took a walk with my dad today

my dad has been wanting to take photos of this lovely grove of arbutus for sometime. as we were driving past it this afternoon (& bb boy was napping) we decided to stop for a quick photo shoot. i think it was the first time ever we purposely set out to take photos together (oh no - except my cousin's wedding 10 years ago) but i have to say it is my dad i have to thank for my desire, ability & maybe even a little of my photog style... our family is used to stopping to wait while dad takes photos of flowers, rocks, moss, people etc... we have been subjected to (yes mostly happily) hours of slide shows over the years (it seems the digital age has only slightly changed his methods).

the grove was amazing - brunt moss crunched beneath our feet, grasses swishes and chattered in the breeze. the arbutus reached up majestically from the black soil, red arms, peeling and achy touched the blue blue sky.

while my dad took photos of the arbutus i took photos of almost everything else & together we took several minutes out to track down an adorable little quail! walking with my dad is like walking around with an encyclopedia or nature book - he knows pretty much everything (i might have learned a thing or two from him about this too). it was nice though brief walk (mom called to say bb boy woke up crying) i'm glad we took time to stop (instead of just talking about it)...

ah sonoma

who knew... well i suppose lots of people know how lovely sonoma is - in fact we did do a quick comparison to napa & concurred that sonoma is much more laid back (some people say it is the what napa was like 15 years ago)...

i was almost beside myself as we drove in - the light in the late afternoon is stunning - glowy grasses, vineyards on rolling hills, rivulets of lush green trees trickle down sun burnt hills - truly gorgeous... i was so looking forward to seeing our inn (mission sonoma) which i thought was built on the site of an old mission (but i found out after 2 days of search for ruins that the old mission was @ the golf course). oh well, the room was gorgeous! the spa was stunning! & the mineral, thermal pool was a pure delight (and perfect for bb boy's first swim)...

we happened upon the farmer's market on tuesday evening - the city square was alive with families & music & brightly coloured fresh produce & crafted wares. it was a wonderful thing to see - after a hot day - people lounged under the trees & played & strolled the shops & sipped wine in the many restaurants around the square. we happened upon the most wonderful bistro - sat out on the sidewalk (bb boy stopped traffic all night with his smile)...

during our stay we visited a few wineries (& an olive press) - i think the most interesting was benzinger... they had a lovely little tour & it was amazing to learn about their biodynamic processes... we also drove to napa (i found it curious that the cut-off road out of sonoma is called 'napa road' and the cut-off road into napa is called 'old sonoma road') hah. the evening light is stunning too...

a list of our bests in sonoma valley:

• bistro : http://www.theplazabistro.com/
• farmer's market : http://www.sonoma.com/thingstodo/farmers_markets/featured.html
• benzinger winery : http://www.benziger.com/
• el dorado : http://www.eldoradosonoma.com/splash.html
• kenwood inn & spa : http://www.kenwoodinn.com/
• glen ellen market : http://www.sonoma-glenellenmkt.com/

ah europe...

sigh. i made it through the month of may without dying of a broken heart (we had been planning a month in europe with bb boy almost from the time i got pregnant), downturn, upturn, second thoughts whatever it was - it`s done. one of the first times in 6 or 7 years without ancient stone walls, ochre light or the sounds of le bon vie to sooth my wanderlust...

so, i was happy to visit the latest vancouver art gallery exhibition : vemeer to rembrandt; standing in front of the works of these masters takes me overseas & back in time. we are so lucky to have such amazing pieces traveling the world - reminding us where we came from & what we can be as artists. there are truly wonderful things at home (these are simply a coupleof them)...

& besides we are going to san francisco next week for a week - i`m so looking forward to it...

white noise

shutter sisters asks: "such beauty under our noses, always waiting patiently to be noticed. What about you? What's hiding right under your nose today?"

it is so easy for me to find beauty (as each mother does) in my baby's eyes; they are the most remarkable blue... his dad said this to me the other day: "they are truly the most amazingly beautiful eyes, we will have to teach him impeccable manners to go with those..." lately i have been keeping notes of the curious and quirky things bb daddy says (perhaps another day)...

they have a sparkle & behind the sparkle today i saw me & a tree & white clouds floating in the sky...

neo neo-impressionist

if i could find a definition other than these photos (taken back in 2006) i would certainly share it (talk to jeff topham @ westworld magazine - he's the guy i lifted it from).

i just read an exciting story about what i've always believed to be just amazing graffiti... down on the east side @ homer & cordova is a wall of brilliantly realized art (the concept, and the colours are brilliant). according to jeff the work was "created in 2005 by gabe stone, vincent dumoulin, and amos daniel of "cold world media" the city actually provided the paint and building owners paid the artists. the art is worth a look - it is hard to miss in a maze of grime covered alleys littered with bins and strewn with poles and power cables.

awakening

how is it that i can live 30 metres from the beach & not be drawn to it every day? how is it that i can be simply wandering - looking @ shells & beach glass & oddities then be suddenly & physically struck but the scent of the ocean like i have not encountered the scent for years?

it happened to me today - a moment to myself (bb boy & bb daddy were playing in the grass) i bent over to pick up a piece of glass & it hit me! the scent of blue & green of shells & seaweed - it was rich & moist & it reminded me of home even though i was already there.

flickr friday

seems as if photos have taken over my inspiration file... though i will admit to buying a decor mag this week (haven't had a chance to open it though - what DO I do during his naps?)

1. Reflejo medieval, 2. saturday morning in the kitchen, 3. 2 days in toronto, 4. Bath time ..., 5. All go, and take al walk, 6. urban jungle, 7. 20090608 159/365, 8. 266/365 Surviving Bulb at the Redemption, 9. don't give up on me: 112/365, 10. Untitled, 11. 20090605 156/365, 12. Happy Bench Monday (ttv edition), 13. Untitled, 14. looking for light.., 15. sunday art, 16. Simplexity, 17. *Old Tree, 18. da bench, 19. Untitled, 20. Untitled, 21. holy macaroniiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, 22. Varandas, 23. 85/365 - Snail away with me, honey, 24. Zurich Fun, 25. quiet moment, 26. wishful thinking, 27. free falling, 28. parade, 29. cactus at sunset, 30. Untitled

my four leggers

i have been thinking a lot (started this blog entry back in january but was prompted by ss) about how lucky we are to have the four leggers that we have...with a big black dog, two cats & a bb boy our home could be crazy! as it turns out - it is just perfect...

our dog hunter is 11 this summer & he quite graciously let two kittens into our home 2 years ago & has since welcomed with lab like devotion and shepard like protection our baby boy...

the kittens (we call them the siamese twins) were 18 months old when we brought the baby home - they were curious but careful & extremely gentle. chai (brother in thai) looks for love everywhere & will offer his belly to anyone. scout (our only girl) was our most adamant snuggler, has had to look for alternate places on our laps, couch & bed (she is surprisingly calm & nonplussed even when bb has a handful of her fur...)

82 days & counting

82 days!!? i would hyperventilate if i could muster the energy... i`ve talked to people at work - i remember their names - their voices - i even remember some of the things we do there... but 82 days?

baby boy is 9 months old today. i`ve been thinking about my experience of being on mat leave. i`ve been so lucky (economic downturn or not) to spend time with bb daddy practically every day - but it feels a little like i have missed something - some rite of passage... it feels vaguely like when i talk to others of their university years & they include parties, hanging in the sub with classmates etc. - i had a boyfriend (off campus) & spent my time with him (i have different stories & experiences). i hear about mommies meeting in the park, or stroller boot camp, or mommy commiseration lunches - these have passed me by (and i would not change a thing).

baby boy is 9 months old today. he is developing so quickly - loves to eat (he ate clover & buttercups & maybe part of a pine cone today), he is getting so big (as my massage therapist will attest), and he is crazy mobile (it seems as if the day`s activity may actually be turning into full nights of sleep)!

sweet baby boy.

sigh

on the rise |

we visited a new gallery on south granville the other day - on the rise... it had a nice collection of local art including some up & comers that i have seen at various shows around town. the cool thing about the gallery (a collective) is that you can rent wall space for the month & all the proceeds of a sale go to the artist... it`s a great way for artists who don`t have a large portfolio or those who don`t want to share their proceeds with a larger gallery to get started (i did this with studio blue back in the day). it is nice to see this happening again.

i loved seeing art by arleigh wood once again: