Today we behold the mighty willow ptarmigan, state bird of Alaska. It is native to the subarctic tundra, where it lives year-round rather than migrating to friendlier climes in the winter. Someone local to me spotted some about 150km outside … Continue reading The Day Thread of Willow Ptarmigans
Acton, Ontario is a small town of 9,377 people, west of Toronto. I’ve never been there. Or maybe I have, who knows? All the towns in that area look the same. Its claim to fame was having Canada’s largest leather … Continue reading The Day Thread Is Worth the Drive to Acton (Apr. 3)
Eau de Nil is a shade of green that, depending on who you talk to, is either a soothing greyish green, a soothing bluish green, a soothing yellowish green, or some combination of the above. The name was inspired by … Continue reading The Eau de Nil Day Thread (Dec. 6/22)
There are many light up commercial signs and landmarks that are famous, sometimes just locally, sometimes around the world. Notable examples include Moulin Rouge’s windmill in Paris, Seattle’s “Public Market Center” sign at Pike Place, Abbotsford, Melbourne’s animated Skipping Girl … Continue reading Commercial Signage Day Thread (May 24)
Who wants to own a piece of Canadian history for a cool $3.4 million? That’s right, the Low-Martin Mansion in Windsor, Ontario is back on the market! This house features an ostentatious design, an interior that I find oppressive (but … Continue reading The Low-Martin Mansion Day Thread
Just what the title says. School. On a train. For around 40 years of the 20th century, rural Northern Ontario (as well as other areas of Canada) were serviced by travelling classrooms built inside railcars to educate the children of … Continue reading All Aboard the School Train Day Thread (3/7)
Today we take a look at the 1988 film Miracle Mile starring Anthony Edwards as mild-mannered musician Harry, and Mare Winningham as confident, yet vulnerable diner waitress Julie. If you sat down to watch it knowing nothing about it, you … Continue reading Miracle Mile Day Thread
Flowers have had many great moments in film. My all time favourite is the flower shop in Vertigo pictured above, a breathtaking explosion of colour that upends expectations when it appears. Other favourite moments… The Wizard of Oz‘s poppy field: … Continue reading The Day Thread of Flowers in Film (Aug. 16/21)
Lorraine is a leech in a group therapy session in Alison Snowden and David Fine’s Oscar-nominated animated short Animal Behaviour. She is panicky about being alone, quick to tears and hyperventilation, and spends part of the short hiding in a … Continue reading The Day Thread of Lorraine the Leech (May 6, 2021)
Tom McCamus has been part of the fabric of Canada’s theatre, TV, and movie scene for a few decades. He’s mostly a stage actor and is a veteran of top festivals like Stratford and Shaw. At Stratford I’ve seen him … Continue reading Tom McCamus Deserves A Day Thread – March 15th
Pets. And adoration of pets. That’s all that’s allowed here. Continue reading Emergency Pet Thread.
Over 60 years ago Timmins, Ontario resident and avid hiker Archie Chenier happened across an unusual sight in the woods: an eight-storey high pile of delicately balanced boulders. While no one can say for sure precisely how the boulders got … Continue reading Archie’s Rock Day Thread (Oct. 11)
Lauren Harpster is a bead crafter/designer who works with French beading techniques. These techniques are used to craft flowers and plants out of glass seed beads and wire. The results can be as realistic or as fantastical as you like … Continue reading A Lauren Harpster Day Thread
And now, a history of Canadian artists with #1 hits on America’s Billboard Hot 100 chart. Assuming, of course, that Wikipedia’s wholly unsourced “List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones by Canadian artists” page is accurate: First song by a Canadian to … Continue reading Canada vs. The Billboard Hot 100 Night Thread
Otto and Theta were sentient computer-y thingies on TV Ontario’s educational/literary/sci-fi/mystery/how-many-genres-can-you-count kids’ program Read All About It that aired from 1979 to 1982(? 1981? 1983? Sources vary on the dates.). Otto was a dot matrix printer. Theta was a computer … Continue reading Otto and Theta’s Day Thread
Duck MacDonald is a character in Daniel MacIvor’s 2004 dark comedy Wilby Wonderful, set in the fictional small island town of Wilby in the Canadian Maritimes. The movie follows an ensemble of characters trying to sort out their lives over … Continue reading A Duck MacDonald Night Thread
Forming in London, Ontario in 1989, The Gandharvas made a small splash in the Canadian alternative music scene with The First Day of Spring, a single from their debut album A Soap Bubble and Inertia, released in 1993. For a … Continue reading The First Day Thread of Spring Brought To You By The Gandharvas
In 1914 a young crystal cutter named William John Hughes quit his job at Roden Brothers Ltd., a Toronto silversmith and crystal company. Having learned his trade there, Hughes started the W.J. Hughes Corn Flower Company to produce glass pieces … Continue reading It’s a Corn Flower Glass Day Thread
Hello residents of The Avocado. I promised these recipes to Merve in yesterday’s day thread, so rather than make a massively long post in an OT that gets buried, I’ve published a separate post. Anyone who wants to is welcome … Continue reading Nanaimo Bar Recipes
Howdy do once again, Craftocados. Whatcha makin’? This week, we talk about crafting and finding success and having that success bite you firmly on the butt. I’ve been following the saga of The Blue Brick Crafts, a small scale Toronto … Continue reading The Craftocado – When Success Attacks
Hello hello, fellow crafty denizens of The Avocado. It’s been *mumble* months since we checked in with each other. It’s my fault, I just plain dropped the ball. I’ve been busy, and my wrist was giving me problems, and I … Continue reading The Return of The Craftocado
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