Applewood Farm Winery

Okay, before I re-cap my Thanksgiving weekend, what happened to the weather? When did it become winter in October? Where's my crisp autumnal temperatures?! BAH. Not that I'm really complaining, because it could be worse (think blanketing snow storms a-blazing)...but still...*whine* I would have preferred to hang onto another 2 weeks of the light layers, thin scarf & fall jacket kind-of-weather. Oh well, bring out the winter jackets, ear muffs, gloves and boots.

Thanksgiving weekend:

Now my family's not really the roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce kinda people. We tried to celebrate this holiday the "traditional" way for a few years, but we quickly realized that 3 weeks of eating leftover turkey was a pain in the ass. 

This year I decided that, yes, I think I'll start a new tradition of my own (sorta)!!! Autumn = crisp weather = calls for outdoor activity + seasonal fresh fruit = APPLE-PICKING!!! Doesn't that remind you of your elementary school days? I remember picking apples, drinking hot cider & hay rides *what a pretty picture* Okay, so that's what I had wanted to do originally.  Only in retrospect should I have researched this great plan of mine earlier on...I mean, how did I know that apple season was nearing its end?? Huh.

But off we went - me, my brother and the hoebag to a farm...e-i-e-i-ooooo! Ha! So if we couldn't get apples, at least we should try for the next best thing - pumpkins :) We went to the Applewood Farm Winery in Stouffville and got ready for some pumpkin harvesting. Of course we got a little distracted by the actual winery.  I ended up buying their Macintosh Meade and 2 of their fruit ports. Yum!

Off to pumpkin land. 3 for $10, any size? Hello!

Some of the selections:

The only apples left were ground apples = not good for eating. Apparently they're really tart and only good for making pies. I would have bought a bag, but there's only so much pies and tarts I can consume before I roll my way out the door.

The view from the hayride - yes, we got on a hayride! We opted out of the corn maze they had there. I think after hearing "OWWWW" coming from the corn maze, we figured the hayride was a safer choice. 

Can you find me?

Jasper 19 weeks

Awww...I dug this old photo up of Jasper when I first got him and he was no bigger than my television controller. How cuteeee!!! I almost forget how small he was. He's not so much anymore though.

Okay, so the next 2 photos are for all those curious to see what Jasper looks like now! Sorry I haven't posted an updated picture of him in a while, but he's now 19 weeks, has all his shots and I'm just waiting a few more weeks before I get him *ahem* neutered ;P

Here he is "helping" me with my laundry. Ha!

A Political Funny

I < 3 Tina Fey & Amy Poehler!

Veggie Fair & V-Fest 2008

Virgin Festival was here again, or like my Mom says: "V-FACK? What's that? A new swear word?" Me: "No Mommy...it's V-Fest."

This year the Foo Fighters and Oasis were the headliners and as much as I like Oasis, I was in no mood to hear them argue or play a mediocre set (so I've heard from a friend that attended their concert). So Foo Fighters it was :)

I took the hoebag with me this year, and I was to meet my brother and his gf downtown. My brother wanted to attend the Vegetarian Fair prior, so that's where we headed for lunch. How is it that I've lived in Toronto for so long and not known about this? I was in veggie bliss :) Although I'll be the first to admit, the vegan movement is something I'll never be able to get into. Kudos to those who are, but I love my dairy and eggs too much to give it up. I tried this vegan energy bar that kind of tasted like sawdust with berries. 

I also scored some organic tote bags from Green is Black. I LOVE their bags; I'd purchased one in Vancouver and I'm uber excited to know they've opened shop here www.greenisblack.ca If you know me, I am a self-proclaimed bag whore. Yes, I admit it; and if it's environmentally friendly, even better :D

Anyways, some photos to share from that day. The first was on the way to Harbourfront Centre to the Veggie Fest. I just liked the shapes in this first image:

Really good organic vegan cupcakes!! Surprise for me! Although really, the icing made all the difference. I had a Green Tea cupcake. The hoebag had a vanilla one.

At the Virgin Festival/Centre Island:

Our view - so it wasn't the best, but thank goodness for jumbo screens :) Foo Fighters were awesome by the way. Of course my brother had no idea who they were. 

12 weeks

Okay, okay, I've been a lazy blogger again. I'm slowly working on finishing my Vancouver pictures, so hopefully I'll have them up to share for everyone to see. I'm also hoping to get a few sessions under my belt in the upcoming season, so let's hope things all work out and I'll be able to update my portfolio.

Anyways, a post isn't a post without a picture and nowadays, my cat's the most convenient model who will let me photograph him ;) He's getting pretty big now, which is a good sign! I'm glad he's growing...but he's also realizing that with his new body, he can jump higher, climb higher and reach things he's never been able to do. Let's just say he's had his fair share of his encounters with Ms. Spraybottle. 

If he's not attacking my legs, my slippers or chewing on any type of wire *sigh*, he's usually doing the following (pictured above). Hooray for cats and their need for 16 hours of sleep :) 

Although I'm kind of not too sure about his favourite hobby now, which is to watch the water drip from the faucet. What ever happened to "cats and water don't mix"?? 

Jasper Update

Just a quick update on Jasper for those who are interested :) He's now 9 weeks old? And getting more curious and daring everyday. Just now, he decided that swatting my face could be a fun game. Not so much. I'm taking him to the vet tomorrow to get his second round of vaccinations, and perhaps some ear mite medication. He keeps on scratching his ears, and there's been a build-up of wax (tasty); it seems to indicate ear mites - hooray. We'll see what my vet says.

Anyways, a friend asked me how I could get all these picture perfect portraits of this little guy? Well 9 times out of 10, I get images like this one (as he's charging at the camera lens):

This one's for you Amanda - haha! So he's not quite the perfect model yet. Perhaps in time ;) Enjoy!

Crazy Cat Lady

Because I've been behind in editing and posting photos, here's another picture of Jasper to tide the time. Haha, soon this blog will be taken over by this little guy. My one of many posts of my cat; hence I'll morph into the crazy cat lady - oh no! I just kid though! :P 

But here he is in all his glory. He's demanding, whiny, an attention whore, and a gourmet at heart. He truly is my little prince.