The view from my king sized Quadra Island bed. Coffee in hand, spa appointment in 15 minutes. Working hard makes escapes like this even sweeter.
We escaped to Quadra Island for the weekend. Jake and Steven spent their days hunting for fish, while Nat and I enjoyed the fine art of the spa. Next fishing vacay? Queen Charlottes 2011.
OC Pod Does The Grouse Grind
On Friday our Online Community team headed up to hike the Grouse Grind. Nancy, our new boss was in town, as well as our Fit Guru Whitney, so we decided to head up to Grouse for a team building offsite.
We came well prepared, with all the hiking essentials:
The climb up was grueling and humbling. And the best part was the view from the top.
Or maybe the best part was the post workout nosh session! Whitney was clearly the hungriest. This was one appetizer.
The gondola ride down was breathtaking.
As was Whitney’s serenade …
And of course, who can forget the captain’s shades…
All in all, it was a wonderful morning of fun, friendship, team building, and fresh air. We’ve clearly got the workday figured out at lululemon!
I enjoyed myself so much - especially the challenge of it - that I’m committing to climbing the grind once per week. Here goes!
Jake and Carolyn Go To The Sea Ranch: Pt 3
Day 3 of the trip we woke up on the edge of the forest - in a town called Eureka.
We visited the famed California Redwoods, took a drive through the aptly named Avenue of the Giants, and drank up all the great air.
After a hairy drive to the coast, we made it to California 1 before dark.
We stopped at pretty much every turnout to take pictures and drink up the beauty. “Let’s move here!” was a constant refrain.
A couple more windy hours down the 1 and we arrived in the Sea Ranch, a beautiful community built on the edge of the sea in an ecological preserve. We holed up for 6 night, with lots of wine, endless food, and each other. :)
Jake and Carolyn Go To The Sea Ranch: Pt 2
Day two of our trip we holed up at the Overleaf Lodge and Spa on my mum’s recommendation. It was perched oceanside and didn’t disappoint. We woke up to the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks and everything else disappeared.
After a relaxing stay (and some great hotel coffee I must add) we packed up the trusty civic and hit the road.
It was a wet, misty day and the visibility on the twisty, cliffside roads was nonexistent.
But we made it to tacky tourist destination #1 safely, a giant roadside dinosaur.
Next up - Trees of Mystery, my all time favourite roadside attraction.
Jake and Carolyn Go To The Sea Ranch: Pt 1
Jake and I like to travel. We’ve spent many long nights calculating and recalculating our vacation day allotment to ensure we use up every last day. We work hard, and this allows us to play harder without any guilt!
This past week we took off for the roadtrip of a lifetime. We drove down the Oregon and California coasts, rented a house in the Sea Ranch, and holed up away from it all for a week. The trip was romantic, relaxing, and restorative. I think we both came back feeling like new people - and wanting different things from our city life.
And now - Jake and Carolyn Go To The Sea Ranch: In Photo Form
All I needed to pack: picnic basket, sun hat, and beach blanket!
Jake drove. So I snapped pics out the window and played navigatress.
First night stop, in Centralia! We stayed at the darling McMenamins Olympic Club. There was even a movie theatre and pool hall right in the hotel.
The next morning we scoured the web and decided on breakfast at the Country Cousin.
My coffee came in a carafe and there was a chicken coop outside!
We left ready for an adventurous drive through Washington and over to the Oregon Coast. We visited the 25th Anniversary of the Goonies in Astoria, and then on to Cannon Beach!
Post beach, we were famished - and headed to the Tillamook Cheese Factory, of course.
We took a tour.
And sampled some cheese.
And bought many fridge magnets and mugs (who can resist?).
Stay tuned for Part 2!
Tuesday Shoes. Miss Sixty. Purple on Purple.
Thursday shoes. Bad ass inspiration shoes.
Updated: My 2010 Goals
I took a fun stab at crossing off any goals I’ve completed this year and realised I am well on my way!
9/15 of my 2010 goals are done, done, and done - or at least well on their way to completion:
- The Coles and Devine families meet
- Complete a blog monetization strategy
- Attend Web 2.0 Expo
- Pacific Coast Highway roadtrip (plotted for June)
- Save $1000 per month
- Infrared sauna twice per week
- Trip to NYC
- Redesign carolyncoles.com
- Buy a nice easychair
It’s less than half way through the year and I have no doubt that I will achieve everything on my list. When I set this list I felt excited and inspired by the year to come, now I’m realizing that bigger, badder goals need to be set!
For the master list of 2010 goals, visit here.
lululemon Loves Baked Goods
There are few things that us lululemoners love more than sugar filled and sugar topped baked goods, as was evidenced by Bake Fest 2010.
And now, sweet treats, in photo form:
Above: Pink yogo topped cupcakes. I ate a white one and it was magical.
Above: A closeup of the pink yogos.
Above: Shawna’s Senorita Pink love dot cake was a hot seller! By the time we got downstairs it was almost gone.
Above: Table #1 - please note Elissa’s buttery scones in the back corner sandwiched between the coffee and the rice krispie squares. Yep, we know how to live it up at work.
Our office yoga studio really comes in handy after days like today!
Homebaked Goodness
This weekend Jake and I took a lovely jaunt to Oliver for the weekend. While much sun and socializing was had, we spent most of the long weekend indulging in food, wine, food, and more food!
In no particular order, my weekend, as evidenced through culinary adventure:
Above: Jake, the grassland guru, indulges in a homemade picnic!
Above: Dutch pancakes, topped with fresh strawberries, maple syrup and real whipped cream.
Above: This picture was taken mere minutes after the pies came out of the oven. My mum, founder of Sue’s Pies, baked fresh Rhubarb Custard and Apple pies.
Above: A JT Sauv Blanc - set against Tuc-el-Nuit Lake.
Above: Jay poses with a Merry Edward Russian River Valley Sauv Blanc! We picked this bottle up on our roadtrip last summer.
Above: Some Stoneboat Pinot Gris. This is the stuff that magic is made of. Aromatic, crisp and tropical.
Above: More wine with dinner. This stuff is free flowing in the Coles house!
Above: No rhubarb pie is complete without a cold bottle of Stoneboat.
Above: Fresh Coles Family cinnamon bun loaf. I think I ate half of this.
Above: Chocolate chip cookies for the long drive back to Vancouver.
Great question! The bowl of carolyn coles is never far. In fact, you can still jump into it at any time, I just don’t demand it. Do as you will.
Thanks for the question! Most of the photos you see on this site are taken with my trusty iPhone - using an application called Camera Bag.
A good friend once told me that the best camera is the one that you have with you, and I always keep this in the back of my mind. My Rebel and PowerShots are usually never too far from hand, but there is little chance I’ll ever leave the house without my iPhone.
Happy picture taking!
I’ve been seeing Brion Nuda Rosch’s collages all over the place lately. They are powerful, poetic and remind me a lot of the work my sister was doing with her triangle series a few years ago.
Mel did a collage for me for my birthday a few years ago, and it’s still one of my favorite pieces of art we have. I have it perched between the kitchen and the living room and for me it’s this strong reminder of being a stand for family.
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I enjoy short walks on long beaches and churros.
