Mom-Day at Elk Lake in Stripes and Weird Adidas

Welcome back to Mom-Day, Adventure Edition! Today, Mom and I returned to Elk Lake for a stroll, last visited here in June 2025.

I'd gotten a very late start in the morning, so was later getting to Mom's. By the time we finished our walk it was after 2pm, so we went back to Mom's and split a frozen spinach pizza for lunch. An awesome day - and there are lots of pictures coming! I love you, Mom! 

I always enjoy creating my casual outfits on the fly. 

I wanted to play around with this striped shirt again, since I've only worn it once. 

• Cotton shirt - Toteme, consignment; first seen here in July with Star Wars bits
• Camisole - InWear, not tracked
• Tulle skirt - Adidas, consignment; last worn here in July with a big pink blazer
• Suede shoes - Homers; last seen here (3rd outfit) in June for dinner out with relatives

I tied the shirt low and only buttoned a few buttons near the knot, leaving most of the top wide open. 

It was a sunny, hot day with some high haze from wildfire smoke in the province. 

I enjoyed wearing just my wee shorts under the tulle skirt. Very daring! 

Having the back of the shirt cover my rear was reassuring. 

Incognito. 

Whateley helped. Hello, buddy. Does my tulle skirt smell like Vizzini? He used to bite on it. 

The stuff: 

I wore the same hat the last time we went to Elk Lake! 

• Paper hat - thrifted
• Leather purse - Aimee Kestenberg, thrifted, Powell River

Amber bling: 

I was fully armoured! 

• Large amber/silver bracelet - consignment
• Rounded amber in silver bracelet - consignment, gift from L
• Small silver/amber bracelet - consignment, Powell River
• Large amber/silver ring - consignment
• Square silver/amber ring - consignment
• Silver/amber thumb ring - consignment
• Square plastic ring - sidewalk find
• Silver Celtic S - UK, gift from Mom & Dad, c. 1995
• Amber pendant - thrifted
• Large silver/amber pendant necklace - antique mall, gift from L 
• Amber earrings - thrifted

Ready? Here we go! 

I ate most of the ripe blackberries here, just off the bus on the way to Mom's. 

Raptors circling overhead. 

It was bluer sky in the morning. 

Arriving at Mom's, I scoped out her garden.

That's a massive rose! 

We drover to Elk Lake, the beach side.

It took me right back to summer of 1985 when my best friend Janet and I used to come here every day. 

The picnic area was full of families, summer camp groups and screaming kids. 

I'm ready to get away from all that! 

Can I interest you in a lovely green walk?

Unlike a previous visit, we were not enveloped in clouds of bugs. Hooray!

Mom, you're looking so fashionable, give us a pose.

She's got the hand down pat! Love the pale pink ruffled shirt with the burgundy pants, and the new rose-pink sneakers. Very cool! 

There were lacy spiderwebs all over the bushes and trees. 

I guess we can thank the spiders for the lack of bugs! 

Mom and I were on the lookout for the gnomes we spotted last time. 

But there was no sign of them.

A bench silhouetted.

So inviting! 

There were paddlers and canoers out on the lake. 

We canoed here when I was a kid. 

Hey, Mom, there's a ramp. 

Do you want to dip your toes in the lake? 

Answer was no.

What a party-pooper! 

We kept going. 

There were a few walkers and runners and many dogs. 

Some were well-behaved. 

Unlike these sexy trees! Get a room, you two! 

These cedars mesmerized me.

I got a new bird on my Merlin Life List: the Red Crossbill. 

It was very vocal. 

Light drifting through maple leaves. Just a hint of orange on a few of them. 

Mom went after some more ripe blackberries. 

We were both gobbling them along the way. 

We stopped at a small cove and rested for a bit. 

Water lilies! There were dragonflies everywhere. 

Such a hideous view. 

Mom sat on her walker, and I sat on the ground. 

Time to head back, it's getting late! 

Ah, I needed this. 

I mean, you can't really go wrong to just be in nature. 

Bird song. 

The smell of the lake. 

The coolness of the shade. 

Back at Mom's, I noticed she finished the puzzle. 

Great work! That was a hard one! 

My friends, I'll be back on Sunday with tales of adventure! Please do pop in! 

Layered and a Broken Bracelet

I'm getting down to the nitty-gritty of backwards hangers in my closet, and starting to think about what's going to stay and what's going to go.

Although this was late to the wear party, I will be keeping it for now. 

• Dress - Eliza J, thrifted; last worn here for a Mom-Day followed by a Spring Equinox party in March
• Sweater - Bellissima, thrifted; last seen here in March, layered under a tunic for vintage fair shopping with Rosanna
• Sandals - Wonders; last worn here in May with pink plaid

I figured I'd wear it to the office and as it has a rather low back, I decided to layer under it.

I considered the usual long-sleeved white shirt (the new one was tried, not fitted enough), then landed on this thin teal green sweater, which picks out the tealy-green leaves in the brocade.

This dress is easy to toughen up for my badass inclinations, but I went with a more girly vibe this time. 

Big pockets! Whateley, do you mind?

Incognito. 

He's very intrigued by this dress. I keep finding it pulled off its hanger. 

A picture from L, who took this last night while he was writing. 

What a cutie! 

Someone needed some cuddling. 

In all of these pictures, I'm wearing three bracelets, but I only wore two of them to work. 

The stuff: 

I liked how the belt and shoes worked with this outfit. 

• Silk scarf - Fluevog
• Lobster brooch - consignment; purchased here for $20.00
• Belt - Banana Republic, thrifted

Golden bling: 

Sadly, my D'Orlans bracelet broke just after I finished taking pictures. It's not repairable, so it'll be out in the Free Pile for someone crafty to sew it onto a coat or something (I'm also thinking about this).

• Hinged eelskin bracelet - vintage 80s, thrifted
• Hinged eelskin bird bracelet - consignment
• Broken bracelet - D'Orlans, vintage mall, gift from L
• Wooden Klimt ring - consignment
• Gold-tone/malachite ring - consignment
• Metal roses earrings - Betsey Johnson, swap from Cat
• Necklace - Givenchy, vintage 80s, vintage fair

Two portraits.

Looking very serious, Barnabas. 

Whateley is so photogenic.

He often has one paw out.

Vest, Velour and Ruffles

I spent some time playing around in my closet last night, and once again, I was reminded how much I need that time. 

I always feel better about my outfits when I've tried things on and played around with them. 

• Vest - Indochino, consignment; last seen here (2nd outfit) in May for a shop with Ariana up and down Oak Bay Avenue
• Blouse - Nicole Benisti, consignment; first worn here in June as part of my periodontal armour
• Velour cotton skirt - Sonia Rykiel, vintage 90s, thrifted; last seen here way back in October 2025 to see The Beaches in concert
• Shoes - Big Presence Desmond, Fluevog, consignment; last worn here in March with a green satin dress

Getting in another wearing of this lovely early 00s ruffled paisley blouse. It's a mix of purples, with splashes of yellow and orange. I wore a purple camisole under it, which as a good thing, as I'd missed a button! 

This is my first wearing of the Rykiel skirt this season - I am just not reaching for my shorter skirts! - but this one is very much a favourite. It's the thickest cotton-blend velour and has been washed many times. So soft! 

Incognito. Yar! I'm a pirate! 

Whateley came in for some lovin' this morning while I was doing my pictures. 

The stuff: 

Did you spy the little kitty pin peeking out of my upper vest pocket? I liked that wee guy there. 

• Cat brooch - gift from Yvonne
• Silk scarf - Perry Ellis, thrifted; purchased here for $6.95

Purple bling: 

You could just see a few beads of the necklace under the collar. 

• Carved jadeite bangle - consignment
• Steel/purple stone cuff - Malta, vintage 70s, vintage mall
• Gold/amethyst ring - Francis Jewellers, c. 1965, Dad's
• Silver/amethyst ring - vintage mall
• Necklace - vintage/new beads, strung by me
• Earrings - c. 1995, vintage shop

I forgot to actually WEAR the earrings! I left them sitting on my lingerie chest. 

Whateley's been sleeping in my fancy sock bag again. 

"This is the best spot."

Barnabas is always lurking nearby.

"I'm sneaky!"

Time to feed the beasts! 

Leopard Lalabobo Lace

Welcome back, my friends! I couldn't wait - the Lalabobo (it's fun to say) top had to be worn right away!

I'm a big fan of rewearing what I have, but I also enjoy a bit of novelty every so often. 

• Lace/applique top - Lalabobo, consignment; purchased here on the weekend for $28.00
• Sleeveless shirt - Denver Hayes, consignment; last seen here in July with teal suiting
• Nylon skirt - Love Tree, consignment; last worn here in May for birthday shopping for L
• Boots - Powerhouse Jyoti, Fluevog; last seen here with my Office Pajama shirt in July

I layered my pink sleeveless top underneath this - I have double collars! 

I immediately knew I wanted to wear it with this deep cobalt blue nylon cargo skirt. That's Barnabas' tail - they were both weaving all over, visiting with me. 

My colleagues loved the pineapple lace. 

I've never seen anything like it. 

Incognito. There's a star pin on the leopard's hat.

I walked to and from work like this, only with with white sneakers on.

The stuff: 

I considered wearing my red Fluevog sneakers with this, but I may as well wear my heels while I can. I did a bit of walking in the office, but I am mostly at my desk. 

• Silk scarf - Halston, vintage 70s, thrifted
• Star pin - consignment

Red bling: 

I forgot about that red leather cuff! 

• Leather/steel cuff - Rimanchik
• Carved faux cinnabar bangle - consignment
• Silver/red enamel ring - antique shop, Sidney
• Silver/carnelian ring - thrifted
• Silver/lapis lazuli ring - Wendy Brandes
• Necklace - FAC Fifth Avenue Collection, thrifted, Sidney
• Metal roses earrings - Betsey Johnson, swap from Cat

I caught the boys sleeping on the bed yesterday while L did the laundry. 

Looks like we have some cuddling going on here! 

Whateley was giving Barnabas a good licking. 

"You can just go now."         "I love the Woman."

No love for me, despite Barnabas' loud purring. 

"Look away!"         "But she might give me a tummy rub!"

Ha!