K is for Keepsakes

Gee, we're almost halfway through the alphabet for the 5th time! This week, the letter K is brought to you by Mrs. Nesbitt, our ABC Wednesday hostess.

In keeping with the theme of my new life with Lorne, I'm showing you some of his keepsakes. And the first thing actually begins with the letter K - keys. He loves antiques, and when he saw these keys in an antique store, he just had to get them. When he showed them to me, I said "Oh, why don't you choose one that would look good on a silver chain and you can give it to me saying 'It's the key to my heart.' Wouldn't that be romantic?" And he actually agreed! So, I'm waiting.

Click to enlarge.

Last Sunday, we took a load to the storage locker and came home with another box. Inside were 6 ducK decoys. I chose this one to show you because it's the oldest and most "antiquey" looking one. We put it by the front door to use as a doorstop. The others are scattered around the main floor living area, but I think I just might have to hide some of them. A few months ago, he said that "I" had too many nicK-nacKs around but lately, I'm finding a few too many of "his." Click to enlarge.

Finally, I'd like to show you his grandfather's lighter. His grandfather had the same initials as Lorne (except for the middle initial, that is). I think it's quite unique and very macho looking. Of course, we don't need a lighter like this since we don't smoke and we use those long-handled ones for the barbecue. But it is Kind of a conversation piece and it's fun to hear stories of the past about his family. Click to enlarge.

To see other participants posts, simply click here and you'll be instantly transported to a Mr. McLinky where you can click on a name to see their contributions.

Oh yes, you might have been wondering about the wedding we attended a week ago. I said I'd post photos, but I don't think I should as the people might object. But here is one that fits in to our K-Day. The KISS:

Congratulations go out to Jon and Tiffany, hoping they have a wonderful honeymoon in Cuba!

J is for Jib

Today at ABC Wednesday, hosted by Mrs. Nesbitt here, we're celebrating the letter J. Now, there are lots of J names in my family - father Jack (formally John), late FIL James, sister Jackie, daughters Jamie (who married Jason), and Jaclyn. But I needed to find a J word that would tie in with the theme of my new life with Lorne.

Lorne used to sail. Actually, he sold sailboats and raced them, too. Now I have never been on a sailboat in my entire life but I'm sure hoping that I'll get to go one of these days. Lorne no longer has his boat, but knows lots of people who have one. Anyway, I decided to do J is for JIB - of course, I had to ask him what a "jib" is because I had no idea which sail was called the jib. If you would like to read more about it, simply click here, but let me warn you that if you're not a sailing aficionado, it'll be as Greek to you as it is to me.

Lorne brought a few pieces of art with him when he moved in and, because I love it, this is one that will grace a wall in our living room. It's very large and will be a focal point and a conversation piece. Please excuse the poor photo but it was difficult to get the shot without a lot of reflections. But you get the idea.

I'd sure like to go sailing one day and feel the wind on my face out in the briny Pacific Ocean - well, at least the inlets that don't have huge thunderous waves that could wash me overboard. I might need to take a bucket with me, too, just in case......

I can tell how much Lorne loved to sail because whenever he talks about it his eyes just light up. A few of his cherished possessions are a gorgeous coffee table book about sailing and yachts, three brass ornaments of sailboats, and a photo his best friend took of him sailing his own boat, "Daisy," about 15 years ago. Look at the joy on his face in the photo.

Wouldn't you love to experience that same joy? If I ever get the chance, I'll strap my camera to me and snap away like crazy and get a photo of the jib, other sails, the sailors, and maybe one of me hanging over the bucket.

Monochrome Weekly

A couple of weeks ago, I spent a day over on the Sunshine Coast and did a post about it here. I didn't post this photo at the time because I was saving it for a Monochrome Weekly. These stairs led down to a beautiful beach where driftwood lay scattered on the sand and dogs fetched sticks for their masters. The day was absolutely gorgeous, sunny and warm, with not a cloud in the sky. And Iloved how the shadows played impishly on these steps. Hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed taking the photo.

Have a great week everyone and I'll try to get around to visiting everyone.

Be sure to click on the photo to enlarge it. It looks much better that way.

To view other Monochrome photos, click here.

A Very Special Wedding

We're going to a wedding this Saturday. No, not ours - not yet. Ours is a year and a week away, but this one is going to be very special. I think it's quite unusual for a guest to be as close to both the bride and the groom as I am.

The bride is the youngest daughter of a couple I've known for about 30 years. I actually know the entire clan! The groom is the youngest son of my late husband's best friend who was also best man at our own wedding over 36 years ago. My daughter and I have been to two showers for the bride and we had wonderful times at both, seeing old friends we haven't seen for some time and meeting new ones.

The wedding is to be held at Hycroft, an absolutely gorgeous mansion in the Shaughnessy area of Vancouver. It's going to be quite formal, with the ceremony outside, weather permitting, and the reception and dance inside. I've been to Hycroft before, at the University Women's Club's annual Christmas Fair, and I can vouch for its opulance. At the right you'll see the gated entrance and then you can see the portico at the front door. The entire place will be a fantastic location for a special wedding complete with photo shoots deserving a place in "In Style" magazine!

Lorne and I are honoured to be sitting with the groom's parents and relatives and next to the bride's parents' table. That just shows how close we are to both the families. I can hardly wait to dress up for the event and watch these two wonderful young people (ages 25 & 27) get married! They've both lived at home all their lives so this is going to be a very special time in their lives.

Keep an eye out for photos of the wedding here next week.

Exploring the Sunshine Coast

Thanks, David, for the mention re POTD.

What a full day I had yesterday! Up at 6:15 and over at my friend's place by 7:30 to drive together to the Horseshoe Bay Ferry to go over to a part of the Sunshine Coast. The last time I was there was last November but just to look around for a couple of days with another friend and to "get away." This time, I had an ulterior motive...the area is in the running as a place to live in our retirement years. The Sunshine Coast is located north of Vancouver BC and is accessed by water or air and once there, you'd think you were on an island. However, it is attached to the mainland of British Columbia but there just isn't any road access.

I have lived in my little village of Ladner for many many years and came here specifically because it was a quiet little burb away from the hustle and bustle of noisy city living. However, lately it seems to be growing by leaps and bounds and we hear traffic, sirens, and children shouting all the time now. There has also been an increase in homelessness, drugs, and crime. So for our retirement years we'd like to live in a more peaceful location that suits our lifestyle.

My friend knows several people, including her immediate family, who live in Gibsons, Sechelt, Roberts Creek, Halfmoon Bay and other areas. The climate is mild, being protected by the outlying islands and there are more than 20 provincial parks, lakes, beaches, a lot of artisans, and great food. We visited 2 totally different Bed & Breakfast accomodations run by people my friend knows - one quite elegant and the other more laid-back/countryish with outdoor fire pits. Here are a few photos I took that might help give you an idea of the beauty of the region. Be sure to click to enlarge the photos to get the best effect possible.

So, two thumbs WAY UP for the Sunshine Coast. How could anyone say "no" to such gorgeous beaches where you can walk your dog and let it go swimming at any time of the year, the sealife, the sailing and other types of boating, its history, peace and quiet, all the friendly folks, and lots of the "Arts."

Of course, the Okanagan (namely the town of Peachland) is also in the running. But we won't know for a while as I think we both need to visit these places a few more times to make an informed decision.

ABC Wednesday - H is for Honey

Honey is produced by honey bees and comes from the nectar of flowers. It's a naturally delicious alternative to sugar, and although it's available all year long, it's especially good in the fall when it's just been harvested. Research has shown that honey's unique composition makes it useful as an antimicrobial agent and antioxidant.

"Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree" is an animated Disney film (1966) that tells the story of Pooh's love (obsession) of honey and his misadventures in his search for more when his honey pot runs low. See here for a synopsis of the plot. It's a hilarious musical movie that even adults can enjoy.

Winnie-the-Pooh, commonly shortened to Pooh Bear and once referred to as Edward Bear, is a fictional bear created by A. A. Milne. The first collection of stories about the character was the book Winnie-the-Pooh (1926), and this was followed by The House at Pooh Corner (1928). Milne also included a poem about the bear in the children’s verse book When We Were Very Young (1924) and many more in Now We Are Six (1927). All four volumes were illustrated by E. H. Shepard. The hyphens in the character's name were later dropped when The Walt Disney Company adapted the Pooh stories into a series of Winnie the Pooh featurettes that became one of the company's most successful franchises worldwide. (Wikipedia)

A A Milne named the main (human) character, Christopher Robin, after his son, and other characters were inspired by his son's stuffed animals, most notably the bear named Winnie-the-Pooh. Christopher Robin's bear, originally named "Edward," was renamed "Winnie-the-Pooh" after a Canadian black bear named Winnie (after the Manitoba city of Winnipeg). This Canadian black bear was used as a military mascot in World War I, and left to the London Zoo during the war.

When my daughters were very small, they had several of the (stuffed) characters from the Winnie the Pooh stories. The first one was Winnie himself, given to our older daughter when she was just a year old. At that time, Winnie was almost as big as she was! Then came Tigger and Eeyore, and Piglet. Along with the characters came the books and videos that both the girls loved so much.

I think most kids are given a Winnie the Pooh and/or other of the characters from the stories sometime in their little lives. I remember the wonderful times my girls had playing with theirs.

Oh, and if you're wondering how this ties in with my "theme" this round re my new life with L, well....he calls me "Honey."

ABC Wednesday is the brainchild of Mrs. Nesbitt and people from all over the world participate. If you'd like to, or even read some of the posts from participants, simply click here.

Pennies for Luck

I heard on the news yesterday that this weekend, Labour Day, is second only to Christmas for retailers making big bucks. Unfortunately, it appears that most people are being extremely circumspect in their buying right now. Kids are getting the essentials for the start of the new school year - paper, pens, pencils, binders, shoes, etc. - but the clothing racks remain full.

We have friends in the Okanagan region of BC (a huge tourist mecca for Canadians and Americans alike), but the hotels, motels, and B & B's aren't getting the business they've had in previous years. At first I thought it could have been because of all the forest fires in the region, but the friends say that doesn't appear to be the reason. They feel it's the economy.
My daughter needs something "decent" to wear to an upcoming wedding this month. She's decided that since she's injured her knee and won't be able to dance anyway, she's only going to get a new top to go with basic pants. I bought a Nygard silk swirly printed skirt on sale about a month ago and am going to wear a basic black Tee with it.

Seems we all need to watch our pennies these days. I remember a little rhyme my mother used to say. It went like this:

Find a penny,

Pick it up,

All day long

You'll have good luck.

It might be a good idea to heed this bit of advice these days.

Spanglish

Who's heard of the movie "Spanglish?" This 2004 film was a portrayal of family problems and self-identity and, to a lesser extent, communication across cultural boundaries.

Studying Spanish all summer reminded me of this film. At first, I was like a deer caught in the headlights, my brain black with fright that I was going to terribly embarrass myself. How dare I think I could speak Spanish well enough to tutor students? Would the vocabulary come back to me? Would I be able to conjugate verbs? Would I remember which adjectives precede and which follow the nouns? Would I remember the gender of the nouns?

Today was my last session with a wonderful woman who has guided me through the Spanish language over the summer. (In return, I helped her to refresh her French.) This morning, we met for breakfast and over omelettes, orange juice, and coffee we chatted back and forth (as usual) about our lives, what had gone on since our previous session, etc. I hadn't looked at my books for a week and I'd forgotten (already!) the past participles of some of the irregular verbs. However, we managed by my sometimes speaking a sort of "Spanglish" and she sometimes speaking a sort of "Franglish."

And we laughed!

We're going to keep in touch over the school year and maybe next summer we can do the same thing. Hopefully next year I'll do much better - especially if I get some students with whom I can continue to work with the language.

I've Been Tagged By Welsh Liz ...

... to do this simple photo meme. Here are the instructions:


1. Open the fourth file where you store your photos.
2. Pick the 4th photo.
3 . Explain the photo.
4. Pass challenge onto 4 other bloggers.



So here's my Photo (click to enlarge). It's of Lorne and me having dinner on the deck of the cabin at White Lake on June 5th of this year. The very next evening over dinner, he gave me my engagement ring.

Okay, who to tag? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

You're hoping NOT ME ~ NOT ME ~ right?

The lucky quartet:

David over at authorblog (Australia)

Shrinky at shrink wrapped scream (United Kingdom)

Anne in Oxfordshire (England)

Welshcakes Limoncello at Sicily Scene (Italy)

Have fun, you guys!

G is for Guests, Part 2

We had such a fun time last night! Chris and Bonnie brought us an engagement gift...a bottle of Italian wine they ordered especially for us, some Italian cheese, an Italian baguette, and a beautiful coffee table book about Tuscany. What a surprise! AND to top it off, they printed out a photo of us the day we got officially engaged back in June when we were all at White Lake. Now these are guests that will always be welcome in our home! More partying tonight before they leave for home (Kamloops) tomorrow.

Click to enlarge. Notice the champagne bottle and glasses - we've kept the bottle!

G is for Guests

We're having GUESTS for a few days. These are very special GUESTS in that we've known them for over 40 years. I met Chris and Bonnie when Lorne and I were going out way back "then" and they've all remained best friends for all these years. I met them again when we went on our Big Chill Weekend back at the beginning of June and it was as though no time had passed.

Tonight we'll celebrate their first visit to "our" home by barbecuing steaks, potatoes, and corn on the cob plus the Sebeka Cabernet Pinotage will be flowing! Tomorrow, they're heading off to the PNE and later, we plan on doing bbq salmon with asparagus and Sebeka Chardonnay....*hic*

Anyway, here's to GUESTS - the best kind, the ones we've known forever and are still the best!

Monochrome Weekly - Canada Line

Last week, I decided to take a trip on the new Canada Line rapid transit from Richmond to Vancouver. I got this shot from the front window as the train left the station in Richmond going north towards Vancouver. I like the variety of straight lines in the photo and if you look towards the top, you'll see wavy lines of the North Shore Mountains that hover over the city and Burrard Inlet. Click to enlarge photo.

Most of the trip was underground and thus dark...I was glad I had someone to talk to during the trip. I think I'd rather pay for parking downtown, though, than take the train again as I had to take a bus into Richmond and then catch the train to the city. All in all, they figured this would make people's travel times shorter, but in actuality, it was far longer. Ah well...bureaucrats!

Click here to see more MM shots.

A Day at the Fair

In 1889 a 114-acre site was granted in trust by the Province of British Columbia to the City of Vancouver. But it wasn't until 1907 that a group of Vancouver businessmen got together and decided to develop a fair for the city. The Vancouver Exhibition Association was born and the first fair was held three years later in 1910. The Fair was dubbed "The Industrial Exhibition," and focused on promoting Vancouver's industrial and resource potential. Prime Minister Sir Wilfred Laurier officially opened the Fair in 1919 and admission to the much-anticipated event was .50 cents. Over 68,000 people attended that first fair.

Since the first Fair in 1910, the PNE has generated many memories for generations of British Columbians. It started as a showcase for BC industry and evolved into a place where Vancouverites come to celebrate. Whether it is the beloved 17-day PNE Fair, the thrilling Playland Amusement Park or the hundreds of year-round sporting, consumer, cultural and community events that bring visitors from across the city, province and around the world to Hastings Park, the PNE remains at the heart of one of the world's most vibrant cities.

Yesterday, I attended the PNE, which is currently in its 99th year and gearing up for its 100th anniversary. We decided to have a real adventure by getting there via the new Canada Line, the new rapid transit line in Greater Vancouver. The main line goes from Vancouver to Richmond, a city bordering on my little village of Ladner. Therefore, we had to take a bus to Richmond, board the Canada Line and get off in the depths of downtown Vancouver, and then find the bus to take us east out of the downtown core to where the PNE is located. In total, it took us almost 2 hours to get there! If I were to drive to the PNE, it would take me about 30 minutes max. However, where to park once there??? I must say the Canada Line is a smooth ride but mostly underground and so there isn't anything to look at, scenery-wise, and thus I was glad my friend and I were able to chat the whole way. I don't think I'll be using this method of transportation again any time soon.

Once at the gate, I had to take a photo of the famous statue that Josie wrote about recently. If you missed that post, be sure to pop over to read all about the famous race when Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute mile.

Once inside the gate, I was impressed by the number of trees that had grown very tall over the years since I've missed the Fair. They provide welcome relief from the sun beating down on excited fairgoers. As we arrived in the late afternoon, we knew there were only a few things we wanted to see.

First, the SuperDogs! I cannot ever go to the fair and not see them! On the way into the Colliseum, we bought an early supper of White Spot burgers & fries. Then we settled down to await these famous canines. If you ever have a chance to see these dogs at a fair near you, you absolutely must go! It's a lot of fun and interactive hilarity and the dogs are intelligent and fast! Their competitions kept the audience on their toes, rooting for either the "Mighty Mites" (the small breeds) or the "Bruisers" (the larger breeds).

Then we decided to see how long the lineup was to view the Prize Home. It wasn't bad, so we joined the queue, finding ourselves at the front door only about 5 minutes later. This year marks the 75th Anniversary of the PNE Prize Home Lottery. It's also the first time that the home will be located on a lot in Kelowna (our sunny Okanagan area in the south-central part of British Columbia.) To see photos of the prize home simply click here. I did take photos, but none of mine equal what is already on the web. Take a look - it's gorgeous, with over 3000 sq. ft. of living space. Click here to read what is included in the grand prize!

Our final stop was at one of the beer gardens where Lorne was bartending - this is his 48th year of working at the PNE as he started as a kid directing cars that wanted to park on the site. He found us a table near the bar and brought us our drinks. Later, he sent over a very nice couple visiting from Prince George (500 miles north of Vancouver) to sit with us. They were total strangers but we had such a wonderful time chatting with them and getting to know them. They were there to hear The Headpins and when they'd finished, the couple continued on.

We stayed to hear Randy Bachman, formerly of The Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Born in Canada, Randy is a favourite of anyone Canadian. After a rousing, dance-inspiring hour-plus of some of his biggest hits (Shakin' All Over, American Woman, These Eyes,) Randy ended with an encore of "Takin' Care of Business." The crowd went wild!

We stuck around until the bar closed and Lorne was finished whatever he had to do before he could leave. As we waited for him, we caught a bit of the fireworks display that ends each evening of the Fair.

We didn't even go near Playland, the area of the Fair where you'll find the rides, including our famous Roller Coaster, and the carnival. You could spend at least a whole day in Playland! Neither did we see the barns where you can see cows and horses, pigs, sheep, goats, etc. Those things will have to wait for another day or another year.

If you're ever in the Vancouver area during the two weeks leading up to Labour Day, be sure to visit the Pacific National Exhibition and plan on at least one whole day or more in order to take in all the sights, sites, exhibitions, displays, and concerts! You won't be disappointed.

ABC Wednesday - F is for Flailing for F Words

We were talking about this week's ABC Wednesday last week, and I mentioned that the letter "F" was coming up. I had a few ideas about what I'd use...like flowers for all the fantastic ones he's planted in the garden for me, or all the fabulous flowers he's brought home for me.

I also considered using food, for all the wonderful feasts he's prepared for me and the few meals I've prepared and that he's favoured. And for the time he cleaned out the baked foods cupboard and organized it all for me.

I thought about him as my former flame, and how he used to make my heart flutter whenever he came near me.

These days, my heart fills with wonder and awe that we've found each other again and that our love today consists of fervour, fealty, friendship, and fondness. And I must say that my heart still flutters.

Then I thought of how we've just ordered new furniture for the living room and how that symbolizes the fusion of our two individual lives into one.

But I think I will leave the final word for him.

His choice for the letter F is:

FOREVER

How can I argue with that form of thinking?

ABC Wednesday is the brainchild of Mrs. Nesbitt and you can participate or even just read posting from participants by clicking here.