It's amazing the difference a few feet can make, especially when those feet are constructed of solid bricks and mortar.

Our dear friend GK made our month this morning when he sent us these photos from the site. Voila! There are walls, the beginning of doors, the outline of rooms. But more amazing than this is that we are now starting to see what it will be like to inhabit this structure -- how the views and the house are in a wonderful harmony. We can't wait to experience this ourselves in a few weeks' time.

Posted at 11:07 PM | Permalink

It wasn't me who uttered the fateful phrase, but rather a sales associate at the Patagonia shop on the Upper West Side. I had been on the hunt for a new, knee-length down coat. My old one was both showing it's use and its impracticality (particularly when associated with small children... Did I mention the old coat was white?)

One would think that the choice of coats meeting a few simple criteria -- like knee length, down, waterproof, somewhat stylish and affordable -- would be substantial. But that wasn't the case. I walked the real and virtual aisles, and paged the insane number of catalogues that have been assaulting our mailbox hawking just such 'wears.' I was surprised that looking at completely-out-of-the-question priced coats didn't improve the options.

In the end it came to a two candidate coat-off: the angel down coat at Land's End versus the Down with it coat from Patagonia.

The Land's End coat was the only one that fited all the criteria, coming in 'short' on the style quotient (pictured above.) I was quite swayed by the more flattering quilting on the Patagonia coat and was about to take that action that gives marketers a thrill, i.e. "make a purchasing decision," when the salesperson uttered that fateful n-word.

I asked, "Why is this coat only water repellent and not water resistant?" To which she replied, "No one needs a water resistant down coat... It's never cold and raining hard at the same time. You know, it would be snowing, and snow doesn't stick."

I stuck with the Land's End coat and, after having trudged a number of kilometres each day in the pouring rain in temperatures around the 40F mark over the recent three weeks, I am here to tell you that a water resistant down coat is a necessity! And sales staff should probably steer clear of using the word, "never."

Posted at 10:59 PM | Permalink

The first weekend in December is always one of my favourites. It is smack dab in the seasonal wave of goodwill, the scent of fresh cut pine, and 'public art' comprised of all the lobby and personal Christmas decor. It is also the week when, Pat & Carol, one set of our in-laws, come to visit.

It's become an annual tradition over recent years: three days jam-packed with fun, great meals, conversation and exploring the city together. This year we enjoyed dinner at Bistro 61 (click here to read previous post) and Crispo -- a pair of delectable evenings. We also hung out at Madison Square Park and Union Square, and watched a little part of a Western -- Calvin loves horses (see the photo above.)

Best of all, Calvin got to spend time with his Pop and Carol... and he remembered exactly who they were. Hugs and fun and toys galore were shared. The little guy has been spending time since figuring out how to manoeuvre his new tricycle around the apartment, transporting all kinds of things from his new blocks and trucks to favourite fluffy toys. He very much likes the box that the unit block set came in... and likes building a little tower and singing the portions of 'Happy Birthday' that he knows (mostly "to you!"), 'blowing out' the tower candle and then tipping over the tower.

Posted at 9:20 PM | Permalink