Woody

S has been a crafty man this week.  Of course, he's been spending countless hours putting the trim on our 19 doors (actually both sides....38 doors) and 14 windows, not to mention the trim around the great room ceiling, and also not to mention all the staining of the casings before it even goes on.

But besides that, he's been creating woody masterpieces for his office.  An amazing bookshelf behind the door:

And a picture rail for all his photos: (to be continued on the adjoining wall).

Pretty spectacular don't ya think?  We'll just call him Woody. 

Boxing Day

Twas the day after Christmas and all through the house
Not a decorative bird was stirring, there was nary a mouse

(Lisa, see the hummingbird?)

The turkey was eaten, and so was the ham
there was naught in the cupboard, not even some spam

The husband was snoozing, fireplace near
While I had me a swig of some strong, special beer

(check out the new wine glasses!)

Into my new glasses I poured with delight
Some yellow tail bubbles, this will be quite the night!

That's the end of my rhyming, as the drinks have begun
Happy new year to all, each and every one.

Merry Christmas

Nothing like a charlie brown tree to make the season bright. 

Merry Christmas!

Freshly Milled

Our friend Bill has a wonderful machine that mills trees. I want one.  It saws through the tree like a blade through cheese - it's so cool.  

In no time at all (okay, I didn't have to haul the logs into the truck, drive them over, and haul them out) and for the paltry sum of lunch and a couple of bottles of wine, some large fallen logs from our property have been turned into amazing pieces of wood - perfect for making a mantle, or whatever else our imagine can think of.   I think the style is referred to as 'live edge'.  

Now, they just have to sit and dry for about 6 months, and then they will be ready to use.  Finished house, here we come! 

Canyon Lights

S and I were lucky to be invited to the opening night of Christmas Lights at Capilano Suspension Bridge on December 1st.  What a lovely way to start the Christmas season.  Holiday baking, hot chocolate with Baileys, shopping at their amazing store, and lights - lots of lights.  

Here are some of the sights.  If you can, go see it live and in person to really enjoy.     

The bridge....that I will NEVER cross

Forgive my feeble photography skills.  It's spectacular in real life.  I understand the lights on the OTHER side of the bridge are great as well.  Sadly, I'll never know.  I've tried to cross the bridge, and made it about 10 feet before I sprinted back to safety.  I wasn't born to be Indiana Jones (you know, that scene where the bridge breaks, and he grabs on and climbs back up....yeah, not going to happen).

Their store is also amazing - all sorts of good things to buy!  Here's S with his new friend (and some hot chocolate) in front of the shop.   Now this I was born to do - shop, that is.

    

Enjoy the lights in your area, wherever you may be. 

I'm dreaming of a .....

Weekend at Cain Lake.  Where is that, you might ask?  Closer than you think.  It's in Washington State, kinda half way between the Joann's Fabrics in Bellingham and the Joann's in Mount Vernon.  It's situated within spittin' distance to lots of quilt shops. In the American Thanksgiving month of November, it's also close to black Friday sales. 

And they do sales the right way at Joann's.  Ask my credit card how well they do it.  In two days, I was there 3 times.  I saved more than I spent. And that's saying something, 'cause I spent a lot. 

Here's Dianne aiding the U.S. economy.... 

With her cart full at Target, and trying to hold herself back at the wonderful Fourth Corner Quilts in Bellingham (she didn't hold back - she bought stuff, great stuff).

It's wonderful to go to Trader Joe's and Haggens, and lovely to get wine for the best prices EVER, but the most fun is hangin' with my Fore Shore peeps at Jan's cabin at the lake. 

Whether we're just a small group of four, like this year, or a bigger group (we seem to recall about 8 of us one year) it's a great weekend of sharing, caring and enjoying. We head down usually on Friday morning, back on Sunday afternoon.  We've braved snow storms and a car accident (the 'excellent adventure' year), spent cold evenings hunting for wood and the front door keys, but always come away with great memories.  And yes, a few shopping bags of goodies. 

We are so fortunate that Jan opens her door to us every year. We think (we're getting old, so don't really recall) that we've been doing this for 5 or 6 years.  Long enough that we don't have to call dibs on the beds - we all know where we are sleeping.  

Some years we've been talking and laughing into the wee hours, with the empty wine bottles and the sleep-ins to show for it.  Other times, like this year, we were in bed early and up early to enjoy the view and get some stitching or knitting done.  To me, there is no better way to start the day than looking at this peaceful view, with nary a sound except for the coffee brewing.

Cain Lake @ 7:30am

A number of projects were started or finished this year at the lake. None were mine. How does that happen every time?  Talking always trumps doing - though I did learn a new way to cast on.  Jan finished the binding on this wonderful quilt for a friend battling cancer.  The words are uplifting and hopefully will bring good karma to the recipient.

I'm already dreaming of 2012.  Thanks Jan.

Do you e-book?

This year I decided I would track all the books I have read and enjoyed.  You'll see the list to the right.  I'm quite impressed with myself.   Since this is my first year of tracking, I keep forgetting to write down the books as I finish them, but I think I got most of them.

What I haven't captured are all the books I started, and hated.  I refuse to waste time on a book I don't like.  But I know people who once they open a book insist on reading it to the end, even if they are not enjoying it. Life is too short.  It's like eating bad food - no good will come of it.

  

There have been books that I've given a second, and even third chance.  The book Wicked, for instance, by Gregory Maguire.  What a great book.  But the first and second time I tried to read it - nada. Just couldn't get into it.  Third time's a charm, and I couldn't read it fast enough.  Then I read the sequel in 2 days (Son of a Witch, if you are wondering).  I understand book 3 is out there, just haven't got to it yet. 

Last year, I contemplated getting an e-reader.  But it's just not me.  I just love going to the library and browsing the stacks, bringing home a pile of new titles.  I can lose hours in the library.  I think curling up with a good e-reader is just not the same.  And you know when you are reading in bed, and you start to fall asleep, and the book whacks you in the face - just not the same with an e-reader.  

I think one of my favourite books is A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry.  I read it almost 12 years ago, and I still can see the characters clearly, like I just visited with them yesterday.

I'm taking a poll - do you

a) insist on finishing every book you start (and if so, why?)

or 

b) only read what you enjoy and shut the cover on the ones you hate?

Happy page turning!

It's been a busy week....

This was my commute on Monday morning.  A lovely 40 minute ferry ride to Victoria.  It was not without bumps.  The wind was starting it's attack on south west BC. 

I watched the school boat behind us - the waves were about 1 metre high.  I would not be a happy kid on that boat.  There are  snow days when you stay home because of snow - could there be a wave day?

So while I was off on the high seas, S was stranded on the island.  The weather was too rough for the Queen of Nanaimo to leave port on Salt Spring.  So he spent the day waiting to see if the ferry would leave that evening.  I won't keep you in suspense - it did.   For those of you who have been to our beach, here's what it looked like on Monday.  I've never seen the tide so high! The beach was no more.

Bennett Bay Nov 21

Meanwhile, back in Victoria, I was reclining in luxury at the Laurel Point Inn.  It's a lovely hotel on the waterfront.  The bathroom size never ceases to amaze me.  The view is not bad either.  

Erickson Wing room before I messed it up

BIG Bathroom (11 x 13ft - I measured)

Last but not least, I guess the Christmas season has really started.  The Laurel Point was hosting a gingerbread house contest as I arrived.  Here are some of the amazing entries. 

I said it's been a busy week - but it's only WEDNESDAY!  Just so much going on.  I'm off to celebrate American Thanksgiving with some of my quilting peeps on Friday.  Border line ups be damned.  Target and their $5 Christmas t-shirts are calling.  I think this is our 6th annual get-away.  We're lucky to have a cabin by the lake to stay in, just north of Burlington.  Pictures and stories to come. 


Enjoy the rest of the week.  Wear weighted boots if you don't want to fly away.

Project #1065 (and 66)

My favourite question (NOT) is:  Have you finished your house? 

We started building this house in November 2005.  With my amazing math skills, that would make it 6 years since we started.  I expected we would be completed at the end of 2010, but good behaviour (or the dastardly cancer if you like) put that plan aside.

So, here we sit at 6 years, about 98% complete.  It's probably less, but that's what I like to tell people.  Completion is in the eye of the householder. 

Truthfully, it's mostly finishing yet to be done.  Oh, that wasn't truthful at all, the bathrooms aren't really 'finishing' are they?   Anyhow, last weekend S did some might fine 'finishing' by closing in the electric panel housed in the pantry.  Great job job I'd say.   Take a look:

Doors closed (handles not on yet)

Hidden panel

Now, after I open my wood floor laying business, I'm going to open a tiling business (again, NOT).  Bathroom tiling moves very slow, and while I enjoy it, it's kinda messy.  Plus, I can't mix too much mortar, as it will harden before I finish.  I manage to mix about enough for one row at a time.  This is the progress of about a month (remember, we're talking weekends here): 

tiling in progress

Close up

 
What is missing from the tiling industry is a spatula.  I have no idea how you get the mortar out of the bucket with that stupid flat metal thing, yes, the trowel.  So I bought me a fancy kitchen spatula.  Things will move more quickly now.  Only took me a month to figure that out.  Did I mention I'm also grouting the tile at the town house....by finger, no trowel.  Long story. 





Project 1067 coming soon....  















Enjoy your weekend.   



p.s. isn't it the most amazing thing when the sun shines on the snow and the day is ever brighter because of it?  Hate snow, but love the light. 

Tofino

We are so lucky to have a place to stay in Tofino.  Right on Chesterman Beach, just down from the Wickaninish Inn.  Miles and MILES of beach.  Monkey thinks he owns the beach - other dogs beware.  He gets decked out in his little wet suit, and off he goes.  This year, he learned to body surf.   However, in October, the ocean is a bit cold, and small schnauzers start to shiver after about 10 minutes in the surf.  

However, they are happy (?) to pose for some photos when dry...... (clearly, I'm lucky I have a day job to fall back on, photography was not my first calling). 

They are both employing their driftwood cloaking device.  Just try to find the grey schnauzers in the drift wood or sand.  Not easy.

Oh, and did I mention the ball thrower?  Just one glimpse of that stupid piece of blue plastic and the barking begins.  From the door to the beach, BARK BARK BARK BARK. How is it possible to be so little and have such a loud shrill bark?
 

There are so many reasons to I like going to Tofino apart from the beach, and the peace and quiet.  Two others high on my list are Goats on the Roof in Coombs (yes, there are goats, and yes, they are on the roof... but I have never seen them there). But they have great shopping, goats or not.

The other thing I love is the tradition of putting Hallowe'en pumpkins in the forest at Cathedral Grove.  What I discovered is that it doesn't happen until after Hallowe'en has passed.  Then, everyone from Port Alberni, I guess, takes their carved pumpkin and displays it along the road.  Usually, we go to Tofino late in November, and the pumpkins are mostly mush.  This year, we caught them on November 2nd, in all their glory: 

Ah, Tofino.  Thanks to Rim Cottage for another wonderful weekend.

Walking is easy.....

Cancer is not.  That's how the ad goes. 

My friend Sarah disagrees.  She has fused discs in her back, and even sitting is hard.  Barbara and Elizabeth were in a very bad car accident, and Elizabeth has recently had surgery that makes walking hard for her.  They probably disagree.

But I can walk.  I've had back problems that have made it difficult to do.  But I had cancer.  I can speak from experience - walking is easier.  So, for Sarah, Barbara and Elizabeth, I walk as you aren't able.

But all the things you miss. Friday, when the sun was trying to come out, and the temperature hovered around 10C, the air was fresh, the tree frogs were singing and walking was the best thing on earth! 

Especially as I left the dogs at home.  No stopping and peeing or smelling the trees, no barking or pulling at the leash.  Just quiet walking.  No ipod.  

Walking is easy. And peaceful.  And I better go do it now!!  60km to conquer in August. 

If not now, when?   RJ

Light up a Bubble

What if everyone blew bubbles instead of smoking?   Wouldn't that be a good world?