Pulsing Spirit of Bow River Along Its Journey

I’ve been wanting to write about a neighbour that lives close to home  for a long time.  Centuries.  That’s the  Bow River, a major river with many stories.    Its pulsing water feeds  several towns — Banff, Canmore, Cochrane and the heart of Alberta’s biggest city, Calgary.  This 673 km. long river  which originates from…

Cycling Fires My Five Senses, Inspiration

While I was blissed out during a wonderful Christmas  baroque music concert, it suddenly dawned on me why I bicycle day after day. Year after year.  The frenzied violinists with half closed eyes in their  Zen trance while teasing music from their strings,  was akin to cycling as a great sensory experience. Cycling –An Easier Sensory Journey Cycling is…

Baby Steps for Adventures Far-Flung and Close

I did not travel outside of my home province, Ontario Canada where I was born, until when I was 25 years old. It was a train trip to Quebec City with a sister. I can’t even remember if we stopped in Montreal on our way into la belle province, Quebec. So, no de rigeur European…

Learning Journey — Where A Career Wanders

If I had known at the beginning where my jobs would have led, I might have  scared myself. I never knew my work journey would take me to 3 different Canadian provinces and cities.   I can’t claim I’m the person that often dashes out on a journey without a  map or a vague idea of…

Internet Chatter – Bikes and Other Fun Among Crazy Birds

Happy New Lunar Year of the Tiger! As a blogger or Internet forum participant, it helps to remember your life, ego and beliefs should not bank solely on the  Internet. So don’t believe the above  painting of Chinese ladies in flowing silk robes, on mountain bikes.  Not real. The bicycle didn’t get invented until the…

Historic Neighbourhood of Stories

Who would ever tell their 10 year-old child, how much their house costed? My father did. It was $19,000 back in 1968. It was a throwaway fact he told me after our whole family moved there .  Nothing more said. Home for Growth.. and Repair It was a bargain price because this 1883 house (year…

Christmas Crystal Memories to Hold

With covid restrictions still falling like blanket globally, Christmas  holidays become bright lights in a string of long nights and winter days. “Tree of Life” stained glass art windows at Christ Church Cathedral, downtown Vancouver BC 2020. By Musqueam artist, Susan Point from Alert Bay, BC. Imagery of trees supporting salmon, a symbol of northwest…

Before Smoky Skies: Vacation Spirits at Cowichan Bay, British Columbia

Now that some wildfire fire smoke drifted into Calgary this summer across the Rocky Mountains from 300 different wildfires burning in British Columbia, I am grateful for my lovely, earlier vacation interlude with friends at Cowichan Bay, on southern Vancouver Island. It feels I just beat the smoky sky blues by a few days. Cowichan…

Bumping into the Personal: From Museum Exhibits to Identity, Anti-Asian Sentiment and Activism. Part 2.

Just for a flicker moment, I felt like a pseudo-hippie, a relic from the 1960’s, a helping hand for social justice on equity and race relations. But not at all. I was there in the 1980’s in Toronto. A few months ago, I was interviewed by a Canadian history professor, Angie Wong who will have…

Mist and Brightness: Beaver Lake, Stanley Park

On another post-rainy day, we cycled over to Beaver Lake, tucked in Vancouver’s Stanley Park. Once you bike or better yet, saunter down a short, hard packed fine gravel path through the woods, you’ll reach messy mini-wetland of Beaver Lake.  It’s not particularily scenic spot since you’re surrounded by old growth trees and rotting logs…

From Museum Exhibits, Personal Stories to Anti-Asian North American Sentiment in 21st Century. Part 1

This year, I biked through a bunch of peaceful activists gathering for anti-racism public rally. I felt quite guilty I didn’t stop for a few minutes to show my support for them. After all, my personal history includes volunteer work for several years in Toronto on social justice, anti-racism and equity matters. Toronto rally by…

Beauty Long for Now

This spring I just won’t be able to immerse in cherry blossom splendour in Vancouver.  So these lovely blossom sprays and boughs are memories for me, and maybe for many of you, tissue paper living dreams. Nevertheless, join me with lightness in heart of spring and living. Cherry umbrella arcs Pink flush warms o’er skies…

Bird Miracles in our Neighbourhood

Miraculously we were at the right time and place, to spot a rare and incredible Mandarin duck at Burnaby Lake Park in Metro Vancouver this past winter. I’m pretty sure, this is the same creature that rocked excitement to near local stardom in the news over 3 years ago. The flamboyant duck plumage marked its…

Unveiling Vancouver Temperate Rainforests

Kind of embarrassing –after moving to Vancouver over 18 years ago, we finally visited 2 local municipal parks with temperate rainforests, for our first time a few months ago. For many years, I biked right by Pacific Spirit Regional Park near the University of British Columbia. Park edge was sometimes within a metre from the…

Self-Care or Self-Indulgence

For nearly the past year, our world has been flipped upside-down.  At times, it’s hard to know if habits now are truly self-care, or upon guilty reflection, self-indulgence. For now, I’d take the slothful route of self-righteousness:  it’s primarily self-care. Featured photo:   Lovely gently liquor soaked cherry gourmet cake with passion fruit outer layer and…

Heron with Punk Haircut and Other Birdie Delights

I know..I know. Everyone complains right now about travel –the strait-jacket restrictions, barriers to healthy, care-free vacations overseas and in our home countries, during this covid-19 pandemic. Spontaneous Air Flights Impossible I feel the same pain. It can be more complicated, when one has loved ones and family living in other provinces in a huge,…

Gathering Cosy and Safe for Christmas

It seems quaint now, to see photos of being caught up in last year’s bustle of holiday crowds in cafes, stores and yes, even the hotel that hosts for the public, gingerbread collection of cookie, candy and sugar dusted winter tableaux and figurines. At the time, we thought the gingerbread cruise liner ship with onboard…

Overlooked Paths: Discovery and Unexpected Encounters

A few weeks ago, in a park I decided to veer off by bike, onto a different side route.  This side route was right by the entry of a popular bike pedestrian bridge.  I’ve been ignoring this well-marked cut-off, for the past 9 years. I’m not sure why we never bothered to slow down, dismount…

Outdoor Art Adds a Different City Heartbeat

If you need a break from the city’s fast pace and crowds while in the midst of its heartbeat, outdoor art can be a wonderful antidote to slow you down.  Or indoor art in public places, such as the stained glass of Mount Rundle below, taken inside St. Paul’s Church, in downtown Banff. Not every…

Becoming Bird-Alert

Maybe it’s slowly creeping into me over past few years –I’ve become acutely aware of birds as I spin along on bike into park areas or rest for a short time near trees, bushes and tall grasses. It’s like a candle has been lit in me.  Especially this year, I notice bird shadows flitting in…

Social Bonding Over Food

Before covid-19 hit the brakes hard globally on health and our social lives, the last social meal I had with several people was the last day in February. At lunch, I hung out over sizzling stone bowls of bimbap with egg, at a popular Korean restaurant with 3 other employees from another department. In fact,…