Travelling Light

When you live on the side of a mountain, everything it seems is either uphill or downhill. So appropriate it is that I live in a part of the city called Uphill. There are many people who live much higher than me, so when I tell people where I live, I say lower Uphill. Still, it is not a breeze in the park to walk to and from work. My journey usually involves bags hung over my shoulder, that contain lunch, papers, books, and my purse.

I decided this week that I wanted to travel lighter. The opportunity came the day when my friend and I made a lunch date - no lunch to carry - that was one less bag. Then I thought of how I might carry even less. Really there was very little required from my purse, and with pockets in my jacket, I was set.

What I did need was lunch money, and a debit card just in case. Hmmm... what could be compact enough, yet secure? I had an idea:

There are a lot of advantages to my new bag:
- When I'm in a hurry, it is easy to find just the right coins I need.
- It is waterproof. (I actually haven't submerged it in a vat of water yet but hey, it's water resistant enough for me.)
- Got a receipt? It'll hold that too!

So far I have found only one disadvantage:
- Keep it away from heat sources.

The check-out cashier at the Kootenay Co-op agreed that I was on to something. I think it's going to be a trend.

Sun and Clouds

I had a change of pace from the regular routine yesterday, and spent my day in the computer lab teaching people to use Excel and Publisher. The last class of the day was cancelled due to no enrollment so I spent the afternoon doing errands. It was an unexpected treat. One may question the association between errands and treats, but when errands are usually relegated to 10 minute stints at lunch time, having a whole afternoon is a luxury.

The extra bonus was that the sun was shining. I picked up my lighter jacket, and hit the streets. By the time I came out of the hairstylist and the sun had gone behind the mountains, I was questioning my jacket decision, so I scurried home.

We have had several days of sunshine here but weather in the mountains has its own distinctive appearance. Sometime during the night or early morning, the clouds fill the valley (something, I think, to do with the change in air temperature) and they just hang out there.

This is what it looks like in the morning:

















As the sun rises and heats up the air, it "burns" off the clouds, and presto chango, here's the afternoon:


Luckily, the daytime temperatures are getting warmer and warmer. But when this phenomenon happens in the late fall and the air temperature is getting cooler, the clouds can hang out for days in the mountains. The likelihood increases if your valley has a large body of water, as ours indeed does.

So last evening when the total lunar eclipse was happening, we got the full show because the skies were still clear. What a delightful treat! The mountains, I have discovered in my 13+ years of residing in them, are not the best place for a wannabe astronomer.

Later, the clouds like an uninvited guest, crept their way back in. It is all a well choreographed show that has been practiced for eons. Always entertaining.

Today's Journey Home

When I awoke this morning, I had one of those Han Solo moments... "I have a bad feeling about this." The headache that had been playing tag with me for the past few days announced itself early. I actually accomplished a lot before I realized that even moving was a challenge. I worked very hard to focus on the 11 am client, and 40 minutes later, I knew that horizontal was the only choice. When I left the office, I had one of those slow walks where I tried to move as little as I could. I had, luckily, brought the car to work so I only had to make it to the parkade. Barely doable. I rested in the car before I wound my way up the hill.

And then I had 3 naps.

I woke up shortly before dinner time, but still was feeling the lingering effects. And then I remembered my mother's modeling for getting well. I cleaned. And I organized. And I finished the knitting project which was requested by BJ. It is a shawl, made with mohair.




It is one shawl that has been around. The yarn was bought in Winnipeg (Ram's Wool), sent to Nelson, and will be shortly sent to its home (for now) in Bellingham.











Apparently I have similar symptoms to those who have had the flu. I am off to find my Vitamin C. But with my house all tidied and (mostly) clean, it doesn't have a chance.

Sweet Dreams

Happy Valentine's Day! There was an abundance of chocolate circulating the office today. I shared my wealth of French truffles that I got for Christmas from Elizabeth, and then chocolate came back to me - one of the afternoon clients brought me a box of Lindor chocolates. It all makes the decision to quit sugar challenging. We also got to have a piece of cake that was gifted from a grateful client. I saw many men walking down the street with bouquets.

My travels lately have been in Arizona, via a Barbara Kingsolver book, Animal Dreams. I officially am a member of a book club; I got to choose the first title and I was delighted about the notion of it being my favourite author. Animal Dreams is the story of a journey, of two sisters - one who goes to Nicaragua and the other who returns to her hometown. We hear the story of the Nicaragua-landed sister via letters and the remembrances of Codi, the other sister. Codi's journey is an internal one. This quote is shortly after her arrival in her childhood home. "I'd led such an adventurous life, geographically speaking, that people mistook me for an adventurer. They had no idea. I'd sell my soul and all my traveling shoes to belong some place."

There are many layers to this book, and weaved in an awakening to see one's life in a different way. The descriptions are compelling, and the prose is captivating. It has been aptly called, "rich, complex, witty."

"Animals dream about the things they do in the daytime, just like people do. If you want sweet dreams, you've got to live a sweet life."

I read this book many years ago when I was a flatlander. I borrowed it that first time from the library; it tugged at the employment counsellor in me - for it is all about dreams. Many years later when I got in my car, there was a copy of the book in my front seat. I queried everyone I knew who had been in my car but it remained unclaimed. So it got put on the shelf.

Years later, it again circled in my life. At my current workplace, as I was putting on my shoes, I saw Animal Dreams out of the corner of my eye on the bookshelf there. I gave a slight grin, in recognition of a companion who has travelled with me in my life.

So when I chose Animal Dreams for the book club's first selection, I knew where there were 2 copies.

Afternoon Vacations

Lots of wintery tales this year. So last Saturday, after my notion of surrender, I thought of the idea of going to the ski hill. Not that I was going there to ski, having never downhill skied in my life. I dragged Al up there - well, actually he drove. And we got to see what all the fuss is about.

Later, when I told Ryan that we went to Whitewater (WH20 we say in this land), he asked what I did up there. Perhaps he may have some point. It makes a lot of sense to go to the ski hill and actually ski; it helps to like snow - a lot. I prefer to think of myself as an admirer of snow - for instance, if I was in... oh, let's say.... Mexico right now, I would be delighted to look at people's pictures of the north land, and I would genuinely appreciate the beauty and wonder.

But I am not in Mexico, will not be going to Mexico, so... I went to Whitewater. There is logic in there somewhere.

As of today, there is 278 cms of snow at the summit of Whitewater. The hill (that would be mountain I suppose) got 34 cms of snow in the last 3 days. That is a marvel. There was a lot of excitement about that snow - many showed up for the party...


The parking lot...


It was a winter wonderland...


It was hard to capture the amount of snow that is really up there. Here is a picture of the road...


Back to the question of what we did at Whitewater. We hung about outside, watched skiers - it was the 3-year-olds that entertained, and we ate. BECAUSE, Whitewater has one captivating restaurant. It even has its own cookbook.

And did I have a wonderful vacation?

You bet!

Surrender

Last Sunday, 7 of us gathered in a beautiful home in Procter, and spent over 6 hours making creative journals. Using collage, water colours, drawing, and water colour pencils, we practiced several techniques on making our writing journals full of colour and visuals. Kim Howard was inspirational and inspired us to make wondrous creations, and encouraged us to have fun! And we went away inspired and have great fun memories (and a whole bunch of ideas about creating).

Procter is about 40 minutes here - the journey means crossing Kootenay Lake twice - once over a bridge and once over a ferry. So we end up back on the same side of the lake. If we were ambitious, we could walk the train rails from Nelson and end up in Procter. But I don't, and I haven't.

There is an interesting phenomenon that I experienced when I first came to the Kootenays over 14 Novembers ago - as the air cools, the lake releases heat and we see this in the form of mist. Each year, I have made a mental note that I need to get my camera and capture the event. What I have found out over the years, is that capturing it is an elusive phenomenon in itself. Like finding sweetgrass. I can remember many years ago in my Manitoba days going into a field and catching the aroma of sweetgrass, so I looked down and walked through that grassland to find it. As I moved this way and that, the aroma would fade and then it would astonish me with the strength of the smell. But find it I did not.

And the mist was that fleeting. Days when I took out my camera, there was no mist on the lake, even though the conditions felt right - cold mornings as the days were getting shorter. And of course the days when I did see it, I had no camera in hand.

The first time I actually saw the mist and had a camera was last September when I volunteered at the Bridge to Bridge road race. That picture is on Facebook. I felt like someone who had taken a picture of Sasquatch.

And the second time was last Sunday when I was on the ferry going to Procter. What I found on that 5-minute ferry ride, is that the mist is always in motion. By the time, I had reached the other side, the mist was almost all gone.

Here is what I saw on that Sunday:




There definitely was a sense of spring on that day, as the sun shone the whole day. But when you live in Canada, and in particular, the mountains, there is always plenty of surprises when it comes to the weather. On Thursday, we woke up to about 20 cms of snow.

Here's the back lane on that very morning - minus my car, which has been put out on the street because the entrance to the alleyway has a pile of snow from the snowplows.


Looking outside on Thursday morning, I reached my tipping point and surrendered. I put on my hat, scarf, and yes, even long johns, rolled up my trouser hems and headed down the hill to work. Up to this point, I had dressed like a teenager, bare head and fleece jackets where ever I went. Two days before, I had my fill of winter and decided I didn't even want to wear my winter boots any more and put on my Brooks running shoes.

But on that morning, I even put on my Yak Trax, gear that is strapped over the bottom of footwear so one does not slip on the ice. I looked at all the wonders around me - the snow on the trees, and the amazement of where all that snow goes. I got to work and watched the snow flakes outside of my window and marvelled at the beauty. Later in the morning, as I sat at my desk, the clouds started parting and I saw blue. By noon, the snow was melting.

There seems to me a lot of metaphors about life when it comes to the weather. About going with the flow. About knowing when to surrender. And knowing that life is about cycles.

Now, I sit on this Saturday morning, contemplating my day, looking out the window and watching the snow fall.

I heard someone say once, "Winter is not done with us yet."

Winter Musings

The light is coming back...

Out on the street after work, I hear comments about how it is not quite as dark as it used to be. I have noticed that when the sun does shine, it now peers over the top of the building to the left of my window. It is all a good sign. I watched the news on the weekend, and the reporter illustrated the fact that winter is passing - in Inuvik, there is now 3 hours of daylight in a day, and 5 hours in Yellowknife. Except for the snow that is continuing to fall, in vast amounts I might add, the winter is on its way out. Tell that to those who live in Winnipeg - was it a blizzard yesterday??

What does it mean?

Here is an entry from my journal on January 27, 2008

I decided to do my writing on the computer today, having made a pact with Katherine to write three pages a day. I was writing a piece called Above and Beyond, instigated by Janine and Monique who are having a gathering of storytellers who will talk on this theme. I am slightly panicked about three pages a day. I fear there is nothing in the well. And so I remembered that I had saved on the Mac PowerBook I had opened a couple days ago. It had a list of 5 projects, urged by a writing instructor, Verna in 2005, to be undertaken simultaneously so there is always something to do.

As I scanned the document list, I found a document called Writing Practice. I was curious. It was brief, a recounting of a writing idea Janine had suggested. At the top was the date - May 3, 2005 - and time - 9:51 PM. My eyes rolled over to the top right corner of the computer screen. The time was 9:51 PM! Really? I looked back at the document, and then looked back and forth until today's time changed to 9:52. What are the chances?

More coincidences....

Yesterday, Ryan celebrated his birthday in Seattle with a meal home cooked just for him - steak, broccoli, and bowtie pasta (because he said, it was classy). Sundaes for dessert. I joined in the festivities thanks to my long distance phone card - and Aimee took a photo of Ryan talking to me on the phone, so I was included in the celebrations.

January 28th, 2008 is the 50th anniversary of the invention of the Lego brick.

Ryan and the Lego brick born on the same day - now how perfect is that???

How sweet it is...

Today, I went to visit the physiotherapist (tendonitis). As I lay getting my treatment, I noticed the distinct smell of chocolate. And then I realized on the other side of the wall was the home of Nelson Chocofella. When I was done, I stopped by the door and turned the handle - they were in! I met Holly and Sam who have produced Nelson Chocofellas for 18 years. They gave me a raspberry truffle - which was even more heavenly than the ones I have had at the Capitol Theatre - because it was made today! What a fun day to see the masterminds behind the superb chocolates. FYI, they add no sugar to their chocolates, and that is why they do not make caramel flavours.

As I left, I saw a sign on their door - it said - Sweet 202.

The 2nd Annual Great Perogy Event

Unfortunately, the first annual event was not documented. This year, though, I shook off the flour from my hands and found the camera.

In reality, the perogy-making event happens every year. We owe years and years of thanks to my mother who determinedly enhanced our Christmas with the best perogies in the land, doing the entire work on her own. And now, she is mentoring the rest of us.

Perogies are a delightful introduction from the Ukrainians who brought their culinary delights when they came across the ocean. Someone said once upon a time that each culture has its own potato-filled, dough-based delectable. Samosas is another example. Perogies have become a rich tradition in our family, and my mother, as many others, has made it her own, borrowing ideas off of others and refining it. The recipe that circles in our family has a cheese-based filling, with onions and bacon.

To make the perogies, there are two parts - the dough and the filling. What makes our perogy-making a GREAT event is that the whole family rolls up their shirt sleeves and participates. We get to hang out for a few hours, chattering and busily working alongside each other. Then we get to eat them.

Here's the perogy-making process - the chronicles of the 2nd year event!

Step One: Boil potatoes and mash.


Step Two: More cheese, please.


Step Three: Making the dough. The dough recipe is very simple - sour cream and flour. The sour cream cannot be low fat - it just isn't the same. I think Penny can attest to this.


Step Four: Kneading the dough. Here we have the very trained professional.






Step Five: Making the rounds.


Step Six: The filling goes in the rounds, folded in half and then pinched shut.


Step Seven: Then the perogies are slipped into boiling water. When they float, they are done!


Step Eight: Bliss.

What is curious is that in all the pictures that I took, there are none of
(a) the finished 94 perogies or
(b) the eating event.
Curious.

Christmas Away From Home

I caught the Greyhound 8 days ago, bound for the coast as the inlanders like to say. The Greyhound was full of holiday travellers so I ended up on charter buses, and I got the front seat. One of my co-travellers, Miriam, had the choice before me but declined it, saying that she didn't want to tell me why. I never asked.

What followed us the whole distance was weather. Here's a view on the road on the Blueberry Paulson:


I had many travelling companions: two Robs - one who drove the bus to Kelowna, and the other who sat beside me and who had not travelled on a bus for 27 years - some of his time he spent counting the number of places where cars had slid into the ditch. I had a little chat with him at #8 and he was convinced that there were more fun ways to spend time on a bus. In 14 hours, I visited with Brigida and Vito who sat directly behind me, Miriam who just returned from Guatemala, Stephanie, Morgan and Marilyn. I also finished writing my Christmas cards, read, listened to music, and did Sudoku.

We had great fun in Coquitlam, where we celebrated with almost the whole family. We had a bonus of a white Christmas:


Four days after Christmas, I caught another Greyhound to Kelowna, where my dear friend Elizabeth had rented a lovely place. Here is a great place to hang out...

Milestone Birthday and the Weather

I am sitting on the side of a mountain, a very regular thing to do when you live in BC, and watching the snow accumulate on the greenery. I am many hours away from my house, and had I been able to catch the Greyhound this morning, I would be 4 hours closer to home by now. But we could not get down the mountain and taxis do not come up here. Winter has arrived on the lower mainland.

I am here for the celebration of my friend's "Milestone Birthday" - one of my co-workers suggested a gift of a stone to mark this event. I found an Inukshuk which is one impressive milestone.

I met my friend 29 years ago at 2:30 am. What is fuzzier is the actual month or time of the year. This reminded me of an archaeological phenomenon. Some time ago, I read a book about the Maya archaeological site of Ceren, a site that was discovered by a equipment operator working on building new houses. Ceren was covered in volcanic ash; this event happened quickly so everything was preserved. The archaeologists could tell the time of the day it occurred but they could not tell the year.

When I met Deborah, I was working late in my lower-level apartment. Each time I began typing (yes, it was a typewriter in those days), I heard a noise upstairs. After doing more of the experiment, I walked outside (it wasn't winter - another clue) and knocked on the door. And that began a several decade friendship.

We were in our early 20s then, and each had toddlers who were the same age. Like the people in Ceren, we had our dailyness - working, laundry, dishes, and doing all of that while caring for our children.

There are many ways of preserving memories - in volcanic ash or what we carry inside of us.

December 1st

I arrived in Coquitlam yesterday morning on the Greyhound. At some point as I was looking at the landscape that was passing by, I remembered the many bus journeys I took home for holidays when I was working in the big city as a young woman. My mother will recall the stories I spurted out when I got off the bus, for each trips seemed to have its own adventure.

It was Grey Goose Bus Lines that travelled through Manitoba those days. And it did seem that my night travels were full of more stories than days. What has not changed over the years on those night buses is the groggy people who are wakened in the middle of the night when the bus reaches a new destination. My companions this journey included a woman who was on her way to Vancouver for emergency eye surgery; she talked about her whirlwind of a day - when it began she had no idea that that night she would be sleeping in a Greyhound. Or even what was in store for her when she arrived. I am thinking she was grateful that the retina problem was discovered before our only eye doctor went on vacation for a month. I am thinking she could use a friendly gesture on a long bus ride.

The bus driver was a friendly type of guy himself. He joked with each one of us as we lined up to give him our tickets - where we were going, and tales of the night before. When the half dozen teenage girls got on the bus l/2 hour down the road, he said to them, "yeah, girl power!" Along the way, whenever we were in cell range, the young women got on their phones. After one conversation, one of the young women said to the others, "Here's the advice she gave: Stick together. Don't talk to strangers." They all laughed.

I remember those days, of sending my children off into the world, and wondering what they would encounter, and if they would happen upon the evils depicted in movies. And then I remembered how I laughed when my mother told (ummm... tells) of the dangers in the world.

Our work as mothers is to make sure that our children are safe in the world. Our work as children is to go out into the world and experience it.

We, then, shall always have advice, and the inevitable rolling of the eyes.

And so I landed in Coquitlam at a time that can be neither called morning nor night. There might only be one thing worse than arriving at a destination at that time and that would be to wake up and go and meet the bus. Which Aimee and Josh did, with smiles on their faces. And I thought again about mothers and their children - how fortunate I am to be each one of those.

The Signs of Autumn

This posting is long overdue. I have been capturing the beauty of fall in this part of the world - I think this season can really capture the grandeur of living in the Kootenays. Today, alas, is really announcing winter. Low clouds. Rain. At this time of the year, my thoughts go to the mountain peaks because if it is raining here, there is a good chance of snow there.

I am on the road today - to Spokane - with, I suspect, a few other Canadians who want to take advantage of the Canadian dollar and a long weekend. And we all get to see that big beautiful sky that is a treat for us mountain dwellers. Unless - of course - those clouds have taken over there too. In any event, what I have learned after living on the side of a mountain for 13 years (the anniversary is November 11th) is that clouds are never the same, and similar to the prairie I came from, is amazing if you really look.

Here's the autumn pics:
Taghum Beach:


From Gyro Park looking South:

Lethbridge

On the Thanksgiving long weekend, I went to visit my friend, Elizabeth, who recently moved to Lethbridge. Other than a couple of overnights in the 90s, I have never been to Lethbridge.

To get to Lethbridge from here, one has to go over the Kootenay Summit. Here was the scene on October 8th...
The roads, thankfully, were dry.

When I came upon the flatland, I was mesmorized by vastness, sky, and all those Albertans who know how to get somewhere fast. I left the mountains behind:


Elizabeth chauffeured me around Lethbridge. West Lethbridge is separated from North and South Lethbridge by Oldman River, which is surrounded by its coulees, a phenomenon I understand that came when the glaciers were heading out.

In response to people's questions back home about how Elizabeth is doing, she said, "I am blown away by Lethbridge." Here's the evidence...


Lethbridge is one windy city. According to Wikipedia, it is the second most windy city in the country. What on earth is the first?

Besides the blowing wind, there are other pros for being in Lethbridge (and Alberta) - the price of gas...

Notes from the Road

I am back home from the journey west. Here are some highlights of the last few days:

Canada Customs
The road from Metalline Falls to the border was quiet so when I pulled up to customs, it was a surprise to find a line up of cars. After 45 minutes, I had my turn. The officer, after looking at my package of receipts, asked, "What is Trader Joe's?"


Bellingham Grand Opening
The Friday I was in Bellingham was the grand opening of Trader Joe's. BJ and I decided that this was one event that we had to experience. So we went shopping, along with many, many other Bellingham folks. Once we went down the second aisle, we had the brainwave of getting in the check-out line and one holding the space while the other went and picked up their items. Clever.



Space Needle
I heard that one of the tenants who lives in Ryan's building is a collector of Space Needles so Saturday morning (the 29th) before I left for home, I went to visit Brian. He has many Space Needles - made of brass, gold, silver, wood, paper, plastic - some that have cigarette lighters at the top and two that have ashtrays. He has a whole shelf devoted to salt and pepper shakers. He has one of the inaugural Space Needle wine glasses made for the opening of the Space Needle which was built for the World Fair - the opening day was April 21, 1962. He has a Space Needle that lights up at the top. Brian knows many facts about the Space Needle including the names of the paints that were used on the original:

- Orbital Olive for the body,
- Astronaut White for the legs,
- Re-entry Red for the saucer, and
- Galaxy Gold for the roof.

It was a very impressive collection!


Mountain View
After eating Taco Bell with Ryan and Julie, I left Seattle at 2:15 and headed down I-90, in the rain. But l/2 hour later the weather cleared, and the roads, I am glad to say, were dry all the way home. As I came over the Snowqualmie Pass, this is what I saw...



I guess winter's arrival is inevitable.

Oh what a journey

In 15 days, I travelled 3,195 kilometres. I was in bumper-to-bumper traffic from the day I arrived crossing the Port Mann Bridge to traffic in Vancouver, Seattle, Everett (always), Portland, and Mount Vernon. I have developed a big empathy for commuters.

Crescent Beach

Another Crescent Beach in the world...

Cannon Beach

When I woke up yesterday in Cannon Beach, the weather was spectacular, so off I went to walk on the beach.

The tide was coming in:


Cannon Beach from the north:


Cannon Beach from the south:


The shops of Cannon Beach:


As you can see, Cannon Beach is one major groovy place to hang out....

Washington to Oregon

At this moment, I am in a oceanside town called Cannon Beach, Oregon. Here is how I spent my time today.

Leaving Seattle:
Note that the red car on the left is a convertible with its top down.

I found the sun (this is for you, Ryan)....


First view of the ocean:


What happened to give a park this name?


A walk to Cape Disappointment - a first view of the ocean out of the car.


Once I got out of the forest, this is what I saw:


This is a rearview mirror picture of the bridge crossing the Columbia River into Astoria. The state line is in the middle of this bridge, which is about 4 miles long.


At the end of the bridge:


Highway 101 along the coast had much road activity - as in, lots to slow me down. At one point, the highway people were painting the white line on the right side of the road; the first vehicle after the painters was the truck right ahead of me, and this is how he spent his time:

Haystack Rock - Cannon Beach:


Gifts from the sea:









Some of the last light: