Sylvia's Simple Shots

 A beautiful hollyhock plant grew on the edge of the parking lot of an abandoned building.

It is a volunteer! I am so glad it decided to grow there.  I have no idea where the seeds would have come from.  I have not seen some of these in the neighbourhood.  I suppose it could be dropped by birds? Carried by mice?  Who knows!

A very tall stalk sporting several gorgeous warm pink flowers.

It was a precious surprised and it blessed my day.

My niece gave me a nice macrame plant hanger when I saw her a couple of weeks ago.

It was to replace the flimsy one I had cobbled together to hang my spider plant in the bedroom.  The plant is doing so well there in the north window.  I have been cutting off the spiderettes when they grow on this plant.  I may decide to keep the next one to create a new plant.

I decided to re-pot this plant while I was at it.  I put it into a bigger pot and added soil. It should be good for the next year or two.

I am wanting a Sansevieria / Mother in Law Tongue / Snake Plant which likely will go in the bedroom as well.  I stopped a CTire today and checked out their garden center but no luck. I will have to go to a green house this week.

I found a new tape measure.  The one I have owned for 30 years had the lock break about 6 months ago so it is very difficult to use.  

I found this one this week for $1 so the price was right at the thrift store.

It may be shorter than the other one and it is smaller so better size for me.

Trying to decide if I keep the other tape for crafts or not.  Probably not as I have other priorities.

It worked well to determine how much flooring I would need for the kitchen.  We shall see!

This book Take me with you by Brad Newsham was a great change from the fiction I have been reading.

I'm not much of a traveler so I have not experienced wanderlust where one just needs to leave and go.

As a young man in his twenties in the early 1970s, Brad took a trip to Europe but was pulled to visit Morocco, Turkey, Iran and finally to Afghanistan.  The trip was to be a month but lasted over 7 months. At the end of the trip he wrote in his diary - Someday, when I am rich, I'm going to invite someone from my travels to visit me in America. 

14 years later, he lives in San Francisco and drives a taxi for a living.  Safe to say travel may be in his blood.  Now, single again, he decides to take 100 day trip. On this trip he has decided to keep the vow he made years ago. He visits the Philippines, India, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South Africa. He is traveling on a very low budget of $25 a day so he find very cheap accommodations in each country.  As he travels he gets to know people along the way. He gathers the name and addresses of many people.  Some he has promised to send photos he has taken.  He has not shared his plan with many people.  The book tells it like it is to travel in very poor countries, travel in less than ideal conditions, but meet some salt of the earth people. 

I have been able to pick about 1/2 cup of raspberries in the patch at the end of the block.  I have permission to pick.  I am amazed that many don't pick them but I guess if you grow up thinking raspberries come from the grocery store then you may not recognize them on the bush dow the block.

I love raspberries and they are my favorite fruit to pick.  I love picking my fruit clean and it is very easy with raspberries.

I have had raspberries on my breakfast 3 times.  It is delicious and nutritious.

This has been a very good year for raspberries.

I won a few things at the raffle at the reunion.  

There was a Tupperware tumbler with blue and yellow items.  That got my attention.

Here's the nice tea towel that was included in the tumbler.

There was a small Tupperware key chain, stainless steel straws, and a few other things on the summer theme.

I hope you have a great week.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I took a trip to the country for a family reunion on the weekend. 

I did take several walks during my visit to the country which yielded several different nature photos.

Here I captured a Blue Heron winging it's way to a new pond of water for sure.  It has rained quite a bit recently so there also standing water. A bit about that later.

I could tell with my eye that it was a big bird and I took several shots as it moved away from me.  Generally, I see these in ponds standing in water so I was grateful to find this one flying.

It was a gorgeous morning and at least on the road the mosquitoes were not so bad.

I finished this book when I took a day of rest after getting back from the hectic weekend.  I was glad to find out he is a Canadian author.

I thought that I had read a book from this author but I don't recognize any titles. Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay was a good read. It is fantasy story set in France was a good start.  Main character Ned Marinner a fifteen year old boy on a trip with his photographer Dad. Of course, he meets a girl but also discovers some ancient characters who come to life on the festival Belaine. This Gaelic festival marked the start of the summer season and took place on the full moon in May. Beltaine is intermediate between the end of winter and the summer solstice.

I enjoyed the references to art, history, photography, and Celtic festival.

Filled with mystery, intrigue, danger, and interesting family dynamics which kept things interesting.

The mosquitoes were vicious. 

Every hole in my sandals allowed me to bitten many, many times.  This photo is a couple of days after I got home.

I had bites through my jeans and many bites were red, swollen and very painful.  I felt like I was injured.

I found that if I spread Aloe Vera gel on them then put socks on that helped a lot to easing the pain and the swelling. It also helped with the itching which was really bad.

I am writing on Wednesday and today I finally feel better and the pain and itching is gone.

The canola fields were in full bloom around us.  They are so iconic to the Alberta landscape.

The farm next door had horses so we took a walk to see them.

They were casually eating grass and not paying us any attention.

It was a situation where we had to wait till they lifted their heads so we could get a decent shot.

There was a white one as well but I did not get any good shots of it.  I ended up with wires and weeds between it and my camera and it blurred the shots.

This book - The Perfection of the Morning - An Apprenticeship in Nature by Sharon Butala was different.

She covers many years in this book.  Being one who is considering moving from the city to the country I was interested in the insights from one who has done it.

I was very happy for her to be able to reconnect to nature as she enjoyed it in her childhood.  She found she belonged to the Great Plains of south western Saskatchewan. I understand the challenges and disappointments when what you thought does not come true.

As one who enjoys my morning walks in nature - seeing birds, flowers, animals, insects is all very interesting to me, I could relate to her walks of this vast landscape.

I found some of the aspects in the book - emotional, spiritual and psychological less relatable.

A Savannah Sparrow.

This one has captured lunch.

They were plentiful and I got a lot of shots of these. On power lines, fence posts, in brush and trees.

It was good to see family we have not seen since 2019.

The food was excellent, the hall was great, the outdoor space was plentiful, and the campfire was challenging with the bugs. 

I had a great time, numbers were down but that is alright.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I took a walk over the new Tawatina LRT Bridge on the weekend.  It has been open to foot traffic for a while but the train is not up and running for passenger traffic yet.  Testing is still taking place.

It is a beautiful bridge and I will take a ride across it on the train when the time is right.

The bridge is wide and leaves lots of room for quite a few folks.  Of course, I was there with the birds in the morning so it was delightful to have it mostly to myself.

The Muttart Conservatory is the stop on the south side of the river and the walk across brings one to Louise McKinney Riverfront Park in the downtown area.  For those downtown that want a quick trip to the Muttart it is perfect!

I walked the grounds of the Muttart Conservatory as it was before the pyramids opened at 10:00 am.

I found Maratagon Lilies which are also at the St. Albert Botanic Park.  

This one is named Fairy Morning which features yellow and peach colors.  There were several varieties in the flower bed.

I'm not sure when I will going inside the pyramids as there not much room to social distance.  I anticipate another wave of COVID 19 in the fall so I continue to wear my mask and social distance with strangers.

The LRT construction has had a big impact on the grounds so there are less flowers than before.

I added some pieces to my white dinnerware by Myott (1952) with some Snowhite Regency by Johnson Brothers.  These pieces came from my sister who received the donated card making supplies earlier this year. These had been in storage for quite a few years.  I believe these pieces are from the 1960's.  I was able to add 4 dinner plates, 4 cups and saucers, 6 dessert plates, and 2 oval serving pieces.  Super happy!

I finished this Nicholas Sparks - See Me books this week.

The main character is Colin Hancock who is making a real effort to change his ways.  He had psychological help from a therapist in coping mechanisms to keep him out of the trouble he has had in the past. Training his body, running to wear off energy, keeping his anger under control, no drinking of alcohol and practicing his listening skills are all working pretty well.  He meets Maria Sanchez on the beach.  As always with Nicholas it is a quick romance to spending days and night together.

Maria is moving up the career ladder as a lawyer. This current job comes with some relationship challenges with one of the bosses. He approaches her during a out of town conference and suggests a way for her to make partner.  She turns him down then struggles to keep out of his way.

It begins to be clear someone is stalking her and sending her gifts and threatening her - but who?  Is the boss, is it someone from one of her previous cases?   Of course, Colin now in love is having a hard time controlling his emotions and his behaviors.   I found the intensity of the story quite challenging, Colin is out of control a couple of times which did not sit well with me.  I did not really relate to this story very much.

I am really enjoying my small watercolors cards for Christmas and other occasions.

I have tubes of water color which have not seen the light of day for years.  These were acquired at sales and generally at price discounts.  My sister and I have done large sheet backgrounds in the past. 

I decided to pull these out and use them but I needed a way to make them available.  I did a search and there were several ideas for travel watercolor palettes.  I headed over the Delta Art and purchased empty half pans at over $1 each.

I placed them in this cough drop tin and filled them with blobs of color from the tubes I had. I was able to have several versions of the 3 primary colors - blue, red and yellow.  I will be able to mix many color from these.

It does not give me much mixing space but I can use a white dinner plate for that purpose.

I have written down the colors on the left and I did paint a sample of each color in the photo above. I think I have 2 reds which are very similar. 

I painted 2 small landscapes just to give the colors a go. I will make cards with them later.

I did come across a way cheaper option for this project which I will share the link here.  She uses a dollar store eye shadow box which I thought was genius.

Still scoping out salt free snacks.  I found a large 630gm bags of these a Sobey's store on my trip south a few weeks ago.  

Have yet to check them out here in the city but it is on the ToDo List

It is hard to find healthy options at a good price and easily available because that is not what most people want.   I will keep at it.

Watercolor - Birthday themed cards

I worked on some more cards for upcoming birthdays.

I am not choosing to put greetings on my cards these days but the subject matter helps to communicate the sentiment.

I created birthday candles on this one.  I put an odd number of them.  These were penciled in then traced with the black marker then colored in bright colors.

I drew various patterns on the candles.  Some were made with the black marker and others were added once the first wash was dry.

Once the candles were dry then I added some spatter with orange and blue.

The paper is 140lb rough water color paper trimmed to about 4.00 x 5.25 inches.

Mouunted to Tango Tangerine card base with a quarter sheet insert on the inside with a white envelope!

The cards above are based on a similar process.  The one on the left is presents on a Pink Passion card base. The one on the right is balloons on an Elegant Eggplant card base with a wrap of purple crochet thread wrapped around the accent layer and tied to the front.  These will go in the stash for the summer birthdays coming up.

It was a good idea to create watercolor cards this year.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I took a trip south to visit my niece and her family before summer plans take over our lives.  My sister and brother in law would be there too!

This was late June.  I took a leisure drive down and arranged to meet at her house for supper.  Several of them were headed to the Nanton Parade of Garage Sales that day.

I arrived at about 3:00 pm and connected with her husband who was home getting things ready.  I decided to head off for a walk with the camera as I had been sitting in the car for about 4 hours.  I did stop halfway for a bathroom break and a bit of a walkabout.

They live very near a large green space which I have walked before so off I went.

I found this new flower for me - Shrubby Cinquefoil.

I found Squills as well which were plentiful in the meadow.

Supper was great and it was wonderful to spend them with family.  As we headed to my nephew's condo late in the evening I saw the mountains in  the distance.  They are so big!

The next morning my sister and I took a bit of a walk so I could get some mountain photos.  I managed a few without getting too much of the city stuff in the way.

I would like to take a trip to the mountains sometime.   It's been 8 years since I was there.

My aunt invited me to sit down and watch the new Downton Abbey movie - A New Era.

I did not watch the series when it was originally broadcast but have caught reruns over the years.  I have a basic understanding of the main characters both upstairs and down.  Also, the relationships involved - the Grantham family and the relatives of the extended family.

We watched on the TV at her place which suited me just fine rather than going to a movie theatre.

We got some delicious burgers and fries to round out the evening.  She picked up burgers from Delux Burger Bar which were absolutely delicious!  Sweet Potato fries were excellent.   It was a splurge but worth it.

I was disappointed that Henry Talbot - Mary's husband did not appear in this movie.   It was a great night out for me.  Thanks so much.

I have visited the St. Albert Botanic Park again now that new flowers are blooming.  

Roses, dahlias, lilies, Johnny Jump Ups were blooming as well as many more not included in the mosaic to the left.

I love going early in the morning when not too many others are about.

I did stop by the river but there was not too much wildlife about.

It is taking a nature bath when I can be quiet, calm and enjoy taking pictures.

I have started taking video with my camera and it is a learning curve.  I took this video of the pond and water feature at the park.  Hand help recording takes a lot of practice.  The flowering Ninebark in the background, the bulrushes, the running water, the curving stream of water and the stones all make for an oasis.

I took a walk with a friend around Beaumaris Lake recently as well. It was her first time and she was amazed at having this quite large lake in the city.  We saw White Pelicans, a Cormorant, Mallard Ducks, RedWinged Blackbirds, Grackles, a Painted Turtle, Coutts, and much more.

I am always up for a Christmas story any time of the year.

This is a story of the typical life on an English green during the Christmas season.

The season comes with the Christmas play of course, presents to buy, those coming to visit, church services, meals to prepare, those in need of time, love, caring and sharing.

In this case an older woman of the village is losing her sight, has a fall and is in need of temporary care of the holidays.  A friend who now is married invites her to stay with them.  The last of her Christmas shopping is done, she helps with the meals, and they attend church services.

It is a heart warming story of friendship and neighborliness.  I enjoyed the book.

IKEA Hobo Stove project

I am planning a bit of camping soon and last year I did not get around purchasing to a stove for cooking.

I was not comfortable storing propane or butane in my car where I was sleeping. So, I decided to do some research.  

I discovered several you tube videos documenting the making of an IKEA Hobo Stove using an Ordning Utensil holder.  It is made of stainless steel and very available at thrift stores.  It serves as the fire box for the stove.  I think overall the supplies for the stove ran about $10.  Mark Young in Nova Scotia has several good videos.

I needed a base which raised the hot box to allow air to flow from the bottom and prevent coals and ashes which may fall through to the ground.  

This is an IKEA Ordning food warmer which is designed to work with tealights. It raises the fire box about 1.5 inches and provides protection from falling coals and ashes.

With holes in both pieces I just needed to connect both pieces.

I used a short bolt and nut with washers on both sides. I small washer on the inside the fire box and a metal plate on the bottom in the ventilation space of the warmer.

Now I needed  away to elevate my cooking vessels above the top of the fire box which provide ventilation at the top and a way to add wood to the fire box.

One of the videos by Charles documented the process of a triangular support for his veggie steamer stove.  After trying several options which did not turn out I decided to give this a try.  

I had bought 2 stainless steel drinking straws so I combined those with lengths of wire hangers cut with my home pliers and a little persistence.  

I straightened the wire then put it in the straw and made the first bend.  I made the triangle about 6 inches on each side then put the other end in the next steel straw and cut the end of wire to the bottom of the straw.  

Repeated this 2 more times but I need another straw.  I was lucky to find an aluminum tube yesterday that will do the job.

It supports my cast iron fry pan, my stainless steel water kettle and my camping pots. 

It is great because it folds down flat and is easy to store. 

You can see the 2 pieces in the image above.

I needed a bag to store the stove and chose a black bag because the stove will get dirty with soot in the process of making the fire. 

It holds the stove, the tongs, the cooking triangular support folded, the pellet holder and maybe even the saw.  I used a couple of the leftovers from the wire hangers to make skewers which will allow a support for alcohol fuel as well.  I saw several fondue burners at the second hand store the other day which would likely work well.  More immediate than wood.

This stove can burn wood pellets as well.  I bought a stainless steel sieve with a handle which fit perfectly in the fire box. The handle prevents the pellets sitting on the sieve from dropping down too far in the firebox and makes removal easy.  Pellets can be purchased at several stores.

The triangular cooking vessel support works well with this option too.

Now I need a bit of wood and fire starter.

On my regular walks in the river valley I collected small pieces of dead fall wood. They have been sitting on the balcony to dry out and letting any bugs around time to leave.  The firebox is 7 inches tall so today I just broke the pieces that length.  I found a plastic bucket which will store pieces that tall.  

I bought a small saw in case I need to trim longer pieces into shorter lengths.  Of the wood I collected I was able to break most of them with my hands.  There were 2 that needed the saw.

I have no idea how many fires this much wood will make.  In campgrounds I will likely be able to gather more wood if I need it.

I gathered a few supplies to make fire starters.

Dryer lint, shredded paper, toilet paper roll strips, and some wax.

I stuffed the rings of toilet paper roll with paper and lint.  Dripped melted wax on top of the stuff all contained within the small roll.  I hope they work well.  There were several recipes recommended.  I will keep you posted about how it goes!

Birthday Birds - Watercolor

I wanted a masculine subject for my nephew's birthday card.  

I needed whimsical because I cannot draw realistic birds.  I did a bit of searching on the web then drew a couple.  

I chose warm colors for the bird with warm background and a sun in the corner.

I traced my pencil marks with black permanent marker once the watercolor was dry.

I chose a Kraft card base with a Coastal Cabana grosgrain ribbon wrapped around the card front.   The ribbon is aligned on the left just off center.

The watercolor was adhered with 3D foam tape above where the ribbons met on the card front.

This card will be going digital as it has a long way to go.

The card above is a couple of small birds in bright colors.  I added spatter to this one and adhered it to a Wisteria Wonder textured card base with a deep purple grosgrain ribbon added around the card and taped behind the watercolor focal element.

I updated the brown bird one with spattering of warm toned spots.

Exchange Cards - July - Chrome Circles

I had these chrome circles with flowers inside in my stash.  I believe they are old earrings (when big earrings were a thing).   I have clipped off the hanger with my wire snips.

I punched a 2 inch circle from coordinating card stock which in this case is Garden Green.  I placed it behind and pushed holes through for the mini brads. 

I chose a card base of Bashful Blue and scored it to create a tall card standing with fold at the top.

I wrapped Early Espresso seam binding around the card front and taped ends on the left hand side.  I adhered the metal circle with 3D foam tape over the place where the ends were taped.

I added strip of designer paper along the bottom edge of the card.  

I chose an oval color printed greeting to match the card color and adhered that with 3D foam tape.

This card is just a swap of the Bashful Blue to the Garden green for the card base.

Bashful Blue 2" circle behind the chrome accent with mini brads in Bashful Blue, Garden Green and Early Espresso.

They are finished off with a blank quarter sheet insert on the inside with a white envelope.

Christmas Card Challenge - Watercolor - July - Holy Family

I chose the Holy Family for my July Christmas cards.

I selected certain elements from the Gentle Peace digital stamp set.  The set is stained glass but I just used the arch background, the star and the family. 

I first trimmed the 140lb watercolor paper to 3.5 wide and just applied watercolor from the Stampin Up Watercolor Wonder Crayons.

I let that dry overnight so that it would remain flat.  I trimmed the long strip into pieces 4.75 inches tall.

I placed the watercolor paper over the black printed image and traced the pieces I wanted.  Let the black ink dry then watercolored the pieces I wanted.  Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus with the star. The background changed some of the colors but that is okay.

I traced the greeting as well which I printed in black.  Card one is Not Quite Navy card base, card two is Baked Brown Sugar base, card three is Always Artichoke and card four is Rich Razzleberry. I mixed and matched greens for Joseph`s garment, blues for Mary`s and purple for royal Jesus.

I adhered the watercolor accent to the card front with double sided tape and pressed them under a stack of books over night.

I added a quarter sheet insert with a seasonal appropriate sentiment and a white A2 envelope.

 
I  have lost count of the number but I am happy with my progres