OMG – WTF !!!

WTF !!

Yes.

Exactly.

What.  The.  Fuc ### k. 

My blog. My podium…

I’m talking about the nasty virus that has descended upon us;  Covid-19

So right now the entire world is pretty much in shut down mode.

Some countries in complete lock down mode.

Other countries in state of emergencies.

Total quarantine.

Social isolation.

Social distancing.

Movement reduction.

Be smart and use your head’ mode.

I can understand all of this.

In fact I can appreciate these strict measures.

What I’m having a hard time accepting though are people’s understanding of these terms.

Apparently common sense is not so common.

Rather it would seem that common sense is what tells us the earth is flat!

People’s actions and words have me frightened.

Here is a sample of some recent statements I have heard.

WARNING:  Light travels faster than sound.  That is why people appear bright until they speak!

Someone told me, “Wait outside 3 hours before going inside someone’s home after travelling on public transit and everyone should be fine.”

A 90 year old person stated, “Their generation was too kind and could not say ‘No’, even to random strangers wanting to enter their home presently.” 

“Flying while remaining in your own country should not put you at risk”.

“We had guests for dinner while in self-isolation.”

Upon returning from an international flight, “After picking up groceries and running errands we will go in to self-isolation.”

All 7.7 billion of us are in this together.

It’s team work people.  Team work!

So while we are waiting for the virus curve to flatten out let’s think smart!

Let’s sto(m)p this virus!! 

(Image via Modmissy)

Stomp out the spread of Covid-19

MOTHER NATURE – AWARD-WINNING DESIGNER

Mother Nature has it in spades when it comes to design.

She is unequivocally the best ‘exterior Designer’ bar none!

And that fact was no more evidenced than on my recent holiday through the Rockies and Western Canada.

Colour, Composition, and Detail; Mother Nature has created the most beautiful landscape.

Mile after mile I witnessed breathtaking views.

Although I’ve seen it before, Moraine Lake, Alberta is still an “OMG!” moment.  The colour of the lake is awe-inspiring.   Moraine Lake

Benjamin Moore may have possibly captured the colour in its paint Dream I Can Fly  Benjamin Moore Dream I Can Fly

Nothing makes a statement like a black-and-white colour palette adding sophistication and drama to a natural setting.

And this rock’s black-and-white Yin-Yang pattern I found on the Sunshine Coast, British Columbia demonstrated that philosophy even further.  Sunshine Coast, granite rock

Sometimes it was the many shades of grey that Mother Nature revealed that made me stop and reflect.  Vancouver, CanadaVancouver, British Columbia

When it comes to composition, Mother Nature is a true Master.

Layers and layers of sweeping views.  Whistler Mountain, British Columbia

Brandywine Falls, British Columbia is Mother Nature’s remarkable ability to create yet another powerful statement.

From a height of 70-metres (230 ft.) water crashes down into a cavern that was formed from lava flows occurring from nearly 34,000 years ago.

It was all the water dropping perfectly into a tiny little pool below that had me mesmerized.

A stunning feat indeed.  Brandywine Falls, British Columbia

Of course Mother Nature thinks of all the details by providing comfortable seating for one to rest as they descend Whistler Mountain, British Columbia.  Whistler Mountain, British Columbia

Outstanding design abilities and creativity.

Mother Nature, please…..take a bow!

All Images via MODMISSY

White After Labour Day

The unofficial rule states that summer ended on Labour Day and wearing white           post-LD is gauche.

The white rule is so ingrained in my brain (my Mother’s decree) that I do make a conscious effort to refrain from donning white.

I have written many times about white; white accessories, white art, white food.

I even wrote about the decision of choosing the ‘right white’ when it came to paint colours.  I stated that “sometimes climbing a mountain is easier than choosing a paint colour” and of course I included a photo of myself and hubby climbing Cascade Mountain in Banff, Alberta, Canada.         Mt Cascade 25 years ago

Fast forward 25 years, hubby and I were once again climbing Cascade Mountain.  Mount Cascade.

(Different jacket, same colour.  And surprise, surprise…..it’s orange!)

But this time we climbed that mountain with our son.  Mount Cascade

This past August we took a road trip with our son through Alberta and British Columbia, Canada and returned to those wonderful mountains.  SuperFly Zipline

We hiked and biked, biked and hiked, then biked and hiked some more!  If there was a mountain we climbed it.  If there was a pathway we bike it.  Mount Cascade

Lake Louise

Whistler Mountain.

Lighthouse Park, Vancouver

Whistler Mountain

And oh look….glacier white.

A truly breathtaking holiday.  More to come!

All images via MODMISSY

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn

Remember when I recently said a sad welcome to summer?

Weird I know.

But my thinking was the longer I have to wait for summer the longer summer will feel.

My case in point, “where did summer go?”

Summer in all its glory with so many wonderful moments…..

Watching the sunrise,

Sunrise

Being one with nature,    Box Turtle

Spotting in the back of the ski boat,    Slalom Skiing

Admiring the scenery,  Bon Echo Park

Relaxing in the backyard,  Backyard Summer

Enjoying long bike rides,  Toronto Skyline

All these wonderful moments are but distant memories now.

But oh well……autumn does have glorious colour like the view out my kitchen window.

 

All images via MODMISSY

 

 

 

Summer Sabbatical

I apologize.

It’s been awhile since I last posted.

I had a good summer, spending as much time as possible at the cottage and as much time with my son before he headed off to university.

But now both my son and the summer have departed.  Sad.

Although I should not forget that September is officially still part of the summer season and my son will probably be home soon enough with a huge bag of laundry in tow.

Thought I would share some photos of what keeps me so spellbound at my cottage.

Early morning sunrise with the lake reflecting like glass.  Sunrise

Moon rising over the same setting – outstanding colour.  Rising Moon

An inky-blue sky with the moon reflecting over the water.  Rising Moon

All images via Modmissy

Oh Look…..it’s Me!

I went for a bike ride yesterday along Toronto’s waterfront bike trail.

Absolutely perfect weather and no crowds.

The bike trail was all mine to enjoy; very peaceful.  I pedaled along with nary a thought in my head.

Until I was quickly brought back down to earth when I saw a vision of myself posted on a billboard.

Freaky!!

Rollerblading

The likeness was uncanny even to me!                          Condo Billboard.

I’ve written previously about billboards, (see here) specifically billboards advertising new home developments with images of happy, smiling people living charmed lives but I never imagined I would be one of those people.

But there I was (or at least someone who looked a lot like me) rolling along the bike path, part of a new, vibrant, sustainable neighbourhood pictured in a huge billboard for all to see.  I had become that common face, the ‘this could be you’ person, living a life full of opportunities.  Charmed.

The billboard was part of the hoarding surrounding the upcoming Bayside Development.  The condos are being built directly on Toronto’s inner harbour of Lake Ontario transforming an underutilized, industrial area into an active and diverse mixed-use community and thriving waterfront destination.  With great views of the lake and a prime location to downtown Toronto who wouldn’t live a charmed life here.   Bayside Development

Toronto Inner Harbour

Fabulous, but am I ready for condo life yet!?

All images via Modmissy

Welcome Back Commander Hadfield

Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield came back down to Earth last week.

Commander Hadfield, NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn and Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko made the return journey packed like sardines into the Soyuz capsule and safely landed in Kazakhstan after their 5 month stay aboard the ISS (International Space Station).   Soyuz capsule

To be honest I was nervous about the landing.  A little apprehensive.  After all Cmdr. Hadfield has been an important part of my life for the last 5 months.  I have been following him via Twitter as he shared his daily experiences and his many, many photos taken aboard the ISS.

With 144 days on the ISS, 2336 orbits around Earth and covering almost 62 million miles there was a lot of great photo ops!

The view from Cmdr. Hadfield’s camera lens was ‘out of this world’.  Here are some of my favourites.

Our blue Moon.  The Moon

The immensely powerful sun.  The Sun

The ISS glowing blue in the dawn over the Florida peninsula.  

Dr. Seuss-inspired swirls in the Black Sea.  The Black Sea

A big storm swirling off the Irish coast.  The Irish Coast

Cape Town, South Africa and the South Atlantic Ocean at the edge of the world!  Maybe the world really is flat!!??Cape Town, South Africa

The U.S./Mexican border – this photo really spells out same land, different politics!  U.S. and Mexico border

Ancient Saharan stone, burnished by eternal sand and wind.  Sahara

The Earth’s atmosphere is no thicker than the varnish on a globe. The Earth's Atmosphere

Thank you Cmdr. Hadfield for making the Earth appear like such a beautiful and wondrous place.

All images via Commander Chris Hadfield

 

 

 

St Lucia

Recently returned from a fabulous Caribbean holiday in beautiful St. Lucia – a holiday of sunshine and colour!

St Lucia

 

I hung out for a week with my teenage son and had a lot of fun.

Modmissy in St LuciaThe resort we stayed at had a very relaxed vibe and I attribute that a lot to the style of the lodgings.  All the accommodations were cabana-style with lofted ceilings, white painted bead board on the interior and a view to the garden and/or ocean.  The cabanas were colourfully painted on the outside; turquoise, orange, yellow, green and blue.

St Lucia

St Lucia is a very photographic island with beautiful topography.  One of the best ways to see the island is aboard the water so we took a ride aboard a catamaran and sailed up and down the coastline.

St Lucia catamaran

Is there anything more beautiful than a white sail against a blue sky?  Truly the reason why we try to capture the feeling of ‘nautical’ in design.

Setting sail!

The majestic twin Peaks ‘The Pitons’ are amazing and not only is the local beer named in their honour but the St Lucia flag is designed with them in mind. Pitons St Lucia

During the day if we weren’t bobbing in one of the 7 pools the resort had to offer we were lounging on the beach.  St Lucia beach

The affinity pool with the swim-up bar was the place to be at cocktail hour!  Infinity Pool

And nothing like water and palm trees to make for the most outstanding sunsets!  St Lucia sunset

 

All images via Modmissy