This weekend was the 11th Annual Gibsons Landing Fibre Arts Festival from August 19-21. I don’t think I’d ever been to Gibsons before. The town is technically on the main mass of British Columbia, but is considered the Sunshine Coast. The quickest way to get to Gibsons is by ferry, and the crossing is only 40 minutes.

Chelle and I planned to get the noon ferry, but missed it by about 10-15 minutes. But that was okay, it gave us time to park the car, grab some coffee, get our tickets, and wander around a bit. We got the 1:35pm ferry and got into Langdale Ferry Terminal in good time and caught the bus to the high school where the merchant mall was.

Sunshine Coast — photo taken upon arrival at Langdale Ferry Terminal

The Gibsons Fibre Fest offered classes on Thursday and Friday, the merchant mall and juried exhibit was open all three days, and on the Saturday there were festivities in the Landing. Also, the term ‘fibre arts’ is very inclusive: knitting, crochet, spinning, weaving, dying, sewing, quilting… the festival has it all. We were going mainly for the merchant mall, and Chelle had quite the score. She got some Bombax Silk from Hummingbird Fibre Arts. I nearly fell down over all the Malabrigo at Unwind Knit & Fibre Lounge (Gibsons’ new local yarn store).

Hummingbird Fibre Arts

One of the Festival Directors taking a photo at Unwind Yarns' booth

Had there been other festivities on the Friday, I think we would have gone earlier to wander around… but you always forget travel time. I’m a bit young to remember The Beachcombers (TV show) but it’s what Gibsons Landing is famous for — Molly’s Reach and the Persephone are both in the Landing. We ended up catching the 5:30pm ferry home with a few of the other knitters and fibre artists we knew.

On the ferry home from Gibsons (from left to right: Shannon of Unwind Yarns, Siobhan, Petra, Viki, and Chelle. Faye is visible on the floor at Chelle's feet.)

So what did I buy you ask? I bought a lovely skein of 100% merino wool at Shannon’s booth, Unwind Yarns — Throwing Sheep Into Rainbows. I’m thinking it will become a shawl (similar to the one being photographed above). The second photo is very true to colour; the colourway is called Splotch. I also picked up some beads for earrings.

Unfortunately, the board of directors has announced that the 2011 Gibsons Landing Fibre Arts Festival is cancelled. Many assume it’s due to the arts funding cuts in the province, but there are several reasons which the board outlined in a press release. Hopefully some Gibsons residents will step up and resurrect the festival in a couple years. Even though this was my first year attending, I am hoping it will just be a small hiatus.

In the past couple weeks I’ve had the pleasure of visiting many of my favourite (and soon to be fave) local shops. I thought I’d share the goodies with you all as there are some fibre-related products(!!!)

Read the rest of this entry »

Things have been pretty busy here the past couple weeks at chez Monnibo. This post is going to be a mish-mash of many things.

We went to Spanish Banks on Saturday and met some Camp friends for dinner. When the tide was out, we went for a wander in the ocean. Gorgeous photos resulted (and I made a new Flickr set called Vancouver Beaches).

Spanish Banks at low tide

We went to Bard on the Beach on the weekend and saw Anthony & Cleopatra. I really enjoyed it and I have to say that Bard on the Beach is one of my favourite festivals. And of course there is a Bard Flickr set too, with various years’ photos.

Intermission at Bard on the Beach

Speaking of festivals, I sent The Word On The Street Vancouver program guide to the printer today (!!!). We’ve been working on this all summer. I’ve also got some other initiatives for the festival going: if you’re on Twitter, follow WOTSvancouver — if you’re on Facebook, “like” The Word On The Street Vancouver — if you’re on Flickr, share your photos on the WOTS Vancouver Group Pool — or add the WOTS Vancouver blog to your feed reader!

At BookCrossing Meetup the other night, we were talking about books (of course!) and then blogs and publishers and authors, etc. I mentioned I signed up for newsletters and followed publisher/publishing blogs. Dale and Marina instantly wanted me to write a blog post full of links… and this is just to say that yes, I intend to do that, but I don’t have time right now.

Philippa Gregory’s new book comes out this Thursday, August 19. The Red Queen is book two in her next series about the Houses of Lancaster and York. I enjoyed The White Queen (review) but wasn’t crazy about it. So, I don’t know how I feel about The Red Queen, but I’d like to give it a shot.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins — book three of the Hunger Games Triology — comes out in one week (Tuesday, August 24)!! I’ve read (and reviewed) both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire and I’m really looking forward to the final installment.

Julie Forrest tweeted a link earlier today to an upcoming knitting book from Random House — Vampire Knits: Projects to Keep You Knitting from Twilight to Dawn by Genevieve Miller. There are many Twilight-inspired patterns on Ravelry already (including a leaked pattern from Vampire Knits), but it will be neat to see what other vampire-inspired knits are devised.

Okay, now one weird question… why are my house plants plagued by fruit flies?

One of the best things about summer is all the local produce available. There are many local farmers markets operating throughout the Lower Mainland, and I occasionally stop by the Main Street market after work on Wednesdays. However, it is so awesome to have the Richmond Country Farms located in the same location, every day of the week, with set hours. It makes bringing home fresh, local produce so much easier. Don’t get me wrong, I still love the variety of local businesses at the Farmers Markets.

Richmond Country Farms

Nursery at Richmond Country Farms

Selection of Local Produce

Resident Ducks at Richmond Country Farms (look at those awesome colours!!)

View all my photos on my Flickr set: Richmond Country Farms.

Richmond Country Farms is located off Highway 99 in the Steveston area of Richmond (this side of the George Massey Tunnel). It is open from April to late December with a special Pumpkin Patch in October. Most of their produce is from their own acreage but they also seasonally source from other local BC farmers. They also have a nursery and sell turf by the roll (to golf courses no less!).

We’re already a week into August (can you believe it?!) and despite arts funding cuts, I’m very excited about the 9th Annual BC Cultural Crawl! The best thing about living in the Lower Mainland, is the proximity to other cities. I technically live in Vancouver but can easily go to Burnaby, Richmond, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, New Westminster, Langley, Abbotsford, and that’s not even mentioning all the nearby Island communities.

So I started looking through the list of BC Cultural Crawl activities for cities throughout the Lower Mainland. The Cultural Crawl listings are also a great way to learn about new artisans and artists in the Lower Mainland as many of the crawls are self-guided. Here are some of the activities I’m hoping to attend and/or looking forward to:

Surrey: Cloverdale Blueberry Festival
August 14th & 15th
I’ve been to the Abbotsford Berry Beats Festival, which combines a farmer’s market with music and a festival atmosphere. I’ve not been to the Cloverdale Blueberry Festival, but it’s already blueberry season here in BC! There is a Show ‘N Shine Car Parade in Cloverdale during the Blueberry Festival.

Vancouver: Main Street Magazine Tour
A celebration of the local arts & culture magascene.
Presented by the Magazine Association of BC
Thursday, August 19, 2010. 6:00–10:00 p.m. Free event.
Starts at Rhizome Café (317 E. Broadway)  Continues at various venues near Main & Broadway. There are two different routes and the tour guides are Elizabeth Bachinsky and Jennica Harper. It all looks fantastic. I missed the Literary Tour last year as part of BC Book and Magazine Week, but I will be trying to get out to this!

Gibsons Landing Fibre Arts Festival
August 20th to 22nd.
I am very excited about the Gibsons Landing Fibre Arts Festival. Unfortunately this may be the last year of the festival (not fully due to funding cuts, but a retiring board). A few of us are probably taking a little field trip there on the Friday. There are classes, an exhibitor marketplace, and on the Saturday there is an artisan market on the Landing.

Langley: Arts Alive! Festival
August 28th, 2010. 10am – 5pm.
Fraser Highway between 204th and 206th
I went to the Arts Alive! Festival last year completely by chance. It was great to wander around and check out all the shops.

Richmond: Wild BC Salmon Festival
Saturday, August 28. 11am – 4pm.
www.wildbcseafoodfest.com

Vancouver: Bard on the Beach
June 3rd to September 25th, 2010
Anthony & Cleopatra | Much Ado About Nothing | Falstaff | Henry V
I try to make it to a show every year, as Bard on the Beach is one of my favourite festivals. The performances are always spectacular, and extremely accessible. In 2008 I blogged about seeing The Twelfth Night, I’ve seen Comedy of Errors, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, Romeo & Juliet, … and I can’t recall any others.

Richmond: Summer Night Market
May 21st to September 26th. Every weekend.
Live music, hundreds of vendors, and tons of food.
I’ve been to the Vancouver Chinatown Night Market this summer, but last summer the Richmond Night Market wasn’t operating. The Richmond Night Market is probably four times as large as the Vancouver Chinatown one. It’s great to grab some food, wander around, and haggle for some neat knick-knacks.

Maple Ridge: Meadows Maze
www.meadowsmaze.com
One of the largest corn mazes in the Pacific Northwest. Every year Meadows Maze has a different design. Last year celebrated the new Golden Ears Bridge, and this year is designed for the 100 year anniversary of the PNE.

Vancouver: Downtown Vancouver Art Walk
There is a ton of public art and art galleries in the downtown core. I’ve been trying to take photos of all the public art (and posting it in a Flickr set). I hope to get photos of all 18 Mosaic Art Tiles and all the Vancouver Biennale Sculptures.

Bowen Island: BowFEAST
Cultural Crawl the week before, Farmer’s Market on August 15th
Bowen Island is having a Cultural Crawl and BowFEAST during this week, all culminating on the August 14 & 15th weekend. This may be the perfect opportunity to visit my friends Adrian and Ginger on Bowen! Last summer we attended their wedding on Bowen and I am itching to go back to Bowen Island for more fun.

Circle Farm Tours
There are Circle Farm Tours in Abbotsford, Langley, Chilliwack, Maple Ridge & Pitt Meadows, Agassi & Harrison Mills, and Mission. It’s a self-guided tour and there are tons of farms and artisans that I’d like to check out.

Granville Island Art Walk
When is going to Granville Island not tons of fun? Granville Island is actually chock-a-block full of artisans and artists. Honestly, I don’t know how they can afford the rent, but it’s an amazing place to spend the day. Grab some food at the Public Market, visit lots of lovely shops (including Circle Craft!!) and maybe catch a show at Waterfront Theatre or the Arts Club Theatre.

A couple weekends ago we took the Ranch’s dogs for a long walk around Aldergrove. We walked mostly along roads but only had to have the dogs sit for cars occasionally.

One of the houses we passed either had a lot of dogs, was a private rescue, or maybe a doggie daycare. They had at least five dogs and more I could hear but couldn’t see.

My favourite was this bulldog who would run through their hedges and spread-eagle on the fence to bark at our dogs. Craig snapped a photo with his phone, but oh how I wish I’d brought my camera!

Last Friday my mom and I went for a bike ride on Deas Island Regional Park. Highway 99 decends in Delta on Deas Island and travels under the Fraser River to emerge in Richmond. Whenever I return to Vancouver, just before we go into the George Massey Tunnel, we pass over Deas Slough. Deas Slough always looks so picturesque, quiet, and beautiful despite the highway running right through it.

View of Deas Slough from Deas Island Regional Park

Deas Island Regional Park dock and boat launch

View of the Fraser River from Deas Island

Bicycling Deas Island Regional Park

Take a look at all my photos from the bike ride on Flickr.

The only downside to this beautiful day was that my car died inexplicably during the drive home (thankfully before we got to Highway 99 and the George Massey Tunnel).

Being towed home

A couple weeks ago, I picked up a bike rack for the trunk of my car and this week I had my handlebars raised on my bike. I also purchased a water bottle holder to attach to my bike and my dad fixed my kick stand. All of these tasks were in preparation for going on regular cycling trips.

I will admit that I am out of shape. I have asthma, I am overweight for my height/age, and I really want to be stronger. I am going to try to go for bike rides on Fridays. With the use of the bike rack, I’ll be able to check out new areas in the Lower Mainland as well as selecting trails that suit my fitness level.

I’ve been following SmuttySteff on Twitter and she’s been tweeting about her cycling achievements. It’s been very inspirational and the other day I emailed her for some cycling advice. Steff said I can share some of her advice here:

• I ALWAYS have a hard time breathing in the first 5-10 minutes of cycling. Even now. Not as hard as I used to, but there’s a marked difference in my ease of breathing after 30 minutes than when I first start. Why? The lungs just need to warm up. Give it time. Huff, puff and wheeze through it. You’re allowed to take a break here or there, but I recommend just shifting down as low as you can and peddling lighter till you catch your breath.
• [For cycling as transportation] It’s really hard for the first four weeks. It’s supposed to suck. It’s supposed to hurt. All you have to do is make some allowances for that, but you have to push harder & further than you THINK you can, because it’s totally a mind game. Do that, that’s where the accomplishment comes from.
• Get yourself a tripometer at MEC for $15-20 so you know how far you’re cycling and at what speed. Tracking progress feels great and is more black/white than numbers on a scale or measurements — when the others aren’t coming for you, knowing there’s progress in performance compensates fabulously.

Steff had tons more recommendations and I’d like to publicly thank her for emailing me back! Now, without further ado, my bike ride!

Read the rest of this entry »

A few weekends ago I attended the first ever FreelanceCamp Vancouver at The Network Hub downtown.

This was very well-spent $10 admission, but with an unconference style only some of the talks appealed to me.

Read the rest of this entry »

Craig arrived on Friday evening and I picked him up at the airport. We had a quiet night at home and I had made hot spinach and artichoke dip. We headed out to camp on Saturday to say hello to his family and catch up. We went horseback riding with some friends just before dinner on Saturday.

Myself, Rachel, and Krista showing off our dirty bums after riding horses bareback.

Then we got an invite to go to the movies with some other camp friends, but not just any movie theatre. One of my favourite summer activities is going to the Twilight Drive-In in Aldergrove. On Friday and Saturday nights they play three movies starting at dusk. For $12 per person and the comfort of your own car, it’s a fantastic deal. We often get four people and pile into the back of a pick-up truck with foamies, blankets and pillows. Showing on Saturday night was Killers, Robin Hood, and the new Repo Men.

Read the rest of this entry »