Monday, November 29, 2010

All I Have Time for is the Scavenger Hunts!

I warned you: once I began work, I would not be able to dedicate much time to blogging. So, for now, I will entertain you with my interpretations for this week's scavenger hunt. More to come soon, I hope!

My camera has been returned, but I haven't had a chance to charge it. Next week will be a fresh batch of pics, I promise.

1. Black and White
This photo was taken in Lyon, France. 

2. I Ate This
I made beetroot soup last week. It turned our poo purple for days. Delicious, but be warned...it may make you think you are bleeding from your bum!

3. Historic
I found this book in the library of Leeds Castle. It was published in 1791. It is such a wonder to hold something that is 219 years old. 

 4. Off-Centre
Another photo taken in Lyon, France.

5. The End
An end to an amazing holiday and an amazing sunset over Bucerias Bay, Mexico.


Monday, November 22, 2010

Scavenger Hunt: November 21

A difficult list this week! It was a great challenge...especially as I have a new job and have less time to muck around taking photos and playing with Photoshop. Here is the best I can do with limited time and no SLR...The good news is that my camera might be returned to me by Friday!

1. The View Above
Edmonton is now a frozen tundra. It turned violent last week and I have enjoyed every minute of it. The coldest day was today: minus 23 with a windchill of 32. Yeah! This photo was taken on Chad's and my river valley walk on Saturday afternoon. The river is now frozen. We managed to catch the last rays of sunlight over the valley. Spectacular views - more photos to come soon!

2. Something Hot
It's Movember! How could I not think that Chad's Mo is the hottest thing to hit E-town this year? I love this pic as there are small ice crystals forming on the small mo-hairs. Support Chad and his Movember fund-raising effort!

3. Something Cold
A) I don't know why anyone would lock their bike in the public area over winter and B) why hasn't this bike been stolen yet?

4. Electronic
I was lucky enough to receive this pink sewing machine from my friend, Kari. I love it and it has inspired me to start making my own clothes.

5. Sparkle
A blurry picture of a Christmas ornament. Not very original...Sorry!




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Saturday, November 13, 2010

Scavenger Hunt: November 14

No Camera for 2nd week!
I don't have my Nikon s600 or my D90...I feel naked. Here is my best shot at a scavenger hunt armed without a camera.

1. self-portrait
An attempt at a pan shot taken in Tokyo, July, 2o1o. This photo creeps me out. I look a little like Tracey Morgan.

2. handmade 
Attempt at using Ashley Sisks/Paper Heart Camera 'in the fairy garden' technique. This photo looks like a Christmas bauble.
 

3.orange
I took this many years ago after the Seattle AIDS walk.

4. candle 
Our candle arrangement in our apartment.

5. traffic sign 
This is a cool installation in a park in Vancouver. We would run by this park many times a week. The other side of the stop signs are painted bright pink. Not sure why they are there like this, but it is cool nonetheless. 
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Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Mutton Dressed Up As Lamb

Last Christmas, we had a little family photo shoot. My aim was to finally get a photo of my pop smiling...a harder task than you think! I told some dirty jokes while snapping away. It helped that he'd had a few home brew beers prior to the shoot. After wards, we began mucking around with Photoshop and we decided to try to take 30 years off of them. Not that they need it; they are in their 70's and are looking pretty sharp for a couple of old ducks, but nevertheless, it was quite amusing to play around with the clone stamp; it is one of the easiest tools to use and produces instant results - who needs a dentist or Oil of Olay when you have Photoshop!

The SOOC shot: Not too bad at all and he is smiling!


Post Production: Wrinkles smoothed, teeth lightened!
It's going to be good to see them in 3 weeks!
 



Touch Up Tuesday's at the Paper Mama

Shutter Love Tuesday: BROWN

I Heart <3 Brown


Brown is my favorite colour, so I couldn't resist this week's Shutter Love Tuesday. Only, I have so many photos in sepia/featuring the colour brown that I couldn't choose just one picture. I'm not in it to win, so I will share all my favourites. Again, my camera is still out of action, so I am pulling from the archives (all photos are from 2010).
#1: False Pretense Story True
Very cool installation at Kits beach, Vancouver

 #2: Oh Myles
Myles the french bulldog. He looks sweet and innocent, but packs a punch.

#3: Tunnel of Love
Jenn and Ali getting down in a tunnel. I love this picture because they look like young, innocent children (they're not).


#4: Movember
Posted the spirit of Movember. Chad is growing a mo to support Prostate Cancer research. His moustache will probably end up looking like this by the end of November.
Donate here to support his 'stache!




ShutterLoveTuesdays

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Sunday, November 07, 2010

Everything Cheese and Fig-licious Meals


A new cheese shop has opened in Edmonton. It was recommended to me by a friend in Vancouver and the grand opening was on Saturday. Located in Terwilliger, it is a little far away from our place...but to be honest, it only takes 10 - 15 minutes to get anywhere in Edmonton. Gone are the day of insane Vancouver traffic jams! 

The shop is tastefully designed with bright cherry red walls. Remember to look up when you enter; the ceiling is pressed metal - very cool! They offer a wide number of cheesey items, like knives, boards etc. There is also a lovely selection of mustards, jams, quice pastes, oils, vinegars and crackers to suit any cheese meal. Chad was in dairy heaven...he didn't talk for the first 10 minutes because of all the samplings he was devouring. 

We eventually made it to the cheese cabinet. It was heartily stocked and we gravitated to the King Island blue cheese from Australia. The tasting was ample, the cheese was soft, velvety-melt-in-your-mouth, but as we are going there soon, we thought we would be a little more adventurous. We asked for recommendations and here's what we bought:

Our choices...

Barely Buzzed: Utah
It is hand rubbed with a Turkish grind of the Beehive blend from Colorado Legacy Coffee Co. French Superior Lavender buds are also ground into the coffee, so the cheese has a unique lavender after taste. This was our favourite find of the day and it reminded us of Oguz, our dancing Turkish friend.

Le 1608: Laiterie Charlevois, QC
Made with raw Canadienne milk. Canadienne is the indigenous pedigree cow of Canada first bred by colonists in 1608. It is a lovely Oka-style cheese with a washed rind.

Queso Valedon: Spain Castilla Leon
A mix of goat and cows milk creates a smooth yet crumbly blue cheese.Wrapped in Sycamore leaves, this was my personal favourite. It is spicy, but not too strong. A sip of wine complements the taste beautifully.

Mimolette Extra-Vielle: France
Extra old, smoky and has a kick to it. It is like eating a curmudgeonly old man. Absolutely delicious when paired with a slice of Sopressata salami.

After the cheese shop, we hit up the Italian Centre for some cured meats. They had trays of figs on sale for $3.49, so I picked one up. We love the Italian Centre; the coffee is strong, the cakes are to die for and I always feel like the Godfather will walk in the door at any moment. Imagine the whole of Commercial Street in Vancouver within 3000 sq. ft. (minus the homeless) and you have The Italian Centre. It's the real deal.

Dinner:
I had more figs than I could poke a stick at and figured that if I didn't start cooking with them immediately, they would rot quickly. So, I got creative! I doused them in balsamic and roasted them for 20 minutes. I chopped up pecans and heated them in a pan with grape seed oil and honey. After I added the figs, I drizzled more balsamic and honey and let it simmer and reduce. I then peppered and salted chicken and pan seared it in the left-over fig juice on the baking tray. Meanwhile, I cut up strips of haloumi cheese and asparagus and cooked the two together in the cooked chicken juice. I roasted the butternut squash in the oven for 40 minutes. Below is the result. We began our meal with an appetizer of the yummy cheeses we purchased from Everything Cheese and sipped a simple glass of Rosemount Shiraz. Delicioso!

our appetizer of delectable cheeses...please excuse the football on the TV

fig and honey balsamic pecan reduction

chicken. self-explanatory, i guess.

haloumi and asparagus

a nice sunday meal


FIGS!


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is it too early to be dreaming of spring?

Photo Challenge: The little details (that I wish) were around me.
I found this photo from our annual Granville Island sakura (cherry blossom) picnic. The leaves of the sakura are so baby-bum pink and delicate. On this particular day, it was crisp, cool and the sky was a teal blue. This is my first winter in Edmonton and it is becoming icy and cold outside...but I am cheating it by going home to Australia for 6 weeks. It is Spring in Oz right now, so I dedicate this picture to my homeland.


Photography love...

Saturday, November 06, 2010

Scavenger Hunt

November 7th Entry

These photos were taken recently on my D90 and s600. Still waiting for my D90 to be returned to me...sorry for breaking the rules a little!

1. BOO
This week, I had to send my camera away to be fixed, so my "boo" equals "boo hoo": I cried the day it was sent away!


2. BLACK
'Black' was difficult, but I found this photo and thought my shadow would suffice. This was taken on Kitsilano Beach, Vancouver. I like the contrasting textures of the image. This shot is also very Canadian to me: only in Canada are there logs on the beach.

3. Texture
This was also taken in Vancouver while sitting on the patio of Elysian coffee shop with Jenn and Tamir drinking Intelligentsia coffee after a morning of Dim Sum at Kirin restaurant. It was a super warm day, and the roof over looking the patio was striking against the bright blue sky. The sky was this colour: a rare sight in October in Vancouver.
3. Wet
There is nothing better than a lovely glass of Barossa Valley Shiraz with a nice cut of AAA Alberta steak. We wet our whistle on this bottle of red last weekend to celebrate our 9th anniversary. Bethany is one of our favourite wineries in Adelaide. The best part is it is a mere 20 minutes away from where my family lives. We bought this bottle back with us to Canada in 2004. We are looking forward to returning to Bethany at Christmas time.
5. Language
Japan is an amazing country, and is a country that has good tasting cigarettes. I guess that is what this advertisement is trying to convey. We tried to re-create the picture with Mark as the buff male model. He does a good job! 





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