To warm up my clicker finger, I hit the local horsie-home I pass on my way to work. These are a few of my favourites.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Getting ready
I'm getting ready for the big photo weekend next Sat. So far, it looks like it will be a 14-hour marathon of clicking shutters. And then there is Sunday....
Signs of spring
Spring duck
Spring daisies
Spring sign of the times
Let's hope that last one isn't around next spring.
Spring daisies
Spring sign of the times
Let's hope that last one isn't around next spring.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
A few photos
Walked around a few farms today and came up with these.
I love the roller coaster fence line with the spring flowers.
Time to start thinking about war with the thorny blackberry fingers.
Fly basking in the spring sun.
I love the roller coaster fence line with the spring flowers.
Time to start thinking about war with the thorny blackberry fingers.
Fly basking in the spring sun.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Progress
Kje has progressed.
There was only one cannonball at diving practice tonight.
But at least 20 flips.
:)
There was only one cannonball at diving practice tonight.
But at least 20 flips.
:)
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Just because
Paris was reading an old cartoon book at the chalet on Mt. Washington. While he was eating breakfast, and I was playing with the camera, he flipped to this page.
Thought the shot went well with my previous post.
Just because
Read an article last week about how all those boxes of saved letters and newspaper clipping in all those closets and attics everywhere help contribute to the historical knowledge of our collective past.
I expect things will be different moving forward. Historians will spend less time searching for artifacts, and more time wading through reams and reams of online documents, emails, blogs, websites, social media, etc, etc to determine what is historically significant, and what is not.
I grew up during the Cold War.
USA vs USSR. SALT and the threat of satellite controlled missiles killing us all. I remember thinking that I might just have a few years left to live before World War 3 broke out. I remember calculating how old I would be and feeling better that they probably wouldn't ask me to join the army at such a young age.
Last night, I spent time wading through the fifteenth edition of the Oxford Atlas of the World. Printed paper. Huge book. Glossy satellite images and old-fashioned maps. Kinda like the one I would look at while lying on shag green carpet in the sun when I was a kid.
Couldn't find the USSR, of course. But found Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, and Moldova, as well as a few countries that I didn't know existed. Places in the world that were part of the British Commonwealth that are now independent. Places in the world that were independent that are now part of the USA Commonwealth. Places like Comoros (volcanoes), Eritrea (ethnic groups of Tigrinya, Tigre, Kunama, and Afar), Nauru (phosphate mining, but resources are running out). I really like this one: Palau. With a population of 21,000 and only 459 sq km, this petite place in the Pacific became independent in 1994 after the USA refused to accede to a 1979 referendum that declared the island nation a nuclear-free zone.
Yugoslavia is gone too. Replaced with new countries and new flags and new statistics and information on currency and religions and politics.
I remember walking along a slow-moving stream in a suburban forested area next to my friends housing complex. We were carrying hockey sticks and wearing rubber boots. The skunk cabbage was out in full force, yellow blooms and that malodorous "skunky" smell. Logs were rotting and leaves composting. The sun poked through here and there, creating pockets of sunshine along the forest floor.
We called it "Killing the Russians." Walking along, whacking away with our sticks and boots. Talking about boys and Kraft cheese slices and barrettes and homework. Talking about friends getting left out of the group.
"Kill the Russians," we'd yell charging to the next batch of rank plants along the water. Whack. Whack. Whack.
Looking up to see if the satellites were watching us. Maybe they were, maybe they weren't. Talking about that.
Leaving the forest floor a carpet of green broken leaves and smashed yellow petals.
Kids don't know what they are doing sometimes. But there you go. My snippet. My tiny view into a larger piece of history. My input to the myriad of stories that contributes to our collective past.
I expect things will be different moving forward. Historians will spend less time searching for artifacts, and more time wading through reams and reams of online documents, emails, blogs, websites, social media, etc, etc to determine what is historically significant, and what is not.
I grew up during the Cold War.
USA vs USSR. SALT and the threat of satellite controlled missiles killing us all. I remember thinking that I might just have a few years left to live before World War 3 broke out. I remember calculating how old I would be and feeling better that they probably wouldn't ask me to join the army at such a young age.
Last night, I spent time wading through the fifteenth edition of the Oxford Atlas of the World. Printed paper. Huge book. Glossy satellite images and old-fashioned maps. Kinda like the one I would look at while lying on shag green carpet in the sun when I was a kid.
Couldn't find the USSR, of course. But found Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, and Moldova, as well as a few countries that I didn't know existed. Places in the world that were part of the British Commonwealth that are now independent. Places in the world that were independent that are now part of the USA Commonwealth. Places like Comoros (volcanoes), Eritrea (ethnic groups of Tigrinya, Tigre, Kunama, and Afar), Nauru (phosphate mining, but resources are running out). I really like this one: Palau. With a population of 21,000 and only 459 sq km, this petite place in the Pacific became independent in 1994 after the USA refused to accede to a 1979 referendum that declared the island nation a nuclear-free zone.
Yugoslavia is gone too. Replaced with new countries and new flags and new statistics and information on currency and religions and politics.
I remember walking along a slow-moving stream in a suburban forested area next to my friends housing complex. We were carrying hockey sticks and wearing rubber boots. The skunk cabbage was out in full force, yellow blooms and that malodorous "skunky" smell. Logs were rotting and leaves composting. The sun poked through here and there, creating pockets of sunshine along the forest floor.
We called it "Killing the Russians." Walking along, whacking away with our sticks and boots. Talking about boys and Kraft cheese slices and barrettes and homework. Talking about friends getting left out of the group.
"Kill the Russians," we'd yell charging to the next batch of rank plants along the water. Whack. Whack. Whack.
Looking up to see if the satellites were watching us. Maybe they were, maybe they weren't. Talking about that.
Leaving the forest floor a carpet of green broken leaves and smashed yellow petals.
Kids don't know what they are doing sometimes. But there you go. My snippet. My tiny view into a larger piece of history. My input to the myriad of stories that contributes to our collective past.
Chalet nights
This is where we hung out last week. There is nothing like skiing out every morning on a locals-only village run, weaving between chalets and snow-topped trees, making fresh tracks on perfect powder.
And then, apres-ski, we come back to this view. And a beer.
You're it
It was so nice to have a bunch of kids over for a good ole fashioned birthday party. On the agenda - hide-and-go-seek, tag, and ice cream cake.
As a previous birthday party hostess at Chuck E Cheese's, I personally enjoyed the quiet, simple ease of the day.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Shout out
This is just a little shout out to the teenagers that spent the weekend at our house. Thank you for:
- coming to the birthday party of an eight-year-old
- being polite all weekend, even without your parents to remind you
- playing Halo and Runescape and Warhammer all night
- joining the younger kids in a game of tag (next time you're it first!)
- being quiet and respectful (but I must admit I missed the loud rowdy pillow fight)
- helping the birthday boy with his computer games
- giving hugs when you arrived and leaving hugs when you left
- inviting me to tag along as you wondered around the ferry
- bringing your dishes into the kitchen when you were finished
- going outside when I said you should get some fresh air
- leaving behind your tags and marks on our garage door (are you finished?)
Come again, anytime!
Cannonball
5:13 pm
Kje had been in his first diving lesson for 43 minutes and finally managed to jump off the board and into the water without making a perfect cannonball.
Each time before that he jumped off the board, crunched his knees up, hit the water with a kerplunk and came up for air with a massive grin on his face (yes, I admit his smile comes from me).
And of course, each time he was ready to jump again his instructor told him "This time, keep your legs straight when you go in the water. Point your toes down. Keep your legs straight."
And.... each time he did it again. Cannonball!
Which of course, left me with a massive grin on my face (kinda just like his, only not wet, and a few more teeth.)
9:13 pm
I am still grinning.
Kje had been in his first diving lesson for 43 minutes and finally managed to jump off the board and into the water without making a perfect cannonball.
Each time before that he jumped off the board, crunched his knees up, hit the water with a kerplunk and came up for air with a massive grin on his face (yes, I admit his smile comes from me).
And of course, each time he was ready to jump again his instructor told him "This time, keep your legs straight when you go in the water. Point your toes down. Keep your legs straight."
And.... each time he did it again. Cannonball!
Which of course, left me with a massive grin on my face (kinda just like his, only not wet, and a few more teeth.)
9:13 pm
I am still grinning.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
I like this quote
"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."
T. S. Eliot
T. S. Eliot
5 out of 6
I have now been to the ferry terminal 5 times in the last 6 days.
It's official.
I'm an island girl.
It's official.
I'm an island girl.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
I give up
Went to a local restaurant tonight to celebrate... well, nothing really. We just like to celebrate. And eat out.
Talked about our favourite restaurants.
"My favourite restaurant is that little beach hut on Haad Yao beach in Thailand where we could eat our Pad Thai on the sand," I said.
"Guess what my favourite restaurant is?" said the little guy.
"Um... Romeo's?" I guessed.
"Nope."
"That schnitzel house in Germany we went to?" I guessed again.
"Nope."
"Earl's?"
"Nope."
"That restaurant you liked in Disneyland?" (Not really thinking of any particular restaurant, but figured Disneyland might be a good guess.)
"Nope."
"Okay, I give up."
"Home," he said with a big loving grin.
Ahhhh.... need I say more?
Talked about our favourite restaurants.
"My favourite restaurant is that little beach hut on Haad Yao beach in Thailand where we could eat our Pad Thai on the sand," I said.
"Guess what my favourite restaurant is?" said the little guy.
"Um... Romeo's?" I guessed.
"Nope."
"That schnitzel house in Germany we went to?" I guessed again.
"Nope."
"Earl's?"
"Nope."
"That restaurant you liked in Disneyland?" (Not really thinking of any particular restaurant, but figured Disneyland might be a good guess.)
"Nope."
"Okay, I give up."
"Home," he said with a big loving grin.
Ahhhh.... need I say more?
Monday, March 2, 2009
Spring cleaning
Whew... cleaning up a few photos and replacing them with new ones. Feels good. Kinda how I imagine my parents felt all those years when they removed all the baking pans, cleaned up the loose flour, wiped things down, and then put everything back in again.
Spring cleaning.
In our house, that now means spending days in the garden cleaning up from fall and winter.
Eventually, we will have all the flowers and flou-flou dead and taken out, replaced with natural, indigenous ferns, moss, salal and rotting leaves. Ah, nature.
Spring cleaning.
In our house, that now means spending days in the garden cleaning up from fall and winter.
Eventually, we will have all the flowers and flou-flou dead and taken out, replaced with natural, indigenous ferns, moss, salal and rotting leaves. Ah, nature.
My Favourite Photo
This was once my favourite photo. It still is. Seven other people have bought this photo, so I guess a few others like it too!
My Favourite Photo
This was once my favourite photo. This is still one of my favourite nephews. As for the drink, I guess I kinda like that too.
My Favourite Photo
This was once my favourite photo. Summer is so long gone it's almost back in fashion. Better do some spring cleaning around here.
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