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the reward

Agility not being on my side today, I did make noise as I determinedly made my way through the brush along the shoreline to try to make my way to the end of the peninsula.

I climbed over fallen branches, dead trees, slipped down the embankment into the mud, even crossed a car length of water on a tree limb and a make shift stepping stone with a wooden plank to get to more of the peninsula. I was tired and getting weary, but I was determined to get to the end of the bit of land I was exploring.

My reward was that as I went the last few steps, I saw a Canada Goose out in the water, using my zoom I tried to bring him in focus, while keeping my balance on the uneven terrain. I was having a bit of a time, it was very uneven and full of overgrown brush and vegetation. Something made me aware that I was not alone, I cautiously looked to either side of me, but didn’t see anything… then I saw that the Goose was heading back towards me, and I looked down, just a few feet away from me, sat his partner.. staring up at me.

The queen herself, watching me, wondering what this silly human was doing in her space.

I know I like to explore, and I like being in places where I’m not likely to meet any other person on a walk, I suspect that they had chosen this place because it was far from human traffic, for sure, it was not an easy journey through the overgrown vegetation and dead wood that was everywhere. but, this crazy lady came to visit. They were both actually very calm about it all. You can see, when he got closer and saw that I wasn’t a threat, he stopped to primp himself. Needless to say, I was thrilled to the bone. I felt like I had just won the lottery.

Happiness is, a day out in the world, being ONE with nature, yes, I had to scramble over logs, deep holes in the ground, watch for branches that reached out to block my path, stumbled over dead roots reaching up out of the debris that littered the ground, but I was alive, and I was focused on every moment of my experience. The memory of that moment where her eyes looked into mine, will stay with me forever. She was so close, so near, and so unruffled … her serenity in the moment, was a gift//blessing.

Oyashikiri

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incredible holiday

Never judge a book by its cover…. our room was clean, big, it had a fridge, microwave, coffee maker, big screen telly and internet. Oh and two big queen size beds. It was just off the big super highway when we turned off on to hwy 15 going into Kingston. This was our view from the balcony ..it wasn’t the time year to be sitting on the balcony but.. wanted to share this with you. The road you see there is the hwy. where you can’t see off to the left is the super one. Yes, we were constantly hearing cars, trucks etc. driving past. In the morning, we were treated to the activity of the heavy equipment being started up. It was all good, we enjoyed ity all.

The pictures were taken early morning, the day following our arrival. Kingston is a popular tourist attraction especially in the summer, and it is not only a military base, but swarming with the activity of the Universities and the buzz of student life. for more on the city you can check out this link

http://http://tourism.kingstoncanada.com/en/index.asp

As wonderful as the city is, we were there to treasure hunt and chill. Eartha (name changed to protect the innocent) and I were on an adventure, and yes we included some craft shopping (Michaels) We were in our glory, on the days we were there we encountered nothing but discount days, one store had 75% off, another 50% then the next day or was it the day before it was 40%. It is not the you spend a lot, it is the thrill of the hunt. Some of you will get this, others I know will just shake their darling heads (Hello B!)

Everything was a positive. The internet was iffy in our lodgings, but we were still able to have a giggle, and what messages I did retrieve were so appreciated. We had been told to expect snow, rain, freezing rain, but all day everywhere we were the sun shone down on us, blessing our day with warm sunshine, blue skies, friendly people, we laughed, we talked, and we ate.

We found this restaurant called the Mandarin (no it was not lost) it was just new to us. =^_^=…. Chinese New Year as most of you know by now is coming up Feb. 7 in China, 8th here. Already the celebrations have begun. It is a big restaurant (franchised) that means the different Mandarins, for example there is a big one near here in Orleans, are owned by different people. This one, was in full-blown celebration mode, with the red lanterns and the red symbols of good luck, prosperity, health and happiness festooned all over in all the rooms.

Yes, there were different rooms with different themes, on our last day we sat in the Fish room. Huge divider of tropical fish and Chinese wall mural of fish. The servers and attendants were all in smart well pressed uniforms of Chinese red, the ladies sported tops in Chinese brocade, everyone had training in how to greet guests, the special bow, the hot towels prior to eating and then another fresh hot towel after the meal. the service was 1st class excellent! The owner made the rounds, welcoming everyone, and offering the traditional red envelopes. A grand experience.

It was a wonderful time away, it wasn’t the destination, but the getting there. Once there it wasn’t our physical environment, but the sense of happiness and friendship that carried us through the various things we did. The discoveries we shared. We didn’t think about tomorrow, we lived the moments and therefore, we were constantly celebrating the “wonders ” of the day.

The start of a new year should always be a celebration of new beginnings and the renewal of the joy in our hearts. We sweep out the old and bring in the new. According to Chinese tradition, a red envelope is a symbol of luck. When we give someone a red New Year envelope, we are wishing them good health, wealth and luck for the coming year.

We got two on our trip. yahhhhhhooooo, double luck! KUNG HEI FAT CHOY !!!

namaste – oyashikiri

PL Precept # 21 Live in Perfect LIberty

PL Principle # 12 I will get up pleasantly in the mornings

PL Precept # 2 I will not have complaints about others, matters, nor the weather. Rather I will always be creative and will look for shortcomings in my own thinking and actions.