Car Show

Last Sunday I accompanied Richard to a job. He was covering the Auto Expo in Hawkesbury for his newspaper and I tagged along. To see Richard's photos, click here.


I'm not really into cars but some of these were real antiques and kind of fun to look at.


There was a blues band playing and they were pretty darn good.


Some folks had clever license plates.


Others had their vehicles decked out for the extravaganza.


This vehicle got tons of awards and trophies. I'm not exactly sure what for...maybe for the gaudiest paint job?


Colourful they were...here's a gold car, glistening in the sun...


...this one was pale, pale lilac.


Okay, this orange might even light up in the dark, eh?


This green is scrumptious.


Some of the cars had themed mascots. Remember the Road Runner?


This car was the sparkliest I had ever seen. It had little red and green thingies in it that sparkled in the sunlight.


This doggie could care less about the cars.


Wait a second. I think these two cared even less...

Kettleman's Bagel Co.

As a former Montrealer, I was born and bread (ouch) on Montreal bagels. Now I live halfway between Montreal and Ottawa and get my bagel fix as often as possible, most recently at Kettleman's in Ottawa which features "Montreal-style" bagels.


First they are rolled into bagel-shapes.


These guys are pretty fast at it too!


Once the bagels are formed they are boiled in honey water, rolled in seeds and then laid out on long wooden paddles and cooked in a wood-fired oven.


Tuesday was sesame seed special day so they were making lots of (what Montrealers call "white" bagels). Black-seed bagels are ones rolled in poppy seeds. (And don't believe what you hear about blueberry bagels or cranberry bagels. They aren't "real" bagels!)


I bet you can almost smell these, right. A dozen black and a dozen white to go, please.

Labouring on Labour Day

The weekend began with the final plastering in the kitchen. Then Richard and I put the cupboard back up.


And then I decided to freshen things up with some 1950s-looking shelf paper...


...which goes perfectly with my 1950s-type* dishes.
*Oops: should read 1960s-type dishes!


Cleaning up, I noticed a mouse had visited my tea towel drawer so everything in it had to be washed and dried.


While the towels were drying in the warm wind, Richard and I whipped up a batch of bread and butter pickles...


...and baked a few pans of ginger cookies as well.


And then we tucked into some fresh corn on the cob for lunch.



We ran over to Hawkesbury so Richard could cover the Auto Exposition for his newspaper.


We came back to have our neighbour Bill help Richard put a new vent on the roof...


...and later on Richard had to add more caulking to the job.


While he was up there he trimmed a few trees that have grown over the roof.


And then we sat back and had grilled veggie pizza and Mojitos in the gazebo. Phew!

Ceramic Updates

I'm keeping busy painting china for the upcoming show at my house on Saturday, September 12 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.


If you're in the area, please drop in.


And if you need directions, let me know.


A good time will be had by all.


And if it's nice out, I might be tempted to move the ceramics to my lawn.

Pond Life

In the town of Vankleek Hill, just 15 minutes north of me, the local Home Hardware store has a pond right outside its front door.


It's full of gorgeous waterlilies...


...and lots of colourful fishies.


These guys are really friendly.


Every time I leaned over to take a photo, they practically jumped out of the water.


I think this guy wanted to come home with me. Hmmm. I wish I had a pond!

Pickled Cucumbers & Carrots

This recipe is based on one I found in a fantastic book called simply "Preserving" by Oded Schwartz. It has many step-by-step recipes and also features recipes using unusual ingredients (like okra, eggplant, etc). I highly recommend it. It's a really fun book.

This is a recipe that is more than just a pickle. It is ready to eat in two days and when drained and dressed with olive oil and chopped herbs, it can be eaten as a side salad.

1 lb. cucumbers sliced 1/2" thick
2 tbsp salt
3/4 lb. onions, sliced
1/2 lb carrots, grated
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tsp black peppercorns
3-4 bay leaves
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar
4 tbsp sugar
1-2 dried red chilies (I didn't use these)

Put the sliced cukes in a colander and sprinkle with half the salt. Mix well and let stand for 20 minutes. Then rinse well with cold water and drain.

Mix onion rings and carrots together in a bowl and pour boiling water to cover, then drain well.

Arrange a layer of cukes in the bottom of hot, sterilized jars. Place a few slices of garlic, some peppercorns and a bay leaf on top.


Cover with the carrot and onion mixture. Repeat until all the veggies are used up.


Put the water, vinegar, sugar chilies and remaining salt into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil steadily for a few minutes, skim and remove chilies (if using).

Pour hot vinegar mixture into jars and fill right to the top to cover all veggies. Poke veggies with wooden chopstick or skewer to remove any air pockets and seal jar. This delicious pickle salad will be ready in two days.

Wood Fair and Wood ATCs

The inaugural Wood Fair was held last Saturday at the Glengarry Pioneer Museum. Unfortunately it poured like crazy but there were tons of folks there to see 45 artisans who work in wood as well as attend the wood auction.


Inside the Dunvegan Hall there were workshops going on while we had our trade. Here are Perry's ATCs.


Perry is our most senior member and at 91 years young he keeps on turning out amazing cards. This session's card were all displayed on individual wooden easels which Perry made.


Other folks made cards out of slim pieces of wood and still others drew wood pests or leaves or other cool things.


The trade was fun, fast and furious as always. And am already thinking about what cards to make for next month.