Saturday, January 27, 2007

Monkey Island; WEIRD, man...



Monkeying around

This morning, our friend and neighbor, Clara, called and asked if we wanted to go picnic with her and her son Pace (Andy's best friend) at Monkey Island. How can you say no to somewhere as exotic sounding as that?

As you can see in the first picture, Monkey Island isn't much more than a pimple on the edge of a beach (and there aren't any monkeys outside of the little human kind). However, it was a gorgeous day, and we all had great fun. The water was carribean blue and clear when you were in, but it was FRIGID. Certainly worth going out in though. This was the first time I've been in the ocean in a long time.
















So weird





I'm trying to catch up on some of my favorite blogs after a long absence from regular internet. I found this weirdness meme on Lady Linoleum's blog, and lets just say that it spoke to me... But 6 weird things about me? Impossible... Let me think though...

THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the 6 weird things about you. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says you are tagged in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

1) I hold my breath when I walk past people I don't like or get a bad vibe from. After we've past each other, I exhale a few puffs of air before breathing normally again. If I'm trapped in an elevator or other small space with them, I breathe as shallowly as possible...

2) I have loud, animated conversations with imaginary people (sometimes superheroes) when driving in the car by myself. Really. Once, I got busted by someone I knew who was stopped at a red light in front of me, and I tried to slyly slip my cellphone up on my shoulder to act like I was having a conversation with a real person...

3) I could get lost for hours (if given the chance) watching bugs or other small creatures. Been that way since a very young age.

4) I like the way skunks smell, but only if passing the scent (we had a dog that got sprayed a couple of times a few years back - that was no fun...)

5) I still try to move things with my mind and send telepathic messages. One day...

6) I believe just about anything is some sort of sign. This has gotten me into messes before, but then again, those messes usually became valuable learning experiences, so who is to say that I wasn't meant to experience them...

Not sure whether or not I'll tag six people (do I even know six people?...), but feel free to join in!

Friday, January 26, 2007

Solve the mystery...

Those who know us, know we like to collect (aka hoard) a variety of stuff. We both like art pottery, although pieces we like are usually ridiculously expensive. Recently, I acquired the following three pieces that I am very fond of. If anyone has any idea of maker or other information, LET ME KNOW!!! (...please)



I won this one on an internet auction very reasonably. It is unmarked, and although you can't tell in the picture, it is a light, pastel blue-greenish color with faint rose-colored glaze mixed in in places. It's around 13" tall.



I found these in an antique shop in Nelson while on holiday. I found the blue one and knew immediately that I would buy it. The shop owner dug out the other one from across the store, saying that he purchased them at the same time. He made me an offer I couldn't refuse, so here we are. They are approx. 9.5" tall, and again, unmarked. However, after too much time surfing the net, I found a similar vase that was made by Fulper. Most Fulper pottery is marked, but the shape and glaze styles do fit... Any ideas?
I know this isn't a report on vacation yet, but it is kind of related - the pair was purchased then and the other was waiting on our return... :)

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

We're baaack

We just returned from an awesome vacation. Still exhausted, so will just share a couple of pics from early in the holiday. More details to come...

Fantail falls near Haast
Another waterfall near Haast
Mason's first visit to the West coast
A princess wouldn't want to get sand in her shoes, would she?...

Andy in desperate search for the perfect shell before we leave

View at the end of a rainforest stroll

Fox Glacier...didn't get a picture of Franz Josef glacier...
I'll try to give a fuller scoop soon. All I can say right now is that the kids did great and we all had a blast!!!!