by Annie | Jun 13, 2010 | Other
Due to the relative scarcity of squirrels in Vancouver, Sofie has taken up a new pastime: seagull chasing. She has yet to grasp the fact that wing power can outmaneuver her four short legs any day, so she expends lots of energy in the hunt. In the spirit of the sunny day, we did some hiking in the Endowment Lands, a gorgeous 14-square-kilometer area of forest and beaches just west of the Vancouver city limits. As soon as the leash came off, the hunt was on. Slow…one step at a time…sudden full-on seagull chase! Stop to gulp seawater. Back to the chase! She did come close a couple of times, but I don’t think she would’ve had the slightest clue what to do had she actually caught up with...
by Annie | Jun 9, 2010 | Other
It’s hard to describe how elated I am to finally sleep on a real bed after almost 3 weeks of sleeping bags and hard ground. After a late start, I spent most of the morning staring quizzically and turning my head one way, then the other, at various Ikea instructional diagrams for our new bed frame. There was also much squinting and head scratching involved. Slowly but surely, the thing came together. Later in the afternoon, an Australian delivery guy dropped off our mattress, made to order from the Bedder Sleep Store where we’d tested out several mattress options last week. The mattress we chose was the one I nearly fell asleep on while testing. Fitted with pocket springs and a firm foam core, it’s ready for the sleeping. Sweet dreams,...
by Annie | Jun 8, 2010 | Other
What did people do before Craigslist? Every few seconds, at the click of a button, you can find several new listings for everything from fish tanks to RVs. In my quest to furnish our rather empty apartment, I’ve been scrutinizing every listing, trying to picture each item within the hodge podge of our new knick knacks. It always amazes me how valuable people think their items are and, sometimes, why they purchased said items in the first place. Take, for example, this “Leather Peach Couch”: Question 1: Why would anyone make this? Question 2: Why would anyone buy this? Question 3: Why would anyone buy this used? In addition, the listing titles can often be deceiving. Don’t be surprised when a click on “Vintage Loveseat – $400” leads to a picture of a saggy wingback chair with a faded floral pattern or “Modern Coffee Table – $125” actually refers to a strange contraption with only a small semblance of a flat surface. The ads often proceed to explain how much the items originally cost, as if that’s an excuse for the exorbitantly high prices they’re demanding for the items in their current state. Perhaps my favorite listing of the day was for a beige “microswaid” couch. Craigslist is also notorious for bad spellers. So far, my Craigslist hunt has netted me a microwave and several sofa scoutings. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? That’s the beauty of...
by Annie | Jun 5, 2010 | Other
It’s not often in life you get to start over from scratch, but that’s exactly what we’re doing here in Vancouver, at least in terms of furniture and household goods. Luckily, Ikea is but a hop, skip, and a jump from our new apartment in the Kits neighborhood of Vancouver. After testing out the slim sofa pickings, we had great success in picking out a table and chairs, bed frame, and numerous knick knacks one needs to function from day to day. It’s true what they say though – you get what you pay for. The three pots we got, while they were a mere $7.99 for the set, came with the following warnings in the insert: – To prevent salt stains on the inside of your cookware, do not add salt to your food until the contents are boiling. – The base is slightly concave when cold. Thus, always leave cookware out to cool before cleaning it. – Never let the cookware boil dry, because the base becomes skew when overheated. – Food that is stored in the cookware may take on the taste of metal. – The handle can be damaged by the flame when the cookware is used on a gas burner. Sounds like I might have better luck using a plastic cup to cook my food. The good news is, the pots did great in helping me prepare tonight’s dinner. No warping or salt stains yet. I’ll have to keep a close watch on them...
by Annie | Jun 4, 2010 | Travel
Thanks to all those who have followed along through our many adventures during this roadtrip. I will continue documenting our adventures here in Vancouver, for those who are interested. In the meantime, here are some pictures to illustrate the many interesting experiences we’ve had (click the picture below to open the album). Enjoy! DC to BC...
