Clued Down

2023-09-24.

Joined some friends in Halifax for a “CluedUpp” game, kind of a PokemonGo-like fairytale-themed augmented reality app scavenger hunt around the city. Amusingly the game producers appear to not have taken into account that the main quest giver’s virtual location on the Grand Parade was the site of a real life military ceremony the same day, making one of the waypoints inaccessible for a bit. (Note the homeless encampments.)

En route to other waypoints I paused a bit to appreciate this message on a traffic light pole.

After we’d finished* with the game we walked along the waterfront a bit, where souvenir shirts were on sale.

* We didn’t actually finish the game. The theme of this one was “Beauty and the Beast,” with a bunch of other fairytale crossovers, and it got a bit tiring with lots of tedious text-heavy storyline between the AR waypoints. At some point we lost interest and just went to get food and go for a walk. Seems other CluedUpp players were disappointed too, though others went all out and even dressed up in costumes.

E Mari Merces

2023-09-18.

At the Gardens to meet up with old DC friend Keith, I noticed the old Halifax coat of arms on the gates.

The city’s motto, “E Mari Merces” — “From The Sea, Wealth” — with a sailor and a fisherman flanking a kingfisher beneath a mayflower. Since amalgamation this has been replaced with the newer Halifax Regional Municipality arms but I still like the classic one.

Fort Needham Memorial Park

2023-09-03.

Some shots from around Fort Needham Memorial Park, with monuments commemorating the Halifax Explosion: terraced walls with casualty statistics, a bell tower that chimes the time, and Vince Coleman’s last transmission.

Couple things I wish I’d also captured: the rusted steel walls with the names of the ships, and the labels for the explosive cargo engraved in the planks of the benches. More on the the memorial from its designers at Fathom Studio.

Smoky and Martha

2023-09-01.

Got a photo of Smoky on our deck railing, in almost the same location and pose as in a photo I took of Martha outside shortly before her death last year.

Both of them being Joneses, I guess Smoky carries on Martha’s legacy in some feline way, just with a much bushier tail.

More photos of Smoky the kitten’s first year.

On Making a Pizza

2023-08-29.

Tried making a pizza for the first time, crust and all.

I went with this quick dough recipe, mixed and stretched by hand and topped with some canned tomato paste, a bag of shredded mozzarella, and some Chris Brothers pizza toppings.

It turned out pretty well, but since the quick crust recipe didn’t include much proofing time the dough was not very flexible, so I had trouble stretching the crust without getting holes. (And yes I did try the spinny throw thing.) The solution is to just stretch it out and let holes form, then tear off dough from some other thicker part of the crust to just patch up the holes.

I used plain canned tomato paste, which turned out a bit too tangy, so I’ll need to sweeten it next time, or go with a prepared pizza sauce. I also tried putting the toppings under the cheese — inadvisable, it turns out, for greasy cured meats which need space for moisture evaporation so you don’t end up with soggy pizza.

Still, after about 20 minutes at 450F in the oven, the pizza that emerged made for an excellent lunch.

Thicker, denser crust than I’m used to, so next time I’m going to give it at least a few hours of proofing, see if I can get it flexible enough to split into two thin crusts.

Lake and Fireworks

2023-08-28.

Spent some of Natal Day weekend in early August at Cole Harbour Kiwanis Park on the shores of Morris Lake, looking at ducks.

…and watching fireworks over the Harbour on Sunday night.

More on Natal Day, a holiday to commemorate the founding of Halifax.

Smoky at the Table

2023-08-27.

Best picture to come out of Smoky’s recovery shirt era was this shot of her sitting at the table with her paws out like a person looking startled.

Might work for a an image macro template?

Been a while since a cat of mine has been a famous meme but this might have potential.

Spaying Smoky

2023-08-26.

Got Smoky spayed, which, while good for her longterm health as a nonbreeding domestic indoor cat, of course made her quite unhappy. I felt bad dropping her off at the vet that morning.

The procedure went smoothly and I was able to pick her up after lunch, tired and woozy from post-op drugs.

We got her a recovery shirt to spare her the discomfort and indignity of a cone, but she’d grown quickly since we last fitted it on her and it turned out to be too small and tight.

Fortunately we were able to get a bigger recovery shirt. (In pink, too.)

Amelia was very gracious to Smoky through her recovery — possibly Smoky was too drowsy from painkillers to bother Amelia as much.

Followup vet examinations found she needed an extra week to heal so she stayed in the recovery shirt a bit longer, and I had to apply ointment to the scar — not an easy feat with a scratchy bitey kitty.

Just over three weeks after surgery she was fully healed and we could take off the recovery shirt. (Some swelling remained and the fur over the scar would take a bit longer to grow back, but she seemed fine and was no longer scratching or licking at it.) One thing, though: at surgery they found fleas on her! I’ve had to apply a topical treatment to the back of her neck — and to Amelia’s as well. Hoping that handles it before the fleas migrate to us humans.

I continue to collect more photos of Smoky the Kitten’s first year here.