gingillo

Mmmm... Macarons...

Back in Vancouver and trying not to go by Tartine too often... but the macarons were lovely (I bought the mixed bag and shared) and oooowwweeee the cherry tarts are good. I wish they were open later hours but I'll never complain when having pie for lunch... I noticed quite a bit of macaron love going on in blogland -- Serious Eats has a wonderful post with recommendations (I'll try Ganache first because they're super-close, then Thomas Haas who also makes croissant-to-die-for) and here is the ultimate... Cannelle et Vanille's version... I don't see how it could get any better!

The Hunt For Good Broccoli

There are no grocery stores close by to where I'm staying in Victoria, but Chinatown is just 2 blocks away -- perfect for getting my fruit and veggies -- and such great visuals!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm lovin' Victoria these past couple of weeks... with lots of new stores that I've discovered (will list in a later post) and 40% less rain than Vancouver! (so they say)... and I'm thinking it might be true -- I haven't used my umbrella once the whole time I've been here -- you gotta love that.

Silvery White New Year

Everyone says they're so glad that all the snow is gone -- but I loved it! I want it back... it's such a beautiful way to start the new year.

Believing In The Crawl

Last Sunday was spent zipping around the Eastside Culture Crawl trying to see as much as possible -- barely stopping long enough on about the 3rd floor of 1000 Parker St. to snap this shot. My favourite art pieces were Robin Ripley's 'Mended Leaves' (these portfolio shots aren't as detailed as the ones up in her studio with the original leaves tacked up above) and I loved the purses by Denise Wilson... there was a dark purple one that unfortunately isn't on her website... I swear it was calling my name and now I only have a faint recollection to lust after...

Salt Spring 2

 

The days over on Salt Spring were spent with various animals (mostly living, but a dried up lizard skeleton from Arizona makes a good homework assignment) and lots of games, puzzles and dominoes. Then waiting in the morning sun for the Skeena Queen...

Rest Your Eyes Here...

A peaceful ferry ride is the best for just relaxing and gazing off into the horizon... I've been so lucky that the last couple of times over to Salt Spring Island I've had great weather...

 

the leaves were turning -- so much more obvious than in the city...

Hawaiian Night

My summer involves a lot of kitsch... I have to stop by Kits Beach at least once to watch the Showboat -- and it was my lucky night! Hula dancers!! (of course those tap dancers are always cute too.) Here's the schedule if you happen to be in Vancouver.

Scanning My Future

In my little studio space I've got boxes and boxes full of props and... what I can only call 'visual material' -- images that gave me tons of inspiration over the years. This may not seem revolutionary but for some reason it's taken me ages to realize that I don't have to hang on to the actual magazine or whatever, and that scanning or photographing it is just fine. Then I get to have some fun auctioning it off on ebay! (yes, I'm aware that ebay has been around for a while too...I'm late to all this I guess)

Today I listed 21 issues of Sassy Magazine from the early 90's... hard to part with, but easy to scan... so why not? And in a week when they sell I'll be adding them in to the set here on flickr (it's like having a virtual storage locker!)
I just found this site (via A Photo Editor) where you can look at entire magazines... oh-so-tempting and sort of my dream come true... I know it's bad for the publishers (copyright and all), but I bet the advertisers don't really mind.

A Hole-in-Two

If you ever happen to be in Vancouver on one of those icky grey crappy days when the clouds look like they could just pour rain any minute... but then it magically clears up into a beautiful summer evening... that's the time to make your way over to Stanley Park quickly and have the pitch & putt course practically to yourself.
It's quaintly picturesque already, but add in blue skies and sun and it's absolutely wonderful. Most of the greens are sloped in the trickiest ways so this photo is my proof to almost getting a hole-in-one, which was definitely a cause for celebration!