iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 22/09/2026

Smoke from the Mount Jack wildfire in Sooke this evening, seen from James Bay #yyj

Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 15/09/2026

Paragliders riding the updrafts down by the water tonight, and flying by directly above us this beautiful evening #paragliding #yyj

A paraglider flies fairly close above us. Lots of white clouds form a backdropwith hints of blue sky in between.

A paraglider hangs suspended on the wind directly above us. Lots of white clouds form a backdropwith hints of blue sky in between.

Sunbeams pierce a cloudy sky and are reflected in the Salish Sea along Dallas Road. This is the view from the cliff edge where paragliders used the updraft to fly above us.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 03/09/2026

Thanks, @smokeycrow.bsky.social, this looks like a useful resource even if it's experiencing some issues loading right now. Don't know why they would be the case, though... 😉 🇨🇦

A screenshot of the landing page at https://engageq.notion.site/unplug which displays an alert saying "This site is currently experiencing an overwhelming amount of traffic. Some categories may not load properly"

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 28/08/2026

So it begins... 🍂 there's a brisk feel in the mornings though not unpleasant at all. Crisp air, cozy nights #fall #fall2026 #redLeaves #fallColours #yyj

There's a large wall in our backyard that's completely covered with ivy, which is overwhelmingly still green in colour as the end of summer approaches. At the furthest point of the ivy's reach, there are a couple of leaves that have already turned red, in anticipation of Fall. These leaves really stand out from the rest and are a sign that the whole of the wall will soon be ablaze in red!

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 28/08/2026

Throwback to the shore of Lake Ontario on a sunny day in July 2018, as my partner sits on a rock and looks east towards Toronto from Port Credit. We'd biked here that day, and Lake Ontario was looking beautiful! #LakeOntario

My partner sits on a rock on the shore of Lake Ontario as two swans drift by. The water is clear and swells gently on a sunny day in July 2018. It's a beautiful lake.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 24/08/2026

No cheating. Share the last photo of the sky from your camera roll

A view of clouds over the Olympic mountains as seen from Victoria BC.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 23/08/2026

Getting ready for Day 2 of the Triathlon Canada races. The sea is calm today with lots of cloud cover and not much wind at all right now. Seems like perfect conditions for the athletes! The Olympic Mountains look great, peeking over the top of cloud banks #YYJ #triathlonCanada

A view of the Olympic mountains across the Salish Sea from the entrance to Clover Point. The water is calm today, not much wind and plenty of cloud cover.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 22/08/2026

Had a great day down at Clover Point marshalling for the Super Sprint National Championships for Triathlon Canada today. Got there at 6:30am, finished at 2pm. The sunrise was gorgeous and a little birb frend dropped by to say hello! #YYJ #triathlonCanada

A view down the entrance to Clover Point where I was marshalling.

A selfie of me getting ready for the triathlon to begin.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 08/08/2026

I saw the Queen Mary Little Free Library on my ride along Dallas Road yesterday. She looks pretty good, especially below decks, stocked up to the gills with all kinds of books for people to take #yyj #queenMary #littleFreeLibrary

A model of the old British cruise ship the Queen Mary sits atop two black metal posts, with the boys facing Dallas Road in James Bay. The starboard side is cut out and filled with free books for the public to take, or add to, from this little free library.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 05/08/2026

A heart-shaped smoke trail to show there's still love and happiness in the world!

The snowbirds leave a huge heart in the sky, shaped by their smoke trails, above Victoria, BC.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 05/08/2026

Flying over the neighborhood

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 05/08/2026

Good turnout at Dallas Road for the Canadian Air Force flyover of the #Snowbirds #yyj

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 31/07/2026

Cute puppy, but who's the Arctic explorer freakin out in the background? #pareidolia @pareidolia.bsky.social

This is a photo of what appears to be a German Shepherd puppy resting its head on the arm of a chair. One of its ears is cocked so that it seems like a person dressed in Arctic clothing who looks like they're panicking!

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 17/05/2026

I felt bad for NJN, I would go there regularly. But then I found another place called Swatow just north of Dundas on Spadina that served even better Singapore-style noodles! Felt like I was cheating on my old haunt, but got over it once my food arrived. It was very tasty! 😋 #noodles #singaporeStyle

A plate of Singapore-style noodles, with vegetables and shrimp, very golden in colour and looking delicious!

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 17/05/2026

In Toronto. Went to my fave hole-in-the-wall noodle bar, Not Just Noodles yesterday to have Singapore-style with shrimp for dinner, only to discover it had closed permanently. Nooo!

At the corner of Yonge and Wellesley Streets in Toronto, my favorite noodle bar is completely boarded up uncovered with graffiti, now closed permanently. The restaurant's signage hangs above the boarding displaying its name, Not Just Noodles. A group of people stand to the right, waiting for their walk sign to change.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 11/05/2026

Yesterday was a great day to dust off the travel Scrabble, go for a walk to find a picnic table in Ross Bay, soak up the sunshine, feel the sea breezes, and to see other folk out enjoying the beautiful weather in Victoria, BC. I scored a 7-letter word with these tiles!🤜 #yyj #scrabble #victoriaBC

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 10/05/2026

I love the evening sunlight around this time of year as it slants into the bedroom at 7:39 p.m. Pacific

Sunlight shines into a basement bedroom, highlighting a wood headboard and blue and white cushions and pillows, and illuminates an otherwise dark room. The window blinds create a horizontal shadow effect on the far wall to give an overall Zen look to the bedroom.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 05/05/2026

We had a rare sighting of a pelican down at Clover Point earlier this evening, just cruising from side to side on the updrafts from the sea before heading east towards Ross Bay. The video doesn't do it justice, but it was a big bugger. #pelicans #YYJ #cloverPoint

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 13/04/2026

Creyke Point Trail today. Fairly easy to hike, with beautiful views out onto the Salish Sea

My partner and I with the Salish sea in the background

A lone tree stands on a promontory looking out onto a gray yet beautiful scene of the sea and clouds

A sheltered pebble Beach down by the ocean with trees hanging over the beach

Someone has placed rock balanced inukshuk type stones on a rock looking out onto the ocean

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 19/03/2026

A post-St-Paddy's-Day pint and a read at my local pub after a busy day, while a live Irish band plays music in the background. Colour and Shape by Superflux, Look to Windward by Iain M. Banks 🍻 📖 #yyj #IainMBanks #theCulture

A pint of hazy IPA in front of me on the bar, alongside my Kobo eReader, as I settle down for a relaxing evening at my local.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 28/02/2026

Nice. I took a photo of a sunset here in BC a couple of months ago and I'm amazed at the symmetry between the two! #sunset #victoriaBC

A golden sunset on Vancouver Island with a lonely tree in the foreground and the sunset's warm light reflecting on the Salish Sea.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 17/01/2026

In 2024 a friend who lived nearby asked me to look after her 5-month-old Zebedee whenever she went away and we have been bonding. But my friend just moved to SE Asia and Zeb now lives with her dad in another city so I don't know if I'll see the lil kitty again. He was cute #catsOfBluesky #caturday

Zebedee, a 5-month-old Maine coon mix cat sits on a rug in my friend's living room and stares at me as I sit on the couch and point my finger at him. at this point in our relationship he seems unsure of me, but over time he became a little buddy whenever I was cat sitting for my friend

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 17/01/2026

Tonight's sunset walking along Dallas Road #yyj #victoriaBC

A darkened landscape provides the perfect canvas for a thin red sky in the background as the sun sets on Vancouver Island, BC.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 31/12/2025

Keep stirring until the mixture reduces and thickens. Taste regularly and add more salt, pepper, and/or spices until you the get the desired texture and flavour for the refried beans. That's it, time for some burritos!

The refried beans have started to thicken and at this point you can taste it regularly and add more salt, pepper, and other spices until you get the perfect taste and texture for the mix.

The resulting refried beans are now a flavorful and thick serving that I placed in a glass bowl. So tasty!

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 31/12/2025

After simmering for a couple of minutes, mash the beans with a large fork or a potato masher, add salt, pepper, and generous amounts of chipotle, ground cumin and coriander.

The beans are now simmering in the stock for 2 minutes.

After 2 minutes of simmering, I add salt and pepper, along with generous amounts of cumin, coriander, and chipotle, then stir it all In.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 31/12/2025

Add 2 cups of beans (usually dried Romano, Pinto, or chickpeas, cooked in an Instant Pot first) and 1 cup of stock and let it simmer for 2 minutes.

Add two cups of cooked Romano beans (or pinto, chickpeas) and 1 Cup of stock to the pan along with the onion and garlic and reduce the heat until simmering.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 31/12/2025

Homemade refried beans are so good. Sauté half a medium-sized, chopped onion in some olive oil until slightly translucent, then add two or three cloves of minced garlic to the pan and stir until the onion is just beginning to brown. #refriedBeans #mexicanCuisine #mexicanFood

I chopped half a medium sized onion and three cloves of garlic, minced, and sauteed them in a pan with some olive oil until the onion started to brown.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 25/12/2025

Carolers getting into the swing of things at the local cafe in Cook Street Village today #YYJ #cookStreetVillage #VictoriaBC #carolers #holidays

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 19/12/2025

Went out for farewell drinks last night with a friend who's leaving soon for Southeast Asia, for who knows how long. Dropped by her place on the way home and discovered she makes lighter cases. Cute! #lighterCase #polymerClay

Two homemade lighter cases, one orange, one pink, stand on a glass coffee table. The cases look like caricatures of human faces with big eyes and big lips and various piercings. The pink case has a Bic lighter fitted inside already

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 16/12/2025

Opened the door to the back yard earlier, to see if the hummingbirds were at the feeder, and ended up making a new friend 😀 #deer #urbanDeer #yyj

A hummingbird feeder hangs from a black metal pole in the backyard. Just to the left of the feeder is a young deer staring right at me from maybe 10 feet away, in among the rhododendrons and heather growing in a raised garden area.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 06/12/2025

A bit later than usual, but I finally got the tree up today. It's nice to bring light inside on these darker, blustery nights #yyj #christmasTree #xmas #happyHolidays

A Christmas tree filled with ornaments and lights stands in the corner of my living room, bringing warm light into the home on evenings when night falls more quickly, and you can hear the wind blowing outside.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 17/11/2025

We went yesterday and bought quite a few items. The only thing we couldn't find was black salt, which they said they'd get in for us next week. The owners/managers were very nice and helpful, it's great to have this store in the 'hood!

A business card for a new Indian grocery store in our neighbourhood. The information on the card reads Masala Mart, Telephone 778-321-1294. Address, 1010 Fort St Victoria BC.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 02/11/2025

Been meaning to get back into fermenting at home for the last few years and today's the day! Got the old French presses out that I've used in the past, they work well, so I'm looking forward to trying this batch in a week or two #fermenting #mushrooms #bellPeppers #chiliPeppers #onions #garlic

Two French presses containing sliced mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, garlic, and chili peppers, completely submerged in brine and ready to ferment over the next week or so.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 29/10/2025

Stormy weather on the way down by the sea at Dallas Road this evening #yyj #salishSea #storm #clouds

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 13/10/2025

If you're boycotting produce from the US because of tariffs these days, make sure to check the small print on the actual labels on the produce before adding to your cart. Don't rely on the ones stores like Thrifty Foods include on the shelves. We made that mistake at Hillside Mall yesterday. #yyj

Purple sweet potatoes on a shelf in a grocery store. The store's label on the shelf claims that they're a Product of Canada, but the label's small print on each potato reads: Product of USA.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 12/10/2025

Beacon Hill Park is really special in the early evening, with the sun lowering in the west and the light slanting in from the side to illumine the trees and bushes. And you don't see them in the photo, but there were lots of peacocks, just hanging around! #beaconHillPark #yyj #VictoriaBC

A thick tree trunk can be seen on the left of the photo with sunlight shining on it in the early evening. The scene then the expands towards a black lamppost forward the middle of the scene and a green lawn in the distance.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 10/10/2025

Synchronized kite flying at Clover Point. We went for a walk there a few weeks ago and stood watching them for a while. They were pretty impressive. #cloverpoint #victoriaBC #yyj #kites

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 09/10/2025

The view from my kitchen window is so much nicer than your.. okay, you win! #goodMorning #victoriaBC

A view of the full moon in the morning, from a kitchen window with blue sky and some trees, and a partial view of building to the left side

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 17/09/2025

Evening sunlight reflected on the surface of the Salish Sea down at Dallas Road tonight #VictoriaBC #sunset

As the sun sets this evening, it's orange glow can be seen reflected in the sea.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 30/08/2025

Then and now! Feels like it's Pesto Making Day today 🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿 #homegrown #basil #pesto

A rectangular planter on my front deck containing five small shoots of basil planted a few weeks ago.

The same planter on my front deck containing an overgrown amount of basil ready to be harvested and made into pesto. Photo taken today.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 06/08/2025

Play of light through a stained glass window at the BC Legislature. Wish I'd captured the top left panel to see the animal displayed there, didn't notice them at the time. Oh well. Looks dreamy, tho. #stainedGlass #BCLegislature #YYJ #VictoriaBC #WednesdayWindows #eastCoastKin #WindowsOnWednesday

A beautiful stained glass window in the British Columbia legislature building. According to the text beneath the BC coat of arms in the window, it was installed to celebrate the golden jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. On the left and right sides of the stained glass window there are some animals native to BC displayed. A bear, a sea otter, some salmon, a bald eagle, a moose, a cougar, and an orca. The upper left hand pane of glass is not displayed, so I don't know which type of animal was depicted there.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 05/08/2025

Some beautiful views of Salt Spring Island on our hike up Stony Hill yesterday #cowichanBay #cowichanValley #vancouverIsland #britishColumbia

my partner and I at a viewpoint at the top of Stony Hill in Cowichan Bay. In the background you can see a dead tree stump, the wake of a small boat on the water, and Salt Spring Island in the distance, all seen from a high elevation.

Another view of Salt Spring Island, and boats on the water, with the ruddy and barren-looking dirt of Stony Hill in the foreground.

A lone tree sits atop a jutting point land at the top of Stony Hill, far above Cowichan Bay.

My partner stands on the left, in the photo, with arms crossed as he surveys the beautiful scenery of Cowichan Bay far below with Salt Spring Island in the background.

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Gary Roberts @paradoxus.ca · 15/07/2025

🎶 It's all about that bass, 'bout that BASE, no treble...🎶 #tree #ThickTrunkTuesday #TreeTuesday #chestnut

A large horse chestnut tree in Cook Street Village, Victoria BC. the tree has a thick trunk with huge branches and a very large base that you can see as it pushes up from the ground.

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