Westy World

Well, we've been looking for a little while, and we made a big purchase the other day: we bought a vw westfalia campervan! It's very sweet, and we love it. We plan on taking it on some longer road trips, but also just using it to explore the camping and land and beaches we have right around us in Vancouver. TJ has been a doing some minor work on it, but soon we will be sending her into the garage for some major work so that she will be in excellent condition for travel.


Spring is almost here, although this week's temperatures are supposed to be quite cool. Ahh well, the sun is out today! When TJ was out fixing the lights on the van yesterday, a fellow westy owner drove by and gave him a "right on!" yell out the window, and devil horns....we kind of feel like we've joined a new club. There is actually a sense of community among westy drivers. It feels like it really fits for us. We are pretty excited.


Yesterday we took the van out to Spanish Banks and got some fish and chips and sat in the van to eat, hee hee! While we were out, Ares climbed into the front seat and people/dog watched. Anyway, we may be showing up in your driveway someday, soon. Oh, the possibilities!!

Peach Kuchen and Other Things

I made peach kuchen from the more with less cookbook yesterday. I got home from work, and decided I needed to do something to get my mind off work stuff, and the peach kuchen did the trick! I have never eaten a kuchen before that I know of. I'm counting it as a pie, although it did not have a real pie crust - it was more like dry short-bread. It was quick and easy, and that was all I had the energy for yesterday.


School and work is getting to be a lot. I don't know how people do their masters and work full time. My work should slow down in a little while. It's nice to get the work, but hard to come home and then do school. TJ's been making me wonderful coffee in the mornings, though, something that is so lovely.

Anyways, below is a sample of the little white bell flowers that seem to be popping up everywhere! And just today on our walk, TJ and I saw crocuses, too!

Raisin Dee-Lite

I finally made the raisin pie I'd been saying I would. It turned out really sweet, but was good with vanilla ice cream. I'm sitting here now watching a movie with TJ, Ares sleeping beside me. Really, I'm tired tonight. Achy back. Should be sleeping and not watching a movie. You know the Sunday night blues? Or maybe the blahs.


I used my Crisco crust recipe again, as I had just enough Crsico left for the double crust. I used this recipe for the pie filling. At first I thought it was going to be runny, but it turned out pretty good. I like the allrecipe.com recipes, because you can read the reviews and see if it's a well-tested recipe.


The funny thing to me is that I was listening to the old Holly McNarland album "Stuff" while making this pie. Boiling raisins and listening to 90's rock. It's kind of a good example for what I've been thinking about my life lately - all these seemingly random pieces, yet somehow I fit together as one person. It's like I've been learning about culture in my class. No one can be totally summed up by their culture, their ethnicity, their upbringing, or the groups or sub-cultures they may or may not belong to. Everyone is a unique blend of their environments, experiences, and personality.

Van-City

Well, I've been loving Vancouver lately. The arrival of Spring in February is something I've never experienced. I had decided not to keep bees this year, but I am wishing I could. In the end, it's too late now to find a place to keep a hive, and I just don't have the will to add another thing right now, while I'm still learning to balance my new job with school. And well, there's just been enough newness this year. Anyway, I will just have to enjoy watching the honeybees in all the cherry blossoms this year.

I guess I'm just enjoying lots of things about Vancouver right now. The tide was really low today, so Ares and I got to walk around and do some exploring with the other beach combers. This is the most amazing climate.