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home life

Afternoons of Autumn

I was sitting in the living room recently on a beautiful Sunday afternoon writing in my wine journal just before retiring to the back deck for a glass of Pinotage. The sun was coming through the Schiffer Panel beside me Birds of Schiffer and casting nuggets of color across my pages. journal jewels That was quite inspirational in itself, just because. Then I flipped the page and a rainbow drop fell on just the right word… I couldn’t resist taking this shot. The light of my life She is the light of my life AND has lovely legs as the photo suggests.

Finished journaling and off to the deck to enjoy the last hour of sunshine for the day. The pinotage was gorgeous. It has matured and produced many tiny wine diamonds (tartrate crystals) wine diamonds a-plenty At only 8 months, it is so smooth and rich. A fantastic vintage.  Pinotage au Backdeck

These moments are magical.  wine fish leaping We are so fortunate.

Happy Autumn!

 

Categories
Family, Friends and Food

2014 Haynes Lake Food and Drink festival winding down

Another great year, perfect weather, lots of laughs with old friends and, of course, focus on food and drink. Safe travels back to Ontario, Lorna and Peter. It was a slice. Thanks for the wonderful memories. Until next year, Salud!

Categories
home life

the roll over

And here’s the roll over 10 second video That’s “Big Empty” by the Stone Temple Pilots on the radio.

She’s a good old girl.

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Saint John Sushi

Walking tour of downtown Saint John with fog and sun

Friday morning Monica and I were in full vacation mode and it was foggy – really foggy, but calm and quite lovely. Thankful actually it wasn’t a 40 degree day. We decided to go for a walk to gallery hop and photograph city street doors in the downtown and then have sushi for lunch. Plus we hadn’t found the perfect anniversary gift yet so I’m secretly thinking (hoping) maybe we’d luck out at one of the galleries.

The afternoon was totally reserved for relaxing on the back deck in the sun (thank you above) with Monica and Sarah and a perfect BBQ/salmon, twice-baked stuffed potatoes and caesar salad all brought seamlessly together with a fantastic pinot noir (La Crema) from Santa Rosa California.

Put your feet up for three minutes an enjoy this day in images. Cheers and happy summer to all!

 

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Important Dates to Celebrate

Whimsical weekend with my wife

We celebrated Monica’s birthday and thirty years of marriage in a place we didn’t expect to be but one that brings such fond memories of our past that being here again now for our anniversary was nostalgically wonderful. This trip definitely goes down in history as the perfect getaway and adds to our collection of wonderful East Coast Memories. We really had a great time. We explored some familiar and some new places hand in hand, we laughed, we loved, we ate great food and drank fine wine. And it was a beautiful clear 33 degrees all four days. Here is a 30-year flashback from then to now. See if you can spot the differences.

honeymoon on Campobello 1984Happy 30th Babe

on ferry to Deer Island taking photo out car window 1984   on the ferry taking a photo out the car window - 30 years later

It all started with a planned trip to Ireland for our 30th. The flights were bought, hotels and bus tour booked and we were nearly ready to pack the suitcases. At the last minute we cancelled everything. It just didn’t feel right going that far away at a time when we should stay close to Dad. Ireland will still be there next year, Babe.

Instead, Monica and I booked an impulse getaway to Portland for one night (where we met friends travelling to Boston to see Lady Gaga) and two nights at the Island View Inn between Camden and Rockland. Good choice. The off-season rates were fantastic, we got some great deals shopping, enjoyed the incredible grounds and pool at the Island View Inn, exchanged romantic cards and clinked our glasses together to celebrate us. I could write pages and pages but I think a picture is worth a thousand words in this case. So, here is the photo journal of our weekend trip to Maine.

 

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Categories
home life

Summer Soltice Satisfaction

Gardens and flower pots are jumping this weekend along with the spirit of summer. I couldn’t be happier than right here on the deck with shrimp skewers and steak on the Barbie. Played in the dirt a bit this afternoon planting a new bee-balm Monica got from Corn Hill Nursery and then later got my hands dirty again on a dirty martini. Lip smacking! Olives are my favorite pickle. They must have some sort of ancient Greek power (couldn’t be the gin).

Snapped a few garden shots for memory making. Most things made it through that awful winter, and some things didn’t. If memory serves me right, I did this about a year ago on Canada Day. Will be fun to compare photos from one year to the next.

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home life

Happy Father’s Day 2014

It’s all the little things together that made this a big weekend. Starting with dinner and a movie (Fargo) with Sarah and Monica Friday night at home. Then Saturday all three of us up early and off to Havelock to Grampy’s House. He choked up a little when Sarah kissed him on the cheek. How wonderful that she could see him and visit for awhile.

Delbert Nelson Sarah  Monica and Sarah went to a bridal shower in the afternoon at Salisbury while Dad and I shared lunch, reminisced about hunting and fishing memories, and snoozed between conversations. My dear old stubbornly wonderful father. I will miss him terribly someday.

Home to Saint John for a relaxing evening of Netflix with nachos & cheese and to bed with dreams of stained glass possibilities.

Sunday morning, Monica and I up early  Sunflower diffusion  coffee in hand and laptop on lap playing around with blogs and pictures. Then worked for awhile in the basement winery bottling two batches of Shiraz. Should be a good easy sipping wine; one with hints of spicy berries and the other a bit rounder with a percent higher alcohol. Two Shiraz  A tasting of two Shiraz

Finished in the winery to a beautiful breakfast of scrambled eggs. scrambled eggs and fiddle heads with peppers, onions and tomatoeFather’s Day off to a roaring start 🙂

By noon the skies weren’t even half bad. A fresh nor-easterly breeze brought a promise of adventure for the day. Even the gardens perked up a little. abundantly purple

Of course, found some quiet time amid laundry shifts to play with some glass and select some colors for an upcoming project I’m planning. Hint – found a perfect purple for grapes.

abundant purple

And Monica found time to finish the triptych cross stitch she has been working on for more than a decade. A beautiful trio of birds on a continuous branch in full blossom (maybe cherry). Can’t wait to get this framed and on the wall. Will blog it again, I’m sure.  Birds on Blossoming Branch

Monica's Cross Stitch

Now, off to Fredericton with Mon and Sar to get Ry and all go to Isaac’s Way. I’m sportin’ Pink Floyd hat and shirt… so I’m ready. Now just waiting for Sarah to blow dry her hair. Sigh.In The Pink, I think

Monica in Lapis Lazuli

 

 

 

 

 

 

Had a wonderful time and meal with my family at Isaac’s Way restaurant in Fredericton. Father's Day Dining at Isaac's Way

The food was fantastic. Lemon Caper Haddock

The décor was fantastic. Paintings for auction sale

The company was fantastic. No shenannegans here... no sirree.  With my family at Isaac's Way

and surprise, surprise, my children paid for everything. Including the dessert at Dairy Queen. What a Father’s Day. DQ dessert (peanut buster parfait)

Without question, the greatest gift of all is my children. Thank you Monica, you gave them to me. I love you all.

Categories
home life

Halleluiah Weekend

Gotta love that. Bring it on. Even the birds are singing praises. bird #5 - morning before sun-up

Visited Dad on Saturday and enjoyed the back deck on Sunday with feet up, sunglasses on and magazine in hand. Thank you up above for the wonderful weather. Thank you whoever invented the BBQ.

In the middle of enjoying all this good fortune, I finished the Schiffer Panel. What a super experience; my biggest piece to date and I definitely learned a lot from this journey… like how flexibly the piece is in its finished state. At four feet long and only 14 inches wide, it is quite springy when picking it up. But it hangs well and I’m very pleased with the finished result. Looks nice in the living room window and the colors are spectacular both in the daytime light and at night with the house lights on.

Love weekends like this. Bring on some more 🙂

Categories
home life

Sunday Soldering

Great Feeling – its a long weekend, there’s friends, family and lots of fun doing fun things. Nice to see you Maneau and Jake. Nice to see you too, Monica. Thankfully a bit of rain meant I could stay inside and work on the project. Starting the soldering phase. Yard chores will wait.

Starting the soldering phase - first circle lower right tacked in place

Categories
home life

Can Harldy Wait for it (spring or summer?)

 

I’m getting excited for it now. I think spring should pass us directly into summer. Thank you very much. That would be just reimbursement for the awful winter/spring we had. The birds are certainly ready…     as are we all 🙂

Can Hardly Wait - bird #1

Categories
home life

Spring has sprung at last

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, things are sprouting up and budding out. Wooo hooo!

Had a great weekend with Dad and Monica in Havelock. Started with overnight Saturday and breakfast at the airport with Dad, Mon and Uncle Lee. Breakfast with Dad and Uncle Lee   Then a drive through the country to Corn Hill where Monica picked up her new Campfire rose. It survived a mouse attack through the winter and has some nice healthy little shoots coming out on it. With Monica at Corn Hill Nurseries

Next to Sussex to get some flowers (thanks Marlene) for a visit we had planned later. Leaving Sussex, we drove through Penobsquis and up the old Trans Canada past a familiar old landmark. Does anybody remember Old Blow Hard? the broken down Race Horse at Animal Land? Here he is in all his Old Glory. Old Blow Hard the Race Horse

On we journeyed through Portage Vale and Goshen back to Petitcodiac and Havelock and straight to the cemetery to visit Mom’s grave and give her some flowers (thanks again Marlene).

Flowers for Mother Taking Dad for a drive

Finished the foiling on the Schiffer Villa Panel this weekend. Enjoyed many hours with my feet up on this phase of the project. You can follow the entire project under Panels/Schiffer Villa. Here are some shots of the finished foil job.

bird #1 foiled and ready for solder  Full Panel Foiled     foiling done - close up bird #7

 

 

 

Categories
home life

So much for the tulips

Well, that didn’t take long. It’s a wonder the tulips can even survive when they get their leaves chewed off every year.

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Categories
home life

Deer so close you can smell them

Pesky deer are at it again. The tulips won’t last long. Zoom in on the white shed in the background – look to the right of shed.

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Categories
Saint John

Easter Saturday in Saint John

It started with a trip into the Saint John city center with Cecilia. She and I were still mourning after the death of Jesus on Friday and so appropriately dressed in black. Cecilia and me in mourning for Jesus.  Monica, on the other hand, is lovely and vibrant dressed in pink for Easter celebrations. Cecilia and Monica

Into the Hilton we went for a jolly good breakfast. Cecilia treated Monica and I to the full buffet spread all you can eat. Cecilia eats about a teacup full compared to me. Here’s my first go at the buffet.  Easter Saturday Breakfast at Hilton  Later to aid in digestion, we strolled through Market Square to the Old City Market. Lots of people were out and about and it’s always wonderful to get that experience. Old Market lower entrance Girls in the market Asian crafts and foods

Of course, Cecilia has to check out the quality of the produce. Cecilia checking out Pete's Frootique shining apples hanging around at the Old Market Questionable dust control.

We always love coming to the Saint John City Market. the glory of the Old Market

Especially at Easter. Happy Easter Nelly

Tomorrow I will visit my father. How ironic, on Easter Sunday.

 

Categories
Saint John

A Walk in the Park on a beautiful Good Friday Morning

With my beautiful wife by my side, we walked the Irving Nature park this morning…all 6.5 km and it felt really good to get some sun, fresh air and exercise.

Mon with bird feeder Pink in the Park

There was more snow than I expected. still some snow but it was granular and easy to walk on. Just be careful – a bit slippery in places.

Easter – it’s about end of life and beginning of life at the same time. I am thinking about spring bulbs poking up through and thinking about Dad as he enjoys a weekend at his house – nice change of scenery from the hospital.  I am so thankful that the one I love is here with me. been here many times - never gets old

Art is all around this weekend…starting with the snow. Can you see the rabbit in this photo? can you see the rabbit? I also found time this weekend to do some stained glass. The Schiffer Villa panel is progressing nicely. I’m working on the birds now – grinding to fit. The iridescent glass is magnificent. bird #7 You can follow the production photo journal under Panels/Schiffer Villa Panel.

Happy Easter Everyone. Let’s remember what is important and be thankful.

Nelson.

 

 

Categories
home life

Floydians Unite Tonight

Fan-freakin-tastic Brit Floyd concert last night in Saint John.

Floydians  Darrel and I were front row center !!! and were BLOWN AWAY !!!!!!!

The band were exactly on their game and music. A full range of favs from many albums spanning 40+ years.

Brit Floyd 2014 World TourSuper Great Night… Brit Floyd 2014

Categories
home life

A weekend needed.

This is sweet… snow is melting, birds are singing, glass is grinding.

fitting together

Sweet and sorrow, too. My Dad is not well and in the hospital. We are with him to visit when we can and with him in spirit when we can’t. Lucky for me he is here in Saint John and only 15 minutes away so I get to see him lots. Poor Delberta has to come from Fredericton but, she was here today (Sunday) and we both got to visit him together. How wonderful for the three of us. He is very frail and I’m mindful that these moments will be fewer and fewer.

The Schiffer Panel is progressing. I finished the thorns on the center stem today. Still have the small stems and leaves to do before the birds so looking forward to many happy hours ahead.

Happy Spring Everyone. Let’s rejoice!

Nelson.

Categories
home life

Poor birds this winter – glad I’m not a bird.

Wow. When they said Blizzard, they weren’t kidding. Took a few snaps just to document for the visually inclined. Starting with my sentiments to the poor birds this winter. Poor birds this winter - glad I'm not a bird. They have suffered as have we all. Just doesn’t seem to want to let go. I haven’t seen a good ol’ fashioned blizzard like that one for quite some time. Here are some shots across and down the street in the afternoon. across the street - winds at 75km  looking down Mollins Dr.

Of course, I found a shot that had an artistic component. The frost patterns on the windows were spectacular. frost pattern on window, trees outside

Later that night the storm raged on with high winds and major drifting. Zero viability. 30 cars abandoned in and around the city. 9:00 p.m.  also 9:00 p.m.

So off to bed with alarm set early, expecting a big hoopla in the morning. Wasn’t disappointed. next morning 6:00 a.m. West Siders shoveling out flags a flyin' right up to the top hand rail

A beautiful day on Thursday once you get yourself dug out. Off to work now but still found a moment to capture the sunrise through the celtic cross. Have a good day everyone.

Nelson. sun coming up behind celtic cross

Categories
Family, Friends and Food

Turkey Tale of the Dark Side

Saturdays just don’t come any better that this. Not only did I get to play with stained glass all morning which put me totally in the zone, I also got some major R&R in the afternoon watching Netflix with Monica and playing with photos for my blog. There may have appeared a martini at some point.

This was supper turkey plus extra turkey (breast and leg) …and we enjoyed it over the retelling of many family memories around the table.

Saturday night at the Alwards

All wrapped nicely around a glass of Pink Floyd Cabernet Sauvignon (Sarah and Ryan gave me this for Christmas). What a wonderful dining experience. Priceless by restaurant standards.

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon - Wines That Rocka toast to the Dark Side

Just when you think that can’t get any better out came the Market Square pastries for dessert… hallelujah.

Dark Side Desserts

The evening entertainment billing was Game of Thrones…Season 3. Monica tried (fail) to stay awake while Ryan and I marathoned through the season. There’s always tomorrow to finish it 🙂Game of Thrones

Categories
home life

Spring has Sprung

At last! Ahhhhhh. What a beautiful day. It’s like 5 degrees and bright sunny skies. This is the weekend we’ve been waiting for. Never mind the forecast gives sn__ for next week. Right now, all is right. Ryan and Sarah are both home together so we had a wonderful family time last night eating chicken wings and watching Game of Thrones. Plus, Monica is cooking a turkey with all the trimmings for family supper tonight. And it will be another Game of Thrones fest after supper. Blessed are We.

Wings night at the Alwards

Also found time this weekend to finish grinding the clear background of the Schiffer Villa panel and started to cut the horn pieces. The project is starting to take some shape on the bench but is still a long way from finished. That means lots of therapeutic opportunities ahead 🙂