Canmore Collection

Partway along the trail beside Lake Louise I took this shot as we walked towards the cut in the distance. Still the lake was glassy. Later as we returned kayaks cut into the water with very slight ripples which spread across the lake.


Here Ron posed for me before the more visible glacier which we were nearing. Taking a bad picture would be pretty difficult here.


After our lunch in the restaurant at Chateau Lake Louise where we were seated by a window looking out over the lovely lake, we made our way a few miles up to Moraine Lake. A kind passerby took our picture in front of this grizzly (I think!) and I made copies for our two grandchildren. Of course we know this is a statue but the wee ones will be wondering, I'm sure.

Moraine Lake was worth the drive even though the sun had disappeared for our visit. These mountains have so many secrets to give up that I think we could travel forever and not see everything.

I knew about Japanese internments in British Columbia during the second world war but this monument told of Alberta's camps for suspect peoples. This one was along the secondary route, not the Trans Canada, the 1A, I think. We made the stop and remembered a not so wonderful part of our Canadian history.

Back on the Trans Canada highway I made Ron stop so I could get a good picture of the crossings which have been built for wildlife to get over the highway. I had read about these before so knew what we were seeing. There are many in different stages of development along the route to Banff and beyond. Such a good idea. Notice the vegetation planted all over the trail. I would have loved to see moose, bear, mountain goats, sheep or anything using the crossover but was not so lucky.

As we drove the Trans Canada we needed our movie camera as there was never a moment when stunning sights and beautiful mountain vistas were not before our eyes. I love this country!


Horseback riding is big in the Rockies and even in Banff you can rent horses and go on a trek along the Bow River.

Elk saunter nonchalantly over the green spaces along the Bow but also on the actual golf course and wherever they want, it seems. Of the many pictures I took, this one captures the idyllic life of a Bow River elk.

I think I'll get that picture blown up and framed.

Banff Blowout

My last two weeks have been nothing short of fabulous. My husband and I were in Banff, Alberta for four days, Canmore for three days and then home before heading to Leamington, Ontario for two more days. And it was all good. Then this morning, I walked from our home in the northernmost part of this city all the way to the Quality Hotel on the south near the 401. It took me one hour and fifteen minutes. All of that time was energizing so that I'm now pumped enough to carry on for the rest of the day. To start with here are some pictures from Alberta:

Monday morning we got up to a few inches of snow on the ground at the Banff Centre and a lot more on the surrounding mountains. The building to the left held my husband's conference sessions.

This is the reception area of the building where we stayed. I loved the trees all around, the mountains keeping watch, and the lovely baskets whose flowers were valiantly hanging on even through the overnight snow.

A parking lot with cars is not so special but these yellows are the look of fall in the Rockies. Later in the week we saw many more all through the mountains.

And here I couldn't help but think about juxtaposing this view with the sign 'Inspiring Creativity'.

Come Thursday morning the conference was over and we packed up to head for Lake Louise. I mean, you can't go to Banff without going to Lake Louise and although we had been there a few times before we welcomed the chance to see the lake at the end of September. She did not disappoint. Blue-green glass topped with wisps of cloud met us. I couldn't resist this shot of a Japanese tourist searching her bag for something--probably a camera.


We hiked off to the right of this picture on our quest for the glacier in the distance which feeds this pristine jewel.

Our Weekend Trek

For this post please click the link to my other blog. I've described a visit to Niagara-on-the-Lake.

http://elainecougler.wordpress.com/2010/09/01/walking-where-my-characters-have-walked/

New Credit Pow Wow

Sunday afternoon we went with friends to the 24th annual Mississaugas of the New Credit Pow Wow. After a few tense moments in the rain when we wondered why we had come as there was little shelter, I began to relax and look around me. We were standing just under the edge of a big tent and everyone seemed to be looking at us. Were we the only non-native peoples there? Maybe we weren't welcome. Then I realized that the tall, lean man in front of me with the long grey hair was speaking into a microphone. His was the voice leading the proceedings. Of course everyone was looking at him.


We stood for an hour or more watching the dancers and the drummers. I heard a sameness in the drumming and the chanting after a while--as the song was ending the drums became loud--the men and boys were really pounding--and then suddenly all would cease except the leader who drummed a few more notes and abruptly stopped. I wish I had known what it all meant but I really enjoyed seeing these people put their hearts into their performances. One little girl sat on her father's lap as he drummed and at the loud ending part she squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears. So cute.

Another little girl found her fun in the rain puddles left in the grass. Her mother just let her play and soon the wee one's dress was completely wet.





Circled around the main performance tent were many booths with traditional and not so traditional wares for sale. I bought a wee native doll in a beaded deerskin dress for my own wee granddaughter.


A number of the dancers had feathers on their heads but also this lovely array down their backs. In the centre of one of them I saw a wolf and thought it probably signified the wolf clan but I don't know.

The natives wore a wide mixture of costumes, some completely native dress and others with bits and pieces over their normal wear.

Here is one of the groups drumming on a central drum while some of their women seemed to stand behind and keep time. Notice the huge feather headdress hung up behind.

The central young man here was very impressive. He was totally engaged in the performance, his costume making me think of his forefathers a few hundred years ago.

Here is the same young man after the drumming. He and this woman were posing for a photographer. I loved the contrast between his outfit and hers.

More costumes inside the tent as people danced around the circle, keeping their heritage alive.

This face-painted fellow was engaging but I found it hard to get a good picture of him.

Finally the dancing stopped and I zoomed in.


Visiting this powwow was a revelation for my husband and me. We picked up their literature on the way out and read it last night. The Mississaugas of the New Credit have land claims all around Ontario, notably in the city of Toronto. Their literature suggests those who signed the treaties for them did not understand they were giving away the land as that was a concept alien to them. To the natives land is just there and no one really owns it; hence, you can't sell it or give it away. An interesting viewpoint and I sympathize but don't know what could fairly be done now. Anyhow, the Mississaugas were very welcoming and we enjoyed visiting their powwow to learn more about them.

For today, at least, we've waved good-bye to the oppressive heat and humidity which has ground us all to a halt here in sunny southern Ontario. My husband was off to a morning breakfast before work so I got up and walked before 8 o'clock by myself . It was actually cool! I hoofed along for 35 minutes at a good pace without needing to slow down and get my breath. Guess the air quality is better, too.

Here are Beth and Chelsea discovering the kids' water playground on Vansittart Ave. We enjoyed watching Chelsea and Ben inch into the spray for the first time.


This has been such a hot summer that places like this are always busy but not too busy.

Good Times and Great Kids

While Beth and Chelsea were here we had great firsts with our lovely granddaughter. Here is a shot Beth took of Chelsea feeding the ducks corn for her first time. She loved it and I loved that she did what I told her and threw the corn as far as she could towards the ducks in Southside Park.


Here is our trooper, Ben, shoveling dirt into the wheelbarrow to help his dad. Pretty good for a 21-month-old!


And here he is just before he ran into the spraying water to our great delight. Ben is a happy boy, ready to try almost anything if his Dad is around. (He was.)

On a picnic lunch trip to Stratford, Beth and Chelsea watch the ducks and swans in the Avon River, a favorite place of ours.

There really is nothing like the joy in my heart watching my kids parent their children. It's the best and most important job in the world, so I'm happy they and their spouses are such good parents.

Buddy Holly in Charlottetown in July

Wow! We just came back from the East coast and the trip was all good. From Oshawa's Parkview, the home of Sam McLaughlin of General Motors fame, to walking along the water in downtown Kingston, the trip was great. We spent a glorious three hours in Quebec City reliving past trips there as we walked the old town section and watched the horse and carriage drivers ply their trade. This time we enjoyed the boardwalk along the St. Lawrence where we stood and looked down to the dug-out sections of history opened up for all to see.




My husband and I love a car trip. We make homemade bits 'n' bites and pack our Koolatron with pop, water bottles, a veggie tray, La Vache Qui Rit cheese, a paring knife and some fruit, which we replenish as we go along. Two kinds of crackers, some healthy bars, a couple of packages of dark chocolate covered blueberries and we're set to go for hours. Along the way we visit grocery stores and replenish as needed. And we eat at least one meal out every day. It's all good.

When we reached Prince Edward Island we found our hotel near Cavendish and the relaxed part of the trip started. It was nestled in the beautifully green countryside, a large acreage with the main hotel and individual cottages and lawns which crept down to the shore of a large lake.

After settling in we made the half hour trek to Charlottetown, picked up our tickets at the box office and settled into our great seats. The Buddy Holly Story started with a ranting preacher decrying rock and roll music from his elevated perch almost in the rafters. He was great and we chuckled, all the more so as he was played by my brother-in-law, Rick Hughes.

Soon after, my sister, Donna Garner, waltzed across the stage, immediately grabbing laughs as Vi Petty. Both Rick and Donna play several parts in the show as do other characters.
Well we loved the whole thing. Jeff Giles as Buddy was a powerhouse and really brought Buddy to life. On stage so much of the time this might not have been difficult but all the other characters did the same thing. The audience totally related to this cast.

When the show was over we got to see Donna and Rick and relive the event with them. Awesome. Really. No, really, the whole night was amazing. We talked about it all the way back to our hotel. Theatre isn't always so rewarding. I remember a certain production of Othello at Stratford whose second act we didn't go back to see as the first was so bad. But this show was a lot of fun created by extremely talented actors.

The next day we lounged on the deck at our country inn with Donna and Rick, barbecued at their place that evening with John and Susan added to the group and then went to Cirque du Soleil. We sat on the grass out in the park on a lovely summer's night and watched the huge screen and stage in the dark. Very cool. I mean neat, not cold. Except for sitting on the ground for two hours. That was painful and my joints complained for one hour and fifty minutes of the time.

So the next day we took the ferry over to Nova Scotia and drove to Cape Breton. Rita McNeil's tea room was a hit--we met her son--and the food was scrumptious. The day following we toured the fortress at Louisburg, finally, after missing it on our previous trips to Nova Scotia. The little restaurant in Louisburg served up some fine clam chowder and a delicious lobster-on-a-bun which satisfied my need for Atlantic seafood. Ron had fish and chips and said it was superb. He is ever ready to let me have my crab legs or lobster tails as long as he can just have fish and chips. A keeper, that one.

At Glace Bay Marconi's four towers were intriguing to us, enough that we detoured and walked where he had walked as we learned more about his stunning achievement.

We visited my nephew and his wife, expecting their first child, at Oromocto where they live, another wonderful mix of family catch-up and tourist tripping down east. A long day's drive through Quebec and we stayed at a favorite hotel in Cornwall before heading home to Ontario. We managed to mix stops and goes pretty well, with only one day which was mostly driving. This is a marvelous country we live in and the five thousand kilometers we added to our car's odometer allowed us to see it again. O Canada! My home and native land.

Diamond Ruby

Sometimes a reader just finds a great book. When this happens to me, I handle it with care, savour the words, the pages, the chapters. I don't read too quickly, even though I want to know what happens. I hold off that final page as long as I can. Joseph Wallace's Diamond Ruby is such a book. It is the story of a young girl in early 1900's New York City whose life ends as she knows it. No, she doesn't die, but her family is torn to bits with the flu epidemic and a subway disaster.

She is the only one to care for her very young nieces and she is just thirteen. Wallace weaves Ruby's personal coming of age into the growth of the city through the twenties. Organized crime, gangsters, and weak-willed adults are juxtaposed to the better side of Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey, as well as a blind girl who lost her great diving career along with her sight. Diamond Ruby can pitch like no one else. Her odd arms which have earned her the 'monkey-girl' moniker prove her salvation and that of her nieces.
Apparently Wallace has only written non-fiction before but he writes this story, based on a real person, Jackie Mitchell, like a pro. I was enthralled from the get-go, feeling my eyes stretch wider and wider from the first pages. I especially liked the amazing plot details in the first part of the book. Not for Wallace working towards crisis after crisis until, finally, the climax. He catches the reader immediately through Ruby's 7-year-old point of view of excruciating world events. I will be looking for this author's next fiction book.

Impulsive Actions

Today I am thinking about following impulses and what might be the results of doing that. We are mostly programmed to follow the rules, do what we're told, and take the road most traveled. But what might be the results of listening to our inner voices?

Well I know my inner voice sometimes tells me to eat fattening things and I have no trouble listening to that! I can step out of my plan quite easily and eat a few Neilsen's rosebuds or a chocolate chip yogurt cone. That circulating e-mail about the 80-year-old woman who orders dessert every time she eats out really resonates with me. I mean, what if this was my last day and I passed on something really scrumptious, like Belgian truffles?

If I can have that attitude towards food, the question arises, why not toward exciting and interesting things to do in my life? So for today I am going to dream and dream and then go one step further--let those dreams seep into real life. I'm going to listen to my impulses and read them like a roadmap. They will be like my Tom-Tom lady's voice telling me the next turn and recalculating when I make a mistake or go down the wrong road. Oh, wait a minute. There is no wrong road. She just redirects me. For today that's what my inner voice will do. Oops, she's calling me to get up and leave my computer......

How Cute Are These?

I am feeling lonely for my little granddaughter, Chelsea, so Beth is good at sending pictures and calling often. Chelsea got new sandals and loves them so much she even wanted to wear them to bed for her nap! I guess I'll be learning about Dora now, eh?


Hopefully Beth's family will get east here soon as we're missing them all. I'm sending secret messages out to the universe to hurry up the process.

Victoria Day

Yesterday my husband and I went to see the Victoria Day Parade here in Woodstock and had a lovely time. We took our lawn chairs, set them up under a bit of dappled shade with the sun behind us and immediately down the street came the parade. No waiting, no wondering, no boredom. It was fantastic. The parade had loads of marching bands in it and almost as many Shriners' Clubs. They are fun because each each one has a different mode of transportation from motorcycles to mini cars to almost full size cars. One group had a band as well and they all wore those long pointy-toed shoes that curl up, sort of like a genie might wear.
But for me the highlight was the Singing Brook Farm Belgian Horses and wagon. In their pink camp shirts, walking and running alongside, grinning and laughing together, the counsellors made me want to go to camp. And I'm a little long in the tooth for that! Here are some of the pictures.




I look forward to doing some beading skills with the kids for one of the weeks in July.

Note: I had to redo this entry as some spammer put crap on my pretty site. I hate that!

My Mother's Day Gift

I have to say my kids really know me when it comes to gift-giving. My son spent the better part of last Saturday with us having lunch, gambling for half an hour or so, visiting Alexander Graham Bell's homestead in Brantford and visiting Her Majesty's Royal Mohawk Chapel, also located in Brantford. Then we had an early supper and got him home to his family by 6:00 p.m. A great day with lots of talking, laughing, and planning.

When I logged into my email that night I got my Mother's Day gift from my Victoria-living daughter--a subscription to the upcoming Mondo Beyondo class. What's that, you say? Well, click on the link and you'll see that it is set up to help people find their best life, to dream big and beautiful and let the universe help in achieving those dreams.

I like the name. Mondo Beyondo. To me it means the world beyond, outside this one, way off in the distance where dreams are dreamed and started and made good. So here's to Mondo Beyondo and my course next week!

Tumblebums

Yesterday I talked to a wee little girl for a taste of sweetness. She was just going back to her nap after a diaper change when I called. Chelsea's wee voice warmed my day as much as the sun. Now that she is talking and has grasped the concept of the telephone we have a 'conversation' about once or twice a week. Usually she answers my questions with a yes or no but often I hear nothing and Beth tells me Chelsea was nodding or shaking her head. And she has enough words to actually tell me that they are going to Tumblebums after her snack.

Now Tumblebums is a place in Langford, outside Victoria, set up for little ones to play and, well, tumble. Chelsea's grandpa and I took her there one day by ourselves. Imagine a place where the whole purpose is to gratify a kid's need to explore, build, watch others and have a healthy snack. Well, that is what we found. And Chelsea goes there often enough to know where it is. My husband and I used the TomTom to get to the plaza but then couldn't see our destination. As we talked about where it might be and Ron turned this way and that, suddenly a little voice from the car seat piped up. "There it is!" And her finger pointed to a unit with no large sign. As we drove closer we saw the small posters in the window. Chelsea had showed us exactly where to go.

Now this child was not quite two at the time. Amazing how much knowledge is packed into her little brain. When I think that my earliest memories are of about five years old, I find it hard to accept that she will probably forget all of these things that are so real for us adults. In Arizona in January when we exited the super highway at our exit, every time we heard, "There it is!" as we approached the stoplight and turn to our place. Unbelievable. And she did it after only one earlier trip.

And now I must run as we're going to have our wee grandson for the afternoon. So much bliss!

Elaine Cougler's Writing Blog

Today I have an exciting announcement! My new blog, On Becoming a Wordsmith, is up and running. It is a blog about writing and all its joys and jilts, tips and tilts. Below is what it looks like for now but lots of improvements are coming as I ramp up my WordPress blogging skills.

I hope you will take a trip over to On Becoming a Wordsmith and join me. I will still be posting pictures and writing other pieces on this page as well.

Being in the Right Place

Today's piece is a bit of a contest. Really. Look at the picture below and try to figure out just what it is. No, really, I'm serious. Sometimes you're just in the right place at the right time.

Do you see that all the faces are hidden? Who are these people? Why are they face-down on the floor of The Bay in north London?

Possible answers:
1. They are tired.
2. The floor smells so good they all just had to get down there.
3. This is a new way of modeling coats.
4. Well, you get the idea....

One evening a few days before Christmas 2009, my husband and I had just entered The Bay when he realized he had broken the zipper on his winter coat. I looked, couldn't fix it, and suggested we use his gift certificate to partially pay for a new one. Off to the coats we went and were just sourcing out where might be the ones we might actually buy when we heard a cascading crash behind us. We turned, we looked and took a few seconds to realize what had happened. A whole section of coats had dominoed over into the aisles.

We went closer to look. There were no salespeople around. I dug into my purse for my digital camera and voila!--a strange picture and a big laugh.

Flora, Fauna and People

This photo commemorates our trip to Victoria, specifically Sidney's Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre. This is an octopus and marks the first time I have ever seen this creature at all, let alone up close and personal.

The octopus filled the tube over our walkway at times or maneuvred its way from tank to beautiful tank, all for our amazement. Ron, Beth, Chelsea and I loved it. Below are more colourful examples of the aquarium's sea life.

And you have to realize that the colours are not plastic reproductions floating among the fish, but real sea creatures themselves. I could have sat there on a chair and watched all day. So calming.

In Arizona I accompanied Beth's family to the zoo one fine morning. The sea turtles were busy lumbering from place to place in their enclosure. I liked how close all of the animals were in this Phoenix zoo.

These lovebirds showed their tails for us, a jubilant splash of colour among the green leaves.

It seemed to be a day of butt pictures. Chelsea liked these camels and I did, too, although none of us were inclined to climb on. They were very smelly, a state I've been told is their natural one.

These sea otters caught my attention as they dashed in and out of the hollow logs in their enclosure. I love the soft green water accenting their wet, dark fur.

A highlight of our trip was feeding the giraffes, with the help of a knowledgeable volunteer. What a great thing for seniors to do. We all fed the hungry fellow, except Chelsea, who was more content to watch closely.

These are some kind of cows or cow relatives but I liked the red plant in the foreground. Thought it added some kick to the pic.

Javelinas! Up close and wide awake for us. Reminded me of my encounter with them on one of our walks in Tucson when visiting Aunt Nancy. These were less scary as they were penned up.

Arizona sunsets are spectacular and we saw quite a few during our three weeks there. This overlooks our timeshare from our balcony.

You'll probably notice there was no picture of shopping, which fact tells you we much prefer nature although some of the shopping areas are pretty beautiful. The best scenario is lots of nature to enjoy with my best people.

Time For More To Be More

I have a subscription to More Magazine, billed as Canada's magazine celebrating women over 40. Hey, great, I thought when sitting at a hairdresser's shop in Victoria. I liked the mag so well, in fact, that I tore out the mail-away card for a subscription. And promptly forgot about it.

Issues of More started coming and I wondered why until the bill came. Then I was angry as I had no memory of ordering this publication. After some reflection I did remember, pay the bill and read a few more issues, finding again what had attracted me about that copy in Victoria: it's about women's things, and unabashedly so, providing a new perspective for me.

So what am I writing about today? The April issue features a cover with a 50-year-old "super model". And she looks thirty. Well, that's nice. And she is beautiful so I know why she is on the cover. When I read the article, however, I discovered that the five finalists in More's 40+ model search are all drop-dead gorgeous, thin, svelte, muscular, with not a grey hair in sight. While I don't want to take away from these women--they sound totally comfortable in their shoes, which is way more important than their stunning looks--I can't help thinking how little they represent the bulk of us over 40.

And that leads me to wonder if More is really less in its respect for women and if it is just perpetuating that old myth that women have to be stunningly beautiful and look YOUNG to be worthwhile. Margaret Lawrence, one of my most favorite authors, was certainly not beautiful, but she stroked my thoughts for years with her real female characters. I could relate. Rita McNeil will not win any beauty contests but her soft, sincere voice singing her own music speaks to my heart as she explores real situations through that music. And Lena, my neighbour for many years in Shelburne where once we lived, holds a prime place in my heart. She was over seventy when we moved next to her and had lived a lot of sadness in her life but it didn't consume her. Her eyes twinkled as she tucked a stray white curl into her invisible hairnet and hobbled from stove to table with wonderful food for my husband and me. She had lived through rheumatic fever, lost several toes along the way, was told not to get married or have kids, did both, and had a loving, boisterous family who doted on her and her Elmer. She was a winner, and beautiful, too.

Why does being beautiful have to mean not looking our age? Isn't it time we struck a chord for what's inside no matter what is outside? Of course we all like to look good but I have learned that people see the outside first and then dwell on the inside the rest of their lives. I am more than a pretty face, I used to say, and today when I am well past forty, I am really thankful for my brain and my talents. Time for More to think of more than beauty. After all it is only skin deep.