Ross Bay Cemetery ~ Victoria B.C.

I mentioned previously that my sister Lana and I really enjoy visiting old cemeteries. The Ross Bay Cemetery in Victoria was one that we were happy to discover.

Ross Bay Cemetery has the oldest surviving formal landscape design in BC and is a superb example of a Victorian-era burial ground. Its profusion of unusual trees and plantings, winding carriageways, graves with intriguing marble, sandstone and granite monuments, all bear witness to the people buried here.

This walk to the cemetery was part of our Sister Weekend. Lana is far ahead with Kathy and Vera trailing…

Many famous Canadians and Americans are buried here, including Sir James Douglas (BC’s first governor), many subsequent premiers, coal baron Robert Dunsmuir (who built Craigdarroch Castle), Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie (the “Hanging judge), Emily Carr (world-famous artist), Billy Barker (discoverer of gold at Barkerville) and Nellie Chapman (the ‘Miners’ Angel who was featured on a US postage stamp).

This is my first of 2 posts from the Ross Bay Cemetery.

This week I’m laying low and considering a challenge to slow down during this Holy Week. I want to reflect on what Christ has done for us. Looking forward to Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday services with a Saturday in between where we have a baking day here at this old house baking our Kulich (Paska) and making our Seerney Paska (Sweet Cheese Spread) for the Kulich (Paska). We’ve decided on our Easter menu and we will have our traditional lamb marinated and grilled, Shish kebabs. We call our lamb kebabs Shashlik.

Hope your week is going well.

Photobucket replaced all my photos with these blurred out versions and they are holding my photos hostage until I pay them lots of money. I’m slowly going through all my posts and trying to clean them up and replacing some photos. Such a bother.

Cooking Class at Lepp Farm Market

Last Thursday evening 5 of us from Mennonite Girls Can Cook participated in a cooking class at Lepp Farm Market in Abbotsford, B.C. Unfortunately my camera was on a wrong setting and my photos are dark.

Judy, Lovella and Marg checked over the lists and then we headed out into the store to shop for our ingredients.

Bev and Lovella got ingredients ready for Lovella’s Paska.

Guests who had paid for the class started arriving. Some came an hour before the class was to begin. Bev was at the stove preparing her Green Bean Soup. This was something I was going to enjoy for the first time.

Judy and Marg started preparing their Zwieback. A traditional Mennonite bun.

At the end of the evening it was my turn to present my Paska spread, Seerney Paska. Although I am not a natural at being in front of a crowd everyone was very gracious. This was the first time many of the gals had ever tasted this sweet cheese spread.

Lovella kept us organized and on task and we all worked well together. I think I enjoy being a Sous Chef, behind the scenes, instead of front and center.

At the end of the evening we sat down and enjoyed the fruits of our labor and if I have to say so myself, it was all very good.

Here’s a link for Lovella’s Paska. Here’s a link to Ellen’s Sweet Cheese Spread for Paska, Seerney Paska.

I’ll be linking up with Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.

Blest Jesus, When Thy Cross I View ~ Hymn

Blest Jesus, When Thy Cross I View

Blest Jesus, when Thy cross I view,
That mystery to th’angelic host,
I gaze with grief and rapture, too,
And all my soul’s in wonder lost.

What strange compassion filled Thy breast,
That brought Thee from Thy throne on high,
To woes that cannot be expressed,
To be despised, to groan and die!

For man didst Thou forsake the sky,
To bleed upon the accursed tree?
And didst Thou taste of death, to buy
Immortal life and bliss for me?

Had I a voice to praise Thy name,
Loud as the trump that wakes the dead,
Had I the raptured seraph’s flame,
My debt of love could ne’er be paid.

Yet Lord, a sinner’s heart receive,
This burdened, contrite heart of mine;
Thou knowest I’ve naught beside to give;
And let it be for ever Thine.

Words: Conrad Speece, 1800

Sunday April 17th is Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. I am looking forward already to next Sunday and celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus. The most amazing sacrifice in history with the best result for you and me.

Tuckered Out…

I’ll share all about our time at Lepp Farms next week. Right now after my 290 mile roundtrip to Canada and back I’m too tuckered to think straight. Had a wonderful time. Stayed up way past my usual bedtime. Made good memories. On the way to Canada I stopped in Lynden, Washington for lunch before I crossed the line. I’m really glad Debora from Whatsoever Things Are Lovely gave me the heads up on places to eat and to make sure if I ate here…

…to only order a half sandwich. Good thing I got that tip because this my friends is a half sandwich! Now tell me the truth does that look like half a sandwich to you? And yes Lynden is heavy with Dutch influence and population.

Hope you are doing well and the start of your weekend is good. I’m hoping to spend all day Saturday just vegging about with my feet up…

Heading North Across the Line…

I’m taking my sweet cheese spread in it’s mold wrapped in cheesecloth to Lepp Farm Market for a cooking demonstration tonight. I will take it out and present it ready to serve with Lovella’s Paska. I have my cross, X & B to press onto the cheese. This is a traditional Russian Easter Treat so it has the Cross to symbolize Christ’s crucifixion on Good Friday and the X and B are the first letters in Christ Arose or Christ is Risen in Russian, Христос Воскрес! We love to celebrate the Resurrection! The Mennonite Girls Can Cook are putting on the cooking demo tonight. It will be my first experience doing this. I hope I don’t drop anything…

I’ll be gone all day Thursday and into Friday. See you on the weekend!

Dallas Road ~ Victoria, B.C.

Meanwhile, back to our Sister weekend in Victoria on Vancouver Island. Pondside gave me the great suggestion of walking along Dallas Road. We started out on Sunday morning after another fabulous breakfast at the Beaconsfield Inn and headed for Ross Bay Cemetery which happens to be on Dallas Road. Lana and I love old cemeteries and this one did not disappoint. My post with many photos from the cemetery will come on another day. Today here are the beautiful views along Dallas Road which we walked on our way back to the Beaconsfield Inn where Pondside would pick us up for our driving tour of Victoria. That post is coming later, also.

Victoria, BC Dallas Road area is an ideal spot for a walk, marine sightseeing, picnics and in the winter the area is a popular gathering spot for storm watching. The mostly paved waterfront walk way follows the coastline all the way to the back door of Beacon Hill Park and continues far beyond leading to sandy beaches.

Our walk along Dallas Road started at Memorial Crescent and ended at Cook St. where we turned off to head back to the Beaconsfield.

Flying proof we were in Canada!

There are so many great views in Victoria. My sisters and I appreciated being shown and directed to things we would have never seen on our own.

This week is a full busy week. Today I’ll be in the kitchen for a good chunk of the day. Tomorrow I’ll be on the road. How’s your week going?

Locks of Love…

Today Katie and I sent her 12 inches of hair safely packaged and addressed to Locks of Love in Florida. While we were at the post office we also stocked up on special boxes to mail overseas along with customs forms. When the postal worker found out Katie is married to a Marine she handed her a miniature pocket flag prepared by the American Legion saying that they are proud of his service and they are praying for him and thanking him for defending our country and our freedom. When we notify them of his overseas address they will mail him and his unit these little flags with the messages to them. We were touched by this thoughtfulness.

I mowed the rest of our lawn today and I am pooped and sitting on the couch for the rest of the night. After watching the weather report for the next few days I’m glad to have had the chance to get the lawn mowed before we have several more days of rain.

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods…

Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria

Christ Church Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Diocese of British Columbia of the Anglican Church of Canada. This structure is the third Christ Church built. The wooden structure built of 1872 became inadequate for the size of the congregation. In 1891, through an international design competition, architect J.C.M. Keith of Victoria was commissioned to design a larger and more enduring edifice. He produced a design in 13th century gothic style, inspired by Durham Cathedral in England.

Winston Churchill visited the sight on September 9, 1929 and helped to lay a stone in the North Tower. There is a inscription there today recording this event.

We really enjoyed seeing and taking photographs of this grand cathedral. Reminded me of some of the cathedrals we visited in Great Britain.

This is a busy week for me here at this old house. Dear is having some muscle issues in in right leg which makes walking difficult for him. He’s using a cane. Since the weather has improved the lawn needs mowing and weeds need pulling and my weed-whacker partner can’t help with these tasks. I’m traveling to Canada on Thursday for a cooking demonstration at Lepp Family Farms and will be spending the night and traveling back home on Friday. All this to say if you don’t hear from me or see comments left on your blogs you’ll know why…

Hope your week is going well.

Weekend Fun!

On Friday night we had our good friends over for a meal. Dave, Jody, Bob, and Jan have been our friends since before we moved to Washington in 1988. Jody, Jan and I were walking buddies for years before Dear’s job took us back to California. Now that we are back we have some catching up to do. When the 6 of us went on a walking tour of Great Britain back in May of 2006 we were on a quest to find the best Sticky Toffee Pudding in Britain. If the pudding was on the menu we’d order one serving with 6 spoons. On Friday night we each had our own serving. Good times, good friends, good memories. Um yes, this blogger was so busy enjoying her friends she didn’t take photos of the food…

On Saturday the fun continued when Josh and Laura picked me up for an afternoon Sounders game. Winning was especially rewarding! Note: If you take a little one to sporting events where the crowd noise gets exceptionally loud like Sounders games these little ear protectors are a must! Isn’t little Oliver adorable!?

I’ve been having fun in Picasa using my photos as backgrounds for my mosaics. I’m linking up at Mary’s Little Red House for Mosaic Monday. I’m behind since Friday getting around to blogs but I’ll try to get around soon.

At the Feet of Jesus ~ Hymn

Jesus Said + I Am Come That They Might Have Life

At the Feet of Jesus

At the feet of Jesus,
Listening to His word;
Learning wisdom’s lesson
From her loving Lord;
Mary, led by heav’nly grace,
Chose the meek disciple’s place.
At the feet of Jesus
Is the place for me,
There a humble learner
Would I choose to be.

At the feet of Jesus,
Pouring perfume rare,
Mary did her Savior
For the grave prepare;
And, from love the good work done,
She her Lord’s approval won.
At the feet of Jesus
Is the place for me,
There, in sweetest service
Would I ever be.

At the feet of Jesus,
In that morning hour,
Loving hearts, receiving
Resurrection power,
Haste with joy to preach the word;
Christ is risen, praise the Lord!
At the feet of Jesus,
Risen now for me,
I shall sing His praises
Through eternity.

Words: Philip P. Bliss, 1876

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage

Author Archives: Ellen