Dream a little dream, dream, dream, dreeeeem

I'm planning to go to Italy.

What the hell! Ever since "Under the Tuscan Sun" came out, I'm sure Italy's visitor population of the over 40's single women boomed. Hey, it got me thinking "why not?"

Why not rent a villa in Positano with your girlfriends?
Why not expect to meet a few nice Italian men and meet them on your rented moped?
Why not drink wine with breakfast, lunch and dinner? (or instead of breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Why not sit on a balcony overlooking the Almafi Coast after having stepped out of the shower?
Why not meet your old high-school friends there for a re-union?
Why not dine out every night, because you can?

All of the above is the plan this year.  So I've been preparing by doing all things I-talian. I'm reading "When in Rome...A Novel of Piazzas and Passion" 
Sclock really.
And then there's the "produce of Italy - Cantucci D'Abruzzo al Pistaccchio e Cedro falcone" I picked up (pistachio cookies), pasta dishes I'm starting to eat and a great site on Airb&b https://www.airbnb.ca/ which I search constantly for "stunning" villas to rent.  Got the girlfriends on board, the "first squeeze" of my life visiting us there, AND euros in my pocket.

Freedom 55 baby!
Here we go

Namaste

there's a couple of "hooters" in town!

Did you know there are Artctic Snowy Owls in Vancouver?
Neither did I!  Until a friend said he'd heard they've stopped to rest here in Boundary Bay on their way down from the Arctic.

We went over to check it out and sure enough, we caught a few of them hanging out by the dykes, checking us out too!  They have no fear of us.  They don't see many humans where they live in the Arctic.  Let's just hope no one gets stupid and trys to stress them out while they're here. Apparantly a few have died due to some harsh conditions on their migration.  Sad really.  Not the humans fault.  It's life. (but I'm sue glad I wasn't witness to dead snowy owls)
I'm stoked to have seen them in real life, in full snowy color! Last time they were here was in 2008. 
Chris got a few good pictures and was happy to share them with me.
Thanks for stopping by!

Namaste

how about a little bread with that butter

So last night I made my first sourdough rye bread. It's an art this sourdough stuff because one has to make the "sour" dough culture first (takes at east 4 days) and then you mix that culture in 3 types of flour, knead it and it has to rise overnight.  Mine really didn't rise much because the temperatures have to be just right (weird). (and I forgot the salt so I threw it in after). I put it in the oven this morning and voila! Looks good but I haven't tasted it yet! It's too pretty.  I'm going to relish it for a little while with my eyes, then cut it soon.....with a lot of butter on the slice!

The sun is shining in Vancouver this morning! I woke up to the fog horns going off constantly since 6:00am.  It's an interesting thing living close to the ocean. If it's not the gulls screeching, it's the fog horn going!  I do love it though.  After having lived in Ontario for most of my young life, the sounds of gulls always reminded me of the ocean.  Now that I live by the ocean, the gulls still have a way of telling me how grateful I am to live here.

Life is good. Always believe that.

Namaste

desert time

Just got back from the California desert visiting my mom at a little community east of Palm Springs called "The Foundain of Youth!" Mom's been a snowbird there for the past 12 years and it's more home to her there than in Victoria where she lives....I can see why.  There is sooooo much to do out in the middle of nowhere in the desert and everyone you pass says" hello".  The weather was a little cool for California standards but the sun shone everyday and after the rains of Vancouver for the past few months, coolish was not a problem for me.

Megan and I got to spent some quality time eating vegetables, playing pool, ping-pong, shuffleboard, walking, eating more and I went out for a day in the desert on the quads in a jeep to search for crystals.  They are just lying there on top of the ground and some of us were lucky enough to find some amazing smokey quartz ones! The desert is beautiful and expansive and I am lucky to enjoy these ventures when I visit my mom.

I think I might just retire here like my mom when I get older..hmmmmmmdoes freedom 55 count?!
Namaste