GNRT DAY 36 FLOWERS

 

One thing we’ve noticed as we’ve driven across the north…for hours and hours and hours

is how once the frozen grounds of winter thawed…people were busy planting flowers. 

Everywhere we’ve been…from the smallest towns to the biggest cities

from the largest hotels to the tiniest houses and rooms

people across north have filled their pots and gardens 

with a rainbow of blossoms and a myriad of blooms.

And after a long, cold winter of waiting

for the snow to stop falling and piling 

we never had to say anything when we took a flower’s photo

because they were already smiling.

The farmers have been busy too…we’ve traveled through fields of lavender 

over rolling hills filled with the brightest purple…each and every one 

We’ve traveled through miles and miles of canola…

so yellow we couldn’t tell if they were flowers or a reflection of the sun.

It appears at least from our perspective…the Gods have been busy too…

as all along the roadways we’ve seen wildflowers….

in blends of sizes, shapes and hues.

Living in Florida flowers are easy to take for granted

for this one simple reason 

our flowers bloom all year…no matter what the season. 

But we’ve found people in the north don’t take even one flower for granted…

they know they must enjoy them while they can

because when it comes to their flowers blooming all year

fall and winter have other plans.

Which makes me wonder when it comes to flowers…

I’ve never thought about this before….

Which one of the two of us…enjoy their flowers more?

Perhaps this trip was a reminder for us…never to take even one flower for granted…

but to enjoy the beauty of every flower ever sowed….

from the ones we plant ourselves…

to the ones the Gods have created especially for us…

and planted along the road.

MORE LIKE THE RAIN

When I look around at a divided country…a divided world

I wish we could all be more like rain…

that falls on everyone and everything equally…

on the people, the mountains, the rivers…and the plains…

For the rain understands

when she falls on everyone equally…

say from Canada to France..

then the lives of everything she touches

will be enriched…improved…enhanced.

 

GNRT DAY 34 THE RAIN

 

I woke up to a gentle tapping on our window pane….

I thought it was a bird…turns out it was the rain.

Deborah ,unaffected by the soft tap, tap, tapping on our window pane

and still in the midst of a dream…was not awakened by the rain.

 

So I tiptoed out to the living room window 

where I could watch the rain with ease…

and listen as some raindrops bounded off the trees.

When Deborah finally woke she joined me

and as we watched raindrops dive into the lake

we decided watching and listening to the rain…

is a wonderful way to to wake.

And a wonderful way to begin the day…as we headed to the capital of Canada

In the 5 hour drive…so many trees, hills lakes and rivers we saw….

On our way to the city the Algonquin called “adawe” which means to trade…

burt we know as Ottawa.

We drove through the  crowded freeways of Ottawa…which gave us both a fright!

finally turning down the Rue d’Onans in Cantley, Quebec 

where we found our cabin for the next 2 nights

We were able to bring all our luggage into this beautiful cabin in this quiet little town

minutes before the thunder clapped, the lightning flashed…

and the rain came pouring down.

Which meant we were in safe and sound for the evening… 

where we listened to the raindrops tapping on our window pane…

where we sat in front of big windows overlooking the forest

and together watched the the rain.

And as the rain continued through the evening

thinking back to the way our day began in Ontario….

we thought how the rain is just as beautiful everywhere we go.

And we felt blessed to have the rain….

which this day stirred in us feelings intense and deep…

how it nudged us awake this morning

and this evening sang us both to sleep.

PARADISE ON EARTH

 

Imagine what the world would look like if we were all blessed 

from the moment of our birth

to do everything we could to create 

A kind, 

a joyous

a generous and accepting

paradise on Earth

GNRT DAY 33 NORTH BAY AND PARADISE

 

Today in North Bay, Ontario we decided to to slow down…to sit around… uncontested

to take it easy and pace ourselves…as our friend Chandra has suggested

We wonder if she was reminding us to pause 

to take tin the beauty that surrounds us….to contemplate…to behold 

or if she was worried we needed to rest because we’re getting old.

For whatever reason…today…for Chandra’s sake

we slept in…then with the sun’s blessing kayaked on the lake.

We paddled around Lake Nipissing…at a slow and easy glide

with a cool breeze on our faces and a family of ducks by our side.

Then we sat on the deck of our cottage…in the shade..a cozy nook

where the only thing we had to do was relax and read a book.

Today…like so many days on this trip…every day to be precise

we’ve looked around at where we are and have said how this is paradise.

From the mountains, rivers, lakes…the plains, the flowers the trees

to the sunrises, sunsets, clouds…every cool morning and afternoon breeze.

What we have discovered…and here I promise to be concise…

is that, at least for us, there will always be…two parts to paradise.

We believe finding paradise on Earth…is not a fantasy or a myth….

It’s a combination of the beautiful places we have been…

and the person we’re sharing them with.

Which means if we’re lucky…and so far this has proven to be true

the where is important to finding Paradise…but not as important as who. 

So thanks you Chandra for your concern…

now that we’ve had enough time to recover

we’ll be back on the road tomorrow…

we have more paradises to discover

THANK YOU

 

Today I just wanted to say thank you

as this new day is about to dawn….

with the hope that you take my thank you

And simply pass it on

GNRT DAY 32 A LITTLE HISTORY

 

Today as we traveled from Michigan into Canada

across the twin cities of Salt Ste. Marie….

on the 300 miles of this journey…we learned a little more history….

The name Canada most likely came from the Huron-Iroquois word Kanata 

meaning village or settlement…

A frenchmen used it to name the entire country 

before the Hurons could tell him exactly what it meant.

We are currently near Lake Ontario which also got it’s name from the Iroquois.

The legend says from an Iroquois chief’s daughter

who when she saw the lake said kandario…which means sparkling water.

We have been on Lake Superior…named Gitchi-Gami by the Ojibwe

this means Big Sea Water…and she is a beautiful lake

In Longfellow’s poem Hiawatha…he called it Gitchi-Gumi by mistake.

We have felt the waters of Lake Michigan…a little boat trip we did take…. 

the Anishinabe called it mishigami …which simply means…big lake

We have driven my Lake Huron another beautiful place to be.

The Wyandot called it karegnondi which roughly translated means

freshwater sea

.

And we spend the next 2 days on Nipissing Lake…meaning little water

A name the Ojibwe chose to keep

because the crystal clear waters of this lake are not so very deep

It seems all around us on this trip…we’ve seen and tried to understand

how we travel over the footprints or on the shoulders

of those who first walked this land.

We have gained a new appreciation…of all they saw

the mountains, the rivers, the lakes…the plains and the buffalo too

of how they lived…of their philosophy…and of all they have gone through,

We offer them our thanks 

we only wish we could go back in time…and change our history….

and we wonder if things had played out differently….

what kind of  beauty in our world the would see.