Tricia's Musings

Random Thoughts about life in general, living in the big city of Toronto



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Archives for 2007

So many phone calls!

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I can’t remember how long it’s been since we’ve received so many calls from family members in one day. The day isn’t even over yet! Two of my brothers have called, Chris’ cousin’s husband, his aunt and my cousin have all called.

Luckily no one’s sick or anything. They were all just calling either to say hello or update us with some news.

My brother that was visiting from Vancouver a few weeks ago, and has been traveling all over the world since that time called to say hi and to let us know that they booked an Orlando vacation rental for October. He wanted to know if we’d like to join them while they are there. So nice. Maybe we will.

My other brother that lives just outside of Toronto called to let me know that my nephew who just graduated from the Ontario College of Art is having an art show this weekend. He’s an excellent photographer and I’m definitely going to see his work because he normally doesn’t show his work to anyone! Not even his parents! Apparently he’s so good that he won two or three awards upon graduation, and his photos are being published in book with a very select few top well known photographers. He’s gotta be good!

My cousin and Chris’ cousin both just want to get together with us since it’s been a while and Chris’ aunt was calling because it’s Chris’ birthday on Sunday.

I’ll bet that we hear from Chris’ parents or his brother from Chicago this evening too since his brother is supposed to be coming North today or sometime this weekend. I’ve forgotten the dates since they’ve changed two or three times already.

I might have to leave the phone unplugged to get any work done around here!





A beautiful bloom

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I didn’t get around to getting the photos I took yesterday off my new camera. I still have to upload the software onto the computer and figure out if I have to convert raw mode photos to jpg or if the camera will do it on it’s own when I transfer the photos.

However, I did promise that I’d post a photo from my garden and I thought you might enjoy this beautiful clematis flower. I grow this clematis on a bamboo arch at the entrance to my backyard garden. The clematis is quite large and quickly grew to cover the whole arch by the end of May.

I also grow a rose called Breath of Life on this trellis and it’s blooms are a pale peach. Picture this flower blooming at the same time as pale peach roses … lovely isn’t it?

DSC02134

Oh, did I tell you that this is large clematis? Each bloom is about five inches wide! They’re huge!

BTW if anyone loves this clematis it’s name is – clematis hybrid Seiboldiana. Also, if you enjoy this one you’ll totally fall in love with the velvet like clematis that I have a photo of on my photoblog!

A weekend get away

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I got the prettiest postcard from a friend who’s on holiday this month. She sent me a postcard with a photo of the Massachusetts bed and breakfast that she’s staying at with her boyfriend.

I envy her. Chris and I haven’t had a holiday alone for ages! We always seem to end up staying with family – in someones house or in hotels or motels depending on where we are. We need to get away for a nice little break.

Earlier I was talking about a more exotic holiday and I said that we’d likely stay in Canada for the summer. Well, we have guests for a good part of the summer so we’ll have to stay put, but we might be able to get away for a weekend.

There’s lots of nice bed and breakfasts here in in the Niagara Falls region. We could go to wineries, do a little wine tasting and then have dinner in a nice restaurant. I think that would be nice.

Do you ever get away with your spouse just for the weekend for a quick break from every day life? I think this is something that Chris and I should try to do at least once a year if not twice a year.

That old TV show – Due South

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I was watching an old TV show yesterday morning called Due South. It’s that TV show that was on 10 or 15 years ago about a Canadian Mountie working with a Chicago detective. Do you remember it?

I never watch the show when it was on, but it comes on a channel that I watch late at night and sometimes early in the morning so I’ve found myself watching it lately.

One of the strange things that I noticed in one of the scenes on the episode that I watched yesterday was that they had a Money Mart in the background. I thought Money Marts were only in Canada? Money Marts are the same thing as payday loan shops.

Was Due South filmed in Canada? I know a lot of shows are filmed in Canada but for some reason I always thought that one was filmed in the US. If I’m right about the Money Marts though, then it was filmed here in Canada.

Anyone know?

Turning a favorite photo into a Canvas Print

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If you’ve been reading my site for a while you know that I love photography. Actually if you read my site this week you probably already know that I just purchased a new SLR digital camera. So I’m really excited about photos and photography this week.

Then I discover this great site called Canvas on Demand. This site allows you to have a favorite photo printed on canvas. You can have your photo manipulated to enhance the color and or features of the photo, or you can have a light brush stroke style applied to your photo to make it look more like a painting. You can also have black and white photos colorized, or converted to sepia tones to give them an aged effect. Canvas on Demand will also restore damaged photos for an extra fee.

The site is very easy to use. You can upload a digital photo that you’ve taken with your digital camera, scanned using your scanner or if your photo is a print you can mail it to them. The easiest and fastest way to have a favorite photo printed on canvas is to upload it directly onto the Canvas on demand site and follow the simple step by step directions that you’ll be given in order to complete the process.

Within three to four days of placing your order your photo enlargement and or enhanced photo will be printed on a high quality canvas material and shipped to you.

I’m going to do this. I just have to decide exactly which photo I’ll get made into a 16 x 20 canvas print. I’m excited! Within a couple of weeks I’ll have one of my own photos on canvas!

At this moment I’m thinking of getting a beautiful macro photo of a monarch butterfly on a lilac hibiscus flower made into a canvas print. I took the photo last summer after chasing the butterfly around my yard. It was a hard won photo and it turned out beautifully. The bright colors of the monarch look spectacular against the soft lilac color of the rose of Sharon hibiscus flower. Yes, I’m fairly certain that that’s the photo I’ll use.

I’ll be sure to take a photo of my canvas print when I get it! Maybe you’ll want to do this too?

Update: Yes I’m going to use the monarch and rose of Sharon photo that I mentioned. I’ve just placed my order! Here’s what the photo looks like:

Monarch and Rose of Sharon

What do you think? I think it will be beautiful on a canvas!

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