Lights of Hope

I got a new tripod for my camera, so I went out and got a few night shots of St. Paul's Hospital.  Not bad, but not great shots either.  But at least, now I can practise taking shots when the sun's down.

Prayer Of A Single Person

Jesus my LORD, who became man and graced us with the beauty of your life and with the example of faith, purity, and love; help me, I pray, to love you with all my mind, heart and soul, and to live according to your teachings.  Strengthen me when temptations strike, that I may remain pure in thought and steadfast in virtue, doing only things that are pleasing to you.  Guide me into your will, and not my own, as I look to the future.  Grant me faith, courage and love, that I may serve you in holiness all the days of my life, through the prayers of the Theotokos and of all the saints.  Amen.

_____

Source: Prayer Book: In Accordance with the Tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Revised 2nd ed., St. Arseny of Konevets, Victoria, BC, Canada, 2011, 53.

Rivendell Day 2: Killarney Lake

I've decided to divide my two full days on Bowen Island in two. Day 1: enjoying God's creation by hiking and taking pictures; and Day 2: Lectio Divina.

With that in mind, here are the pictures I took on my hike around Killarney Lake today.  The weather wasn't ideal: it was pouring rain most of the day.  Still, I managed to take some shots without getting my camera wet!

Breakfast in the "nook":

My bedroom:














View of Killarney Lake from my bedroom window:

Rivendell - a glorious setting, a glorious view:

Afternoon hike: first some meadows, then some hauntingly beautiful forests, and then finally, the lake.  Except for the meadow picture, all others were taken in the pouring rain.

 

At the end of the day, already on my way home, I saw this deer. Amazing. For about 3 minutes, while I got my camera set up, we stood in this pose, about 3 meters apart. In that timespan - which seemed an eternity - the deer didn't take his eye off me once. What was it that kept him from running away? Trust? Curiosity?

In the evening I went to the library and read. Tomorrow I will share some of my thoughts on what I'm reading/contemplating these days.

Rivendell Day 1: Arrival

As I approach my 2nd CPE unit, I'm aware of the strain - theological, psychological, even physical - that goes with such an intense course.  In preparation, therefore, I've decided to spend 3 days far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and in a quiet, remote place.  The aim: to seek God in silence and simplicity.

So earlier this afternoon I took the 256 from Georgia/Granville to the Horseshoe Bay Ferry terminal.  Then I took the ferry, destination Bowen Island.  Then, finally, I took the long treck up the road, towards Rivendell.  I was about 1/3 of the way up, when a kind soul driving up the road saw me lugging my big backpack and and had mercy on me.  Thank you Lord!  She dropped me off at the front entrance, and I had just enough time to drop off my stuff in my room and then run back downstairs for prayer time.

After prayer, I ate dinner, read a little, prayed a little, and then turned myself in for a good night's sleep.  Below are pictures of the ferry ride over, and the view from my room.

Lunch With Zul

I met Zul about 3 years ago, while I was working at Day4. He was the shuttle driver, and I was the materials handler. I enjoyed working with him for about a year, at which point he quit and got himself other work.

The great thing about Zul is that he always kept in touch, something I'm not very good at. So, thanks Zul for doing that.

Today we met up for lunch, for the last time, at least for now. He and his wife have sold their home, and are moving back to Edmonton, where they lived before coming here in the first place.

All the best, my friend. Hopefully we'll meet up again, sooner rather than later.

Plants...Procrastination...Pitty

I started growing plants in January of this year.  I started small, with 2 succulents, a jade, and a rubber tree plant.  It's been over 6 months, and all of them have "made it".  I haven't killed them with kindness (water).

Along the way, I've picked up some more plants: a peace lily and dracaeneas, among others.  And still, all of them are alive, thriving, even.  I keep telling myself that I'll take some pictures of my plants, so that I can track their growth, but I just don't seem to get around to it.

I'll do it soon....

Ancient Bumper Stickers

I came across this today. Priceless!

Squamish Chief With Juan And Benja

Conscious of the fact that Juan is leaving us soon and returning to Spain, Benja, Juan and I decided to take the day and head out to Squamish for a day of hiking.  In the +/-5 years that Juan was here he did a fair bit of hiking, but one of the mountains he had not conquered yet was the Squamish (or Stawamus, as it's known locally) Chief.

So around 9:30 this morning the 3 of us met up and headed north on the 99, enjoying the lovely coastal view along the way.
































Upon arrival at the base of the rock, I noticed as I'd done on a few previous occasions, that the rock looks as impressive from below, as the view of its surroundings from above.  No matter what the angle, we're surrounded by beauty.

After a surprisingly easy search for a parking spot - it was a beautiful, clear, and sunny day, so there were a dozen or so other cars looking for parking spots - we parked Benja's Mazda, put on all our hiking gear, and began our hike. Juan, ever the forest researcher, was eager to give us insights into why the forest looked the way it did (height of trees, colour of bark, etc...). Here are a few pictures of the way up:

Once we got to the top, I looked for a tree with a bit of shade to spare, to sit under it and enjoy my sandwich lunch.  Benja and Juan were more interested in seeing the view, even if it meant they sat in the sun.

After about a 20 minute break - no talking, just catching our breath, eating, drinking, and enjoying the view - I got up and strolled around the top of the rock.

 






























One last time, the view, this time unhindered.

As always, the way down was much quicker than the way up, and as always, my knees got progressively worse along the way.  I was happy when, around 4 in the afternoon, we'd made our way back to our car.

We drove back home emotionally energized, our senses overloaded.  But at the same time, we were tired - exhausted, even - the physical cost of our excursion.

Of all the hikes Juan did over the past few years, it seems to me appropriate to have left this one for the end. He'll surely take home with him some vivid images of beauty: typical BC.

Penticton With Family

One of the things I really appreciate about my family is that once a year, almost always in the summer, we all go on a trip together for 2-3 days. Everyone. The entire family.

This year's edition of the trip had to be modified somewhat.  Ralph obviously couldn't come along.  Tanis and Jason didn't come either: they stayed behind, keeping Ralph company.  The rest of us went to Penticton.

We enjoyed ourselves very much, but there's no doubt that this year's trip had a sad feel to it. It's just not the same, knowing that one of your loved ones is back at home, stuck in a hospital bed. Still, we must press on. We must not be dragged down into cynicism.

With that in mind, here are a few notes on our trip over the past few days (Aug. 29-31).

* weather was so-so: cloudy and windy

* because of the cold wind, the canal shut down: not enough people, very disappointing

* as always, mom and dad "did" the food: dad the bbq, mom the rest

* I spent some valuable time with the boys - Dylan, Terence, and Neal: watching LOTR 2 until the wee hours of the morning

* I also did a fair bit of reading: Flannery O'Connor, The Violent Bear it Away.  Come to think of it, lots of others were reading too: Terence, Karin, Neal, even Priscila!

* an unlikely highlight of the trip was a 15-minute walk with Terence to pick up a bottle of wine: I need to get to know him; I've ignored him for too long
* ice cream with the kids: yummy!

* it's so good to have Ted and family around, but something's up with him: he doesn't seem the same

Here are some pictures I took on our trip: