A bit too much excitement!

I decided I needed to take a road trip so made the Easter weekend an extra long weekend and drove out to Vancouver. All in all a wonderful weekend. I got to visit my son, Alex, and his girlfriend, Ally and see their place and had to say I was pleasantly surprised with it! We then wandered about Granville Island and I decided that was definitely one of my fun things - and must do things - to do while there.

Had a great visit with my cousin Brenda and her husband Jack as well. We spent a lot of time reminiscing about our time growing up and sharing all the things that have happened in between. Funny how the years melt away so easily and you can again fall into those fun times like a day has not passed. Got to do that again soon as well - but think that somehow I volunteered to help make perogies next time!

Also got to spend time with my aunty Eva. Made me grateful to have such a giving and fun person in my life. She joined us on our Granville Island jaunt and we spent a few evenings watching hockey - which has become her favourite winter pastime - and I explained curling as we watched a game as well. But the most fun was working alongside her to prepare our Easter dinner. But I have to say, I can't hold a candle to her apple pies! (I loved this picture - Eva said she was holding up the wrong fingers...!)

Collected a whole bunch of Eva's recipes while I was there. You'll hear more about that and the new venture I'll be working on in the next few weeks. Needless to say, the "Ideaman" has lived up to his name! Stay tuned!

The entire weekend would have been perfect - except for the drive home. Hit snow and got stranded and had to get towed out, but... since no one was hurt - even my beloved blue pony... all's well. I'm just grateful that I wasn't driving at the time!

With all this, had to share one recipe I found.

Berry Tartlets

1 cup ground shortbread cookies
3 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon egg white
Press into tart tins. Bake 8-10 minutes at 375. When cool but still warm, turn over and tap gently to remove. Let cool.

8 oz mascarpone cheese or cream cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoon confectioners sugar
lemon zest
Mix and chill. Place in cooled tart shell. Top with fresh berries. Makes 4 - 4 inch or 6 - 3 inch tarts.

That sounded so good... and then I thought what about ladyfingers which had been soaked in espresso... would taste like tiramasu... oh... yum...

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.” Douglas Adams

Joined the 21st Century?

After a lot of nagging (mostly from my kids) I have, as they put it, finally joined the 21st century and got myself on Facebook. I have to admit it was kind of fun, but wow can you ever burn up the time doing that! But hey, maybe got them off my back for a while!

I have come to find out that is what happens with technology. As we seek to master it, we spend more and more time and in the end I really wonder who has become the master. I started out doing web design for fun, so I could design my own webpage. But as I wanted to do more, found out that I had to learn how to code in html because the templates just wouldn't cut it. Then had to take courses to learn how to do that better. Then more courses and more time and... well, I think you get the picture. Somehow this little obsession has started a business. Who'd have thunk it? (the picture is me at age 4 trying to master another bit of technology - reading!)

Perhaps it's just my obsessive nature - the desire to understand every little bit of whatever it is I happen to be working on. (Many have called me anal retentive, but that's their problem!) Perhaps that is why I chose to work in science? I tend to think so. It wasn't an accident, that's for sure. Think it even rubbed off on my kids...

So, as I seek to master (well at least not totally fall on my Face...book) I'm having a lot of fun. Who knows, maybe I'll even get after that cookbook I've been meaning to write.... With that, here's another favourite recipe from my childhood.

Washington Pudding

1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups hot water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Combine in a heavy saucepan with a tight cover.

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 cup raisins
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
Mix and make a batter. Drop by spoonfuls into hot brown sugar sauce. Bake at 325 for 35 minutes. Serve hot. Especially good with cream or condensed milk as topping.

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning." Albert Einstein

Irene

Remembering Charles

Attended the funeral of my cousin Charles a little while ago. While it is sad to lose someone so young (he was only 51, same age as my own brother) and so suddenly, never-the-less, while I listened to what other people said about him and the things I remembered from the times we spent and the conversations we had, all I could think was, "He really lived."

Charles was a scholar, an outdoorsman, an environmentalist, a wonderful photographer, a world traveler, a poet, a beloved son and brother and uncle... and... so much more. Really, isn't that how we all would like to be known? As someone who took life and lived every minute of it. I know I would. Our world is richer for his having been in it and we are richer for having known him.

Veechnaya Pamyat - Eternal Memories, Charles. Thanks for enriching my life.