White Rock

Lots of rain this journey. The good part is that Rose, who is taking care of my garden back home, has a light load. The bad part is though I remembered to bring a jacket that is water resistant, it is getting old now and has a couple of leak spots, and I have no umbrella. I did bring my closed-toed shoes. I am not sure I would call what has been happening here rain; it is more like a shower from the universe.

One day Josh and I hung out, some of it in front of the TV. Him and I had a discussion about watching the weather forecasts; he likes to know what to expect. For me, when I saw that the next 5 days of my holidays were going to be rain-logged, well... I wasn't delighted. Wouldn't it be better, I said to him, to wake up each morning, hopeful about possibilities of sun?

As one woman I met this journey said, "Enjoy the rain. That's what you got." While perhaps I didn't enjoy the rain all the time, I didn't let it stop me.

My journeys this week have been around various cities on the lower mainland. I have been to Cloverdale, Langley, New Westminster, Downtown, and Surrey.

And White Rock.

My friend, BJ, who lives in Bellingham suggested that we go for dinner. We agreed on White Rock, which is close to the Washington border, and perhaps a half way point. We each left at 5 pm; I was at Brentwood Mall, minutes from the freeway. My task was to get travel down the freeway for about 20 kms and then it was about another 8 kms to White Rock. Everyone who lives on the lower mainland, it seems was on that freeway at that time. BJ called me on my cell at 5:35 to say that she had arrived. Luckily she brought a book. I arrived at 6:15, very road weary. White Rock is a good antidote.

We ate at Moby Dick's, a popular place that serves fish and chips. Here's a trick for ordering fish and chips at Moby's - they always add on another piece. So if you want two pieces of fish, order one. If you want one piece, well, I think you are hooped. Moby's is one happening place; it is small and busy; tables move quickly. BJ and I agreed after ordering coleslaw to pass on that menu item. The woman at the next table said, actually don't order anything green. Otherwise, it was a hit! Pretty different fare from what my body has been used to; not a good day to forget the digestive enzymes at home.

After our dinner, we walked along the ocean on a delightful seawall. It was here that I learned how the place got its name:



This is not a small rock; here I am reading the writing on the rock:



Here is the Wikipedia description of how the white rock landed where it did:

"White Rock is named for a distinctive large white boulder found on its beach near the promenade. A glacial erratic that migrated south during the last glaciation. The 486-ton granite boulder was kept white by shellfish-eating seabirds, whose guano covered the rock, so much so that sailors in the 19th century used it as a beacon. However, it now remains white through frequent applications of white paint by the city parks department, as it has been a popular graffiti target for over thirty years."

Another famed event attached to White Rock was a sandcastle competition, which began in 1979 and ceased in 1987; it had international status.

"A revival of the sandcastle building competition as a family event is being held August 3, 2008 during the 59th Annual Spirit of the Sea Festival."

Here's the info: White Rock Sandcastle Competition

Apparently White Rock has more sun that Vancouver. And it did look like there were possibilities:


Well, as I have not been watching the weather forecast, there are many possibilities.

To the Coast

On May 31st, I left Nelson to travel to the coast. The day began bright and sunny, an inspiring drive.



The first mountain pass is about an hour for home. Here is the top:



Descending from the Paulson Summit, the next community is Christina Lake. The land offers the lake in a spectacular surprise; the road winds around a corner, and then the lake pops into view. This sight can only be viewed one way. The charm of driving in the mountains is that the road looks completely different going the other way.


There are 5 mountain passes between Nelson and the lower mainland. Mountains everywhere.

In front:


And behind:

Keeping My Hands Busy

Last weekend, I was off to Sorrento for the 10th Annual Okanagan Knitting Retreat. Sorrento is on the Shuswap Lake, a mighty fine place to hang out in the summer. But I'm not the only one who had that idea. Down the road from Sorrento is Sicamous, which is the Houseboat Capital of Canada. So there is plenty of hanging out on the Shuswap in the summer.

I didn't actually get to see much of Sorrento because I was keeping my hands, and as it turns out, mind busy. I learnt lots about working with colour yarn, and did mitred modules and entrelac and then, I learnt how to knit backwards. Very handy!

No pictures as I was too busy. They would have all been blurry anyways - those hands were moving pretty fast.

Some of the last couple of weeks, much of my "travel" has been in the back yard. A couple weekends ago, Al came up to dig the garden visit. "We" expanded the garden by a few feet, and dug in mushroom manure and peat moss.

This garden is devoted to vegetables:

And all is growing well.

Al and I also went off to the garden centres, and I found a deal on fibre pots. I seem to have this fascination with purple this year, because when I came home, I noted that I had a lot of purple flowers. I hope the fascination lasts all summer.


We also made a two-car trip to the garbage/recycling centre - and now the patio is ready for hanging out:



Oh, it is so much fun to hang out with these smiling faces:

The Eye of the Needle

At last! At least a dozen times, I have been to Seattle. At least 50 times, I have driven by the Space Needle. At least 100 replicas I have seen of the Space Needle, thanks to an avid collector in Ryan's building. I have little Space Needles in my home. I had even attended the New Year's fireworks event there. But never, never had I gone up the Space Needle. It is a sorry statement for a modern day explorer. (Modern day explorers, BTW, are fascinated by malls and nature alike!)

When I went to Seattle for Easter, I convinced my Seattle chauffeurs and tour guides (AKA Ryan and Julie) to do what every other visitor has done - see the world from a different view. Here is another hard-to-believe-it bit of information - the Space Needle is walking distance from Ryan's apartment! How easy is that? We walked, noting that it was downhill much of the way. I had a brief premonition about the return trip, but brushed it off in my enthusiasm.

The Space Needle was built in 1962 for the World's Fair; it's futuristic style included space-age colours - Orbital Olive for the body, Astronaut White for the legs, Re-entry Red for the saucer, and Galaxy Gold for the roof. To build the foundation, a hole was built that was 30 feet deep and 120 feet wide. It took 467 cement trucks a full day to fill in the hole.


Though we could have chosen to go up the Space Needle by night, we went by day. Here we are at the beginning of the journey.











The ride up the elevator took far less time than our wait in line. We found many ways to amuse ourselves while we waited. I chatted up an employee who passed us in line, and quizzed her on the process for getting summer employment. (An employment counsellor is always on the job.) We got on the elevator with glass doors and in 41 seconds we arrived at our destination! Here's the view on the way up:
The observation deck is 520 feet from the bottom; that's approximately 60 stories. Most of the pictures of the Space Needle against the sky scrapers are optical illusions. The photos are taken with the Space Needle in the foreground. If you want a postcard picture of the Space Needle, Ryan's neighbourhood, is ideal.

Once we got to the top, we had 360 degrees view of the city. If you look hard you will see that in the background of this picture is Mt. Rainier, which is a fascinating volcano in that it is so much taller than anything close to it. "Yes," Ryan says, "it is just like the volcanoes on the islands of Hawaii."


The Space Needle observation deck has both an inside area, complete with concession and bathrooms, and outside. For some reason when I was in the bathroom, I wondered about our flushes. Do they do their journey down in 41 seconds? And then when it lands, what would that force be? I wonder why I haven't thought of this before...

We walked around the outside observation deck and saw many sites - including Ryan's apartment, piers, and buildings. Here is one company that has chosen to advertise on the roof.


The windows that separate the inside from the outside observation deck have a mirrored side on the outside. So, if we stand facing the windows, we get a lovely view of the city, and ourselves. In this photo, Julia, Ryan and I. Who's on the inside? And who is taking the picture?


Oh it was an exciting day! And I got to learn a new word: acrophobia.

Julia - Bored in Seattle

It takes a lot to impress Julia I have found. First of all, you would think that getting to go to Seattle would elicit some kind of excitement. The closest read I could get from her was boredom. Now perhaps I could agree that the birds in the tree outside her living room window perch might intrigue her, because she certainly was excited when they dropped by. But it seems to me there is a lot of action in Seattle, much more exciting than birds in a tree.

As we pulled off the Interstate, she had that "ho hum" look on her face. I am thinking that this was the fourth trip to Seattle for Julia. Lots yet to see, is what I say.

Oh, she was grateful that I forgot the dull cat food at home and I had to go foraging for a new bag. She was pretty intrigued with this new flavour which has the equivalent nutrition as a Grampa Teenburger, without the bun. Yep, all meat, high fat. Even cats, it seems, are drawn to certain fast foods.

She got to hang out for 3+ days in a 6th floor balcony apartment overlooking Puget Sound. Was she impressed? Hard to say. She walked around, purred, ate, and did the usual shenanigans in the middle of the night.

She was slightly interested in the trip down the elevator on Monday morning when we were leaving for home, and found her spot on the passenger side in the car, the two front paws planted on the arm rest, and looking around.

By the time we reached Denny Way, on our way to REI, she had paced between the front and back seat a few times. When all traffic came to a halt, Julia decided to see what was happening and peered out the front side window. She was alert.

What I noticed to the left was that the traffic on the 2 lanes on other side of the street were being redirected off Denny Way. An accident, I concluded after seeing the police lights ahead. Minutes later, as I was calculating my arrival time back home, I saw 2 dozen motorcycled police coming towards us. Behind them was a SUV, black with tinted windows and two men in suits in the front seat. Yes, they had sunglasses. Then there was another. And another. And another. And the parade was done.

"The Dalai Lama," I exclaimed. We were within feet of him!! Though I must admit that I could not tell exactly which vehicle he was in. Still. And it was only a nanosecond. Still. It was the Dalai Lama.

I repeated it to Julia. She was hunched on the front seat, eyes slightly closed. Clearly, she was not impressed.

"Julia, you were 12 feet away from the Dalai Lama!"

She yawned, the ingrate.

Earth Day

I told someone today that Earth Day was my favourite day of the year! I think it is because there are so many opportunities to think about the planet. My first decision of the day was that I would not be driving my car today; there was some adjusting because my vegetable bin is very scant today, and it is a good day to go grocery shopping since I had no evening plans.

When I was out and about on my lunch hour travels, there was a hub of excitement and energy on our main street. Earth Day dawned with glorious blue skies, and appears to have inspired many of us. A group of bicyclists with a banner that said, "Critical Mass," rode up and down the street.

I remember Earth Day when I lived in Manitoba; each year, we made a pact to implement one new thing to help. One year, I was so delighted to find that Safeway was carrying toilet paper that was unbleached - oh,it wasn't white, it was a brown colour like hand towels in public restrooms. Seemed like a good idea to me. After some time, Safeway stopped carrying it and I haven't seen it anywhere since. It seems like a puzzlement to me. I am not sure why we need to have white toilet paper and not brown; let me assure you, it did the same job.

One year, I decided to compost. Lately I realized that I have composted for close to 20 years. Now I cannot imagine NOT composting. When I visited Bellingham last week, I was delighted to see that the housing complex where my friend BJ lives has a system that taps into the municipal composting.

And here, I have heard of compost material being picked up from restaurants and taken to a public garden.

Is public composting more prevalent than I know?

I have not decided what new practice I will start this Earth Day. I like to think of it carefully, because I would like to make sure I can carry it on.

Happy Earth Day! Here's to celebrating one very groovy place to be!

Family on the Road

In celebration of spring, Ryan (with Julie), Aimee (with Josh) and I (with Al) journeyed away from home this weekend. (See Ryan's posting on Lincoln City.) Aimee is in Seattle.

My journey was a day trip to Cranbrook, which is located 3 hours from my home. What is in Cranbrook? Clothing. Having maximized my experience of winter, it is time for something new. I invited Al along for the adventure; that is how I posed it to him. One has to be clear when they put adventure out there.

When we woke up this morning, snow was falling. Not a good sign at lake level when one is planning on climbing a mountain. If it is snowing down here, there is no doubt it will be snowing at the top, and probably more.

Kootenay Pass is the highest pass along Highway 3. The ascent and descent are both lengthy. Snow fell the entire way up and down; we wondered if the snow plows had been put away for the season.

After shopping and a lovely meal in Cranbrook, we left early, planning to drive while there was light in the sky. Shortly after leaving Cranbrook, the sun peaked out from the clouds:



The snow followed us most of this day. We had brief periods of time when the road was dry, such as when we left Creston and headed into the mountains:



Does that look like suspicious clouds?

We begin our ascent, and I see new sign colours. They are fluorescent green.


The ascent continues, and so continues the snow:



And then, we begin descending:


















I have much gratitude for Al, who drove the entire journey, and was willing to expand his definition of adventure.

If you ever want to feel grateful for the weather you are experiencing, have a glance at this site: Kootenay Pass

Welcome to spring!

Lincoln City, Oregon

Lincoln City is a smallish costal town in Oregon. Solidly in the tsunami danger zone, the town features amenities such as an Indian Casino, a Outlet Mall, a Birkenstock store and about 10 kite stores. In addition to the danger from massive 30 meter waves, there is some of the world's best kite flying due to the nonstop northern pacific winds. These winds contribute to the non-stop surf which is responsible for the awesome beach lines.

Lincoln City as an interesting street system. The main street is Highway 101 - the Oregon North Coast Highway. Cross streets are numbered, and parallel streets have named. The names are: Neptune, Oar, Keel, Mast, Lee, Jetty and Inlet.

The coastline is endlessly rugged, wit excellent picture opportunities:

The Cities

Easter weekend. This usually marks my first long car journey out of the Kootenays and I travel West to the Cities. Depending on whether I travel via Canada or the US, that determines how many cities I will get to visit. This trip it is Spokane, Seattle, and Vancouver.

I travelled on Thursday night after work, and having picked up Julia, to Spokane. I wanted to capture the winter that was departing, on the journey so here was the scene at the border:



When I woke up the next morning in Spokane, I was dismayed to see what was happening:


since it was still happening. I was thinking about the mountain pass and then a happy thought that my winter tires were still beneath me. Once I hauled the luggage down to the car, and remembered on the third trip that I forgot Julia's papers each time, my hems of my pants were soaked, and there was some dampness in my shoes as well. I had brought one pair of shoes. I pack in a wild way sometimes, and this was one of those times. It was quite cold when I woke up in Spokane and I had only brought spring jackets as I was quite ready to give up my winter wear. Once I was in the car, I blasted the heat.

Twenty miles (those Americans haven't got into metric yet) outside of Spokane, the clouds lifted and I had sun most of the way. I am glad I remembered to pack the sun glasses. Well, in the mountain pass, I found some more snow falling from the sky, but it did not stick to the road.

And after the mountains, it was a lovely day:


Today, Ryan and I are off to Vancouver, after our adventure day yesterday - well, that is for another post. In the meantime, it is time for the Easter Bunny.

While I'm Gone

Over the winter when I have come home after my day's work, I began to notice that some things in the house are not quite the same. At first it was nothing major - books or various items were slightly ajar. Or perhaps there was a crease in the bed that had not been there when I made. Or the carpet beside my bed ruffled, and not lying as flat as when I left.

Nothing too extreme.

The only moving object in the house when I'm gone is Julia. I could not even imagine that it was her because this is the way I left her in the morning and this is the way I found her when I came home:


















As you can see, Julia has a new bed. She has adapted quite well to lying in a rectangle shape rather than a circle. And the bed that Danica knit for her fits quite well inside the basket; it too has shape shifted from a circle. At first Julia didn't like the new sleeping area, and spent her time sitting beside it. I had a little conversation with her about the investment, and then she decided not to waste hard-earned money.

She appears to be spending a good deal of time in her new bed. Well, except for the running around the apartment during the middle of the night. We still haven't come to an agreement on that one.

But now I am wondering if the day time scene is a ploy.

I have more evidence.

Besides the shifts of items in my house, I noticed other things. When I was washing the table one day, I moved to the other side where the light reflected. On the shiny surface, I saw a perfect cat-size paw print. That was definitely an agreement that we worked through... allegedly. Since she doesn't climb on the table when I am home, it must have happened when I was gone. Then I started putting all the pieces together. The sleeping pose... was staged.

But then, there was a shift. I noticed that she wasn't trying quite so hard.

One day, I came home a bit early and happened upon this:

















the new ribbon I had brought home the day before. Every single bit of it. Nothing left for the present. Nada. And does this look like a cat who is sorry? Exactly my point.

I have other suspicions. Anybody got a hidden camera?

Big Lipsynch Contest

2008 is the 13th year of the Big Lipsynch Contest. Each year we have seen a multitude of talents don their costumes, personas, and bravery to get up in front of 400 people, and belt out their songs, metaphorically speaking.

Last night I travelled down the hill to the Capitol Theatre, the venue that hosts this phenomenon.

This event has become a yearly tradition for our small community, though we weren't thinking of it as tradition back then. Was it 13 years ago that Sarah and her friend, entertained us for weeks ahead with their interpretation of Hairspray, and then won first prize? Was it nearly a decade ago, that Aimee found her own courage to be on stage by herself, in flannel pyjamas and fluffy rabbit feet and showed us exactly how it felt to have the Menstrual Blues?

Over the years, some things have not changed:
- The audience is packed with fans. Fans that shout and yell and cheer for their sons, daughters, friends, and schoolmates. The audience knows exactly how to do a drum roll with their feet in anticipation of the announcing of the winners. The audience is LOUD.
- The house is packed. Parents are great fans.
- There is always a smattering of performances to music from artists like Avril Lavigne, who are not as nearly interesting as what my friend says, "the old stuff." Where is Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley she laments. There is a collective groan when we hear the first notes, and it is "one of those."
- The performances that have us dancing in our seats and bursting with laughter, far outnumber the groaners.
- Norma, who is the producer and director, knows how to lipsynch - Inevitably she has us howling with her antics.

This is really a community event. Every person who enters the contest wins a prize, and the winners (top 3 in 3 categories) get gift certificates, and products from many businesses in town. And each of those winners gets money too! The top one in each category gets $150. That has certainly unfolded over the years; the event's publicists are good at what they do.

There are always performances where you can see budding talent. One of them last night was a 6-year-old who the emcee said had taken a lot of "cute pills." An adult performed to If I Were a Rich Man; the audience exploded in applause when he was done, and many gave him a standing ovation. The Eco-Society lipsynched a song called Garbage.

Lipsynch entertainment takes many forms. One tradition is a man adopting a woman's persona. Last night we got to see Cher. Men who dress up as women, have amazing LEGS! Everything about them is engaging such as the ability to walk in stilettos with limited experience, and also looking gorgeous in a that-must-have-taken-a-long-time kinda way.

Well, the Lipsynch is done for another year. There was a smattering of "we should do that next year," conversations as we left the building. I wonder how many talents have budded on this stage, and bloomed out there in the world. As for me, after 13 years, I am one of those FANS!

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.