Spain book

I've been meaning to write this post for a while, but for whatever reason, haven't had a chance (I have a lot of such outdated posts; thinking of making them into a series of hideously irrelevant posts...). In any case, in September I finally finished my photobook of my trip to Spain in the summer of 2010 (yup, I'm a delinquent photobook maker, a sad trait I've come to terms with).

I had a Groupon for Photobook Canada, and even with the discount, it was exorbitantly expensive. I don't even want to tell you how much; I'm a little embarrased about it. (However, you might recall that I am slightly addicted to making photobooks... ahem...) Anyway, for the price I paid, I wanted to be blown away. I mean, jaw-on-the-floor, tear-in-the-eye blown away. Reaction: underwhelming. The quality falls within the Good to Great range, but I was hoping for Excellent to Superb.

The linen-bound book itself was lovely; perfect-bound, complete with headband (nice touch!), but the slipcase was not worth the extra dough, and the photo quality was only ok (I might even describe it as "meh"). There is a dullness to the pages (which feel somehow waxy) that makes the colours slightly muted, and the photos have this softness that makes them all look slightly blurry, whereas the same photos on Blurb's Proline papers are super-sharp. And there is banding on the pages of solid colour, as well as some slight show-through. Note with all of my criticisms that they are slight. But when a book costs this much, it needs to be perfect.

I found their downloadable program a bit cumbersome and not as user-friendly as others I've used. They don't support PDF to book (though not many do), and don't offer an online preview. So, in lieu of that, here are a few snaps:

Trail #64

What a spectacular, sunny day for snowshoeing! This trail might be my absolute new favourite. Perhaps it was the way the trail wound up and down (and up and down!) over the mini mountains, through delicate poplars and massive maples standing alongside glacial erratics (which look slightly less conspicuous coated in snow). Or maybe it was the dazzling cobalt sky and the transient criss-crossing network of shadows across the undulating snow. Or the lovely section of open field surrounded by a wall of rock and trees. Or the crisp winter air. Maybe all of those things.

Treasure found

When Mark was cleaning out the cubby recently, he found two dry and dusty envelopes with the address of the house next door, and the name of the War Veteran who lived there, back when these houses were first built. Weathered, stained, and brittle, we opened them carefully, thrilled by this discovery, and found some stamp catalogues, paystubs dated from 1946 through 1949 (he seems to have worked for a Furniture company and made $6.75 per week), life insurance papers (so much more lovely and decorative than now), a broken compact mirror, and a metal bill fold with a 20 dollar Deutschmark.

Not sure how these papers came to be in our crawl space, unless the houses were numbered differently at one time? An enticing mystery for sure. I will discuss with the neighbours.

I have to say, it was quite exciting to stumble upon something from a previous owner (even if he may not have lived in our house), and I would love for some future homeowner to find this and feel the same sense of wonder. It makes me love this little house even more, knowing more about the history in it's old bones. Is there any greater thrill than uncovering long-lost treasures (even if at some point they were just mundane papers)?

2 bottles milk and Whipping cream. Such lovely handwriting! Look at that W! Swoon.

That's right, my friends!

It's Beavertail season, y'all! So bundle up, and get out on the canal for some deep-fried, sugar coated dough!

Winter forest

Finally, the first snowshoe of the season. So good to be back in the winter forest. Incredible colours on the snow from the late afternoon sun. Peach, mauve, and coral pink! The thick blanket of snow muffling summertime sounds, allowing me to hear the flapping of the Pileated Woodpecker's wing-beats as he passed overhead. Just a brief moment, but a magically expansive one. A perfect day out, topped off with an owl sighting on the way home. Life is good. Even when it's minus 20.

B+A #003: $2 makeover

A simple refresh for this antique sewing table found at a flea market for $20 a few years ago. It coated well, but I put on two coats anyway, to make it nice and thick, which used about half of one of these handy test pots. 

Also, if you're curious about the name, as I was, Araucana is a type of chicken, whose eggs are a lovely sea-foamy colour.

Every cloud...

... (and leaf, and tendril, and telephone pole) has a silver lining.