A Hart Hall Thanksgiving, Nelson, BC

Just returned from the Kootneys,  British Columbia. We stopped at my sister Theresa's for a Thanksgiving feast. My sister Miranda and her family also joined us.

Theresa recently bought and restored a historical hall. She opened up her Veterinary clinic on part of the main floor and the second floor is dedicated to a massive hall and kitchen--perfect for hosting parties, suppers and dances. Her new clinic is amazing. High ceiling and big windows keep it well lit.

 It is now home to my darling Pyewacket--the cat we rescued from a tree in the forest behind my home (he'd been stranded for a week). I couldn't keep Pyewacket because my bully bog Pablo would probably have killed him. My sister said she'd take him to her clinic and find him a good new home. Well, guess what? Pyewacket wrapped his magic tail around her finger and she could not part with the handsome boy. So , Pywacket is now her clinic cat. I will blog and tell the true, amazing story about finding Pyewacket and our magical connection in an upcoming blog--maybe for Halloween, as he truly is a magical cat.

Enjoy the pictures of our Thanksgiving at Hart Hall. I admit to posting a few comical comments under a couple of the pics--I couldn't resist. I wanted to keep going, but thought I might offend, so there are only a few joke captions. 

The meal was perfection: 3 antibiotic-free free-range turkeys, appetizers, casseroles, veggies,stuffing,desserts, lots of beverages. My sister catered it herself! She cooked everything for 60 people! This is a woman who works full time at her vet practice and manages all Hall tenants and activities. 

The night included a talent segment. I have many pics of some of the acts.  My talent was to lead  the Thanksgiving guests to dance the Bachata to a song by John Lennon, Stand By Me. Too bad I was dancing and couldn't get a pic of that--everyone danced! It was great. I wish I lived in Nelson, Hart Hall would be shaking with my Zumba classes every night.

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Why yes, the butcher was out of turkey. However, the moose was a nice price.
Another bottle of vodka in the punch, no one will be the wiser .

Hart Hall? I thought it said Halston Hall. I'm here to see his spring collection.

Something's cooking, but what?

Whoot-whoot! The fruit punch is amazing!

Kelowna girls.

The party's getting started...

And how...

The kid has obviously not sampled the punch yet... 

John, lost in a sea of young women, contemplates his political speech for talent time.

Get this woman some punch, and quickly!

Behind the scenes at Hart Hall...

Paul, Kyran and friends agree: that was awesome punch.

Watching the talent show...

Artemis and Pip

Nem and Tabs do a spoof on a Taylor Swift video.

Tabs and Rascal (her sax).

Nem and her violin.

Don't Stop Believing!

Justin Bieber for Prime Minister!
Bieber? I was talking about Trudeau!

Hart Hall at Thanksgiving.

Hart Hall

John Lennon really got them going...

Captain America has got to go...and bad.

The Queen and King of the ball make their appearance. Joop really needed a drink. 

Blink and you'll miss me.

He thinks I'm pretty without any make-up on...

Carol and Kyran jamming. Artemis wants to sing...

Artemis and her back-up band.

Mist and Pip

Peter on top of the clean-up.

Vanishing Human Cultures

One of the globe's vanishing cultures: A woman and children of the Batek peoples of the Taman Negara jungle in Malaysia.
Photo by Mix Hart, 2010

I attended a talk on Thursday night by Wade Davis. He is an Ethnobotanist and National Geographic's Explorer in Residence. His talk was about the vanishing human cultures around the globe. His  photographs  were stunning and fascinating portraits of cultures at risk around the globe.We understand the rate at which cultures vanish by the vanishing languages. Much like the vanishing wildlife, cultures come into extinction not by technological advances but by the destruction of their habitat.

 Davis' opening comment was about an aboriginal culture that believed they had failed at life, as they thought they were not fully human because never fully assimilated into the modern world.  For a human being to doubt one's humanness seems impossible, yet sadly, it exists. 

 In addition, Davis' information about the damage Christian missionaries have done to indigenous cultures was deeply disturbing.  Even more tragic is the damage our governments continue to create, by raping our lands for profit (mining, forestry), with no consideration for the indigenous cultures who live their--soil, water, food supplies and wildlife are left poisoned.

 The information below (in italics) is from my facts and opinion and was not a part of Davis' talk:

*In Canada, think tar sands of Alberta and the pipeline that Harper is pushing across the West to load oil onto ships in Prince Rupert, BC. Oil spills will happen several times a year and destroy the only temperate rain forest left on the globe (and home to the rare Spirit Bear population).*

I urge my fellow Canadians to put a stop to this Pipeline--there is still time.

However, there is always an element to any professional speaker that exposes the talk as expert story telling and self promotion. On occasion, it takes away from the true essence of the subject of the talk. I am sure it is difficult to condense the subject into an hour and a half talk, but I found his choice of subjects (from the cultures he chose to examine) exclusively patriarchal. I accept that yes, he is a male scientist, so it would have been more difficult for him to access the women of the cultures.  However, I wanted to know more about the women, we as a humans, need to know more about the women. The only woman subject was a Tibetan nun (who, incidentally,  I've just been reading about). And yet, her story was that of a woman escaping the patriarchal confines of her culture to become a reclusive nun.

There were times, I found his talk, too broad, containing some stories that I have heard before, from other sources.

Though, my overall impression was: that's my dream job!--traveling the world, exploring, writing, taking photographs and learning from indigenous cultures.

*If you enjoy my blog, please send a vote my way. Click on the Circle of Mom's button in the top right corner of this page and scroll down to vote for Modernista Mama. You can vote once a day until contest closes on OCT 11.
Thank-you to all those kind souls who have been diligently voting for me :)

Singing Sands on Ephemeral Shores

The Westwind sand is so fine, it sings beneath one's feet with each step. The following photographs were taken the day we created sand drawings on the beach. I felt the need to choose the beach drawing activity over the other offered activities--as though something was calling me to the ocean's edge. It was an exhilarating experience. I carved through the sand against the Tide's yearning to erase the drawing before it's completion. A great work out for my upper body as I pressed the rake handle deep into the beach and pulled. Watching the tide erase the art on completion emphasized the impermanence of life.

I drew a sea serpent. I did not have a wide-angle lens thus the picture below does not do it justice. My niece Nem, created the octopus with a friend (I took all the pics with my own camera except this one--I used Duncan's camera and wide angle lens for the octopus). I barely had time to drag the ladder to each creation and take a photo before the tide ate away at each creation.

 During this time other members of my family chose different activities. Miranda went on a steep, cliff-edged hike (I was envious on her return but realized Providence had intervened as some of the hike was spent on their bellies creeping towards the cliff's edge and I would have frozen up in fear), Tabs and Mist made salt from the sea. Tabs will show me how when we go to Hawaii next--I can bring home Hawaiian sea salt! We have a small stash of Westwind salt. We had concerns crossing the border with our little bags of white powder, but all was well. When you tell the border guards you were attending a Buddhist meditation retreat--they are rather friendly. In fact, my border crossing this trip was the easiest and friendliest I've encountered to date.

On Our Way From Misery To Happiness

The photo essay below depicts our initial arrival at Westwind, Oregon, USA. I attended a Buddhist mindfulness retreat along with my two eldest daughters, sister and niece. The Buddhism is in Thich Nhat Hanh Zen tradition.
We drove down from Canada, spent one night in Portland and the next day arrived on the coast of Oregon. I didn't take any pictures of our night in Portland but Mist (below) my sister and I took the Max train down town for the evening and dined at Rock Bottom Brewery and Restaurant. It was a whirlwind, fun night in Portland. Mist got to try Rock Bottom's homemade rootbeer. It was surreal for me as I'd dined at that exact restaurant in Portland only 8 months earlier. The 14 hour road trip took us through the very beautiful Washington and Oregon States. We arrived, slightly weary but excited travelers, ready to leave our miseries behind...

Mist on the Salmon River, Oregon-- awaiting the ferry crossing.

Tabs--thrilled to have arrived after a 14 hour road trip.

Biologists at play on the Salmon River shore.

Crossing the Salmon River to Westwind.

My niece and I on board the ferry.

Safely on shore. The sand is crunchy on top and soft underneath.

We're on our way---following Duncan's 85 year old mom Fern to the camp site. She is an  inspirational woman full of eloquence, vitality and warmth.

Mistaya, ready to explore the biosphere.

Caught in a sandstorm of emotion (sorry ABBA-it just seemed appropriate).

Duncan Berry, one of the retreat's hosts, explaining the history of the land.

We have arrived in happiness: Westwind--the dining halls.

The steep narrow path to our cabin was the only escape route for the camp.

Toilet on cliff's edge--unbelievable ocean view when sitting in front of this small building, quite challenging finding one's way in the dark.

Our mountain-top sanctuary: Tyee Cabin