Shoe Heaven

I saved the best for first today. These are my Pikolinos shoes which called to me in a mall store in Framingham, the best shopping mecca I have ever seen in my life. Perhaps it was the fact that it was the first week of August and absolutely everything was drastically reduced but Donna and I literally couldn't help ourselves, the deals were so great. And the quality and selection were unbelievable. Anyway these Pikolinos were the most expensive pair I bought but they are worth every penny with their intricate cut design and supple leather. Oh, and they feel like a dream on. It's all about comfort, you know?

Next are my Skechers which came with a second pair of laces for parties, I guess. They have orange sparkly bits in them.

These red heels are absolutely gorgeous leather and feel wonderful on, but the funky blue wedges were my biggest surprise. I always like colour so went to these immediatelyjust to see what they felt like on. Well they felt wonderful! I am definitely sprucing up my shoe wardrobe with these babies.

This black pair have the pointy toes and are not quite as comfortable as every other pair I bought but they are very cool with their tiny heels and white stitching. The woven red ones can be worn summer or winter, which I like. And, of course, the colour makes my heart sing.

I bought some dancing shoes--the black sling backs--and yet another pair of dark reds. These are patent, flat and open-toed but just as cute as can be. They will look awesome with my black or grey slacks. The lovely soft leather of the black laceups complements the sleek lines. I look forward to wearing these casually.

These two pairs might not look exciting but they are great. I have been loving the brown leather sandals, so soft and smooth on my feet, and the stretchy quality of the black straps makes for a smart yet comfortable pair of sandals which I can wear well into the fall. They will be great for concerts with my choir.

So there you have them--my eleven pair of shoes. I am still dumbfounded that I bought so many as I am definitely NOT a shopper. I guess I'll just blame it on my wonderful sister-in-law, Donna, who most decidedly IS a shopper. Now if I could just get her to pay for all of these.........

Boston Bits

My sister-in-law and I had a lovely trip to Boston at the beginning of August. Here she is ahem, well, ah, with a statue we encountered (?).

We took the Olde Town Trolley tour and hopped off to see the Mapparium, a large glass sphere of the world all done in stained glass around 1933. Very cool. We actually walked inside it, although I didn't take any pictures.

Here is a closeup of one of the globe light bulbs in the waiting room outside the Mapparium, part of the Mary Baker Eddy Library.

And I snapped this picture ostensibly of the massive wooden doors, several of which surrounded the waiting room, but really I thought the child looked cute catching a little rest. He looked like he would rather have been anywhere but there.

We took a ghost tour of old Boston cemeteries, an interesting and enjoyable couple of hours.

Here is one of the tour guides. I can't believe he did his schpiel in 95 degree weather dressed in this getup.

Here is our main room at the Marriott Custom House, very elegant and quite enough space for us.

Here is my bedroom. The windows faced the waters of Boston Harbour. Very lovely.

This interesting building was out the living area windows. I loved the shape and the brickwork. Boston is full of such sights.

I haven't got to the best part. Of course we did touristy things like the Aquarium and the IMAX Whales film and walked lots of interesting streets to find delicious food but amazingly the highlight of our trip was about 15 miles west of Boston just off the Mass pike. But that's my next blog!

I'm Back! And There's Laundry!

This morning I slept in till 7:30 thanks to my time clock still being on Victoria time. Yes, we've been out to visit Beth and Rich for 9 days and have had a lovely time. Victoria is a wonderful place and I have pictures to prove it. They'll make their way into my blog in the next few days. For now just words.
It's raining here this morning but I can't be unhappy as we've needed the rain for a long time. I'll have to put on my duck feathers if I need to go downtown but not to worry. It's good to be home.
We have some mysteries to track here at the house. Our umbrella is lying on the deck but the pole is still standing. Oops. Was there a big wind? One of our swimmers will tell us, no doubt.
I have a mountain of washing to do and now that we have the pilot light back on and hot water to shower, I can start my day. It will be a day of writing and bill paying, washing and phone calls catching up with folks. It'll be great!

Life's A Little Crazy Right Now

Hello blogger friends! Just wanted to report that I haven't abandoned my blog permanently but life is too full to blog just now. And full in a good way.
We think we've sold our house, a journey that has been over two years, no tears but lots of fears along the way. Of course the offer has conditions so we won't know till that time has elapsed but cross your fingers all goes well. Naturally we have to find somewhere else to go and that is what I'm about today with our real estate person. This should be fun as Ron and I have already done some preliminary scouting and have a good idea of what we want. So think positive thoughts for us.
For the next two and a half weeks I'll be holidaying, first with my sister-in-law for a week and then with hubby visiting Beth in Victoria. Looking forward to the whole thing.
BTW we skipped the gym this morning and swam lengths in our pool for fifteen minutes. Not quite long enough but we're going back in later today. Pool is a lovely 79 deg., not too hot, thank goodness. We will miss the pool but not the cost and upkeep.
I'll be thinking of all of you and checking in from time to time. Have a good one!

I've Been Beading Again!

While I absolutely love beading, I am frustrated by my lack of technical expertise with my PowerShot A540 digital camera. Please, if anyone can give me pointers on how to get clear closeups of my jewelry, let me know.

Meanwhile I'll struggle on with blurred pics. I found some memory wire in my stuff and made these five bracelets in no time. They were so much fun to do! I think my favorite is the multi-colored pearls.

Here is another pic almost the same but with the coloring changed.

These earrings are done in clear and blue Swarovski crystals.

Another, bigger version in pink and clear Swarovskis.

This set is my favorite both for the design and for the garnet colored Swarovskis.

I made another similar set using amber colored Swarovskis and brown seed beads. Awesome but the picture was too hideous to post. Love the beading. Hate the camera woes.

New Template

Today I was playing with templates and decided to choose this new one. Let me know if you like it
(a) better than the old one
(b) not as well as the old one or
(c) can't remember the old one or
(d) don't give a flying fig and/or
(e) feel threatened by filling out forms.

Weekend is looking lovely and I shan't be writing. In fact, I think I'll stop today as I have nothing to say and the sunny cool day is calling me. Ta!

New Things in the Neighborhood

"Good thing grow-ow-ow in Ontario." So goes the ad song promoting Ontario produce and today I thought I would apply it to some things in my home town. Below is the winding creek which lazes its way through our town providing beauty and a natural fish habitat. Here the level is dangerously low for the fish, but allows the rocks to poke into the picture.

This past year or so a committee of volunteers has been resurrecting a park which used to be used for ball games and had a wonderful old bandshell erected on it. With the advent of a new, bigger ball park and the removal of the tumbledown bandshell, the park had been idle for several years. The next pictures show what this ambitious committee has accomplished.

The play equipment sits on a large square of wood chips so deep that it feels like walking on a mattress. There are many kinds of apparati ranging from the high and exciting to the low and imaginative. Here is a truck/seat for just sitting and rocking.

I like the way the designers have integrated active muscle play with using the brain. Every climber has walls close to the ground with activities to read about and then do. Very cool.

This closeup shows one such activity.

In the early evenings this summer these playthings have been covered with happy kids accompanied by watchful parents who sit on the benches and visit. Seems like a bit of old time neighborliness going on, wouldn't you say?

Why Don't They Ask Us?

How many times in the course of a week do you shake your head at the seeming stupidity of your fellow man (and woman)? Or at the lack of manners rampant today? Or maybe you cry a few tears at the sheer insensitivity of someone you know and love?

In the course of a week my husband and I see a lot of people, some we know and many more we don't. Now you have to realize we are both 'people' people, meaning we like those who share the earth with us, but increasingly when that green car pulls out from the sideroad right smack in front of us and we hit the brakes, we shout "Moron!"

Or on that famous 401 highway slicing Ontario from Windsor to the Quebec border one of the 5 million trucks thundering down it (the one you're passing!) puts on a signal and immediately cuts you off causing another brake pedal stomp. You sit there in the passing lane for five to ten miles while the truck gets up enough speed to actually pass whatever is its obstacle and you're doing the slow burn. "It's all about you!" we shout.

Maybe you're a singer, love to sing in fact, have sung since childhood, at almost every wedding in your huge family, and you do a concert at your local church. It's taken you years to get up the nerve to do this even though solos have been a lifelong joy, and here you are after the event, floating on adrenalin clouds, basking in the standing ovation, the hugs and squeezes, the flood of teary compliments, especially the one from your wet-eyed best friend, and someone in your family brings you down to earth, saying she liked your daughter's voice best. (She does have a great voice!) And you can't get that one negative (to you) thing out of your mind. All the great stuff recedes.

Of course we all have stuff like this and need to deal with it and many worse things through our lives. I do think, however, if we took a course in sensitivity or connectivity in this world we might think before we say or do careless things.

Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, we have reached the age when we recognize some of the mistakes around us, probably because we've been there, done that. Why don't they ask us? We say it often enough that now it's a joke. So I ask my readers. Can you relate to my ranting today? Want to write a how-to book for the rest of the world?

Now, I'll just go quietly back to beading, photo-taking and eating strawberries with whipping cream.

We Had Boys Here!

Early Friday morning our peace was interrupted by the arrival of my sister and three boys, 14, 13, and 9. Oh, we knew they were coming but we forgot how energetic they could be. They rode bikes, ran an errand to the grocery store for me, bought ice cream, watched tv, and teased each other endlessly. Friday night we fed them an early supper of spaghetti and meat balls and drove to Port Dover. Carl, shown below, is visiting from Quebec to improve his English but mostly to have fun. This is my favorite picture!

He posed again for this shot and his grin got me. What you see is what he is like--a real cutie!

Here Carl, Adam and 'class clown' Noah are sitting on a bench on the pier.

Back at home on Saturday morning I caught Noah clowning once again on the diving board.

Here Ron and his nephews with Carl are running for the water in a biggest splash contest.

The next shot in the sequence was supposed to be them in midair. Hmmn. Timing needs work. Finally, they bobbed back up, laughing all. The pool makes for great fun with kids. I love it.

Thanks for coming to visit, guys!

Bumbleberry Pie, Birdsong and Beauty

On a road less traveled, so says the website, you will find the quaint Pinecroft Green Frog Tea Room, a rustic romantic getaway where the world slows to a crawl and you can feel your cares ebb away. Near Aylmer, Ontario, Pinecroft offers a woodsy restaurant lazing away among the trees. We went last Monday for an afternoon getaway and a refreshing tea and lemonade. (Well, one of us had bumbleberry pie and ice cream, as well!)

Below is my shot from our table through the window to the beauty outside.



After sipping and supping we followed the path to the potter's workshop which path led us by the mill pond and these gorgeous lily pads. Talk about restful!

These little purple flowers--maybe potentilla?--called me to snap them as they bathed in the sunshine.

After picking our way across the dam spotted with plenteous amounts of goose droppings, we arrived at the potter's studio.

I loved the way this pic of the doorway to the Pottery Studio turned out. Sometimes planning really pays off!

This is the pond which was started in the twenties by one man and his dream. He planted all of these trees and created a calming miniature ecosystem attracting many birds and, thankfully, not so many people. We sat and listened to the birdsong for a bit.

Green algae is not a favorite of mine but I understand its 'green' significance. The pink flower seemed happy enough. I loved the beautiful way it blended into the colour palate.

As we took a different path around the tea room/gift shop I snapped this beauty. How could I resist the red flowers against the grey-white logs, all bathed in bits of sun?

This picture really points out that a little shadow makes the sunshine more special. As in life, I guess.

O Canada!

On Canada Day my husband and I took a trip to the Embro Caledonia Games where I hadn't been for probably 45 years and Ron had never been. We went in time to see the massed bands perform together on a lovely patch of green grass to an audience of all ages seated on bleachers, lawn chairs, and the lush grass.

I really liked the march of the bands as they came at us, so close we thought we would get trampled but then they turned. This fellow brought the highlander theme to my mind. Couldn't you just see him in Braveheart?



Usually I wouldn't take pictures of men's butts but these looked pretty cool with their swinging kilts.

Embro and West Zorra are quite famous for tug-of-war, having won a world championship in the late 1800's. My Mom used to be provoked when that was mentioned over and over as she thought we had lots of more recent triumphs to celebrate. In this picture the ladies are preparing for a match.

First the anchor wraps the rope around her body. Next the ladies pick up the rope on a call from their coach.

Finally they lay back and pull. We noticed that the ones who yank first usually dominate. Fascinating.

We loved the little highland dancers in their beautiful kilts and blouses. Here they are dancing in a large circle for the official opening of the games.

When the dance was almost done the mood was broken by a mom pushing her two little girls out into the ring. They had forgotten or something. They just nicely got started and the dance was over. The little girl next to them was not impressed.

The dancers did a thrilling Grand March to end their performance. Notice the flag--Union Jack?

Here is a shot of one group getting their awards.

More men in skirts, as they say...

Finally, I took this shot to showcase the littlest piper. I'm not sure if this was a girl or a boy.

Our trip to the Games included seeing a few people we knew, nieces and their babes--oh, so cute!--and friends of my parents who are well on in their eighties. The day was beautifully cool so the hour and a half we spent soaking up the Scottish traditions was totally enjoyable.

A Free Friday Afternoon

One of my favorite places to hang out is Port Dover as I've mentioned a few times before and, happily, we had another trip to the lake this past week. We ate at Callaghan's on the beach looking out the window at this lovely view. (I don't know how they get palm trees to grow in Ontario!)

Next we took the usual walk out to the lighthouse and my husband was goofing off for the camera. He was trying to make 6'4" Gary look tall, as if he needed the help!

This is a shot from the pier looking back at the beach. You can see what a perfect day it was with beautiful blue sky and fluffy sentinel clouds.

Here is a shot overlooking the channel the boats all use to go in and out of the harbour.

I am sure my husband was wishing he had put on his sunglasses! Notice the kayaker in the background who is in most of my shots.

Here is a closeup of the kayaker. He had a perfect day to inspect the harbour from his craft.

Heading back into the harbour via the cut....

Here is another shot of a favorite spot in Dover--Willie's on the Beach. They have great burgers! And lots of tables to sit and enjoy your meal at.