Digital Elevation Model

I'm trying to come up with some neat graphics and figure out what this program can do. So far, nothing simple.

JP 

Landuse

Precipitation

Ah my… has it been a day or what. I’ve been compiling climate data 1 year at a time for 61 years (well, actually it took me about 2 hours – to get all 61 years together, and cleaned up and sorted out). So much for my plans of success and draft completion – ha… so much for my night of sleep.

I did take about 2 hours off to visit my sister n laws for halloweening – she did some pretty cool pumpkins – see Air In’s and/or Geoffs links on the side. It was weird. I remember leaving and covering as much subdivision as was physically possible before people blew out there pumpkins. No stunning costumes – I mostly saw young teens in black clothes by the time I drove home. I really like Halloween, hopefully next year I can do something exciting, rather than feel guilty about homework… and on that note…

Here I go back to work.

Jenn

I don't know what is going on

just in case I pressed discard 

Missing Pics

Here is the missing pictures and a few more for the road in a Picasa photogrid.

Blogger seems to be happy again - You'll note the link to isaac and blewett under musicians.

I'm working on my watershed design report, but I was so excited to hear blogger was briefly working again, I thought I should rush and post.

Cheers,

Jennith 

Twas the night before Halloween

Greetings,

This is still really me testing to see if blogger has got its act together. This picture is a repost from yesterday.

Today is a reading like crazy day. I'm not sure I'm actually doing anything for Halloween - except homework. I have a huge project due Thursday.

Its actually a beautiful day out... sunny and clear. Although I'm still feeling groggy from last night sleeping in BaseOp. I'm a bit spoiled at home to have a decent bed, although it might be the rookie is my radio going off jitters too. I remember back at LU I slept my first night with my jacket, radio, keys, glasses and shoes on. Truth is that I continued sleeping with shoes and keels on for the first few years...and then I broke down and took off my shoes (and they were hiking boots in fact) because they made my feet fall asleep which woke me up. Guelph is a big and confusing campus compared to LU. Not living here doesn't help either. I'd probably know residence better if I lived here and would spend more time just wandering around.

Anywho... must read... hopefully blogger will recover soon and I'll ahve time to write something usefull and interesting - like the mini essays I planned originally.

Cheers,

Jennith

Bloggity blog blog blog

Spurgitz.

Still no blog entries on scene. Sometimes coming from the direct source also helps. I'm almost done another chunk of the project. although I'm huddled in my office with a hat and fleece on... I should try and figure out the heating system one day.

alright.. last try

Jenn

Snow on the last green
Tamarack turn brilliant gold
Windy Strange weather

Taking the back roads
Past fields and neat homes, tucked in woods -
Scenic route worth time

Winding roads teach much -
Lessons of true distance that
Travelled, increases view
tra

Blogger's Eating blogs

Umm... I"m mostly throwing this in because blogger hasn't picked up my lastest writings from picassa and sometimes the best way to get them through is to blog another one for the road and it pushes them through.. kinda like when you get something stuck in the vending machine....

cheers,

Jennith 

Here is a stormwater management greenway visited on a recent class trip 

Here is the dam from the other side

 

Taking the back roads

"Taking the back roads" is the theme for my life lately. I guess that could be interpreted as taking the slower, scenic route. This applies on a grand scale to my long and convuluted education, but on a smaller scale to my recent short trips and general driving preferences. I actually consider it a real treat to be able to drive on the backroads, rather than the faster highway - when possible.

Today, I decided was too pretty to save myself 15 minutes by taking the 401 - so I took a slew of random sideroads, lines and avenues through the remaining rural bits of Ontario. It was nice - from sun to light snow, falling to fallen leaves and a few tamaracks turned yellow...

The picture.. has nothing to do with backroads.. its the speed river in downtown Guelph...taken from atop the dam.

All in all... I guess I'd better get back to work.. but I hope all of you take the time to "take the backroads" savouring the quieter parts of the countryside and enjoying the nooks and treats hidden in the best kept secretes nearby. Still, I seem to be too busy most of the time to actually live my life...this being a long term bad habit.

One day...

Jennith

Martha Hall Findley: Overlooked

While still fond of Bob Rae, I am extremely impressed with Martha Hall Findley's list of achieves and stance on the liberal party.

I've included a link to her webpage, where I would encourage you to read her essay on why she is running and her principals. I wish her luck.

The star also had an interesting article on her. The author was also clearly impressed.

I hope that leadership or not, she has the opportunity to play a leading role in the future of the liberal party. Cheers and good luck Martha.

Jennith 

And Colin said "Your ice was frozen."

Well, it sounds dumb out of context, but imagine 3 big guys all in suits and a girl in nice clothes...all in black - walk into your gas station store and start doing battle with your freezer. They then turn around and leave, purchasing nothing... Well, I supose if they could have removed the product from the freezer, it might have worked out better. Apparently, the woman looked at them upon leaving and my brother simply explained that her "ice was frozen".

Uncle Stevie funeral was well done - I think between the wonderful funeral conductor (I'm not sure her actual title) and the speeches of those who loved him, they managed to capture the essance of what made him special and send him off the the beyond with our love and best wishes. I met relatives that I never knew I had - and who I hope I may run into again - a neat group of people all round. I'm not sure that it'll hit me until the next family dinner that he is really gone...perhaps his spirit never will be - perhaps he'll come back and haunt our family dinners once and a while - surely he will in our hearts if not in spirit.

I think I realized today the importance of people in society to carry these events and help the living make sense of their grief and their joy (i.e. weddings) and responsibility to be a good person on earth. If only major religions could focus on making the world a kinder place - rather than carrying on about inane things like creationism (Even if God did follow genesis to the letter - I really don't think any deity worth worshipping is going to get their knickers in their knot about a bit of factual misdirection on ancient history - I suspect that they'd rather see people work on taking care of their own communities (rather than killing people because they have a different point of view/different community) and be good folk in genreal. Sigh, they've done a good thing to get religion out of politics in the West - but the world would benifit if they could get the politics out of religion. One thing I didn't know about Uncle Stevie was how much he thought about spirituality - he even wrote a cryptic and esoteric book on it. I've thought about it less lately - as items like Watershed Systems design have been hogging my attention a bit - but one day hopefully I'll have time to think about non school-stuff again.

Cheers,

Jennith 

Farewell Uncle Stevie

Digging through old Christmas pictures to find this one, I'm afraid it isn't the best, but, its okay.

Uncle Stevie passed away quietly on Saturday night, it'll be strange this Christmas without him, since I don't think either of us have missed my mother's turkey in 30 years... well, 29 anyways (I don't remember the first few that clearly.

Uncle Stevie was our great explorer uncle - sending postcards from crazy places like Ecuador, India and the Galapagos. He had an environmental streak -purchasing us each an acre of rainforest one christmas in the 1980's and always encouraging us to read nature magazines and scientific books.

He was awesome about sending mail - although deciphering his tiny handwriting was only slightly less challanging that reading Grandma's. I have stacks of letters and clippings that he's sent me over the years.

He had good stories. One of my best memories was an afternoon spent in a park in Toronto - listening to him tell me about his war stories. I also remember the excitement of looking at his photos whenever he came back from one of his trips.

I appreciate his many years of encouraging me as a poet, musician and artist. He was undeniably biased, but I kept writing all these years, and I'm not sure I wouldn't have completely given it up without that.

He will be missed - its too bad that I've so recently made it back to Ontario. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to take him out to lunch. There will be times, when his absense at the dinner table will be felt, when his goofy jokes will be missed, and we'll wonder what stories were lost forever with his passing - I hope they have good libraries and plays where he's gone, and an in tune piano. I thank him for all the moments of kindness, generousity and encouragement he added to my life. I wish him smooth sailing on his next travel to excotic places, and hope he knows that all of us will remember him fondly for the rest of our lives and tell stories about him to our children (if and when we ever have any). Farewell Uncle Stevie.

Love Jennith 

The storm overflow inlet from "afar"

  

Smart city... I've been duly impressed by Guelphs Storm water management inovations. This inlet is on the side of a wide swale to capture overfull, in the event of a significant storm. The swale has natural, unmowed vegetation (to slow the water down and capture sediments) and blocks at medium intervales to store water if necessary.

Yeah Guelph 

Marching on Rememberance Day

 

View from Frogmore

 

Pretty little lake

 

A Haunting Fall of Autumn Rain

Well, I've never seen it rain this many days in a row. It isn't pouring, just a steady drizzle... I took the dog for a nice walk in it... did some thinking - wrote a few haiku poems on the way.

Fire-feathered limbs
Reflected in rainwater
Sombre October

Leaf stained concrete holds
Permanent shadows of life
Tracing to winter

Oak leaves tinted gold
Red-edged leather shivering
Lapped by wet wind's tounge

Fading summer greens
Pass to brassy shades, falling
Discarded merry robes

Stark naked trees dressed
Only in ridged bark husks that
Wait for solar energy

Okay.. enough morbid autumn poems

Jennith 

Sugarbush House

Sigh... where did Autumn go.. the bright sunny part - today was dim and dreary - okay the last week was dim and dreary. Although the sunset on the way home was amazing.. the tones were subtle and crazy and just plain awesome.

Couldn't get a picture while driving... esp. with my camera far away... bedtime for me.

Night,

Jennith 

Way too horky

 

My Grandparents

Rocks, bricks, words, voices
A pair of aces unafraid of ice
Yet like warm ocean

Knowledge and wisdom -
Balanced with eye twinkling fun
And fine chicken soup

Know best way to build
Sandcastles, mines and stories
The gift of Grandfolk 

Shallow Tea-Hued Pool

I've been gathering a collection of the Haiku I've been posting on this site, so I can print it off for my Uncle Stevie - who always appreciated my poetry more than anyone else.

I cheated on this one, but I just liked it with the extra syllable in the last line... it flowed well

Silent leaf falling -
Spiralling slow descent ends
In shallow, tea-hued pool

Jennith 

Rickety Bridge in the Hanlon Watershed

 

Happy Birthday Erin

I seem to find myself stuck at school with neither phone nor photo - however, I still want to wish Erin a happy birthday and a measure of my appreciation and admiration for her many accomplishments.

I'm not sure who I'd be if I hadn't grown up in your circle of influence, however, it most certainly would not have been as interesting a result. We found refuge in our similiar forms of spazziness and in the unique ability of close friends to read minds, finish sentences and understand all of the information effortlessly. At least relatively speaking.

When all is said and done, neither of us ended up quite where we expected (i.e. not in a classroom full of gifted children), but neither of us turned out bad somehow.

Congrats on all those years of being yourself and teaching me to think outside the frame of reference given to me.

I must off too sleep now,

bu I didn't want you thinking I'd forgotten... tee hee hee.. picture to be posted soon.

Jennith 

Ah Highschool Students

I wanted to blog a random link to "Totally Tescellated". THere are a few simple tescilations in the back ground...

This is alex tasting th biggest heaviest fiddlehead in New Brunswick in front of the Saint John art gallery.

Look to the evening for exciting blog entry - maybe tomorrow. Today is my first EFRT shift.

Jennith 

The things I do for this blog

Here I am stretching out to get a close up of a sundew plant at the Beaver Pond Trail in Algonquin Park 

Forest Halls

Crisp air - wood scented
Blades of sunlight, cut shadows
In the forest halls 

More Crawford Lake

 

Gabe at Crawford - not quite a sillouette

 

Crawford Lake Conservation Area

Using my pass for the 3rd time, I dragged my family to Crawford Lake via the still rural backroads of Halton and over the escarpment. (My brain is bursting into song... "Somewhere over the escarpment, way up high, birds fly over the escarpment - why then do I still drive :D)

I think Gabe got some more exciting pictures, but here is our local Meromictic (read that as deep and uninhabitatly limited in oxygen near the bottom) Lake. They've done a lot of work on their Iraquois village display and clearly have expanded their outdoor ed. facilities since I was last there (quite some time ago). Oddly, I also had the pleasure of watching native dancing yesterday - when there was a kick-off to aboriginal week at University of Guelph. I also (having slept in and lacking a lunch) was in luck to try numourous native foods such as fried rabbit, venison stew, blueberry bannock and dumplings, pemican soup and strawberry juice. Yum!!!

Anywho, it was a beautiful day - unlike the weather forcast for the rest of the week.

Cheers,

Jennith 

Gramma Is Great

Well, if you ask me, I've also been fond of my Grandma - however it was Jack that technically made her great (tee hee hee).

Jokes aside, we had a lovely time celebrating her birthday this weekend, although we didn't get as many picture as we might of - at least not on my computer.

Congratulations Gramma on being greatie years old!

:D

Jennith 

Bear's Head Fungus

Well, it was a dark and rainy day when my plans to do field were scuttled and I decided to work from home. This is actually not a bad thing, save that I'd really like to get my field work done before it starts snowing. I'm currently transferring files between computers while simultaneously working on an award application and a watershed design assignment. I've been blogging from my new computer, so I've only had recent photos to draw from lately - and blogger seems inclined to upload 80% of the minitures. Again... if you double click on these you'll see the whole page.

I had a surprising flurry of comments yesterday - especially since I haven't posted since Friday. Thanks for you thoughts, compliments and greetings. Its always nice to get comments because its a concrete proof that someone is actually reading all the nonsense that you write or at least checking out the pictures.

Gabe seems to be excelling in his photography course. At least he's having fun. It looks more exciting that reading journal article at any rate.

Everyone else is hanging in. I'm hoping that my Uncle Stevie feels better soon.

Lets see if I can post the rest of my story with appropriate pictures.

See the blog above for a continuation.

Jenn 

Lets see if persistance works

 

 

Maple and Blue Skies

This was also taken on the road between Kingston and Perth. There is this stunning, but hard to photograph little lake behind it and we are standing on a big rock outcrop overlooking the water.

This leathery little maple was very eye catching and it was warm enough to just wear tshirts last Saturday.

I still don't know what is with Blogger. It seems to be having some serious issues still. I guess I should be glad that it is working. I'm trying to see if waiting longer to post (AKA writing something other than a blurb will help with getting the full picture to upload... altough it'll be hard to judge.

Cheers,

Jennith 

Tree on 10 to Perth

 

Green and White

Guelph under flurrious attack 

Even the vegetation is starting their christmas decorations

 

Snoak in Wintober

Another snow picture from Guelph yesterday. Although we didn't get hit like Buffalo did, there is still a smattering of snow on the ground today (unfortunately my camera is still charging).

I want to wish a special Happy Birthday to my Grandma.... and I'm looking forward to the party this weekend.

Driving home from school yesterday, we took the backroads from about halfway, hoping to get a last glimpse of escarpment country before all the leaves were gone. It was a beautiful drive especially when we came down steels just as the sun was setting.

Myself, I have lots to do... reading about ecological flow assessment, learning ArcView, HEC RAS and refreshing my brain on SWMM. I also owe about 2 months of birthday cards and it is nearly time to start on christmas cards.

With the coming of the cold weather, I'm definately feeling the itch to start knitting again. Yesterday night, Gabe and I pulled out our mitts and hats to walk the dog and it was -1C this morning. I baked banana bread last night, which turned out pretty edible considering the fact that I completely forgot to add 2/3 cup of sugar. I like to think of it as diet banana bread without the risk of cancer from aspartane... although the 1/3 cup of margerine (calorie reduced at that) may take away from its health benefits.

Anywho, its time for me to get back to doing work stuff, unless I want to spend the entire weekend reading.

Cheers,

Jennith 

Brrrrr...A cold wind blows in Guelph today

Taken just moments ago this photo captures the wild dance of snow and wicked fridgid wind on Guelph Campus in October??? So much for Global Warning. I can't remember seeing snow in October in Southern Ontario in my lifetime - I'm sure its happened, but not while I was looking.

You have to love the Residence student in shorts...

Cheers,

Jennith 

Blogger on the fritz

Blogger has been down a bit this morning, maybe they are fixing the half-picture thing (hopefully)

Here is Gabe in the Gatineau

Tree Crossed Photographer

I seemed to have a rediculous number of pictures of Gabe taking pictures. He's so cute!!

I also had a relatively thought provoking if depressing conversation with my mom about the world, violence, child rearing, values and possible solutions. Sigh.

Somewhere between the rash of school shootings, a defiant nuclear test, ongoing bloodshed in the middle east and 8 year olds dressed for the bar in Fredericton - there has to be a better way to have a civilization, a better way to pass on coping skills and civil values, a better way to raise our children and protect ourselves and others from the ravages of status revengeicus. I just can't figure it out off the top of my head. The best I can offer, whenever I determine I have the experience and ability, is to become a politician. Not exactly what I had in mind for a career, being naturally averse to confrontation and not keen to ask for verbal abuse, but willing to endure as a civic necessity. I can produce maybe 2-3 children and love them and hopefully raise them to be caring and kind people. I suppose I can set a good example of kindness, thoughtfulness and responsibility. But at this point in my life, I don't have a huge sphere of influence.

Anywho, back to cleaning my bedroom and exercising.

Cheers,

Jennith 

South Facing Slope Oak

Here is a leathery white oak leave turning rich shade of green, crimson, yellow and rusty orange. We also saw some red oak nearby.... excitement. Well drained upland forest ecosystem. 

Gatineau Escarpment

Glorious view from the south side of the escarpment in Gatineau park. Perhaps not far from here my best friend is wandering the hills with her family, unbeknownst to me and Gabe. Alas. Everyone else I knew in Ottawa except Manda went to Toronto for the weekend or Saint John.

So, I still have a lot of people I'd love to see or at least talk to on the phone. It may happen one day. Sigh. In the mean time, I'm busy trying to learn stuff and learn more stuff. Hopefully I'll learn enough before it gets too cold to do field work.

I'm still not sure why this program is only inserting partial pictures. if you double click on the picture. You will get the whole photo in fancy format.

Cheers,

Jennith 

Bursting Milkweed Pod

Taken on the 10 somewhere between Kingston and Ottawa this field of milkweed gave us much amusement watching the amazingly floaty seeds blow off into the distance.

As for blogger/picasa, I"m not sure why it is posting half pictures, but perhaps one day I'll be able to fix them.

Jenn 

Sharbot Lake

A tranquil moment at Sharbot Lake - on highway 7 between Carlton Place and Madoc.

We chose to drive the backroads home yesterday (given our sucess with the 401 - I think this was a splendid and scenic plan). We made a brief leg stretch stop at Sharbot Lake Provincial Park, toured a few dirt roads on a detour and stop briefly at Wilmot so I could show Gabe the creek.

The 401 West was a disaster from Oshawa to home, so we actually drove Steeles most of the way. A slow travel, but we did get to see the IBM building in Markham.

Sigh... traffic.

However, it was all worth it because we had a lovely family thanksgiving dinner and played Settlers of Catan.

Cheers,

Jennith 

Here you can actually see his face.

 

Even long dead priministers can't help getting shat on

Poor McKenzie! He hasn't done anything good or bad in years, and still he gets no respect from these seagulls(does anyone get respect from seagulls). 

Looking up the Ottawa River

Here is the upstream view from Parliment Hill.

Parliment Hill

It turns out there is a reason they call it parliment hill. It is actually on one!

This was taken from the far side of the Rideau Canal.

Wolf on the trail of photos in Gatineau Park

Gatineau Park was lovely... and insanely crowded. There were hoards of people, cars and bicycles on narrow roads, sometimes driving in a peculiar fashion. Nobody got killed so far as I saw.

It hasn't been the most impressive fall I've seen, but it is the first Ontario fall I've had in 5 years and first southern Ontario fall I've experienced since 1994. (wow do I feel old).

We went to the McKenzie Mountain trail - waiting 20 minutes for a parking spot and on the sugarbush trail by the visitor centre.

We were treated to 2 most excellent Thanksgiving dinners. Manda fed us on and my parents the other. All in all it has been a terrific and relaxing weekend... back to the grind tomorrow.

Jennith

Milkweed seeds aloft

I guess if it wasn't past my bedtime this picture would evoke some kind of haiku poem. I guess I'll just have to settle for posting it plain. 

Sharbot Lake Provincial Park - Chipmunk

I always think of the Raven (Algonquin Park Newletter) where the author notes one german woman's facination with chipmunks and how terribly we underrate them because of the familiarity.

I guess that goes for everything... friends, foods, a peaceful place to live.

Sharbot lake is a small but delightful park with sites crammed between a lake and the highway. We travelled back from Ottawa via highway 7 and I have to say, I don't think I would take the highway 401 anymore than I have to to get to Ottawa. The 7 is a nice piece of road and the scenery kicks the 401's butt.

Jennith

Eeek! Watershed Design

Picture from Hanlon Creek Conservation Area.

Sunrise bird song flies
Through gravel-streamed forest valleys
Nestled between peaks

Onwards and upwards and Arcviewing again.

Jennith 

A true bug

Correct me if I'm wrong Erin - but is this a true bug. He is hangin out on dog wood leaf.

ooooooohhhhh slimy

Witches Butter - a nice orange slime mould revels in the humid post-torrential-storm afternoon 

Hiking in the Hanlon

I was out and about looking for a potential study site in the Hanlon watershed. I'm amazed at the amount of greenspace in Guelph. If you tune out the sounds from the parkway, you'd think you were in the depths of the woods. Here is a nice cedary-swampy bit with lots of coarse woody debris. 

Amazing Asters

I can't seem to go wrong with close up shots of these asters. This one in near the Hanlon Creek Conservation Area.

The closest match in Forest Plants of Southern Ontario (aka my "bible" or at least the most well used book I own with dog eared pages and dirt - may have to do somewhat with where I use it). As a caveat - I'm trying to identify from a photo and I didn't get a good look at the leaves or stems for the purposes of identification. Oh - and the book describes it as a "highly variable species". So... who knows. 

YEAH!!! I MADE THE EFRT TEAM!!!

Its official I am a first responder once more!

Yeah! Hooray! Yahoo!

Jennith

more astercaes

 

Couldn't help myself

Well, the asters do go together! 

Astercae Autumn

Haunting autumn rain
A fall of chill tears - dark skies
Coming snow whispers

An aster on a field trip in Guelph - yeah macro lens.

Busy weekend!

I finished the AMFR course sucessfully and I'm waiting for them to post the list of people who made the EFRT team. I guess wearing my orange shirt (under my fleece of course) really was good luck.

We shall see... but hopefully now I'll be a bit more relaxed, especially since I'm finally starting to feel better.

I'll post again when I find out - if the results are good, otherwise I'll just plunk up some more autumn pics. Hopefully I'll make it out to the Bruce trail before all of the leaves are gone.

Jennith