Christine, my best friend for almost 48 years, and I flew home to Edmonton last night after enjoying a week’s “get-away-from-it-all” with friends who live just outside the small town of Sooke, BC. http://www.sooke.org/
Each day when we looked out the kitchen and living room windows we saw the ocean and the natural beauty surrounding our friends’ home: the forest, the flowers, the squirrels, rabbits, deer (a doe and her year-old fawn), quail, hummingbirds, junkos, towhees, jays and flickers. We saw amazing sunsets, star-filled night skies … and some heavy rain.
It’s hard to believe that the small village my husband and I moved to in late 1986 has “grown up” to become a town!
We played tourist for six wonderful days — meeting old friends and chatting over meals, a glass or two of merlot, or cups of coffee. We walked on the Whiffen Spit and we wandered the familiar trails of Point No Point and the Galloping Goose. My camera was always with me.
St. Rose of Lima, the small parish I attended for years, will be celebrating Mass in their new church next Sunday. This week volunteers will be busy packing and unpacking — during this period of transition the parishioners are filled with mixed emotions — sadness at leaving the “old” behind but also excitement about the future. Thank you, Bruce, for showing us through the “church in the woods”, a beautiful new building that blends in with the landscape and the neighbourhood. Thank you for telling us about the planning, the environmental concerns, the construction … and the dreams for the future. http://www.strosesooke.org/
This brief vacation … and the opportunity to step into the past … reminded me how quickly Time passes! So many memories — happy and sad. Joyful laughter and tears. Life.
I’m grateful to have been able to re-connect with so many people who were — and still are — a special part of my memories, my life. Stretching my comfort zone a little more, I took some of my greeting cards and art prints to share with old friends — and new. Their positive, encouraging response to my work touched my Heart more than I can say.
Over the next few days I hope to upload photos I’ve taken in and around Sooke over the years. Please drop by to see them!
In the meantime, I’d like to share one of my photographs (taken February, 2010 in South Carolina) that seemed to be a ‘favourite’.
About The Photo — I’m attracted by the colors, the angles, the reflection in the window at the far end of the balconies and the Atlantic Ocean. The shades of blue speak of my sadness. The angles represent the detours and roadblocks we sometimes encounter on our Life’s Journey. In the window’s reflection I see that we can glance back while still moving forward. I see the Unknown just beyond the horizon and the deep, calm-seeming waters of the Present. The breaking waves run joyfully up the sandy beach — bringing with them a sense of promise.
Perspective. Perception. Life.
Perspective. Perception. Life.