Memory-making at the lake

A few weeks ago I visited one of my favourite people.  She and her husband live in a house by a lake, and my goodness, what a lovely place.  Every morning I would wrap myself up in several blankets and sit on their amazing sun porch just to witness the world waking up.  Morning light would ease its way in, painting the shadows with mauve and blue, tinges of rose.  The resident heron would call to the hawk, the hawk would echo back to the heron, a loon would add a comment or two and then someone made Arpeggio Boy get out of bed.  Once he started singing, everyone else did too and it was as magical as the cup of coffee that quietly appeared around the same time.  When the sun came up more, the fall colours decorated the lake edge.  It was easy to say that God lives there.

We took a little girl to the zoo, which is always a happy place for me.  They have a baby giraffe, and an important meerkat community.  We took the boat out on the lake, and it was a glorious day.  It was warm enough for turtle families to sun themselves on the logs.  I'd never seen that before.  The lake is full of heron, and my only regret is that I never got a great picture of them, but it wasn't for lack of trying and that is much of the fun.  We went as fast as we could, and it was a genuine delight for me.

We did other things too--we made pie and cookies, talked over oatmeal at the breakfast counter, and eventually I made friends with the dogs.  We had the best meals, things I don't have often so I appreciated them even more.  As lovely as all those things were however, the best was to sit together with mugs of Earl Grey in hand.  We talked, we laughed, we talked some more. Each pot of tea led to another, each story wove into the next.

This was a visit to celebrate friendship, to capture memory moments.  Thank you Nancy and Jim, for celebrating with me.  It was the loveliest time.

Home again

I went back to see my family last month, after too long away.  There were some beautiful moments--brunch with my mom, shopping for a coat with my dad. Breakfast with one brother, lunch with my sister.  I saw my youngest niece and realized again how beautiful she is.  She has changed so much since we last hung out, but it was a joy to have this time with her.  We talked about some serious stuff, cooked dinner together, went for a long walk. They were precious moments that came on the heels of some time to talk with my kid brother.  All rare things with me living several provinces away.

I enjoyed a zoo day with my niece, her daughter, and a very good friend.  The Edmonton zoo is tiny, but when you're six it's big enough for adventure.  What a blessing my grand-niece is.  She is a polite girl, full of joy coloured with a wee bit of mischief.  I am so proud of my niece who has chosen to put the happiness of her children above all else.  It hasn't been easy but she is making it work and because I see the kids so seldom, it is a joy to realize what a great job she is doing.

The rest of the visit included a few visits with friends--and sadly, there is never enough time to see them all.  I sat with a few new friends, listened to their stories, and thought again how blessed I am. I have people who love me on both sides of the country, and have made choices for a life that makes me happy.  I don't know why it is that it takes so long for us humans to sort that out.  I only know that it is such a gift when we do.

One of my favourite moments on the trip was after zoo day, when the four of us went out for noodles.  My grand-niece corrected us after a comical prayer and offered to show us how to do it properly.  After insisting that we close our eyes, she began with great solemnity.

"God", she said and then paused for a long time before continuing.  "Thank you for the world so sweet, thank you for the food we eat".

At this point, I was able to join in and help her finish with "Thank you for the birds that sing.  Thank you God, for everything".

What struck me most was that pause, that moment of making sure she was ready to have this conversation.  I imagined my grandmother beaming at it all.  And I promised myself to start paying attention like that in the future.

Days when you know you matter

Some days its easy to feel like you haven't made a difference in anyone's lives.  Those days are lies.

Other days remind you that in fact, you have made a contribution to the world.  These days are truth.

After our trip to Boston, it was our great pleasure to attend the wedding of two young friends, Andrea and Matt.  The wedding was held at a church camp, and the guests' attire ranged from sundresses to khaki shorts, ties to tee shirts.  We gathered around an arbour festooned with brown-eyed-susans, a semi-circle where camp songs are sung around fires.  It so reflected their personalities.

Matt, the moms, the attendants all walked towards us down an aisle of grass and pebbles.  Andrea and her dad chose a route that God had carved with the river.  It was so perfect, so them.

For me though, the most poignant moment wasn't the vows (though they were wonderful) or the trio (though they played beautifully) or when Andrea lifted her foot up as Matt kissed her (we all laughed)  or even when her grandfather pronounced them man and wife.

No, the moment that touched me most was when Andrea got out of the rowboat, walked with her dad and her flower girl to the arbour but stopped along the way to split her bouquet so it could be shared with women who have impacted her life.

She gave the first piece to me.   This is the same young woman who sends me a mother's day card every year.
___
Thank you, my friend.  You have no idea what this has meant to me.  Take care of each other, and may the Lord bless and keep you.  Always.

Quiet moments

Some things are too special to commit to blog posts, but I know that I'll never forget them.  The day that ended talking with a woman I admire more than I can say while we watched the sun set was one of those treasures.

Thank you Kathy. I'm posting this two months late, but I remain blessed, still.  

Kind of a Hogwarts moment

Some of my very favourite travel memories are brought about by surprise. Several years ago, we discovered the Needle's Eye, and it was a fantastic adventure that would not--could not--have had the same effect on me if we had planned it ahead of time.

The Boston Tea Party Museum was another such surprise.

I have to be honest here--I'm a bit cheap when it comes to admission prices for things, and at $27 a person, it is unlikely that I would have chosen to go in.  Oh, I get that it's hard to keep museums and special attractions afloat without a source of income, but while I want to support such ventures, it's hard to swallow a $60 expense for the privilege of walking in the door.  So often it just isn't worth it.

There were three of us however, and we had just enough time to go to the museum before we had to check out of the hotel.  It won by virtue of being close, I think. And it was terrific.

The tour guides were all in period costume and took on personalities of the day.  They were knowledgeable and fun, and very good at inciting us to riot.  We were given feathers for our caps--a sign that we were revolutionaries, after all, and character cards so we'd know who we were representing.  After agreeing to take part in the revolution, to never drink British tea again and to show our support to never buy British products again,  we went down to the boat, and there the guys really got into throwing the tea overboard.

After they exerted their muscles, we were all guided into another part of the museum where there was a holographic movie, more opinions from the people.  There was another display after that, where we all listened to the great granddaughter of someone who happened to save the very very last tea box from the big day.  Okay, this part was a little silly actually, for the tea box was given such reverence--a rotating stand with special lighting, a voice over to hear about the box.

After that though, we turned around to see the portrait gallery, and this by far, was my favourite moment.  Framed like the other portraits, but not at all the same, the King of England and Sam Adams (the guy, not the beer) started debating the issues.  The portraits came alive a la Hogwarts, and it was so well done.  Following that was a movie about Paul Revere's ride.  I was so glad to see that the King and Sam Adams hadn't actually changed into other actors.  Somehow, that would have ruined it for me.

It was the last adventure, but it was great.  Go see it.

Freedom Trail

In Boston, we stayed in the Financial District because we had such a short time in the city, and we wanted to walk the Freedom Trail.  Our hotel was just a few blocks away, but we ended up taking a cab to the beginning of it.  To start out, we had a fantastic lunch at Legal Seafood. Of course, I had to have Boston clam chowder and it was great,  but my goodness, what a rich dish.

We went to the beginning of the trail, and started to follow the red (mostly) brick trail through the city.  I especially enjoyed looking at the gravestones in the Granary Burying Ground, which was established in the 1600s.  This is where John Hancock, Samuel Adams and Paul Revere are buried.  There are pebbles and pennies on Paul Revere's headstone.  The pebbles are a tradition that shows someone was there to remember the person buried, and I may adopt that.  On Paul Revere's grave though, there are also pennies, a tribute to his contribution to the copper industry.

We saw the site of the Boston Massacre, at the Old State House.  At the bookstore, I needed to find out more about this incident, which was a foreshadowing of the American Revolution.  The British apparently call this "Incident on King Street".  Even the respective names highlight the issues at that time.  Essentially, five people were killed, six were injured, and two British soldiers were convicted of manslaughter with reduced sentences of branding on their hands. There may not have been enough to go around, but if there was, it wasn't about to be shared.

I would like to return to Faneuil Hall and the nearby Quincy Market.  We weren't hungry after our lunch so we didn't linger amongst all the food stalls, and Faneuil Hall was stifling hot, but there was a lot of things to see at this shopping district.  Outside, street dancers had gathered quite a crowd.

The North End is a fantastic neighbourhood and if when I return, I would very much like to explore it more.  The streets are old and unstable crooked beasts, but they are enveloped by scents of garlic and tomatoes from the Italian restaurants that all seem to have won awards.  Some restaurants had lineups down the block.  We had been watching people carrying white and blue boxes from Mike's Pastry, so when we saw it, I wanted to see what made them so popular.   Mike's sells cannolis in all kinds of flavours, but they also have crazy lineups of people waiting to get their own box.  We tried them, and I thought they were pretty good, but I wish that we had shared them instead.  I think that cannolis appeal to the cheesecake club...I'm not a member.  Still, I'm glad I tried them, and I probably would go back.

Another highlight was seeing the Old North Church.  This church is home to the steeple where Paul Revere's signal of two lanterns indicated that the British were arriving by water.  It sparked the American revolution.

I'd wanted to visit Boston for many years, and it didn't disappoint.   I'd like to go back sometime, as there is much more to explore.  It's a smallish city with a big personality.   It wouldn't be hard to people watch on the Rose Kennedy Greenway for hours on end.   Boston was bittersweet though.  I love our yearly trip together, and it's always a bit sad when it ends.  Boston marked the last stop for 2012.

There once was a girl in Nantucket...

Our adventure to Nantucket began with a drive to Hyannis Port where, I'm proud to say, I learned how to eat a raw oyster.  I now know that the problem I had the first time was not because the oyster was raw, but because it hadn't been fully detached.  No wonder I choked!  Not this time though.  The lovely waitress at The Naked Oyster made sure that I had a lovely experience if I was brave enough to try it again.  Oh, it was fresh and wonderful.  Although I tried twice more on our trip, they failed to measure up to this burst of sweet and salty brilliance.  The bar has been set.

After lunch, we caught the fast ferry to the island of Nantucket.  I've never been good at limericks, but I do remember that they often highlighted Nantucket and not usually in the best of ways.  Such a shame for Nantucket is a delightful place and we didn't have nearly enough time.  Steeped in history, there are several different kinds of cobblestone on the streets. I would have liked the time to figure out which streets are oldest.

Nantucket was a blend of ocean air, hydrangeas and hibiscus.   It is both romantic and touristy.   I think that I would enjoy it tremendously if we had more time to explore on shoulder season.   There is much to see, lots of little shops to explore, and fortunately for us, Sweet Inspirations.  The chocolate covered cranberries are wonderful, but better still are the salted caramels. I'm a sucker for artisan chocolate and the bulk of our  Nantucket dollars were spent here.

Nantucket...you'll see us again when we can spend more time getting acquainted.