Remedy for a Funk

I have to admit being in a bit of a funk over the last few days. I think a whole lot of things have come together to cause me to have this wobble: Susan's death, the fact that my Dad isn't well, some rough times for a number of people around me, and the precarious state of the world in general. I fear so much for our planet's survival. One thing that sustains me though is seeing or hearing a beautiful work of art. It reminds me that if humans have it in us to create something of such beauty and positive power, then we have it in us to find a way of bringing peace and salvation to our world. It was in this frame of mind that, on arriving home, I found this year's ArtsNet Guide in my mailbox. ArtsNet is an annual publication that outlines the upcoming arts events in Whitehorse. Here are just a few highlights, with links so you can read more about them if you wish: The Gryphon Trio's Constantinople, Margie Gillis' A Stone's Poem, Juan Martin's Flamenco Ensemble, Black Umfolosi, Winter Harp, BC Ballet, and many many more. And what's great is that for most of them, tickets are far below the price charged in major cities: $25 for adults, and only $5 for Jamie (they're trying to attract more teenagers to the arts). That's a pretty sure cure for a funk, wouldn't you say?

Party Time

Last night Iris had a going away party. Joe, Jamie and I hid out in the master bedroom...close enough to deal with any emergencies but far away as to not put too much of a damper on things. Alan was out of town at a friend's cabin, so he missed the whole thing. The house survived relatively unscathed. There were one or two nicks in the walls (easily fixed with a dab of paint), and every floor in the house had to be washed this morning. I discovered a piece of pizza in a bowl hidden at the very top on a wall unit. Some thoughtful soul had also left behind a bottle of essential oil called 'de-tox formula'! Hmmmm. And a photo that was missing from the wall in my diningroom was discovered, after a lengthy search, in my spice drawer. But all in all, it wasn't too bad, given that there were about 50 people here last night. I do however now have quite a collection of purses, cell phones, hoodies and t-shirts. Kids have been coming by all day today to pick up the things they left behind. It almost feel like Halloween, given the number of times I've gone to the door to hand out their 'goodies'.

Catching Up

A couple of weeks ago, Joe, Jamie and I drove down to Skagway, Alaska to meet up with some friends from Victoria who were taking the Inside Passage cruise. I've just now got around to posting photos. As you can see, Jamie kept us well entertained the whole day.

Signs of Fall, Signs of Change

It may still be August, but in my neck of the woods Fall is about ready to make its grand appearance. A couple of mornings lately, it's been cool enough to warrant a bit of a fire in the woodstove, and vanguard leaves are beginning to change their clothes. My garden is past its prime, although we will continue to harvest its gifts for several weeks yet.

Truth be told, it's a rather melancholy time of the year. Saying good-bye to our ever-so-brief summer is often hard for me. I think this year it's more difficult than usual because I'm also saying good-bye to Susan, to Iris, and to Alan who has informed us he's moving in with a friend at the end of September. Apart from Susan's passing, which came far too early in her life, these changes are part of the normal course of events. They are as they should be and mostly I'm happy about them, but I am still permitting myself that conflicted mixture of pride and heartache any parent must feel when their children step out into the world on their own. Very soon, our house is going to get a whole lot bigger and a whole lot emptier.

Portfolio of a Dancer

Recently, a local photographer saw a dance photo of Iris, and apparently liked it. He contacted her and asked if she would model for him. She gets the photos for free for her portfolio and he gets to use the photos for his own purposes. There are dozens to choose from - I just posted a few - some corny and some quite nice.

Back Home

I'm back in the Yukon, after spending the last few days in Toronto for Susan's funeral. I am so very glad I went....my brother was in pretty rough shape and I think he really appreciated the support.

It was a very sad two or three days...I kept hearing Susan's distinctive laugh in my head and looking around for her. It always took me a split second to realize she wasn't there. A short time later, the same thing would happen. It's like I was constantly having to remind myself that she was gone. I still can't believe I will never hear that wonderful laugh again.

The funeral, as funerals go, was quite lovely. Roy hired a string quartet to play before the service, and at the end Roy performed with them: he wrote a piece for Susan called China Doll. It was incredibly and achingly beautiful.

I spoke on behalf of the family. I talked about Susan's smile, her generosity and giving nature, and her ability to make the best Chinese food ever. I told some funny stories and talked about some of the good times we had had together. But the message I really wanted to leave with people was that Susan was all about love and giving and service to others, and it was now up to us to carry on in that way on behalf of her.

Martin also spoke, and while he had a similar message, he had a much more powerful way of expressing himself. He said that his mom had taught him about unconditional love - that's what she gave him and Jeremy and Roy. He said the world needs all of us to live our lives with unconditional love as the basis for everything we do. He said the world needs more heroes like his mom. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house when he was finished.

Susan

Susan crossed over yesterday morning. Now Roy and the boys have moved into 'busy mode', making all the arrangements for visitation, funeral, etc. I'm flying down tomorrow to help out wherever I can and to give general support. My older brother can't attend....he's got a commitment he can't get out of, plus some one needs to stay on the East Coast in case my dad takes another bad turn. As my friend Lucca pointed out, our family is rather thin on the ground at the moment.

Dad is still in the hospital and isn't doing all that well, but doctors are hoping they can get him to a point where he can go home in a week or so. I keep sending him telepathic messages, asking him to hang in there for a while yet, at least until we have a chance to mourn for Susan. He's a strong old bird...I think he still has some living to do.

Study in Mushrooms

Saying Good-bye

I'm feeling pretty shaky today. I found out over the week-end that Hsiu-Chuan (Susan) is teetering on the edge of life. In fact when I talked to Roy on Saturday, he didn't expect her to live through the night. She's still here, but probably not for very long.

Susan has such an amazing life force; it's hard to imagine that pettering out. I was recently looking at some photos of her, taken on a trip to the Yukon about ten years ago. There's a picture of her sitting in Joe's truck, beaming with happiness. She loved that truck and wanted nothing more than to get out into the bush with it to hunt for a moose. It wasn't the season though, so we went fishing instead. But I will always remember that image of her, so full of life.

I will also remember her boundless generosity, and the fact that she made the best Chinese food I've ever tasted. I will remember her spunk as she marched into the kitchen of a Canadian-Chinese restaurant in New Minas, Nova Scotia many years ago, and started telling them what to cook for our meal and how to cook it.

I will remember her frustration with my brother, who - while I love him dearly - probably isn't the easiest person to live with. Every time I visited her, she would start with, "Your brother - he makes me SO MAD!"

Roy and Hsiu-Chuan had their troubles, but this past spring, they decided to try to get back together. Very shortly after that, she got sick. He has probably spent more time and paid more attention to her in the last several months than in all the years he has known her. Lessons are taught in many different ways, and they don't always come in ways we would choose, but I think my brother may have learned a great deal in the last little while about love and service to others.

Go gently Susan. I look forward to someday seeing you on the other side.

Bumpy Roads

I don't know what's going on in our universe, but it seems everyone around me is going through tough times. My sister-in-law, who's been in the hospital since the spring, has taken a turn for the worse, and an email I got from my brother this morning seems to indicate her long term prognosis isn't good. My dad too is back in the hospital. Friends and other family members are dealing with hardships of their own. I wonder why these things always seem to go in waves.

I've chosen a cheery photo to post today: poppies growing along the edge of our driveway. Keep the faith everyone.

26 Years

Joe and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary yesterday. We didn't go hog wild in terms of marking the occasion, but we did go out for a really nice Japanese meal for lunch, and for dinner we enjoyed the first potatoes of the season from our garden. My God they were good!Everything from the garden is tasting so yummy right now. It makes me want to expand the plot next year. I'm also really hankering after a greenhouse....we tore our old one down when we renovated the house, and I miss it a lot. It's my goal to build one myself, but having zero carpentry skills I'm a little lost as to how to begin. I have determination though, so let's see how far that takes me.

Final Installment from the Dempster

Dirt road all the way

Dempster moss: the plants were just starting to turn colour when we were there....another two weeks and the whole place will be lit up with various shades of red, orange and yellow. Summer may be short in the North, but it certianly takes its leave in a blaze of glory!

Sharing lunch with a raven

Dinner's on: certainly not gourmet food but filling nonetheless. Joe took care of buying and packing all the food and camping supplies (all I had to do was pack my clothes) so you're not going to hear me complaining about the choice of menus. But Joe and I both commented on how different he and I prepare for such things: if it were me, I would have planned out each meal, and divided measured amounts of ingredients into labelled zip lock bags. Joe's approach is to run to the grocery store, buy what looks good, and hope for the best. I think that each method works just fine in the end.

A view taken from inside our tent in the middle of the night. I don't have a watch, so I can't tell you what time it was, but I know it was late. Welcome to the Land of the Midnight Sun.

Just one final word about the Dempster: there are a few places I've been in this world that I would consider life changing. The Buddist, Hindu and Jain caves at Ajanta and Ellora, India are one. Perhaps the Ring of Brodhar in the Orkneys is another. But the Dempster is certainly high on my list. If anyone is reading this and is considering a trip to the Yukon, I would say the Dempster Highway is the one place you don't want to miss. Trust me on this...it will blow your mind and alter the very cells of your being.

The Dempster Part Two: Watch for the Signs

The signs tell a large part of the story of the Dempster. Then of course there are the signs that I didn't take photos of, identifying place names like Grizzly Creek, Wolf Creek and Two Moose Lake...telling in themselves. Wildlife is everywhere. We saw a cow moose, another cow moose with calf, a coyote with a rabbit in its mouth (breakfast), several other rabbits, and lots of different types of birds.

Just to give you a bit of a history lesson, the Dempster was built starting in the late 1950s, once oil and gas was discovered in the Beaufort Sea region. It was conceived as the first of the 'Roads to Resources' proposed by John Diefenbaker. The Liberals poo-pooed the idea, calling it the road from igloo to igloo, but construction went ahead nonetheless. It was named after Inspector William John Duncan 'Jack' Dempster of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police. His name might ring a bell: he led the search party for the famous 'Lost Patrol'.

Cow moose and calf, running up the road. Sorry this is blurry - I had to grab my camera and snap quickly before they ran into the woods.

One of many flocks of ducks we saw

Dempster Highway Part One: The Berries

Joe and I share a passion for cloudberries (those on the East Coast will know them as bakeapples). We love these berries so much we are prepared to make an annual trek of several hundred kilometres north to the Dempster Highway to find them. Actually, the last two years Joe has had to go alone, since I had to stay behind and deal with running kids around. However this year we deemed them old enough to fend for themselves, so early on Friday morning we packed up the truck and headed north.

The Dempster is an amazing part of the world. In fact I think it's the most beautiful place I've ever seen. The 'highway' is actually a 735 kilometre dirt road leading to Inuvik, with only one gas station/restaurant between the start of the road and Fort McPherson in the Northwest Territories. Extra gas and spare tires are definitely a must for this trip.

This is a photo taken at Tombstone...about an hour in from the start of the road. There are cloudberries in this area, but the best spots we found are another four hours drive north. It took some searching, but Joe spotted an open area that was laden with them. We picked and picked until our backs gave up in protest. I've never seen such a bumper crop before.

The elders here have taught us that if we take something from the land, we need to give something back. Typically that something is tobacco. But since we didn't have any handy, I left some cherries, and Joe left some Old Dutch tortilla chips with sea salt and a hint of lime. I'm hoping that the Creator has a sense of humour!

Tomorrow, Part Two of our Dempster Trip....Watch for the Signs.

Bird's Eye View

Yesterday I went up in a helicopter to get some aerial shots of the Whitehorse dam. It was probably the best day we've had all summer - blue, blue sky and no wind. What an amazing view from the top! I'll post some photos once they come back from the photographer.

Today, Joe and I are off on a week-end camping trip up the Dempster Highway. It's probably the first time in 20 years we've gone camping without the kids! I'm keeping fingers and toes crossed that the three of them behave themselves. I'll report back on Monday.

My Boss

I have a great boss. Along with being good at his job, he's a great sport, as you can see here from these photos taken of him attempting to ride a unicycle at a recent staff barbeque.

Sore Again

Jeepers, it seems I've been sore a lot this summer. First it was the week of yoga I took early in July. Last week it was two hours a night of jazz/hip hop and modern, offered through the dance school's summer camp. This week it's a special session of flamenco classes. And next week it's another six-day yoga session.

My aim, apart from the fact that I love to do this stuff, is to keep in reasonable shape over the summer months when my regular dance classes aren't running, and if possible, to lose a few pounds. Since I'm not a runner, hate to go to the gym, and don't play organized sports, I needed to find something to keep from turning into a blimp.

I'm not sure I've actually lost any weight this summer, but I feel good, in spite of the achy muscles and creaky knees. And that, after all, is really what it's all about.