Pat & I went to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto on Saturday. It was only the second time I've been, and Pat's first, and it was an amazing experience! The special exhibit we went to see was the Dead Sea Scroll - you can't take pictures of these exhibits - but it was incredible!
The architecture of the ROM is also pretty amazing. And a little confusing - we got turned around trying to find the dinosaurs. Pat was taking pictures quickly, so a lot of them were blurry - but a few turned out. Here's a great picture of one of the stained glass windows.
The ROM has a "main entrance" with a large atrium & open staircases on each side. Of course, you have to enter by the side since there's more room for the ticket sellers there. Still, the mosaic ceiling of this atrium is remarkable - the gold was really brilliant. This wasn't Pat's best picture - you can just make out what it says: "THAT - ALL MEN - MAY KNOW - HIS WORK."
Within the open staircases, there are totem poles.
Massive totem poles - one over 5 stories tall.
After the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, we had lunch. Then we went upstairs to see Biodiversity, mammals & dinosaurs (Part 2 & 3) and a special exhibit on minerals & gems (Part 4). Up another floor, we browsed through Ancient Cyprus, Greece & Medieval stuff - and then it was time to go. Unfortunately, the battery of our camera died by the time we made it to the 3rd floor, so I only have one picture from there.
We were incredibly lucky actually - there was an exhibit on the 3rd floor that was supposed to close July 9th, but was still there. It was
The Book of the Dead - Amet's (something or other, I don't remember his full name) Book of the Dead. The lengthy scroll was laid out with explanations - it was so interesting. If you were a well off Egyptian, you had a book commissioned to ensure your safe arrival in the afterlife. The spells & drawings in the book were meant to guide his way. This one pictures shows Amet (in a white robe on the right) with some gods, while his heart is being balanced in the middle. If his heart doesn't balance, the monster in the left middle (on a throne) will eat him.
The drawings were exquisite. The hieroglyphs, as well as the Aramaic/Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls, were so precise, regular & perfect. Mind-blowing, absolutely mind-blowing.
Stay tuned for Parts 2, 3 & 4!
I was pleased - look at the third set of leaves starting to grow!
When I went to check on them this week - I really noticed a difference, especially in the basil.
Large (ok, small), healthy basil leaves. I want to try one with a fresh tomato. It's probably a bit soon to be plucking the leaves off though...
The parsley & cilantro are doing less well, but still hanging in there. The plants that remained in the terrarium showed the most improvement though:
Again, the basil is doing exceptionally well.
I'll be cooking with it in no time! And hopefully the small pots & terrarium will do well indoors come winter time.
Time's up! Everyone's ACEO is due!
I know which one I'm getting (privilege of setting this exchange up:) - which one did you get? Please leave a comment to let everyone know when (& which one) you got!
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Careful... the sneaky t-rex is going to get you! Look at him creeping up.....JPG)
Biodiversity! The first thing we saw was this weird eel-like sea creature. It looked SO fake! I sure wish I could remember what it was...
The birds in flight are always cool to see.
And we couldn't pass up the bat cave!
There wasn't only animals - lots of plants too. Pat only took a picture of one - what he called a Mario flower. The largest flower - and probably one of the stinkiest! 
The rhino was really cool - his name is Bull. He was one of the largest white rhinos, lived at the Toronto Zoo and died last year. 
Finally, I saved the best for last. My favourite animal, the zebra!
The ROM has a "main entrance" with a large atrium & open staircases on each side. Of course, you have to enter by the side since there's more room for the ticket sellers there. Still, the mosaic ceiling of this atrium is remarkable - the gold was really brilliant. This wasn't Pat's best picture - you can just make out what it says: "THAT - ALL MEN - MAY KNOW - HIS WORK."
Within the open staircases, there are totem poles.
Massive totem poles - one over 5 stories tall.
After the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, we had lunch. Then we went upstairs to see Biodiversity, mammals & dinosaurs (Part 2 & 3) and a special exhibit on minerals & gems (Part 4). Up another floor, we browsed through Ancient Cyprus, Greece & Medieval stuff - and then it was time to go. Unfortunately, the battery of our camera died by the time we made it to the 3rd floor, so I only have one picture from there.
The drawings were exquisite. The hieroglyphs, as well as the Aramaic/Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls, were so precise, regular & perfect. Mind-blowing, absolutely mind-blowing.
