Autumn Adventures 2014 : Apple Picking

Last week, Dan and I spent four days exploring the western end of our province with Violet before he returned to work from his parental leave. Can we take a moment to acknowledge how awesome it is that either parent can take paid time off of work to spend with their newly expanded families? 

We spent time in our provincial capital of Halifax, visiting with our awesome friends and sharing oodles of laughs, just what my heart needed. Heidi and Kenny were our hosts for three nights, and little Tate is V's newest favourite man. We also met Kelsie and Adam for a delicious brunch (breakfast bean burrito, what?!) on the last morning of our mini vacation. 

One of my favourite experiences? Apple picking in Wolfville at Noggins Farm. We had spent another day exploring Lunenburg, Mahone Bay and Chester, and we were eager to visit Wolfville for its farmers' market. Heidi mentioned that their favourite apple picking site was nearby, and after a little GPS mishap, which took us to the middle of nowhere, we arrived at Noggins. Dan and I pushed a snoozing V in her stroller through the wicked corn maze (the arial view is in the shape of an apple) and snacked on freshly popped kettle corn. We hopped on the back of a wagon and ventured into the middle of the apple orchard, where we picked a huge bag of apples. Noggins has over 15 varieties, but we concentrated on McIntosh, Gala and Cortland apples. The Honeycrisps will be ready in a few weeks time. (Darn!)

Dan and I have decided to make apple picking an annual event for our little family. Spending hours together outdoors in the fresh air, creating memories, was so special. Next year, V will be snagging apples of her own off the trees!

Happy Thursday!

A Cape Breton Summer

Between a brand-new baby girl, Dan starting a new job, my health issues, and an effort to save our funds, Dan and I had a low-key, local summer so far. Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves, we tried to keep our spirits up with little trips to fun spots in our area. We didn't get to the beach as often as we had planned (as of today, we've only been there twice) but plan to spend most of the evenings there this week.

Since Dan started a new job, we're on the hunt for a new home, too. The areas that we're looking in don't have many current options in our price range, but that doesn't stop us from looking. We have faith that the right place will come along at the right time. Before Dan took the new position, we had been searching for a home near his old job, but nothing worked out. We even had an offer in on what we thought was the perfect place, but it fell through. Now, in hindsight, we're thankful that it didn't work out. We were upset at the time, but since this new job opportunity came up, it's a wonderful thing that we're not stuck with a newly purchased home in the wrong community.

While we've been busy house hunting and baby-wrangling, we didn't plant a garden this year. I have a window box full of flowers and foliage, a container with three healthy basil plants, and a container with nasturtiums. That little bit of green goodness on my step is satisfying my need for growing things. I'm at home with Violet this year, so I have the opportunity to support our local producers and farmers' markets for our fresh veggies. My favourite grocery store is great to support Atlantic producers, so I'm able to support our local economy even at the "big box" stores.

Today's shaping up to be a good one. Violet had a great little nap, and I managed to have a uninterrupted shower, too. Dan's at work, so Violet and I are heading outside for a walk. Our dog, Sage, is eager to get out in the sunshine, and so are we!

How are you spending your summer? Do share!

Happy Tuesday!

Doors of Quebec City : Part 3

I know that I don't usually (if ever!) post on Saturdays, but I couldn't resist waiting until the weekend was over. Today is the final instalment of my series on the doors of Old Quebec City. You can check out Part 1 and Part 2 to see the other photos that I shared earlier in the week. Dan and I spent a week in March of 2013 visiting Quebec City and strolling through the streets. I captured photos of almost 50 doors, which I hope to put together in a photo book.

I love the thought of having the photos that are special or meaningful to me in print. Too often I leave my photos on the camera, computer, or hard-drive - what good are they doing there? We have one shelf on our bookshelf in the living room that is dedicated to photo albums and photo books, large and small, both handmade and purchased, and it's so much fun to take the time to browse through special memories. These door photos are meaningful to me, not just because of the beauty of the architecture, but the memories that the photos evoke. I want to remember the special trip that Dan and I took, and how relaxing it was to simply explore a new city and enjoy each other's company, uninterrupted, for a solid week. The fact that the memories will be supported by cheery looking doors doesn't hurt, either :)

Without further adieu, here's Part 3 of the series:

The only door photo that I took in landscape orientation - I couldn't resist the bicycle in the shot!

Have a lovely weekend!

Doors of Quebec City : Part 2

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I am sharing photos of the beautiful doors that Dan and I discovered last March while visiting Quebec City. The lovely architecture of the Old City was incredible - so many awesome photo opportunities. It was difficult to not be a complete tourist and take photographs of everything. Most of the time, I had our camera in hand, and Dan had our cell phone camera - we took so many photos over the week. We spent hours walking up and down the cobblestone streets, strolling in and out of shops and galleries - lots of people watching, too. Who can resist a bit of that? :)

Here's "Part 2" of the doors of Quebec City. Enjoy!

Do you have any favourite doors? Do share!

Happy Friday!

Doors of Quebec City : Part 1

In 2013, Dan and I spent our March break (I had a week off from classes, and he took vacation at the same time) in Quebec City. We travelled by Via Rail train from Moncton and spent the week in Quebec. We stayed at a little boutique hotel in Old Quebec City right across the lawn from Chateau Frontenac! If you are every traveling to the city, I highly recommend Auberge Place D'Armes as the place to stay - it was an awesome experience and great value. 

While in Quebec City, I was determined to take as many photos as possible with my then brand new Nikon dSLR to get lots of practice in. I wanted to take a series of photographs that I could put in a photo book. The photo book hasn't happened yet - I should get on that! We walked the city for the entire week, and on our travels, I discovered that Old Quebec City is home to some of the prettiest doors that I have ever seen. Some doors were colourful, some traditional, some original, but most were unique in some way. Over the next three days, I'll share the photos that I took with you. Hope you enjoy the architecture of Quebec City!

Happy Thursday!