Adieu

Tonight we are embarking on the open road to drive away from sound of typing, sending of emails and work related chatter, to be welcomed by the hum of critters, stillness and dinner time laughter.

There will be birthday candles to blow out, worn out videos to sew to, books absently read to the sway of the dock and rounds and rounds of late night cards.

Time will merge into one endless and amazing day until our sweet life here lures us back.

Adieu.

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Plucked!

The other day we plucked the first fruit of our vegetable patch labor - a beautiful vibrant orange carrot. Curled at the bottom, sweet tasting and perfectly fresh. Every bite makes me wonder why I ever bother eating things that are not local and in season.

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Stay-cationing

About a year ago I listened to an interview on the CBC with author George Monbiot, who studies and writes about the disastrous impact of air travel on the environment - leaving what he calls "love miles" as the only real reason people should emabark on the pollution masters we call airplanes - and even then, no more then once every forever.

While there is a world of wonders out there just waiting to be flown to, Mr. S and I have really tried to focus on what adventures there are in the backyard of this vast country we live in .

We took full advantage of being in the northern part of Ontario last weekend to explore all that we could before the city and our day jobs demanded us back home.
Departing our camp site around noon we set out with the goal of halting for any road side stop, little town or beautiful site we saw along the way!

Our first stop found us pulling off the highway by the lure of a sign declaring "waterfall". A short hike later and we were amongst the jagged land so dominant in Ontario and hum of a quickly moving waterfall smoothing the edges out as it raced to the bottom.
Admission - FREE
Carbon Foot Print - Zero!

And from there we pulled over for...

A family of cows sitting in a hole,


A countryside view plucked from a movie, and roadside wild blueberries, freshly picked strawberries and snap peas!

This weekend we are stay-cationing in our great city, which will bring movies at the local indie theater, breakfast to the tune of bluegrass music and Shakespeare under the moon.

Happy Friday.

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On the Shores

A surprisingly short 5 hour drive through the stunning north of Ontario takes you a lifetime away from the city, the hustle and any sort of bustle right into the thrust and shores of the Tamagami River; the home of our weekend at the River and Sky Festival.

Bridges over rushing water, tall tress to relax under and a babbling river to float away on...

...perfection.

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Camp Chow

Mr. S and I are still catching up on sleep from our amazing weekend away at the River and Sky Festival held on the shores of the beautiful Tamagami River.

Before heading out, I had packed our car full of food for about 20 people and a week's worth of meals - what can I say, the outdoors makes me hungry! We were totally spoiled when we arrived to find that the festival had arranged for a team of volunteers to cook for the musicians all weekend. There was fresh fruit, homemade granola, OJ and a selection of cheeses for breakfast, followed by homemade falafel and perogies for dinners! Not to mention the fresh bread, snack and PB+J station they left out all day.

And if the fresh food prepared by these amazing volunteers wasn't enough, some of the regulars who camp out at the park all summer or live in the area had set up concession stands selling fresh produce, cotton candy, poutine, homemade lemon meringue pie and pretty much anything else you would want to consume after a couple of drinks and watching music under a summer night.

Full yet? I wasn't - so back at camp we devoured late night roasted corn on the fire, homemade cupcakes and a little something I call banana boats.
We shared our camping space with some of the people from Mr. S's band and their amazing kids (note: not interested in kids? Meet these ones; they will change your mind). As our little contribution to being able to spend an amazing weekend with them, Mr. S and I pumped them full of this sugar packed fireside snack right before their bedtime...

Banana Boats
recipe from my Brownie leader Grey Owl
* I am pretty sure this is the only thing I took away from my time as a Brownie.

- Take a Banana and peel back one section (just one little peel) of the banana - leave the peel attached
- Take a spoon and scoop out about a third of the Banana - just to make some room in there
- Lay the banana in tin foil (shiny side in) and fill in the room you just made in the Banana with marshmallows and chocolate chips (as many as you can cram in)
- Lay back the peel to close in all the chocolate chips and marshmallows and wrap the tin foil around tightly.
- Place in the fire (to the side or on slow burning coals) until the banana is soft and everything else is all melted.
- Pull back tin foil and scoop out chocolatey/banana/marshmallow goodness
- Avoid glares from parents as their children run circles around you while shrieking their love of sugar.

The food and glow of the fire was so great that I actually fell asleep in my chair by the fire before the kids had come off their high - but not to fear, I woke up just in time for roasted corn and round of s'mores!

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An Ode to our BBQ!

The last time we enjoyed our dear BBQ - Father's Day 2009

Yesterday morning I wandered out the door on the way to work to the sight of something different, a vacancy in our yard, a space not there the night before...

Our BBQ had been stolen.

A Gift to Mr. S for his birthday just a year ago, a faithful friend around which we can chatted with guests and cooked many a meal - gone. Lifted by what our neighbors think we two men in the disguise of night.

Signs have been posted and reports filed, but alas we have not had our friend returned. A the peak of its need under the summer sun and on nights designed for a bbq'd food, ours will be enjoyed by strangers - I do hope they treat it well.

So, as an ode to our lost friend, I present you a round up of my favorite etsy BBQ related items.

*Click on the image to take you to the Etsy seller

And if for some cruel twist of fate YOU the bbq stealer are reading this, your left the cleaning brush behind - don't use steal bristles on the grill, it will wreck it.

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From Miss to Mademoiselle - The Perfect Dress

Image care of Parisian Party

At this stage of my life, getting mail is still a thrill - very few bills come through our slot, so anything address to me is usually worth getting excited about.

Last week a brightly colored envelope address to us in the twirl of script was delivered requesting the presence of Mr. S and myself at his cousin's wedding - IN FRANCE!

This invitation kicked started me into action - a transformation of my current uni-lingual, completely unaware of european fashion self into one Mr. S's french relatives will be enchanté with; a transformation from Miss to Mademoiselle!

Step One: The Perfect Dress

Step one of this transformation is to once again find the perfect dress - something some of you may recall is a challenge I do love to ponder. This hunt may prove to be slightly guided as I was told during my visit to a psychic a few months ago that I would wear black, hair pulled back tight and bright read lips. Easy enough - I have two brand new, unworn (one the original Junos Perfect Dress) that I could easily wear.

BUT WAIT... Black to a wedding in France? Je ne sais pas

To help answer this clearly life altering question, I consulted the blog Parisian Parties where they advise:

"a chic and classic look by Tara Jarmon paired with this season’s bold accessories should help you fit right in with the rest of the Parisian invitées."

Image c/o of Tara Jarmon
This was the closest thing to black I could find in the whole collection.

Their second piece of advice is to look to the "The most obvious clue" - the invitation:

"Is it a classic cream or ivory card stock with formal text and titles? Or is it a more contemporary design, with a touch of color and modern text? A formal invitation doesn’talways mean a formal wedding, but it’s a pretty good clue."

The invitation we received is modern, bright purple with a lighter shade of purple writing...I don't own anything purple and don't plan on starting now.

Alas, I put it out to you blogger lovelies -
Can one wear Black to a French Wedding?

To assist you, here are some photos of the chateau where the reception is being held:

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Soundtrack to Monday - River and Sky

One of the greatest musical treats of summer is the long list of festivals there are going on - from corporate monsters marketing music in outdoor stadiums to circles of people high on life and such, swaying to the sounds of indie bands.

This weekend Mr. S is playing in an amazing festival called River and Sky - a 3 day event of camping, great music and hanging our with good friends alongside the stunning landscape of the Temagami river.

The music is of course the highlight and had been chosen with an emphasis on new indie music - although arguably some of the highlights (Julie Doiron and Attack in Black) are seasoned and guarantee an amazing evening - throw in a bonfire and s'mores and really, what more could one need?

Our tent is already packed, so should you need a weekend out of your city and some time living the good life along side friends, music and nature - check our River and Sky (http://www.riverandsky.ca) - I'll save a spot by the campfire for you!

*Can't attend this one but are looking to hang out with thousands of people for a a weekend of music and heat stroke? - check out Pitchfork for their summer Guide to Festivals

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Happy Weekend - back to the cottage

My poor cousin posed for this photo for about 5 bug bites as I waited for the perfect shot/greatest number of bugs on her head.

We are headed back to the cottage for the weekend - sewing machine, gorgeous new fabrics and bug spray in tow. I hope you lovelies have a perfect weekend!

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Trying out some new looks

Trying to keep it exciting around this here lil'ol blog.

Instead of working, I am fiddling around with some new banners - the current one uses a picture of textiles for sale in a small village in Vietnam that I visited. And as always, I like to have my typewriter pictured if possible.

Yesterday I tried out this little one - I am inspired by colourful checked tablecloths right now. Nice enough, but a little mechanical.

Thanks for your patience while I try a few things out!

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Cottage Eating

Homemade sushi - we thought we would N-E-V-E-R eat it all - it was gone in under a 1/2 hour.

One of the great joys of the cottage is eating.

Everything tastes better when you have been working hard all day, swimming in the lake and strolling through the forest.
Everything tastes better prepared in a small kitchen with the fire roaring in the background and your family in your way.

And last weekend's cottage meals were no exception!
Here are a few of the highlights:

Cedar Plank Salmon:
Fresh Salmon
Marinate in soya sauce, ginger, garlic and maple syrup (reserve some of the marinade and reduce to make a sauce)
Place on cedar plank boards to roast at a medium heat in the bbq (be sure to soak the boards for a few hours beforehand) - this should take about half an hour.
The salmon goes beautifully over a summer fresh couscous and a side of green beans!

Easy Homemade Foccacia:
Roll out premade fresh pizza dough into a rectangle the size of your baking sheet (be sure to flour the sheet a little so there is no stickage!)
Cover half of the pizza dough with your favourite savory foods - we did black olives, basil, olive oil, onions and roasted garlic
Fold the side of the pizza dough without toppings over the topped side and press the edges closed.
Poke out any air bubbles with a knife
Heat in the oven at 350 until golden brown (near the end of cooking we also drizzled a little more olive oil on top and salt and pepper)
Cut into rough squares and enjoy!

Uncle Peter's Strawberry Pie (in tart form)
Make or purchase little tart shells
Scoop about a teaspoon of cream cheese (best at slightly below room temperature) into the bottom of each and try to cover the sides of the tart with the cream cheese if you can
Fill the tarts with fresh local strawberries (we added some blueberries as well)
On the stove top heat up (until runny) red current JELLY (Jam does not work) - apple jelly will also work
Drizzle the melted jelly over the fruit - be generous without making it soggy
Let set in the fridge and then enjoy!
(These taste the best to me the next day when everything has had a chance to really meld)

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Unwound

I am still floating from a perfect weekend at the cottage. My mind unwound, my belly was stuffed and my sewing list made a titch bit smaller - all done to the soundtrack of rain on the roof, waves on the rocks and wind in the trees.

Each morning after breakfast the family poured out the door to join the hoards of mosquitoes to complete their various activities and tasks, leaving me with my music, sewing machine and boundless space to spread out and get to work.

I started with the quilt that I have been fretting over and was so pleased at how it came together. Strips were cut evenly, a self-taught log cabin quilting lesson was successful and I powered through the 9 blocks that will be the focal point of the quilt. My end came as I ran out of fabric needed to piece the blocks together, but really it was a gift as it sent me outside to join my soggy family and assist in the building of a new deck (aside from sewing quilt blocks together, there is nothing more satisfying then hammering a nail in).

So good was the weekend that we are heading up again in just a few days - hammer, bug spray and sewing machine in tow.

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Spinning

Right now my mind is just spinning with sewing projects, all half done and none happening quite as I would like.

There is the start of a dress from the Japanese Dress Books that has already had a large chunk cut out of the wrong spot and was made for someone 4 inches larger. Then this is the Queen sized Duvet Cover that I am making my friend - I turn this one over and over in my mind - I want so badly for it to be just right. And finally, there is a pile of 4 ideas and matching fabric for summer dresses that will ideally be complete before summer is out.

Tomorrow I hop on the train and join my sewing machine and family at the cottage. I hope that the fresh air and three days away from the office will inspire me to finish some of these or at the very least, allow my mind to unwind.

Happy Canada Day!

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