A vacation in Canada, for me, would not be complete without a visit to Algonquin Park. When I was a lot younger ( 5 or more years ago) I went there several times each Spring, Summer and Fall.
(I never was a Winter person). Then I slept in a tent, carried it, my canoe, a sleeping bag, food, cooking utensils and all of my camera equipment, including a sturdy tri-pod, and inevitably arriving at a portage, I always felt "why do I do this to myself?" But then, when the portage was over, after I had dragged everything 1 to 2km (sometimes a little more), I got this tremendous feeling of accomplishment and I would dip the canoe into the new lake, load all my gear and set out to paddle along this new lake, until I arrived at the new portage....
oh, well, why am I telling you all this? The best times were when I brought a strong friend along who shared the load. There was Andy and John and Eric. And when evening descended and the campfire was dying down, we'd sit at the edge of a promontory with a cup of tea and just a shot of rum to give it some taste and philosophised, solving all the world's problems....
....enough of this...
Now, (for the last five times) I stay at "Arowhon Pines"...
let somebody else make the campfire (in the open fire place of a luxurious cabin), let somebody else cook my meals which would honour any internationally renowned chef and let somebody else, namely pretty young and efficient serving staff bring it in bone china and silver cutlery to my table. ( No more scraping the bottom of a tin plate while sitting on a rough log or a rock for me)
Come to think of it, both ways have their respective charm.
Well, this time was no different: "Algonquin ! here I come !
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
AROWHON PINES (the best "camp site" in Algonquin Park)
.The entrance to the Reception
and the Restaurant, guarded by
a scare crow
Christin on the bridge leading from our
cottage to the octogenal main dining room.
The Dining Room at Arowhon Pines.
Living room with fire-place.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
CanVac
Well, I'm back in Blogspot land and what a heap of things I will be able to tell and show you. The following entries may not be in chronological order, but more in order of impact.
The trip lasted from 17th September to 20th October and, quite frankly, there was not a dull moment to be found in those 34 days.
Would you like a weather report ?
There was a light drizzle when we arrived in Toronto, it rained one day in Vancouver and it rained a little (not enough to use an umbrella) on the very last day of our journey. That, if ma math is correct, leaves 31 days of glorious sunshine from the bluest of blue skies. Sure, there were some puffy white clouds, now and then, and I seem to remember one or two partially overcast, slightly overcast, days.
That much for the weather report: Sunshine, Sunshine and then some more of the same stuff.
Let me show you some pictures of the main reasons for my annual pilgrimage to this beautiful country I call "Home".
The trip lasted from 17th September to 20th October and, quite frankly, there was not a dull moment to be found in those 34 days.
Would you like a weather report ?
There was a light drizzle when we arrived in Toronto, it rained one day in Vancouver and it rained a little (not enough to use an umbrella) on the very last day of our journey. That, if ma math is correct, leaves 31 days of glorious sunshine from the bluest of blue skies. Sure, there were some puffy white clouds, now and then, and I seem to remember one or two partially overcast, slightly overcast, days.
That much for the weather report: Sunshine, Sunshine and then some more of the same stuff.
Let me show you some pictures of the main reasons for my annual pilgrimage to this beautiful country I call "Home".
The People.
This is Steven, my son, surrounded by his
admiring female fan club.
I shall identify the ladies later.
Janet, Steven's wife, math teacher,
and the proud mother of David (15)
and Christa (13)
Red shirt, baseball cap, David, a smart
typical teen-ager - of the best kind.
13 year old Christa !
a budding young lady of great, quiet charm.
My daughter, Lianne,
who almost always has a smile
on her face, except when she is mad at somebody.
...this "somebody" rarely is her friend, Jason.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Long Intermission
Please note that I will not be able to post any pictures or opinions from tomorrow until 22nd or 23rd October 2013.
During this period I will be back home in Canada....
Toronto, Stratford on Avon, Algonquin Park, Niagara on the Lake, Kingston, Vancouver and then back in Toronto.
I hope that I will have taken many pictures and a thought here or there and that I then will be back to my old activities.
In the meantime don't forget: "Always walk on the sunny side of life."
Bertstravels...
During this period I will be back home in Canada....
Toronto, Stratford on Avon, Algonquin Park, Niagara on the Lake, Kingston, Vancouver and then back in Toronto.
I hope that I will have taken many pictures and a thought here or there and that I then will be back to my old activities.
In the meantime don't forget: "Always walk on the sunny side of life."
Bertstravels...
Friday, September 13, 2013
...and that's the truth
...religious fanaticism and hatred are a world-devouring fire, whose violence none can quench...
Baha'u' llah
Baha'u' llah
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Celibacy: ..... Not a Doctrin
Now, I read in the Newspapers, the Catholic Church suggests that it will be possible to "discuss" Celibacy.
Well, isn't this precious...
What a crock: It was, in any event, a paper prohibition, which few priests followed. In fact, studies suggest that approximately half of them lead an active sexual life.
Many have a "house keeper" who does more than cooking and cleaning.
Some priests hereabouts make absolutely no secret of the female company they keep and the highest levels of the Catholic Church know it.
It is, as someone put it, better than abusing little boys and girls - another transgression well known right up to the Vatican - a transgression from the trauma of which the victim likely never fully recovers and the criminal perpetrator simply gets transferred to another parish, there to find new child victims.
The past Pope, Benedict XVI , in fact, issued an "apostolic letter" instructing the church Hierarchy not to report cases of child molestation to the authorities, but to deal with such issues (crimes would have been a better word) in private. Such cases, he ordered by decree, must be dealt with "subject to pontifical secret"...they must not be reported to the civilian authorities.
Let me come back, however, to this new wrinkle, whereby "Celibacy" may now be discussed.
Let us first define the word:
"Celibacy" is, so Wikipedia tells us, "a state of being unmarried and sexually abstinent."
If "unmarried" means that they are not in liaison with a woman, such liaison having been officially blessed by the Catholic church, then I venture to say that 100% of Catholic Priests are indeed unmarried (although many share their life with a member of the opposite sex) but, so various researches show, some 50% are not sexually abstinent.
And quite frankly, one cannot blame them. They, having been imbued by Nature with the second strongest drive of any animal, including the human animal, the drive of procreation, must find it most difficult to fulfil this second requirement of "Celibacy".
So now the RC church suggests that, since Celibacy is not a Doctrine, it might be open for discussion.
I am waiting with baited breath for the start of such discussions....
No, on second thought:
Bertstravels will not hold its breath.
Well, isn't this precious...
What a crock: It was, in any event, a paper prohibition, which few priests followed. In fact, studies suggest that approximately half of them lead an active sexual life.
Many have a "house keeper" who does more than cooking and cleaning.
Some priests hereabouts make absolutely no secret of the female company they keep and the highest levels of the Catholic Church know it.
It is, as someone put it, better than abusing little boys and girls - another transgression well known right up to the Vatican - a transgression from the trauma of which the victim likely never fully recovers and the criminal perpetrator simply gets transferred to another parish, there to find new child victims.
The past Pope, Benedict XVI , in fact, issued an "apostolic letter" instructing the church Hierarchy not to report cases of child molestation to the authorities, but to deal with such issues (crimes would have been a better word) in private. Such cases, he ordered by decree, must be dealt with "subject to pontifical secret"...they must not be reported to the civilian authorities.
Let me come back, however, to this new wrinkle, whereby "Celibacy" may now be discussed.
Let us first define the word:
"Celibacy" is, so Wikipedia tells us, "a state of being unmarried and sexually abstinent."
If "unmarried" means that they are not in liaison with a woman, such liaison having been officially blessed by the Catholic church, then I venture to say that 100% of Catholic Priests are indeed unmarried (although many share their life with a member of the opposite sex) but, so various researches show, some 50% are not sexually abstinent.
And quite frankly, one cannot blame them. They, having been imbued by Nature with the second strongest drive of any animal, including the human animal, the drive of procreation, must find it most difficult to fulfil this second requirement of "Celibacy".
So now the RC church suggests that, since Celibacy is not a Doctrine, it might be open for discussion.
I am waiting with baited breath for the start of such discussions....
No, on second thought:
Bertstravels will not hold its breath.
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