Jumping in Again

I am back after another long break from my blog. Things ground to a halt when I scared myself by trying to learn the craft of writing. Much better to stick with a blog format that I know and enjoy rather than overthinking the art of writing! All in good time.
My retirement journey while winter turned to summer has been interesting and thought provoking.  From birdwatching to searching for waterfalls in Hamilton, it has been fun too! A quote from Marcel Proust summarizes what I have learned on my journey to date:

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”

Now that my career and  work no longer provide the structure that was the foundation for much of my adult life, I am developing new eyes and perspectives as I explore the world around me.

Brain Stimulation

I have trouble being focussed on on these bitterly cold days. My brain is lively so I am not bored and appreciate a real source of renewal with "Fridays with Friends" at the Art Gallery of Ontario. We enjoy lunch and conversation in the subdued and classy lounge in the Grange then head off on unplanned journeys through the galleries. I can rarely remember my way around so the sense of adventure and discovery is exciting. We move from the salon of Canadian Impressionists with dappled light, shadows on snow  and golden haired girls to huge, jarring sculptures of waste industrial iron. I love  everything from the shiny, bigger than life Michael Snow Walking Woman sculptures in the entrance to the enchanting curving staircase of Frank Gehry offering snapshots of the city at every turn. We travel together in the uncharted territory savouring a taste of everything, stopping only briefly to let the beauty seep in. This experience is definitely one of the luxuries of retirement. #ArtGalleryofOntario#AGO#retirement

Still thinking not writing!

I have not yet put any of my essay on "belonging" to paper, but have decided on the essay format not a short story for my first effort.  The exercise of writing this blog is providing some discipline and practice in the meantime. Now that I have left the world of work, I am seeing things with new eyes and feel cut adrift from any frame of reference. Sitting in a course on "The Art of the Essay",  I  realized that I am not accustomed to attending a lecture for nothing more than the sheer pleasure of learning something new. In the past,  I accumulated knowledge for repurposing in my work life more than anything else. Now I might be hoping to enliven my brain rather than reach a linear destination. The light sculpture pictured below by Dale Chiluly will be my inspiration.  

One of the ideas sparked by my lecture this week, was the use of a commonplace book  to organize all the scraps of ideas that I have been capturing as I explore the idea and art of writing. Wonder why  I have never heard of it before?

"Commonplace books (or commonplaces) are a way to compile  knowledge usually by writing information into books. Such books are essentially scrapbooks filled with items of every kind: recipes, quotes, letters, poems, tables of weights and measures, proverbs, prayers, legal formulas. Commonplaces are used by readers, writers, students, and scholars as an aid for remembering useful concepts or facts they have learned. Each commonplace book is unique to its creator's particular interests. "

Time to Embrace the Future

A whole world of possibilities is in front of me but I have a sense of confusion about what to choose. The luxury of unscheduled time has cut me loose from my moorings. My significant other said I am like a hot air balloon bobbing around in the wide blue sky without a tether. That is simultaneously exciting and terrifying.

Time for some focus so I am returning to this blog to chronicle my journey. One of my interests is to learn more about the art and practice of writing. Maybe actually do it rather than just think about it! Every source I have come across indicates that a writer needs to write every day. As in many other things in life...practice, practice, practice. I attended a writers group at the local library the other evening and we agreed to work on a piece that focusses on a sense of belonging. I am toying with some ideas and am not sure whether to use an essay or short story format. Maybe I will try both. Tomorrow....

Radium Hot Springs and Banff June 7

I was determined to try some natural mineral springs in the Rockies and was happy to take the long drive through Kooteny National Park to the hot springs at Radium. Very soothing and refreshing. The nearby town has the climate and feel of Kamloops with hoodoo hills and a Western vibe with a bit of Alpine flair thrown in. Saw a bear eating dandelions by the highway and an elk in Banff. Banff is overly crowded and seems quite built up including an indoor shopping mall!

Lake Louise and Moraine Lake June 6

The iconic Lake Louise is a very popular spot for tourists, us included. Beautiful varying colours of blue and green serene below the surrounding mountains. Tour bus us even this early in the season spilling put of the parking lot onto the roads below. The Chateau Lake Louise is classy and opulent and wonderful for people watching.

Nearby Moraine Lake is a more unspoiled spot with fewer visitors. Gives a real feeling of what these places were like years ago.

Jasper to Lake Louise June 5

No documentary or travelogue or magazine spread can ever replace for me  the reality of travel in person.  The total body experience of sight, sound, smell and how your brain integrates and relates it to your own past and mind maps is priceless. My eyeballs are sore every day from so much swivelling to look at all the things around me. 

A cruise on Maligne Lake just outside Jasper began the day. A woman discovered and surveyed the lake. Bravo Ms Shaeffer! 

Then the Athabasca Falls... So swift and powerful. 

A stop at the Columbia Icefields before we arrived at Lake Louise, remindedus of   the effects of global warming as the ice retreats further and further from the highway every year.