Back from Vancouver

I just returned from a solo sojourn to Vancouver where it was rainy and green, unlike Toronto the city I left just after a snowstorm and returned to in a snowstorm. In fact it has been so snowy here in Toronto I almost didn’t make it back. Previous flights that day had been canceled and when I did get in (at 1am) it was chaos in the airport.

I arrived in Vancouver on a rare sunny afternoon. The mountains were spectacular in clear view. Wendy, the show’s host picked me up from the airport. I regaled her with tales of a previous trip to Vancouver in which I was put up in a lavish suite-with-a-view at the Granville Island Hotel. I had two televisions to myself! The place was so big I felt like I should have a small family living there with me. And what do you know, when I opened my hotel room door this time around it too was a suite but even BIGGER, complete with two televisions, a kitchenette, a dining table, a huge balcony and a small walk-in closet. COME ON! I instantly felt kind of ridiculous about how much I had gone on and on about the insanity of that last suite — Wendy had kept quiet and didn’t say a word the entire time.

Here are a few photos of the set that I took on the day of the shoot.

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The set.

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Host Wendy Russell and myself after a full day of shooting. I am looking rather shiny and make-uped here. I just can’t get used to seeing myself with television face paint.

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My very favourite prop on the set, a bottle of “Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific” shampoo.

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We made the “Homegrown Stones” leafy stepping stones project from the You Grow Girl book (page 20-21).

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Wendy and the director, Rebbecca discuss.

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They used a dolly to shoot the wide shots. I can’t tell you how much this pleased me.

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This was made by one of the production gals as a gift to celebrate the show’s second season, but when I saw it I thought it made a genius birthday present. Think about it: one gift that covers you off for a whole decade of gift giving!

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Gardens Illustrated Dec 2007

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-from December 2007 issue of BBC’s Garden’s Illustrated magazine.

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    “Sassy and savvy in its approach, Canadian garden website You Grow Girl has nurtured a thriving online community since it was established in 2000. With regular entries by site creator Gayla Trail, attractive images and lively forums, You Grow Girl is fresh, funny and unconventional — and all the better for it. “

- page 95

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Reds and Greens

Photo by Gayla Trail

I saw a lot of red berries, green leaves, and mossy walls in Vancouver. It was a lot like Portland in that sense. Also look, the grass is green! I miss the colour green so much already. I got off the plane in Toronto just after a snowstorm so the world here is primarily white, quickly shifting to brown/black.

Visiting the Pacific North West is a good reminder of just how many plants are out there in the world that I do not know. I saw this bush all over the place but have no idea what it is. I am baffled. Can anyone identify it?

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