Trick or Treat 2010

Halloween on the Island was great, I got to go searching for candy with my two favorite girls. First stop was the Green Glades community center for a magic show and bean bag toss, then it was off to the streets in search of large volumes of candy. It is the one night of the year mum let's you stuff your tummy with any kind of sugar imaginable. 

Katrina was a glorious mermaid!!

Amelia was of course a Ladybug...

Jack went with a fake flame this year...

Loved this character!

This guy not so much...was super creepy.

Amelia chatting with one of many pumpkins...

I miss my sweetie...

The Turkey Baster...

This washed up on the beach this morning, and the first thing I thought of was a turkey baster....hmmm? 

"Plumpkins"

Right now the fields are bright orange and loaded with pumpkins as far as the eye can see...

Very cool!!

Black White and a hint of Mint

Roger and I rode the 3:30 p.m. bus up to Lake O'Hara the other day. After pitching our little "Moss" tent and grabbing the camera gear we were off for some photo opportunities. The reason for our outing was to capture the larch trees turning to beautiful shades of orange and yellow. Well needless to say yellow was not the color we encountered...it was more black, white and hints of mint. Roughly 10 cms of fluffy white snow fell on us and our little tent but that did not stop us. The next morning with backpacks on and coffee in hand we hiked up to the Opabin plateau and spent the better part of the day playing in the snow.

 

 

A quarter inch seam...

I left the Island on the 15th of September and headed west in my Vdub....my destination was Mica Creek.

Actually to be more specific it was to attend my first "Chicks in the Mountains" quilting retreat at the beautiful Monahsee lodge which is minutes from Mica. I have been excited about this four day holiday since January 1st, 2010 when I put my name down on the wait list. When I got the call that I was able to have a space I jumped on it. These spaces are like gold and when one becomes available they are gone like a hot cake. So I loaded up with sewing gear and the dog and along the way the fall colours were everywhere.

The only downside to my drive was that about 40 minutes from the lodge my Vdub collided with a beautiful Stellar Jay and unbeknownst to me he made the rest of the drive plastered to the front of my grill. Luckily Rooster was able to care of the nasty clean up involved when I arrived. After checking into a beautiful quaint room it was off to sew for four fantastic days.

This retreat was special for me as Kelly Mager (chef supremo) took over the cooking responsibilities and that gave me the opportunity to quilt along side my mum. I could also take a few afternoon walks with Roger and Tua checking out the fall splay of color and then enjoy a glass of red wine with friends on the deck before dinner. It was magical for sure!

Thanks Kelly and Gloria for all the hard work and fabulous food!

Crazy Colleen....

Oh yes...we must not forget the chicken sneakers.

Rogur having fun..

I'd like you to meet Laurel Corrigan.

 Her day planner is completely full at the moment, and yet making this event a priority was still in her heart...for that we thank you.

And also a big thank you to all the staff at the Monashee's for accommodating us.

See everyone in 2011!!

Knit one...Pearl two!

A group of very special ladies got together this past weekend at Battle Abbey for a bit of fun. The idea was to knit and drink wine for three days...which we certainly did! But along with that we did some wonderful hiking, writing, drawing and even copper work. The guest list consisted of 10 plus Roger and I, and all of these women have lived on the south bench here in Golden B.C. for many years. We felt the opportunity would give them some time to relax and catch up with each other, as they all have busy lives. The only person not from the bench was my mum, but I felt she would love to meet and spend some time with these wonderful gals. Plus I just wanted to invite her dammit.. as I have also been away at school on the coast, and it was a nice chance for us to catch up. Below are some photos of our time together. I try and steer away from posting names on my blog as in most cases it really doesn't matter. But I do want to add a comment that there are three ladies who never seemed to walk in front of my lens this past trip, and I apologize for not having a photograph for you....

What I enjoyed the most was...well a few things.
1.)  Mum helping me with my problematic yoga sock...
2.)  Only spending one day over the old stove...
3.)  Watching Roger hunt for a pesky mouse at 3:00 a.m. (buck naked...).
4.)  Drinking champagne at the dinner table for my birthday.
5.)  Seeing the 'Monkey Flowers' around the waterfall again.
6.)  Great stories of a 'grizzel' bear spotted on a day hike.
7.)  Spending time with a group of women who enjoy the mountains as much as me!

As I flew back into Victoria late Sunday night I knew that this trip was something that could potentially be an annual thing. I felt relaxed and ready for another go at the school books again. Funny as excited as I am about being off and learning something new....I am realizing that I miss home and the life I have..so this trip was exactly what I needed.

Thank you ladies...it was a pleasure to be with you!

Angel Farms

If you haven't guessed already "Angel Farms" is all about Lavender. We were driving through Sequim Washington and stumbled upon this beautiful farm. Rows and rows of purple....along with the odd bumble bee!

Road trip to Seattle...

Roger finally got some time off and came down for five days to visit. He arrived on August 6th in the early evening, and what made it extra special was the fact that it was his birthday! Walking along the quiet roads of Ardmore with our coffee or red wine (depending on the time of day)  and the dog is how we spent a lot of our time.
We also took a weekend trip over to the U.S. We arrived in Port Angeles early Saturday morning from Victoria and over the two days poked around Port Townsend and even Seattle.

Wow...gotta save my tip money from the next ski season and head back there to do some serious Seattle shopping!