A Weekend Into the Past; Ice House

Ice what? Ice house! What's an ice house you say? It's man's ingenious idea before refrigeration. Have you ever wondered how people kept their food cold before fridges existed?

My parents own a century-old cabin between two major regions in Quebec. It was the "hotel" where people slept for the night before continuing on their horse-led trip between the two regions. The cabin directly next to ours was the "kitchen". Naturally, the "ice house" is with the kitchen.

Every year, our neighbors invite us to help them with "the ice". This means cutting giant blocks of ice from the frozen lake and bringing them into the insulated "ice house".

The modern way to do this is with an electric chain saw, an axe, ice pliers and a skidoo with sled. Obviously that's not exactly how they did it a hundred years ago. It was probably just with an axe, the pliers and a horse sleigh.

First you saw the ice into a grid (making squares). Then you use the axe and slam it into a cut to detach the bottom part. Using the pliers you pick them up and place them on the sled (it's actually more of a side throw, lol).

The skidoo brings them up to the cabin and using another pair of pliers, someone stacks them into the ice house.

It usually takes about 4-5 hours depending on how many people join in to help. Once all is done, we enjoy a nice warm meal together and spend the rest of the weekend chill-axing. :P

You're probably wondering how the ice doesn't melt during the summer. The ice house is insulated. Simple as that... and all the ice piled up together creates this kind of "cold effect" which minimizes the melting time. As well, when we use the fridge, there is a separate door to where the ice is kept, so you aren't constantly letting warm air into the ice room.

I really enjoy these little escapes into the past. We may not have the opportunity to do this forever, but for now, I'm taking it all in. :)

Do you take part in any activities of the past?

Mosaiculture at the Montreal Botanical Gardens

The summer is almost over and although I'm excited for fall & winter, I really don't feel like we HAD a summer. It rained most of the time, and on the few days the sun came out, there were so many mosquitoes that going outside really wasn't pleasant. We did manage to cross off a few activities from our summer bucket list though, which made me pretty happy.

I absolutely adore the outdoors, gardening, and flowers. This year, my husband took us to the Montreal botanical gardens. They had an amazing international mosaiculture exhibition; it was breathtaking. The above picture was my favorite mosaic. It's a 15 meter tall representation of mother earth. The amount of work that goes into planning, building, growing and maintaining the plants is unthinkable.

During our trip, I practiced my macro photography skills. I must admit that after experiencing the full reach of manual photography, I just can't go back to point and shoot. One of my future projects is writing down everything I learned. Have you tried manual photography on a DSLR camera? Do you like it?

This exposition is the world's most prestigious competition of horticultural art and it's not hard to see why, just look at the details in the above mosaic: the fingers, the clothing and the hair. Making it is something, keeping it looking like this is something else.

200 experts from Canada, Belgium, China, South Korea, Spain, USA, France, Japan, Mexico, Turkey and across Africa created over 40 plant-life sculptures, some big enough to walk through. This year's theme was "land of hope" focused on biodiversity; the artists also portrayed their nationality and culture.

This chameleon is built entirely with succulents. Isn't it amazing what you can do with plants? I never would have thought you could make sculptures with them. Some people are so creative it blows my mind.

I'm so glad we were able to see this exhibition. I don't think my son will remember seeing these amazing mosaics but I'm sure it will return to Montreal in the future. We will definitely go again. Have you ever seen any mosaicultures? Do you like gardening?

What to Expect When Going to the Zoo

Last week, my family and I went to the zoo (crossed an activity off my summer bucket list, yay!). I remember going a couple of times when I was little, and I have to be honest, other than the obvious "going to see the animals" part, I forgot what a day at the zoo meant. I made a list of a few things I think are important to know before you head out.

1. Be Patient
This is kind of obvious but believe it or not, I actually expected to see all the animals up close as soon as I got to their habitat. Silly right? Make sure you are ready to wait for them to come out; you could be waiting for a while. If you can, bring some binoculars, that way you wouldn't have to wait around as long; unless you want to take pictures.

2. Plan Ahead

There are often shows planned during the day. Research ahead and make sure you plan your day around these. Sometimes the animators attract the animals so you aren't waiting as long. Even if they don't, at least you get a bit of information while you wait. It makes the trip that much more interesting.

3. Bring Water
Make sure you bring a bottle of water for each member of your family. There are a lot of attractions and you'll be walking a lot, so you'll be very thirsty. I'm assuming you're going on a warm sunny day like we did, but even if you don't, I still recommend bringing water. Having an umbrella is also a good idea, you know, portable shade...

4. Bring Food
It's a good idea to bring some snacks. Food at these kinds of attractions tends to be a bit pricey. You can indulge in a few treats if you want, but it's still a good idea to bring snacks so you don't burn a hole in your wallet. Speaking of which, make sure you have some cash handy, because the food stands don't accept interact or visa.

5. Bring Activities
If you're going with children, make sure you bring some toys & activities just in case you have long wait times. It will be much easier for you, and a lot more fun for your kids. ;)

6. Wear Comfortable Shoes
I can't stress this enough. You are going to be walking all day, and most likely standing; comfortable shoes is a must.

We had a lot of fun (if waiting around a lot can be called fun) and we will definitely make this into a yearly activity. I'm sure our son will appreciate it more when he's older. Have you ever been to the zoo?