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Toronto GTA Property Tour
Landlords Are Doubling Their Rent, Here's Why
The liberal government has announced that they will be doing something to calm the renting hikes from landlords. While this is a good thing for renters, it could be a detriment to housing and landlords going forward. Some landlords have already become proactive and...read more
Is A Pet Clause Valid?
This is a question I get asked all the time. The Short Answer is No, you cannot tell somebody you won't rent out your place because they have a pet. Another question, many people have is, whether or not you have a pet clause in there, and then the tenant gets a pet...read more
Is My Lease Finished after the Term?
Many landlords do not understand what the rules are regarding leases. The landlord tenant act is something that all landlord's should study before renting out your investment property. A major reason why is that tenants study it, and know it very well. Tenants used to...read more
School Profiles
University of Toronto St. George
U of T St. George is the oldest and most urban of the U of T campuses. Students here convene in historic lecture theaters and college residences, make discoveries in contemporary research laboratories and explore in Canada's largest academic library. They discuss news of the day on Philosopher's Walk and work on a student newspaper in the same building where the famous aviator Amelia Earhart once volunteered as a nurse. Out in the college courtyards, you are just as likely to see drama students rehearsing black box productions as you are to see astronomy students working on calculations for the observatory.
Ryerson University
Ryerson offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. Culturally diverse and inclusive, the university is home to 38,950 students, including 2,300 master's and PhD students, nearly 2,700 faculty and staff, and more than 140,000 alumni worldwide. Research at Ryerson is on a trajectory of success and growth: externally funded research has doubled in the past four years. The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education is Canada's leading provider of university-based adult education. The university's focus on innovation and entrepreneurship is represented most distinctly by the Digital Media Zone, a place for students to collaborate and bring their digital ideas to the marketplace.
George Brown College
George Brown offers a wide variety of programs in art and design, business, community services, early childhood education, construction and engineering technologies, health sciences, hospitality and culinary arts, preparatory studies, as well as specialized programs and services for recent immigrants and international students. The college offers 35 diploma programs, 31 advanced diploma programs as well as six degree programs, one in conjunction with Ryerson University.
York University
Ontario College of Art and Design is dedicated to art and design education, practice and research and to knowledge and invention across a wide range of disciplines. OCAD'S programs bridge fields of digital media and design, sustainability, health and wellness, cultural diversity and indigenous cultures. OCAD U is situated at the heart of the nation's art, design, business and new media capital, on the ancestral and traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the New Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishnabe and the Huron-Wendat .
Humber College Lakeshore
Established in 1967, Humber is one of Canada's leading postsecondary institutions. Committed to student success through excellence in teaching and learning, Humber serves 29,200 full-time students and 23,000 part time and continuing education students. With an internationally recognized reputation for quality learning, Humber offers a wide-range of career-focused opportunities for students to personalize their educational path, including 150 full-time programs across more than 40 fields of study, 200 part-time and 400 online programs or courses. More than four out of five Humber graduates are employed within six months of completing their studies.


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Oh, my goodness, it has been such a long time since my last post.
I have done very little of anything crafty!
Tony and I spend a huge amount of our time in our garden now. The lawn has been stripped and replaced. It currently looks like moldy earth, hopefully it will continue to grow and by Christmas we will have a lawn again.
In the green house the tomatoes, capsicum and chilli peppers are doing well. We didn't get any irrigation sorted out yet, so I'm out there morning and evening with the watering can.
The veg gardens are amazing!
I can't keep up with the spinach and silverbeets. I've frozen loads and even given some away.
My second crop of brocolli is coming along nicely as is everything else.
I planted seeds saved from squash given to me by my father in law. They are going along great too.
And of course I'm still discovering new plants on the property. We have done a whole year here now, but our efforts to tidy up have revealed new treasures and allowed other plants to thrive.
Including the weeds!
Crafty wise, as I said I have done very little. I had planned to make some gifts, but simply don't have the energy. I did manage to get some cute ornaments made and an hour here and there to stitch on sleepy.
Progress is slow.

subset: commoncrawl


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Sunday, 5 February 2017
More Mixed Media Challenge - "Anything Goes" optional Red
12 comments:
Fabulous canvas Lozzy, great colours and design. Hugs Jennifer xxReplyDelete
Gorgeous canvas, Lozzy. Love the textures in the background and, of course, the Vera Lane girl. xReplyDelete
Wow Lozzy this is gorgeous! I love all that fabulous color in the background and the texture is so yummy! Love that image and how beautifully you colored her. Beautiful canvas! Thank you so much for joining our Funday Friday Challenge this week at Jo's Scrap Shack! Hope you have a great day!ReplyDelete
♥ Jo's Scrap Shack ♥
Your canvas is so cool. Love the work you did on the background and that image you used is so cute. Love your creativity.Thanks for joining us at the Crafty Creations Challenges for our latest challenge. Good luck and join us again soon. Hugs, Barbara {Crafty Creations Challenges}ReplyDelete
This canvas is really awesome..Love all the texture and colors...so so so creative..ReplyDelete
Fantastic mixed media canvas Lozzy..LozReplyDelete
Love your canvas. Very pretty layering and colours. Thank you for joining us at Creative Artiste this month. Judy DTReplyDelete
Beautiful mixed media! Love all the textures and colors. Fantastic job! Thanks for joining us at Love to Craft! Challenge BlogReplyDelete
Tina dt
Great card! Thanks for joining us at Crafty Creations. Anna-Karin DTReplyDelete
Fabulous Canvas..love the brights and all the textures too..ReplyDelete
Thank you for joining us at Rhedds Creative Spirit this month...x
What fun ...love the pops of red. Thank you for joining in at Rhedd's Creative Spirit this February.ReplyDelete
this is brilliant Lozzy - and amazing collection of colour and texture - beautiful. Thanks for joining us at Stamps and stencils! Hugs rachel xReplyDelete


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Boots Mini Club clothing for kids
One of the best places I have found to buy kids clothes is Boots. Before children I would never have thought this but I have found them to be classic, well made and reasonably priced. It was good to hear then that Mini Club clothing is now available to buy online
.The Mini Club range is suitable for birth to 6 years and the sizing is proper British sizing, if you know what I mean! This means you don't have to stand there and measure and contemplate what size you need to buy, just go for the correct age.
The outfits we got were perfect for Christmas and if you are looking for a special outfit for the Christmas period I cant recommend Boots highly enough.Fifi was sent this gorgeous spot party dress from the Collectables range which has a third off at the moment and is a total bargain. It's well made, hangs nicely and looks very expensive. She loved it from the moment she saw it.
Boy was sent this lovely chambray shirt and jeans which makes him look just like his dad. He thinks he looks very smart, I think he looks very cute. Both fit really well and are well made I am sure they will wash and last which is what you need from boys clothes. You cant go wrong at the moment. I totally approve.
You'll have to wait for the Christmas Day pictures to see what they looked like, I don't want to spoil the surprise!


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What to do in Perugia
Whether you're visiting Italy for art, architecture, atmosphere, food and wine, beautiful countryside – or all of the above – you'll find what you're looking for in the romantic walled hilltown of Perugia. What to do in Perugia? Here are five of my favorite things about this lovely Umbrian town.
Perugia's gorgeous architecture
The Piazza IV Novembre (photo above), with its gorgeous fountain and surrounding buildings looks like it belongs on a poster attracting visitors to Italy, doesn't it! Other must-sees on the architecture itinerary include the Duomo, or main church, the Oratorio di San Bernardino, and the Rocca Paolina or Fortress.
Italian Walled Hilltown (can-I-bottle-this?) Atmosphere
Perugia emanates atmosphere, so you can't miss it. But the best place to experience it is during the daily evening passeggiata (seen in the photo of Piazza IV Novembre above) on the pedestrian street of Corso Vannucci. It's not uncommon to do the circuit over and over again so don't be surprised if you keep seeing the same people. Another great place for atmosphere is at the fountain around midnight, when the students gather.
What to eat in Perugia
Perugia has great cheese, pasta, olive oil, pine nuts, and salami, but it's most famous for chocolate: Baci, or kisses (photo above), made with hazelnuts and milk chocolate, then wrapped with love notes written in 4 languages. Read the scandalous love story about the origin of wrapping a note around each chocolate.
Perugia hosts a free chocolate festival every year in October which attracts thousands of visitors. This year on October 18th, a few Italian artists will get to sculpt an 1100 kg block of chocolate as they choose. Note: if you're not particularly interested in the chocolate festival, avoid Perugia while it's on because it takes over the city.
Perugia's wine
Umbria is wine country, so visit a vineyard or two or at least sample some of the local wine in an enoteca. We have great memories of Enoteca la Tana dell'Orso (Via Rochi Ulisse 32), which is about a 5 minute walk from the Piazza IV Novembre. If you go, visit the Enoteca pub in the cellar, and make sure to ask about their salumi, and get recommendations on cheese and marmelade pairings.
Art in Perugia: Perugino and Raphael
Two of Italy's most famous artists come from Perugia: Raphael and Perugino, born Pietro Vannucci. Visit the Collegio del Cambio inside the Palazzo dei Priori to see some of Perugino's most famous frescoes. If you love art (or like art, and it's raining) the Umbrian National Gallery is also worth a visit. One of the most famous frescoes by Perugino and Raphael is in the Church of San Severo.
Getting to Perugia and Getting Around
Take the train to Perugia, then take either escalators up the hill or the minimetro' people-mover. If you drive, park in the lot in Piazza Partigiani. However, if you're considering driving in the city, know that Perugia has a Zona Traffico Limitato, a limited traffic boundary that if crossed could result in an automatic fine. Once you've reached the historic center, explore Perugia on foot, though remember it's on a hill, so wear comfortable shoes.
More Info
- For opening and closing times of stores, hours of operation of escalators and elevators, and more information on traffic rules in the historic center, click here.
- Umbria Jazz Festival in July: www.umbriajazz.com.
- Stay awhile and learn Italian at the Universita' Per Stranieri, which has many classes for foreign students.
- Visit the Umbrian archaeological museum to see Etruscan and Roman artifacts.
Photo of Piazza IV Novembre from www.istockphoto.com; Photo of Perugia by Sanjay; Photo of Baci chocolate by "Monira*
Italy Beyond the Obvious will help make your trip truly memorable. Take advantage of our Italy trip planning services for a customized itinerary, or get coaching assistance with our Italy travel consulting services. And if you like what you read, why not subscribe to the Italy Beyond the Obvious blog and get free updates?
4 Comments
Nils DavisSeptember 11, 2009
Ha! We're going to be Umbria from 23-25 October – perfect for the Chocolate Festival! Thanks for mentioning it, and other great things to do in Perugia. Loving your blog, btw – we'll be referring back to your suggestions for the whole two week trip to Italy.
MadelineSeptember 13, 2009
Thanks Nils! Exciting you'll be there for the festival – I'd love to see photos of the giant chocolate sculptures if they're still around 5 days later.
Let me know if you come home with any Beyond the Obvious recommendations of your own.
Mack ReynoldsAugust 31, 2011
I've never heard of Perugia, but it sounds like a really nice place to visit and get romantic. Have you been there more than once?
MadelineSeptember 2, 2011
Thanks for your comment Mack. Perugia is one of those (many) Italian cities that don't get the glory of the Big Three (or the Big Seven or the number you know) but you get there and it can feel overrun with tourists. Or, depending on the time of year and day of the week, it can feel like you've discovered your own little corner of Italy.
yes I've been there a few times: on an overwhelming school trip when I was an exchange student in Italy; and more memorably (more calmly, more romantically) with my husband more than a decade later.


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A secret six-year imbroglio that threatened to dismantle the Hammer Museum -- established by oil baron Armand Hammer and endowed with art by his foundation -- has ended with the museum and the Armand Hammer Foundation agreeing to part company and divide a $305-million collection amassed by Hammer.
Under terms approved by the University of California Board of Regents, which has managed the museum since 1994, the foundation will cede its role in the museum's governance and relinquish many contentious restrictions, including a "reversionary clause" that gave it the right to reclaim the collection and some endowment funds.
In return, the foundation will walk away with 92 paintings valued at $55 million.
The museum -- which has developed a renowned contemporary art exhibition program in recent years -- will retain by far the most valuable portion of the collection, 103 works valued at $250 million. Highlights include the museum's trademark paintings by Rembrandt, Vincent van Gogh and John Singer Sargent. In addition, the museum will keep 7,500 works by 19th century French satirist Honore Daumier and his contemporaries valued at $8 million.
The settlement is a result of issues raised by Michael A. Hammer, grandson of the late Armand Hammer and director of the foundation. "I am satisfied that we have come to a successful resolution where both sides are happy," Hammer said Thursday.


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Low Voltage Labs now has a forum at http://forum.lowvoltagelabs.com/
You can create an account on the forum or just sign in using your Google, OpenID, Twitter, or Facebook account.
I recently applied for the 2012 Red Bull Creation contest at http://www.redbullusa.com/creation
Yesterday I received my official Bullduino board so I thought I would share a few photos. The box didn't include any instructions, so I guess if you can't figure it out you don't deserve to be in the contest.
Two bulls on a circuit board, first time I've seen that:
See more photos here:
I've posted some photos from the Seattle Mini Maker Faire.
You can see them on Flickr or Google Plus.
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lowvoltagelabs/sets/72157630049133116/
Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/photos/115017817208112204973/albums/5750749757409609921
Thanks to everyone who attended my presentation at the 2012 Seattle Mini Maker Faire on Sunday.
The presentation was an overview of creating a printed circuit board using the KiCAD suite of electronic design automation tools.
Here is a PDF of the slides I used for the presentation:
Release your hardware hacker potential with KiCAD
Also a big thanks again to DorkbotPDX PCB, Midnight Maker and Seeed Studio for the PCB samples, they were a big hit!
I'll be speaking at the Seattle Mini Maker Faire this coming Sunday June 3, 2012 at 12:40PM. This is the first year for the Seattle Mini Maker Faire and it's being held at the Seattle Center in Seattle, WA, USA.
The presentation will take you step-by-step through the process of creating a printed circuit board using the KiCAD suite of electronic design automation tools. From schematic to gerber files, you can do it all with the open source tools in KiCAD.
Here is the presentation schedule for the Seattle Mini Maker Faire:
Hope to see you there.


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Despite having such a good reason to go digital, Iíve never seen anything on the market within my budget that could produce the quality I needed. I had to be able to use the shots in a glossy magazine, and I had to have a range of lenses to cover my assignments. A lot of my shoots are of properties for the rental market (www.mycaribbean.com), and my Canon 24mm and 19mm lenses have covered my needs well. But, I also have to shoot people, products, and some glamour.
In June, I read a review of the Nikon Coolpix 990 and realized that this camera could handle most if not all of our requirements, so I bought one and took it on vacation. One of the smartest things I did was to buy the wide-angle and fisheye attachment lenses, as well as a 96MB flashcard and reader. Iím a lens snob, so I have always been wary of attachment lenses, but Nikon has a great name in the field of optics, and I knew the camera couldnít do what I needed without them.
Experimenting a lot on vacation ( www.photo.ai/ireland/ and www.photo.ai/paris/ ), I really work on understanding the manual. I had a blast! I took the Coolpix everywhere.
Integrating the camera into our work brought its own advantages. Rental villas constitute the bulk of our shoots. Jo Anne and I work as a team, art director and photographer. A typical shoot will take about four hours in which we shoot about six setups.
Because of the limitations of shooting film, we have always used a very large ìfudge factor,î varying the lighting, and bracketing each side of the light meterís readings by a couple of stops. I have had many sleepless nights hoping the shots I needed were on the film, and that the client liked them. Weekends and holidays the processing shop is not open, and on many occasions we have had to wait a couple of days before seeing the results.
The digital camera has changed all that. Because of our current setup, we can get the shots we need, show them to the client, get their approval, and move on to the next setup immediately.
Although the camera has a decent monitor on the back, it also has a very cool video output, which is adjustable between PAL and NTSC (European and American TV standards). Did I mention we were also in the video business? Well, we are, and have a selection of video monitors available. Our screen of choice has been a 9î Sony Trinitron connected to the camera while it sits on a tripod.
On indoor shots, we are always using a mixture of White Lightning studio flash units and a couple of slave battery units; I have to take a picture to see the results on the monitor. By setting the camera to the lowest quality, VGA-basic, and taking a shot, the setup can be viewed immediately. A few adjustments, a consultation with the client, another few adjustments, and we are ready for the final shot. I donít use the highest setting on the camera - which produces a 9MB TIFF file - the full resolution JPEG file is perfect for my needs. With the camera adjusted to that resolution, I bracket two or three shots and break down for the next one.
On outdoor shots, where the monitor is not practical because of the extreme light level in the Caribbean, we leave the video monitor indoors and check our work before moving on. I have plans to construct a decent ìHoodmanî type of monitor shroud so we can use it in the sun. Iíve ordered the Hoodman for the 990.
Among the most impressive features of the camera, from a professional point of view, is the control it allows. Digital cameras have always seemed to be mired in the ìpoint & shootî genre, designed to remove all creative flexibility in an effort to ensure that the clumsiest, half-blind tourist would go home with a recognizable image. While the 990 caters to that market with its automatic setting, on its manual setting, there are controls for every feature. With five white balance settings as well as auto, flash power, and monitor brightness, the camera is easy to customize. The auto white balance has produced images so accurate I have never needed to colour balance in Photoshop.
The most important control for me is the ability to set the aperture and shutter as I would with a film camera. I have always shot ISO 100 film, and the 990 can be set up as ISO 100 to 400. I leave it on 100 and find that my Minolta flash meter pretty much agrees with the settings on the camera. Although changing the settings is a little more fiddly than a full-sized SLR, itís not bad. The camera has four metering modes, including spot, but I have not been happy with the results using the built-in metering. I suspect that the high levels of infrared present outdoors, in the Caribbean, are causing the camera to underexpose. I also suspect that the camera is looking at the brightest point in the subject matter, and trying to keep within its range.
Another of my requirements for a digital camera was that it would work with studio flash. The 990 made this easy. I use the built-in flash to trigger slave flash units. Although not powerful enough to add to the White Lighting, it is bright enough to trigger the other flash units. I also have the Nikon external speedlight adapter on order, with a flash bracket by Versa-tec.
Almost all of the properties we shoot feature wonderful views of the ocean. Combining the indoor scene with the view through the window is a requirement of most shoots. This is a lot more difficult than it sounds. Outdoor exposures are F32 at 1/60, the normal camera sync speed. I bought the Canon T90 because it featured a 1/250 sync speed, which brought the aperture down to F16, or F11 if we overexposed outdoors by one stop. The surprising feature of the 990 is that it has no sync speed because of its electronic shutter. I can set the shutter and aperture to any combination and it will work.
My studio flash units have 1/300 duration, so there is a limit to how fast I can set the shutter, and the range of apertures is very limited on the camera, so it's not a perfect solution.
Remember those attachment lenses? The wide-angle has turned out to be a wonderful piece of glass, I use it on most of the indoor shots. A step-up ring is on order to allow me to use my collection of promist and polarizer filters, and to attach my Cokin filter system.
The fisheye is so much fun, itís a
true 180 degree lens, which produces a circular image. Very bizarre! It has given me a new product for my website customers, spherical panoramas. These wild images allow the prospective client to look around a room as if they were in it. (www.photo.ai/pans/hadalli.html).
For some shots I still use film. The 990 is not as responsive as a film camera, though, there is a very definite delay when you press the shutter button. Because the camera has to compress and save the image, the cycle time is about five seconds, much too long for action shots. When I need longer lenses I return to my Canon.
On the other hand, the 990 has the most amazing macro ability. I took a shot of ìchinaberriesî after a rainstorm, they are only an eighth of an inch across, but they are huge in this shot.
It's amusing to watch the clients do a double take when they see all our equipment being hauled in to the location, then this little pocket camera is placed on top of the tripod. Weíve been able to shoot in the morning, and hand the client a dozen 8 x 10 images in the afternoon. The flash card reader stays attached to our scanning workstation and appears as a drive on the network, the pictures are available moments after we walk in the door from a shoot, saving me two to three hours of scanning and retouching.
There are a few things I would change - if Nikon were to ask me. In our environment, small apertures would be useful. I find the metering inaccurate. When the flash is turned on, it only flashes if the camera feels itís needed. I would like it to fire anyway, if the camera is being used on manual.
Iíd love to be able to preview the image without saving it. Currently it will save unless I go through many buttons to erase it. It would be nice to set it up so that pressing the shutter release would shoot an image to the monitor, but not save it.
It would also be nice if the viewfinder image was a little more accurate. Now, the cropped image is very different from the actual image. In fact, it would be a lot nicer if the camera was a SLR.
Battery consumption is very high, but I think that's a limitation of the technology. I have been using NiMH batteries and chargers from the people at www.greenbatteries.com who are wonderful to deal with. I get a couple of hours out of each set.
An x-sync terminal is a must. Why do camera manufacturers think their puny expensive flash units are everything we will ever need? It would be so nice to be able to wire my studio flash units to the camera directly.
The external video monitor has all the settings displayed on it just like the cameraís monitor. Why? Thereís no need for it. To turn it off, one has to turn it off on the camera - which is a pain. It would be far better to be able to connect the camera to a computer and see the image on the computer - a live connection would be great.
The software in the camera is wonderful. Forget the computer software, itís terrible.
This camera has loads of mainly functional features, more than I could ever fit into an article, and it takes quite an effort to learn them all.
Iím truly in love with my little Coolpix.
All in all, the Coolpix 990 is a great product.


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Paul Zunckel won a booking to the value of R700 at Plover Cottage B&B
It is an awesome feeling. Out of the blue and totally unexpected but it also came at a good time, so a very big THANK YOU to Plover Cottage and to SLEEPING-OUT. You guys rock.
How can you Win Free Accommodation?
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On the south coast of KwaZulu Natal in
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The sea view from this Beach House will take your breath away. We invite you to come explore the South Coast and the Zulu Kingdom. Visit 'Palm Beach' with its beautiful beaches on the warm Indian Ocea... Read More
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A little piece of paradise on the Kwazulu Natal South Coast. On the banks of a freshwater lake are two fully equipped luxury tents with a queen size bed, great quality linen and a coffee station and e... Read More
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Gorgeous beachfront house with 4 spacious bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. Peaceful setting looking onto private beach, lagoon and nature reserve belt. Lots of birdlife and wildlife and simply the most relax... Read More
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Days At Sea Beach Lodge offers 5 star luxury accommodation in a paradise nestled in tropical, lush gardens right on the white sandy beaches of Trafalgar, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa.
The tiny coast... Read More
From R1300* unit
Waves End is a lovely self-catering beach front house, situated in the quaint coastal town of Trafalgar, only a couple of steps away from the unspoilt Trafalgar beach situated in the Trafalgar Marine ... Read More
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The Merry Crab is a secure, informal holiday hideaway carved out of the lush, tropical Admiralty Reserve and only a pathway away from a beach so pretty, film-makers have used it for movie sets! The Me... Read More
From R600* unit
Trafalgar is about 10 kilometres between Port Edward, and the popular town of Margate. And about 20 kilometres from the wild coast sun.
Trafalgar has its own local sports pub and and restaurant, with... Read More
The Potbelly Beach House is a four bedroom, self-catering beach house with a fully-equipped kitchen. Please note that the house doesn't have garages. parking available on the lawn at the back of the ... Read More
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Price Range comparison
In order to provide meaningful price comparisons this website compares the Per Person Sharing Rate or, where this is not available, the Average Price Per Person for a unit, based on its maximum occupancy.When Homes and Villas are selected as the search criteria, the full daily rate for the unit is used for price comparison and display irrespective of the number of people the unit sleeps.* This accommodation is only available as a unit. It has been included in these search results as the average price per person based on maximum occupancy falls within the selected price range. However, the price displayed is the full unit price.
South Coast (KZN)


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TORONTO, May 14 (Reuters) - Toronto's main stock index rose 1.6 percent on Thursday as a broad rally took hold after three straight days of decline, with the rise led by the big commodity and financials sectors.
The S&P/TSX composite index .GSPTSE unofficially closed up 152.91 points, or 1.57 percent, at 9,862.42. Eight of the index's 10 main groups were higher. (Reporting by Ka Yan Ng; editing by Peter Galloway)


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Sold Listings
2942 E 7TH Avenue in Vancouver: Renfrew VE House for sale (Vancouver East) : MLS®# R2248830
2942 E 7TH Avenue Vancouver V5M 1V3 : Renfrew VE
Extensively renovated with City permits in the last 3-12 years. The owners installed a new roof, furnace, on demand hot water system, new electric panels, insulated the house and upgraded windows to double glazed. The main floor now has a deluxe 4pce bath and a gourmet kitchen opening to a 16'x14' south deck. Downstairs is a legal 2 B/R suite (presently not rented) with its own W/D, gas F/PL and south patio. Rent it as a 2 B/R or keep 1 B/R as a 3rd B/R for the main floor. With the slope of the lot you walk out of the bsmt flat on grade. BONUS large modern double garage with 10' ceilings, 8' overhead door for a camper van, insulated with a 2pce bath and a 200amp electric panel. This could make a terrific workshop or be a double garage with lots of storage. Open Sat & Sun 24/25 March 1-3pm
Listed by RE/MAX David Campbell Realty
Listing information last updated on April 24, 2018 at 12:11 AM (UTC)


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There's never been a better time
to apply to Otterbein University.
Apply online today!
Want to know what's happening at Otterbein? Read our parent newsletter, check out our events calendar and visit this page often for the latest news, events and updates.
Bon Appetit Shares New Food Services
Get all the information here.
Send a Care Package to Your Student
Find out how here!
Otterbein Launches New Mobile App
It's just like being on campus! Want sports scores? Campus news? With the new Otterbein App, you can customize your mobile experience with more than 50 feeds from Facebook, Twitter and Otterbein.edu.
With the Otterbein App, you can:
Ready to get connected? Download it here.
The Center for Student Involvement is located at
100 W. Home St.
Office Hours
M-F: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
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Director of the Center for Student Involvement
p/ 614.823.3205
e/ email@example.com
Otterbein University, 1 South Grove Street, Westerville, OH 43081 614.890.3000
Otterbein University is a private, non-profit, United Methodist affiliated, regionally-accredited institution.
© 2019 Otterbein University. Otterbein University is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer


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Grateful Quotes
Sometimes we look around at our life situations and think that there is not enough to be thankful for. Sometimes we survey our relationships or health challenges and think that giving thanks borders on the absurd. Yet, if we look around us, we can see that we are not alone in our trials, that many others are having to face similar problems. A friend said to me the other day "It seems like I can never get away from stuff. It's always one thing and then another and then another." My response, "It's always going to be there. It's what makes you better and what makes you stronger."
Grateful Quotes
"A grateful perspective brings happiness and abundance into a person's life." ~The Noticer: Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective by Andy Andrews
"After all, the seeds of depression cannot take root in a grateful heart." ~The Noticer: Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective by Andy Andrews
"Whatever we are waiting for – peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance – it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with an open and grateful heart." ~Sarah Ban Breathnach
"The trick is to be grateful when your mood is high and graceful when it is low." ~Richard Carlson
"The more grateful we feel, the more things we receive to feel grateful for. The more loved we feel, the more love we receive. The more beautiful we feel, the more attractive we become." ~Feel It Real! by Denise Coates
"I am very grateful to make my living doing what I would do for free." ~Judd Nelson
"That which you have received, you should be grateful for it. And the most beautiful phenomenon is that when you are grateful, existence starts pouring more and more over you. It becomes a circle: the more you get, the more you become grateful; the more you become grateful, the more you get… And there is no end to it, it is an infinite process." ~The Magic of Self-Respect: Awakening to your Own Awareness (Authentic Living) by Osho
"Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way." ~Native American Prayer
"Gratitude is the memory of the heart." ~Jean Baptiste Massieu
"The Universe loves a grateful person. The more you thank Life, the more Life will give you to be thankful for." ~Empowering Women: Every Woman's Guide to Successful Living by Louise L. Hay
"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." ~Marcel Prous
"And I reminded myself that it's easy to be grateful for the obvious blessings in life, much harder to be grateful for the tough moments and the lessons they teach." ~You Can't Drink All Day If You Don't Start in the Morning by Celia Rivenbark
"ThanksGiving is good but ThanksLiving is better." ~Matthew Henry
"To become grateful, I must learn that I can handle disappointment and delayed gratification with grace and perseverance.This is why practices such as fasting and simplicity are such powerful tools for transformation. The experience of frustration and disappointment is irreplaceable in the development of a grateful heart." ~Love Beyond Reason by John Ortberg
"Be grateful for the home you have, knowing that at this moment, all you have is all you need." ~Sarah Ban Breathnach
"Let us be grateful to the mirror for revealing to us our appearance only." ~Erewhon by Samuel Butler
"The gratitude that we encounter helps us believe in the goodness of the world, and strengthens us thereby to do what's good." ~Dr. Albert Schweitzer
"Like opening a can of mushroom soup and finding tomato instead; be grateful and eat it anyway." ~Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
"Darkness deserves gratitude. It is the alleluia point at which we learn to understand that all growth does not take place in the sunlight." ~Joan Chittister
"A central truth of life is that we always find what we look for, so if we look for things we appreciate and for things we're grateful for, we're likely to find more of this good stuff." ~Focus on the Good Stuff: The Power of Appreciation by Mike Robbins
"If we stop and find something to be grateful for in the midst of a challenge, we gain an important perspective that helps us not only "get through" the problem but also learn and grow in the process." ~Focus on the Good Stuff: The Power of Appreciation by Mike Robbins
"Be grateful for luck. Pay the thunder no mind – listen to the birds. And don't hate nobody." ~Eubie Blake
"The ability to relax and be mindfully present in the moment comes naturally when we are grateful." ~Gratitude: A Way of Life by Lousie L. Hay
"When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed." ~Maya Angelou
"Practice being grateful for everything that life has blessed you with." ~The Master-Key to Riches by Napoleon Hill
"The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings." Eric Hoffer
"Be grateful for the love you have to share—share it, and it will return to you ten times over." ~Looking Beyond by James Van Praagh
"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others." ~Cicero
"It is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy." ~Life Gets Better: The Unexpected Pleasures of Growing Older by Wendy Lustbater
"As each day comes to us refreshed and anew, so does my gratitude renew itself daily. The breaking of the sun over the horizon is my grateful heart dawning upon a blessed world." ~Terri Guillemets
"Yes, there is a "secret to happiness"—and it is gratitude. All happy people are grateful, and ungrateful people cannot be happy. We tend to think that it is being unhappy that leads people to complain, but it is truer to say that it is complaining that leads to people becoming unhappy. Become grateful and you will become a much happier person." ~Happiness Is a Serious Problem by Dennis Prager
"Gratitude for the present moment and the fullness of life now is the true prosperity." ~Eckhart Tolle
"If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough." ~Meister Eckhart
"One quality of most grateful people is that they don't focus so much on pain and problems. They don't dwell on their losses and are quicker to realize the blessings in even the toughest times. They tap into their families and friends during times of need, and they step back and ask themselves how they can help others in distress as well." ~Living Life as a Thank You: The Transformative Power of Daily Gratitude by Nina Lesowitz, Mary Beth Sammons
"I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." ~G.K. Chesterton
"The very first step toward giving to others is grateful recognition of our own assets." ~Promise Me: How a Sister's Love Launched the Global Movement to End Breast Cancer by Nancy G. Brinker
"Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty." ~Doris Day
"I've loved. I've lost. I've grieved. I've gained. And for this, I am grateful." ~Color Me Butterfly: A Novel Inspired by One Family's Journey from Tragedy to Triumph by L. Y. Marlow
"Joy is the simplest form of gratitude." ~Karl Barth
"She was always like that: grateful for life itself. Her glass was not only half full, it was gold plated with a permanent refill." ~When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman
"If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily." ~Gerald Good
"A simple grateful thought turned heavenwards is the most perfect prayer." ~Doris Lessing
If you like these Grateful Quotes, take a peek at our other Positivity Quotes!


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It was a most tragic thing that I should second guess my life's purpose the day before I left. I therefore left behind the physical manifestations of my actual life's purpose and took with me some other things that I sort of like, but aren't ever worth taking when traveling around one's country.
The day before yesterday I shipped those things back home; but I figured it was pointless to ask my family to ship to me, c/o my good friend Rachel, my books which I was originally going to take with me: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books, On the Road by Jack Kerouac, and most importantly, Wild Mind by Natalie Goldberg.
These books were meant to inspire my fiction and freewriting which I was planning on accomplishing during the month of November, 20 days of which I will be spending in the land known as "not in the comforts of my home where all of my writing resources always are no matter what." But, in case you missed the part where I thought for a bit that I would do something a little less pleasant but a little more useful than NaNoWriMo… I don't have them with me, because it seemed silly.
And we all know the saddest part is that I am actually traveling with absolutely NO Natalie Goldberg along to inspire me. I have to live off of my own whims. I don't even know how I've made it this far, or how I have 8,884 words in my NaNoWriMo novel right now. There must be some miracle at work here. And I can't even find anything of hers online. She needs a blog. Just for me, a desperate woman stranded with nothing but a laptop and her own notebook full of mediocre writings.
For those of you who don't know, Natalie Goldberg is basically the coolest person alive. She writes, and then she writes about writing. She's a Zen Buddhist whose main focus is freewriting. Freewriting, which Google Chrome says is not a real word, is when you just start writing and you write about whatever comes out. Some friends thank me for slightly more illustratively renaming this process "word vomit." I should probably patent that term, but since I am poor, I'll just hope that some kind people give me credit if they use the term themselves, and I'll leave everyone to go about their normal lives and not worry about me showing up at their back screen doors with a pick axe and a rather resentful looking snarl across my lips, distant eyes spelling out an urge to mutilate anyone who has ever done me wrong. Don't worry. Those same friends who praise my "word vomit" creation? Yeah, those friends. They will also inform you that I am much too nice to do anything even remotely close to even looking menacing and murderous. So forget about it…. sigh…
In my desperation, I was able to find some of her quotes online… one of which just put me to shame: "Life is not orderly. No matter how we try to make life so, right in the middle of it we die, lose a leg, fall in love, drop a jar of applesauce." Okay, fine, Natalie Goldberg. I get it. Life can't be perfect and I should keep writing anyway, whether you are here to help me or not!
But NOW I am all inspired by all these Natalie Goldberg quotes about writing.
"When you are present, the world is truly alive."
"Sometimes when you think you are done, it is just the edge of beginning. Probably that's why we decide we're done. It's getting too scary. We are touching down onto something real. It is beyond the point when you think you are done that often something strong comes out."
"Talk when you talk, walk when you walk, and die when you die."
"First thoughts have tremendous energy. The internal censor usually squelches them, so we live in the realm of second and third thoughts, thoughts on thought, twice and three times removed from the direct connection of the first fresh flash."
"There is no security, no assurance that because we wrote something good two months ago, we will do it again. Actually, every time we begin, we wonder how we ever did it before."
Quite so, Natalie Goldberg… quite so. Please, keep being amazing – and I hope to meet you one day very soon!


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We occasionally like to put ourselves through the mill and enter our wonderful products for an award – from time to time we're delighted and slightly surprised to win or come close runners up. Nothing taken too seriously and lots of lovely people met along the way who run their own local businesses.
Taste of the West 2017
Our Smoked Back and Unsmoked Streaky both won Gold this year – and our Hot Dogs , Speedy Sausages and Unsmoked Back Bacon all won Silver. These fabulous awards aim to champion food and drink producers in the West Country, as well as all the places that serve and sell their produce, to prove that when it comes to what you eat and drink, it really is best in the South West.
Great British Food Awards 2017
After an unprecedented number of entries and four months of rigorous
shortlisting, testing and tasting – the results revealed that our Smoked Back Bacon was awarded Highly Commended in this years Great British Food Awards 2017.
Good Pig Award
Compassion in World Farming said, "We are pleased to announce that Eastbrook Farm Organic Meats has been awarded a Good Pig Award by Compassion in World Farming in recognition of our commitment to meat pig and sow welfare.
Compassion's Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards recognise food companies that are making it their policy to produce and source higher welfare eggs, meat and dairy produce."
Great Taste 2017
Great Taste, the world's most coveted blind-tasted food awards, which celebrates the very best in food and drink, has announced the Great Taste stars of 2017. Helen Browning's Organic was awarded a 1-star Great Taste award for its Hot Dogs and Speedy Sausages.


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Bank News Releases
Release December 9, 2015 UNION Savings BANK Announces New Board Member
Freeport, IL December 9, 2015 - UNION Savings BANK is pleased to announce the addition of Delbert W. Bunker III to the UNION Savings BANK Board of Directors. We are very pleased to have Mr. Bunker join the board of directors. His business expertise and knowledge of consumer finance will be a tremendous asset to the bank. stated CEO and Chairman of the Board Thomas Huber.
Delbert W. Bunker III is the Vice President of Bocker Auto Group in Freeport, Illinois. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing with a minor in Finance from Western Illinois University. Professionally, Mr. Bunker is a member of the National Auto Dealers Association and the Illinois Auto Dealers Association. Active in the community, Mr. Bunker is the president of the Pretzel Fans Club and member of the board for the Public School Fun Committee. He previously held the board position of Vice President of Freeport Little League and board member for First Lutheran Church.
Release September 9, 2015 - Nick Gill awarded diploma from the Graduate School of Banking
Freeport, IL, September 9, 2015 - Nicholas A. Gill, vice president and compliance officer at UNION Savings BANK, was awarded a diploma on August 14, 2015, at commencement exercises during the 71st annual session of the prestigious Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The School, sponsored by state bankers associations from across the central United States, as well as the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was established in 1945 to provide bankers with an opportunity for advanced study and research in banking, economics and leadership. Instruction at the Graduate School of Banking takes place during two-week resident sessions for three consecutive summers, along with comprehensive study between summer resident sessions. The curriculum focuses on the management of strategic issues faced by banking executives and financial services industry professionals.
Gill graduated from Illinois State University and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance. He holds the professional designation of Certified Community Bank Compliance Officer and attended the Stephenson County Leadership Institute in 2011.


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I know lots of people started school this week, but my kiddos dont start til next Monday. My husband, who's a teacher, went back yesterday. Am I ready for the school year to start? I've had a husband and FOUR kids at home all summer; do I need to answer that?! No, Im kidding, but I do have some thoughts on the school year starting! Here are my thoughts; just in case you're interested!
* I love the summer. We ventured to Florida, went to Austin, and the kids had some church camps. These are all things we don't really get to do during the school year. We also spent some time in Dallas with my family there, and usually we only go during our Christmas break
*It's super nice to have my husband at home all day; considering we have 4 kids. Its nice to have the help, as well as a break, when I need it!
*I'm really not sure if a job came along, that paid more money, would be worth losing my husband for the summer!
*Chores and cooking pretty much went out the window over the summer.
*I think we're the only ones that still dont give our kids a "summer bedtime", because no matter what, half of them are up by 7! (And thats just a disaster to let them stay up late, knowing they're going to wake early and be cranky all the time!)
*I am definitely ready to get back to menu planning and cooking again. I haven't been to the store, and we have nothing to eat or cook right now!
*I am ready for all of us to get back to a routine and schedule; thus, HOORAY for school!


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Monday turned out to be a somewhat sunnier and, thus, slightly warmer day than originally forecast. However, at this time of year, the weather can and does change quickly and so it's a tough call for even the most experienced forecasters to stay on top of things. October in Ottawa is often a breezy affair as the predominant weather pattern changes from the sultry lassitude of summer to the chilled wet of autumn.
Consequently, we thought it would be a good idea to head out on a cycling venture. It actually hadn't rained a great deal recently and so Adam thought it would be a good opportunity to show to me some more of this city's trail network.
The city of Ottawa, in conjunction with the National Capital Commission (NCC) has a plan to create an intricate network of recreational trails from the Mer Bleue/Green's Creek area to the east of here and joining with the trail network around Shirley's Bay to the west of here. These recreational trails are multi-use which means anyone can hike, presumably ski in the winter and - on Monday - cycle through it.
While the colours of the foliage in autumn have already peaked here and the now everpresent winds are s-l-o-w-l-y stripping the branches of their leaves, we thought there was still enough colour and beauty to take a video of me on my Catrike Trail. Adam filmed me from his mountain bike as his Catrike Speed has too low a clearance to easily negotiate the thick clumps of soggy, drag-inducing leaves. In fact, for most of the journey on the trail itself, I had to gear down to the first sprocket. My Trail performed well anyway but it's really designed for road use, despite the name. In fact, at a couple of points, even the lowest gear still had me struggling a bit. Partly it's that I hadn't been out too much lately and so my fitness level had dropped a bit (it happens with startling ease) but it was also that it was late afternoon when my energy level can drop pretty precipitously. It didn't help that we were trying to negotiate trails that consisted mostly of 10+ centimetre thick leaves. Whenever we stopped, we would take a few seconds to pick leaves and twigs from places like the idler on my trike and even the brakes on Adam's mountain bike. It was slow going, mostly because of me. At one point, even in the lowest possible gear, I was still slipping a bit unless I crawled along at the amazing speed of a glacier. Yes, I was more than up to the task but it was still a struggle at some points.
Once we were back on the paved road and heading home, I was able to sail along at my usual speeds of anywhere between 12-23 km/hr. The total distance for this trip was 11.77 kilometres.
You take what you can get at this time of year.


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Queen Kapiolani HotelStar Rating
Waikiki, Oahu
Our 2.5-Star classification designates those properties offering comfortable accommodations with standard amenities. Guests can expect dependable services in a clean and comfortable environment. Half star indicates that the hotel/resort meets all criteria of the designated rating and exceeds in certain areas.
This iconic hotel is conveniently located adjacent to the Honolulu Zoo, Kapiolani Beach Park, and across from Waikiki Beach. Get great values on hotel rooms and spacious studios offering breathtaking views of Waikiki Beach and famous Diamond Head. Amenities include in-room high-speed Internet access, pool, sundeck, restaurant and lounge.
150 Kapahulu Avenue
Honolulu, HI, USA 968156970
Located between Cartwright Road and Lemon Road, facing Kapahulu Avenue. A three minute walk to Waikiki Beach and within walking distance of the Honolulu Zoo, Waikiki Aquarium and the 108 acre Kapi'olani Park.
Hotel Amenities
- Banquet Facilities
- Bellman Service
- Conference Facilities
- Currency Exchange Available
- Dry Cleaning Available
- Front Desk
- Gift Shop
- Housekeeping
- Ice Machine
- Kids 17 & Under Free in Room
- Laundry Service
- Luggage Storage
- Meeting Facilities
- Non-Smoking Property
- Parking
- Restaurant(s)
- Self - Laundry Facilities
- Senior Amenity:Age 55+
- Soda Machine
- Spa Services
- Valet Service
- Wake-up Service
- Wedding Services
Hotel Activities
- Beach
- Jogging Areas Available
- Sun Deck
- Swimming Pool
Room Amenities
- Air Conditioning
- Balcony or Patio
- Bathroom Amenities
- Bathtub
- Coffee/Tea Maker
- Hairdryer
- In Room Safe
- Iron and Ironing Board
- Mini-Refrigerator
- Non-Smoking Rooms Available
- Rollaway Bed
- Shower
- Telephone
- Television
Hotel Dining
Kulana Restaurant - Newly renovated restaurant at the Queen Kapiolani hotel serving breakfast, lunch & dinner
Nearby Attractions
Eco Tours, Sailing, Scuba Diving, Parasailing, U.S.S Arizona Memorial & Pearl Harbor, Historical Iolani Palace, Chinatown, Waikiki Aquarium, Ala Moana Shopping Center, Kodak Hula Show, Polynesian Cultural Center.
Need Help?
Call us toll free at 1-800-742-9244


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Jump to content
10 July 2015 - 03:30 PM
For our Nikon shooting friends; a limited number of D750's cameras manufactured in October and November of 2014 may not function properly. Check out the Serial number listing on the Nikon site here
Good luck,
26 December 2014 - 09:17 PM
Hey folks,
I need some help choosing/configuring a new laptop. I've been a PC user for years but I had a chance to use my son's MacBook on our last trip and I think it's time to make the conversion. I love the Retina display and the whole feeling of an integrated system. I have to tell you that the last time I owned a Mac it had a II in the model number, it's been a while, so I'm pretty clueless in defining my new laptop.
I want a travel machine that will process my 5DMkIII images and video quickly in Lightroom while running Photoshop occasionally. I'm OK with the weight of 13" Mac Book Pro. Left to my own devices I'm thinking;
· 2.6 GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5 Processor
· 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3L RAM;
· 256 GB PCIe-based Flash Storage
· 13.3-inch IPS Retina Display, 2560-by-1600 resolution
Do you guys think that will do the processing I need on trips? I'll have my I7 quad core machine at home to do any really heavy lifting like video editing. What would you upgrade or balance differently?
Community Forum Software by IP.BoardLicensed to: Wetpixel LLC


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Discover the splendors of Halong Bay aboard the Paradise Cruise, a wooden junk that combines classic beauty with modern comfort. Paradise ...
This tour will guide you to the most outstanding tourist attractions of Vietnam. For who has never been to Vietnam, it would be a terrific journey to ...
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Itinerary in brief:
Day 1: Hanoi arrival
Day 2: Hanoi city tour (B,L)
Day 3: Hanoi- Departure (B)
Itinerary in details:
Day 1: Hanoi - Arrival
On arrival at Noi Bai Airport, you are met and transferred to hotel in Hanoi, Vietnams capital, is a stylish and gracious city that retains an unique old world charm and some Asia most striking colonial architecture. The many lakes and parks make for relaxing atmosphere. If time permit we go for Cyclo excursion through the bustling old quarter streets named after the specific goods once offered for sale at these places. Overnight in Hanoi.
Day 2: Hanoi City Tour (B,L)
Today we enjoy a full day city tour starting with the Ho Chi Minh Complex, containing the mausoleum of the national founder Ho Chi Minh, the Presidential Palace and the Ho Chi Minh's house on stilts. This complex also comprises the One Pillar Pagoda, whose origins date back to the foundation of city. We follow this with a trip to the Temple of Literature, which is well known as the first university of Vietnam and the impressive Ethnologic Museum, dedicated to Vietnams 54 ethnic groups. The beautiful West Lake and the History Museum with an excellent collection of artifacts illustrating the Vietnamese history are not to be missed. We visit these sights before continuing to the peaceful lake of Hoan Kiem. In front of this lake is the famous water puppet theatre where we will see a fantastic performance. Overnight in Hanoi.
Day 3: Hanoi Departure (B)
There is a free time for you to relax or further explore Ha Noi. The trip ends after your transfer to Noi Bai Airport for departure.
Package includes:
Ø English speaking guide;
Ø Meet & greet service
Ø Accommodation on twin share with daily breakfast;
Ø Lunches & dinners as mentioned in the itinerary (B- Breakfast, L- Lunch, D- Dinner)
Ø All tours with sightseeing fees & transfers in private air-con vehicle with
Ø Round trip Airport Transfers;
Ø All government taxes;
Ø Reasonable mineral water on car
Package excludes:
Ø Airport taxes;
Ø Visas;
Ø Travel insurance;
Ø Food & drinks not mentioned;
Ø Personal expenses such as tips, bar bills, laundry and telephone charges
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum opening time: Open from Tuesday to Thursday and weekends from 8am to 11pm. Closed on Mondays and Fridays. The mausoleum is closed for two months of the year, usually October and November, when Ho Chi Minh's body is maintenance
This tour is private for each group of passangers. This is a sample itinerary so the cost really depends on number of people in your group, hotel class and time of travel. Please contact us for your best rates.
If you have any special requests or want to have customised tours, please contact us to customize this itinerary and price to meet your needs and budget.
In the itinerary, we would like to suggest the the following hotels:
Hotel category
Ha noi
Superior Class
Majestic Salute Hotel
First Class
Silk Path Hotel
Deluxe class
Sofitel Plaza Hotel
Boutique Class
Boss hotel
Note: Hotels can be changed to other similar hotels as your request or in the case of unavailability
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Good morning AskPerf! Digvijay here to chat about print server migration. All server admins have probably had an opportunity to migrate print servers. This process can be fast and easy when migrating between the same versions of operating systems; and can be done with a bit of effort moving between Operating Systems with different architecture (e.g., moving from 32-bit to 64-bit versions of Server 2008). However, things really get challenging when we have to migrate from an older Operating System to the latest Operating System on a different architecture. (e.g., from Windows 2003 Server x86 to Windows Server 2008 R2 x64). Fortunately, there are new tools such as the Print Management Console that ships with Server 2008 R2 or, if you prefer the command line interface, then you can use PRINTBRM.EXE. However, there can be some hurdles getting all the printers migrated successfully if we do not understand the Printer restoration process and fulfill necessary pre-requisites.
Things to keep in mind during printer migrations:
1. A print queue cannot function without a driver of the same server architecture (x86 or x64) on which it exists.
2. Unless the print processor is migrated successfully, the print queue will not show up.
3. If you are migrating from a 32-bit Operating System to a 64-bit Operating System, it is important that you have 64-bit drivers pre-installed for all of your printers, along with the 32-bit drivers. (Remember that for a 64-bit client to print to print server hosted on 32-bit Operating System, you need the 64-bit version of the driver.)
4. When a cross-architecture migration includes the migration of printer language monitors, an error will occur during the process of restoring the printers to the destination server using the PRINTBRM command-line tool. The reason for the error is that language monitor driver architecture must always be the same as the source server architecture. Therefore, when migrating from x86-based architecture to x64-based platforms, language monitor migration cannot be successful. An error posted to the event log will state that the source architecture is not the same as that of the destination server. More info about this behavior can be found in the Print Services Migration Guide.
5. When using PRINTBRM, always run commands from an Administrative command prompt
If performing a 32-bit to 64-bit migration and all the existing client machines are 32-bit, then you will have to install 64-bit drivers for all the 32-bit drivers before starting the migration. It is common to have third-party 32-bit printer drivers that do not have 64-bit equivalents. For those instances, we typically suggest using universal drivers if available but contacting the printer vendor for their input is the safest bet.
During the Printer restore in cross-platform scenarios, if the backup file does not contain driver binaries for target server platform, PRINTBRM will attempt to install the drivers from the target server's driver store if a matching driver is available. If a matching driver for the target platform is not available (either in the backup or on the server) then the print queue will not be created and there will be errors. See below:
We will see relevant events in the event viewer also:
So to make it easy for everyone to understand, here is the straightforward way to successfully restore all the printers:
1. Install 64-bit drivers on the Windows 2003 x86 Print server (source) or install all the required 64-bit drivers on the 2008/R2 Server (target). Keep in mind that the driver name string must be an exact match. If the names do not match exactly, the migration will treat it as if the driver is not present.
2. Take a backup of the printers on the Windows 2003 source server using the Print Management Console or printbrm.exe run from the Windows 2008 R2 Server.
3. Import the backup to the 2008 R2 server.
NOTE We need to preinstall any driver that has different components when installed on x86 than when installed on x64. As long as the driver is installed then the printer installation will not be blocked unless there is a non-existent Monitor value in the Printer registry key. If the printer (not the driver) requires this setting, then we will need to install the driver that uses this monitor on the x64 machine. If there is no x64 monitor provided by the vendor or if the vendor provides a new x64 monitor that uses a different name, then you will need to add a printer using the x64 version of the driver on the new machine since the vendor providing the driver did not provide compatibility to the new OS.
Keeping it simple
To avoid most of these driver and component pitfalls, it's often easiest to switch all the print processors and print monitors on the source server over to some basic defaults ones (eg: cleaning up the PRINT registry before starting with the migration). This will speed up the process and maximize the number of queues successfully migrated.
Microsoft has provided a Spooler FixIT for Windows 2003/2008 to automate the spooler cleanup process. See our previous AskPerf blog entry for information about the functionality and usage of this tool.
We also recommend removing old and unused drivers from the server before taking a backup.
However, if you do not want to go through this lengthy process of fulfilling these prerequisites, are on a time crunch, want to quickly restore the print queue information on the target server and deal with the driver worries later, then read on.
In order to quickly get the queues migrated to the new server, we can create them using the "Generic / Text only" printer driver without restoring any of original the drivers on the target. Remember that we need to have 64-bit drivers present either in the package or on the target server for the restore to finish and the print queue to be available for printing.
Here are the steps to successfully migrate all of your print queues using the in-box "Generic/Text Only" print driver:
1. On the source Windows 2003 Server, change all print processors to winprint using the following setprinter.exe command:
SetPrinter.exe \\Servername 2 pPrintProcessor="Winprint"
This can also be accomplished using WMI:
wmic printer set PrintProcessor = WinPrint
2. Install the latest update for Printbrm on the target 2008R2 server:
KB 2636591 An update to improve the restore operation performance of Printbrm.exe in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2
3. Install a local printer on the target 2008 R2 server using the Generic / Text Only driver and share it to enable the firewall exceptions for the Print Services.
4. From the Windows 2008R2 server, take a backup of the 2003 print server using the nobin switch
(we are using the nobin switch since we don't want to migrate any of the print drivers):
Printbrm.exe –b –s \\servername –f nobin.printerexport –nobin
5. Next, we have to modify the contents of the backup files. Expand the printerexport backup to a directory and the replace the BrmDrivers.xml, BRMLMons.xml and PProcs.xml files. The command to extract the files to a directory is:
printbrm.exe -r -d c:\temp\expand -f nobin.printerexport
The Expanded directory will look similar to this:
- BrmDrivers – contains a list of every driver installed on the computer and the driver files for each driver
- BrmForms – contains a list of all the installed forms
- BrmLMons – will usually contain either Windows NT x86 or Windows x64 as the architecture and a list of port monitors and the port monitor files installed
- BrmPorts – contains a list of all the installed printer ports
- BrmPrinters – contains a list of all printers that have been installed
- BrmSpoolerAttrib – contains information about the spooler directory path and also indicates whether or not the source server was a cluster server
6. Now we need to edit the existing xml files and delete the information about unused print processors, language monitors and drivers in them and then create a new file without these components.
NOTE You may ask if we already set all the printers to use WinPrint as default print processor using the earlier methods, then why do I need to do this? The answer is that when we take a backup using PRINTBRM, the tool copies all the files from their respective directories inside C:\Windows\System32\spool\. Hence even if we have replaced the information on the queues, these files will be backed up and at the restore operation, they will also be restored. So even though we took a backup using the nobin switch, the xml files contains information about all the drivers. When you attempt to restore, the server will try to look for these drivers and restore them. Also, the -nobin switch only omits the driver files, the Language monitor and the Print processors are still backed-up.
For creating new BrmDrivers.xml, BRMLMons.xml and PProcs.xml files, we can use the following templates:
<LMONS Arch="Windows x64"/>
7. Once we have saved the new xml files in place, we will re-pack the backup using this command to get a new backup file that we will use to restore on the target server:
printbrm.exe -b -d c:\temp\expand -f newbackupfile.printerexport
8. Now that we have a clean printer backup, we will use the BRMConfig file to create all the printers using the "Generic / Text only" driver. The BRMConfig.xml file needs to have a mapping of all the drivers present on the source server that we want to restore with the Generic / Text Only driver.
A sample BRMConfig file may look like this:
<DRV old="HP Universal Printing PCL 6" new="Generic / Text Only"/>
<DRV old="HP Laserjet 5000 PCL 6" new="Generic / Text Only"/>
<DRV old="HP Universal Printing PS 6" new="Generic / Text Only"/>
For restoring all the printers from the backup, we need to mention all the existing drivers here.
NOTE The name of the driver has to be an exact match.
9. Once you have your brmconfig.xml file finished, run this command to start the restore:
printbrm –r –s \\2008R2Servername –f newbackupfile.printerexport -c c:\temp\brmconfig.xml
NOTE We need to provide the absolute path of the BrmConfig.xml file here.
10. If all the mentioned instructions have been followed, you will see all the print queues getting created on the server using the Generic / Text Only driver.
This is where we started from:
And this is what we have accomplished:
11. Verify that the printers are working fine by sending some test pages to the printers.
12. After the queues are created on the target server, you can install the 64bit drivers for the printers as per your convenience and then switch the queues again.
Simplifying the BRMConfig.xml file creation
Considering most typical production scenarios, Print Servers you have hundreds of print queues and many print drivers, creating the BrmConfig.XML file for mapping each driver to Generic / Text Only driver can be real time consuming process. To ease the pain of creating this file yourself, there's a BRMC tool that will come in handy. Download the tool from https://brmc.codeplex.com/ and run it from the directory where the BRMDrivers.XML is located. (So run it from the expanded location). Once the tool is run, and it creates a BRMConfig.xml file, pack the backup and then run the restore using the BrmConfig.XML file (to to step 8 and then go to step 10).
The BRMC tool creates the brmconfig.xml file that has the driver mappings. It also creates clean BrmDrivers.xml, BRMLMons.xml and PProcs.xml in the same directory. Be aware, the tool overwrites the original files, so save the original .printerexport file as a backup of BrmDrivers.xml, BRMLMons.xml and PProcs.xml.
If you encounter any errors during a Print Migration restore, check the event logs for possible causes. Common ones may be Print Processor is unknown, Unknown Port, or Print driver is unknown which usually means that the spooler was not cleaned properly on the source server when the initial backup was generated. Look for more in-depth troubleshooting of these kinds errors in a future blog.
I hope this information will come in handy the next time you are working through a printer migration. Until next time…
Addition Resources
- Print Services Migration Guide
- AskPerf Blog: Installing cross-architectural print drivers from the server locally
- AskPerf Blog: Windows 7 / Windows Server 2008 R2: PrintBRM
- Two Minute Drill: PRINTBRM and the Configuration File


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The Tamron 500 mm f/8 Adaptall model 55B is an interesting beast. At 600 g, it is very light and can be used without a tripod at 1/300-1/500s. Being an f/8, one and only aperture, the lens requires high ISO values to be used even on sunny days, which is less of a problem with a current dSLR than once was with film photography. These mirror lenses are not for everyone and everything but are a compact alternative to "normal" long lenses for moon shots or birds and animals. Using it for portraits is hard and not very convenient, despite the close focusing capabilities of the lens (1.7 meters, a record).
What's nice about the Tamron is that it can be used either on Nikon or Pentax dSLRs bodies with the original Adaptall rings. Additional adapters are required to fit the Adaptall lenses on Canon or Sony dSLRs.
My experience with the lens is shallow. I don't use a tripod most of the time, and with such focal lenght and aperture it is a must. The out of focus area mirror the central part of the lens to give some pictural effects:
In terms of sharpness, I would most likely use a faster shorter lens for a given subject. In real life use, I remember about a year ago taking pictures of the 14th of July fireworks. First, the overall setting (135mm Tokina f/2.8 lens, at f/4):
The center of the same scene, as seen by the Tamron 500 mm lens (on an APS-C size sensor). Motion blur is obvious even at web site size of the picture:
I have sold this lens for the same price that I bought it. It was an interesting experience well worth the money :-). The mirror had some slight fungi growth but was very easy to clean (the tricky part was to unscrew the ring retaining the front element). The lens built is excellent.
If interested, you can also look at the photozone review.


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Fee Schedule
The LDRWM facility has a number of fees for various items. Please check the fee schedule page for the most up to date list of fees.
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LDRWMA prohibits the disposal of a number of products including animal waste and carcasses, domestic, and chemical waste. For a complete list of prohibited and restricted waste items, click here.
Hours of Operation
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Necropoli del Poggino
The necropolis etrusca of Poggino is situated to 2-3 km from Castellina in Chianti, on the right side along the road 222 heading in the direction of Siena, immediately before the village of Fonterutoli. In the woods five Etruscan graves have been found, dating back to the VI century B.C.
Address: Località Fonterutoli,
53011 Castellina in Chianti (SI)


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A way, long, (like MONTHS) ago time I saw this posted on facebook:
And now here's where the letter starts:
Dear Ashley,
You're about to walk into first grade and pee your pants. It's going to be one of the most formidable moments of your life and you have no idea. You'll stand there, unable to control your bladder (that still is dysfunctional) and pee in front of a room of your classmates and be laughed at. Then your mom will come and change your clothes, and send you back in. And you'll experience your first panic attack. But trust Him. It will be okay. Kids forget. Someone throws up the next week, and that's the new topic of interest. Trust.
You're about 9. You and a friend steal baskets of flowers and vegetables from the neighborhood. You get caught and your dad says its time for a talk. This is the worst. Your dad has to talk to you about stealing. How will we ever get over this? Trust Him.
You're in 6th grade and 40lbs of nothing but bones, straw hair and bottle rimmed glasses. Your self esteem is as small as the tiny freckle in the corner of your eye. To make yourself feel better, you do the typical 6th grade stuff. Find a team of friends, a group, a clique, and form a barrier. You're not kind to everyone. You tease. You gossip. You know this isn't right, but it creates comfort. And more often than not, you come home from school in tears because of your lack of self esteem and the way you made others feel. You know the next day you'll need to face the girl you sent a note to, saying "We're not friends anymore, don't talk to me, etc." How can such a mess ever be cleaned up? Trust Him.
You're going into high school and the equivalent to a gnat in the eyes of everyone but that kid who talks to you in Spanish. You're bumped around in the halls, nobody looks you in the eyes and you eat alone at the lunch table for a solid 5 months. And then you'll meet a friend named Angela. And life will never be the same. You'll be each others shadows. Trust Him.
You're 15 and you're sitting in the car with the BIGGEST crush of your life, RYAN MCKENNEY, and you're sweating bullets because he wants to ask you something. All you can do is stare out the window, trying to find your friends faces in the windows of Suzie's house, knowing they're watching the car scene as it plays out. "Ashley will you be my girlfriend?" And you say yes. And floating on air, with empty insides and a thumping heart, you burst through the front door and all your girl friends dog pile on you, squealing that you have a boyfriend. Trust Him.
It's the summer of 2000 and you volunteered to be a counselor at a Christian camp. You're sitting on a soccer field with a girl who wants nothing to with God or religion. You're frustrated, and just when you're about to give up, she breaks and tells you her story. And you're left speechless. But somehow, your hands cover her and words come. Later that week, you'll fully surrender, and give your whole heart to Christ. Trust Him.
He's graduating high school and going to college and you're still stuck at Western. You're heartbroken, thinking this is it. He's going to meet different people, form new relationships, do new things, better things. And I'll be the ghost of girlfriends past. So many tears. So many fears. Trust Him.
It's your turn to graduate and you have no idea what you want to do in life. Trust Him.
You're 21 and just moved out of your parents house out of spite. You have never felt so unsure of yourself in your entire life. You were engaged, but you called it off and everyone thinks you're stupid for ruining the one good thing going for you. You break up with Ryan. You become a ghost of who you were. You haunt the streets, inebriated and numb. You hurt in places you didn't know you had. You fill them with things you didn't know existed. On a set of church steps at 2 AM, you'll watch a good friend be carried away, so intoxicated, hurt. Sobs will shake you like never before, and you'll get a reprieve; a brief understanding of life. And you'll decide its enough. You'll get out. Trust Him.
You're 22 and getting married. And scared to death. You know you love Ryan but you're terrified about filling the shoes of a wife You burn dinners and you suck at cleaning. Just keep going. Trust Him.
You're 23 and you get a positive pregnancy test. You sit on the floor for hours, unable to process what's about to happen. And when the door opens, finally, after a long day of work and he comes in, you get it. You'll snap to it, hug, cry and know that life at that moment is moving faster than you'll ever be able to calculate. Trust Him.
You're 24 and in the emergency room, 36 weeks pregnant with a baby girl. Your heart is racing, and you can't breathe. You're having what they call, a "panic attack." The doctor orders a drug that's not safe for the baby, but necessary to bring your heart rate down. You cry, fight your body to calm down, but its not until the drug is in that your mind lets go. Finally, its released; You'll feel your baby's moves cease, the drug entering her blood stream. You feel like a failure, a worthless mother. Just TRUST Him, Ashley.
You're still 24, and now in the most intense pain you've ever been in. It's raining and faces are a blur. You hurt and you're angry. You're pushing and there's no progress, just rip roaring pain. And then there are scissors, and she's out. You're bleeding and vomiting. She's crying, and this is nothing like you had pictured it would be. You're terrified out of your mind. You love her with a love that scares you. Trust Him.
You take your new baby girl home, and sit in the shower for hours crying. You're afraid to hold her, or contaminate her with germs. You're entire life revolves around keeping her alive. You sit up, watching her inhale and exhale, making sure her chest is rising and falling as it should. After a month, you lose your mind. Trust Him.
You're on the floor of your new home. The one your husband just built with his own hands; the one that you painted and decorated in anticipation of a new future filled with baby giggles and summer memories. He's telling you its okay, but its not. And off to the ER you go. Your vein is pierced and medicine is flooded in, again, quieting the thoughts, numbing the feelings, fading the room. When you wake, you're home and its two days later. Your parents and husband say its time to get some help. You're terrified, more than ever before. But just trust Him.
You're unable to drive because of the medicines and thoughts. Your husband drops you off at your first appointment. You cry the entire length of it. More medicine prescribed. More shame. More guilt. More failure. Trust Him.
It's around April of 2008 and you realize, you feel okay. The fog is lifting. For the first time in months, you feel light. There's a window that's been opened and you're gasping for that sweet, sweet air. And you get it. In your lungs, it fills you and you're sparked with hope. A spark that will turn into a flame, and eventually turn into a fire. Trust Him.
It's June 2011, and you're pregnant with your third child. (holy!) Your hands are full with two healthy, beautiful babies. Your house is being taken away. Bills are piling up, voices are being raised, stress levels are high. Life is charging faster than you can pedal and keep up. You're in a moving truck, with everything that would fit, headed for Florida, without a place to live. Just a hope that things will work out. But by this time, you've had a lot of practice in trust. That's not to say you didn't cry through 3 states, and wanted to turn around and go "home." But you made it to Florida.
You're here. You've done things you didn't think were doable. You have four kids. And you cook dinner, and sometimes clean the house. Your kids get sick, and you have occasional panic attacks, and the car breaks down, but you trust. Last year you took a leap and its paid off financially, in ways that are literally unbelievable. You never imagined yourself here. You couldn't have, its too good to imagine.
Everyday, with your trust in Him, you gain strength. Strength to be a better mother, wife, a better person.
Trust Him.
Love, your incredibly wild, still slightly untamed, but strong and smart, funny, innappropriate, stringy haired, short legged, 29 year old self.
I've rambled on and on, and I'm crying and I can't really remember where I was going with this except that, I wouldn't be who I am, without having gone through each of these events and many, so, so many more. Do I wish I would've been kinder in my middle school days? Heck yes. Would it have been easier to have not peed my pants in front of my entire 1st grade class? Yeah. Could I have done without the post partum anxiety and depression? My God, yes.
But the learning that's taken place... the lessons in trust. They're invaluable. And I don't think I could have gotten them any other way.
Am I in just the most perfect, peachy place right now? HAAAAAAA no. Life is beautiful. It's beautifully brilliant and hard at the same time. There are glorious days where I look at the life we've created and I think there's nothing more than this. There can't be! This child's laughter, her smile, his pirates lined up, ready to fight; this is what life essentially IS!. This is as beautiful as it gets. And then I have awful days. I have days that I cry more than I laugh. There are days I should be quarantined to a "grouchy room" or something. I cuss like a sailor (thanks papa)..., and I'll grow resentful of things. I have days where I dream of driving off to somewhere and being free of all responsibilities. But the thing that stops me is this; trusting Him. Knowing beauty, peace, and hope is ahead. Maybe not tomorrow, or the next day, but its there; HE's there, waiting. And as many times as I have felt like giving up, He's never once wavered in His decision to hold me in his hands.
And if my world falls apart tomorrow, I'll still trust Him. I might be clawing my way through a hole, bitter, unable to see any good at all, but I'll still stand on His truth. The security in knowing, and believing this is like having a the comfiest, coziest of quilts thrown over me.
Anyways, that's my story. What's yours? What TWO words would you tell your younger self if you could? Let yourself be honest and brave. Admit your shortcomings, and applaud what you've done. This life is hard and there a million things I think we all wish we could have a "do over" with. But it doesn't work that way. Time only goes forward; we can gather and collect our past experiences, prepare as best as we can for the coming day. But when all is said and done, I believe this life, having joy, harvesting hope and peace, can only be achieved through having trust in Him.
And because I feel heavy (yet happy), I'm going to end this with a nice little bullet list of things I wish I'd known when I was younger (and yeah, I'm singing that song... "I wish that I knew what I know now when I was younger!")
- First off, dangit Ashley, you should've gone to the bathroom BEFORE choir class that morning in 1st grade.
- Don't ever get into the Sam's sized pack of cheese balls. Was the neon orange puke for two days worth it? No mam.
- You really shouldn't have stolen your neighbors vegetables and flowers... (Chelsea.... do you remember this?)
- Tell your sisters they're beautiful. Every day. Because they are- and they need to know and hear that. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
- You should've hugged Ibby before leaving for school that day. Thanked her for being such a good dog.
- You should have never, ever told your mother you hated her. Stab through the heart. And I know that now.
- If you ever go camping, be prepared for a monsoon... right Ang?
- Long bus rides are awful. Don't ever sign up for one again. I'm not talking like an hour... I'm talking like 2 days on a bus across the country with 50 other kids... IYC. There were some good times tossed in there, but mostly I just remember car sickness, and a throbbing bladder from having to pee ALL.THE.TIME.
- Say what you think you should say, no matter how stupid or embarrassed it might make you feel. Unless its just downright mean... then keep it to yourself. I can't and won't say her name, but I will never get over my silence in "that situation." I'm more sorry than you'll ever know... you know who you are.
- The tattoo on your foot is awesome- the price was not. You got ripped off... should've gone to a different shop.
- Listen to your dad about your braces. Duh.
- Don't ever give alcohol or anxiety drugs the power you thought they had. They're band aids that become covered with grime and fall off, leaving the wound open, and vulnerable again.
- Don't underestimate your body; You can carried and pushed out 4 babies (one whom was close 9 lbs!)
- Always say "I love you" to those you love. Because, why not?
- Lastly, never leave silence silent, where words and actions should and could be. I'm not sure if that makes sense to you at all, but its big in my mind right now.
Thanks for listening to my heart, and (hopefully) not judging. This is one of those posts that I hesitate to push the "publish" button. Butterflies- I know (or at least I like to think) its for the greater good. If one person can take away something positive from this, then I'm happy.
XOXO to you all. Have an awesome week :)