sunday walk

We spent Sunday afternoon at Pitt Lake (about an hour east of Vancouver). It was such a beautiful weekend and Jeff and I talked about hiking and camping every weekend this summer...starting now. It's good to be reminded that there is a whole big, supernatural world outside of our little city sometimes. More of this kinda thing soon. Where did you spend your weekend? (Last photo of me by Jeff, of course.)

being outside

Life has been busy, and when we haven't been busy we've been outside soaking up the amazing autumn weather in our part of the world, or getting soaked by rain that is starting to show up more frequently in Vancouver. For the next three weeks Jeff, Lola, and I will be travelling to some amazing places. Can't wait to share them with you here. How is your fall going? Or is it spring where you are?

summer mountains

Jeff and Lola and I spent the weekend in the mountains. This weekend. And yes, this weekend there was still lots of snow on the ground at higher elevations, like Joffre Lakes where we attempted an easy-ish 7km hike only to be turned around after crossing a boulder field and encountering yet more snow. Not that I don't like snow, I just don't love summer snow. The first four photos were taken in Pemberton, BC. I'd never been there before, but we both really liked it. It's outside of the tourist-y nonesense that is Whistler and just far enough from Vancouver to actually feel like it's not a part of Vancouver. It's also beautiful and has great breakfast joints, like The Pony Espresso. Now for an oldie but a goodie. Oh yeah, Jeff and I have been watching The Killing. Is anyone else into that show? I love that it's all filmed in Vancouver, in some pretty crazy locations like at the Save-On-Meats on Hastings. Don't tell me how the season ends, though! We're behind!

outtakes

This past Sunday Jeff, Emily, Ryan, Amanda, Lola, and Hazel and I went to Lighthouse Park in West Van to do a photoshoot with some new Sadie pieces. The weather was so beautiful, the dogs were pretty hyper, and the views were amazing. These are a few outtakes from our shoot. I can't wait to see what Ryan ends up having, as he was the true photographer of the day. And even Hazel modelled some jewelry. She can be seen wearing a pendulum necklace in the photo above. I'll share more soon!

fresh air: hornby island part two

The second part of our day on Hornby Island involved a hike (really more like a leisurely walk) at Helliwell Provincial Park. I had to share so many photos of the later half of our day because it was amazing. The hike starts with a nice forest approach that leads to insanely beautiful sweeping ocean views. Mountains and islands, green cliffs, and miles of ocean make it impossible to avoid stopping to take a photo every two steps. The trail leads around a point on the island and into an old growth Douglas Fir forest. Look at the size of some of those beauties. Do I recommend visiting Hornby Island? How could I not! We also found a deer skull (which we brought home) and finished with a really delicious meal and pint at the local pub while we waited for the ferry back to Denman. This was such a great day, I hope you don't mind me sharing so many of my photos. By the way, can anyone ID the flower near the top of this post? One more island vacation post to come tomorrow, thanks for taking the time to look, read and comment!

first day of 2011

I'm feeling great about 2011 so far! Late this afternoon Jacqui, Blair, Jeff and I took Lola up to Burnaby Mountain. I was surprised to see snow and frost on the ground. We walked a nice loop trail and got to the top of the mountain just in time to see the best sunset I've ever seen. All of Vancouver was visible, from Tswwassen to the Lion's Gate Bridge, North Van, and amazing views of Grouse and the Burrard Inlet, and all the way to the mountains of Vancouver Island. It was completely amazing and everyone that was up there was freaking out a little, in a good way. I hope you all had a wonderful first day of 2011. Thanks to everyone for all of the New Year's greetings.

P.S. Have you tried Etsy's new Taste Test feature yet?