One Year

It's Autumn. My favourite season.

It feels like moments ago that I was hiding under the broadest brimmed hat I could find, coating myself in sunscreen and dodging from shade spot to shade spot during the hot summer days here.  Now all of a sudden the weather has made a turn toward the bearable.  Temperatures are in the 14-20 degree range (celsius) during the day, the pervasive muggy sticky feeling in the air has abated. Being out of  doors is enjoyable again.

This summer has gone by like a whirlwind, and when I look back on it, it isn't hard to see how.

What I thought would be a quiet, long and hot summer quickly transformed into a busy, short (but still hot) one. We had visitors come to us in June, July and August.  A long drive up the East Coast to and from a lovely New Brunswick wedding with stops in Maine, Massachussets, and Nova Scotia to visit friends and family.

There was a whirlwind weekend trip to Calgary to attend and photograph a wedding.  

I had so much fun photographing this wedding!  I only got misty-eyed 100 times.

A trip to NS to celebrate a large family wedding and visit even more friends happened over Labour Day weekend.  

Group shot of the eve of Sean and Nicole's beautiful wedding.
Thanks for reminding me to take the picture Nicole!

My final trip  of the year just ended with an epic adventure to the Yukon (which I will share more about soon, promise). Dan just got back from a conference in Seattle.  We have both spent a lot of time in airports.

And this was just the summer.  Spring went by quickly. Winter was a bit of a blur, and before winter there was autumn. Last Autumn we had just arrived in Princeton.  The whole year has zipped by. It was our Princetanniversary October 1st.  One year.  It has gone by fast thanks to interesting and flexible employment, all of our many amazing trips, new friends, and every wonderful visitor. While adjusting to all of the "new" in our lives, every piece of mail, every text, every email and phone call from family and friends has made this move not only doable, but enjoyable.  

October 8th 2015 - Photo #4 in our Yearly Photo Project

So, here's to another year!  More adventures, travel and fun (Only 300 or so days until the next wedding I get to attend)  In the short term though, I think I'll stay put for a few months and enjoy the cooler breezes of fall.

Let's Drive to Dawson City

Last week, one of my best pals and I packed our bags and made the long trek to Dawson City.  It was a long overdue trip to visit a friend from MtA, and I now understand a little bit about what draws people there every summer, or compels others to make their lives there. It isn't for everyone - but I sure wish it was for me.  I will continue to live vicariously through my friend, and visit much more frequently (which shouldn't be a problem, just more than once every six years).

I'm not sure what I want to say about the trip and the visit yet - but I know I will sort it out.  In the meantime, let me share this rag-tag video compiled of clips of the drive.  Meaghan rented the car and I wasn't insured to drive it, so I took 1,000 pictures and more video than I knew what to do with.  I tried my hand at video editing, and this is the result.

Independence Day

Today is the 4th of July.

I'm familiar with the holiday, and its origins - but whenever someone says "Independence Day" I can't help but picture the 1996 movie that we rented more than once, and saw at least as many times again when it played on TV.  Aliens, weddings, moving speeches, a crop-dusting hero, and Jeff Goldblum - the movie wants for nothing, and I may have to watch it tonight.

Fortunately our Fourth of July celebrations had no space alien invasions.  Unfortunately, Jeff Goldblum didn't play a role either. We both had the day off and decided to explore the neighbouring areas outside of Princeton.  With tea, an audiobook and the GPS packed, we were off.

 Our first stop was Pine Creek Mini Golf.  The consensus that it was the most beautiful mini-golf course we have been to, and also the hardest course we have ever played. No windmills or plastic pink flamingos (though, they have their place in my heart).  It was a big beautiful garden that was filled with birds and an abundance of plant life. There was a lovely pond and a stream that I managed to putt my little pink golf ball into more than I would like to admit. 

 Emotions ran high, and the scores were all over the place.  Dan was eventually crowned the winner (due both to his skill, and my repeated visits to the water hazard) and I graciously conceded.

A fair warning, anyone who comes to visit, you will have no choice but to come mini golfing with us.  I was so keen, I asked for a club card and they gave me a mitt full of coupons.

Next stop, the town of Lambertville.  Since moving to NJ, I've been told by loads of people that I'd love Lambertville, NJ and New Hope, PA.  They are across the Delaware river from each other and are both charming.  We stayed on the NJ side of the river this time, but we'll go again and check out New Hope next time.

Lambertville is filled to the brim with galleries, but my favourite was the Haas Gallery.  Many of the paintings were of scenes from around New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and he is clearly influenced by John Singer Sargent, which I think probably gets him a lot of attention.  I bought a little card, and will hopefully be back for a print some day.

There was a chocolate shop called the Chocolate Box that looked a little bit like Honeydukes from Harry Potter. We had lunch at a placed called Full Moon that only serves dinner on nights where there is a full moon.  We went into a rare book store that had cocktail recipe books for worldly gentlemen (circa 1940), as well as a strange collection of records.  

I found this Bruce Springsteen gem from 1973 in mint condition, and since there is a song called 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) on it I had to get it. It was meant to be.  I'm listening to it now, and it doesn't dissappoint.

All in all, a good day.  Now to go see if I can find a copy of Independence Day for evening viewing.

To Upstate!

Summer is a time for making fun stuff happen. 

A few weekends ago we made some fun stuff happen.  We drove 5 hours north, Sean and Nicole drove 5 hours south, and we met up in Lodi, New York. Lodi is a small speck of a village, surrounded by other small villages and hamlets.  Finding a grocery store was a challenge, but there were wineries every 5 miles or less.

We went to a few, but the one that we really loved was called "Silver Thread Vineyard".  It was a quick walk up the hill from our little cabin and the view was as lovely and clear as the Chardonnay (I realize this was kind of a snotty sounding sentance- but it is true, and I couldn't help it!)

The Rasmussen men using a charcoal BBQ for the first time.  It was almost a hopeless affair.

Our last dinner in our odd and lovely little cabin.

It was a relaxing few days filled with dog walks, books (I read 3 Sherlock Holmes books in quick succession), bbqing, and beer.  Many hands of Hearts were played around the little table, late into the night.

The kitchen was non-existent, but we managed to make some some pretty excellent meals all the same, thanks to some creative cooking and managing the BBQ.

Hudson, The Labradoodle.  Also known to me as Hodge Podge, Hud-Dawg and The Honourable Sir Hudage of Cambridge.  I'm pretty proud of this picture.  Black dogs are super tricky to photograph.

This beauty of a dog was kind of the highlight of the trip.  Sean and Nicole got him as a puppy 6 months ago, and he is now one large and precious puppy. He was too cool.  I liked watching him galump around with his oversized limbs, and sometimes he would listen to me when I said "sit" and "stay" - thanks to his sweet disposition and Sean and Nicole's committment to training.

It was a great little trip, and I'm so glad that I got to spend it with these folks.

Sean, Nicole & Hudson. 2015

Dan & Gill. 2015

Canal Kayaking

Keeping an ever watchful eye on the weather (ridiculous humidity or thunderstorms just wouldn't do) I've been counting down until Friday. I had the day off, and I had plans.

 Waking up this morning, everything aligned perfectly.   Sunny and bright, but not humid.  It was under 30 degrees Celsius by noon!  No thunderclouds loomed.  Perfect weather for paddling down the Delaware and Raritan Canal.

 The Canal was built in 1830 by hand (many, many hands I'm sure) to connect the Delaware and Raritan rivers.  This provided a freight route between New York and Philly.   The tow paths on either side of the canal that allowed mules to pull the cargo ships are still intact.

Now this industrial route has been transformed into a really beautiful park that stretches over 36 miles.  You can paddle down the canal, or jog or bike along either of the two tow paths.  My friend Marissa and I leisurely kayaked downstream for a few hours, stopping only for a re-apply of sunscreen and a refreshing beverage.

It never feels like summer until I've had a Shandy.

All along the shore there were wee little frogs, the odd fish, Painted Turtles, and Canadian(!) Geese.   There were other people kayaking, canoeing, running, and cycling. At one point the canal starts going alongside Carnegie lake, where the Princeton crew teams practice and race.  There was a practice going on as we passed by.  The sounds of their oars was muchmore impressive than the splish-splash of our paddles.

It was a really super way to spend a Friday afternoon.

My favourite little walk through town

Today, it is sunny and hot.  Really sunny and really hot. 89 degrees Fahrenheit or about 32 degrees Celsius.  This is not weather I thrive in, and I know this is just the beginning. In a few weeks I'll have adjusted - but for now, I'm going to think back to a simpler time - a time where to battle the cold you just put on another layer of wool...

A few weeks ago (I can't believe it was only a few weeks ago!), when there was still a little bit of snow on the ground, I took a few pictures of my favourite little walk through town as I walked from job #1 to job #2.  It goes right through the heart of an area called Palmer Square, and which I like to think of as Diagon Alley.  Even if it isn't the most direct route, I'll go this anyway way anyway because I like the way it looks.  It goes by a chocolate shoppe, a pub that Einstein used to frequent, a small park, an ancient post office, the best toy store I have ever been to, a fortune teller, and two other pubs.  That makes the 3 out of 4 pubs in town within spitting distances of each other.

Let me take you on the walk with me.

Brick tunnel into the square.

Ancient US Post Office

Another tunnel!

One of the pubs.  After your pint, you can go across the path to get your fortune told.

This brief little jaunt through town almost always puts a smile on my face, not matter what the temperature.  I think it's time for one of those walks now.

It was a snow day!

This is apparently the worst winter in New Jersey in 80 years.  The coldest and the snowiest.  We live walking distance to everything, so the snow hasn’t affected us much (and there really hasn't been much).  Thursday, I got to enjoy my first snow day in almost a decade.   The entire town of Princeton shut-down and I didn’t have to go into work.

Before I could curl up with an audiobook and my knitting, I of course had to go tromp around in the snow. I pulled on my boots and picked up my camera and ventured out to see what the town and campus looked like covered in snow and without any people.

It was quiet and lovely.  Still and cold. It was a treat.  A few coffee places and the liquor store were open, but that was about it. While it was a piece of cake to walk around in, the roads were coated in ice underneath that innocent, fluffy looking snow. 

It was nice to walk through town with no real purpose.  To not be running errands or have to be anywhere at a particular time.  To blink the snowflakes out of my eyelashes. To be the first set of footprints in the snow.  

 It finally felt like a proper winter day.  I can now look forward to spring.