an autumn to-do list

Inspired by Amanda and Caitlin, I've decided to put together a little list of things I'd like to make happen this fall. My New Year's resolutions are almost all no longer applicable (having graduated from my masters program this spring!) so I think it's time to put some focus on all of the fun things that I'd like to do as the manic craziness of the Summer of Getting Married subsides and the cool, calm days of fall start to set in. On the second-to-last day of summer, here's what I'm dreaming of doing as the seasons change:

1. Go camping on the coast

2. Visit a pumpkin patch (and conquer a corn maze while I'm there)

3. Bake a pie from scratch

4. Go apple picking

5. Visit friends in a different city

6. Have a Thanksgiving feast

7. Revamp the blog for a new season

8. Knit something (I'm thinking chunky yarn and big needles)

9. Go for a forest hike on the North Shore

10. Take photos with a new camera

11. Clean up the garden one more time

12. Walk home from work (it's a pretty long walk)

13. Ride the Stanley Park Halloween Ghost Train (Ivy and Jamie, I'm going to miss you guys this year!)

14. Check out the Parade of Lost Souls (Halloween seems to be Vancouver's favourite holiday)

In all honesty. some of these things are already in the process of being planned. The camera that I've been dreaming of is finally available in the States, so I might get my hands on it before too many of these other events come to pass...which would be nice. I feel like I've outgrown the camera that I usually use for blog posts and jewelry photography. I think an upgrade is needed so that I can get the kind of photos I want...crisper, brighter, more depth of field control. The picture above was taken on Broadway with my Golden Half 35mm camera. Speaking of which, my double exposure project is coming along...

You can also see that most of my plans involve being outside as much as possible. Here in Vancouver it rains most of the winter and the days are always grey and cloudy (just writing about it makes me feel a little depressed), so if we have sunny, crisp fall weather it's important to get out there and enjoy it. Luckily in Vancouver we can get outside year round because the temperatures are never too crazy (unlike the last city I lived in, which often dipped to -40, which is the same in ºF and ºC). Winter might be full of lame rain days, but you can still go for a walk in forests where you'll stay dry under all of the cedar trees...and our flowers do start coming out in January, which is always a welcome relief.

Jeff and I are going into our fourth year here in Vancouver, and yet, in some ways, it feels like our first year. He still has a year left in nursing school, but I am finally finished. It's a great, weird feeling for weekends to be full of possibilities rather than homework and stress. I'm looking forward to enjoying this new season with friends and family and sharing some of what we get up to with you!