blood moon rising

it's a day early but i'm rising...

getting ready to see the blood moon tomorrow morning.

being an early riser... it shouldn't be a problem...or so i thought

but then i heard that the best viewing is at 3:30 a.m pacific standard time.

(i don't think my internal body clock works that early...)

according to nasa, 

the second blood moon of the year will light up 
the north american sky early wednesday morning 
and the pacific coast will be getting the most breathtaking view.

hurray... lucky us...if we can get up or stay up !!

 the moon has been so beautiful the last few nights.

by around 7 pm, it's fullness is already so captivating.

since the weather has been so balmy in the evenings, 

hovering around 19 degrees celsius... 

we've been outside taking it all in.

 these grainy images were taken last night right after i got home from step class

it's the best my camera can do in the dark... 

with some luck i'll find more powerful lenses for tomorrow's blood moon!!

erica

xoxo

hello monday 10/06/14

hello monday !!!

yup... the weekend is over and i'm ready to start the week.

for starters, i'm playing along with lisa leonard's hellos...

hello pumpkin patch that we will be picking pumpkins from this week.

hello pumpkin/ coconut soup that i tasted at a pot luck last night and so want to make a whole pot for myself (tricia, i need that recipe please!)

hello pumpkin lattes, pumpkin pies, pumpkin scones and all things pumpkin (at least for the next few weeks)

hello endless school forms that keep coming home and requiring parents' signatures and cheques

hello tupperware drawer that is in urgent need of sorting and culling... why can't i ever find the proper lid?

hello haircuts... the boys got their ears lowered at chez moi again this weekend

hello monday... thank you for the lovely weekend !!

erica

xoxo

p.s.  wishing you all a wonderful start to your week

clematis for cathy

i was walking through the gardens at government house again last friday...

 this time with a very good friend of mine.

we were on our way to see the new exhibit at the art gallery 

so we decided to extend our time together 

and walk through the neighbouring gardens.

when we got there, 

there were very few blooms left... 

even the roses are nearing the end of a long season.

i wanted to show her this beautiful clematis that i spotted a few visits back

but it too had closed shop for the winter.

so i dug through my photos... and found these !!!

here they are Cathy !!!

aren't they gorgeous ?

erica

xoxo

get-a-way van

for retirement... this is my dream 

(thank goodness... ian shares the same)

i want to travel lightly throughout this whole continent and beyond... 

visiting and hiking all the national, provincial, municipal parks.

we been crafting our dream for years now

but the last piece of the puzzle finally popped out and was parked right in front of us..

we spotted this van a couple of weeks ago, while on the mainland.

isn't it beautiful?

the hippie in me loves all the colour and flower power 

(ian could do with less purple)

but what we love about it most 

is the size and efficiency it affords for driving through continents.

inside is a fridge, a heater and a double bed... and that is all we need.

twenty years ago, we took 3 months to go across canada 

in a little honda accord hatchback.

there was enough room for our food, our camping and hiking gear and our bikes.

this size vehicle will be four star luxurious in comparison !!!

my heart always longed for a volkswagon van... 

but ian cannot be persuaded and 

all the lemon-aids have given them such bad reviews for maintenance costs.

we've been considering a converted van like this for years now...

because one of our early retirement neighbours have had one for us to study and admire.

it has taken them everywhere...they are always riding off into the sunset 

with kayaks strapped on top.

even though retirement is still a long ways away...

it's good to know we can rent one of these for a mini test drive... 

maybe down the oregon coast this summer...

isn't dreaming fun ?!?

erica

xoxo

moment 10/03/14

a moment
a friday ritual, a single photo, no words, capturing a moment from the week
a simple, special, extraordinary moment
i want to pause, savour and 
remember.

erica
xoxo

giant pine

there stands a giant pine in our neighbourhood

and it produces gargantuan cones.

this picture shows the cone in scale to my foot (size 8 and 1/2) 

and this specimen wasn't even the biggest that i've found.

the towering tree is so huge... i couldn't get it to completely fit into my picture.

the tree dwarfs all the houses on the street.

even the needles are enormous, 

some are even longer than the cones themselves.

i pass by this pine every morning 

while taking the dog for a walk around the neighbourhood

it's a landmark that tells harlow and me 

that we have only a block to go and we are home.

(this is when harlow gets excited because he knows 

breakfast is next on the agenda)

everyday, i look up and stand impressed by its colosalness,

and then i look down to see if it's dropped another one of its monstrous cones.

and it has... 

giving me my daily dose of wonder and amazement of nature. 

erica

xoxo

thrifted threads: salt spring treasures

 we were on salt spring island on the weekend

and of course...i stumbled upon some thrifted treasures

just in time for another 'what i wore wednesday' 

when i join in the fun with lindsey at the pleated poppy.


the first is an item wasn't from a thrift shop at all.
 i found it in a $5.00 bin in a little boutique in fulford harbour.

there was a tiny little tear in the back by the neckline and the owner had said that 
she was overwhelmed with all her mending as it was already and had
just added the item into the bin.

since there was an end of season 30 % off the last ticketed price,

the piece was mine for $3.50

the tear took two seconds to repair.

i love it because it is definitely an item that shouts "saltspring !!" 

all purple and blues with hints of other artsy flavour.

and oh so easy to wear.

the second item i found in transitions, a thrift shop in the heart of ganges.

it is a big, baggy, hand knit cotton sweater that came in blue grey tones.

if you've been following my thrifted threads posts, 

you probably already know that this is just my style.

the sweater was huge on me.

but i did my little retrofitting trick on the sleeves and 

voila...

pure comfort with lots of west coast island flair !!!

so much fun and such a great find from the two dollar rack.

visiting salt spring island is always so enjoyable.

especially when i come back with such thrifted treasures.

erica

xoxo