czechistani dreaming

TTV in the Bakery and the Rain

2011-07-26T12:33:00.017+08:00

It was "Bring Your Contraption to Work Day", so I ended up with some photos of the bakery and all of its secret workings.

Honey wheat.

These are 5 and 1/2 ish lb. pans with five 2lb. loaves in them. They are quite heavy-and hot.

Pesto pinwheels.

Our mixing bowls.

The mixing hook.

Cookies in the case.

Those new cinnamon rolls and pesto pinwheels.

Snickerdoodles--Sarah Mackey's favorite. (or at least they were when Mrs. Mackey would send care packages in university--yum and thanks for that!)

Our espresso maker.

Dill on the bread.

Piping hot Oregon Herb bread.

That's mine--with some tips on the side.

The timer.

These mitts are literally 3 weeks old. White? Maybe not such a good idea.

Hailey.

My dirty work shoes.

It's raining,

it's pouring.

Nice day for a walk, though.

These are sad times, really.
A walk in the rain is nice for a lot of reasons.

Like this.

And this.

This looks more like a painting.

This is a crazy church that they seem to be redoing from the top down.

These are magical.

The end is near for a lot of the flowers.

But not these.

Purple poof balls.

These are incredible and they seem to grow all over here.

Sun.

These guys look so tired.

Hairy tongues anyone?

These are almost all dying, but these somehow were still beautiful.

The balding flower.

This is like a tiny forest.
And I stopped at the store.

Grapefruit.

Fire red tomatoes.

This is in the same place as the Lions.

Daisy Head Maisy.

Gluten Free Baking Duties

2011-07-20T09:52:00.011+08:00

One of my new roles as head baker is to handle all the gluten-free stuff. It is pretty cool and they are letting me do some things a bit differently.

For one, the muffins are bigger and better. More photos to come.
Below are not Gluten Free. (Not fat free either)

A new treat at the bakery.
The sky looks pretty amazing here.

The clouds are like jellyfish.
More TTV photos.

The color changes.

It's richer.

And the focus is softer.

And even magnified in parts.

But beautiful at the same time.

This is in my new neighborhood. Not enough trees.

But a white picket fence.

And my Grandma Limpert's old car.

Little suns.

The photo does not do the real color justice.

On the balcony. These used to grow wild by our house in Taiwan.

My keys.

This one is mine.

Orange.

All right here you can find the Non-invasive facelifts, the spray-on tanning and the patriotic psychic barber.

Even here, the Chinese Lion lives on.

Two seconds before I took this, the petals were spinning out of control and then they just weren't.

A relic?

Cupcake Royal. This is a nice place to draw.

The new neighborhood. Even less trees, but nice flowers.

Choices, choices.

My brother had this car when he was 16, only his was in worse shape. A lot.

It's hilly here so there are lots of stairways to higher streets for pedestrians.

And roses to smell along the way.

And graffiti to read and try to figure out.

This barber shop is open the last week of every month and not at all during December. Really. How does it stay in business?

Not quite Banksy.

Do you think these plush bear seats are Manicure/Pedicure thrones of honor?

These are really small.

Yummy carrots.

Sticker graffiti.

I have never been here, and I have never seen anyone else eating here either. I don't know if that means anything, though.

Really? Outside, in sight of the flowers and trees? You're going to be focused on the computer? Save it for a rainy day when you can't possibly go outside.

Peppers. 10 for $10.

TTV Through the Viewfinder!

2011-06-17T07:26:00.001+08:00

I waited and I waited and I waited. Well, finally, I got my new camera. I bought an old Kodaflex camera and built my TTV box and started taking it everywhere. Here are the first of my photos!!
I cut out the box at home and went to the Cafe at Carlos' store to put it together.

Here is the Cafe and the very first shot taken.
It's springtime here and the blooms are all around.

Flower power of spring!

Even though it's May, it's still cold here in the Pacific Northwest.

These petals are literally like tissue paper--I don't know how they withstand the rain.

On the walk to the library there are so many gardens.

Must Knot Sleep.

Hydrants.
People park their cars on the street outside of where Carlos works to try and sell them.

There are some real gems. Didn't my grandpa have this car, only green?

I want to buy this one just for what is on the dashboard.

Grass skirts anyone?
Then back to the walk.

Poppies.

Tree-lined fences.

Beauty.

Fire.

I have no idea what this is, but it's pretty incredible.

Carnivores--here in the PNW.

Lovely.

Save Barbie. From what you ask?

From the pink floaty dragon that terrorizes the pool.

Or pick some roses. And yes, I stop to smell them every time I pass.

Every time.

These are now everywhere and I will find out what they are.
Until next time!

Vancouver Visit

2011-05-31T13:36:00.002+08:00

Well Carlos and I made our way back to Vancouver for about 6 days and it was certainly nice to get away.

One of the first stops should always be to Tim's. The weather was almost perfect the entire time.

Even the skyline is beautiful, surrounded by water, mountains and infinite sky.
Waiting for the bus.

Buying tickets for the bus.
We went to see our friends Koot and Julia first. And they have a new member, Alexander.

He's a very happy boy.

And adorable.

At lunchtime, he had plum (was it?) and it was obviously quite sour. But he ate it.

Did I mention he is really happy.

There is Julia and Carlos getting his first grab.

New hat to go with the booties (of course).

Contemplative.

We miss having real conversations with real people.

Koot on the barbie.

A tasty dinner.

With lovely friends, in their lovely back patio area surrounded by wood.

A little light reading--Carlos and I figured it was good to start him off with a good book about oppression and fighting for the rights of the common (cow?) man. :)

Enough of this already.

And nice wine.
Then we went to see Nick and Sonya who are expecting.

Yay!

At the doctor's office.

We went to Whole Foods and discovered these.

And the cheese.
Then we went to the island. Here we were waiting for the bus.

The NY man--yes.
We stopped by some Taiwanese shops on the way.

Who knew this was popular off the island?

I never imagined these would be sold here, too. No wonder so many people from Taiwan love it here in Vancouver--it really is like "Little Taiwan."

Mango cake, anyone?

Yum duck!!

But it is still Canada.
And over to the island.

Nicole and Fin.

Run Fin, run!

So excited.

Getting tired. I wish there were more photos, but there wasn't enough time. What a great trip!

Until next time.

Gluten Free Baking

2011-05-27T06:42:00.000+08:00

Make a wish.

It's dandelion time.

I love this yard. I told the owner, too and he was shocked.
Spring is really beautiful in the PNW.

The colors are gorgeous. If only there were more trees in Seattle I think it would be lovelier.

Small delicate flowers.

These should be in a Japanese garden.

These really do look like crepe paper.

Beautifully arranged on their branches.

These are behind our house in the wild patch.

Bleeding hearts.

These are like bamboo with hair.

I do wish spring lasted 6 months of the year.
And on to baking. Now that I am baking on my own, I have decided to do some new things. A little bit of experimental bread in the Gluten Free Variety.

This is so stinkin yummy that it lasted about 4 hours.

Just look at that crusty goodness.

And that soft tender inside. Wow.
Until next time.

May Flowers

2011-05-18T09:04:00.000+08:00

April showers bring May flowers.
And so they do.

From our place to Carlos' workplace there are many nice houses with nice lawns and nice flower gardens. I love to stop and take photos.

These are actually wild on the side of the street.

These are beautiful.

When the flowers are in bloom, Seattle and Vancouver are similar.

The trees are wonderful.

More wildflowers.

These are incredibly fragrant.

These are lovely when there is a whole group of them--they look more like butterflies.

Japanese Maple.
Enjoy!

Birthday Cupcakes

2011-05-10T09:44:00.010+08:00

Every time I walk past this house, I dream that it's mine, and that it is somewhere in France, and that it isn't on a major road. But you get the idea. It's pretty amazing.

I have been going to the beach for my afternoon walks lately.

And making stick sculptures.
We went back to Thai Curry Simple downtown. We got a new table.

I wish we were traveling.
This week at work, we had a special order for a Buckwheat Round. And this is what I made.

It's so pretty.

And perfect. I wanted to eat it myself.
We celebrated Ze'ev's second birthday!

He loves mini cupcakes.

Even a present doesn't deter him from the sweet frosting.

Rip it!

We got him books--as is our habit with children. (They usually get enough toys from others.)

A new car from Brad, with doors that open,

but Ze'ev doesn't care because he has the cupcake.

But he did enjoy reading the other book we got him about machines.
He has grown up a lot since we moved to Seattle. A year is a long time.
Happy Birthday Ze'ev!!

Ze'ev July 2010.

Emirald City Comicon

2011-03-22T05:59:00.000+08:00

This is the reason to go to Comicon.

I pity the fool that misses something like this.

Such attention to detail.

It was pretty small, and not quite as crowded as I thought it would be.

Green Lantern anyone?

There were lots of comics,

comic artists,

and fanboy/girls.

And lots of camera crews.

And a few bored dogs.

This guy is absolutley a superhero.

Check out the backpack.

YES!

A lot of artists were there signing and drawing for fans.

And there were crazy collectables.

Star Trek.

Who can live without a Captain America Lamp?

Or the creepy clown!
Yikes. Til next time.

February Rat City Roller

2011-02-20T05:52:00.000+08:00

Again with the morning morning sky. Gorgeous and cold.

So red and beautiful.

We found this gem at the grocery. Tai pei brand Chinese take out freezer boxes.
For our anniversary I had some super fun surprises planned. We started by going to a really nice Thai place downtown.

Thai iced coffee.

Pad Thai!

Panang Curry!
The next big surprise was The Rat City Roller Girls! Roller Derby Rock On!!

And so it begins!

Action packed.

I think some women left with black eyes.

There were maybe 12 bouts.

It was Awesome!

They were playing Rose City Roller Girls (Portland).

These ladies are waiting to go up next.

Non-stop action.

All in all it was a great night!

And then there was snow.

But only a bit.

Then back to work!

january Din Tai Feng

2011-01-15T05:48:00.000+08:00

The sun comes up at about 730am now and the skies usually look like this.

This is late in my day already.

When we make the Pecan Sticky buns we have to flip them and then

they look like this.
Carlos and I ventured for a little Taiwan. Missing Taiwan has been hard and until now, seemingly impossible to satisfy.
Until now, I say...

Yes, it is as it seems.

What do you think they are making?

Dumplings, you say?

Yes, indeed.

We finally made it over to Din Tai Feng!

It was so strange to see a group of Hispanics rolling out the dough.

Almost like Taiwan, but just not.

Even the inside was a bit more posh.

But the food was the same.

Oh yes, the same!

Yum Yum Bun!

The tea--not so much.

We also got a card from Jeremy. Yay mail!!

Christmas in Seattle

2010-12-31T05:34:00.000+08:00

Christmas comes in Seattle just like in Taiwan, and Vancouver, and Chicago, and Kentucky, and Texas, and all other places we have celebrated Christmas.
Here are our stockings.

Already bursting at the seams.

The tree.

Exploding.

Ze'ev loved the matching wooden cards we got him!! I loved them, too.

Carlos got me Scrabble! Fun fun!

Ornaments,

Ornaments,

Ornaments and me!

New ornaments,

And old! Merry Christmas!

December Baking

2010-12-11T05:34:00.000+08:00

Sorry for the long hiatus! I haven't been in the blogging mood for a while. So here begins a long lost slew of photos and other bits.
Here are some more baking photos and bits.
This is the giant oven in our kitchen,

Scones! YUM.

My work shoes and my co-worker Steph's shoes as well.

Mixing it up!

From slop to dough.

Tragedy strikes and we have no power for the small oven--yikes.

Gluten-free cupcakes.

Gingerbread girls for Christmas.

Loads and loads of cinnamon rolls--and my boss.

Gingerbread men.

Mini cinnamon rolls.

Porky pigs.

Porky pigs with eggs on their way into the oven.

Kolaches at the start.

Add a little fruit, and then some more.

Kolaches in the making--peach and raspberry--obviously my choice of flavor!

Stephanie with all those cinnamon rolls.

We use fresh yeast for most of our breads.

For the gluten free breads we put them in like batter breads and push them down.

The sink--at least two-thirds of it.

The convection oven.
Tis the season...

There were carriage rides in the Junction.

Cutie!!
And at home--

A cutie in my balaclava!

My new wheat allergy, wheat-free sandwich style. It's actually yummy!
Til next time.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-30T08:33:00.000+08:00

Thanksgiving was very nice and we all ate yummy food. I took some photos for my friends in Taiwan because they are always food-curious, so here you go.

The turkey.

Grace, Brad's friend gazing at the food.

Stuffing.

Apple, raspberry, caramel pie.

Green beans.

Cranberries and corn.

Candied yams.

The plate.
All in all it was a nice time. I visited my neighbor and we went to see our friends who live nearby and had a lovely time.
We went downtown on what turned out to be Black Friday because my shoes had fallen apart. Literally I was able to stick my hand between the sole and the shoe and come out the other side. So we went to REI and returned my shoes and I got another pair. And we experienced my first ever black Friday (I didn't even know what this was until last week).

And this photo sums it up perfectly.

The Great Snow of 2010

2010-11-27T03:39:00.000+08:00

We had snow days here in Seattle last week (just for Thanksgiving). It was cute because there wasn't actually a lot of snow, but Seattle isn't really equipped for it so the whole place just kind of shut down.
I took some photos, but not too many.

This is the beginning of the snow. (this is our back walkway)

We went for a walk in the "snow".

And we saw "The Grim".

Then at work (7 am) it really started to snow.

This is a bit later.
Inside it is nice and cozy.

Gluten free rolls.

My bike--and I didn't have a scraper ;).

On the way home at about 11.

Snowy weather on the way to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.

It's coming down now. And we are going in to see the movie. Getting home took 3 HOURS. Really it did, and Seattle knew the snow was coming and they still were unprepared. In Chicago, this 5 inches of snow destroying the city would be unheard of...
But I got a Thanksgiving day present...

or three. Awesome warriors to protect my sleep.
Until next time--stay warm.

Baker's Delight

2010-11-14T07:19:00.000+08:00

So this has been a great month for color changes. Whenever we walk to the library we always go through neighborhoods with loads of trees and the changes are a comin'.

This poor ginkgo has lost its leaves.

Fire on the grass.

Hangin' around waiting for the storm.
I have also been taking loads of photos in the bakery. All the food in these photos was made by me unless otherwise specified.

Here are the sticky buns I made by myself. Three and a half rings.

Pesto pinwheels are yummy.

Porky pigs--not a big fan, too much egg. But they are incredibly popular.

Plain cinnamon roll.

Raisin walnut cinnamon roll.

Strawberry kolache. These are made with a different fruit everyday.

Finished sticky buns.

Gluten free cupcakes. I didn't make these.

Rolls.

Cut dough ready to be shaped into something wonderful.

Stephanie shaping.

Cornbread. (I didn't make this and it isn't like southern cornbread)

Baked cinnamon rolls.
YUM.

First Thursday, Turkish Hot Dogs and Tours

2010-11-10T10:14:00.000+08:00

Well, it's that time of the month again. The first Thursday is the free day at the SAM (Seattle Art Museum). So we went to check it out. We did not see the Picasso exhibit, but we have been to the museum in France where the show comes from. So, we weren't too sad.

Deja vu?

Pretty incredible.

Glass works from ancient Rome.

Side one.

Side two.

This collection is tiny, but it is a nice taste.

I don't know why, but I was drawn to the simplicity of this painting, Leda and the Swan by John Covert. It is from 1915-1923, somewhere in the that time frame and it makes me think of simpler times somehow.

This incredible piece is a wooden carving. I must have gawked at this for 10 minutes. It is from 2008, by Dan Webb and it is called Shroud. Quite moving.
After the museum Carlos was hungry and we stopped here.

This guy is from Istanbul and he has been living here for about 2 years. I told him I loved Turkey and he said he did, too. Sigh.

Turkish delight. One piece .75 cents? Robbery!
And finally, at work, we had a couple of school groups come in for a tour of the bakery. They were too cute and one of the little boys asked if we were going to show them how to make bread. Adorable!!

Here is my boss showing them the mill room.

They really wanted to participate. I was really impressed to see that!
It was cool to have them.
Until next time.

Harvest Time!

2010-10-27T10:07:00.000+08:00

I got a job--and it is kind of a dream job for me. Exactly what I was looking for. I got a job as a baker! I am being trained and schooled in all things baking for the specific things we do at the bakery and it is SUPER COOL!
So, I have been taking some photos as time has permitted. I go in at 5:30 am, and while we are busy, there are times where you are waiting a couple of minutes for things to come out, so I can snap away.

This is Stephanie. She is adding flour to the dough.

Molasses in the white buckets and a lifetime supply of honey (for most of us) in the black barrel.

This is the big mixer and it is clearly labelled salt. No, that is not a pet name, it means, DON'T FORGET THE SALT!

This is the mill room where we actually grind our own wheat--every single day.

Oven trays and behind that there is some bread.

Gluten-free thumbprint cookies.

Honey whole wheat bread.

White flour.

The wheels for the ginormous mixing bowls.

This is the smaller mixer (not the smallest) that we use for cookies, muffins and all things that have a wet dough.

The sink with all the baking utensils around.
More photos to come!

Autumn is Here!

2010-10-15T11:54:00.000+08:00

On nice days, we try to walk through the park by our house. It is a nice park that overlooks the Sound and I hope we will continue to have scattered nice days.

This is our favorite stopping point along the walk.

This photo is for Alastair. Someone has your motorcycle, in leopard print. That is just so right.

Halloween is coming and Trick or Treaters are coming, too. Yay! (Hint: Look for the scary thing in the tree.)

These two look so sad, though.

Jason!

And these amazing balls of prickly coolness. Anyone know what these are?

They are magically yellow, orange and

red! But the colors here are nothing like real life.

Beautiful!
Ahh, autumn.

Joey's Train Set

2010-10-12T11:28:00.001+08:00

This is worth a post all by itself. My cousin has a train set he built from scratch. I took some photos of the scenes around the tracks.

KFC anyone?

We could head camping.

Superman outside of his telephone booth.

The love bus.

Of course, the farming.

The farmhouse is amazing.

Another love bus.

I love the miniature stuff and I hope he spends less on his motorcycle and continues to build his imaginary world. It's a lot more fun!

Don't Mess With My Old Kentucky Home?

2010-10-09T08:29:00.001+08:00

We were in Texas--Don't Mess With It and Kentucky--My Old Ky Home, in fact. We visited Carlos' folks and his mom took the time to show us some more cooking ideas...

Carlos' Mom is making tortejitas,

Everything is a handful of this, a touch of that.

These are the dough balls waiting to be rolled out.

These are the tortejitas waiting to be eaten.

Later, Maria is making migas.

Look at that goody goodness.

And another time, taquitos. YUM.
We were only there four days and then we had to get to Ky for another four days.

Over the coast.

Mom grilling out in the nice summery fall day,

My Aunt, Uncle, Mom and Calista at the table.

Joey looking devilish outside of his place.

Sexy? Maybe not.

Adorable? Absolutely.

Skeletons.

The ghosts are on the way.

Mom, Aunt Donna, Calista--still feeling neglected--and Carlos.

Halloween decorations.

Calista feeling neglected.

Making Stroganoff.

Ron showed me how to make his mom's peach cobbler.

No one had to show me how to eat it though...
We also went to Clifty Falls, which is where we used to go when I was a kid.

The colors of autumn.

Ron and Carlos.

I wonder if Beth and Paul are still together...

Clifty Falls chatting.

Me, Mom and Ron.

Yay leaves. If only we were there a few weeks later.

Mom and Carlos.

Mom said she used to swim in this creek every day in the summer when she was a little girl.

This barn is across the road from where my mom grew up.
And then, we had to go back to Seattle. Until next time...

Rainbows and Birthdays

2010-10-01T14:34:00.006+08:00

September was a busy month...
I had a few visitors for my birthday! Sarah came to visit with some friends and we got to spend the day with her.

We walked all over everywhere. And it was really great to see her after all these years.

It was just like old times, which was nice. Who knows, maybe we will end up visiting Boston.
And Carlos had a surprise for me.

Bringing a rainbow for my birthday, Carlos arranged a surprise visit from Nick and Sonya.

Yeah! The four of us together.

Nick, Sonya and Carlos at Alki Beach area.

It was lovely to see Nick and Sonya here in Seattle. It took us away for a while and it was so nice to see them. We miss you guys.
Then at the park, Carlos tried to make friends with my squirrel friend.

Always the skeptic.

What have you got there?

Doesn't it look like they've had an argument?

Ze'ev wanted to celebrate my birthday.

With a babushka looking balaclava.

Brad got me a cupcake--yum.

Carlos made cupcakes and a cake.

The tower cake.

Happy Birthday.

I even had nice skies for it.
And Brad's friend (and now our friend) Kate had a birthday a few days after mine and we went bowling.

West Seattle Bowl!

Aren't they pretty?

Go Kate!

Heavy concentration.

A competitive bunch.

Especially over the cupckes! Yum!!
Until next time.

September

2010-09-17T12:32:00.003+08:00

We went with Brad to see two races. The first one he wasn't in and the second he was.

And one race begins.

This is our friend Michael--he's doing pretty well for a guy who sat out a season because of a broken bone.

Here is Brad crossing the barrier.

This is Amara. She works with Brad.

Here is our friend Monica kicking ass!

This guy looks like he loves it--he's the only one not wearing the typical spandex.

Afterwards we went out with Brad and Ze'ev and they had a sugar overload.
We also received a gift from our teacher in the mail. It was a misty-eyed moment where we were missing Taiwan and people in Taiwan.

So we sat and had Chinese tea.

And played with our new toys.
Until next time...

Squirrels, Blackberries and Cars

2010-09-04T11:17:00.001+08:00

After practice we always see this squirrel. He literally chases us down and stands upright at our feet waiting for food, so I started bringing oats.

He is my new best friend. Who knew that squirrels loved oats.

His little fingers literally held onto my hand while he was eating out of my palm.

Cute.

His claws feel so tiny and tickly. It was pretty remarkable how brave he was.

Ze'ev steals Brad's toothbrush.

Ze'ev with a black bean beard.

Ze'ev at Molly Moon's after ice cream.

He loves Carlos' beard.

Hungry and waiting for...

black bean burgers.
The time is now--blackberries!! Yum Yum.

We pick them and eat them every morning on our way to practice and on our way home.

We picked 12 cups.

And I made jam.

Jam, jam, jam. I lost one jar--on the floor. :(

But I canned them properly so they are good for a year.

And with leftovers we had muesli and yogurt.
We also went to listen to a reading and talk by Terry Brooks.
I am not actually familiar with any of his writing, but there were a lot of people there.

He was reading from his next book. (not yet published, but on the way)

He is from West Seattle, apparently actually in our neighborhood.

He was pretty funny in answering people's questions and I was glad we went.

This is along Alki Beach. These two houses are sandwiched in between some of the ugliest buildings in Seattle. What a pity!!

We saw this group making a video.

We passed these on the way back from Alki Beach.

Ze'ev got some ice cream--he likes it, lots.

And on that note, there's always next time. See you then.

The Aquaponics System

2010-09-02T11:10:00.003+08:00

A friend that we recently made here in Seattle, Martha Hamilton, is starting a new business. It is in the early stages now, but I think it is a really amazing thing and I hope it takes off.
The system is called Aquaponics and if you know it, excellent, and if you don't, well, you should.
Here are some diagrams describing it--not done by me

This is the natural way of the world.

This shows the basic principle.

And this is the bare bones of it.
The system is built in a greenhouse and the source of water is a giant fish tank. These fish will grow up in the tank and will be used as food--either by the owner or sold by the owner. The water is pumped into the pvc piping system which has been made into plant "baskets".

This is Martha tending the vegetables and herbs growing in the greenhouse.

This is the box for deep-rooted plants.

Martha snipped some lettuce and basil off for us. (Which made the best salad to go with our basil and eggs huevos rancheros! YUM.

There are small plants, too.

And vertical pipes.

Yummy lettuce.

So the water is sucked out of the fish tank, through the pipes, saturates the soil and then flows back into the fish tank which provides a nutrient rich water for the fish (as though they are in a real pond). This in turn makes the produce rich in nutrients and the fish rich in nutrients. Perfect. And organic!

Fish. I believe these are tilapia, and goldfish. Apparently tilapia are hearty and tasty.

So she wants to set these up so that people can not only be self-sustaining but sell the excess at local markets or to local businesses and help communities become self-sustaining. And it seems to be the way we need to go in the near future.

Carlos caressing our basil. You can also see the greenhouse is small-only 10x12 and able to produce an incredible amount.

You can see the tiered system here. Like mountain farming, only, well, not.

We witnessed baby peppers just starting.

Hard work, maybe. Worth it-definitely!! Good luck to Martha and we so look forward to seeing this widespread!

Jeremy's Visit to Seattle

2010-08-06T03:29:00.023+08:00

Every good visit starts with a pie made from scratch. And so it was with Jeremy's visit.

While it certainly wouldn't have won any prizes for appearance,

not even for taste,

but no one had trouble eating it.

Click on this to see a larger photo of our campsite.
We went camping the day after Jeremy and Sabina arrived.

It was awesome, and here are some of the photos from that trip...

We went to Mt Baker National Park and I am so glad we did.

Here are Jeremy and Sabina enjoying the golden sunshine.

At the visitor's center we saw a super cool trike.

We did a hike the first day we were there. It was called the Skyline Divide and it was really beautiful.

Lots of beautiful old trees.

Carlos enjoying the silence.

I did panoramas to show how tall the trees are that were surrounding us.

And, of course, the wildflowers.

I think this is where Carlos told Sabina for the last time that we really were getting close to the top.

She didn't believe him.

Flowers were starting to blossom.

Getting closer to the top we found out why.

These were uncurling towards the sun.

Jeremy and Sabina heading up further still.

And I was finding every flower I could.

The dew was thick here and the fog was incredible. As we climbed higher, it lessened with the growing sun.

This is why the flowers were just opening. We knew that some of the places around had snow, but we weren't expecting it here. And here it is.

Click on this panorama to see the top.

Jeremy and Carlos.

Mount Baker in the background.

It was literally rolling hills at the top. (Sabina and Carlos)

Click on this panorama for a different perspective of the top.

Sabina taking it all in.

Jeremy.

I am not sure, but I think these are Heather. Not the same as we saw in Scotland so many years ago, but beautiful nonetheless.

This is why poetry was created.

Seriously.

Carlos enjoying.

Growing right out of the snow.

Click to see how tall we are.

This is the river next to our campsite.

It did rain one day for a while, so we made use of our time.

By finding a pub.

And having a pint.

We were lucky to only have a bit of rain.

We went to a waterfall on one of our days.

It was really nice, but a short hike.

Clickety click.

We went to check out the Silver Fir campsite and this was their river.
We also went to see Picture Lake.

Carlos, Sabina and Jeremy.

Wow.

What a spectacle. Tee hee hee.

Almost ready to come out.

Back at the visitor's center (a good place to wash and use the loo).

Click.

We had a serious dinner this night--breakfast.

Complete with baked beans and bread.

Our washing hole.

It was foggy at our washing hole. Click for a better view.

This was our last day.

We had attempted the drive to Artist's Point when it was raining, but hail came down and the road seemed a lot scarier and darker in the hailstorm.

But today it was perfect.

This is what was on the side of the road. Melting, but slowly.

Carlos, the thinker. ;)

Jeremy, loving the view. What is not to love?

Wow.

What is left of the snow.

Click on this to see the parking lot and the toilets at the right.

We went back to Picture Lake. It was a sunnier day on our way out.

Beauty.

We were sad to leave, but we had an excellent time! Thanks so much for making the trip Jeremy!!

Visit to Vancouver and the Island

2010-07-27T03:29:00.032+08:00

Carlos and I went to Vancouver and Vancouver Island to see some friends. Of course we were also supposed to take down my show at the Naam and they asked me to keep it up a while longer. So, then, it was just a trip. We were supposed to spend time with Nick and Sonya, but they had mixed up the dates and so we only got to have lunch with them at the clinic.
We were able to spend some time with Koot and Julia. That was excellent. It was really great to see them.
This is the inside of the Greyhound station in Seattle.

If I didn't know better, I would have feared for my life.
And away we went.

A quick stop at the Duty Free. I don't know why people shop here--they are always more expensive which adds up to being more than with duty.

Customs. Piece of cake.

The Greyhound station in Vancouver.

Quite a different ticket counter, no?

Airy.

And just outside the station, Vancouver.

A bit of art for your walk.
And we made it to Koot and Julia's. I wish I had taken better photos. Next time.

Julia made the most delicious meal.

This is the 6 am view from their apartment.

We were lucky enough to spend the morning and early afternoon with Julia. It was great to hang out.
So, then we ferried over to Vancouver Island.
We went camping with Nicole and Aeron.

Even though this is the last camping photo, I wanted to put it first. Look how much fun we had. ;)

The river that cuts through is really beautiful.

This is Nicole and Aeron's trailer.

The kitchenette.

Fin feeling frustrated.

And a little left out of the chatting fun. But I love the leaves in his beard, don't you?

Potato salad. Nicole is not joking around when she makes potato salad. Y-U-M.

Carlos and I went on a walk and saw a snake.

Click on the panorama of the lake. Pretty.

We were supposed to eat all four of these potatoes for breakfast, but Aeron was a bit overzealous and somehow they burned. So I think we ended up with the equivalent of one and a half. Tee hee.

Aeron and Carlos with Aeron's super cool grill.

Aeron teaching Fin how to swim.

Fin all wet.

Sunset.
After camping we took a day of rest (:) and then went to Tofino and Ucluelet. On the drive out, we took short breaks at various places.

This is a lake in the mountains on the way. Click to see a larger image.

This was actually at a gas station. Really it was.
We also stopped at Cathedral Trail with some old-old trees.

300-800 years old. Not bad.

Look at the size of that hand! :)

Click on the largest tree to see how large it is.

And compare it to Carlos and Nicole.

The gnarled wood.

Look at the windswept landscape.

Click on the lighthouse to see the whole picture.

Growing in the pebbles.

Nicole and Aeron doing the lighthouse walk in Ucluelet.

It was a lovely walk right along the shore.

A beautiful rocky shore.

With nice plants growing all around.

We also went to Long Beach near Tofino.

Click on this photo to see the 15 inch version.

I made beach art.

And it was covered in no time.

Carlos getting his feet wet. The water was pretty cool.

I am getting my feet wet--you'll have to ask Carlos for that photo.

Doesn't this look like a whale ribcage somehow?

Snacks!!

Arbutus near Nicole's house.

I got a meat pie. It was splendid.

This Crow and Gate pub.

I love this place.

Cheryl was busy but we were able to see her for about 20 minutes before we left.
Back to Greyhound in Seattle.

Click to see full-scale.

SAM (Seattle Art Museum) and SAAM (...Asian Art...)

2010-07-06T06:27:00.011+08:00

There was an exhibit of woodblock prints at the Seattle Asian Art Museum that we were lucky enough to catch. The collection was huge and I have to say, it was very different seeing it in person than in a book. Even here the photos do not do justice to the vibrant colors seen in person.
There is one thing I took photos of that was not from the woodblock prints. It is this incredibly delicate and perfect paper bag.

Yuken Teruya from 2002

Wow.
And the woodblock prints. What an incredible collection.

Hiroshige's Famous Views of the Sixty Odd Provinces.

Katsushika Hokusai's Great Wave.

They also had some reliefs from India that were also nice, but only a few.

The museum itself is in the Capital Hill area.

Then we went on to the Seattle Art Museum. There was a pretty lame exhibit where artist's did work about Curt Cobain, and another lame exhibit of Andy Warhol's polaroid work, (but his film work was interesting).
But the permanent collection was pretty cool.

Mann und Maus

By Katharina Fritsch

I love this.

Dog tags, nice.

Click on this to see the panorama larger.

These were actually made by the head of fashion design at the Art Institute of Chicago.

And they are beautiful.

Really incredible.

Though I don't know about wearing them.

The Native collection is really incredible. They have modern as well as older and I was really impressed with all of it.

Masks. I really like masks.

I hope the upcoming exhibit is nicer than the Cobain/Warhol show. Overall it was a great trip.

Seattle Begins

2010-06-30T15:29:00.000+08:00

So, here we are in Seattle. We have moved in and are starting to get set up. We met Brad and Jess' son Ze'ev.

Isn't he cute.

Brad and Ze'ev. Ze'ev usually has this smile on his face.

It is great watching him explore his surroundings and learn new things.

At IKEA.

Brad stuck in the sofa.

Ze'ev.

He has cooler shoes than I do.

Chubby little fingers.

We did arrive in time to enjoy the flowers.

The natural environment is similar to Vancouver--actually almost the same.

People love their gardens.

Click on this and check out the flag. It is not what you think.

Nice.

I love the secret packages.

It looks like paper.

Daisies are everywhere right now and these are as big as my hand.
We also went to a music festival the weekend we arrived in Seattle.

This is Ryan Abeo aka "Victor Shade".

And his DJ.

It was a great show.

We were really lucky to catch it. Ryan does some amazing work and his lyrics are poetry. He also performs as Common Market. Check it out, you won't be sorry.

Vancouver's Own Night Market

2010-06-21T15:08:00.016+08:00

We were only a short time from leaving Vancouver and we had heard about the Night Market in Richmond and were feeling a bit lonely for Taiwanese food and the like, so we made our way out there.
We were all glad we did. We asked Koot and Julia to come with and it was just like being back in Taiwan. No, seriously. Only there was quite a bit of Cantonese being spoken as well.

Sticky rice, anyone?

How about steamed buns?

That is Koot's head towering above the crowd in the white hat. And what a crowd it is!

Crab balls.

One of my favorites.

Not one of my favorites.

They are like Chinese waffle balls.

Squid is always popular at the Night Markets and this was no exception, they were passing out numbers and people were lined up stretching past several booths.

Even the goods are the same as in Taiwan.

If any of my Chinese friends are reading this and you have a recipe for onion cakes--I would be ever so grateful to have a copy.

We can always find noodles and stewed things. My mom actually loved these type of noodles when she came to Taiwan.

This guy is so famous he is in the paper.

And he has a head microphone. Really? Necessary?

Kebabs are also a staple.

Stewed meat balls. I don't know how they do it, but these meat balls are from our town in Taiwan.

People here are very friendly and when I spoke Chinese to them, they were even more so!

Yes, this is what it looks like.

But who would go all the way to the Night Market and buy these?

Instant noodles, surprisingly (knowing how much people in Taiwan LOVE them) were not a popular item when we were at the Night Market.

Candied strawberries and corn dogs, however, were all the rage.

Corn is the safe option for the non-Chinese Canadians.

And in case you are bored in those long lines, how about some live concert videos to keep you entertained?

Kebabs are really the most popular or maybe the squid--close.

A few Japanese stalls.

And the crowd grows.

This is the "Real Restaurant".

We had these at the Hong Kong airport once and they are super delicious!!

This woman was nice.

Crab balls.

This is where Cheryl is working. She is in there, slaving away. But there isn't much of a line. I hope they will be doing better.

The Naam Show Is Finally Up

2010-06-16T11:16:00.000+08:00

Here are some photos from the show that started on June 8th.
Some of the paintings are old (from Taiwan) and some are a bit old (from the trip) and some are from Vancouver. (5 are from the weekend before the show)

We hung the show with customers in the restaurant (because they are open 24 hours). It was a bit busy, but not too much.
The space is fairly big, so I ended up with 17 different frames.

I wonder what the wooden ring is for.

These are on the left side of the giant wooden circle.

Triptych 1. These are from the last week before we left Taiwan.

This is one I painted in Vancouver.

These are on the right side.

These three are from the trip.

This one I did the weekend before the show went up (actually finishing it Monday night). I had others finished but decided to take a bit of a different route the weekend before nixing 5 large paintings.

Here is another of the last minute paintings.

A detail. I have been working on a new "series" of paintings called The Lonely Pairs. They are all conjoined in some way.

These two are both from Taiwan. The top one is in a series of masked creatures.

This is a last minute painting.

This is called "The Eyes Have It."

"Finger Beast."This is another last minute painting.

This one has seen quite an evolution. "There is no such thing as monsters"

Here is a detail.

"In Exile."

Here is the last wall I could photograph because the rest were occupied.

"Three Horses."
I will go again and take more photos later!
Until then, get out and enjoy the sunshine.

June

2010-06-15T11:25:00.002+08:00

While preparing for the art show, we had to go to IKEA to get frames. On the way, I spotted these posters in the train station. I was so impressed.

Consume with pleasure until you are infected and rotting inside.

Invest in your lonely future and suffer if it's sold out.

Conform now and freely accept a perpetually chronic disease.

Acquire a brand new personality and join the miserables.

We have been packing and organizing and visiting people while we are getting ready to leave. Sigh, who wants to leave? Not us.

We had a picnic with Sonya and Nick. It was a great time.
We also met with Koot and Julia, (and coming attraction Alexander)

Here is Julia, Alexander, and her chai latte.

Here are Koot, Julia and Carlos on the ferry across the inlet. It was less than a minute but walking would have been at least 30 minutes.

The Aquarium

2010-05-16T10:49:00.001+08:00

Carlos and I made our way to the Vancouver Aquarium and loved it. We spent the whole day there walking around, checking out beluga shows, dolphin shows and 4D movies. It was so much fun.

The jellyfish exhibit was incredible.

The color was magical.

If we do reincarnate, I would like to be a jellyfish.

So graceful.

Beautiful.

And then moving on. Starfish.

Star fish mania.

The spiky tubed starfish. Superb.

These look like clams with peacock tails.

Haven't I painted these?

Wow.

I want to run my fingers through this.

Lovely.

I want there to be land trees like this.

And what is an aquarium without frogs?

He just kept opening and closing his mouth.

Camouflaged frogs.

The last frog I promise.

The curliest starfish of them all.
Enjoy yourself until next time.

April in Kitsilano

2010-04-28T14:04:00.001+08:00

Khatsalano/Kitsilano in April is a flower fest. And a birthday fest!

Here is Carlos' birthday cake. I tried to make a castle and the only way I knew how was to make cake in the middle and make cookie stone walls. It was yummy, too.
And the flower fest. No need for words here.

A brief break from the flower fest to check out some other things.

Nice bottle.

Nice geese.

Fun geese. But wait.

Dog approaching. Angry geese. Check out the tongue.
Back to the flowerfest.

Pretty flowers.

Daisies.

They look like hearts.

These look like honey suckles.

Sigh. April is awesome.

Spring-A-Ling-Ling

2010-03-26T09:13:00.022+08:00

Spring has sprung here in Vancouver and I have photos to prove it.

Click this photo to enlarge Vancouver in your very own living room.
We got together with Lorrie, Marty and Amabel. What a cutie!

Lorrie and Amabel.

Amabel getting ready for the hockey game.
We were able to see the Chinese New Year Parade. It was nice to see. Loads of lion dancing and dragon dancing.

Do you think I could get away with these pants on a daily basis?

Some were really cool.

So there are loads of different schools in Vancouver.

Tiger dance?

And all the schools have different pants.

Not everyone was happy about the Olympics.

Carlos on the bridge.
And now time for the flowers.

Beautiful flowers.

Spring flowers.

The streets are lined with trees and flowers.

Hairy pods.

Flowers with hats.

And then it snowed for about 30 minutes.
When we went back to Vancouver Island, we hiked up to a waterfall with Nicole, Aeron and Mike, Nicole's brother.

Here are Nicole and Carlos at the waterfall.
We also went to Victoria. What a nice city.

By the water.

In Chinatown.

In Smurfland. We all should be, but only Father Abraham has the honor.
A sneak peak at the upcoming show!

And finally--this is not a joke. Check it out.

Until next time... Keep smiling.

Oh Canada Vancouver

2010-03-20T01:01:00.001+08:00

Here are some more photos from Vancouver--only this time, they are from the city. I will start with our new apartment-:).

Our lovely kitchen. Check out the oven. I am loven the oven.

The place came with a red accent wall. Our landlord was going to paint it white and we asked him to leave it as is.

Our foyer, if you can call it that.

Our live in closet. Seriously, huge.

Our bedroom, before bed, and our bikes.

Merry Christmas coffee cups. Lucky for us things go on sale after the holidays. Cheap mugs.

On one of our walks around the city, we found this amazing house. I could so easily live here.

And totem poles.

And good friends.

We are lucky they are here.

These amazing marble plates can be found in various places in the city.

Yeah, having Chinese food with another good friend.

There are more photos to come. This is merely the beginning.

The Onion is No Bullshit!

2010-03-15T13:20:00.000+08:00

This is a brilliant interpretation of our daily news.

Breaking News: Some Bullshit Happening Somewhere

My New Online Etsy Art Shop!!

2010-03-07T04:56:00.003+08:00

I have been working overtime getting this up and running. My new printer is here and the paper is perfect. I have only added 9 prints, but there are lots more to come. Here are the nine up so far. The prints are printed using archival paper that has the feel and appearance of watercolor paper. The paper combined with the inks are to last more than 200 years.

You can check out my shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/paulawanda

It is also linked on the left side here.

I have lots more images that I will add here and you can check them out.

yay!

Oh Canada Vancouver Island

2010-03-05T14:15:00.002+08:00

It has been a while since I have written anything here on my blog. Firstly, Blogger has changed the layout (does anyone else hate the new Blogger?) and it is nearly impossible to use. And secondly, I didn't think anyone was actually reading it, until I got my email from Nati. So, Nati, this is for you!

We have been in Vancouver for about 3 months and we really love it. We had an amazing holiday season here. The weather has been fabulous, and I don't say that lightly. The days have mostly been sunny and lovely with rain here and there and snow once (while we were outside practicing kungfu in the sunshine, snow actually fell).

We have been over to Vancouver Island twice and both times were so nice. These photos are from the island.

This is Nicole's new house. It is fantastic.

We went hiking a few times. It had snowed and we enjoyed it.

This is frost. Seriously.

We could live in this tree. (if we hadn't found our apartment we would have)

Carlos and I made a snowman.

I love the trees.

It was starting to thaw and the green begins to stand out.

Hi Nicole!

Aeron, Fin and Nicole.

More frost.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

The tree in Nicole and Aeron's yard.

The frost that looks like hair.

Fin on the frozen lake.

Fin in his new jacket.

The bath.

We also went ice skating.

Sweet skates.

Yay!

Woo!

I did not plant this. It was just here.

Arbutus tree. Beautiful skin.

Fin going for a ride.

Turkey for CHRISTMAS!!!

Heather, Carlos, Mike, Nicole and Aeron.

Christmas crackers.

We all made snowflakes--a personal favorite of mine!

Yay!

Rock carvings at the beach.

Hamburg

2009-12-07T10:01:00.013+08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Busy busy.

At the station.

Ahh the beauty of trees in window displays.

Hamburg Hauptbahnhopf.
A little bowling for our final night.

Henning.

Kirsten and Henning.

The shoes.

Kirsten and Bjorn.
Bowling followed by a fair.

These guys love Mister Mais.

And you can see why.

Go on Alladin.

Sweets are too sweet.

Another, creepier Mr. Mais.

The fun never stops.

Until you get to the police station.

Near the Reeperbahn area.

Stuffed potatoes-YUM.

Who loves Asterix? I do, I do.

Was this guy in CHIPS or what?

Christmas Market in Hamburg.

It was rainy and crowded, but you know...

What are you going to do? You have to go!

Sausage.

Hamburg by night.

Goodies.

More and more goodies.

Pork anyone?

Is that Santa?

Dinner by Henning.

Steaming tasty goodness.

Can you imagine the smell?

Steffi is peeling away.

Chocolate Santas anyone?

The neighborhood around their house.

These can be found all over Hamburg. They are placed on siddewalks outside different buildings. They have names of Jewish people who had been taken from those residences. It is quite moving.

Gooey cinnamon rolls.

Carlos and I not shopping.

Carlos' choice for breakfast.

The longest continuous market in Europe is right here in Hamburg.
And we say goodbye to our travels for a while. Next time--Vancouver!!

Leaving Prague

2009-12-05T09:46:00.000+08:00

Prague Christmas Market!

Cinnamon and sugar rolls. YUM.

The cured meat shop.

Green cheese.

Huge cheese.

Roasted potatoes.

Spits and sausage.

Just a lamppost.

Puppets are one of the many things you can get in Prague.

All types from all stories. (even Harry Potter)

I like the Babushka.

The tree in the square.

The rolls.

Lots to eat at the market.

OK too much to eat. :)

Traditional sweet rolls made here.

Adela came to Prague and we went out.

Here is Adina. I heart Adina.

Jan in Adina's shop Parazit.

Jan and Carlos having a rematch after all these years.

Carlos in front of the lovely city of Prague.

Prague sans Carlos.

On the walk in the park to the old town area.

Perfect light.

Public art at the library.

Just incredibly cool.

The Prague Cathedral.

Hidden sculptures all around.

Art Nouveau stained glass.

Just across the bridge from the castle.

We were lucky with our last days of beautiful light.

Delicious dinner prepared by Adela.

Visiting some Konciny neighbors.

Cute kids.

Jan, Carlos and Robert.

Mushrooms aplenty.

Is it the moon?

Taking a stroll.

Alice.

Another game.

Prague

2009-11-30T08:14:00.000+08:00

The thing about Prague is that it is an incredibly beautiful city with architectural beauty around every corner.

This is just before the Christmas Market came to town.

One of Prague's many bridges.

Getting ready for the holidays.

Just around the corner from the Prague castle.

Rabbit ears.

Even drab is beautiful here.

Jan at the pub.

Is that water in a Gambrinus glass? You can't imagine the glares. :)

Jan contemplating the posters on the walls.

These posters.

One of our favorite Prague restaurants.

Vysehrad Cemetary where many famous Czechs are buried from long ago and not so long ago (Dvorak and Mucha to name two) .

Lucky chestnuts.

The incredible sculptures that used to be made to remember people by.

Why don't we do this anymore?

Vysehrad Park.

The outside of the St. Peter and St. Paul Church.

Seems fairly normal, no?

Step inside and there is an artistic masterpiece. The inside of the St. Peter and St. Paul Church is one of the most amazing spaces I have seen.

Art Nouveau style.

Incredible murals.

Even the ceilings.

And the columns.

Gorgeous.

It makes you want to believe in something, doesn't it?