Coit Tower

Our visit to San Francisco was amazing and I have lots to tell. Our first day we headed for Coit Tower, which overlooks the city.

We're on our way up!

There were lots of hills and stairs to climb just to get to Telegraph Hill, where the tower sits.

 It's hard to tell but the road behind us drops all the way down...

 The tower itself has beautiful architectural details...

 And fabulous views of the city below.

 In the distance is Alcatraz.

 It looks pretty darn close, doesn't it?

And from this view, a little to the left, you can see the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. And best of all, I got to see the real Parrots of Telegraph Hill on our walk to Lombard Street's crooked road. I could hear them and then suddenly they flew overhead. Cool or what?

Portrait with a Bottle of Wine

I love this photo that Richard took of me a few weeks back at Stratus Vineyards in Niagara-in-the-Lake.

Cock-a-Doodle-do!

Last week at the Glengarry Pioneer Museum, they held their annual Fall Festival. This year they included a rooster crowing contest.

There was a person crowing contest and an actual rooster crowing contest with three judges.

The winner was Natalie and Gordon's own rooster, Errol Flynn who tied for first for crowing the most times in a 15 minute period.

And as it happened, Natalie herself won the title as the best impersonator of a rooster and won a prize for that as well!

Thrills Gum

How many of your remember Thrills gum? As I recall, it tastes like soap and when I was in high school, it was the gum you chewed so that your parents couldn't smell cigarettes on your breath. (As if!) I had no idea that they still made the stuff.

Happy birthday to my Big Brother!

My brother turns 60 today so my sis and I dug up tons of old shots and made him an album of memories. Here's our family on my first birthday in 1961.

 A couple of shots of me as a tiny baby. 

 My brother Larry, my sis Marci and me as a newborn.

 The three of us when I'm a bit older.

 I think we were at someone's cottage or in New Brunswick?

 Love this shot of Larry and me in Mum and Dad's big bed.

 Us playing train in the living room. As the baby, I was ALWAYS the caboose (and I don't look too happy about it either!)

 A trip the family took to Ottawa in 1963.

 1965: Family trip to Niagara Falls.

 The three of us in Montreal.

 A shot from 2003 when I was having my first vernissage art show, my sis and bro both came to see it!

Happy birthday Larry, to the best big brother ever!

Bath Time

 Have you ever watched a duck take a bath?

 I came across these photos of Natalie's ducks I took a while ago.

 Get your head all wet...

Lots of time for preening... 

 ...and more preening.

Looks like so much fun, the other ducks ran to their closest tub for a bit of their own action!

How Now Brown Cow

 My neighbour has the most lovely herd of cattle.

I love to look at them when I drive by and had to stop to take some photos. This one wasn't got bored with the attention I was paying her.

Having Lunch Out

It's so nice to be invited out to lunch. Especially when you are visiting a fantastic cook like Jen! She made these amazing biscuits, as good as the ones we had down south in Tennessee.

 They were served with a lovely cauliflower soup. Yummy!

 And for dessert, she made this dreamy pear kuchen. Like, totally unbelievable!

Don't these look like there were photographed in a Paris patisserie? Thanks Jen. Was a great lunch and a fun visit too.

Over-the-top Dessert

What do you do once you've bought a box of fresh Krispy Kreme donuts -- to support kids at a fundraiser -- and then you're stuck with a bunch of leftover donuts? 
I made a bread pudding, from a recipe in The Joy of Cooking, and replaced the bread for donuts and didn't add any sugar into the egg/milk mixture. Instead of raisins (oops, I had run out!), I added diced dried apricots. Amazingly rich, over the top good!

Sunflower Time

Great time of year for sunflowers, these shot in Richard's garden. Aren't they like the happiest looking flowers you ever did see?

PB&J Cake

I made this cake that looks like a peanut butter and jam sandwich for my nephew Adam and brother Larry who both share September birthdays. What fun!