Monica and I want to thank all Nellyglass patrons for your devoted support. Despite the weirdness of 2020, you have helped make this a wonderful year for us! And to everyone, may all the joy and blessings in the new year be yours. Merry Christmas!
Year: 2020
Monica continues to hone her culinary skills and whet my appetite. 😃
Categories
Fixed Cravings
Thank you, Sobeys!
Categories
Fall Feeding Frenzy
Monica has been busy harvesting her garden this month and is inspired in the kitchen with all the fresh produce. Here is an example of her work:
Categories
The Splendor
Monica and I took a drive on a late September Sunday. It is tricky driving with one’s head swiveling around to see the beautiful leaves. And then there were church windows to gaze at in wonder. Perhaps I exhaled a long loving sigh!
Categories
Friday Night Pizza
Categories
Win With Hospice
Monica and I are pleased to support the 2020 fundraising campaign for Bobby’s Hospice with the donation of a 12″ clear textured roundel for raffle.
Bobby’s Hospice (non-profit) is Atlantic Canada’s first community palliative care facility and has been a revered landmark on the West Side since 2010. They also opperate The Hospice Shoppe, an upscale second-hand boutique that sells donated clothing and household items with 100% of the proceeds funding care at Bobby’s Hospice. In previous years, Saint Johners looked forward with great anticipation to the annual Bobby’s Hospice BBQ fundraiser. However, since COVID, Bobby’s Hospice has refocused their fundraising efforts to launch this brilliant online lottery. Many wonderful items and experience packages are available for silent auction, raffle tickets, or 50/50 draws.
Please visit www.winwithhospice.ca for details on how to purchase tickets to win this Nellyglass original piece of art as well as the many other prizes.
Thank you and good luck to you.
Categories
Many Junes Ago
The end of June (29th – 30th) is very special to us; Monica’s birthday and our anniversary are back to back. This year, we got away to the east coast of NB to revisit some favorite sites and relive some favorite memories of our past.
It all started with a birthday bash as Monica marked her 62nd 🎂. We enjoyed a wonderful family lunch at La Sagouine restaurant in Bouctouche.
We chose this on recommendations from friends. Supposedly, people go nuts for the pecan pie but I went for the deep fried New York cheesecake! 
Two of Monica’s sisters (Shirl and Marlene) and brother Frank along with full spousal accompaniment, joined us for great food, much merriment and birthday hugs for both Monica and Pauline.
Then we town-hopped our way north along the coast through Rexton and Richibucto just poking along the back roads. 
A quick stop in to see the spectacular windows at Saint Louis de Gonzague church and then a quick visit to the Richibucto River Winery to stock up
,
was all just 10 minutes away from our destination at L’Ancrage B’nB in Saint Louis de Kent.
Still full from lunch, we shared a quiet drizzly Monday evening celebrating Monica’s birthday over wine and chips and enjoying the view from our room.
The morning of the 30th was cloudy and breezy. We had a monumental breakfast at the inn.
Then, what better way to celebrate 36 years of marriage than returning to the place of our first “get away” as new parents 34 years ago. 
Ryan was only 4 months old when we left him with my parents over night and sped off to Kouchibouquac National Park for a late honeymoon camping adventure. Like before, we walked for miles on Kelly’s Beach. This time, there was no one else in sight. It was glorious!
An afernoon spin to Pointe Sapin to see the lighthouse and then to Richibucto to get lobster rolls takeout
at La Riva Grille saw us back at our room before 4 o’clock. The rest of the day was spent relaxing in utter East Coast contentment. 
We exchanged anniversary cards, enjoyed the lobster and finished with an evening stroll along the river to find some driftwood. The best peace and quiet ever!
Final morning, July 1st. Happy Canada Day! 🇨🇦 
After another fantastic breakfast, we said goodbye to Liane and Kores, our Dutch hosts at L’Ancrage BnB. Their hospitality gets 5 stars and we highly recommend this inn.
The drive home was easy with two little side stops at Cap Lumiere to see the lighthouse, 
and at Cote de Sainte Ann’s beach to look for sea glass. A lovely calm fog ushered us along the shore. The serenity was exquisite. 
Alas, no glass, but we really enjoyed the stroll. An hour and a half later, we were welcomed home by the peonies and delphiniums.
Happy Birthday and Anniversary, Monica. Exploring new places with you is perhaps my favorite thing to do.
Categories
Savouring the Solitude
Self-isolation means we have to keep ourselves busy to stay sane. Monica is busy exploring old and new recipes and I think her culinary skills have reached a new level. I’m kept busy eating it all with no regrets, no waste and no sharing… just us, self-contented… gaining weight slowly… steadily. Happy Easter 😀
Categories
COVID-19 Coping Strategy
We are self-isolating… along with home-made baked beans, German sausage, perogies, home-made mustard pickles and beets and home-made brown bread with cider to wash it down. We are convinced good food will keep the virus at bay. Fingers are crossed. So far, so good. So very good!
Categories
Welcome Spring!
Today marks the official start of spring and also the start of the zodiac calendar. I just hung my latest project for first viewing in the morning light. I am delighted. Here is “Zodiac”.
It’s storming (sort of) here in Saint John on March 17th. Monica and I are holed up in the house, with the fireplace on, watching the snow and reading the news as the world reels from COVID-19.
Saint Patrick, so it is said, drove all the snakes out of Ireland. Wish he could do the same with this virus! Here’s to your good health, my friends.
Perhaps some glass will lift the spirits. Here are six lovely ones I saw in the past year.
Categories
March 2020…in like a…?
… disgruntled lamb! These two photos were taken 11 mnutes apart. The drama was spectacular and entertaining.
Categories
A Covered Bridge Story
Emotionally charged, technically challenging and artistically fulfilling, this latest project is installed in the home of our good fiend, Cindy West of Cornhill, NB.
For your viewing pleasure, may I present, A Covered Bridge Story.
Categories
Western Nova Scotia 2020
February 14th (Friday) – 17th (Monday) was a long weekend with Monday being Family Day in New Brunswick and Heritage Day in Nova Scotia. The weather had been miserable here lately and Monica and I wished we could take a cruise south for a little vacation. So, we did!… south across the Bay of Fundy to Digby, NS. Then on to Yarmouth where Monica booked the 2-night Valentine’s Day special at the Rodd Grand Hotel. Finally on to Halifax for 1 night at the Barrington Hotel and returned home on Monday.
It was a wonderful 3 nights and 4 days jam-packed with local sight-seeing and great food. There were lighthouses, antique stores, architecture, a church or 2 (maybe 10), art galleries, coastal landscapes, old friends and, did I mention great food? We had a blast! Just what the doctor ordered 😁
For my own future recall, I took lots of photos and created a Google Photos album highlighting the trip over the 4 days. Note- there are more than 150 photos in the 2020 Western NS Road Trip album but it includes only brief samples of the various churches we visited. If interested, you can see all my photos of these attractions in World Windows.
Categories
A gallery and hop to dinner
Monica and I visited our son, Ryan, in Fredericton on a mild Saturday in January. Our family destination was the Beaverbrook Art Gallery to enjoy the excellent 1-hour guided tour through the various exhibits and permanent collections. It was our first time at this gallery since the new wing was added in 2017. It is a beautiful space full of light.
After the gallery, the three of us hopped next door to Issac’s Way for a delicious meal and stimulating conversation as we recollected our gallery experience. This restaurant is also a venue for emerging artists and displays works on all the walls. Patrons can bid to purchase the artworks in a silent auction format that lasts for several weeks. It’s genius marketing as it keeps partons coming back to the restaurant to check if their latest bid is still on top.
It was a fun afternoon. I enjoy going through the photos again and again 😀
Categories
230 Princess Street
I’m like a curious child now. Everytime we drive uptown lately, I want to make a pass by 230 Princess Street to see the latest installation; an entrance way panel over the door displaying the house numbers. What a wonderful memory I will always have of that late December morning; living my glass dreams with Monica by my side.
Here is the story of the making of 230 Princess Street
nellyglass studio 