Writing

I look back over my blog and discover that I've posted more times this month than I have all year. In fact I've posted almost every day over the latter half of this month. This is a record for me and I'm very proud of myself. I have a routine and am sticking with it.

I used to wonder how people could write something new everyday but now I discover that it's all a matter of discipline. First, I am never without a pen and paper. Whenever I think of something or have an idea, I write it down. If I don't put it on paper, chances are it will be lost, possibly forever - I've done that many times, even now if I'm too busy.

When I get home to my computer, I put down the idea in a writing program which has a notebook with pages. At the top of each page I put one idea, then when I'm ready to expand on it, I do. Right now I have ten pages of ideas and come up with more all the time. This ensures that I have at least one thing to write about every day for my blog.

The next step is to set aside some time every day to do my writing. If I have a day off, I try to do it as early in the day as possible, that way I can go on to other things and not fuss that I haven't written yet. On days that I have to go to work early, I make sure that I get my writing done as soon as possible when I get home. If I can't get to my computer, I write it in a paper notebook so that it's easily transcribable later.

I also have other projects on the go with my writing. I write short stories and I am working on a novel. I'm finished the rough draft of the novel and am presently working on the second draft. There is one other project which I can't talk about right now but will in a couple of weeks, when it's finished. One last thing happened today which relates to this.

I went to Starbucks for my first break at work today, had a smoke and then went and sat outside the coffee shop. I had a book to read and was about to open it when a man sitting a couple of tables over, asked me if I had time to read. I told him I did, I read as much as I can.

We chatted and told each other what we did for work and other things. I told him that I write in my spare time. He brightened right away and started asking me questions about my writing. I told him what I could and he pitched an idea for me to work on. He wants to write a book but, the fact that he is an immigrant and English is his second language, has trouble putting words to paper. He asked me if I'd work with him.

I am very entrigued and excited. I don't know if it will go anywhere, I don't even know if we'll be able to work together. I hope it will go well though and that something will come of it, if only experience.

Writing is such a large part of my life now and the more I write, the more I want to write. I think that Gloria Steinem put it best when she said: "Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don't feel I should be doing something else."

Contact and Access

Two days ago I wrote a post about a book I'm going to buy on pay day. The next day I discovered that someone left a message on that post - Joel Rosenberg, one of the authors.

I was a little shocked and humbled at this because he is a famous writer and I am yet a nobody. To think that he took the time to look at my blog and even to leave me a short message.

At first I thought that it couldn't be him but then, after I thought about it some more, why would someone pose as him when few people even read my blog. I was going to post on his LiveJournal page and ask Mr. Rosenberg if it really was he who left me a message but then I thought that would just leave it as it is. I am satisfied in my own mind and when I've finished his book, then I'll go to his forum and tell him what I think.

The whole situation is very interesting to me. The accessibility of the internet is so widespread, we can see anything or contact anyone we choose, famous or not. I once went to David Morrell's website and left him a message about something, I can't remember what now. He wrote me a personal message back, which made me feel important. This is a man who's written more than twenty books, most of which I've read, and he took the time from his busy life to personally send me an email message.

I think back to a time before the internet; in order to contact someone famous, one had to write a letter on paper, put it in an envelope, find an address to send it to and mail it off. With the stacks of fan mail which a celebrity could possibly be receiving, the chances of being read and replied to with more than just a form letter were very slim. The time it would also take would be compounded many times compared to now.

It really is funny to think that now, we send off an email to a friend and sometimes pace, waiting for a reply if we don't hear from that person by the next day. How times have changed. I am very thankful though, for the technological advancements and the accessibility it creates.

Rain

I woke up this morning and proceeded with my daily routine which is to pour a mug of coffee and go outside on the balcony to have a cigarette. Not much ever happens before that and today was no exception.

When I opened the sliding door, I was met by a burst of fresh air and the sound of rain beating down on the leaves of the trees and the roof of my house. This made me so happy. We haven't had any rain since the beginning of June, I believe, and I missed it so.

When it rains, everything is cleansed. It washes away all the dust and dirt which builds up on those hot Summer days. Not that we get really hot days but we do get a lot of dust from the road nearby. It saturates the dry plants and soil, bringing with it a burst of new life. After the rain is finished, the sparrows are always so active; playing and having fun in the freshness of it all.

The smell is fantastic and I sat there for a moment, before lighting my cigarette, to savour the aroma of the pouring rain. There is something about that smell which brings back memories of when I was a kid, roaming around in the forest after a rainfall; all of the trees still dripping and a dampness which is not uncomfortable, but rather welcoming. My pants would be wet from the low lying bushes as I traipsed through the woods, but it was Summertime and warm so I was never concerned.

The sound is another thing which diggs up old memories. When I was young, we lived in an old farm house and my bedroom was on the top floor. It had slanted ceilings on either side to account for the slope of the roof. The house was old and not well insulated and when it would rain, I mean really rain, I would lie in bed - wrapped warm in my blankets - and just listen to the sound as the drops beat their rhythm on the rooftop overhead. To me it was the most comforting sound and on those nights I would sleep very well.

To sum this up, today I am thankful for the rain and I am glad that I live in an area of the world which doesn't have to worry too much about the lack of liquid sunshine. It is a blessing which I cherish. I have friends in different parts of the world which are suffering droughts. My wish for them is that their rain come soon, to quench their thirst.

Bookstore

When I go into any bookstore, the first place I head is to the "A's" of the novel section. There I stand and stare at the spot where my novels will find their home before they make it into readers hands. Yesterday I was in a bookstore and saw that my novels will go between Ahern and Albom. They'll fit there quite nicely. After I'm done imagining that, I go back to the top sellers and pick a nice spot for my newest novel. Then I can finally start browsing the books. I look at the titles and the authors and think to myself, "If these people can write successful novels, then so can I!"

After I make my way through the main book section, I head over to the fantasy and science fiction shelf. I am not much of a fantasy reader, I tend to go more for action, adventure novels like David Morrell and horror such as Clive Barker. I have read novels by two modern fantasy writers: Raymond E. Feist and Joel Rosenberg. I was impressed by their characters and story lines. Other fantasy novels I've tried to read have never really interested me past the first or second chapter.

When I was browsing yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Mr. Feist and Mr. Rosenburg had written a novel together. I rarely buy brand new books (even though I would want my readers to buy my new books - hypocritical I know) but first thing on payday I want to go down and buy this book. It is part of a series that Raymond E. Feist is writing, each novel with a different writing partnership. I doubt that I will buy any of the others in the series but this one has got me very excited and I can't wait to read it. It's just like waiting for a movie to come out, the anticipation builds the closer it gets! Unlike a movie though, which is over in a couple of hours, the pleasure lasts for as long as you choose to read it.

Starbucks

Tomorrow Susan starts her new job. She is going to be a Starbucks store manager again, finally. I have told her for years that she should apply at Starbucks, since the store she'd managed was closed so many years ago. She finally did it.

Susan has been working for Serious Coffee since December but it was not what she was looking for. There was not really any opportunity for advancement past what she was doing. She is the type of person who needs to be challenged and thrives with a full plate. Now she will be challenged and the advancement opportunities are limitless. She will finally be in a position where she can use all of her talents and knowledge and be recognized for it as well.

The change in her is very noticeable. Susan is so happy and excited and it thrills me to see her this way. In all of her previous jobs, the store owners have never really taken advantage of what she could do for them and as such, she got bored and frustrated. She still always gave 110% but was never recognized for it.

Susan is an incredible teacher and mentor for her employees. She takes them under her wing and teaches them everything they are capable of learning. She can read people like no one I have ever known and gives her employees confidence to bring out the best in them. She takes into account their strengths and weaknesses and teaches them to utilize them the best they can. She is also uses this ability for reading her customers. She gets to know them and personalizes each conversation, tuned to each individual. They love her for that and is one of the many reasons she is such a success.

She also has an uncanny ability to remember people's drinks. Usually after one or two visits, she can have a drink started for a customer before they even order. This impresses her them to no end. By the time she left Liberty Cafe a year ago, she knew over two hundred regular customers, their usual drinks and at least something about their personal life which was important to them such as their job, their family, their weekend plans, etc. She is simply amazing! Because of this, she has had some customers follow her to each different shop she works in.

She will be going through eight weeks of training and at the end of it she'll find out which store she gets to manage. I am so excited and happy for her. With all of her previous jobs she always seemed to get a raw deal. I know that with Starbucks she'll be happy and challenged, with an incredible support program behind her to help her attain all of her goals and objectives. Susan is an incredible individual and deserves to be in a positive environment more than anyone. I am so proud of her and know that she'll have the best run Starbucks store in Victoria, North America, even the world; that's how much I believe in her.

Racism

Yesterday I was listening to the radio and an African American celebrity was talking about his troubles with racism while in the Frankfurt airport in Germany. I didn't catch who it was but I couldn't believe the trouble he described while there. He was basically looked down upon and treated very different from everyone else. This got me thinking about my own life and situations where my family and I might be treated differently because my wife and kids are First Nations.

I tried to think of situations and circumstances that we've been in, which might be similar, but couldn't put my finger on any. I don't know if I block myself from seeing that kind of ignorance, or if it is because we live in a small city where mixed couples are very commonplace and people don't take notice to race. My hope is that the latter is the case, that our community is coming out of the dark ages and everyone is treated equally; my fear is that it's the former.

There are situations with my kids and the school system that I don't agree with and strongly express my opinion when circumstances arrive. An example of this is when they want to take my kids out of regular class to attend a First Nations program of some sort. My kids know what their heritage is and learn what they need to learn from their family. They don't need the school coming in and teaching them something they know nothing about. To me, taking them out of regular class and putting them in a "special" class because they are of Aboriginal heritage is segregation, plain and simple.

Later, when I was riding the bus on my way to work, an African American woman was running for the bus and got to the door just as the bus was pulling out. She actually knocked on the door as the bus pulled out; the bus driver pretended not to see her. At the very next stop, everyone got on the bus and the bus didn't pull out right away. A white male was running to catch a ride and the bus driver was waiting for him. That was one of the most blatant displays of racism I'd seen that I can remember. I was disgusted and still am. I should have got up and told that bus driver what I thought of him.

I don't understand how in the year 2008, ignorance still runs rampant. How can anyone of any race, think that they are superior or that others are inferior, based on the colour of their skin. People choose to turn a blind eye and think that there is no problem, but what if one chose to say something to these ignorant people when situations arise. What if their prejudice was exposed and they were made accountable for their actions. How many people would support someone speaking out to that bus driver as I should have?

It's something to think about next time you see someone being discriminated against because of their race. How would you feel if the situation was focused on you? Let's make a move to help make this world a little more livable and a lot more lovable. Everyone can make a difference.

To Tie A Neck Tie

Eric got a new suit for his graduation ceremonies. He looked very sharp in it. One night he and his friend Chris were going out and they both had their suits on. Neither of them had their ties done up and they asked me if I would help tie them properly. I went and grabbed one of my ties to give them a demonstration.

I told them to watch me and try and do what I did at the same time. I went slowly so that they could keep up, but it didn't go very well. By the time we got half way through the process, each of them had one elbow straight up in the air with their hand twisted and underneath, in a very awkward position. I laughed and told them we'd start over.

The second attempt turned out much the same way, with their arms in better knots than their ties. We decided that it would be easier if I just tied them myself and then let them put them on that way. They were very appreciative for the help and I was glad that I could oblige.

When I was young, I can remember watching my Dad tie his neck tie in the mirror. That was how I got an idea how to do it when I had to start wearing a tie for work. I had the basics down but one day my boss saw me do my tie up and laughed. He then showed me how to do it properly. Apparently I was missing a step and was just doing a loop over another loop and not a proper Windsor knot.

Now I have no trouble tying a Windsor knot and can even tie a double Windsor if I feel like it, although I usually just do a single. It's a funny thing though, I usually just leave it tied and slip it over my head. It's much easier that way.

Ambrosia Salad

When I was young and we would have family dinners, my Grandma would bring an Ambrosia Salad to add to the meal. I loved it and always looked forward to digging into it. Grandma said that it was very easy to make and that she'd found the recipe in a magazine.

Years later, after Grandma was gone, I thought about it one day and asked my Mom if she had the recipe. She said she'd take a look. When Mom found it, we discovered that it really was a simple salad. All it consists of is equal parts of pineapple, mandarin orange segments, shredded coconut, mini marshmallows and sour cream.

Susan made it a few times for family dinners and it was a real hit, at least with me and Kyle. Now it is one of our favourite treats and she makes it for us once in a while even if we're not having a big dinner. Kyle and I are the only ones who eat it in our house and we usually finish it in a day or two.

When Kyle was younger, we couldn't tell him what was in it because if he found out that there was sour cream, he probably wouldn't touch it again. Now he thinks it's funny because he knows the ingredients and doesn't really care for any of them but together it's a masterpiece.

We still have it at every family dinner and every time we do, I think of my Grandma. I'm so glad that she brought Ambrosia Salad into our lives and I'm thankful that it helps me to hold onto her memory.

Turtles

The other day we went for a walk around Beacon Hill Park. It was a beautiful day! First we visited the petting zoo. The goats are so much fun. No piglets from the pot-belly pig though, they are just waiting to see if she's pregnant. If she is, then she's due sometime in August.

After we finished with the zoo, we started walking around the ponds, looking at all the ducks. There were lots of little ducklings which are so cute. So many people were feeding the ducks though, ignoring the signs posted everywhere telling them not to. I guess they figure that they know better. It always brings around the crows and sea-gulls as well. One crow was standing beside a pond with a big piece of bread in its beak which made it look like he was trying to feed the ducks too. Wish I had my camera.

We'd been told that there are turtles living in the ponds at the park but we'd never seen any before. We thought it was just one of those stories that people tell, an urban legend. We were just about done with the ducks and were on our way to get some ice cream from the Beacon Drive Inn, when I looked over by the water and there stood a turtle beside a little bush. At first I thought it was an ornament but when I walked toward it, into the water it went. I couldn't believe how big it was! Probably close to a foot long from head to tail. We stood by the side of the pond and watched it swim under some pond grass and it was gone. Then we decided to back track and caught sight of it again. It swam under the bridge we were standing on and over to the other side. It was so cool. Now we can spread the story that, yes, there are turtles in Beacon Hill Park.

Done with the turtles, it was time for a treat, so we made our way to the Drive Inn and got ourselves some cones; all the while discussing how incredible it was to see the turtles among the ducks. Next time we're there, we'll have to keep our eyes open to spy some more turtles.

Water Fountain

If you read my Office Space post, you'll see that I have a water fountain in my Zen Corner. I would like to tell you about that now in a new post, because it is a very special fountain.

When our kids were young, we would go to the beach, or go for hikes and they would always come back with rocks and shells. Some were large and some were small. They usually stayed at our front door for a time, until they made it into a box or on a window ledge somewhere in the house. We kept all the one's which were important to the kids because that was important to us. We actually had a plastic box where we ended up keeping a lot of them.

The kids got older and stopped bringing rocks home. We did however, keep the box of rocks around. How could we throw away anything which meant so much to them when they were little. They were gifts to us.

This box of rocks and shells kicked around our house for years. Sometimes it was added to and sometimes taken away -- I remember some of the rocks got painted. Most of the time it just sat in a corner, waiting for its time to come.

I got an idea one day to make a water fountain for Susan, from the kids for Mother's Day. I got a bowl and a pump and then set all of the rocks and shells in the bowl. Susan loved it. It was a perfect way to preserve those wonderful rocks.

In our old place, we didn't really have much room for it, so it got stuck in a corner and forgotten about. When I found it, I knew exactly where it should go once we moved, and there it sits, softly gurgling away.

It has such a peaceful sound and diffuses other noises in the house. The best thing about it though is that it came from our kids and is a cherished gift.

Balcony Bar-B-Que

Our new residence has two balconies which is a very useful feature to us. The smaller balcony, which is off of our living room, we use for our deep freezer (the other one has no outlet) and we also have a large wooden shelf for all of my tools and storage etc. We rarely go out on that one except when we need something.

The other balcony, which is much larger, has two sliding doors; one coming from our dining room and the other off of my office. The only things we have on that one is a bench, a small table and our bar-b-que. There is an empty lot overlooking our balcony, full with trees and foliage which diffuse a lot of the noise from the busy road and the navy base on the other side. At night we hear dear rummaging around in the bushes and during the day there are squirrels and birds galore. We go out there every morning to sit and have our coffee -- it's beautiful. It is mostly covered so we can sit out there comfortably when it's raining. I have a couple of planters and plan to have some flowers to brighten it up a bit. The nice thing is that it doesn't get direct sunlight until about three o'clock in the afternoon so it stays cool on hot days. It is a perfect spot, a sanctuary, to sit and visit and forget that we live near the city.

Because the balcony is so big and is located near our kitchen, it makes the perfect spot for cooking on the bar-b-que and we try to do that as much as possible. Our grill is nothing fancy and very old but it does the trick. We can fit just enough food for our family on it at one time, although if we have company we usually have to do some cooking indoors as well.

The best thing to cook on the bar-b-que, I think, is steak. When they are grilled just right, seared and flipped only once, they are tender and juicy, practically melting in your mouth. Our whole family likes their steaks cooked on the rare side so that makes it easy. A bit of HP sauce, some salad and potatoes, maybe a vegetable, and we have a quick and simple gourmet meal. I like to cook other things on the grill like salmon, burgers and smokies, chicken and ribs. All of these are delicious but steak will always be my favorite!

Office Space

My office is now finished! It's painted, all of my books are out, my desk is set up and I have a table and a reading couch. Everything is perfect.

We painted it blue which is very relaxing and comfortable. I hung the painting of Kyoto, which my friend painted. I also hung my map of the Universe, the history of my family name and the clock which Laura made in tech ed last year.



I have two book shelves with which to display most of my books (there's still two boxes under the stairs). I have a lot of mystery and horror compilations along with many novels and classic books; enough to keep me reading for years! On top of the shelves I have various items which I've collected and are special to me including a carved chest made in Haiti and a beer stein I bought when I was in Germany.





I set up the cabinet with much of my Coca-Cola collection (three boxes still under the stairs). I put the smaller items on display and kept the larger items in storage. The cans as well because they tend to spring leaks every now and then.



My desk is huge and has two big drawers, one of which doubles as a filing cabinet. On top of my desk I store all of my reference, writing and language books, and a couple of other special ones. I also have my writing box, my computer and a collage picture frame of my family. The printer is also set up beneath.



I have a dresser on which I have displayed my "Zen Corner". There is a water fountain, a Buddha board, an ornamental bonsai tree, a mini Zen garden and a few ornaments. I love to have the fountain running, it's so peaceful.



There is a table in the corner of the room which we can take out and put in the kitchen when company comes for dinner. I use it for a writing desk or when I'm dealing with papers. In front of that is a love seat which I use to sit and read.

Everything I need is here in my office. I am so glad we moved so that I could have this space for my writing. It really makes a difference! I always felt before that I was disturbing the family when I was working on my writing -- now I have a place to go.

Eric's Grad

I've been putting this off for a while because Eric was so resistant to the whole thing. You see, Eric had his recognition ceremonies at the end of June and was not very thrilled with any of it, although he did warm up to it in the end.



First he had his Aboriginal Recognition Ceremony at S. J. Willis. It was a dinner event but each Grad could only invite two people. He got a certificate recognizing his journey and sticking with school until the end. It is a very great achievement in the Aboriginal community and one to be proud of. What a handsome young man! He loves wearing his new suit!



The next week he had his Esquimalt High School recognition ceremony which was at the UVic auditorium. It was so great to see my son, up there with all of the other Grads, waiting to walk up and receive his certificate. It made me so proud! He was so nervous because it was such a big event in a huge venue but he went through with it anyway. He also wasn't too impressed with having to wear a gown. My only disappointment is that the pictures I took didn't turn out very well.





A few nights after this was the Grad dinner and dance. Eric was dead set on not going to it but decided to at the last minute. Unfortunately it was assigned seating and he ended up sitting at a table with a bunch of people that he did't know very well. He said that he still had a great time though and was glad that he went.



You can't imagine how proud we are of our son. It seems like just yesterday we were dragging him off to kindergarten, kicking and screaming. Not really, but he wasn't too impressed when he started having to go to school. He didn't understand why he had to go to school and the other kids got to stay home with Mom and Dad. He would much rather stay home with everyone else. He has grown so much though and has moulded into a fine young man. He has the biggest heart and still wants to be a kid. He is going out now and doing what he needs to do to be in the world of adults. I know how he feels, I've never wanted to grow up either. I hope he never looses that!

Laura's New Room

A few days ago, Laura's Gramma, my Mom, came down to decorate Laura's room with her. It was part of Mom's birthday present to her. The two of them got busy right away painting wall decorations and sewing curtains and pillows. Mom had brought a whole bunch of light green material and a can of spray paint because one of Laura's favorite things is turtles.



Once they had done a few things and talked through what they were going to do, they hopped in the car to buy some curtain rods. They came back with the rods, plus a cool mozaic mirror they'd found.



They worked very hard all morning so at 12:30 I made them lunch; grilled cheese sandwiches and soup. After lunch they got right to it again. Mom had dinner plans so they were on a time limit to get everything done.



They put up curtains on the window and also a set over her closet. We'd previously painted Laura's room a light purple and the green looked perfect with it.



They got it all done in time for Mom to leave for her dinner that Mom and Dad were invited to. Mom had originally wanted to come down the day before and then stay the night but Laura had to work that day.



It was so neat to see the two of them doing something that they love, together. They are both very crafty ladies and love making things. They each always have some sort of project that they are working on and it was special to see them working on something together. I hope that they can get together with their ideas on other occasions and see what they can come up with.

BMX

The other day, Kyle and I went down to a bike shop and he bought a brand new BMX bike. He'd saved all of his birthday money and his allowance and then we pitched in some as part of his birthday present.

It took him about three minutes, once we were in the bike shop, to pick out the bike he wanted -- no fooling around with him! It was the one he wanted though and he's very happy with his purchase.

We got it home and he went out for a ride right away. When he got home, quite a few hours later, I asked him how his ride was. He showed me his freshly scraped up elbow and hands and said that he was very sore. I asked him if he hurt his new bike and he laughed and said that his bike was fine. He told me that he was riding down the road and came up to a set of railroad tracks which crossed the road at an angle. He kept going straight while his bike decided to follow the tracks. I laughed in spite of myself because I remember doing exactly the same thing when I was a kid.

Vacation

I was on vacation for eight days and yesterday I went back to work. It was not so bad. Sometimes when we have time off and then go back to work, it seems as though we had no time off at all. Not so with this vacation.

I was very busy through the whole thing. My last day of work, we had everyone over for cake -- sorry pie which is Kyle's preference -- and ice cream to celebrate birthdays. Then Laura had her basket dance ceremony which took up a whole day. I had various things to do around the house which kept me busy on top of that. We also went camping which took up three days. It seems like I didn't stop and when it was all over and I went back to work, I felt rested! It was a very good vacation.

I work now until the beginning of August before I take any more time off. I can only hope that my holidays go as smoothly or that I feel as rested at the end of it, as I did with this last one.

In two more years I'll have five weeks of vacation per year! That will be very nice. But for now, four weeks does me just fine. What I would really like is if I could retire from my job and write full time before I get that fifth week. It is possible. My writing feels different to me right now and I am coming along at a good pace with my novel. I also have a new novel idea brewing which I can't wait to get started on. One project at a time though, to keep my motivation up.

Camping

On July 2, Laura and I went camping at Goldstream. The two of us went out early to set up camp and then back to town to see if the boys would come. The boys had other plans and Susan doesn't camp (not until we get a trailer anyway) so it was just the two of us. We got the rest of our food and supplies and went back to the campsite. By that time it was dinnertime and we started a fire and roasted smokies over the flame. We were going to have hamburgers but we forgot them at home in the freezer, oops. After dinner we cleaned up and went to the meeting place to hear a nature talk about beavers which was very interesting. Then we came back to camp, tossed the frisbee around for a bit and then took a walk down to the river. We ended up taking our sandals off and put our feet in the water which was very refreshing. There were little black birds flying around catching bugs to eat. I took a picture of the waterfall and recorded the sound of it to send to Susan with my phone. The picture turned out great. It was starting to get dark so we headed back up to the cam for hot chocolate and marshmallows roasted over the fire. Our fire was sad (my first campfire of the year usually is) so we turned in for the night.



We woke early the next day and had coffee and tea, then we each went and had a shower. We were both hungry by then so we started cooking breakfast -- pancakes and fried eggs. We cleaned up and then took a walk down to the gate house to pay for another night of camping. We walked back along the river trail rather than the road on the way back to the campsite, which was beautiful. Laura changed and we walked down to the falls where she went for a dip in the river. We found a dead crayfish and then we noticed a live one nearby. There was no one else down there for most of the time but then a bunch of people came and it got crowded so we decided to go. We went back to the campsite and sat around for a bit before we fried up a couple of smokies for lunch. Then we went for a hike. We were planning on just a short little hike so we didn't even bring any food or water. Bad choice because we ended up being gone for almost four hours!



The hike was great fun to start with, going down the river looking for the old prospectors trail. We spent a great deal of time crossing the river back and forth, walking on stones which were up out ot the water. At one point we got stuck and had to cross the river but there weren't enough stepping stones so we had to back track. That was when we scared a crayfish. He was ready to fight me so I got a small stick which he grabbed onto and I pulled him onto a rock so that I could take some pictures. It was very cool. He was quite a fighter! I let him go back to his home and we continued on our way, still looking for the prospectors trail, which we couldn't seem to find. We ended up coming out at the highway where we found a map. It didn't look like it would be too far to the Goldstream Park picknick area so on we plodded.



We did end up finding the trail we were looking for, but a look on a map showed us that we still had one and a half kilometers to the picknick area -- and we were hot, tired and thirsty. It would have been further for us to return to the camp so we made our way to our original destination where we could drink from the water fountain and have a good rest.

Rested and re-hydrated, we decided to just walk along the highway, it was much quicker and easier than negotiating trails. I couldn't believe though, how much crap people throw out of their vehicles on the highway. We could literally stand on a new piece of garbage with every other step.

We crossed the highway under a bridge but had to cross the river once more but couldn't find a way across. We almost gave up and just walked through with bare feet but it didn't come to that -- we found enough stones to get us across and on we continued. We found a large trail which is actually a utility road that brought us right back to the camp grounds. Three hours and forty-five minutes! We both thought we'd collapse before we made it. Training for Mt. Finlayson, we said. Tired and starving, we started a fire and roasted -- you guessed it -- smokies!

We went to the meeting place where they were talking about ravens and crows. We thought that was fitting because we were waken that morning by a raven. The talk was very interesting; they are very smart birds! Afterwards we came back to camp to start another fire but Laura was laughing at me, saying that I was walking like Frankenstein. (During our hike that day, about half way through it, I developed a small cramp in the top of my right calf. I didn't want to bother Laura with it so I walked through it. By the time evening came I could barely walk on it and only then if I kept my leg completely straight.) We roasted marshmallows and drank hot chocolate, using up the remainder of our firewood, then headed to the tent for our second sleep of camping.




At six-fifteen, some fool with a car and his radio too loud woke us up. I managed to go back to sleep until seven when nature called my hot chocolate back. I was happy too, that my leg was feeling better; the sleep did it good. Laura got up half an hour later and we made coffee and tea again and instant oatmeal for breakfast.

After breakfast we broke down camp in record time -- twenty minutes! Then we drove down to the Goldstream picknick area and walked down to the nature house to end our wonderful camping trip. We found out that we'd seen a kingfisher on the river the day before. Laura also bought a book of birds. We walked to the car and drove back to civilization, the perfect end to a great camping trip!

Basket Dance

Yesterday we had a very exciting event in our family. Laura was part of a basket dance ceremony, one which marks her crossing from a child to a young woman in the First Nations Tradition.

Each morning for four days before the ceremony, Laura had to get up just after dawn and go have a bath in Goldstream River. She was then not allowed to nap for the rest of the day and she was also to keep busy and helpful to her family.

The ceremony was amazing and I wish that I could describe it here but is is very sacred and is not to be talked about to those not involved directly.

The young people were then talked to by elders who explaining the purpose of the ceremony to them.

After it was all done, everyone went to the dining hall for a feast and time of visiting.

It was incredible and I am so grateful that my children can have the opportunity to be a part of their heritage. There is so much care and family orientation put into something like this and you would never know unless you were directly involved. I consider myself to be very lucky to be a part of it.