But it has,  and only one man could boil an imagination for the sweet elixir of the majestic maple into haute cuisine. That visionary would be the agent provocateur of the Québec culinary scene, Chef Martin Picard.

Picard established his roots in Montréal at his legendary Pied de Cochon. His philosophy is simple – focus on traditional recipes with a twist.  If I can’t hunt it, grow it, dig it, hook it and now tap it… it’s not on the menu.

When a pastry chef inspired Picard to discover his inner sweet tooth who knew he’d stylize maple syrup. But he has. His Sugar Shack restaurant is booking tables one to two years out.  The prices aren’t like El Bulli but the demand reminiscences this epicurean legend.

His just released cookbook “Sugar Shack” is an epic tale of this wild syrup inspired by heritage recipes. Sweeter still, the book is beautifully art directed with a sensual photographic diary of a year in the woods. This poetic tribute and plea to preserving Québec sugar making is a cookbook essential.

Oh Canada, lumberjack pancakes with syrup just got trendy.

When I was very young on one of our Cabane à Sucre expeditions my parents thought it would be fun to plop me in a tub of maple sugar syrup…

When I came across a picture of a woman in a tub of maple syrup I knew our family was ahead of our time with spa treatments. Warning – with this beauty bath you may end up with sticky cheeks and I’m not saying which ones…

I also include my husband Al’s famous sugar pie recipe – you will not be disappointed and it’s somewhat less sticky than the bath!

Au Pied de Cochon Sugar Shack

BLiS (infused maple syrup)

Ninutik (Ojibwa for Maple Syrup)

We have our salmon canned at St. Jean’s  outside of  Nanaimo and always ask for the heavy, cold smoked – it is yummy! Although St. Jean’s labels the canned salmon, being a designer (yes it’s a curse) I replace the labels with my own custom designed blue label which I hand carved on a wood block and print onto blue paper, cut and hand sketch – it takes almost as long as catching the fish!  

During this trip we also went on a private eco tour where the the pictured black bear posed for us. After watching him go about his ‘business’ Al remarked that bears don’t only ‘shit in the woods’…

Camping, or ‘Glamping’ as it’s being called these days has made our tenting experiences in the last few years more refined to say the least!  The Red Snowshoe and Clayoquot Wilderness Resort were both standouts. Seems natural for us – even the church we got married in looks like a teepee tent.

Here we are 40 (actually 50 but not sure want to divulge…) years later - from Mama Mia, Les Miserables, Piaf and now Mame, from Paris, New York, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa etc. and I am no longer alone clapping. Bravo! Louise, we are so proud of your accomplishments.

Below are the wonderful costumes, Louise will be wearing for her upcoming role as Auntie Mame at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut (April 20 – July 1).

Cast Announced for Mame at Goodspeed Opera House

I recently came across a few examples of some really great uses. How about newspaper floor planks by Mieke Meijer. Apart from great insulation value, you also have bragging rights for the best read floor around!

Or newsprint strips handwoven on a loom, paperbacked for a “Newsworthy” wallcovering with a great tactile factor. Always great to discover people doing interesting things!

Mieke Meijer – newspaper floor planks

Woven Newspaper Wallcovering search (wallcovering/Apropos/Newsworthy)

Jean Henri Gaston Giraud (8 May 1938 – 10 March 2012) was a French comics artist, working in the French tradition of bandes dessinées. Giraud earned worldwide fame, predominantly under the pseudonym Mœbius, where he created a wide range of science fiction and and fantasy comics in a highly imaginative and surreal almost abstract style, the most famous of which are Arzach, the Airtight Garage of Jerry Cornelius, and The Incal. Blueberry which was adapted for the screen. Moebius contributed storyboards and concept designs to numerous science fiction and fantasy  films, including Alien, Willow, Tron (1982), and The Fifth Element.

I am sure you will appreciate his drawings.

ps The cover shot is one of our projects, Eldorado Gold.

Blah, blah blah Rover Blah, blah blah Rover Blah, blah blah Rover  

or in this case

Hanzi, hanzi, hanzi, Celine. Hanzi, hanzi, Pitre. Hanzi, hanzi Montiverdi!

As much as we haven’t fully translated the article I can assure you it is EXTREMELY flattering!

Have a look, get a load of the scale, appreciate the effort, and imagine the Zen in accomplishing this. No amount of wine prevented our continued conversation…

Jim Denevan

In the centre of Berlin is Germany’s central Holocaust memorial site, a place for remembrance and commemoration of six million victims. The Memorial consists of the Field of Stelae designed by architect Peter Eisenman. The underground Information Centre succeeds in introducing you to some of the individuals, their families, and the postcards they sent on their way to the camps where they would be murdered.

Although, not a happy topic I was so moved by the Holocaust memorial while in Berlin that I feel compelled to share this, something we all should witness.

http://www.stiftung-denkmal.de/en