hobbes the firecracker

he hates wearing anything so i imagine he wasn’t at all pleased with the costume i picked out for him.

“god help me”

i wouldn’t have bothered buying that firecracker costume yesterday except that, well, first of all, it was only a couple of bucks since it was bought after halloween and most of all, we were invited to a halloween party for small pooches at a local off-leash park.

the party was only for small breeds and was held in the small dog, off-leash area. the only problem was that we normally cross through the off-leash area for the bigger breeds to get to the gate of the small dogs only area.

not a second after we entered, a couple of big dogs came running up to hobbes and started to chase him. as we walked, i noticed hobbes was getting quite a lot of attention. it only dawned on me that they were actually after the firecracker on hobbes’ back.

the fact that hobbes would run away from them basically made it a game for them – look! it’s a moving toy! lets get it!!!

poor hobbes.

i also figured out that dooce probably edits her photos of chuck when she requires a modesty patch right within flickr. thought i should try it myself – and the perfect opportunity came about today when hobbes saw me coming downstairs and immediately rolled onto his back as if to say, “ah. you’ve arrived. rub my belly.” typical male behaviour.

a patch for hobbes’ thing-a-ling

new banner for healthy shy blog

i recently changed the layout look and new, customized banner to my healthy shy blog.

i believe this was when i first started to experiment my aperture setting on my nikon. and spring time at high park never disappoints both professional and amateur photographers alike.

there’s always some early signs of life peeking out for a photo-op.

anyway… have a look at the banner.

i think it adds just a right amount of colour to my micro-blog!

another year of ‘boo at the zoo’

it’s not the same as it use to be, really, but still, when i woke up this morning, i could tell it was going to be a sunny day. and while doug is at work, i do my best to make the day productive.

mind you, i brought work home from the office and i haven’t even touched it. a part of me wondered if i should just skip the halloween festivities at the zoo this year but then another part of me said, screw it! why should my kid suffer because of the crap from work? plus, a quick look at the upcoming weeks is proving to be quite grey and wet. it’s not a for sure thing that this rain will still stick around come halloween but just in case, at least we get to do something with chaeli on a nice day.

there was one very cool exhibit. they had this creepy crawly cave display where they pulled out the best of the best of creepy-crawlies. many of these species are from behind the scenes and only pulled out during special exhibits.

the artic animals were very active today and chaeli insisted on visiting her favourite animal – the polar bear cub. here are photos she took from today:

the rhino came right up to us

eating his kibble

finally – the owl came out to greet us!

sunday ‘ooz’, library and retro-judy blume books

ooz.

this is what doug started to say for ‘zoo’ when chaeli was young. it was a way to say, “hey, think we should go to the zoo this weekend?” while around her so that she didn’t pick up on the word ‘zoo’ and get her hopes up in case we weren’t able to go.

of course, in the past couple of years, she knows that ‘ooz’ is just ‘zoo’ pronounced backwards. and now calling it ‘ooz’ has just become our thing.

while doug worked his sunday shift, that’s exactly where chaeli and i found ourselves yesterday morning. she came up just after 8:30am to wake me up. the zoo opens now at 9:30am (shorter hours past the summer season) so it was just enough time for us to get ready and head over for breakfast.

chaeli brought her digital camera and spent the hour and a half taking as many photos as possible, spending most of her time taking shots of the polar bear cub. he’s grown a bit but still so small compared to the three adults. and very cute with a whimsical, playful temperament.

of course, of the 100 or so photos, most of them came out too dark or blurry but i told her not to worry. we can weed them out later. so she took a few shots of certain animals or scenes to be on the safe side. in the end, about a third were actually quite good. so i opened up a flickr account for her and uploaded the photos to share with family.

here are some of the highlights:

cub swimming

cub was enjoying deep dives

a mid-morning snack – picking at the flowers

one starfish and one sea anemone-mone-mone…

hobbes would object to the word ‘dog’ in their names

the bunnies were all still sleeping when we visited them

just chillin’ out on the rocks

we came home for a couple of hours before heading out to a library in our area – one of the many main ones in the city that happened to be open on sunday’s.

for chaeli’s grade 3 leading log, she went through four chapter books in two weeks. we do have a lot of books at home but with the rate she’s going, they won’t last her the school year. nor do we have that much space to continue purchasing books (and we don’t want to get carried away with how much we spend either). i will continue to buy some books from scholastics but going to the library is a great way to balance things out.

the usual library we usually go to does not open on sunday – this gave us an opportunity to try a different location. i’m glad we did. the entire first floor is dedicated to children and young readers with one section dedicated to early readers. it pretty much carried all chapter books and contained the perfect selection for grade 3 and 4 level reading.

chaeli chose three books which i think should last her for the next two weeks. she was quite excited – especially as she got to use her own library card and check out the books at the self-checkout area.

the rest of the day was spent with her reading and playing while i uploaded her zoo photos (and camping photos). as well, i read two chapters of tales of a fourth grade nothing (my own copy from when i was 9 – and i still have superfudge, too) before dinner plus another chapter of it before bed. we were also able to get in one UNO game done before bedtime.

it was a great mother-daughter day!

vancouver 2012 – day 4

if we had more time, i would have gone back for more…

We started our fourth day off with a very hearty, home-style brunch at the Epicurean Cafe Bistro. Both Doug and I ordered their Earthy Breakfast:

Eggs poached in a simmering Amatriciana sauce, topped with grilled Turkey or Pork Italian Sausage, accompanied with spicy or mild Eggplants and roasted Potatoes. Toasted bread, butter and jam.

The sauce was a lovey italian sauce and it added just the right flavour to our poached eggs – which were perfectly done. We ended up returning here the next day for a mid-morning americano and their Sicilian Cannolo – once rated the best cannoli in Vancouver.

Ada generously prepared transit tickets for us. After our satisfying breakfast, we hopped on the bus and headed downtown.

view of the cityline from the waterfront, convention area

chaeli jumping for an action shot

more impressive in person – even without the flames

Our first stop was the waterfront by the convention centre, mainly to see the olympic cauldron but it also gave us an opportunity to walk along the waterfront.

stopped by to see the statue of ‘gassy’ jack

chose this stop soley based on the name – that’s my beer

Ada gave me a mini-Lonely Planet book about Vancouver – during brunch and our bus ride, I quickly glanced through it to see what other areas we might like. With her suggestion as well, we decided to roam the streets of Gastown. With the brick streets and unique archictecture, it was definitely a very interesting area, indeed. While it is a part of their busy downtown area (we were visiting during a work day, as well), I felt as if we were secluded from the rest of the city. Plus, it gave us an excuse to stop at The Black Frog for a snack and more local, draft beer.

anthony bourdain stopped by here!

their signature dog!

It was just after lunch when leaving Gastown – we set off to the absolute main reason of our downtown excursion – JAPADOG! Featured on Food Netword’s Eat St., this was just one of those things we had to try. While the Terimayo dog did not disappoint, I actually fell in love with their Butter and Shoyu fries! Chaeli ate most of it – if I had room in my then very full stomach, I would have ordered one just for me.

streets of yaletown

historic site turned into a great community centre

One of the great things about not having a real plan are the interesting places you happen to stumble upon. This historic area used before as a roundhouse for steamed trains back in the days has now turned into a trendy community. The building above is now an incredible community centre which we had a chance to walk through. We witnessed a lot of families there dropping in different classes and programs. I was instantly envious of what was available to them just a bus stop or two away.

i have a serious obsession with driftwood

i felt like i was reading private messages…

In the evening, while the rest went for a swim at an outdoor pool at the Kitsilano Beach, I decided to have some time of solitude while I strolled along the beach, taking pictures, and then ultimately, finding a spot to read. I found these stainless steel chairs – about a dozen or so – side by side, each with a different saying. You can see all of the ones I snapped a photo of here. Upon returning to Toronto, I did a google search to learn that this was an art exhibit called ‘Echo.‘

Now, we were suppose to have a beach picnic but the temperature dropped and I could even see Chaeli’s lips hued with a tint of blue. We decided quickly ot have the picnic indoors which ended up being fantastic. With the list of food we bought from the market the day before, we ate on the floor – hand grabbing here and there, filling in hungry tummies. With the bonus of red wine, which we probably wouldn’t have had had we dined out in a public area.

Rest of the photos from day 4.

vancouver 2012 – day 3

We used our third day in Vancouver as down time, as well as a chance to meet up with my cousin, her husband and my aunt & uncle for dinner (chinese food).

We wandered around Granville Island and had lunch at The Sandbar Doug and I indulged in market fresh oysters (both raw and deep fried) as well as that amazing Island Club sandwich. Chaeli enjoyed her clam chowder soup and fries – in fact, Chaeli was lucky to try 3 variations of clam/seafood chowder which is one of her favourite types of soup.

chaeli playing ‘captain’ while we had americanos

After we got a text from Ada – she had to go to UBC for about an hour and then meet up with her brother, Warren. They met up with us just by the entrance of the kids’ market where we sat outside with italian sodas and more americanos for Doug and I at Pedro’s Organic Coffee House. It was tasty, for sure, but I can’t honestly rate the coffee houses we tried. They were all quite amazing! And yes, while there were also Starbucks on every other corner, we avoided it (until the morning we departed – it was the only available coffee retailer close to our gate). Warren and his girlfriend, both competing in Victoria that weekend in ultimate frisbee, came along with Ada which was a plus for me. I rarely get to see that kid! (and no, he’s not a kid anymore – but to me, he’ll always be a kid)

if only we lived this close to such an amazing market

After we said our good-byes to Warren and his girlfriend, the three of us made our way back to the market to pick up some fresh yummies for the next night – a planned beach picnic.

I wish I had more time to explore this place. I’m sure I would have discovered different types of cheese, pates and deli meats to try out. In the end, we did not do bad at all and purchased the following:

• elk prosciutto
• wild boar salami
• bison salami
• venison pate
• blackburn cheese (one of my favourite types of hard cheese)
• a sheep milk cheese from quebec
• 4 loafs of fresh bread (cheese, rosemary, french and black olives)
• 2 types of figs
• black berries
• blue berries
• mangos
• fresh bocconcini and vine tomatos for a caprese salad

now my challenge is to find a place here that carries a selection of pate and salami’s like Granville market.

vancouver 2012 – day 2

underwater viewing on this magnificent white creature

The only tourist trap (other than Granville Island) we wanted to visit was the Vancouver Aquarium. I was thoroughly impressed with the BC Coast exhibit and completely put into a trance while watching the beluga whales swim underwater. It was a bit crowded but that’s to be expected in the summer time, let alone a weekend day (it was a Sunday during our visit). Still, it was one of those things I wanted Chaeli to experience since she’s never been to an aquarium before.

chaeli playing with the dolphin

Chaeli had a very special moment with the dolphin while stopping by the underwater viewing area.  She used a killer whale stuffed toy to ‘play’ with the dolphin. It was one of those rare oppurtunities to witness and Chaeli drew quite a crowd during that 15 minutes of play time. Where ever she moved the stuffed toy, the dolphin was sure to follow. It went up for air but without skipping a beat, would head straight back down to Chaeli. A short video footage of this below:

She doesn’t quite realize it just yet but this will be one of those things she will look back and cherish something so rare of this moment.  View more still photos of this moment here.

overlooking lions gate bridge while having a pint

After several hours at the aqurium, I asked Hoa if we could do a quick break for a snack and some local draft beer. We actually tried various types of BC and local beer – pretty much all on tap – during our visit. I’m not a big beer drinker but had one about once a day. The above photo was taken at Prospect Point Cafe. We were lucky to get a table with a view.

chaeli’s and hoa’s mid-air pose

chaeli and ada doing… something…

We stopped by this old hallow tree trunk and Chaeli insisted on posing with her godparents again. Hoa was first and suggested they get their photos taken while in a mid-air jump. When it was Ada’s turn, Chaeli told her what to do. I stood next to Hoa and I heard him laugh, “lol! Glad I didn’t have to do that!”

For dinner, we went to the Richmond night market and just strolled along from vendor to vendor – picking up food here and there. The nice thing with hanging out with Ada and Hoa – they were able to take us a bit off the beaten path and experience some of the sites and places not normally visited by tourists.

The rest of the our Vancouver Day 2 album can be found here.

vancouver 2012 – day 1

we just came back from a fantastic trip to vancouver, BC, where we ate, checked out some cool sites and most importantly, got a chance to spend time with ada and hoa (best friends and chaeli’s god parents).

i’ll be blogging about each day separately…

Granville Island – waterfront and aqua buses

Our first morning consisted of an organic breakfast on Granville Island at the Agro Bistro Cafe. Since we were staying with Ada and Hoa, we were fortunate to be in just 15 min. walking distance from Granville. It was also our first taste of what our west coast prides themselves for – coffee! Our first of many americano’s of this trip. I had asked Hoa, “So are there any coffee shops in walking distance from where you live?” His reply was, “You could throw a rock and pretty much hit a coffee shop here in Vancouver.” Oh… right. The same goes with yummy sushi (our first stop after arriving the night before). Basically, “you roll out of bed and sushi is waiting for you.”

a hidden area under the bridge

Ada and Hoa took us on a tour of Granville Island so we could familiarize ourselves with this place. My favourite part is the area shown in the photo above – a little ‘nook’ under the Granville Street Bridge. The shopping continues here with a great restaurant over looking the waterfront called The Sandbar (where we indulged in their Island Club – shrimp & crab salad, bacon, guacamole).

posing with Auntie Ada

posing with uncle Hoa

Of course, our visit to Granville Island would not have been complete without some poses with Chaeli’s favourite god parents.

featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives – Meat and Bread

possilbly the best sandwich I’ve tasted – EVER!

Guy Fieri from Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives has visited Vancouver a few times. One stop in our short visit was a definite hit and MUST-HAVE – Bread and Meat. Above is their specialty – the Porchetta. Which is basically juicy and tender pork roast, salsa verde and the crispiest fried pork skin (very much like the chinese style only better) at the top – all sandwiched in a loaf of fresh bread. I swear – one bite and I thought I had died and gone to heaven!

finding baby crabs at low tide

One of my most fondest childhood memories while visiting family in Vancouver was turning over rocks during low tide to find tiny little crabs scampering about. I wanted Chaeli to experience this and while at first, she was squeemish (opposite of what I was like as a young one – and even now as an adult), it didn’t take long for her to be totally immersed into this little marine world of tidal pools.

my one workout – an intense hike up to the look-out point

When I asked Ada if runners were okay for our upward trek since I didn’t pack my hikers, she said, “Oh yeah – it’s not that much of a hike.” I learned pretty soon that west coaster’s version of ‘easy hike’ is pretty much a Torontorian’s ‘hike from hell’. Okay – not really from hell. But this would be 2nd to MY version of a tough hike (the first being up a little moutain in Koh Sumoi, Thailand where the path was narrower than my size 7 foot). I had to stop about 15 minutes into it and confirm if everyone else was sweating. Turns out I was not alone. And the trick was that ‘intense’ hike for west coast involves more technical skills. This hike was ‘easy’ as no ‘skill’ was required. But it was very long, very much uphill and yes, my legs were feeling it at the end. 43 minutes up a part of Baden Powell Trail to see the above photo view on Quarry Rock – 37 minutes to come down. And why did it not take much shorter time to head down? Because ‘down’ still had it’s upward moments since the trail was just that – up AND down.

We rewarded ourselves with some deep fried honey doughnuts (not a doughnut – more like crunchy outside with a soft, gooey middle that oozes goodness… and I usually do not like doughnuts) and then a korean-japanese fusion bbq restaurant where you cook your own food in the middle of the table, grill. No photos of the restaurant – I was too tired from that ‘easy hike’.

More photos from Day 1 of our Vancouver 2012 Vacation.

last autumn hike

these were taken last month on our very last hike before winter.

we don’t want to stop the hikes through winter – we’re just hoping to get some good deals after boxing day for some snow shoes.

pretty wet lands

hobbes loves the fresh air

changing colours of the meadow - still beautiful

chaeli stood where some deer had pressed the tall grass down

trail leading us back home

thunder bay and lake superior 2011 – a photo-blog of our vacation

our one week vacation was spent traveling to thunder bay to visit my in-laws, as well as stopping at some key points around lake supeior.

sunset in sault ste marie

our first stop was in sault ste marie – a halfway point we normally use for one night when we choose to drive to thunder bay. we found a nice restaurant along the harbour called Docks’ Restaurant. it’s a casual place but the food was amazing! the price was also very reasonable.

afterwards we took a walk along the harbour to catch the sunset.

on the road to thunder bay

a lot of the drive around lake superior was breath taking. the winding roads, rock formations, green forests and sparkling lakes and rivers.

we always stop to see the goose in wawa

one of our many stops from sault ste marie and thunder bay is wawa. we learned soon after arriving that they were taking down this goose after 50 years of it being a major landmark in this small town of 3,200 people. they are hoping to raise enough money for a new one. we bought a pin for chaeli’s collection – proceeds of the pin goes towards the project.

national monument of grand portage

during our stay in thunder bay, we took a day trip with my SIL, BIL, niece and nephew to minnesotta. we first stopped in grand portage – a national park – and visited a historical site where they replicated what use to be vital fur trading post and anishinaabeg ojibwe heritage.

my baby nephew

my baby nephew – he’s about 15 months old and this is the first time i had a chance to meet him. and what a hoot he is! if only we could see this guy more, i would babysit him and take him to the zoo and feed him lots of animal crackers. or as he calls them, “coooo-ka!”

docked boat

chaeli posing on the dock at grand portage

there was this lovely long dock extending from the national monument area. we took a walk down to the very end and all the time, i was so tempted to reach down and feel the water. of course, it was fairly high above the surface but i managed to find this bottom landing which brought me closer.

the water was cold! but refreshing. apparently, no one can survive past 20 minutes at most in lake superior. hyperthermia doesn’t take long to set in.

cousins collecting rocks – grand marais

here’s chaeli posing with my niece as they hunted down rocks at grand marais.

this town of 1,350 people centres around a harbour. it’s a very pretty place but a shame that they operate more around a very short tourist season. i have driven by in the winter and the place is dead during those cold months. everything shuts down by 5pm (if not earlier).

hobbes prowling alone shore of five mile rock beach

after leaving grand marais, my niece and nephew fell fast asleep so my SIL/BIL decided to just head home. doug, chaeli, hobbes and i stopped along the shores across from five mile rock (a wee island five miles from grand marais). it was a good spot to let hobbes go off leash. and for him to take a sip from the cold waters of lake superior.

neys sandy beaches are filled with driftwood

at the end of our week in thunder bay, we all went to neys, a provincial park midway between thunder bay and sault ste marie. this was also a historical location. at the east end, called prisoner’s cover, they use to keep a prisoner war camp of WWII. apparently, high-end german officers were held captive here. and as bad as a war camp sounded, they weren’t treated so poorly (so long as they cooperated). after the war ended, some of them even returned to canada to live.

the beauty of the place also attracted some key painters from The Group of Seven, such as Lawrence Harris who found Pic Island and transformed the natural formation into his subject and famous Pic Island paintings.

the new trailer we inherited

here’s our new sad and old little trailer – inherited from doug’s late grandfather.

it’s very little. and very old. and very, very little. but it does the trick! and we look forward to making some solid memories from this trailer.

some old timber boats sitting on top of an inactive volcano

the above is a photo of a look-out point at the end of our hike. it’s actually above an inactive valcano.

in the very far distance, at the tip of the other shoreline, you can see a couple of tiny bumps. that’s Pic Island. one day, i hope to get a much closer look.

the view from our campsite

the final sunset before heading towards home again.

rest of photos can be found here.