The beauty of rain.

Our camping trip this year ended on a rainy note.  Seventeen hours of straight rain that is.  Despite this it ended up to be such a fun day.  It started with a well deserved afternoon nap.  When we realized that it was not stopping we got our bathing suits on and headed to the beach (strangely there weren't many others sharing our enthusiasm for a swim!).  The air was cold but the water felt warm.  Later, back in our campsite, we played card games in our eating tent.  Two of us on each side of the picnic table squished together to avoid the rain coming in at all sides. We made coffee and hot chocolate and shared some laughs.

We went to bed in the pouring rain.  Often the sound of rain can be so soothing but not this night.  It was strangely loud and it took me a while to get to sleep.  I was hoping we would all stay dry inside (we did).  We awoke in the morning to silence except for a few lone bird calls.  Eventually, even the sun tried to peek out but was unsuccessful after a few minutes.

Our tent was soaked, our towels wet and sandy and we knew we would have heaps of laundry to do when we got home but we were still ending our trip on a happy note.  It was great for the four of us to be together with no other distractions and just ourselves to entertain each other.  I wouldn't have changed anything and I know I will always look back fondly at this trip.

While getting ready to pack up I noticed how pretty the droplets of water looked on the tent.

The girls will be returning tonight from a week with their cousins. It will be nice to have them back.  The renos are moving along pretty well.  The plumber is here now and with any luck I might just have the house to myself in the afternoon. Have a great weekend friends!

Rest, Relaxation and Renos

I'm back from a fabulous family trip of cottaging, camping and family visits.  It was lovely and relaxing and a much needed time away from home.  We had the extremes of weather - high heat and humidity when I felt like I might actually be on fire - to strangely cool and rainy end.

We saw some fantastic wildlife some which I was able to capture on camera and others unfortunately that I must store in memory.  The most spectacular a moose calf eating lilies at the shoreline of Arrowhead Lake during the late morning while canoeing.  She just stood there eating and staring while we floated 40 feet from her. I will probably kick myself for a while for not bringing my camera that morning but there is also something nice about a memory that is just totally yours.

 We visited the falls at Bala with my girls and their cousins.  It's about a 20 minute drive from the cottage and one of my favourite places to visit each summer. It's the same place I used to visit with my friends in high school.   Bala brings back great memories. I still remember sitting on the wooden steps of the arcade one wet summer afternoon.  The Kee next door was blaring Phil Collins "In the Air Tonight" over their speakers and we were singing and air drumming.  Who would have guessed that boy sitting next to me would be my husband.

Turtle crossing.

 We even had wildlife in our canoe!

Guess who the dancer is in the family!

The obligatory seagull picture.

Now I'm getting back into the swing of things but not in a slow manner which I may have liked.  Last night I completed and mailed out a big custom order that I've been working on. Then we had to unload our entire master bath as our renovations start today (I can hear tile breaking as I write this).  I have to ask? Does everyone have as many bottles of half used shampoo and lotions as we managed to collect? 

On the weekend we were scrambling trying to locate a mirror.  Who would have known it would have been so difficult to find one we liked and was big enough.  We did finally manage to find one and order it and at least now when the electrician comes in on Thursday the rough ins for the lights can be placed properly.

I'll keep you posted on the renos.  I took some before shots yesterday so it will be fun to see the progress made.  

Donut Stop

Last weekend Sydney made these sweet little donut cakes.  We were longing to make them after finding the recipe on this very lovely website, Sprinkle Bakes.  Interestingly enough I found out about Sprinkle Bakes while walking through our Chapter's bookstore a few weeks.  It was the cover of a book that caught my eye and the by line "Dessert Recipes to Inspire Your Inner Artist" that made me stop in my tracks. It made me think of my niece who is such an artistic and clever baker.  I was sold when I opened it up and saw the photos and recipes.  We gave it to her for her birthday.

While shopping for other things last week I happened upon the donut pan - an essential when making these donut cakes. Although the recipe used a mini donut pan ours was more in the line of medium sized.  They turned out great!

Wouldn't these be great for a birthday, shower or bakesale!

Recipe from SprinkleBakes.

******

I must say that I always think of my brother when I see a Do Not Stop sign on the highway.  I believe it was on our family trip out west from Toronto to Alberta with stops in between to visit family in Winnipeg and Saskatoon.  I was around 10 I think.  We packed up our station wagon - gold with faux wood trim - with our camping equipment, pillows and 8-track tapes - Benny Goodman, The Mills Brothers, John Denver, Carol King, Blood, Sweat and Tears and my own contribution - Barry Manilow.  (I'm sure it was great having a little sister.)  Anyways, many days and hours into the trip, when my brother saw a "Do Not Stop" sign on the highway (and there were many) he would yell "Donut Stop".  This would cause unnecessary braking and confusion from the front seat but somehow even with a stern word sent to the back we did manage to stop a couple of times for donut breaks on our travels. 

Spring Break

It's amazing what just a few degrees latitude can bring you.  It's March break for us here so we visited my parents up at Lake Muskoka this weekend.  On Friday when we left Whitby, it was freezing with a windchill making it feel like -20°C.  Not far along the highway we were met with snowsqualls, highwinds and overall not fun driving conditions. Although Muskoka  had less snow than it normally does it was a bit of a shock to us as we haven't had any significant snow on the ground for a while.  While only a two hour drive north of us it was definitely still winter at my parents.

Spring was definitely in the air on Sunday.  It was bright and sunny and the temperature climbed to 10°C.

There were definite signs of spring.

 With Muskoka being such a big and busy lake you rarely can see reflections in the water.

 This was my view of the sky while lying on the dock. The sun on my face felt like summer.

Back in Whitby it was 16°C and we were greeted by these at our front doorstep.

Spring is definitely coming!

Wordless Wednesday

..mmmph...um....ok..ok..I  have a hard time being wordless.

I love this last one...a rainbow of rocks from the ocean.

Hidden Falls in Sheaves Cove, Newfoundland.

Letting Go and Jumping Right In

This is a picture of me ziplining this summer. Yes, it's me hanging over a canyon with almost 300 feet to the ground.  It was amazing! It was exhilarating! It was so scary!  My hands were red and sore after the first zip because I was gripping on the cable for dear life.  Altogether there were nine zip lines and somewhere in the middle I actually managed to free both hands in the air for a few seconds.

It's a strange feeling as they attach your cables to the first line. You don't really even have time to think about it.  Both my daughters had already fearlessly lept off the platform and now it was my turn. All I had to do was run off the platform (eek!) and trust that my harness and cords and cables were all secure (don't think about it!).  It was somewhat comforting to know that this was all I had to do.  Stopping was left to a device on the cable that slightly slowed you down about 15 feet from the end and then one of the young, hunky crew members would catch you in his arms....{{snap out of it}}...oh, sorry about that...

It's one of those activities that gives you a real boost.  I think my husband and girls were pretty impressed that I didn't give a second thought to doing this (well, not out loud at least).  And for me I'll have the feelings and memories to fall back on whenever I feel that self doubt creeping in.

The Moose are Loose in Newfoundland

With an expanding population of over 150,000 moose on the island you wouldn't think it would be too hard to spot one. Funny enough though when you are looking for them you don't see any for miles and miles.  We had to see one - it was on 'the list' - and we had already crossed off whales and icebergs.

Our first moose sighting was on the road into L'anse aux Meadows.  A baby, or perhaps better described as a  teenager moose, was there and he was very active. Running back and forth and playing (which I have never seen).  We were all thinking that his mom must be around and next we spotted her coming out of the brush.  It was quite a sight to see the teen running around and back to his mom and then running back again.  It reminded us of our dog who every now and then gets a spurt of overcharged energy and runs like a maniac around our main level.

Our second sighting was a day or two later in Gros Morne just north of Western Brook Pond.  A mom with twins. Which was quite exciting to see together, however they refused to be in the same picture.  Sibling rivalry already!

In the daytime, and off the road, it's exciting to see them but moose are a real hazard for night time driving. We only drove once at night and it was a tense drive with fog and mist coming off the ocean and no lights on the highway.  Luckily we only spotted one ourselves as his eyes reflected in our headlights and he was safely off to the side of the road...although we did have the feeling that they were lurking in the brush and snickering as we drove past! Mainlanders!

Capturing the Moment...

Little snippets of our trip.

Telephone booth near Trafalgar Square, The Fountains in front of the Louvre, The 'Adventures of Squishy the Turtle" ~ here he is up the Eiffel Tower, Joie de Vivre!

Back Home

I'm still slightly in a fog as I write this. Not a groggy, headachey type fog that I can often find myself in but more of a gentle, relaxed, at peace with myself haze as I try to work through my daily life. It's a lovely, dreamy haze to be in and I don't want to let it go. We recently returned from a short but wonderful family trip to London and Paris. Only 9 days long but the time together was a memory itself to hold on to as our young teenage daughters are growing up so quickly.

We walked for hours every day. We carried no cell phones, read no newspapers or watched tv and only once briefly touched in with reality when we had to check our emails for our return flight home confirmation. We engrossed ourselves in the history, art and architecture and of course the food. We all came back a little different. Our daughters now live in a bigger world. Once what was only read about they have now seen. Their eyes are wider now and they have seen a small glimpse into a big world.

Our first night in London.

Looking across the Thames at the Parliament Buildings and the Clock Tower (Big Ben).

The steps of St. Paul's Cathedral. Absolutely breathtaking inside.

History and traditions. The changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace.

Westminster Abbey provides more than a 1000 years of British History within it's walls.