Home again

There is something quite delightful about coming home.  This time was a bit different though, for the first thing we had to do was put the house back together again. 

The new floor is lovely--and what a difference from the wall-to-wall carpet that we used to have.  For me, I am exhausted, but we couldn't go pick up the cat until we covered up all the vents again.  So, we washed walls and returned the house to order,  and then went and pulled Lynxy away from her grandparents.  They were sad to see her go, and that was charming to me in the most inexplicable way. 

But she is home.  And he is home.  

So am I. 

Happy birthday, old friend

Hey friend...

I am thinking of you, and hope that your day is perfect.
You really make my world better!

Happy birthday!

Holland has a way

Holland has a way of saying

• "hello" with rainy weather
• "are you enjoying your visit?" with stormy weather

and

• "come visit again soon" with a gorgeous cloudless day.

Hmmmm. Is she really trying to tell me something else?

Cheese and Mustard

Yesterday when I was taking the train, I wisely decided that it couldn't hurt to have a sandwich in my bag, since you never know what will happen. It was a good choice, given that the trip was twice as long as it should have been. The problem is deciphering the menu choices in a short amount of time--I resorted once again to the point at the food, lift one finger method.

First bite in totally reminded me of my grandmother. When I was a kid, she once called downstairs to me and said 'What do you want on your bologna sandwich?!' "Cheese and mustard," I replied.

But she apparently didn't hear me so she called again "what do you want on your sandwich?" "Cheese and mustard", I repeated.

And that's what I got. Just cheese and mustard, no lettuce, no bologna, nuthin extra.

And that's pretty much what I had yesterday too, though I would venture that there was more mustard than cheese on that bun.

I miss you Gram. Thanks for 'visiting' me yesterday.

Back in Amsterdam...still going in circles

Oh my this day has been frustrating. I had a later start than I wanted just because I had to wait for the post office to open. Once there, I needed more Dutch than I have to make myself understood, but eventually we got my kit and my books all packed up and ready to be mailed. I am not surprised, given the weight and the size of the thing, that it was expensive, but in fact it cost more to send these gifts home to Canada than it did to send me between two cities on the train. Ah well, it is done.

The train was to have been a simple affair, but somewhere along the way, the problems (I am assuming here) of yesterday's schedule seem to have carried over. So, We pulled over to the 'side of the track' and waited while two trains passed us. Then we carried on with all sorts of explanation but in the midst of it, I thought I understood that my train was going to be a half hour late. Not bad that, considering that I don't know Dutch. That was before we pulled over for somethign a second time. In the end, I missed my connecting train, which resulted in me needing two transfers instead of one, and the trip was an hour and a half longer than it was supposed to be.

That being said, I made it, and I'm proud of myself for doing so. So proud in fact that I looked at my map of Amsterdam on the train and forgot to pull it out for the actual walk to my hotel. You see, I have a compass now, so I wasn't supposed to get lost.

Except I did. I even knew why I was lost, thanks to the compass which said to me, "you're too far south and not far enough west". I found my street, and I recognized that I was only two blocks away from the mistake that I made last week doing the same thing. This is silly. There are SIGNS to Westerkerk, and my hotel is but a block away. It's sillier too to watch my little compass take me south, west, north...and yet, I barely felt the direction change. What a lesson for me.

Nonetheless, here I am. There is a delightful woman who is training at this hotel, and she checked me out last week, and in this week. I appreciated her smiling friendly face, for I am anxious to get back to familiar things.

And that will happen tomorrow when I fly home. My old home with my newer floors!

I can't wait :-)

I've lost my opportunity to go shopping today, which had been my original plan. I probably have about two hours of light left, so I am going to see what I can see, shop where I can and that will be that.

I'm taking the map AND the compass.

Raining, yet again

I am a bit disappointed, I have to confess. I've been hoping that the rain would let up just long enough to be able to take some pictures, but really I have very few. Today I woke up to howling winds, which frankly had been doing so all night long. And it was accompanied by drenching rain, that just never quit. I had all these plans and none of them are coming true thanks to the weather.

But it is an interesting thing, rain in Holland. I am complaining a bit because I wanted to take pictures, but I love my little camera, and don't think it would function well in the wet. But the Hollanders are out in force. Today happens to be the only shopping Sunday in October, sot he streets were well crowded with people, french fries, umbrellas, lovers holding hands, parents guiding children, pastries, more umbrellas, students reading while walking (an interesting feat indeed), and yet again, more umbrellas.

Which all makes it sound as though I didn't go to school myself today. Our conference started at 8 a.m, breakfast meeting. A colleague of mine who excels in training methodology had called a cab to take us to the conference, and I was so grateful. I've been walking, and I've enjoyed that but today a cab was an extra special treat. It turned out that there was a problem with the room he had already set up (as in, someone else took it away from him) so he was a bit flustered with having to reset somewhere else. I stayed and helped him, and in the process I was able to get a glimpse of some of what he is doing. He is talented, no mistake about it, and he is passionate about it, which makes it all the better. And not only that, he has asked me to give an interactive presentation at his conference next October in London. I have to think about that, though I am terribly flattered. His rule however is that it needs to be dynamic and interactive, so I have to really analyze if there is anything I can do in that realm.

The session that I did attend this morning after helping him, was on essentials of participation. It was really a theory of change management and there were times when I was rather lost with it all. However, after the break we regrouped and ran it as a peer coaching or mentoring session. From that angle I could really see some benefit, and since I have been asked to mentor some colleagues when I get home, I think that there are things that I can use. It also makes me think more about my own life, and so I will use this method to analyse some decisions that I must make.

For lunch today, I had more cheese sandwiches and while it was tasty and all that, I confess I am getting tired of bread. The Dutch seem to eat a lot of it--bread and cheese for breakfast, bread and cheese for lunch, more bread for supper. I like bread well enough, but I have probably eaten more these last few days than all of last year. It isn't that there isn't other things available, for certainly they eat more than that. Rather it is that the venue we were at was a bit limited for weekend choices (and was much better during the week).

There was more networking and discussion in the afternoon but the most prevalent topic of conversation was 'how are you getting to Schiphol?'. Today apparently is a routine maintenance day for the rail system, but the day turned out not to be so routine after all, and there are many many many delays. I am grateful that I don't need to take a train until tomorrow, and then just to Amsterdam. I will take the long trip home the following day. I have a bit of freedom tomorrow morning, but I have discovered that the post office opens at 10, and I have decided to parcel post my books and supplies home. I can make most of them fit so that I just have carry on, but they are dreadfully heavy, and it seems silly, really, to fight that hard to get them there.

The problems with the train have also derailed some of our final plans for the day, as many people who were going to leave this evening have been worried over hte delays and have decided to head out now. It will mean some waiting at airports and train stations, but there it is.

So I'm by myself again. I'm not sure what I will do for supper tonight. I find that I am tired and a bit cold, and still fighting the chill I got on the way over here last week. I will probably finish packing, take a bath and call it a day.

This conference week has been very good for me. I've learned a great deal, been affirmed on some of my skills, and encouraged to do more. I have made friends from London and Dublin, and also here in Groningen. There was a young student named Hannah who wants to do her communication internship in Canada. She was delightful, and so I will try to find some information for her. She certainly was very helpful to me. At the conference, I saw some excellent facilitators do their thing, I learned a few new methods to try, and truthfully, I also saw some things that I want to ensure I don't do. I hope that I will be able to take the best of it all and begin to apply it to my own sessions. Some of them will be simple to implement and others will take a bit more creativity. But I have been well challenged, that is for sure.

And I am ready to go home. Tomorrow, I head to Amsterdam, and Tuesday it's back to Canada.

I didn't plan for this!

So today we had another full conference day. My first session was on peer coaching, and we actually ran through a small case presented by one of hte participants. It was quite enlightening from a process point of view, and I can see that there are some techniques that could be quite useful to me.

Later, I attended a 'top up your toolbox' session which was quite frankly, brilliant. The facilitator has become a colleague; we attended the pre-conference session together. And it was fascinating to see how different his personality was portrayed in the session. It was fun, and energetic, and he pulled out some techniques that I had never seen before, and hope to use before too long. So much information, but those three hours flew by.

And at the end of it, I won a door prize--a facilitation kit that is loaded with paper and stickies and good markers. I know that this is a good product, but quite frankly I think it is overpriced. That being said, I'm thrilled to have it. It's quality stuff, and it will last me a long time.

Now I just have to figure out how to get it home. With the materials from the pre-conference, and the conference, and this door prize, and the book I won earlier--and the one wee little book I bought, I have enough stuff, in pounds and dimension both, to double what I brought with me.

I didn't plan on that!

the bad, the good and the ugly

Good morning all you sleepyheads.

It's early afternoon, and I've had quite the adventure so far today. It all started out with 'note to self: you might want to turn off the alarm for six if you plan to sleep in until eight'.

After a breakfast of pumpernickel bread, strong cheese, ham, yogurt, fruit, three cups of coffee and a pastry, I was ready to face the day. I had some specific goals today, the first to go to Grote Markt to look closer at the Martinitoren. You can read more about it here, but since my hotel room looks out at the tower, and it marks the centre of the town, I decided to go look closer. It's old and kitschy and quite interesting to look at.

My second goal was to find some commemorative plaques that are on City Hall, and the Provincial building. These were important to me because they are thanking Canada for their part in liberating the city in 1945. While I was successful at finding those, I also wanted to go and look at the Liberation Wood, but this is where my day started to fall apart.

The problem with cities that are built around moats and canals and waterways is that nothing runs straight, everything runs the direction of the water. So when I think I'm going the right direction, so often I am completely lost. If I keep Martini Tower on one side for example, I can actually walk in a complete circle around it. And this means that if you get it on the wrong side you can take the long way around.

The really long way.

In fact, from the information station where I first started out (and yes, thank you, I did ask for directions), I made a mistake right out the door. An hour and a half later, I walked right by the plaque on the Provincial building. You remember, I took the picture of that before 10 this morning? Yes, THAT's the direction I should have gone. And while I don't begrudge the journey, for I certainly saw some lovely sights, getting lost frustrates me. It really does. At home, I tend to keep my directions straight because most of the malls give you a sense of direction (I mean, it's logical to think of Northgate being north, Southgate being south, West Edmonton Mall being West, is it not??). But here, the markets are all in the square, the streets all curve, and water gets in the way.

I decided that I will still go there, and will likely take the bus on Sunday after the conference. The lady at the information station was so helpful in spite of my not understanding which way to start out. I am a little anxious for home, and I think the sight of all those maple leaves would really cheer my soul--and be very pretty right now.

In the end, I realize that I needed to buy something to help me out, and so I did. I now have a cute little watch sized compass clipped to my jacket where I will always be able to look. Now hopefully, I'll at least start out the right way!

Back in the GroteMarkt, I was enjoying watching the market traffic. There is an unwritten code of traffic here, and it seems that pedestrians have the right of way if they don't slow things down, then bicycles then cars. But sometimes, if a tired tourist is gawking all around her, it's entirely possible to get run over in both directions. Not only that, apparently I had tired tourist written all over me since someone attempted to pickpocket me. I did lose about twenty euro, which is nothing, really. And I am fine. My wallet is attached to my belt, so while it came out, it didn't diasappear. And, it's not my only one, so I am quite safe and still rich enough.

So the good--I now own a compass, I am unlikely to forget it, and I finally found cocoa, which I had been asked to look for. This sounds like an easy task--head to any grocery store--except not every grocery store seems to carry it. I found it today at my fourth one. And lunch, well, I just picked up a sandwich at the grocery store. So it's all been fixed.

I have to go get ready for my conference now. I hope that I can overcome my natural shyness to get the most out of tonight, but I'm feeling a little battered and bruised today. Oh well, this too shall pass. After all, I'm here to learn, first and foremost, and new friends are the extra bonuses along the way.

Groningen, Day Two

Well, I made it through another fast-paced day of facilitation training, and what a day it was. For one thing, it started out MUCH better than yesterday. My walk was leisurely, I didn't get lost, I made it there in plenty of time and people seemed glad to see me. We went through about 60 different techniques today (and while that sounds like an exaggeration, it actually isn't). During the two days, we had a little game going that involved little orange dots--we would get them for returning on time after breaks, for answering questions correctly, for providing helpful thoughts and suggestions of our own. Yours truly won, and I'm grateful for the book that I received as a prize (I'm told that it is the number one book on facilitation at amazon.com. I actually was told that alot!). Anyway, it will be a good resource, but I think that I will have to mail home my three inches of material.

I was supposed to meet the gang again for supper, but given the issues I had with the telephone yesterday, I asked them to call me. They had problems too, so I ate alone again. This is late night in Groningen, though I don't think that many of the stores and restaurants actually close. I wasn't all that hungry, truth be told, so I indulged in some french fries with mayonnaise.

North Americans need to learn this way of making fries. They are always served piping hot. They are always nicely seasoned, and it isn't just salt. They are always crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. They taste good. REALLY good. And, they are the perfect wander around town kind of food. I also tried something from the frickendel, which is a wall of food, literally. I was curious, but the problem is that I really couldn't tell what I was getting. And I didn't like it.

There was one other thing I didn't like today but I gave it a good try. Apparently, there is a type of milk in the Netherlands, called Karnemelk. In my opinion, the Dutch can keep it! It was kind of yogurty, kind of sour, kind of milky, awfully thick, and generally...icky. I guess it's really a type of buttermilk. And I didn't like it one bit. That could be because I was expecting something totally different!

Tomorrow I get to sleep in a bit, and I hope that I do. Then I have the morning to look around and perhaps some of you will get postcards eventually. If it's not raining (again, and again, and again) I might wander somewhat the other way (I have been walking the 4 km each way to school so it would be nice to have some different scenery).

Speaking of walking, I am incapable of using my ipod here. Oh, many do, that's for sure...but I can't look, and walk, and avoid bicycles, cars, and people..and the occasional duck...at the same time.

That's it from me. We'll see what day three brings!

Groningen, Day one

Well, today was the first day of the conference, and it was a full day indeed. To begin with, my shower was far too leisurely. It felt good, but it made my breakfast a ltitle bit rushed. Then, I left in plenty of time to have a leisurely walk to the conference--almost an hour away by foot. But about ten minutes in, I realized that I had forgotten both of my travel wallets, and consequently all of my money and credit cards, open to the world in my room. It probably would have been okay but I didn't want to take that chance. So, my fifteen minutes grace period (that would be the leisurely part of the walk) quickly turned into an aerobic sprint. I was the last one to arrive at the class, a few minutes late, but looking a bit like I'd just come from the gym. Not exactly the first impression I had carefully planned out.

Nonetheless, it was a good day. In this workshop, today and tomorrow, there are six of us. The facilitator is from Atlanta, there is one woman from California, another from Sweden, and three gentlemen, one from Paris, another from Dublin (with the MOST delightful accent) and the third from London. They are all lovely people, and the class size is nice for what we are doing.

This is a fast paced course--normally given in four days, but brought down to two. The information is good, some of it a refresher course, much of it new, and all of it presented well. There is some shameless self-promotion going on too, but I can forgive that for the other stuff that I'm getting out of it.

It's cold and rainy though, so my walk back was a little on the wet side. I still wanted that walk though, because I know that if I sit for such a long day, then sleeping is always a problem. I was to meet some colleauges for supper tonight, but I'm having a hard time with the telephone number I was given. Ah well, I will sort that out tomorrow, so I will dine alone tonight. That's okay too...I've had a lot of people time already today!

Tomorrow's plan is to a) take the money, b) start breakfast earlier and c) walk to school again. Sounds perfect to me!

apparently this isn't my blog anymore!

So, I have an imposter. Sure, when he had the chance to be part of my 'this is the places I go' blog, he didn't want to. Doesn't want to take pictures, can't be bothered to comment.

But if I go away without him, he thinks that it should be open to him again!

I'm thinking of changing the login password, but I'll leave it open for a vote. Till tomorrow.

A new shine

and so it goes. Darien is off wandering and the destruction on the home front continues. Floors ever so shiny were found under the ancient carpet...

then the stairs, cursing, swearing and grumbling followed by millions of nails and then it was free of carpet. Now, stripped to a bare, clean, barren surface!

and today emerges, ever so slow, color, very provincial. So, a new shine is indeed emerging.

Yahhhooooo!

it's hard to grasp Dutch!

My French has been useful. But everything Dutch makes it hard. Signing into blogger for example! ah well, here I am.

I made it to Groningen, which is a lively little town indeed. It is market day, so I went there first. What fun. There is even a guy pulling an organ, complete with a monkey!

The train went well, and I even made acquaintance with someone who is going to the conference that I will be attending too. It was nice. She is from San Francisco, and her day was even longer than mine yesterday. Wow is she tired. Anyway, we are on different parts of town, and I confess that I am a little glad for that. I like company, but I also like to do what I want to do.

and that will be to take a hike out to where the conference will be held. Although I could bus it, I actually want to walk, but to do so without getting lost. So, now that I am here, I will post something as often as I can.

Take care!

If I time it right..

Today I am leaving Amsterdam to go to Groningen, in the north of Holland. I had a great sleep last night, except for the cold that I have picked up along the way. It's not a surprise really, not sleeping for a whole day, and then the weather in Amsterdam is wet, but not raining. You sweat sometimes, and get wet sometimes, but not enough to use an umbrella, and it was too hot to always be covered up. You get the idea?



Today of course is different. Today I have to time my leave of the hotel with the rain that comes down in buckets. Funny use, that term. I was thinking that it was like someone filled up a pail, and when it was full, down it came all at once. After that, there is a lull while the pail fills up again. But when it comes down, wow. I need to get to the train station in the lull, because if I get caught in that, I'll be wet for the entire day, umbrella or not.

Darn, I typed a whole lot more and went to post it, but then I ran out of my free 15 minutes and I have to do it all over again! Oh well.

Continuing on...the rain comes down all at once. And it is amusing to me how people cope with this on their bicycles. Some just wear a ball cap, others have cloaks that cover them and their bikes. Others use open baskets, and the rain falls where it will. Some even carry an umbrella in their 'extra' hand. And some just go through it. This would make a great photo essay!

I'm getting ready to check out and head to Groningen. I know that there are two trains; one that goes directly there, and another that splits in two halfway on the journey. One half heads to Groningen, the other heads somewhere else. I can handle that now that I am awake. Yesterday, who knows!

So my friends, away I go on another adventure. I'm looking forward to it! I'll post again when I find a place to do so in Groningen.

wow, all that work...

So for those of you who are wondering if I made it to Amsterdam in one piece, I did. The reason that I didn't update the blog earlier as I promised, is that the library that I was intending to use is clsoed, and I spent most of the afternoon looking for another affordable sight.



Okay, I feel pretty stupid now knowing that the business centre at the hotel is free.



Let's blame it on a very long day. The flight, on the Florence Nightengale (really!) was pretty uneventful. It left fifteen minutes late and arrived fifteen minutes early. That's my kind of arithmatic. I slept for about an hour on the plane, and woke up to the rustle of cellophane as everyone around me opened up their breakfast plates, which I missed. Oh well.



I found the train and was relieved that some things actually seemed familiar. However, apparently I lost some of my good sensibilities in the lack-of-sleep zone. So intent was I on following the signs to Westerkerk, which I know to be a block from the hotel, that I got a little turned around. Here's the thing about Amsterdam: very few of the streets run straight. Most of them curve around in this big bowl shape, and some of them do so rather subtely, so it is a very simple matter to be going the wrong direction. I had a map, and a good one, but it wasn't convenient and so I thought I could follow the signs. Let's just say that my 17 minute walk, according to mapquest, was closer to 40. That's okay, I needed it by then, but I sure was hot and sweaty when I arrived at the hotel.



Which may have been to my advantage, since just before my plea two others were turned down for early check in. I have a lovely little room, looking out on the courtyard. Of course, there were stroopwaffels waiting, and I have to say that is one of my favorite things about Amsterdam. That and the coffee. What a combination!



Anyway, I slept for about an hour and a quarter, then made myself get up. I figured if I could keep going until 5 I wouldn't feel guilty about going to bed after that. It was a little tough at times but I did it (it's not 5:15!)



One thing the Dutch do very well is cheese and bread, and there are dozens of little bakeries around that serve bunwiches for take out lunch. Oh they are good. Nice and chewy, very sharp old cheese, and this time, some lettuce and chives. It was great. Supper on the other hand was a little more difficult to find. I was too late for lunch, too early for dinner, but eventually I found a spot that took pity on me. It was an interesting dish, though I wouldn't likely order it again. And it wasn't as plentiful as I was hoping for right then, but I've decided not to worry about it because I have a dozen stroopwaffels in my bag just in case.



I also found the Albert Cruyp market today. What a hoot that place is. It's like the Byward Market on steroids. And it has everything--clothes, souvenirs, fresh fish, french fries and mayo, shoes, bags, scarves, knickyknackies. I wasn't must in the mood to buy, but it was a good walk and people viewing spot. I didn't take many pictures today either since it rained most of the time. And, I was just too tired to care that much.



All told, it's been a good day. Tomorrow I head to Groningen. Hopefully internet will be easy to find there too and i won't have to wander all day to locate it!

it twas a dark and stormy day ...

or so it felt. Darien on her way, on a trek to a far away place, leaving behind all loved ones (okay that would be Lynxy). To learn or so we have been led to believe!

destruction and mayhem left in her wake, okay, that would be the floors.  And things to come.

sigh. But soon the sun shall return and ....

*edited to add "Hey, someone broke into my blog!  He's jealous; he could have come along!"

If I could...

I would show you pictures of our trip this weekend.  It was great!  We left Friday after work and returned today.

I would show you a picture of Tremblant at night, with all the lights showing in the village against roofs of red or blue or grey. 

I would have the perfect shot of an American Kestral, knowing Dad would love its steel blue markings and perfect little size.  I would have that shot because it was right in front of me, and it stayed there for a long time.  We went to a birds of prey show that was just for 25 people, and it was so great.  There were also two different owls, an eagle, a hawk and a vulture. 

I would show you the little lake we just discovered, even though we have been there often enough. 

I would show you the duck that made us laugh because he wasn't in the mood for--well--anything.

I would show you a picture of the BEST balloon guy ever.  He's been at the village for several years, and he is so good.  What I most enjoy watching is his crowd control.  His balloon creations--backpack flowers and hummingbirds, space suits, crocodile hats (yes, ALL from balloons) are very popular, but the kids don't push or whine.  He draws a line, or chooses a wall, and he gives the last kid that squeezes in,  a sign to wear that says 'sorry, I'm the last one today' and everyone is okay with that.  It's brilliant, and it works.  Because watching him is as much fun as getting some balloon outfit to wear all day, so everyone is happy whether or not they go home empty-handed.

I might have also shown you the feast that we had in the fondue restaurant.  But maybe not, because flash photography in restaurants is VERY annoying. 

But I can't.  Because my camera forgot to come along. 

However, I CAN tell you that it was very weird tonight sitting in a Chinese restaurant listening to 'Oh my darling Clementine' in Mandarin. 

Life is rough

This is where we spent about 3 hours today.  I don't like it as much as the one here....

but hey, SOMEONE has to test them all out, and I don't mind being the one to do it! 

on the other hand, there's such a thing as too much togetherness

So earlier, I posted about our visitor in the tree.  He's cute, he was entertaining, he's interesting. 

Tonight, 11:00 p.m. I heard rustling outside, and so down to the kitchen I trundled just to see who was checking out the yard.  This time there was not one, but two raccoons, who often walked side by side as though their tails were glued together  (they were not).   However, when they got ready to push over our Weber grill, I decided to open the door and yell at them. 

The only problem is that they thought that was an invitation for food.  They BOTH came right up to the door.  As in, there are nose prints on the window.  There wasn't an ounce of hesitation or fear in them, not a smidgeon or a pinch,  and even my banging on the window took a bit before convincing them to move to the other side of the patio.  

My husband on the other hand was downstairs in a record 3.7 seconds because of the noise I made.  

Is it just me, or is something a little bit backwards here?  

sometimes you don't have to leave home

Last evening I was watching tv when something outside caught my eye.  There was clearly something in the tree in the back of our yard.  Watching for a few minutes, I wondered if it was a cat--but I thought it was awfully big for that.  So, in the spirit of adventure, I left the bedroom and peeked out all the other windows facing the yard.  And that's when I discovered this guy.   It was a bit early for him to be out, but it seems that there was a squirrel nest that had captured his attention.  We went outside to take pictures and to watch him for about a half hour.  After that, he climbed back down the tree, gingerly going butt first. 

This has been a fascinating backyard year.  We have had skunks saunter along the fence, two different robin's nests, a couple of bunnies, some resident chipmunks, a ground hog who was easily convinced to move his intended condo elsewhere, and a few raccoons too.  And of course, we have red squirrels, black squirrels, grey squirrels and yes, even a few patchwork squirrels. Our trees have brought in cardinals, chickadees, woodpeckers, waxwings, nuthatches, blue jays, tons of sparrows, wrens, robins and goldfinches. 

Who needs to leave home to see the sights? 

Long weekend trekking

We decided to take day trips during the August long weekend.  First, we went to Montreal, fully intending to go here.  It's a lovely spot, and we enjoy it very much.  So much in fact, that one year we had a season's pass, but now we just make sure to go once or twice (particularly when the azaleas bloom--it's an awesome sight).  But, apparently, 'partly cloudy' means "rain so hard and heavy that you can't see your husband beside you".  So instead, we went shopping.  It was okay, particularly since I got this fantabulous bird feeder that should have cost me $60 and instead only cost me $12.  Yup, that was sweet.   And there was a lovely rainbow on the way home. 

The next day, we went to Smiths Falls.  This is an interesting little town, established in 1854. It had three lockstations on the Rideau Canal, and thus has an important place in Canada's history.  At one point, the river dropped 11 metres and this caused some significant engineering challenges, which the good people at Smiths Falls solved. 

It's known to most people around here as the place where you buy chocolate.  This is because Hershey's chocolate factory used to be here and Smiths Falls was known as the chocolate factory of Canada.  

What happened?  Greed, I suppose--the plant has been closed so

 that the Hershey's company can relocate it to Mexico.  In a little town like Smiths Falls, that is a huge economic blow since they relied on the chocolate store as the base of a tourist trade, as well as all the people that were employed there. 

I wish that I could say that I have enough mettle to boycott Hershey's altogether, but let's face it--I'm a chocolaholic.  So instead, we spent a pretty penny on stuff that isn't good for us.   We did spend some time in the town looking at the other shops and things, and

 it was a nice day for it.  But, there wasn't anything else that we found.   That being said, we loved each other's

 company and it was such a treat to not be working for a change. 

Turns out that my guy had Perth in mind when he said that we should go to Smiths Falls.  Perth isn't that much further, but it is a gem of a town.  For one, it is historically interesting.   Again, it is important because of the canal, but it is a town with an 1800s heritage.  This is reflected in some of the

 buildings--including Canada's oldest drugstore.  But it also has cute little shops, and interesting restaurants on the canal.  Unfortunately, for the second time in a row, we wanted to try Maximillians because it boasts European sausage flair, and for the second time, it was closed.   Oh well.  THEY weren't by the canal, and it was indeed the perfect day to have a waterside meal. 

All in all, the weekend was delightful! 

 

Old Friends New Friends

The purpose of this visit to Winnipeg is to meet new babies, make new friends and reconnect with some old ones, and I've been able to do all of that. Earlier in the week I visited with two long-time friends, and oh it was lovely to realize that though it has been several years since I have seen either one, it felt like thirty minutes ago.

Today we went to Lower Fort Garry...me and the 7000 members of my friend's family. Okay, not really, but there were a lot of cousins and siblings and inlaws! It was all great. I appreciated getting to know them all a bit more, for I have certainly heard some of the stories. While I enjoyed the historical parts that I saw (and got a bit frustrated by all the flash photography) I have to say that I enjoyed the innocent antics of children much more. It was a good photographic exercise, but there is just so much joy in kids--and as my new friend said "when it is honest, it is so amazing". The weather was frustrating in some respects; it seemed that every time I pulled out the camera, the rain would come. Put the camera away and the rain would go too. Oh well--it didn't really interrupt our day.

Old friends, memory brushes the same years,
Silently sharing the same fears

Time it was and what a time it was,
A time of innocence,
A time of confidences,
Long ago it must be,
I have a photograph,
Preserve your memories,
Then all thats left you...is old friends.

(Paul Simon)

Here's to you, old friends. You've truly impacted my life.

And here's to you, new friends. I'm looking forward to what will be!

Looking back is looking forward

This weekend I had the pleasure to drive across the prairies again--for me a rather rare treat. Even more special was that my friend and her kids allowed me to go visit the place where my grandfather, two aunts, my great grandparents and my great-great grandparents are buried. It is a little tiny prairie cemetary where the tumbleweeds tumble and the swallows sing.
For reasons that I cannot express exactly, it is to me one of the most special places on earth and I was honored that the kids in particular seemed interested in what I had to tell them. After that, we went to the house where my great grandfather, as well as my grandfather, were born. To our great surprise, there was a man mowing the lawn and so we took advantage of this opportunity to talk with him for a few minutes. He allowed me to go see Grandpa's Cathedral--a grove of birch trees where we had church during summertime family reunions. How wonderful that he is interested in caring for the house, and restoring it somewhat. It was a lovely lovely visit.

And now, we are exploring my friends hometown. It is a weekend of discovery!

Camping!

We went to Tremblant for our annual camping trip with Dave last week, and it was wonderful, as usual.  We have certain traditions when we camp.  For example: 

• We hike every day.  We don't go fast, we go to take pictures, and to try and find the elusive moose.  We try to find it for Martin, and we fail miserably almost every time! 
• It rains every time we try to set up camp.  Don't know why that is, but this year was one of the best storms ever--if you like that sort of thing.  Personally, I can do without it! 
• We have ice cream, most days.  This is for me--the guys don't care, but they indulge me, and I love them for it.  
• We play Kuuduk, which is a deceptively complicated game.  We play it, and cribbage for hours
• Someone always brings a sudoku puzzle. This year, I brought a samurai sudoku which turned out to be a good thing.  
• Dave cooks.  It isn't that I can't cook, or that Martin can't.  It's that Dave likes it, and he's good at it, and he is always the first person up.  Who am I to mess with tradition? 

I don't actually like storms, ever since the tornado in Edmonton.  They kind of freak me out, and I get teased a lot.  This is where the samurai sudoku was a good thing--I concentrated on the puzzle, and only the puzzle, and in fact finished it.  Did I notice that the food tent was being flooded?  Or that everything in there, including us, was soaked, almost as if there was no awning over our heads.  No, of course not!  

As usual, we saw a lot of deer this year.  They are such gentle and quiet creatures.  However this year, I had a wonderful treat, all to myself.  I was folding clothes by the car, and was

 startled to see a deer running through the empty campsite opposite ours.  He was being chased by a wolf!  It was a magical fifteen seconds, because it was beautiful and terrible at the same time.  How I wish I were a skilled enough photographer to capture that moment.  

Later, I reported this finding to the park warden.  She was a lovely lady but she was French, and so I put my recently acquired skills to use.  It wasn't a perfect conversation but I was proud of myself.  She was able to understand me, she was surprised that the wolf was running through the tenting area, but she did not doubt my report, particularly when we showed her the print left behind. There are actually five wolf packs in the Tremblant area, each with a territory of approximately 200 km.  

When she left, she told me that my French was pretty good. It was a great moment for me! 

Next year?  We find the moose!! 

Dear Dad

I know you won't remember if I tell you at this moment, while you are watching the game, so this is just for you.

Start at the bottom. That's right, scroll all the way down, and start reading the posts at the bottom first. That way you'll get to read about the trip in the same order we wrote it.

love you!

your daughter