Damselfly holding Peacock pose in Chapel's Cove, NL

One of the items on my 2013 "things I get to do this year list" is adopt a yoga routine. I have been wanting to try it for quite some time, citing a relentless onslaught of schedule management, supply procurement, people development, and financial administration. Plus I had a full-time job on top of all that! 

Some of the reasons people seek out yoga are muscle toning, meditation, flexibility, rehabilitation, concentration skills, and stress reduction. The latter two formed the basis of my goals, but I am discovering that the benefits of a yoga practise are all wonderfully intertwined. I am enjoying a little of each, save rehabilitation, with increased flexibility being the most noticeable improvement. And the most enjoyable part of the sessions.

Another unexpected benefit I've realised since attending weekly yoga classes is how much my body was already capable of. Sadly, one of the reasons I didn't take it up years ago when I felt the inclination was I was daunted by the poses and held fear that my body wouldn't be able to handle them. That was then! Now I have been rewarded with the discovery that I can bend, reach, and hold a lot more effectively than I thought. Instead of feeling frustrated by my body's limitations and wishing it were designed differently, I learned to appreciate it for what it is today and for how much it is capable of doing.

After just one lesson, I was intimately familiar with those terms that yoga aficionados seem to toss around so nonchalantly. Warrior II (I feel triumphant), Tree pose (I feel unsteady but determined to master this), and Downward Dog (a term I've always heard spoken adversely but I don't mind it).

Of course, the best one is Savasana. After the exertion of holding challenging poses and pushing the body to stretch in ways it's never stretched before, the immediate reward is to zone out and completely relax. Just like showers feel the most cleansing after a sweaty, intense workout and spring is more appreciated after a frigid, unrelenting winter, relaxation is more captivating after focused concentration. It's interesting that two ways to invoke such relaxation are imagining the body becoming immovably heavy, and imagining the body as light as air. I like the air reference because I visualise I am flying, or even lighter, blowing away like snow crystals. Sometimes I am melting, limb by limb. Or a feather being carried on the wind. Long grass waving in the breeze. I wonder what comparisons other people formulate in their minds during this all-encompassing meditative state! Maybe it is possible to think nothing at all, although I am thus far unable to pull that one off.

Afterwards, my pliable, weightless body carries me out of the gym with organised thoughts and a tranquil mood. I am walking tall and breathing deeply, my thoughts void of any judgement or uncertainty or agitation. Pure elation. Adopt yoga routine: check!

Great Concert. Big Fun. Sea of No Cares.

Great Concert. Big Fun. Sea of No Cares.

It was all present during Great Big Sea's outdoor concert at Safari Niagara this past August. The boys sailed into Stevensville, ON and delivered their trademark energy sending waves of elation to wash over the cluster of fans. Anyone who listens to Great Big Sea's music probably wonders if singer and guitarist Alan Doyle is as crazy and spirited in concert as he sounds on CD. And of course, like most multi-talented musically-reared musicians, his passion and energy comes across tenfold live. This is a man who obviously loves to perform and engage the audience. The entire band has always succeeded in doing that. Regardless of how many times I hear Sean McCann belt out General Taylor, with or without the heartbeat drum accompaniment, it always gives me chills.

The name of this tour is XX. Twenty. 2013 marks the band's 20th Anniversary of getting people on their feet and sharing in the craft of traditional and contemporary music. Upon reflection, I realised I've actually been immersed in their artistry for probably that long. The first time I saw them was many years ago - sometime in the  mid-90's. I was visiting my parents for Christmas, and a close friend of mine invited me to a concert at the Delta Hotel Ballroom in St. John's. I didn't recognise the name of the band but he assured me I would enjoy it and he never steers me wrong so I accepted the invitation. Great Big Sea was unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. I wasn't a big concert goer back then, and growing up in a small Labrador community didn't expose me to a whole lot of musical diversity. The concert was standing room only which didn't matter because nobody would have been able to stay seated anyway. I became intoxicated by the exuberance of the crowd and the passion of the performers harmonizing their lyrics and alternating instruments as effortlessly as we alternate cutlery. I was enthralled by the buzz of the crowd who gleefully sang along and somehow knew that the sad introduction to the story of Pat Murphy wasn't really going to be that sad of a song...

I still can't confirm how far back that concert occurred because my original ticket stub doesn't have a year on it!!! It just has Friday, Dec. 27th at 8:30 pm. But that's OK. I'm just glad to have been there as well as many more of their concerts over the years. And following the 2013 concert where I took this picture from the grass of Safari Niagara I was proud to purchase their anniversary tour t-shirt knowing that I was singing along to Mari-Mac long before anyone else in Stevensville, ON was doing it! That is, if they even can!

Buffalo as seen from Crystal Beach

 

 

Like many people, I am usually carrying around a pretty substantial mental list of things I would like to do "if I have the time". You know what I mean: specific little activities that would make me smile and breathe deeply and appreciate the beauty and whimsy of life if only I could make space for them. I'm not talking about the so-called "bucket list" of monumental events that require a passport and a second mortgage. I'm talking about the little pleasures.... activities that are usually pretty easy to make happen, close to home, and completely affordable. We all have them, based on our individual values, our personal preferences... comprised of those undertakings that either provide an escape or enlighten the senses or tickle some talent we have simmering inside.

I'd like to think such wonderful outlets don't become shuffled to the bottom of the To Do List of any given day because they are considered unimportant. It is because they are tasks that don't require immediate attention and don't affect an item high up on someone else's To Do List. As long as we complete our pressing tasks, our lives continue on their courses whether we get to the fun stuff today or next month or eventually. Nobody will nag at us for not indulging in the fun stuff. Except, perhaps, our own hearts!

This picture illustrates something that I have always wanted to do: drive out to the dock at Crystal Beach, ON, and take in the expanse of Lake Erie as well as some pictures of the Buffalo skyline. Crystal Beach is only a half hour's drive from me so it was easily doable. I drove out there this week and drank in the wide open space and gloriously refreshing autumn air while contemplating life from its lakeside collection of quarry rocks. I was snap-happy as well and with the dynamically shifting display of clouds, I was presented a different image every few minutes! It was a well-received escape from my usual landscape and I returned to tend to the other items on my list completely rejuvenated.

Salted View on the Rock

Salted View on the Rock

Cabot Tower, Signal Hill, NL

 

 

This is my latest in an eclectic collection of self-portraits. Never one for symmetrical or sparkly pretty,  I enjoy the natural filters applied by the reflective surface of choice: the abstracted ripples of a stainless steel wine fermenter, a round mirror's distortion, a window's slightly muted weathering... always unique and always inverted!

 

I love the idea of capturing by my own hand a moment in time in a place that intrigues me. They are so personal to me that I never have to write down where or when they were taken, even as they float contently in a sea of thousands of images.

 

This one was taken during a trip to St. John's, NL. I was looking into the exterior of the Cabot Tower while standing atop its roof and my Mom was looking towards the ocean due east! I was visiting in July and in addition to the warm sunshine, there was barely any wind! Another different way to experience the rock.

 

 

 

The spot on which we're standing can be seen in the photo below:

 

 

 

 

 

And for those of you who don't know what the Cabot Tower is, here is my full shot in all its strong, stately glory:

 

 

 

It's funny because I visit St. John's yearly and whenever I'm there, I venture to Signal Hill and I devour the imagery with my camera. Every time. Of course I always add new corners and streets to the list of things I want to see, but Signal Hill is always included. And I always grin when I'm standing there and I imagine that I'm taking the same shots again and again. But today, as I was searching for the specific illustrative shots seen in this post, I had to go through my archives to find them! The first picture is from 2013, the second one 2012, and the third was taken in 2010! So it's gratifying and exciting to learn that I am adding to my collection every time. And that regardless of how many times I see a familiar landscape or building or historic site, there is always something new to discover. After all, it is being experienced through refreshed eyes and another year's worth of experiences and understanding.

 

Sailing in Newfoundland

Conception Bay South, NL

View of Bell Island in the distance

July 17, 2013

 I lay back onto the deck and closed my eyes, relaxing all of my limbs, becoming even more aware of the gentle nudging of the waves. The sun was warm on my face, but not too warm. The breeze fluttered along my cheek but didn't chill it. It was a perfect day for sailing. 

I opened my eyes and allowed my gaze creep up the length of the mast. Beyond it, the brilliantly white clouds provided a fine accent to the azure sky. 

We had been out on the water for about three hours, and were now on our return voyage. My cousin, the captain, was inherently comfortable on the open water. His Dad, my uncle, instilled his love affair with sailing into his family, but I think to my cousin most of all. This, of course, trickled down into my cousin's own daughters, one of whom was joining us on this excursion. The two of them made a good team, easily interpreting orders while raising the sail, and providing feedback on where to drop the anchor. 

They had collectively decided it was a good day to moor at Kelly's Island, one of the three islands in Conception Bay South. It was quite a thrilll for my kids to sail onto the doorstep of this mass of rock that until now provided only a backdrop to numerous walks on the beach. The layers of sedementary rock formation are visible from land but downright captivating to observe close up:

As we made our way along the island's beach we had to stay a safe distance from its wall of rock for fear a shelf would give way! I felt like an explorer as we ascended the one safe path, excited to reach the top and see what it looked like. Of course, with its spruce trees and tall grass,  it resembled any other mass of forest in Newfoundland. But blend in the ocean view and distant community coastline and you know you're somewhere different. 

I had read in a tourism post somewhere that the ocean didn't bring icebergs this summer, but there were lots of whales. I reminded my boys of the whales we'd watched from the shore just a couple of evenings prior. So then, of course, we all began studying the rippled water for the chance to see one up close! And we weren't disappointed... we were treated to several sightings of whales as they gracefully surfaced. I captured a couple of them wth my 300 zoom lens but put it down soon after to ensure I also experienced it through my own lenses.

As that coastline became larger, I thanked my cousin for this incredible experience, and commented that I know he gets to do this whenever he wants (suggesting our elated reactions must seem excessive). But he smiled and said while that may be true, he still appreciates the thrill of being out here! I guess I knew that already but hearing it made the experience even more enjoyable for me!

A Decorated Wide Open Space

I shot this jaunty array of daisies just as the sun was setting on Conception Bay South, NL. Like a beautifully mismatched bouquet of flowers you'd pick for your kitchen table, it grows however it wants  along the top of the rolling expanse of beach rocks. 

They have the best view of Kelly's Island and the Bell Islands and the gulls that soar above them all. They can sway romantically in the evening summer breeze as they watch the sunset tinting the clouds a lemonade pink. They also have prime seating for the whale show that is on display this time of year that we were lucky enough to witness. It was neat to see this many whales sliding up out of the water at such close range... you could even hear them exhaling as they surfaced! It was an awe-inspiring display. And while I didn't have the right camera to capture the whales, I was able to capture a few flowers to remind me of how peaceful it was on the beach that night.

Current Swell

IlluminAqua - July 5

Because I love music, I had secured the opportunity to volunteer in the green room at a recent IlluminAqua concert in Welland. I had the pleasure of working with two charismatic women who made it their plan to spend Friday concert nights in that well-appointed office. It was the first leg of the folk festival, and we were tasked with ensuring a comfortable space for the members of Street Pharmacy, Jon and Roy, and Current Swell.

There was magic in my air that night.  I loved that all three bands were collaborating in a board room cleverly disguised as a dinner hall! I imagined the conversations they must have been having: Street Pharmacy sharing stories about their host town, all the reminiscing about various concert tours, and everyone exchanging ideas about their wonderfully expressive chosen profession.  

It was intriguing to observe the artists up close and relaxed before the show... a guitarist nonchalantly strumming around the corner, the strings behaving like extensions of his fingers to reveal the melody... sketching out schematics to illustrate their ideas for the lighting technician... and kicking around the hackeysack which seemed a fine outlet for connecting and blowing off steam before a show!

Close up, they were all polite - genuinely appreciative of the space and amenities provided to them, mellow and down to earth. On stage, they exploded out of their quiet personas to properly occupy the entire floating stage and engulf the entire block in music! It's awesome what a microphone and some well-timed lighting can do to amplify talent.

The boys appreciate their fans. I spied the lead singer of Street Pharmacy occupying the merchandise booth, happily signing CD's and t-shirts. Current Swell acknowledged those audience members they knew came from Ridgeway, from Sarnia, and from as far away as Boston to see their show. They then proceeded to play a song so many people were requesting and thrived on eliciting outright elation among them!  They acknowledged those people taking in the show from their kayaks, a sweet benefit of being afloat in Welland! 

At the end of the evening, I walked home with a smile on my face and some great new CD's in my purse with a complete set of autographs adorning them. There was no question about whether I would do it again. The WRCC was thanking me for volunteering, but I kept thanking them for the opportunity to be a part of it all!!