There’s nothing more boring than being holed up in the house after surgery. You can only look at so much internet, especially the crappy news. I don’t know how my mother managed, stuck in the house, with a bunch of brats to chase. But at least she had something to chase. All I could do, at least for the first week or so, was watch the dust bunnies floating across the floor. I couldn’t even chase them.

And I want to thank everyone for their well wishes for my knee surgery recovery. I really appreciate the comments and the emails.

I don’t do social media anymore and I hate watching world news lately, but I do read a few blogs, especially by good writers and deep thinkers. Recently I read a blog by Robert Breen, who lives in Arizona. Him and his wife, older now, were getting bored with their environment – you know, same old… same old. So they decided to move to Manhattan for 5 months for a change in scenery. He wrote a few blogs about walking their dog in Central Park, going to the bakery for coffee and pastry and visiting all the highlights in NYC plus Broadway shows. They’re back now and it seems that this change of pace was the perfect routine breaker for them.

Well it got me thinking. How about moving to Montreal for a few months. Now that’s a total change of pace from Collingwood. But then I thought about our Roadtrek RV van. And yes, we’re starting to talk about an extended trip to Nova Scotia next June, and maybe even do part of it with our friends Pascal and Johanne from Quebec City, whom I know are thinking about NS, as well.

I wanted to treat this blog like a conversation at a café, but where I do all the talking or rambling on and on, and you can only listen. But of course you can leave comments below. Lot’s to talk about in this boring time at Len’s Café. Not drinking coffee, but a glass of Oakville’s Barnburner whisky.

One of the readers of the previous blog, Mary, wanted an update with photos. The only photo I could think of was of my knee, with the staples now gone. But with all the cracks and scabs in a 7 inch scar, you don’t really want to see that. So I’m including a few from this year’s 52Frames, which I’ve been diligently completing. And Mary, I’ve been tirelessly doing my physiotherapy both at home and at the Collingwood Hospital physio clinic, and things are improving on schedule. I hope to be on the hill at Blue Mountain (at least the easy runs) by the end of February.

[Click on any photo for the slideshow. Please leave comments at the bottom of the page.]

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Week 1. Self-portrait

I Will Survive ( Self Portrait )

I couldn’t decide what to write for this photo

But since yesterday, I’ve had
“A Touch of Grey” by The Grateful Dead
In my head
So, it’s alright
I will survive
Another year of 52 Frames

Week 2. What I eat

A Balanced Snack ( What I Eat )

Cappucino and Biscotti go together like… well…

… Cappuccino and Biscotti

Week 4. Something Old

Old and Older ( Something Old )

My hammer from the 1970’s and my father’s chisels from the 1940’s. Still sharp and still useful.

Week 5. Blue

This was cool in ’62 ( Blue )

Using greasy hair stuff
Got to look buff
Girls attracted to the comb

Lookin’ at my ass
More fun than sitting in class
More fun than Sunday morning mass

Future Puddle ( Puddle )

Week 6. Puddle

It’s -20C where I am
Not a puddle in sight
But wait, there are icicles
And the sun is so bright

I take off my gloves
Stay away from the trends
Then I get my week’s shot
With my nippy toxic lens

Decision ( Motion Blur )

Week 7. Motion Blur

Getting off the lift
No time to lose
All seems a blur
Which way should I choose?

Awaiting the descent
Can I do it, or just a poseur
Will get over that edge
Life seems a blur

I know I can get there
But things in the way
Then I’ll just have to deem
It’s a wonderful day

Week 8. Triangular Composition

My Favourite Triangle ( Triangular Composition )

Couldn’t find any triangles outside
They’re all under the snow I guess
So I made my own triangle
And drank it after the shoot

Still Touring ( Unfinished )

Week 9. Unfinished

A songwriter, singer, musician and photographer
Graham Nash was never finished
With the Hollies, then Crosby, Stills and Nash
He pushed the envelope of music
And is still touring and shooting

Younger than him, but like him
I’ve spent much of my life with a guitar
And a camera
And that will never be finished

My Day Off ( Egg )

Week 11. Egg

Just sitting here
Looking out the window
Not skiing today
Just day dreaming
Thinking about eggs
And what’s one doing on my window-sill?

Alone ( Mood )

Week 13. Mood

A mushroom in the forest
Begrudging the couples at the tables
And the small party celebrating
Feels like I’m trapped in a void
This bottle my only friend
Easy to camouflage
With a fake smile and denial
But I can’t hide from myself

The Aggregate ( Details )

Week 15. Details

I was walking on a beach
In Prince Edward Island
The sand was red
Then I saw this entity

Stooping down to take a look
A cluster of clam shells
What brought them together
I wondered?

A clam orgy?
Cemented together somehow
To be locked in embrace
For eternity

Through a Window ( Luxury )

Week 19. Luxury

Walking ‘round my town
Searching for luxury
It’s a bit cold and windy
But not quite blustery

I look into a resto window
Pretty fancy and upscale
The food here is pretty good
But the prices make me pale

Down the street a little way
A homeless person on the walk
For her to see this opulence
I’m sure it’s quite a shock

Small Town Downtown ( High ISO )

Week 21. High ISO

Such a bustling place in daytime
But the night-time transformation
Brings introspective quiet
The clock tower of the town hall
Is the moon to my eyes
I can walk here
To let my mind ponder
And my imagination run amok

Is This Reality Or Just A Fantasy ( Through The Looking Glass )

Week 22. Through the Looking Glass

Falling through the rabbit hole
You land on a chessboard
Or is this the Google Matrix
You wonder?

A poem is written backwards
But Humpty Dumpty can read it
And when he falls off his orange wall
Can they put it back together again?

The White Knight
Shaves his eyebrows
He knows how to live
In his Looking Glass world

So if you go chasing rabbits
Or smoke from a hookah
Or take some kind of mushroom
And things seem to be going backwards

You have to wonder
Are there any grownups in the room?
Do you know the moral?
But actually…

There is no moral

It’s a Wonderful Thing ( Daily Ritual )

Week 25. Daily Ritual

Nostalgia kick lately
Beach Boys in my head
Remembering the
Lights Out basement parties
Dance “Grinding” to “Surfer Girl”
With my Grade nine sweethearts

No daily rituals
Only lusty desires and impure thoughts
But now?
My daily ritual is coffee
And when I’m camping
Making coffee outdoors is
A wonderful thing