Day 16.324: Delivered quietly

You need a bit of context for this one. Sometimes I take a screenshot on my phone by accident and this is one of those. The other context you need is that if I am replying to a message while multitasking; I’m often a bit terse -  sometimes perhaps too terse and this is also one of those occasions. 

I discovered this today:

I feel like the “Delivered Quietly” was trying to save me from my terseness. It’s definitely better than “No” delivered bluntly or delivered stridently or many other adverb options. 

The context reveals that the “quietly” was not of my making and so I have to trust that my brevity was not taken amiss:

At least I resisted the temptation to insist on a notification of my important message. 

Day 16.323: Police action

I had to meet someone at our new church building to discuss a quotation for some work yesterday and was surprised to see this going on just over the road:

Apparently, the police were responding to some kind of fight or argument, but happily - despite drawn weapons at some point, no shots were fired in the end. 

Day 16.322: Seen from the beach

It wasn't a great photography trip when we went to the beach on Saturday. For whatever reason, rarely have I taken so many out-of-focus wildlife photos, here are some that made the cut:

Two young long-tailed ducks

A great black-backed gull

...its yawn(?) is pretty great too

American black duck

Two more American black ducks flying over

White-winged scoter

But perhaps the most disappointing photography miss were these two shots:

In focus but badly timed - any ideas?

Marginally better timed but out of focus - maybe a chance you can identify from this?

Harbor seal peaking out after a set of extravagant jumps that I failed to capture (well at least).

Day 16.321: Royal Mail?

Seen in Worcester MA - quite a surprise once we realized what we were seeing.

Day 16.320: Exile #2’s Sunday Column #460

Exile #2 writes...

We took Exile #4 back to college today after a fun Thanksgiving break. Of course, we’re aware it won’t be too long until they return. Our Christmas tree is already cut and awaiting decoration and E5N1 is getting in good shape for his winter concerts.

This evening, we dismantled what was formerly Exile #1’s French Horn, now played by E5N1, and gave it a bath. It’s a process I still find unnerving, never having played an instrument that required bathing, nor one with so many removable parts, but between the three of us, we got it cleaned and put back together with all the pieces in the right place, hopefully.

Day 16.319: Beach Friday

Our Black Friday consisted of some tech-work at church (Exile #2 and me) and a walk on the beach (everyone but E5N1). The latter looked like this:

The gang, squinting into the sun

It was a beautiful afternoon, but chilly when out of the sun

Can't resist the reflections in the wet sand

Out of season - check!

Great to see Exile #3 and Exile #4 chatting and laughing

We did see a few interesting things, but they will have to wait.

Day 16.318: Easy assembly?

Another activity yesterday was assembling a lamp. However, unlike the flat-pack projects of old, this one assembled itself as soon as the box was open - so much easier.

and here is the finished article:

Day 16.317: Thanksgiving

We had a very nice day with lots of delicious food, a couple of games, a movie and other fun. Much to be thankful for. 

This was our table (before the food arrived):

Day 16.316: Reasons to be thankful

Exile #2 had a fairly uneventful trip to bring Exile #4 home for Thanksgiving despite a big storm (rain and wind for us but some snow inland) and big-travel-day traffic. 

Meanwhile, I was working to get the sound-system and online tech gear reconnected in our new church building which also went as well as could be expected - although there is quite a lot more to do. 

Day 16.315: How did this happen?

At around 5:50 pm this evening, I left Exile #2 like this:

Yes, she's sitting on a car seat on the sidewalk by the mall.

So, how did that happen?

It started with a text from my pastor yesterday showing a box that was six and half feet long and four and a half feet wide containing a large TV intended for our new church building in place of our projector/screen arrangement. When I replied to her out of context photos with a joke, she replied, "Well, it won't fit in my car. Do you think you could fit it in yours?"

We realized that this evening was our only window to try since Exile #2 will be traveling in our large vehicle to collect Exile #4 for Thanksgiving tomorrow, so off we went to try. Neither we, nor the very obliging young men who came to try to load it were confident and there was no chance it would go in with the middle seats in place, so out the came. In went the TV (just!) and this was how I left Exile #2 while I went to deliver it (with some hastily arranged assistance at the other end).

Exile #2 was getting quite cold by the time I returned 25 minutes or so later. Her most common interaction with passers-by (after weird looks and a wide berth anyway) was "It was either me or the TV!"

Day 16.314: Just-so junco

This weekend I was barely home during daylight for bird counting, but Exile #2 held down the fort and ended with a good number. Exile #3 helped out at times and is starting to recognize more of the feathered visitors. The dark-eyed junco has been declared to be the cutest, and I may be forced to agree.

Day 16.313: Exile #2's Sunday Column #459

Exile #2 writes...

It’s been an end of an era kind of day. Our church held one final service in a building it’s been in for 10 years. In fact, they’d just opened the doors when Exile #1 happened to rent an apartment just around the corner. They had previously been in other locations and will shortly be in another - one passed on to us by another congregation.

For E5N1, it was the last performance of a Midsummer Night's Dream. He has greatly enjoyed hamming it up as Flute, the bellows mender, who is made to play the lovely Thisbe in the play-within-a-play. Sporting a long blonde wig and a tutu, he has been sashaying across the stage and delivering his lines in a southern drawl that would have fitted right in at a debutant ball. We managed to get to all of the shows and they were a hoot! The students have worked really hard and they did a fantastic job. We’re grateful for the chance to laugh and for a school that values and supports theater and music!

You can spot E5N1 near the right-hand side - just look for the tutu

So, on into Thanksgiving week.

Day 16.312: Night two; three went, four saw

After a not-good day, Exile #3 rallied at just the right time to come to E5N1’s play this evening.

We all thoroughly enjoyed it. Exile #4 watched the live stream which was less satisfactory, but they did snag a photo of us in our second-row seats:

Day 16.311: Opening night

Tonight we bought some last-minute tickets to go along to opening night of E5N1’s school play. I hasten to add that we were already planning to go tomorrow night - we weren’t going to miss it. 

I won’t give much away for those that may see it tomorrow or on Sunday but it is an excellent production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with a hippy twist. Here is our player before yesterday’s dress rehearsal and a shot of the excellent set tonight during the intermission. 

Day 16.310: Empty box

This arrived the other day:

I looked quite exciting and not like anything we were expecting. However, on opening the box it appeared to be empty. 

On closer inspection it proved to be only almost empty. 

This was the content lying in the bottom of the box with no additional packaging or anything:

All we can imagine is that this was the only box available that was long enough for the curtain rail. 

Day 16.309: Mirage

One more photo from the beach (because I found it while looking at the bird photos for yesterday). It was a good day for the horizon mirage - common at this time of year because the water is so much warmer (or perhaps less cold) than the air.

Day 16.308: Birds at the beach

Here are some of the birds we saw at the beach on Sunday - firstly the ones that were quite obliging:

Common loon

Ring-billed gull

Red-necked loon diving very close to shore

A small raft of lesser scaup

And then some that were rather distant for identification until we reviewed the photos taken with the 450 mm lens:

Black scoter

Surf scoter

Double-crested cormorant