Skating and Shopping

Yesterday I went skating! It was fun. :) I skated all the way down to Hugo Docks and back (from The Forks). Here's a signpost at Hugo Docks:

So that means I skated 5.4 km. I figure that's not bad, given how little I've skated. Of course, it took me an hour, so I won't be entering the 2010 Olympics in speed skating. ;)

I knocked the wind out of me once with one spectacular fall, but for the most part I managed to stay on my feet. Coming back from Hugo Docks was colder and a bit harder, because I had the wind in my face. Having the wind at my back is much nicer. (The cold also made the battery in my iPod run out shortly after turning back... that sucked.)

Hugo Docks is as far as the trail goes now, due to last week's weather. (News link.)

After skating, I had a nice (but expensive!) hot chocolate, and then wandered around the antique store in the basement of the Johnston Terminal. The stuff there tends to be pricey, and I don't like how some stuff that I knew was new wasn't labelled as such, but they've also got a lot of neat stuff. I bought a nutcracker and a pretty little glass:

(I already have a nutcracker that I bought at the dollar store, but it's poorly designed... the antique one looks like it has potential, and I at least know it'll last!) The glass was pricey for a glass, but pretty. I've been looking for something pretty to keep my toothpicks in, rather than their ratty cardboard boxes. (I have them on the shelf above the stove, and so they're visible.) I'll need to make a little lid for the glass, though, to keep the dust off.

While I'm showing you my vintage finds, here's two items I found at thrift shops last month:

The gravy boat is very pretty... I like both the shape and the pattern. According to this site, the mark on the bottom dates it between 1936 and 1954. It cost $10 at Value Village, so not terribly cheap. It is, however, lovely, and will do it's job just fine. (Should I ever make gravy, that is.)

The glass, on the other hand, was a much better buy at the Salvation Army Thrift Shop. It's a pretty amber colour, and reminds me of the glasses my mom had since before I was born. (Hers were/are green, though.) Regular price on the glass was 50 cents, but was on sale for 10 cents! Steal! ;)