Detroit City: Love it!

Wow. Who would have thought Detroit was so cool? Well maybe everyone was in the know but me.

I was playing in Windsor this past weekend and my new friend Roger was able to show me around his hometown. We ate amazing food, saw great sights, and I was SO impressed with Detroit as a city. It seems to be undergoing great urban renewal and there are lots and lots of bikes and bike paths (this is how I judge how progressive a city is!).

The architecture is amazing. Deco, deco, deco! Check out these pics I snapped of the interior of the Guardian building downtown:

Super cool, huh?

The highlight of the mini-tour was going to Roger's amazing Arts and Crafts house in the Eastside. These pictures don't do it justice at all. The millwork in the house is exquisite, but the showstopper is the central sunlight.

The living room is like this:

Typical Arts and Crafts, I hear you say. Until...

This room is just bathed in light and must be a wonder in the winter.

We did a few other things too, which I really enjoyed and would recommend:

• Eastern Market
• Breakfast at the Russell St Deli 
• Barbeque at Slow's
• The Heidelburg Project
• Drink a can of Vernor's

I also believe the art museum is wonderful too. I can't wait to go back! Thanks, Roger!!

Yarn Shop Yumminess

Isn't it funny how your friends end up all over the world doing unexpected things?

The beautiful Stefanie who I studied music with has ended up living in Rovaniemi, Finland which, from what I can gather is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. From what she has said it is so far north that they have 24 hour darkness in the winter, which I cannot imagine at all. Quite a change from Australia!

As it happens we both have had a parallel love affair with knitting and yarn, though she is an awesome knitter and I am pretty average. She's so into it that she has opened a yarn shop, NeulonTai. Here's what she writes about the name:

The name 'NeulonTai' is a play on words in Finnish. 'Neulon' means 'I knit' and 'tai' is the suffix used in the days of the week, just like we have 'day' at the end of our days of the week. maanantai=Monday, tiistai=Tuesday, and so 'NeulonTai' kind of means 'Knitday'! Knitday for us is Thursday, when the knitting group meets at the shop


Here are a few on her wonderful creations (pics below are from her personal Facebook page, so I can't really link them. Apologies to the credit-gods):

Talent and beauty, eh? I'm sure you'll all be pleased (and jealous) to know that Steffi is as gorgeous on the inside as out, PLUS she is an amazing flute player.

So if you're in Rovaniemi, Finland go to their store and say hi from me. Otherwise, check out their website and Facebook page!

Camping Adventures: Aussie Burgers, Hospitals and Face Painting!

Vanessa Pike-Russell via flickr

Well, we had a pretty excellent time camping, overall. Ate lots, drank lots and the kids played lots. Awesome!

I pretty much feel it's my duty to introduce my non-Aussie friends to some delicacies of the outback, so this camping trip we did damper with Golden Syrup (pics way too phallic for this family blog) and Aussie-style Hamburgers with the Lot.

Here's my not-very-pretty pic of the assembly:

It's fairly similar to a North American version, except that it is HUGE and contains more delicious items. Here's what is involved:

• Bun - preferably sesame seed and toasted. We didn't toast ours on this trip (too much work!)
• The Meat - ground beef, finely diced onion, salt, pepper, worcestershire sauce, ketchup
• Fried Onions
• Tomato
• Shredded Lettuce
• Ketchup
• Bacon
• Cheese - the real deal - no processed stuff here!
• a fried Egg - very important! The yolk should be broken and cooked through to prevent mess
• a thin slice of canned Pineapple (omitted because I don't like it)
• Pickled Beets - the MOST important item. It's just not right without it! Try it and see!

So the hamburgers were a big hit. One person in our camp site actually ate 2!

As I was saying, the trip was generally a big success. Though Saturday morning was very eventful and led to 3 people from our group (of 6 families) visiting the local Emergency Room! Holly's eye swelled hugely and was infected so Rachel had to take her home (she's ok now, thankfully), Emmett's pneumonia had not improved so we had to take him in (gave him stronger antibiotics which seemed to work well), and BJ had a terrible cough. Luckily none of these things was life-threatening but let me say that the Goderich, Ontario hospital is fantastic!

...And now, some face-painted cuteness! The older girls painted the little ones' faces!

Eleanor...

 
and Holly!

Was your long weekend eventful?

Staycationing

The long weekend is coming up, and I am so excited because my family rarely gets two consecutive days together, let alone three! Since we have nothing to do, my husband actually suggested we get around to doing what I have wanted to do for a while- play the "tourist" in Toronto. Since it is less than two hours away I have been to Toronto lots; however I am looking forward to seeing it from a new perspective: renting a hotel, taking the kids to the zoo or the science centre, eating out at new restaurants. But no design-a-holic would be satisfied unless there was a chance to check out all the great resources for design that Toronto has to offer. These are a few "must visit" destinations on my list:

 

St. Lawrence Market 

Many of my favorite bloggers lucky enough to reside in Toronto have scored some fabulous antiques on a Sunday at St. Lawrence Market, I am hoping to do the same!

 

Queen West Antique Centre 

Another popular resource it seems, although I would love for any locals to give me the scoop on the shadier, cheaper junk shops in town (hint, hint?)

Quasi Modo

You might find me crying in the corner of this store because everything will be too expensive, but I love to torture myself. 

Most! Manufacturers Outlet store via Style North blog. By the way, for those of you wanting to find the inside scoop on tons of design shops, she has visited them all! I will also be visiting this one thanks to her:

Shelter

Yes, I know both of these stores carry knock-offs, but sometimes not everyone can afford genuine vintage all the time! I think that a healthy mix is a good thing sometimes.

 Mjolk

And of course, thanks to Leila I couldn't leave Toronto without passing by Mjolk! Perhaps I can leave with one of those cute tea towels. 

Any Torontonians want to add to the list (including great places to eat and hang out with kids?). Looking forward to a great staycation!