Boyce Thompson Arboretum

Mum and I spent one afternoon at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, walking around and taking photos of all the plants.  Then, I was so tired I fell asleep on the 20-minute car ride back to the house!

Arizona Renaissance Fair(e)

I'm so easily distracted by things, I forget about this.

So my first full day in Arizona, Mum and I went to the Renaissance Fair(e).  Neither of us had been to one before.  This one was extremely well-established, and was crawling with people in bizarre costumes.    

It was difficult to not talk about people - their costumes and whatnot - because they were all right there next to you.  And were the majority of the costumes dreadful?  Yes!  There was so much crushed panne, it was out of control, it was like I was back at some colorguard competition.  And if the costume could be 'slutified,' it was.  And only about 10% of the costumes were actually Renaissance-like.  There was a very fantastic Plague Doctor wandering around, but for every Plague Doctor there are four large women in strained corsets, a dozen goths, one hippie, and somebody in a cloak wielding a wood sword.  We saw two Southern Belles!  I wanted to give them some sort of demerit: Three Hundred Years Wrong.

There was a fun haberdashery.  This pose = Ship Captain.

Consumptive Poet.

Mum says Smile.

Arizona Vacation

After spending a cold and snowy (but fun) week in Ottawa, I went to spend a week in the complete opposite.  This seems to be a theme: PMG and Arizona.

Mum and Dad are being snowbirds outside of Phoenix this year, so it seemed like a February journey to the southwest was a good idea.  Right outside their yard is a nice little nature preserve of some sort, excellent for hiking and climbing around on rocks.

Mum leads the way on the trail behind the house.

Mum was freaking out while I was climbing these rocks.  It didn't seem scary during the climbing up or down, so I maintain it was not a big deal.  Mum may say otherwise.

It had rained the morning of the day I arrived, and the day before as well, so all the lichens on the rocks were super-bright and all the cactuses were so full of water they seemed moments from popping.  This green is from some striking mosses and lichens.

PMG Reception: Vodka Luge

Since Supervisor Greg was heavily involved in the PMG Winter Meeting planning, it meant that there would be all sorts of tasty things to eat, most likely in a lovely venue.

True!  The reception was in the newly remodeled wing of the Canadian Museum of Nature.

The table decorations were also glorious (Rachel's photos, not mine).

The highlight of the reception was the vodka luge, which was sponsored by two conservators in private practice.

Pictured: Amanda, Alisha, Lisa, Rachel, Hye-Sung, me.

That's trouble.  Supervisor Greg and friends lurk around the luge.

Most of the "young ones" - me, Hye-Sung, Lisa, the peeps who are still students or just out of school - skipped out of the very end of the reception, as Hye-Sung and I had set up a very important visit to our favorite Ottawa all-you-can-eat awesome sushi restaurant.  Priorities: we've got them.

So imagine our surprise upon arriving at the conference venue the next day, seeing the vodka luge sitting outside, on a sculpture/bench.  That implied that somebody took it home and then hauled it to the Library and Archives building early the next morning.  Which is a fabulous thought.  And that somebody: Supervisor Greg, Canadian National Treasure.

A Typical February Day in Canada

Day three in Canada: blizzard.  But nobody really cared, everything went on an usual.

Since the crew at the International House of Pancakes was letting us stay with them, I decided that it would be proper for me to take care of the snow-shoveling, while they were all at work/school.

After the show shoveling, Lisa and I headed to the Rideau Centre for some shopping-mall wandering and then to the Moulin de Provence for Obama Cookies and croissants.

Ice Skating with Lisa and Saori

Lisa and I arrived early to Ottawa, a couple days before the conference, so that I would have time to meet with Supervisor Greg (so we could go over our talk together before we actually gave it for real).  That meant that there was plenty of time for ice skating.

On the Rideau Canal.

Lisa gets ready (her favorite color is red).

All skated-up and ready to go!

What do you eat while you ice skate?  Why Beavertails, of course!

After returning our skates (I had a spectacular Superman-style wipe-out ten yards from the skate return - hateful toe picks) we headed up to Parliament.

(Lisa.)

Two days later, another photo conservation friend - Saori - and I went skating.  The delightful Hye-Sung was invited, but she declined, saying that she wasn't "strong enough" at the moment.

Saori takes off from the skate rental!

Saori is currently a second year grad student at the Buffalo program, so you'd think she'd be used to the cold.  Perhaps, but a concerned friend lent her this gigantic coat!

Of course!  You can't skate on the canal and not eat one of these.  (Anyway, they're better when it's cold out.)