hippo birdie two ewe...

july 1st.... 

a very special birthday for two...

our harlow turned six, 

only forty two in doggie years !!!
if you haven't met this furry friend before you might want to read this:
harlow

for a special treat, we took him to ogden point, 
one of his favourite beaches,

for a quick dip...

 and a little downward dog (harlow style) on the warm rocks...

 he is so precious to us all...

and we love him sooooooo much !!!

 lots of hugs and kisses and some yummy chicken for our furry birthday boy !!!

mwah ! mwah ! mwah!

also... last but not the least,

 happy birthday canada!!!

last tuesday was a gorgeous evening so we all went down to 

victoria's parliament buildings to join the sea of red and white.

it was so warm and balmy... we didn't have to bring our parkas. 

(like we've worn on previous canada days...)

there were maple leafs everywhere...

and proud canadians of all sorts.

 the finale was a spectacular display of fireworks  !!!

against a backdrop of the beautifully lit silhouette of the parliament.

yes... the first of every july is a doubly special day !!!

we are truly blessed....

erica

xoxo

going blonde again this summer

it's summer... and they are forecasting hot hot hot and dry dry dry for victoria, bc.

so... for the seventeenth year in a row, our lawn is going blonde.

we have been in our home for 18 years now, 
and i know for sure that we've watered the front lawn only twice 

(our first summer here and the summer we built the front porch) 
and then we quickly smartened up.

in the summer months, outdoor water use accounts for almost 50% of water use 

around the average home in victoria.  

we are on water restriction before the summer even starts.  

i believe odd numbered addresses are allowed lawn watering

 thursdays and sundays between 4-10 am and 7-10 pm,

 in effect may 1 through to september 30.

it's CRAZY to be wasting good clean drinking water 

for maintaining a plushy, green carpet, especially since the grass comes back, 

ready for weekly mowing, once the rainy season starts.

we've come to love the blondeness of our lawn because it complements 

the wild sweet peas that seem to thrive in such an arid environment.

i will give this plant top prize for being truly drought tolerant..

(that's from 18 years of personally testing their tolerance !!)

did you know that this wild sweet pea is also edible ?!?

i was watching a video on wild edibles and found this out.

since this wild edible is related to store bought peas, 

you would think it would be natural to harvest the pea pods.

but the wild sweet pea pods are tough to chew and quite bland tasting.  

instead of eating the pods, the curly tips (called tendrils) or the brilliant pink flowers 

are suppose to be incredibly delicious.

 i would love to propagate this wild sweet pea 

so it grew and spread to cover the majority of our front lawn.  

but for now, it will remain blonde and crispy for the hot and dry summer season.

and in this case, i can attest to the fact that blondes do have more fun...

because they don't waste time, energy and money 

watering ornamental, inedible grass !!!

erica

xoxo

thrifted threads: proud to be canadian

yesterday was canada day... 

and many proud canadians were clad in red and white to celebrate this country's birthday.

but today is what i wore wednesday, 
and i'm linking up with lindsey at the pleated poppy !!

i found this tunic in a thrift shop a couple of years ago.  

i had fallen in love with the white embroidery that covered the front.

in the first set of pictures i wore it as a shirt over a pair of jean shorts.

it is so red and so white and so perfect for canada day !!!

 the national colours of canada were declared in 1921 to be red and white and 

are most evident on the canada flag.

  

i found out that red is symbolic of england and white of france, the colours having been 

used representatively by those countries in the past. 

also,  the maple leaf is one of canada's national symbols and red is its' autumn colour .

the following is the same tunic, worn as a dress 

(p.s. i just untucked the above shirt...can you see the wrinkles?? )

it is so comfortable either way.

when i find such thrifted treasures,

i am always so surprised at what people are able to give away...

more over, i am doubly surprised and delighted when i find them hanging in the rack 

waiting to be rescued and included in this blog !!!

hope you all had a great red and white canada day !!!

erica

xoxo

dipping into durrance

yesterday was another gorgeous day in victoria,

the temperature hovered in the high 20s so we spent the afternoon at durrance lake.

after all the floating paraphernalia were pumped and tested for leaks... 

the convoy was on their way...

even harlow had his own raft.

the largest of three lake in mount work regional park, 

durrance lake is the most accessible and a favourite of ours.    

the northern side of its shore has beautiful beaches and great spots to soak up some sun.

this spot is our favourite.... and by luck it's free every time we come.

  the water at durrance is cool and fresh for swimming.  

nestled in a valley carved between mount work and the neighbouring patridge hills, 

durrance lake is ringed with forested stopes.  

also, circling the lake,  is a well-groomed path which gives way to a narrow twisting hiking trail  for all the "i'd rather be hiking" folks like harlow and me!!!

after a ride around the lake, harlow is ready to be on solid ground again.

he is content to watch all the action from the beach 

and to play with all the other dogs that come to the park.

but it's hard to get the children out of the water...

they are strong swimmers and feel very comfortable in the water.

at times... i think that they are a little bit too comfortable for my liking !!!

 because all the splashing gets out of control.

you know that summer has definitely arrived after that first refreshing dip in the lake.

a few weeks ago it was far too cold for such a treat... 

but now, the swim suits and towels will remain on the clothesline, 

ready for the next visit to our swimming hole.

two things i know for sure after an afternoon at the lake....

they are going to be hungry....

and they are going to sleep well !!!

erica

xoxo

happy canada day to all my canadian family and friends !!!