Two cats and a monky

Happy Birthday to a fabulous 10-year old!

2009-08-09T14:03:00.003-07:00

Today is my niece's birthday, and while I'm on a different continent, I couldn't allow the day to go uncelebrated. And here's proof:

We had a little piece of cake, made a candle, invited a few little friends along, and sang "Happy Birthday, dear Elyssa, Happy Birthday to you!"

May your day be blessed with family, laughter, good food, and most of all, love. Your Auntie is very proud of you and loves you very very much!

Of salt mines and white gold

2009-08-04T01:34:00.007-07:00

Salt is the stuff of life... apparently. Try living without it, or at least try living in the Middle Ages without it. Salt is what gave Salzburg its wealth, and its name.
Kendra and I decided to do something a little different yesterday: we toured a salt mine! The tour took us approximately 1 km in and 200 meters down inside a mountain. The Salzwelten at Hallein is the largest mine in Europe open to visitors. It's looked over by the two strange peaks we tried to photograph. Those pesky clouds!

A little history before the fun stuff.

The Celts were the first to mine salt out of this mountain, starting back around 500 b.c. until the first century A.D. It then lay undisturbed for a millenium until about 1185 when it was rediscovered. Along with the salt, a few surprises were unearthed in the form of bodies of celtic miners, perfectly preserved by the salt. At first the mine was considered to be haunted, since the new miners thought they were the first ones to have found the treasure in the mountain, and thought the preserved bodies were ghosts. Evidence of mining in the celtic period continues to surface to this day.

The miners in the Middle Ages soon realized it was too big a job for traditional tools, so they used an innovative technique of pumping water from higher up the mountain into the cavities of the cave. The water would carve out new spaces and dissolve the salt in the rock, forming a saturated brine solution. This brine was then transported out of the mountain using km-long wooden pipes to the nearby town of Hallein (from the celtic word for salt), to large boilers that would, you guessed it, boil off the water and leave behind the salt. This salt was so valuable that they called it "white gold". The boilers required a lot of fuel, and this was provided by cutting down trees on all the nearby hillsides and sending the logs down the Salzach river to Hallein.

In the 1500's, Wolfgang Dietrich von Raitenau become prince-archibishop of Salzburg. He took full advantage of the wealth from the nearby salt mines both for his own profit, and the enrichment of Salzburg. When half the city burned down due to a candle being knocked over by his clumsy treasurer (so the story goes), von Raitenau is purported to have said, "if it's burning, let it burn." He then took the opportunity to rebuild Salzburg according to his taste, with inspiration from the Italian architecture he had admired in his youth spent in Italy. His aim was to make Salzburg into a model Renaissance town. He must have succeeded to some extent, for he is remembered to this day for his building plans and achievements, and Salzburg itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Now for the fun! The tour started with a fashion makeover with protective white garb. Don't we look fabulous!

A short walk to a little train, where we straddled a long wooden bench, sandwiched in (literally, the guide kept calling out, "sandwichen!") together. Into the mountain, through ever narrower tunnels. Then a short walk to another larger chamber for the first movie clip. Throughout the tour we got little snippets of the story I told above, acted out by von Raitenau and his clumsy treasurer to make it more interesting.

Next stop was a short ride down a wooden slide! These slides were apparently used by the miners to reach lower levels quickly. Apparently they also used to organize slide parties for visitors to the mine.

A barge carried us across an underground brine lake, formed by pouring water into the mine from above. The ceiling was unnaturally flat, and showed some wave marks where the water must have eroded the rock.

We crossed over to Germany underground, then later back into Austria through a different tunnel. No wonder Bavaria thought this mine should be theirs!

A second longer slide took us to the lowest point of the tour. Here there was a chamber where one of the celtic bodies had been found (of course replaced with a replica). Then a long escalator back up to the train level, and out to the surface.

A few things I learned: I don't think I would enjoy working in a mine, the wooden slides were a blast, and there's a lot more salt under mountains than I ever knew!

Do NOT take the exit Radstadt Ost!

2009-08-02T05:25:00.005-07:00

Unless you actually want to find the hotel!

Let the fun begin! Warning, this post has only one token picture, the rest is words, and it doesn't really give a lot of news, just a funny little story about finding our hotel in Austria.

Our directions, as written by RCI, the timeshare exchange company, to get to our resort in Radstadt, Austria were a little different from reality. We discovered the real directions (in brackets in blue) through a combination of phone calls, much wandering, and finally a city map in a parking lot.

Here's the comparison:

1. Take the A10 in the direction of Salzburg. Exit at Altenmark/Radstadt and follow the B99 to Radstadt.
(Ok, even though Radstadt is not really marked on the exit. Easy enough to figure out)

2. Exit at Radstadt and NOT Radstadt Ost.
(Wrong! Exit at Radstadt Ost, NOT Radstadt West - the only other choice)

3. At the exit turn right and go over the bridge.
(Ok, the bridge is an overpass)

4. Turn left under the bridge and right at the crossroads.
(Turn left AFTER the bridge... the main road veers right, so technically this is a left turn. But at the next step they've got their directions mixed up. If you turn right at the crossroads you end up nowhere. You have to turn to the other right, a.k.a. left)

(4a. They neglected to mention a very important turn-off to the right from this next road, more like a veering off the road up a driveway. Without this clue you end up back in Radstadt town and have to make the whole circle again)

5. The reception (for check-in) is at the Sporthotel Radstadt, which is top right. Timeshare apartments are next to the hotel. (Check-in is not at the Sporthotel, but at the timeshare reception around and behind the hotel. They were very nice, and sent us on our way with slightly more clear directions)

I can't blame the resort, and my suspicion was confirmed by the manager here, who says she has asked RCI more than once to fix the directions. A combination of language barrier (I hope) and mixed up directions (yes, take the exit vs. do NOT take the exit; right vs. left).

The moral of the story is: always Google map your destination, get street view if possible, and get street names with the directions!

We had a good laugh about the whole thing, and learned to take directions with a grain of salt. Maybe you had to be here to get the joke.

Our place here is very nice, comfy, relaxed, with a fantastic view. We are well, safe, and now know our way around Radstadt extremely well!

Memory Lane

2009-08-02T05:03:00.004-07:00

PORDENONE!!

How could I think that I would be able to drive past without stopping? Thankfully Kendra knows me well, and insisted that we had to spend at least one night here. I'm so glad.

Every street, around every corner, memories flooded back. I almost expected to meet myself in some of these places, or to see other members of the BCU team headed for coffee at the Bar Cristallo. I remember going with Mamma to the Peratoner or the Pasticceria San Giorgio. I could almost picture people I knew enjoying their ice cream at the next table at the Gelateria Artigiana or the Casa del Gelato. And I could see myself walking off to school from home or going into any of the myriad giornalai to buy the latest issue of Topolino.

But this time we stayed in a hotel (a Best Western no less), which placed us right in the middle of town, prime location for exploring and for visiting the open market on Saturday morning. Which we did.

I dragged Kendra to as many places as we could pack into one evening and one morning. At the speed I was walking, that was a lot!

First, a pilgrimage to our old apartment, then panino con gelato at the Gelateria Artigiana. A tour of the downtown, pointing out various stores, buildings, pasticcerie, banks, and other places that hold memories. Supper at L'Antico Cervo (now just Al Cervo), then a Skype call home for fun.

Breakfast at the Peratoner (yummy!), a walk & shop through the market, second breakfast at a bakery on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, a trip out to the shopping on Viale Venezia (all new since we lived here), lunch in Piazza Risorgimento capped with more ice cream at the Casa del Gelato.

Arrivederci, Pordenone!

Whirlwind through Northeast Italy

2009-08-02T03:59:00.005-07:00

We drove from Reggio Emilia to Verona, where of course we had to see the famous Arena, and the more touristy Juliet's house, with her precious balcony.

The Arena was ancient and impressive. We wished we could have stayed, as they were getting ready for a presentation of L'Aida.

From Verona we breezed our way towards Venice, making one VERY IMPORTANT stop at a rest area known as an Autogrill. As children, my sister and I used to call these restaurants which cross over the highway as "hangovers", and were puzzled why our parents thought it was so funny. Now we know better.

Ah... Venezia! La Serenissima... the most serene... city on the lagoon. We spent two nights and one full glorious day in this unique beautiful city. We truly indulged in the luxury of Venice, from our hotel which was directly across the street from the water busses (and then only 15 minutes to San Marco), to a peaceful ride in a gondola, to our afternoon high tea in a restaurant opened in 1720 in Piazza San Marco, to the Baroque and Opera concert in the evening. A beautiful, perfect day!

The next morning we took some time to see the beach, get our feet wet, so we could at least say that we had touched the Adriatic Sea. Unfortunately that's all we had time for this time around.

For this leg of the trip, our timing seemed to be perfect. We arrived at the ferry boat just as a ferry was docking, and got on. When we arrived at the hotel, we got the last of only 3 parking spots (!!!!!) at the hotel. We saw ads for the concert and were able to get tickets the next morning, and got front row seats. On the way back, however, our timing seemed to falter. We got to the ferry boat and joined the line-up. Just as we were preparing ourselves for a one sailing wait (and enjoy a granita from the bar strategically placed at the head of the line), they asked for one more car. I don't know how they did it, but they squeezed us on, with barely a few centimeters to spare! I don't think Papa' would have like this one bit!

But it all worked out, and we were on our way to Pordenone.

To be continued...

Too good for words

2009-07-29T00:36:00.006-07:00

This post is all about Parmigiano Reggiano and Aceto Balsamico, but it was all too good to put into words, so here are some pictures with captions. Some speak for themselves.

Mixing the curdles curds :-)

Testing the curds: are they ready?

An empty cheese cone, clean and ready for the next batch

A fresh Parmigiano form, pried loose from the bottom and raised to the surface. Each big vat makes two forms

Fresh cheese, receiving its name and date by compression from a plastic stamp inside the metal band

Stamped Parmigiani, soaking in a salt bath. Not quite the Dead Sea, but a cheese sea

Beautiful!

Can I take one home, please?

The cheese stretched all the way up to the high ceiling, and all the way down the long room. Each form must be washed individually once a week!

Maurizio, owner of the B&B Bosco del Fracasso, where we've been staying, showed us around his Acetaia. He explained the whole process to us, and let us taste different ages of aceto. It was yummy!

Stage 1: cooked grape must, allowed to ferment about 2 years

Young (3 years old) fermented must at the first stage of becoming vinegar, in old wine barrels

A series of vinegar barrels made from different woods. The smallest is the oldest (12 years), and as it gets depleted, it is refilled from the next biggest barrel, and so on, until the 3-year old vinegar makes its way down the line.

After all this, we had to buy some vinegar!

A castle of a day

2009-07-28T10:35:00.003-07:00

On (what day was it, and does it really matter when you're on holidays?) ... a couple of days ago, we ventured up into the hills of southern Emilia Romagna (borders northern Tuscany) for some hopefully cooler air, and a view of some local castles.

Our first stop was an open-air market in a little town at the feet of the hills, called Traversetolo. The market was very large, but mostly made up of clothing and shoe vendors. Still very fun to walk through. We bought fruit and some sandwich fixings, then headed up into the hills.

UP, literally, by winding switch-backs on a very narrow track. Thankfully there was very little traffic coming the other way! We found the first castle, had our picnic, then took a tour. The view from up there was stunning, and well worth the breathtaking (literally) walk up from the parking area.

This castle was built starting in the 900's, and was a fortress for Matilde di Canossa from around 1046. Matilde, we found out, is a local historical celebrity, who at one time held power over a large area from Tuscany to southern Lombardia. The castle is largely undamaged, as it was built on very solid and enduring ancient lava bedrock. Some living accommodations were added in the 1300's for a family that took over the lands from the Catholic church, to whom the heirless Matilde had left her property.

We decided we had time for one more castle, so we ventured forth on the narrow track to the principal castle in Matilde's little empire, the castle at Canossa. This one is much more in ruins, a result of both violent attack (Matilde was apparently quite the despot), and natural erosion of the much less stable sedimentary rock.

This was a beautiful ruin, and we thoroughly enjoyed our little walk through time and history.

According to some very old documents, it was Matilde who gave the first recorded gift of balsamic vinegar to the visiting emperor Henry IV. Fitting, since this is the land of balsamic vinegar. More on that later, but it involves a visit to the balsamic production facility right here we're staying, and a surprisingly good taste test.

Back for more

2009-07-24T12:49:00.004-07:00

Italy, that is! Kendra and I landed in Milano yesterday, after a long but very smooth trip. We just got back to our hotel from a busy but wonderful day in Milano, visiting the Duomo, the Castello Sforzesco, and four (count 'em - four) different bookstores. Or was it five? (Mondadori x 2, Ricordi MediaStore, FNAC - yep, 4. Oh, and the book fair just off the Piazza del Duomo). Our priorities are clear. Of course we also had to do a bit of a quality test on the gelato and granite available to tourists.

We also apparently were called out here to test their thunderstorm system. Let me tell you, it works great! At least we were already in the tram on our way home.

Tomorrow we're heading back into the city for a bit more Sforza stuff: castle tour and museums. Then off to Reggio Emilia for the next stage.

Elyssa and Amy, if you see this blog post, please let me know if your kitties have special names. I also have to tell you that they made a couple of friends today, who will be keeping them company for the rest of the trip. They may also make their way back to Canada with me. AND I made the acquaintance of two cats inside the Sforza castle today. I wonder what their story is, and if they know the Warrior code?

More later, and don't forget to check out Kendra's blog for more news along the way. Just follow the link on the sidebar.

Tears for Italy

2009-04-06T13:27:00.003-07:00

L'Aquila and towns nearby, Abruzzo, Italy. I know, with the partial memory of a traumatized 4-year old, what this feels like. I pray for comfort and help for the survivors and the families of those who have been lost. I pray for wise decisions for support and rebuilding. And I cry for the tragedy that has once again rocked this little country, so dear to my heart.

It's been a while since I've posted anything here, and yet I find myself coming back with a sad post. Sometimes these things are necessary.

Magic Kingdom or Disneyland?

2008-08-27T18:39:00.005-07:00

Saturday... Magic Kingdom! Probably the park we've been the least excited about, only because we've both been to Disneyland, and expectations were high. We took it a bit easy in the morning, being the first morning in our non-Disney resort, with separate bedrooms, full kitchen, and even two sinks in the bathroom! Luxury indeed.

Ok, back to the park. First, it's huge. Even the parking is so far away from the park entrance that we had to take the Monorail to get there. We headed straight for Tomorrowland, towards our favourite (we thought) ride, Space Mountain. With Fastpass in hand, we looked around for other stuff to do. So we tried a Stitch ride (missable), a train ride around Tomorrowland (cool), and the Buzz Lightyear ride. This was a fun, interactive, video-game type ride, much like the Toy Story ride at Hollywood (hmm, could they be related?). I was losing big time (I guess the gun wasn't working), but then I must have hit something big because I jumped ahead of Kendra's already impressive score! I love these rides!

And the rain arrived. Oh well, by now we were resigned. And when it rains, it pours. Within a couple of minutes there was a river where there had been a walkway. We stayed dry as best we could, but c'est la vie!

Across the park to Pirates of the Caribbean, and here's where the comparison with Disneyland really took off. We were a little disappointed. Sure, Jack Sparrow is believable and makes the ride, but mostly because the rest was a little... boring. Not at all as we remembered it from Disneyland.

Time to use our Fastpass for Space Mountain, so back we trekked. And... another disappointment! No music on the ride? No dizzying, rotating tunnel to launch us into space? At this point I'm willing to entertain discussion on the relative merits of the two parks, at least with regards to these two rides. Any opinions out there?

We decided to drown our disappointment (not too difficult in this rain) in Fantasyland. Peter Pan, Snow White, and It's a Small World soon restored our park-hopping enthusiasm. Then it was back to Main Street for some shopping, and a ferry ride back to the parking lot.

To be continued... on Kendra's blog.

WDW 2008 - The rest of the week

2008-08-27T18:14:00.004-07:00

Ok, where were we? If you've been reading both my blog and Kendra's, you'll know that our week so far was: Monday - Epcot; Tuesday - Downtown Disney; Wednesday - Hollywood Studios; Thursday - Epcot; and Friday - Epcot. Thursday and Friday we had been hoping for better weather, but Fay had other plans, turning herself into a depression, which basically meant lots of rain and not much else. So Epcot seemed the best plan. At least we had fun supper plans on Thursday. We were at the Animal Kingdom Lodge at a restaurant called Boma. In keeping with the African theme of the resort, the restaurant was a buffet extravaganza. Yummy, and again we ate too much.

Friday was the end of our stay at the Pop! Century. Which presented the opportunity to take pictures of all the fun stuff around the resort (between raindrops). I'll attach some pictures below. It also meant that we had one last day to: 1) finish 2 meals and 4 snacks each on the Dining Plan, 2) play a free round of minigolf, and 3) take advantage of Extra Magic Hours at Epcot. Which we proceeded to do. The minigolf was fun, even though we (of course) got rained on, and I managed to kill my umbrella (the saga of the umbrellas is worthy of its own post, so I won't get into that now). The food was abundant, even though we finished our last meal in the rain (huh!). And the Extra Magic Hours was fun. Epcot was open an extra 3 hours (till midnight) for all resort guests. We stayed and went on the Nemo ride for a second time, and Spaceship Earth (see Kendra's blog) for a 3rd time. That one may just end up being our favourite of all.

Ok, let's get to pictures.

Our building at the Pop! was fronted by a giant Baloo and Mowgli.

Also on the property, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head decided to stop for a chat with us, and were obliging enough to pause for a picture.

Fantasia Mini-golf. Very fun, good theme, but very very wet!

Back at Epcot, somewhere around Germany, we found Eeyore and Pooh! I think Pooh was a little jealous because I hugged Eeyore first, and told him he was my favourite. Eeyore is looking a little smug, isn't he?

These were our bracelets for extra hours on Friday night. We had to take the picture this way, because we couldn't get the bracelets off!

We're back!

2008-08-23T19:35:00.005-07:00

On the internet, that is. One thing that WDW resorts have not caught up with in this century is free access to computers with internet. So we haven't been able to blog until we moved away from our lovely Pop Century resort.

We only have a few minutes left in our current session, so here are some pictures from our first two days in Orlando. We'll write more later, and give you all the lovely details of living with Fay.

Here's us leaving on the plane to Orlando! Ok, we're really not on this plane, but ours should have looked like this.

Vive le holiday! We just had to celebrate once we got to France. In Epcot's World Showcase, that is.

Our first supper on the Disney Dining Plan was at Restaurant Marrakesh in Morocco (Epcot version). Sorry the picture is upside down. We are quite a way down south, you know. And the computer we're working with doesn't have a lot of the modern conveniences. We'll fix it later.

Here's proof we were at Epcot! It's amazing! We are going to have a blast.

Speaking of blasting, Fay came blowing through here on Tuesday, so no parks and no pictures. What is a girl to do when it rains buckets and rivers? Go shopping, of course. Downtown Disney was only a short bus ride away, so away we went. And no, we can't tell you what we bought.

Here's a sneak preview of Wednesday at Disney's Hollywood Studios. We'll write more later.

The famous hat that Mickey wore as the Sorcerer's Apprentice sits near the entrance to Disney's Hollywood Studios.

The Hollywood Tower of Terror! A very good ride, a little scary, a lot of fun. Better than the Rockin' Rollercoaster, anyway.

Just before catching Fanstasmic (the fortunately NOT cancelled evening light show), we relived Beauty and the Beast on stage. Very fun!

And we ended the day with some fun! A walk through Andy's playroom on our way to the Toy Story Extravaganza! Basically a giant video game, where you shoot targets as the ride progresses. Who scored the most points? You'll just have to wonder about that one.

Never too many books

2008-06-19T21:22:00.007-07:00

I love picture books! My collection is bursting out of its bookshelf, but I can always use more. I came across a website today, lookybook.com (thanks, Kris Abel), that may just satisfy my urge to collect more of these wonderful books. Maybe for a little while.

The site is worth a look, as it lets you take a look into each book. And not just a look! You can read through the whole book, save your favourites, and of course buy the books you really need to hold in your hands (Amazon is a dangerous invention!).

I've used my favourite from this site (so far) to showcase the website. Click on the pair of eyes to open this book on the lookybook site, or simply read it here in my blog.

Hmmm... I may just need to buy this book and its sequel, Poor Puppy.

Happy in Heaven

2008-05-22T19:44:00.002-07:00

Dear Auntie MaryAnn,

I am so happy to know that you are now happy in heaven. No more pain, no more sadness, no more suffering, no more tears. No more sickness, no more death.
I will miss your warm welcome, your patience and permission for anything we wanted to do at your house. I will miss the addictive games on your computer. I will miss the always ready cup of tea and the yummy waffles with pudding. And I will miss your hugs.
One day we will be able to pick up again where we left off. I look forward to that day.

Anatomy of a birthday bunny

2008-03-03T17:32:00.004-08:00

I've sometimes wondered if birthdays were worth celebrating after the first 30 years or so, but this weekend reminded me that they are worth celebrating. There is something very important and blessing-full about having family and friends remind you that you have value and that you are loved. Thanks for doing that for me this year.

From afternoon tea and bookstore browsing, to angel food cake and hugs from my nieces, this has been a birthday to remember.

Colleen, you surprised my socks off!

Just to prove that I enjoyed my birthday, here is documented breakdown of one of my gifts!

(ok, so I cheated and sampled an ear before taking the first picture)

Light show

2008-01-14T16:13:00.001-08:00

152_5258
Originally uploaded by Auntie Kangaroo

So this is a bit out of focus, but I love the colours and the shadow cast by Mount Baker. In celebration of a memorable sunrise...

Christmas decorations

2008-01-14T16:09:00.001-08:00

152_5267-5
Originally uploaded by Auntie Kangaroo

I think I'll be keeping my Christmas decorations up all year. Mr. Knightley has found a new favourite perch. Maybe it has something to do with the warmth from the fire just below him. Or maybe he likes to sit where he can keep an eye on me.
Meanwhile, where is Emma? Oh yeah, I think she's sleeping under my turned-over bed quilts, her favourite new haunt.

And for those who have been waiting with bated breath (ok, I guess that was just me), I finally got my car back just over a week ago. Yeah!

Still waiting...

2007-12-28T14:20:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all! Such a hectic season, and I don't know where all the time goes. It seems like December just started, and now Christmas is practically over. But in between, I did have time for reflection and wonder, that the God of all the universe would come to our world as a vulnerable, dependent little baby. When did He know that He would suffer and die on a cross? Did the thought that He had come to bring salvation to this world bring Him joy when He was a child?

I didn't get Christmas cards out this year, but a big thanks to everyone who sent me one. Maybe I'll be more organized ('cause I won't be less busy) next year.

Still waiting for my car, nearly a month later...

It's Alive!

2007-12-01T12:29:00.001-08:00

They say that everyone will have, on average, one major accident in their lifetime. If that's true, I hope this is it, because it wasn't that bad. A bother to deal with, but no injury or loss. And that's something to be very thankful for. I have been blessed by much encouragement and support from friends and family. And that ends my acceptance speech.

So here's what happened... A dark (and not stormy) night... I was stopped in the midst of a right turn, and a big green monster (an F350) scrunched into the back left corner of my car. $6,000 worth of repairs, a write-off scare, and I should have my car back in about a week. So much for that new CRV that I couldn't afford anyway.

My poor sick little green bug!

Vegas!

2007-08-13T17:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a taste of what Kendra and I did in Vegas! Check out my Flickr page for some more pictures.

In a nutshell, it was hot, dry, and sunny. The casinos were noisy and smoky, but some of the resorts were amazing. The main highlights were the rollercoasters, Mamma Mia!, and the Star Trek Experience, not the usual thing when you think of Vegas. I guess we're just not very good gamblers or high-fashion shoppers. But we had a fabulous time!

Seasons of change

2007-06-23T18:43:00.001-07:00

For those who asked, and because I feel like celebrating good changes, here at last is a picture of me with new glasses and shorter hair. Ok, so I didn't take a full auto-portrait. I'm not used to being the focus of my own camera, and in Harry Potter-ish fashion, am trying to sneak out of the frame. But I do love my new glasses! I also highly recommend getting a proper hair-cut more frequently than once every couple of years.

Surprised by Indy

2007-06-23T17:42:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks! I thought it was time to share a few photos from my recent trip to Indianapolis. I was very pleasantly surprised by this friendly city. If you want to see more pictures, please visit my Flickr page (Indy 2007 set).

My hotel was right on Monument Circle. It's basically a giant war memorial, in a city full of reminders of past (and current) military history.

The US Post Office is celebrating Star Wars' 30th anniversary. Cool!

I spent my free time on Sunday and the following Friday at two of Indy's attractions: the zoo and the Children's Museum - apparently the largest in the world. The second picture here is one of the many I took of an incredible blown-glass exhibit at the Museum.

Middle Earth Framed

2007-04-01T20:15:00.001-07:00

148_48271
Originally uploaded by Auntie Kangaroo.

Happy Birthday to me! This was a group effort. I've had a map of Middle Earth for almost 3 years, sitting and waiting for a frame. On my birthday, I was surprised with some money from family and friends, given specifically to help me finally get it framed. And I did it! I think I found the perfect frame, and I love how it looks! Here's a close-up of one corner, and you can see a picture of the full framed map on my Flickr page (click on the picture to get there).

Thanks again to everyone who made this possible!

One year ago...

2007-02-26T15:43:00.000-08:00

I've just spent some long overdue time playing with Blogger: I upgraded to the new Blogger, changed and customized my template, and added some new links and favourites. In the process, I noticed that it was almost exactly one year ago that I made my first post! Happy Anniversary, two cats and a monky! So I haven't exactly been faithful (or as faithful as some), but it has been fun. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to visit my blog and to those who have left comments.

Let me take this opportunity to advertise a little software product that I've become excited about (thank you, Claire): Readerware. Anyone who is a bibliophile can appreciate this product - simply enter an ISBN number or use a little barcode scanner, and you can catalogue your entire collection of books, movies, and music. Follow the link in my Destinations sidebar for more details. I'm on my way to order the CD (there's a special offer of a free barcode scanner right now) as soon as I'm finished with this post. Three cheers for being organized! Is there such a thing as being too organized? I haven't found out yet, but maybe I'll get a little bit closer soon.

Birthday Party!

2007-02-26T13:48:00.000-08:00

147_4789
Originally uploaded by Auntie Kangaroo.

I had a wonderful "first" this year: a surprise birthday party! Ok, so I knew about it ahead of time, but it was kinda necessary as the party was at my place, in my pool. The party was a success, the cake (thanks, Kendra!) was amazing, the theme was lots of fun. I felt so blessed by family and friends, and so loved. Thanks to all of you for coming all the way out here.

Sunshine and whiskers

2007-01-29T13:47:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning was one of those that remind the soul, "summer is coming!" There's something about sunshine and cats, each brings out something beautiful in the other.

Losing a battle

2006-12-14T22:24:00.000-08:00

146_4683
Originally uploaded by Auntie Kangaroo.

Christmas is coming. One of the two most important and wondrous anniversaries of the year. I've passed other anniversaries (a few weeks ago I passed the two year mark of living in my condo), and others are coming up (in March my cats turn 2). But this is the one that we all enjoy, that some of us fight for (happy holidays, indeed) to preserve its name and reason. Some battles are worth fighting.

Other battles obviously are meant to be lost. Like the one that Mr. Knightley is winning here. I gues his watching me from his perch in front of my warm toaster oven is better than his watching me from his perch on my shoulder. Especially when I don't have the benefit of a specially designed reinforced shoulder pad (David Weber fans should catch the reference and my train of thought).

That's all for now, folks. Here's my chance to wish all of you a Happy Christmas, with all the joy that the first Christmas brought to some weary shepherds on a lonely hill.

Home refreshing!

2006-09-07T21:32:00.000-07:00

So much has happened this summer! Now it's September, and time to settle down and settle in to work, fiscal responsibility, the new TV season, and the wind-up towards Christmas (yes, choir starts next Sunday). But let's take a look back at all the fun...

It all started with the Agrifair on the July 1st weekend (oh yeah, already posted about that one), a very fun Cousins' Day, then an unforgettable Phantom of the Opera, Bard on the Beach, and the traditional visits to the PNE.

And in the midst of it all, a little project to add some colour to my life. What do cats have to do with painting and new furniture? Everything, if they can get away with it. I couldn't have done it without Kendra's hard work, or had so much fun doing it. There are more pictures here if you want to see the pretty colours I found for my bedrooms.

Mr. Knightley helped us pull the old (ugly) border from the wall of my guest room. Notice the pretty blue baseboards, which thankfully are now a beautiful white!

Sorry, this one is a bit fuzzy, but it's still one of my favourites. Emma loved the new bookshelves, at least until I filled them with books and put the doors on.

Flying High

2006-08-23T12:04:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy summer! I was going through my photos from the last couple of months, and was surprised to see how much has happened. Time has flown indeed! And how appropriate to start this summer blog run with pictures from the Abbotsford Agrifair. I went with Milena and Elyssa, and quickly learned a lesson in how the enjoyment of rides changes with age. Elyssa was running from ride to ride to ride to ride, each of which rotated in the same (counter-clockwise) direction. I used to love these rides! What happened to my internal gyroscope, and my ability to recover between rides? It was still a very fun time, with beautiful fireworks to top it all off. Oh yeah, and a wild bumper-car playtime at the end of it all. If you want to see more pictures, go here.

Bouncing kitties and other phenomena

2006-07-31T19:33:00.000-07:00

And now, back to our regular programming...

I wish I could catch them at it. 'Tis the season of flies mysteriously finding the dead centre of a room and orbiting around it. 'Tis therefore the season of cats randomly jumping in the air after said flies. One second they are out of sight behind my easy chair, and the next they're leaping in the air and chattering at the flies. It's adorable and insane at the same time. The other day Emma pulled a moth off the wall at least 5 feet from the floor. Crazy stuff! Of course, the minute I pull out my camera, they turn into writhing exhibitionists on the floor, apparently incapable of supporting their weight on their cute little paws.

I regretted that special leaping ability on Saturday. We lived through quite an adventure. Mr. K. got a Starbucks gift bag stuck around his middle (I guess he tried to crawl through the handle), and took off in a great tear to try to outrun the bag that was chasing him. This spooked Emma, who leaped up onto the windowsill in my bedroom. This window sill sits at least an inch above my head, a leap of 5 and a half feet from the floor. On one side, cozy and safe bedroom. On the other side, a four-storey drop to my neighbour's patio. I pulled Emma down, with my heart in my throat, then managed to corner the black blur and remove the offending bag, and we all sat back and let the adrenaline drain out of us. Enough excitement, already. Leaping should be outlawed.

Yes, I Believe

2006-07-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

Ok, here's the post that I really wanted to write yesterday. But then I found a different soap box, stepped up onto it, and, well, I gave a little rant. Now that's out of my system (and really, should I be surprised that yet another TV offering is superficial and contrived?), and I can get back to what I was really thinking about.

I was listening to one of the "speakers" in TLC's The Messengers yesterday. A woman was espousing her point of view that we, as a culture, are pressured to "believe" religion, to "believe" in whatever we call true, to "believe" in the facts of our lives, and thus we cheat ourselves out of realizing that what we have right now is perfect. Her solution? To grasp the moment by knowing these same things, not simply believing them.

So I started thinking. What is this distinction between knowledge and belief? Are we as Christians missing something by emphasizing belief? So many songs speak of belief. By definition, we say we are Christians because we believe in Jesus. Is this somehow a lesser expression of trust than to say that we know?

But really, faith is both. It's "being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1). I know that God exists, that He sent His Son to live as a man, that Jesus died to pay the penalty for my sins, that He rose from the dead, that He offers eternal life to all who put their trust in Him, that He provides the Holy Spirit as a counsellor and guide in my life. These are all things that I have not directly observed in the past or present, or they are things that I hope for in the future. But I know them all to be true, by historical record as well as personal experience of the effects of these facts in my life and in the lives of others. So, to agree with the contestant on TV, I know these things.

But it's also true that I believe them. If knowing implies a certainty of mind, so that I accept these things as real, there's still something missing. And that is belief. A choice of mind and heart. A choice to trust in the promises made. I believe in Jesus. I believe in salvation by grace, not my works of good. I believe that I will live eternally with Christ in Heaven, and I believe in His working in and through me by the agent of the Holy Spirit.

I know these things to be real, but beyond that I have committed my heart to also believing and trusting them.

That's what was missing. It's great to say "I know" something. But if I know it and don't let it change my life, if I simply stop there and am satisfied with accepting these things as facts, the knowledge stays in my head. I want it to live in my heart, my very being, as well.

Conversely, belief without knowledge is equally incomplete. I don't want to believe in something about which I can't say "I know this to be true". What would be the point? As Paul wrote to the Romans, if I believe in Christ's resurrection, but it didn't really happen, then my faith, my belief, is futile.

So the speaker had one kernel of truth in her argument. It's pointless to simply believe, believe. We must know. And knowing, we must believe.

A different kind of post

2006-07-30T19:57:00.000-07:00

Once again I have been disappointed with a new "reality tv" show.

I'll admit it, I'm a bit of a TLC junkie (my favourite tlc life lesson is the one about becoming the crazy cat lady - big surprise). So I've seen the promo ads for their new show, The Messengers. From how it was portrayed, I thought it was supposed to be about following some ordinary people as they went out and experienced the hard lives of others, and candidly related to the rest of us what they had learned. Already over-exposed to this sort of thing by tear-jerking WorldVision ads, I thought I would give this a pass, also becuase I imagined it would not really offer any real solutions, unlike the afore-mentioned tear-jerkers.

But tonight I left the TV on while I went out for some last-minute shopping (got to get those windows clean for the screen-installer-guy tomorrow). When I came home, The Messengers was on, and it turns out to be some American Idol rip-off, a competition for "America's next inspirational speaker". I stood there with my jaw hanging open for at least 10 seconds (quite a long time when there are three flies hovering around the centre of my living room). Is this a new low, or has North American culture so watered down sincere presentations and expressions of truth, that it is now open for competition? Have we stooped so low that we're ready to listen to people, completely irrespective of how true their statements are (never mind whether or not the speaker believes what they're saying), as long as their speaking is impassioned and convincing enough? Is morality so relative that we choose to act on what the best (most convincing) speaker is saying?

What about the people that help the competitors arrive at the insights that they then exploit to win the competition?

I could have expected something like this from some other networks, but TLC? I am more inspired by the life-changing experiences of people on What Not To Wear. At least these life changes are real and not made to be voted on.

To top it all off, the final prize of this moralized "Idol" knock-off? A publishing deal! Words fail me. Look out for a new bookstore shelf category: TV Inspired Inspirational. The content of these books? Doesn't really seem to matter, as long as they look and sound like a successful "inspirational" speaker. Parallel thought: sensational criminals get book deals; this competition could fit with politics - "America's Next Top Politician" or "America's Next President" (now there could be a good show!).

I started this post with a different thought, while listening to one of the speakers (maybe I'll get back to that in another post). This was before I realized that it was a competition. When I still thought that the people were actually speaking because they wanted to get a point across, not to get votes from the audience on their presentation.

Dare I wonder what would happen if someone stood up there and presented Truth?

Not my usual kind of post. A bit more cynical and more tongue-in-cheek than usual. But I had to get it out of my head.

Cool kitty

2006-07-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

I know we can't complain about a 3-day heat wave, when much of the rest of the continent is suffering worse than we are. But in typical Vancouver fashion, even this weather extreme is much-discussed, analysed, emphasized, and sensationalized. And it does provide some interesting challenges. What do you do with a black cat who insists on sitting as close to a sunbeam as possible, without actually baking? Especially when his sister is smart enough to find the coolest spots in the house? Yesterday during the hottest part of the day she even sprawled herself in front of the fan (about three feet away, mind you) to stay cool. Well, I've discovered something new. My brush-adoring kitty also seems to like a damp cloth to cool his overheated fur. Maybe I'll have to try a wool vest in winter. Or would studded leather suit him better? I'm open to suggestions. Just no bonnets, please.

Celebrating Summer

2006-07-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

What do you do to celebrate the end of another school year, the beginning of summer, and wonderful weather in one of the best cities in the world in which to live? You put on an Italian/Australian feast! The Italian part is obvious (bread, prosciutto, bocconcini, tomatoes, and fresh basil), and the Australian part is courtesy of Gord with a tasty Cabernet Merlot direct from Australia.

All that's missing is some German bratwurst, and we would have had a feast to also celebrate Italy's semi-final decisive victory. Forza Azzurri! Viva l'Italia!

Catwheels

2006-06-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

Has my kitty learned how to do cartwheels, or is she just enjoying a particularly stretchy stretch? How satisfying it must be to be able to bend over backwards like this.

Sometimes I wish I could.

Collaging: new verb for the tech world

2006-05-27T14:40:00.000-07:00

One can sure spend (e.g. waste) time playing with digital photography! Or maybe it's not a waste, if you get to do cool stuff like this:

Cool Picasa

2006-05-26T23:33:00.000-07:00

I just tried a new (to me) Google app called Picasa. It looks like it will be useful to organize my pictures, and the redeye correction is one of the better ones I've tried. But what I think is really cool is the set of tools for image correction and enhancement. Check out this before/after of a picture I took from an airplane, looking down over the Grand Canyon.

The before picture is the original shot:

The after picture is a transformation using the "I'm feeling lucky" image adjustment tool. It does a pretty good job or removing the haze and window interference, and restores a lot of the colour. Very cool!

I tried it with several other pictures, and will continue to try out the other features. If nothing else, it's something to do on a Friday night. Of course, my cats are really wondering what I'm up to, so I may have to give up soon.

Screamin' California!

2006-05-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

143_4313
Originally uploaded by Auntie Kangaroo.

Ok, so it would take too long to fully do justice to an amazing trip! But here are some of the highlights from my perspective:

- dipping my toes in the Pacific at the Santa Monica beach
- seeing stars on Space Mountain to the beat of new music
- Splash Mountain!
- California Screamin' (and it's not named that for nothin')
- getting soaked in Atlantis, and soaked more in the river rapids (oh yeah, that was actually uncomfortable)
- Shamu & co.
- doing handstands in a very cold pool
- the LEGO store!
- Mickey, Minnie, Princess Aurora, Pooh, Tigger, and most of all, Eeyore!
- eating funnel cakes and corn dogs
- laughing so hard I couldn't breathe
- good times with family, some not seen for many years.
- seeing the Grand Canyon from thousands of feet up on the way home (via Toronto, of course)

I'm sure there are more, but that's a snapshot of the trip. You can see more snapshots by clicking on the picture above.

So long for now, California!

Come play with me!

2006-05-05T17:16:00.000-07:00

Back_to_normal
Originally uploaded by Auntie Kangaroo.

Everything is back to normal. Freshly clean sheets on a freshly-turned mattress make an excellent playground. At least according to Emma, who is feeling much better now. And I think she's forgiven me for subjecting her to a very painful and stressful visit with the vet a couple of days ago. I love my cats!

Of fleas, worms, and other useless worries...

2006-05-05T16:43:00.000-07:00

...or, how a little worm led to a mysterious washing-machine plumbing problem

Warning: this post is long and contains some objectionable material that may be disgust-forming to some readers, and may cause others to inexplicably start scratching their heads (and toes, and shoulders, and knees).

I had a very interesting week, and now that it's over, can look back and laugh. So I thought it only proper to share a glimpse into my paranoia with anyone misguided enough to read past the first paragraph.

It all started on Monday with an odd little creature called a tapeworm. In my cat. In my house. Poor Emma. The cat with the dislocated tail somehow caught one, and it was time to face reality. I had suspected for some time that something fishy (ok, wormy) was going on, and finally decided to grasp the cat by the tail and really take this seriously. So I did what I always do with a serious question: I went to Google.

Wednesday found me at the pet clinic, trying to help the vet give my hissing, spitting, biting kitty an apparently painful and terrifying shot. So much for the tapeworm.

Paranoia step #1.
Now tapeworms in cats are carried by fleas, but how did my fastidious, indoor-only kitty find a flea? And why did the ever-dignified Mr. Knightley not catch the same parasite? So began a scouring of my place from top to bottom. According to some very professional-looking web resources, tapeworms are only caught by ingesting fleas or rodents. Suggestions for detection of fleas followed (rodents are pretty well recognizable to the naked eye, and the closest thing to a live rodent my cats have seen are giant squirrels in their dreams, or me eating a carrot).

The vet combed Emma's coat, with no evidence of fleas. At home, I inspected her skin, checked her bed for "salt and pepper grains" (flea dirt), watched both cats for excessive scratching, and asked them if they recognized the flea's mug shot on my computer. Nope. So I continued with my laundry. You can't tell me that you wouldn't wash all your blankets, etc. after an encounter with a tapeworm, harmless though it might be.

Paranoia stage #2.
Emma was flea-free, but what about Mr. K? I had already inspected him and his bed for tapeworm and/or fleas. Nothing. Then I took my glasses off and inspected his blanket (no, I'm not getting older - I just need new glasses). I saw little black and yellow specks. Really. I got worried. Into the washing machine with you, offending blanket!

Just to make sure I wasn't being paranoid (my logic drive was obviously already malfunctioning), I did what the web had suggested. I took some water, poured it over the blanket, and waited for the specks to behave like little dried blood bits. The water poured off like the blanket was made out of teflon. So I got more water, and poured it on again. This time I contained more of the water, but the results were inconclusive. The specks didn't change.

After washing, I took the blanket out, took my glasses off again, and looked closely. Black and yellow specks still in place. Not flea dirt! So far, so good.

Paranoia step #3.
Just when I thought the saga was over, with the last load of laundry in the drier, I made a disturbing discovery. Water in the carpet in the doorway of my laundry cupboard. Not just a couple of drops, but enough to squish my toes into. Small panic.

Strange thing, though. There was no water on the floor around the washing machine, no soap bubbles, no evidence the water had come from the machine at all. But where in the world could the water have come from? And was there enough that it would have gone into the apartment below mine? Or did it come from the apartment above me and travel through the walls (a real possibility, if history is any kind of a teacher)? I went to bed.

The mystery solved.
Yes, it was solved, but only after about 24 hours of worrying. After work on Thursday, I did a load of laundry and stood there in front of the machine, with a flashlight in one hand and a Magic Shammy in the other. Have you ever wondered how long a load of laundry takes when you're watching it and waiting for water to come spewing out? I don't have to anymore. Of course, if you've been reading the above carefully, you will have already guessed what happened.

No water came from the washing machine. It didn't dawn on me until I was putting Mr. K's now-clean-and-dry blanket back on the couch where he likes it. Blanket - specks - flea dirt suspicion - water to test - more water to test - water rolling off blanket - carpet getting wet - me forgetting about the water in my worry about fleas - brought on by my worry about tapeworms - what a nut am I!

So the only question that remains is, could Emma have caught a tapeworm by eating a silverfish?

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? ... Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
- Matthew 6:27,34

Sun, sun, sun

2006-04-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

Start_1
Originally uploaded by Auntie Kangaroo.

But not run, run, run. Our now annual tradition came off today in glorious fashion. A beautiful day in Vancouver to walk 10km with just a few other people. Ok, there were 50,700 registered participants, and it looked like most showed up.

Kendra, Shannon, Amanda, and Nicole made up the rest of our little group, and we had a great time, hopping from Starbucks to Starbucks, picking up some bagels and fruit on the way, and enjoying being in the city on a day when this is truly the best place to live.

Or is it? We had a somewhat disturbing reminder that not all is well in Vancouver when a man, pushing a shopping cart, cut through the crowd in the opposite direction, shouting and cursing something about "running for heroin." Not really sure what he was trying to get across, but it's a sign once again that while the weather, the atmosphere, the apparent good mood of everyone there point to an idyllic setting, we cannot with all our goodwill create a city of perfection simply by willing it to be so. A rather deep thought for a sunny Sunday afternoon... Something to think about, though. Or at least to pray about while we walk down the beautiful tree-lined, sunny streets of a beautiful city.

I had a great time. Thanks to my walking companions for a truly enjoyable day. Now I'm going to sit back and let my sleeping kitties show me what it means to relax and rest (and then I ask myself, what have they done all day that they feel the need to sleep all evening?).

Sun Run, I will see you next year. I hope the sun will make another blazing appearance in 2007!

Off To Saskatchewan

2006-04-05T20:23:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it there and back without driving over a single snowflake. I've posted some of the pictures from our trip here. Granny's 90th birthday was successfully celebrated, with friends and some family near. It was also a chance to marvel again at God's creation, and its incredible variety. From mountains to stubbly prairie, beauty was everywhere.

Stress? I don't think so!

2006-03-30T21:59:00.000-08:00

I think it must be my genetic inheritance to add stress and worry to my life at the drop of a hat. But really, why should I? I am learning something that I expect every cat owner has also learned: there is nothing in this world that is so important it can't be helped by having a cat on my lap. Every evening my cats wait for me. They will follow me around the house, talk to me, or simply stare at me until I sit down somewhere for more than two minutes. Then they'll jump on my lap or simply lie down beside me on the couch and sleep. Watching them sleep makes me relax, and realize I need to take time every day to just enjoy the moment. A moment of peace, a break from cares, and a reminder that I need to rest to be able to cope better tomorrow. Stress? I don't think so...

Happy Birthdays!

2006-03-26T17:11:00.000-08:00

My kittens officially came of age this week, reaching their one-year landmark. Happy Birthday! So now I'm expecting them to turn into more typical cats, sleeping away most of the day (oh yeah, they do that already), becoming fussier in what they eat, and generally being more dignified and aloof. In short, more adult. This doesn't seem very likely, however, as they chase each other up and down the length of my apartment and then beg me to play with them.

This got me thinking to our assumptions about age. Do we expect to become more dignified and aloof as we get older? Do we expect others to accept our eccentricities and selfish fussiness as we add years to our age? I think I'll try to hang on to more of the playful innocence and wonder of childhood (or kittenhood), the older I get. After all, the main result of having cats in my life is a constant reminder that I am not the most important person here, even if I am the only human. And that's not a bad thing.

Chocolate fest for 2

2006-03-03T23:00:00.000-08:00

Kendra came over today to help me celebrate my birthday, and I took it as an excuse to confirm yet again that chocolate and raspberries and ice-cream (and a little cabernet) are a natural match. I felt the need to remember this and document it for posterity.

Tanti auguri a me, e la torta a noi!

Let's try this out...

2006-02-27T12:25:00.000-08:00

Maybe I'm not immune to peer pressure, but all the cool kids are doing it! So here's my first attempt at joining the world of blogging.

I will add pictures with my next posting, since the debate is still open here on whether to post a picture of me or of my cats - they're more photogenic than I am.

For now I'll just get this out there, and get on with my tax return. It's amazing what I can come up with to delay doing my taxes!