163 Degrees

building inspector

2012-02-20T21:17:00.003-04:00

jc landry inspects site

kitchen view to backyard

a few of the boards covering the airwell have been removed and you can glimpse the lower level.

last week the trim work began. "susan's room" has one window trimmed out.

the office trim is almost finished.

office

the doors are being hung

view of the front garden from the new office window

the new blue boiler that will keep us warm

My father loves building things almost as much as he loves talking to people. Construction sites offer the perfect marriage of both. Anything under construction is fair game and he casually drops into building sites and chats with anyone who will answer his questions. Folks are surprisingly free with information and he usually comes away from each visit with a wealth of technical advice and a full background report on personalities involved. We joke that he is the local building inspector and I think some people might think he really is official. Needless to say, our renovation is of great interest to him and he's been keeping tabs on everything through the blog (hi dad!) and with his site visits. He signed off on the trim work last week and got some good tips on mud application from the tapers.

wide angle

2012-02-15T17:40:00.003-04:00

new kitchen window installation

trying out a wide angle lens on the windows

foyer view to kitchen

void over foyer

stairwell

upper level library shelves

upper level hall - view to TV room

TV room

upper level view to TV room

upper level bedroom view to hall

upper level bedroom

bathroom

The last of the windows went in today. Two windows for the kitchen were held back until the cabinets could be installed underneath the openings. When the countertop comes it will extend into the sill so the windows had to hung at just the right height. The drywallers continue to tape, sand and fill the gyroc and the plumber has been busy installing the boiler for the heating system.

I'm trying out a new lens on my camera. The Lumix GF1 came with a 20mm lens which takes great images but was not giving me much scope for the wide angles needed for these interiors. I wish I had been using this from the beginning of the reno. Everything looks spacious and grand. This must be how real estate agents make one room shoe boxes look palatial...it's all smoke and mirrors.

the big one

2012-02-07T22:44:00.005-04:00

the sun coming through the scaffold

the scaffold was used to get this big guy...

...up to the upper level to replace the 4 paned window above the door

the builder told me that I probably shouldn't watch when they installed this one. They snapped it in pretty quickly and without a trip to the emergency ward

it looks like this on the inside

view toward tv room

view toward opening

the corner bead has been added to bookcase openings

scaffold in stairwell

office view to foyer

tv room view toward northwest arm

crow flypast. the top of dingle tower is just visible through the trees

just in case this is all getting too romantic...the worksite looks like this

They drywall tapers are quietly moving from corner to corner as they install corner beading and mesh. At this phase of the job, women have made their first appearance on the job site. There is a woman hanging drywall and another woman has joined the team of tapers. Otherwise, it has been an all-boy crew doing the work. One of the tapers wears metal stilts which make him seem like a creature from starwars. The stilts are so cool. I wish I had a pair. Think of what you could do with them on halloween!

stone harbour

2012-02-05T19:03:00.004-04:00

While the builders and drywallers clip along, I am grinding out the decisions on finishes and fittings. The stone counter top was going to be easily matched up with warm grey cabinets. It was going to be a cinch. The stone is rich and boasts an array of grey tones. Thinking of something as in the bag is usually a prelude to difficulty and this has been the case. Finding the right grey hasn't been so simple. I've bought test pots for a couple of choices and still think I have to go deeper. Today I needed a break from my poetically named paint colours and took a walk along the barrens of Nova Scotia's most famous stone harbour – Peggy's Cove. At -10 c the temperatures were brisk but the sunshine and the happy dogs warmed it up.

the incredible whiteness of being

2012-02-03T20:27:00.002-04:00

closets in the susan/english visitor suite

the skylights are almost boxed in. the drywallers removed the safety rails around the opening and planked it over to use as a staging for the higher walls.

look beyond the piles of tools and imagine built-in bookshelves filling these slots.

view toward upper level bedroom

view into tv room through opening

TV wall in media room. the TV will hang on the wall and electronics will be in a cabinet that will fit into the opening below.

doors in upper level bedroom

upper level bedroom

view from upper level bedroom to hall

upper level bathroom

the process of hanging the drywall creates hundreds of off-cut bits which are being tossed through the floor opening...

...into a big pile on the kitchen floor.

the tub has been delivered. the protective plastic covering makes it look like a salad bowl covered in saran wrap.

Just as the sun was going down tonight, I snapped a few shots of the changing colours of Dingle Road. Like a winter storm changing fall to winter, the 3 person team of drywallers has been gradually turning the house white. Gone are the yellows and golds of the timber framing. Wood elements will return when the flooring is laid and the bookcases are in but for now it is a dusty white world. The mud arrives tomorrow and with that stage comes another blanket of gypsum snow.

walls and windows

2012-01-31T22:57:00.006-04:00

is there anything more exciting then a delivery truck filled with new windows?

I had my fingers and toes crossed when they unloaded the first window

the factory finish is a perfect match for the existing trim

the office windows

a view of snowy rooftops from the TV room

a new window for the upper level bathroom

hallway view to guestroom

Susan's room has walls

kitchen

from the foyer to the office

the office walls are going up

office windows from inside

the instructions to the drywall installers are very direct. in the stairwell, some surfaces will be finished in wood so the notes are written on the stud walls to avoid confusion

It is very clear to me that I am not Sarah Richardson. This popular home reno TV personality is on record as saying she does not agonize over decisions. She works hard to make good choices and lets it go. I am a card carrying member of the agonize party. I selected and did trials on 4 trim colours before settling on the combo we applied a couple of years ago. New windows for the renovation posed a problem. Most windows come with white trim and we had to find a window that would give us the colour range we needed. Norwood windows solved the problem. The have a factory finish paint job that is available in hundreds of colours.

The easi-lite wallboard is going up fast and every day there is another surface to reflect the light. Hold on to your hat, this train is moving fast.

the gyprock is coming, the gyprock is coming!

2012-01-25T20:43:00.004-04:00

even "light weight" gypsum board is heavy. nobody wants to hump it into the job site piece by piece.

huge boom trucks are made for the job. everyone should have one.

excellent drivers with amazing parking skills are mandatory

the ultra handy delivery port has been boarded up to keep out the cold

closet storage for pink insulation

we are at a messy phase, the spaces are filled with sheetrock and insulation

upper level hall

now that the skylights are boxed in, I wish we looked into opening up the trusses to provide a wider opening. ...budget, did someone say budget?

upper level bedroom

Running a renovation must be something like running a circus. The flow of money needed to keep contractors in supplies seems equivalent to the quantities of cash needed to keep herds of animals in hay and performers on the payroll. Both groups have voracious appetites. Then there is the action. Every day, people and machines rush about in all directions and quite often you get treated to amazing displays of talent, precision and daring. Today we had a high-wire act. Heavy stacks of gypsum board were swung merrily through the trees and scarcely a twig was broken in the exercise. OK, these guys don't wear spandex, but you get the idea.

warm and scratchy

2012-01-23T18:40:00.002-04:00

R-31

a cozy crawl space...if I was a kid, I would make camp in here

still life with pink bats

the pink fluff will help keep the minus 13 on the outside

the lower level is getting spray foam insulation

kitchen wall

kitchen wall from foyer

stud wall shadows

a "fireman's hatch" is required for the building code

Tony the plumber has been carefully soldering up the heating manifold

I hope this thing comes with a manual

I snuck over to the house early on Sunday morning and captured more of the construction progress. The place is a hive of activity and it is a challenge to find a moment when there are not crowds of builders crawling all over the site. This week the plumber created a copper masterpiece in the basement and the insulators filled all of the exterior walls with thick pink fiberglass and spray foam. The gyprock sheeting will soon cover the stud walls and the true sense of the space will be revealed. The play of light will change as we move closer to the completing the project. I am anxious to see where the light will move as wood frames become solid walls.

everybody's doing it

2012-01-16T22:14:00.004-04:00

the Dingle Tower has been under renovation since last fall (photo Jan 2011)

the wraps are starting to come off

the tower is blindfolded

a crane hovers over a new building at Dalhousie University

Fleming Park has become the staging area for work on the seawall

these stones make our wall blocks look like pebbles

can I come down now?

It has been "furry hat" cold for the last couple of days

Jigs opts for all over fur

There is a disconnect between the doom and gloom of the economic news and the building boom I see around me. The contractors tell me that they are busier then they have ever been and all of their associates are rolling in work. Our little park has seen a received some TLC as well. The work to refurbish the 100 year old Dingle Tower is just about finished and they are beginning major construction on the seawall. A huge pile of granite boulders has been growing daily. The blocks are colossal and it will be interesting to watch this project unfold.

house guts

2012-01-15T18:28:00.006-04:00

shiny new vents

a duct to nowhere

getting ready for the washer and dryer

hobo code for dryer

the window in the guest room

pocket door for bathroom entrance

reinforced shear wall in foyer

the closets in the office have been framed in

a small dog waiting patiently for it all to be over

When I thought about renovating the house, the finishes and the space came first to mind. My head spun with ideas about how it might look and I mentally tallied how much it might cost. I thought about how difficult it would be choose all of this stuff and how long it would take to be installed. Thoughts about the house "guts" barely entered my mind. The important and time consuming processes of installing venting, putting in rough-ins and setting up air exchangers were not even a twinkle in my mind's eye. Should have thought about that because it is almost all about that. "That" being the highly unglamorous stuff behind the walls. The changes over the past week have not been dramatic and it is hard to see the wires, vents and pipes tucked in behind the framework, but they are there and that step is almost complete. Next up is the city's framing inspection and then on to insulation! With temperatures around -13 degrees celsius, the heat is rolling right out through the walls and I am anxious to see some fluff between us and the great Canadian winter.

sticks and stones

2012-01-10T14:47:00.005-04:00

the wall in the TV room

plywood for the subfloor

white macabus will give the in-house geologist hours of fun

let's play follow the fault line

where will the sunlight fall in the new kitchen?

the beam above the doors has been opened to accommodate light fixtures

seaweed insulation still clings to a few bits of wood

tony the plumber has fixed up a temporary heat source to keep the pipes from freezing

funky cube heaters in graphic colours

Jigs has not figured out the upper level yet and looks lost when we call her

"where are we putting my new food bowl?"

Almost all of the sticks are up and the walls have been defined. A new plywood subfloor was pounded into the lower level this week. The old floor was warped, broken and as dry as sawdust. This new layer will give the installers a better base for the flooring. We spent some time torturing the folks at Nova Tile and Marble. They indulged my indecision and allowed us to "browse" through their slabs of stone. When browsing involves cranes and hard hats, it tends to take a while. We chose a piece of White Macabus for the countertop. It's harder then granite and will laugh in the face of hot cookware. The geologist is pleased that a piece of nature will be his to study while he reads the morning newspaper.

framing

2012-01-04T11:08:00.003-04:00

The boys from topsail are chewing through stacks of 2x4s as they frame up the new walls. The rough stairs to the second level are already in and Jigs has given them the wheaten terrier stamp of approval.

view from new office into foyer

view from bedroom through 2nd level hall

the 2nd level hallway is open on both sides and we've started calling it "the bridge"

2nd level view through bathroom wall

stairs in foyer

jigs at the top of the stairs

a reno blog

2012-01-01T14:48:00.004-04:00

For years, "Find architect to talk about renovation" has been a perpetual item on our to-do list. We bought our house in 1994 and after several months of ownership, our flat roof sprang a rather spectacular leak which led to a new pitched roof with provision for a second storey addition. For years, the second story space remained vacant while we dreamed up the possible scenarios for redevelopment. Last January we found an architect to help us and we spent many months scoping out plans and hiring contractors. On the 12th of December the demo team was unleashed and the reno began. I snapped a couple of Before Shots as we were packing up the place. The past is already a dim memory and the future is unfolding daily. Oh lord, what have we done.

down the hall [double-click to see full image]

the old kitchen

looking from the TV area into the kitchen

the kitchen is moving to the back of the house and ceiling will open to the second storey

[double-click to see full image]

an area previously known as the bathroom

the second storey

waterworld

2011-11-06T20:12:00.000-04:00

strontium dog

Photo By Aaron Favila, Associated Press

The misery in Thailand continues and the flood waters have finally reached Lauchie's doorstep in the Lad Phrao district of Bangkok. Like many Bangkokians, he has fled the scene and has been relocated to a town 1000 kms away from the city. I am grappling with the enormous scope of disaster. There are 13 million people living in Bangkok and all are being effected by this catastrophe. My head shakes when I look at the recent news photos. So many familiar places are underwater. I posted a few flood shots above...just compare them to the images of this street from a couple of years ago.

road trip

2011-08-04T20:56:00.004-03:00

Back in mid-june we packed our bags, headed down the TransCanada highway, took a left in New Brunswick and followed the I95 into the heart of Maine. The weather gods were on our side. This summer has been one of the soggiest on record yet we basked in sunshine for three days. Acadia National Park was the highlight. Thanks to John D. Rockefeller's road building obsession, the park boasts an extensive network of carriage roads which are a treat to explore. We rented a pair of bikes and Lauchie got a gold star for not complaining about wearing a goofy helmet. Not even one grumble. His restraint was a show of stoic manliness.

every cottage has it

2011-07-31T22:15:00.006-03:00

It is the thing you do that makes the cottage trip official. It's the milestone activity that you complete and say "ahhh, now that's summer". At our family cottage it was a hike around Red Point or a frog catching trip to the lake or a big bonfire on the seashore. At my sister in-law's cottage it is the hike to the top of the hill behind the house. Sheep grazed the hillside when the family bought the property and the A-frame was a beige triangle on a field of solid green. Now the lambs are no more and the brush and spruce has begun to take over the grassland. The laurels scratch your bare legs as you hack through the ankle-turning hummocks and skirt the swampy patches marked by Blue Flag iris. If you time your walk for a hot day in early July you can feed on tiny wild strawberries that have been warmed in the sun. The summit does not disappoint. The commanding views up the estuary and along to the West Mabou Beach are heart pounders.

I put together a little panorama. Click to enlarge in Flickr.

rock on

2011-07-30T19:48:00.004-03:00

The garden has been on the rocks for the last month; specifically on granite blocks and limestone slabs.

A couple of summers ago we had a couple of small walls built as part of our new porch construction. The finished walls impressed us so much that we decided to continue the theme and replace another wall with the same material. Our builder has been busy trying to make this 15 ton pile of rock disappear.

The pile with a wheaten terrier for scale.

The wall rises but the rock pile looks untouched...hmmmm.

Lauchie has been in charge of the roadwork and he extended the pathway along the front garden.

messing about in boats

2011-06-04T23:20:00.002-03:00

Don't tell my garden but I am cheating on it. This affair has been going on for years now and the relationship between me and my weeds has become quite strained. It started innocently enough when I answered an email from one of my relatives. He was looking for crew to help him race a J24. At the time, what I knew about boats could fit in a teaspoon of seawater and I had a pretty romantic notion of what sailing was about. I figured that I could compensate for my lack of knowledge with some wicked kitchen skills and imagined I would spend the races below decks manning the well equipped galley where I could keep busy opening wine, cutting up cheese blocks and putting out appetizers. If you have ever raced a small sailboat, you are probably laughing at this image. Racing is not quite that genteel and often, a smooshed peanut butter sandwich or a granola bar are the only items on the menu. Something in the game hooked me though and a few years ago I bought a boat with a friend. We've spent a couple summers racing it at a local club and the abject terror has softened into pulse pounding fun. Time on the water is addictive and my garden is suffering from some neglect. It's hard to serve both the land and the sea.

A few scenes from today's Appleton Rum Harbour Race: A bermuda start from the Northwest Arm, then around Hens and Chickens Shoal at Point Pleasant and into the Harbour with a raft up at Bishop's Landing. Amazingly, the diminutive Luna took second place.

she works for scale

2011-06-03T00:16:00.003-03:00

Plant pictures are nice and all, but sometimes you need to lend a sense of proportion to the image. If I was a geologist, I'd probably put a ruler in for scale or go really wild and crazy and put in a shovel. I am fortunate to have a wheaten terrier ready to hand and if you can overlook her complete disobedience, she makes a trusty assistant.

Observe. A path without a wheaten terrier:

A path with a wheaten terrier:

Much better don't you think? A little more life in the frame. Her stage entrances are a bit late but she works for kibble and doesn't talk back.

She's terrific for scale. How would you know this rhodie is a gangly, lanky thing unless she showed you the whole tree:

And if the scene requires it she can even break out her acting skills. Here she is with a melodramatic sniff:

For background performance work she drops her rates:

ahhhhhhh!

2011-05-30T23:40:00.002-03:00

Blue sky. Finally some sun to create light and shade. Weeks and weeks of grey bring me down. And give the garden a little light and you can watch it bust out all over.

It's really past time to play what my friend calls "musical plants". I should have been at that a few weeks ago. Gardeners know what I mean. In the spring it's moving time. You pull one thing out and to give it a new spot you must move something else. The domino effect ripples through the yard and eventually it seems like everything needs moving. Last fall we dragged a hot pink azalea out of a cozy den beneath an ever expanding yak. It bloomed this spring so there is hope for it. Too bad it clashes with every other plant around it. Something tells me it will be on the move again. The delicate Ginny Gee made me happy this spring. They were so completely covered in blossoms that they looked like a small pink cloud floating in the woods.

meltin' stuff

2011-05-27T22:05:00.003-03:00

One of the best things about living in Halifax is the access to a fantastic art college and a wide range of courses. I repeat this fact frequently in hopes it will lure S Black closer to this coast. A few months ago, I signed up for a 2-day glass bead making course at the college. As is the practice with most classes of this type, we began by introducing ourselves and explaining why we took the course. I had to admit that I was there because I love burning and melting stuff. And then I threw in that of course I love glass too. I am drawn to things that change state and go from molten to solid. Iron, glass, clay...shape shifters.

Being in the college again was like drinking from the fountain of youth. The new port campus sits directly on the harbour's edge and the setting matches the excitement of classroom. The class was given by the peerless Katrina Fleming who embodied teaching perfection. She spun glass like a magician and had an infectious enthusiasm for her craft.

Happy Birthday Victoria

2011-05-23T19:30:00.004-03:00

A chilly grey spring continues. The plants are hanging tight and emerging slowly into cool air. It's a good thing the fabulous Susan Black was here to keep things bright. Yesterday we drove out to Crystal Crescent and hiked the rocky shores at Pennant Point. We had a great weekend in the big city. More to come Miss Black?

40 days and 40 nights

2011-05-11T23:31:00.000-03:00

This spring has been grim. The grey skies have persisted for weeks and the constant rain makes me think of ark building. I should not grumble. In many parts of the country people are struggling with sand bags and ruin. The garden has no complaints about the rain. Most of the plants are at the pointy stage and are just snouts sticking out of the ground. The forsythia, which Marie at 66 square feet calls "spring barf", is blooming furiously even though I hacked it viciously last year. What a survivor.

Out of Hibernation

2011-05-07T20:26:00.002-03:00

Blogs are demanding taskmasters. The photo taking, the tweaking, the keyboard pecking...sometimes it takes more time to post the moment then to live the moment. Then life goes merrily along and you get too far behind to catch up. I guess I am explaining what happened to this near lifeless blog. But the command has gone out once again. Lauchie must see spring for himself. The garden must be documented. The cardiac paddles are out!

Green vision

2010-10-05T11:56:00.001-03:00

As a graphic designer I consider the environmental impacts of graphic design products throughout a life cycle that includes: raw material; transformation; manufacturing; transportation; use; and disposal.

I engage in sustainable practice and aim to use techniques, processes, and

materials that will help reduce the detrimental environmental, social, and

economic impact of the design.

When I develop a design or propose a concept I consider:

• reducing the amount of materials required for production

• using paper and materials made with recycled, post-consumer waste

• printing with low-VOC inks

• what production methods require the least amount of transport

• if the product can fulfill more than one purpose

• if the end-product is biodegradable or recyclable

• if the end-product can be replaced by a digital, rather than printed, format

flowers from afar

2010-02-14T13:07:00.002-04:00

Although my true love and I have spent yet another valentines day apart, cupid trudged through the snow to deliver a burst of spring. Fleurs to put some sunshine in this gloomy February day. Back across the miles I send this song. A Chris Rea favourite that has become the unofficial anthem of this long distance love affair. I can feel your heart beat.

bball

2010-02-10T19:06:00.004-04:00

A friend of mine celebrated a big birthday today. To mark the milestone she invited friends to join her at a Breast Cancer Fundraiser last Sunday. The event involved brunch, basketball and lots of feathers. We gathered at the Brussels Restaurant and then spent a couple hours court side watching the Halifax Rainmen. It was great to look up at the scoreboard and see all that pink. I even caught the birthday girl herself. Happy Birthday Pam!

the bend in the road

2010-02-06T19:11:00.004-04:00

This evening I took Jigs out to stomp along look-off path near Herring Cove. I have thought about stopping here dozens of times but until this evening I had never made a point of it. When I pulled up, the setting sun was pouring a golden light on McNabs Island on the opposite shore and the Lighthouse was picked out as a sharp slash of white on Maughers Beach. Halifax Harbour opens up to the North Atlantic at Herring Cove and an endless calm blue sea stretched out beyond the rocky shoreline. The deep cold forced me to take quick snaps as my fingers froze solid when my mitts were off for more then a minute or two. At the waterline the rocks were coated with ice thrown up by the spray and it was tricky walking with my big clunky boots. Jigs happily zoomed around and I kept losing sight of her against the granite blocks. Her beige fur is a perfect camouflage against the stone.

into the gloaming

2010-02-04T20:21:00.004-04:00

The brutal cold of this last week has come packaged with sharp blue skies and glorious sunshine. At the end of the day, when the shadows and clouds step into the scene, it is enough to take my breath away. Tonight Jigs and I got outside just as mother nature's evening show was starting. The rowdy gang of crows that lives in these woods was putting up a large ruckus and filled the sky as they swooped from tree to tree. No doubt they were arguing about who got the best branch to view the sunset.

groundhog day

2010-02-01T10:47:00.006-04:00

The marmot has spoken. Shubenacadie Sam poked his nose out into the sunshine this morning. This year he concurred with Punxsutawney Phil, there will be 6 more weeks of winter. Kind of a no brainer when you live in Nova Scotia.

Lauchie imported the term groundhog day into our household about 12 years ago. He was working offshore in Norway and one of his workmates ended every shift by playing Sarah Brightman's Time to Say Goodbye. Just like the movie, everyday was like groundhog day. Everyday the same as the last, the days rolled out ahead with no end in sight and the work was an interminable grind. Lauchie claims that Groundhog Day is his favourite movie and likes to quip "It's said to be the most spiritual movie of all time". And who doesn't love a movie that gives you a shot at redemption?

give the man what he wants

2010-01-31T14:17:00.002-04:00

When I emailed Lauchie and told him that it had snowed again, he immediately wrote back "Any more photos?". Rather then bore him with another round of shots of the Dingle woods, yesterday I braved the -20 c degree windchill to go on a downtown mission to find fresh views. During an errand run on Friday, I had noticed that the great iron gates of the Public Gardens were crusted in snow and the open fields of Citadel hill were drifted in white. I have not walked up to the Citadel in a long time and it was a great day for a trot around the ramparts. The air was bracing, the blue sky exhilarating and the hill was steeper then it looked. Jigs, my co-pilot, gave the destination two paws up.

address to a haggis

2010-01-30T17:50:00.008-04:00

Aye, 'tis Burns Night agin. A few of my friends have been gathering to toast the bard, Robbie Burns, for several years. We aren't true scotchophiles, it's just an excuse to get together for a mid-winter meal. Tonight my dinner contribution is the salad. I am sure those were few and far between in the Scotland of Burn's time. An improvised offering of greens with candied pepper pecans and a maple-whiskey dressing will have to suffice. Up your kilt! Scots Wahey!

el toro

2010-01-22T19:45:00.002-04:00

A couple of nights ago we had a few inches of snow. It fell in soft perfect flakes all day and by evening, the road looked like this:

Which meant I had to start up this:

Propelling a roaring, banging monster up and down the driveway does take a bit of the romance out of the moment. I was glad to shut it off, put it back in its cave and enjoy the silence. The pinky sky and snow laden branches were spectacular the next morning and the beauty of it has lingered. It almost makes the shoveling worth it. Almost, Lauchie, almost.

back on the bunny hill

2010-01-19T22:38:00.004-04:00

I have not had a set of sticks on my feet in over a decade and was not sure if I could even keep myself vertical. When I was in university, my aunt married a ski crazy man and he infected the whole family with his passion for the sport. My younger brother became a fantastic skier who could helicopter off of jumps and bust across a mogul field in seconds flat. At my best, I could get up and down the hill without falling. My brother kept skiing while my interest and abilities flagged. It took a 9 year old boy to get me back out on the snow. My godson was keen to try it and I asked my brother to come out and show him the ropes. The tow rope that is. That's how I found myself out on the slopes on a magnificent winter day wondering why I hadn't gotten there sooner.

It was lovely to watch all the kids learning how to snowplow or pizza slice as they call it now. It made me think of my uncle and how pleased he would be to see another new skier being minted. He was a tireless worker and he was devoted to a number of causes but skiing was his great love. He co-founded Canada's Nancy Green Ski League and personally, with great patience, taught hundreds to ski. And in his spirit we pass the torch to the next generation.

Thanks Bro! You are still the coolest kid brother around.

if january 17th is your birthday

2010-01-17T20:36:00.006-04:00

...this is your horoscope:

Happy Birthday Lauchie! It seems that you are in for quite a time. You might even make your own fireworks this year.

I did not make this up. Sally Brompton from the Globe and Mail did. I might have told her to put in the wonderful part.

There will be one humdinger of a party to celebrate when you get back and when the tunes start to play, I have a feeling that most of the dance moves are going to look like the ones in this video...which proves that you did more then knock back rum and cokes at the Arrows Club. Put on your hot pants, your velvet jacket and fringed boots. Let's boogie!

Thanks to Courtney at inside the loop for the youtube find. It's a keeper.

vitamin d

2010-01-16T22:23:00.004-04:00

Just what the doctor ordered. A sunny morning to break up the grey and as an added bonus; temperatures above zero. I thought I spotted a couple of seals just off of the seawall. I was disappointed to see snorkels and scuba tanks break the surface...crazy divers out in the murky North Atlantic in January.

moody blue

2010-01-15T22:52:00.002-04:00

Gloom is the key descriptor this winter. Leaden grey skies have outnumbered brilliant cyans by a factor of two to one. This evening the slate colours had a blue cast and the arm was still enough to reflect the city lights. I marched around hatless and my ears did not break off and fall to the ground which was a nice change from a couple of days ago.

As you can see, I have messing with the image sizes which has been jostling things around. I might have to call on Susan's rent-a-genius to fix it up.

settling in for the long winter

2010-01-14T20:15:00.004-04:00

I was anxious to see this fuzzy face when I got back home in December. My little pumpkin was looking very well padded after her 6 week stint at the mother of all dog spas, a.k.a. The Grandparents House. I was surprised that she was willing to come home with me when I picked her up. She gets even more treats there then she does at home.

She went snarfling through the garbage over the past weekend and has a bit of a rumbly tummy. Or maybe she just misses the alpha dog. The extra pudge is a little insurance against the weight loss brought on by her selections from the rubbish tin buffet. I have no fear that she will waste away to nothing while she is on her beef broth diet...she's packing a little extra.

back through the looking glass

2010-01-13T22:03:00.006-04:00

In early December we flew back from Thailand and landed smack dab in the middle of christmas prep. Sweltering Bangkok quickly receded into the background while we grabbed the seasonal cheer with both hands. Snow fell, presents were wrapped and the good times were shared with friends near and far. The holiday had to end sometime and yesterday Air Canada took Lauchie away again. He has popped out of the rabbit hole in Bangkok and has exchanged snowy lanes for melting pavement. I know that tonight he'll have the air conditioner set on Arctic just to compensate.

the best for last

2009-12-07T07:04:00.006-04:00

Tucked away at the end of a side street, away from the maddening noise of the traffic and the bustle of commerce you'll find an oasis called the Jim Thompson House. The house is actually a collection of several teak houses which were relocated to Bangkok in 1959 by the American architect Jim Thompson. Intelligence work brought Thompson to Asia in WWII and he returned to make his home in Thailand after the war. Working closely with local silk weavers he revitalized the Thai silk trade. An avid collector of Asian arts and crafts, he filled his glorious teak house with his finds. His own story is mysterious. He disappeared without a trace while in Malaysia and his remains were never discovered. The house is now a museum and even though I have visited it a few times, it's always on my list of must-sees.

The house backs on the khlong or canal and Thompson's place is covered by the large Flamboyant Tree on the right side of this photo. His weavers lived on the left side and he would have gone across the khlong by boat to see his weavers.

There were many canals until the 1960s but they have gradually been filled in and roads take their place. This khlong is very extensive and is part of the Saen Saep ferry system and it wasn't long before one of the boats came blasting up the khlong sending a large wake slapping up the canal side walls.

The ticket takers are wearing brimmed hard hats. Probably to protect their noggins from over hanging tree branches.

country fairs, thai style

2009-12-05T23:11:00.010-04:00

Prang Sam Yot, the 1,000 year old Khmer temple is the main attraction in Lopburi.

In recent emails to friends, I mentioned that I had gone to a Monkey Festival last weekend and thinking it was somehow self explanatory, I did not elaborate. When they immediately wrote back...Monkey Festival?????...and wanted to know what, exactly, was a Monkey Festival, I knew that I had achieved a certain degree of cultural acclimatization. Welcome to Thailand where amazing happenings are an everyday thing. The monkey festival is basically a tourist attraction but at its heart is the buddhist practice of making merit or Tamboon. To gain points you feed monks, help the sick, release captives or look after animals. The big event at the monkey festival is feeding the macaque monkeys that live around the temple.

The trip to Lopburi where the Festival was being held was sparked by a plan to rendezvous with my friend's charming neice who has a 6 month teaching stint in Thailand. She was going to the festival with some friends, so I thought it would make a good place to meet. My friends Bon and Mike made arrangements for the hire their brother-in-law's brand spanking new taxi and I talked them into coming along for the ride. I had companionship, Thai interpretation, tour guide services and a stream of interesting conversation. All the makings of a perfect road trip.

As we got closer, I wondered if we had the right temple. I didn't see any monkeys.

And then I saw the stonework move. The little critters were everywhere.

The place was infested. Crawling with 'em. I could hardly tell what was monkey body and what was stone.

Ever since the great 1993 Pant Removal Incident in Bali, when my shorts got between a monkey and a pocketful of peanuts, I have given monkeys a pretty wide berth. Their teeth are sharp and they know how to use them. One of them briefly used me a springboard while I was busy taking a photo but I kept my shorts on.

I really should have been worried about the monkeys without hair. While I was taking this shot, someone was busy slicing open my bag with a razor. Miraculously, they did not get a thing. Camera, money and phone...all remained in the bag.

Bon led us in to pay our respects at another temple where we lit incense and placed little gold leaf squares on the Buddha figures.

The monkey festival coincided with the Sunflower festival and we drove through fields of yellow.

Sunflower fairgrounds were set up along the roadside where the fields were in bloom. Like other fall fairs, it's all about the harvest and tables were set out selling toasted sunflowers hot out of the wok, rice wine and all manner of sunflower bric-a-brac.

Instead of wagon rides, you climbed up on an elephant for an amble. I just caught the top of this guy.

And they had birdmen too. I was hoping to come across one of these merit salesmen in my Thailand travels. These guys do a steady trade in catch and release. They get these little sparrows into cages and you pay for the privilege of giving them their freedom. Talk about a business with a low environmental impact. I put my baht down for a box of three and Bon went whole hog and bought a half dozen.

Bon told me I had to make a wish before I let them go, so I thought of Susan who has been so recently released from the cage of her loneliness. I wished that she will fly free in the clear blue sky until the end of time.

the mother of all markets

2009-12-05T09:22:00.007-04:00

now entering Dante's 10th circle

Chatuchak Weekend Market covers 35 acres and is divided into 15,000 stalls which are visited by over 200,000 people every weekend. It sells everything from live chipmunks to full size bronze horses. The crowd moves along like a fast rushing stream. If you see something you like, you must pull yourself out of the flow or else you will be swept along by the crush of people behind you. "Buy it when you see it" the guidebooks advise. You may never find it again in the labyrinth of narrow alleys packed to the rafters with goods and people. I spent the afternoon there today and I am still trying to decide whether it is a shopper's heaven or a shopaholic's hell. You can check in but you can never leave.

Just what you need...thingies in glass boxes

And how about those textiles...there must be 500 stalls just like this.

rambutans and mangosteens

The original Dollar Store has been found. It's been hiding out at Chatuchak.

snack on the ubiquitous Thai fishball

why buy one elephant purse when you can buy a half dozen?

Just be careful with that swinging handbag.

No bulls allowed in this china shop.

the ring road around the stalls is not as claustrophobic as the alleyways.

what colour do you want?

and you wanted a necklace?...only about 6,000 stalls selling beads, pearls and adornments.

fresh young coconut milk which you can drink straight out of the original package.

Cowboys!! I told you they sell everything. Susan sees cowboys in clouds, but I wasn't seeing things. Listen to the Blue Mountain Boys picking and singing here.

cooking with Bon

2009-12-04T05:13:00.027-04:00

Every meal begins with marketing and we started off the day with a trip to Bon's favourite stalls.

When I asked my friend Bon if she could suggest a place to take a Thai cooking class, she jumped right in and generously offered to teach me a few basic dishes. Bon's culinary skills are legendary in my circle of friends. You just have to mention her name and people start salivating. Their faces get dreamy and they say "Bon's an amazing cook you know". The glazed look in their eyes tells you that they have left your presence and are now mentally savoring every taste and smell of the last meal that they had at Bon's table. I knew I was a lucky girl to get an offer to watch her whip around the kitchen.

She asked me what I would like to make and threw in a couple of extras. We spent last Saturday afternoon whipping up Tom Kha Gai (lemongrass flavoured coconut soup with chicken), Pad Thai (fried noodle), Kaeng Keow Wan Gai (green curry with chicken), Som Tam (spicy green papaya salad) and Pork with Oyster Sauce.

The veg selection came first and Bon heaped her basket full of fresh greens, buttery mushrooms, herbs and peppers.

I don't speak Thai but even I could understand that Bon was selecting the tender chicken thighs for her curry.

I need to send this whole stall back home. It's spice heaven. We stopped to get some grated coconut. She threw a few chunks into her magic machine and out shot a fresh and fragrant pile of coconut snow. Just add hot water, squeeze through cheesecloth ét voila, coconut milk.

The spice lady dug into huge spice paste mounds and concocted curries for each dish.

Soup flavourings come already bundled...a few stalks of lemon grass, several kaffir lime leaves and a woody slice of galangal. Tom Kha Gai and Tom Yam use these staples ingredients as a base.

Bon uses these mini green eggplant-y things in her green curry. She says that zucchini is a perfect substitute.

Pounding up the chili and garlic for the Som Tam

Spicy SomTam is quick to make and is sold on almost every street corner. The Thai staple is fantastic with BBQ chicken.

The photos don't do the food justice Big Shamu. You would have approved of the flavour though.

banking in the elephant

2009-11-28T00:16:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I walked over to the bank on Phahonyothin Road. Lauchie's branch is pretty easy to find. It's the one in the elephant building and there aren't many of those around. This fellow towers over the traffic and can be spotted for miles.

plant envy

2009-11-27T00:30:00.005-04:00

The Chatuchak Park complex is the green space just beyond the overpass. X marks the Sun Tower office complex where Lauchie worked for a several years.

Looking southwest.

Before I start waxing on about plants and gardens, I need to put things in perspective. Clicking through the last few pages of this blog, I see that my bias is building a very unbalanced image of Thailand. You might be beginning to think the place is full of gardens, clean open spaces, sea views and historic buildings. I need to set up this post with some urban context. The photos above are taken from the top of Lauchie's building in Lat Phrao. Skyscrapers as far as the eye can see. To get a feel for the density, go to this map and scroll around. Imagine deafening traffic sounds and a beating hot sun reflecting off of every surface. Parks are few and concrete is the hands-down winner in the most acres covered category. Despite the heat and pollution, the plants struggle up through every gap in the pavement and with the slightest bit of encouragement they can produce magnificent blooms. Yesterday I strolled through Chatuchak Park and marveled at the tropical plants. The variety and hardiness of these growing things is incredible. Too bad I can't take these back and make them work in Zone 1.

Several Parks make up the Chatuchak Park complex. And yes the water really does look that brown.

I know it's ho-hum for you southeners, but It's always a bit mind blowing for us snow people to see houseplants turned into bedding plants.

A curtain of aerial roots hung down from the branches of this tree.

The graphic and fragrant Frangipani.

Long suffering Bougainvillea thrives everywhere.

These three plants must be the holy triumvirate of the tropical landscaper's toolkit. Every boulevard seems to sport a swath of it. The dark green one will grow over anything, turning vertical concrete into living walls.
Here they are set out as a border.

And here's the green one trained into a topiary elephant.

What in the heck is this? The fruits looked liked cannonballs...

and it had long strips of buds on scary looking branches.

The downside of all of this tremendous growth is the leaf matter which falls constantly. (Just think of it Dad, raking season never ever ends.) Parks employ armies of sweepers who constantly clean up after these messy trees and beat the jungle back into submission.

teak talk

2009-11-25T02:06:00.007-04:00

Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall

The Dusit Palace was the destination for yesterday's tourist outing. Before I hit the streets I joined my friends Mike and Bon for a thai breakfast. They treated me to "Jok". This Thai version of congee, is a rice porridge mixed with ginger root slivers, pork sausage and spring onions. You can customize your bowl with crunchy crackers or toppings of youtiao (salty chinese donut), pickled pepper, or soy sauce. You can further beef up the breakfast by stirring in a raw egg which cooks in the hot broth like an egg drop soup.

The palace is actually a compound of several royal residences which are now used to showcase thai artifacts and royal memorabilia. The artifacts were not well edited or classified which made me feel like "the royal collection of knick-knacks" was a more appropriate title. Some buildings were piled with bunches of unrelated and unlabeled stuff, everything from rare ming vases to a royal sony clock radio. Each item stored and ready to be pulled off the shelf in case old uncle Pong dropped around for a visit.

The highlight is the Vinmanmek Palace, the largest golden teakwood mansion in the world. King Chulalongkorn (son of Mongkut, the ruler in the King & I) had the building dismantled and rebuilt on this site in 1900. It is described as having been built in European Style but the interpretive signage and tours were scant on details. The buildings are decorated in ornate carved gingerbread and are painted in candy colours which gives them a victorian feel. I think if it was unpainted it would look more like a traditional thai teak building. The photo ops were few and far between as they demanded that bags and cameras be locked in cabinets before entering each and every exhibit. Armed guards kept an eye out for rule breaker types so I kept my camera under wraps for most of my visit. I was disappointed to find out that there were no royal white elephants in the elephant stable. Bummer. You can go on a virtual tour here.

And I was dying for some background on the royal collection of vintage VW microbuses. They have 6 of them lined up and ready to go. Is the king a hippie at heart?

in & out. chop, chop!

2009-11-22T05:38:00.004-04:00

KL, I hardly knew ye.

I could be accused of being a little too lax in my travel preparations. I hopped on the plane last month and breezed into Thailand without too much thought about details like immigration and tourist visas. Consequently, when I looked at the stamp in my passport, I realized that I was only chopped in until the 22 of November. I wasn't too concerned. On other visits I have dealt with overstaying my welcome by paying a small fine upon departure. Alas, I was behind the times. This method is now frowned on and I had to find another way to extend my visa. Marvelous and magical things can be done with passports in Thailand. Sometimes the passports mysteriously find their own way across the borders but after some consultation with the pros, I decided to use the tried and true approach. I flew down to Malaysia, turned around and came directly back to Thailand and got stamped back in for another few weeks. It's a rather carbon unfriendly way to do it but it was fast. It's the first time I have been issued boarding passes for both the outgoing and the return portions of my trip at the ticket desk. The gap between arrival and departure was so tight that I walked directly back on the plane and did not even sit down in the departure gate.

I regretted not making an attempt to get in town to see a few sights. Just being in the airport brought back a flood of memories about Malaysia. A glimpse of the Petronas logo and I was instantly transported to a meeting I had with the company's promotional group. I was part of a team working on a Natural Gas exhibit and we met in the old Petronas building (the construction of the new towers was just starting at that time) and the clients were sitting with their backs to the window. My view through the window was filtered by an arabic screen of a geometric pattern. Throughout the meeting a helicopter repeatedly buzzed the building. I thought I could see a man dangling from a rope ladder. I later found out that they were filming one of the jackie chan Super Cop movies. It amazes me to think that I didn't find the helicopter stunts very unusual. I guess life was sufficiently strange at the time. Men hanging off of helicopters was par for the course.

While running through the KL airport I snapped the Selangor shop with a nod to my pal Susan. You'll notice there is a christmas tree displayed in the corner...in a full-on Muslim country. I think that's pretty tolerant.

The writer of the Shrimp and Petroleum Blog provided a detailed driving guide for Malaysians. The guide is equally applicable in Thailand. My thai taxi driver had turned his cab into a mini shrine, lining the front dash with religious relics, stringing good luck charms from the visor and plastering the ceiling with prayer cloths. Unfortunately the coconut elephant he had occupying the left hand side of the dash did not make it into the frame.

bay of dragons

2009-11-20T01:41:00.013-04:00

The strings of rocky islands reminded me of swimming dragons and surfacing sea creatures.

The light air in Phuket was not kind to our sailing ambitions. When the forecast calls for gusts of 4 knots, you know it is time to go to plan B.

We decided to feed ourselves to the monster known as the Phuket boat tour trade. Everyday, thousands of people chug out of the ports in the Andaman Sea, each in search of a tropical vacation experience. Phi Phi Island is one of the most famous ports of call but we were reluctant to choose it. We stayed in Phi Phi almost 20 years ago, before the small island became heavily colonized with resorts. At the time, the place was a Gilligan's Island sort of a spot. We had a basic bamboo beach hut which was equipped with a squat toilet, a cold water spout and a generous supply of biting insects. I had never traveled so far from home and everything had the sparkle of adventure. One night we took a long tail boat from our beach to the little cluster of food stalls near the main boat dock. The bright moon illuminated both the corals below us and the limestone cliff face towering above us. We seemed suspended in air as we cut across the flat calm and watched the swirling phosphorescence beneath the boat. We wanted to leave those memories undisturbed so we booked a speed boat trip to the coast of Krabi instead.

The spectacular cliffs of the Phang-Na Bay have been attracting tourists since 1975 when 007 chased villains around the flower pot islands in "The Man with the Golden Gun". Enroute to the islands, my personal geologist gave me a refresher course on the Karst processes which gave the topography such drama. The rock may be water soluble but it does seem to be impervious to the great tourist hoards and is just as spectacular as it was 20 years ago.

The challenging cliff faces attract climbers from all over the globe.

Geologists from Nova Scotia are pretty keen on them too.

The bamboo fence marks the perimeter of the exclusive Rayavadee Hotel. I notice that their website does not show the string of boats and the mob of tourists that crowd their beach. Must have been an oversight.

Susan have no fear. As always there were lovely things to eat. Several floating food stalls were anchored at Railay Beach and they could whip up a plate of pad thai and a banana shake for $3.25.

phuket

2009-11-10T06:00:00.006-04:00

Looking west toward Ao Chalong Bay

Say it like pooh bear would...poohket. Not the other way. We flew down to the island of Phuket last Wednesday but I have not been able to do any posting. The internet connection at the hotel is not robust and I've been slipping in and out of contact like a sunbather dipping in and out of a pool.

The 2004 Tsunami brought infamy to Phuket. While the memory of the devastation is close to the surface, the island has recovered and the tourists have returned. We are camped out at the quiet end of the island, Cape Panwa, far from the crazed beaches of Patong. From our balcony we have views of the bays of Ao Chalong and Ao Yon and we have been filling our days with sailing and lounging. Well, Lauchie has also spent a lot of time complaining loudly about the 33 degree (Celsius) weather and I have been ignoring him.

Longtail boats are common in Thailand. Huge car or truck engines are mounted on the stern and a propellor is attached to the engine's drive shaft. The sputtering prop kicks up spray giving the boat a very long tail.

Boats are blessed and spirits are honoured with scarves and flowers draped around the prow.

Orchids grow easily in this sultry climate and they are abundant enough to garnish the most lowly of beach bar drinks.

Yesterday we watched this white fuffy cloud boil into a squall in a matter of minutes.

up, up and away

2009-11-06T06:39:00.007-04:00

My inner pyro did a small dance of joy when I realized my stay in Thailand would coincide with the Loy Kratong Festival. I missed the lantern toting ghouls of Halloween and the bonfires of Guy Fawkes day but I knew I would get my fix of flame during Loy Kratong. It's meant to be a fun event and like many other autumn festivals around the world, it involves fire and light. At the center of the festival is the ritual launching of Kratongs which are small floatable banana boats elaborately decorated with leaves, topped with flower offerings and a lit candle. Rumor has it that lovers who launch a kratong will not float apart. Rivers and ponds all over the country become launch sites and are transformed into twinkling seas, alive with tiny flames. Kratong design and construction has changed with the times and at one time the lowly banana stem base was replaced with hi-tech styrofoam. The green movement has spurred a reversion back to the more environmentally friendly materials and kratongs are now made from everything from biodegradable paper to bread dough.

Another popular activity is the launching of Khom Loys or fire lanterns. These cool little guys are self-propelled hot air rice paper balloons. The fuel ring is lit, the air inside the balloon is heated and then pffft....lift-off. These beautiful lanterns rise silently and slowly skyward, wobbling up into the night. On Loy Kratong evening we joined a crowd of Lauchie's co-workers and drove up the Chao Phraya River to a riverside restaurant for the celebration. I had a front row seat for Khom Loy launching. As beautiful as they are, I can't help worrying about the danger of their landings. I shared a table with a fellow from San Diego who just marveled at this dangerous practice. Only in Thailand they say, only in Thailand.

zebra crossing

2009-11-02T02:56:00.007-04:00

Most Thais believe that there are ghosts and spirits everywhere. They should be appeased and consulted regularly to maintain good relations. They might also be tempted into interceding on your behalf if you ask nicely. If you promise that they will be rewarded, with say a shot of whiskey and a couple of cigarettes or a garland of flowers, they just might help out. Apparently the deity that lives in this tree is keen on expanding his collection of zebra figurines. I spotted this herd on my way to the mall a couple of days ago. Yesterday I crossed over to the other side of the main street, Lat Phrao, to take a photo. I would love to talk to this spirit and find out why it prefers these african beasties.

Around the necks of some of the statues are flower garlands and scarves. Flower necklaces used as offerings or welcome gifts are typically thai and you find them for sale in stalls and shops everywhere. This Phuang Malai , an intricate string of fresh jasmine buds, roses and chrysanthemums, set me back 100 baht, about $3.50.

a grand day out

2009-10-30T23:55:00.010-03:00

the grand palace

Tong, the stout Thai goddess of spotless floors and crisply pressed shirts, comes to Lauchie's apartment on Tuesdays and Thursdays. In order to give her enough space to work her domestic magic, I pull myself away from the computer and get out to explore the city. On Thursday I decided to make Wat Arun my destination and thought I might make a visit to the Grand Palace as well if the heat and my sore feet didn't cripple me first.

Wat Arun, is on the west bank of the mighty Chao Phraya river and the Grand Palace is on the east bank. They are both accessible via a river ferry that departs from a terminal near the light rail station. I found the terminal easily enough but the schedule information was incompletely provided by a terse, tourist-weary woman at the counter. My guidebook had a map of the ferry stops so I just hopped on board when the boat pulled in and figured I would work out the system enroute. There were plenty of other farangs (foreigners) around and surely we were all going to the same spots. The river is always a fascinating place; great barges are harnessed to powerful little tugs, bright long-tail boats zip through the traffic and up into the small canals that feed the river, ferries whistle into docks all along the bank. I recognized Wat Arun coming into view and scanned the signage for my stop name, Tha Tien. I skipped over the english lettering in the chaos of Thai script and didn’t figure out I was at the right place until the boat was pulling away. I thought I would catch the next stop or wait until the boat circled round at the end of its route. I was enjoying the open space on the river and the ant-hill like industriousness of the water trade anyway. But when I ran out of map and the boat kept going up river I decided to bail out before I ended up in Chaing Mai. On the dock I found another farang named Henry who had missed his stop for the Grand Palace. We chatted exchanging the usual tourist information and reasons we had both got ourselves lost in Bangkok. His excuse was that he was a neurologist from St Louis on a sightseeing break from a 4-day neurology conference. Mine was that no matter how much time I spend in this city, I still don’t know it well enough not to lose my way at some point.

ferry dock

I decided to save my trip to Wat Arun for another day and disembarked with Henry at the Grand Palace. This area of Bangkok is one of the top spots for tourists and it follows that it is one of the top spots for touts, scams and pick-pockets. We pushed our way through the crowds looking for the entrance and were stopped by a man wearing a shirt that read police and sitting near a small official looking booth. He told us that the Palace was closed until 1:30pm as the grounds were hosting a visit from the Asian Leaders conference. I knew the conference of Leaders was being held in the city but thought we should check at the entrance ourselves. The palace is large, perhaps we could get into parts of it. Further along, we were stopped by two more fellows, both wearing tailored shirts and gold pins stamped with the royal crest. “Come back at 1:30pm” they advised. “You can go to the Standing Buddha temple instead of waiting. You can get a tuk-tuk to drive you there...it’s only $1.50 for the both of you.” It seemed that were not going to get through the gauntlet so we caved and took the bait. It was only when I stood looking at the standing Buddha that I received enlightenment. I recalled reading “beware of strangers telling you that attractions are closed”...I’d been done. Fully fleeced by the well oiled machinery of the rip-off army that guards the palace. Fooled by official looking badges and the unanimous insistence that the Palace was closed, not for the day, but until a convenient 1:30pm which would allow adequate time for a tuk-tuk tour of the neighbourhood. The trip to the Big Buddha temple was followed up with a mandatory circuit of jewelry and tailor shops where everything was “on sale, one day only, special offers just for you”. We were delivered back to the Grand Palace grounds by 12:30pm which was wide open and full of tourists. Henry and I got away with our souls and pocket books intact and he had a story to tell when he got back to St. Louis.

I have to admit that it was a really big Buddha

Wat Phra Kaeo on the Grand Palace grounds, a temple to house the most revered Buddha in the country

the famed emerald Buddha is just visible in the triangle of white light through the doorway

Just to keep things balanced:

I stopped at this temple on my way home. Here the Thais pay respect to the gods of capitalism. Siam Paragon is one of the largest malls in southeast Asia and you can wander 5 million square feet of shops selling everything from Lamborghinis to Bang & Olufsen stereos. I settled for a bowl of tempura and rice.

mall crawling

2009-10-28T11:54:00.004-03:00

Pathon Yothin intersection

they say it's a wireless world

jelly bean coloured taxis

I did a bit of shopping this afternoon and ventured out to the madness at the mall. There is no special reason for the madness. No holiday or special shopping day. It's always madness. Shopping is an olympic sport in Thailand. If there is a square inch of flat space available, a hawker stall or a pushcart will take root. The Thai passion for shopping never fails to amaze me. Shops dedicated to flip flops, hair bands or t-shirts manage to pull crowds. How exciting can a pair of frilly socks be? There must be hundreds of thousands of these virtually identical shops in the city and I marvel at their survival. A market base of 13 million people must be the secret.

Finding items in the grocery store takes some guess work and is an exercise in graphic design sleuthing. Sometimes I don't know what I will find inside the package. I came across an entire aisle of alms offerings. It is a buddhist custom to feed the monks and to provide gifts of useful items in exchange for blessings. This grocery store had their own line of "Temple Ware" and they carried everything from Monk packs to saffron robes, all done up in classic saffron.

pre-packed offerings

bucket 'o monk stuff

100 degrees

2009-10-26T21:34:00.003-03:00

the view from the apartment

My blog will have a new point of view for the next few weeks. Lauchie has been slogging away at work in Thailand since the end of July. He has extended his stay so that he can focus on a project with a fast approaching deadline. So you know what they say about mountains and mohammed...I have joined him in Bangkok to give his life a sense of normalcy.

The thought of living in Bangkok is always a bit daunting for an outdoor type like me. It is a city that forces you to expand your tolerance and calm your mind. As the Lonely Planet describes it: "Bangkok is excess in all of its unrestrained glory. Bigger, better, more: the city is insatiable, a monster that feeds on concrete, shopping malls and diesel exhaust." I have spent quite a bit of time in Bangkok and on the flight, the negative aspects of the city were looming large in my thoughts. The traffic, the heat and the pulsing crowds kept replaying in my head. I made the trip in 3 hops. A short jump up from Halifax to Toronto connected me to my flight to Tokyo. The 777 was filled to capacity and most of the passengers were Japanese. The mood in the departure lounge was quiet and reserved. Passengers were deferential and polite during the 13 hour flight. Out of Tokyo, I joined a Thai Airways flight direct to Bangkok and in the lounge the mood was different. The thai passengers were bubbly and chatty. Little groups collected and they compared their duty-free purchases and laughingly shared their snacks. It was then I remembered one of the most positive things about Bangkok. The incredible thais and their terrific good nature. The Thais love fun and everything they do should be "sanuk" or fun. The tourism tagline: Land of Smiles, which has been used for years is still accurate. I had forgotten how entirely warm the people are in this overcrowded asphalt jungle and it's a relief to see their smiling faces again.

look Susan...there's a pool at the apartment

click to see the big picture

reckless precision

2009-09-27T21:19:00.003-03:00

Our builder has begun to place one stone upon another and a wall is emerging. It looks easy enough. All the stones are squarish and you would think that they would fit together without much argument. Yet each granite block is unique, with a bump on one side or a dip on the other. Watson is puzzling out the fit and the progress puts a very large smile on my face.

primitive lego

2009-09-26T19:21:00.002-03:00

The porch project has limped along for weeks. The pace is straining my nerves and forcing me to develop a greater capacity for patience. Things have progressed to the point where the stone work can begin which makes the rock delivery a literal and figurative milestone. This 10 ton clump of granite blocks was dumped with a ground shaking thud at 7am. Order will be imposed on the jumbled pile and a retaining wall and a set of steps will emerge from the chaos. It's tres exciting and I will keep you posted as the wall begins to take shape.

cue the crickets

2009-09-01T20:42:00.007-03:00

You can feel it getting close; the surprise of an early sunset, a little snap to the breeze, a certain something to the light and you know it is upon you. Then there it is, September 1, the most melancholy of days. A day that makes you wish you had seized more opportunities, savored more sunshine and had been more grateful for the slack-tide of summer.

Grade School starts on Wednesday and all over town backpacks are being hunted down, pencils are being sharpened and lunches are being packed. I envy the students and the bright, clean slates that are laid before them tomorrow. Tabula Rasa. Next week the Universities will open their doors. Some students have probably already taken up residence and tonight as I looked across the Arm toward the Dalhousie campus I thought I could hear the whoops and laughter of this year's crop of giddy freshmen.

i want you to know, and i feel that you do

2009-08-20T21:04:00.005-03:00

This small, framed poem has hung in my husband's family cottage for decades. I have seen similar prints with equally schmaltzy verses hung in the cottages and ancient farm houses all over the province. Most of them look like they date from the 1920s and are decorated with art nouveau flourishes and romantic illustration. Sentimental little ditties like this must have been the mission statements and motivational posters of their time.

As cheesy as they are, these few words have become a code of sorts between Lauchie and I. Spoken with an exaggerated school recital lilt: "I want you to know, and I feel that you do" has become the shorthand for the inadequacy of words. A shared joke over the great understatement of this little truism and a joint admission of the crazy power of mutual concern, love and respect.

boarding up the sky

2009-08-19T00:01:00.005-03:00

Raising the roof. The rafters went up yesterday and the roof sheathing went on today. The progress is thrilling and I know that it will be magical to sit out here on a rainy day. I'm thinking of porch swings and rockers. Still, I was sad to shut the trees out of my view plane. I've lost the sweep of sky I watched while I sloshed in the sink. My little kitchen is oh, so dark now. Do I sense another reno coming on?

Before

After

the far shore of childhood

2009-08-16T19:10:00.005-03:00

As I child, I spent my school holidays at my grandmothers cottage and practically lived on this beach. The white sand, clear water and crashing waves were the epitome of summer. We swam until our skin turned pruney, ate our weight in canteen french fries and beach-combed tirelessly. At suppertime we trotted, barefoot and towel-wrapped like urchins, back along the road to the cottage. Salty, scratchy bathing suits were hung on the clothesline at the end of each long day and were pulled back on the next morning before the dew had time to dry. I made a trip to the beach last week and saw that my nephews are falling for this place too. They are fascinated by the water and impervious to the cold of the Atlantic. I did see one sign that their generation has its own take on beach games. They play Don't Let the Wave Touch You but in their version you get two lives and when the waves gets ya, you lose one.

In homage to the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock we have erected a small stage in our front garden. I still have to install the speakers...Didn't buy that? You're right it is the progress shot on the front porch project of 2009. I still think the stage thing is a good idea.

cap breton

2009-08-05T22:06:00.004-03:00

In July we made a hurried weekend trip to the Mabou area and stayed at a family cottage. We were too pressed for time to hike the famous trails. We had to be satisfied with a short stroll along the beach in the Mabou Coal Mines and a fossick for interesting bits of rock. Always good to take your in-house geologist along for these explorations. They can help clear up the geologic mysteries you find on the beach. And you can count on them to make stuff up if they don't know the answer. Simply attach an -assic or a -zoic on the end of any old word and voila...instant geology.

a shout-out to lord shiva

2009-08-03T22:13:00.008-03:00

The latest in lawn ornaments. Just what you need for a little light gardening.

Apparently I have the hindu god Shiva to thank for the creative destruction going on in my garden this week. When we moved into this house over a decade ago, a new porch and steps topped the list of things to replace. And then life happened and disturbed the order of our to-do list. The porch waited patiently, rotting and cracking as the years went along until finally it was its turn for remodeling. All of our home repair projects seem to involve all of the trades and this one is no exception. By the time this is complete we will have involved excavators, concrete guys, carpenters, plumbers, electricians and painters.

We started the tear-down a few days ago and while it has been very painful to watch my garden get torn to shreds it helps me to think that this is the natural cycle of things. For something new to be created, something old must be destroyed. Or as Sarah Richardson would say: "sure, sure, ripping it out is the easy part. Putting it back together is the hard business"

the almighty "before" shot...you can regret but you can never return.

going...

going...

gone.

How I spent my summer vacation

2009-08-02T12:16:00.005-03:00

the sea is so wide and my boat is so small

Yeah, I know. I went AWOL again and the blog police are going to come and charge me with dereliction of duty. July was so hectic that I had little time to document my busyness...boat prep, sailing, a rewarding trip to 29 black street, a jaunt to the Montreal Blues Fest, summer weddings and a quick trip to Cape Breton have consumed the last month and a half. Last week Lauchie traveled back across the lines of longitude and settled into work in Bangkok. Now he needs a few visuals to put him in a Nova Scotia state of mind.

I have spent a good deal of time sailing. Mostly in the fog and drizzle of this sodden summer. We sailed in our first regatta in late June and came in a respectable 4th. We considered it a moral victory. Raw courage overcoming our dry mouthed terror. There was much shrieking on the start line and we had death grips on the tiller but we came through with both crew and boat intact. And there were beers at the end and all smiles around.

rhodies

2009-06-07T22:41:00.007-03:00

mist maiden

The dry shade of our woodland garden is not an easy master. I have learned that when a plant is labeled as "tolerates shade" it does not mean it thrives in shade. It means that it copes. Usually it becomes anorexic, clings to life for a couple seasons and turns to compost. I stopped expecting massive, showy blooms and became satisfied with mere survival. The ones that do pull through, grow at a glacial rate. It seemed that we always had room for more plants and I have been plugging in new ones every spring. I was a member of the local horticultural society and bought tissue-culture rhododendrons, tiny plant sprigs, a half-dozen at a time. This year we have finally gained some momentum and are getting a payout on our patience.

percy wiseman

henry's red

vinecrest

rolling in clover

2009-06-05T21:31:00.006-03:00

The bright green of spring doesn't last long. Right now the leaves are still perfect; soft and as yet uneaten by the borers and miners of summer. A new carpet of lawn has been rolled out all over the dingle park and the shutters have been drawn on the ice cream stand below the tower. Jigs makes a beeline for it every evening so I have an excuse for finding myself in line for a double-scoop of cookies and cream.

lily bells

2009-05-29T18:09:00.005-03:00

The woods are ringing with perfect little bells of all sorts. The snappy white and green combo is so fresh and clean that I practically want to eat it. I loved the dramatic dark and light extremes of lily of the valley shots. It made me think of the lighting effects in italian renaissance paintings, romantically described as chiaroscuro. A reward for remembering to take my camera on my morning dog walk.

the river kwai

2009-05-25T21:54:00.003-03:00

Willow's post motivated me to dig up a few photos from a 2008 jaunt to Kanchanaburi, a town a few hours west of Bangkok. The town sits on the bank of the sleepy River Kwai and it is at this site that the famous bridge spans the water. The bridge was rebuilt after the war and the graves of the POW who died during the building of the Death Railway were relocated to large cemeteries in the town.

We set up home base at the charming PLOY guesthouse and hired a songthaew (a small pickup truck) and a driver to take us on a round of sites. As with most places on the back-packer trail, there is a circuit of regional highlights and a competitive mob of drivers/tour operators who ply the well worn track between them. We made stops at the Erawan National Park and The Tiger Temple before heading back to town on the train that still runs along the Death Railway route.

the immaculate POW cemetery

the tiger temple

can I keep him? natural pools at the Erawan National Park. no Disney effects here.
train station at Wangyen yellow benches lit by golden light

early in the evening, party barges are pulled up river and then left to noisily drift back down river with the current

grids

2009-05-22T22:15:00.005-03:00

The new fence is up. I don't think I will ever be able to look at it without immediately thinking "GRIDS!". I will then be transported back to the first year of design school where the trial-by-fire exercise was the drawing of a perfect, blot-free set of 1/4 inch grids...with a Rapidograph. A pen with ink in it. Imagine. I'm sure they still have them in museums. They display them along with the hot pokers, iron maidens and other instruments of medieval torture.

a wonky, stitched together panorama of our leaf strewn yard

[ click to enlarge ]

jardin

2009-05-21T21:14:00.007-03:00

More from the "I never get tired of my garden" photo collection. We topped out at 27º celcius today and the leaves are busting out all over.

the front path [ click to enlarge ]
the wall [ click to enlarge ]

antonio gaudi

2009-05-20T15:59:00.005-03:00

Sea sponge? Strawberry cheese?

Rare soft pink coral?

No, this is the work of the master architect Ant-onio Gaudi, the carpenter ant (or "chaarpinter ant" as Tom deSilva would say). The little buggers love rigid pink styrofoam insulation and have been helping themselves. We found a mess of them in the end wall when we renovated last year and I saved this bit of Ant Art. I've had an invasion this spring as the rest of the clan searches my house for blank canvases to express their muse. I wouldn't hazard to guess what the R Value of this is now.

we bought it on ebay

2009-05-17T21:18:00.004-03:00

Well not quite an ebay buy but we did find this sweet little j22 for sale on the internet. The boat was originally from Texas and was owned by a sailor from Littleton, Colorado when we discovered it. In its lifetime it may have traveled more miles over land then it has traveled through the sea. This time last year we were bringing it home to Halifax, snaking around the great lakes and flying along the 401. Happy Birthday boat!

(And yes Susan, there's that damn fleece again)

out of the woods

2009-05-16T21:20:00.006-03:00

I love this spring thing. Buds popping, birds singing, woods greening... I just want it all to slow down so I can take it all in. I know if it did I would not find it so exhilarating. All this newness has a fleeting beauty and it demands my attention.

Mayflower or Trailing Arbutus, Nova Scotia's floral emblem

Hobblebush (Viburnum lantanoides) gets it's name from its habit of growing into the ground and snaring walkers

Baby Beech leaves

I don't know what this plant is but I love its tiny leathery leaves

Apparently Jigs likes them too

happiness is a warm puppy

2009-05-15T23:13:00.004-03:00

My friends are adding a new member to their pack. Tonight I went with them to visit the litter and I met this bit of puppy love. I would like to introduce Jude. Only 5 weeks old and already stealing hearts.

sole survivor

2009-05-12T19:16:00.006-03:00

The deer were hungry this spring. We came home from the grocery store one snowy evening in March and were startled by a pair standing in the middle of our garden. Nothing was up at that point and in desperation they nibbled on the shrubs, dribbling Holly and Euonymus leaves around the yard. Their foray was an intelligence mission. They came back for a batch of tulips, nipping all but one in the bud. The survivor is blooming now. I wonder if she was being saved for dessert.

The headless brothers and sisters, cut down before their time

out and about

2009-05-11T22:44:00.005-03:00

Sailing season has started again. Tonight was the first night for the women's racing series. We didn't race this evening, opting to do a bit of shakedown cruising to clear away the winter cobwebs. The breeze was southwest, just a few knots of light air and the living was easy. I neglected my job as sail trimmer and concentrated on capturing the the changing sky.

mothering sunday

2009-05-10T07:56:00.006-03:00

This morning I caught part of a reading of Beloved by poet Billy Collins on CBC radio. While searching around for it, I found this poem, which is a perfect fit for the day and a perfect description of the baffling imbalance of great love. Thanks Mom. I owe ya a lanyard.

The Lanyard - Billy Collins

The other day I was ricocheting slowly
off the blue walls of this room,
moving as if underwater from typewriter to piano,
from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,
when I found myself in the L section of the dictionary
where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.

No cookie nibbled by a French novelist
could send one into the past more suddenly—
a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp
by a deep Adirondack lake
learning how to braid long thin plastic strips
into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.

I had never seen anyone use a lanyard
or wear one, if that’s what you did with them,
but that did not keep me from crossing
strand over strand again and again
until I had made a boxy
red and white lanyard for my mother.

She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
and I gave her a lanyard.
She nursed me in many a sick room,
lifted spoons of medicine to my lips,
laid cold face-cloths on my forehead,
and then led me out into the airy light

and taught me to walk and swim,
and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.
Here are thousands of meals, she said,
and here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
which I made with a little help from a counselor.

Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
strong legs, bones and teeth,
and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,
and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.
And here, I wish to say to her now,
is a smaller gift—not the worn truth

that you can never repay your mother,
but the rueful admission that when she took
the two-tone lanyard from my hand,
I was as sure as a boy could be
that this useless, worthless thing I wove
out of boredom would be enough to make us even.