Multi-cultrual Thanksgiving

It all started with a discussion about American Thanksgiving. We decided it would be nice to see friends who we hadn't seen in a while and celebrate. We'll be hosting lots of friends for a sit down diner - my first attempt at more than 8 guests.

Free Store Score!

I just about had kittens when I saw this on the shelf at the freestore:

I emitted a 'squee' as I ran towards it, almost shoving a tall slender elder out of my way. He was no match for my swift snatch from the shelf. A brief wash and dry and my mouflon rests in happy spendor in my craft room.

some of you will be asking, 'what is the free store, and where do I find it?' There's a few of them around the Yukon, associated with recycling and garbage dumps. Rather than putting used items into the dump directly, freestore gives these things the opportunity for a new life. This freestore score came from the Raven Recycling collection. there's also the Whitehorse Dump freestore - good for larger items; the Marsh Lake freestore - no know associations and the Tagish freestore - good for clothes.

50th Wedding Anniversary Family Event

We were down in Vancouver for Helen and Doug's 50th wedding anniversary and were happy to see family we'd not seen in a long time, or ever. Here's Christopher holding our nephew Syd George with Aunt Susan admiring them both. In the background is our nephew Murdoc in the handsome suit with his mom's smile just above. Sadly, we were enjoying chatting to people so much we didn't take any more photos!

Dim Sum Downtown Vancouver's Chinatown

 I just love Dim Sum. I revel in the moment when the little cart comes by and some unintelligible phrase is pronounced and I get to decide (in consultation with other diners) whether we'll add it to our table. Frankly, you just never know exactly what will be inside the wrapper, but that is part of the fun. I am often pleasantly surprised, although occasionally it does turn out badly. We dined at Floata Seafood on Keefer St. Then we wandered around a bit to take in the atmosphere....

I love this building, the Keefer Street Rooms

 She is picking live fish out out of a tank with great focus.

Vancouver Gallery Kimsooja Unfolding

 I happened on this wonderful textile involved exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery when we were down for the weekend recently. I discovered after I'd taken these photos that photography was not allowed. Sadly, there were no post cards or other images available of the show. It was a really interesting amalgam of textiles, video and installations; including an ancient truck stuffed with fabric bundles like those in the photo below.

Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden

 One of my favourite places to visit in Vancouver is this lovely walled garden. It was created as part of Expo '86. A cadre of Chinese garden builders with all their tools, rocks wood and broken pots put it together as an homage to this style of garden from a particular era of Chinese garden design. Climate wise Vancouver is a bit cold for some of the traditional plants and styles of indoor/outdoor life this garden is designed for. But on a beautiful day it is one of the most peaceful, entrancing part of the world.

Rememberance Day Past

It was a very beautiful day here in Whitehorse. Temperatures of plus 2 Celsius. We walked into town on the river trail to enjoy some of that sunshine and a cup of coffee at Baked. Positively urbane...

Dan's Flip-top Mittens

A friend of ours is a brilliant designer marketer maven type. In exchange for some designs for my new wooly business I've made him some custom mitts from hand spun Suffolk lamb's fleece I got at the Olds Fibre Fair.

Jack the Lounger

I do enjoy having a cat like Jack around. He's got a great life and helps me enjoy mine even more.We were over at the neighbour's house yesterday and he sat on their deck meowing at us for the whole 2 hours we were there. He really enjoys being part of whatever is going on. At Haloween he broke out to check out some small children who were at the door. He milled around getting pets and love until Chris could collar him and get him back in the house.

 For Thanks-giving we were harvesting vegetables from the garden to serve with our turkey. Jack had the idea that some of that might be food...

Fall Weekend in Haines Post Part 2

 A few weeks ago when Chris was off hunting for moose, the local Yukon bar association was invited to meet with the Juneau (Alaska) bar association in Haines. I managed to wrangle a ride with another lawyer who was going and so had a weekend in Haines. it has been years since I've been in Haines in the fall. The weather turned out to be lovely and it was interesting chatting with Alaska lawyers. I made sure to make it to the Haines Brewing Co. with my growler. i had my photo taken so there's evidence I was actually there.

 the sign in a little small in this photo, but this is an apple tree. The apples are some sort of 'transparent' and the local school kids harvest them and sell them for fund raisers.

 i woke up on Saturday morning just in time to catch a bite of breakfast at the Captain's Choice motel where I was staying. The chat over coffee was all about a fishing boat which had sunk to the bottom of the small boat harbour overnight, with a full load of diesel in its tanks. there was lots of talk in the little town about what had happened and how to deal with it. Happily the harbour master seems to have been on the ball and got out booms and absorbant materials in time to keep the diesel from leaving the small boat harbour.

The majestic hammer outside the Hammer Museum. Sadly it was closed on the weekends.

 A totem outside the local school.

 The small boat harbour on a sunny Sunday morning.

Chilkat River

Haines Pass

Fat Fish

 A couple weeks ago, Christopher came home with this amazingly fat whitefish. It was hard to believe that a fish with a mouth that tiny could have a belly that big. Once we got the roe out we understood a little better. Grandma May made sure to tell us that we better not eat all that roe by ourselves. So, we took this sweet little fish to a bonefire party where it occupied an entire bbq all by itself. First Chris scaled it, then I harvested some of our garden's last herbs, stuffed them in the belly of said fish. Popped the fish onto a couple of leftover bits of cedar plank from a construction project and cooked it to perfection. The smokey cedar along with the herbs and fat in the fish made for finger licking good fish.