Oils and Vinegars

Oils and Vinegars, originally uploaded by susanvg.

This is one of my favourite shops in the Atwater Market, Les Douceurs du Marché. It is owned by two men, who are more than helpful when it comes to selecting items from their enormous selection. One wall is devoted to oils and vinegars. My spouse is partial to olive oil from Greece; here you can find some which specify which grove it is from, much like with wines.

Another wall has every kind of sauce and marinade you can imagine from every ethnic group. You can burn your gut with the hottest hot sauces, enjoy every flavour of salad dressing and sample sauces from around the world. Do you need specialty rice? special grains? any kind of tea? I can spend a long time just admiring the variety. And I do buy. Shopping here always comes with conversation, whether about the origins of what you buy or about politics. Shopping here is personal and browsing is encouraged. It's a must stop every time I come to the market.

Today's basket included some gifts, tea and wild rice.

On the Road

Livestock At Large, originally uploaded by susanvg.

A drive from Banff to Brooks is an extraordinary experience. The day starts in majestic mountains, rocky, craggy and snow capped. We drove down through the Kananaskis Mountains. We stopped for a short hike only to see goats on the road.

A Columbia ground squirrel made its presence known with high pitched squeaks.
Some livestock are free to range in the along the way. Texas gates keep them from going past certain boundaries. We had to wait while they crossed the road.

Eventually the mountains turned to hills and the forests gave way to farmland. Oil wells look out of place in the middle of fields.

Still later the land flattened even more - fields of grass, bales of hay, reaching out to the sky. Brooks is in the Badlands of Alberta. Coming.... a trip to Dinosaur Provincial Park.