Halloween!

As I have frequently blogged, we are lucky to live on such a community-minded street.

We carved some pumpkins with friends earlier this week, allowing us a record number of 4 pumpkins carved in one year.  We are also lucky because Canadians get pretty excited about Halloween. 

Our previous tradition, and one that we were most sad to leave, was to go to our friends' street and eat dinner and trick or treat together.  

E's first Halloween on Cobb Hill Lane, as the butterfly.

Every year we would get excited, plan costumes and food with friends, and gather our kids and adult beverages and walk around the neighborhood. There were certain houses that were still too scary, but the kids had fun watching the adults go in and come running out.  

E had a few years as a bird, first as a chicken and then as a purple bird that I made. It shed everywhere but the costume was *awesome*

Ariel? She is the baby in pink crying on the far left hand side in the top picture. :)

S, the baby lobster. 

With the blue paci that probably has not been washed since that Halloween 3 years later.

We were really happy to get to see all of our neighbors and friends on our street tonight. It was a good night in Canada - it felt like home.  We saw friends from home, friends from school, and made sure we stopped at all of our favorite houses.  I was worried that this night would be a sad one, because even before we moved E and S were already asking if we could go back to Virginia for Halloween. And S only asked if we could stop by Garrett's house once. 

One of our Virginia friends sent us a picture of their gathering tonight, and we looked at our friends' costumes.  And I think we were a little sad not to be there.  But we were also glad that we have a community that is so vibrant and happy that the entire night felt like a party.  (We did go through about 400 pieces of candy. I'm not sending much in with J to work. It was a busy night.)

This is one of the weirdest things about moving. A night like this, that I was anticipating all year to be one of the more difficult nights, ended up being pretty ok. Maybe even pretty great. My kids are slow trick-or-treaters, but we ran into pretty much everybody and it was a fun night.  The days and nights that I think will be OK end up being the more challenging ones sometimes.  

I think this will begin the Christmas season up here. Remember, Canadians have already had their Thanksgiving (Oct. 9 weekend) so there is no Thanksgiving date to wait for, so I think lights may go up soon and things will begin to be festive.  There is no shortage of cold weather, that's for sure!

Our ladybug and green dragon with wings* wish you a Happy Halloween!

*Last year S was a green dragon, no wings. He wore this costume everywhere. Including when we arrived in Canada. Hello, border control officers. Yes, we have 2 adults, one child, and one small green dragon.  In fact, the title of this blog was going to be A Green Dragon in Customs, but I wasn't sure the dragon would last. I was wrong. 

Do you think they would allow a passport photo in a green dragon costume?

Strength: Tomato Pappu and Terry Fox

I have been pondering the idea of female strength lately. My own and my loved ones.  I have some fierce females around me, my friends.

My thoughts have been coming from a variety of places. It seems that a number of us have been having really tough years. People are sick. Jobs are lost or in trouble. Life is unfair or difficult. Evil is afoot. But even in the face of all this, we have earned promotions, gotten jobs, supported our families financially and emotionally, made choices that are the right ones for us, parented our children, others people's children, and supported each other - most of these at the same time.  We are wonderful friends to each other, particularly in times of need. 

Where does our strength for this come from? I am not exactly sure, but I know for me, community has helped me so very much. I am lucky to have friends that are willing to listen to me cry on skype when I was newly moved to Canada, J was in Switzerland, and I fell apart, which is still the lowest part of my time here.  I am also lucky to have new friends here, who have continued my Hyderabadi culinary education and who have introduced me to Terry Fox.

There is no greater inspiration in Canada than Terry Fox. And inspiration is strengthening to me.

Please take a few minutes and watch the clip if you are not familiar with him.

In September my sister Hil and I volunteered at the local Terry Fox run in Etobicoke, our area of Toronto. There are runs all over Canada, and all over the world*. Everything is donated and run in a very "mom-and-pop" fashion, so there are no corporate donors to give you t-shirts or a medal when you finish.  Most of the money raised during Terry's events is given directly to cancer research - an astonishingly high percentage.  The run is non-competitive and open for a few hours, so you begin when you want and finish during the open window.  Survivors, like Hil, get red t-shirts.  I realized then that Hil is still grappling with being a survivor. It is really hard to be 23 and be a cancer survivor.  It doesn't seem to go together.  As Terry knew.   

Some of you know I'm in South Carolina right now, with my Aunt who is ill with cancer. She is the Aunt who fed me popcorn for breakfast, and always made me laugh as a moody teenager, and offered me her home when I got married to J - we were married on the beach outside her home.  And now she is very, very sick.  Through this all, she continues to make me smile and laugh, and show that same kind of strong, Morrisey-woman streak the men who marry us bemoan.  It is such a honor to be a part of her female community, and my mom's, and my sister's, and my cousins', as we tend to her.  The care that her husband, her 83 year old husband is showing her, is one of the most beautiful loves I have ever seen. He sleeps on an air mattress next to her bed every night. He gets her food and drinks and her medicines. He tucks her in so gently and keeps her smiling through her questions.  

So, my strength comes from community, and family, and from myself.  I'm not sure I'm finished with this question, but it continues to interest me.  

Below, find N's recipe for Tomato Pappu, an easy peasy lentil dish. Because my community in Canada has been helping me continue my cooking lessons from FA.  YUM!

*Check out how to start your own run.

Tomato Pappu (Dhal)
Vijaya Niranjan
 

1 cup  red lentils (masoor dhal)
4 cups  water
5   plum tomatoes (canned tomatoes taste better)
3  green chillies, sliced
1  medium onion, chopped
2  garlic cloves, sliced
1 tsp thalimpu ginjalu
½ tsp paspu (turmeric powder)
1 tsp  salt
fresh coriander

Wash red lentils.  Add two cups of water, and cook on high in the microwave for 8 minutes.
Heat oil over medium heat in thick saucepan.  Add garlic and cook until lightly browned.  
Add thalimpu ginjalu, chillies and chopped onions.
When onions are lightly browned, add tomatoes and turmeric powder.  
Add lentils and mix well.
Add two cups of water, salt and coriander leaves. 
Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Enjoy!

What we did our our summer vacation part 3: Ottawa

The capitol of another country is always a fun place to go.  In this case, it is adorable.  Washington D.C. is sprawling, spread out, and full of not-so-safe areas to travel.  Ottawa, on the other hand, is compact, walkable, and does not feel like a police state. Alas, I was not able to take my photo with a mountie. (Don't you think there should be a mountie in Red Serge at the capital?)

And you can still celebrate President Obama here. Because even Canadians love him. So of course we at where Obama ate and bought Obama cookies.

 The Parliament building.

These are locks. They connect the capital to Lake Ontario. I think. They are an engineering wonder. It takes 5 days to travel through all of the locks to the lake. Or 3 hours to drive it.

Doesn't this look like parts of the U.S. capitol complex?

One of the nights we were in Ottawa, we went to a light show. They actually use the Parliament building  as the backdrop for a light and sound show on the history of the country.  The entire field is filled with people watching the show, and they have interviewed famous Canadians about the history of the country.  One of the final questions was "Canada is the world's _____" Some said brain, some said other things, but the answer they used was Canada is the world's heart. And I wanted to stand up and say, yes! Yes, it is!  

When we went to the U2 concert, Bono remarked that Canadians certainly were an idealistic people, and  I think that is true.  Canadians embrace people other countries will not, like Cuba, or immigrants.  They aren't a perfect country, certainly, but I am enjoying learning about their culture. 

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In contrast, I was in Chicago and Michigan this weekend.  I was hit up constantly for money by homeless people, something that doesn't normally happen in Toronto.  And it was loud with sirens.  And I liked Chicago! I thought it was an alive, vibrant city. 

And really? Instead of building a fence between Canada and America? Just make people take the Ambassador Bridge. No one will want to enter America if that is how they have to enter. You can rest assured, security is tight. They were checking trunks on every other car. And then you enter Detroit. They should pipe in Eminem as you cross.  And the people in Michigan did not like my Ontario license plates. Or my Honda. 

It is hard not to draw comparisons between the U.S. and Canada, particularly when you travel back and forth between them often.  In Canada, I see a lot of common sense people who make sensible decisions and care for their citizens. What if we took all of the private money we spent on the homeless in different agencies in the U.S. and turned that into housing and aid? Would that work? Is it just that our sizes are so different that they are able to provide much better public service for their citizenry?  I don't think it is that people care less in the states, but we debate so much, we lose sight of the goal, which is caring for people. 

Interesting Day in Photos, From Toronto

I ended up capturing a lot of fun pictures today. Gynweth, on her blog, captures things like her Emmy scrapbook (yes, I subscribe to GOOP. Doesn't everyone?)  

But, me, oh no. I capture exciting things I find at Canadian Tire. Like this fabulous table.

I almost bought this table. It is metal. The center lid lifts off. You can use the interior as either a cooler, OR... wait for it... A FIRE PIT. Can you imagine a more versatile piece of outdoor furniture? Can you imagine J's reaction if I had come home with it? I feel that there is an entire group of tailgaters in Maryland that would support the purchase of this fine table.

AC/DF, if you don't get this for your renovated backyard, I may be disappointed in you. And revoke your Man-Target credentials.

Also at Canadian Tire, Princess and Cars shovels. Really? Why not? Where else would you get them? And your gun lock? And your hiking socks? And fire starters? And light bulbs?

(I got everything there today except for the pictured items and gun lock. We didn't need the gun lock. I did NEED the table. But I was afraid of J.)

This was my dinner. I didn't eat most of it. J said I was feeling my meat tooth. That was for DB and FdP.

It came with an entire jar of pickles.  

 Every day should end with positive graffiti. 

I didn't get a picture of the man walking home with the enormous beer stein/trophy.

I also didn't get a picture of the man who was campaigning for Provincial candidates to make it a crime to ride bikes on the sidewalk. He had a placard. He wanted them to be fined $2000 if they were caught, because it causes several hip replacements per year.  The placard had writing on both sides. He was kind enough to let me read both sides of it before moving on. I don't think people took him very seriously. Like J. Who said, "Really? That's what he is worked up about?" I told him that maybe he had been personally affected by the issue. I think J may be a little cynical, so the last picture is dedicated to him. :)

What we did on our summer vacation part 2: HUTTOPIA!

This is a huttopia:

 Isn't it luxurious?

It is a canvas tent on a wooden platform with limited electricity, including the mini fridge, small heater, and overhead light. It also has 2 "bedrooms," and comes equipped with most everything you need. First designed by French visitors who wanted to camp (and who had this business in France), this was a great first camping experience with our young family. J had attended a Y camp briefly as a child. I had gone to camp on Catalina Island off the coast of California for several years, and was more comfortable with the idea, but both of us want flushing toilets, especially with E and S.  The huttopia is perfect.

Unfortunately for us, the huttopia, which I first saw at a Plein Air festival in Montreal when we visited in May, is only in Quebec Provincial Parks.   If you are in France, or plan to visit, they also have several locations there as well. Canada as a whole is very good with the whole cottage culture/rustic outdoor living thing, and so there are many places to stay closer to nature. Ontario Provincial Parks also have yurts, but they differ in that they have mostly single beds. And their "comfort stations" are not as close; the pit toilets located near the yurts led us to decide to return to a huttopia rather than try a yurt.  We would car camp and buy or rent a tent from our local Mountain Equipment Co-op (like Canada's REI; now we're members of both!), but we aren't proficient enough yet to tent camp. Plus, it is getting much colder.

 Because we broke out our fleece and winter hats. In August. Because we live in Canada. 

S'mores every night before bed are VERY important when you are camping. And having the perfect stick takes up at least an hour every day, giving your parents peaceful time to read at the campsite.  If you are three, you break your stick at least twice before you find one that is sturdy enough to withstand your best efforts to break it.

The kid-size sleeping bags we purchased at MEC were zipped together to make one big kid bag. Of course, it still couldn't contain marshmallow and chocolate energy.

Our cruise on the Fjord du Saguenay.  The Parc National du Saguenay is where we camped.  It is past QC up the St. Lawrence towards the Atlantic Ocean. The fjord is popular with whales, and I am working on a short video that I will post directly on facebook with the kids.  It is astonishingly beautiful.

 Canadians are way into canoes. This is not a stereotype.

We kayaked from this beach with the kids.  Our guide was amazing in pointing out the seals just meters away, and we kayaked all of the way into the waterway of the fjord.

J and I thought that this was the best way to spend our 10th anniversary. It may have been our best vacation ever. The Saguenay area is one of the most breathtaking areas on earth, full of wildlife. We hiked, kayaked, went on boat rides, cooked and ate outside. We couldn't name all of the animals we saw, from the porcupine to the humpback whale to the gray seal to the beaver dam.

We now have a stuffed black bear named Fjord who lives at our house.

What we did on our summer vacation, part 1: Quebec City

Quebec City is awesome.  Amazing.  Super cool.

We checked into our hotel in the old part of the city and was told that there was a FREE Cirque du Soleil show that evening. It was under a highway. We had a minor snafu at our hotel with both our credit card and them losing a set of our car keys, which they later found, so them tipping us off on the Cirque show was really lovely.

The show site during the day. Note the use of shipping containers, the highway structure, and the general sketchiness of the locale. The directions from our hotel literally included: and then it is under the overpass.  What?! People normally pay hundreds of dollars for these tickets. Cirque started as a street show in Baie St. Paul, a small town an hour farther east up the St. Lawrence River, so this is very much in keeping with their roots, which was part of what made it so cool.  The show had a steampunk vibe, which seems very Canadian to me - at least, I hadn't heard of this movement in the U.S., though it appears to be global.*

 This is what you walk into at night. Good thing Canada is safe. 

 The show site, and the Ringmaster, entertaining the standing crowd, below. 

The public bathrooms in QC actually have classical music playing. And they are clean. It was surreal. I have never experienced that in a municipal toilet before.  

Part of why Quebec City is amazing is the old European city feel of the city, even though it was founded one year later than Jamestown, Virginia. (Yes, Canadians, the 4th grade teacher in me needs to tell you that Jamestown was founded in 1607, one year earlier than QC. Virginia history is taught in 4th grade, and was the first grade I taught.)  There are many, many old buildings and the fortified old city has a wall encompassing it. I suspect much of the old city has been preserved because of the difference in building materials, dictated by the difference in climate. You can see from the pictures that even in August, we were wearing pants, raincoats and long sleeves.   

There are buskers throughout QC, but there is a stage outside the most famous hotel, where the best ones perform, maybe inspired by their Cirque cousins? We watched 2 shows here.

E sometimes has inspired fashion sense.

Below you can watch the funicular that takes you from the lower old town to the upper old town. S and E loved it!

We had delicious food in Quebec City. Above you can see the picnic plate J and I shared for lunch one day with a bottle of wine. It has rabbit (sorry, Mom)**, pickled carrot and onion, tapenade, local cheese, fennel, smoked salmon, etc. It was one of my favorite meals of the trip. E and S had their own 3 course lunches at this restaurant.  J also had some pork lard spread at breakfast one day. Yum, pork lard. But it was served with baked beans, which are always delicious at breakfast.

We took the Governor General's walk along the St. Lawrence, which just proved to me that we Americans were right to rebel against the British.  It was a terrible hike of many open stairs, which S hates, so we had to carry him, to get this view of the river.  It was high. We could see far. Yippee. We ended in a park that we could have accessed easily from another direction. At least it was not icy in the middle of winter.

Next up: The blog you've been waiting for: HUTTOPIA!


*The steampunk movement reminds me of the book 21 Balloons.
**My mom had a pet bunny once. It was cooked for dinner. It is a sad story.