Decisions on life cloud my mind today just as the clouds take over the sky. Lakes and streams overflowing, mirroring the depths of human emotion
The heavy rains slow to a misty overcast , hovering in the layer of fog, the silhouette of lone coyote, a reminder of self preservation.
The rains let up , the clouds open to allow a sliver of sun, symbolic of possibility. Before they close back in again and torrential storms settle in
My storms, my thoughts, my day
Catherine
In the still of the rain we found some peace today. A week of stress and uncertainly gave way to playing in puddles. The air so crisp, fresh and quiet and the presence of people absolutely nil.
Just Maggie and Me forgetting all the woes of the week, walking in wonder through raindrops.
So cold, the rain teetering on the edge of turning to ice, laughing and running with reckless abandonment.
Remembering that life just is, people are just people and letting go every now and then is a must
Our day, our rain, our story
Catherine
The weather called for all day showers but Maggie and I had other plans so we demanded the sun to shine ….
We saw a sliver of light on the horizon, our sign the universe had listened
While everyone was tucked away preparing for the expected wet day, we ventured out and were blessed with glorious moments
We saw rays hope and stole the moment …. we chased and followed the sun
Today was about merriment and marvel, it was about being silly and finding quiet
A great day to recharge, re energize and enjoy time my companion, my Maggie, my friend
To being silly and to finding the sun
My Saturday, my Maggie, my story
Catherine
Is it Haunted here? It opened in 1904 and was revered at the time as the asylum for the mentally and criminally insane. As medicine and research evolved over the years the name and the direction of the Riverview institute transformed into hospital that specialized in mental health issues, until it closed in 2012
Let me take you back to the 1900″s. Imagine this place perched high on a mountain side. With trees of all species that have never been logged, that have been here since birth. Such history in the pristine and raw forest. Such strong forces of energy still at play all these year’s later
Now imagine, still standing but crumbling, some of the original buildings that housed some of the most mentally ill people that were cast out from society
Witchery and barbaric methods thousands upon thousands of misfitted people locked away behind bars longing to touch what only their eyes beheld them through their windows
As I walk amongst the buildings, windows still barred holding in the spirits that walked the halls. I imagine the hand prints on grimy moss covered windows and the echoes of their screams and laughter as they struggled in their existence
This place is magical but eerie and haunting…. hairs stand on end as you peak through an open window to halls of emptiness but beauty in the building remains
Then out of nowhere a crack of thunder so loud we jump with fright followed by hard rains that send us the message we have over stayed our welcome move on now let us rest in the peace that we had longed for
My spooky Halloween
Catherine
Two of the greatest smells of all.
When you combine the smell of decaying leaves after a rain storm and campfires burning you have a collision of fall scents that awaken every sense of your being.
Taking deep breaths to try to take in as much of the aroma as possible hoping that if I hold it in, the smells will stay deep within my soul.
Bottle this and call it fall for these two smells can calm the most erratic mind and elevate mood to the point of elation
How is it that two means of ending, wood burning down to ashes and leaves decaying into dust can create such an alive feeling?
Strange what nature has to offer, leaves, fire and life …. a perfume called fall
My Story My Fall
Catherine
There is something healing and energizing about sitting under a tree with the wind blowing through the bows just enough to drop pine needles and coloured leaves all around you, hiding out from the rain but still immersed in nature….. Everyone has long since run indoors, even the chipmunks and squirrels have taken cover
. But here we sit in awe of the sounds……
The birds have stopped chirping so the only echoes we hear now is the heavy rain as it picks up energy and moves through the trees The rhythm of drops that slip down between the branches, landing on exposed skin and rain jackets, one drop then two then a few more creating a steady beat, a drumming sound
Listening with all senses the sounds of the rain, the wind through the trees the rhythm of escaped rain drops, a small miniature outdoor orchestra of music
A sense of letting go, of releasing thoughts, worries and troubles if only for a moment….
The quiet and the peace, simply in awe of the fall
Catherine
Found high up in the BC mountain ranges it was sort of like driving right through a postcard. Traveling on this narrow road with mountain ranges all around and steep valleys far below you feel vulnerable and exhilarated at the same time. Clutching the wheel as the car rounds curve after curve but also a sense of freedom, of letting go with each new twist and turn.
The scars of the mountainside seem visible today. A rock slide that has scraped the mountain clean of all trees but left one standing alone to carry on and start its own forest again and purple blackened colour of burnt forests left to decay and rebuild themselves. And peaks and valleys, peaks and valleys one after another, after another each one leaving me speechless in their beauty.
Fall winds that pull the leaves from branches, they swirl and twist in a whirl of colour all around a sense of peace and amazement. How do you capture this?
The sun peeking out, it s rays hitting the intense yellow leaves in just the right way causing the leaves to shimmer like thousands of tiny lights twinkling and then the moment is gone
The smells of this fall road fill all your senses. The amazing smell of decaying leaves, fires somewhere in the distance and the earthy smell that accompanies this early fall.
The colours on this road, dark evergreen with patches of bright yellow. A natural quilt of colour through the forest back drop
So many moments of awe, magnificent, unbelievable, calm, excitement, joy, elation and respect for this great province, this earth
This road, this fall, this story
Catherine
Well Maggie and I did it….. 2nd solo hike, Hicks Lake, Sasquatch BC Holy freaking out fear but we did it.
Hicks lake is a nice easy walk about 2 hours (we speed this up quite a bit )….. So today was not a vertical challenge but was more a deep forest bear country sort of challenge.
This lake is located about 10 km down a dirt road to a place called Sasquatch Provincial Park. Yes this is the place where the infamous spooky siting of the half man half animal” Bigfoot” has been known to reside
However it was not this mystical creature that I feared, are you kidding there were a few times that I would have welcomed the Sasquatch, just for the half human side that it possesses. It was being in bear country that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
But I love the forest and there are times when you have to go it alone …this was one of those times.
The start of this trail runs along the lake and the campsites for a short bit and the smells of the camp fires helped to fill my senses and bring in some elements of calm. And the first half of the trail travels along Hicks Lake, the views through the fall coloured trees was pretty and relaxing so I was still feeling pretty composed, in the moment…. Maybe even a little over confident……
My senses were on such high alert that I swear I could hear the mushrooms popping up from the soil but I was enjoying this feeling of freedom.
I should have counted my blessings with this part of the trail and doubled back the way I came…The second half of the trail took me down an old logging road which I now know most people do not choose to take. But I was determined to overcome this self-inflicted fear. So Maggie and I decided to take the “road less traveled”
Hmmmmm ….. This logging road took me away from the placid calling of the lake and the comforting smells of the campfires and left me with what felt like endless kilometers of logging road, no one around but me and the dog….
After a short realization on the decision I made, it was time to put on some load music to help drown out my crazy thoughts and what ifs., thank you Pat Benatar and Queen. With an ocean rock in hand ( to stay grounded you see) and music on , we decided this part of the trail was going to be more about exercise then exploring and increased our walking pace .
After a few kilometers of way to much self-awareness , lots of self-talk about pulling myself together, we get what we put out there, the law of attraction and so on .We were starting to get into the fast past grove of the hike. My new positive affirmations were bringing me back to tranquil
And then we saw it….. A big pile of bear scat. Still fresh and buzzing with flies…. If you ask me I swear it was still steaming…. We were 3 quarters of the way around the lake so it make no sense to turn back and besides it is not like the poop was pointing in what direction the darn animal was anyways
Where in the heck were all the humans?
Squeezing and rubbing my ocean rock so hard I do believe I have turned it to a diamond, we did the next best thing, we ran and ran until I saw our first humans
I greeted them with such enthusiasm, with the look of fear on my face and Maggie’s tongue dragging along behind us. They must have thought I had been in the forest for years and they were my first glimpse of humanity
Ah thank you to the humans….. I was now confident again, for if there was a bear still around it would focus on the new people ……. We calmed down and finished our walk through BC bear territory….
Feeling a little braver and very proud
Thank you for reading Live Love Laugh
Catherine
How do capture the wind in a photo in an expression or even in words, how do I share the experience of this day?
The amazing effect of the wind as it rustles through the forest. The sweet whispers the wind makes at it passes over the leaves.
How do you capture the smells that the wind carries along with it? The early aroma of fallen leaves or a wood fire somewhere off in the distance conjuring of memories of a lifetime ago.
I breathe deep trying to capture as much of the amazing smells as I can. And with each breath a deep exhale and brief pause about where we find ourselves in life.
How to capture the look of the wind, the way the leaves appear to be reaching as they hang on with all their might to the tree that had given them birth. Or the new sapling that is bending over under the strain of the breeze as it passes over it. I wonder if will stand strong enough to sustain the coming winter and will grow tall alongside its siblings
How to capture the sheer joy, the sadness and the emotion that waves over me again and again with each new pulse of wind
My day, my wind, my story …..
Catherine
