Mom and I headed out to Swan Lake to enjoy the sunny but crisp day. We last visited the Lochside Trail side back here in November 2023, and the Nature House side here in July 2023.
Not the kind of day for walking around in costume, but one can always "bound," which is to pay homage to a source without actually going full-on cosplay or costume.
Enjoy a 2020 Flashback here of all of my and L's costumes going back to 2009, plus 2021's Brunch Zombie (here), bounding as "Totally Not a Vampire" in 2022 (here), and a Star Trek-inspired outfit in 2023 (here).
Another Jammy Dress! I'm just in a Jammy Dress mood.
The colours are so nice, and did you notice the cut-out on one shoulder? Very futuristic.
The wool-blend dress is two shades of blue sewn together in a mirror pattern, so that the V at the hem matches on the back.
Orange and blue are so good together.
I'm nodding to Delenn from "Babylon 5," Guinan from "Star Trek: Next Generation," and Laura Dern's character from "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." Why not mix 'em all up?
It's a wonderful detail - and I love the two rich blue shades.
Outerwear - there are bits of orange in the shoes.
Done up.
I look totally normal. Not in a costume at all.
Incognito.
All my blues showing and ready to go.
Accoutrements:
"A Trip to Wonderland" is what the purse says. That's also giving me space vibes! Plus, it's clear, so very futuristic. I like that it's from the 1998 World's Fair, also a nod to the future.
I hoped it wouldn't rain - the clouds were very grey and gloomy! - as I didn't want my shoes to get wet. We lucked out and not a drop of rain fell, and they did not get wet from the leaves.
- Purse - vintage 1998 Hermes knock-off from Expo '98 in Paris, thrifted, Vancouver
- Wool scarf - Vera, vintage 80s, Mom's
- Wool gloves - Parkhurst
The stuff:
A better look at Luke and Yoda.
Space bling:
Mixing my metals, and sticking to very clean lines.
We were treated to intermittent sunshine, with a chilly wind. Brrr! I was glad I'd layered up.
See? It's looking for victims!
Hi, guys!
- Magnetic Communicator badge - MoPOP gift shop, Seattle
- Earrings - Biko, consignment
- Silver/gold cuff - JPL, vintage fair
- Hinged eelskin bracelet - vintage 80s, thrifted
- Silver/kyanite ring - consignment
- Silver/concrete ring - Raul Caballero, Oui Jewelry
- Lapis lazuli ring/Fulvia Ring - Wendy Brandes
Our server at lunch admired all my accessories.
Mom and I, arriving at the parking lot of Swan Lake.
Cloud Drama!
I see Mickey Mouse ears!
A short stroll through the trees to the Nature House.
I'll never say no to an inviting path and tunnel of trees.
So many Hallowe'en-ish things in the Nature House.
A Great Horned Owl!
A lot of beautiful dead moths and butterflies.
Such pretty colours.
BAT!
And a bunch of ginormous bugs. Terrifying!
I bought a reversible tote bag in the gift shop.
A glimpse of the shimmering waters through the trees.
Handsewn by Donna, for $15.00. The pattern is bats and spiderwebs.
Heading down to the boardwalk.
The boardwalk wends through the wetlands area.
We could hear birds - and I spotted a hummingbird - but otherwise it was silent.
I checked the tall tree to see if there was an eagle or heron.
We pointed it out to a person with a huge telephoto lens, and he showed us a really good close-up picture and said it's probably a white pigeon.
SOMETHING else is up there!
It's...white. What could it be?
Mom and I decided that since it was Hallowe'en, it is clearly a ZOMBIE PIGEON. Pfft, what did that guy know?
Cloud Drama II: Wispy Bits.
The trees look delightfully spooky.
The walkway across one end of the lake.
It bobs and moves as you walk on it.
Cloud Drama III: Puffy vs. Wispy
Some cattails on the edges of the lake.
It was windy out there on the water.
You can just see the roof of the Nature House past Mom's head.
Cloud Drama IV: Light and Wind
Love the sunlight sparkling on the water.
Cloud Drama V: Show the Sky!
I like the pops of yellow from the trees on the other side.
Cloud Drama VI: Sun, What Sun?
You can actually see the sun in the very centre of the picture.
We could hear quacking, but it took a while to find them.
DUCKS!
"Ducks!" we both cried.
Uh-oh, one of them looks like a Zombie Duck!
Run, Mom!
Ack, the Zombie Pigeon is still there!
It's looking right at us! Quickly, to the car!
I'm hungry, let's get lunch.
I did a little online search - it's actually a Eurasian Collared Dove, which is a rare sighting at the lake (resource here, link here about it). I giggled at the description of it online - apparently it's a "chunky" bird.
Time to head back.
Up the hill.
We both vigorously kicked leaves up in the air.
Squirrel!
Not a zombie, phew!
Yoda and Luke in the leaves.
A few people cooed over my shoes.
We went to Uptown - Mom had some errands to run after lunch.
Looking appropriately spooky for Hallowe'en in her red, black and grey sweater, with a very fun spider and web double pin. Thanks so much for the walk, Mom - I really needed that taste of nature, even if the Zombie birds were out in full force. I love you!
Wow, that's a lot of pumpkins! I also see a giant skeleton, cool.
We went to Brown's Social House and enjoyed a yummy lunch - fish tacos for Mom and a tuna poke bowl for me.
I bussed back to town and had a quick browse in the WIN (Women In Need) store on Pandora Ave. I found this awesome hat with faux fur trim.
I seem to be collecting big furry hats (I blame Vix, hers are the best).
The red part on top is wool.
Made in Canada, awesome! That's dot-matrix style printing, which puts this in the 80s/90s.
It's by M'sieu Leon, a Canadian Hat of Montreal, Canada.
I thought $9.95 was a very good price.
I could not figure out if all the letters on this seriously-so-soft plus scarf spelled out anything. It has no tags at all.
But for $6.95 I was not going to let it sit there.
I had it on my mental list - a long vintage slip.
The use of "Antron" nylon dates between 1960 and 1970, but this is Antron III, which is still being made.
This is a mid-calf length, with a big slit on the side with triangles of lace sewn on.
It's older than it looks - it has a Union label on it, so we know it's pre-1995.
It's by Something Special by Maidenform, and was only $6.95 (I see these for over $40 at vintage shops).
I know that the Metric System was rolled out in Canada in the early 1970s (I learned it in elementary school), and things were required to be in both English and French as of 1974. So I would guess this is from the mid-1970s.
This was the treasure of the day - a very thin sweater.
It's a big snooze on the hanger - when I tried it on at home, I said, "WOW!" as it looks completely different.
This was the treasure of the day - a very thin sweater.
Here's a look at the texture.
It's a two-tone coral, with the shiny threads being more in the orange tone.
The sleeves are actually a 3/4 length and are belled.
Very awesome!
It's been well-loved - note the wear on the label.
Made in Italy of cotton and viscose.
It's M by Missoni! Based on the style, I'd guess this is from the 1990s. It's a very wide neckline so I'll have to wear a camisole.
It was a bit pricey at $39.95 - I spotted a few online in different colours for between $60 and $150, so I did get a deal!
Vizzini and I hung out in the closet.
"Now you sit down and we look at our selves in the mirror."
He really grabs on tight to my shoulder and sits across my body.
Aw, love you, little buddy.
"Who are we talking to?"
Our friends out in the world, Vizzini! Note you can see my enchanting house dress and cat socks in the mirror behind me!
And now, my friends, sending my best to you all and thank you as always for dropping by. Pop in on Sunday for more tales of adventure, won't you? Take care.