Our Christmas Day guests…bringing good food and good champagne and good times.

Boxing Day…too hot to wear a coat…amazing weather.

We walked around the Irving Centre Garden at Acadia, and stopped in at the wonderful common room there where we were thrilled to find that they carry reading materials that we both enjoy.

And then today. There has to be that first day when it really snows. Another walk to town, enjoying the beauty before we start to get tired of it by late March!

Inside, we hung out with Scrabble, a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle, a huge Globe and Mail crossword puzzle, a documentary, our new magazines and books, and great left overs. A real respite. Tomorrow Frank is back on duty at our “real” house…but this rental home felt all “home” over the last few days.

Christmas Eve. Here we thought we’d be alone, with our tiny “Charlie Brown” tree…but then our wonderful landlady Carol came by to borrow something,  and stayed for dinner…the borsht, the perogi…and  it felt a little magical…made me dress up, get excited.  We needed that “boost”, and it happened. Those are the surprises that we like. Merry Christmas everyone!

I took this photo last week, in the Terrance Bay, Lower Prospect area..where I enjoyed time with my hiking group. It is a beautiful place to visit. This is a photo of someone’s front yard, displaying a wonderful rendition of a seaside fishing village. At the right, you can see part of a white shed…but even it blends in with the miniature buildings.

As it is approaching Christmas, and our first one without any of our children or grandchildren here, it makes me nostalgic for the past. This scene makes me feel the same way.  Although fishing villages are still present, they seem to represent a way of life that is changing. And there it is …change.  I don’t expect things to stay the same, but I can nevertheless dwell on the feeling of loss for a while, and then get on with my day.

See the new windows to the middle right? they weren’t there before!  a perfect match for the corner unit…and the view! see for yourself…

..that’s Blomidon out there…here, I’ll go closesr..

…it’s wonderful!!!

Makes us feel at home, all that glass. Thanks for letting me share our excitement.

The work on the house continues…but more exciting (for me) now. You can see a new all glass door (middle of photo at back) that leads to the backyard, from the dining room, and on the right, a platform has been created for a propane fireplace that will go around that corner. The unit won’t be in till February, but I can see it in my mind’s eye. Before the framing was all done, I couldn’t quite “see” anything! Frank, of course, the creator of the changes, the blueprint maker, can visualize, conceptualize and fantasize about it all.

The best news is that the steps to my studio have been created. This is the reason that the renovations started…to move the kitchen wall on the right, over, to make room for full size (legal, safe) stairs to the attic space…now only to be referred to as Barb’s studio!

Speaking of…we will be renting here until the end of February, so I set myself up in our bedroom to have a place to sew, and paint. Didn’t want to wait until March!

We also hung outdoor ornaments on the lovely Smoke Tree on the front lawn of the rental, and put a spotlight on it. So grateful to have a home, when you think of all the refugees arriving right now!   My grandparents and mother immigrated from Poland… my dad immigrated after WW2…Frank came from Holland. Immigrants. Happy to be Canadian.

  
We’re at the end of our time in L.A. environs. Time at the beach was wonderful…Finn throwing a rock at sunset..

  
..checking out the high tide, full moon effect…

  
 
Back  at the home front..sharing a birthday with this beauty…our candles read 168…leave off the last number or the first..

  
..spending my b.d. at The Broad, in downtown L.A….a new art gallery showcasing Broad’s personal art collection. This piece stretched across two walls.   A wonderful time spent with family…over now but memories are made of “over”..