Skating on the Pond

Hello! We are back from a lovely time in Vernon, where we played in the snow and lived in a winter wonderland over New Years.  Twice a year we make the 6 hour drive to visit our friends who live in Vernon- it's a trip we have been making for over 10 years now.   Our kids (they have 2 girls) are the same ages- born months a part so they are like cousins.  Friendships that span through the child-rearing age are often hard to keep up with so we really value the time we spend with them, once in the winter and once in the summer, with their family coming out our way a couple of times in between to visit too.
The boys went up to Silver Star Mountain to snowboard on our second day and then on NYE day we  went ice skating at the pond.  The sun was out- despite the fog down below and it was snowy and lovely (only about -3 so not too cold).  At one point my son lay on the ice and pointed to a 'rainbow' in the sky- kind of this upside down rainbow that was all sparkly and faint like it was made with sparkly snowflakes.  What a treat to see something this beautiful in the sky at the end of a great year, giving hope and promise to a new year dawning.  After lunch it fogged up again and the misty fog came out reminding me how quickly and constant change is in life. 

Holding on to those moments

There are so many moments that make me want to hold onto summer for just a little longer.  This year we managed to find a totally new swimming spot in Vernon (we've been holidaying here with our friends for about 10 years- thought we had all the good spots dialed!), spending 2 full days of our holiday enjoying the view, the little beach hut, and the cool water.  I'm not a real sun-bather and get pretty worried about the possibility of skin cancer creeping up on my fair and freckled skin.  Sometimes this clouds my ability to really enjoy beach days as I'm constantly re-applying sun-screen or seeking out shade for the boys and myself.  My Mr. is of the belief that sunscreen causes cancer- even though we use the paba-free kind and, of course, he rarely gets burned so that's easy for him to say.

The boys start school tomorrow and the fall kicks off with a bang on the studio front.  I have shop orders coming out the wazoo these days, all of which I already feel behind on, even though it's only September 3rd.  It's the month I start thinking about my holiday shows, so I'm doing a whole lot of planning and organizing to hopefully be prepared.  This summer was all about the new studio and trying to come up with a strategy for how to grow or change some of the things that feel as though they are holding me back as a maker.  Attending the Forage Symposium at the end of our 2 week holiday felt a little like plunging into a cold lake on a hot day.  The symposium included panel discussions and guest speakers from a variety of creative practices and businesses and I learned so much.  As a way to process this, I've been writing a number of blog posts, hoping to wade through the sometimes murky waters of this self-employed creative life.  I appreciate feedback on this blog and with these posts, will appreciate it more then ever.  As much as it's to process my own thoughts, I also hope that it creates a dialogue in the process.

We went in search of snow

Ok so I didn't catch Nicole Kidman on the slopes like some people did this weekend up at Silver Star Ski Resort, but we did have some much needed 'snow time', family time and time spent with our friends up in Vernon.   Here's me at the summit after a serious climb X-country skiing.  Yes, I was sore the next day, but the view was so worth it!

My holidays have come to a close and I'm officially back to the studio this week making new work and starting on some exciting orders that have kick-started the new year for me.  It's good to have a bit of focus even though I know I have a million things to work on this January to make the rest of the year run smooth.  That said, I am feeling the clay itch again, like my hands need to get back into it after this lovely break. 

the last hurrah of Summer

We managed to get away for one last road-trip up to Vernon.  It's a 5 hour drive through amazing mountains to the Lake Country- where the climate is dry and hot. There are orchards everywhere and we managed to come home with a bunch of fruit to make jams and just eat fresh.  I won't have time much time to make the jam though (that's Dean's job), as you can see, it's been a very productive summer.  This is only half of the vases that were made this summer... a 'little' order I've been working on that will be ready to ship early October.  Details to come soon:)!  In the meantime, I'm trying to work on some of my 'regular work' (non-vase related) so hopefully I'll have my online shops stocked up again soon!
Thanks for hanging in here- I'm hoping to get back into a regular schedule of blogging, with 'real photos' (not just i-phone photos), and real content soon.  School for the boys doesn't start until next week so they are hanging out with their Dad at home this week, getting the last of their fill of lego playing and back-lane scootering with the neighbours.  Hope your last week of summer is great!

Being Outside

Vernon in winter is quite lovely- beautiful snow, country barns and horses, and the occasional deer or wild quail.  Jenny and I went for a walk to town and also a cross-country ski with 2 of the 4 kids.  We had a huge snowfall on the Sunday when we were there and the roads were pretty messy driving home.
Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me when about 11 hot air balloons were floating over us- by the time we had made it home and driven back out to catch a glimpse they were gone- except for the one that appropriately landed in the Landing Nursery driveway. 

House in the Woods

Here's a little glimpse of the house in the woods up in Vernon.  We visit our friends Marvin and Jenny with their 2 daughters that are the same ages as our boys.  They bought their home about 9 years ago and who have slowly, but surely, added their own personal touches to the home, renovating as they were able to.  It's a great house, with lots of views and windows to the woods outside, lovely high beams in the living room/kitchen area and their use of wood throughout is amazing.  Their table and benches and coffee table were made and constructed by Marvin by wood they had on the property and got from the neighbour.  Last year they renovated the upstairs and used another piece of thick wood for the counter-tops.  The bamboo floors throughout the upstairs balance out the dark wood of the walls and ceilings which were original to the home.  The new wood stove keeps the whole upstairs warm all winter long!  There is no shortage of wood in the interior these days.  With the pine beetle killing some of the trees on their property and around it, they have plenty of wood to warm their house, while also using the wood for their trim and furniture.  It's a very warm and cozy place- we feel so blessed to be house guests a couple of times a year to enjoy the place with them!

A night at the Drive-in

Nothing quite beats summer like watching a drive-in movie under the starry skies!  We had the chance to take our boys to their first drive-in on our holidays to watch the movie Despicable Me and it sure was fun.  We set Johnny up in the back of our station wagon with his sleeping bag and some popcorn (Sasha was in a little lawn-chair with sleeping bag) and the laughter and giggles coming from them was golden.  And when the stars came out, and in this case, the bats, it really was an evening these boys will never forget!
The best part about going to the drive-in is all the old animation they still use to try to get you to buy some popcorn at their store.  Since the kids movie went quite late (it was a double feature) we were leaving just as the old song 'let's all go to the lobby, let's all go to the lobby, let's all go to the lobby and get our selves a drink!' started playing with the little cups tap dancing.  Remember those?  It all comes back when you're at the drive-in!

back from holidays

Well I'm back from putting my feet up, from reading books all day and from watching the boys swim from a shady spot on the beach.  It's been really great to relax and enjoy the company of our good friends who we stayed with. 
I'll be getting back in the swing of things this week here, albeit a little slower because it's so incredibly hot and a few beach days are still in order around here.  Hope you are enjoying the last few weeks of the summer!

Happy New Year!

Just a little note to wish everyone a Happy New Year!  We had a fresh blanket of snow fall on our friends' cozy place on Silver Star Mountain and have been enjoying great food, some sledding, ice skating on frozen lakes and ponds, and even seeing a play on a horse drawn carriage!  Tonight there will be fireworks to bring in the New Year!  I'll be back at it next week with some photos, but for now I'm basking in some much needed family time and time off!  

Thanks for all your support and encouragement this year! I truly enjoyed meeting and connecting with so many creative people and am looking forward to more of that this next year!  All the best and have a safe New Year's Eve! (I guess we are one of the last ones in the world to bring in the New Year over here in the Pacific Northwest!)

Sherri Koop Photography

For the record, we've never been to Sears or Walmart to take family photos. Not only have I always thought those were really cheesy, but I've been fortunate enough to have really close friends who were photographers. My very good friend Sherri Koop is an amazing photographer and this summer she took our photos while we were vacationing in Vernon together! Her new Contax film camera came out for the shoot and we were able to get a little preview last week before the prints arrive (by the way these are totally un-edited, & not photoshopped!) Sherri's new website (I've linked to the old site above) is slated to go up this fall, in the meantime you can get up-dated with her life and her amazing photos on her blog!