Anticipation and dreaming...

Did you ever go on a vacation that made you want to return....
again and again?

We do not travel far afield...
as boat owners we cruise on the water
our boat is our home, it is our waterfront accommodaton.
I cook, Mr. HB is the King of the BBQ...
we kayak, catch crabs, swim, read, play crib and adhere to a simple basic routine.

Once every few years we break loose and travel a bit farther...
Pasadena, Disneyland, Rancho Mirage, San Francisco...and some years we stay close...

Tony Bennett sang about this city...my parents had their honeymoon here...
I can hardly believe they had an entire blissful MONTH honeymooning this city.
That was back in the early1950's....
they stayed at the home of a friend and borrowed a sleek black Cadillac to see the sights.

I wish you could see the look on my mother's face when she tells me about their adventures...she misses my father so much...but when she shares these memories it's as if he's alive again....her eyes sparkle, and I think they are peppered with tears.

Stories of exclusive dinner clubs that they were able to dine at because they were guests of a member...
my mother still gets emotional when she tells me about The Mark Hopkins Hotel...

martinis and her LBD
I have seen the pictures and she is svelte and chic...and wearing a hat and gloves!

Fisherman's Wharf was a highlight...

(if you enlarge this image you'll see The Mayflower!)

pasta dinners at the Italian Club...
(which we could not find when we visited)

My father was very much alive when Mr. HB and I left for our SF experience...
we had my parents advice and that of Trip Advisor...
either of which has ever steered us wrong...
our fine accommodation and eaterys were based on posts by travellers who cared to share and whose comments aided in planning our itinerary.

I highly recommend researching your destination and all of the finer points...
We have benefited by others' experiences and have wasted no time on lesser venues.

We are in the planning stages of arranging a vacation in our favourite spot not too far from where we live...it's on a rugged expanse of coastline edging the Pacific Ocean...
it is RUSTIC!
It's been there since the 1940's and still going strong....
some newer cabins and a small dining room which serves wonderful meals.
The addition of private hot tubs on the decks of each cabin and plush white terry robes add a welcome perk ensuring relaxation and languidity.

The thunderous waves crashing on the beach sound on the incoming tide...we leave the curtains open, and sleep on the sumptuous mattress with the cozy down duvet floating and cocooning our slumber....
such sweet dreams!

This is living primitive...no phones, wireless, or TV...
a one room cabin with a kitchenette, bar fridge, fireplace, bathroom and shower with a hot tub on the deck...views to the south show us glimpses of Washington State and the Olympic penninsula...
we bring out binoculars, and expectations of greatness...
we explore the beaches at our leisure...and rarely see another guest about...
we smell the smoke from the fires burning and see the smoke from the chimneys.

The restaurant has windows for walls and binoculars sit atop each table...fresh salal and flowers in vases, not "arranged" their simple form naturally beautiful. Crisp white tablecloths, linen napkins, china and clear crystal goblets all shimmer in candlelight and set the tone...beyond the vast Pacific Ocean is all one can see for miles from  the treetops and rugged shore...one might see lights from the freighters as they navigate the shipping lanes...hugging the coast.
At dinner we rub elbows and exchange pleasantries with others in the small restaurant but other than that it is a quiet place...a place for solace, restoration and rejuvenation. The tables are small and encourage a closeness, the lights are dim and there is no music, there's a vibration of energy, eyes twinkle, wine glasses clink, food is savoured and spoons are passed between couples as they share tasty bites...soft conversation, gossamer whispers flutter...the wait staff are attentive, discreet and efficient. The courses are paced and staged...it is a feast for all senses....one almost anticipates....
(I have often thought of it as a honeymoon hideaway)

Today I received the confirmation of our dates for the Spring and inside was a new feature...a SPA service available....for couples in the comfort of your private cabin....hmm has me thinking that a massage for two might be in order...or maybe not...the stillness and closeness might be marred if the door is opened to a stranger.

As this spot has become so popular bookings need to be made months in advance...last year we could not go because it was fully booked by early December for the following 5 months...so this year I booked early...and now have a few months to plan...simple fare, write my list of what to bring...bees wax pillar candles...some nice wine, bath salts, Scrabble or a crib board...books, magazines...hey there's lots of time...but I am already excited!

Do you have a favourite spot...a stay-cation,  destination or exotic vacation?

Should you desire information on this secret spot please email me personally as I will not be advertising it...or my future stays here would certainly be jeopardized!

what I wore...

Pearls 

 India Hicks reed diffuser

both

creamy and dreamy

leggings, flats 

pearls and camel tunic top

by Soyaconcepts

Danish

design company

this easy to wear pair 

have been getting lots of play

the paring down of my wardrobe has resulted in getting dressed faster

seeing exactly what I have 

the clothes are not scrunched too close so wrinkling is at a minimum

I've put them in colour groupings too

and dressy basics are in a separate area of my closet

It is very theraputic to go through ones clothing and edit

 I have been having lots of fun adding accessories

dressing should be fun and allow for a personal touch

2 tone gold and diamond pearl enhancer

a gift from my husband

I wore these to the weekend matinee performance of the Odd Couple the Female Version...

such a comedic feel good play

mother and I laughed often and loud

as did the rest of the audience

laughter is such good medicine

if you enjoy humour

and wit

please go and visit Blighty!

she's on holiday at the moment 

so read some of her former posts...

I always leave her blog smiling

and often laugh out loud 

Care to share any spectacular blogs?

Ode to Joy...

Behold the very first cookbook

given to me by my husband on our first Christmas

we had been married 5 months at the time

it was around this time that my love of all things kitcheny and cookery was born

One of my favourite time honoured and tested recipes that never fails me

I successfully double this when we have extra guests

these are definitely a guilty pleasure

I pour a bit of gravy from the roast beef into mine

on the menu:

Roast Beef

roasty potatoes

carrots

zucchini

yellow peppers

and 

Yorkshire pudding

gravy

I serve Colman's hot mustard and Woodman's horseradish on the side

there will be no dessert as this is more than enough to satisfy our appetities!

look at this book

I could replace it but it would not have the same feeling

this book is 36 going on 37 years old

an oldie but a goodie

What is your favourite all time cookbook?

MOA at UBC continued...

The Museum of Anthropology 

UBC campus

if you have not seen the previous post please consider reading it before proceeding here,

it is the introduction...

Vintage Cowichan wool sweater

Slight segway...

my father had one very much like this one

he wore it traipsing around the province when he was employed by the BC Forest Service

I "borrowed" it on many occasions in my youth.

I bought my first Cowichan sweater when I was 15

with my BFF 

my current one was purchased with my BFF 

a couple of years ago

the Cowichan knitter's name is Arlene

here is my sweater

The art of knitting these sweaters could be lost

I spoke with an elder at Hills when I bought my lovely daughter a sweater in September this year

and she told me the young women are not embracing knitting these today...

It would be such as shame to lose these designs and warm water resistant garments.

and now back to the MOA!

masks 

cases and cases 

of carvings

works representing all the major tribes from BC

I have a particular fondness for First Nations baskets

(if you go back into my early blog posts you can see the baskets)

I confess that I was overwhelmed by the variety and number here at the museum and after awhile stopped taking photographs

I was on sensory overload!

dolls

look at the patterns and motifs...

I have never seen a table such as this!

we walked through several rooms 

cases and drawers full

Meandering and weaving through rooms

and then an open space...

prepare yourself...

this carving was made out of one large tree trunk

skill and craft merge

from all angles it is brilliant

I walk around many times in awe...

look closely at the details

Read about Bill Reid here,

I hope that you can read the plaque

The Koerner's commissioned this piece for their garden!

The museum has many other displays

a collection of ceramics

Japanese, Chinese, and Inuvit art

travelling shows

films and photographs.

We focused exclusively on the First Nations collection

and were not disappointed

and were most impressed.

We spent a rainy Sunday afternoon perusing this museum

which has a

 tea room, gift shop and grounds with totems, outbuildings 

and paths with reflecting pools 

I encourage you to visit if you ever find yourself in Vancouver, BC

this place is a treasure

bring your camera

it is a photograph friendly place.

I'll leave you with this lasting image

of 

admission stickers

not recycled

in the suggested container inside the museum!

urban art 

at the

crosswalk to the car park...

and as a post script

P.S.

I worked at UBC...not far from the MOA

at the Computing Centre

Computer Sciences Building

mid 70's 

(a beautiful campus located slightly south and west of the city)

 the IBM mainframe computers took up several rooms

the technologists

sat at a desk with a space age looking dashboard of dials and lights

they would manually feed the tapes onto the disk drives

we had card readers

(which jammed on a regular basis)

and dial up was the handset of a telephone resting in a connection box!

How far we have come from coastal villages of indigenous peoples

to 

communicating via the internet

and blogging on laptops...

MOA at UBC

Recently I had the opportunity to visit a wonderful museum at The University of British Columbia...
the Museum of Anthropology.

The building is exquisite.
I am in awe of it's beauty.
Words fail me here...
I will add images so that you can appreciate the amazing space that the architect has designed to house the collection.
The architect responsible is the late Arthur Erickson....you can read more about him here.

 in the parking lot we see the banners hung from the lamp standards

a water feature near the front entrance

I like the grey of the rough concrete wall

as a backdrop to this organic First Nations Totem

First Nations Boxes were made from one piece of wood.

The wood was heated until the it could be bent and fashioned into shape

carved and painted

Boxes inlaid with abalone shells

carved totem, figure, mural

 and a dugout canoe

The designs used by local tribes are recognized world wide

the art and skills are being passed down and work is currently available locally.

Floor to ceiling windows create the feeling of being outdoors

there is nothing about the building design that competes with what is on display.

I happen to be at the MOA with a partner in a local architectural firm...

someone who has the inside knowledge of structure, design, construction, and engineering

 who is rivited

 observing the intricate details that have been employed to erect such a world class structure...

he's asking me to take photographs

and I happily oblige

I think he's overwhelmed!

totems

it is a vast and open space

carved wood posts and beams were used as an entry feature by the First Nations people in their architecture

the contemporary concrete and glass structure alludes to the carved wood posts and beams of the traditonal first peoples entry feature

I will be posting more from the MOA

stay tuned...