I am moving the site to a new server this evening. It is entirely possible that things will be a little erratic for the next day or two. Please bear with me. If you have something really important to say via email, but sure to request a reply. If you do not get that reply within a couple of days, send the email again as this may mean that I did not receive it.

Thanks for your patience.

[Update - If you are seeing this now, it means you’ve found your way to the new server]

Final Update (Hopefully) - I apologize for the downtime this morning. There were some complications with moving the site to the new server, but I think at this point they have been resolved. Or that’s what the technical support folks tell me, in any case.

It has been one of those long days. But it’s been a good day. We are still in the midst of a heat-wave here in Toronto. While the temperatures are not all that high, the humidity is through the roof leaving us with some hot, sticky, nasty weather. But it gave us an opportunity to take the children to the local splash pad and to let them have fun there. And we’ve spent much of the rest of the day busy with various projects around the house.

One project I finally got around to was a new design for this site. As you have no doubt noticed if you are one of those people who visit the site (rather than one who simply checks in via RSS), things look a little different around here. A lot different, actually.

Unfortunately, because of the busyness of the day, I’ve been unable to transition all of the pages. Those that I do not get to today I’ll be sure to update tomorrow. But for now the main page and all of the article pages should have the new look. Along with the new look are a couple of new features, not the least of which is real, printable pages. Do note, though, that this won’t be implemented until tomorrow (once again because I’ve just been too busy). But as of tomorrow you’ll be able to click the print button and get a printable version of each page that will not print any of the associated graphics. It’s a good thing.

Anyways, I’ll be interested in hearing some feedback. Whenever I change the look I have people who seem glad to tell me how much they hate it. Hopefully there won’t be too many of those this time around.

A couple of years ago I made a web site for Ron Cowle who happens to be both an exceptionally gifted artist and my uncle. The design for his site was really quite unique because he sat with me at my desk while I created it. My job as the designer was to translate his vision for the site from his sketchbook onto the computer screen. So really the design was more his than it was mine. We both ended up being very happy with the final result.

Ron lives in Lanark County, a beatiful area of the province that is near Ottawa, and he works with both painting and sculpture. I have long been taken with Ron’s art and thought it would make a nice addition to this site. And so, for the next little while, you will be able to view samples of his work in the banner above. You can click on any of the slides to view the full painting at Ron’s site. Be sure to also browse through his incredible sculptures, especially the whale and the highlander.

And hey, if your house is suffering from bare walls and you’d like to liven them up, why not get in touch with Ron and remedy the situation?

For more about Ron you can read a recent blog entry written by my brother-in-law Rick. Rick writes, “His faith is knowledgeable and inquisitive as well. Over the table there was a conversation about Biblical prophecy, and what perhaps happened to the lost tribes of Israel. By the fire in the living room was a conversation about creation, truth, and how we need to honest answers for people. He needs to have honest and intelligent answers, he explained, for his sons who are out facing the pressures of a propaganda laden education system. He needs to have answers because he talks to people and because they need answers…All in all, anyone who can paint like Ron Cowle: they are doing well. Anyone who has a faith like Ron Cowle, they are doing very well. ”

If you are an artist or photographer and would like to showcase your work in the banner (or if you know someone who might), please feel free to contact me.