The Coffee Table

Recently, I convinced myself that we needed a coffee table.  I had no place to put my tea (earl grey, hot) while I was watching Star Trek. I couldn't literally put my feet up after a long day of work. I knew the cat was suffering from not having another piece of furniture to hide under. Getting a coffee table would solve all of these problems and more, I was sure of it.  I was obsessed.  I started looking at home decor and design websites.  I popped into every store in town that might have something.  

After a few weeks, I found exactly what I wanted.  Hand made from reclaimed wood, it was technically a bench but would be perfect for our space.  It was beautiful.  It was expensive.  The price tag is what shook me out of my obsessive stupor.

I still wanted a coffee table though. Time to come up with a solution.

When we moved, we had to chuck our old and broken ikea bed. But the bedslats were still good, and I insisted we bring them with us in case we needed them for our next frame.  We brought them with us, but as it turns out we did not need them, so we were stuck with a bunch of odd 2x4s.

The beginnings of our masterpiece.

It was time to make our own reclaimed wood coffee table.With 9 dollars worth of screws, a handsaw, a drill and some clashing ideas, Dan and I designed and put together our own coffee table. While this was my initial idea, for the most part Dan was in charge of constructing the actual table (but he was removed him from handsaw duty).  I served the role of human clamp, literally holding things together as pilot holes were drilled and screws, screwed.

I took over this job for obvious reasons.

We're really pleased with the result.  The only regret is having such slap-dash pictures.  It would have been nice to properly document how we put it together, as well as the mess that went along with it.  I already have some more plans forming, but no more woodworking projects until the snow melts.  It makes for too much sawdust in our apartment.

The finished project.  It has already held many a cup of tea successfully.

Hey Rosetta & Asbury Park

Those who know me well, know a few key things about me:
1. I knit.
2. My birthday is October 21st
3. I really, really like Hey Rosetta, and think you should too.

The last few times I've tried to see Hey Rosetta, things haven't gone quite to plan.

Three years ago, I got tickets to see them in Toronto and then couldn't go because of work.  Luckily, I was able to give them to an excellent friend and now she's a fan.


Two summers ago we went to the Gentlemen of the Road Festival specifically to see them.  While they and all the other performers were great, it was there that I realized that I'm not as easy-going as I thought I was. In fact, I might be stodgey. Too many people, too much pushing, too much sun, too little sleep.

Hot, hot, hot. Bright, bright, bright.

Last summer we went to Hillside Music Festival in Guelph.  Hey Rosetta did a morning workshop with Royal Canoe that was a tribute to the music of the Beatles. It was worth waking up bright and early for. It was a tight and creative set that made it seem like the two bands have been playing together for years (who knows, maybe they have?).  The sad news is that Hey Rosetta's set that evening was cancelled due to a pretty epic thunder and lightning storm.

This fall I found out their newest album was being released on my birthday.  Happy Birthday to me!  However, we had just moved, and it was the Canadian release date that was October 21st.  The American release date was still months away. Yet another reason to be homesick.

Turn the clock to January.  I see a tweet.  I check a schedule. We buy tickets and 2 days later we're headed to the Jersey Shore to a place called The Saint.
 

The stage was so small, that even though we were in the very front, we couldn't see all the players.

It was a small stage and a modest crowd, with a few obvious ex-pats mixed in.  The size of the venue and crowd didnt stop them from playing a great show, playing mostly new songs with a few older favourites.  They handled the ridiculous demands from the crowd with grace and humour, and then, when they were all done, the violin player got most of  the band to sign my freshly purchased CD. Thanks Kinley!

And now it is January 27th! The official launch date of their new album Second Sight.  I hope it does great, and they come back  again sometime soon.

Pretty Much Settled!

So looking back at the last few months, things have been pretty busy.  Since October, we've packed up our lives moved to the US, had major struggles with our moving company, had major struggles with immigration,  had visitors (yay!! more of those please) and have been back to Canada twice to visit.  Somewhere in there, we finally unpacked and are properly moved into our apartment. 

Before I show you around, let me first remind you what our first month looked like:

Other than the fact that we were sleeping on the floor, and our kitchen supplies consisted of 2 plates and a casserole dish -  we got used to the plain walls and the clean counters.  It was simple and kind of nice. It was a shock when our furniture and books and countless other things arrived after a month.  I was pretty sure we were going to drown in our belongings.

After weeks with nothing, we're swimming in overwhelming amounts of stuff.

After a few weeks of sorting stuff, giving stuff away and then putting the leftover stuff away. We're pretty well settled. Let's show you around!

Living Room. 

Getting the art up on the walls was the most important part for me.  Once we had a few prints up, then it finally felt like we belonged here.  A lot of the art was made by friends and family. We're pretty lucky.

Dining Room/Kitchen. 

Bless Ikea shelving. Without them, we'd be swimming in books.  Since I've taken this photo a few days ago, I've already rearranged some things.  I'm sure I will again in a few weeks. It's an obsession.

Bedroom.  Milk crate shelving for the win.

 It is feeling more and more like home, but there is always more to do.  The most important thing to do is fill this place with more visitors. So come and visit!  The futon is surpisingly comfortable, and I have an infinite supply of tea and board games.

Books And The Best of Intentions

The year has come to a close, and the new year is all of a sudden here and now.  Time for me to do what many people do this time of year.  Time to look back, take stock and make plans for the future.

I've had ups and downs with New Year's Resolutions.  Over the past few years I have come up with lofty goals and vague plans to meet them.  Going to the gym everyday, learning a new language and keeping my house Martha-Stewart-clean; I've come up with all sorts of ideas for self improvement.  For the most part they have all failed.  My goals too ambitious, my interest not genuine.

But change is afoot.  The time for failed plans is through. For my third year in a row, I'm making the same simple resolution: I'm going to read 50 books.

Some of the books on my list this year.

When I was young, I would have laughed at such a goal. 50 books?  I could do that in 3 months.  I read constantly.  There was nothing on the bookshelves (shared with my brother and sister) that I hadn't read at least 5 times.  I would seek out the books that I hadn't yet read on the small shelves at my local library. It was a point of pride that I would read the entire Lord of the Rings Trilogy every year and every year, a little bit more of that dense text would make it into my brain. 

I'm not sure when this changed. High School? University? I can vividly remember hundreds of stories I read as a child, but I can not name you one book I read in university that wasn't also a text book.

It was when I came across the online community Goodreads when I realized how few and far between books had been in my life.  Using Goodreads as a tool to find new books and track my progress I slowly eased my way back into books.  It had been a long time, did I still know how to immerse myself into a story?  Appreciate fiction? Would I ever be the reader I wanted to be again?

I'm happy to announce, that my treatment has been success and I'm back in a reading groove. In 2012 I read 50 books.  In 2013, 37 (short of 50, but I still feel pretty good about it). 2014 I'm aiming for 50 again, and I'm feeling confident.

If I don't get to 50?  That's alright, I'll be at least partway there, with some new stories and experiences in my heart. It's a win-win. So, that's my one goal. My sole resolution. Read 50 books.

Oh, I also want to lose a few pounds.

Mountains to the left of me, ocean to the right.

Well, Vancouver is pretty cool.  There are charming clothing and jewellery stores. There are wide and clean streets.  The public transit system within the city limits seems pretty good.  Your food options are varied and interesting.  People seem pretty chill.  There is an abundance of museums.  It hardly snows...

The catch?  I'm sure there are a few (the housing market for one). But I think the reason that so many people look beyond the downsides and choose to make a life here is because you can see mountains on one side, and on the other, the Pacific Ocean, a body of salt water that is so very different than the Atlantic Ocean of my home.  For me, this is just part of the appeal of this city, this coast.

The main draw to Vancouver this week was family. Six  of us "kids" traveled from all over to visit with our branch of parents in BC.  We filled every nook and cranny of their float home just outside of Vancouver.

View from the dock of the float home. 

Every once in a while you can feel the water gently buffetting the float home up and down (and side to side) a feeling that (luckily) I relished.  Out of every window, at every point of the day, rain or shine the view was just perfect.  While there was a good amount of time to relax, we certainly did a lot in a short period of time. 


We fed birds at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary and Stanley Park.

Photo kudos to Steve. I'm feeding seed to a Chesnut Backed Chickadee in Stanley Park.

  We explored the Vancouver Aquarium.

I can't get over how awesome penguins are.

  We visited with excellent friends over a delicious meal. 

Thanks to Mary for this picture! I love these beautiful people.

 Most exciting of all, we went to a wedding... on a boat!  

Bouquets and boutonnieres were handmade by Nicole and me.

 In addition to all of this, we went for walks, tracked the tide, put together puzzles, watched movies, read books and celebrated happy hour nearly every day.  The days were full and good, just like a vacation ought to be.  I can't wait for the next one.

It's December!?

Daniel and I originate from opposite ends of the country.  Me from the East, he from the West.  The holidays over the past few years have been interesting.  There is the push and pull of old traditions and new plans. Which family do we visit? Do we venture out on our own? BC? Alberta? NS? What about New Year's Eve?


I treasure the familiarity of Christmas at home with comforting tastes and smells and visits with old friends.  I treasure it so much that last year I travelled from Ontario to Nova Scotia.  A simple and short flight turned into a 36 hours of wide-awake travel involving Porter Airlines, GO Transit and 3 Greyhound Buses. A 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' experience.  I channelled the good humour and offbeat attitude of John Candy during the entire trip.

Somewhere in Northern New Brunswick, 3 AM on Christmas Eve 2013

I also love the thrill of trying something new and joining in other people's traditions.  It's neat to throw your expectations out the window and get on a plane to snow-less New Zealand.  Then you can have fish and chips on the beach with your new extended family on Christmas Eve before spending 3 weeks caravan-ing all over the island. 

New Zealand, Christmas Eve 2012

 

Another notable Christmas was 2010, the last winter holiday we spent unmarried.   Dan's present to me that year was a couple days away on Storm Mountain (no better name for a mountain in my opinion) where we had a cozy cabin, delicious food, and so much snow to tromp around in. He asked me to marry him. I said yes.  I liked this Christmas a lot.

This year will be different yet again.  This year we head to Vancouver to spend it with another branch of our family. There will be quite a crew of us, and there are all sorts of fun festivities planned, but as long as there is good food (there will be), excellent company (no question!) and lots of time for knitting (I'm gifting a certain someone a sweater, and I'd like to finish it), it will still feel like Christmas to me.

Nearby Nature Reserve

Entrance of Mountain Lakes Nature Reserve.  November Rain.

One of the charming parts about where we are situated in Princeton is that we are really close to a beautiful park.  The Mountain Lakes Nature Reserve.  Especially in the first few weeks of living here, when the fall colours were at their finest, I took a lot of walks through the park.  Rain or shine.


It is not a large park, but it does seem significantly removed from the rest of the town.  You always encounter people on the paths, but not so many that it seems crowded. It is nice to share such a space with other, quiet admirers.

The man-made lake of Mountain Lakes Nature Reserve

As you round the corner on one of the many trails,  you come across this sight. A large man-made lake. Originally constructed for ice harvest until it was linked to typhoid outbreak.  Now this lake is home to many Canadian geese, fish, and turtles!  When it is warmer, the turtles can be seen sunning on the brick ledge surrounding the lake.

Annual Anniversary photo. 1 month late.  Next year we'll do it in October, when it is warmer.

My most recent visit to the park was with Daniel.  It was a cold evening, with the wind stinging our cheeks. and my fingers were numb as I fiddled with my camera.  With a few false starts, a tad of bickering and by precariously balancing the camera on my backpack and a bench, we managed to get our annual "Anniversary Picture" done.   You can't really tell, but  we're holding my blackberry tablet that has last year's picture on it (and in that picture we're holding the previous year's picture, and so on).  We got this shot just in time.  Some pretty nasty clouds were rolling in.

This amazing colour is one of the many reasons I love autumn.

 Today, we got our second smattering of snow.  Tomorrow, if it sticks around I am going to see how it looks sprinkled like icing over the trees and trails.