Everything Happens for a Reason

As I near my 500th post on this blog, I think I will post someone else's words.  It's an essay by an unknown author.  It made me think of some of the people who have come back into my life in recent years and who have had a profound affect on me and my thoughts.  Here is the essay, in it's unabridged form:

"Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be (possibly your roommate, neighbour, teacher, fraternal brother or sister, long lost friend, lover, or even a complete stranger), but when you lock eyes with them, you know that at that very moment they will affect your life in some profound way.

And sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful, and unfair at first, but in reflection you find that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, willpower, or heart.

Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of good luck. Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without the small tests, whatever they may be, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight flat road to nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet who affect your life, and the success and downfalls you experience, help to create who you are and who you become. Even the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are probably the most poignant and important ones. If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to when you open your heart. If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but because in a way, they are teaching you to love and how to open your heart and eyes to things. Make every day count.

Appreciate every moment and take from those moments everything that you possibly can for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people that you have never talked to before, and actually listen. Let yourself fall in love, break free, and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don’t believe in yourself, it will be hard for others to believe in you. You can make your life anything you wish. Create your own life and then go out and live it with absolutely no regrets. Most importantly, if you love someone tell them, for you never know what tomorrow may have in store. And finally, enjoy looking forward to learning a new lesson each day and enjoying the journey".

Dacquisto

We had a wonderful Italian dinner at Dacquisto last night.  Several senior staff members dropped by the table to say hello to us.  Margaret knows them, of course, because they all work for the same company here in Winnipeg, "Wow! Hospitality Concepts".  That company owns a series of nice restaurants, in addition to Celebrations Dinner Theatre.  It was kind of sad, this restaurant closing and the staff not knowing yet.  Today, Sunday, is their last day.  I imagine most of the staff will stay on for the opening of the replacement restaurant.  As we left, I took this picture of the restaurant's entrance:

A Perfect Day

With sunny skies, low winds, and a high of 25, the weather was perfect today.  Totally to my liking, any way!  Early on, we drove over to the farmer's market to load up on more fresh produce and preserves.  I think I may have enough Bavarian relish and pickled beets in the basement larder now; well, maybe.

I was tempted to buy some containers of honey because the honey looked so good but I resisted the urge.  We still have lots from last year and really don't use much in our cooking.

And, tonight, we're off to Daquisto's for some fine dining.  It's my all-time favourite restaurant in the city.  Unfortunately, it hasn't been doing well in it's present location and the owners are closing it tomorrow.  It will be replaced by a Mexican food restaurant.  Too bad but this final visit will be a great way to end a perfect day.  Happiness is ...

It was Wicked

The opening of this Broadway hit last night was great!  The singing and acting by the large cast, the sets, the costumes, the props, and the lighting were all superb!  It was easy to see why this show has been so popular.

I took a couple of photos, using my Blackberry, outside and inside the Concert Hall, before the show started.  As cell phone photos, they're not great but they will serve as memory joggers for me in the future.

There was a capacity audience for the opening.  They were wowed by the show, giving a long standing ovation to the cast and orchestra at the end.  If you ever get an opportunity to see this musical, go for it; you won't be disappointed.

Off to See the Wizard

Marg and I are off to the Land of Oz to attend the opening of the Tony- and Grammy-award winning show, Wicked, tonight.  We're both looking forward to hearing the music and seeing the costumes for this show.


Reviews of this North American tour have generally been favourable.  Apparently, shows have been produced around the world since the first in 2003 so this production has had lots of time to 'get it right'.  It's certainly been a money maker, averaging $1M a week in ticket sales.

Body Temperature ...

... is normally 37.0 degrees Celsius.  And, that's also our current temperature in Winterpeg.  And, that temperature is not normal for this time of year!  When I walked out of my air-conditioned Safeway store this afternoon, I was literally met with a blast of very hot air coming off the parking lot.  Needless to say, it was good to get all the bags into the house and packed away and then to relax.  Yes, you guessed it: I made a fresh cup of coffee.


So, it's hot out there.  Again, I won't complain because I don't want to give my favourite cousin a chance to scold me.  So, I'll just imagine being on the beach at Tofino.  To help my imagination, I looked back at some photos of that Canadian gem.  I found this collage that I made after my last trip there.

Funny, I feel cooler now.  Happiness is ...

Gassed Up Again

We attended Corner Gassed 2 again on Sunday, this time with my son, Mike, and my favourite daughter-in-law, Tasha. The cast has definitely improved since the opening night, a week or so ago.

If you liked the TV show, Corner Gas, you'll really enjoy this musical comedy.

Beaudry Provincial Park

Beaudry Provincial Park is located 10 km west of Winnipeg on PR 241.  We drive out Roblin Boulevard, through Headingly, and   The wooded areas are dominated by bur oak, green ash, Manitoba maple, American elm and willows.  There are also some sspectacular, large basswoods and cottonwoods.

But, it's the grassy areas and their trails that we (and our dogs) like the most.  After walking down a short wooded trail, you reach one of the grassy fields.

The trails through the fields are mowed regularly, making walking easy for all of us.  The dogs, of course, often leave the trails to investigate new scents.

We're very fortunate to have a park like this so close to our home in Charleswood.  Not only is it a great place to take our mutts for a walk, it provides all sorts of opportunities for photography.  At this time of year, with fall approaching, it may appear a little drab overall.  But, when you look closer, there are some neat plants to photograph.  Maybe, just a thistle, gone to seed.

Or, maybe a wild flower.  If you're lucky, maybe the wild flower will have some insects on it.

Happiness is ...

The Markets

Farmer's markets, to be precise.  I'd rather go to a farmer's market than a grocery store.  Yes, I know that grocery stores are great and supply us with lots of things a farmer's market cannot, all year round.  Important things, like milk and Cheetos.  But, farmer's markets are just a pleasure to visit in the summer months.

You can wander the stalls and compare products and prices for one thing.  And all those fresh vegetables are just that, fresh!  Not trucked in from the States or flown or boated in from China.  And, you get to meet the producers.

I've mentioned in an earlier post that i also like to be able to buy home-made products from these people.  Things like preserves and baked goods.  Sometimes, as I have, you discover some pickled relish that is both unique and delicious and you learn to stock up for the long winter months.

Farmer's markets are also a place to take pictures.  On my last visit, I took the three candid shots attached below.

Happiness is ...

Improvisation

When it comes to communicating something, especially something technical, most professionals use jargon that's specific to their subject, especially when they're standing in front of a group of professionals, giving a lecture or seminar. Often they will use a Power-point presentation or closely follow their prepared notes. The result? They usually bore the hell out of their audience and get some lukewarm applause.

The best communicators improvise. They look into the faces of the audience members while they're speaking, making sure that they are listening and comprehending, and adjusting their talk 'on the fly' to ensure that their message is getting through. Their body is always in motion, their facial expressions constantly changing, their arms and hands reinforcing what they're saying. They may use visual aids, including a few projected slides, to reinforce, illustrate, or prove something but, most of the time, they're just conversing with the audience.

They never read their notes, if they have any notes. They simply know what they want to say and then they go ahead and say it. The result? They get their message across and their audience is left wanting more. The 'more' often comes in the form of a lot of thought-provoking questions.

First Day of the Week

Yes, we had a great Sunday, ending it with supper at Boston Pizza and a walk with the dogs out at Beaudry.  It was a great way to end the weekend.  Today?  Back to the routines.  Marg walked the dogs this morning before leaving for work with Holly.

My hairy mutt goes to the groomers this morning for a much needed trim, wash, and nail clipping.  The groomers are out in the SW area of the city, not far from Celebrations.  So, Marg will also pick her up after work and bring her home again.  Holly will be more comfortable without the thick fur coat.

After both of us eating too much this past weekend, I'll have to plan some suppers that are nutritious but "low cal" for the next few days.  I think it was all the ice cream desserts we had because of the heat.  Notice I'm blaming it on the heat, not on our weak resistance.  Oh, well.  Life is to be enjoyed sometimes.

Looks like we're going to get some rain soon, finally.  It's sad that everything is so dry around Winnipeg lately.  With our heavy clay soils, the cracks in the ground are huge.  Our lawn, like everyone's, is parched.  We need a few inches of rain to bring the plants back to health.  Funny, last year and this spring, we had too much rain.  Winnipeg, it seems, goes from one extreme in weather to another.

Lazy Sundaze

On a hot Sunday, it's nice to laze around inside, with the air conditioning keeping one comfortably cool.  Reading, napping, snacking, reviewing some of my old photos, checking out the new photos of my Flickr contacts, and so on.  We got moving too late to walk the dogs at Beaudry this morning, before the morning got too warm for them.  Maybe, later this evening.  We'll see.  Judging by the looks that Holly has been giving me, I'd better make sure she gets at least a short walk today.  Tomorrow, she's off early to the groomers. Typically, I'm in her bad books for a few days after a trip to the groomers.  She really hates having her nails clipped!  Oh, well, an extra ration of Cheetos in the evening may bring her around.  I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.

Corner Gassed

Marg and I attended the opening of this Celebrations Dinner Theatre show on Friday evening.  We sat with Elaine (one of Marg's friends) and her son, Vaugh.  It was a good evening.  The show was good (though the music was not as familiar as that of the last show, Buddy Holly).

It was good to meet Vaugh finally because Elaine has often spoken of him.  He is, among other things, a great caricaturist.  I had earlier provided Elaine with photos of our three dogs and Vaugh did a composite of all three of them for us.  It was great.  Note that he humorously signs his caricatures with the name "Vaugh Go".

During the show, Vaugh did a caricature of me, sitting across from him at the table.

Not bad, but I like the one of Holly better!

Market and Family Day

Marg and I went to the local Farmer's Market at Assiniboine Downs this morning and picked up some fresh vegetables, baked goods, pickled beets and relishes.  Even peaches and cream corn from the Carman area!  I would have liked to have bought dozens of jars of pickled vegetables, relishes, and jams for the winter larder, preferring home-made to mass-produced stuff at the grocery store, but the budget only stretches so far.

From there to the meat store and on to Safeway for more groceries and then home to store everything.  Later, Marg drove to Carman to pick up her aunt and bring her to our place.  We were later joined by Marg's sister and her family.  The occasion was to celebrate the aunt's and sisters recent birthdays.  We really enjoyed having everyone over and catching up on family news.  The special ice cream birthday cake from Dairy Queen was enjoyed by all.

Now, mid-evening, everyone has just left and things have returned to their quiet normal.

What is "art"?

I have struggled with the definition of this term all my life.  From my reading, I've found that people often equate the word “art” to creative art or fine art.  They believe that skill is being used to express the artist’s creativity and that the artist is trying to make the audience consider the “finer” things.  Often, examples like oil paintings or marble sculptures are given.

If that skill is being used to make a functional object, it's often considered to be a craft, not art.  That might include a photograph or a quilt or a stained glass window or a wood carving or a novel.  If that skill is being used to make a commercial or industrial product, it's usually considered to be design or applied art, again not art.  That might include a Porche or a set of dishes or a soup can.

Thus, the only supposed function of true art is to convey or communicate an idea.  If you've read this far, you've probably guessed correctly that, like most people, I'm still struggling with the definition of art.  From my perspective, all of these categories of art seem to overlap in many respects.

But, then, does it really matter what the definition of art is, especially if no-one can agree on a definition?  The taxonomist in me wants to be able to look at something and say, 'that' belongs 'there'.  But, I know there are other taxonomists out there that might disagree and put 'that' somewhere else.  Who's to say who's right?

"What a jerk!"

Some woman reserve this word for certain men that they consider to be an idiot or stupid.  It is usually said from one woman to another, almost never to the guy's face.  These men are judged to be insensitive, selfish, ignorant, and/or cocky guys who are inconsiderate and do stupid things.  Yes, it's gender stereotyping.  Yes, it's a mean thing to say about someone.  And, yes, regrettable though it is, men have similar words for women that they think have these characteristics.

I was once called a jerk by someone who I thought was a close friend.  She was communicating with an old mutual friend of ours and, I suppose, never thought her words would get back to me.  I had told her friend earlier that I thought she was being manipulative about something (she had been passing on personal information about me) and, as a result, I didn't want to have anything to do with her any more.  She told our mutual friend about it and I was labelled a jerk by the friend.  Yes, it hurt to learn that she had called me a jerk.

The latter person (the one who called me a jerk) remained friendly to me and, to her credit, didn't mention her conversation with her friend.  I never said anything about this to her for a number of reasons.  First, I think she said it mainly for her friend's benefit: maybe woman to woman sympathy for the way I treated her friend?  Second, I might have to reveal how I knew what she said it.  But, it certainly made me more cautious when talking with her.

So, what's the point of this post?  First, I've learned to be more careful when dealing with manipulative people.  One can disengage from relationships with such people without saying why, simply by discontinuing to have anything personal to do with them.  I've also come to realize that even some close friends can sometimes say things about you to other friends that you wish they hadn't.  It's unfortunate that you can't be completely open and honest with some friends but, people being the way they are, it's always wise to think about what you say to someone.

A Night for Hairspray

Last night, Marg kindly took me to Rainbow Stage (Winnipeg's outdoor, domed theatre in Kildonan Park) for a performance of Hairspray, a musical-dance extravaganza.  The audience was taken back to Baltimore in the early 60s.   Themes like adolescence, being an outsider, love, and racial segregation were all successfully incorporated into the play.  I must say, however, that, as good as the show was, I prefer the musical comedies at Celebrations Dinner Theatre.  I'm really looking forward to this Friday's opening show of Corner Gassed II.

Risk Taking

The mid-1st century Roman philosopher, Seneca, said “it's not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It's because we dare not venture that they are difficult”.

I've taken many risks over the course of my life.  Risks in my personal life and risks in my career.  Some risks proved to be well worth taking.  For example, I resigned from a well-paying government job to become an independent business person.  That scary decision led to many new and wonderful experiences.  It enabled me to choose, to some degree, who I worked for and what I worked on.  Financially, I would probably have been better off staying with the government job but. as the cliche goes, 'money isn't everything'.  Being an entrepreneur gives one a feeling of freedom.  And, to me, that's very important.

Sometimes, you have to take chances because you want to become better at something.  Sometimes, the decision is made for you and you simply make the best of the new situation.  Either way, you have to gamble that it will all work out for the best.  You also have to realize that you may have made a mistake.  A mistake that cannot be fixed.  I have to admit that, the older I become, the less I want to take risks.  Maybe, I've become more set in my ways.  Or, maybe, I've become more selective in what I want to risk.

There are some things that are not worth trying.  I've learnt that lotteries and bingos are a joke.  Sure, some people win and are suddenly rich.  But, most people are simply throwing away their money to the government or some other organization.  Same thing holds true for casinos.  They are there to make money for the people that run them, not for the people who hope to win some money.

Gamblers may win the occasional 'pot of gold' but, overall, they lose, sometimes everything that they worked so hard for all their lives.  I guess we all know someone who got the gambling fever and ended up losing their home and savings.  Sadly, people addicted to gambling rarely can control themselves.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that some risks are worth taking and some are not.  One must choose wisely ...

A Pleasant Morning and Evening

Yesterday, Marg and I took the dogs out to Beaudry Provincial Park for a good run in the grassy fields.  It was especially nice because it was so cool and dry out there.  We're more used to walking trails that have pools of water along them or at least spongy wet.  And, the dogs loved being off leash and exploring all the new smells for an hour or so.  It was wonderful, too, to have the entire park to ourselves early in the morning.

In the evening, we attended the closing of the Buddy Holly show at Celebrations Dinner Theatre.  The final performance of the cast in Winnipeg was fantastic.  As I've mentioned before, this is the best musical I've ever attended at Celebrations.  I think I've been there 15 times over the past year but I'd be happy to see this show several more times.  Alas, the cast now moves to Alberta to continue their show there.  Here, a new cast is rehearsing for the opening of Corner Gassed II in a week.

Almost Friday

It's taken a few days to get back into the swing of home life.  Cleaning and putting away stuff from the trip, tending to the flower containers and beds in our dry yard, picking up my new eye glasses, restocking the pantry, and other odd jobs have all kept me busy during the past few days.  Of course, there a million and one other things on the to-do list but those slowly get done (or not), depending on their importance.

Our heat wave continues here.  I didn't miss 'that' while we away.  Luckily, our high temperatures are nothing compared to those we've been hearing about in Texas and Arizona, where they are life threatening to some people.  Our long range forecast is starting to show a trend back to 'normal' temperatures.  Most people will welcome that and some rain.  There are actually wide cracks in our front and rear lawns right now.  Much too dry for my liking!  Our sump pump, which usually runs all summer, has been very quiet for several weeks now.

I'm looking forward to attending the closing night show at Celebrations this Saturday with Marg.  It's music of the Buddy Holly era and I've thoroughly enjoyed the times I've seen the show.  Happiness is ...

Home Sweet Home

Since returning from our cruise on Saturday evening, I've been asked "are you glad to be back?".  The answer is, of course, yes.  Although it was a great trip, there is no place like home. 

Margaret Elizabeth Sangster (an American poet, author, and editor who lived  in the late 19th and early 20th century) said, "there's nothing half so pleasant as coming home again".  And, when you have a dog like mine waiting for you, it's doubly true! Holly and I do best with our familiar surroundings and our daily routines.  Some dogs and people undoubtedly find routines to be boring.  Not us.  We both seem happiest when we know what is ahead for us.  The only surprises that Holly really likes are unexpected milk bones, walks, and car rides.  Me, I like it when an unexpected cheque comes in the mail (but. unfortunately, that rarely ever happens). Anyways, I'm glad I'm home again.  Happiness is ...

Ketchikan and Back to Vancouver

We had a short afternoon visit to Ketchikan, our final stop on the Alaskan cruise.  Marg took a wilderness boat tour of the nearby misty fjords while I watched the interesting activities in the port from our lofty veranda.

I also wandered around the ship, taking photos of the various lounges and famous artwork.  Leaving Ketchikan, we headed south back to Vancouver.

One of the neatest things we saw that evening was another cruise ship, the Coral Princess, passing us at sunset.  The ship seemed to glow in the warm evening light.

Glaciers

Alaska is well known for its glaciers.  Many of them are healthy, still growing in size, despite global warming.  We were fortunate to see one of the larger glaciers from the Zuiderdam.

We'll treasure the rare experience of getting close to massive glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park.

The shot above shows one small portion of a mile wide glacier.  It's taller than our ship at its face (about 15 stories high!)  The glacier was quite noisy, with loud cracking sounds being almost continuous.

White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad

At our next stop, Skagway, we took the popular White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad excursion.  Built in 1898 during the Klondike gold rush, the narrow gauge railroad helped prospectors move into Canada.  Before the railroad, prospectors had to hike the Chilkoot Trail up and over the mountain with their required ton of goods.  It could take weeks.  On the train, it only took a couple of hours.  It wasn't a great day for photography, raining off and on during the trip.  But, it was interesting.

Looking out the rain streaked windows of the old coach, one mostly sees rocks and trees going by.  Sometimes, you catch a glimpse of another train ahead or behind.





You have to admire the hardy souls who hiked this route into Canada over 100 years ago.  It's a challenge even today for hikers on guided tours.  Certainly, it requires health, conditioning, and stamina even now.  Me, I'll take the train!

Icy Fjords

Our first stop was Juneau, Alaska, the state capital where access is by ship or plane only.  This was the first of several days of drizzle.  Because I had no interest in shopping, I stayed aboard the Zuiderdam.  Every second store was a jewellery store.  The others sold the usual tourist souvenirs.  I confined my small purchases to the on board duty-free shops.

Leaving Juneau, we sailed up one of the nearby fjords to see waterfalls, floating growlers and the first major glacier.

As the photos suggest, the scenery during this Tracy Arm fjord cruise was simply incredible.  For a photo of the Zuiderdam in this fjord (taken by a vacationer on a different cruise ship), see http://www.flickr.com/photos/talieu2/5854482249/in/photostream

A Whale of a Time

As the Zuiderdam sailed north through the Inside Passage, it wasn't long before we saw our first humpbacked whales.  The first sign was when the whales came to the surface to breathe, blowing a large spout of misty water into the air.

Once you spot that spout, you will likely see one or two others.  Then, you usually see the whale's arched back, complete with hump, followed by its tail coming up out of the water, as it prepares to dive.

Although we saw 19 whales on the trip, none of these breached the surface.  That's when almost the entire whale jumps out of the water.  Maybe, next time ...

As I review these photos, I think that the whales looked much bigger when I saw them.  An adult whale is between 12-16 m long and weighs approximately 36 tonnes.  The human eye focuses on just part of a scene, the whale, whereas the camera shows the entire scene.

Heading Out

On Saturday, July 23rd, we left Winnipeg for Vancouver and our Holland America ship, the Zuiderdam.  After clearing U.S Customs at Canada Place, we made our way aboard to our stateroom and settled in.  We spent some time on the veranda, watching the ship being prepared for the late afternoon departure.  Fortunately for us, this was the first nice day in Vancouver for weeks, sunny and warm.  Canada Place looked spectacular in the afternoon sunshine.

Vancouver harbour was buzzing with all sorts of activity, including seaplanes, coming and going, and pleasure and commercial craft moving around the area nearby.

This was the first time I'd passed below Lion's Gate bridge in a ship.  As a youngster, I once walked around the outer edge of Stanley Park, before the sea walk had been installed.  It took all day and was exhausting.

Watching old familiar landmarks on shore as we left Vancouver was nostalgic.  But, soon, it was time for our first dinner on the ship.  Food and service in the first restaurant we tried that evening was great.  All meals and snacks aboard were included in the price.  Alcohol, like wine and cocktails, and specialty drinks, like cappuccino and hot chai tea latte, were extra.  It was the first of many days, living in the lap of luxury.