The Spectacular North Country

Over the past few days Don and I went up to Sault Ste. Marie. We had a great time and many interesting adventures...

We left Brampton at 5:00 am so we could catch the boat, the Chewcheman, from Tobermory at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula to Manitoulin Island. We arrived in good time and ate a wonderful breakfast of bacon and eggs as the waves were getting higher and higher and the water was very rough. We loved watching the boat rise and fall and rise and fall, crashing into the waves. All we kept saying was, "wow" and "cool". We were doing well until about 45 minutes before docking when were both said that breakfast was repeating just too much and, as you guessed it, I walked to the washroom with the barf bag in my hand and used it as I walked into the washroom! My mistake was getting up and walking around the ship. I found out later that staying sitting down is the best thing for the stomach. Oh, well, a lesson learned. Don did better than I - he stayed sitting down and we docked just in time!

Driving the Trans Canada was an experience. It was as if lines were drawn because one minute it was fine and the next it was snowing, then raining, then sleet, then nothing, then snow, and on and on it went. We stopped at a picnic spot for a break and noticed that the whole front of the car and the antenna were covered in about 3-4 cm of snow ice. I just had to take a picture since where we stopped had no snow but we had a very thick coating of snow on the front of the car.

We got up early the following morning to make sure we boarded the train in plenty of time. It was a dull rainy day and I was feeling a little ripped off; however, once the train started rolling out of the station I was looking forward to seeing what little bit of autumn was left in the canyon. We paid extra to sit in the dome car and going north we were up top. We were on the last car on the train. The further north we went the more snow we started to see. We no longer saw autumn, bit winter! It was an amazing sight, especially when Don opened the back door and I could take all kinds of great pictures out the back of the train. A couple of my pictures show the motion of the train.

When we arrived in the canyon there must have been up to 30 cm of snow (1 foot). It was a a wet, heavy snow. It was a cross between rain and snow falling and I got very wet. We did a short hike to two of the falls and Don spent time watching the trains and the switching of the engines. We ended the day thrilled with the landscapes we saw and excited that we saw a snippet of winter. I will need to go back sometime sooner on the season to see fall another time...

On our way back the boat did a lot of rocking again, but I am pleased to announce that my stomach held strong - probably because I refused to eat anything all day until after we got off the boat. We ate lunch in Wiarton and took our time going home by driving along Lake Huron through all the small towns. It so puts me in the mood for a cottage! Yes, Cathy, dream away...

Couldn't Sleep - Too Much on My Mind

I have been thinking a lot about the school shootings that have been happening lately...

When I watched the coverage of the shooting in Quebec, especially the part where students were running away from the school to get away from the shooter, my mind went back to over 30 years ago. I couldn't help but cry, as if reliving the experience all over again.

It seems so surreal, as if the whole thing happened to someone else, and some of my memories are sketchy. I don't know for sure what I really saw or heard...

I remember being late from french class because I had a presentation. I know, I know, so often we say if only this had or had not happened, but in my case it is so true. I remember coming down the stairs during lunch time and seeing a deserted hallway. I opened the door and looked down the hallway. I saw a line of blood pools. A head popped out of the cafeteria and a hand signalled me to go away. Confusion and a feeling of doom came over me as I went back up the stairs and went outside. I saw people scrambling out of the home-ec classroom windows.

I remember feeling scared and concerned about finding all my friends and family. I stood at the front of the school in disbelief as rumours and facts became known to me. I am thankful to the Kerrs for coming to the school in search of all the SA kids and they drove us all home.

I remember arriving home and mom flying out of the house and how all I could say was, "We don't know where David is." I remember waiting, watching, feeling scared. I was glued to the television and the newspapers as they covered the event, hearing the personal stories and feeling concerned for classmates who had been shot.

I remember hearing MS's sister coming over the PA system on the morning we all returned to school apologizing on behalf of her family and thinking that it wasn't her fault so why would she feel she had to apologize.

I remember that a piece of my locker had been replaced and thinking it was a good thing I was late for lunch. God was looking out for me.

I remember being at camp the following summer and having a sudden feeling of dread and my heart pounding when a tire popped. It made me wonder if maybe I had heard some of the shooting afterall, maybe even the last shot.

It is hard to believe this ever happened in our quiet town. As a teacher in the same school district it amazes me how few people know that the shooting ever occurred. That shooting influenced so much in Ontario society - a gun registry and lock down procedures we are expected to practice today. Recently I was watching a brief CBC coverage of the first high school shooting in Canada - the one at BCSS. CBC is working on a special of the shooting. I imagine I will glued to it again....

10 Things You May Not Know About Me...

Sorry, Barbara, this has taken so long. Too much thinking...

1. If I couldn't be a teacher I would love to work in a zoo. I am fascinated by animals, especially polar bears, penguins, beavers, whales, and owls.

2. I love having my back rubbed. The sad thing is that it happens so seldom because Don hates rubbing my back!

3. My ultimate vacation dream would be to go on a cruise to the Antarctica.

4. I love the taste of veal, but have refused to eat it since I found out how veal meat is "made".

5. I am a rebel environmentalist at heart but have a hard time reconciling what would be best for the environment and the reality of cost...

6. I would like to travel through Europe and retrace the steps of Canadian battalions during the World Wars and discover my family history.

7. I am fascinated by the Royal family and its history.

8. If I had the money I would Iike to have a cottage somewhere rustic up in Haliburton somewhere... a place that could be low maintenance... Anyone want to buy me one?

9. I would love to get my Master's degree but I have too many other things I want to experience...like... get my pilot's licence, get my visual arts diploma, sky diving, scuba diving... and the list goes on. Life has so much to offer...

10. It would be wonderful to do a teacher exchange to Australia or New Zealand, or teach for a year in the Arctic.

I thought of another one...

11. I am a reflective person. I have written poems as a way to reflect on my life experiences and my love for God.