Christmas Fa-la-la with Family and Friends
A warm welcome to this year's Christmas blog post. Wait for it - as it is packed with pictures that never saw a summer cottage posting. Life got way too busy this autumn and posting what I did on my summer holidays went down with the 60 sunset pictures I took (yup, no exaggeration).
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Looks like Santa Claus
unloaded his sleigh
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E is doing security detail
for Santa this year |
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Grandmaman has got
a direct line in to Santa. |
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Christmas breakfast chez
Luisa, R, and Jojo |
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Aren't the elves still in bed?
More coffee?
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Christmas dinner at Jill and Gabriel's.
Be very afraid of what E
will make you do with those eyes |
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Really, I'm just trying to get Gabriel
to eat his veg.
I need that magical spell. |
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Oh brother, adults,
they just won't eat
their Brussel sprouts |
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C thinks they're delectable.
He doesn't understand
why adults leave them behind. |
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The requisite outing for
"Bucket of Soup"
"pho" Grampy
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La Vida Pura in Costa Rica
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Gorgeous wildlife
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Costa Rica's beauty and diversity means we could do it all - adventure to chill, including jungle tours, zip lining and surfing.
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The quaint hotel
included exotic inhabitants |
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This guy crawled on E's neck
and had the parental units
freaking far more than her! |
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Ever see a
land crab? |
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| And there were giants.... |
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| Chillin' |
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You told me this was
a HOT spring.
Not! |
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Zippity- do-da!
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| E likes watermelon |
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a lot...
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Getting our boards
to catch some waves
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Surfing dude
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| Born natural |
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Anyone want to come
on a surf vacation with me?
Warm waters only... |
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You need to keep
your balance on those boards
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Adrian prefers his two feet
on more stable ground |
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Crossed a lagoon, that has crocodiles
at high tide, to get to this beach at sunset.
Since I still have all limbs, it must have been low tide |
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One day, I'll catch that elusive
green flash over the horizon |
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| Time to go home |
Visit with us in the entry for the Costa Rica trip Pura Vida
Paris is always a good idea
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| View from Trocadero |
I always leave Paris wanting a little more of its magic. It seems, half the world wants it too and are all concurrently on the Jardin de Tuileries. I'm so grateful for the memories of visiting many years ago when it felt like I had the city to myself.
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| Mais oui, Paris!! |
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From the Quai de l'Archeveche
overlooking the burned out
Notre Dame |
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A reverent mood on the Left Bank
paying respects to Notre Dame.
We were there just 2 weeks after the roof burned. |
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The lovely cafes, with fabulous
crepes and ice cream |
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| The city of love with my daughter |
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But she's getting too big
Next time, I get on your shoulders |
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Sylvie adopts
E as a Parisienne |
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| My favourite Parisiennes! |
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| Time to go home? |
Happy Canada Day!
A canoe trip to Algonquin Park redolent with plenty of mosquitos, bug spray and s'mores!
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The best water ride money can't buy!
The price is a hike or canoe portage to get here! |
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| Like our own private spa in the wild |
The Sound of the Ocean
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| Welcome! |
Welcome to our cottage. The long history dates over 200 years ago when our ancestors settled this coastal land. It was an original grant of land to my great-great-great grandfather, Leonard Pye by King George IV. A very long time by Canadian history!
The building itself is a one-room school house built in 1930 which my great grandfather helped build. They had to rebuild because my grandmother's cousin burned down the first school...
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| Getting ready for transport. |
My grandmother attended school here, and we have her Chemistry books with notes in the margins. It was originally situated 2 km up the road. I bought the building and had it transported by truck to my parents' property!
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| On the move down the road! |
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| The "before" interior |
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The school house rests on
a basement built into the slope |
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The "after" picture of many years
of renovation and labour of love |
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Nothing says welcome like
Jaws greeting family at the door |
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| Just a few members of the family |
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We know Grandmaman is a saint.
Now the halo proves it |
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| Aunt Pam totally agrees |
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| What's cooking Aunt Marilyn? |
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Hodgepodge of course!
A Nova Scotia
chowder of baby vegetables |
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| Can't talk... food |
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Eric says beer!
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Sophie and Matt
Let the games begin! |
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Grandmaman was having a rough games night
coming up with Bananagram words...
She really needs a night out |
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That "I'm so sweet and naive" look is not fooling us.
Not buying it
Grandmaman is totally busted.
Don't give her a deck of "Cards against Humanity" |
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| Uncle Steve trying to educate E |
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| So do I tell them they're all crazy? |
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Playing bocci ball on the lawn
with a G&T
sounds so civilized...
in rubber Wellies |
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Chanterelles -
what luxury from the forest
Actually the farmers' market |
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| Chanterelle risotto! Amazing |
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| Perfect imperfect |
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| Lobster salad! |
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| Ocean treats |
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Empanadas from
the farmers' market.
A treat my London friend,
Andrea, introduced to us |
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Birthday girl's cake!
She made herself!! |
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| Will you join me for coffee? |
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Cabbage,
an underrated vegetable
but so popular in the Maritimes |
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Notice the abundance of zucchini,
or courgette for our Brit friends |
Custom has it that Nova Scotian's lock
their car doors in the autumn.
This is to avoid someone sneaking a zucchini into their back seat.
Instead, they've been left on my deck hoping for a good recipe.
Visitors!
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Our neighbours
Paula and Steve
made it to the ocean ! |
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| Selfie with cousin Annette |
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Always a good visit
with Karen-Anne |
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| Even Pax calls on us |
Photo credit Sara Ward
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| Ninja cousins relaxing! |
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| Lunch with my Dad |
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The cutest fishing shack
on Sloan's Island |
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| E has made a pal with Harley |
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If fairies had a wood stove,
it would be this one |
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Sam takes us sailing in the harbour.
There is freedom in the wind of a sail |
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photo credit Sam Sloan
And where can the open water take you?
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| E has got the hang of the helm |
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The path to the Field Beach
I love to go and listen to the waves |
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| Grampy blending with the stones |
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Not getting in that water
without this! |
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| Afraid of a little cold water? |
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| Its warmer if you stay dry |
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Ingenious tablecloth weights -
only in the Maritimes |
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| Birthday girl with 2 cakes! |
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| Aunt Marilyn and G |
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| Cousin R |
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| Can I have 2 big pieces? |
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We keep losing track of
how many of us there are |
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| Embrace the crazy, says Kelly |
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Sadie likes texting with
her Apple watch.
She told us just what
she was really thinking |
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She left in a hurry with Pete...
Guess she had stuff to do with him... |
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Some beach combing
for sea glass |
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| Sea glass treasure |
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| Crashed after the party |
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Food coma
Can't handle the fun |
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Please help us keep the St. Mary's River
from being ruined by open pit gold mining.
Sign the NOPE campaign petition. https://thegoldmineconversation.wordpress.com/purpose-of-the-blog/nope-presentation/ |
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| Scene from my run |
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Nothing smells better
than sheets dried in the salt air!
Maybe this where the saying
3 sheets to the wind comes from and not from sailing?
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A place to contemplate
the clouds |
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I swear there was a
mermaid on that rock! |
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The best thoughts happen
sitting on these rocks |
Sunsets
Remember the bit about 60 sunset pictures? Every night was a new painting with magnificent colours. God lives in this splendour of nature.
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The serenity of the sunset pictures
brings me back to the summer |
It's a boy!! A new addition to the family!
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| And then there were four! |
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| We welcomed Olaf to the family |
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| Dan and Laura |
This Thanksgiving we had the pleasure of meeting Olaf and his wife Laura. With some investigative work on immigration papers spanning, Ancestry.com and lots of emails, Dan and Olaf discovered through they are half brothers. It is quite the crazy story of a German woman and a Dutch man immigrating on a ship to the USA and Canada... We are happy to welcome Olaf and Laura to our kooky family. The more the merrier.
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| Family resemblance? |
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| Pam, Corry, Olaf, Sharon and Laura in the background |
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| More family resemblance? |
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| Who's your mama? |
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| Lemme get that for you |
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| OK, everyone in the picture and pose |
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| a little more to the right... |
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Adrian's Dad
in the background painting |
Birthdays!
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Grandmamans's 80th!
Happy Birthday to the most
compassionate mother ever |
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Happy 60th Corry!
Jenna, Corry, Nicky-Nicky-Nimbo, John |
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Celebrating my birthday
in Montreal |
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I hope nothing is
still swimming in there |
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| I love Montreal! |
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| My new $1,000,000 Porche Spyder ride |
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Looking like
movie stars by night |
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In the harsh light...
of the morning after |
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| Celebrating birthdays with my Astro-mates |
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| Celebrating Jill's Bday |
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| Pam, Jill, Madeleine, Wilma |
Fun
A big part of life is going to work, so I love my fair weather commute on my bike along the Ottawa River.
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| Time to enjoy nature |
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The serenity and beauty makes me
appreciate why I live in Ottawa |
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| See the full moon? |
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The yin and yang -
the calm scenery and invigorating
bike ride is a great way
to start the day |
It was my lucky day when Maureen called to ask if I wanted tickets to the Loreena McKennitt concert. Wow, of course I do! I am so very grateful for the opportunity. Loreena McKennit and Peter have a long friendship that started with a search and rescue tragedy. However, there is beauty in the story, as the Cook-Rees Memorial Fund for Water Search and Safety, set up by Loreena, has worked to increase water and boating safety in Canada. She is also appointed Honorary Colonel for the RCAF.
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Yeah, how cool is this?!
Talking to Loreena McKennit after a fabulous concert.
So privileged to meet and listen to this grand dame of Canadian music, again! |
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| Maureen, Pam, Loreena, Chantal, Peter |
May all that is beautiful, meaningful and brings you joy be yours this holiday season. A very merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.
Pam, Adrian & E
