I am the architect of my own destiny.

elleQ rehearsal

2009-02-14T13:11:00.002-05:00

Ahhh, animals!

2008-09-28T14:03:00.004-05:00

Finnigan has been enjoying camp so much. Since his first swim [not on purpose - he jumped out of the boat. That's whole other story!] he's been actually quite calm in his crate to and from home. He stays outside almost every night and sleeps during the day. He's brought us a critter or two, but he basically sticks close to the camp and explores his surroundings.

Gracie, of course, is our cutie patootie. Loves camp. Enough said!!

Now, here's the thing. Porcupines are cute and all, but I'm not sure I like them hanging around. This one has been sticking close by for the past several weeks. So far, Gracie hasn't really seen it [maybe smelled it] and I'd like to keep it that way. I'm not sure how curious she would get, but I don't want to take any chances. Let's hope it's moved on it's way....

I'm Crafty!

2008-09-12T16:53:00.002-05:00

I've been into a crafty mood lately. Last week at camp I made a large dream catcher made with two intertwined rings. I'll post a pic when I've got it completely done.
Then I was in the mood for making smaller ones. I really liked how they turned out, so I'm thinking of posting them on-line for sale!
Would you buy one for $12? It's about 2.5" in diameter. Is the price okay or too high/low?

Did you Wonder where I've Been?

2008-09-11T20:12:00.005-05:00

It's been four months since my last post. That kind of sounded like a confession, ha ha. I had good intentions, but just never got around to updating my Blog.
At the end of May, I ended up in the hospital for four days after complications with my Crohn's. However, since then I am happy to say that I've been totally symptom free! Keeping my fingers crossed....!
The summer weather could have been better, but every day we were at camp was a good day. We did some renovations. I cleared a lot of brush...again. We had lots of company, lots of good times. Doug was on holidays for six weeks and the time just flew by.
Here it is September already and I look back and wonder where the summer went. I hate to admit it, but I am kind of looking forward to Autumn! There's something about the end of summer that brings a sort of renewal. Most people might feel that in the Spring, but for me it's when the nights get cooler and the days are crisper. I feel like I want to purge things that I haven't looked at for months. We're having a yard sale on Saturday and I hope to get rid of a lot of STUFF. On the other hand, I want to store and gather like the squirrels and chipmunks do. This is the time of year that I want to spend money. I want to buy things for the house [maybe it's the thought of winter around the corner] to make me cozy and keep me busy. Like a new laptop or new towels for the bathroom!
But I don't want to rush it. I'm hoping that September brings some unseasonably warm temps and that October will be sunny and mild. Looking forward to more weeks at camp before the ice starts forming on the lake.
Here's a few photos from the past few months to share with you!

PICNIC - elleQ dance factory at the Northern Lights Festival Boreal, Sudbury

Night shot of the vendors at NLFB

My three girls!

..at the NLFB!

Lake Ramsey

Gracie's new toy!

Duck Dash

2008-05-11T07:55:00.014-05:00

I am a member of a Facebook group of local photographers. I went out yesterday to the Rotary Club's annual Duck Dash! People purchase tickets on a rubber duckie. Each ticket represents one duckie. They are all released into Lily Creek at once and the winner of the race, wins the prize!! Proceeds all go to charitable organizations! Over 13,000 duckies were sold this year, [I think at $5 each!!]

Duckies in the Pool

Balloon animal maker

Spectators on the bridge

I think these guys are called the Soggy Bottom Boys [not sure]

Waiting for the Race to begin

Release the DUCKIES -- all 13,000 of them!

The firemen helped the duckies along with their hose!

Go DUCKIES, GO!

Making sure no duckies get left behind

Git along, little Duckies

New Dance Company

2008-04-15T17:34:00.016-05:00

My daughter has started an independent Modern Dance company. Together with her sister and another dancer, they are starting out to gain exposure, raise funds and show the city that Modern Dance is alive and well!! I am so proud!!
elle Q dance company debuts this summer at our annual Northern Lights Festival Boreal. They needed a photo for some media coverage and for the NLFB program, so I got to shoot the trio last weekend.

I learned a lot on this shoot:

1. My kit lens came through and proved to be a darn good lens.
2. Lighting in an OLD house basement can be awesome
3. After setting CWB, don't forget to switch your focus back to Auto. I learned this the hard way as some of the shots were kinda blurry. DUH
4. A tripod is my friend
5. 160 shots isn't too many. Out of that many shots, I managed to get a really good selection of decent shots!!

So, if you live in Sudbury, be on the lookout for this amazing dance company!

earthdancers 2008

2008-04-12T22:22:00.010-05:00

Just a few of the shots from the earthdancers performance 2008!

[My #1 daughter is in the first and last photo!]

HAPPY SPRING!!

2008-03-23T07:17:00.000-05:00

Don't send a lame eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

2008-03-05T11:32:00.003-05:00

There's something about this image I just love. The sun peeking through the trees, the snow blowing off the roof of the shed, the shadows, the trees. Once in a while a photo just grabs me and this one did. It's so peaceful.

Folk Art

2008-02-25T21:34:00.005-05:00

We finally got some tongue and groove Pine installed at camp. I was getting tired of looking at yellow and pink insulation for the past three years!!
Since we've had so many mouse problems in the past, I wanted to paint a faux mousey on one of the boards in hopes that the fake one is the only one we'll ever have! As well, I painted a bird/nest on the peak boards!!
Just thought I'd share how they turned out! I love them! Now I want to do another tole painting in the other room! Any suggestions??

Another beautiful day on Lake Panache

2008-02-18T09:58:00.005-05:00

Winter can't get any better than this. Okay, for those of you that know I hate winter, you must wonder if I've lost my mind. I'm not a winter lover in general. I hate driving on snowy, slippery roads. I hate slush. I hate how dirty the snowbanks get and it makes the whole city look icky. I admit that I love shoveling, so that part of winter is okay!! I hate being cold. In summer, there's always a place you can go to cool off - like the basement, or a cool shower, or an air conditioned mall, or to the lake. But in winter, it's not so easy to warm up when you've got that deep-down chill.
BUT, at camp - winter is amazing. The snow couldn't be any whiter. The quiet is so quiet, you can practically hear your own heart beat. The birds flit from one feeder to the next and they are quite mesmerizing to watch. The snow seems to stay on the trees longer at camp and the branches are heavy with the white stuff. It even smells better.
As always, food tastes better at camp -- no matter what it is. Even a hot dog can taste gourmet - and I LOVE hot dogs.

Welcome to our camp....

I've been Tagged!

2008-02-06T15:56:00.000-05:00

Heather, from CottageBlogger tagged me to list 7 Strange-but-true things about me! I'm always up for a challenge, so here goes:

1. I am really, really, really, really fastidious about waste reduction. I CAN'T throw something in the trash that can be recycled or reused, etc. I just can't. You might say that's a good thing, but it can be very annoying to friends and family members. I have been known [on many occasions] to take things OUT of the garbage that shouldn't be there. I am constantly razzing people for not following MY good habits!! I've also been known to pick fights about the importance of environmental issues. Oh, I could go on....

2. I can pick up almost anything with my toes!

3. I have an uncanny ability to harmonize to songs - even to ones that I'm hearing for the first time! Now, that in no means says I'm a GOOD singer, just that I can do it!

4. I secretly hoard chocolate.

5. I probably shouldn't admit this, but I like to peek into people's medicine cabinets! Once, at a party I hosted, I posted a sign inside my medicine cabinet that said, "I just caught you peeking inside my medicine cabinet. If you are reading this, you have WON - come to see me for a prize." Nobody claimed the prize!!! Hmmm, either no body looked, or they were afraid to admit it!!

6. I can't stand the sound of windshield wipers. When I'm driving, I set it to the slowest speed I can possibly tolerate. If Doug is driving, he usually puts them at the highest speed and I grit my teeth and seethe inside. I especially go nuts when it's stopped raining or slowed down and the wipers are still on high. Once, he got upset with me for telling him to turn them off, so now I have to grin and bear it and anxiously wait for the rain to stop. If he happens to run into a store or something, I quickly reach over and turn them down. If the wipers squeak -- it's even worse!! I can't explain it but they drive me NUTS!!!

7. When using the microwave, I have to stop the timer when the seconds read :09 or :13. It's a thing.

While I'm at it, I figure I'll post some photos from the cottage!

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January Blahs

2008-01-22T20:18:00.000-05:00

I heard on the news yesterday that the third monday of January is known as Blue Monday. It's apparently the saddest day of the year for a lot of people. Resolutions are broken, holiday bills are pouring in, the weather is depressing and cold. This year things are even worse with rising gas prices and even worse for some because of the crash of the TSE yesterday!! Yikes!
I'm glad I don't suffer from S.A.D.

I can't say I love winter, or slushy driving conditions or frigid temperatures. I don't love having to wear layers of clothes inside because our house is so cold. I don't like that it gets dark so early. But, I am proud be a Canadian and I live in a wonderful city that is surrounded by lakes and forests and clean, fresh air.

They say that the cure for the saddest day of the year is exercise!! I can't say that I love exercise either, but I do love the fresh air and the outdoors.

So, I bundled up in my parka, snow boots, Hot Paws mitts, Penguin hat and took the dog for a walk. I didn't want to bring my dSLR because it was way too cold out, so I grabbed my old 3mp Sony P&S and went out on Lake Ramsey. The sun was getting low in the sky and it was dull and grey, but what a beautiful day!! The skating path was plowed and ready for eager skaters, but this day it was just me, Gracie, one ice-fisher dude and one skater... on the whole lake and on the boardwalk beside it!!

So, where was everyone? If exercise is supposed to be the cure, why weren't there more people out there walking, skating, skiing?

Hmmm, I guess Blue Monday didn't affect anyone in Sudbury!! Not only are we the Nickel Capitol of the world, I guess we're also the happiest! ha ha

Memory Ornaments

2008-01-02T22:02:00.001-05:00

When I was un-decorating today, I decided it was time to get rid of some old stuff. A wreath, some small metal trees, a bunch of gift bags, some ornaments and more. As I took items off the trees, I started to have a nostalgia attack!

Just looking at some of the ornaments brought me back to my childhood. Remember those big, honking light sets we used to have? Big thick electrical cord and bulb glass so thick you couldn't break it without stepping on it! Mom and Dad had the most beautiful garland that I used to love to touch because it was so soft. It was a deep red rope of velour. I still have a small piece of it, about 2 feet long. It's over 50 years old! I turned 50 yesterday, and it hit home. 50!! That's a LONG time!

I remember how fragile the glass balls were and I stuck my fingers through many with my little 5 year old hands. Like the velour rope, I have a few of the original tree ornaments that my Mom and Dad had. They have to be at least 50 years old as well, but likely older. They are getting thin and more fragile every year and I thought it was time to take a photo of them, just in case I lost them.

These are the oldest baubles

This was made by me after my dad died in 2002.
I used some flowers from the funeral arrangement.

These were found in the attic of the first house we bought.
We also found old magazines and newspapers from the '30s and '40s!
Not sure how old these ones are.

The Clan

2008-01-02T21:57:00.000-05:00

Each year, my family gathers after Christmas to celebrate the holidays together. We take turns hosting the event between my two sisters, my mom and myself. This year was Mom's turn, but she's 83 and not able to very much any more, so I pretty much took over the organization.

We arranged to hold the event in one of the large party rooms at Mom's retirement village. We all bring pot-luck dinner. The village provides the dishes and even washes them afterwards for us - which is a bonus! Our family has grown over the years with the addition of more Great - Grandchildren for Mom and various boyfriends/girlfriends and fiance[e]s. The farthest anyone has to travel is 5 hours, but sometimes some of us just can't make it. This year we were missing 4 people. So our total count for this year's celebration was 19.

We played games, had a gift auction with play money and White Elephant wrapped gifts from home! We laughed, we cried, we ate, we drank and we reminisced.

I took over 100 photos, all on P mode and I only had to delete 5 or 6! Not too bad! Here's a few of my favourites! There weren't very many appropriate places for me to take a family photo, so this had to do. I wish I could have turned down the overhead lights.

Our Christmas

2007-12-28T19:59:00.001-05:00

We had a wonderful celebration yesterday. All of us together - perfect. We started the day with coffee and chat. Meg showed us all the gifts she had already receved from Jay's family down south. What a haul! But look at our loot! Aren't we spoiled!?

I took several photos, with my camera on Auto. Got some great keepers. A few of them were blurry, and some of the DOF was a bit off, but hey - they're still keepers!

Gracie was right in the middle of things like a bull in a china shop. She got several new toys and went from one to the other. A few of them are squeaky toys and she's not too sure about that. She starts to whine when it squeaks!

Here's one of Gracie opening another one!

Lauren and Meghan were side by side on the loveseat on their laptops. So nice to see my girls having fun together.

Tomorrow is MY side of the family's celebration. There will be 19 of us for fun, food and family good times! Can't wait.

A few Christmas Moments

2007-12-26T20:48:00.000-05:00

We don't celebrate our Christmas until tomorrow! The presents are still under the tree and the stockings have just been stuffed! My daughter is on the road, on her way home. She should be home by midnight, so I'm anxious to know when she'll be home safe. Hubby is working nights tonight, so once he gets up, we'll be having our traditional family Christmas - two days late! No problem though - as long as we're together.

We did have some great moments with extended family though. Here's some of my favourite shots from the last few days.

My 83 year Mom. She's opening the digital photo frame we got her - which she loved!!

My darling DD, drinking hot Cranberry Tea. My Auntie Lea in the background.

This is a cousin of my Dad's from way back! Juliette. Isn't she lovely?

DH's cousin's girls. They put makeup on me and did my hair today!!

And my favourite holiday photo. Gracie, dreaming of what's in her stocking!!

The Gingerbread Angel

2007-12-23T17:21:00.000-05:00

A story of goodwill, cherished memories and what Christmas is all about. Please feel free to share it with your family, but please DO NOT PUBLISH.

I won a short story contest in 1993 with this story! Enjoy and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

[I tried to enlarge the font, but it wouldn't work. If it's too small to read, just press Ctrl +]

_____________________________________________________

THE GINGERBREAD ANGEL

1993 - © Deborah Pero

The old man picked up his cane from beside his chair. He grasped the handle and gently placed the cane's tip on the wooden floor. Before rising completely from the squeaky rocker, he paused briefly for balance and winced with pain as his knees quickly reminded him of his arthritis. Brutus was insistently scratching on the outside of the cottage door as the old man slipped his feet into his moccasins before going to let the small pug in.

"I must have fallen asleep," said the gentleman to himself as he glanced at the clock on the wall. "Poor 'ol Brutus has been out all this time. I'm comin' Brute!", he yelled from the hallway.

The old-timer propped his cane in the corner and gave his long grey beard a gentle massage before opening the wooden door. Standing before the outer screen door, he called for Brutus. The chubby pug wagged his curlicue tail vigorously when he saw his master through the screen. Frigid gusts of wind licked at the man's feet. He pulled his sweater tighter around himself and shivered. A fluffy layer of snowflakes was stuck to the canine's sandy coloured fur - from the tip of his tail to his little blacked pushed-in snout. The mutt gave himself a mighty shake to rid himself of the snowy burden. As the pup was about to climb the stoop to the warmth of the bungalow, a large mushy snowball whizzed through the crisp air and landed with a 'splat' just inches from the pooch's backside. The senior was just about unleash his pet when from the street he heard a chant.

"Adams has an ugly dog. It looks and sounds just like a hog. They both have faces black as shine. They must be sons of Frankenstein!"

Mr. Adams was used to the jeers and taunting now. Most of the neighbourhood children had ridiculed him at least once these past few weeks.

Unleashing Brutus, he led him into the protection of his home and closed the door to the coldness outside. It was December 18, the last day of school before Christmas holidays.

- - - - -

Jeremiah Adams thought he would never get over his wife's death. Just a few months earlier, Heather Adams was a lively, gentle woman full of zest and vitality.

Heather became a teacher when she and Jeremiah found out they could have no children of their own. For 30 years she taught kindergarten at the elementary school at the end of the street. She taught at that same school until the day she died.

Heather was walking home from classes one crisp autumn day when she was suddenly struck by a car, whose driver had lost control of the vehicle. Jeremiah was at his job as a carpenter when he received the call that his wife had been involved in a serious automobile accident. She never regained consciousness. Jeremiah's heart was broken. He would never smile again.

Things got even worse for the widower. The couple had not a great deal of money, so after funeral costs and endless debts, Jeremiah had barely enough to live on. He found it harder and harder every day to be able to work. His arthritis worsened.

Weeks passed slowly by as Jeremiah became more and more depressed. He neglected his household chores, inside and out. The leaves piled up beneath the trees that fall and remained there until the snow gently blanketed the ground. Not only was Jeremiah lax in the upkeep of his home, but his personal appearance suffered as well. Even though he rarely went outdoors, the children began to tease him as his beard grew longer, his clothes more ragged and his face more sullen.

Things went from bad to worse when the children that Heather loved so dearly, began to mock and tease him and throw rocks and snowballs at his home.

Jeremiah might have resorted to suicide that cold winder day in December had it not been for Marcy.

- - - -

It was love at first sight for Marcy on her very first day of Kindergarten that September. Ever since she was three years old, she had been looking forward to starting school. That first morning, she eagerly hopped into the bus, her green eyes full of excitement. Her naturally curly auburn tresses bobbed ever so gently as the bus took her to school. When she stepped into the large classroom full of toys and books and pictures and wonderful bright colours, she just knew she was going to love her teacher too. And sure enough, standing in the middle of the room, was a plump little woman with the warmest smile Marcy had ever seen.

"Hello Marcy. I'm Mrs. Adams. I sure hope you'll enjoy being in my class. Come with me and I'll show you around." At that moment, as Marcy clasped her tiny little hand in Heather's, they instantly became friends.

Each day was a wondrous joy for both teacher and student. Heather had never taught anyone quite so bubbly and sweet as Marcy. She was intelligent too. She sometimes forgot that the little girl was only five years old.

Mrs. Adams made learning fun for her students, but Marcy was like a sponge soaking up every little bit of knowledge with wonderment and amazement.

Their fondness for each other grew and blossomed every single day. The last thing Marcy saw when her school bus pulled away from the school on that fateful autumn day was the glowing smile on the best teacher in the whole world.

For a few days after the woman died, Marcy would remain in her room for several hours at a time. She would look at the books that Mrs. Adams liked to read. She would sing to herself the songs her class would sing everyday. And sometimes she would cry. When her mom and dad first told her that her teacher had died, Marcy did not cry right away. She began to sob only when she realized that Mrs. Adams would never again be her teacher.

Weeks passed. Marcy still liked school, and her new teacher was OK, but she didn't quite have the same enthusiasm as she once had.

On Christmas Eve, Marcy reluctantly pushed aside her sad thoughts to let in the magic of the day. She gleefully sang carols with her parents while helping decorate the tree. She secretly assisted her dad in wrapping a few gifts for her mom. Later, as Marcy's mother was removing a batch of gingerbread angel cookies from the oven, Marcy asked her, "Do you think Mrs. Adams is a Christmas angel up in Heaven?" Mother and daughter decided that a person so kind and wonderful as Mrs. Adams was, she just had to be an angel. In fact, they were positive that right at that very minute, she was gazing down at her loved ones from Heaven.

For just a brief instant, they though they could actually feel the feathery touch of the angel's great wings on their shoulders. "Mommy, Now that I know Mrs. Adams is a Christmas angel, she can be with me all of the time. I don't have to be sad anymore," the little girl exclaimed.

Later that afternoon, just before dusk, Marcy knocked loudly on Mr. Adams' door, as her mother waited for her near the street. As soon as the old man opened his door, the young girl began, "My nave is Marcy. I brought you a present."

The old man was puzzled. Who was this child? She continues, "Mrs. Adams was my teacher, and I miss her very much. I know I'll never see her again, but she'll always be with me!" With her mittened hands she thrust forward a delicate gingerbread angel. The angel's gown, painted with a frosty pink icing was adorned with gold and silver candy dragees. Its sugar crystal wings sparkled like snowflakes in the moonlight.

"This is for you," the tiny one said. "Now Mrs. Adams can always be with you too. Merry Christmas, sir."

The old man didn't know what to say. With a lump in his throat and a cold shiver in his veins, he reached for the wondrous gift. A soft sudden breath of air caressed the old man's face like a kiss as he held the Christmas Angel in the palm of his hand. An odd glow warmed his heart like a shining star within his breast. He turned his gaze to the skies and a moistness momentarily blurred his sight. A glorious beam of moonlight seemed to fill the world with light. Jeremiah heard a choir softly singing in the distance. He was sure he heard his wife's dear sweet voice echoing in the twilight. And he smiled.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

2007-12-07T21:54:00.000-05:00

It's been quite a while since I last posted. Partly due to health issues, partly due to total lack of motivation and inspiration! It's not that I haven't thought of blogging, I have - but from mind to computer is another thing altogether!!

Each year I like to take a family photo for Christmas. Last year's is HERE.

This year I wanted to do something funny. I had in my mind to do this outside, because we were having a very mild November. Of course, just before we planned to do the shoot, we got dumped with several inches of snow and it turned COLD. I don't have a lot of room in my living room, but it's the nicest room in the house so I set up there. Not a lot of room for good depth of field either, but you do what you can! We made some fun and unusual clothing choices and had a total HOOT taking these! I had some issues with backlighting, but I think I managed to deal with it okay. Hope you enjoy them!

My DH cracks me up in this one!

What a bunch of GOOFS!

This is the one I used for our Christms card!
Tuning up for a Jingle Jamboree!!

And this one is me fixing a crab dip in the kitchen. My daughter snapped this one!

Thanks for looking!

HAVE A FUN AND GROOVY HOLIDAY SEASON!!

My Prince Charming ?

2007-10-27T12:16:00.001-05:00

We closed up the cottage the other day. It's always a sad time, saying goodbye to the place for the next few months. Besides getting the chores done - packing up the perishables, the freezeables, bedding and clothing, etc., we turned off the power, winterized the water pump and put away all the water toys and canoe. We hung up the snow shovels in a tree. [One winter we got to camp to find they were frozen solid into the ground. We had to 'shovel' with our feet!]

It was quite cool outside, but not raining, so we had a campfire and just sat and stared at the flames for awhile, neither of us talking. It amazes me how long we can stare at dancing flames and jumping sparks. Very mezmerizing.
By the time our campfire had turned to coals, the camp was warm enough to go inside. We took the wood-stove out when we were doing our renovations, so until next summer all we have for heat is a construction heater. It works great, but it takes awhile to heat up the whole camp.

I bought some Roman style, roll-up blinds for the four new windows. Each window is 6x4'- that's a lot of window! I didn't want our place to look like an aquarium with the possibilities for looky-loos and shady snoopers to peek inside - [ not that there any such characters on our lake!!]. So, we installed the blinds mainly for privacy. Also, because there's so much window I didn't want the cute little chickadees and nuthatches to break their necks thinking they could fly through them! So, after the blinds were installed we took a walk in the bush. Our last one of the year. The smell was divine! There is nothing like the fresh, damp, biodegrading smell of fallen leaves and moose poop. No really, it smells like nature. I'd love to bottle that smell and in the middle of winter take the cap off the bottle and take a good whif - so it can take me back to the middle of the bush, at least in my mind.

I took a few photos of water droplets on the leaves. Just a few of them turned out. I was feeling very uncreative lately in the photography department. Must be the rain. Or the lack of GREEN. Or the lack of anything ALIVE!! But, just as we were ready to pack up the recyclables and the empty beer bottles we saw a big, honking TOAD!! This dude's body [or dudette - how can you tell?] was about the size of my fist. I thought for sure he was going to scurry [do toads scurry?] under the camp, but he hopped up onto a rock as if to say, "I'm here for my photo shoot". He sat for me and posed while I took shots from several angles. What a guy!! Don't you wish your guys were that cooperative?

I named him George. Anyway, I started thinking it was a sign. This guy was my good luck charm. First of all, I thought toads and frogs would have already hunkered down for the season, here this one was right out there enjoying the near zero temps! I just kinda knew that it was going to be a great autumn and an even better winter. I knew that our camp would fare the loneliness just fine until we next returned when the ice is safe for crossing. I felt that I was going to have a better year, healthwise. I can't explain it, but George made things feel right.

That evening, back at home there was a clear sky and a gorgeous full moon. I went to Google and look what I found on the first hit!!

The ancient Chinese revered a mythical creature known as the Chan Chu or "Toad God". This toad is believed to be bring good luck, prosperity and wealth to its owner. Frogs have traditionally symbolized good luck and prosperity.
The Chan Chu is said to appear every full moon close to the people who are about to receive good luck regarding money!!

Maybe I should have kissed George!

My Bad Day

2007-10-19T16:14:00.001-05:00

I had one of those days. You know the kind -- when nothing goes right and you just wish you could either start all over again or fast forward to bedtime.
It started out fine, good breakfast, great latté, finished a great novel.
My daughter Lauren called and asked if I could drive her to work today. She's leaving for Ottawa with a friend right after work and she needed to bring her bags to work. She usually walks or takes her bike and couldn't do so with her suitcases. "No prob", I say! So, five minutes before I had to leave to pick her up I went to get the car keys and.... no car keys!! We have two for the car. DH has one [on his key chain - at work] and guess who had the other one? Lauren! Arrggh. So, she had to walk to work afterall, bags and all.

I needed the car today for some errands and a hair cut. So, I thought this would be a good excuse for me to take the dog for a long walk, listen to my mp3 player and pick up the key from my Lauren's work. Twenty five minutes there and back, sunshine and fresh air sounded good. I was tired of the tunes on my player, so I wanted to delete them and add some of Stuart McLean's Vinyl Cafe stories. Love listening to him! First of all, I couldn't find the USB cord for my mp3 player. Finally found it, but couldn't remember how to upload new stuff to it. Finally figured that out but it was taking FOREVER to upload just a few stories. I gave up after 3. No problem - that would give me a good start - about 45 minutes worth of listening.
I loaded up my pack-sack with pooper-scooper, wallet, umbrella and mp3 player. Good to go. Now, Gracie loves going for walks, but without her Halti [gentle, leader collar] she's a complete idiot on the leash. I usually put it on her because she's way more easier to control with it on, especially if we meet up with other dogs, however she HATES it so much and is always trying to rub it off somehow. She flops down on the ground, snout on the grass/gravel/ground and with her butt in the air pushes her self along with her back legs as she slides her face on the ground. I told you - idiot. So, to spare her the discomfort of the Halti today I decided to to just go with the regular collar. Bad idea. The walk was not pleasant. Tug, pull, tug, pull, yank, tug, pull. That annoys me. And to add insult to injury it was windy today. I HATE the wind. And this wasn't just a gentle breeze - it was full gale force in-your-face winds. After walking in it for an hour I felt like I had just been abused. Now I was really annoyed, wind-blown and sweaty, [it is unseasonably warm today, 20ºc and I was overdressed] and I was now getting an ear-ache and headache from the wind.

But, back home once again with the key I could now go do my errands with the car. Had to take some acetamin for my headache first. And change my clothes. I left for the the mall with the intention to buy blinds for the four windows at camp. I planned my time so I could buy the blinds and then go to my appointment for my hair cut. I found the blinds, but there were only two sets, not the four I needed. I had to struggle to get them out of the racks. They're 6' blinds and they were stacked at the BACK of the racks. I stumbled my way to the cash with them, [they were heavy and awkward] I asked if there were two more sets of blinds anywhere in the store? Nope, but the other store in the Valley has them. Good, they will transfer them to this store for me. I went to pay for the two that I had. NO WALLET. I had left it in the pack-sack from my walk earlier. OMG. Could my day get any worse?
I had to leave the blinds at the store, on hold so I could pick them up tomorrow. Good thing that parking is free at the mall, so I was able to leave fairly quickly.
I got back in the car and rushed home to get my wallet so I could make my 3pm appointment. I saw an empty meter on the street, turned into a driveway so I could back up into the parking spot and just as I was backing up, a van drove up from the other way and took my spot!!! I'm normally a pretty laid back person. I don't get excited or frustrated easily. I'm usually quite calm. It took a lot of self restraint not to back right up into that van.
So, I put my money in the meter and go to the salon. I get there and my stylist is running 1/2 hour late and would I mind waiting?
N-O P-R-O-B-L-E-M!!

The salon is next door to where Lauren works, so I gathered my wits and enjoyed an espresso and cookie while I waited. By the way my day had gone so far I was sure I was going to either choke on my cookie or bite my tongue or something. [the caffeine actually calmed my nerves!]

Fast forward an hour and I left the salon with a brand new, radically different haircut and style! I'm still not sure what happened. I'm usually not that brave when it comes to my hair. I've had longish hair for as long as I remember and today I bit the bullet and said "do what you think would look good"! OMG what was I thinking? But really, it's not so bad. It'll take a little getting used to, but it's okay. Hair grows back, right?

I had 5 minutes to spare on the parking meter and I made it back home in one piece!
There's 6 hours I'll never get back!

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I know this pic doesn't have anything to do with my day, but it makes me smile!!

Bear!

2007-10-10T21:52:00.000-05:00

This is the time of year for bears. There have been a lot of nuisance bears in town. There was one in my neighbour's yard a few weeks ago.
Since we've had our cottage, we've sighted a few bears, but never on our own property. I know they're out there, but thankfully, they haven't come around. When we walk back in the bush, we're sure to make lots of noise. At camp, I always freeze my meat scraps until we go home and I always rinse the recyclables and NEVER leave garbage out.
The cottage across from us is on an island. There seems to be more bears over there as we've seen them in their yard a few times. The bears never seem to be there when the neighbours are. I don't know if that's a cooincidence or if they stay away if there are people near by.
Just a few days ago we saw one at another cottage on the island. It was chowing down on grass or something. I hung around for a good 20 minutes or more.
I got DH to take me over in the boat so I could take some photos of it. I had my 50-200mm lens with a 1.5x teleconverter. I didn't get the greatest focus, but I was glad to get the shots I did. This was the closest I have ever been to a bear. We were about 30 feet away I think. You can see in the eyes that it's looking right at me!! I took about a dozen photos, and these were the best.
After we got back to camp, we saw it right across from us at the neighbours again, munching on her potted mums and Mountain Ash tree. Then it made it's way to the next camp. No hurry, no rush. Just searching for something more to eat.

Thanksgiving, Banana Boats and Fun!

2007-10-09T08:14:00.000-05:00

I love spending Thanksgiving at camp. We've had some great temps, but no sunshine this year. It was overcast and cloudy, but no rain. We started a campfire Sunday morning before our guests arrived. Sipped coffee and enjoyed the warmth of the fire. Usually in the summer, we don't have campfires that often for fear of forest fires. But the wind was calm and the bush was already damp from a few days of rain, so it was nice not to have to worry about sparks. We gathered benches and chairs and circled them around the fire pit.
Doug had to take several boat trips to and from the Marina to pick up our friends and family. [We NEED a new boat!!] With only 5 life-jackets and comfortable seating for 4, it makes it tough! There was 14 of us all together for a wonderful Thanksgiving day.
I took lots of pictures, so I'll post more in a day or two.
We made banana boats in the hot coals. This was our lunch! We didn't want to be too full for turkey dinner!

Before:

After:

2007-10-05T17:56:00.000-05:00

It's Thanksgiving weekend and I love turkey!
We're having our turkey dinner at the cottage on Sunday. Fourteen of our family and friends will be joining us and the forecast is for WARM temps!! I can't wait.
My little oven at camp isn't very reliable, temperature wise, so I didn't want to take any chances in ruining a turkey so I'm cooking a 15 lb one here at home today. It smells heavenly in here right now. I'll slice it all up here, then wrap it nice and tightly. Then on Sunday I'll warm it up slowly just before we eat. I'll do the potatoes there. I think I'll mash up a sweet potato with the spuds this year and whip them with lots of butter! Mmmm. My sister is bringing her famous buttery, candied carrots. Others are bringing more veggies, V8 juice and snacks. My girls are bringing a bottle of Chai liqueur. That should go nicely with the Pumpkin Crappe dessert I'm going to make. I also bought the cutest little, tiny apples [Paula Red] that I'll be making Candy Apples with for everyone!
I'm hoping to have a campfire where we'll roast some marshmallows and make banana boats!
If the weather holds out, I'd like to set up the table outside. It'll be so nice to enjoy our meal in such peaceful surroundings. There are hardly any people on the lake this time of year, so it's the breeze, some birds and us!! Just hope the smell of the turkey and fixings don't attract any unwanted critters!!

Decisions, decisions...

2007-10-05T07:40:00.000-05:00

I get tired of my furniture very quickly. In the 29 years of our marriage, D & I have had 7 different living room sets. That's an average change of 1 in 4.2 years!!
I've gone from plush to pastel, from plain to plaid, from sofa-bed to reclining. Looking back, I have to wonder 'what was I thinking?' I guess at the time, I thought I had made a sound choice.
When I get a new sofa, I LOVE it. I sit in it, I read in it, I admire it. But after a short time, I don't care if I eat food on it, or drink red wine on it. Then I get to the point where I start trying to disguise it with throws or pillows!
I also have a bad habit of changing the layout of my furniture. I do this pretty often. I get tired of the same ol' and need to rearrange things. DH has to laugh, he'll come home from work and find things anew once again.
Well, I'm at that stage again. We're looking for new furniture and it's so HARD!! We just brought our old loveseat to the cottage. The sofa is going to go in our rec-room in the basement. The old cart we were using as a coffe table also went to camp, so at the moment my living room has a recliner, a TV cabinet and the dog's bed!! I need to find something new soon.
I've been to every [affordable] furniture store in town, twice and three times! I keep going back to McQueens. They have the nicest selection. But that's the problem - I like so much! So now I have to decide what is going to suit me best for the next, oh, 4.2 years.
We've got a traditional dining room set in a dark walnut colour. I think I'd like to match something with that. I'd like to get two love seats and one recliner. Maybe an accent colour like dark burgundy for the lamps and recliner.
Oh, the decisions.....
This is the one I'm leaning towards now, [but in loveseat, not sofa]....

What do you think??

2007-09-14T21:43:00.001-05:00

We are so lucky to have such a wonderful place to go to. Our cottage, [camp] brings such peace and tranquility in our lives. When we're there, our hearts are content and free from worry.

The weather has been so cool this week, well below normal for this time of year. But even a bad day at camp is better than any day at home! It rained a few times, but we had lots of inside work to do. Our addition is almost complete and we opened up the wall between the main camp and the new room. It's awesome!

I did a lot of brushing again. Give me an axe and I go nuts. I love cutting dead branches and lower limbs on trees. It opens things up and looks so neat and tidy. [I think it's an OCD thing of mine.] Had a few campfires and burned some of the brush. But first I had to cut up all the pieces to just the right size. I'm picky about that.
And I'm so anal about things being out of place or untidy. I even pick up the acorns that fall because they're scattered all over the place like specks of dirt on a floor. If I could, I would even sweep the ground! That's another story though...

The water temperature has gotten too cold for swimming. Gracie only went in once, although it's probably fine for her - it's just that it was so rainy anyway. Doug jumped in after a sauna, but not me. I wasn't brave enough.

We went for a walk on the Shoe Tree Trail. I brought the GPS with me and then I marked the trail with fluorescent tape on branches. I'm usually pretty good with my internal compass and have a good sense of direction, but we often get turned around back on our trail. Now with the markers, it's easy! It's so pretty back there, deep in the woods. The leaves are just beginning to fall and the sun dapples through the trees in spots. It's so quiet back in the bush. Saw one partridge, but that's it!

So, we're back in town for a few days to get some more groceries and building supplies. Having high-speed internet here at home is SO nice after dealing with dial-up at camp. When I'm there I can't even check out the gallery at TwoPeas because photos take forever to upload!

Thanks for dropping by and for those of you that take the time to comment, I appreciate it!

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I took quite a few pics but none that I was overly thrilled with. I'm still struggling with my macro shots taken with my 100mm. I seem to have better success using it without the 1:1 adapter. Perhaps I need to use a tripod more, but I just hate lugging it around with me. This one was taken with that lens.

I'm THRIFTY, not cheap!

2007-09-10T11:45:00.000-05:00

I am cheap. There, I said it. Actually, I like to consider myself thrifty, frugal, prudent or even conserving, but somehow the word cheap sounds so, well, cheap! My family has accused me of this trait for many years and razzes me about it constantly. Well, geez, they're going to thank me some day, I know it.

I took out a whole whack of old slides the other day. Most of them are from my Mom's collection, over a thousand I'm sure. Then a few boxes from my M-I-L's. They had been sitting in my closet collecting dust for so many years and I felt it was time to dig them out to have them copied to DVD. Being the ever thrifty person I am, I wanted to save myself a buck and try to do it myself. I did some research to see if it was possible to scan them on my flatbed scanner. I found a few directions, went out and bought the necessary supplies, all to find that it did not work. I wasted a lot of time, but spent only $9 on a fluorescent light, [which I returned]! No biggy.

After that initial failure, I figured I would bite the bullet and have them copied professionally. Walmart could have done each slide for pennies each, but my slides were so old, they would not fit in their scanner. Bummer. Costco doesn't do slides anymore. Bummer. Black's Photography does slides for $1.99 [wow, pricey] but my slides wouldn't fit in their scanner. Bummer. So, I found a place downtown that could do them for $2.00 per slide. I figured it would cost me at least $200 to do the ones I wanted. Only problem is my slides are so old and dirty, I had to disassemble each one to clean the glass inserts. Big job, but I figured worth it. So I began the task of cleaning old slides. For those of you over 50 years old, you might remember the slides I'm talking about. Thick plastic case, two glass inserts and the slide.

As I was having lunch one day with my daughter's boyfriend the other day, he said to me, "couldn't you just take a picture of them while displayed on the projector?" What a genius!! Why didn't I think of that? Long story short [ya, right] that's exactly what I did! I saved myself a couple of hundred dollars by doing it myself! I think they turned out wonderfully! I'm in the process of editing them now [hundreds] but thought I'd show you a few of my favourites.

So these are essentially, SOOC from the original camera and then from my camera after taking the picture on the screen. With a little tweaking in Photoshop, I think the results are pretty darn good! And I saved a buck again! You wouldn't call that cheap would you??

SOOC, on my projector screen:
This is me, about 45 years ago at Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario

SOOC

My dad, sisters and me - circa 1962

CIAO, and thanks for visiting!

Words

2007-09-09T21:00:00.000-05:00

I like words. Words are my friends. I think I discovered my love for words when I was 11 years old and wrote my first poem. I was hooked. Thirty-eight years later, and I'm still fascinated with the written word.

I love to read, I love to do crosswords, I love to write poems and stories, I keep a daily journal and I like to think I'm pretty good at grammar and spelling. Nothing drives me more crazy than words used incorrectly, spelled wrong or with poor grammar. I'm no english major, and I don't care if someone doesn't speak right, but if you're going to write it down for other people to see - make it right!! Look it up in the dictionary if you have to, but make it right!

As much as I enjoy reading a good book, I'm not into classic literature like Shakespeare. Dostoevsky, Orwell, or Bronte. I've never read Crime and Punishment, War and Peace or Wuthering Heights. Sure, I've heard of those timeless authors and famous books, but give me a good Dean Koontz, [my fav], J.K. Rowling, [she's a genius I say!!], Johnathan Kellerman or Patricia Cornwell novel and I'm consumed for hours in their tales! I don't like Romance books or Sci-Fi. I don't care for Non-Fiction unless it's about True Crime or Forensics, [another one of my interests]. I like characters like Kay Scarpetta, Lincoln Rhymes, Alex Delaware or HARRY POTTER!

My favourite poets are Rod McKuen and Emily Dickinson.

I enjoy doing a Crossword puzzle while sitting on the dock at camp in the early morning. Listening to the birds and the sound of the waves is so tranquil - great place for thinking! I like word games like Password and Balderdash and Scattergories, oh, and I LOVE Scrabble. No one else in my family is a fan of Scrabble, so I don't get to play it as often as I'd like!

When I first started writing poetry, I was totally into free verse. Reading back over some of my poems now, it seems I was into weird as well! What was I thinking?? Now I have fun writing in rhyme! Maybe it's because when I was younger, my vocabulary was smaller and I couldn't think of enough words that rhymed!

As some of you may know already, my favourite poem of all time and such an inspiration to me is DESIDERATA, by Max Ehrmann. When I first read his words when I was about 13 years old, they had a profound impact on me. It all made so much sens!! Does anyone remember the recording of this song by Les Crane in 1971? Kinda cheesy, but I love it!

To this day, I'll often turn to those words to remind me that the universe truly is unfolding as it should. And as Max says,

"With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy. "

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Thanks for visiting Cheers!!

And you've got to have friends....

2007-09-08T22:08:00.000-05:00

It has always intrigued me how easily some people make friends. I know that some people forge a friendship in grade school and remain close with that/those people well into their adult lives. Some people meet in a casual capacity later in life and strike a bond and become close friends for the remainder of their years. Other people make dozens of friends throughout their lifetime. Some close, some casual, some fleeting. Friends come and go.... and for me, they mostly go! I don't know how I've had such bad luck with friends. I'm easy to get along with. I'm kind and compassionate. I think I'm funny. Since I was very young, I have lost touch with so many of my friends, mainly because they have moved away. Some of the closest and 'bestest' friends I had as a youngster moved to other cities with their families. That was way back in the day before email or MSN or instant messaging. As young children, our only means of communicating over the miles was through snail mail. [Long distance phone calls were expensive and reserved for family only]. And as young kids often are, we weren't very reliable in keeping each other up to date and before you know it, we had lost touch and moved on.. At least 3 of my Grade school 'best friends' moved away.
Once in high school I had many buddies that I would spend my free time with, chat with on the phone, go shopping with and do girly things with. Two of those friends were particularly close, but one I considered to be a best friend. But once again we lost touch. It's a long story but it is still today one of the biggest regrets I've ever had.
Some psychologists might be able to give me insight as to why I've never been able to secure a lasting, close bond with a friend. I know I couldn't have helped it if someone moved away, but with relocation, strained relationships, and having some weird friends along the way, I have since become very hesitant to open up my heart to just any body. Don't get me wrong, I've got many acquaintances and many social friends that fulfill both DH's and my lives but I will always regret losing that one, best, do-anything-for friend.
If you have one of those friends, tell him/her how much they mean to you. You never know what tomorrow will bring.

*ETA - just found out today that two of our closest friends are calling it quits. I am so saddened by this news.

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Here's a few photos of the friends that are a part of our lives today!!

My FURRY Friends

2007-09-06T18:36:00.000-05:00

Life just wouldn't be the same without the animals in my life!

First and foremost, our darling Vegas Grace [Gracie] who is our BEST friend! I don't have enough room in this post to brag about her!!

Then there's Finnigan [aka Mr. Finn, aka Finny], my daughter's cat. He just left our house to move in with her in her new apartment!! When he was a kitten, he and Gracie would cuddle and snooze together. They'd play fight and chase each other all over the house. So cute.

And this is Mally, my sister's Shitzu/Maltese. Mally is a little shy and insecure. She mostly sits on my sister's lap and watches life from up high!

This is Indy, DH's buddy's dog. Poor Indy had some issues as a young dog [snapping, biting, barking] but he's okay now! Whew.

Now, Spencer is a friends dog. He's old and crotchety. In the first minute he visited us at camp he chomped down on Gracie's nose, gave her a good bite as if to say, "this might be your place, but I'm boss around here." Poor Gracie, being the ever gentle soul she is didn't know what the heck was going on. Needless to say, she let him be boss and totally ignored him the rest of the weekend. He's actually a sweet dog - and still loves swimming, for hours!!!

Sadie-Lynn is Spencer's little [adopted] sister!! She doesn't like swimming so much.

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And I have been tagged to list 8 things that you might not know about me!

1. I once met Colin James. Doug and I took him to a lake for fishing. We enjoyed a BBQ together. Then I drove him to the airport after his gig. Very cool day.
2. I am ANAL about recycling. I will NOT throw anything away that belongs in the Blue Box.
3. I hardly ever wear socks. I hate how hot my feet get. Even in winter, I usually only wear moccasins inside, with no socks.
4. I hate white noise. I don't like the sound of fans, heaters, blowers, etc., or any noise that is persistent and steady. Drives me INSANE. I don't like listening to radios or music before bed either.
5. I have three tattoos. The initial 'D' right above my cleavage. A sun/star on the nape of my neck. A design on my right calf. I designed the first two and my daughters designed the other.
6. I desperately wanted a third child ... probably until only a few years ago!
7. I skipped Grade 2. Being a New Year's baby, I didn't start school until I was almost 6 years old. [There was no such thing as Junior K back in my day and you had to be 5 to start Kindergarten]
8. For as long as I remember I have had a secret desire to be a TV or Movie actress. hee hee.

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That's all for now! Thanks for visiting.

The Men in my Family... [err, the MAN]

2007-09-05T13:11:00.001-05:00

I didn't realize at first that I had posted only women in my last Blog post! [BTW, thanks for the nice comments. My mom is always thrilled when someone comments on her photos! I'll be sure to tell her about these comments too!] And I'd also like to say that this week's theme is fun. I'm enjoying looking at everyone's posts.

So today, the men in my life. Both my Dad and my DH's Dad have passed away,and we have more women than men in our family. Besides one brother-in-law, the only guys in our family are two nephews, two nephews by marriage and 4 great-nephews. I don't get a chance to capture the guys very often because they're either not at the family events, or they're off doing their hunter-gatherer huddles around the BBQ grill! You know, where they stand in a circle around the meat and grunt! ha ha. In winter, you can usually find them in front of the TV or hovering over the food in the kitchen. Because I have no pictures of the other men in my family, I'm going to post of few of my darling DH!

Speaking of grunting by the grill......
Almost looks like he's trying to grill his face!

Doug is a musician. One day, when he was 31 years old, he said, "I'm going to learn how to play the guitar!" The rest is history! He plays lead guitar in a local band. I took this when he was jamming by the campfire and applied a filter to it!

I don't know if it was a midlife thing or what, but he bought himself a Yamaha VStar Classic motorcycle for this 50th birthday! Somehow, I never pictured him as a biker -- but one look at this photo and you can tell he's definitely not your average biker dude!! What a guy!

And this one from today is DH trying to change the oil filter. One thing led to another and he ended up with broken parts and even an extra part!! Needless to say he was not a happy camper, uh... biker! Not sure if he'll get it back together for his road trip on Sunday.

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Thanks for stopping by.

My Family [well, a few of them!!]

2007-09-04T17:57:00.000-05:00

I am so fortunate to have almost all my family living in the same city as me! Out of an extended family of 26 people, only 2 live across country and another 6 live about 5 hours away. Even though we all live close by, we don't get together very often, so when we do it's usually quite an event. But even then, we're always missing somebody! Busy schedules prevent us from always being able to be at the same place at the same time! At Christmastime, we try to all gather on one day for a family dinner. It's hard to plan for a day when everyone can be there, so when that does happen, it makes it an even more special event!

We had a nice gathering this summer for a BBQ and party. Most of these photos are from that day. I imagine the next time we'll be together will be Thanksgiving and/or Christmas!

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I've been catching up on everyone's Blog posts from the last week or so. I haven't left comments everywhere, but I wanted to say that I am enjoying the peeks!! Thanks for visiting mine!

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This is my Mamma! She's 83.

My big sister...!

My niece...

My nephew's girlfriend...

My great-niece...

At Camp

2007-08-31T22:21:00.000-05:00

Hey, everyone!
I've just spent a glorious 6 days at the cottage and it was WONDERFUL. It started out sunny and cool, but then the temps went up to the mid 20s [C] again! We had one day of rain, so we did some inside work. Had a few campfires. It was surprisingly not windy, as it usually is this time of year, so it gave us a chance to burn some brush I had cut last time we were there.
We had a few saunas, and the lake water is still quite warm, about 70º F.
I've been reading a lot. I'm reading a Steven King novel, 'The Dark Half'. I used to be a fan of his years ago, but after discovering Dean Koontz, I kind of put King on the back burner of favourite authors. I'm almost done the book. It's okay, but it not wowing me like I hoped.
I usually like to sit on my lounge on the dock, but as Fall approaches, so does the change in sun pattern. In the summer, we have full sun on the dock until evening. Now by mid afternoon, the dock is in complete shade. Bummer. As much as I love the sun, I DO wear sunscreen. So now I put the lounge in the back yard. It's not as scenic, but comfortable just the same.
We finished putting the steel roof up on the addition. Doug installed the door and insulated around the new windows. Next comes the fascia and soffits and then we can open up the wall between the old camp and the new addition. Whoo-hoo, can't wait. D starts his second set of holidays in 3 days, so we'll be going back to camp for three weeks, give or take!! I'm hoping the heat-wave will return just for us!
Still having some abdominal pains. Meds aren't working as good as I thought they would, but I am MUCH better than I was earlier this summer. I'm so hungry though. I guess that's a good thing since I had lost so much weight, but I hope I don't eat so much and end up gaining more than I lost. It's fun eating though! Bring on the junk food!!
Dial-up at camp is SO SLOW. I try not to be online more than 1/2 hour per night. I've only got 10 free hours a month here. It sucks because I can't upload or download any photos. Takes way too long. So, I catch up over on TwoPeas once I get home.
We were invited to a corn roast at a cottage around the bay. I've heard that this group of people have the party every year, taking turns on who's cottage, so I kind of feel honoured that we've made the list this year! Doug had to work until 5pm, so we missed the afternoon celebrations, but arrived just in time for the Corn Roast and Pulled Pork. Met about 40 other fellow cottagers. I've already forgotten most of their names, but I've got pictures!!

Meg and Jay were at camp for the long weekend. Gracie was SO happy to see her favourite human friend!! Meg's friends joined us from Maple, On for two days, and Lauren brought two of her friends who are on their way to a new life in Toronto from Vancouver! It was a fabulous day!
Hope everyone had a great long weekend!
CHEERS

Here's my charming hubby. I swear this man will fit into any crowd and make friends in an instant!

This man was just one of many taking part in the Horseshoe Tourny! Wish I could remember his name!!

Friends, a setting sun and a bottle of wine! Need I say more?

This is Meg's boyfriend, Jayson. DH couldn't be happier that he's a musician too! They had a great time jamming together by the campfire.

Here's Meg doing her lesson preps on her laptop by the campfire. She just got hired a few days ago to teach grade 10 math, grade 12 math and grade 10 civics. She starts tomorrow, so she needed to 'work' while at camp!

And friends and family would not be complete without our best friend, Gracie! Just look at that face!!!!

Lauren and Meghan

2007-08-28T08:40:00.000-05:00

LAUREN

This one was taken when Lauren was at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre. I had a point and shoot then and now when I look back on the photos from that day I wish I could go back and reshoot with my Pentax!! These girls had a small dance group they formed and called themselves "Stir Crazy". This has always been one of my favourite dance shots. We had gone for a hike on our favourite winter trail, and I [with a new Point and Shoot camera] wanted to try some freeze shots with it! First shot and this was the result!!

MEGHAN

In 2000, the Performing Arts Department presented CATS, the Musical. Meghan was so thrilled to get the role of Victoria, [the white cat on the left]! What a wonderful show, such talented kids.

This shot was taken on almost the same trail as the one above, but taken last fall. I still didn't have my Pentax at this time, so oh... the possibilities NOW!! Thanks again for peeking at my old stuff. I'll be at camp for a few days, so likely not able to post for a bit. I need to get out in the bush and find something interest to photograph while I'm there! Have a great week!!

Dance

2007-08-27T19:29:00.000-05:00

You know, at first, I thought that the POTD theme this week would be perfect for me! Afterall, DANCE has been a part of my life since 1985 when my oldest daughter Lauren took her first lesson. After looking through the hundreds and hundreds of photos I have of her and of Meghan, who started dancing in 1989 I realized that this theme isn't as easy as I thought it would be. Sure, I've got hundreds of photos to choose from, but which one do I pick? The one of Lauren's first tap class with her shiny black shoes with the big black bows? Meghan dressed as a lamb for the Little Bo Peep Character ballet piece? Lauren's first Modern solo? Meghan's solo in CATS as the white cat, Victoria? Lauren as Eliza in THE KING AND I?

Classes and rehearsals. Costumes and makeup. Ballet slippers, Pointe shoes and calloused feet. Sore joints and bruises. And fundraising!!

From the first cute little Ballet lessons of 'tap tap tap' and 'point point point' to Arabesque, Développé, Fouetté and Pas de Deux. From early Modern classes of 'stretch and reach' to Contraction, Spiral, High Release and Bre-e-e-athe! And how many times have I heard "and...five, six, seven, eight!"

Lauren began Ballet and Tap at a very popular studio in town. I thought it was THE place to take her. After a year or two, I realized that it was too 'hoity-toity'. There was too much emphasis on show and not enough on the technique and the fun. I will never regret pulling her out of that studio and bringing her to a tiny studio in our former small town. The Lesley Kallio School of Ballet is where both my girls truly began to love DANCE. Lauren began there at 9 years of age and Meghan at 7. Soon they were bumped up with the more advanced girls and began honing their craft. They were GOOD. That's just not Mamma talking, but they had a talent that certainly did not come from me! I am so uncoordinated when it comes to dance. Yikes.

They danced with Lesley for about 5-6 years until her studio closed. Lesley recommended another studio in town for them to go to and the rest is history! Sudbury School of Dance, under the direction of Denise Vitali is where my girls are still involved. Mostly a Modern Dance studio, Lauren and Meghan excelled in the Graham method of Modern Dance. As well, they both attented Sudbury Secondary School, a Performin Arts High School where they majored in Dance. There, they took Ballet, Jazz and Modern as well as Choreography. They both earned Honours and many awards there. As well, they were in almost every school musical. Recitals, Concerts, Festivals, Performances and Shows were part of their lives.

After High School, Lauren went on to study Professional Modern Dance training at the School of Toronto Dance Theatre. Meghan continued to teach dance occasionally at both the high school and the studio.

So, here we are - 22 years later and DANCE is still a huge part of their lives, and ours. We are so proud.

Since last year, Lauren has been teaching Modern Dance and some Ballet at two studios. She teaches 6-8 classes a week. She just returned from an intensive two week Modern Dance workshop with Dance Theatre David Earle.

Meghan is now a qualified High School Teacher and one of her teachables is DANCE!!

If any of you have children that are just starting out in dance, this story just might be yours some day! Encourage them. Support them. Inspire them.

______________________

If you've read this far, thanks for hanging in there! Back to the POTD. To be fair, I suppose that I should be out taking new photos, but classes don't start here until the first and second week of September and I'm not usually in the studio any more with my girls. I hope you don't mind that I post some of my favourites! Hope you enjoy these from the early years!

Lauren's first year of Ballet, 1985.

Meghan as an "Aristocat" in 1991.

A Trip to Killarney

2007-08-26T21:06:00.000-05:00

Killarney is a tiny little community where the North Channel (above Manitoulin Island) meets Georgian Bay, about an hour southwest of my home town of Sudbury. The hills around the town are topped with white quartzite crystals.

The town was originally a fur-trading post, and a popular resting spot for voyageurs, midway between the French River and the North Channel, on their way to the St. Mary's River to Lake Superior. The town was once only accessible by water to Manitoulin Island until 1962, when a highway connected the community to Sudbury. One of the nicest Provincial Parks is located nearby. Killarney is now a quiet vacation town except during FISH AND CHIPS season!

For the past several years, actually more like 15 or maybe more, we've made at least one trip a year to Killarney for fish and chips. Herbert Fisheries, a little chip stand that has been around for decades serve the BEST [and I mean the BEST] fish and chips.... ever! They serve out of a small red school bus from May through October, 7 days a week. I can't imagine how much fish and potatoes they must serve each summer! They truly are to die for!!

Anyway, it is such a small town [only about 600 population], but such a huge tourist place. There's not much to see, as they have only one main road, but what is there is beautiful. Wonderful views of where the channel opens up into Georgian Bay. Sometimes humongous, honking yachts go sailing through and then you might see a canoe or kayaker go by! Some of the towns people have quaint little homes and others look like old cottages, barely standing. There's one church, a few gifts shops and a General Store. Two resorts are situated on either end of Main Street and both are wonderful places to stay.

Back to the fish and chips, because it's really all about the fish and chips. We started taking our girls there when they were small. At first they could barely get through their shared order of fish and chips, but now find that it's not enough! For $11 [it went up this year] you get 3-4 pieces of lightly dusted fried fish and a whole bunch of fries. You can have lemon sauce, tartar sauce, vinegar, malt vinegar, salt or pepper on the side! It amazes me how organized and efficient they are in serving the hoards of people that order. My dad especially loved going on our annual trek and I always think of him now when I'm there. He SO loved the fish. Today, we took Meghan's boyfriend with us. It was his first time ever there and he was not disappointed!

I took quite a few pics today. Used my 50-200mm which I don't normally do. It was very sunny, so I had some exposure issues, but all in all I thought they turned out pretty good. I just posted some of my favs. Even one of little 'ol me!!

Hope you enjoyed my little tour of Killarney!!
Thanks for stopping by.

I'm anxious for the POTD Dance theme! I'm gonna rock with this one!!!

My Diagnosis

2007-08-16T16:56:00.000-05:00

Thank you friends, family and web buddies who have asked how I've been. It's been a long haul, but I'm finally starting to see some sunshine regarding my health issues. If you don't want to read any more about bowels and gastrointestinal stuff - you can be excused! Thanks for dropping by! :)

Yesterday, I had a colonoscopy. Some you might be saying to yourself, "ew" - but really, you need to do yourself a favour and have one. For some, it can be a life saver. For me, it confirmed that I have Crohn's disease.

If you wish to read my first two health posts, they're here and here.

A few months ago I had an upper GI and Small Bowel Follow Through exam. The prep for the test was HORRENDOUS! First I had to eat soft foods for a day, then the next day drink fluids only. I had to take a solution called Citro-Mag. Ewww, ewww, ewww. It tasted like pure lemon juice with the consistency of a thick syrupy drink. That stuff was wicked!!
I had such incredible cramping and pain during the night and the trips to the bathroom were many and violent. I was so exhausted and weak the next day. The test itself was a breeze, although time consuming. After I got home I ate and then went to sleep!

For the colonoscopy test all I had to do was drink fluids the day before. I drank clear juices, tea, broth and Gatorade [recommended]. I swear, I will probably never, ever drink Gatorade again if I can help it!! At 6pm I had to take a solution called Pico-Salax. You mix the package into a half cup of juice or water or Gatorade. The next dose was taken the following morning at 5am. This time I had very little cramping but I was nauseous and threw up once. I slept all through the night without having to go to the bathroom once. I guess the second dose made things kick in because by 7am things were moving!! I expected much worse, so I can honestly say that this prep was a breeze!!

I had to be at the hospital one hour before the test. Not sure why because I just sat there in my hospital gown and housecoat doing nothing. It was kind of funny, really. I felt like a cow being led to slaughter!! There were about 5 or 6 patients at a time in the waiting room. All of us in our hospital garb, waiting for the inevitable test! I struck up a conversation with one woman who was there on the advice of her doctor. She was there for a routine scope. She had to be there TWO hours before. Can't figure that out!

Finally a nurse asked me to sit in a little cubicle where she asked me a few questions about meds and health history and she took my blood pressure and weighed me. BTW, at this point - I have lost a total of 13 pounds since my symptoms started. I'm actually quite happy at this weight and I'd be happy if I stayed here.

In the mean time there are patients coming and going every 5 minutes or so. To and from a scope of their own. I'm amazed at how many people are having this procedure done. From what I understood, there were three doctors at the hospital on that day. Perhaps they are only done on Wednesdays, but still, that's a LOT of scopes!!

Now I'm led to a curtained area to a stretcher. My belongings and my housecoat and shoes are put on the shelf below and I'm covered with a blanket, given a pillow for my head and wheeled down the hall wait for my turn. About 15 minutes later I'm taken to the "procedure" room. My doctor and another nurse are there. I'm fitted with a pulse monitor and given an IV of a mild sedative. I felt it kick in, but I was still awake, kinda. The scope itself seemed to last only moments. But I think it generally lasts about 15-20 minutes. There were some moments where I felt a lot of pain, but the doc just eased off on the air and I was relieved somewhat. He removed a small ulcer near the inflammation site and will send it for biopsy. I am not concerned about cancer at this point because all my other tests have been positive and are not leading to that at all.

Then I am taken to the "fart room". I laugh, because a friend of my DH has scopes done every 2 years. He calls the recovery room the "fart room". This is where you are encouraged to pass gas before you go home! Too funny! There we are, 3-4 people on stretchers being asked to pass gas!! Of course, all of being ladies in the room, we were quite discreet! We were given juice and cookies and about 20minutes later, we could leave! Because of the sedative given, we are asked to have someone drive us home. I felt quite fine and because I live only a 5 minute walk away, I decided to walk home.

The first thing I had when I got home was my usual morning latte! MMMmmmm. Then I had a bowl of cereal and a nap!

So, everyone, I encourage you - no I urge you to never, ever be embarrassed to have a colonoscopy. It's truly not a bad experience at all. It could literally save your life. Mine diagnosed Crohn's, which is completely manageable - but for some it reveals colon cancer. Early detection is key.

I was given a prescription for a very mild dose of Prednisone for 5 weeks duration. Each week the dose is decreased by 5mg. I am also taking Pentasa, which is an anti-inflammatory. Hopefully in a few days I will be feeling more like myself again. I am looking forward to becoming active again and enjoying life a bit more than I've been able to lately. My camera has certainly taken a back seat in the last few months.

Thanks again to those of you who have asked about me. I appreciate your concern for me.

If you suffer from Crohn's or know someone that does - I would love to hear from you.

Keyboard Shortcuts for PS

2007-07-30T17:41:00.000-05:00

I use PS7, but I think these shortcuts work for all versions. Just upload the file and print it out for future reference!

Hope the link works for you!

http://www.gigasize.com/get.php/-1099773304/PS_Keyboard_shortcuts.pdf

I've been tagged!

2007-07-28T17:31:00.000-05:00

I've been tagged by Amy and I must list 8 facts/habits about myself and then list who I'm tagging in return.

1. I spend WAY too much time on my laptop. I tell myself in the morning, "okay, just check your email, your forums and then walk away...". Never happens! I don't spend all day on it, just longer than I should.

2. I can't stand the sound of windshield wipers. When I'm driving, I set it to the slowest speed I can possibly tolerate. If Doug is driving, he usually puts them at the highest speed and I grit my teeth and seethe inside. I especially go nuts when it's stopped raining or slowed down and the wipers are still on high. Once, he got upset with me for telling him to turn them off, so now I have to grin and bear it and anxiously wait for the rain to stop. If he happens to run into a store or something, I quickly reach over and turn them down. If the wipers squeak -- it's even worse!! I can't explain it but they drive me NUTS!!!

3. I once met Colin James. Doug was his chauffeur in 1991 for a gig here in town. He drove him and his crew to and from their hotel. We got to watch the concert and afterwards DH introduced me to him. We got to talking about how much he loves fishing. We invited him to go fishing the next day and he accepted! He came over to our house, came inside, had a coffee. He autographed Doug's guitar for him and signed one of his CDs. We spent the day at the lake and he caught a few bass. While he was gone fishing with his manager and Doug, my niece and I prepared a BBQ. I went inside the cottage and noticed his clothes on the chair. I tried on his cowboy boots! haha, I wish I had taken a photo of them. But I did get a few pics of us and him!! Doug had to work that night, so I became chauffeur and drove him to the airport! What a great memory!

4. I do not like to travel by car. I'm fine within the city limits, but on long trips I am not completely relaxed. I find road trips are long and boring and unsafe. I would much prefer to travel by bus or train!

5. I write in a journal every day. I started in 1990 and I have not missed a day since. I also keep one at the cottage.

6. I love eating cereal at night instead of dessert. A bowl of Fruit Loops, Golden Grahams, Corn Pops or Reese's cereal is just the right amount of sweets for me! Yummmm.

7. My eldest daughter's middle name is Quinn -- named after Quinn Cummings from "The Goodbye Girl"

8. I am not religious, but I am very spiritual.

I will tag:
twinsmom
handpuppet
michelle davies
hahcc
leahca
armance
dar

2007-07-27T19:00:00.000-05:00

I heard on CBC radio recently a story about how some developers and communities are trying to ban the use of clotheslines! Apparently, in some communities this bylaw is already in effect! WHAT???? I don't get it! The energy use of the dryer alone has GOT to have an impact on not only the individual home-owner's hydro bill, but on the country's overall energy consumption. THAT can't be good for global warming and the environment. And what about the toxic chemicals that are infused into each and every dryer sheet that is being 'fluffed' into our clothing and out into the atmosphere from our dryer vents? Then those dryer sheets are thrown into the trash where they take a really long time to decompose! Not to mention the allergies that a lot of people have to scented things and perfumes - and we're pumping out those scents through our dryer vent into the air!
Clothes that are dried outside even SMELL better!
And how much of an eyesore can a line of clothes really be? They're only on the line for a short time. A neighbourhood doesn't look great on trash day either. All those garbage bins and blue boxes out on the curb for everyone to look at! I'm surprised that they haven't been banned too! Maybe we'll soon have to put our garbage out into neat, tidy, cedar lined fancy boxes - all the same. I'd much rather look at some t-shirts and towels on a line that icky, dented, stinky trash cans!
I mean, C'MON - it's a clothesline!! We've been drying clothes on a line for centuries - I just don't get it.

The MICE

2007-07-24T20:25:00.001-05:00

**Warning - a mouse was killed in this story.

I HATE MICE. Okay, I don't know how many of you have to deal with mice in your humble abode. I don't know how many of you are animal rights activists and would frown on our mice catching methods, so if you're one of those 'live trap' kinda people, perhaps you shouldn't read anymore!!

When we first bought our camp four years ago, the place was run down and had not been occupied for over 10 years. Needless to say, there was a LOT of evidence of critters in there. We gutted the inside and burned all the paneling, [it was really just painted Ten-Test], swept and washed it down. We insulated and put up vapour barrier. Doug patched every hole and crease and crevice he could find with spray foam and steel wool. Whew - no more mice.... for a while. Every once in a while they would gnaw their way in and we'd have to search for the hole again.

So, over the four years we've had the place we only really had mice in the camp a few times. For the past year we had been mice free -- until a few weeks ago.

We were relaxing after supper one evening and right in front of us this mouse had the audacity to run right in front of us to make it's way under our fridge [where we always keep a can of mouse poison]. WELL, was I mad! Grrrr. I hate mice. Well, let me rephrase that. I hate mice INSIDE. They always look so cute in photos or as cartoons, but in MY camp they become ugly, dirty rodent devils! I'm not one to freak out and scream or jump on a chair. I'm not afraid of them, but they just don't belong in MY camp!! The thought of them crawling around on my furniture, my clothes, MY BED makes me so angry. So Doug and the dog were on a mission. They both sat vigil by the fridge until the mouse finally came out and ... WHACK!!! It was a goner!! I'm not into mouse massacres, so I covered my ears and sang "la la la la" while Doug did the deed. Gracie was happy to help and wagged her tail at the whole ordeal.

So, you think the story is over? Nope. Fast forward to last week. We have trapped a few more mice since then.

It is so discouraging to come back after a week or so and find mouse poop in the cutlery drawer. The little rodents even chewed apart my silicone basting brush. There was poop in my kitchen cupboards and in my dresser drawers. Not to mention the stench in the camp from the rotting carcass of the mouse we managed to trap. Now, this isn't uncommon when you've got a mouse problem but it amazes me how quickly they can take over. Take over your house, your camp, your sanity!!!

On Saturday, I spent the day at the camp alone. Doug had to work overtime. I was on mouse patrol. It took me a few hours, but I cleaned and disinfected my cutlery and dishes. I moved furniture and lifted the vapour barrier and insulation in a few places and found some nesting materials and TONS of mouse poop. Put on my face mask and cleaned it all up. I patched a hole with steel wool and went to bed feeling secure, thinking I had solved the problem.

Well darned if there isn't a mouse sitting in the middle of my floor the next day! Geez!! AND in the middle of the night that night I heard the snap of another trap! Where were the #%&*! things coming in?? So once again we started moving furniture. I was pretty sure they were coming in in the bedroom, so we started in the corner of the bedroom I had not yet checked. Sure enough, there it was. A hole about the size of a quarter. It was right where the bedroom wall meets the main camp. I went outside and stuck a stick in the hole to show Doug where it was starting from. He stuffed it with a bunch of steel wool and put up some lumber on the outside.

It all makes sense now. Doug is doing some renovating and come to think of it, that's when we noticed the first signs of mice --- just after he had taken a few boards off of the outside siding. We set 5 traps before we left today. Put more poison in the cans. Here's hoping that those traps will be empty.

I HATE MICE.

My Sign

2007-07-24T20:11:00.000-05:00

We had a fantastic four days at the cottage. Got back this afternoon and already we're wishing we were back there. The weather couldn't have been better and the water is divine. So refreshing.
Doug and I finished putting up the roof trusses on the right side of the addition. It took us twice as long as someone who knows what they're doing. It's hard trying to figure out the angles of the cuts! But hey, we're saving money by not hiring a contractor!! :)

I finally finished my camp sign. I am so happy with the results and it looks so darn cute on the path. I goofed up a bit though. I don't know how many times I checked and double checked that I had the arrows pointing the right way. But, lo and behold, I had goofed up on the Main Camp sign. I had the arrow pointing the wrong way. So I had to cut the ends to make it point right. Now I have to paint the ends again and put the waterproofing on, but it doesn't look too bad. Doug thinks I should add one more sign, like Alaska or North Pole or something! The 'Fish Shack' is really the outhouse. I have it decorated in a fish decor. The Warehouse is Doug's shed/workshop. But I call it the warehouse because it's HUGE. The bird house on the top was originally on a very tall pole. I think it must have been made by the original owner of the camp. It recently fell off the pole and I kinda put it back together again and thought it would look great on top of my sign post!

My next project is to fix my Sun Dial. The painted numbers have worn off from the
sun and weather.

Silly Bling

2007-07-19T21:50:00.000-05:00

Hey, I figured I'd close out the week with another photo from the vault. I'm just not into shooting jewelry, so how's this for some bling!
I was 19 in this photo. I remember dressing up, just for the fun of it. Excessive makeup and anything shiny I could find! I don't even remember who took the picture.

I'm off to the cottage for a few days. Looking forward to getting my new-to-me Macro lens. I really hemmed and hawed about buying a non-brand name lens, but this is how I see it. Instead of waiting for months to save up enough money for a Pentax 100mm or a Tamron 90mm, [they're about $550 CDN], for less than $150 including insurance and delivery, I will have a Phoenix 100mm to play with!! If I end up loving it - then great! If it doesn't meet my expectations, then no biggy!! It should be delivered on monday or tuesday. Can't wait to play!!

Ciao all, have a great weekend.

Another Past Blast

2007-07-18T22:41:00.000-05:00

How's that for a necklace??
I just can't get motivated for this jewelry theme. But I am having a hoot looking at my Oldies CD. There are so many photos that make me laugh.
This is DH and I in 1985. I made the cat's costume. My guy sure is a good sport -- those green pants!! I remember them being a favourite pair of mine. I made them in Grade 8 Home Economics!! I wish I still had them because I would totally wear them!!
Now what possessed us to dress up as Cat and Acid Rocker I'll never know! You'd think we could have found costumes that complimented each other??
Anyhoo - hope you had a giggle too!

My First SLR

2007-07-17T22:03:00.000-05:00

I was looking through my old photos, thinking I might find another retro look at some jewelry. Couldn't find any, but I came across this photo!
This is Christmas time, 1974. My boyfriend [and now DH] bought me my very first SLR - a Canon TLB. Ah, those were the days!!
I had been shooting with an Agfa 35mm rangefinder for years. I can't remember if I asked for an SLR or if he just surprised me with one, [it was a very long time ago!]
I've still got my old Canon, but I haven't used it in EONS!

What's that on your ears???

2007-07-16T22:04:00.000-05:00

Being the ever individual, hippy-wanna-be teenager that I was, I used to march to the beat of a different drummer sometimes. One look at this photo now and all I can say is, "what was I thinking???"

This photo cracks me up every time I look at it. This is the photo that was taken for my parent's Church directory. My two older sisters were gone and married, so that would make me about 13 years old, [likely 1971]. So this is Mom in her wig and Dad looking like he's on something! I was into making my own clothes and the vest and the neck choker [ha - there's my plug for Jewelry week!] are my designs! Was I cool or what??? Funny thing is, I thought I WAS!

Ellen DeGeneres thought this photo was funny because she showed it on her TV show in May 2006. I never in a million years thought she would show it, so I didn't watch the show the next few days after submitting it! My cousin called me and said, "Umm, I think I just saw an old picture of you and Uncle Lionel on Ellen!" Doh! I missed it!!! I even watched the re-runs religiously to see if they would repeat it. Darn it all.

Anyhoo, you might think that I was a fan of Star Wars and Princess Leia!? Ummm - Star Wars wasn't released until 1977!!! Makes me repeat again, "What was I thinking??"

Heirloom Brooch

2007-07-16T10:32:00.000-05:00

My Mother was raised in Holland. Being the only girl in a family of 6 brothers, she likely got spoiled by her mother with all the girly things. When my mother came to Canada, she was given many pieces of jewelry that belonged to her mother and her family. One piece is a gold brooch that holds a special significance in our family. My mother wore the brooch on her wedding day. My sisters wore it on their wedding day, as did I. I look forward to the day that my girls will wear it. I am not a fan of yellow gold and neither are my girls, but to know that the tradition will be upheld is a very treasured importance. I couldn't find a better photo, but here is one of me with the brooch on!

Doggy Socks

2007-07-13T21:35:00.000-05:00

Turns out we didn't go to camp. Rain in the forecast and only 15 degrees C!!! WTH??? Where did the heat go? Sheesh.

I know these aren't shoes, but the story behind this is quite funny. A little history...
Our Gracie has been plagued with allergies for most of her 3 years of life. Until we found out that a vegetarian diet helps a lot she bit and chewed and scratched and itched constantly. She still scratches quite a bit, but not near as much as before. She also gets ear infections. To help ease her discomfort, I often put drops in her ears, calamine lotion on her belly, antibiotic lotions between her toes. After swimming I take a baby wipe and clean between her toes and wash her belly. The parasites in water are her worst enemy -- and she's a retriever! She LOVES the water.
All I have to say is, "it's time to fix your ears/belly/feet" and she stops what she's doing and succumbs to my nursing. She is such an agreeable dog. It's actually the cutest thing how she seems to know that what I'm doing helps her. Anyway, because she is so agreeable, you can do almost anything to her.
Gracie LOVES my daughter's boyfriend, Jay. She practically turns herself inside out when he's around and she vies for his affection always. I had just done laundry and Jay pulls out 4 of DD's tiny tennis type socks - the ones that don't even go up to the ankle. He put one on Gracie and at first she started to shake it off. Then all of a sudden she got this look on her face that said, "okay, do what you have to do". He proceeded to the put the other three on her feet. The crazy girl just sat there taking it all in. Maybe you had to be there, but it was the funniest thing ever. Jay was in hysterics laughing.
That's my Gracie!!!

Tall Sneakers

2007-07-12T21:03:00.000-05:00

I was saving my favourite pair of shoes for my post today. But first, the story....
In 1971 when I was 13 years old, my mom, dad and I traveled to the Netherlands for an extended holiday. One month visiting my mom's 5 brothers and their families. Being 13 and totally into fashion and fads and everything fun, I was so enthralled with the trends in Holland. They were WAY ahead of us in terms of setting the styles. One of those trends was HOT PANTS!! Now, in Europe Hot Pants were very popular with the prostitutes. NOT that I was around any prostitutes, but Hot Pants had become quite the rage. I was hooked - I loved them! I remember a suit I bought. A little black bomber-style jacket [similar to a jean jacket] with tiny coloured flowers and Hot Pants to match. Now to go along with those Hot Pants that I bought, I needed some funky shoes. I wish I could remember where I bought them, but my calf-high runners were the COOLEST things I had ever seen. They are light blue denim sneakers, very similar to the punk sneakers of today.
When I returned to Canada, I was entering Grade 9. I wore those Hot Pants and sneakers to school! Wow! Shy little ol' me was getting looks left and right. I was so thrilled to be wearing a style that no one else was. It didn't take long before Hot Pants became popular, and it also didn't take long before they were BANNED at our school!!! To this day, the students can not wear any shorts shorter than the tips of their fingers when their hands are flat at their sides!
My daughters have worn those shoes to school, in plays, for Halloween, for 70's themed parties, etc. They are great shoes.
Anyhoo, I digress. Where is the photo you say?? Well, I went to the basement where I store the shoes. Not there. Then I remember that my daughter had loaned them to one of her dance students for a piece in Recital. Eeeks. Where are my shoes?? I am totally freaking out over the possibility that they're gone. I would surely die if they're lost. [I tend to get attached to old childhood keepsakes]. I'm sure that my DD knows where they are, but she's been so busy lately I can't seem to get her to LOOK!! As soon as I find them, I'll post a pic. They really are very cool for shoes that are 36 years old!!

***ETA -- THEY'RE FOUND!!! DD had them in the closet all along. I don't know how I missed them. I'll see if I can dig up a pic of me in the Hot Pants!!

Klompen

2007-07-11T19:14:00.000-05:00

My mother was born and raised in Arnhem, Holland. She met my father overseas during World War II. He was an army cook and they met at a community hall at a dance. He was French Canadian and spoke little english. She was Dutch and spoke little english. To this day, we always wonder how they understood each other. However, they say that Love overcomes all!
I'm sure you've all heard of Wooden Shoes, aka Klompen. They really are used and worn in Holland, even today, particularly with Farmers. They were always left outside the door before going in to the house. At Christmas time, the children would expect treats from Sinter Klaas in their wooden shoes on St. Nicholas Day!
I have an old original pair of wooden shoes at the cottage. Right now I'm not really using them, but I'd like to make them into planters to hang on the wall.
Just last month my mother visited Holland, Michigan and she brought this Klompen back as a souvenir for me.

Boot Planter

2007-07-10T20:11:00.000-05:00

These boots are at the foot of a HUGE Pine tree at our cottage. I'm not sure when I first saw this idea, but I've had some at my house and now these at the camp.
It tends to get pretty dry in between our visits, so the flowers are a little wilty.
Thanks for looking!!

Bowling Shoes

2007-07-09T21:35:00.000-05:00

My dad loved bowling. I remember when I was very young, [under 10 yrs] my parents would often take me with them to the bowling alley for their weekly league games. It was such a loud place, but oh, so cool! I don't remember what I did while they bowled, but I still have vivid memories of that Alley. My parents didn't bowl for many years then got back into it after they retired and joined a senior's league
After Dad got cancer of the sinus, he had a tough time with surgeries. You might remember a previous post of mine where I mentioned that he wore a prosthetic nose. He still bowled after that for another year or two. Then both of them just stopped.
When Dad passed away, I got one of his bowling balls with his name engraved in it.
These are his shoes from w-a-y back!!!
I've got them on my wall in my office, which is decorated retro style. The big blue bowling ball isn't his - just a yard sale find!!

The Shoe Tree

2007-07-08T21:25:00.000-05:00

A few years ago I saw in a magazine a very unique family project. The family had a walking trail behind their cottage that they had made and cleared by themselves. I wish I could remember more of the story, but I just loved their idea. They found a large tree near the beginning of the trail and each year they would attach a pair of shoes.
I thought the idea was so cool I just had to steal it!
We too have a trail that leads from the back of our property, up a hill to a 2km winding trail. It was perfect for walking until last summer when we had intense, damaging winds that felled several h-u-g-e trees right across the trail in several places. We can still use the trail, but we have to either go around, under or over the trees.
We've had our camp for almost 4 years, so this fall we will be adding one more pair of shoes!
As I mentioned in a previous post, I am making a sign post and one of the signs will lead to our "Shoe Tree Trail".

Artistic Hands

2007-07-07T21:49:00.000-05:00

The Festival so far has been great. It rained for a few minutes today, but then the sky cleared, the sun shone and the temperatures rose! Turned out to be a beautiful day. My girls danced at a few venues and their group got rave reviews.

Meghan dancing at the Drum Circle.

Djembe player at the Drum Circle

Drum Circle participant

One of the many on-site artists

Peter Elkas
I know you can't see his hands in this shot... but look at his eyes!! Just LOOK at them. Besides being an amazing artist, he is just so darn dreamy!!!

Dancing

2007-07-06T22:09:00.000-05:00

My daughters are performing in the annual Northern Lights Festival Boreal this weekend. The earthdancers are putting on three brief performances, one each day. They had a rehearsal last night - in the pouring rain!
Tonight they performed at Main Stage to a pretty big crowd. Tomorrow they perform on the Amphitheatre stage accompanied by the Drum Circle. Sunday they will perform in the Arts Village.

Daughter, Meghan!

Daughter, Lauren!

My Hands

2007-07-05T20:37:00.000-05:00

I can finally post!!! Being at the cottage and using Dial-up there doesn't allow me to upload or download photos - too slow! We had a great few days at the camp. The weather was great. One cloudy day, but still warm. Doug got lots of work done on the addition and it's looking great! We had a nice sauna and swim and I puttered in the yard. Blueberries are just starting!
For the last week or so, I've been working on a project for the camp. It's kinda kitchy, but cute. I made 5 little directional signs: Main Camp, Fish Shack (outhouse), Warehouse (Doug's big shed), Shoe Tree Trail and Sauna. I painted them with Folk Art paint and coated them with several coats of Varathane. I'm going to attach them to a post and put it up in our back yard. I think it's really fun! When it's all erected, I'll be sure to post a pic!
So, this pic is of me scraping the bark of the tree, which is the post for the signs. I remember when I was a kid how I LOVED to peel/scrape the bark off of branches and trees. I even got in trouble with our neighbours for cutting branches off their Hemlock tree and peeling them.

Texture III

2007-06-30T21:55:00.000-05:00

Another shot from the cottage. This is my braided rug. I had it hanging over the picnic table to dry! This 50mm lens amazes me with it's DOF. I can't wait to get the Auto Focus lens though because I just don't trust my eyes!

Texture II

2007-06-29T17:41:00.001-05:00

Just a bit of our aging hammock at the cottage. I don't feel quite as safe in it anymore because it's really starting to unravel and there's so many holes!!! It looks great between the trees though!

Texture I

2007-06-28T12:38:00.001-05:00

This weeks theme for Picture of the Day is intriguing. I have found myself looking at things in a new way to find texture in it! At the cottage the other day I found oodles of things! However, being the ever lazy person I can so often be, I didn't always have my camera with me. And even then I much preferred to soak up the sun on my floating island!!

I did manage to find a few neat things! This is Gracie's fur after a swim and a roll in the dirt!
What is it about dogs that makes them want to roll in the dirt if they smell too clean!? She loves to swim, 20-30 minutes at a time. Afterwards, she gets all goofy and rolls and rolls and rolls in the dirtiest place she can find! But on the other hand, she loves pretty smelling things too! If we have lotion on or have just had a shower she loves to rub up against us and even wants to rub her head in our hair! She especially loves the smell of Noxema!! Goofy dog.

Neon Waves

2007-06-25T19:48:00.000-05:00

We were at the cottage for a few days. I was practicing some Macro work with a set of extension tubes I borrowed from a friend. I do not like them so far.... too much of a learning curve. I'll try again this week and see what I think.

Anyhoo, the cottage was wonderful and peaceful and tranquil as ever. Hated to leave, but we had some chores to do in town. I snapped this shot of the waves on the lake and jazzed it up somewhat in PS. I like it!

Randomness

2007-06-21T21:28:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since I've posted. No inspiration lately I guess. I'm itching for a new lens, but I can't decide what I want to get. I really like the 50mm I have, but it's not automatic, so I find I'm missing some focus on some candid shots. Perhaps I should get a 50mm Automatic? Or a Macro 100mm? I'm going to borrow a friend's extension tubes to see if I'm happy with those. If so, then I think I'll likely buy the 50mm 1.4. Oh, so many decision.
It's the first day of summer. What a cool night. After the heatwave the last few weeks, the cool breeze is a bit of a relief - especially at night. I actually had to get another blanket for the bed.
Poor Dougie had to go back to work this week after 4 weeks off. And to add insult to injury, he's catching a cold. However, we'll be heading back to camp on the weekend and I'm hoping this great weather holds up. I'm planning on taking some of my lenses and practicing some technique.
Here's a few random shots I thought I'd share.

These girls are our cousin's kids. Their first time learning how to paddle a canoe!

This shot overlooks Lake Ramsey from the Lakehouse restaurant. The boat is the Cortina. There are a few tours a day on the Cortina.

I really like this one of L. Taken with my 50-200 zoom. She was planting some perennials for me.

Just had to include a pic of our Gracie. I was actually just practicing my focus and was pleasantly pleased with the colour, composition and look of this one!

Graduation Day

2007-06-09T08:46:00.001-05:00

We went to North Bay yesterday for Meg's Graduation from Nipissing University! At first, Meg didn't even want to attend the convocation, but I think now she's glad she did. I goofed up [as usual] and forgot to reset my ISO once going outside, but good thing I caught it before taking too many shots. Will I ever learn??
We met Jay's mom Karen and his sisters Kaitlyn and Mallorie. We all enjoyed a great lunch at Casey's afterwards. Then it was back home. We ended up driving through a wicked rain storm. High winds and crazy rain. Whew.
Here's a few of my favourite shots taken with my 50mm M 1.7 lens. I'm loving this lens! It was full sun, but I'm pretty pleased with the results. I didn't do much editing, but what I did was on my laptop, so I hope the colours look okay.

Meg and Jay

Me, Meg, Doug!!

My Health Update

2007-06-07T12:49:00.000-05:00

Some of you have been so kind to tell me that my presence has been missed and some of you have sent support and well wishes and have asked me how things are.
I'll try to keep the update short. THANK YOU. Your support is appreciated more than you know!

Since I have been diagnosed with the suspicion of Crohn's Disease I am STILL waiting to see the specialist. I finally have an appointment booked for July 12. In the meantime the doc prescribed both Pentasa and Prednisone. After reading the side effects of the steroid Prednisone, I totally freaked out and refused to take it. I have been taking the Pentasa for a week now. My pharmacist assured me that for the short time of 8 weeks with a minimum dosage of the Prednisone I should not be worried about the side effects -- but I am. Do any of you have an experience with it? Can you share any success stories? I am really torn as to whether I should take it or not. I understand that it will really help the inflammation and I'll feel normal again soon, but I am SO dreading the possible weight gain, face puffiness, bulging eyes, acne or rashes, etc. etc.
I am a little better these days but still experiencing the occasional stomach cramping and pain. I've lost a total of 11 pounds and I am looking a little ragged and drawn, but my appetite is returning somewhat. I am tired a lot, and I imagine that I am likely lacking some nutrients and vitamins. I'm self dosing with Omega-3s, Garlic, C, Calcium, Multi, MSM and Acidophilus. The Omega-3s seem to be helping somewhat.
Anyhoo, that's about it in a nutshell. I am truly anxious to feel like myself again. I'm not worried too much because I know that this disease can be managed. Looking back over all the ailments I've had since I was a child it's all tying in together with these new symptoms. It's possible I've had Crohn's for years, but just never showed any painful symptoms.
More than anything I have lost my spunk, my creativity and energy. I look forward to getting back to enjoying the things I love to do.

Thanks again for asking about me. You know who you are!! I am so lucky to have an extended group of friends through my favourite forums. You're great!

Fun at the Cottage

2007-06-03T13:45:00.000-05:00

Doug's been on holiday the last two weeks. We haven't spent as much time at the cottage as we would have liked [lots of other errands to do and places to be]. There were some great days that we spent there with the girls and some where it was just Doug and I and Gracie. We had saunas and dips in the lake. We had a campfire. Sipping coffee on the dock at 8am in our PJs. Fun in the kayak and canoe. Saw a big Heron. Meg caught a fish. Gracie did lots of swimming and chasing squirrels. Delicious Bar-B-Qs. Games of Zuma and Rummy-Q inside. Eating junk food. One night at 3am we had a raccoon visit our deck. It was scratching the sugar water that had dripped from the hummingbird feeder. Some watch-dog we have - Gracie just yawned and rolled over!
It is absolute paradise at our camp. It doesn't get any better than this!

Here's a few pics from the last few days. I've been trying real hard to capture good pics straight out of the camera. I think I'm getting better!! All these are just cropped and NO PPing!!

THE THREE STOOGES

FIRST DIP IN THE LAKE [after the sauna]

WATCHING THE ANTS CARRY AWAY A DEAD BEETLE

DOUG OUT FISHING IN THE KAYAK

ME AND MY GRACIE

MEG IN THE KAYAK

MY GIRLS

Gracie at REST!

2007-05-26T07:03:00.000-05:00

I just haven't been feeling good enough to get out and shoot some new stuff. But, I didn't want to skip the POTD all together, so I dug out another few from my archives!

You've seen our Gracie at play, now here's a few of what she does BEST!!
Spoiled??? No way!

Well, maybe a little - especially at the cottage. Camp is the only place where Gracie is allowed up on the furniture! When all the beds are full with people, we put her dog bed up on the Lazy Boy and she sleeps there. Hey, it was COLD outside in the middle of February! We get blankets don't we??

Finnigan

2007-05-25T08:56:00.000-05:00

We've been at our cottage the last few days and I can't upload fast enough with our dial-up. I've got to catch up on everyone's Blogs!!
I didn't take any new photos of Gracie, so I thought I'd introduce you to Finnigan. My daughter rescued him from dumpster living in October 2005. He was only 7 weeks old. Doug and I swore we would never have another cat in our house, but since DD was only living with us temporarily, we allowed her to bring him home. Well, that was over a year ago. Both Finnigan and daughter are still living with us! ha ha - but that's okay!
This little dude is really quite well behaved for a cat. He rarely scratches the furniture. I say rarely, but he does seem to have an afinity for leather and plastic. I think we'll hold off on getting that new leather sofa!
Finny loves to play with Gracie - on HIS terms! When he's not in the mood, he just runs away.
We used to tie up Finny on a leash outside because DD didn't want him to be a wanderer. Well, that worked the first summer, but not this year. So he has taken to enjoying nights out, scrapping with neighbourhood cats and swaggering home at 6am. I don't think he strays very far from our yard, but it's well treed and I'm sure he feels like he lives in a forest!
One of these days DD will be moving to her own apartment. When she does she'll be taking Mr. Finn with her. We'll miss that little stinker!

[Finny watching for birdies in the window feeder!]

Gracie at PLAY

2007-05-22T07:30:00.000-05:00

Gracie and Finnigan play like this a few times a week. Finnigan gives up too quickly - wonder why??

Gracie loves to play with other dogs. This is V-Max. Believe it or not - they're having a great time here!!

When there is nobody to play with, she plays by herself!!

My favourite friend!

2007-05-21T13:15:00.000-05:00

Meet Vegas Grace! Gracie is 3 years old and she thinks she's human. I'm serious. I swear if you told her she was a dog she'd be shocked!!
She is lazy and laid back, but when she plays she's like a little puppy again.
Her favourite toy is a stuffed Donkey [with all the stuffing taken out.]
She also likes her Kong, her ball and chewy bones.
She likes to play/fight with my daughter's cat, Finnigan.
She loves to chase squirrels and chipmunks.
She gives kisses.
She knows several tricks: sit, lie down, roll over, spin around, shake a paw, high five, high ten, dead dog, under the bridge, through the hoop and look at Gracie in the mirror!!
She loves the hairblower and whenever we are drying our hair, she bounds into the bathroom to have hers done too.
She loves scented shampoos, lotions, etc. and if you smell pretty, she'll rub all over you!!
She LOVES peanut butter, but since she's become a Vegan [she's allergic to meat protein] we had to stop giving it to her.
She loves going to camp. Especially because she gets to sleep on the couch there. She also love swimming - for 10-20 minutes at a time! She'll jump off the dock on command!
She is very intellegent.
She is allowed on only one chair in our house. That's the lazy boy. But only if someone is in it too.
She is sensitive and kind. You can cuddle with her and she'll soak up all the loving you can give her.
She is prone to ear infections and skin rashes. I can clean her ears and administer drops and lotions and she'll just lay there and accept treatment without fear.
She loves to be vacuumed.
Can you tell that we love our dog???
You'll see more of Gracie this week!

A fishing story

2007-05-17T10:52:00.000-05:00

[Lauren] wrote an interesting story on her blog about a stolen leather jacket and the replacement she got for her husband. It made me think of a similar, but not really, story of loss and replacement!!

Anyone who grew up in the 70's will remember the Popeil Pocket Fisherman. Ronco products sold millions I'm sure! Doug got one as a teenager and although not entirely the best rod out there, it was fun, quirky and portable!

When we bought our cottage, the PPF went to camp. I love anything RETRO, and this rod was so kitchy and cool that I loved that we still had it. I was hesitant that Doug was going to use the rod, but since he uses his regular rods in the summer, the PPF proved to be the perfect rod for ice fishing. I figured, what could happen??

One sunny winter day, Doug put a few holes in the ice and went out fishing. My daughter Meg and I walked out to check how he was doing. We asked why he did not secure the rod into the ice. [Anyone who has ever been ice fishing before knows that the rods are usually propped up by the ice hole with wet snow and water to keep it upright and secure]. Doug replied that he was sitting close by and that he would see the rod move if a fish took hold of his bait. Now, the two holes he had set up were about 20 feet apart. He had to watch TWO holes. We again expressed our concern, but who knows better about fishing than a guy who is fishing!? What do we know?

Meg and I returned to camp and Doug continued to fish. Some time later, Doug came back to camp and said,
"Have I got a fish story for you!!!

And it goes something like this:
"First of all, I just lost the biggest fish ever!!!"
"Really? How?"
"Well, I was checking my one line, and at the corner of my eye I see PPF start to move! So, I started to turn for the PPF and doesn't it start to go sliding along the ice. I ran as fast as I could towards the rod and SWOOOOSH it slides towards the hole!"
"And how come you're all wet?"
"Well, just as I got to the hole, the rod went THWUCK -- right down the hole!! I dove onto my belly and plunged my arm down into the water to try to catch it. I JUST missed it! My PPF is gone. A huge fish took it away!"

I omitted a few choice words in his telling of the story, but we indeed had a good laugh. He was soaked from the wrist up to his shoulder. He tried so hard to get that rod before it disappeared down the hole. I can't help but think of the poor fish who was swimming around down there with a PPF attached to him. We like to think it was a nice big Pike!

I felt so bad that he had lost a piece of his childhood. I hate it when sentimental things get lost or stolen or broken. So I got onto EBay and I found an original, 1970's Popeil Pocket Fisherman, still in the bag! So it has taken a place on a shelf in our Sauna building and there it stays. He is NOT going to use it anymore!!

That's the story of the one that got away!!!

My Plant

2007-05-17T07:35:00.000-05:00

I am such a hoarder. Actually, I used to be much worse than I am now. I used to save everything. When Doug and I were dating, I saved movie tickets, restaurant coasters, labels, etc. When we had kids, I saved all their art work and school work and homemade gifts. Over the years, it got to the point where I had no room to keep all those things. One day I got into a major cleaning-up mode and I went through it all. I sorted out what was keepers and tossed the rest. It was SO hard, but I knew I couldn't logically keep it all. I took photos of some of the special things.
Some things are more special and sentimental than others. This is a plant that Meghan gave me when she was in kindergarten, [which was 20 years ago!!]. The class had started plants in a tiny little plastic cup for all the mothers for Mothers Day. Meg brought hers home so proudly! We transplanted it after a while into a bigger pot. Over the years, I had to continue to transplant it into bigger and bigger pots and so many times I came so close to losing it. I pick out the dead leaves, re-plant some of the stringers and it comes back to life!
Hang in there little plant, hang in there!!

Mamma's Sparkles

2007-05-16T10:54:00.000-05:00

My mother was born and raised in Arnhem, The Netherlands. She was the only girl in the family with 5 brothers. She enjoyed doing crafty things and I guess that's where my creative and artistic side is from. She went on to go to school to be a Seamstress! Who does that anymore?

When my mom was around 9 years old, she would play with these sparkles. That makes them about 74 years old! Some of them are super-fine, almost like the finest of powders. Others looks like tiny little pieces of thread. I'm not even sure what they're made of. I wouldn't be surprised if some are of toxic substances!

When I was little, I would beg my mom to use them. She would never let me. I don't know why!! I'm glad she didn't, because now I have the bottles on display in my keepsake case. I love these little bottles!

In Memory

2007-05-14T08:09:00.000-05:00

My dad passed away in 2002 from complications after a heart attack. He was 83. Dad always said he was going to live to a ripe old age of 90, like his dad. Too bad he didn't make it. Dad went through a lot his last few years. He was diagnosed with sinus cancer 1996. It was very serious and he needed to have the cancer removed right away which resulted in him losing part of his nose. After complications from more surgeries, he ended up with no nose. The doctors and specialists he saw in Toronto were miracle workers! Not only was the cancer gone, but he now had a prosthetic nose! He looked almost normal with that plastic nose! However, after a few years of having no nose, his eyes and cheeks began to 'sink' and lower into his face. The nose did not fit as well as it used to. He was a proud man and hated that 'fake' nose and often would refuse to wear it. The family was used to seeing him with no nose, but strangers would be shocked when they saw him. The hardest part of dad's illness was seeing him go from a strong, silly and happy man to a sad, depressed, sunken man.
Nevertheless, he was a trouper. He never complained. He was a fighter.
His heart remained true, always. I never want to forget his trueness of heart.
After he passed away, I asked the nurses in the hospital if I could have a copy of his electrocardiogram. I framed it.

The Midway

2007-05-13T07:59:00.000-05:00

Each May, our city hosts the midway. It used to be here for only 3 days, but now it's here for a full week. I think they had to extend the time because e-v-e-r-y single year it would RAIN!! I mean it, it never failed!
I LOVE carnivals. I LOVE the rides. Unfortunately, because of my new illness, I feel that I couldn't handle the rides. I am SO disappointed! I'm a ride junkie and it killed me not to buy tickets for the Tilt-a-Whirl, Typhoon and others. I might have been able to handle the Ferris Wheel, but if I couldn't do the others I didn't want to do that one!
I did buy a nice, juicy, red candy apple! Mmmm, I could eat an apple a day that way!
I wanted to get some night shots with my new lens, but I think I went too early. It was dusk, but still too light. I should try and get back there after sunset before the show leaves. I'm still learning with this new lens and I wasn't sure where to set the Aperture. I was also surprised that at dusk, I didn't have to bump up my ISO from 200 at all.
Here's a few shots that didn't turn out too bad.

After the Rain

2007-05-11T07:30:00.000-05:00

Got my 50mm 1.7 in the mail yesterday! Yeehaw. Only took a few photos so far, but I'm loving it. These are SOOC!

Galilean Thermometer

2007-05-09T13:07:00.000-05:00

I think these are so cool. I only wish they weren't made of glass because they're so fragile. If you haven't seen one before, you can check it out here! I'd like to keep mine outside, but I'm afraid the wind will blow it over.
Taken indoors with the Ricoh M 50mm 2.0! I know how to use it now!! Yay me!

My new [to me] lens

2007-05-08T15:40:00.000-05:00

I've only had my K100 for 4 months. Through winter, being sick, cold and rainy April and totally losing my Mojo, I had been aching to try something new with my camera. I had read somewhere that Pentax cameras were compatible with Ricoh lenses. Now, backtrack a little... my daughter was given an old film SLR almost a year ago, with two lenses. She had tried to use it but it proved to be difficult to figure out and her pictures were awful. She put the camera back in the bag and there it stayed until one day a light bulb went off in my head! It's a Ricoh camera!! So I dug out one of the lenses the other day and put it on my Pentax. It fit!! First success! I had NO idea how to use an old fully manual lens. I asked a few questions over on the Pentax Forums and at 2Peas and got some info. To make a long story short, I kinda got it to work! From what I can tell it's a 50mm 2.0 lens. [the identifying info is missing off the lens, so I had to guess]. I'm loving the Bokey [as Volt says!] It's going to be a challenge and hopefully a lot of fun practicing more with this lens. And since the 50mm M 1.7 lens I ordered should be in in the next few days, I'll have had some practice using a manual lens!!
It was crazy windy yesterday so I'm not sure if that's why the focus is a bit off or if it's because of my old eyes! They are indeed old and worn and tired!!!
Here's my favourite of the bunch of pics I took. The 'x' you see is where I tried to set my focus. Let's say it was the wind that made it wonky. There, WIND - that qualifies as weather, right???

My Poetry

2007-05-05T17:45:00.000-05:00

When I was eleven years old, I wrote my first poem. I can't recall what inspired me or why I decided that it was time to try my hand at poetry, but the rest is history.
I wrote a lot back in the day. SO many during my teen years - hmm, wonder why? I wrote mostly free verse until I was in my mid- twenties when I discovered how fun it is to rhyme! I've tried Haiku, but didn't really care for it. Lately, I haven't written too much. I guess I just haven't been inspired! This alphabet poem was written in '94 for a class I was taking. The whole poem consists of 26 words, each one starting with each letter of the alphabet. This poem was published in a Anthology. Sounds more impressive than it is. I PAID to have it printed! Ha ha. Looks cool though to see my name in print though.
I've won a few contests with my poetry as well as two for story writing.
My inspiration has been Rod McKuen, Emily Dickenson and my favourite of ALL TIME, Desiderata, by Max Ehrmann.

My Daemon

2007-05-05T17:18:00.001-05:00

My Creative Side

2007-05-04T11:45:00.000-05:00

As an artist, I have enjoyed all kinds of creative outlets. From Folk Art Painting to Caligraphy, from sewing to Crafts, from Poetry to Story Writing, I think I've never had more fun than creating artistic work in Photoshop. I haven't done it in a while, but I really enjoy manipulating a photo and turning it into something different and unique.

CAMP

2007-05-03T08:41:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have seen this picture before, but it's the best shot I have of our cottage, [camp , as we call it here in northern Ontario!] I LOVE camp. When we're not home, we're at camp. When we purchased it 4 years ago, we knew it was the best thing we ever did. It's our peace, our getaway, our solace, our paradise. DH works 12 hour shift work and has 4-5 days off at a time. If he doesn't have a gig, we're at camp! We just opened it up last weekend for the first time this spring. No signs of mice or other critters! YAY. There are lots of sticks and leaves all over the property that I have to clean up, but I love doing that. I might even plant some more flowers this year. I have a few perennials planted, but it's too early for them. They're not budding yet.
We hope to build an addition this year too. DH starts holidays in about two weeks and guess where we'll be???

I love my Crocabees!

2007-04-30T11:52:00.000-05:00

Here's my yellow Crocs. Well, actually I call them my Crocabees because they're not really original Crocs, but Croc wannabes from the Buck Store!!! I love them just the same. These are t-h-e most comfortable shoes I have ever worn! They are especially perfect for camp. I love my camp. I love my Crocabees!

Which orientation do you like better?

I'm BACK!!

2007-04-29T20:59:00.000-05:00

It's been weeks, but feels like forever since I've posted. I have been feeling ill since late January and after some extensive tests I have been diagnosed with IBD. At this time, it is suspected that I have Crohn's disease. I don't post this here to seek sympathy, but just to let some of you who read my blog know what's been going on with me lately! If you don't feel like reading the gory details, you can stop reading now! Just scroll down to look at the pic if you wish!

So, in January, it started. I had several days of unsettled stomach. If I was 20 years younger I might have suspected morning sickness. Just that ever-so-slight, gnawing feeling in my gut. Early on, the symptoms would come and go and I often felt perfectly fine for several days in a row. Then the pain started. At first it was subtle pangs that would start in my middle and crescendo into a deep, dull ache, then it would ease off to nothing again. I would get these waves only one or two times throughout the day, but after awhile I would get them several times an hour. Sometimes the pain would be momentary, but as time went on the waves would come more often, last longer and be more intense. My digestive system has always been extremely sensitive, so I thought it was just a flare-up. My doctor was at first convinced that I had a lingering virus that was causing the pains and the frequent bathroom trips. After sending me for some preliminary tests the results were inconclusive for anything other than a slight elevation of my WBC count. I was also affected by the occasional low-grade fever. When my symptom cleared up for a week in March I thought everything was over! Then one beautiful day while walking on the ice to our camp, the pains started again! I was not a happy camper. This time the doc sent me for Upper GI ultrasound and Small Bowel Follow Through x-rays. What a horrible experience. The prep for these tests gave me the WORST bloating and gassy pains that I could have ever imagined! I had to take Dulcolax and eat nothing for over 12 hours. I had to drink Citro-Mag which tastes like a syrupy lemon juice. I swear that stuff burned an acidic hole into my stomach. I was in pain all night, let alone being in the bathroom about 5 times!! Then I woke up around 4am with a fever and violent chills. I'm not a whimp by any means but I felt like such a baby. I felt like crying and crawling in a hole. I was feeling very sorry for myself. By morning I felt fine! Go figure. The tests themselves were a breeze. I was in the lab for a few hours, but the ultrasound and xrays were totally pain free!
The tests showed that the inflammation is at the Ileum, [the final section of small intestine]. Other tests revealed that I'm slightly anemic [no wonder I haven't felt creative lately] and I have lost about 7 pounds. Not that I needed to lose any weight, but it's not a concern right now.
So now I'm awaiting an appointment with a Gastrointestinal specialist. Unfortunately, until I do see him, I cannot take any medication to ease my discomfort. I imagine I'll have to go through some more testing but I've got to say that I am extremely relieved to find out that what I've got is treatable. I'm not a worrier, but I admit that the 'big C' crossed my mind! I have also learned that Crohn's is thought to be an autoimmune disease. That makes SO much sense for me. It's an even longer story to explain that aspect, but I also suffer from joint pain, [Ankylosing spondylitis] and eye problems [Central Serous Retinopathy] which are common in Crohn's sufferers! I can't wait to speak with the specialist to see if the Canker sores and Eczema I suffered as a child might have anything to do with this as well as the joint and eye probs!
I am so relieved that I finally know what's been wrong with me since January and I am looking forward to some treatment so I can get back to normal. C'MON SUMMER!!
The weather is starting to get nice and I'm looking forward to our holidays in May and June!! We went to camp for the first time this weekend and it was so peaceful. I didn't do too much except rest and relax! Doug puttered about the whole weekend. He has been SO supportive and understands that when I feel pain, I just don't feel like doing anything - especially housework!!! Hmmm, I guess I can't use that excuse once I'm on meds, huh?
That's it folks. Now you know why I've been AWOL for so long. I'm hoping that very soon I'll be back to more regular posts and updates. Thanks for being patient with me!!!

Enjoyment

2007-04-20T12:10:00.000-05:00

I gave Gracie a new type of bone today. She's very sensitive to certain foods and can't have wheat, gluten, corn or any meat protein. Because of that, we've only been able to give her treats of fruits or veggies, which she loves - but no doggie bones or treats. Found these Checkups bones at Costco yesterday. Of course, she LOVES them. First she has to bring it outside and stare at it. Then she pounces on it and plays with it like she's killing a small animal - tossing it in the air, shaking it, jumping on it! Then she lies down and stares at it some more. Finally, I guess it's dead and then she eats it!
This is Gracie ENJOYING her new treat!!

ME!

2007-04-08T20:30:00.000-05:00

I rarely, if ever get to be in front of the camera! And then, I rarely, if ever like the photo of me! I'm either having a bad hair day, or my eyes are half closed, or I'm chewing or my mouth is wide open, or, you get the picture!! And, I rarely, if ever show anybody the pics of me. So, this is rare for me share these!
My girls were playing around with my camera on Easter sunday and snapped these of me. I like them, I really like them - pushing-50 wrinkles and all!!

MY SITE HAS MOVED

2007-04-04T15:30:00.000-05:00

It's been one year since I started My Own Karma Photography website. Originally, I was going to keep it only 6 months to see how it went. I got lots of hits and views, but very few gigs. Of the several photo restoration jobs I did get, they were through word-of-mouth, not through the website. The same for the photo shoots.
So, instead of spending money on maintaining the site [and updating] I have decided to go with a Blog.

I am still keeping THIS blog as my personal one, but for shoots and restoration you can visit me at mokphoto.

More people shooting!

2007-04-01T09:02:00.000-05:00

My goal for this month was to get out and practice taking pictures of PEOPLE! I really lack experience with metering and exposure of skin. So, my youngest daughter M and her guy J were my very willing subjects. We walked down the street to the bush area overlooking Lake Ramsey and Science North. It was about 6:30pm and the sun was already quite low in the sky. I used my Grey Card for setting the White Balance. And for the first time, I shot in FULL MANUAL. I must say that I am incredibly pleased with the results. The only problem that I noticed, was a bit of a reddish tone on some of them, so I just corrected the colours in Photoshop. Most of them didn't need any extensive editing, so other than crop and the odd colour adjustment, they are pretty much straight outta the camera. Seems I also need some practice with posing ideas. Besides trying to find a unique pose, I found myself checking for limbs that looked out of place, [I mean arms and legs!!], wrinkles in clothing, shadows on the face, etc, etc. I used to be pretty good at that kinda stuff, but man, I've lost my touch!! If you have any feedback for me, I gratefully accept both positive and negative CC!!

earthdancers Performance

2007-03-26T09:31:00.000-05:00

Well, I did it. I took over 200 photos at the dress rehearsal. First time I used the Pentax K100D for this sort of thing. I wasn't sure how it was going to perform [or more like I wasn't sure how I was going to manage the camera] as it's still so new to me. I know for sure that I NEED a faster lens. I'm still at a loss though whether to look into a prime or a zoom.
Anyhoo, here's some of the best of the bunch. I'd appreciate any and all feedback!

The end of winter

2007-03-17T09:52:00.000-05:00

We went to camp yesterday. Daughter #2 and her boyfriend have been there all week - through the above 0º temps, the sun, the rain, the wind AND the sudden drop to -15º! In that time, the snowmobile broke. It works, but it only steers to the left! So to get anywhere, you have to straighten out the skis, drive as far as you can until it starts veering to the left... stop, straighten the skis out, reposition the snowmobile... and start all over! Needless to say, DD just left it by the shore. So, DH had to put it out of it's mysery for the rest of the season and retired it to the shed.
Luckily, we were able to take the Van across the lake. The snow that was on top of the lake had melted into solid ice, but there were tons of ruts and bumps from where the vehicles and sleds had been before. It made for very careful, slow driving, but we made it. The ice is still at least 12" thick, but there's very little snow left in the bush or on our property.
I have to go back tomorrow to bring DD and boyfriend back home. I'll likely pack up the bedding, close up the camp and wait until thaw. Forecast for next week is rain and temps back up in the mid teens. It's unlikely that we'd be able to get back to camp safely.
C'mon thaw!!!

Here's our humble, LITTLE, cottage abode.

The drive-to!

Practice with the Macro setting:

The Coldest day of the year!

2007-03-16T07:58:00.000-05:00

After almost a week of above temps, we have very little snow left! YAY!
For several weeks I had a mini-shoot planned for some time in the March break. The young girl I was going to take pics of is a student of my daughter`s at her dance studio. This was to be a portfolio-building session for me and GREAT practice because I rarely get a chance to photograph people!!
Turns out that yesterday was the only day that worked for both me and her mom. And what happens?? The temps drop OVER 20 degrees in one day! That's Northern Ontario for ya!

We drove to Lake Laurentian Conservation area with hopes of taking some shots by the lake and on the trail. We only made it as far as the chalet because it was just SOOOOOOoooo darn cold outside. Luckily, the chalet had some neat surroundings for pics. I took a few pics of K in her coat, hat and mitts. By this time my hands and fingers were already starting to feel the bite of the cold. My DD's feet were in rubber boots [she thought it wasn't that cold out at first] and they were numb. K's mom was doing her best to cover up her daughter in between shots!

Young K brought several really cute outfits to change-up, but all she could manage was to ADD layers! I managed to find an area by the chalet out of the wind, so we did the remainder of the shots there. I can't tell you how COLD my cheeks and fingers were. OMG, so cold. The windchill was -26º C although the actual temp was only about -5º. Why is it that in the spring, when there's hardly any snow left, the wind just bites??

Well, enough of my whining. I'm only going to post a few pics because I haven't gotten the signed release back yet from the mom. Any HHCC would be appreciated as this was my first ever mini shoot for someone other than my own girls! I set custom WB and did my best at metering. I'd appreciate any feedback! Hopefully, I'll be able to post a few more!

My Goof-up

2007-03-15T13:06:00.001-05:00

For my Cameras on the Rocks photo club, our assignment was to take photos in/of a cemetary. I had two weeks to do the work, but did I use my time wisely? Umm - no! On the last day, DH and I went to our cottage and I knew of a cemetary on the way. He had to run a errand first so I went to the cemetary and shot away. Whoo-hoo, I was all excited because I got some really great shots. There were some old wooden crosses with just a painted name on it, there were dried up floral arrangements, snow and shadows and some really neat colours.
So, we're now on our way to camp and I decided to take a peek at the photos, aniticipating some really great results. UGH, NO. I shot them ALL at 3200 ISO...in bright sun! I was not surprised that I did that, but I was so angry with myself. I had taken dance photos the night before in a low-lit studio and I totally forgot to reset my ISO.
Anyhoo, to make a long story short, I managed to get back and retake the photos, but they really didn't turn out that great. The sun and shadows weren't in the same place and there was just no oomph to them.
However, I decided to play with one of the overexposed shots and I really liked the results.
Here's the colour of my error!!

Colours of the Cottage

2007-03-12T16:17:00.000-05:00

I really don't have a favourite colour. Well, I like red for my cottage decor. I like turquoise because it's Retro and I like to wear earth tones. Pastel yellow is awesome, but I could never wear it. I generally don't like green unless it's khaki. Can't stand blue vehicles but I don't mind a nice navy piece of clothing. Brown is one of my more likeable colours too! Orange is pretty cool too, but only for specific things.

Went to the camp yesterday to bring daughter #2 and her boyfriend. They're staying there for the March Break if they don't get flooded out first! The weather is so mild that the snow on the lake is turning to slush and there are puddles all over. The fish shacks are going to have to taken out soon or they will get frozen solid into the ice if it turns cold again.

Took a few pics with my Tamron 70-300. I'm not really used to this lens yet. I found a few of my pics turned out a little dark. Not sure if I have to do some EV adjusting or different metering. Practice, practice I guess.

So, here's a few from the cottage. The colours of the outdoors. Thanks for looking~! Don't be shy, leave me a comment - even HHCC is welcome, or just say Hi to tell me you popped in.

Bird House

Gracie's Toy. This is hung from a tree. She can play tug-o-war with it any time she wants!

We have these Hemlock trees all over the property. I love these trees.

Mighty Pine - cone!

There's nothing like a roasted weiner over an open fire. Mmmmmm. [Not sure what I was focused on in this shot - but it still looks yummy, right?]

My daughter, the Dance Teacher!

2007-03-10T23:29:00.000-05:00

Daughter L teaches modern dance. She wanted me to take pics at one of her rehearsals for the big earthdancers show**. First time I've used the Pentax in this situation. Really had to bump up the ISO to 800 & 1600 for some. Ran them through Noiseware, but I'm generally pleased. All of them hand held, natural light, Av mode around f 4-5. No signed releases, so the faces are blocked.

A faster lens would have been SO much nicer! Perhaps a fixed aperture one or a variable? I'm so lens-challenged! Any suggestions?
Tell me what you think!

**p.s. Those are my pics on the earthdancers website!

The Games we Play

2007-03-09T10:07:00.000-05:00

I love GAMES. Board games, card games, action games, any games [except Checkers...hate Checkers!!] :) Some of my favs are Scrabble, Cribbage, Rummy-Q, Balderdash, Scattergories, Pit....ah, the list is endless!
Unfortunately, it takes a LOT to convince my family to play anything with me. :(
Here's a pic from last month when my girls had friends over to play Crokinole.
SURE - play with the friends but not with Mamma!

Things that Make my Life Easier!

2007-03-06T10:51:00.000-05:00

The POTD theme this week is to post objects of things that make your life easier. I'm gonna blog about how much I don't LIKE the new products that are out there that are SUPPOSED to make your life easier. I say, meh.

A lot of people have posted dishwashers, washers, dryers and appliances! Sure, I'm glad that I don't have to scrub my clothes on a washboard, or put them through a ringer like the 'olden days', but I love to hang my clothes out on the line. It does take a little longer, but at least I'm outside in the fresh air instead of my cold, dark laundry room! I can't wait to start doing that again once the temps go above freezing! The clothes not only smell better to hang them outside, but I find it much easier to fold them from the line than from out of a dryer!

As for dishwashers, some of you might be shocked to hear that I DON'T WANT ONE. My mom had one at our house when I was a teen. I remember the pain in the neck it was to roll out the washer [ours wasn't built-in], hook it up to the kitchen tap, then wait for the noisy cycle to be over, roll it back, empty the dishes, yadda, yadda, yadda. You call that easy? I'd rather wash dishes by hand while chatting with my family as they help dry and put away. Our first two houses had dishwashers and it was the first item that I got rid of. Nope, no dishwasher for me. Ever.

What's up with all those Swiffer products? It upsets me that with the state our world is in regarding waste and pollution that manufacturers are still making garbage-producing products!! I refuse to buy items that create more trash and waste. Each one of those little Swiffer wipe thingys have to be thrown away. And the bag that they come in. A broom, dustpan and cloth is what I use... and a bagless vacuum cleaner for my carpet.

I haven't bought a single bottle of Pledge or Fantastik or any other cleaning product in over 25 years. Most of the over-the-counter products are mostly water and few other ingredients. Some are extremely toxic. I make my own cleaner. It's all purpose and much safer... and cheaper, than the bought ones. My cleaner, a piece of newspaper, or a rag is all I need to make my house shine!

Convenience foods are supposed to make our life easier, give us more time for our families. That's all fine and dandy, but our children's lives won't be very easy if they have to live in a world full of health related problems from too many over-processed foods that are full of trans-fats, too much sugar and zero nutrition. Sure, that single-wrapped weiner is handy and cooks fast - but yuk! Pre-packaged everything, single-wrapped weiners, pre-cooked bacon, pre-cut/diced/sliced/chopped foods! I prefer natural foods that cook on the stove in the natural amount of time. I like to buy whole foods and foods without additives and junk. Sure, I love the odd chocolate bar or bag of chips, but I like to think that I'm a wise consumer when it comes to healthy eating... and recycling! I recycle EVERYTHING I possibly can.

I'll get off my soap-box now. I just couldn't for the life of me think of anything to take a picture of that makes my life easier. That's not to say that I don't appreciate having a vehicle to get me where I have to go, or a TV that entertains me, or a washing machine that cleans my clothes. It's just that all those items are a part of my life. I chose to have them. And I choose what NOT to have too!
I'll stop now before I get too carried away!! ha ha

The End!

p.s. Is there anybody else out there like me??

My Daughters

2007-03-04T10:56:00.000-05:00

I had a little mini-shoot with my girls. The weather was warm and I wanted to practice with my camera outdoors. I set the White Balance which really made a huge difference. I don't shoot in RAW, so I still had to do a little PPing, but just a slight colour and curves adjustment. I took about 65 pics and these are a few of my favs.

L - Daughter #1

M - Daughter #2

Gracie - Daughter #3, 3 yrs. old.

My Collection

2007-03-02T15:31:00.000-05:00

I love retro stuff. Perhaps it's because I'm still a hippy at heart, but I always seem to be drawn to retro decor and retro items! Since my house isn't really suited for retro decor, I have one room where I display my collection of old stuff. My office. I also want to decorate our cottage with retro stuff - especially RED things!

Some of the things are hand-me-downs from my family, like the bowling shoes. They were my dad's. I also have his personalized bowling ball.

This shirt was a favourite of mine when I was a young teenager! I LOVED that shirt and wore it all the time. I couldn't bear to part with it when I grew out of it. It's hanging on a hangar that was made for me when I was a baby.

This cooler and thermos will likely find a new home when the addition is finished at the cottage. I want to bring my 1930's Hoosier cabinet there and it will nicely display my retro stuff!

Snow Day

2007-03-02T15:25:00.000-05:00

We had wicked winds and blizzard conditions today. We are still well below the normal amount of snowfall this year, but I hated to see the storm. I am just so anxious for spring! I really can't complain though because it has been such a mild winter with very little snow! I usually love to shovel the driveway. I can remember some winters where I was out there shoveling practically every day. It gave me a bit of fresh air and some exercise too since it usually takes me about 20-40 minutes to do the whole driveway plus two walkways. Today though there was too much heavy snow, so D took out the snowblower!
It's stopped for now, but the forecast calls for another possible 10 cms. Ugh.

My Morning Latté

2007-02-28T08:34:00.000-05:00

My morning latté is definitely all about me!

I can't remember when it was when I first tasted a true latté. Not those oversweetened packaged things or the ones from the machine at Timmie's...I mean the real espresso ones. Mmmmmmm-mmmm-mmmm.

I think the first specialty coffee I tried was in Toronto at a Second Cup Café. I ordered a medium cappuccino, not really knowing what to expect. It was good, but there was too much foam for my taste. Not knowing any better, I continued to order caps like that. I was an espresso newbie back in the day.

Fast forward several years....... I experimented with caps and lattés, [I sound like some sort of addict don't I?!] By this time we had a few Second Cup Cafés here in town and they enlightened me to the fact that I could request my lattés without foam! Now, that was better! So, each time I was in the mall, I would treat myself to a delicious latté.

After a few years of that I realized that I sure would enjoy a latté every morning...in my own house! DH bought me an espresso machine for Christmas one year. It was the steam operated type. Well, after a few near burns and explosions, I realized that the steam machine was an accident waiting to happen. I returned it and bought a Pump driven espresso machine. I still have that machine today. It's about 15 years old. I have replaced only one part in all these years.

I even became a certified Barrista when I went to work at Second Cup! I worked there for over four years and because we were allowed as many free drinks as we wanted, I got to learn how to make my lattés just the way I like them. Double shot, non fat, no foam, extra-extra hot!

Now that the Second Cups in town have closed down [BOO to Tim Horton's for being such a bully] we treat ourselves to Starbucks once in a while, but I still use my trusty Briel espresso machine every day!!!

My Weekend at the Cottage

2007-02-26T15:20:00.000-05:00

I guess if I'm to stick to the POTD theme, I would say that my cottage says a lot about me. Outdoors, peace, fresh air and contentment surround me when I'm there. And of course, my family!!

Both daughters and their boyfriends spent the day with us. We had a campfire outside and roasted weiners and Kolbassa. Did a little ice fishing - no bites. The best event was our annual Ski-bogging fun. We hook up the water-ski rope to the back of the snowmobile, hop on the toboggan and go for a ride! WHEEEEEEeeeeee! Too fun. Safety is always at the top of the priority list, so helmets are worn by all and speed is kept to a comfortable pace.

It was also M's 24th birthday on Saturday, which made it an even more special day!

Gracie couldn't sleep in her usual spot, so we let her sleep on the lazyboy on her doggie bed. What a lazy a$$ dog!!...and SPOILED!

And that's ME in the fur hat [from the thrift shop -- I would NOT, EVER buy fur new - ONLY used] and the retro 1970's Skidoo suit!

I am really pleased with the shots I got this weekend. It's the first time I've really been able to snap away while outdoors because it's been so cold.

What do you think of these? HHCC always appreciated, or just leave a comment!

Signs

2007-02-22T16:56:00.000-05:00

Here's a sign that is right next to STARBUCKS. I snapped this while DH went in to get his coffee on our way on our road trip the other day.

Hmmm. No snow that day, but there sure is now! We're in the middle of our 2nd blizzard of the WHOLE season. Not much accumulation, but very blustery.

Ciao La!