Making progress, but I'm stumped...

Making progress, but I'm stumped..., a photo by lovestotravel:) on Flickr.

I've posted this to a couple of Flickr knitting groups in the hopes that an experienced knitter will be able to help me to decipher the instructions.
I thought I was doing pretty good, until I came to the instructions that said to either knit 2 together, or purl 2 together, whichever is appropriate...Huh?? .I considered flipping a coin to determine which was appropriate, but there's probably a right answer and a wrong answer - and I think we know which one I would choose.

Easter in the mountains

Happy Easter!  We spent Easter Sunday with friends in Canmore. 

It was a perfect spring day in the mountains.

Took a nice walk along the river with Cari-Ann, Jonathon, Vi, Bill and of course, Muñeca.

Muñeca is the Mexi-mutt that Cari-Ann rescued from the streets of Puerto Peñasco.  She seems to be adapting quite well to life as a pampered indoor dog.  She's already been back-country skiing and she loves the snow!  She's also quite fascinated with the thousands of wild bunnies in Canmore.

Jon, Cari-Ann & Muñeca.

It doesn't hurt to daydream...

Ahhhh!

This piece of artwork by Pasquale Ouellet has sparked quite a lot of controversy in Canmore. 

I quite like it, but then, I don't own property that has been "horribly de-valued by the enormity of the sheer ugliness...blah, blah, blah"

The hand-painted poem, in both French & English, is about the Chinook winds.

The wind which elates me without moving

Which makes the trees dance

And of the silence of the mountains

Makes a great noise

He is the chinook and his arc

Came as a friend

To warm up the souls numbed

By the snow, the rain and the cold

And when he cannot control his power

One should not be upset with him

Because he is a clumsy giant

With an immense heart

Okay, well I like the sculpture better than the poetry, but what do I know?

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Of course, no trip to Canmore is complete without a picture of the Three Sisters

In other news - it's gopher season. 

Taz would be content to sit on the hill at the end of our street watching them - all day!

Egg-stremely fragile

Just popped it in the mail box this morning - should be there soon.

Paste eggs

First of all, let me just say that I have no idea why they're called paste eggs, they just are okay?  They were always an Easter tradition in our house when I was growing up.  My mom would make a big batch of them to give to friends and family - kind of a goodwill gesture I suppose, because who really wants to get a hard-boiled egg as a gift?

Making the paste eggs was a laborious process that took hours and hours.  I wasn't allowed to actually help of course, due to the very real possibility that I'd find a way to screw it up, but my finger was always needed to hold the thread in place while Mom tied the knots.  Eventually I was made redundant when she switched to using tin foil to hold the onion skins in place instead of tying them with thread.  The tin foil versions were okay, but they were never as pretty as when they were done the old-fashioned way.

You have to start saving onion skins several months ahead of Easter.  Sure, you get some funny looks when you go to the market and buy one onion and then fill the bag with all of the loose skins from the onion bin, but that's part of the tradition...I just happened to have a bag full of skins on hand because I was going to make them last year and never got around to it.

So, I wrapped the raw eggs in onion skins and tied them up with thread. It didn't take me long to figure out  that that's easier to do if the skins are wet.  I don't remember my Mom ever soaking them - so it's no wonder it was such a chore.

  Pop 'em in a pan to boil.

And voila!  Beautiful paste eggs - just like Mom used to make.

Now as I recall, you pick out the prettiest one and give it to your best friend.  Then she gives you the prettiest one from her batch.  Then you roll them on the ground and smash them into eachother, then you eat them.  Or toss them into the nearest trash can when Mom isn't looking.  I mean really, as beautiful as they are, they're still just yucky hard-boiled eggs.

Books and baking

I have a lot of cookbooks, which I seldom look at because...

...they live on the top of the kitchen cupboard above the fridge. 

Even if I drag a chair over and stand on my tippy toes, I can't quite reach them.  Because not only are they high, but I also have to reach over the fridge!  Needless to say, I sometimes think I'd like to make something, then I look up at the books and go naaaahh, I can't be bothered.

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So I had this brilliant idea:  Why not put a shelf up at a height that I can actually reach?  (Duh!)  I chose a floating shelf  because I liked the look of a shelf without the ugly brackets underneath.  That seemed like a good idea until I looked at the load restrictions.  10 kg only. 

So how many cookbooks = 10kg?

Not many! 

4 books, 1 binder and a ½ dozen magazines to be exact.

I bought some stupid brackets today.

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This morning was  sunny & pleasant, but the afternoon was kinda crappy.  A good day for baking.  I had some apples that were past thier best, so I decided to use them up in this coffee cake.  I screwed it up though.  I was supposed to press the apples into the batter so that it would rise up and over them.  Oops, mine are just sitting on top and as as a result they're kind of dried out.  Oh well, I'll know better next time.

I still had 2 apples left, so they became apple streusel muffins.   Yeah, I know, they aren't very streusel-ly, but they taste pretty good.  (Better than the cake at least)

And some tofu "sausage" rolls.  Quit snickering - they're pretty good.  Dan even likes them!

Now I'm off to have tea with a bunch of Spanish speakers at a coffee shop in Marda Loop.  This'll be my 3rd meetup in the last couple of weeks.  I still can't contribute much to the conversations, but I'm starting to feel like less of an outsider.  They seem like a nice bunch of people - if only I could understand them...

Aw crap!

So, the good news is that I finally finished the 2nd flip flop sock. 

That gave me permission to get back to work on the blue sweater. 

Remember the blue sweater?

It never got much further than what you see in this photo - it's been languishing in my knitting bag for months now.  I was excited to get back to it and it was going pretty fast because it's chunky wool and it's on big needles and especially after working on the sock with the teensy tiny needles and super fine yarn, it felt great.  I kept glancing at the pattern and thinking something didn't seem right, but I was still going gangbusters knitting up a storm.  I finished the body portion up to the armholes and started working on a sleeve.  I got almost 12" of the sleeve done before I finally stopped and really studied the pattern....  Ruh roh!  Way back when I first started, I went through the pattern and circled all of the numbers that pertained to the size that I wanted to make - or I thought I had.  Seems I circled all of the numbers for the large size, not the medium like I thought.  So, not only is the sweater going to be way too big, but I'm also going to run out of yarn.  I briefly considered just continuing with it and not worrying about the size, but I think my chances of finding yarn in the same dye lot, six months after buying the rest of it, are pretty much non-existant.  So all of this work (plus most of a sleeve) has to be ripped out!  

Baking binge

...and another good thing about coming back to Calgary. 

Pizza night with Bill & Vi.  Look - home-made crusts.

Ready for the barbecue

Mango & basil.  Yes, really!  It was a delicious combination.

Shrimp & mushroom.  Also excellent.

I've been on a bit of a baking binge since we got back.  (Doncha just love alliteration?)

Here's some more.  Best banana bread!

And this yummy cheesiness + soup = dinner tonight.

We've already started putting stuff in a box to go to Mexico next winter.  I know!  We haven't even finished unpacking some of the stuff that we brought back yet.  Can you imagine how big the pile is gonna be by November?  I found this mini-size ball chucker yesterday.  And the best part?

the price!

And a cheese slicer.  (On sale for 6.99)   I have a wooden one here and I meant to take it with me last November, but of course, I forgot it.  This one stays in Mexico and the crappy little hand held wire that doesn't work worth crap will be ditched.

I've hooked up with the Calgary Spanish Language Meet-up group again.  I went to a gathering on Sunday and I'm going to another one on Wednesday night.  I attended a couple a year or so ago and didn't really enjoy them.  It was too clique-y and hard for a shy new-comer to break in.  This time around there seems to be a different mix of people and quite a few of us are new to the group, so I felt a bit more comfortable.  I found that I was able to understand almost everything when an English speaker was speaking Spanish, but I still have a helluva time understanding native Spanish speakers.  The English speakers seem to enunciate more clearly.  Even when they're speaking quickly, they are still speaking in individual words.  With the Spanish speakers, of course, everysentenceisjustonelongword.  The organizer is an amazing man.  His name is Kichiji and I'm guessing he's 40-something.  He speaks at least 10 languages fluently, he can get by in another ½ dozen and he knows enough to sing in yet another ½ dozen!  How is that even possible?  I am totally in awe of him!!!

Knitting bug

I admit it.  I'm a sucker for a pretty book. 

This one caught my eye and I had to have it.  I even drove all the way over to Chapters in Dalhousie to pick up the only copy in the city.  Some cool stuff to knit in here, but I can probably live without the skirt that the model is wearing on the cover.

This slouchy cardigan is the main reason for buying the book.   I love it!  

I know, I know, I haven't finished the blue one that I started months ago, but now I'm inspired to pick it up again so I can get going on this one.  Oh, and there's also the matter of the 2nd toe sock that didn't get finished either.  Okay, the sock first, then the blue sweater, then this slouchy cardigan.  Don't be expecting to see a photo of the completed project any time soon.  Anybody want to join the pool?  I'm picking late 2013.

Welcome back

Welcome back to the regular blog.

As much as I love Mexico,  I also love coming home again.  Sure, there's snow on the ground, but that's just an excuse to put the fire on and sit on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book.  Aaaahh!

Other things that I love about coming home:

Icy cold milk and 2-bite chocolate brownies.  Mmm...mmm! 

Yes, Mexico has milk, but it just doesn't taste the same to me.  I'm picky about my milk - I never drink it when I'm travelling.

Lavender scented baths...heaven.

I went grocery shopping yesterday and managed to buy everything on my list - all in one store!   And I didn't get blasted with techno-pop music while I was shopping.

We've been home for almost 2 full days and not a single person has stood outside our house yelling at us to give them work, or food, or money. 

Asparagus season is just starting.

There is a teensy, tiny green shoot popping up through the snow in the back yard.  Spring is coming!  Before you know it, my garden will be alive and blooming.  Yaay!

Recycling! 

Paper products that aren't scented unless they specifically say so.  I mean, do we really need perfume-y toilet paper?

There's a magic box in this kitchen.  You put the dirty dishes in it, push a button, and the dishes come out clean.  How cool is that?!

☺☺☺☺☺☺

That being said, there are only 229 days before we head back to México!

On hiatus

This blog is officially on vacation. 

You can find us back at http://cheryl-dan-mexicanmadness.blogspot.com/ for the next few months.

Our 23rd anniversary

  Grab a cup of tea, this one could take awhile.

We were married by a JP  in our living room on November 10th 1987.

Who are those skinny people?

Both Carse & Cowling clans were present in full.

But of course, the story started well before then.

We met at the International Balloon Fiesta,

Alburquerque, New Mexico. 

October 1983. 

It's 7:00am and yes, that's champagne in my glass. 

We spent a wonderful decade flying the Spirit all over Alberta, BC, Montana and of course back in New Mexico.  We could be found most week-end mornings on a launch field at the crack of dawn.

We've been extremely fortunate to be able to travel and have adventures around the world. 

  In no particular order:

Our first trip together was to England, Scotland and Wales in 1986.

Castles, canal boats and an introduction to some of my crazier relatives.

We've made a movie in San Martin de los Andes, Argentina

We've sailed around the Greek Islands

In Australia, we climbed Ayers Rock, played with kangaroos and koalas, snorkeled on the Great Barrier Reef and drank enough Fosters to make the Aussies proud.

We've been on the most amazing safari in Africa.  We saw every kind of animal up much closer than we ever imagined. (Too close for comfort sometimes).  We petted cheetahs, fed giraffes, watched the wildebeast gathering for their annual migration, had a midnight picnic in the middle of the Serengetti and "camped" in the jungle surrounded by lions and baboons.

So much to do in New Zealand we ran out of time.  We'll have to go back to see the rest later. Spent 2½ weeks driving like fools in our rented camper van.  Built our own hot pool at low tide at Hot Water Beach, climbed around a very active volcano on White Island.  Punted along the beautiful Avon River in Christchurch and did a little sea kayaking. No trouble sleeping - lots of sheep to count. 

China was our first vacation with the Wongs.  Too lazy to use a thesaurus, but there's got to be something better than  awesome and amazing, because it was WAY beyond those wimpy descriptions.

We squeezed in a visit to Epcot centre on our way to a Caribbean cruise.  The mv Caribe (or was it the ss Minnow?) was somewhat less than luxurious, and we didn't really enjoy the whole cruising thing, but we did get a tiny taste of Puerto Rico, we rode horses in the Dominican Republic and had a spectacular, albeit  terrifying helicopter ride over the British Virgin Islands

 Then there was a bicycling/barge tour of the Netherlands.

Another vacation with Lesley and Dave.  Peru was everything we had ever imagined it to be.  Hiking up to the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu was breathtaking in both senses of the word. Touring Lake Titicaca and the floating islands in a reed boat was a hoot.  We flew over the Nazca lines, petted a condor, missed a flight, but found a miracle-performing Jesus in the parking lot of the airport (There's a story there)  We ate some of the best food I've ever tasted and fell in love with Pisco Sours, the national drink.

 

A quick, romantic trip to Paris & Versailles

Pictures and words couldn't possibly do justice to the San Franciso Kidnap caper with Bill & Vi.  Ask us about it sometime.  It's a story we love to share.  Complete with CD slide show.

New York.  The Big Apple. It started with me hearing about a show that I HAD to see.  (Movin' Up with Billy Joel's music and Twyla Tharpe's choreography. - What's not to love?)  It turned into a Wong family reunion of sorts.  Dave reunited with his mother after several decades and Jessica & Samantha finally met their other grandmother.

We packed a lot of stuff into that long weekend!

A camping and cycling trip around the the rim of the Grand Canyon

We battled flooding and hurricanes on a trip to the Baja peninsular in search of vacation property after a very persuasive sales pitch convinced us to check out Loreto Bay.

Can't believe I missed Chile & Easter Island.  It was one of my favourite vacations too!  Lesley, Dave, Dan & I covered a LOT of ground on this trip.  It was all excellent, but the expedition cruise around Cape Horn and Easter Island were definite highlights.

 There have been countless trips to Mexico including a couple to Playa del Carmen, a couple to San Miguel de Allende, Guadalajara, Lake Chapala, Ajijic, Ixtapa, and of course Puerto Peñasco.  
A couple of years ago we spent 4 months driving aimlessly around the southern US and Mexico in our first VW van, just following the sunshine.  And now we have a vacation property in Puerto Peñasco, Mexico.

We're not finished yet, there is still a LOT of world out there that we want to see.

It's not all adventure and travelling though.  We've survived plenty of home renovations and major backyard building projects. 

We've had our share of sorrow too.  We've lost some good friends along the way, both sets of parents and Shanda, our sweet, 3-legged beauty. 

It doesn't matter if it's sudden or prolonged, there's just no easy way to handle those kinds of losses.

So today we celebrate 23 years.  Of harmony?  Hardly...

We have different tastes in almost everything.

Musically, Dan leans toward Phil Collins and Elton John

While I, apparently, grew up on the harsher side of the '70's and prefer Janis Joplin and Led Zeppelin

We don't agree on books.  Dan reads mostly non-fiction tomes involving politics and current events.

And I think we've already established that I like the girly, escapist fluff novels.

The widest chasm though is our food tastes.  They border on irreconcilable differences.  Dan has been known to eat (and I'm trying not to gag here)  peanut butter and pickle sandwiches, while I eat Marmite (aka road tar) on toast, daily. 

With all our differences though, the core values that make us who we are, are the same, and that's what keeps us going in a world with a 50% divorce rate.

Best friends and soul mates...just don't ask me to be in the same room when he's eating one of those sandwiches!