Hola!

I can't believe we were here less than two weeks ago.  It's amazing how quickly you get right back into the swing of your normal schedule when you return.  Ahhh.   I guess it was inevitable to return to reality but it was nice while it lasted.

Pretty fabulous view from my lounger!

Oh yah, I could get used to this!

Surf's up!

A trip into San Jose del Cabo.

I'm pretty sure he's smiling.

It was fun while it lasted!

New York, New York

In a bit of a daze today after a whirlwind trip to New York with my hubby...but a lovely daze it is. It's amazing how much you can pack into a short time...dinners, Wicked, Times Square, Central Park, Rockefeller Plaza, Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, Hot Pretzels, Shopping, Bryant Park (one of my favourite spots), taxis, subways, Grand Central Station, Greenwich Village, walking and more walking.

Here are some pics from our first day.

 Central Park

 Rockefeller Plaza

 The Public Library

Bryant Park.

Grand Central Station

...and now I must get ready for my show this weekend.  I've got the Wicked Soundtrack blasting...it's always fun to play the music really loud when no one else is home.

If you have a chance come visit me at the Victoriana Show this Saturday, Novembr 12th 11a.m. - 6 p.m., in Cobourg at the Best Western.

L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland

A beautiful day to remember from our August holidays in Newfoundland.

L'Anse aux Meadows is a National Historic Site located on the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland.  At this archeological site you'll find reconstructions of three Norse buildings, the earliest known European settlement in the New World. The archaeological remains at the site were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978.

The history and discovery of this area is very interesting.  It's also a very pretty place to visit with a lovely walk and trails around the shoreline.

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!

Icebergs in Newfoundland

St. Anthony, Newfoundland

On August 5, 2010, a large piece of the Petermann Glacier in Greenland broke off and became a massive ice island measuring about 251 square km in size. Wow!  I remember hearing about this at the time but didn't think much beyond the news story.  A year later it has worked its way south and is now is visible off of St. Anthony at the northern tip of Newfoundland. Over the last few weeks it has been breaking up producing dozens and dozens of icebergs. 

For our August trip to Newfoundland we didn't expect to see any icebergs as they typically disappear by the end of July. Here it is mid August and there are hundreds for us to see.  A definite once in a lifetime viewing!


 Smaller ones close to shore in St. Anthony.


We spoke to a fisherman from St. Carols who has never seen anything like it.  Pieces of ice much larger than houses drifted into this cove earlier last week. The waves and wind crashed them into each other and the shore breaking them into smaller pieces and also left heavy damage to their docks.







These icebergs in St. Carols immediately reminded me of a Lawren Harris painting.





"Icebergs, Davis Strait", Lawren Harris.

Beautiful and unforgettable experience.

Home, Sweet Home

We arrived home last night from a wonderful week in Newfoundland.

Today is filled with unpacking, laundry, packaging orders, sorting through mail and emails, scrounging through the fridge and cupboards to find some food for a meal, loading photos and walking our dog.  I have a lot of great trip photos and memories to share with you soon.

Inspirations

I thought you might be interested to see where my inspirations come from. I'm often inspired from traveling. I recently visited Laguna Beach, California. Absolutely beautiful and the perfect fall escape.

This was taken from our hotel balcony. Divine!

...and this is what it inspired me to make when I got home.

Listed in my etsy shop.

My Point of View

We woke up to a temperature of about 28 degrees (celcius). Bright sunshine, almost cloudless sky and it was getting hotter by the hour. By the peak of the afternoon it reached 33 or 34 degrees.

Out from our hotel, across the Bay of Naples you can see Mount Vesuvius faintly in the distance. To the right of the mountain is where you would find Pompeii. This is where we were headed on our first full day in Italy.

It was on August 24th, 79 A.D. that the volcano of Mount Vesuvius erupted. Smoke, mud, flames and burning stones spewed from the summit of the mountain sending a rain of ash and rock. It completely immersed Pompeii killing about 20,000 people.

It's hard to believe but before Pompeii was excavated the remains of the volcano were higher than the tallest buildings here. The eruption actually captured a moment in time. Under the ash everything remained as it was at the time of the eruption...buildings, artwork and even people in their most desperate hour.

Along the way it was discovered that instead of digging up the skeletal remains of the person plaster could be injected into the ground and allowed to dry. When excavated it captured exactly what the person was doing, the skeleton remaining complete inside the plaster 'mold'. Here a man crouches down, his face in his hands waiting for death. You can't help but feel the pain that these people went through. It was a very emotional experience and even now writing it brings me right back to those feelings.

Many urns and pots have been discovered and housed now in this outdoor warehouse.

The body of a dog was discovered. His collar was easily visible.

These round pits in this counter would actually hold food that would be bought by the villagers. Similar in a way to the fast food of our time.

To the right are ovens where bread would be baked and sold.