Skiing Adventure

Hi!

Well I made it safely home after spending a great time at my sister's. Here are a few pics of our Boxing Day ski adventure.

Thought I'd post this picture of Dale, Jenny and me first after the day of skiing to reassure you all that I made it through the day safely!

Dale took me to the summit, which had these signs posted on the edge of the cliff .... oh, I mean ski run

Wow! I'm actually atop Dale's ski mountain where I actually got to view 1000 peaks!

This is a picture (looking up) of the Black Diamond (expert) run that we skied down from the summit. While I used to be an expert skier, it's been 12 years since I've skied! I did get down it very slowly while my quad muscles were burning with lactic acid! (I was singing "burn baby burn" all the way down)

To give you a better perspective, here's a picture of the same run (from the same spot), looking straight down! In the distance, you may see the little dots that make up Panorama Village.

It was a great adventure - and I want to go back in February when I have to fly out west for work!

Thanks Dale

Christmas with Family

Hello! I'm now thousands of kilometres away from home sitting in my sister's kitchen looking out at the mountains which surround this long and narrow alpine-like valley. The trip across the country was long and uneventful. Upon my arrival I noticed snow on the ground. When I drove up to Dale's, her two young ones - Jenny and Bobby were out in the front yard all bundled up awaiting my arrival. When they saw me they started jumping up and down and ran up to my rented car .... now nothing can warm the heart as much as that!! Later I stayed up way too late with Dale and chatted until the wee hours of the morning.

Before leaving, I tried to get onto blogger to do a new post, but wasn't able to get on. I had reserved a parcel of time to try to do something creative - but to no avail. However...

I wish all of you a happy and healthy holiday season with your loved ones.

May it bring you joy, love and peace!

On my next post, I hope to have a picture of me and Dale .... oh, and I think we're going skiing tomorrow. It should be fun: me and my rubber legs.

A bientot mes amis ...

White Canadian Christmas memories

Christmas can be a time of reflection and as I look out my window onto the barren and green urban park - my mind goes back to whiter Christmas seasons, which I thought I'd share...

This first picture was taken in the 1960s at the beginning of one late November or early December. We used to travel up to the mountains outside of Montreal to search for and cut down on Christmas trees.



A few weeks later, during the 12 days of Christmas we'd have the tree up and play in the snow. In this picture, I'm on the far right and some of you may have been in communication with the girl wearing a yellow hat. Some activities never leave us - but only get stronger later in life!

This house belonging to my grandparents had three ponds in front of it and we'd choose one, if the ice was strong enough to shovel and skate. My parents used to always invite some friends up (with kids our ages) for the week between Christmas and New Years.




Every Christmas eve, we'd put up our stockings up with care, put out some milk and cookies for Santa and then try to get a good night's rest. I never could understand why my older siblings always heard and/or saw Santa and I never did!

We used to have to wear "Christmas pj's" and stand for pictures. All in all so many wonderful memories were created thanks to my parents and grandparents. We were very fortunate to have some special traditions and stay at my grandparent's amazing "cottage". I think some of my favourite Christmas' were at that house, so close to nature and ski hills!


The last two pictures presented in this montage are from 2004 at my parent's house. The first one illustrates how we bring white Christmas' outside into the inside (by whipping up ivory snow and putting it on the tree).




This last photo was taken a two years ago at Christmas from my bedroom window. Obviously the guy liked eating the dropped birdseed from my parent's feeder.

Never! Never! Never!

I've been tagged to put 10 things about myself that I'll never do. I now tag the fabulous and artistic Ian, the intelligent and perseverant EL Wisty and the animal loving and photographic loving Grace. Here are my 10 things:

1. I’ll never climb Mt. Everest. While my aim is to see it one day – I’d rather see it at the base and/or from afar.
2. I’ll never cease to explore the world. My goal is to visit every continent and sub-continent. I love travel and can't see me ever stopping.
3. I’ll never stop singing. Singing is one of the greatest joys in my life and something that I view as a gift, rather than a talent. Music and singing provide me with so much inspiration - not to mention stress relief.
4. I will never stop praying for world peace.
5. I’ll never like short winter days. While I like winter and snow – I don’t like the limited hours of sunshine.
6. I’ll never stop loving nature, children, my friends, my family and animals (especially dogs and cats).
7. While I love to cook, I too will never cook, eat or use liver – not even in pate. (Yes, I’m stealing this from Dale, however since we both share the same mother, I feel it only appropriate because I can relate!!)
8. While I consider myself a Christian, believe in Jesus and go to church regularly (where I get to sing in a great choir) I'll never totally believe today’s bible is the true word of God or gospel. For me, it’s more about spirituality and the philosophical learnings of living life in today’s crazy and hectic world.
9. I’ll never understand how some religious institutions (and fundamentalists) can be so judgmental, prejudice and unbending when religion (and life in my opinion) is supposed to be about peace, love, acceptance and understanding.
10. I’ll never feel comfortable being in the same job for a long time. I continue to have a need to grow and challenge myself in different areas of business life. Maybe one day I'll stick with the same employer, but'll need to mix up my tasks.

This has been fun.

Know your limit, drive within it.

That was the road sign I saw above the Gardiner Expressway the other day.

I know that it was pertaining to alcohol and/or speed this holiday season. But, in a world where excess has become a virtue, I thought that the road sign could have been a message for us all in this excess-driven world. “Know your limit. Know yourself and care for things within you” was the way I read it.

The road sign stirred something deep within. “Know your limit, drive within it.” “Know your limit, live within it.” “Know yourself and care for things within you.”

We are living in a world where every form of extremism has become a norm. TV land has become a virtual un-reality where extreme forms of life styles are being heralded as something to be desired by all. Every form of media seems to proclaim a message, “Ignore the limit, and drive over it.”

In the midst of the billboards enticing drivers to “in excess, excess, excess,” was a signpost of wisdom, “Know your limit, drive within it.” “Know your limit, live within it.” “Know yourself and care for things within you.”

“What does it mean to live within one’s limit?”
“How do we learn to value ourselves?”
“How is it that we live in a world full of people with misplaced values?

How do we learn to value ourselves in such a way so we could know enough of ourselves to value things within us?

How do we value a human being?

Just some interesting food for thought as we approach this holiday season and are bombarded with commercialism and excess at its extreme.

The Who – What an awesome show!

The evening began at a restaurant nearby the venue where Derek, my English footballer friend, and I met up with fellow blogger Anne-Marie and her new hubby Austin.

During the 5 minute walk from the restaurant to the ACC it began to snow lightly. Upon arrival, we took our respective seats in different sections of the 100 level. Wow! What seats we had too! While we weren’t close – we were smack in front of stage centre and had a perfect view of the boys with all their sophisticated lighting and video screens … but I’m getting ahead of myself.

When we first entered the venue (a huge concrete and metal “fish bowl” usually used for hockey and backetball), Chrissie Hynde with low key lighting and stage effects had just begun rocking. What an incredible surprise bonus --- to see one of the original female rockers before one of the original British Invasion bands. I was in pure heaven! Being the singer that I am was mouthing all the words to the songs she was singing – especially Ohio and Chain Gang (a personal favourite).

After a short break while smelling “nostalgic sweet smoke" wafting above the crowd and admiring all the "hunky" roadies on stage, the lights went down and Roger, Pete and the boys took stage and opened with “Can’t Explain”. (bonus, a kid is in front of me and when he stands, I can see perfectly over his head while sitting down).

Wow! Here I am at a Who concert! My mind was whirling back in time to those teenage parties listening to The Who while taking my first sips of various potent potables and first puffs of that “now nostalgic smelling smoke”. I was also drifting to memories of a 1970s Who concert and my “sweet sixteen” birthday party where we listened to the entire “Who By Numbers” album!

But, now almost 30 years later, as a mid-lifer, I was in an arena listening to the Who live once again along with thousands of other mid-lifers probably feeling exactly like I did. Sorry Pete, I don’t want to die before I get old – however I felt like I had died and gone to heaven – thank you Pete and Roger!

The concert had a good mix of old and new music and they did a masterful job at controlling the energy of the crowd – well except after they played Baba O’Reilly when we the crowd went so wild that Pete had to ask us to sit down so they could get on with the show. (My favourites were the show opener, Baba O’Reilly, My Generation … oh I can’t really name them all because there were so many !!!)

The chemistry between Pete, Roger and the band were great. Pete also talked about the chemistry he has had with the city of Toronto and the affection for her.

They played for just over two hours!!

After the show, we regrouped with Anne-Marie and Austin and then departed ways with Derek who had to shlepp to the Eastern part of the city. A and A-M drove me home and had a quick drink (of juice because it was a week night) at my place while we relived the concert and looked at pictures from Austin’s camera.

Today, I’m very tired because I went to bed at 1:30 and had a very difficult time sleeping last night. Actually, I was so keyed up I found it pretty difficult to sleep at all. And while I left some extra time in the morning to sleep in, my cats had other ideas and were purring in my ears at 6:00 !! Oh well …. It was worth it .... worth every expensive little penny.

I shall remember this for a long time.

To bring in the month and the official start of my holiday season I hosted my first dinner party Last night. I live in a small place so only had three friends over, but it was fun.

I had the fireplace going, lit the place with candles, had my usual Christmas decorations up (including about 20 birds, which began a string of jokes mostly at my expense), and had Christmas music piping in the background, including a CD that I made with a choir back in 1992)

I began the meal with a cream of broccoli soup. (I thought I had made too little, but it was perfect for four).

I then brought out the main course, which included pork tenderloin stuffed with apples, pancetta, pecans and a few raisons, carrots glazed with my own maple butter, green beans garnished with toasted almonds/butter and light/fluffy mashed potatoes. I also made red wine gravy for the pork.

For dessert, I let our local baker help me out by providing a light and fluffy dark chocolate mousse cake.

I’m a real ‘fine pottery’ nut and last week went to a huge craft show, entitled One of a Kind, [for Koos' benefit - the name of the location] and bought a number of Christmas gifts for others (not yours Dale) and myself - including wine goblets and casserole dishes. Last night I was able to showcase my new pieces with the meal (yeah).

At this time of the season I really get an entertaining bug and love having friends over for fun and a bite to eat. Sometimes dining at home can be way more fun than having a meal out. [sigh] Think this is one of the things I miss about having a man in my life, because I love to make fancy meals. Guess this year it’ll be friends who benefit from this crazy passion.

Hope you all have a great December of 2006!