Snow Like My Childhood

Sunday night brought a blizzard to Toronto and with it 36cm of snow by Monday afternoon. Jason spent the day shovelling, heading out multiple times to work through it all. The photo on the right is taken through our back door, the snow piling up in the backyard and back porch.

Heading out for a walk today, the neighbourhood felt like what winters were when I was growing up in Paris. I don't know what it is about nostalgia, but the memories I have from childhood include mammoth snowbanks and huge piles after shovelling. Also I remember there being so much snow that it was shovelled with this strange big metal scoop thing that my dad would push and then tip (I saw someone down the street using a similar thing today, so they are still around.)

JBR - A Visit To Huntsville

Beer: Lake of Bays Brewing Company, on tap

Date Tried: Saturday March 7, 2020 

Location: Trading Bay Dining Company, Dorset, Ontario
General thoughts from Jason, when asked for his review: "Yeah, it is fine."
Editor's note: It has never worked out that Kristen and Noah are heading to Huntsville at a time that we can join them. They have invited us a few times but we always miss out. Kristen's dad has a condo up near Deerhurst and they love it there, in all seasons. We got to go this past weekend and had a wonderful time. Went for a couple of hikes and did a tiny road trip a few minutes down the road to Dorset for lunch - at a restaurant filled with ski-doo'ers, I think we were the only people who arrived by car. I found an old Heritage Walking Tour of the tiny village so we made sure to do that too. It was a wonderful little winter weekend holiday!

Let's Go To Virginia, Real Quick

So this past weekend brought a snow storm to Toronto (and the surrounding area). I got a call on Sunday that Steph was trapped at the airport downtown. (Toronto Island Airport that was originally just Porter but now a few other carriers use it too. Also, you used to only be able to get to it using a ferry but now there is a tunnel to walk under the water.) Steph was trying to get to Virginia for a photography conference.

Upon reviewing her options she called to see if she could stay overnight and then figure out a way home to Ottawa the following day - since everything in Toronto was basically shut down with the snow (even though it had basically stopped snowing at this point.) I decided to do one better and offered to drive her down to Virginia so she didn't have to miss out on the conference, or the styled shoot she had scheduled on location as well.

It took 10 hours to drive to Charlottesville and we arrived at her hotel at 4am on Monday morning. I was going to drive her to the shoot but then decided I wanted to sleep and just lent her the car for the day while I hung out at the hotel. When she got back that evening (and how she worked a full day, I have no idea) I drove her up to the Washington, DC airport (where she was originally going to fly in) so that she could grab her rental car and continue onto the conference. Then I drove home overnight from Monday to Tuesday.

It was great to spend time catching up but now I need to catch up on some sleep!

City Rhymes

Originally I was planning to pick Jason up at Weston Station after work so he could get home faster. However, we got a lot of snow today and my drive north from The Junction to Casa Verde was slow. I ended up sending him a text to let him know it wasn't a good idea for me to come get him, and my suggestion after that accidentally rhymed:

"Uber from The UP or take TTC."

He's Basically Ansel Adams

Looking through the photos from Iceland that we took with the 'good' camera (our recently purchased, mirrorless Fujifilm X-T20.) Jason and I try to figure out which of us took which ones. We figure out pretty quickly that the first one was taken by Jason, and he starts admiring it:

Jason: This is why we paid the money to get a nice camera - great shot. The parking lot against those mountains. I really knocked it out of the park here - it is obviously a commentary on the invasion of man into nature, the comparison of rock against machine. The cars, the snow. So good.

Photographic Masterpiece

Taken by Jason, with the Fujifilm

Iceland, 2017

I am sure National Geographic will be calling any minute now. (Though he has a level horizon, so can I really judge?) 

56 Hours In Iceland - A 4:30pm Sunset

Jason and I are going to need more practice with the new camera, but Iceland was a good start to try to get comfortable with it. Here are two more photos, both taken in Pingvellir on Friday with our new camera. They are similar but I couldn't pick which one I liked better, I also don't really know which of us took them:

Beautiful Iceland

The Land of Fire and Ice

(Steam from hot spring on the right)

I had continued issues with keeping the horizon straight, which I know how to fix in photoshop, so if I get around to editing maybe I will post some more later on. (No edits were made to the photos posted above.)

56 Hours In Iceland - Pingvellir, Iceland

The Path To Another World

Pingvellir National Park, Iceland

Photo taken with my phone

(Excited to see what the photos on our new camera look like.)

Both Sides Of Black Creek

He shuffled slowly across the ice of Black Creek before taking off at a quick jog over the snow on the far side. A silent run up the east bank, paws softly flicking the powder with each step. He stayed upright to cast a shadow in the figure of a man.

Six new colonies had taken root in the east valley and with them came wicker baskets filled with fruit. Taking one back across the creek could feed the herd for a week. The trees wouldn't stay for long, often planting a few sweet pieces of  fruit before moving passed to root further along to the south.

The herd was weak, spending too long each day asleep in the branches of the beech trees that grew locked to the west bank. First it was the gradual thinning, bones forming as the warm cushion of fat receded, next their coats would turn greasy, then dull, then start to fall out.

Digging the fruit up from the ground would be too slow to feed everyone quickly enough. The herd would start to deplete if he wasn't able to get a basket back to them. The trees slept at night, it was the right time to try to take the big prize.

Weather From A Skyscraper

There is a building in downtown Toronto that lets us know the weather forecast. I love checking out the what the weather will be by looking at the Canada Life Building. The details aren't sent to our cell phones from a tower on the roof, information isn't displayed on a flashy HD screen on the side, instead you can figure out the next day's weather by knowing the code for the lights on the, quite phallic looking, stick at the top.


Temperature: Lights moving up means tomorrow will be warmer, moving down means it will be colder. If the white bands of light are staying steady there won't be a change in temperature.

Precipitation: The big square light at the top can flash and change colour: flashing red is rain, flashing white is snow, solid red is cloudy, and solid green is clear.

Even people who have lived in Toronto for a long time don't believe me when I tell them, but it is true, The Canada Life Building, located at the corner of University and Queen, has been a weather beacon for 65 years. The building is considered historical and was built in 1929. The tower part at the top that broadcasts the weather forecast was the first of its kind in Canada when it was built in 1951, and now it is the only one of its kind left in the country.

Not Fair!

This morning Mom and I decided to do another 'view' comparison after chatting for a bit on the phone. After we finished talking we each took a photo of what we have been looking at during the conversation. I like to call her in the morning while commuting to work, usually, when she is at The Cottage, this means that Mom is in bed hanging out with Rasta, or in the bath, or downstairs having coffee. However, she is in Spain for a couple of months so with the time change we are now talking around lunch time for her. 

See the small photo on the right for what my commute was like on the bus today - cold, wet, packed, but at least I had a seat. This is from my mom, she wins hands down:

Beach at El Rompido, Spain

February 10, 2016

Photo by Mom

Feet In Snow

Happy Birthday to my Aunty Laura today! I am going to go and visit her in London tomorrow but thought that I would post this picture she sent me for Caturday. Each Christmas, either my brother or I give her a 'cat calender.' This year I got her a daily one and the photos are really nice. She sent me the following because it reminded her of Jason and my Christmas card.

My aunt took this picture and included her copy of our card for reference. The photo on our card is from a photoshoot Jason and I did with Steph two years ago. - Copyright 2013 Stephanie Beach Photography

Duck Boots

Sunday Mornin' Coming Down - A post about my Dad each Sunday, named after a song that he loved.

When Mike and I were young, Mom and Dad used to take us cross-country skiing a lot. We had our own (used) equipment and the low-ankle, navy blue, ski boots. We always called them duck boots because the protruding lip on the toe that allowed for the old-school, 3-prong connections to the skies, made funny foot prints.

However, my dad didn't have duck boots. His skies had a slightly more 'modern' type of connection system and the boots were taller and grey. (Much more early 80's than the old ones we had.) I always thought it was because my dad was such an elite skier that he needed better equipment than the rest of us. I realize now that he only ever went skiing with the family, or just Mom. I am sure he was the best among us because he was so naturally athletic, but I doubt he was as good as I thought he was.

My parents also, always, told us about how the skies they had before required waxing (and might have even been wooden.) Seriously, ever time we went out skiing as a family they would talk about how great it was to not have to wax the skies. Of course, this meant nothing to Mike and I because we were really young and barely had any idea about what they were talking about.

Travel Vicariously

My mom is gone again - spending two months with my grandparents in a place called Céret in the south of France. She has already started to post updates on her blog and it looks stunning. The pictures make the cold and snow here a bit more depressing. Her blog is always available under Some Lovely Links in the left-side column of Always Standing. Or find it here:

vicarious travelling 

Check regularly, she is away travelling in France and Spain until early April.

SNOW!!!!

That is all I have to say.




Oh, and that I miss Ottawa.

ERin Is Still Amazing

Mid-Week Friend Update - A Wednesday feature that provides a small update on what is happening with the incredible people that I have in my life.

The funny thing about ERin is that she doesn't really like board games. Actually, her husband does but she is not very keen on them. My friends are all very different and it would be hard to find a common thread that runs throughout them all, but if I had to my first instinct would be that they are all 'game' people. However, ERin is not and she is a great friend who I am thrilled to have as part of my life. So, I will have to keep looking for the common thread. The reason I mention ERin's small aversion to board games is that she gave me an incredible one a few years ago. Well, a quick update on ERin would be that her hilariously random but oddly perfect gift giving ability is still strong.

Today, I came home to a huge box. (Yesterday, there had been notice that people had attempted a delivery but no one had been home. I was happy that Jason had a snow day to get it.) Inside was a bouquet of 12 stuffed kittens! There are 4 grey ones, 4 white ones and 4 little ginger ones like Two. They are arranged on sticks, but you can easily pull them off of the sticks, I haven't yet because I just love the strangeness of having them in bouquet formation and wrapping.

It makes me long for a cubicle a little bit so that I can line them all up along the back of my desk. (Maybe at my next job.) I am going to turn some into cat-toys for Two. In her note, ERin said it was a Valentine's Day present for all of us but that Two and I would like it more than Jason. I think Jason is confused by it but I feel I should share with Two. However, I also don't want to take it apart - it is just so amusing.

So, much thanks to ERin for making me smile and brightening my day! I love her sense of humour and have always been impressed with how well she combines being so kind with also being funny.

Things To Like

Being buzzed, sitting in the back of a cab

Watching the city blur by

When a fart rolls up the front

Until you think about it, then it's just gross

Cool water out of a metal container

Fresh water scooped in hands from a faucet

The sound of crunching snow under boots 

Until nose hairs stand on end, from the cold

A Commute Comparison

Monday's commute to work on the TTC:
- wake up late, the snooze button is my friend
- feeling tired and sad
- dreading returning to work after the holidays
- look all over the house for pieces of clothes, that may or may not be clean
- outfit feels uncomfortable and unattractive
- grab a few grapes on my way out the door
- so insanely cold outside; feet, fingers, and face freeze
- have to walk slow because the ice on the sidewalk is terrible
- unable to find my metropass in my purse
(kind streetcar driver lets me on anyway)
- continued frantic search for metropass proves fruitless
- not enough change to pay the fare when I transfer to the bus
- an attempt to break a $20 bill at McDonalds fails due to their lack of change
- wait forever for a Dufferin bus, many come but there isn't room
- crowded bus arrives and I have to squeeze in
(kind bus drive lets me on after only paying $2.25 instead of $3)
- bus and/or crowd of people smell awful
- floor of bus is covered in water and slush; bus is warm, making me sweat
- had to bring second pair of socks for the commute home, feet are soaked
- high school students talk incessantly, about nothing
(I do get a seat after the mass exit at Dufferin Station)
- sitting on a sideways seat squished between two people
- purse and lunchbag on my lap, the bulk is adding to the heating and sweating
- bus is announced to short turn at Queen
- scramble for phone to text my boss that I might be late due to the short walk
(the walk up the hill to work ends up being fast, nice, and refreshing)
- forgot to wear the new watch I got for Christmas
- hat hair
- dress shoes kept at work are in worse shape than I remembered
- fan in the office is making a loud and distracting noise but is on too high a shelf for me to reach
(when I get my computer turned out, I find out that I did arrive in time, a couple minutes to spare actually)

Friday's commute to work on the TTC:
- wake up after hitting the snooze button a couple of times
- feeling refreshed, healthy, and awake
- a basic but cute outfit can be made from the pile of clean laundry piled on my desk
- enjoy some canned peaches
- warm but still softly snowing outside
- a light sprinkle of snow of the roads and sidewalk that has yet to turn to slush
- streetcar arrives moments after I get to the stop
- a TTC token in my pocket, replaced by a transfer on the streetcar
- streetcar is clean and travels down St. Clair West quickly
- someone walks by and I catch a brief scent of nice perfume/cologne 
- I daydream but still manage to catch my proper stop and get off without issue
(miss a mostly empty bus that passes me as I approach the stop)
- a quick transfer with no waiting, a bus comes quickly and I can get on
- after a few stops I am able to walk to the back of the bus and stand out of the way
- the bus nearly empties at Dufferin Station, I get a seat and few people get on
- bus driver negotiates the busy street smoothly, the bus is quiet 
- a double seat to myself, I can see people walking dogs out of the window
- lots of squirrels in the big park
- the driver opens the back doors for me just as I reach them
- walking to my building I pass some nice infrastructure projects we have been working on and they look good
- run into the building's superintendents, have a nice walk-and-talk
- watch Jason gave me says I'm 15 minutes early
Needless to say, I had a good commute today!

Chilled By The Wind

In true Canadian fashion, I am going to talk about the weather. My social media has been filled with pictures and comments about the crazy snow and ice in Southern Ontario for the past few days. Even though I was talking about how cold it is here less than a month ago, I thought I would post this report from The Weather Network:

There is also a Wind Chill Alert that has been issued by Environment Canada:
Extreme wind chills from minus 30 to minus 40 today and tonight. Frigid and strong westerly winds are producing widespread dangerous wind chills of minus 30 to minus 40 today and tonight. Extreme caution is advised for people heading outdoors. Exposed skin may freeze in less than 5 minutes. Moreover, it is also suggested to help prevent freezing of pipes in buildings, one could turn on the lowest tap in the house and let it run as a pencil-thin stream or fast drip while keeping indoor temperatures a little warmer at night. Wind chills will improve slowly on Wednesday as temperatures rise slowly and winds finally begin to ease.

Wrapping Presents

I have finished all my Christmas shopping! However, I have done no wrapping. A big ice storm in Toronto is messing a bit with my plans, seeing that originally I was planning to head back to The City early tomorrow to do all my wrapping before Christmas started. Rrunuv Bayit has been without power for a couple of days and, while I am down at The Cottage, Jason says that it is getting pretty cold at night and the cat isn't happy about it. It is hard to know now what is happening with the various celebrations we had sorted out but I do know that that all the presents need to be wrapped and Two will probably be around while that is happening. Looking forward to it...

---------- from Facebook

My Valentine

Jason is amazing and we had a wonderful Valentine's Day yesterday, which actually continued into today with him bringing me breakfast in bed and driving me to the bus stop.

A little while ago, during a visit to Ottawa, Steph did a photo shoot with us out in the woods. I know that I was complaining about these types of photos less than a month ago. However, I justify these as different because we are not engaged and were not doing for any reason beyond helping Steph build her portfolio and get some nice pictures of each other. Also, we went cross country skiing together in the nature area where the shoot was, so the location was not random. Still, they are totally the photos that generally annoy me. But we look so good in them!

This is my favourite:

Love Is A Rainbow In A Sunbeam

By Stephanie Koning, of Stephanie Beach Photography 

Copyright © 2012

You can see the entire set here:

Stephanie Beach Photography - Blog