Sunday, April 27, 2008
We arrived in Ottawa Monday evening, after travelling up from Phoenicia New York. Doug, Manager at Menla, gave us a ride from Menla to the bus stop in Phoenicia, and just as we were parting, I said, “Doug, I’d like to take your picture.” A big smile came over his face, and just as I was about to snap the photo...
Nothing Happened!
Against my better judgement, I had followed Dave’s suggestion to recharge the battery, and…
You can guess the rest.
My Ross in Nanaimo, and Marla in Victoria, know that this has happened once before, and I had adopted the preventative strategy of leaving the battery flap open as a reminder to retrieve the battery; however, as I already mentioned, my better judgement was not kicking in just then and there.
So, long story short: no photos for the time being.
A little holiday from that aspect of technology.
And that’s okay! (Only regret: not being able to share that wonderful smile that moved across Doug's face!)
We came through Montreal, which city I did live in over 30 years ago, and, once again, it was an intriguing city to observe – a peculiar mix of cultural trappings that reads like a mystery novel to me. Downside: a large number of smokers.
We came into the Ottawa bus depot and had a chance to catch our breath and look at a map and our wwoofing guide as we strategized about our route westward as we waited for Chas to come pick us up.
After being shown to our lovely bedroom in this spacious farmhouse, and getting a good night’s sleep, we began to orient to the centre, and help with spring cleanup. Then, it was on to planning and preparing for the yoga retreat this weekend, including moving out all of the furniture from the living room to create the large space for the group to do their yoga and meditation.
Now, as I write this, much has transpired. We have completed our assistance in the hosting of the weekend retreat. We worked with Chas and also with Mary, a local person who does the odd bit of catering, and who was active in the recent citizens’ actions against the opening of uranium mines in the area. Chas does a lot of raw food cuisine, and Mary has a great connection to food and is super fun to work with. They both have a good sense of humour.
But, here is the big news: we are on our own for the first time in a while! We’ll be taking care of things while Chas is gone, including basic maintenance, some yard work and repairs to the cabins, and some showing of the space to potential renters of it. We also look forward to a visit with Mary. It’s been tickling me pink since yesterday to know that our own special week of retreat was beginning~!
