Author Archives

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I’m Back :)

BWB3Dear Readers, I apologize for my absence from the page.  It has been a revelation adapting and adjusting to retirement. I continue to write regularly (believe it or not!) and I continue to learn cello.  I’m not sure where the rest of my time goes…

In October I started noticing posts for a seven day challenge: Seven black and white photos of your life. No people, no pets, no explanations.  I was immediately intrigued and started taking photos.  What I didn’t do was go the extra step and post them.  Therefore you will see I begin with some Hallowe’en themed photos.  For the next while (more than seven days) I will be posting my pictures. I hope you enjoy glimpses into my neighborhood!

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Fond du Lac, Saskatchewan

We paddled 175km over nine days in northern Saskatchewan, sharing food, laughter, mosquitoes, and tons of fun with friends to inspire the following poem 🙂

I wait on a beach in Northern Saskatchewan
for aurora borealis to arrive.
My friends, modern nomads, tuck in
to yellow, blue, orange and green domes.
Sandstone hills and evergreen trees rise
above marshy grass.
Beneath a still surface
river current slides north toward Arctic,
mirror images of its shoreline
reaching for heaven.
Night hawks shoot skyward
torpedo down
wings bugling a haunting tune.
Therma-rests rustle
mosquitoes attack my ears
the world settles into a bedtime routine.
I think about waking up the others
with bear bangers on the beach.

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Thoughts of Dolomiti

As I prepare to leave on my next adventure, a canoe trip in northern Saskatchewan,  my mind drifts to Italy and the via Ferrata I experienced with my husband and friends; the inspiration for the following poem.

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I spring from the blanket
eyes circle the forest
my mind reaches out to the horizon
where a distance strains
above tree tops
steel cables follow
a line
ready for the high course

Dolomiti tower before me
a north wind blows
in a rush
I drag bruised legs
over jagged dusty rocks
carabiner clicks
count the path upward

suddenly I see a raven
black wings glint as she soars
my bandana waves
I lunge to the left
in my mind
I am Icarus
on my way to the sun

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Preparing to Fly 🏡

After the heat and sunny skies of Italy we have been treated to grey skies and rain in Holland. We dressed in traditional Dutch costumes and tasted cheese in the historic town of Volendam. Despite rain we visited the village of Marken and toured a wooden shoe “factory” where we saw traditional wooden shoes as well as many other styles including pink high heel wooden shoes. We listened to classical music in a stone arch passageway in Amsterdam- violins, accordion and trombone sounded like a full orchestra as notes of Handel’s Messiah soared around us. We admired Rembrandt’s Night Watch in the Rijk’s Museum then walked amid life size replicas of the characters of the painting at Rembrandt Plaza. Along with hundreds of others we rode bicycles along the city canals and through Vondel Park. After walking around for awhile we were thrilled we were able to find our bikes among thousands of others!
I have learned from travel that everywhere you go it becomes a part of you in some way – it is impossible to return the same person you were when you left😄

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Verona, Italy

P1010756Verona is situated along the shores of the Adige river in northern Italy.DSC01450Mediterranean style rooftops as far as one can see.

DSC01446Dante stood near while we ate lunch.

P1010724Verona has been immortalized in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Casa de Giulietta is where the Capuleti family is said to have lived. FYI – not true- the Capuleti’s never lived there and the balcony was added in 1936 to attract tourism. I found the wall leading to Juliet’s balcony to be fascinating. People write their names and maybe a love phrase in every language and colour. These panels are changed twice a year, on Valentines Day and on September 17, Juliet’s birthday, so the crowds have a new space to write their love phrases.

We took an afternoon to explore by bike.

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Hiking in the Dolomites

We started our via Ferrara tour in Valli del Pasubio. It was a gentle introduction to Ferrata but with temperatures continuing to be in the 30’s C we felt like we were hiking in a sauna. This Valley, as in many areas of the Dolomites, is full of reminders of the fighting that occurred between the Italians and Austrians during World War One. Each spring when the snow melts and the talus shifts, bones rise to the surface of the slopes. An Ossuary has been built to honour the remains of these unknown soldiers.