Up on Haliburton Hill

Garden Tuesday Hellebore

2012-01-24T18:43:00.000-08:00

For Garden Tuesday, I'm posting this photograph taken last week as part of my Finding Your Eye photography course. Our assignment was to take 50 photos of the same subject. I chose a Hellebore flower in a pot outside my favorite coffee shop. I actually took more than 150 photos and this is just one. If you want to see a few others you can go to my photojournal blog. I'm so enjoying this course. Part two begins next week. I can't wait; I'm learning so much.

Photographic inspiration

2012-01-23T17:53:00.000-08:00

This afternoon we went to the museum to see a exhibit showing the most incredible wildlife photography. There were about 140 photographs from all over the world, chosen from thousands submitted last year. Talk about inspiration!

Each photograph was on an lcd screen and backlighted, and huge so you could see every detail perfectly. Some of these images were taken by children under ten years of age. Very impressive.
The photographs were accompanied by text that talked about how the photographer achieved the image. In some cases, the photographer created a floating "hide" and had the camera half under the water and half out. This went on for up to three days sometimes. The dedication to capturing just the right shot is amazing.

Because I'm taking an online photography course I'm very interested to see just how far people will go to get the image they want. I'm inspired to put a little more effort into my own photographs. If you want to see some of the images you can do so here. And if you live in Victoria, go to see the exhibit. It's on until the sixth of April.

Treasure rediscovered

2012-01-21T15:42:00.000-08:00

Today is a happy day for me. Today is the day I recovered my lost photographs. After searching my computer for months to find over 2500 images from our travels over the past three years, today I found them hiding in my bookcase. Actually I probably shouldn't even admit to what happened--but I'm so happy that I want to share the story.

Briefly, I had a computer problem last May and had to go to my backup drive to restore the data. When I did so I found that a great chunk of my iPhoto library was missing. All the techie people I know tried to find these missing photos on my backup drive without success. I had resigned myself (after a great deal of whining) to the fact that these photos were gone forever. But today I found a little stack of CDs hidden away that contained all the images I thought I'd lost.

Somehow I'd forgotten that I had saved these to the CDs and deleted them from my iPhoto library. No wonder we couldn't find them! But none of this matters now. I have my photos back. Here are just a few to show you the treasure I rediscovered.

The top three were taken on our drives through the western states.

This is the very old part of Patzcuaro, Michoacan, in Mexico.

Below are two of the many "wall photos" I thought I'd lost.

That's my sweet Maggie resting in a foggy vineyard in the Napa valley.

A view of the hills outside of Alamos, Sonora, showing the trees in bloom. I never did find out the name of them.

And one of many marvellous cacti that I took photos of.

It's a funny thing though--in my memory these photographs took on epic proportions. When I look at them now I see that they're nice and they carry wonderful memories. But they aren't nearly as stunning as I remembered them.

Snow day

2012-01-18T17:51:00.000-08:00

We woke up this morning to a blizzard. All the schools were closed and the street in front of our house was empty of cars. Yay! A snow day. We don't get these very often so they're lots of fun. Everybody's out walking around and talking to each other. And the dogs? Well, they're in heaven.

Around mid-morning the snow stopped and we took them out for a walk and a play. They love the snow, as you can see from these pictures. That's my 13 year old Maggie frolicking like a pup.

I enjoy it too, for its photographic possibilities.

But the poor little birds are really suffering. We've refilled the birdseed feeder twice today and it's very well attended.

Then there are the poor little hummingbirds (which are really not adapted to this weather at all). We feed them a stronger syrup solution this time of year and we have to bring it into the house every few hours to warm it up. I hope they make it through the night.

It's 25 degrees F out there now and will dip lower overnight. Fortunately it's supposed to warm up tomorrow and we'll have rain on Friday. Snow days never last too long here.

Pasta night with an Italian grandmother

2012-01-16T11:00:00.000-08:00

The other night we made pasta with the help of an Italian grandmother. I just got a great cookbook called Cooking with Italian Grandmothers. It's a collection ofrecipes collected by a young woman who traveled through Italy staying with the grandmas in villages from Tuscany to Sicily.

These are authentic recipes, unchanged through the years. The pasta is made from just these two ingredients: eggs and all-purpose flour. It's like magic actually creating pasta from this.

We used a recipe for Pesto Lasagna from Daria, who lives in Biassa, Liguria on the northwest coast of Italy. Of course the pasta is made by hand, but fortunately the cookbook also gave directions for doing it with a pasta machine.

This is only the second time I've used a pasta machine, a hand-me down from a friend who got a new, fancy one. This one's basic but it does the job very well.

The recipe calls for cutting the ball of dough into quarters and repeatedly running it through narrower and narrow settings until it's very thin. Each time it gets longer or wider and needs to be cut to allow it to go through again.

Here's Harry putting the dough through the second time. It still looks pretty chunky.

But this is what it looked like after a few more passes. The texture just gets smoother and smoother.

Eventually we ended up with a counter full of really thin handmade lasagna noodles. They're so thin that they don't need to be pre-cooked for this recipe.

We covered them with towels so they wouldn't dry out while we prepared the sauce, which is a basic cream sauce with pesto mixed in. The lasagna was layered with this sauce and torn pieces of fresh mozzarella and grated parmesan. It's really quite easy.

Topped with the cheeses it went into the over for 45 minutes and this was the result.

I added some sautéed zucchini in the middle and I cheated a bit by using a jar of pesto, so it wasn't completely Daria's version. But it tastes just delicious--and we have enough for several more meals like this one.

Good thing too because the snow is falling like crazy outside and we're staying home until it stops.

Windows

2012-01-14T15:07:00.000-08:00

Over at Exploring with a Camera, Kat is musing about windows and how they crop up in her photography. I find they do so in mine as well so I thought I share a couple of images.

It seems the ones that call to me are the boarded up or empty ones though. I wonder what Dr. Freud would have to say about that?

Boarded up window in Silver City, New Mexico

Garage in a back lane in the Strathcona neighbourhood of Vancouver

Two views of empty windows in an abandoned dairy barn on Saltspring Island.

When we were in Italy in June I found myself taking lots of photos of windows in the old stone buildings. Most of the windows there have very interesting shutters or bars and there's often lovely strings of laundry to look at as well. These kind of windows always leave me guessing at what lies within.

This was taken in one of the villages at the Cinque Terre.

The view out our hotel room in Venice and a sunny window in Pietra Santa in Tuscany. These are more uplifting than the boarded up ones I think.

If you want to see more posts on photographing windows you can find them here.

The winter garden

2012-01-12T15:04:00.000-08:00

Through my photography course I've been looking at images taken in the woods in winter and it's encouraged me to appreciate the greys and browns and beiges of the winter garden. Take a look at this lovely photo of a seedpod on Zinnia's photostream.

So this morning I took my camera out in the back yard and sure enough, there's beauty out there now--even in the sogginess and the cold. Here's what caught my eye. Two little dried up apples hanging on for dear life to the apple tree.

A little trumpet shaped leaf curled into a wrought iron lantern.

Frost patterns on the little sedums and the cedar twigs growing in a wooden box on the deck. The sedum leaves remind me of frosted grapes.

An interesting torch-like shape above the honeysuckle vine. This is what's left after the birds have eaten the bright red berries seen in the image below.

Yes, there is beauty in the winter garden if you take the time to look.

Slanting sunlight effects

2012-01-11T08:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the sun came out and when I walked through the living room it was illuminating the candle holders sitting on the coffee table. It created quite a glow. There is beauty in the low angle of the sun on a January afternoon.

Photography class

2012-01-09T11:20:00.000-08:00

I've just begun a journey with my camera to find my photographic eye. I'm taking an online photography course at Kat Eye View. Part of the course involves creating a photo journal blog and mine is now up and running. You're welcome to visit if you'd like. I will be using it to muse about topics raised in the class and of course posting the odd photo too. You can find it here.

Happily I found a few photos on my laptop that didn't get obliterated when I lost my main photo archives so I was able to post them on my photo journal blog. I really like this one.

Hopefully my journeys with my camera will create more images that bring me pleasure.

The darkest morning

2012-01-06T08:02:00.000-08:00

This photo was taken out my back door today at 7:25. You can see that dawn is only just beginning. But its going to get lighter from now on. Today is the darkest morning of the year. Yes, I know--December 21st is the winter solstice and the shortest day in terms of number of hours of daylight. But somehow the dusk and dawn hours swing around this solstice point. December 6th is the day of the earliest sunset, the darkest afternoon. And January 6th is the day of the latest dawn, the darkest morning.

I'm pretty sure this is true because I've read about it and heard it on the radio. Although most people I mention it to don't know this scientific fact. If you live in a northern latitude you may have noticed that the afternoons are not as dark as they were in December. And now, today, with the darkest morning we're coming out of the tunnel and into the light of 2012.

Please join me in welcoming the light.

PS: Here's a link that explains this phenomenon.

Too many screens?

2012-01-05T09:55:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about screens lately--computer, tv, ipad, cell phones and others like that--and I don't know how to feel about them. As someone who blogs and reads blogs, and who is involved in online work, both volunteer and business, I spend a lot of time in front of my iMac screen. Sometimes way too much time, in my opinion. But it's hard to pull myself away.

The average American spends at least eight and a half hours a day in front of a screen of one kind or another. This piece of information comes from an article I read (online!) by journalist Pico Iyer titled The Joy of Quiet. Iyer says that screens have invaded every moment of our life and information comes at us so fast that we're rushing to keep up to date with it all--to our detriment.

I feel that way some days. The sign that I'm too fragmented comes as a tension in my stomach.

Thankfully I have two dogs who pull me away into nature, and a love of reading books that don't have flashing mail icons. I have my garden and my home and my artwork to keep things in balance. But I've just signed up for an on-line photography course which means more clicking and viewing. Does the camera's screen count as screen time too?

What do you think? Is it all too much?

My word for 2012

2012-01-02T13:51:00.000-08:00

Over at Sidewalk Shoes Pam has posted an idea about choosing one for the new year. I think this is an excellent idea, and it follows up on my non-resolution from yesterday. Last year I chose a couple of words (simplicity and balance) to guide me through 2011. Looking back I think I managed to achieve some of both those things. I managed to balance some hard renovation work with a holiday trip to Italy, and I walked the tightrope of time with family and time for my volunteer activities with the dog organization and my work with Circles within Circles. The simplicity part has been more of a challenge. I am way too prone to multi-tasking. And I'm often finding myself running in circles to catch up on things.

So for this year, to counter my tendency to be distracted, I've chosen the word for 2012. It's CLARITY. To find clarity I need time to distill, to sit, to think and clarify what's truly important. This will be my guiding word for 2012.

What will yours be?

By the way: the image is from NASA, it's titled, Photomicrography of gas pockets entrapped in a crystal.

Reflection and opportunity

2012-01-01T09:19:00.000-08:00

As this new year begins I am taking time for reflection. Looking back on the past year(s) and revisiting who I've been and what I've done. I know I'm not alone in this. The arc of the year has come full circle and after the celebrating of the holidays the new year brings the belief of a possible new beginning. I feel a renewal of hope for our world and I want to find opportunities to make positive changes.

I'm not one for resolutions, but I've decided on an open-ended one. My goal for 2012 is to make each day an opportunity to be the best I can be.

Panetone and other delights

2011-12-29T11:51:00.000-08:00

For years I've been seeing these beautiful boxes in the stores at Christmas time. But I didn't really know what it was, only that it's an Italian seasonal tradition. This year I was given one by my son's girlfriend, whose family indulges in this delicious cake for breakfast. This one is from Milan, where the cake originated. Isn't the box lovely?

And here's what was inside the box. It's a tall cake, rich and soft, loaded with golden raisins and candied fruit. Sweet but not cloying and easy to pull apart with your fingers for a nibble. I think this is one treat that will become part of our Christmas tradition too.

We've had a wonderful time visiting with Jamie and Brooke, who are here from Vancouver for the holidays. And to continue on the Italian theme, tonight I'm making a five course Italian dinner for them and for our other son Ben and his girlfriend Katy.

What A Wonderful World

2011-12-27T08:02:00.000-08:00

This clip has astonishing wildlife photographs of our most wonderful world. Happy holidays.

What A Wonderful World - David Attenborough

Bokeh dots

2011-12-26T22:44:00.000-08:00

I've always loved polka dots and the other night while out with my camera I discovered how to make bokeh dots. If you don't know, bokeh is the blur that comes from photographing points of light with the camera out of focus.

I've finally mastered getting this effect with seasonal lights. Hint: use the macro setting or focus on something close in with the lights in the background.

Here's a selection of holiday dots.

Have you rebounded from the Christmas festivities? Or are they still continuing? After three non-stop days of hosting and being hosted, we will have a quiet day tomorrow. A time to make soup and organize the house.

Hope your holidays were full of love and joy.

Solstice Lights

2011-12-22T18:57:00.001-08:00

I love the solstice light, the softness of the sun so low in the sky. And yesterday and today were perfect days to get out and take some photos. But I didn't. Too busy wrapping, decorating, baking, and preparing. We're back from our trip and into the Christmas hustle. So here are some seasonal lights done with a moving camera. Happy solstice. Rejoice that the light is returning.

Posting from Paia

2011-12-18T20:59:00.000-08:00

We're sitting in the Paia Bay Cafe with internet access. Outside this cozy place the cars are spashing through puddles. We're on the rainy windward side of the island passing the time until our plane leaves tonight at 11:40 pm. We'll fly through the night (hopefully sleeping) and arrive in Vancouver at 7:10 tomorrow morning (Vancouver time). We've had a lovely escape.

I'll post some photos once we're home as I want to show you Io's needle, the sweet town of Paia, some lovely sunset and cloud photos and still more flower photos. Here are just two to warm your day.

Sunrise through the fog

2011-12-15T19:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we got a very early start, up at 4:00 in the morning to head up the twisty road to Haleakala, Maui's volcanic crater to watch the sunrise. The stars were shining as we drove up and up and up, finally reaching the parking lot (elevation 9700 feet) at around 6:00. It was just starting to get light but there were dozens of people clustered at the edge of the crater waiting in the freezing cold wind. The temperature dropped by at least 35 degrees F from the bottom to the top of the road, and the wind chill was brutal.

But the view was beautiful. Clouds filled the huge crater from one side to another with the color of the rising sun in the distance.

At one point the clouds retreated enough that we could see down into the crater. It's a huge area, big enough to hold the Manhattan, with 27 miles of trails through it. But then the clouds came back again and spilled over the top, enveloping us all in fog.

By the time the sun finally rose it was behind a fog bank so it wasn't as spectacular as we had hoped. By then we'd been standing around in the freezing wind for about forty minutes so we headed back down the mountain...

with a quick stop to photograph the rare Silver Sword Cactus, which grows only on the highest part of Haleakala.

Then down we went to the warm beaches. No need for our scarves and toques for the rest of the trip.

Reef life in Maui

2011-12-13T14:31:00.000-08:00

Our first day here was pretty stormy, with wind and rain andclouds, so we decided to check out the Aquarium to learn about the fish in these waters. The Maui Ocean Centrehas excellent exhibits, focusing on local reef dweller and the bigger fish from thedeeper part of the ocean.

It was tough to get good photos through the glass with thefish moving around but I managed to capture a few. I especially like the color play on the little fish, and themysterious moon jellies.

The finale of the aquarium visit is theshark tunnel, where you can walk through a glass tunnel beneath a huge poolfull of tiger sharks, sting rays, hammerheads, among others. It’s very cool (and a bit startling) tosee the underside of the rays and the sharks.

Here are Aaron and Laura sitting beneath a school of fish (tuna maybe?). And just below that you can see the underside of a happy, smiling ray and a hammerhead shark floating by.

We’re planning to go on asnorkel trip if the weather gets better and it’s nice to have some knowledge of the fish ahead of time. I’m looking forwardto seeing some of the tropical fish, but not so much the sharks and rays

A travel day

2011-12-11T12:05:00.001-08:00

We are on the ferry to Vancouver to get the bus to the Canada Line, which will take us to the airport where we'll get on a flight to Maui for a week. This little trip is an indulgence before the Christmas rush, well maybe even an avoidance of the Christmas rush. We're staying with friends Aaron and Laura who have a timeshare there. Looking out the window of the ferry at the slate blue water whipped into whitecaps by an icy wind, it's hard to believe that tonight we'll arrive in a place with warm turquoise water.

It's been more than 20 years since I was last in Hawaii and the thing I remember most of all was that warm swimmable water. I'll post a few photos from Maui--and I hope it doesn't make you too jealous. This one is from google images of the water off of Maui.

Quail in the garden

2011-12-09T08:02:00.001-08:00

Our winter bird feeder's been up on the grape arbor for a month now, and it's very well attended by sparrows, finches, juncoes and other small birds. But the other day we had a new visitor gleaning the dropped seeds from the grass below--a big fat quail. I don't know enough to say what kind but it's very identifiable by the little curl on top of its head.

Just a day later Harry spotted a few more in the yard. In fact there are four regular visitors now. I think there are two males and two females. They usually come together and wander around among the other birds scratching and feeding on the ground.

They're very shy so I can't get a good photo. Even a shadow of movement at the window and they start running across the grass with their heads high and their curls bobbing. We feel so lucky to be able enjoy watching these visitors from our kitchen window.

Sidney by the Sea

2011-12-08T17:07:00.001-08:00

Just 15 minutes north of us on the way to the ferries is the little town of Sidney. They call it Sidney by the Sea now to attract tourists I guess, and it really is by the sea. The main street heads right down to the wharf where you can buy fresh fish. And to each side of the wharf there are walkways along the water. We took the dogs there the other day for a little walk and here's the view.

These are definitely winter skies and water but aren't the colors lovely? I really like the leaden colors, especially when contrasted with the horizon of pink.

There's lots to see along the walkway; for example ducks of many varieties and driftwood transformed into art supplies to mark the location of the local arts council.

Why are these sheep running?

2011-12-06T20:57:00.001-08:00

If you don't look closely you might wonder why these sheep are running. But the tip of the black tail of the border collie behind the gate on the right hand side tells you what's happening. It's a herding dog at work.

The other day we happened on a field where a young man was working with his lovely border collie. I think the dog is in training as it took him a number of tries to get the sheep going in the right direction.

Here the dog is in the classic border collie stance--slightly crouched, head down, walking slowly up behind the sheep. But every time he'd get close to the gate he'd get excited and come in faster.

Then the sheep would veer off, and the trainer would whistle another command. The dog would move off in a different direction to try again.

Below you can see the collie moving fast on the outside to try outflanking the sheep to turn them.This happened several times as they kept getting away. But the dog was enjoying every moment of it. Just look at the huge smile on his face.

Finally everything went right and dog was able to drive the four sheep through the gate. You can see the boy opening the gate to let them in. Here the dog is in a "down" and the sheep are moving well.

I so enjoy watching border collies work this way. The connection between the handler, the dog and the sheep is like a dance done with incredible focus.

If I'd had the time and money I would have loved to do this work with my dog Geordie. He has a strong herding instinct and we did spend a weekend learning the basics a few years ago. Sadly, without land or sheep it would only have been an expensive hobby and I decided not to pursue it. But it's wonderful to watch it when the chance arises.

By the way, Geordie loves sheep, but my other dog Maggie doesn't even seem to notice them. For her it's all about the tennis ball or the frisbee.

Even in December

2011-12-04T21:58:00.001-08:00

December brings its own beauty in the woods and the garden, even above the 49th parallel. Although though the trees have dropped their leaves and the garden is going to sleep, new things appear.

Like the lovely snowberries that glisten like Christmas decorations in the woods...

And the delicate viburnum flower, budding here in my friend's yard.

I'm linking these to macro monday at Lisa's Chaos, where people post closeup shots once a week. Check it out for other macros.

Opals in the gutter

2011-12-03T08:25:00.001-08:00

What beauty lies along the side of the road if you happen to look down. These tiny leaves each held shimmering shimmering opals of rainwater.

Playing around with photos

2011-11-29T10:50:00.001-08:00

I've been learning how to use my camera's settings recently through Kat's online course and the last lesson pushed me to begin exploring the Photoshop Elements program that I received last Christmas. It's quite complicated to learn so I've been putting it off--but the journey has begun.

Up to now I've been using the iPhoto program to adjust contrast and saturation and color balance but the Elements programs also includes some very cool effects.

Just look at the differences between these photographs of an unknown plant in a pot that caught my eye in the garden shop. I was drawn to the shapes of the leaves, the veining and the curly part in the centre but the photograph didn't really look like much even with cropping and increased contrast.

But when I added something called paint daubs it turned into something quite different. The pink showed up a lot more.

Then when I added a holga lens effect it changed into something you might find in the Amazon jungle.

There are also different textures that can be added as layers in a photograph. I'm still finding my way around this aspect. Isn't it amazing how much learning there is to be done in this world?

Autumn mosaic

2011-11-26T16:41:00.001-08:00

This has been a lovely autumn for leaf color so here's a mosaic featuring some of the trees and leaves that caught my eye over the last few weeks. We're into the gloom now so it's nice to feast one's eyes on the warm fall color.

A mountain of leaves

2011-11-25T16:06:00.001-08:00

Is it just me or has this autumn provided more than the usual quota of falling leaves? I've asked others here in Victoria and the consensus is that it's been a bumper crop. For whatever reason, we've been raking and blowing in our yard for many hours. And the result has been this mountain of leaves.

Our municipality comes by with a truck to suck up the mountain and we're fortunate that they arrived yesterday--just before yet another storm.

Do you see that green grass? Today it's been covered again with a blanket of cedar blown off the trees from last night's windstorm. I'm nursing a pulled muscle in my back back from raking a couple of days ago and Harry's out there again with the blower. But we're not complaining--we're saving money on gym memberships.

From fall to winter

2011-11-23T09:38:00.001-08:00

This image from our recent jaunt to Vancouver says it all. We awoke to snow. I guess winter's here.

David Suzuki's thoughts

2011-11-22T15:19:00.001-08:00

A few days ago we went to a screening of David Suzuki's film, Force of Nature, and after that we got to hear both him and Elizabeth May, Canada's only Green Party MP speak. What a fascinating evening! The film, Force of Nature is a distillation of this amazing man's life and thoughts. It's a compelling call to all of us to get mobilized to do something now about overpopulation, climate change, and political apathy.

If you get a chance to see Force of Nature, make sure to do so. The message in this film could be depressing but he has such energy and optimism and heart that it's actually very inspiring.

One of the things Suzuki talked about after the film was the need for those who care about the environment and social programs to find a way to get together politically. He spoke eloquently about the Occupy Movement and how it's opened a dialogue about capitalism and its failings. And he also said something I've been saying for a while--that the left wing political parties, which are now split into three (Liberal, NDP, and Green), must find a way to coalesce as a valid opposition to the current Harper Government. Until that happens effective change just won't come about.

On a personal level, I'm trying to figure out how best to make small changes. Just what to do is of course the problem. I've decided that what I can do is make sure to speak up about my views whenever possible. It's important that we all speak our truth and avoid the temptation to shrug things off and ignore things. We humans are creative and caring and now is the time to start turning the ship around.

If you want to learn about some small ways to make a difference, go to the David Suzuki Foundation's website and have a look around.

Flying Betty

2011-11-20T19:23:00.001-08:00

Here's my car (her name is Betty) and she's just hitting warp speed I think. This was a lucky fluke from my most recent photography assignment.

I was learning about shutter speed and how images change as shutter speed is adjusted. I took many photos of cars on the highway starting with very fast shutter speeds and then slowing them down and down and down. To me the most interesting photos were the ones with a lot of blur. But the best of all was this photo of Betty accelerating. The effect came from a car coming the other way with the blur perfectly placed to show the driverless car accelerating. I've also adjusted it with antique colours in the post processing. I'm having so much fun learning about all these things.

Shadow on Hydrangea

2011-11-17T07:45:00.001-08:00

As the sun sinks lower in the sky it casts lovely shadows. This late season bloom was in the right place to display an intriguing shadow of the faded flower above it.

Flower mosaic

2011-11-16T15:07:00.001-08:00

Thanks to Anna from Alchemy of Art, I found a free application to create mosaic photos. It's really easy at a website called bighugelabs.com/mosaic.php and I was able to create this in just a few minutes with my flickr account. I'm using flickr for my photo course and it's pretty easy to use as well.

In doing this I see that it does take some skill to select photos that work together, depending on the light and dark areas and the direction the flowers are facing. This was my third try. I'm going to do some more of these in the upcoming days. (The learning never ends!)

And if you like nature photographs, check out Anna's blog. It's very inspiring.

Thanks so much for your suggestions Anna.

Dog games

2011-11-15T19:11:00.001-08:00

Every morning we take the dogs to the park by the school to play. For us it's sometimes a chore but for the dogs it's the high point of their day.

I'm learning to use shutter speed in my camera to stop the action and here are a few of the first attempts. I still have much to learn but thought I'd share these photos of the dogs' games. They are pretty entertaining.

Here Maggie's running around in circles while Geordie watches the Frisbee sail above his head.

Whenever Mags catches the ball she does a big victory lap around us all.

Geordie sometimes plays with the Frisbee as if it's a squirrel he's trying to shake the life out of.

He's awfully proud when he catches it. (He's always on a rope in case he needs to be reined in.)

When the games are over we say, "We're going now"-- and that's the signal for Maggie to start leaping around like a baby goat to try to entice Geordie into one more game.

They really are such characters!

Gerbera daisies

2011-11-14T12:08:00.001-08:00

So I was unable to find a way to put these four photos in a square frame. Here there are in sequence.

Nine image frame

2011-11-13T17:43:00.001-08:00

Does anyone know how to create a nine image frame box to post multiple images like this?

x x x

x x x

x x x

Or even like this?

X X

X X

You know, the way that the followers show on some sidebars, in little squares bunched together.

I have some flower shots that I'd like to present in this format on my blog and I can't find out how to do it. Is there something I can download to help me? By the way, I don't know how to work with scripts.

Hummingbird at the window

2011-11-13T09:01:00.001-08:00

We have hummingbirds in our back yard and I can't tell you the joy they bring us. We faithfully keep the feeder filled and are rewarded with visits many times a day. As summer ends the Rufus hummers leave and the Anna's Hummingbirds take over the plum tree. Both are beautiful birds but I've not been able to get very good photos of them. Until now.

I've been learning a lot through the online digital camera course I'm taking with the Kat Eye Studio. This week we were working on depth of field achieved through a wide open lens. The photo above was taken with a shallow depth of field so that the background of the plum tree is blurred and doesn't distract from the bird.

But I discovered that my hands aren't steady enough to take a clear photo in this situation without a tripod. So off I went to buy one (on sale -- only $24), and with its help I was able to capture this little male Anna's at the feeder. Now I feel like both a birder and a real photographer!

Sunlight on oak leaf

2011-11-11T22:43:00.001-08:00

Another image from my walk in the park the other day. I love the light shining through these leaves and the glimpses of sunlight in the dark background. To me this is quintessential autumn.

Beacon Hill Park, late afternoon

2011-11-10T22:08:00.001-08:00

Photos from an afternoon stroll in the golden sunlight in Victoria's Beacon Hill Park.

I'm really enjoying getting to know my new camera's capabilities.

Lemon and blueberry gelato

2011-11-07T02:56:00.000-08:00

When we were in Italy in June I became addicted to gelato. I think I had a least one gelato every day I was there. So it was only natural when we got together with some friends to view some of the photos from our trip that I would serve gelato.

It is possible to buy it here but it's very expensive so I looked into making it myself. I found lots of recipes for gelato online, most of which called for an ice cream freezer.

And I actually had one of them sitting in the back of a cupboard. We got it as a gift over twenty years ago and it even survived our most recent move.
This is the gizmo. Inside the plastic case is a heavy aluminum double sided container the you put in your freezer overnight. Then you fill it with the mix and stir it around with the handle for a few minutes to create a frozen treat.

For gelato you use a custard made with egg yolks, sugar, and milk or cream, plus plus the flavor element. We'd been enjoying lemon gelato and other fruit flavors so that's what I decided to make. I have to admit that it isn't diet food though. The lemon mix includes six egg yolks plus a pint of whipping cream. But it tastes sublime.

The blueberry mix has less cream so makes you feel a little bit virtuous. And isn't it a most amazing colour?

Here's the recipe in case you happen to have an ice cream maker hiding in your cupboard.

Blueberry Gelato

3 ½ cups blueberries (Can be frozen or fresh)

5 egg yolks

2 cups milk cup heavy cream

1 ½ cups sugar

¾ cup water

Step 1 -- make blueberry sauce

In saucepan dissolve 1 cup of sugar in ¾ cup of water over medium heat. Add blueberries and simmer for a couple minutes until you have blueberry sauce. Cool it and then blend it at high speed and set aside.

Step 2 -- Make custard

Beat the egg yolks with ½ cup of sugar, then add ½ cup of heavy cream and beat until creamy and white. In a saucepan heat the milk and the rest of the cream until bubbles form at the edges. Take ½ cup of this hot mixture and add it to the creamy mix while constantly stirring to temper the egg mixture. Then pour the custard back into the pan and cook slowly until it coats a spoon. Cool quickly in a sink full of cold water to stop the cooking process.

Step 3 -- Mix and cool

Add the blueberry sauce to the custard and cool overnight in fridge. Then freeze in your ice cream freezer.

If you can't eat it right away just keep it in the freezer but make sure to take it out and let it warm up and melt a bit before you serve it. Apparently gelato freezers are not as cold as those used to store ice cream. Gelato changes from solid quite quickly and the trick is to get it just the right consistency. Mine tasted just as good as the stuff I remembered from Italy.

We're going to be trying other flavors very soon.

Frosty leaf abstracts

2011-11-05T15:38:00.000-07:00

The other morning while playing with the dogs under a tree I looked down to see the sun beginning to melt the frost off the fallen leaves. Of course I had to stop and take dozens of images. Here are just a few. It was hard to choose.

Flower rescue

2011-11-04T12:16:00.000-07:00

The other day while playing with the dogs across the street at Haliburton Farm I noticed that there were new buds on the tree peony in front of the house. This plant has been blooming all summer but it seemed to have begun again even as the frost came on. I felt it was my duty to rescue these buds and bring them into my kitchen to see what they might do. They seemed to have been affected by the cold as they didn't open up quite the way they usually do.

The petals stayed crumpled and stuck together as in the photo above. There are actually six petals but each is stuck to the one behind it. Of course it's the centre of the peony that's really stunning. I love the details of the pistil surrounded by all the waving stamens. I was hoping that they'd all open up to give me a big beautiful bouquet but most of them had already suffered from frost.

This back view shows what was happening. The inner parts is ready to see the world but the petals are still stuck together in front. This one did finally open but within hours the stamens began dropping, followed quickly by the petals. But what a beautiful sight to see its life force pushing through!

I'm glad I rescued these flowers even if it was only for a short burst of beauty.

Fall inspiration

2011-11-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

This morning the grass was white with frost; very apt for the first day of November. Time to pull out the winter clothes and the hats and gloves for our walks with the dogs or working in the garden. We're deep into our fall routines now.

These include garden cleanup, Pilates, and now learning Italian. We are both attending a weekly class at the university here on Monday mornings. We're supplementing this with an online course that gives us lots of practice listening and speaking. It's fun to learn a new language, especially Italian with its lovely sound, and the accompanying idea that we may again travel to Italy.

Meanwhile I'm enjoying the bright fall days and taking lots of pictures of the fall color and in the evenings we're building cozy fires and watching Montelbano, an intriguing Italian police drama to get additional language practice. Fall is really quite an inspiring time of year.

Fernwood power pole art

2011-10-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

I promised to take you on a tour of some of the painted poles in the Fernwood. This funky area is a mix of lovely old houses, crumbling houses, three storey apartments and some interesting commercial areas. It's home to students, families, retired people, and low income people--a really mixed area with some challenges, one being graffiti. But it's also a hub of the arts and the political. The painted power poles reflect all of this, don't you think?

Most of the poles are the old wooden ones, covered with staples, which makes painting them quite a challenge. But I think they look very cool. The state of the pole often dictates what kind of art can be developed.

A lot of people go for flowers or images from nature, done in many different styles.

In some cases the staples add to the effect, like in this one where they give texture to the leaves.

This one with the red sun stands in front of the Belfry Theatre, converted years ago from an old church, where a local production company puts on plays.

These ones are more on a pattern theme. I didn't stop to read the words on the leaf pole but I bet they're fascinating.

The pole below shoes the difference between painting on a rough and a smooth surface. It's easier and more refined on the smooth pole. I really admire this one of two blue herons done on a cement pole just down the street from my house.

Frogs, giraffes, trees, houses, underwater scenes, and even cartoon figures appear on the poles.

Some of them work better than others I think but I admire the spirit and energy of the people who are trying to take back their neighborhood from graffiti. I think it's perfect for The Fernwood.

Which pole is your favorite?

October leaf mosaics

2011-10-26T22:02:00.000-07:00

The other day I caught these leaves backlit by the setting sun. They just warm the cockles of my heart.

When the sun shines I think maybe late October could be my favorite time of year.

Take time for beauty

2011-10-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

An absolutely stunning video came my way the other day. I was mesmerized by the dancing flowers that appear with time lapse photography. To think that this beauty has been hidden from us simply because we live at a much faster pace. This video shows flowers opening before your eyes and each has its own personality that manifests through its movement. Take a few moments to discover the life of flowers here.

How lucky we are live now when through the internet we can discover beauty like this.

A garden on a power pole

2011-10-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

This week's project was transforming the telephone pole in front of the house on Yukon Street. There is a lot of graffiti in the neighborhood and recently people have begun to take back the poles by painting them with designs and images. I spent a lot of time thinking about what to paint on the pole. It's right in front of the house and so anything painted on it has to work with house as a background.

I decided to paint a garden of hollyhocks. It took me three days to complete it. Here's how it evolved.

I wanted a blue sky background so began by painting the pole blue with some white clouds. Then the sketch of the flowers. Even Harry got into the act with paintbrush. first attempt was garish and floaty but we kept working on it.

On the second day I added more dark at the bottom to ground the pole and then made the flowers at the top smaller and added more buds.

On day three I refined the colors and attempted a bit of shading. The final touch was the flying bird.

There still needs to be more detail around the bottom but I think it's close to finished. It's not exactly what I had pictured in my head but I think it's an improvement over the original ugly power pole. If I get tired of it I can simply paint over it with a color to match the house--but for now I like the garden on the power pole. Soon I'll take your on a tour of the other arty power poles in Fernwood.

One simple bowl

2011-10-20T08:53:00.000-07:00

The other day I took 57 photographs of this bowl. I'm taking an online course through Find Your Eye Photography to learn the ins and outs of my new digital camera. Our first assignment was to photograph something in many different types of lighting. From the 57 photos I selected these three as versions that I liked.

It's surprising how much I've learned about my camera and about finding the light in photographs through this exercise. I knew that it was all about the light but I didn't realize just how many different ways it can affect the image. I'd been taking photos of things on my kitchen counter in the harsh halogen lights and wondering why the photographs didn't look like what I saw through the viewfinder. Now I'm beginning to discern some of the reasons.

This little handmade bowl was given to me by a Japanese student I tutored some time ago and it's really lovely. It's simple and unassuming and I think I could keep taking pictures of it for a long time. I'm recalling a book I read once by a woman who chronicled her attempts to draw a simple bowl and the things she discovered along the way. Amazing what can be learned from a simple bowl!

What gave rise to "Occupy Wall Street"

2011-10-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

Click on the image to enlarge it so you can read the captions. This says it all!

White grape jelly

2011-10-17T18:07:00.000-07:00

This year our most recently planted grape vine overwhelmed us with lovely fruit. Sorry, I can't tell you what kind of grape it is because it was given to me a couple of years ago. The grapes were planted for their appearance as they climb over a little arbor on the side of the garden shed.

We never even thought they'd taste good--but they do. They're really sweet and tasty.

I picked three big boxes of them to give away and there were still some left over. In the end I decided to make grape jelly with the leftovers. I did this last year with grapes from my other vine so I knew what to do. It's really not that hard.

Pick the grapes, wash the grapes, put them in a pan and mash them, then place in the jelly bag to drain their juice overnight.

The next morning, boil the juice up with pectin and sugar, put in the sterilized jars--and you're done!

Here's what the finished product looks like. Isn't that a lovely color? And I have to say that this jelly is absolutely delectable. Don't you wish you were on my Christmas list?

Complementary colors

2011-10-11T17:18:00.000-07:00

Over at the Kat Eye View blog, she's exploring the color wheel and creating dynamic color schemes using complementary colors and triadic variation.

A true complementary scheme uses colors from opposite sides of the color wheel. Like orange and blue shown here (from Venice).

Or red and green like this one (from the farmhouse we stayed at just outside of Lucca).

Triadic variation is using two of the three colors in a triad on the color wheel. Could be blue and red, orange and purple, or (as here) orange and green.

As you know, I love color and was happy to go through my archives and discover some examples of these colors in my photos from Italy. This one was taken at the Campo di Fiori market in Rome.

Kat is doing a series on Exploring with a Camera at her very excellent blog.

Some photos of Italy

2011-10-10T21:42:00.000-07:00

Just going through some of the photos from our trip to Italy for a slide show I'm preparing. These are a few of my favorites.

Saltspring Island's Apple Festival

2011-10-08T18:43:00.000-07:00

It was all about apples last Sunday on Saltspring Island. Their annual apple festival was taking place all over the island and we took the ferry over to spend the day. We started off in their community hall with displays of over 200 varieties of apples. Fascinating to see all the different types.

I got to taste some baked in a pie. Mine was baked with Wolf apples and it was excellent. The pie ladies are a Saltspring Island institution. This year they baked something like 300 pies.

There were lots of people checking out the apples, some from Victoria and some locals. I think these two might be locals, based on their dress and hairstyle. (Saltspring is one of the last bastions of the 60s counterculture, although I have to say Victoria has its share as well.)

After visiting the Fulford Hall displays we drove around to visit some farms. This one had some beautifully colored varieties of apples.

As well as eggs. These eggs are from various types of chickens who spend their lives outdoors on "The Indolent Poultry Farm."

At other locations we got to try apple tarts...

Wander around old fashioned farms....

See children's encounters with the farm animals....

And taste different varieties of apples...

... plus other delicious treats.

We had a lovely time!

If you're out this way the first weekend in October, don't miss Saltspring's Apple Festival.

Laurie Colwin's Roasted peppers

2011-10-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

We came back from our trip to the Okanagan with a bag of sweet peppers--red, orange, yellow and pale chartreuse. After I'd given some away I still had a bunch so I decided to make roasted peppers. I learned about these from food writer, Laurie Colwin, in her lovely book "Home Cooking." She calls them pimientos and they end up like the jars of roasted red peppers that cost so much in the gourmet stores. But mine are even more colorful. It's so easy to do that I can't figure out why I've never done this before.

Here's how you do it. Put the peppers whole in a pan and put it under your broiler at highest heat. Watch carefully and turn them as they start to wrinkle and darken. Keep turning until all sides are nearly black.

When they're done, flatten them and remove the seeds (saving the lovely juices for adding to a pasta sauce perhaps). Laurie suggested running them under cold water to rinse off the seeds and membranes so I did that.

Here they're drying off on a paper towel. Then cut them into strips, add a little olive oil and keep them in your fridge to use with sauces, stir fries, crostini or whatever you want.

I used some on these slices of zucchini that had been floured and cooked in good olive oil. Then I laid the pimientos on top and added a few slices of garlic clove, then a bit of oil. The garlic cloves are removed before serving, they are just to give an essence of garlic flavor. This was one of the nicest things I've ever eaten.

By the way, Laurie Colwin was a writer who loved food and words. She wrote several novels and collected stories but my favorites are her two collections of essays on cooking: Home Cooking and More Home Cooking. I have both these books and find her recipes simple and delicious. Sadly she died in 1992 when she was just in her 40s. Her books are still available.

Flowering Maple

2011-10-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

The other day I took a walk in the gardens at Government House with my friend Heather. She had invited me specifically to see this astounding flower. Its Latin name is Abutilon, commonly known as the flowering maple. It's a shrub, not a tree, and it has the most stunningly beautiful flowers.

Isn't is lovely with its bell-like shape and the varied colours? You can see the maple-like leaves in the photo below.

These photos show two varieties. I can't decide which I like best. Which do you prefer?

A beautiful day

2011-09-30T13:11:00.000-07:00

I just found a link to this little ten minute film on a blog I follow ( Life in the Second Half) and it was just the break I needed today. I am filled with gratitude for the blog community and the way these inspirations can be shared. So I'm sharing it here so you can be inspired to gratitude today yourself. Here's the link: A beautiful day.

Some foods from Italy

2011-09-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

I'm preparing to make some foods with the peppers, apples and peaches we brought back from our trip to the Okanagan. In doing so I took a look again at some of the photos from our trip to Italy in June. These are an inspiration to me for my new approach to cooking and eating.

Here are three incredible plates of food we had for lunch one day--risotto with peas, timbale and a salad with oranges, fennel and olives.

More salads and pizza. The bottom one is an Italian favorite called Pizza Quattrostaggione.

These delicious pasta purses were served to us at a lovely restaurant just outside Lucca.

And last, but not least--gelato. We had this delicious Italian ice cream each and every day we were there. Harry loved the lemon but I tried absolutely every kind possible. After eating gelato we have completely lost our taste for ice cream. I'm researching recipes for peach gelato. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Along the Okanagan River

2011-09-24T11:48:00.000-07:00

Oliver calls itself the wine capital of Canada but it has other charms as well. For me the Okanagan River is also a big draw. We've walked part of an 18 km trail along the river that goes from Oliver to the north end of Osoyoos Lake. I love walking beside rivers with their reflections, especially when there's blue sky above, and even better when the leaves begin to turn colour.

Our campground was right beside this hiking trail, which goes through some lovely country, with old barns, pedestrian bridges and vinyards. Next time we come we're bringing our bikes to do some cycling along the river.

In places the river is very peaceful and obviously a place for kids (and dogs) to swim.

In other places it runs faster. This sign was beside a bridge with underwater weirs (whatever they are!)--and obviously it's not a place to fool around.

Along the stretch beside the town of Oliver are signs warning against camping, but clearly some people ignore it. We saw a few people camping and signs of campfires as well. Oliver is in the middle of harvest time in the orchards, the fields, and the vineyards and we've seen itinerant pickers around. These guys were picking tomatoes.

Perhaps some of these pickers camp along the river, and I can't say I blame them. Here's a spot where someone had a little campfire. Can you think of a more beautiful spot to camp?

Harvest Time in South Okanagan

2011-09-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

These are a few images from the many fruit stands that dot the roads in this area. It's harvest time for sure. In between the fruit stands are wineries where we stop and sip from time to time. What a beautiful way to spend a few days!

Here's Mohita parked by one fruit stand. You can see how dry the hills are. It's the irrigation that creates the beautiful growing conditions. This area gets just over 2" of a rain a year.

Last night we camped in Oliver and sat outside as dusk fell and a warm wind sighed through the maple trees. This morning we took a long walk along a trail beside the river in the warm sunshine. And we're cooking with these beautiful fresh peppers. The squashes will have to wait until we return home.

Sunset over Osoyoos Lake

2011-09-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

Such a beautiful sunset last night over the lake! Just over those hills is the USA but we're not heading that way. The weather changed overnight and today it's pretty cloudy but still nice and warm. Our plan is to head up to Oliver and do a little wine tasting and then perhaps as Stephanie suggests, travel a little further east to Grand Forks on the edge of the Kootenays. I love having Mohita because we can just go where the spirit moves us--at least for these few days.

A little road trip

2011-09-21T17:54:00.001-07:00

The first part of September was extremely busy for me, but this week we have managed to escape to the Okanagan for a few days. On Monday afternoonwe drove to Hope, BC. It's actually a very depressed place without a lot of hope. It's the jumping off place for all roads heading east in BC.

This is the Fraser River seen from our campsite in Hope last night. The photo above shows the hills above tonight's campsite in the Southern Okanagan. Quite a contrast!

This afternoon we arrived in Osoyoos, the warmest spot in Canada. It's actually the northernmost reach of the Sonoran Desert! Here there's a warm lake, dry hills, and where it's irrigated, incredible orchards. Tonight we're camped in one. It's a lovely spot and we're the only ones here beneath the apple trees.

Tomatoes

2011-09-18T16:15:00.000-07:00

Victoria is not known for its tomato crop. Our weather is generally too cool to ripen them before the end of the season. But this year in spite of our slow start we experienced several weeks of warm, dry weather. And the result is a sweet tomato crop as shown above.

I just love home grown tomatoes of all types. My favorite way to use them is in fresh tomato sauce on pasta. I use chopped tomatoes (fully ripe), lots of basil, salt and pepper and mozzarella (fresh if possible, but even the packaged stuff works). This makes a heavenly dish that shouts late summer.

This weekend we're experiencing more fall-like weather, even clouds, but those tomatoes are keeping summer's memory alive.

Magical Saturna retreat

2011-09-15T17:45:00.000-07:00

Last week we escaped to Saturna Island with a few friends for a peaceful time in the late summer heat. Here are just a few photos to share this magical time.

We spent a lot of time outside at the edge of the ridge, playing with the dogs, taking photographs, sitting and watching the boats down in Plumper Sound, sipping wine, talking and laughing. The dogs were in heaven, of course, with all the extra attention. That evening we sat out on the deck as the sun set and moon rose and then the stars. It was so beautiful and warm and peaceful.

The next day we took a drive down to Saturna Beach and the winery, where we had lunch on the terrace, and then walked up to my relative's farm. They've been farming there since 1946.

This is Boots, their newest Border Collie

These last two photos are from the little wharf beside the ferry dock. There wasn't a breath of wind the whole time we were up there. Beautiful reflections everywhere.

Magical!

Hot pink flower

2011-09-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

I'm liking my new camera. It's a Canon G12, small enough to carry easily and use for point-and-shoot photos but with lots of manual options. Here's a macro of a Spanish Daisy straight out of the camera. I love the green triangles at the centre. So far I'm just mainly using the auto function but I will be venturing into the aperture and shutter speed priority settings very soon.

Time of the golden light

2011-09-07T09:24:00.000-07:00

This is the view out of my dining area onto the back patio as seen this morning about 7:30. The morning light streams across the two planters with grasses and at this time of year it's absolutely golden. I love the light this time of year, especially in the morning and at sunset.

These photos are all of the grasses and flowers in the planters at that special time of the golden light. What beauty we can find in our own back yards!

The process of elimination

2011-09-04T20:41:00.000-07:00

Over at Exploring with a Camera they're considering the process of elimination in photographs. I can so relate to that. Kat's post talks about framing and also the cheaters way--cropping. I have to admit that cropping is something I routinely do. Here's an example. The photo of the stunning sky is mucked up by the skyline of trees and houses.

Here I've eliminated most of the distractions.

I left the tree on the right. I tried a version with it removed but it didn't have the clear detail of the light shining through the cloud at the bottom.

I didn't think it worked as well. But I'm not sure.... I find I often leave too much unnecessary detail in a photo. What do you think?

To see more work with elimination of superfluous detail click here .

And speaking of elimination, I'm working hard this week to eliminate stuff that's cluttering up my house. Son James, who spent the summer with us, has gone back for his last year of school. It's left a space that I'm determined to keep open--through a process of elimination.

Over the rainbow / It's a wonderful world

2011-09-02T20:21:00.000-07:00

I've had a challenging time with my computer over the past couple of weeks. So challenging that I don't even want to talk about it! Suffice to say that I have lost all my photographs from 2009 and 2010.

However things are coming together again and I can still take new photos so all is not lost.

Today I am sharing a you tube video of the amazing Hawaiian singer Israel Kamakawakiwo'le singing two simple and beautiful songs that bring peace and joy. I had heard this on the radio a few years ago but didn't know anything about the singer. He sang with a Hawaiian traditional group but it was this song that catapulted him to fame. The song was released as a single in 2006.

May it bring you delight today.

Rock Formations

2011-08-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

We spent a few days last week at Hornby Island and a few days this week at Saturna Island. Both of these special places have amazing sandstone rock formations. Here are a few of the highlights.

These are the beach at Tribune Bay. I took my camera down there early in the morning. Most of the bay is sand but at one end there are lovely rock formations.

This next group is taken at Ford Cove on Hornby Island, where a sandstone shelf extends out into the ocean. This is a magical place where you can walk among other-worldly rocks.

And this last group is from East point on Saturna Island.

British Columbia's Gulf Islands are beautiful places to explore in August. Walking among these rock formations brings me such peace and joy. I'm linking this post to Share the Joy Thursday over at Meri's Musings. Drop by to see what other joyful musings are there. Joy is of course multiplied if it's shared.

Summer weather--at last

2011-08-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

Summer has finally arrived in Victoria. It's about six weeks late but we're just happy to see it at all. It arrived on the 10th of August and it looks like it might stay until at least the end of the month. Even though it just arrived there's a definite hint of fall in the air.

I have to say that this is my most absolute favorite kind of weather--warm sun, cool breeze, softness in the air, and golden sunshine. I love August because the colors change here from the usual heavy west coast green and gray to golden grass and blue skies and water with a counterpoint of bright and flowers.

A calm afternoon by the breakwater with a sailboat idling by.

Gem-like Nasturtiums in the garden.

The Canada geese are gathering at the beach. Some of them winter here, some fly south.

Yellow grass in the field where we take the dogs for their morning romp.

And a beautiful single rose blooming along a fence.

Here's a toast to August.

Repeating patterns in nature

2011-08-02T08:31:00.000-07:00

My blog friend Kat who hosts "Exploring with a Camera" has inspired me to look for repeating patterns this week. Although many of the examples posted here are from the man made world, I found this strong repeating pattern in a vigorous plant that was pushing through the earth up on Mount Washington. I don't even know the name of it, although somebody told me it is Solomon's Seal. Isn't it beautiful with the the ridged pattern on the leaves that narrows to a point at the top?

I recently got a new camera (Cannon G12) with lots of manual settings and I am planning to try different approaches to photography with it. I've never been too sure about F stops and all that but I intend to learn.

Italian dinner for five

2011-08-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

On a lovely August evening what could be better than preparing an Italian feast and sharing it with good friends in the garden? The simplicity and sensuality of the food we ate in Italy has remained with us and we continue to eat the Italian way. This weekend our Italy traveling companion Kath was over visiting from Vancouver and together we prepared an al fresco dinner for a few friends.

It was an Italian inspired menu

Bruschetta with zuchinni and tomato topping served with fresh mozarella
Italian olives

Farfalle (bowtie pasta) with lemon and herbs (from my garden)

Marinated pork skewers
Garden salad with herbs and flowers
Green beans

Meringues with berries and cream
Vin Santo
Blackberry tea

What fun to cook and share a feast with dear friends at a table on the patio under the plum tree.

Here is the beautiful bouquet brought by my friend Joan.

And here is our finale--a little glass of Vin Santo, the dessert wine that orginated in Renaissance Italy. This toast was to travel, good food and good friends.

Summer at Mount Washington

2011-07-25T13:34:00.000-07:00

About three hours north of where we live in Victoria there's a ski area called Mount Washington. It's also a pretty summer destination with its boardwalk around the alpine meadows. That's where I went with some of the members of my book club this weekend to celebrate our 20th(!) anniversary.

In normal years there would be lots of nice walks in the meadows in the middle of July. But not this year. This year Mount Washington had a record snowfall. Someone told me that it was 57 feet of snow. So much snow that they were still skiing on the first of July.

Here's what the boardwalk looked like on the 23rd of July. Still lots of snow.

That didn't stop us from having fun and enjoying some nice walks, although we weren't really expecting this kind of terrain.

It's a beautiful place and as winter segues into a late spring there are lots of plants and flowers to photograph.

The Paintbrush in several colours.

Something called a Marsh Daisy (I think), which seemed to thrive in the snowmelt in the meadow.

The lovely Lupine.

And the wild Columbine with its delicate ballerina costume look.

I guess if spring is here in mid-July, can summer be far behind? Here's hoping so!

Italian wells and fountains

2011-07-21T11:48:00.000-07:00

One of the things that becomes apparent in old cities is the pivotal importance of water sources. Every place we went in Italy had many wells and fountains as central features in their public places. And I'm not talking about the fancy fountains in the famous piazzas in Venice and Rome, but the smaller ones in every little square and towns where people still get water. When you think about it, the well would have been the meeting place for people in a time when there was no running water in houses.

Here are a few of the water sources I found.

This one is in Florence, right in the busy part of the city. Not sure if it was for laundry or for filling water buckets--but it still functions beautifully.

These are from Venice. Here every little square has a cistern type well, all of them capped now. But in many places here there are also functional fountains. Apparently Venice's water now comes from the Alps and is very good for drinking from its many fountains.

Here's the only photo I have of a fountain in Civita, the little town atop a pillar across from our farmhouse. One of Civita's many cats takes a drink.

Next we go to Rome, and I'm not going to show you the Trevi Fountain or any of the famous ones in the Piazzas because you've probably seen those photos many times before. But there are smaller fountains everywhere, many of them very beautiful. Like these two.

But Rome also has many functional fountains like this one in the center of the Campo Fiori fruit and vegetable market, here being used by a young woman to rinse her pan.

And this photo of a well and fountain is from Ostia Antica, the two thousand year old ruin of the harbor city outside of Rome. The spouts are at the top of the marble column to the right of the photo and more spouts for filling buckets are underneath the lip.

My final photo was taken in Lucca, a lovely town in Tuscany that is still completely surrounded by its Medieval walls and ramparts. Inside the walls are a number of wells--and you can see that this one still gets a lot of use as a source of drinking water and a meeting place.

Ruby Tuesday ruins

2011-07-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

For Ruby Tuesday I'm giving you this photo of poppies growing in the fields at Ostia Antica, the ancient Roman harbour that is now a ruin--and a fascinating place to explore. We spent a day there last month and it was one of the highlights of our Italy trip. Soon I'll do an entire post on this peaceful place.

Visit Work of the Poet to see many other takes on a ruby red theme.

What the bee sees

2011-07-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

The other day I took a walk with Callie along the road by our Saturna cabin. We wanted to take a look at the gorgeous fox gloves blooming there. They are late this year and that's good because I got to take some photos of them in their prime. I love these flowers, not just for their poetic name, but also for the way they beautify the woods and roadsides with their tall flowering stalks.

But yesterday I saw this common flower in a different way. We had just seen seen a movie about the honey bees with stunning closeups of the bees crawling right inside the flowers. The photo below shows how the fox glove looks to the bee. Enticing, no?
It looks like a tiny orchid even.

The movie gave me a whole new appreciation for these incredible insects. One commentator mentioned that the aesthetics of the bees match those of humans: we are both attracted to the same colors and scents of flowers.

The documentary is called The Queen of the Sun, what the bees are telling us, and it looks at the collapse of the honey bee colonies caused by pesticide use and other issues. But it's also a hopeful and inspiring look at the way people around the world are getting together to address the problem.

Here's a link to a page on the website: Ten things you can do to help the bees Did you know, for example, that bees are thirsty and benefit from a dish of water placed in the garden?

Italian terrain

2011-07-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

One of the coolest things about traveling around Italy was seeing the landscapes of the Renaissance paintings come to life. The terrain is soft and rolling in many places with fields and trees that seem to have changed little if at all in hundreds of years. Here's what we saw from train and car windows as we wandered around.

Complementary colors

2011-07-13T22:12:00.000-07:00

Aren't these flowers just brilliant? These two flowers, the delphinium and the rose, exemplify the most intense versions of these complementary colors: orange/yellow and blue/purple. I love the way they complement each other, one so vibrant and warm and the other so deep and cool.

By the way, I will be posting some more Italy photos in upcoming days.

The Lagoon Islands

2011-07-08T08:10:00.000-07:00

In contrast to sombre Venice, here are some images from the Lagoon Islands Murano (famed for glass blowing) and Burano (famed for lace making). Here the canals are wider and the buildings softer and brighter. We spent a day visiting these beautiful places using Venice's vaporettos. Aren't they lovely?

Views of Venice

2011-07-07T08:08:00.000-07:00

We've been home nearly a week and have settled back into our life. It took a while to find the things we tucked away to clear up the house for our dog sitters. I've managed to get my photos onto the main computer and want to show a few highlights of Venice.

I never actually thought I would get to Venice and in fact last year when we spent one night in Las Vegas it was the Venetian that we visited because I wanted to see the Rialto Bridge and the grand canal. I have to say that the tourist area around Saint Mark's square and the Bridge of sighs kind of reminded me of a more crowded version of the Venetian Hotel experience, except it was real.

This is high tide at San Marco and you can see that the water actually does rise right into the piazza. Apparently a few years ago they took up every stone and added several inches of sand to raise the level but still this is what happens at the height of the tide.

Nobody seemed at all concerned about it.

My favorite part of Venice though, was the backwaters. Once we got into the little canals we could see the real Venice. Here the gondolas aren't just for tourists, they're used for transportation. I took some walks early in the morning and kept having to retrace my steps because the narrow stone alley would just end at a canal. In some cases there are little bridges but in others there is just the water or perhaps steps going down into the water so you can get into a gondola.

I became somewhat obsessed with taking pictures of gondolas and canals. here are few that give an idea of the beauty of this unusual city. It just continued to amaze me that the buildings rise right out of the water and that people manage to live their daily lives in such an environment. There were no cars at all. Everything is delivered by boat and handcart.

The mood of this city is sombre and quiet in spite of the tourists. The tarps over the boats and the poles indicating a gondola stop are the brightest colors you see. Occasionally there are flowers in window boxes but there is a dreamy stillness everywhere with the still water and the reflections of the ancient stone buildings in the water.

Back in Victoria

2011-06-30T20:27:00.001-07:00

We are home and happy to be here 26 hours after we woke up in Florence this morning. We were sad to leave Italy but happy to see Jamie and my sister Jan. Jamie has helped me to sort out how to post photos from the iPad--so here's the iconic tower of Pisa pic.

We refrained from doing the "propping up the tower" image although there were lots who succumbed.

It's good to be home.

The Cinque Terra

2011-06-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

Everyone told us we should go to the Cinque Terra, the five isolated villages that climb up the cliffs and are so lovely they've been made a UNESCO World Heritage site. And they are lovely--that is if you can see between the crows jamming the narrow streets and lining up for overpriced meals. It was even more crowded than Venice. Thousands of people are brought to these tiny villages every day by train and by boat. I think if we had been able to stay in one of the villages after the day trippers left we would have enjoyed it more, because it really is a special spot with the houses of all colours climbing up the volanic rocks rising out of the clear turquoise sea.We came back to the farmhouse near Lucca yesterday and it was nice to feel some open space and quiet again. The drives we've taken through the hills of Tuscany and Umbria are breathtaking. i will share some photos when we get home. Tomorrow we drive back to Florence and return the car in preparation for our flight home on Thursday. We have had a fabulous time in Italy. I love the food, the wine, the people, the land,the language, the history, the weather....not to mention the gelato and the granita! It's long been a dream of mine to visit Italy and the country is everyhing I hoped for, and more. If we ever manage to get back we would come in early May or late September to experience it without quite so many other tourists.

Roman antiquities

2011-06-23T12:39:00.001-07:00

We had a grand time exploring the antiquities in Rome, and what an incredible city it is! The first morning as we headed down to the ancient part of the city, walking along a traffic congested street, we found an entire city block of Roman columns and excavations. Apparently a house was demolished inthe 1920s and they discovered the tops of the columns--and so began yet another archeological excavation. Everywhere we looked in the city there were centuries-old buildings contrasted with the motorbikes and cars and people of this century. We explored the Roman forum early in the morning and braved the crowds at the colossal colesseum, then toured the Palatine hill, home to Roman villas including one where Nero grew up. Finally our walking tour ended at the lovely Pantheon, the only intact Roman temple left. The next day we took the train south to Ostia Antica, the site of ancient Rome's harbour. This was a Roman city for 600 years, home to up to 70,000 people until the River Tiber changed course and it was abandoned. We spent four hours walking through the peaceful ruins and imagining life in those days. It's amazing what has remained-- mosaic sidewalks showing what the merchants supplied, a bank of marble public toilets, and a cafe with serving bar and wall frescoes of the food that could be ordered.Now we are stayng at a 400 year old farmhouse B&B near Lucca, having taken the train to Pisa, rented a car and sloped by the leaning tower. This farm stay is lovely. We had an amazing homemade breakfast today with Caterina's homemade coffee cake and produce from the farm. These hardworking people make their own wine and olive oil as well as grow vegetables. It is a piece of heaven here.

The farmhouse in Umbria

2011-06-19T13:41:00.001-07:00

Today was our last morning at the stone farmhouse in the little canyon. It has been a beautiful place to stay, waking every morning to the sound of birdsong and the soft clannking of a sheep's bell in the distance. Every mornning we would sit by the edge of the stone wall sipping our tea and gazing across at the bell tower of Civitta di Bagnoregio acoss the valley. Then we'd head up the steep dirt road to the top of the canyon to begin another day of discovery. the last place we visited was Assisi, famed home of Saint Francis, and an incredibly beautiful town of soft peach-coloured stone, full of pilgrims and tourists from all over the world but still radiating peace.Today we took the train to Rome, where we are staying in a little bed and breakfast just off the Piazza Navona. We get up to our room in ancient elevator cage that maybe dates from the time of Caesar Augustus. Well, maybe not the elevator, but many other parts of this ancient, exuberant city. Tomorrow we'll take a look at the forum and cross the River Tiber get our bearings. We have just two days here so we can only scratch the surface before we head north to Tuscany on Wednesday.

Just arrived in Venice

2011-06-11T09:32:00.000-07:00

This morning we took the 9:30 train from Orvieto, transfered to a high speed train in Bologna and arrived in Venice mid-afternoon. The train tracks actually go out along a bridge for a couple of miles so it feels like the train is running on the top of the water. There must be at least 50,000 tourists here. The train was packed, but nothing like the station where we bought a three day vaporetto pass. This card will allow us to hop on and off the vaporettos, which are Venice's buses.We've had a great time in the past week, two days in busy Florence and five days at the farmhouse in Umbria. The farmhouse is halfway down a canyon with a steep and narrow road full of switchbacks. Our first night there it rained so hard that Fasco, the handyman who comes by every morning advised us not to try getting up the hill. It wasn't too much of a hardship though to stay in such a beautiful and rustic place with its view of magical Civitta across the canyon. I wish I could post photos as I've taken hundreds, but that will have to wait until our return. For the past three days we've been driving around visiting several different hill towns in the area, all with narrow stone streets and tall stone buildings. Yesterdayl we visited Villa Lanti, an amazing Renaissance garden that climbs up a hill from the little village of Bagnaia.And today--Venice.It's 6:40 pm and we've unpacked. All the bells of the city are ringing now so I think it may be time to head out and find a glass of wine and some dinner.

Made it to Florence

2011-06-04T01:05:00.000-07:00

We made it after a long night flight over Greenland when it never got dark. It was wonderful to walk into the lobby of the hotel and see Kath sitting in a chair waiting for us.Our hotel is a converted convent on the Piazza deiAnnunciata just down from the famous doumo designed by Brunelleschi. It's n incredibly beautiful and vibrant place.I'm having big hassles with this ipad. Can't figure out how to post photos to the blog and can't figure out how to send email. I can receive them but can,t reply. So my plans of posting pictures here maay notcome to fruition until we get back. I will post updates here from time to time and if you want to contact me please post a comment to the most recent blog entry and then check back there for my response. I may or may not get this scrambled out. I'm not planning to spend my time in Italy worrying about computer glitches. There is so much to see and experience. I'll post photos on my return.

Civita di Bagnoregio

2011-05-31T21:01:00.000-07:00

Synchronicity is the operative word here. Just the other day I had and email form Kat Sloma, my blog friend who has been living in Italy for the past two years. She wrote a note with some suggestions for places to visit in Italy that are a bit off the beaten path. One of the places she mentioned was Civita di Bagnoregio, which I'd never heard of before. I didn't have time to follow up but just yesterday I discovered that Kath, who we'll be visiting with in her rented farmhouse in Umbria has a view over the valley to the little "disappearing" town of Civita di Bagnoregnio. Kath says it's just beautiful--and it's where she goes to get her cappucino in the morning. How's that for synchronicity?

Tomorrow is our last day in Victoria--a day to connect with the housesitters, get our Euros, and finish packing our bags. I've been given an iPad for my birthday to take along with us on the trip. It won't be as easy as a computer but I'm hoping to be able to post some pictures to this blog. We are planning to travel light--with just one carry-on bag each. This is a challenge for me as I always bring way too many clothes. The trick is to figure out what I'll feel like wearing in a completely different climate and place. I think it will be warm so I have to think summer even though it's still cool and moist here.

Next time I post it will likely be from Florence, Italy. See you then.

Planning for Italy

2011-05-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

It's true--we're going to Italy. A dear friend has rented a farmhouse in Umbria and invited us to visit so we've decided to do it. The last (and only other) time we were in Europe was in 1987 after we got married. We spent a month in Greece and just loved it. This time we're celebrating my 65th birthday.

Our itinerary includes three days in Florence, a week at the farmhouse, then taking the train to Venice and spending three days there. Then back to the farmhouse with time to explore some Tuscan hill towns, then by train to Rome for a few days, perhaps Pompeii and then north through Tuscany to the hiking trails of the five villages of Cinque Terra (pictured above) and then back to Florence for our return flight on 30 June. Isn't that fantastic?

Our friend Kath is already there and she says the countryside in Umbria is sublime. It's 90 degrees F there, which is just fine with me. We've been enjoying temperatures in the low 50s so it will be a nice change. The trick is packing for heat when it's cool at home. We're planning to pack light, very light. We're each going to take just a carry-on bag--that is if we can fit everything in.

We have arranged for a British Couple to house sit and take care of the dogs and Jamie will be moving into our little downstairs suite. He's doing well with his walking cast and his job. In the process of cleaning our house up for the people who will be living here we've realized that there's a big job of getting rid of stuff when we return. But now it's just getting ready and dreaming of a lovely Italian holiday. I'm planning to post some photos while we're on our trip if there's easy internet access so you can enjoy the trip with us.

One week from today we'll be on the plane to Frankfurt and then transferring to Florence. Incredible!

Poppies under the plum tree

2011-05-24T08:17:00.000-07:00

These bright poppies bloom all summer under the plum tree in my back yard. My friend dug up a little clump for me a couple years ago and they're happily spreading and reseeding there.

Around dinner time the setting sun lights them up like jewels.

Most of them are yellow but a few orange ones are popping up now. Aren't they lovely?

I'm linking this post to Garden Tuesday so if you're inclined you can go to see other garden delights.

Yukon is done

2011-05-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

It's done. The renovation that started last September is done. At least on the inside. Yesterday we moved all the tools out and finished cleaning the floors and windows. A nice young professional couple from Calgary will be moving in at the end of the month.

Here are views of the bathroom, one of the bedrooms and the back deck area.

This afternoon we'll be sitting out on the deck with a few friends who encouraged us along the way enjoying the ambience.

Just for contrast, below are a couple photos of the early stages of the work.

Running in circles

2011-05-17T10:05:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been ten days since I posted here. Well, actually I can believe it because I've been running as fast as I can just to keep up. We got through the annual spring dog walk with about half the helpers we usually have. Still mopping up from that one. We're calling it the monsoon dog walk because we held it in a muddy field in the pouring rain. Needless to say the attendance was down...but at least it's over. Hooray!

Now we're finishing the Yukon Street job. We've been going flat-out on that one too. Thank goodness we've had Harry's son Ben to help us. The goal is for completion at the end of the week so it will be ready for the new tenants who take possession at the end of the month. This week we're doing some outside painting and deck finishing with the goal of having a little deck party there on the weekend.

That leaves us just over a week to prepare for our magical trip to Italy. At least I hope it will be magical (if we can find time to get packed and ready, that is). I'll be spending my 65th birthday in Florence, Italy just seventeen days from today. There are still a lot of preparations for this one as we're leaving the house and the dogs with dog sitters and we have to move Jamie with the cast on his foot into our basement suite. So if you're wondering where I am and what I'm doing this gives you an idea.

I'm sorry that I haven't been able to read and post to your blogs. It's just that I've been running in circles. I've been too too busy to blog.

The photo above is of a sculpture called Running in Circles. It's created from sticks! Check out this blog to learn more. This guy is amazing.

After the rain

2011-05-07T19:56:00.000-07:00

Transforming the fireplace

2011-05-06T22:30:00.000-07:00

We're in the process of transforming a cheap electric fireplace that we got from Home Depot into a French antique. We bought it because it was on sale and the scale of it was right for the room and it had a kind of old fashioned look that we thought would go with the 1898 Yukon Street house.

It stood in the living room all winter and although it kept the room cozy, by spring we decided that we didn't like it. I wish I could show you what we started with but (as usual) I forgot to take the "before" picture. It was solid black and around the firebox inside the wooden arch there were some plastic panels meant to look like marble, but very fake. The bottom of the fireplace was a narrow board also painted black.

To begin the transformation we found some small red tiles for the inner part and Ben created a larger "hearth" that he also tiled. Harry created a wooden edge to the hearth. Then Jane taught me her secret antiquing techniques using brush, hammer and nails, rags and paint and varnish. I still have to complete the tiles with brown grout but I couldn't wait to show you the transformation. It's been a joint effort for sure.

I think it's starting to look like something we found in the French countryside. I bet nobody (but you) will ever know it came from Home Depot.

Stylish blogging

2011-05-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

I'm honored to receive this award from Julie from What Else is Possible. We met through the A-Z Challenge and have a fair bit in common (dog training, writing, love of nature, walking, ect.)

This award requires the recipient to tell seven things about themselves and then nominate 10 to 15 other bloggers to receive the award. The second part is easy as there are so many stylish bloggers out there.

The first part took a little thinking on my part. But here is my list:

1. I love to paint. Since I was a little girl I loved to paint. Whether it’s painting walls or window frames or big abstract acryliccanvasses or my latest thing, water colours, I love to paint. Mostly my paintings now are from photographs I've taken of the great world outside (i.e. nature)

2. I have a weakness for ginger snaps. To me these are the absolute bestcookies in the world—buttery and spicy and rich with molasses. I have several recipes and would bewilling to share.

3. You could call me a jack-of-all-trades and master ofnone. Here are just some of thejobs I’ve done: elementary schoolteacher, radio copywriter, gardener’s assistant, administrator of typing tests,seller of flowers on street corners, freelance writer for governmentpublications, carpenter’s helper, dog trainer, assistant to a psychicchanneler, director of communications for a government department, teacher ofEnglish as a second language, bookseller. I could probably think of more but this gives an idea. What was my favorite job? I think maybe bookseller because I gotto read the books when things were slow. Gardeners helper comes in second because I love gardening and it kept mein good shape.

4. My dream of traveling to Europe is about to come true. We are going to visit Italy for a monthin June. A friend has rented a farmhouse in Umbria and invited us to visit her and we have accepted with great excitement.

5. I’ve worn glasses since I was in grade six and I hatethem. For about a decade I worecontact lenses but gave it up when I was pregnant with my second child. Most of the time I walk around with myglasses on top of my head like a hair band.

6. For the past eight years I’ve been involved as a volunteerin a dog owners association. Thishas been an enriching experience and I’ve learned many things but I am nowready to move on. The biggestchallenge to date is disentangling myself from all the things I've been involved in. I’m still working on how to let go.

7. I’m interested in just about everything. This causes problems for me as I try toabsorb everything I encounter in my day including all the articles in the magazines and all the radiointerviews I listen to. My memory isn’tas good as it used to be so it's frustrating at times. That’swhy blogging is so great. I canwrite it down and post it and forget it. Also I can visit dozens of blogs and connect with new peopleand learn new things.

Now to nominate some stylish fellow bloggers. In no particular order they are:

Merri's Musings

A Knitting Nurse

Two Little Square Black Dogs

Squash Blossom Farm

Life in the Second Half

Mosey Along

Sidewalk Shoes

The Golden Fish

Hooking Knitting & Living

The Angels Wear Fins

Easy for me to say

Small Fish in the Big Taco

Among the saguaros

Be Yourself, everyone else is taken

That's fifteen. I could add more. There are so many wonderful spots to visit. Hooray for blogging!

Before, during and after

2011-05-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

The kitchen at Yukon Street is done. Just this afternoon we put up some final touches--a stainless steel bar behind the sink for hanging utensils beside the new stove.

Here's a quick succession of pictures to show the undoing and redoing of this room

Before:

During:

And after:

Quite a contrast!

Cactus rimmed in light

2011-05-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted to Kat's Exploring with a Camera blog so I'm joining in tonight. Kat's recently looked at photographs that are rimmed with light and this image of a cactus fits the bill. What appealed to me about this particular shot was the heart-shape. Oddly enough I'm not the only who who has photographed heart shaped prickly pears; my blog buddy Angry Parsnip posted a similar photograph just a few days ago. You can see it here. Hers is lighted very differently so you'll be able to see quite another view of this amazing plant.

Because I live in the Pacific Northwest surrounded by tall cedars and firs I am (naturally, because we humans love novelty) fascinated by the desert plants. The photo above was taken last April on our way home from wintering in Mazatlan. We spent a few days in Arizona and I have to admit that I spent a lot of time looking at and photographing succulents and other types of cactus.

PS: Elizabeth May is leading in the polls at this point. Crossing my fingers that she may be the first green candidate elected in North America.

Voting Green

2011-05-01T20:28:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the day of a federal election in Canada and I am lucky enough to live in the Saanich and the Islands electoral area. This means that I can cast my vote for Elizabeth May, the leader of Canada's Green Party. It's not the first time I've voted green, but this time I'm extremely hopeful that we might actually be able to elect a Green Party candidate. Polls put her neck and neck with the incumbent.

I'm actually very tired of politics in Canada but the idea of potentially being able to send a Green candidate to Ottawa is exciting to me. It would be a historic shift from the old-style politics. Tomorrow we'll see if there are enough people in this riding who share my excitement about the potential for change.

Z - Zacatecas

2011-04-29T20:47:00.000-07:00

About ten years ago we hosted a Mexican man who had come to Victoria to learn English. The city he came from was called Zacatecas and it was the first time we had ever heard of it. So it was natural that when we traveled to Mexico in our beat-up motorhome in 2009 we made a point of visiting this city.

Zacatecas is a silver mining city built by the Spaniards a couple of centuries ago. It's located almost in the centre of Mexico at an altitude of 8,500 feet (higher than Mexico City) and it is a very special place. We had heard that it was built in a ravine and there were cliffs above it with a tram going up to the top. But we really didn't know what to expect. Well it exceeded all our expectations. This city of 100,000 people is both simple and sophisticated. The centre of town is dominated by Colonial buildings, notably rococo churches made out of a local stone that's an astonishing rose color.

There are centuries old aqueducts, sidewalks of volcanic basalt and steep stairs leading up the hills to the residential areas.

We happened on a wedding taking place in the Cathedral with a group of smartly dressed Mariachis.

Contrast this with the campesinos waiting for the bus in the centre of town, and the elegant restaurant overlooking the main zocalo.

We explored an old convent that's been converted to a museum focusing on folkloric masks.

And we took the tram up to the top where we explored another church and saw statues of Mexican heroes. Apparently Zacatecas had a major role in the Mexican revolution.

This city old city has many arches and steep stairways and hidden alleyways. It's a charming and colorful city. Isn't it amazing that most people have never even heard of it?

Many indigenous people live here so there's another condtrast between contemporary clothing and the colorful costumes from the past. It all blends together in Zacatecas.

I'm sure if you ever visit you'll be as enchanted as we were with Zacatecas.

This ends the A-Z Challenge. It has been a bit of a push for me to post every day but it's been great visiting many other participants and meeting new friends.

Y - Yellow

2011-04-29T08:29:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid my favorite color was yellow. And I still like it a lot. It looks great on walls, especially in hot climates. These walls are from Mexico and the American Southwest.

Some are mellow, some are sharp.

I don't know how well yellow translates to exterior walls in the Pacific Northwest. It can seem garish in the cooler light. But in the south it's fabulous.

And yellow shines in flowers.

What would our landscapes look like without yellow? Pretty cool and/or drab, I think.

Yellow is the color of autumn trees, flame, custard and squash soup--and of course lemons.

Yellow is such a cheery color. I'm so grateful for yellow!

X - xi

2011-04-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

Xi is the fourteenth letter of the Greek alphabet and it's also the number 60 in the Greek numeration system. But that's all irrelevant to me. What's important is that xi is the only two-letter word beginning with x that is in the Scrabble dictionary.

If you're a Scrabble player, you'll know how valuable the two-letter words can be. They allow you to make words in two directions and thus score twice for the letter common to both words. With xi placed properly on the board (i.e. x on a triple letter score space) this little word can score a mighty 51 points.

Recently I've been playing Scrabble online through Facebook. It's actually the only thing I use my page for--but because of this, Scrabble is becoming an integral part of my day. I'm playing with four different people including my son and I'm somewhat concerned about the addictive qualities of this activity. That said, if anyone who's reading this would like to play, I'm more than willing. Just be prepared to accept the word xi!