….this week’s Word Press Photo Challenge is muse
I am attracted to water and because I live in Ontario most of my water photos are of fresh water lakes. I live 100 meters from Lake Ontario, 100km from Niagara Falls and my cottage is on Georgian Bay.
….this week’s Daily Post Photo Challenge is Serenity
Nothing is more serene to me than sitting by or on the water on a hot summer’s day
For more black and white water shots check out Cee’s photography.
….for more ‘blue’ photos check out Cee’s Photography
List 2 things you have to be happy about.
I’m happy that I’m as healthy as I am. I look at friends who are my age and younger and I appreciate how much I’m still able to do and want to do. I know that a lot of it is your state of mind. I don’t allow myself to think of myself as old.
The other thing that I’m happy about is my desire and drive to try new things, especially when it comes to creating art. I’m currently enrolled in another on-line art class where I’ll be learning at least six new art techniques.
List at least 2 things in nature do you find most beautiful.
In nature I love to look at and touch bark. I’m drawn to the texture and the interesting lines in tree bark. The other thing that I find beautiful is moving water. I love the thunderous roar of a waterfall, the foaming and crashing caps of waves and the sweet sounds and ripples of a babbling brook.
Show us a 2 of your favorites photographs. Explain why they are your favorite. If you are not a photographer (serious or otherwise), think of a two favorite scenes in your life and tell us about them.
I love the morning light and the reflection of the fall colours on the lake.
The photo below of me and my husband was taken by our son in Ireland. We are both happy, healthy and fit enough to make this climb at Howth.
I love taking photos of animals. This guy let me get up close and personal.
Another photo taken by someone else (my cousin who was visiting from Germany) captured a rare moment of the two of us spending time together on the beach. 
List 2 of your best personality traits.
I think my two best personality traits are my empathy and caring nature towards others and my spontaneity and willingness to try new things.
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 aunt is still with us even if she is still in the hospital. She seems happier and somewhat better than she was three weeks ago. Her prognosis isn’t necessarily good but she is more accepting of her situation and makes the best of visits. We’ve had some great conversations the last two times I went to see her.
I’m looking forward to getting going on the assignments from this week’s ‘Summer Camp’ art classes. Lesson five was posted today and I haven’t started one. I’m also looking forward to seeing the Caribbean Festival parade tomorrow. It’ll be the first one I’ve ever attended.
For more Share Your World posts check out Cee’s Photography at: Share Your World – Week 30
….. rain, puddles, rivers, lakes, ocean, sea
For more fun photos of water, check out Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge.
…..the end of a long weekend brings us to a new Share Your World
If you could go back and visit any time period, what time would you travel to and why?
I saved this question for last because I’m not sure which time period I’d want to travel to. Having studied and taught early civilizations, the medieval era, and everything else up to the present day I know too much about the downside of each era, i.e. the plague, wars, disease, poverty, discrimination, persecution, unsanitary living conditions, etc.. If I had to choose I think it might be the early 1900s when the first wave of technology really started to impact people’s daily lives. Imagine experiencing the telephone, cameras, sewing machines, typewriters, electric lights, refrigerators and washing machines powered with electricity for the first time. It must have been a very exciting yet controversial period in history. Abstract art became popular then because with the invention of the camera, artists didn’t need to recreate realistic images onto canvas. They were now free to try new art forms and express their creativity using new techniques and materials. It was also a time when women started to fight for equal rights and fashions changed dramatically. Reminds me a little bit of growing up in the 60s and 70s. 
If you could have three wishes granted for you alone, what would they be? This is a time for you to dream and have fun.
My first wish would be to be able to pack my bag at a moment’s notice and fly to anywhere in the world that my heart desires. An opening to a Broadway show in New York, a week on an island in the South Pacific, time spent with my son in Venice for his biennale, or attending an art retreat in the mountains in British Columbia would all be possible in the blink of an eye.
Image courtesy of: http://www.travel-south-pacific.com/images/site/south-pacific-1.jpg
Image courtesy of: http://www.nycgo.com/images/broadway/broadway_default_310x218.jpg
My second wish would be to completely renovate my house from top to bottom. Never mind moving. I love where I live. My only stipulation would be that the work is started and finished by professionals. No more DIY for me.
My third and final wish would be to live a long and healthy life so that I can enjoy the first two.
Wanting something to quench your thirst, what would you drink?
For quenching my thirst, nothing is better than plain old water. I love the water at my cottage because it comes from deep in the ground through a sand point. It is cold and free of chemicals. It’s also tested every year and is about as pure as it gets. No e-coli, bacteria, excess minerals, pollutants, etc..
At home the tap water isn’t bad but I also enjoy a good cup of tea, especially on a chilly night. I’m not usually a beer drinker but on a hot day an ice cold glass of beer with ginger ale, also known as a shanty, also quenches my thirst.
If you watch TV what are your favorite three television shows?
I had to answer this question first because the answer didn’t require a lot of thought. The first show to come to mind is Survivor. I’m a fan through and through and have watched every season since the beginning when Richard Hatch won.
Image courtesy of: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/85/Survivor_8_Logo.png
The next show that I love is Dancing With the Stars. I wasn’t always a fan. I don’t think I even bothered watching the first season but it was during season two that I became a fan. One of the reasons why I love this show is because my husband and I took ballroom dancing for about 13 months. We spent three days a week at the dance studio taking private lessons, group lessons and participating in dance parties and competitions. The only reason we stopped was because it became financially burdensome. Dancing with the Stars
Now before you think that I am a reality show freak, which I confess I probably am, my third choice is a drama. Actually I like about three or four dramas. My first choice is The Good Wife.
Image courtesy of: http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/100525/the-good-wife_320.jpg
In second and third place are Elementary and The Mentalist. All three shows have great actors and great writers.
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 another positive visit to the oral surgeon. Everything is healing on target and I’m able to eat more normally. I’m also grateful for getting out for two long walks this weekend and spending a great day with my daughters and husband on Sunday.
This week I’m looking forward to walking more and for the soccer team’s tournament on Tuesday (that’s tomorrow). I’m also hoping to get out into the garden and plant some flowers, now that the temperatures are starting to warm up. It was pretty cool this weekend.
For more Share Your World posts check out Cee’s Photography.
….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.
….. I live by water all year round
Surf on Georgian Bay.
Rocks on the water in Georgian Bay.
Frances in the Georgian Bay surf.
A must see for visitors – Niagara Falls
Geese on Lake Ontario, by Samuel Smith Park
Grade 5 year end activity day at a local community pool.
For more water photos check out Jeanne’s blog…a nola girl at heart.
….life is good!
The day started with a run and ended with a 75 minute yoga class. Any stress I experienced this week just vanished during Savasana.
A number of colleagues at work lost weight over the summer. The difficult part for most of us is keeping it off and continuing to lose more. The problem is stress. I personally knew that the first few weeks back at work would be difficult. It’s not eating that’s the problem and I’ve continued to exercise.
So what’s the difference? For starters I know I’m not drinking enough water. I’m also not moving as much (despite running). A good part of my day is reading to children and sitting in front of a computer. Another factor is that I’m not getting enough sleep. Also the political climate for teachers in Ontario is very contentious.
It’s difficult going to work everyday when the media paints all teachers with the same black brush. Even though we continue to offer extracurricular activities at our school many teachers are angry with the government and some schools have collectively decided to cancel all or some of their extracurricular programs.
At our school council meeting yesterday the parents put me on the spot and asked me during the meeting what my take was on the status of extracurricular programs at our school and elsewhere. I assured them that for the time being at our school programs were running but if other schools opted out there wouldn’t be any teams to play against.
The bottom line is that extracurricular activities have always been voluntary. Ontario teachers do not get paid to run these programs and there’s nothing in the Education Act that says teachers have to offer extracurricular programs. Since our right to negotiate our contract has been taken away from us, teachers feel betrayed by their government. We normally settle contracts with our school board.
I didn’t plan on making this into a political rant. I felt you needed some background as to why school is so stressful for me right now. I literally gained 3 1/2 pounds over the weekend. I know that I didn’t eat 12 000 more calories than I should have in 2 days. When I’m under a lot of stress my body hangs on to water and my metabolism slows down.
So why did I say “life is good”? Because I feel like I’m back on the right path with my weight loss journey. At yoga tonight I could feel the stress leave my body. During Savasana I was seconds away from falling asleep. That’s how relaxed I was.
So I’m making a conscious effort to drink more water. I’m planning and packing my lunches before I go to bed. I continue to avoid all sweets (except the odd piece of dark chocolate). I’ve asked my husband not to prepare any pasta dishes for at least a couple of weeks. I’m continuing to run with my students 3 times a week and plan to ride my bike at least once on the weekends.
One of the most important changes I need to make is getting to bed no later than 11:00. So on that note I need to sign off so that I can get a big glass of water and get into my PJs. Positive thoughts!
Cheers!
Mama Cormier 
