I am a history person: I cannot resist learning about the past. So it was with pleasure that I noticed, as I drove east from Summerland, a sign indicating a point of historic interest. It seemed a good place to stop, so I found myself wandering around the site of the Last Spike. Later in the journey, east of Thunder Bay, Bern and I stopped in at the memorial to Terry Fox. I enjoyed both of these immensely, despite their brevity. It's always interesting to reflect about what spirits may be nearby, and how they came to be in that place in the past. I probably have felt that feeling most intensely when at the sites of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec City or at Batoche in Saskatchewan, and Bernie and I also stopped at the Agawa pictographs in northern Ontario: so many spirits nearby. Anyway, as each juncture of a person's life passes, history is an interesting contemplation, whether political, social, or personal.

And it is on that note that I will answer a question several people have asked: are you going back to BC to work? The short answer is no. The long answer, for those into detail and reasons, is that while I enjoyed working at The Glenfir School, and became very fond of many of my colleagues and students, there were reasons not to return. One important one was financial: while Bern and I had contemplated a move west, if the circumstances were conducive, we discovered that the Okanagan Valley has become prohibitively expensive. We just couldn't afford a house, despite my good job. To move across a country, you need to be advancing, and the move would have set us back financially for a considerable time to come. Another reason was that we have three children in the east; granted, our son is going to university this fall in another province, but it's easier to hop on a plane to visit him than to move lock, stock and barrel. A third reason, although this was slightly less important, was the prospective teaching assignment. I would have had to teach grades four through ten English; I am really a senior teacher. I like the scholarship, or at least the potential for scholarship, in grades nine through twelve. Because of the demographics of the school, I would have had to take on the challenge of grades four through six, and to be honest, that proposition did not appeal. I had taught grades five and six drama, with some effect, but I am more skilled with older children (although my grades seven through nine this year were fun).

Anyway, for all of these reasons, I have come home. Now, where home will be remains to be seen: while Bernie and I like Gatineau, we are also interested in buying more land and in "gentleman farming", so to speak. He and I share this interest, so are looking at different possible locales, including in the Hawkesbury-Cornwall-Brockville belt south of Ottawa, and of course, in my beloved Saskatchewan.

Winter isn't a good enough reason not to go somewhere. I never thought I'd say that, since I am not a big fan of cold, and with my bum knees, don't find it easy to walk in winter on the rough surfaces of ice...but I suppose, in the future, that perhaps I will be fortunate enough to balance between life in the Canadian spring, summer, and fall, and perhaps a more tropical winter. We still have a home in Belize... but enough speculation. I am trying to learn that wherever you are, there you are, and to take each pleasure in the present moment. That includes this moment, now, writing about what might happen and what has happened. Time to re-read Eckhart Tolle...

I have just finished sorting through two hundred pictures. I took them during my journey east, and will share some when I can, but right now for some reason the blog is having trouble uploading. In the meantime, let me give you a word view of our journey, and thank you to those who have written to let me know you're still reading!

On June 27 I worked until the early afternoon at the Glenfir School, where we were proofreading final report cards. Then, with fond goodbyes to my colleagues, I set out east over the Rogers pass, a journey I had taken a few weeks previously so I knew what to expect. Tired, I found a hotel in Calgary late that night and set off again on Saturday morning (my second daughter's 20th birthday) and drove to Three Hills, AB to visit friends. I had a delightful time with them and then continued my drive, revelling in the beauty of summer in the prairies. I just love the colours and the open feeling of the plains...and I stopped for the night in the town of Kindersley, Sask., before driving on to sister Andrea's in Saskatoon on the Sunday. I arrived in before noon, and later that afternoon our parents and brother Robin arrived in from their equally lengthy drive from Fort St. John/Whitelaw. Accompanying them was my delightful great-niece, Mary Jane Daisy D. So the visiting began! I have several dear and lifelong friends in the area, and was able to see all but Fraser, who is currently on Bahá'í pilgrimage in Haifa.

One highlight was spending time with some other visitors. Ed and Leanne had come from B.C. along with her brother Rocky and wife Linda, to enjoy the 100th anniversary of the town of Asquith. I had lived there briefly in the '70s, and spent Friday evening there, including a short visit with David, Susan and their daughter, and a hello to Ken and Eleanor. Then I drove out to Eagle Creek to spend the evening at a campsite with Keith, Dale and Ailsa and their daughter Aleta. Just before Aleta went to sleep, Keith (who is a wonderful musician) played a prayer on his guitar and Dale and I harmonized as we sang a song of the Bab. At the end of the prayer, Aleta made her feelings known, with a delighted "Yay!" Amen.

The weekend included more music, short visits with musician Garry and my musical-artist nephew Tim. Both are going to be famous for their music...and I will be the first to buy their CDs. The weekend also included an opportunity to lunch with Sally and buy pottery from her very talented husband Ken. I had also spent time with Lorenzo, Mary and their children Yannick and Charlotte...quelle joie!

Bernie arrived by plane on Tuesday. We spent the afternoon with friends, including Kim, Vicky, and Pamela...and Steve's brother Bill and wife Tracy had also arrived. You can see that Andrea was kept very busy entertaining us all...and on Wednesday we left for a cottage at Middle Lake, where we were joined by Arnold, Junia, and for a while, their son Calixte. My husband and my nephew Mitchell were both delighted to catch some fish...and although the rain was omnipresent, I enjoyed watching the hummingbird feed at the birdfeeder outside the screened in porch.

On Friday morning Bern and I set out east. It was a marathon drive but I took pictures to my heart's content, especially of the prairie landscape, the canola in full bloom. We stopped briefly for a rest at the memorial to Terry Fox. Do you all know who this Canadian hero was? If not, look him up...and I'll perhaps share a picture of the site. I was very moved. And we kept moving...it is a very long way from Thunder Bay to the Sault Ste. Marie. They don't call it Lake Superior for nothing. We took the time for a short rest at the site of the Agawa pictographs, where Bernie climbed the steep hills and rocks down to the lake and took a couple of pictures of these ancient testaments. We continued through a very long day and ended up doing a night time push home, driving from just east of Nipigon, ON to home, about 1500 km. in a day that began at 8 a.m. and finished just after midnight.

I have arrived to find my garden lovely but in need of weeding, and lots of work to do in the house to unpack from a year in British Columbia. One of the first things I did was to hang new paintings: a mandala by artist Margaret Bremner, a painting purchased from my student Derrill A. so that I will have a beautiful memory of the Okanagan beauty, and the batik my daughter brought me from Rwanda last year. I am in a freshly painted blue room and surrounding myself with lilies...and my children, all home for supper.

I am grateful to God and to all who have touched my path with love and beauty. Now let's see if I can share a picture or two. The one of me, by the way, has been cropped for decency...I was at the South Saskatchewan River for a swim with Andrea, Dad, Mary Jane, and some friends, and I had removed the straps of my bathing suit...so here I am. I am also including some photos of the prairies and Ontario, and friends and family...but will have to do so in several posts, because I can't arrange them the way I want in one post. So, till next time...I am off to make pie for my children.