Hats, hats, hats

October 28, 2016October 27, 2016 / edebock / 9 Comments

October is usually a golden month here in Alberta, but this year it’s been grey and dreary. I did my seasonal wardrobe switch earlier this week, putting away my summer clothes and bringing my winter ones out of storage. This is not something that I enjoy doing as I dread our long, cold winters, but I do like the fact that the chilly autumn air means there are some hats that can also come out of storage. We took advantage of a few moments of sunshine this afternoon to take a series of hat photos with the remaining leaves on our weeping birch as a backdrop.

A hat is a great accessory that sets you apart, whether you’re at a formal event or just running errands. This jaunty tweed cap is casual, yet chic.

When I lived in Japan in 2008 and 2009, most of the older women wore bucket hats that often reminded me of upside down flower pots on their heads! It was in Japan that I found this black felt cloche, however, and I immediately fell in love with it. I was delighted that it actually fit my larger than average head.

In addition to looking at the hats, take notice of the fact that scarves are a great way to add a bit of trendy animal print to your fall and winter wardrobe.

Vintage hats can be a fun addition too. This “Saratoga Uncrushable” was made by Biltmore, a world-renowned hat maker, likely in the late 1960s or early 1970s. Though the hat was made in Canada, the tweed fabric, which is 55% wool and 45% cotton, was woven in Scotland. A little research online told me that this is actually a man’s hat and meant to be worn fedora style, but the soft, pliable material is easily reshaped as a cloche which is how I have always worn it.

The “Saratoga Uncrushable” is actually on long term loan from the community theatre group that I belong to. It was part of one of my costumes several years ago, but when the production came to an end, I hated to part with it! It will go back to the group when it’s needed again, but in the meantime, I continue to enjoy wearing it.

And finally, a real felt fedora! I’ve never actually worn this one except for for these photos. Made by the great British hat makers, Christys’, probably in the 1940s, it was my father’s. It even has his initials punched into the leather headband inside. When we were cleaning out his apartment and storage unit in preparation for his move to an assisted living facility a few years ago, I laid claim to the hat that he hadn’t worn for years. I knew that it, too, would make a great costume piece for our theatre group. It has been worn onstage several times by several different actors, but I’ve always been tempted to wear it myself.

What do you think? Should I wear it or not?

Packing light

October 21, 2016October 23, 2016 / edebock / 7 Comments

Long before airlines started charging for checked baggage, Richard and I carried less luggage than most travellers. On our recent 17 day trip to Nova Scotia, we shared one large suitcase. Our carry-ons included a backpack which doubled as a day pack when we went hiking, my computer bag and my purse.

The first questions to ask yourself when packing for any trip include: Where am I going? What kind of weather will I likely encounter? and What is the purpose of my trip?

Average daytime temperatures in Nova Scotia in October tend to be mild, ranging between 12 and 15ºC (54 to 58ºF) while nights are cool, between 3 and 9ºC (38 to 48ºF). Though we celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary the first weekend we were there and planned to dine at one of Halifax’s finest restaurants, most of our vacation would be spent visiting friends, sightseeing and hiking. We packed accordingly.

So, what was in my half of that one large suitcase?

8 tops – 2 long sleeved, 4 three quarter sleeved, 2 short sleeved – mostly neutral colours – most were casual, but if you look closely you’ll see my black lace and my animal print, both suitable for dressier occasions

5 pairs of pants – 2 blue jeans, 1 green jeans, 1 lightweight khaki pants and one black dress pants

Just think of all the combinations that could be created with those 13 items! To these basics, I added

1 cardigan that could coordinate with many of the items shown above
3 camis for layering – 1 black, 1 white, 1 khaki
1 dress for that special anniversary dinner
12 panties and 12 pairs of socks – I didn’t actually need that many, but I wasn’t sure exactly when we’d have access to laundry facilities (we did laundry once on the trip)
3 bras – those I wash by hand so 2 really would have been enough
2 pantyhose and 2 knee high hose – again, more than I needed, but they don’t take up any space and I like to have extras in case I snag them
4 pairs of pyjamas
1 skimpy negligee – it was our anniversary, after all!
1 short, very lightweight kimono
1 pair of cozy slipper socks
1 swimsuit which didn’t come out of the suitcase, but I rarely travel without one
1 ball cap for hiking and walking in the sun

1 toque which I didn’t actually wear until we arrived back in snowy Alberta
1 scarf
1 hoodie and 1 lightweight jacket that could be worn individually or layered for extra warmth

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3 pairs of shoes – I wore my Merrell walking/hiking shoes on the plane and the other 2 pairs fit into the outside pocket of our suitcase along with Richard’s dress shoes – I always stuff socks or other small items inside shoes when I pack them to save space and to help them keep their shape.

This list actually includes what I wore as well as the change of clothes that was in the backpack in case our suitcase didn’t make it to our destination at the same time as we did. In addition to clothing, my side of the suitcase also contained toiletries, makeup, medications, sunscreen, jewelry (packed in a hard shell eyeglass case), a travel size blow dryer, a straightening iron and a travel alarm clock.

What about you? Do you travel light? What can’t you leave home without?

Searching for colour and finding history

October 9, 2016August 20, 2018 / edebock / 2 Comments

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We knew from our previous visit with Ronnie and Myrna, the dear pen pal that I inherited from my mother-in-law, that they enjoy sightseeing drives through the lovely countryside around Mahone Bay. Like my own father, however, Ronnie has macular degeneration and is legally blind. He still has some sight, but not enough to drive. When we suggested taking them for a drive to look at the fall colours that Nova Scotia is famous for at this time of year, they jumped at the opportunity and off we went!

With Richard behind the wheel and Myrna navigating, we headed inland toward New Ross. Sure enough, though many of the trees were still green, others were aflame. For those of you who are accustomed to the wide range of reds, oranges and golds of autumn, our delight might seem odd, but where we live in Alberta, we don’t experience the same array of colours in the fall. Most of our trees just turn shades of yellow.

We saw much more than trees, however. Soon Myrna was pointing out the house where she grew up. It was here that she wrote the first letters to my mom-in-law over 75 years ago! Obviously well cared for, it has new shutters, windows and front door since the last time she saw it.

Along the same road, we saw her uncle’s old horse barn

and the one room schoolhouse that she attended.

At 16 years of age, with a grade 11 education, Myrna became a teacher in a similar school! She taught for five years before she and Ronnie married.

Nova Scotia has been changing before our very eyes with more colour every day. Here are just a few more sights from that day’s drive.

Hello Nova Scotia!

October 5, 2016October 5, 2016 / edebock / 7 Comments

As I write this post, I’m sitting in the sunshine on the beautiful south shore of Nova Scotia! These are the views out the window beside me.

With this trip, we’re killing four birds with one stone. First of all, we celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary on Sunday and we wanted to do that somewhere other than home. We spent the weekend in Halifax where we stayed in a lovely Victorian bed and breakfast that is older than the town we live in! Ascendence Harbourside Mansion was built in 1891 for the Auditor General of Nova Scotia. We stayed in the luxurious Auditor’s Suite. Our hosts went above and beyond, placing chocolates and fresh flowers in our room when they learned that it was our anniversary. The breakfasts were wonderful and we had a great time visiting with the other guests around the table each morning.

Our main reason for choosing Nova Scotia as the destination for our anniversary trip was the fact that we’ve been wanting to return to Mahone Bay for another visit with the pen pal that I inherited when Richard’s mother passed away. The two little girls began writing to one another when they were 11 years old. When Mother passed away in 1993, the family asked me to write her pen pal to let her know. In return, I received a beautiful letter from Myrna telling me that she didn’t want to lose touch with the family that she’d known only through letters for so many years. I began writing to her and the relationship between our two families has now been going on for 77 years! As I write this, I’m sitting in her son’s living room three doors down the road from her house at Indian Point, just outside the beautiful little town of Mahone Bay. You can read about our first visit in 2009 here.

The third reason for this trip was our longtime desire to see the spectacular colours of eastern Canada in the fall. So far, everyone here has been apologizing for the fact that the trees aren’t in full autumn colour yet due to the extreme lack of rain in this area this year, but we are still seeing colour we would never see at home! Hopefully we’ll see more before we return to Alberta over a week from now.

Lastly, we had lots of Air Miles to use up before they begin expiring on Dec. 31. We’ve been collecting them for years and had enough saved to pay for our flights and our little rental car and still have enough left over for a mid winter vacation!

Stay tuned for future posts and pictures as we continue our travels. Right now, the sun is shining and the locale is too beautiful to spend any more time sitting at my keyboard!

Bringing the Beatrice home

September 11, 2016 / edebock / 8 Comments

In 1984, shortly after my father retired, my parents ordered a Volkswagen Westfalia camper van from the factory in Germany. They traveled from their home in Vancouver, BC to Germany via Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, through China, across the USSR on the Trans Siberian railway, and into Europe! After picking up their brand new van in Germany and outfitting it with dishes, bedding and other basic necessities, they lived in it for a year and a half as they traveled around Europe and the Middle East.

Clearly, I came by my wanderlust honestly!

When Mom and Dad finally decided that it was time to return to Canada, they had the van shipped home to Vancouver. Because they’d owned it for over a year, they were able to bring it into the country duty free.

For almost two decades, the blue camper van traveled through the mountains almost every year bringing Grandma and Grandpa to Alberta to visit their grandchildren. It continued to be their only vehicle until Dad, now 93, finally gave up driving a few years ago. At that point, he passed it on to our niece who was a college student at the time. She drove it until she graduated from college, but once she got a job she bought a little car and the van sat under a tarp in my sister’s backyard in Vegreville for the past two years.

This summer, our son, who also lives in Vancouver, acquired the van from his cousin. Matt plans to use it as a camping vehicle for his young family. Prior to their visit to Alberta last month, we rented a U-Haul auto hauler and moved it to Sedgewick.

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Matt knew that after sitting unused for so long, the vehicle would need some work to make it roadworthy and he came prepared.

When he knew that the van was going to be his, he joined TheSamba.com, an online site for Volkswagen owners and checked out other informational sites. In addition to learning important information including the common quirks of the vehicle and where to access parts, he discovered that owners of these vintage vans often give them names in the same manner that boat owners name their crafts. I was touched when he chose to name his Beatrice after my late mother!

Sadly, though he had hoped to drive her home to Vancouver, the Beatrice needed more work than Matt was able to accomplish in the few short days that he was at our place. That’s when Plan B came into being and here we are in Vancouver! We loaded the van onto another auto hauler and pulled her through the mountains. Now she’s tucked into a corner of Matt’s backyard where he can work on her as he has time. This has also afforded us another opportunity to visit Dad before winter sets in as well as a few unexpected days with our grandsons!

In addition to bringing the Beatrice home to the coast, we brought our 17 foot Coleman canoe for Matt, Robin and the boys to enjoy. It’s an extremely durable, very stable family canoe, but bigger and heavier than Richard and I want to haul around anymore. As I paddled it through some fairly rough ocean waves at Porteau Cove on the Sea to Sky highway yesterday afternoon, I knew my paddling days weren’t over though. A couple of waves crashed over the bow and left me soaking wet, but it was a blast and a lightweight kayak is definitely on my wish list!

Hiking Johnson Canyon

August 26, 2016August 26, 2016 / edebock / 4 Comments

I first hiked Johnson Canyon, one of the most popular day hikes in Banff National Park, as a university student in 1974 and I’ve been wanting to do it again ever since. On Sunday, I finally did!

The parking lot was already full by mid morning when we arrived and the trail was packed with tourists. Catwalks affixed to the limestone cliffs make the canyon easily accessible to everyone and the 1.1 km trail to the lower falls involves very little change in elevation.

At the lower falls, a bridge crosses the creek allowing both an excellent spot from which to view the falls and access to a water-formed tunnel through the rock to a closer viewing platform.

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The crowd thinned out a little as we moved on toward the upper falls, another 1.5 km up the trail. Spectacular views continued to surround us as we followed the crystal clear creek.

There is significantly more change in elevation on the way to the upper falls and by the time we arrived at the bottom our two little grandsons decided that their legs had hiked far enough. Our son and daughter-in-law took them back to camp while Richard and I pushed on. It was a short climb to the top of the falls where we enjoyed great views of the falls themselves and the deep pool at the bottom.

Beyond the upper falls, the trail leaves Johnson Canyon behind and climbs another 3.1 km to the Ink Pots, seven cold mineral springs that bubble to the surface forming small pools in an open meadow. These springs are unique in that they have a constant year round temperature of 4ºC and their basins are composed of quicksand.

I had not hiked beyond the upper falls in the past and wasn’t expecting the steep climb that was involved. Once we’d set out, however, I was determined to finish! The trail seemed to go on forever, climbing higher and higher. Younger legs passed us by, but we pushed onward and eventually reached our goal!

My old knees were a bit achy the next morning, but a soak in Banff’s Upper Hot Springs was all they needed to recuperate!

Chokers are back!

August 26, 2016August 25, 2016 / edebock / 5 Comments

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Last week’s 70s girl post got me thinking about another favourite style from that era that has returned in recent months. Chokers are back! Or did they ever really go away? They were popular in the 70s, again in the 90s, and now they’re being seen yet again.

One of my favourite chokers of the 70s was a cameo on a wide velvet ribbon. Another was a leather cord with wooden beads. Those were pretty typical of the era and looked good with the flowing tops and dresses of the day.

The choker of the 90s often had an edgier, gothic look. I think my daughter was in junior high when she wore one that looked exactly like a shiny black dog collar. I’d post a picture, but I suspect she’d hate me for it!

Today’s chokers are more reminiscent of the 70s. Here are a few examples:

While I’m definitely not a proponent of age related fashion rules, it’s my personal opinion that chokers usually look best on the young. Because the skin on our necks is thinner than elsewhere, it tends to loosen and wrinkle earlier. As a result, our necks may look older than the rest of our bodies. Why draw attention to that?

On the other hand, I recently found this one in my jewelry box and I’ve decided to wear it again. Made of pewter and gold plate, it was a gift from a good friend back in the late 70s. It’s a bit longer than most chokers and it’s shape tends to draw the eye down, away from my 63 year old neck. IMG_20160825_171601778

Do you have any favourite fashions from days gone by? Would you wear them today?

The House at Riverton

July 23, 2016July 23, 2016 / edebock / 2 Comments

If you, like me, are grieving the cancellation of TV’s popular drama series, Downton Abbey, then have I got a book for you!

Riverton

Originally released in her native Australia as The Shifting Fog, The House at Riverton was author, Kate Morton’s, debut novel. Described on the back cover as “the captivating story of an aristocratic family, a glorious English estate, a mysterious death and a way of life that vanished forever”, the story is set in England between the two great wars. Told in flashback by 98-year-old Grace, who was employed at Riverton, first as a housemaid and later as lady’s maid to the family’s eldest daughter, I found it a captivating read. The time period and master/servant relationships were so very reminiscent of Downton Abbey!

I’m not generally a fan of mysteries, but this one is more than a simple who-done-it and kept my attention to the end. In addition to providing a window into a fascinating time in history, The House at Riverton explores topics like memory and long held secrets, the devastation of war, and the end of an era.

Since The Shifting Fog was released in 2006, Kate Morton has published four more novels. I picked up The House at Riverton and two of the others, The Forgotten Garden and The Distant Hours, at a garage sale this spring thinking that they would make great summer reading. So far, I haven’t been disappointed. We’ll be camping for the next couple of weeks and the other will be going with me.

What are you reading this summer?

What’s in your purse?

July 22, 2016July 21, 2016 / edebock / 2 Comments

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A friend of mine once reached into her handbag and pulled out half a hamburger wrapped in a paper napkin! It had been there for several days and was practically petrified.

What’s the most unusual thing in your purse?

Here’s what’s in mine right now:

leather clutch wallet purchased 8 years ago in Japan that contains driver’s licence, health care cards, cash, credit cards, receipts, business cards, an expired State of Israel Border Control Stay Permit and a reloadable Japanese Pasmo card that can be used for anything from train and bus travel to shopping. (The last two items are non-essentials, but they don’t take up any space and they bring back memories that make me smile every time I see them!)
cell phone
keys
pens
small folder containing rewards cards
cheque book
notebook
address book
calendar/planner
small pack of tissue
an ultra compact reusable shopping bag
2 small cosmetic bags containing lip balm, lipstick, nail clippers, emery board, tiny foldable scissors, bandaids, eyeglass cleaning cloth, allergy and headache medication, a small tube of hand lotion, toothbrush and toothpaste
ziploc snack bag of almonds

Until recently, I was a one purse person, carrying the same bag for months on end without ever switching. The purse we carry is part of our overall fashion statement, however, and since boring is not the message I want to give about myself, my collection of handbags has started to grow and I’ve figured out how to switch quickly and easily from one to another. The trick is to organize the contents of your purse into smaller bags that can be transferred from one bag to another with ease.

I’m presently using this one a lot. I love it’s carefree summer look and the fact that it’s big enough to carry extras like sunscreen, sunglasses, my camera and even a hat. From The Sak, I won it last summer and first posted about it here.

What do you carry in your purse?

Starting them young

May 23, 2016May 24, 2016 / edebock / 2 Comments

At five and six years old, our Vancouver grandsons are already avid skiers; a passion passed on to them by their mom’s side of the family. We, on the other hand, look forward to the day when we can play a round of golf with them!

Today, Victoria Day here in Canada, we left our daughter-in-law at home preparing a delicious turkey dinner for later in the day and headed for a driving range with the boys.