Saturday, February 26, 2011

Gold Medal Man


I can't think of anything more Canadian than a good ol' outdoor hockey game. One of our local eateries in the nearest town to us in the valley boasts one of the best outdoor rinks around. And with a cold spell underway at the moment, skating seems to be the activity of choice these days.

We stopped by the cafe the other day to check in on Robin's mug shelf, which has proved to be a great show of local support for his work all the while we were away, and found out about this weekend's Hockey Day in Winlaw event.

Robin laced up his ska
tes this morning and hit the ice with a whole crew of locals for a round robin style tournament, and wouldn't you know.....came home with the gold medal!

The kids and I had ourselves our own gold medal day and turned out four stunning loaves of bread from a new recipe I'd been wanting to try. Thanks Sue!


Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Are you still there?

Just over a month ago we pulled up outside our strawbale home in the woods, after a 2.5 year hiatus in Utah. The months leading up to leaving Utah seem like a whirlwind now, and we've spent the last month in a long, slow exhale it feels like.

There has been plenty on our plates, the unpacking, the organizing, the decluttering, the donating. And plenty of discoveries; new faces in the valley and old recipe books to reunite with. Being back in my kitchen here at home is both inspiring and comforting. I had forgotten about that peculiar squirrel that lives in the tree just outside the kitchen window (still there). I had forgotten about the lack of storage and my deep wish to have a kitchen with proper cupboards (still there). I had forgotten about some of the loveliest of pots that we own - like old friends patiently waiting our return (still there).

Our transition back to country-living has been most wonderful, except that is, the part about dialup internet services.

But yesterday was a most triumphant and monumental day, when I gleefully signed a cheque worth every penny to a local wireless internet provider that persevered with three visits to our backwoods home and eventually helped us find a line of sight to a distant tower.

I hope that you are still out there, having come this far with us in our story. As any good story does, it comes out with a sequel....and so begins the next book. I hope you'll join me.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Our Icy Return


Brrrr! What was I thinking moving in the middle of the winter? Check out our license plate caked in a thick layer of ice, the day we hit the border crossing! It certainly was an icy return, but smooth sailing with customs and a busy couple of weeks of unpacking and organizing to follow.

Somehow I failed to remember that we left our place practically fully furnished and now the challenge becomes, where to put all the stuff we brought back. Each day we get a little farther with unpacking, but we've been sure to take some time to enjoy just being in our home again and reconnecting with our community here.

Brave little Isla jumped right into Kindergarten and is finding her place amongst both new friends and old.
Roscoe is thrilled to hang out with his dad everyday, finding new things to get into and new places to explore around the property, like the brickyard.

I wouldn't say that we are settled just yet, in fact there will be much to do and determine over the next coming months is my guess. But it does sure feel great to be home. We're reorienting ourselves with 'country living', but are reminded each day why we chose to build our little paradise on the mountainside. It has been so great to walk out the door and hike up the mountain, sit and watch the big fat flakes load up on the branches of surrounding trees and to revisit the quiet here.