a peek inside the fishbowl

I’ve been walking around our neighborhood, taking iPhone photos of some of the houses I like. God I hope no one ever catches me doing this. And I hope the fact that Piper is with me makes me look like less like a stalker.

Here are a few pics. Note the carports! That’s where we’re heading too. Goodbye garage!

You may click to embiggen.

And this is an infill, not a reno:

And this is a custom build too:

I’ve seen the interior of the home pictured above (I wrote about it for publication here). It is gorgeous, but also way beyond our means. As for the others, I am really tempted to knock and ask for a tour. Or at least tossing a note in their mailboxes and asking them to drop me a line. If you live in one of these homes, or know the person who does, CALL ME.

There are a few reasons why I like them:

• they fit into the neighborhood
• a couple of them are inspired versions of our existing home (wartime/postwar homes)
• they are traditional design with a contemporary twist

During my nosy tours of the neighborhood I am noticing home exteriors more than I ever have before. Is it me or does the big trend seem to be about using multiple materials in tandem with one another? i.e. darker stucco with naturally stained bead-board, or wood & large-stone masonry. It’s not just about siding anymore baby!

There are some roughly finished stone tiled accent walls cropping up too… which is interesting and provides lovely texture, but I can’t help but wonder if it will get dated fairly quickly. 

Why am I even thinking about this now? It is so premature. I need to think about the space first. THEN the finishing. *sigh*

The architect’s firm is drawing up “as is” plans for us this week. As soon as they are ready we’ll have something to work from as we move towards the next step… conveying our needs and wants to the architect in as much detail as humanly possible. Eep! I can’t think of how to convey our style. New Traditional? Comfortably Contemporary? Modern Retro? We’re going to have to dig deep in order to define ourselves clearly.

I would like to take a moment to welcome the Canadian Museum of Civilization as a new Fishbowl patron. I am thrilled. Much like the Canada Agriculture Museum (I just posted about them recently here), the Canadian Museum of Civilization is famous for its awesomeness here in the Ottawa-Gatineau region.

I can’t begin to tell you how many enjoyable hours we’ve spent there as a family. The Canadian Children’s Museum (a mini museum-within-a-museum… have you been??) has been a longtime staple for us at Casa Fishbowl. We have seen some fabulous films and documentaries at the IMAX theatre, and now that the kids are getting older they are getting more out of the rest of the exhibits too.

There is always something going on at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. The scope and variety of family programming is mind-boggling.

Here’s a snapshot of our last visit. :)

The Museum has some great stuff going on right now, including a Sugar Shack on March 27. Also (and I totally didn’t know this before now) they have a really cool bilingual day camp lined up for the summer (!) for children age 6-12. Read on:

“Children will discover what goes on behind the scenes in the creation and production of a one-of-a-kind puppet show. Guided by a member of the fabulous Théâtre de la Dame de Cœur, they’ll learn how to make and operate giant puppets. Working in teams, they will invent puppet characters and stage them in a performance in the Museum’s Theatre. Get ready for an incredible adventure in the land of the giants!” 

GIANT PUPPETS! Doesn’t that sound great? You can read more about that here.

I would also like to mention that the Canadian War Museum (which falls under the CMC corporation) is also a great place to visit with the family… even though some people might not think to bring their kids there. We’ve been, and I will tell you, it is a very child-friendly place. So go!

Can I share a family secret with you?

If you ever find yourself in the LeBreton Gallery (the giant glassed-in room with all the military vehicles), take a good look at the airplane on display there. It’s a McDonnell CF-101B “Voodoo” interceptor, and it was part of Canada’s Cold War contribution to the air defence of North America.

“The Voodoo was a nuclear-capable, supersonic, all weather aircraft with high speed, excellent climb performance, and a good combat radius and ceiling.” And further, the Voodoo was “acquired by the Museum (No. 101002) first came to Canada in 1970 as part of an exchange of aircraft with the United States. Flown operationally by 410, 425, and 416 Squadrons, and used as a training aid by 414 Squadron, it was removed from active service in August 1992.”

Why am I telling you all of this? Because we have a special family connection to that exact plane that is on display. Mark’s dad flew in it… something we are all immensely proud of. Gary Tomkins, you are a slice of living history! The girls always get a kick out of seeing “Papa’s plane” in person. :)

Isn’t that amazing?

Anyway, yes! I want to send out a biiig thank you to the kind folks at the Canadian Museum of Civilization for becoming a Fishbowl patron. We are glad you are here!

My head is thick with a cold and I am hearing everything through a veil today. It’s not the best day for writing, but I figure the best way to deal with it is to just get up and move… and try to ignore what’s going on inside my body.

I spent most of yesterday curled up on the couch with a friend. This girl right here:

I’m pretty sure she knew that something was amiss. She was happy to just hang out, only occasionally pressing a rubber chicken against the backs of my knees while I walked or playfully shoving her ratty “foxy” in my face.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how our lives have changed now that we have a four-legged family member. I can’t believe I was ever unsure.

This is what she looked like when she first came into our lives, almost a year ago:

Read the rest of this entry »