Home Part II

Over Christmas I was able to go home to northern Ontario for the first time in seven months. I had a nice long visit with my family and I was able to catch up with some friends I hadn't seen in ages. I almost always find that a trip back home is rejuvenating, refreshing and realigning. I did a lot of blog reading rather than writing. I celebrated Christmas and my 25th birthday. I cooked and ate tons of delicious food. I spent time in the snow, unlike my southern friends and family who had a balmy green Christmas.

My birthday is January 1st, so it is an excellent time to evaluate how my life is going and try to decide what's working and what's not. I have many ideas for change, intentions and new things I would like to try. I was really lucky to be surrounded with some of the most lovely people for my birthday. Part of me wishes I could be back there right now but I'm working hard to bloom where I'm planted. 

I managed to get out for a hikes and a snowshoe excursion but cross-country skiing and tobogganing weren't managed this time around. It's fun to be so close to places where you can get outside and enjoy the natural world around you. We went snowshoeing at night on a lit trail, winter sports at night are one of the most exciting things, it's an entirely different experience than being outside during the day. 

I undertook a small sewing project with my mum to make some bunting. I know I'm a bit late to this design trend but I've been admiring it from afar for quite awhile and I really enjoyed making them. I used them to decorate for my birthday and now I have one hanging on the wall above my bed, I think it instantly cheers a room up. 

I had a great time at home and I can't wait to go back! I hope to make it there in the summer this year, as beautiful as winter is, summer is really the best season to experience that little corner of the universe. Shorts, bug bites, fungi, warm wind and a bit of sunshine (when it manages to poke through the fog). 

Home

While I was up north visiting my family for Christmas, I hiked to this beautiful (hidden) beach on Lake Superior. When people ask me where home is or where I feel the most comfortable, this lake automatically comes to mind. I am often humbled by the size and beauty of Superior. Listening to the rhythm of the waves is my lullaby, the most soothing sound I have ever heard.  

I wish I could live right along the shoreline somewhere. Unfortunately, I haven't found a job that allows for this yet, although, I am still looking. It's a really gorgeous place, I hope you get the chance to visit there some day if you haven't already been. I'm definitely biased but it's worth mentioning that this is the best lake out of all the great lakes... it's probably the best lake in the entire world but again, I'm incredibly biased. 

If you're wondering where the best coastal spots on the lake are, I'll give you a little tip: they're all awesome, there's not a single spot along this lake that isn't fantastic (save industrial spaces in cities and small communities). The best time of year to visit is, without a doubt, summer, when you can splash and swim to your heart's delight (usually your heart can only withstand about 20 minutes of the frigid waters). 

Happy 2012 - Don't forget to go outside and enjoy where you live!

Reading

Source Unknown

Several months ago I graduated with a degree in English and Cultural Studies. My schooling was a love-hate relationship which could have rivaled the worst roller coaster pre-teen romance. One moment I was head over heels in love with my profs and their reading selections, moments later I would be disillusioned and frustrated with the tedium of following someone else's book schedule. What I found most frustrating was the lack of time and energy I had left at the end of the day to read things on my personal reading list.

Visiting my hometown library was one of the first things I did when I arrived in Marathon. I stocked up on a couple of books in order to feel like I'd have a lot of options. This Christmas I'll be finishing off Fifth Business by Robertson Davies, digging in to The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai and devouring Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden. This is my official reading list but I don't like to be too strict with myself and I often diverge and end up reading something completely unexpected that I find on a friend's shelf or receive for Christmas or my birthday. My friend once referred to my reading as "voracious" and I intend to live up to this title as best I can.

A few extras for literary lovers:

Bookshelf Porn

Book Seer: Suggests what you should read next

Great White North

Right now I'm enjoying a delicious cup of Rooibos de Provence tea from David's Tea and considering what sort of adventures I'd like to get up to in the next couple of weeks. As usual, I will be spending Christmas with my family in Marathon, Ontario. This year I'll be back for a bit longer than usual so I intend to get up to all sorts of mischief (weather permitting). Usually, there is a bit of baking, movie watching, board games, hiking, skiing, creating and gatherings with kindred spirits. I listen almost exclusively to Vince Guaraldi Trio's A Charlie Brown Christmas and Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker but this year I'm also giving She & Him's A Very She & Him Christmas a fighting chance to be introduced in the mix. 

 I'm looking forward to the little things this Christmas: the way snow sits on pine branches, the smell of poppyseed cookies baking in the oven, twinkling christmas lights and what my mother calls "a cheery little fire" in the fireplace. I feel pretty blessed right now. 

I took these photos two or three Christmases ago. The next two photos show Coldwell Bay which can also be seen in the third photo of this post that I wrote in July. Do you see the resemblance in the hills? 

     

     

The snow creates an incredibly magical atmosphere in Marathon. This year I'm hoping to test out the snow in snowshoes, on skis, hiking and by toboggan. This is ambitious, I don't think I've managed to take on all four winter activities in one vacation but I believe it can be done! I'll be enlisting my family and friends and toting around a big backpack of hot cocoa and snacks to sustain us. Hopefully I will remember to document some of the snow fun. 

I hope you get the chance to spend some time outside frolicking in the snow during the next few weeks. With the extra short days, we need all the extra fun we can get.   

PG: The place to be

Prince George, it's one of those places like Thunder Bay, you don't really visit unless you have some sort of good reason - like awesome friends! We have two wonderful friends living in PG who welcomed us into their home, taught us how to play citadels and made us many a delicious meal. Prince George resembles Thunder Bay in several ways, the primary industry is a paper mill, the city is small enough to feel cozy but large enough to have some of the fancier recreational activities and businesses that smaller towns lack and it is isolated in the beautiful Canadian wilderness.

We had a lot of things to do while we were visiting, despite our hosts' suggestion that their wasn't much going on in their neck of the woods. Rysio played a bit of dodgeball with our friends' team. We spent tons of time at the pool. We visited the art gallery (a local gem). We had cheese from the European deli. We visited Noah's Ark (a petting zoo) and saw tons of farm animals. We stopped in at the newly constructed University of Northern British Columbia. We hiked in the forest. We saw it all. 


If, for whatever strange reason, you one day find yourself in the middle of British Columbia, you probably won't be all that far from Prince George. Stop in and say hello, you won't regret it. I promise.

University of Northern British Columbia Campus

The photos below are from Michael Hosaluk's exhibit: Acts of Chairs at Two Rivers Art Gallery. Unlike most exhibits, guests are encouraged to interact with the art in the space. Remember kids, it's all fun and games until someone drops a chair on their finger!

My little creation: a dense, angular tangle of chairs

I love the shadows on the wall behind the tower of chairs.