September, 2010

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

You’ll Have To Excuse Me…

It’s been one of those days. Or nights, rather. The kind where you get waaay less sleep than normal, and everything gets much more difficult the following day. Suffice to say I am barely making sense at this point, so rather than bore (or amuse?) you with my bleary-eyed rantings, I spent nap time napping instead of blogging. Cross fingers for sleep tonight and I’ll try again tomorrow. ;)

Sleepy Baby

The baby doing something he could not seem to last night. I love how kids can sleep all “bums in the air” like that.

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Wednesday, September 29th, 2010

Cali2010: Travel Day

In honour of my husband’s departure today (he’s heading down to the States again to participate in a LEGO convention, after having such a great time last year), I thought I’d post a few photos from our California trip travel day. Lordy, I HATE travel days! So much to remember, so many hoops to jump through, so much sitting around and waiting to do…which is challenging with little ones. My exhaustion is reflected in the less-than-stellar quality of the photos I’m about to post, but oh, well. What can you do? ;)

Silly Boy

After much preparation, little sleep, dealing with ticket agents, customs agents, and security…we finally take a breath <ahem>.

Bored Boys

How do you explain to them that it’s only the beginning still?

Carry On

We amuse ourselves the best we can. “If it fits, carry on”. Well, OK.

Wonky Mirror

Thank goodness somebody at the airport thought about play areas.

First Celebrity

Not even in California yet and we spot our first celebrity…

Lanny!

Hockey legend Lanny McDonald – on his way to a wedding, we hear.

Touch Down

The flight was delightfully uneventful (the baby napped and the boy watched TV), and soon we touched down at SFO.

Tram Waiting

My still-chipper boys waiting for the tram to take us to the car rentals area – oh, how we enjoy a good tram ride.

Tram Riding

See what I mean? (I love the baby’s reflection here btw…)

Rental Waiting

Of course, having to wait TWO HOURS to rent a car sucked hugely! But snacks, games of tag and peek-a-boo (and whatever was on the DSI), and a genuine smile went a looong way.

I80

We finally got a vehicle, a car seat, and our GPS operating…

South San Francisco

And we were off! Hello, South San Francisco!

Freeway

Where else but California would you see so many lanes and such fake looking houses? I swear, they were cardboard or something…

San Francisco

We touched on the city briefly before taking the Bay Bridge and heading to Alameda (where we stayed) to rest.

Tunnel

We also went through this tunnel – which I thought summed up my state pretty well: askew, blurry, pale coloured… Thank goodness we would eat soon, check in, and crash for the night. Ah, travel day.

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Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

The Red Carpet Treatment

Last night I had the great pleasure of attending my first “red-carpet-treatment” movie premiere. Now, having friends in the film industry, it’s not my first viewing of an International Film Festival film premiere (in fact, I’m heading back on Saturday to see Mike Goldbach’s “Daydream Nation” at the CIFF – woohoo!). It was, however, the first time I got a taste of the whole “star treatment” thing. And I liked it. ;)

Me Driving

Kids fed and babysat (and me finally dressed) and I’m on my way!

The Bus

A flashy bus surrounded by hip dudes…this must be the place.

"Wade"

My husband (who was in the film!) watching the craziness outside.

The Craziness

The throngs on and about the infamous red carpet.

The Line

Luckily, we had gorgeous weather for those waiting in line.

Patient Friends

Like our good friends Michael, Christine, and Rob. Nice shirts, guys!

More Friends

Hey, look! It’s Mark and Keith, dropping by the bus to say hello.

Dennis Cahill

Loose Moose artistic director Dennis Cahill, who was also in the film.

Inside The Bus

And X92.9′s Roger Kingkade and that “Newfie” guy from the film!

Dean and Terry

We watched the stars (Dean and Terry) getting, um…interviewed. ;)

Trish

As well as Terry’s domestic goddess, the lovely Trish.

Wade

And my awesome husband, “Wade”. Teeheehee.

Beer Carpet

A couple of Pilsner cans where Terry and Dean used to be…hmm.

The Fans

The fans were out in full force, dressed and coiffed appropriately.

More Fans

I’m happy to say the best dressed / signed of these folks did get in.

Time to Go In

Okay, looks like it’s time to go and see the show.

Red Carpet Feet

My two seconds on the red carpet, for posterity – wheee!

When we got inside, my camera was confiscated by the security guards (and later rescued by the amazing and wonderful Immanuela – thank you!), so I am afraid there are no photos of the pre-show settling in or the post-show introductions, chat, and Q&A…but know that they were suitably in-theme. Most notable were when the audience started repeatedly chanting “Fu-bar” during the short film preview, and Terry and Dean told the crowd to “Shut the f*** up and show a little respect”, which they did…when M.C. X92.9′s Roger Kingkade and Director Michael Dowse shotgunned a couple of beers to kick off the post-show speaking – beer cans that were opened with the Newfie’s bare teeth!!! And when uber fans requested both a “throw down” and a “hug” from their idols during the Q&A. It was a magical night, indeed.

Me and "Wade"

Me and my husband striking a pose after the show.

Post Show

Andrew and Tam are certain Wade’s frosted tips will live in infamy.

Post Show

More hanging out after the show… “Who’s going to the after party?”

Poster

And last but not least…our souvenir poster.

As for the movie itself, I’ve got to say I was pleasantly surprised. I hadn’t actually seen the first Fubar movie, and to be honest, I used to get threatened on a daily basis by banger chicks in junior high school, so I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. But…I went to the show to support my husband and friends, and I ended up having a fabulous time. Yes, there was a lot of swearing and the characters did things that I could never in a million years imagine myself doing…but at the end of the day, they proved themselves to be human, just like the rest of us. They made me laugh (and laugh, and laugh, and laugh) but they also nearly made me cry. And even though I’m pretty sure they didn’t intend to, they got me thinking about a lot of things. So…way to give’r, guys!!! And if there’s any possible way for you, my dear readers, to go and see this movie when it opens on Friday (in Canada, at least), I would highly recommend you do so. I can think of no better way to turn down the suck. ;)

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Monday, September 27th, 2010

Admiring The Leaves

Yesterday morning, I woke up before everyone else in the house (surprise, surprise!!!) I noticed that the light filtering into the bedroom had a particularly warm glow to it, so I roused myself out of bed and went downstairs to check it out. Wow. Totally worth it. You’ve gotta love a good sunrise.

Sunrise

I think even mother nature was impressed, as she has decided to paint the trees using that particular palate…

Autumn Leaves 2

Autumn Leaves 3

Autumn Leaves 1

Autumn Leaves 4

Autumn Leaves 5

Autumn Leaves 6

Autumn Leaves 7

Red Beetle

Such beautiful fall leaf colours – right in my front yard! And one lovely red beetle for good measure. ;)

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Friday, September 24th, 2010

Cali2010: Funky Letters

Remember how I’ve been talking about how much I like funky lettering? (If you need reminding, please feel free to go back to this post or even this one). Well, anyhow. During our recent trip down south, I kept the idea of snapping “ransom note like” letters in my head, and I managed to use them to create something I really enjoy. Sadly, it’s not “perfect”, as we were usually on our way somewhere else and I didn’t have the luxury of taking photos in the “ideal” light or from the “best” angle (or even whilst standing still in some cases)…but it’s not bad for a first attempt. And it will make an awesome front page for my scrapbooking of the trip! Recognize any of them?

Funky California Letters

“California” spelled out using various letters found whilst there.

Now, you’ll have to excuse me. We’ve been home for 5 days and I’m just starting to make a dent in the piles of laundry, thanks to a broken-but-now-fixed washing machine. It is amazing just how unsettled I have felt not being able to fully unpack and “reset” things to they way they are “supposed” to be. And so, I must go and nest now. Have a wonderful weekend, y’all!

(Key: Coca-Cola van, Aria Market and Bakery, metal letter from Anthropologie, Tomatina Restaurant, Tucker’s Ice Cream flavours, Holiday Inn, Ralph’s Grocery, Bubba Gump’s Restaurant, Julie’s Coffee and Tea Garden, and Yahoo! billboard)

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Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

Autumn Equinox

Last night’s full harvest moon ushered in yet another fall here in Canada (although, looking back, one might ask when exactly the summer happened this year, but I digress). To mark the occasion, I did a few “routine” household chores (as I do at every equinox and solstice) – like changing the water filter, changing the furnace filter, and changing the wreath on the door. Being fall, I also changed all of the smoke detector batteries and tried to schedule some “fambily-in-the-leaves photos”. I find it really useful to use these four quarters to remind me to do these kinds of tasks as I have a tendency to be a bit scatterbrained about timing otherwise.

I also made some time to enjoy our harvest, even though it wasn’t the most bountiful this year. We had a cold and wet summer, and the garden noticeably responded by decreasing most crops, and abandoning others altogether (we didn’t get one single tomato!) Still, there were ample root veggies to make some soup (and share with friends), and I put our “Hardy Macs” to good use in an apple crisp. I am truly grateful for such yummy, home-grown goodness. I wrapped up my evening by admiring the moon – the first “true” harvest moon in 20 years! I can see now why such a thing might come in handy to work in the fields into the wee hours. ;)

Garden Veggies

Leeks, potatoes, carrots, and even some zucchini from my garden…

Turkey and Veg Soup

Went into this turkey and vegetable soup – yummy!

Hardy Mac Apples

I picked the remaining Hardy Macintosh apples yesterday…

Apple Crisp

And turned them into some delicious cider-like apple crisp.

Full Harvest Moon 2

Then I enjoyed the fruits of my labours (quite literally, haha) by the light of the full harvest moon. Amazing.

May your harvest be plentiful and your fall full of warmth and colour!

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Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

Cali2010: The Flora

Hello, hello! I’m back. Whew. Okay, now where were we?

So. Being an avid gardener and a former natural history interpreter, one of the first things I notice on each and every trip to California is the flora. I know, I know – weirdo…but hey, that’s how this cookie crumbles. Anyhow. Whether it’s the tropical flavoured palms, or the colourful scrub growing on the side of the freeway, or the luscious rainbow of blossoms that adorn shops and yards at all times of the year, my green thumb gets itchy every time I ponder gardening in that luxurious Zone 9-10 climate (vs. my own Zone 3 nightmare region).

Now, even though most of the photos I took on the trip are of family and friends, and I usually had to haphazardly snap other shots on the fly (whilst we were driving or wrangling the baby or in a mad rush to get somewhere), I managed to snap a few of these to share with fellow nature-loving readers. I hope you enjoy.

Acorn

Along with Redwoods and Eucalypts, the giant Oaks delight me.

Rose

Some blossoms were as big as the baby’s head!!! Seriously!

Ferns

Oh, how I wish I had more success with fabulously frilly ferns.

Leaf

Even leathery leaves looked radiant in California’s morning sun.

Rose

Roses, roses everywhere – even as hedgerows! Awesome.

Fence

Though, Angel’s-Trumpets-over-a-white-picket-fence is good too.

Hens and Chicks

The succulents were scrumptious – some as big as dinner plates!

Ivy

Though, I am partial to “old school” ivy-on-brick as well.

Dahlia

Dahlias that don’t have to be planted or potted every year… *sigh*

Leaf

And giant leaves that danced in the light. Ahh…

Statice

The beach hotel had a sandy rock garden with purple Statice…

Sea Thrift

Gorgeous pink Sea Thrift…

Grasses

And this spiky-leaved plant (New Zealand Flax, maybe?) Beautiful!

Shadows

All nestled in with rusty anchors and weathered light posts…squee!

Cypress

These wind-swept loners “are”  the Monterey area for me.

When push comes to shove, it’s the coastal Cypress trees that enchant me the most. We didn’t make it down to Carmel on this trip, but I still managed to snap this one as we were driving towards Monterey for dinner one night. Ah, California dreamin’.

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Tuesday, September 21st, 2010

Serenity Now

Well, so much for proper blogging today. It turns out that I got to spend all of nap time on the phone – trying to find a qualified repair man to come and fix our broken washing machine AND trying to explain to our telephone service provider that even though they could call our number and get through, nobody else could. And, as luck would have it, nobody is able to come out and make any kind of repairs until Thursday or Friday. Lovely. Ah, the joys of big city living. *sigh* Well, at least I managed to whip this together whilst on hold. I will get back to blogging (and the mountain of laundry) soon. I promise. I hope?

Serenity Now

One of the soothing waves outside our hotel in Seaside, CA.

It’s funny. Even though I usually associate the sound of waves with feeling calm and soothed, upon studying the image for a while, I realized something. This wave is very apropos of how I am feeling right now…on the brink, full of tension, ready to crash. I don’t know when I’ll break and let it all go, but I’m hoping it’s soon. ;)

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Monday, September 20th, 2010

Home Again!

After a slight (though inconveniently annoying) delay at SFO, we finally made it home last night. Whew. What a trip! Today has been spent trying to get settled back in – part of which includes the uploading of some 1,500+ photos… As you can imagine, I don’t so much have the time for a proper post today, so until I get back on track, here is a photo I took in a little antiques store / boutique in Pacific Grove, CA called “Blessings”.

Cheeky Little Monkey

Look! It’s a monkey! He’s a cheeky little monkey. ;)

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Friday, September 10th, 2010

Gone Fishing

gonefishing

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