, the vet appointments, making the final days of a senior dog's life the best it can be, etc.  They have rescued almost 4,000 dogs and found them homes.  Their own home has became a sanctuary for those dogs they rescued that are too old or sickly to be wanted by others.

I like the writing style of this book ... like his Andy Carpenter series, it was funny, sarcastic and amusing.  It was interesting to read about life as an author, what it's like rescuing dogs and the lessons he has learned along the way.  I like that he gave props to everyone who has helped them along the way (vets, rescues, etc.) and named names to acknowledge them.  Very cool!

Topbox - June 2019

My June Topbox arrived today.

For only $12 a month, you will receive a Topbox with 4 carefully selected, indulgent, beauty products. Then test the products in the comfort of your own home.

Here's what I received ...

Schick Intuition Sensitive Care Razor

Pūrlisse Watermelon Energizing Sheet Mask 

Clarins Extra-Firming Night

Be a Bombshell Eyeshadow (Bewitched)

Dirty Little Secret Cosmetics Cream Lipstick (Tutu)