I am sitting in a dark pool in our hotel in Crescent City after a huge Chinese dinner. We left Portland in good time this morning, and there were no traffic jams or border waits, but even so, it is a long drive and rather hairy from time to time as you make your way out to the sea from the inland. William was gripping his seat and clenching his teeth as we drove the last windy road before we got here and whispered to Mike to slow down.
We stopped in the whitewater capital of the US -- Grant's Pass -- for lunch. Riverside Park is very pretty and there are ducks and geese and big rafty boats that go down the Rogue River for a wild ride, I guess. It reminded William of Penticton and drifting down the river there on an inner tube. It was super hot and we had a nice picnic and William took a dip in the river.
We decided we wanted to visit the mysterious Oregon Vortex and Mystery House (in preparation for saskquatch sightings in the Redwood Forest) and so we asked our GPS girl to lead the way, but she had a lot of trouble dealing with the mysteries of the vortex and Highway 5, so in the end, we had to figure it out ourselves. We drove up to the place and joined a tour and demonstration of all the mysterious properties of the Vortex. Brian, the host, was very entertaining and showed us how people shrink and grow depending on their relationship to the vortex and we went into the mystery house which looked like one of Batman's enemies' lairs, except a lot more rustic. A broom stood on its end and a bottle rolled uphill and people's heights changed and Mike said he felt a bit dizzy which seemed to be just what Brian wanted to hear. At the end of the tour, Brian showed us lots of strange photos of poltergeist-y forces working in the vortex and we left amazed and mystified and kitsch-ed right out!
Mike's romance with GPS Jill underwent a very unpleasant bumpy patch, when Jill insisted we take one route, when we all knew that it was wrong. Once we got close to Crescent City, she insisted Mike pull a U-turn in the middle of the four lane highway and finally we gave up on her and phoned the hotel for directions. The Northwood Lodge is a nice place with a pool for William, a nice little patio perfect for the sipping of a glass of wine for me, a hearty breakfast for Mike and a soft bed for Anthony, but Crescent City (except for the Wing Wah Restaurant which serves delicious Chinese food until nine o'clock at night!) seems a little dead. Mike's family stopped here on their way to Disneyland a thousand years ago when Mike was Anthony's age (well, maybe not a thousand) but he doesn't remember it very well. He thought it was up on a crest, but we are right across from the harbour which is full of fishing boats and dredgers and things like that.
Tomorrow we'll experience the majesty of the redwood forest (which we drove through this evening in a weary dash to our hotel and to dinner). There is a lot of logging going on in Oregon -- I've seen more logging trucks on the highway than we ever see in BC and the Redwood Forest is only a tiny vestige of what once was, but the trees are huge and noble and the forest is deep and dark and ferny and far more mysterious than even the mysterious vortex. Nature-wise, we've been surprised at how many turkey vultures we've seen circling the hills and dales along the roadside. We've also seen lots of lovely deer as well.
I wish I knew how to add photographs to the blog. I have tried to figure it out but you know how "help" is on the computer. No help at all!
Tuesday, 16 July 2013
Monday, 15 July 2013
The City of Bridges
Anthony says, "this feels a lot more like the United States than I thought it would." He thought it would just feel like a part of Canada that he had never been in before, but he says he feels like it is really a foreign country. I always think of the gun issue, but I don't think it is that different, except we did go by Fort Lewis and there were a bunch of people on the bridge over the freeway with signs saying "Thank you to our troops" and American flags flying. Mike asked one of the naval reserve guys, "are you connected to the base?" and he just stared at him. And of course, when we were crossing at Peace Arch, "children of a common mother" nothwithstanding, Mike said a warm "hello" to the border guard, who did not deign to return the greeting. We joked that we should ask him if he could take our picture as we entered the USA, but we didn't dare. I wonder what he would have done.
As always, it took a long time to get going, but once we were on the road, eating chips (Holiday Mommy has arrived!) and Cheezies, it was fairly smooth sailing. Joyce (Mike's mom) said the traffic is always bad in Seattle and her words were prescient because we were part of the hoards of drivers heading south along the I-5.
We plowed on to Portland and had a HUGE American style meal at Elmer's -- William and Mike slurped down steaks with great gusto. Mike thought he could tempt me with the peach crisp, but I was stuffed with all the chips and only had a bowl of soup and a salad, which was more than I could manage.
Then off we went to Powell's City of Books, purportedly the world's biggest book store (even though I know there are other claimants). It is right in the heart of Portland, which is a very charming city with lots and lots of bridges. In fact, it is KNOWN as "the city of bridges". I could have spent days in the store, which has a blue room and a purple room and a green room -- in fact, the whole rainbow(!), all holding new and used books focused on different subjects and by every author you can imagine. They give you a map when you first enter the store and every colour of room has a couple of knowledgeable and friendly people who can help you and know what you're talking about. What a joy for a book lover. I bought an armful and had to tear myself away before I spent the whole Disneyland budget in what could be called Jean's "happiest place on earth".
William has been saying how much hotter it is in the United States and how much faster the cars are going and how much quicker it gets dark here, but he wants me to say he loves it. Mike is really happy with the GPS. We got a little lost but the woman was very patient and kept trying to help by giving him new routes. If I had been navigating, I would have gotten louder and faster as I realized we were off course, but the GPS voice just figures out a new route and acts like you're doing exactly what she said all along.
We were going to go to Washington City Park after the bookstore, but when we came out, it was getting dark and so we've come back to our hotel to rest and read before our trip continues tomorrow. We are going to get to California tomorrow and spend the evening in Crescent City, in the heart of the redwood forest (I think).
As always, it took a long time to get going, but once we were on the road, eating chips (Holiday Mommy has arrived!) and Cheezies, it was fairly smooth sailing. Joyce (Mike's mom) said the traffic is always bad in Seattle and her words were prescient because we were part of the hoards of drivers heading south along the I-5.
We plowed on to Portland and had a HUGE American style meal at Elmer's -- William and Mike slurped down steaks with great gusto. Mike thought he could tempt me with the peach crisp, but I was stuffed with all the chips and only had a bowl of soup and a salad, which was more than I could manage.
Then off we went to Powell's City of Books, purportedly the world's biggest book store (even though I know there are other claimants). It is right in the heart of Portland, which is a very charming city with lots and lots of bridges. In fact, it is KNOWN as "the city of bridges". I could have spent days in the store, which has a blue room and a purple room and a green room -- in fact, the whole rainbow(!), all holding new and used books focused on different subjects and by every author you can imagine. They give you a map when you first enter the store and every colour of room has a couple of knowledgeable and friendly people who can help you and know what you're talking about. What a joy for a book lover. I bought an armful and had to tear myself away before I spent the whole Disneyland budget in what could be called Jean's "happiest place on earth".
William has been saying how much hotter it is in the United States and how much faster the cars are going and how much quicker it gets dark here, but he wants me to say he loves it. Mike is really happy with the GPS. We got a little lost but the woman was very patient and kept trying to help by giving him new routes. If I had been navigating, I would have gotten louder and faster as I realized we were off course, but the GPS voice just figures out a new route and acts like you're doing exactly what she said all along.
We were going to go to Washington City Park after the bookstore, but when we came out, it was getting dark and so we've come back to our hotel to rest and read before our trip continues tomorrow. We are going to get to California tomorrow and spend the evening in Crescent City, in the heart of the redwood forest (I think).
Sunday, 14 July 2013
California, here we come!
Tomorrow we leave for our holiday to California! Today we had to take Daisy to the kennel. It was SO HARD to leave her there. It seems like a nice place and I'm sure they know what they're doing (there were lots of dogs there, anyway) but Daisy is a special case. She was left in a dumpster, pregnant and emaciated, when she wasn't even two years old and then adopted and returned twice to the SPCA. We are her "forever" home as the SPCA says, but maybe she isn't so sure of that now that we took her to this strange place and drove away. I keep picturing her worried face behind the fence as we walked to the car. I know dogs don't think the way we do and I know she's not analyzing what happened, but she's worried and sad and probably will be for a few days while she gets used to the routine. It's one of those many times when you wish you could speak to her and say, "we'll be BACK, Daisy. Don't worry. We are your forever home."
Thursday, 11 July 2013
Waaay out of my comfort zone!
Yesterday, my creativity group got together for its monthly meeting. It's a group of women of vastly different experiences and interests who get together once a month (if we can -- it's quite casual) to do something loosely called creative (see? it's very casual). We make things sometimes (last month we made summer hats) or we go somewhere (we usually make a trek to the Fringe Festival in September and the Directors' Festival out in Chilliwack in the spring -- one of our members teaches theatre at the University College of the Fraser Valley -- I think that's the name). This month, Jan decided we should do something outside (what a great idea -- doesn't someone always nag all of you to get outside?) so we had a potluck picnic at Rocky Point Park and then we went kayaking! As you might know, I am not a sporty type AT ALL, and can't swim very well, so I was rather nervous about it, picturing myself rolling the kayak (I think that's what you call it) and drowning. Or at least, losing my glasses to the sea.
So I said, "well, I'll go, but maybe I won't go out on the water". Jan made it clear that she wasn't going to be upset if anyone chickened out. But Anthony gave me that quizzical look and said, "if you don't try it, you'll never know . . ." (Maybe he heard that from someone along the way?) So that shamed me into considering it.
At the park, my compatriots assured me that they were good swimmers and could save me if I fell in. (Although Jan said if I started to panic, she might have to knock me out before my rescue!) Jan's kayak is a lake kayak, so it isn't as tippy as a sea kayak, so I felt a bit less fearful then.
We had a great lunch and fully stuffed ourselves (great before a physical effort!) and then went out to get our feet wet! Jan was a very patient and careful teacher and before I knew it, my lower body was soaked and I was out in the inlet whooshing along! It was terrific. We got up close and personal with the osprey nest out in the middle of the water (I was so happy to see them back -- I was worried that they hadn't made it this year -- you know all birds are struggling with habitat loss and climate change and birds that migrate are especially at risk) and we saw a group of crazy haired mergansers paddling along (when they saw us, they hightailed it away at breakneck speed) and looked back at beautiful Port Moody and all its lovely trees which mask our little houses up here on the hill.
Sadly then, we had to get back and pack up our paraphernalia and head home. But I was very grateful to Jan for having organized it and to Anthony for having shamed me into swallowing my fears and taking the plunge!
And the moral of the story is: Don't let fear rule you!
So I said, "well, I'll go, but maybe I won't go out on the water". Jan made it clear that she wasn't going to be upset if anyone chickened out. But Anthony gave me that quizzical look and said, "if you don't try it, you'll never know . . ." (Maybe he heard that from someone along the way?) So that shamed me into considering it.
At the park, my compatriots assured me that they were good swimmers and could save me if I fell in. (Although Jan said if I started to panic, she might have to knock me out before my rescue!) Jan's kayak is a lake kayak, so it isn't as tippy as a sea kayak, so I felt a bit less fearful then.
We had a great lunch and fully stuffed ourselves (great before a physical effort!) and then went out to get our feet wet! Jan was a very patient and careful teacher and before I knew it, my lower body was soaked and I was out in the inlet whooshing along! It was terrific. We got up close and personal with the osprey nest out in the middle of the water (I was so happy to see them back -- I was worried that they hadn't made it this year -- you know all birds are struggling with habitat loss and climate change and birds that migrate are especially at risk) and we saw a group of crazy haired mergansers paddling along (when they saw us, they hightailed it away at breakneck speed) and looked back at beautiful Port Moody and all its lovely trees which mask our little houses up here on the hill.
Sadly then, we had to get back and pack up our paraphernalia and head home. But I was very grateful to Jan for having organized it and to Anthony for having shamed me into swallowing my fears and taking the plunge!
And the moral of the story is: Don't let fear rule you!
Wednesday, 10 July 2013
Dancing on the Edge
Last night I went to Meredith Kalaman dancing in "How to Become a Star". Some of you remember her dancing at our school in "The Lost Art of Girl Guiding" which was terrific. This is just as terrific, but quite different from the first piece. I imagined it would be about how so many people these days see fame as something to aspire to. (Why would you want to have people recognize you when you're schlepping out to the grocery store in your sweatpants with your hair in a ponytail?) But it was about how we deal with our inevitable death, which is a subject of interest to me these days, because of my venerable age! She started out with a series of tableaus that depicted the stages of grief -- it was so dramatic and at the end of the tableaus, she looked out at us, accepting us, just like she accepted her fate. The "story" (if a dance has a story -- I really don't see enough dance to feel comfortable with the language I'm using to describe it) traces the mythology of the constellations, particularly Andromeda and Cassiopeia, through to more personal ideas about our memory and our longing to be remembered after we're gone. It was lovely -- Meredith is so strong and open and luminous and I admire her willingness to put her ideas into physical form and share them with us. There was a scene which mystified me while I was watching, where she was underwater and I think all of us in the audience felt like we were underwater as well.
This is part of "Dancing on the Edge" which continues to July 13. There were two other dances on the program: "remember when" by the plastic orchid factory, and "The Righteous Floater". They were both very different from Meredith's performance -- "remember when" was very cerebral and used cameras and text in interesting and provocative ways -- the two women in the dance had this great sequence where they began dancing together in a very tender way, but eventually became combative, forcing each other across the stage and using the same movements to suggest conflict as opposed to nurturing. "The Righteous Floater" begins with a man wearing only underpants, knee braces and shoes and socks, standing with his back to the audience, while the other man hangs out laundry. It was funny, at times, and extremely physical -- it reminded me of two little boys and how physical their play can be. What a contrast to Meredith's performance!
I really recommend the festival if you're looking for something that might take you out of your comfort zone. As I said, we don't see nearly enough dance and it communicates ideas to us in a way that opens us up to a new world -- one without so many of the words we use to hide behind! The "Dancing on the Edge" festival continues all over the city until July 13.
This is part of "Dancing on the Edge" which continues to July 13. There were two other dances on the program: "remember when" by the plastic orchid factory, and "The Righteous Floater". They were both very different from Meredith's performance -- "remember when" was very cerebral and used cameras and text in interesting and provocative ways -- the two women in the dance had this great sequence where they began dancing together in a very tender way, but eventually became combative, forcing each other across the stage and using the same movements to suggest conflict as opposed to nurturing. "The Righteous Floater" begins with a man wearing only underpants, knee braces and shoes and socks, standing with his back to the audience, while the other man hangs out laundry. It was funny, at times, and extremely physical -- it reminded me of two little boys and how physical their play can be. What a contrast to Meredith's performance!
I really recommend the festival if you're looking for something that might take you out of your comfort zone. As I said, we don't see nearly enough dance and it communicates ideas to us in a way that opens us up to a new world -- one without so many of the words we use to hide behind! The "Dancing on the Edge" festival continues all over the city until July 13.
Sunday, 7 July 2013
"Man of Steel"
Just saw the movie "Man of Steel". I don't usually have any interest in this sort of movie, but Chris is in it in a very short appearance and so I was anxious to see it. Of course, Chris was great, but much of the rest of the movie was not very interesting. The story of Superman has all sorts of things to offer as far as drama goes. The dying planet Krypton which, in this version is imploding because of the Kryptonians' hubris in trying to mine the core of their world, can provide a metaphorical connection for us who are also crazy enough to think we can keep exploiting our resources and environment and face no consequences for our actions. This movie also gives us the child, Clark Kent, who is "weird" and bullied by the children in Kansas because he is different. That's a great source for a look at how a special person like Superman learns to bear up under the strain of being excluded and tormented by people around him. He wants to fight back but his father asks him to restrain himself because if people find out about his true identity, they may not be able to handle it. I liked the idea of Superman as a kind of modern day Frankenstein's monster, travelling the world seeking to find his own place. But of course, very soon, the movie became another one of these "look what we can make explode next!" kind of things and that makes me feel restless and bored. I realize that we have access to all sorts of great effects in film, but even my fourteen year old son suggested that they needed to invest more effort in the writing of the film rather than the explosions. William is excited to see the next installment of "The Hobbit", but I felt like that movie, too, missed the mark, with far too many fight scenes and not enough story to sustain the need for two films.
As we left the theatre, I saw ads for showings of old movies like "Roman Holiday" and "The Great Escape". Now those movies had stories!
As we left the theatre, I saw ads for showings of old movies like "Roman Holiday" and "The Great Escape". Now those movies had stories!
Monday, 1 July 2013
Happy Canada Day!
I hope you are all out and about for Canada Day! Canada's all about getting out and enjoying the natural world -- in heat (like here) or not (maybe Alberta -- I'm not sure what it's doing there but if it's hot, I think it would be pretty unpleasant with the flood waters.) We are going down to Rocky Point Park to see what's up there and eat a piece of cake for Canada's birthday!
Yesterday, I did something Canadian! I registered my sons for their respective sports for the fall. Anthony for hockey, of course, and William again for soccer (tried hockey but it didn't take). Then I booked Daisy into a kennel for the time we're going to be away. It is hard to think of leaving her behind, but she's carsick and driving and hotels are no fun for a nervous Nelly like Daisy. This place seems quite nice -- it's called Balanced Dog (like in the dog whisperer, I guess) in Surrey. They have spacious day kennels for the dogs in a nice shady area and then the canines get to go inside the house at night to sleep. I hope Daisy doesn't think we've abandoned her there.
Mr. Allison made such a nice speech at our staff goodbye on Friday. He spoke about the loss of his dog, Rocky, which happened this year. He said we could learn from our pets -- they live life moment by moment -- they appreciate their food and their walks and their owners and open their hearts to the world. Maybe we can do the same thing. Of course, thinking about poor Daisy, I don't think she enjoys the same open nature that Rocky had. She is so frightened of everything and when she hears a fire cracker or fireworks, she's terrified. She's anticipating something horrible that will happen after the big noise. We can learn from her, too. She had a very difficult start to her life -- left in a dumpster, pregnant with thirteen puppies to whom she gave birth at the SPCA, and then she was adopted and returned twice to the SPCA. The lady there wanted us to be absolutely sure that we wouldn't bring her back and we were. We're "dog people" and thought if anyone could help Daisy it would be us. She has found her "forever" home with us and we accept her, warts and all. (She has no physical warts, but lots of emotional ones). The other night she heard a fire cracker (set off by a teenager who lives near us -- note to any teenagers reading this - tsk!) and she was so scared, she tried to wedge herself behind our dryer. Mike tried to pull her out and she held on with her front paws and succeeded in ripping off the control panel. But we still love her. We can learn from Daisy's experience that you mustn't give up. Something nice might happen -- someone might help you when you're in desperate circumstances. While there's life, there's hope.
Let's think about how lucky we are to live in Canada on this Canada Day. What a wonderful place -- safe and sound and peaceful, for the most part. It's our responsibility to keep it this way. Share our good fortune with others. Cherish the natural environment and work to ensure that we don't destroy the habitat we share with all the other living things here. Try to be good citizens, which means, to me, that we must know what's going on and participate in our democracy, not just on voting day, but every day!
Yesterday, I did something Canadian! I registered my sons for their respective sports for the fall. Anthony for hockey, of course, and William again for soccer (tried hockey but it didn't take). Then I booked Daisy into a kennel for the time we're going to be away. It is hard to think of leaving her behind, but she's carsick and driving and hotels are no fun for a nervous Nelly like Daisy. This place seems quite nice -- it's called Balanced Dog (like in the dog whisperer, I guess) in Surrey. They have spacious day kennels for the dogs in a nice shady area and then the canines get to go inside the house at night to sleep. I hope Daisy doesn't think we've abandoned her there.
Mr. Allison made such a nice speech at our staff goodbye on Friday. He spoke about the loss of his dog, Rocky, which happened this year. He said we could learn from our pets -- they live life moment by moment -- they appreciate their food and their walks and their owners and open their hearts to the world. Maybe we can do the same thing. Of course, thinking about poor Daisy, I don't think she enjoys the same open nature that Rocky had. She is so frightened of everything and when she hears a fire cracker or fireworks, she's terrified. She's anticipating something horrible that will happen after the big noise. We can learn from her, too. She had a very difficult start to her life -- left in a dumpster, pregnant with thirteen puppies to whom she gave birth at the SPCA, and then she was adopted and returned twice to the SPCA. The lady there wanted us to be absolutely sure that we wouldn't bring her back and we were. We're "dog people" and thought if anyone could help Daisy it would be us. She has found her "forever" home with us and we accept her, warts and all. (She has no physical warts, but lots of emotional ones). The other night she heard a fire cracker (set off by a teenager who lives near us -- note to any teenagers reading this - tsk!) and she was so scared, she tried to wedge herself behind our dryer. Mike tried to pull her out and she held on with her front paws and succeeded in ripping off the control panel. But we still love her. We can learn from Daisy's experience that you mustn't give up. Something nice might happen -- someone might help you when you're in desperate circumstances. While there's life, there's hope.
Let's think about how lucky we are to live in Canada on this Canada Day. What a wonderful place -- safe and sound and peaceful, for the most part. It's our responsibility to keep it this way. Share our good fortune with others. Cherish the natural environment and work to ensure that we don't destroy the habitat we share with all the other living things here. Try to be good citizens, which means, to me, that we must know what's going on and participate in our democracy, not just on voting day, but every day!
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