recreation and leisure

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Yoho! It’s Awesome!

Hail Brave hearts

A cool mist on a hot day, the temperatures rising, the tumbling cascade from a high altitude source, cools us.  Heat is in the air, even with this early start, the day is warming quickly.  Rivulets from rainfall dampen the path.  The trail is a beauty though, as most of our experiences in this great wild are.

Our fine protected places, the finest in the world.  Stunningly beautiful, the grandeur of high mountains, glacier, waterfalls and wilderness, all protected for us to adventure in.   The world of wilderness, for our bodies, our minds and our souls.  Our eyes are a witness to this spectacular landscape, the great Earth, as always, gifts to us  it’s miracles, far beyond our own limited potential.  Today we access this gift of mountain, rock, glacier, water and moraine, carved by millennia of weather and mountain building.  On yet another fine day of wilderness travel, our hearts and minds are filled with joy.  It’s fabulous!

The steady uphill walk to the rubble above tree line, poses no hardship.  This is the destination which calls us, along with many day hikers and overnight guests, all striving to push those limits of physical fitness to achieve the possible dream.

Soaring above us, a lifeline starts.  The precious, most necessary life line of rivers and streams, of mountain glacier, of that source of water that saves us.  The water supply, here as cascading, tumbling, icy cold waterfalls and rivers, which are fed by the melting of glaciers close by.  This is the start of the chain of life, that water brings.   Tiny plants and small shrubs, find life support by the miracle of water, the miracle of life in this high alpine world.  And life brings more life.  Flies and bees, some butterflies and other insects, find food and shelter in this remote terrain.  Wind plays it’s part in moving in weather fronts of rain  and in scattering seed.  The necessary, ongoing circulation of natural elements, which we call nature.

Nature brings us water from the high alpine, it brings us glaciers as a water source.  Nature brings us all weather and restores itself.  Nature gives us this miraculous world, a world for all eyes to see.  Up here is these great mountains, we witness the birth of rivers and streams, caused by melting from several glaciers.  The glaciers being the source of these lifelines.  Freshwater for our consumption, for our use, for the vitality of the forests and the land.

This is a concern to us now.  Where will we be, when the glaciers vanish, when the rivers stop flowing, when the natural faucet turns off and those lifelines disappear.  The fragile life which clings dearly to those lifelines, loose their nourishment and the arid rockpile becomes lifeless again.   The land that we call God’s Land, slips into lifeless death.  Our responsibility soars as we struggle to protect these fragile, remote places, where the world begins.  Our world begins with the basics of life, air to breathe, water to drink.  As water sources dry up, so does our time.  The clock is ticking, our hearts are still beating, heat and fire are bringing us closer to a final loss.  The loss when Nature can no longer restore itself.  Winter is still harsh and cold, but the glaciers reseed at an alarming rate.  The world is too hot.

Science of Glaciers | National Snow and Ice Data Center

The grand beauty of the natural world, give us sights that we all need to see.  Where does it all come from?  Where will we be when it goes?

written by Dr. Louise Elaine Hayes

September 1, 2025

Parks Day July 19, 2025
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Parks Day July 19, 2025

Hail Brave hearts

Come out and celebrate!  Renewal, rebirth, sustainability, recreation, sports, culture, history, wildlife, and of course, those fabulous parks that we all love and crave.  The great outdoors, with it’s most awesome, inspiring gifts.  Life, health, nutrition, wellness, the joy of living.  For those with cravings to climb mountains, hike in the wilderness, paddle rivers and lakes, and generally enjoy the wonderful nature that surrounds us, Parks Canada is your place.  You can visit a historical site and meet a historical person, take a guided hike, view wildlife in it’s natural setting and explore the untamed wilderness of Canada’s finest treasures. Parks is for people, wildlife and rare species.  It’s a showcase of our finest environmental and historical assets.  It’s an achievement that keeps growing as Canadians rush to explore and unwind in the great Canadian outdoors.

The wilderness is awe inspiring.  The grandeur of great mountains,  the shimmering pristine lakes, the bountiful beauty of endless skies and auroras in the air.  magnificent forests and wildlands, with all of their wild inhabitants.  The Parks are a place of wonder, of joy, of captivating beauty and fun for all of us.  This idea has been one of Canada’s finest achievements, from coast to coast.

Celebrate Canada’s Parks Day / National Parks Day – Nature Canada

The hearty homesteader of yore, who brought his family to these fine lands. Lands laden with hunting, fishing, berries to pick, native fauna and flora to digest and to heal wounds with.  Old traditional remedies to cure what ails you. The human history of the area is a fascinating study of the minds and will of these people.  Ancient old settlers willing to carve a niche in the fabric of the land.  Homesteaders scattering themselves throughout large areas of land.  Forts and lighthouses to protect and save us.  These are the historical ones, the unusual ones, who, through dauntless courage, forge a path for the rest of us to follow.

Old Indian trails to mark the way, historical rivers to paddle. These are connections from place to place, explorations for us to find.  The hikes we take, the trails we follow, the paths around the lakes, all take us to endless beauty and the healing of spending time in a natural environment.  The great good earth supports us in so many ways.

The environmental sustainability and ecological integrity of National Parks and provincial parks, help us to understand and appreciate the land of Mother Earth.  Here she imparts a knowledge of her own special ways.  A beautiful scene carved from a wild natural area, preserved forever for the joy of those who travel to it.  A visit to a special, superior place, of raw, rugged beauty for the adventurer in us all.  These are Canadian parklands, a wonder and wealth of natural and cultural beauty.  Rugged forefathers who braved the perils of the land, unbridled pristine wilderness for us to enjoy.  The National Parks are a wonder of natures finest and the brilliance of those who preserve these fine places.

Come and visit.  Celebrate with us.  Parks Day is a joy of celebration for us all.

Parks Day | Alberta Parks

Written by  Dr Louise Hayes

July 18, 2025

Spring is in the Air
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Spring is in the Air

Hail Brave Hearts

It’s that time of year again, when the food supply  comes alive.  The garden and the springtime are almost synonyms.   Cast off your winter coat, indulge in the last of the winter larder, and start your preparation for this years treats.  It’s treats galore!

The infamous dandelion is back in full bloom, covering roadsides, hilltops, lawns and open spaces with bright yellow specs of early spring sunshine.  Pretty and nutritious, this hearty wild edible, is a plant that is either a friend or foe.  To those who think of this as a weed and find it a nuisance, it’s a lot of work to get rid of.  For those of us who indulge in it as a food supply, it’s free salad.  Perspective can be everything.   The larder can be full of sunshine dandelion goodness, if your recipe choice calls for it.  First in the spring, first on the table, the nutritional content is this plant is worth putting on the dietary list.

The beautiful bounty of your garden surpasses the fruit and vegetable plantings.  The edible flowers add a spark of colour and beauty to the garden and some help to deter pesky insects and slugs that  consume your vegetables as fast as you do.  Companion planting has mixed blessings, from deterring destructive insects to the beauty of salads, syrups, jams, baking  and other dietary delights, that pretty flowers enhance.  Choose your garden splendor, there’s time to grow a feast!

15 Different Types of Edible Flowers You Can Grow and Eat

A picture perfect salad, with a dash of rose petal,  tea from your marigolds, syrup of lilac, dainty cupcakes dressed up with violets,  it’s decadent, sweet smelling and creates a unique, inspiring garden and larder which enhances your dining experience all throughout the year.

This garden attracts useful pollinators, bees and butterflies to help the garden grow.  These beneficial insects  promote fruit and vegetable production, helping to give the yield that your hard work deserves.  The organic garden is preferred for this, since healthy insects need to pollinate without pesticides and your body is better able to absorb the nutrition of plants from organic gardens.

Weeds can be a treat.  Chickweed is edible and can be used as a garnish or in your salad.  Lambs quarters has a medicinal value as well.  Just be sure that all of your consumption has a food value and is not poisonous.

So here’s to spring and all of the goodness that it brings.  Good health and good eating to all.

Written by Dr. Louise E Hayes

May 23, 2025

 

 

 

Earth Day
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Earth Day

Hail Brave Hearts

April 22 is Earth Day and who deserves it more?  The fabulous creativity of this great planet, so full of awesome wonder.  A place for all of us, great and small.  This magnificent planet, orbiting in a universe of immense space, with no other planet as creative.  No one, but our own great planet, with the perfect combination of everything, to give life like the life we live.  We are the fortunate ones, who live so bountifully, in a universe otherwise devoid of life.

A planet which takes care of us, from nutrition, to clothing, to shelter.  A planet which provides adventure, excitement and discovery.  A planet which feeds our brains with discovery, curiosity and aptitude.  A planet with feeds our bodies with nourishment, mastery and skills.  The ability to care for ourselves and each other, not just the human, but all of the Earths creatures, adapting to their environments and thriving in a world for themselves.

Earth 101 | National Geographic (youtube.com)

But the dark side of life is looming, as war, climate change and global warming threaten us.  Pesticides, pollutants, emissions and spills, make us and the environment unhealthy.  Environmental agencies race to save a species in peril, but environmental change and disasters are increasing, leaving destruction in their wake.  Costly clean up efforts abound, as earthquake, volcanic eruptions, hurricane and tornadoes, sweep across the planet, ruining much.  It leaves us in peril.

Our responsibility in saving ourselves is immense.  Our duties are the highest.  We must act in a manner which protects the Earth and the environment, in order to save ourselves.  Our actions are loud and sometimes scary.  We plunder and fight, killing much and leaving destruction all around us, destroying ourselves, the environments that save us, the soil, water and air.  War is killing so much.  Our obligations are high.  We are not alone on this great planet.  We share with so many other creatures, that all of our self destruction, ruins other species as well.  Sometimes nothing can be repaired.  The loss of a species, the vanishing rivers, increasing deserts, soil erosion and increasing glacial melting.  Once gone, these might never return.

Our duty of care is enormous.  Only one great planet, only one place in this universe for us.  This is our home and our destiny.  Live and die.

The escalating loss of wildlife and wilderness torments us.  Forest fires and drought ruin habitat necessary for natural species and for us.  The natural world is Earth’s world.  Plunder and die.

Of course, there’s always the bright side of life.  The wholesome side, where each of us makes that important decision to save our planet, every day.  Some small initiatives like reduce, reuse, recycle can make large impacts if supported by large numbers of people.  Reducing the square footprint of housing,  turning down the thermostat, driving less and walking more or taking public transport.  Clean air and clean water are healthy for us, and are healthy for the Earth as well.

Celebrate this Earth Day with gladness.  Planetary health is essential for us.  Saving our world saves ourselves.

Happy Earth Day.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

April 21, 2024

National Wildlife Week
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National Wildlife Week

Hail Brave Hearts

It’s National Wildlife Week and of course, we celebrate!  We  celebrate what is good for all of us.  The fabulous great wild and all of the wonders of nature that it supports.  The landscape, the sea, the air, the land, the wilderness, the wildlife and that fabulous, awesome view.  That incomparable view of a mountain, a lake,  prairie, field, river,  stream, swamp, forest, marsh, rock, ocean, beach, waterfall,  jungle, icebergs, sky and sometimes just thin air.  The view, and all of the wild that it supports.  Our wildlife are the living, breathing, existence in such beautiful places, that we strive with all of our being to get to.

A remote location, with that rare beauty of a flower.  The locations of fossils, in high, alpine places.  A rock turned over by a hungry bear.  An early crocus peeking out from nearly frozen land.  Waves cresting on the beach.  Our love for these special places, of play, sport, solitude, and curiosity.  This is the marvelous world of wildlife.

Watch them swimming in the oceans and scurrying along on the sand.  Some have shells to pick from the ever changing tides, washing them ashore.  The hungry birds swirling in the air, looking for the catch of the day. A dainty butterfly lands on a hand   The brilliant colours of it’s wings, shimmer in the sun.

Wander along the stream, picking a route along the rocks,  to the tumbling waterfall with a  view of the tumultuous torrent of cascading water.  This could be a swimming pool in an untouched area, preserved for enjoyment and fun.

A chattering squirrel sits on a branch and a robin passes by.  A deer springs onto the road and sails, speedily to the other side.  A massive bison blocks the way.  Outstanding!  Fortunate are we, to have these places of preservation, to appreciate the wonders of the natural world.

Canadian Wildlife Federation: National Wildlife Week 2024 (cwf-fcf.org)

It was with foresight of our needs as human beings, that natural areas are protected.  Those special places, housing an intricate ecosystem of life beyond our doorstep.  The wondrous life, for curious minds, who delve into the environment of anthills, snakes, pond life and more.  The experts, still looking for birds,  animals, fish and amphibians and all of the terrain that they occupy.  An educated mind, wandering to find that rare species and to count again it’s population in its wild domain.  The amateur,  just enjoying the sparse knowledge they have, but feeling the pride of a trail to walk, with diggings, droppings, prints and maybe a sighting of an elusive creature, hiding shyly in the bush.

This is the wonder of nature, a world so impressive it requires protection and education.  The perseverance to come forward, to research and publish and demand the ongoing right, to the privilege of enjoying the environment, that supports the life of the Earth’s creatures.  World Wildlife Week is not a week, it’s a lifetime.  A lifetime of supporting the care of the planet and the brilliant wonders of the natural world.  The world that supports our very existence through sport, play, relaxation and enjoyment.

Our world is a fragile place.  It’s environments are in dire need of care.  Walk the great wild with compassion for it’s creatures.  They belong here.  This is their world.  This planet Earth belongs to them as well.

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

April 11, 2024

An Historic Summer Holiday
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An Historic Summer Holiday

Hail Brave Hearts

The memories of summer holidays filled with fun and sun, swimming and boating and  our great escape to the Canadian wild.  This is the life!  So full of warm summer waters and warm summer sun.  A life of frolicking on beaches, camping and cottages.  The great Canadian summer holiday.  A life style to fulfill.  There’s no life like it.

Grab your canoes and head to the water.  The footsteps of travellers in the past, mark routes of undeniable beauty.  Maps and compasses, campgrounds and hotels.  The small town oasis of civilization along a path of well travelled waterway.  The iconic Canadian water transportation routes of waterway highway.  A path of rivers and lakes joining one part of Canada to another.  The rivers, waterfalls, rapids and portages.  Pack you bags, fill your canoes,  join in the adventure of Canadian travel that has marked our history with holidays from coast to coast.

The Historic Trent/Severn Canal System.  Glorious!

Trent-Severn Waterway National Historic Site (canada.ca)

Grateful are we to have this grand opportunity to visit this historic waterway, in historic voyageur canoes.  A fun and fabulous holiday in the middle of the summer.  A canoe brigade.  The fortunate few who participated in this endeavour, which leads from Georgian Bay to  Lake Ontario.  following rivers, locks, canals and lakes.  A historic waterway of magnificent scenery, birds and wildlife, lily pads and rushes.  And the locks.

Up and down, up and down, it’s the easiest paddling ever! And the locks are a marvel of engineering.  Different styles of lifts picking us up the rapids and waterfalls to a new level of water.  Spectacular!

The Severn River to Lake Couchiching, to Simcoe, the Trent Canal to Balsam, Cameron and Kawartha Lakes, Otonabee River, the Trent River and on to Lake Ontario.    It’s an historic route for an historic paddling group, or for anyone with a boat and a licence to pursue this holiday adventure.

Canadian Voyageur Brigade Society | coordinate and support big canoe brigades

This 386 km of historic waterway was first started in 1833 and completed in 1922 with 45 locks connecting Georgian Bay to Lake Ontario.  This  ambitious idea was appointed by  Sir John Colborne of the the inland Water  Commision who constructed the first lock at Bobcaygeon.  Now a National Historic Site, this waterway is a path of boating delight.  In it’s early history, the canal was hoped to be a passage for steamships plying these waters with trade, but the canal had several setbacks, which delayed it’s progress.  By the time it was finished, the steamboats were too large for the locks.  Now this historic canal is used by thousands of tourists in pleasure craft from May to October each year.

The iconic canoe, a favourite of many family outings and wilderness adventure, is part of Canada’s  historic lifeline to survival.  The canoe has been with us for centuries, as a transportation vessel and a pleasure craft.  From it’s aboriginal routes to the fur trade, to modern day vehicle, the canoe has been a valuable and necessary part of Canada’s wilderness history  With this in the past and so much enjoyment today, the canoe is a classic pleasure craft.

 

written by Dr Louise Hayes

October 21, 2023

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Need More Gardens?

Good Day Brave Hearts

During the cold and dark days of winter, we rise to the challenge of a nutritious food supply.  The fall canning season filled the larder with a precious stock of daily living that will take away the winter chills and stave off the winter flues.  A nutrient packed diet from your organic garden to save you all winter long.  It saves the pangs of hunger, it warms the body, it cures the winter chills.

Your food supply is your health and wellness which feeds your mighty brain and helps to cure your aches and pains.  Food to cure the common cold, food for the brain, food for aches and pains, food for your social happiness.

There is a  long list of comfort food that nourishes the mind, heart and soul.  It’s divine and the time is now.

Those special little seeds that were stowed away last fall, come to the forefront of the mind.  Each little one, packed with the energy to produce a bountiful crop of fruit, vegetables, flowers, herbs or spices.  That decadent nasturtium, so showy and bright in the garden, yielding a powerful pack of seeds full of earthly delight.  Those spunky little violets, such a gorgeous floral treat decorating those cupcakes.  Winter is gone, bring on the harvest!

Bring on the watercress, the chocolate mint, the sunflower, the basil.  This year’s garden will be a splash of colour and dietary indulgence.  Oh the yellows!  Nasturtium, sunflower, pumpkin, squash (flowers) and tomato.   The reds of rose, dainty cherry blossoms, and olive.  Purple violets, blueberry and saskatoon.  White of potato and apple blossom.  The garden comes alive with colour and nutrition.  The food supply is back!

15 Brain Foods to Boost Focus and Memory – Dr. Axe (draxe.com)

Plant your pallet of garden colour.  A pallet of herbs, vegetables, fruit, flowers and spices.  The choices of fragrance to add to the show.  Musky black current, fragrant rose.   The garden of earthly delights is as aromatic as it is healthy.  Enjoy a sip of summertime wine, made for last years wild rose petals.  Indulge in sorbets of fruits from the vine, sip that delectable apple leaf tea.

We are blessed.

From our small properties, filled with natures harvest, we dine.  Dine with fine delicacies from our own backyard.  This oasis of healthy bliss to indulge ourselves in.  Choose your flavour, choose your colour, choose your diet, it’s just divine.  That backyard of ours, so pretty and colourful, so full of natures wonderful diet.  Enzymes, and nutrient, vitamins and minerals, all from carefully selected plants, flowers, herbs and spices.  The garden cure all.  It cures your senses, so fragrant and welcoming, the garden tantalizes us with beckoning gestures.  Come in, come in, it calls us to indulge.  Plant the seed, plant for what cures you.  This organic garden could save your life.   Plant with anti-oxidants to stave off cancer, plant with brain power to retain your fine mind, plant with cures for heart disease and arthritis.  Yes, your garden is heavenly.

The backyard is not just a playing field.  That land has a useful life.  Not just the trampoline, but also the garden of earthly delight.  Pick your flowers, pick your colours, plant away and enjoy the benefits of a well planned garden. Plant, enjoy, harvest, enjoy, this is a stellar room with a view.  That room which pulls us out of the house.  Out to the great outdoors.  To till the soil, to enjoy the land, to mix and meddle with the array of botanical inspiration.  Not just a flower garden, not just weeds, those are precious edibles that garnish soups, mix with salads, add colour to the plate and surprise us with yet another flavour.  Something nutty, something spicy, a bit peppery, maybe sweet.  Your internal chef might be inspired.

It’s time to plant, forage on.  This is spring and it’s time to garden.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

March 23, 2022

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That Fabulous Snow

Hail Brave Hearts

It’s an awesome day in wonderland.  The winter snow is fresh and soft, calling us to our great outdoors.  Adventure again, into the wilderness, for a day or two of winter play, winter fun and the joy of the playground of white.  Sliding skis push us past the open potholes of water.  We squeeze along narrow snow bridges that keep us out of the drink.  Along, along to a fine destination of winter backcountry fun in an isolated, remote chalet, ours for a couple of days.

The pristine great wild, in it’s outstanding winter splendor, welcomes us to fresh snow and warm winter temperatures.   A balmy -5 in mid January is a bit too warm for this time of year, but we welcome the change from the deep chill.  It’s selfish though.  Those days of -30 kill off overwintering bugs and larvae that ruin the forest and the forest itself is part of this great adventure.

We have the good fortune of seeing a female moose and her calf, three ptarmigan in winter white plumage and dippers flying under the snow bridges along the river.  We feel blessed.  Blessed for a Canadian holiday in one of our wild, protected places and blessed for the foresight of mountain pioneers who loved to roam the snowy slopes and who placed a fine chalet in it’s midst for our safety and enjoyment.  This is rare and the historical archives serve us well, in keeping these small huts open.

The day is warm and sunny and sun tanning in snow pits is an eternal joy.  The fabulous white blanket  covers the land and we happily try our best ski moves in this fun filled adventure.  Never too old, never too tired.  Die hards are we, and we relish the good fortune of years of practice for these special moments in these special places. Luckily, someone else has the responsibility for the maintenance of these isolated huts.  Tucked away in hard to find places, obscure locations that are hard to find, the upkeep is a chore but the reward for us is fantastic!

We meet other enthusiasts, heading up into the high powder bowls for a day of ski touring   Perfection!  Winter at it’s best.

This is the winter that we long for, the winter that we crave.  So many sports, so much activity, so many ways to enjoy a beautiful winter’s day.  The bright, shiny, clean snow.  The marvelous wildlife, the fun filled sports and enthusiastic company of humans who live to enjoy this annual promise of snow.   But with this unusual warm spell, brings another environmental concern, global warming.  It’s only -5 today in January.  An unheard of mild winter warm spell that lets us play for hours outdoors is also an unfortunate detriment to our winter wonderland.  The play is fabulous, but the winter won’t last during warm temperatures like this and rain will arrive sooner to wash it all away.

What is Climate Change? Crash Course Geography #14 – YouTube

Take the precautions to save us, oh great human.  There is still time.

written by Dr. Louise Hayes

 

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Your Backyard Holiday

Hail Brave Hearts

Survive we must! In this blistering heat of summer with the quiet lakes to ourselves. The calm, the serene, the peace, the solitude. An unusual turn of the times. In this fine scenario of beach, less is more. Fewer beach goers to take over the sand, fewer families to splash and play in the water, fewer pets to avoid. Instead, it’s all for us. The Canadian holiday tourist is the new normal.

During a season which is constantly full of international guests filling every room for rent in the community, the chance for a Canadian summer holiday has been hard to come by for some. Last minute cancellations are rare.

The highways are quiet, we own the road. Drive to those scenic locations, there’s no one in sight. Easily find a table at the restaurant, there’s room for us. It has it’s beauty. We have our own special places to explore, unhindered. It has it’s beast. Finance.  It has another beast.  The bustling, busy beach scene is anything but quiet.  Our thoughts that this is for us is true, but so many of us!  

The quiet, the solitude, the peaceful Canadian get away, so special, so serene, so back to nature, so much to ourselves.  The jam packed tourist industry is all us.  All us!  The rush to save our relaxing and serene holidaying selves drives us to vacation madness on Canadian beaches.  Every inch is claimed.  Save us almighty dollar.  Spend your money at home this year.  The economic crisis of a pandemic virus has curtailed all of our luxurious international travel.  The resort haven of an idylic tropical getaway, forsaken for the vast remoteness of our own Canadian dreamland.  

https://www.parklandcounty.com/en/index.aspx

The food is divine.  Culinary delights abound.  There are endless opportunities for the sports enthusiast.  We meet and exceed international standards in so many ways.  Run  the trails, climb those mountains, paddle the lakes.  This year has been a pasttime of recreation and leisure, for those who were able to go out.  The great Canadian get away has been a pleasure, right outside your own back door.

A drive along a remote country road to a surprising little shop in nowhere.  A clean, immaculate hamlet way off the beaten path with surprising prosperity.  The endless recreation of lakes, parks and adventure.  The thrill of discovery of the history of this land, of who we are, who settled this place, who comes here.  The discovery of diversity, a mixture of agriculture beside industry, of recreation beside a bustling city, of unique culture  and diverse peoples all occupying the same land. The mixture of wilderness and sport, of wildlands and human populations.  This is us.  We planned it this way.  We planned this fun and enjoyment, we planned for the relaxation, we planned this unusual adventure.  A drive along a dusty gravel road to a restaurant in an unheard of village.  The pleasure of the local cuisine and the local people.  There are so many places to go, so many roads to travel, rails to ride, people to visit.  To spend our hard earned dollars in this magnificent country that has so many delightful treats for us to find.  

The pandemic has given many of us time.  Time to explore.  Discover it for yourselves.

Written by Dr. Louise Hayes

September 26, 2020