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Category Archives: Travelling
Share Your World – Week 28
Have you ever been a participant in a parade? What did you do?
I’ve watched numerous parades in my lifetime but I can’t remember being in a parade as a child and I know that I’ve never participated in a parade as an adult.
If you were handed free opera tickets, would you go or sell them? Why?
I would go to the opera. I don’t have a lot of exposure with operas but I’d like to change that and if it’s free even better.
Why did you start your blog?
I started my blog to record some of my family memories to share with my children and friends but it quickly became a venue to plot my weight loss and an incentive to stay on track. It worked and I lost 32 pounds.
I also wrote up recipes and started taking photographs of my travels, cottage and experiences around Toronto. Over the last two years I’ve included my own personal art and art that my students produced. I’ve also dabbled in poetry and I love taking part in blogging challenges.
What is your favorite tradition? (family tradition, church tradition, whatever)
My favourite family tradition is celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve. Being German, I’ve always opened presents on Christmas Eve and when I got married my husband embraced that tradition. It worked out well for us because we would celebrate with my family on the 24th and then go to my husband’s family on the 25th.
Even when my husband’s parents passed away we continued to celebrate on Christmas Eve and the kids loved waiting up and then hiding when Santa arrived. It was always magical when we walked into the living room after Santa left and we were made to wait and take in the lit tree and the newly arrived presents under it.
Now that the kids have all grown up some of the traditions have changed slightly and the focus is on the food, drink and good company that we all share on that special night. It has become my husband’s favourite tradition as well. 
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
I’m grateful that Germany won over Argentina in the World Cup and I’m grateful that I was able to share the day with my husband, and my daughter and her husband. Thanks to technology we were also able to communicate with our other daughter and our son in the Netherlands during and after the game.
This week I’m looking forward to spending some time at the cottage. I’ve been in the city helping my cousins deal with their very ill mother (my aunt) and I’ve been in and out of the hospital for the last six days. She’s still there but I’m only a phone call away.
For more Share Your World posts check out http://ceenphotography.com/2014/07/14/share-your-world-2014-week-28/
Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge-Circles-Curves
….at first I didn’t think I had any circle or curve photos to share
For more fun photos check out Cee’s site at http://ceenphotography.com/2014/07/08/cees-fun-foto-challenge-circles-and-curves/
Share Your World – 2014 Week 21
….these are the toughest questions yet
If you could make a 15 second speech to the entire world, what would you say?
This is the only world we have. Love it, look after it and keep it safe for the next generation. Love yourself and your fellow man. Be generous with your time and share your knowledge to create a better world. Use your words to solve problems, not weapons. There is no place for hate in this world. Be kind.
If you could take a photograph, paint a picture or write a story of any place in the world, what and where would it be?
I have no idea. There are so many great photographers and travel writers and subsequent photographs and stories of magnificent places in the world that the work has already been done for me. Maybe a better question would be what would I like to see first hand. Even this question is difficult for me because there is so much I haven’t seen. Off the top of my head I’d like to see Machu Picchu, the Pyramids of Giza, the Coliseum in Rome, Stonehenge and the canals of Venice.
If you had to spend one weekend alone in a single store but could remove nothing, which store would you pick?
I thought this question would be fun to answer and then I read that I couldn’t remove anything. Does that include gourmet goodies and bakery delights. I am spending the weekend there after all and one does need to eat. Seeing that I have to sleep there I’m thinking about a department store that sells beds, comfy chairs so that I can curl up and read and exercise equipment so that I can get in a bit of a workout.
I would want to try on shoes to my heart’s content and pull designer clothes from the racks to see if they suit me and are comfortable to wear. Of course I would return everything to its rightful place and leave everything no worse for wear. In Canada I would choose Holt Renfrew and in the U.S., Saks Fifth Avenue.
If you were given a boat or yacht today, what would you name it? (You can always sell the yacht later)
Owning a boat is not high on my priority list so I haven’t given much thought to naming one. How about ‘Get Me Home Safely’ or ‘Slow and Steady Wins the Race’. As you can see I’m a bit of a nervous Nelly when it comes to riding in a boat, especially at high speeds. I’ve always been amazed at how much time and money it takes just to get a boat onto the water and then again when one returns (more fuel, repairs, docking fees, on going maintenance, etc.). Maybe a good name would be ‘This is Where My Money Goes’ or ‘Four Hours of Prep for One Hour of Enjoyment’. To all boat lovers I apologize for my sarcastic response.
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
I’m grateful that the girls won all four of their games at the soccer tournament last week. I’m also grateful that the weather was so warm this weekend that the flowers actually started to bloom and I was able to really clean up the front garden.
I’m really pleased that my rhododendron survived the winter and blessed us with some blooms this spring. My Dad’s aren’t nearly as bountiful.
This week I’m looking forward to finishing up the art projects for the silent auction. It’s being held this Saturday at the Fun Fair. Also Jump Rope for Heart is this Friday and so is the playoffs for Girls’ Soccer. It’s going to be a busy week.
For more great posts of Share Your World check out Cee’s Photography.
Share Your World 2014 – Week 19
….this week’s answers are sweet and short
Do you prefer shopping or going to a park?
I guess it depends on the park. I do like to shop but going to the park is definitely more relaxing and easier on the pocketbook.
What is the highest score you’ve ever made in bowling? Actual or virtually played.
It’s been awhile since I’ve gone bowling and five pin and ten pin bowling scores would also be different. Sorry, I just don’t recall how I scored. I just know that I’m not the best or the worst.
Name the foreign countries you’ve been to.
The U.S.A., Ireland, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. I need to get out in the world more. Next on the list? Iceland and Italy.
Describe your own outlook on life in seven words or less.
Laugh, love, learn, share, explore, play.
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
I’m grateful for spending time with my family, in person and over the airwaves. This week I’m looking forward to going to the Blue Jays game with the school choir. They were chosen to sing the national anthems at Wednesday’s game.
For more Share Your World posts check out Cee’s Photography.
Share Your World 2014 – Week 18
…..another set of great questions from Cee
What object do you always have with you when traveling and why?
I always have my camera with me. I love recording all the wonderful sights that I see and being able to share my experiences with family and friends when I come home again. In fact I’m never without my camera, regardless of where I am.
What subject would you like to study in depth, if given the time to do so?
I would study art in depth. I’ve learned over the last few years that there is so much that I don’t know about the art world. I would also like to try new and different art techniques, such as encaustic painting. I’ve been considering going back to university when I retire and study art just for fun or at least take a lot of courses from experts in a variety of fields.
Which would you prefer: a wild, turbulent life filled with joy, sorrow, passion, and adventure–intoxicating successes and stunning setbacks; or a contented bordering on happy, secure, predictable life surrounded by friends and family without such wide swings of fortune and mood?
This is a tough question. When I was younger I would probably have chosen the first option but as I get older I’m happy to live a contented life. Family and friends are more important to me than ‘wild, turbulent’ adventure and who needs stunning setbacks at this stage in life. I think I would like the best of both options. A life filled with joy, passion and some adventure while being happy and secure in the company of family and friends.
What are your favorite spices?
My favourite spice is cinnamon and most spices that complement it, such as ginger, cardamon, allspice, cloves and nutmeg. Is that too many? I love ginger cookies, spice cake, chai tea, mulled wine and spicy apple crisp.
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
I’m grateful that my oral gum surgery went well and that the recovery has been a breeze. I’m looking forward to having the dressing removed and being able to eat more than soft bland food. I’m also looking forward to spending time with my daughters and their significant others on the weekend for Mother’s Day.
For more Share Your World stories go to Cee’s Photography
A Word a Week Photograph Challenge – Water
….I’m very attracted to water
I live by water all year round. My home is 100m from Lake Ontario and my cottage is on Georgian Bay. My walks take me along the shores of the lake and our dog loves to swim in the lake.
For more photos of water check out Sue Llewelyn’s A Word in Your Ear.
Daily Prompts – The Wanderer
……name 5 places you’d like to visit
1. The west and east coasts of Canada. I’ve lived in Canada pretty much all of my life but I’ve never been to any of our coastal areas. I’m very much drawn to water and that’s one of the reasons I’ve lived in Toronto in the same house for over 35 years. I live right next to Lake Ontario and in the summers I spend a great deal of my time at the cottage on Georgian Bay.

2. Italy, the entire boot. I’ve wanted to go to Italy for awhile now. The rolling hills of Tuscany, the history of Rome, the romance of Venice, the mountains in the north and the rugged coastlines tug at my wanderlust. I love the food, the wine and the art and of course the beautiful scenery. What more could a person want?
3. New Zealand and since I’ve travelled so far I might as well hop on over to Australia. I love reading about both countries and I follow several bloggers from ‘down under’.
4. New York City. The last time I was in NYC I was a mere child of 5 years. We drove down to pick up my Oma from the ship that she travelled on from Germany. Everyone should experience this iconic city at least once in their life and take in the shows, the great restaurants, Central Park, Coney Island and of course the Statue of Liberty.

New York City Photo courtesy of http://i.factmonster.com/images/brooklyn-manhatten-bridges.jpg
5. Iceland. My daughter and her partner just came back from Iceland and the rugged scenery intrigues me. The entire country has no more than 300 000 people so the roads are never busy and they are easy to manoeuvre.
Happy Birthday, Sis!
….even though her actual birthday is in December we celebrated on Friday
Last Christmas my sister’s husband surprised her with a gift certificate for a dinner for three at the Chef’s Table. That was only half of her birthday gift. The other half included flying her two sisters from Ontario to Calgary to join her for the dinner. It was as much a gift for her as it was for her sisters.
We arrived in Calgary on Wednesday and the dinner took place on Friday. After a long afternoon of shopping at the outlet mall we returned to C’s home and showered and dressed for our special dinner.
I’m not really that short. I wore flats while my sisters had on heels. C’s husband drove us to the restaurant. We arrived at 7: 00 and were seated immediately. For the next four hours we were treated to a five course meal with a wine pairing for each course. The sommelier took extra care to explain each course and the reason for his wine selection. We were truly pampered.
We had a wonderful evening with great food and wine and we loved reminiscing about our childhood together. I started to photograph each course but at times I was so anxious to try each course that I forgot to take pictures of some of the plates. I truly savoured each dish and was surprised that I didn’t finish first. This is not something I’m proud of. I tend to eat too quickly but for some reason that didn’t happen on Friday. At the end of the meal C’s husband picked us up. It was nice not to have to worry about drinking and driving.
Sharing Memories and Reconnecting With Old Friends
…watching old V8 movies of us as kids and meeting up with friends from university
Thursday was a laid back day. I couldn’t sleep past 6:00 am so I got up and wrote my first post about the flight to Calgary. I took my time getting showered and dressed and then I went downstairs to join my sisters for breakfast.
My middle sister had given each of us a DVD that she had transposed from VHS. Years ago our mom took all the old V8 movies that my Dad had taken of us as kids and had them put onto videotape. It’s pretty rough and of course there’s no soundtrack. We decided to watch the DVD together, not realizing that it was over two hours. It was great seeing all those clips again. It brought back great memories and we couldn’t help but notice how different life was 50 years ago.
The one thing that really struck us was how formally our parents dressed. Outings to the park, going on picnics and day trips to Niagara Falls involved dressing in your Sunday best. Mom wore heels, dresses, hats and gloves and Dad wore dress pants, jackets and ties and of course all the ‘sisters’ wore dresses and party shoes. The only time I saw us in trousers was when I went roller skating down the sidewalk by our house in the Junction. Good thing too, because I took a couple of nasty spills.
It was also interesting to see the transition from long hair to short hair and then back to long hair when we were teenagers. My Mom wore her hair in a bun for many years and her hair was actually quite dark. Sometime in the 60s she cut her hair short and became a blonde. I never saw her with long hair ever again.
I’m sure there’s some way of copying bits and pieces of the DVD to share with you but I just haven’t figured out how to do that. I’m thinking I need to go to Garage Band and cut and paste segments onto a Youtube video but I’ll have to investigate that a bit more. If any of you have any suggestions I’d be more than grateful.
After lunch, I arranged to meet two friends from university at the Learning Centre in Fish Creek Park. Melissa McKinnon who I follow on WordPress has an exhibition there and one of the things I wanted to do when I got to Calgary was check out her work. I’ve seen it on-line but there’s nothing like seeing it up close and personal. The staff at the centre were very friendly and told us how successful Melissa’s opening was. Her paintings are beautiful and it looks like half or more are already sold. You can check out her blog, here.
I haven’t been to Calgary in over 20 years but I have seen my sister and my friends, L & L, on numerous occasions in Toronto. It’s been great seeing them on their home turf, something that’s long overdue. My next trip will be with my husband. He hasn’t been to Calgary in 38 years.












































