It Was The Best Of Days...

...when TwinB received the phone call from the Alberta College of Art and Design informing her that she'd been accepted for January.  They'd had a 70% increase in applicants over September so it took a long time to sort through however, earlier they had mentioned that her portfolio was 'a high priority'.
She had a few minutes...maybe even a couple of hours to savour the news and then

It Was The Worst of Days

when she got a message via facebook that her best friend ever - her 'soul-twin'  Adam had died of a drug overdose a few hours earlier.  The chain of information and message was exactly the same as a false alarm we'd heard 4 years earlier the day before TwinB moved to Calgary but somehow...somehow she knew this time it's for real.  Our fragile yet endlessly resiliant Adam is gone. His addictions, a terminal illness.  
I've been reading snippets of the messages he sent 'B that she'd posted on livejournal.  They loved to play dress-up and write poems and stories together.  They found each other endlessly inspiring.

He would refer to himself as a palsied little bitch due to his mild cerebral palsy and on occasion he was a real live...person with perpetual drug problems.  He was also one of the sweetest young fellows I've ever met and am grateful to know him.
Your 23 years of struggle are over.
Update: March 3/12
Damn. Wish you were here.
Betcha never figured that your death would trigger so much shit and fall-out.
People loved you and were SO posessive of your attention/friendship.
My darling TwinB has had so much angst and domino effect from your death...Adam...why...why...why...???
WHY???

Wednesday's (Aborted) Wanderings

Thought I would give snowshoeing a try.
Hah!  Try again.
My good friend, the Gumboot Fairy, gave me a pair of snowshoes, declaring that she discovered she actually didn't like snowshoeing, despite her love of  being in the forest.  This was my second try and after a couple hundred meters I was convinced there was no way I'd keep up with the others.
This wasn't much of a surprise after seeing pair after pair of the same style snowshoe unloaded out of the back of the truck and they were about half the size of the ones I subsequently struggled with.
We were less than a half hour walk back to my car so I informed the group that I'd head back on my own.  Got some lovely photos during the tiny window of sunshine we were treated to this morning.
Wonder if they're still out there?  A fairly wicked maritime type blizzard has since descended upon us.

Welcome To Winter

Wow.  Haven't posted in over 2 weeks.
We've been through the season of the snow creations during those first heady days of normally wet snow that is so great for constructing anything one can imagine.

Then on to a chill.  This clearing lead to temperatures of -12 with outflow winds that knock it well into the minus 20s. Two anomolies here; mist/fog which we rarely experience and limply hanging flags.  The constant wind normally takes care of both those situations.
Today, it's the winter wonderland with probably a foot of powdery snow.  I have every light on the the house and am cooking a roast and roast potatoes.
Oh...and TwinA is currently at 92% in her studies! (graphic digital communication)

Craft Fair 2011

This egg tempera is one of the paintings I sold at this year's Christmas Arts & Crafts Fair.  I also managed to sell one of TwinB's pen and inks and displayed her two scratchboard pieces to much admiration and interest.  I had them framed by my lovely Hamer The Framer who performed her usual magic on them.  She's the cheapest and the best - how can you beat that combo??

This was her little corner and what's that? Meat-On-A-Stick?! Of course it is.  Wouldn't be festive without!

Wednesday's Wanderings...

...shall go undocumented for this week due to the neglectation of camera battery charging.
*pout*
We had our first snow yesterday too!  About 4cm bracketed in by 48 cm of rain.  Despite that, we still were treated to our usual window of fine (not rainy) weather for our trek through soaky forest.  At least I didn't have to wear my stiff, sticky rain coat as I'd feared in the morning when I DID wear it to walk the dog and freeze.

Scratchboard by TwinB.  I returned from Calgary bearing artwork rescued from oblivion and possible destruction, because prior to my visit she'd been watching Hoarders and almost tossed some of her brand new original artwork in order to 'de-clutter'.  Just bought a batch of frames and had framing done - this looks lovely and if I never sell it, that's fine too.

Wednesday's Wet Wanderings

I do love my alliteration, don't I??

The old gravel pit where we parked our two vehicles has, unfortunately, turned into this.
We encountered a white pick up with a business name on its side who passed by with averted eyes. One of the members of the group will contact the District with this info and a soggy mailing label that I happened to find as we sifted and sleuthed through the debris.
Finally we took off...straight up hill; quite the warm-up!

Following the climb we did a little bog stomping. I don't know how in the world our guide could tell where we were going since there was no trail through this stretch.

We reached a logging road which resulted in comments like "you mean we could have been on a road all this time??!"(they were joking) trekked along a fairly new trail through the woods that the Haisla had created then followed Cordella creek all the way back down to the beginning of the hike.
The boiling, brown, tannic waters of the creeks we encountered were especially high since there had been 31 mm of rain the night before and even though we're made for run-off they were all close to overflow.
Anyway...it was invigorating and emotionally refreshing as always!

Fall & The Freaky Fingers Of Fungus

Captured them!! Been on the lookout for a photo op with both the yellow and black fungus fingers.  I noticed the yellow ones for the first time a couple weeks ago but didn't have my camera and couldn't find them in the days following.  After a few days of slowing walking and scanning the grass behind Roy Wilcox everyone probably thinks I partake of the magic mushroom.
These black fingers are found behind the old hospital & I hadn't seen them in 5 years.  Those previous ones were bigger and purple, but maybe their form and colour varies from year to year.

The maple leaf?  Just because.