Fortune's Child on her Birthday

So in Eureka, Ca, my fortune was read by a carnival like creature just outside a candy shop. This is my last day of being 67 and I wanted to see what the stars had in store. Here is my reading.

"What a joy to look ahead to read into the signs of your future. So much happiness is in store for you that the most brilliantly lighted stars will be put to shame by the brightness of your life.

Ah, this is not all caused by sheer good luck. Nay,nay, my friend, your perseverance, your clever ways of handling your domestic problems and your sincerity in dealing with others are pointing the way to their reward."

Then a quote from somewhere at the end:

"Oh happiness what an elusive thing you are. But Thank God your were born beneath its star."

Happy Birthday to me and it is my candle wish that all beings be happy and bright.

On the Wings of Love We Fly

Elowynn and me- at Saanichton Bay, BC, near Sidney

Elowynn and Evan

Evan and his mom, near the beach, Victoria, BC

Well, how do you think I got this far?! Just some of the love along the way...and more to come..

Saying Goodbye, What it looks like, How it feels

The landscape pales in comparison to being with my loved ones. Thanks Russell, Jeanne, Evan and Jesse for being in my life and to Canada for providing me with hard to leave experiences and land and sea escapes. Off to Port Angeles, WA on the ferry today, but not before having brunch with Jesse. It is windy and splattering rain right now. I feel a chill.

Along the Boardwalk, Victoria, BC

I stayed on the waterfront across from downtown Victoria. You might expect to see lots of proper Brit influence, but it depends on which side of the Strait you are on. No that is not Evan's house in Victoria, but yes it is Evan. We walked along the boardwalk to the inner harbor and found a few things almost as strange as Carhenge. I greatly enjoyed the moments with Evan and with being by the sea and watching floatplanes, cruise ships, water taxies, ferries, fishing boats,row teams, and helicopters(sometimes moving all at once). I want to keep them forever in my view, especially Evan. Of course I can't do that. But sometimes I wish I could freeze those moments I had with my son and be there forever. But then he is forever in my heart, warm and toasty. But is there really anything as good as the real thing in the real moment?

A Brand New Day, Yellowhead Hwy, BC

From Alberta and a night at Whistler's Campground just outside of the town of Jasper, and after seeing warning signs for elk, moose, and cariboo that could clash with The Turtle , I experienced instead the softness of a Beautiful BC morning with the heavens opening up and a corresponding tuning of my emotional nature.The song, A Brand New Day, by Sting was playing on about the only new part The Turtle has (installed by Sterio Man in Asheville). A black bear padded her way along the curve several yards in front of me and quietly disappeared into the golden-ferned roadside. I thought I had selected another album, and was surprised to find that some DJ somewhere in my universe, picked this one. My tears matched the drops on the windshield and The Turtle stuck her head out and let the rain reach the tip of her tongue. I was speechless.

A Real Bird's Eye View

".. the blackbird, the staccato of the sky" a line from a song that KD Lang sings on her CD, Hymns from the 49th Parallel...or from Canadian singer songwriters. And although I know this is The Raven , he is still black and makes loud cawing sounds that punctuate the quiet. Sadly, this one has lost his mind because he prefers stale white bread to the landscape he appears to be bird-eyeing. And I know that I sometimes I also forget where to look for my sustenance.

My Spot, Kootenay National Park of Canada

The spot...gateway to my heaven I suppose...

Retreatants often stack rocks at Southern Dharma where I live...

The cartoon like clouds are blowing puffs of wind...

Olive Lake has lots of full-grown trout that are only 4 inches long..

I enjoyed Kootenay National Park in BC Canada more than anyplace I have been. Even more than Lac Louise, the Icefields, or Jasper. The water colors were olive at the entrance and reflected all that green meant to me in that moment. On down the road, I found the spot that stopped for me, and the restless getting from point A to point B was blown away for at least 30 min. The closer I got the more in love I felt, despite a slight fear of the grizzly. The clouds were cartoon- like with pursed puffy lips that blew cooling wind on the little camper that could while I took lots of photos with my little digital that tried. But I am not sure the photos really show the majesty of this place. As I got closer I saw several rock stacks made by other travelers who perhaps sensed the spirit of nature and how that can be all there needs to be , instead of Point B! Hallelujah

Tour on The Red Bus

At the West Glacier entrance to Glacier National Park, I took a vintage red bus tour on The Road to the Sun that goes to Logan Pass. I was glad I didn't go with The Turtle. I mean I could have, but I would have been nervous and wouldn't have seen as much. There were about 4 construction stops and most of the places to park were taken. The bus held about a dozen people. All of them were couples. I was the only single person, as usual, and so I got to sit up front with the driver/tour guide. The first thing we saw was a big black bear crossing the road. He was slow and peaceful. The guide told too many stories that were punctuated with bad jokes, but I learned a lot more than I would have on my own. I was hoping to see glaciers up close, but they were in the distance and if the guide had not told me, I would have thought they were just big snow patches. But the scenery was dramatic. As I looked down from the side of the bus I saw a straight path downwards with no stops along the way. There were lots of high altitude water falls, mountain goats that looked like white dots and had to be pointed out, water water everywhere in the form of glacier created lakes, and purple, reddish, and blue flower clusters. It was overwhelming to see so many stunning sights in an 8 hour period. I wish I had more time to wander about. But now I am in Canada and heading for Lake Louise. I can tell this place will try to overtake all the others and it just might succeed! Already the colors and textures, the gray granite spikes, the green terraces of grass and the tall white hoodoos are beckoning me onward.

Living on Sunshine

Turtles Can Climb!

Yes they can. All the way to Beartooth Pass to almost 11,000 feet. Enough to make us swoon.

Look in the center of the photo. No that is not two roads, it is one. We were one with the sky.

Beartooth is like being in the alps. The Turtle was the oldest motorhome on the road that day. She is amazing!

Slow, Turtle Ahead

Giant Vintage Turtle Spotted Sightseeing

Devil's Climbing Post

The Big Bear done it. And that's all there is to it. I wasn't expecting to see rock climbers and when I did, I had tears in my eyes. I sat down on the bench and gazed upwards in reverence not only for the tower, but for all those tiny souls who were brave enough to climb the straight up and down columns of Devil's Tower in Wyoming. I only have a small digital camera and could not get real close, but I hope these photos show what a feat it was. Some people along the way say that I am brave to be a woman alone travelling across the USA. I don't think it compares to this. But perhaps there is something of the wire walker and the rock climber in me. And I hadn't acknowledged this trait. So when I saw this spectacular event I realized that I hadn't given myself enough credits for bravery. Sometimes I feel like the Indian Maidens on top. Like the bear of a vehicle I am in, will go at any moment and both my home and my means of transportation will disappear into this big thing coming after me. But then when I see places like The Badlands and Devil's Tower, I know it is worth it. And today I am going along the Beartooth Range towards Yellowstone. And after that to see my stepson, Jeff DeBell in Bozeman, MT. I haven't seen him since 1994. He is the one that gave me the tip about going on the Beartooth. How bearish is that?

Wicked Wonders

The Badlands National Park in South Dakota and Devil's Tower in Wyoming are some of the BAAAADest lands in the US. The Badlands is home to the largest undisturbed mixed-prairie rangeland remaining in the United States and to one of the rarest mammals in the world, the Black-Footed Ferret. If you want to feel like an ant walking among pink and white sandcastles, like you have visited the pyramid's famous carvings, or see a rainbow created out of mist in a setting that seems cathedral-like, then this is the place where bad becomes good.

Wicked Wonders