Vintage dresses in Whitehorse, part 2

4:48 sunrise
23:07 sunset

I caved. I spent much of today thinking abut the dresses I didn't buy at that sale yesterday. And so, with my colleague who told me about the sale in the first place (and who is a good seamstress), back we went after work. I bought three more dresses. Two were ones that I wanted yesterday (the black taffeta and the blue brocade) and the other is one that I hadn't noticed but Daintry wanted me to try on. It's wool (we think) with velvet buttons and trim. Apparently it has kimono sleeves (what would I know? This is what my colleague told me) and it does remind me of something that Mad Men's Peggy would wear. Maybe that's who I am more like in terms of the style of Mad Men characters - a little less bombshell and a lot more plaid.

Anyhow, here are my three newest acquisitions:

The blue one is kind of ridiculous but it fit really well and the heavy drapery at the bottom felt so luxurious. The bow/belt snaps on and off with metal snap buttons.  The black one is also a perfect fit... well, perfectly snug around my rib cage, but it looks pretty good on.  And the navy one doesn't look like much on the hanger but it has an interesting cut and the velvet trim around the hips was just, well, too interesting for me to pass up.  I do plan to wear it tomorrow!

Edited, May 29, to add:

I got up, I got dressed and I even had time to take photos!

I've never worn the brooch before.  It was a gift from my mother-in-law who seems to have an endless supply of them.  It's not a piece of jewellery I would usually wear but it seemed appropriate with today's dress.

Gotta run - work calls!  Have a great Tuesday!

Vintage Dresses in Whitehorse

4:50 sunrise
23:05 sunset

I had an awesome, unexpected Whitehorse experience today.  A colleague sent me a message saying that a woman in town was "selling her vintage clothing collection" and that "she still has a number of small dresses for sale."  I had absolutely no plans for the day (unless you count walking the dog and doing laundry) and so I figured I would go take a look.  I was expecting a garage sale with maybe something cute on offer.

When I pulled up to the house, I was confused.  There was nothing on the lawn and no signs.  I almost drove away again but I thought.... maybe I should just go up to the door and check.  Once I got out and peeked in the front door it was obvious that I was in the right place.  This woman's living room was filled with clothing racks, divided by decades (50s, 60s, 70s and 80s).

Long story short, I ended up staying for over an hour trying things on.  From a perfect 1980s hot pink taffeta number (which was too small and too much like something I could have worn to my grade 8 grad) to an amazing 1960s blue brocade ankle-length cocktail dress (that I am considering going back for) this house was full of awesome.  And the crazy (to me anyway) thing is that this woman collected the clothes just because she liked them.  Many of them (perhaps most) she has never worn - they weren't even her size.

Anytime a dress fit me I would come out of the bedroom where I was trying things on and this woman would squeal and say things like "you have the perfect 60s body!"  Now, in my mind that means I look like Joan from Mad Men, which, even if untrue, I will take as a compliment!

There were some young girls there, shopping with their mother, and when I came out in a blue 50s prom dress (which I ended up buying) they said I looked like Tinkerbell.

I'm going to go with also untrue, but it was another compliment (I think) from the mouth of an 11 year old.  I'll take Christina Hendricks ☺.

Anyhow, I had a grand time trying on probably 20 or so dresses and I came home with these:

I was seriously tempted to buy another three but I didn't feel I could justify six new dresses in one day.  They were well-priced but certainly not free and so I restrained myself.  Who knew that someone in Whitehorse would have a house full of vintage clothing?!  Certainly I didn't.  It was a nice Sunday surprise!

Spring in Whitehorse

5:11 sunrise
22:42 sunset

Yesterday morning, looking out my bedroom window.

This afternoon, looking out the living room window.

I am off to what I hope are warmer climes tomorrow for the long weekend.

Mother's Day

5:21 sunrise

22:32 sunset

Mom, you've always been awesome.  Thanks not only for the love you've shown me....

... but also for loving yourself and teaching me how important that is to being content and at ease with my own existence.

You made life easier for me because you never asked me to become anyone other than who I wanted to be.  You let me develop into my own person. It never mattered to you what I would do with my life, as long as I was happy. I think a lot of mothers talk the talk about not pushing their kids to be a certain way, but you walked the walk.

I actually don't know how you did it but somehow you instilled in me a basic belief that I am worthy and good and capable of dealing with whatever the world throws my way.  For this - I am eternally grateful.

The last couple of years have been strange for me, as I accept that I am unlikely - through my own choices and desires - to ever become a mother.  It makes me oddly sad and yet it seems right because that's always who I have been: the girl who never wanted to have kids.  It's a strange thing, you know, wanting to grow up to be just like you and yet not have any children.

Thanks for letting me be me, mom. I love  you so much.

20 Steps to Twoonie Racing

5:33 sunrise
22:21 sunset

So I entered the first of CMBC's twoonie races today.  In twenty steps it went something like this:

1.  Convince Monika to taunt me around the course by staying in front enough to make me chase her
2.  Get about 200m down the trail and realize I have made a grave mistake by entering this
3.  Huff and puff and feel like dying before I even get to the first corner
4.  Listen to Monika call "Jenn?" in front of me every so often
5.  Wish that Monika would just ride off into the sunset, away from me and on to certain victory
6.  Wonder how the hell a 5km lap could possibly seem so far and take so long (about 22-23 minutes)
7.  Decide that I will most certainly stop after one lap and have a beer
8.  Hear the cowbell and some cheering as lap 1 came to and end
9.  Follow Monika and Jane out for lap 2
10. Announce that I will most certainly stop after two laps and have a beer
11. Repeat items 3 through 6
12. Hear the cowbell as lap 2 came to an end, stop and chat with Monika and Jane
13. Feel some sort of weird I-should-have-been-Catholic guilt for not finishing three laps
14. Climb back on bike for lap 3
15. Get passed by crazysuperfast dudes Paul and Jonah
16. Repeat items 3 and 6
17. Get excited knowing that this was most certainly the last lap I would ride
18. Get passed by fastbutnotasfast dudes Derek, Aaron and Glenn
19. Hear the cowbell after an hour and nine minutes of lung-searing "fun"
20. Collect beer glass prize as the only female in my category


So ya, it was actually kind of awful.  I suspect that the hard effort is good for me, but it's not fun feeling slow while also feeling like your lungs are being scrubbed with a wire brush.  So I dunno about the next race.  It's on a different - harder, hillier - course.  We'll see what happens when May 22 rolls around.

Local photographer Tim Hogan has very kindly let me post these images on my blog.  Here's what the race looked like through his eyes. Remember to click on the images if you want to see larger versions. They're great photos so I recommend you look a little closer.

Right off the start I wanted to go slower than my rabbit

Yay a downhill section!

This is what superfastdudes look like.  Paul:

Jonah:

Aaaand it's over.  I'm checking out the results sheet with Tony, who set the course.

Welcome back, Yukon summer!