Camera Adventure

A couple of nights ago we headed out on a photo field trip, something we've been doing a lot more of lately since we acquired a new camera. There's this area in Richmond that I love to drive through, Ali usually drives through it whenever we can.  It's called Finn Slough and its a old fishing village from way back in the day.  It's rural and super cute. For weeks I've been saying we should go for a trip there and we finally did.

It was a bit of a let down, to be honest. I was expecting a trail or a community on the other side of the very rickty bridge. But just a short trail to to private homes.  So I spent some time capturing a few shots of Ali in one of my favourite parts of this city!

 This bridge was the scariest thing ever!

It's been really great having him fall in love with photography. It's always been something I've loved and I love that I get to share it with him and also support him in it.  As a child I was always encouraged to do creative things and be creative (we even had a craft cupboard at home) so it feels wonderful to be able to give that to someone else.  Even though the original plan turned out to be a little on the lame side it was fun all the same and we even managed to avoid mosquitos.

Summer Love 02: Barbecue

Being that it rains almost the whole year any time it doesn't means it's a good time to barbecue. I like barbecue for many reasons: Ali is usually in charge of cooking (yay!), its mess free (less dishes to wash) and you can pretty much throw anything on there and it comes out tasting delicious.

 

For us, there's three parts to a perfect barbecue.

One. Marinade. Lately I've been into making marinades at home.  I'm not one for recipes - my current method is throw ingredients (srirachi chili, garlic, ginger, oil and then a mix of things - soy sauce, ketchup, honey, mustard, paprika, cumin, lime juice) into the hand blender and blend until its smooth. So far so good, it's always been better than something from a bottle.  

Two. Mojitos. There isn't enough I can say about them.  Fresh squeezed lime. Fresh mint picked from the yard...A whole Summer Love post will be dedicated to this delicious beverage.  

Three. Corn on the cob.  Left in the husk and put on the grill just like that.  Sometimes we put them on the grill after there done for a quick minute, sometimes we just peel and eat.  I like mine with a bit of salty butter and Ali opts for plain hot corn. 

Backyard barbecues are becoming one of my most favourite parts of summer.  In part because of all the delicious food but also the magic of making food.  I love seeing it all come together and sit out beautifully on the table in front of you. Oh summer is magical.  

Summer Love

Summer in the city is probably my most favourite as a season and there are so many reasons why.  I've commited myself to documenting them, mainly in iphone photos because its always with me and I'm going to share them until summer is done!

First up is the garden.  Now I love to garden and play with plants any time really, but summer is when they actually grow and I feel like I can better see the results of all the work. 

This summer we are growing all sorts of things.  There were some ranunculus that sadly didn't fair too well, poppies which are growing like wildfire and a mix of other flowers.  We also decided to take a chance with some produce. We've got a big tub of strawberries and three tomato plants.  I'm hoping that by the end of summer there will be a bit of fruit for all the love and care put into these guys! 

my rock garden

pretty purple verbena

Thankfully summer has actually started (fingers crossed) and the garden will keep growing. I'm excited for my poppies to bloom and to see some flowers in a few other pots. I'm hoping to have a group of photos that show the growth of summer when its all said and done.

I am so glad summer is here.