Mom-Day Adventure: Re-Visiting the Japanese Tea Gardens; Last Outfit and Cat Pictures

Welcome back, my friends! Here we are, at the last outfit of the season! Tomorrow is my bigass seasonal closet swap-over - I actually took the day off work to do it (I have my priorities straight, ha ha). But of course, today was one of our precious Mom-Day Adventures, as we re-visit some of our favourite places from last summer/fall. Vizzini's also been really cute lately, so there will be a bunch of pictures of him interspersed. 

I snorted when Mom picked me up - we wore matching white leather jackets! Great minds think alike...

Let's get to the outfit. I will be packing away this plaid dress until next fall, and I wanted to give it a second wearing.

It's just a cheapie Zara thing, but I love the drama of a plaid maxi dress. Legs McGee, here! 

• Dress - Zara, consignment; first seen here in January with a floofy underskirt
• Vest - Chiqle, thrifted; last worn here in February with PANK and a pouf
• Booties - Truth , Fluevog, consignment; first worn here a couple of weeks ago with orange Boss Pants
• Jacket (below) - Danier Leather, consignment; first worn here earlier this month

I also snuck in a second wearing of these booties  - I'm not sure yet if they will stay out for spring. I have to assess my shoe collection and see how much space I have once all my stored shoes come out to play. 

Not everything gets to stay out all year round - I just don't have enough room! 

The acid-wash denim vest is a 12-monther, as one of those useful items for all seasons. 

It's an excellent layering piece and doesn't take up a lot of space. 

Outerwear - I pondered the coat closet, then pulled this out of my Art Pile (items to be decorated) to wear again. 

I felt like I needed something light and not too gloomy, as our days get slowly brighter and warmer. 

Masked up. 

Wearing this leather jacket again helps me figure out how to decorate it. I look at where it creases, and how. I want my added embellishments to make sense on the garment. 

Incognito.

I liked how the collarless jacket worked with the double collar of the dress and vest. 

A big silk velvet burnout (devoré if you're Klassy!) scarf for warmth and badassery. This is how most people saw me.

I also wore my Badass Bag, so that Mom could see it in person. It matched well, and holds a lot - and no, the back did not rub off against the white leather. My inks are permanent! 

Accoutrements:

Black, burgundy/red and white is probably my favourite winter colour combination. 

• Badass Bag - Pelle, thrifted, decorated by me
• Scarf - thrifted
• Gloves - Danier Leather
• Mask - by Mom

The stuff: 

These were awesome for an afternoon of strolling through gardens. I also walked home from an out-of-the way bus ride. Utter comfort.

Brutalist bling: 

I am saying "bye for now" to my Brutalist collection of jewelry. It's not really summery, so I pack it away. Yes, I swap my jewelry seasonally too! 

• Belt - Mudd, vintage 90s, thrifted
• Bracelets, necklace - Robert Larin, vintage 70s, vintage mall, gifts from L
• Earrings - vintage 70s, vintage mall
• Square ring - thrifted
• "Volcano" ring - vintage 70s, Mom's

Last night, I sat on the deck and worked on my Autumn Jacket (good job, Kezzie!) while I chatted with Mom. Vizzini reclaimed his spot on the chair until the sun went down. 

"I have missed My Spot."

This morning, after the cleaners had gone and I'd restored the house to The Way I Like It (I'm very particular), I found Vizzini in a new spot. 

"I claim this cushion."

Smaug the gargoyle is watching over him. 

The stool that the cushion belonged to broke - it had some hidden repairs and just collapsed one day. It wasn't salvageable, but there was nothing wrong with the framed seat cushion. 

"I thought this smelled familiar."

Such a cutie. I had to go pet him (the 10-year-old in me compels me).

"You give the best head scritches."

I left him snoozing, and Mom and I headed out to the Japanese Tea Gardens on the Gorge Waterway. We last visited here in August 2021 - you'll see many of the same sights, but different seasonally. 

A shot of Mom getting her walking poles ready. She's wearing her Boss Lady bamboo trousers, and is in "tunic season" in her closet (this one's tones of teal). And of course, a matching white leather jacket, also Danier - we were together when she bought it new at the now-closed store. Let me know if you want me to decorate it, Mom! 

I love this view of the meandering stream. 

There were tons of ducks around. 

It was windy and a bit chilly on the water, but it made for dramatic lighting as the cloud scudded overhead.

When we were here in August, the trees were all in full leaf.

I like the bare branches too, the fuzzy look of the tips that means buds are about to burst.

Lots of crows were cawing and capering about - do you see the two in the lower left?

The Japanese plum trees are still blooming. 

And the sound of construction at the new pavilion has gotten louder - you can see some of it going on to the right. 

I have never seen an orange hyacinth before. 

So pretty! 

Looking across the Gorge Waterway, which is an arm of the Pacific Ocean.

Bluebell hyacinths - we had these in our garden when I was a kid. 

Herons soared overhead.

We saw three in succession. 

Looking towards the bridge. 

The tide was pretty high. 

There's the bridge. 

I love the pop of the red lamp posts. 

I also loved the shape of this tree. 

I'm a fan of "gnarled."

This is the main driveway into the park, which has been blocked off for ages while they work on the pavilion. 

I love the avenue of plum trees. The bare one in the foreground is actually a Japanese cherry tree - they bloom in a couple of weeks. It's quite a mature tree, by the size of the trunk. 

The formal entrance. 

It's so lovely here. 

Mom, take my picture! 

Tah-dah! I had many compliments on my hair from fellow park-visitors, as well as one person who said we looked elegant. Doesn't everyone dress up for going to the park? 

Soothing shapes and colours. 

Not much action going on in the pond now. 

Mom on the bridge. 

The last time we were here it took over two hours to walk all around the park. Even with our rest on a bench for a chat and random sun rays, it was closer to 90 minutes. Well done, Mom - her physical therapy is really helping her mobility (Mom has Post-Polio Syndrome, about it here), although she still gets tired easily. 

The forsythia is in glorious bloom. I remember Mom cutting branches of it and putting them in vases in my childhood home. 

There was a very agitated junco hopping about in the greenery, peeping at us. 

The magnolias are also out. 

Looking down on the construction. 

It was rather pervasive.

This is my favourite section of the gardens. 

The path weaves back and forth as you gradually meander down the hill, following the stream to the lower pond. 

There are benches, bridges, stepping stones and even this branch shelter/lookout. 

We were impressed at how much has been done on the pavilion since August. 

I think it might be open in time for wedding season this summer. This would be a gorgeous place to have a wedding reception. 

We sat for a while and enjoyed the sights, sounds and interplay of cloud and sunlight. 

A plane going by far overhead. 

Only a few of the rhododendrons were in bloom. 

This pink one was pretty. 

An inviting path. 

So many shades of green. 

Ducks!

The 4-year-old in me LOVES ducks. Grabby hands! 

Mom and I had a lovely lunch after we walked back to the car, and then I hopped a bus that was going in the direction of home and walked the rest of the way. I enjoyed the sun and wind - it feels good to be alive.

Thank you for another wonderful Mom-Daughter adventure, Mom! I love you! 

When I got home, Vizzini was absorbing all the warmth from the vintage 1976 terra cotta tiles on our deck. 

"Thank you for bringing back the sun."

Vizzini, have you been snoozing out here all afternoon? 

"Maybe."

And now, I'm off to do my jewelry and accessory swap, in preparation for tomorrow's closet change-over. If you've ever wondered about my closet, stay tuned - I'll be back soon with oodles of pictures. Get ready for the Spring/Summer season!