Judy Price is Writing

This summer has seen absolutely perfect cottage weather!

Unfortunately, a lakeside retreat has not been possible for me, which has motivated me to discover other activities of interest.

When not hiking in woods, I have taken to air and water to pursue these passions.

Flying an Ultralight aircraft, although fun, is not nearly as free and peaceful as soaring 2000 feet above the earth with a bird’s eye perspective of the 360 degree horizon, feeling only air currents beneath me as they lift me higher, carrying me into the heavens.

Hang gliding provided me a rare glimpse of what life as a peregrine falcon could be!

Sailing on water, as well as in air, soothed my soul this summer.

Learning to manoeuvre a 36 foot Beneteau whet my appetite for future sea adventures.

As I watched vast expanses of water before me in perpetual motion and heard lapping waves against the boat, I relished every moment.

I am reminded of that saying in life, “I cannot control the wind.  I can only adjust the sails.”

Enjoy the ride!

May 21st felt like summer, unlike the previous Saturday.

On that day, a very misty spring accompanied my hike from Fort Erie along the Niagara River to the Falls.

I hadn’t been in that area for a few years, nor approached Niagara Falls from that direction on foot before.

Being able to hear the roar and yet not see the rushing waterfalls, I felt a little disappointed I must admit. 

No matter how many times I have encountered these same Horseshoe Falls throughout my lifetime, on various occasions during every season and time of day or rainbow-lit night, their magnificence always thrills me.

This particular time there were other sights to capture my attention.

An old railway bridge arose from the mist as I passed by.

Pale and saffron daffodils, crimson scarlet tulips, along with milky pink magnolias delighted and surprised me as I came upon them in all of their glorious array.

These wonders of nature unfolding their magnificence before me in mid-May, were living proof that late bloomers are well worth the wait  . . . .

Where do I begin?

My week in the sun gave me more than I anticipated.

All four elements were experienced simultaneously.

Earth under my feet, fire from the sun, water overhead from passing clouds or in the sea, and air continually embracing me with warm breezes.

My eldest and her delightful company provided me the rare opportunity to connect with her and experience our relationship in a new enlightened way.

I will not get any more personal than that in my writing here, just to say a wonderful soul entered our lives enabling us to find our way to peace and understanding.

What more could I want from one week?

The inner voice I mentioned in my last post was more difficult to hear on this trip than I had imagined.

There were distractions.

One moment on the beach reminded me of the words I had last written and ironically it occurred on my last day there.

That evening the voice I heard was outer rather than inner and I believe those words were also gifts from God . . . .

Sun, Sea and Sand

This morning the news of an 8.9 magnitude earthquake that created a subsequent tsunami which devastated a vast territory of Japan greeted me.

Now the impact of a radiation leak in the cooling system of a reactor in a nuclear power facility on the island is also of grave concern.

With man-made violence creating bloodshed in Libya, and a murderous natural disaster occurring in Japan, all is not well in this world.

My thoughts and prayers are with those affected, while focusing on a Japanese tourist I met when I visited a glacier in Alaska last year.

I wonder how he and his loved ones are dealing with these events.   

He did not speak English well and I have no knowledge of his native tongue, yet his radiant smile and offer to snap my photo in front of the wall of ice, while I returned the favour, spoke volumes of appreciative and unexpected kindness.

I am very glad to see him in one of my pictures.

Putting a personal face on tragedy heightens our global connectedness. 

Japanese tourist at Portage Glacier in Alaska September 2010

It seems that the past few times I have been trying to find some balance outdoors, the damp cold seeps in and chills me to the bone. 

My immune system then becomes compromised, allowing a virus to take hold.

Before Christmas it was a sinus flu whose lingering after-effects took a very long time to dissipate; this past week the stomach flu, whose course is thankfully briefer .

As I have no choice when illness occurs, I give in to it.

During recuperation, as I regain my strength, the investigative tendency to track my own behaviour to determine where, when and how I might have picked up the ‘bug’ kicks in.

I begin by looking at the length of incubation normally required for a certain type of virus to grow.  Then I count backwards from the appearance of my first symptoms.

Based on where I was at that time I ‘guess’ how I was exposed.  Then I try to determine what I can do differently in the future to avoid a re-occurrence.

What can I say, other than I have an ‘analytical’ mind.

This particular time it seems ironic to me that I was with naturalists who were teaching ’tracking’ skills in the snow.

I not only learned that I am continually observing connections in our natural world, I also realized that my investigative mind is always ‘tracking’ my own behaviour, along with the unwanted microscopic organisms that choose to inhabit my being at various times!

Tracks in the snow   

As a blizzard whitens this cityscape,  my thoughts turn to another Snow City, this one a popular cafe in Alaska.

Of course the temperature on sunny September 5th in Anchorage was far above the minus double digits experienced here today!

One of the local men, a few evenings prior, had given me a tip on how to avoid the long wait to get a table at the diner, provided I wouldn’t mind sitting at the counter for breakfast.

As a single, and used to eating lunch and dinner at various bar counters throughout my stay, breakfast in this same fashion was eagerly anticipated.

I enjoy conversing with whoever happens to be on either side of me when I am seated at a bar/counter, especially when the person is an entertaining and interesting man.

This meal proved to be no exception.

After lining up behind two male tourists, a counter seat became vacant.  When neither man moved to take it for himself, I asked politely if either would mind if I grabbed it.

When they realized that I was there alone and not waiting for two seats together as they were, they both apologetically ushered me to the counter before anyone else behind me could take the coveted spot.

I thought to myself, too bad they couldn’t have sat on either side of me, attractive and ‘gentlemen’ as they were!

However, after ordering a deliciously huge breakfast which I patiently waited for to indulge my appetite, a very friendly man sat beside me, and immediately began a conversation.

He had flown from Fairbanks to Anchorage for the day before heading back.

As he was interested in learning my story, I shared that I was divorced and single, which motivated him to reveal photos of his lovely family.  He is a happily married Utah resident.

While enjoying a friendly and funny breakfast hour, I do believe he was sincere when he unexpectedly volunteered his opinion that any man, including my former husband, was a ‘fool’ to let me go!

As it turns out, being a pilot with a major airline, he was waiting to fly the aircraft back to the lower 48.  This was his regular route when in Alaska.  

After more enlightening exchanges, which accompanied my delicious meal, I was ready to depart.

When I walked away from  Snow City Cafe, my body, mind and soul were all very well-fed!  

Last summer, my first full day in Alaska involved encounters with moose; four of them to be exact.  One bull calf, two cows and one bull on the Coastal Trail.

Thankfully during this time, I was on a bicycle.  At least I felt safer on a bike.

Being alone, and cycling along as I turned around a curve on the trail, I really don’t know who was more surprised!

Me or the bull calf moose who was to the left of me and advancing toward me.

We both kept going as his ears perked up, and all of a sudden he turned around in front of me and scampered speedily into the bush where his mother was feeding.

I cycled past and turned my head to see them both amidst the trees. 

I contemplated stopping to take a picture of them, and then remembered what I had been warned the day previously.

Moose can kill a person with one kick of the leg!

I was glad he had found his mother instead of passing in front of me.

Then she would have come out of hiding to find him, and that is not an encounter I care to think of!

As I carried on, not far from my destination I saw a female moose or cow walking in the same direction as me on the same side of the trail.

To my left I also glimpsed a pair of bull moose antlers among the trees.

This time I stopped, readied my camera and snapped two photos of her.

When she had joined her mate on the other side of the trail I pondered whether to continue on or turn back, when another cyclist appeared behind me.

He had not yet seen a moose on the trail, so when I told him about the four I had encountered, he was eager to continue hoping to snap a shot.

I followed him until the remaining trail took its toll on me and my bike which had ‘flat’ tires! 

Now I love to hike, but not with a bike in tow.  When I realized that I had two more uphill miles to go like this, having already cycled nine, I decided to turn around.

The mostly downhill nine miles back were fast and fun!

Until I got to town when I needed to go slowly uphill once again to get to the bicycle rental shop.

That is when I had the brilliant idea to walk the bike the rest of the way.

As I stopped and stepped off the bicycle onto the sidewalk, which was soaking wet due to an overflow from an ‘overhead hanging-basket plant watering machine’, I slipped and fell scraping my knee!

Bleeding, dirty and wet from both water and sweat after biking eighteen miles, I was subdued to say the least!

Welcome to my first day in the Last Frontier. . .

On the last day of 2010 I decided to walk across the Toronto Islands from one end to the other and back, which is only a total of about 7 miles for those who aren’t familiar with this area.

Even though the 31st of December was a mild day with drizzle after consistently below-freezing temperatures and snow, for some inexplicable reason I had it in my mind that I needed to wear my waterproof snow boots for this venture.

After crossing to the islands by ferry, as I looked around at the barren ground I quickly realized that my feet would have been fine in my trail shoes.

Too late now and no turning back!

The last time I wore these Sorels was when they were in snowshoes one year ago, and that was quite the workout I recall.  On this day they provided no less exercise for my legs!

As I set out along the path overlooking the lake, I was determined to find snow, or at least hoping to see some ice on the lake, or even on the shoreline rocks.  It is winter after all.

Hearing the waves lapping against the shore was not as comforting a sound as it normally would be.

Then I saw a few ice-blanketed rocks in the lake and later from a more inland perspective overlooking a view of the Toronto skyline, I witnessed some fragmented ice covering the water. 

I am posting a photo of each, not because this was so beautiful a sight, but rather to prove to myself later that there was indeed ice to be seen!

Since I was wearing my waterproof boots, I enjoyed splashing in every puddle I could find.   

Besides, the Canadian geese droppings needed washing off!  But that is a story for another time.