Row, Row, Row Your Boat .....

This week's freebie is a 'don du coeur' -- gift of the heart -- from a little sailor boy. I picked this card for two special reasons.
Have you ever heard of people who 'don't have both oars in the water'?:) This little boy with oar in hand makes me think of that old expression which pretty much describes me!ha! And I'd prove it except my single oar is already moved into our new place, so I can't share a pic of it.
BUT when I get settled in and my oar is hung in its place of honor, I'll show you. The oar is a 'found object,' a special souvenir from decades ago when I lived in Port Angeles, Washington, and I went for a walk on Ediz Hook, a 3-mile sand spit that juts into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. You can see Victoria, British Columbia, across the water. That oar holds such fond memories for me. Say what they will about folks who don't have both oars, let alone both oars in the water...I don't care!:)

The other reason I chose this little sailor boy is because I envision him paddling in the duck pond which we have such a charming view of at our new place in Vancouver.

This is our view from the dining room window, looking out over the balcony.

Not a superb photo from our balcony but the white blur in the center is the water fountain at our end, which comes on every morning at 7 sharp. There is another one at the far end that shoots up periodically,too. Definitely important to have the water circulating. I never realized how many feathers and how much tree debris can get into a pond....
As I hung my bicycle basket on the iron railing, I thought of the contrast between how I feel now, so excited about making this move and the trauma I felt when I was eight, making my first cross-country move. My family left Idaho, where I was born, and moved to Texas. Moi. A northerner in a family of southerners from Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. After moving, I found a poster that I kept for years of a beautiful nature scene, a scene that I considered as "my Northwest." Even though I was just a kid, I drew lots of comfort from this quote on the poster:

You never really leave a place you love. 

A part of it goes with you 

and a part of you remains.

So I'm leaving behind  this view from the master bedroom in Mosier, Oregon.....

and now I have this view in Vancouver, Washington.....

Yes, it's quite a trade-off! But our downsizing and becoming 'city folks' have some perks that will make it all worth while.

The year-round heated pool is what sold me on moving to this particular condo complex. On hot days, the roof of the pool rolls back to let in the sky:) The 'head' bobbing at the end is Jim, a new neighbor we're looking forward to knowing better. He confirmed what I already deduced: the newly remodeled $10,000 salt water pool is barely used by the residents. I plan to change that! I'm hoping to make use of it on a daily basis.

However, first I have to get busy with Moving Part II. 

Part I was a 14-hour day on Friday. Saturday we nursed our aching muscles and walked around the Downtown Vancouver Farmer's Market. I had my first French macaron from a business called C'est La Vie. I know it's very un-Francophile of me, but  I discovered I'm  not a macaron lover. However, the pint of marionberries we bought from another vendor  made me happy:) Sunday I had to part company with The Hubby, which feels quite strange.... but he's set up with the essentials in our new place, working 10 hour days on a new project in Portland, just across the river. No more 3-hour daily commutes for him. 

Now it's time for me to pack, pack and pack some more! So you likely won't be hearing from me until after I've joined my sweetie in our new bode. But I'll never be far from the computer, so be sure and leave a comment! I always enjoy reading your messages! 

In fact, I received the sweetest email from Canadian Giselle of Oh-La-La Textures today. I hope you'll visit her blog and see the stunning oversized 'window card' she created using a FrenchKissed  scan of three yellow birds.

And speaking about leaving comments, this week's lucky winner chosen from last week's commenters is Jan Larson of Ink This, Stamp That. Congrats, Jan! Email me the links or titles to two scans, your choice, $3.99 or under, from either my Etsy shop or my Zibbet shop:)

And last but not least, here's the little sailor boy in a version with a hint more sepia!

My original postcard was mailed in 1907 to the Beauvoux family in Margny les Compiegne, a city in northern France. I checked out the city's web site and guess what their motto is: Une ville qui bouge!
A city that moves!
I believe that's my cue to get busy:)