Closing the Cottage... by Barbara (Ruth)

October is my favourite month of the year in my favourite season of the year. What's not to like? Clear blue skies, leaves on fire with colour, pleasant sunny (even warm) days with cool nights perfect for star-gazing, zero humidity (and therefore excellent hair), crisp apples, neighbourhood camaraderie as everyone grabs every bit of afternoon sunlight and prepares the garden for winter, Thanksgiving (if you live in Canada), football, the World Series, raking leaves, and of course, pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks.

Ah but there is one thing I don't like doing in October. Closing the cottage for the season just makes me sad. The cottage itself holds so many memories that it's almost like it has its own personality, and I feel like I'm abandoning it! And so, in addition to doing all the cleaning and mouse-proofing, I have a few rituals that I have to do before I leave.

First, I have to check every single thing off my list. This includes washing all linens and beach towels and putting everything in big rubbermaid bins in the basement, emptying and unplugging the fridge and propping it open (I was asked why I do this, and I have no idea. My parents did it, so I do too.), stacking all the Muskoka chairs under the deck, bringing the canoe and paddle boat onshore, emptying the pantry of anything that isn't canned, plugging the laundry vent, and closing all the blinds and curtains.

The things that are on my list are relatively easy, and only take me a couple of hours. I'm lucky enough to have a neighbour who takes care of the three things that I don't have a clue about doing - one is raising the dock ramp using a winch (the dock itself is floating, but the ramp needs to be raised), the second is removing two sections of the deck railing that are otherwise destroyed by snowdrifts each spring, and the final thing is draining the pipes. I also have a general contractor who removes the eaves troughs each year in November, ensuring that the heavy snow doesn't snap them off.

Once the list is done, I go for a walk around the property. October in Muskoka is a feast for all the senses: the sight of the amazing fall colours, the sound of the falling leaves (it actually sounded like rain the day I said my goodbyes this year), the smell of the woodsmoke from neighbouring cottages, the taste of the crunchy apple I usually take on my walk, and the feel of the freezing cold lake as I dip my hand in one last time.

I say goodbye to the trees:

And to the lake:

This is my parents saying goodbye to the lake when we closed the cottage in October 2008.

And even to the "sacred reading corner":

And then I drive up this lane way, and back to the city, leaving the memories safely packed away until next year.

Field Trip Friday-Episode #1...by (Angela) Jean

We have started something new at Abelattanzedinio Homeschool: Field Trip Friday. My vision is that Fridays will be our day to get out of the house and do something fun and adventurous. Yesterday was the Inaugural Adventure. I had orginally planned for us to take the city bus, GO Train and subway into the city to my former office and meet a friend for lunch and get us some 'city time', but she ditched us.....some lame excuse about being too busy to take a lunch...sheesh...

Anyway, in hindsight, that trip may have been a tad ambitious for our first field trip. Plan B still involved public transit, but only our local city bus. I still have a balance remaining on my PRESTO card from back in my working stiff days, and since kids under six ride the bus for free, there was no need to scrounge for change.

I packed some provisions for the trip.

 Bundled up the kids (it was a very chilly morning) and headed out to the bus stop.

I decided, in the spirit of adventure, to visit the main branch of our local Public Library. We have two branches that are closer to our house, but main branch has a large children's department and a great selection of books. The main branch is all the way downtown so it involved a longer bus ride, and....wait for it...a TRANSFER! at the GO STATION! Lots of buses! And Trains! Can you feel the excitement?

believe me, this photo does not begin to capture the unbridled enthusiasm

The library visit went well, but I felt strange about whipping out the camera inside. People tend to look at you a little funny when you photograph their children in public places. We picked out some good books and then headed back outside to enjoy the beautiful day.

snack time

I am convinced walking along retaining walls is a childhood rite of passage

A short walk from the library is our very pretty main street. It's full of cute shops.

This is one of my favourites and since the kids were behaving so well, we went in to pick out a cookie...or two...ok, ok! Six. Sigh. There was a deal!

 The bus ride home involved a little bit of a scare. You see, Big Cat and Teddy made the journey with us, and as we were sitting in our 2nd bus at the station, about to embark on the last leg of the journey, I looked at Mimi and noticed that Biggie was missing.

Me: Mimi! Where's Biggie! Did you leave him on the other bus?
Mimi: Um...I guess so...(voice quavering, panic starting to set in)

I glanced across the bus platform and could see that our previous bus was still parked. All the buses wait on the platform for the GO Train to arrive at the station. Once those passengers board the buses, they all depart at the same time. I ran to the front of the bus and asked our driver if I could zip across to check for Biggie. She agreed to keep an eye on the kids. I ran across the platform and breathlessly explained to the driver that I needed to check for a stuffed cat. Without waiting for his reply, I ran to the back. A group of large, hoodie-and-falling-down-pants-wearing highschool students were sitting together at the back giggling. Biggie was on one of their laps. I think I arrived just in time. I have a feeling that Biggie would have met a tragic fate at the hands of these upstanding young citizens. They handed him to me and I sprinted back to the other bus.
Mimi was relieved, and I learned my lesson. Stuffies will henceforth remain in the relative safety of our home for all future Field Trip Fridays.

 We arrived home safely, and I am happy to report that, overall,  FTF #1 was a rousing success!

Photography Assignment #3...by (Angela) Jean

This is the last assignment for this course, and I have to admit I'm a bit sad. Each assignment was a challenge, and it was new experience for me to shoot photos with a purpose, as opposed to just capturing a personal moment.

I will type out the written instructions for you, in full. They are a bit cryptic, and vague, but I want you to read them yourself. They seem more like poetry than instructions to me.

"Remembering all that you have learned about what to think about when shooting in different lighting situations.


What are you influenced by and interested in photographing?
Different styles of photography from portrait to landscape to food to still life photography.


Shoot or Emulate an image or style that interests you. Please supply 3-5 final images. You may adjust them in a photo editing program if you want to.


Long lens vs short lens, existing light, flash, mixing flash with existing light, low light, higher ISO, white balance to correct and/or be creative, tripods and monopods vs hand held.


This is to test and practice all that you have learned.
Putting it all together.


Remember my "5 easy steps" rule, each step individually is simple but combined you're a photo genius!


Always remember your Rules of Composition
i.e. Rule of Thirds, negative space, tension points, colours and texture etc.
and
What is your desired creative affect? Depth of Field or Motion and how to get it."

So, is that clear to you? Me neither.
We received this assignment yesterday and it is due tomorrow. We were not to use images that were shot before the assignment was given, so basically that left me with today to get my shots and edit my shots, and of course, write this post.

I have chosen to interpret the instructions this way:

• shoot something/someone that inspires/interests you
• make your 3-5 images tell a story/have a theme
• attempt to use techniques you have learned in this course (i.e. shoot images that you wouldn't/couldn't have shot 6 weeks ago)

There are 3 people, in particular, that interest and inspire me. Can you guess who they are?

The theme I was going for here was "everyday". I am happiest at home, with my family. These are some special, private moments from our lives. Things that happen every day, but that are special and beautiful none-the-less.

Image 1-Self Portrait with Otis

Settings:
Lens: 35mm Prime Lens
Aperture: f1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/60
ISO: 100
Flash: External Flash SB600 (powered to +3, flash facing backwards)



Image 2-Amelia

Settings:
Lens: 35mm Prime Lens

Aperture: f1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/40
ISO: 100
Flash: External Flash SB600 (powered to +3, flash facing backwards)























Image 3-Shawn

Settings:
Lens: 35mm Prime Lens

Aperture: f1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/200
ISO: 100
Flash: External Flash SB600 (powered to +3, flash facing backwards)

Image 4-Otis

Settings:
Lens: 35mm Prime Lens

Aperture: f1.8
Shutter Speed: 1/125
ISO: 100
Flash: External Flash SB600 (powered to +3, flash facing backwards)

This is the first time I have used external flash for a class assignment. Before taking this course, I have never been comfortable using a flash. I absolutely hated the the look of photos with the pop-up flash on my camera so I never, ever used it. I have had my external flash for 2 years and because I was clueless on how to actually use it, it just stayed in the camera bag. We have spent some time in class talking about flash use and how to best use it for effect. I still need loads more practice, but at least I'm getting it out of the bag!

I hope you have enjoyed following along with me through this course. I am planning  to take the intermediate course in the winter term, and I promise to let you know how that goes.

But hey, if you have any suggestions on a photo assignment you'd like to see me attempt, why don't you leave a comment? I'll even let you give me a mark! 

October in my Garden....by (Angela) Jean

So far, it has been an October of extremes, here in Southern Ontario. Two weeks ago, the temperature dropped down to single digits and it took great will power (and extra socks and sweaters) to resist turning on the furnace. Last weekend was Thanksgiving, and we were blessed with a long weekend of glorious fall weather. In fact, it was so warm, that during our annual trip to the pumpkin farm, we almost suffered heat stroke in the corn maze.

This week we have returned to cold, wet and windy.
Despite the less than ideal conditions, I have spent considerable time in the garden, ripping out flower and vegetable beds, and doing general clean up.

look what happens to broccoli when you don't pick it

My brussels sprouts: too much brussel, not enough sprout.

I have washed all of my patio planters and furniture, and stored them, along with my hanging baskets, in the garage. Some baskets still looked quite lovely, despite the flowers being finished, so I left them up for now.

I felt badly about cleaning out the finished sunflowers.

The gold finches loved them so much, and we loved seeing the gold finches.

So this week, I bought a finch feeder with special finch food.

So far, no finches, but hopefully they will find it soon.
I have plans to put up some more bird feeders around the back yard, in hopes of luring some of these guys.

This one is from my parents' house and he likes to eat the peanuts that they leave out for Charlie the Chipmunk.

While the weather was pleasant, we had great fun playing in yard,

but the recent wind and rain have left our ash tree bare.

It was time to bag up the leaves for pick up.

It appears I may have missed a few.

The front step has been properly adorned for the season,

and there is much talk of Halloween around our house. Planning for pumpkin carving and costume making is underway, but consensus is never easily achieved around here. We still have a few weeks to think our ideas through.
As we go for our daily walks around the neighbourhood,

sometimes to the park, but often just along the paths,

I continue to be struck by the beauty of the foliage and grasses.

The growing season may be over, but some of the plant life is just starting to show off.

I hope you are enjoying your autumn and taking some time to marvel at the beauty all around.

Stammpot....by (Angela) Jean

Many of the memories I have of my Pake (Pa-ka) involve him sitting in our kitchen peeling potatoes.

We were very fortunate to be able to have our grandparents around a lot....like almost every day, a lot. We would come home from school and they would be there. Beppe (Bep-ah) would be cleaning something, and Pake would be peeling potatoes.

He was an expert. His technique focused on ensuring as little waste as possible, so the peel was paper thin. He was also very quick. His goal was to peel each potato in a spiral motion without lifting the paring knife once. The result was one long peel that resembled a slinky. If you threw it over your shoulder, the shape of the peel on the floor was supposed to be the initial of the man you would marry. (Incidentally, mine always looked like an S.)

More times than not, the peeled potatoes would be boiled for stammpot, a traditional, hearty, one-pot, Dutch supper. When the seasons change from summer to fall, it's stammpot time! Here's my twist on my family's autumn comfort food.

Peel and chop onions, carrots, potatoes and sweet potatoes (sorry Pake, but you would not be impressed with my peeling technique.) I used this many.

Now, I should mention that using sweet potatoes is not traditional. I didn't grow up eating them, but over the last several years, I've developed a deep love! I find they add a lovely subtle flavour and a pretty colour too.
Toss the veggies and onions together in a large pot, cover with water, add salt, and boil until almost soft.

Add sauerkraut. I used the fermented kind, not the pickled kind. Add several smoked sausages on top, to steam.

When vegetables are completely soft, and sausages are fully steamed, remove the sausages and drain the cooking water. Add butter....about a stick or so. Add milk or cream....about a cup or so. Mash everything together.

You can make it as smooth or as chunky as you like. I like it a little chunky so you can get a taste of each vegetable in each bite. Slice the sausage and stir in with the mash.

This is a stick-to-your-ribs dinner that brings me back to my childhood. Make a big pot. The leftovers are amazing reheated in a casserole dish in the oven.