Camo

October brings beautiful fall colors, the unmistakable colors and patterns of camouflage. It's hunting season.

It is interesting to me how a pattern becomes en vogue. How Burberry is now synonymous with plaid. How camo went from military dress to everyday wear. My 5 minute google search revealed  that camouflage was "created by artists at the military’s request, dating from the early 20th century. It was first used for concealment of equipment, and then for uniforms" (The Warhol, Camouflage, retrieved from http://edu.warhol.org/aract_camo.html, October 7, 2012). In 1986, Andy Warhol painted Camouflage. Unlike military motifs, Warhol’s camouflage paintings reflect bright synthetic and inorganic colors, which would not provide a veil or disguise in any landscape." Camo entered pop culture fashion in a similar way to the fashionable pea coat from the Navy.  

October is also my eldest nephew's birthday month (now 16 years old!), which brings me back to camo pattern. What type of quilt do you make for a 10 yr old who loves playing with plastic army men play sets? An army inspired quilt! I had some left over fabric from making my mom some camo patterned aprons for the goose hunting camp she was a cook for and voila, a quilt fit for a boy. The fascination with the military has not yet left him. Halo is played with such fervor that every now and again the boys convince Auntie to play.

If you're interested Fashion Beans goes into full detail on how to wear camo. 

en route

My friend and I are on our way to Montreal. We should have arrived by now, however the travel gods had a different plan for today. Anna has the theme song from the amazing race playing through her head. We may not be at a "road block" but it sure seems like we have hit one.

Started the day at 4am. Arrived at XYE one hour ahead of flight thinking we would have lots of time. Nope. The lines were ridiculously long. We had 5 minutes to spare. Upon arrival in YYZ we thought our connection would be tight to YUL, but there was a 2 hour delay. Not awesome but not too inconvenient. Then an Announcement over the PA. YUL flight canceled. Plan B. Take the Westjet voucher and catch the train to Montreal. As providence would have it  we were able to purchase 2 of the last 3 remaining seats.

Next stop, hotel, hot tub, sleep.

Vintage

Inspirational closet in Gas Town

Since we moved into our loft, nearly 4 years ago, I have hated the back space of our loft. It is dark and uninspiring. Daryl has created an editing suite with IKEA book shelves, which defined the space somewhat, but still left me with a "ho hum" feeling. I have always wanted to create some sort of storage back there, but I wanted something that was visually interesting.

Back in April I was flipping through a magazine at Indigo and was inspired by pictures of a featured loft in Gas Town. The owners had converted some vintage luggage to create their closet, using the suitcases as the drawers. Brilliant!

I sent out a plea to friends and family to search their basements and garages for suitcases circa 1930's - 40's. We were able to acquire several pieces that way as well as purchasing some. The next step was coming up with a design. Daryl & I have not tackled too many building projects, so we consulted both of our fathers and a few friends. We thought about building a dresser where the suitcases pull out but ultimately cast that design aside because we needed a simpler design if we wanted to do this ourselves. Daryl tackled the design project on SketchUp whereas I pulled out my graph paper, pencil, and ruler. As the months passed I did not think that we would ever actually get the project built. We finalized our plans in August and then in September went to Rona to purchase the supplies and  to have our wood cut. Within a week our shelves where built, stained, varathaned and set up. Totally happy with the end result. Since the project did not put a kink in our marriage, I think we may be tempted to try another building project together.

West Coast Trail

Back from hiking the WCT. A truly spectacular hike. My husband described it as an epic journey. I would say that it is a once in a lifetime hike.

For a prairie girl, my one wish that would complete my WCT experience was to see a whale. Day 3 we were hiking along a shelf around Dare Point and one of the guys in our group saw an Orca, pointed it out and kept hiking. Daryl and I were a few meters behind and did not see the sight. I was so disappointed. The tide was rising and we knew we could not linger long on the shelf, but I needed to stand and look out into the ocean and just wait and see. A few minutes later, the Orca came up for air and we saw the dorsal fin. We watched the whales for several more minutes and then were forced to move on before we got stranded and wet. What a thrill. The whale watching was not over for us though. Day 5, Daryl convinced me to hike along the beach. I found the beach hiking the most strenuous on my hips. Anyway, we were taking a break, laying back on the sand with our feet propped up on some driftwood. Daryl chants, "Here whale, whale, whale", then states, "You never know if you are watching a whale or a rock." Then all of a sudden he sees the whale exhale from the blowhole. Both of us were amazed as we giggled and watched with glee. We hiked the next 2 kms not paying attention to our footing and the path, but instead on the ocean hoping for another glance of the gray whales. They did not disappoint.

Things I saw that were impressive : a lookout from the top of a cliff that plummeted 30-40 m, tidal pools, the constant motion of the ocean.

Things I saw that were shocking: people hiking in sneakers, a young man carrying an 80 lbs pack (it looked like he was carrying a refrigerator), watching the crab legs (for my lunch at Nitnat Narrows) being torn off the body of the crab while still alive.

The one thing I saw that was depressing: watching our jambalaya supper topple off a log into the sand.

At the mandatory orientation session before the hike, we were told that there were 82 evacuations to date from the beginning of the hiking season in May. My prayer throughout our 6 days on the trail was to be sure footed. I was excited to start the backpacking journey, yet a little nervous. During our time out on the trail 11 more people were evacuated. I was somewhat surprised and I wondered who the individuals were. What circumstances brought them to end their journey. I was thankful for God's protection over us when we finished the hike The trail did not brutalize my feet and body too badly. No significant amount of rain to soak through boots and cause foot rot and blisters. Sore muscles, at least until I took my ibuprofen and extra strength Tylenol, sore feet, and numb big toes. That is  the strangest "injury" that persists 2 weeks after finishing. A quick Google search seems to suggest that we are experiencing a common tree planters injury called "Christmas toe", meaning I will gain feeling back by Christmas.

tasty crab

Alive crab

I guess I will have until Christmas to fondly remember my journey on the WCT. Epic, breathtaking, challenging, adrenaline pumping, exhausting, rejuvenating, awe-inspiring.

Orange

Orange adds a fabulous punch of color to almost any room or design.

I was at a friend's recently renovated cabin where she kept the orange pendant light from the original decor. It stands out against the white and pale blue walls, so retro.

Another friend's house is mostly white; walls, furniture, accents, but she has a great orange library chair from Pottery Barn.

I too have embraced the orange. Bathroom and storage benches add interest in our otherwise white environment. When we were in Paris we went to Musee D'Orsay and bought a couple of postcards. This one by Meijer de Haan has the exact same color of orange that is in our bathroom. Love the coincidence.

Meijer de Haan

I think of how my dad's orange snowboarding coat stands out against the powdery slopes.

Mes parents et leur quilt

When I was making a quilt for my parent's 60th birthdays, I had to throw in a punch of color, orange of course, to offset the earthy blues, greens, and browns. Just like the lichen on the rocks in the valley.

Nature & Fashion

This summer Daryl & I went hiking with my dad in the Frenchman River Valley close to where I grew up. I was struck by the starkness and beauty of the hills, rocks, and foliage. The thorns on the Russian olive trees, the brightly colored lichen clinging to the rocks, the smell of sage bushes as we brushed past transported me to another time and place; the wild frontier or even the days of the dinosaurs.

It was the lichen though that twigged my memory to furniture and house decor from the '60's & '70's. The use of brown, orange, yellow, and green, sometimes to excess, enveloped a room. I came across a blog posting that sums up the 1960's design quite nicely, Retro Planet.

It is interesting to me how nature gets it right. The elements & principles of design, such as color, line, shape, texture, contrast, harmony, & dominance are inherent to nature or rather God, who is the masterful designer of it all. When I go to a lake, I don't think to myself, "A taller and bushier tree on the right shore line would balance out the picture" or "The birch tree trunks are too white and they don't compliment the coniferous trees." The delicate and intricate design of a butterfly or the flower clinging to life in the crevasse of a rock cause me to stand in awe of the Creator.

Ocean waves

This has been a camping summer so far. D & I are preparing to hike the West Coast Trail which has compelled us to be active. Neither of us have done multi-day hiking trips, so we have been doing our best to get in shape and test all the gear before hand. Our outings have taken us mainly to northern Saskatchewan and the 10  flights of stairs in our building. Several sections of the WCT takes you along the beach looking out at the Pacific Ocean. I am looking forward to the challenge and beauty of hiking 75 Kms of the WCT. More to come...

Thinking of the ocean and the water reminds me of the quilt that I made for my in-laws 40th wedding anniversary. The bargello pattern creates fluid waves that tempt me to sail away on the ocean.

Coral sea quilt 2010