weekend away

A weekend away with friends leaves lots of beautiful memories.

1. Discovering an old church tucked up on a hillside overlooking the ocean and rambling through the graveyard just as the sun is setting.
2. Combining cleanliness with inspiration in the outdoor treehouse shower
3. Glimpsing an orange-red sunset through the trees and meandering through the woods until we come to the water's edge just in time to see the last drops of sunshine.

friends, mario, and sanctuaries

1. Three girls sit on an outside patio, laughing and looking like they are having the time of their lives together
2. Mario my Italian coffee shop man, who always says Ciao Bella! when I (and every other woman) walk in the door and who loves giving out powerful mixtures of whipping cream and espresso topped with chocolate sauce (is there a name for this?)
3. Coffee shop sanctuaries that provide cool relief from my oh-so-hot third floor apartment

water baby, lick, and waffles

1. Swimming in the outdoor pool across the street as the evening sun bathes everything in an orange glow. Swimming outdoors again today, this time in a salt water pool that overlooks the ocean.
2. An impulsive trip to the gelato store with a friend
3. A weekend of breakfasts - crepes one day, waffles the next, and yet more waffles today - eaten while listening to good music with good friends.

breeze, community notes, and friends like these

1. The trees outside my window are dancing and rustling in the hot summer breeze


2. Across the street at the community centre, a live band is rehearsing. I can't quite tell what they are playing - classical/jazz/blues/Latin American/German waltzes? Nevertheless, the sounds bring the street to life


3. A buzz on my doorbell. A friend has brought me coffee and a croissant to make my paper writing just that much easier

easy living, just in time, dancing shoes

1. A cool summer evening's breeze wafts through my apartment, bringing with it the fragrance of BBQs and freshly cut grass


2. A friend and I slip into a free concert at the jazz festival just in time to hear the first notes of what ends up being an incredible evening of music and dancing


3. Plans with a friend to start Salsa dancing lessons grow to include three more friends and plans for weekend dancing as well

Sunday morning

1. Listening to Stewart McLean and the Vinyl Cafe on CBC, while
2. Flipping through the paper, and
3. Drinking hot coffee with real cream

post-its, local talent, and unexpected faces

1. Multi-coloured post-its adorn my walls as part of my current personal exercise in discovering, dreaming, and designing my future
2. A trip to the locksmith's shop reveals a local man's passion of turning locks, keys, and deadbolts into pieces of art
3. On a walk with a friend, I look up towards a tree and see a face peering back at me. Ceramic eyes, a nose, and a mouth create a whimsical neighbourhood wood nymph