Friday, December 4, 2009

Flying Dutchman/Dane or big boys and their toys!

It really has been quite an inspiring and exciting fall, many new irons have been put in the fire, not only for me but also for my life partner Soren.
Danger lurks every where - or depending on how you define Danger, it could also just be adequate to use the word adventure =-)
One day Soren went in to look at boats on Kijiji - yes, Kijiji and he came back from behind his screen quite starry eyed and very eager.
I started doing a few breathing exercises, this was too much excitement for me.


On Thanksgiving weekend in October we drove up to visit with our son and then continued for about another 2 hours north east of Truro, On the coast close to Canso we found the civic number we were looking for, drove in and started to investigate and admire the beautiful Nordica 20 sailboat which Soren had an urgent need to get acquainted with.




One week later this contraption appeared in our driveway and I snug a 'first arrival at the house' photo from a bedroom window.
We weren't exactly buying the trailer as well, so the boat had to be lifted off the trailer and the cradle had to be moved to a safe place where the boat could overwinter without being too much in the wind. It weighs 3.500 lbs I think or thereabouts so it was not an option to call the neighbours in the area to ask for help for 'lift off'.
However Soren knows his phone book so he found a place where you can rent 'cranes' for 'little' lifting jobs like this.


At 2pm the enormous crane truck drove into our suddenly very tiny door yard!
I was standing at the top of the staircase to my studio, looking down onto and able to walk onto the top of this very sturdy piece of machinery which was going to do the hoisting, huffing and puffing of getting the Nordica 20 unloaded and placed in her spot.











It is kind of a case of big boys big toys and little boys little toys - and that I say because .... whilst showing off the catamaran which Soren had built some years ago to the now ex-owner of the Nordica 20, the men had found the old scooter which our son spent a summer or two on many years ago, 'racing' up over the fields and around the house, again and again and again.


The son of the ex-owner of the Nordica 20 was exactly the age where having one of those scooters means a whole lot and so....... since their weight bearing capacity had gone up considerably after the unloading of the boat ...... the scooter was strapped to the back of the pickup truck and everyone was happy as clams!
I wonder if the young man has gotten the oil out of his hands or hair yet from taking it apart and learning about its ins and outs.
Taking apart engines to get to know them is of utmost importance!

And now for playing with the engines - the crane was getting organized and buttons were being pushed!



















Anticipation is rising and which one to pull on first - hm - the fact is, the boat had to be strapped in before any buttons could be touched and this happened with the help of a ladder and some mighty large chains covered in heavy fabric. Lots of agility and seriousness for the matter at hand was displayed.


Slowly the creature started doing something quite unnatural for her - really, she is a boat but suddenly she was flying - perhaps not at warp speed but she hung there, off the cradle mid air, and I am so happy we didn't ask the neighbours to come help us lift her off =-)



She is now covered with a big strong winter tent, metal loops embracing her shape and allowing for visitations without being impeded by weather conditions. Safe and 'warm' she awaits the coming of early summer when she will have another adventure with a hoisting crane and a trailer and my husband....... is visiting often and planning and scheming about where the sailing needs to take place next summer!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Glorious Cabbage!

A few years ago as I was cooking a Christmas supper - preparing pickled red cabbage which is a must with your pork roast with crispy top - I started to look more closely at the shapes and colours of the vegetables which I was cutting up.
Especially the red cabbage made me smile and bring the camera to the cutting board.
The beauty of this vegetable is almost gone by the time it has been boiled and spiced, but I took a look and enjoyed its magnificent crisp looks when it had been freshly sliced.
When I went to the Farmers' Market in Wolfville last Saturday and marveled at all the beautiful vegetables the farmers grow in this area my eyes fell upon the smaller cousin of the red cabbage.

This was a particularly beautiful cousin though which I hadn't seen before and so..... I had to bring it home.


Red/purple brusselsprouts.


The green ones are so beautiful and delicious and I was wondering what these rosy cheeked ones which shone in a colour that makes my face smile every day would taste like.


First though I had to take some more photos of the creature - and I observed it up close as best I could without bumping my nose on it!







On the very top is a beautiful crown, much resembling an ordinary red cabbage, but down along the rigid stem all the little gorgeous critters poke out their firm bodies.

In Danish the name for this kind of cabbage is Rose Cabbage - presumably because each little cabbage looks just like a rosebud - or at least that is my interpretation of the name. Rose Cabbage!





And here are all the little picked off rosebuds in a pile waiting for me to decide what to do with them next.

Interesting how the colour changes when you choose to photograph food or anything I suppose without your flash - now they are more red cabbage than purple cabbage.


Another 'experiment' was what came up before I could start the final preparation for the steamer - I cut a few buds in half lengthwise and cross wise and ....... this is what I saw
I am kind of torn as to whether I am seeing the angels of the season stretching their arms into the air or some shrimp-like creature which I cannot precisely name, intriguing it is!

And last but not least, in my wild appreciation of fresh foods of any kinds, here is a photo of a potluck dish I made for the last spinning meeting I went to. The beets are so .... inspiring, their white and red rings. Usually we only see the fully red beets but here I was very, very lucky and came home with delightful beauty for both eyes and tastebuds.



And now.... I am off to the looms, no, first the fridge I think, the danger of writing about food lurks in every delicious thought =-)