E. Stilker

Newfoundland

It seems like an eternity since I posted an update ... I guess in times of Twitter, Facebook and FourSquare, blogging seems too tedious to share my thoughts and rants. But in short:

We're leaving in a couple of days to the Rock aka Newfoundland. This is the most the eastern province of Canada, notorious for it's fishing villages, whales and icebergs. Most newfies are direct descendants from Scotsmen and Irishmen and this is illustrated in their particular culture of drinking, music and dialect. We'll be visiting colourful St. John's, Gros Morne National Park and L'Anse-Aux-Meadows where vikings first discovered the Americas (long long before Columbus).

The rest of the summer is booked solid with a BBQ b-day party, a weekend to the Laurentians with friends, a Lebanese dinner night, and a music festival with acts like Arcade Fire, Pavement, Sonic Youth, etc .

The last 2 weeks of August we will spend in Belgium. Hope to see you all!

Ps: Going to see Jef Neve & Jose James tomorrow at the Jazz Fest too.

Boston

Pics from our trip to Boston (for those without a facebook account).

BOSTON

Moving

Again! For the 3d time ...

We love our place on Clark, unfortunately it's up for sale and we can't stay. Our landlords graciously offered another apartment in the same neighbourhood. The good news: it's bigger ... a lot bigger ... probably twice the size. The bad news, it's on the 2nd floor (ground flour is first floor). So no more garden (but a nice balcony, good enough for the BBQm some herbs and dinner outside. It's not as renovated as Clark but it has a lot of charm, revarnished hardwood floors, original moldings etc. Also we get to move our stainless steel applicances with us. And for the same price.

So before we get to do Xmas shopping for our little trip to Europe for the holidays, we have to pack up our stuff again. It's going to be a couple of busy weeks ...

Movember

OK, here's the story ... I haven't done a close shave in 10 years. I just wanted to get a fresh start on a new winter beard project. But instead a colleague (cheers Karen!) reminded me about a cause that's worth growing some facial hair for.

So here we are, a shaven haven face ready for some upper lip action! I will be growing a moustache throughout November and raise money for prostate cancer. If you are a bearded rebel without a cause, join the Mo movement and grow that 'stash. If your girlfriend/wife threathens to divorce and take the kids (and that awful Guns'n Roses CD) if you dare to go seventies porn star on her ass, well here's the safe solution: donate money for the good cause http://ca.movember.com/mospace/312304/.

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SFW info:

I have decided to join a global movement that is bringing much needed attention to prostate cancer. I’m doing this by growing a Moustache this Movember, the month formerly known as November. My commitment is to grow a moustache all November and I am hoping that you will support my efforts by making a donation. The funds raised go directly to Prostate Cancer Canada.

What many people don’t know is that 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer to afflict Canadian men with 25,500 diagnosed and 4,400 dying from the disease each year.

Facts like these have convinced me I should get involved.

To make a donation, you can either:

• Click this link http://ca.movember.com/mospace/312304/ and donate online using your credit card or PayPal account , or
• Write a cheque payable to ‘Prostate Cancer Canada’, referencing my Registration Number 312304 and mailing it to: Prostate Cancer Canada, 145 Front Street East, Ste. 306, Toronto, ON M5A 1E3, Canada.

All donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Prostate Cancer Canada will use the money raised by Movember for the development of programs related to awareness, public education, advocacy, support of those affected, and research into the prevention, detection, treatment and cure of prostate cancer.

For more details on how the funds raised from previous campaigns have been used and the impact Movember is having please click HERE

Thank you!

Oh, I will be posting pics regularly about my whiskers progress! Here's the first one ....

Pics of Obama!

Well not exactly, but his house and some other places in and around Washington, District of Columbia are featured. Oh BTW, never say Washington, just DC like all the the locals. A couple of months ago we flew down to visit Paul & Daniella, our former neighbours from Belgium. They say DC is a crime ridden place, but we noticed none of that in the swanky neighbourhood where they have a condo.

Some White House

I don't think he was home...

Smithsonian on the Mall

Another Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of the American Indian (all Smithsonian Museums are free!)

There's something creepy about a closed merry-go-round

And sad too ...

Aw. That musta hurt!

Capitol Hill

I find it looks like a palace from a Banana Republic dictator (it must be the palm trees)

Obelisk (Free Masons anyone)

More Mall ...

Toothpick

Kabob!

WW II Memorial Monument

Skewered!

Jump

Everywhere you go, the needle is always there.

The spike is inspiring actually!

Abe

Looks like a Greek temple

Renaissance

Cute Georgetown

Colourful houses

Actually most of these places were occupied by students.

The Exorcist was shot in Georgetown.

And the sky was all yellow!

Now that's a real loft (including chimney).

Guess you could throw a hell of a pizza party with that chimney.

Daniella enjoying a brewski in the local watering hole.

The Potomac River on from George Washington's Estate in Mt. Vernon, Virginia

Foremost G. Washington was a farmer.

Cantaloupes on the fence.

Picture perfect sky.

Mr. Steer

The barnyard.

The Estate (actually made from wood, but painted white with sand thrown on so they look like stone)

Nouvelle France -> New England

After a couple of weeks of denial, I finally accepted that Summer was not coming back. All the leafs have turned colour, it's windy and rainy and we had to put the heating on already. Also repotted all our plants and herbs and hope they will survive inside. *sigh*

Instead of figting off the Fall Blues by going to California (as we did last year). We're making a little trip to Boston with a stop in lovely Vermont (as we did 2 years ago). While other Canadians will be enjoying their Thanksgiving turkey dinner and pumpkin pie this weekend, we will be going to an NBA Boston Celtics game, exploring Cambridge and of course sampling some great food (I have a visit to a farmer's market planned to buy some local goodies for our breakfast in the Beacon Hill apartment that we rented). And of course CLAM CHOWDA!

Pictures will follow (with the usual 4 months delay) ...

NYC pics

Some pics of our trip to NYC last June. Less touristy stuff this time, dinner twice in Brooklyn. This time we stayed in a hotel in Queens, room with a view on Manhattan. We're off to Washington DC in a couple of days.