Friday, May 4, 2012
Free Comic Book Day Tomorrow
Posted by Julia Phillips Smith at 8:19 AM 1 comments
Labels: Free Comic Book Day, Giant Robot Comics, Halifax, Monster Comic Lounge, Nova Scotia, Quantum Frontier, Saint Sanguinus
Friday, January 27, 2012
5 on Friday - Set 103

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.
My good writing buddy/film producer Tara MacDonald/Tara MacQueen invited me to a concert last Wednesday night, hosted by In the Dead of Winter, an acoustic music festival here in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Here's a little taste of what the evening sounded like:
1 - Swing Song - Don Brownrigg
Don Brownrigg is a Newfoundland-born, Halifax-based singer-songwriter. LOVED his set.
2 - In It - Don Brownrigg
3 - Words - Shawn Colvin
She did a lot of cover tunes in Wednesday's concert. It was a really nice peek into her personal favorites list.
4 - Sunny Came Home - Shawn Colvin
5 - Hold On - Shawn Colvin
This Tom Waits cover was my favorite tune of the night.
Posted by Julia Phillips Smith at 2:25 PM 6 comments
Labels: 5 on Friday, Don Brownrigg, Halifax, In the Dead of Winter, Music, Music Festival, Nova Scotia, Shawn Colvin, Tara MacDonald, Tara MacQueen, Trav's Thoughts
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Summer Stock Sunday - 41
Robin's Summer Stock Sunday meme invites all to post summery photos, and to visit other bloggers who share their feelings and memories about this magical season.
This is one of the most iconic photos from my childhood.
My sister and I grew up alongside my two cousins as a group of four, with our two families spending both quantity and quality time together.
Because our two dads were scuba divers, we spent many magical days at Polly Cove, near Peggy's Cove. The men dived, the women set up the day's base camp and enjoyed one another's company - while we kids ran over the rocks, climbed, ran, explored, watched the waves, made return visits to the moms for snacks and juice, and generally made the kinds of memories that loom the largest when I think of the happiest times of my life.
Clockwise from left, back row: my sister Michelle, my cousin Charlie, me, and my cousin Julianne
This is my dad with Polly Cove in the background.
This photo was taken by my uncle, Charles E. Doucet - it's one of my favorites of his art photography pieces.
Taken out where we had so many great times together.
Posted by Julia Phillips Smith at 11:06 PM 5 comments
Labels: 1970s, Atlantic Ocean, Childhood, Cousins, Dad, Nova Scotia, Polly Cove, Summer, Summer Stock Sunday, Uncle Charlie
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Thursday Thirteen - 223 - 13 Views of the Garden 2011
1 - Biggest garden thrill this year: I planted two lilac bushes several years ago, and this year one of them bloomed. When I first saw the buds early in the spring, it was like spotting-my-teenage-heartthrob time.
(That would be Les McKeown, from the Bay City Rollers, in case you didn't already know that.)
2 - The next big thing for us was the emergence of our daffodils. I'd planted these a few autumns ago, but they'd never turned up the following spring. Mom and I chalked it up to raiding squirrels and left it at that.
Suddenly, this spring - voila. Daffodil.
3 - Forsythia and tulips in the front rock garden.
4 - Kolkwitzia, a flowering shrub we planted in the backyard beside the deck
5 - Pink clematis in the backyard, a gift from my sister, and dark blue clematis in the front yard, which came with the house
6 - Lady's mantle, which just appeared all on its own
7 - Angelica, which I planted outside the backdoor
8 - The Monster Rose Bush, otherwise known as an American Pillar rambler rose along the side of the house (which I grew from cuttings,) a delicate Rugosa rose which my sister and got from the side of the road by Grand Pré in the Annapolis Valley (in the front rock garden,) and the Aunt Sheila Rose, also known as a Subzero Brownell rose.
9 - My mom's container gardens, featuring some gorgeous purple lobelia and her favorite, pansies
10 - Orange lilies, originally from my husband's great-grandmother's Ontario garden, daylilies in the front garden and heritage lilies at the backdoor which I got at a farm museum plant sale.
11 - Hostas in the back woodland garden
12 - Wild asters near the rugosa rose bush
13 - Balsam near the back door, at the edge of the woodland garden
Posted by Julia Phillips Smith at 11:40 AM 12 comments
Labels: Angelica, Asters, Balsam, Clematis, Cole Harbour, Container gardening, Daffodil, Forsythia, Garden, Kolkwitzia, Lady's mantle, Lilacs, Lily, Nova Scotia, Rose, Spring, Summer, Thursday Thirteen
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Wordless Wednesday - 192
Posted by Julia Phillips Smith at 11:22 PM 6 comments
Labels: Daffodil, Nova Scotia, Spring, Wordless Wednesday
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Wordless Wednesday - 191
Posted by Julia Phillips Smith at 12:04 AM 6 comments
Labels: Elderbank, Mist, Musquodoboit Valley, Nova Scotia, Wordless Wednesday
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Wordless Wednesday - 169
Posted by Julia Phillips Smith at 10:10 PM 3 comments
Labels: Denise, East Coast kitchen party, Friends, John Knowles, Karen, Nova Scotia, Wordless Wednesday
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Thursday Thirteen - 176 - 13 Special Moments From My Sister's Wedding Day

Photo by Anita Coady
1 - The bride greets her day with joy.
2 - Posing with a photo of our dad, who passed away three years ago. To hold him near on her special day, she wore his cufflink on her shoulder.
3 - Headin' for the weddin'!
Holding her handmade bouquet which she put together herself the night before.
Photo by Anita Coady
4 - The handsome groom with his beautiful daughters and granddaughter.
L - Charlotte, holding Maggie's daughter Louise
R - Maggie
5 - Michelle is thrilled to learn that the ceremony will proceed at the cottage as planned, and not at the church in the background.
Photo by Anita Coady
6 - To the strains of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Uncle Charlie walks his precious niece down the aisle.
7 - Her cousin and best friend Julianne MacLean toasts the bride.
8 - Time to cut the cake, homemade by Newt's daughter Charlotte.
Photo by Anita Coady
9 - Newt with his new family - us!
Newt, Michelle, Mom, me and Brad
10 - Michelle with her new family.
Al, Joan, Newt and Michelle
Brothers and sisters - Robert, Reta, Newt, Michelle, Christine and Burton
11 - United at the lake - forever a special place in their hearts.
Photo by Anita Coady
12 - Friends don't let bride-friends forget to eat.
Michelle's former roommate Chris, here in Nova Scotia from Toronto.
13 - Remember Michelle's down-the-outdoor-aisle tune?
Photo by Anita Coady
Look what appeared - for realz.
Posted by Julia Phillips Smith at 11:37 PM 5 comments
Labels: Anita Coady, brother-in-law, family, Michelle, Newt, Nova Scotia, sister, Wedding



