that's what i said to dh when he reminded me of our tee time yesterday. it was cold. and windy. and still snow on the course.
we made it 5 holes before we called it quits.
at least it was free - there was no one else on the course, and the manager said if we were avid enough golfers to be out in the cold, what we played was on the house.
and 5 holes was enough.
more pics and videos will follow later - gotta get out the door...
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
kapusta calling...
so i have this very cute little grandma, and she has always made wonderful "peasant" food - lots of cabbage, potatoes, and sausage. and when we were hit over night with a lovely spring storm, the snow and chilly weather made me feel a longing for some kapusta. (spoken as ka - poo - sta) i remember sitting in my grandma's kitchen when i was little, and eating lots of kapusta with fresh brown bread and butter with my grandpa. its good with lots of things, like smoked pork hocks and mustard, perogies, sausage, mashed potatoes, ham. (note all the porky things! LOL)
what is kapusta? well, its basically saurkraut, but with the addition of fresh cabbage, bacon, and onion.
so i called my grandma after picking up the requisite cabbage and onions (the rest was in the fridge and freezer) and asked her for some directions. which were somewhat fuzzy in description.
(you must also imagine a fairly heavy eastern european accent here)
"first you slice up the cabbage. put it in the water. but don't cook it too long. you don't want mushy saurkraut."
ok. done.
"and then you cook the onion and the bacon. make sure there is lots of bacon. cut it up in dices. don't cook it too long, you don't want the bacon too done."
ok. done.
"drain the cabbage in that thing. you know the one. the thing with the holes."
- a colander, grandma?
"yes, that's the thing. drain it. then add the saurkraut from the jar. then cook it a bit more. but not too long, you don't want it mushy." (mushy = moooshie *giggle*)
"cook it some more. i put in a bay leaf. or maybe more. and some pepper. maybe some salt. add some shookar if you think you need it if its too sour" (shookar = sugar)
got it.
yum.
its what's for dinner. with some farmer's sausage and perogies.
recipe:
1 small green cabbage - sliced fine (like a really small cabbage - mine was the size of an oversized softball, the smallest i could find)
1 jar more or less of saurkraut
3/4 lb bacon, diced
1 large onion, diced
pepper & salt to taste
2 bay leaves
a spoonful or 2 of brown sugar
slice up the cabbage (i used the food processor - goes lickety-split) and put it in a large pot. cover with water and bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes. drain. put it back in the same pot, add the jarred saurkraut. bring to a simmer, cook another 10 minutes or so. meanwhile, start the onion and bacon in another fry pan, saute until the onion is translucent and the bacon is just starting to turn crisp. add to pot with the cabbage mixture. (don't drain the bacon/onion - you need it for the flavor) add a generous amount of pepper, a some salt, and some brown sugar to cut the vinegar as you like. add a couple of whole bay leaves and let simmer for another 1/2 hour or so.
this keeps well, and will fill your home with lovely stinky cabbage-y goodness.
enjoy!
what is kapusta? well, its basically saurkraut, but with the addition of fresh cabbage, bacon, and onion.
so i called my grandma after picking up the requisite cabbage and onions (the rest was in the fridge and freezer) and asked her for some directions. which were somewhat fuzzy in description.
(you must also imagine a fairly heavy eastern european accent here)
"first you slice up the cabbage. put it in the water. but don't cook it too long. you don't want mushy saurkraut."
ok. done.
"and then you cook the onion and the bacon. make sure there is lots of bacon. cut it up in dices. don't cook it too long, you don't want the bacon too done."
ok. done.
"drain the cabbage in that thing. you know the one. the thing with the holes."
- a colander, grandma?
"yes, that's the thing. drain it. then add the saurkraut from the jar. then cook it a bit more. but not too long, you don't want it mushy." (mushy = moooshie *giggle*)
"cook it some more. i put in a bay leaf. or maybe more. and some pepper. maybe some salt. add some shookar if you think you need it if its too sour" (shookar = sugar)
got it.
yum.
its what's for dinner. with some farmer's sausage and perogies.
recipe:
1 small green cabbage - sliced fine (like a really small cabbage - mine was the size of an oversized softball, the smallest i could find)
1 jar more or less of saurkraut
3/4 lb bacon, diced
1 large onion, diced
pepper & salt to taste
2 bay leaves
a spoonful or 2 of brown sugar
slice up the cabbage (i used the food processor - goes lickety-split) and put it in a large pot. cover with water and bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes. drain. put it back in the same pot, add the jarred saurkraut. bring to a simmer, cook another 10 minutes or so. meanwhile, start the onion and bacon in another fry pan, saute until the onion is translucent and the bacon is just starting to turn crisp. add to pot with the cabbage mixture. (don't drain the bacon/onion - you need it for the flavor) add a generous amount of pepper, a some salt, and some brown sugar to cut the vinegar as you like. add a couple of whole bay leaves and let simmer for another 1/2 hour or so.
this keeps well, and will fill your home with lovely stinky cabbage-y goodness.
enjoy!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
easter away
long weekend... gotta love it!
we headed down to great falls, montana, for this easter weekend with the boys in tow! we had a great time away, some much needed r&r, and best of all, some shopping and hanging out with my sister, brother in law, and their 2 older ones (the little one stayed behind at nana's).
not too many pics, but we did take some time out from the shopping spree to go to an easter egg hunt (apparently over in less than 5 minutes) for the little ones, and then off to the fish hatchery and park.
great photo ops here, and the weather was nothing short of spectacular.
the four of us...
the "men" hanging out...
the kids, up the hill...
doesn't this just melt your heart??
another photo that just makes me go "awwwwwwwwww" - they were walking over the concrete bridge that divides the "world's shortest river" from the missouri river.
feeding the fish - there were some HUGE ones here!
smile for the camera - no! the other camera! LOL
waiting for dh to come out of the washroom...
and the grand finale - easter chocolate in bed on easter morning!
so that's it in a nutshell... did i ever tell anyone that i *heart* ROSS? that is the best store for deals on clothes. picked up a bunch of new spring stuff for myself, and some new golf clothing (since what i have is just too darn big now!). some great work clothes, even though i'm in dire need of t-shirts to just hang around in. the boys (all 3 of them) found some good stuff there too. jeans, shorts, t-shirts.
target would have to be my second best choice for some fun, cheap clothes. there were a few things i found there that made me happy, and it actually fit me now.
it was for sure my weekend to score on some good buys!
there's far too much good shopping down there that can easily drain my bank account! it was a great weekend though, and we're looking forward to our next trip down that way.
oh, and as for house stuff, when we arrived home this afternoon, our sheathing is all up on the roof, the framing has been started for the fire place and we're quite happy with how things are coming along. will take some pics tomorrow to show the progress!
we headed down to great falls, montana, for this easter weekend with the boys in tow! we had a great time away, some much needed r&r, and best of all, some shopping and hanging out with my sister, brother in law, and their 2 older ones (the little one stayed behind at nana's).
not too many pics, but we did take some time out from the shopping spree to go to an easter egg hunt (apparently over in less than 5 minutes) for the little ones, and then off to the fish hatchery and park.
great photo ops here, and the weather was nothing short of spectacular.
the four of us...
the "men" hanging out...
the kids, up the hill...
doesn't this just melt your heart??
another photo that just makes me go "awwwwwwwwww" - they were walking over the concrete bridge that divides the "world's shortest river" from the missouri river.
feeding the fish - there were some HUGE ones here!
smile for the camera - no! the other camera! LOL
waiting for dh to come out of the washroom...
and the grand finale - easter chocolate in bed on easter morning!
so that's it in a nutshell... did i ever tell anyone that i *heart* ROSS? that is the best store for deals on clothes. picked up a bunch of new spring stuff for myself, and some new golf clothing (since what i have is just too darn big now!). some great work clothes, even though i'm in dire need of t-shirts to just hang around in. the boys (all 3 of them) found some good stuff there too. jeans, shorts, t-shirts.
target would have to be my second best choice for some fun, cheap clothes. there were a few things i found there that made me happy, and it actually fit me now.
it was for sure my weekend to score on some good buys!
there's far too much good shopping down there that can easily drain my bank account! it was a great weekend though, and we're looking forward to our next trip down that way.
oh, and as for house stuff, when we arrived home this afternoon, our sheathing is all up on the roof, the framing has been started for the fire place and we're quite happy with how things are coming along. will take some pics tomorrow to show the progress!
Friday, April 03, 2009
progress comes in baby steps
sometimes you wonder why things can take so long to actually come about. this is how things looked after tuesday....
and this is how things look after today.
and really, that's all the "time" it took.
two not-even-full days. that's because our contractor only showed up those two days this week. well... at least its something, i suppose.
hopefully by the end of next week the sheathing will be on the remaining bit on the walls, and the roof. looking at the very top picture, that is the west wall of the house, and we'll be putting in a fireplace (middle of the bottom of the wall) and 2 smaller windows up high. our current front window will be moving up to the very front, as well as the front door we have now. there will be one more window adjacent to the front door that is new. i'm just happy its finally starting to look like something other than a mess!! (well, excusing the mud, the giant construction bin and the ever present recycling bin)
cross your fingers for me - its not as much of a ghetto around here now!! LOL
and this is how things look after today.
and really, that's all the "time" it took.
two not-even-full days. that's because our contractor only showed up those two days this week. well... at least its something, i suppose.
hopefully by the end of next week the sheathing will be on the remaining bit on the walls, and the roof. looking at the very top picture, that is the west wall of the house, and we'll be putting in a fireplace (middle of the bottom of the wall) and 2 smaller windows up high. our current front window will be moving up to the very front, as well as the front door we have now. there will be one more window adjacent to the front door that is new. i'm just happy its finally starting to look like something other than a mess!! (well, excusing the mud, the giant construction bin and the ever present recycling bin)
cross your fingers for me - its not as much of a ghetto around here now!! LOL
Thursday, March 26, 2009
still here
and nothing's happened to the house in the last 3 weeks... well, you could count the plastic if you really want to. this is what living in a ghetto house looks like...
nope. not impressive is it? and this was taken 3 weeks ago. the only difference, like i said, is that there is some plastic hanging down from the front above the window (it was raining in through the window casing when the snow was melting one day), more plastic hanging down in front of the door (as water was coming in through that wall too, which lead to rather damp carpeting in dh's office) and a small bit of framing where the new angled bit will be just in front of where the door is now.
and its been windy. so the tar paper flaps on the side of the house where it has come loose. and the siding flaps and bangs where it is untacked. add to that the flapping of the plastic, and we have a 3 piece band gracing us with percussion while its blowing.
pathetic.
and unbelievably frustrating.
which is probably one of the biggest reasons i haven't posted anything for a while. its just too darn depressing.
moving on. because that's the only thing that's getting me by right now...
went to cranbrook last week for work, and had a super evening with the Gladdy at the b&b i stay at. she is one heck of a super lady, and when i pulled up that day, she bounced out the door and exclaimed - "good! you're here! you've got 10 minutes, we're going to a party!" LOL gotta love her. and it was a great evening out!! went to a VIP grand opening party for the east side mario's that is opening there. met the mayor of cranbrook. met the guy that oversees the franchise openings. and they were serving ceasar's, which of course is fitting for the clamato rep!! met alot of other great people, we had samples of their menu items, and wine, beer and ceasar's.
afterwards, we headed off to one of the local pub's (it was st. patrick's day) and my gf Jenny came to meet us there for a couple of drinks. it was great to catch up with her, and we're planning on getting together for a long weekend, maybe may will work for us.
so that was a fun trip, and nice that i was lucky enough to be included as a VIP!
other than work, and the disaster of a house, we're waiting to hear back on a couple of quotes for kitchen cabinets. the last quote from my dad's "guy" came in at a staggering $17, 000, which to us is completely out of the question. so there are 2 other contenders at the moment, and one of the fellows has been a dream to work with so far. he gets what we want, and he knows he needs to be competetive.
and then i asked dh why we need to be concerned about waiting for the outside addition to be done before we start on the inside. well, apparently, we can start on the inside as soon as we get our cabinets arranged. so that makes me happy. at this rate, we could have the kitchen done and over with before the addition is even near completion. and that would actually be a good thing if you ask me. we're just so darn cramped in there, its not even funny. we spend so much time in the kitchen area with friends and family, more than 3 people and no one can move. keep your fingers crossed for me!
puttering around with photoshop tonight, i came up with this:
its using one of the templates courtesy of scrapbooks etc. i'm not a photoshop whiz by any means, and i liked that this actually worked with a bit of fiddling. i'm working on getting started on our latest holiday mini album, so trying to find some fresh ideas to work with my pictures instead of just my usual format that i use.
hope you're all having a great day out there... maybe some new house stuff will be ready for posting next week!
nope. not impressive is it? and this was taken 3 weeks ago. the only difference, like i said, is that there is some plastic hanging down from the front above the window (it was raining in through the window casing when the snow was melting one day), more plastic hanging down in front of the door (as water was coming in through that wall too, which lead to rather damp carpeting in dh's office) and a small bit of framing where the new angled bit will be just in front of where the door is now.
and its been windy. so the tar paper flaps on the side of the house where it has come loose. and the siding flaps and bangs where it is untacked. add to that the flapping of the plastic, and we have a 3 piece band gracing us with percussion while its blowing.
pathetic.
and unbelievably frustrating.
which is probably one of the biggest reasons i haven't posted anything for a while. its just too darn depressing.
moving on. because that's the only thing that's getting me by right now...
went to cranbrook last week for work, and had a super evening with the Gladdy at the b&b i stay at. she is one heck of a super lady, and when i pulled up that day, she bounced out the door and exclaimed - "good! you're here! you've got 10 minutes, we're going to a party!" LOL gotta love her. and it was a great evening out!! went to a VIP grand opening party for the east side mario's that is opening there. met the mayor of cranbrook. met the guy that oversees the franchise openings. and they were serving ceasar's, which of course is fitting for the clamato rep!! met alot of other great people, we had samples of their menu items, and wine, beer and ceasar's.
afterwards, we headed off to one of the local pub's (it was st. patrick's day) and my gf Jenny came to meet us there for a couple of drinks. it was great to catch up with her, and we're planning on getting together for a long weekend, maybe may will work for us.
so that was a fun trip, and nice that i was lucky enough to be included as a VIP!
other than work, and the disaster of a house, we're waiting to hear back on a couple of quotes for kitchen cabinets. the last quote from my dad's "guy" came in at a staggering $17, 000, which to us is completely out of the question. so there are 2 other contenders at the moment, and one of the fellows has been a dream to work with so far. he gets what we want, and he knows he needs to be competetive.
and then i asked dh why we need to be concerned about waiting for the outside addition to be done before we start on the inside. well, apparently, we can start on the inside as soon as we get our cabinets arranged. so that makes me happy. at this rate, we could have the kitchen done and over with before the addition is even near completion. and that would actually be a good thing if you ask me. we're just so darn cramped in there, its not even funny. we spend so much time in the kitchen area with friends and family, more than 3 people and no one can move. keep your fingers crossed for me!
puttering around with photoshop tonight, i came up with this:
its using one of the templates courtesy of scrapbooks etc. i'm not a photoshop whiz by any means, and i liked that this actually worked with a bit of fiddling. i'm working on getting started on our latest holiday mini album, so trying to find some fresh ideas to work with my pictures instead of just my usual format that i use.
hope you're all having a great day out there... maybe some new house stuff will be ready for posting next week!
Monday, March 09, 2009
ides of march
well, you'd think that spring may finally arrive here...
nope...
its not here yet!!
and yet, i'm still hoping! and waiting patiently! and my patience is wearing thin... we've had highway closures, school closures, more snow and bone-chilling temps in the last week. i have a cold i'm fighting off without much luck, and i'm just plain tired of winter.
we popped out to banff for the past weekend, left early saturday morning, and came back sunday afternoon. it was a good quick getaway with the kids. and the hotel we chose was just fabulous! the fox is a smaller, newer hotel right on banff avenue as you drive in to town. the best part was the grotto hot pool that is built based on the old cave and basin hot springs. we were doing our part to help the economy for the weekend, and we did enjoy our stay very much. we did the walk down the banff touristy corridor, and bought some fun and funky winter hats for the boys. dh got his own "sock" hat - will have to post pics of them wearing the goofy things. somewhat regretfully, we didn't take any pictures this weekend. it was just so darn cold out, and i didn't lug the camera with me on our travels. we had a nice dinner out at one of the pubs, and had a wonderful sleep that night. (dh and i needed that - we had a late night on friday!) sunday we went for a fabulous brunch at the banff park lodge. i remember going there with my parents the odd time we went to banff for a weekend. there were crab legs, smoked salmon, made to order omelets, and all sorts of yummy desserts (just the things i need for my behind LOL). we also stopped in canmore on the way home, and poked around in the shops there. not as touristy as banff, but all the same it was nice to be away for a couple days. what did surprise us was the distinct lack of people in banff itself. it was very quiet, even though its starting to get into the shoulder season. but that was nice too, not often do you get to walk down the street without feeling claustrophobic!
so this is where we were at with our house last wednesday. the floor joists for the addition were put in, and as of friday afternoon the subfloor is on as well. that, however, now has a good 4 inches of snow on it thanks to the wild weather on saturday night. oh - and look! no snow!! it had almost all melted at that point!
and check it out! my christmas wreath is still on the door LOL! there is now also a garbage bin on the other side of the yard as well.
so, its finally starting to move. thank goodness.
on to the fun stuff: my quebec trip...
while i didn't take alot of pictures, i did enjoy alot of what we saw. on saturday we headed to ottawa from my aunt and uncle's to visit their daughter, my cousin, and her family. i haven't seen them in years, and it was nice to see them there.
this struck me as a good funny - we were down at the market area near the parliment buildings, and the $12 french fries sounded like a great idea!! inside the market, there were all kinds of shops, but for someone on a diet - this was far too tempting!
outside there were all sorts of vendors, and lots of hats to choose from. i was thinking of getting the kids each one, but it was just too hard to make a choice. so i didn't.
my aunt and uncle were having a great time despite the chilly weather!
oh the cheese... it was all about the cheese. and so many kinds!! i was drooling!
on our return trip, we stopped at montebello for a quick coffee and dessert on the way home. it is a beautiful hotel, unique that it is constructed entirely of logs.
what i wouldn't do for a fireplace like this one...
say cheese! enjoying our coffee and desserts.
and apparently, this hat was something i *had* to wear to be chic while there... my aunt told me she had purchased it directly at the manufacturer's years ago, for a stunning $60 or so. in the gift shop i could have picked one up for a mere $275. go figure!
continuing on our way, there was an accident, and we turned around to access a river crossing over the ice. this wasn't in the plans, and it added about an extra hour to get back home for the night.
buddy behind us was giving me the thumbs up when i took this pic - too bad you can't actually see him through the window though!
but what a stunning sunset we were able to see on our way across!
just down the road from my aunt and uncle's - this little grouping of signs caught my eye...
and then, mont tremblant...
we arrived late on monday evening, in the dark, so i didn't really get to see where we were, or where we were going. loved the little cabriolet to take people from the very base of the hill, up over the buildings to the base of the ski hill. it was very pretty! and cold!
i never did end up doing the activity that was planned - a 10 minute walk turned into an hour hike that ended up with us in totally the wrong place. laurie (another gal from work) and i took that as our excuse to run and go shopping in the boutiques for a bit. and then a hot tub was needed to warm up the frozen bones!
a quebec tradition - maple syrup on the snow - a sweet treat, and it sure looked yummy!
this was from the top of the boutique area looking down the hill. what a pretty place! i would love to visit there in the summer when its not so cold out!
so that's it... it was a great visit out east, but boy, i would have been much happier had it been warmer! i did have a fantastic time reconnecting with people i haven't seen since last year, and also meeting some new ones as well. (its amazing what a bit of time at the pub does! LOL)
have a great night :)
nope...
its not here yet!!
and yet, i'm still hoping! and waiting patiently! and my patience is wearing thin... we've had highway closures, school closures, more snow and bone-chilling temps in the last week. i have a cold i'm fighting off without much luck, and i'm just plain tired of winter.
we popped out to banff for the past weekend, left early saturday morning, and came back sunday afternoon. it was a good quick getaway with the kids. and the hotel we chose was just fabulous! the fox is a smaller, newer hotel right on banff avenue as you drive in to town. the best part was the grotto hot pool that is built based on the old cave and basin hot springs. we were doing our part to help the economy for the weekend, and we did enjoy our stay very much. we did the walk down the banff touristy corridor, and bought some fun and funky winter hats for the boys. dh got his own "sock" hat - will have to post pics of them wearing the goofy things. somewhat regretfully, we didn't take any pictures this weekend. it was just so darn cold out, and i didn't lug the camera with me on our travels. we had a nice dinner out at one of the pubs, and had a wonderful sleep that night. (dh and i needed that - we had a late night on friday!) sunday we went for a fabulous brunch at the banff park lodge. i remember going there with my parents the odd time we went to banff for a weekend. there were crab legs, smoked salmon, made to order omelets, and all sorts of yummy desserts (just the things i need for my behind LOL). we also stopped in canmore on the way home, and poked around in the shops there. not as touristy as banff, but all the same it was nice to be away for a couple days. what did surprise us was the distinct lack of people in banff itself. it was very quiet, even though its starting to get into the shoulder season. but that was nice too, not often do you get to walk down the street without feeling claustrophobic!
so this is where we were at with our house last wednesday. the floor joists for the addition were put in, and as of friday afternoon the subfloor is on as well. that, however, now has a good 4 inches of snow on it thanks to the wild weather on saturday night. oh - and look! no snow!! it had almost all melted at that point!
and check it out! my christmas wreath is still on the door LOL! there is now also a garbage bin on the other side of the yard as well.
so, its finally starting to move. thank goodness.
on to the fun stuff: my quebec trip...
while i didn't take alot of pictures, i did enjoy alot of what we saw. on saturday we headed to ottawa from my aunt and uncle's to visit their daughter, my cousin, and her family. i haven't seen them in years, and it was nice to see them there.
this struck me as a good funny - we were down at the market area near the parliment buildings, and the $12 french fries sounded like a great idea!! inside the market, there were all kinds of shops, but for someone on a diet - this was far too tempting!
outside there were all sorts of vendors, and lots of hats to choose from. i was thinking of getting the kids each one, but it was just too hard to make a choice. so i didn't.my aunt and uncle were having a great time despite the chilly weather!
oh the cheese... it was all about the cheese. and so many kinds!! i was drooling!
on our return trip, we stopped at montebello for a quick coffee and dessert on the way home. it is a beautiful hotel, unique that it is constructed entirely of logs.
what i wouldn't do for a fireplace like this one...
say cheese! enjoying our coffee and desserts.
and apparently, this hat was something i *had* to wear to be chic while there... my aunt told me she had purchased it directly at the manufacturer's years ago, for a stunning $60 or so. in the gift shop i could have picked one up for a mere $275. go figure!
continuing on our way, there was an accident, and we turned around to access a river crossing over the ice. this wasn't in the plans, and it added about an extra hour to get back home for the night.buddy behind us was giving me the thumbs up when i took this pic - too bad you can't actually see him through the window though!
but what a stunning sunset we were able to see on our way across!
just down the road from my aunt and uncle's - this little grouping of signs caught my eye...
and then, mont tremblant...
we arrived late on monday evening, in the dark, so i didn't really get to see where we were, or where we were going. loved the little cabriolet to take people from the very base of the hill, up over the buildings to the base of the ski hill. it was very pretty! and cold!
i never did end up doing the activity that was planned - a 10 minute walk turned into an hour hike that ended up with us in totally the wrong place. laurie (another gal from work) and i took that as our excuse to run and go shopping in the boutiques for a bit. and then a hot tub was needed to warm up the frozen bones!
a quebec tradition - maple syrup on the snow - a sweet treat, and it sure looked yummy!
this was from the top of the boutique area looking down the hill. what a pretty place! i would love to visit there in the summer when its not so cold out!
so that's it... it was a great visit out east, but boy, i would have been much happier had it been warmer! i did have a fantastic time reconnecting with people i haven't seen since last year, and also meeting some new ones as well. (its amazing what a bit of time at the pub does! LOL)have a great night :)
Monday, February 16, 2009
where have I been??
well, its been a crazy couple weeks since we've been home. i'm feeling very neglectful of my blog but that's just the way things go sometimes!
its been a series of road trips for me since the beginning of february, and my work life has been in overdrive due to deadlines that needed to be made by this past friday. i've travelled a good chunk of southern alberta. where exactly?
i've been to the following places:
brooks, medicine hat, taber, lethbridge, picture butte, calgary (multiple times!!), crossfield, carstairs, didsbury, olds, sundre, rocky mtn house, innisfail, sylvan lake, red deer, stettler, three hills, drumheller, and of course, home - in strathmore. and phone calls placed to okotoks, high river, canmore, and golden, bc.
and this week i'm in the city, but heading out to montreal on friday to spend the weekend with my aunt and uncle before our work conference in mont-tremblant on tuesday and wednesday of next week. i'll be returning home on thursday the 26th.
i'm looking forward to going east, the last time was a high school trip when i was in grade 11. we may even go to ottawa for a day to visit my cousins there. i've never been there!
our house is plodding along... we're hoping the backfill will go in to the foundation area this week so we can get things moving. we did a little hunting this weekend, for fireplace and kitchen cabinets. there are 2 cabinet people in the running at the moment, and we should have estimates sometime in the next week or so.
in other news, my parents are enjoying their stay in puerto penasco. we've had a couple brief, garbly phone calls in the last couple weeks. internet is not widely available there, so a good connection is tough to find. i think they'll be home sometime toward the end of march.
we've booked our easter trip to great falls, mt, to go shopping. my sister expressed her desire to go for the weekend as well, and we're hoping our parents will join us as well. we enjoy going down there, and there are always deals to be had for shopping.
finally got ds2's glasses dealt with: what a fiasco! the first pair were broken in less than 24 hours. and we didn't get the next pair for another week after. the good thing was they deemed the breakage as a manufacturing defect, so we didn't need to pay for the second ones. and with no insurance for eye care, it would have been a bummer to have to pay again.
yes, my life has been just a little bit crazy.
so here's a pic for ya... i'm trying to keep up with my 365 project, but i'm not beating myself up for it either!! i needed ds2 to show me his new specs on his face considering i didn't get a pic of the first ones.
have a happy family day or president's day wherever your travels take you! (mine are taking me to work)
its been a series of road trips for me since the beginning of february, and my work life has been in overdrive due to deadlines that needed to be made by this past friday. i've travelled a good chunk of southern alberta. where exactly?
i've been to the following places:
brooks, medicine hat, taber, lethbridge, picture butte, calgary (multiple times!!), crossfield, carstairs, didsbury, olds, sundre, rocky mtn house, innisfail, sylvan lake, red deer, stettler, three hills, drumheller, and of course, home - in strathmore. and phone calls placed to okotoks, high river, canmore, and golden, bc.
and this week i'm in the city, but heading out to montreal on friday to spend the weekend with my aunt and uncle before our work conference in mont-tremblant on tuesday and wednesday of next week. i'll be returning home on thursday the 26th.
i'm looking forward to going east, the last time was a high school trip when i was in grade 11. we may even go to ottawa for a day to visit my cousins there. i've never been there!
our house is plodding along... we're hoping the backfill will go in to the foundation area this week so we can get things moving. we did a little hunting this weekend, for fireplace and kitchen cabinets. there are 2 cabinet people in the running at the moment, and we should have estimates sometime in the next week or so.
in other news, my parents are enjoying their stay in puerto penasco. we've had a couple brief, garbly phone calls in the last couple weeks. internet is not widely available there, so a good connection is tough to find. i think they'll be home sometime toward the end of march.
we've booked our easter trip to great falls, mt, to go shopping. my sister expressed her desire to go for the weekend as well, and we're hoping our parents will join us as well. we enjoy going down there, and there are always deals to be had for shopping.
finally got ds2's glasses dealt with: what a fiasco! the first pair were broken in less than 24 hours. and we didn't get the next pair for another week after. the good thing was they deemed the breakage as a manufacturing defect, so we didn't need to pay for the second ones. and with no insurance for eye care, it would have been a bummer to have to pay again.
yes, my life has been just a little bit crazy.
so here's a pic for ya... i'm trying to keep up with my 365 project, but i'm not beating myself up for it either!! i needed ds2 to show me his new specs on his face considering i didn't get a pic of the first ones.
have a happy family day or president's day wherever your travels take you! (mine are taking me to work)
Friday, January 30, 2009
mazatlan with friends
tuesday:
arrival in mazatlan about 1pm, and we had the whole top floor of a double decker bus to take us to the resort. it was a very informative trip, thanks to a lovely lady, Kyky (kiki), who met us at the airport and was both an escort and tour guide on our way there. the kids had a blast sitting at the very front and had an up close view of where we had ended up.
ahhhhhhhh hotel. this was our tiny deck off our room, overlooking the pool, snack bar and a somewhat ocean view. we could hear the waves crashing on the beach at night, and i had a hard time getting to sleep at night when we got home - it was too quiet!
wednesday:
el patio -this was our favorite spot for breakfast. it was on the land side of the resort, across the street. we were able to order breakfast a la carte, and it was just fantastic. the guys that looked after us over there were amazing - pictures of them later. it was a quiet little restaurant, and we were surprised there weren't any more people over there. most of the time it was less than half full, and we only missed breakfast there 2 of our 10 days.
this was one of the coolest things at one of the pools - a cliff to jump off of! the kids had a ball with it, and if we had to ever guess where they were, this was it.
city tour- we had agreed to attend the dreaded timeshare presentation in exchange for a city tour on a trolley bus, as well as credits towards an island tour. we had a fantastic tour guide who told us about all we saw. we opted to go on wednesday afternoon at 4:30 as we didn't have any dinner plans at that point, and the weather was a bit cool that day.
in picture - ds2, dh, friends j & l.
along the malacon there are alot of different pieces of artwork representing various aspects of mazatlan culture and history. this is a pulmonia, an open air taxi that tourists quite often opt to use instead of a traditional taxi or bus. they come equipped with LOUD stereos, and their horns make all sorts of crazy noises.
as the sun goes down fairly early (5:30-ish) we hit the sunset as we were on our tour. these dolphins were part of a larger statue, representing the cycle of life.
this guy is one of the divers that entertains the tourists - for a tip. (tips are a HUGE thing LOL- tipped to death i tell ya!) he jumps off a natural store tower to the side of this square.
pretty amazing stuff - and rather enterprising if nothing else. the depth of the water is only about 12 feet where he goes it.
this is the highest accessible point in mazatlan, and a restaurant over looks the city. its a rather interesting view, and gives you a better sense of just how large mazatlan is.
thursday:
ah yes, the timeshare presentation. we did get to see some show suites with fantastic views of the ocean and beach. the rest of our day was spent by the pool and the beach, as it was sunny and hot.
friday:
we decided to take a trip to old mazatlan and the downtown quarter. the easiest, cheapest and most fun way of getting there was these trucks. the back end of small pick ups are converted to people movers, and 10 of us fit very comfortably. they are covered, and come equipped with driver operated stereos. we did hear some rather odd stuff on this one! for 80 pesos (about $8 canadian) one way, we had our transportation.
a quick stop along our walk, we had a drink at one of the sidewalk restaurants. pacifico beer for 120 pesos ($1.20) and lemonade for 150 pesos.
the circus was in town (apparently - we didn't go) and we saw the animals go by down the street, with a police escort and loudspeakers advertising the show.
the old market - ok, a little gross, but i spoke to one of the butchers and asked what is done with a pigs head. it is used to make posole - a type of corn soup. it sounded good, but i don't know if i could actually handle the pig's head myself!
this is one of mazatlan's landmarks - the cathedral in the historic part of town. when it was being built, the church had run out of money, so the jewish people helped by contributing the remainder of the money for construction. interesting to note that because of that, the stained glass windows at the very top had the star of david imbedded in them. it was absolutely beautiful and quiet inside.
the main square across from the cathedral, where open air concerts are held on friday nights (didn't get there either LOL)
we thought this was just hilarious!!! our best guess without a translator is that people need to pick up after their dogs!!
walking towards the ocean, this street takes the sidewalk almost a storey up over road level. it made for an interesting perspective.
saturday:
b was not feeling well, so i stayed behind with him while the rest of the crew went to el cid marina to check it out. apparently you can't fish there...
another pool with cliffs to jump off of... i bet the kids were itching to do just that!
looking out to the ocean...
the little bit of beach at that resort, but no ocean access...
pool view from the hotel side...
wouldn't you just love to have flowers like these at home??
luxury golf cart transportation...
sunday:
was spent on the beach/pool. no pictures to post from that day
monday:
back over to the marina for our day out to stone island. this pelican was quite funny to watch. a fellow had some fish sitting on the dock, and she was quite adamant that she would get some! she was also quite pretty, with bright feathers on her head.
out at sea! we took our tour on a trimaran. j was not quite the sea man he thought - he has his mother's tummy and did not get his sea legs!
this little outcropping in the water (a good km or 2 off shore) was a great place for these sealions to hang out and sun themselves. one of them even waved! HA!
this was NOT the boat i would have chosen to go anywhere on... especially with that name! LOL
one of the places that could be rented on stone island - with a beautiful garden and the ocean across the street.
coconut grove - we couldn't see where it ended!
off for a horseback ride!
view of the beach from the restaurant/base where we spent our time there.
j & s kayaking - they went almost all the way out to the island in the background!
j - on our way back
dinner!! this was the mexican restaurant, and we had a super dinner! amazing homemade tortillas made to order as quesedillas or tacos.
j being silly - he wanted the lampshade for a hat LOL
just one of the silly signs we saw that something was lost in translation...
tuesday: another day on the beach or by the pool. no pics to share!
wednesday:
view of the snack bar in the morning...
off we went on another red truck to the aquarium. the white castle looking thing in the background is valentino's - the "cootchie cootchie" bar that is hopping on the weekends.
a view out over the roof of the truck.
our driver that morning...
our visit to the aquarium was probably the most expensive thing we did on the whole trip - just over $30 for the 4 of us to go to. it was very well kept and maintained. we also found it interesting that the majority of the people working there were handicapped in some way. alot of down's syndrome or other issues, but they were all very pleasant and helpful and looked super smart in their uniforms.
there were a number of exhibits that were very interesting. everything from birds to crocodiles! check out those teeth!
sea turtles
everyone taking a look
frogs
rays
sharks
sea tortoises
toucans! i loved these guys!
parrots in the open exhibit - we were able to go into a huge enclosure and wander around with the bird.
funky chicken
sea lion show - this was very cool!
sea lion fishy breath kisses LOL
outside the aquarium
doing the macarena on the red truck home - we laughed and laughed - and attracted alot of attention!! there was also the chicken dance too LOL
a picture perfect view...
tequila volleyball in the pool
our last night, as we went over the bridge to the sushi restaurant...
senor frogs was also at the bottom of our hotel.
thursday morning:
time to go home, and one last breakfast at el patio. the green juice is cactus juice, a pleasant discovery that ricardo started feeding us a couple days before we left (to lose the extra weight we gained on the trip!! LOL) the cook was also awesome and gave us some well wishes on our cheesecake... (it says nice trip)
our awesome chef that made our yummy breakfasts in the morning - ricardo called her the "fat lady" and dh called him on it - "she doesn't speak english, does she??" LOL
ricardo (left) and ramon, our awesome servers who made our the start of our days just amazing.
ricardo giving dh a little loving...
these two were such hams - they made us laugh and were the best of the trip.
the tide was super high most mornings, coming all the way up to the beach loungers...
dh & ds1 enjoying the view...
rested, relaxed and tanned... and very reluctant about taking off the bathing suit in exchange for jeans and a sweatshirt!
an over the shoulder shot of everyone in the van on our trip to the airport.
ROFL - this guy looked like he was taking a piddle!
the company that dh works for has an outlet in mazatlan.... hmmmm... maybe he should be asking for a transfer??
the end!! thanks for taking a look!
arrival in mazatlan about 1pm, and we had the whole top floor of a double decker bus to take us to the resort. it was a very informative trip, thanks to a lovely lady, Kyky (kiki), who met us at the airport and was both an escort and tour guide on our way there. the kids had a blast sitting at the very front and had an up close view of where we had ended up.
ahhhhhhhh hotel. this was our tiny deck off our room, overlooking the pool, snack bar and a somewhat ocean view. we could hear the waves crashing on the beach at night, and i had a hard time getting to sleep at night when we got home - it was too quiet!
wednesday:
el patio -this was our favorite spot for breakfast. it was on the land side of the resort, across the street. we were able to order breakfast a la carte, and it was just fantastic. the guys that looked after us over there were amazing - pictures of them later. it was a quiet little restaurant, and we were surprised there weren't any more people over there. most of the time it was less than half full, and we only missed breakfast there 2 of our 10 days.
this was one of the coolest things at one of the pools - a cliff to jump off of! the kids had a ball with it, and if we had to ever guess where they were, this was it.
city tour- we had agreed to attend the dreaded timeshare presentation in exchange for a city tour on a trolley bus, as well as credits towards an island tour. we had a fantastic tour guide who told us about all we saw. we opted to go on wednesday afternoon at 4:30 as we didn't have any dinner plans at that point, and the weather was a bit cool that day.
in picture - ds2, dh, friends j & l.
along the malacon there are alot of different pieces of artwork representing various aspects of mazatlan culture and history. this is a pulmonia, an open air taxi that tourists quite often opt to use instead of a traditional taxi or bus. they come equipped with LOUD stereos, and their horns make all sorts of crazy noises.
as the sun goes down fairly early (5:30-ish) we hit the sunset as we were on our tour. these dolphins were part of a larger statue, representing the cycle of life.
this guy is one of the divers that entertains the tourists - for a tip. (tips are a HUGE thing LOL- tipped to death i tell ya!) he jumps off a natural store tower to the side of this square.
pretty amazing stuff - and rather enterprising if nothing else. the depth of the water is only about 12 feet where he goes it.
this is the highest accessible point in mazatlan, and a restaurant over looks the city. its a rather interesting view, and gives you a better sense of just how large mazatlan is.
thursday:
ah yes, the timeshare presentation. we did get to see some show suites with fantastic views of the ocean and beach. the rest of our day was spent by the pool and the beach, as it was sunny and hot.
friday:
we decided to take a trip to old mazatlan and the downtown quarter. the easiest, cheapest and most fun way of getting there was these trucks. the back end of small pick ups are converted to people movers, and 10 of us fit very comfortably. they are covered, and come equipped with driver operated stereos. we did hear some rather odd stuff on this one! for 80 pesos (about $8 canadian) one way, we had our transportation.
a quick stop along our walk, we had a drink at one of the sidewalk restaurants. pacifico beer for 120 pesos ($1.20) and lemonade for 150 pesos.
the circus was in town (apparently - we didn't go) and we saw the animals go by down the street, with a police escort and loudspeakers advertising the show.
the old market - ok, a little gross, but i spoke to one of the butchers and asked what is done with a pigs head. it is used to make posole - a type of corn soup. it sounded good, but i don't know if i could actually handle the pig's head myself!
this is one of mazatlan's landmarks - the cathedral in the historic part of town. when it was being built, the church had run out of money, so the jewish people helped by contributing the remainder of the money for construction. interesting to note that because of that, the stained glass windows at the very top had the star of david imbedded in them. it was absolutely beautiful and quiet inside.
the main square across from the cathedral, where open air concerts are held on friday nights (didn't get there either LOL)
we thought this was just hilarious!!! our best guess without a translator is that people need to pick up after their dogs!!
walking towards the ocean, this street takes the sidewalk almost a storey up over road level. it made for an interesting perspective.
saturday:
b was not feeling well, so i stayed behind with him while the rest of the crew went to el cid marina to check it out. apparently you can't fish there...
another pool with cliffs to jump off of... i bet the kids were itching to do just that!
looking out to the ocean...
the little bit of beach at that resort, but no ocean access...
pool view from the hotel side...
wouldn't you just love to have flowers like these at home??
luxury golf cart transportation...
sunday:
was spent on the beach/pool. no pictures to post from that day
monday:
back over to the marina for our day out to stone island. this pelican was quite funny to watch. a fellow had some fish sitting on the dock, and she was quite adamant that she would get some! she was also quite pretty, with bright feathers on her head.
out at sea! we took our tour on a trimaran. j was not quite the sea man he thought - he has his mother's tummy and did not get his sea legs!
this little outcropping in the water (a good km or 2 off shore) was a great place for these sealions to hang out and sun themselves. one of them even waved! HA!
this was NOT the boat i would have chosen to go anywhere on... especially with that name! LOL
one of the places that could be rented on stone island - with a beautiful garden and the ocean across the street.
coconut grove - we couldn't see where it ended!
off for a horseback ride!
view of the beach from the restaurant/base where we spent our time there.
j & s kayaking - they went almost all the way out to the island in the background!
j - on our way back
dinner!! this was the mexican restaurant, and we had a super dinner! amazing homemade tortillas made to order as quesedillas or tacos.
j being silly - he wanted the lampshade for a hat LOL
just one of the silly signs we saw that something was lost in translation...
tuesday: another day on the beach or by the pool. no pics to share!wednesday:
view of the snack bar in the morning...
off we went on another red truck to the aquarium. the white castle looking thing in the background is valentino's - the "cootchie cootchie" bar that is hopping on the weekends.
a view out over the roof of the truck.
our driver that morning...
our visit to the aquarium was probably the most expensive thing we did on the whole trip - just over $30 for the 4 of us to go to. it was very well kept and maintained. we also found it interesting that the majority of the people working there were handicapped in some way. alot of down's syndrome or other issues, but they were all very pleasant and helpful and looked super smart in their uniforms.
there were a number of exhibits that were very interesting. everything from birds to crocodiles! check out those teeth!
sea turtles
everyone taking a look
frogs
rays
sharks
sea tortoises
toucans! i loved these guys!
parrots in the open exhibit - we were able to go into a huge enclosure and wander around with the bird.
funky chicken
sea lion show - this was very cool!
sea lion fishy breath kisses LOL
outside the aquarium
doing the macarena on the red truck home - we laughed and laughed - and attracted alot of attention!! there was also the chicken dance too LOL
a picture perfect view...
tequila volleyball in the pool
our last night, as we went over the bridge to the sushi restaurant...
senor frogs was also at the bottom of our hotel.
thursday morning:time to go home, and one last breakfast at el patio. the green juice is cactus juice, a pleasant discovery that ricardo started feeding us a couple days before we left (to lose the extra weight we gained on the trip!! LOL) the cook was also awesome and gave us some well wishes on our cheesecake... (it says nice trip)
our awesome chef that made our yummy breakfasts in the morning - ricardo called her the "fat lady" and dh called him on it - "she doesn't speak english, does she??" LOL
ricardo (left) and ramon, our awesome servers who made our the start of our days just amazing.
ricardo giving dh a little loving...
these two were such hams - they made us laugh and were the best of the trip.
the tide was super high most mornings, coming all the way up to the beach loungers...
dh & ds1 enjoying the view...
rested, relaxed and tanned... and very reluctant about taking off the bathing suit in exchange for jeans and a sweatshirt!
an over the shoulder shot of everyone in the van on our trip to the airport.
ROFL - this guy looked like he was taking a piddle!
the company that dh works for has an outlet in mazatlan.... hmmmm... maybe he should be asking for a transfer??
the end!! thanks for taking a look!
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