Looking back ... looking forward ...

I began yesterday rising early and driving up to a camp at Riding Mountain National Park where a group of young people brought together for a leadership training camp were readying themselves to head home ... we arrived and after coffee and refreshments began the task of loading the kids and their stuff up for their respective drives into the four directions ...

There were many tears as these young people said good bye to friends, who a week earlier were strangers ... the success of the RYLA programme shines forth in these moments, when we send back to their communities young men and women who are ready to take on leadership roles in their schools and communities, and use the newly acquired skills and friendships to assist them in this ...

My van load of kids was quiet for the first twenty minutes or so ... the soft sound of sobbing and the whispered - "STOP CRYING!! You're making me cry!!"

The rest of the three hour trip was filled with laughter and giggles as they recalled their camp and had their last conversations before departing with their parents in Winnipeg ...

In Winnipeg, Ms H and I had a chance after dropping the kids off, to hit a couple of stores and pick up some needed things for the new house ... a compost bin first and foremost ... we DO have to start planning for these gardens !!!

The drive home was quiet, with Ms H sleeping most of the way ... I think she is still catching up from her time at camp ...

In the evening though my life took an unexpected turn ... a provocative employment offer was put before me ... and my horoscope brought a smile to my face and a laughing - "OH I WISH !!" escaped my lips ...

Last night I went for a very very long walk under the full moon and offered all of the aspects of my life up to God and the cosmos with the simple prayer - "Guide me to where you want me to be God ..." I'll entrust it all into God's hands, and see what happens ... for now though, I can look back on a great day filled with laughter and fun and the whisper of HOPE ...

Oh and the horoscope??
It read:

A romantic quest you began long ago now has some extremely interesting developments. You thought you gave up on a dream, but embers have been glowing in your heart all of these years inextinguishably.

Haven't seen any hint of it yet ... but one just never knows ... that's what hope is ALL about!!

What were they thinking ???

Moving into the "BIG" city requires us to pick up after our dogs when they go for walks ... with plastic grocery bags and anathema, we have opted to purchase biodegradable doggy bags from the local pet supply store ... They are "extra long" for obvious reasons, and in packages of 80 for about four dollars, they are reasonably priced ... my only complaint though:

WHY ARE THEY BABY POWDER SCENTED ????

Do we really need the dog's daily offerings enfused with the "refreshing scent" of baby powder for the three minute walk back to the garbage can ???

ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS !!!

I KNOW that you either LOVE Adam Sandler movies or hate them ... there doesn't seem to be any middle ground ... I am one of those who LOVE Sandler films ... From Happy Gilmour, The Waterboy thru Big Daddy and Mr Deeds, they are simply fun ... silly ... and in my opinion hilarious ... I wasn't impressed with Punch Drunk Love ... but it wasn't trying to be a comedy ...

Tonight I popped on I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry ... and I LOVED IT !!! The film was fluffy and typical Sandler-esque ... but it was fun, with an important message about same sex marriage, acceptance and at the end of the day - LOVE.

It was fun ... and the take on Canada was apt.

In my film rating, it's definitely two thumbs up - but NOT a cinematic masterpiece - just a fun film !!

My brother ... and his story ...

Every once in a while this blogger universe throws a curve that can leave you chuckling and realizing that the world isn't as big a place as we sometimes fear it is ...

Yesterday I signed on to The Laughing Pastor and discovered that Pastor Blake had posted an article about his relationship with a Muslim employee at his Church in Texas ... His posting came on the tail of my postings about Syed's visit to Brandon ...

Blake managed to put into words the feelings I had rolling around within me, but hadn't been able to say ... his comment about Christians and Muslims spending more time listening to each other the world could be come a different place ...

I can't help but wonder if the Spirit is at work in our world ... Blake down in Texas and I up in Manitoba, both reflect on Muslims who have touched our lives with humour, grace and faith ...

Tonight I feel like Samuel crouched in the dark following Eli's instruction ... I wait to say the words - "Speak Lord, your servant is listening ..."

Tonight I think the Spirit is speaking ... I wonder if we really DO dare to listen ... ???

A gift of peace over lunch ...

Today for lunch The Brandon Rotary Club hosted Syed Soharwardy as their guest speaker. Syed along with Hassaan, Yasir, and Haris, came and shared reflections on his journey and answered some questions from the assembled group.

Along the way he commented that he believes that:

- we live in a very blessed country with strong feelings of meaning and harmony no matter where you are, and that Canadians have been blessed by God/Allah with understanding, tolerance and a caring acceptance of others, even those who are different

- we live in a great nation

- the greatest cause of violence is the simple lack of communication - between parents, between parents and children, and between people

- that if we are to have an end to violence we must begin with peace in our home that comes from peace in our hearts, and the peace in our homes will create peace in our communities, and peace in our communities will create peace in our world - between nations and people, and it all depends upon peace in our hearts

- the biggest single cause of violence in our world is ignorance and ILLITERACY - he noted that many in our world act from hate because they are unable to experience the fullness of life offered through literacy ... I commented to a fellow Rotarian that Syed's view fits well with the emphasis of Rotary International on Literacy ...

In the tradition of sharing a meal - a custom that unites all of humanity - Syed and his team came and sat at table with The Brandon Rotary Club and shared his experiences, and offered his wisdom and humour, and continued on his walk westward - promoting the cause of non-violence with each step.

And I for one am glad that along the way he stopped long enough to form a new friendship - one I will cherish ... I wished the men well on their journey and left them with the offer of a place to stay if they happen back this way again ... I hope they do ...

In the meantime - for more on Syed, and his journey and the cause of Stopping Violence - check out some of the links below:

The CBC story that started this ALL (click here)

The web page of the Multi-faith walk against violence (click here)

The web page of Syed's group Muslims against Terrorism (click here)

Journeying ...

Every once in a while you meet someone who leaves an indelible impression upon you ... in memorials I have often used a reading from Jacob the Baker by Noah benShea that tells of a proud and arrogant man coming to the humble and quiet Jacob in his bakery.

The man says - "Jacob, I want my life to leave an impression on others ..."

Jacob continues working preparing his bread and says, "All life leaves an impression ... for we are God's finger prints ..."

Like all good rabbinic stories, we don't know what the man did with the lesson, nor do we know what others will do with it, we can only use the lesson to reflect on it for ourselves and consider how we will LIVE out the lesson ...

For me, I frequently think about the HOW of my life leaving impressions on others ... Taking the role of being God's presence in the world is an awesome responsibility - one I've always taken seriously. I have been far from perfect, and I've made more than my share of mistakes, but my heart has always been yearning to leave a good and faithful impression on others, even in those moments when my enthusiasm has gotten ahead of myself ...

This past week I was both blessed and privileged to meet a gentleman who has embodied in a very real way the concept of being God's finger print in the world ...

Syed Soharwardy is a gentle soft spoken man with a steely resolve, a gentle humour and a deep faith-filled wisdom that he willingly shares with anyone who takes the time to stop and talk with him, or even better, to walk along the side of the highway with him ...

Yesterday morning, I very briefly accompanied him as he began his daily walk ... we chatted briefly before I bid him well for the day and we departed ... watching him walk along the margin of the Trans Canada Hwy left me with the realization that my life is better for having shared, even briefly, in this remarkable man's journey ...

Syed is not looking for money ... he is not looking for fame ... he is looking for like minded people who share is abhorrence of violence, and who, like him want to see our world become a better place with more than just an absence of conflict and violence ... in the fullest spirit of Shalom/Salaam/Peace, Syed seeks a God given peace that surpasses all understanding, and transforms our world into the place, God willing it could and should be ...

One step at a time, this gentle man is doing his part ... and he is inspiring others to do the same ...

Thanks for stopping by Syed ... it was good to meet you ... and it was a joy and a treat to host you and Hassaan, Yassir and Haris in my home ... Go with God !!

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90

Master Corporal Erin Doyle

on his third tour of Afghanistan

serving with the 3rd Battalion of the PPCLI,

died in a firefight today

Thoughts and prayers for his family,

his circle of friends,

and for his comrades.

Lest We Forget.

Last night - Brandon Remembered ...

a large crowd gathered on the steps of City Hall,

and remembered a young man who died a tragic death,

with love and care,

Tim McLean

was honoured,

and remembered,

and

mourned.

Last night's dinner ...

The menu was a selection of vegetarian, Halal (Islamic Kosher), and Celiac appropriate foods:
- spinach salad with fresh strawberries, kiwi, and almonds with a lemon-honey dressing
- tabhouli made with brown rice rather than bulgar
- five bean salad
- bean casserole with cheese and tomato sauce
- garden fresh yellow beans in dill
- hummus
- baba ghanouj
- fresh fruit
- baked wild BC salmon in a brown sugar, soya sauce and onion glaze

The guests were Syed Soharwardy and his three travelling companions on the Multi-faith Walk against Violence, as well as my co-worker and her son.

Syed, Hassaan, Yasir and Haris came for dinner and a visit before we headed down town for a planned gathering at Brandon's Helping Hands Soup Kitchen to help spread the word of his cross Canada walk to raise awareness on the issue of violence of EVERY kind in our world ...

The conversation around a tiny very CROWDED living room was delightful ... nine people packed in a space that is 10' x 12' could have been uncomfortable, but a good time was had by all ... and no one left the table with an empty tummy ...

Downtown after dinner, Syed did interviews with a variety of media outlets in the Brandon area before heading to the City Hall grounds to participate in the vigil to honour Tim McLean ...

Best Wishes Syed, on your walk, and on raising awareness of this important issue ...

MUST be a slow news day ...

After walking the dogs, I did my usual round of online news sites this morning ... I was appalled by what I found ...

It wasn't the stories of violence, suffering and general mayhem that disgusted me ... it was the utter lack of substance in MOST of the stories that were the HEADLINES on a couple of the sites I frequent ...

One site had two headlines that left me shaking my head ... one was touting Katie Holmes (aka Mrs Tom Cruise's) new pixie cut hair style ... and the other was justifying the stupidity of ANYONE paying close to 15 million dollars for the "privilege" of publishing the first picture of the Brangelina twins ... 15 million dollars for WHAT ???? ... the publications in question tout increased sales because "people want a glimpse into the personal lives of celebrities ..." I won't even start down that rant-path ...

Disgusted I clicked to another site where I found further journalistic contributions:

It would seem that Pamela Anderson is starring in a new "reality" series chronicling her life - isn't putting Pamela and the concept of reality in the same sentence a complete OXYMORON (heavy on the moron)????? ... and then there was the coverage of the earth-shattering news that Clay Atkins has become a father ...

I pray to GOD that it has simply been a slow news day ... otherwise our world is in far worse shape that I could have EVER imagined ...

I think I'll start spending MORE time on webkinz with Beetle and Ms H's little critters ...

.

Like walkin' Elmer Fudd ...

"Ssssshhhhhh, be verwy verwy quiet, we're huntin' wabbits !!!"

I took Callie and Journey for a walk to the fields around the CNR tracks two blocks north of us ... they were greatly twitter-pated by the smell of prairie dogs and jack rabbits (they've chased one a couple of times over the last two or three days) ... at one point Callie had her self buried up to her caninie waist in a rabbit or prairie dog hole ... her snorts and yipes of delight could be heard from her subterranean position!!??

All in all walking them is akin to taking a hike with Elmer Fudd ... like I said:

"Ssssssshhhhhhh !! Be verwy, verwy quiet, we're hunting wabbits !!!"

.

89 ...

Master Corporal Josh Roberts

of the

2nd Battalion, the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry

based at CFB Shilo in Manitoba.

Thoughts and prayers to his family,

and to his fiance

and their unborn child ...

... and to his comrades who continue to serve in Afghanistan.

We will remember the fallen ...

... we will remember those in uniform ...

We will remember them,

lest we forget.

.

Today's discovery ...

Today I got up ... walked the dogs to the train tracks just a couple of blocks north ... then I brought them home, and hopped on my bike to ride the three blocks to the local convenience store to get my papers ... by the time I got back the coffee was ready and I had a lovely hour enjoying my coffee and toast with today's papers ...


The rest of the morning found me outside trimming the hedges on either side of my front yard ... then I raked the leaves up into piles before searching in the garage for my swedish saw which I used to trim the trees across the front of the yard ... remarkably, with the clipped hedges and lilacs and the trimmed trees, the yard gained a metre of width on either side ...


I then hauled out the lawn mower ... I needed to make a jaunt to the hardware store to buy an extension cord because our lawn mower cord was no where to be found ... while I was there I picked up a couple of shelves for the kitchen ...


After I got home I mowed the lawn then took a break for lunch ... after lunch I installed shelves in the kitchen, towel racks in the bathroom ...


As the afternoon waned, I loaded the hedge and lilac clippings into the van and took them to the refuse site, then bundled the branches trimmed from the various trees, and carried them out to the back alley for pick up next week ... As I started getting supper ready, I was able to enjoy a yard that looked neat and clean, a kitchen that had more counter space, a bathroom with room for towels, and house that was feeling more homey and roomy in spite of being tiny ...


BUT best of all was the discovery I made in the middle of the lilac hedge just outside of the garage ... as I was hacking away at the over grown and untended lilac I noticed a tiny green berry ... looking closer I found several more green berried on a branch festooned with thin sharp thorns ... I pulled back the lilac and was delighted to discover and spindly gooseberry bush that had intertwined itself through out the surrounding lilac branches ... with tenderness and care, I snipped and trimmed and set the lowly gooseberry bush free and found that it was heavily laden with tiny green and purple berries ... not enough for more than a snack ... but enough to whet one's appetite for next season, and the season after when it will perhaps, with care and attention become a healthy berry laden bush ...


I love gooseberries ... pie, jam or jelly, or just picked off the bush - it doesn't matter - they are DELICIOUS ... and to have discovered a forgotten bush tucked deep within the lilac hedge was simply a delightful surprise ...


It makes me wonder what other hidden delights I may uncover as my trimming and clipping continues ... I'll definitely be more careful from now on ... I could have easily taken out the lowly little gooseberry bush and never noticed its loss ...

Like faith - sometimes in hidden little corners you find delightful things ... you just need to be paying attention ...

Community is where you find it ...

Today at work we had a conversation about the news articles highlighting the intention of members of the fanatical Westboro Baptist Church to protest at the funeral of 22 year old Tim McLean who was brutally killed on a Greyhound bus just outside of Portage La Prairie ...

The story says that the folks (including the daughter of the church founder Fred Phelps) are going to protest at the funeral because McLean's death was a "gift from God" to condemn Canada's tolerance of homosexuality, abortion and our general moral decay as a country ... (to read more (IF YOU HAVE TO) click here)

There was a feeling of revulsion and horror ... and as one with a background in Church, I could only throw up my hands and say - "this is NOT anything I could ever support ..."

Our conversation then turned to the negative things that have been attributed to the Internet and surfing the web ... one of my co-workers said - "it's sad, because these whackos get an audience of like minded whackos, instead of being the resident town nut case ... they find each other ..."

I had to agree ... but then I also considered the many positives of the Internet ... where hurting people can find a cyber-community ... where new friendships can be formed ... and where ideas and knowledge is shared and passed on and the world improves because GOOD is being sought and shared and passed on ...

For me personally I have used the internet to find old friends, and to create friendships with new friends ... I have witnessed the incredible swell of support that can come in the wake of a tragedy as this medium carries the wave of news outwards and returns with ebb flow of support and prayers ... and in the wake of being shunned and isolated by a community and by people I once called friends - this medium became my life line that helped pull me from the cesspool that was destroying me to a safe place away from the toxicity ...

So, I can't condemn the internet nor the world wide web ... it has brought me back in contact with old friends and it has given me several new friends whom I cherish and rely on for their support and care ... like a wise old Canuck once said - "the medium is the message" ... the Internet is what you chose to make of it ... if you want it to be a place of darkness and hate where whackos meet and plan - it will be ... or if you want it to be a place of light and grace where people searching for meaning can find strength and ultimately community (community in the church forms when we share communion - a common meal together where we stand vulnerable and open and in turn become strong) ...

It is what you chose to let it be ... and I chose to let it be a place of love, care and most of all FRIENDSHIP ...

And tonight I pray that God WILL work in mysterious ways, and prevent the Westboro people from spreading their venom into our TOLERANT nation ...

Tonight I'm proud to be a Canadian for many reasons ... our acceptance of Gays and Lesbians ranks pretty high in my check list though !!!!
.
Stay home Ms Phelps-Roper - we don't need your ignorant bullshit in our nation, we have enough yahoos of our own to deal with !!!!

Found treasures ...

Last night I was busy sorting through the various boxes, bins and tubs of kitchen detritus that had been piled willy-nilly through out the TINY little kitchen in my new digs and the equally small living room ... the quest for space was my primary goal ... the ability to feed myself and the kids was a secondary, though equally valid goal as well ...

Along the way I found in a box of spices and seasonings a lone fortune cookie left over from our Father's Day dinner out here in Brandon ... with a smile, I opened the plastic wrapper and cracked the cookie ... I was delighted to find not one, but two fortunes tucked inside ...

As I munched the cookies (I ALWAYS eat the cookies!!!) my smile broadened because the two fortunes may prove prophetic as a new chapter begins to unfold ...

The fortunes were:

You should be able to undertake and complete anything you desire.

and

You should do well at making money and holding on to it.

I think I'll play the lottery numbers on the back and see just how far my luck may run ...

I'll keep you posted !!!
.
.

Kind of says it all ...

.
I came home with two new fridge magnets ... the first is a beluga magnet from the aquarium ... the second kind of says everything that needs to be said:
.

Recommended Reads ...

Months and months and months ago, I stopped for a visit at my favourite bookstore Callan Books in Stratford Ontario - a haunt from my days as a University student ... I've commented numerous times that proprietor John has NEVER steered me wrong on a book selection ...

I remember in University coming home for a weekend, or a longer break and stepping into the tiny book shop tucked away on a back street not far from the river, only to be greeted with a warm smile and after a visit to get caught up, John would touch his chin with his index finger and say - "I have a book for you ..."

He would then offer a book that I KNOW I would never chose for myself, but that was a perfect choice to read in that moment ... It was John who first put me on to John Irving, and dozens of other authors I might never have considered reading without his recommendation ...

On my last visit in the summer of 2007, I stepped into the shop looking for some summer reading while I attended the Psycho-Vocational Assessment, and then painted my mom's house in the waning days of summer ... John suggested a number of books for my consideration, and I can honestly say they were all good choices. (he knows my reading tastes that WELL !!)

But one set just didn't appeal to me at the time. They were the trilogy by American writer, Richard Ford pictured here ...

.

.

When I first picked up The Sportswriter, the story just didn't do anything for me ... but this summer I picked it up again and found myself resonating with the story of Frank Bascombe, a man in his late 30's facing a life in transition and flux ... freshly divorced, facing a career change, struggling to find his way and his meaning in life ... the tale echoed my reality in a stark and startling way ...

.

Each installment falls on a three day weekend seven years apart and traces the changes in Frank's life, and the ebb and flow that can happen in life ... his reflections on life, relationships and the world are worth pausing to consider ... the wisdom Frank shares as he simply goes about his life is at times breath-taking ... and at times, it echoes what I find myself facing ...

.

.

I realized as I turned the last page of "The Lay of the Land" that John had made yet another fine recommendation ... the problem was that I wasn't ready last year to hear Frank's story, and to share Ford's gritty real life writing ... but with the ebb and flow of life's tides, I found myself in a place where not only was I ready to read the stories, I was able to appreciate the depth and breadth of the story and the lessons they offer from the reflections on life's vagaries ...

.

They may not be a story for everyone ... but I would highly recommend them to someone looking for a story that simply wrestles with the fullness of life ... Ford's trilogy is powerful and amazing ...

.

and I remain thankful for John's recommendations ... everyone needs a bookstore like THAT in their life ...

.

Sometimes ...

The other day I was cruising the net, getting caught up on the news and feeling overwhelmed by the BAD, BAD, BAD news that seemed to fill the various web pages I check out each day ... I went to CBC and was feeling kind of blah about our world when I noticed a little side bar story called "A Matter of Faith: Walking Canada"

Intrigued, I clicked on the link and found the story of Syed Soharwardy, who is the grandson of a Kashmiri Mufti and himself one of the founders of a group called Muslims Against Terrorism. This past April Soharwardy began walking from Halifax to Victoria to raise awareness about the effect violence has in our world ...

He has re-mortgaged his home to pay for his trek, he is not asking for money, and is trying to connect with like-minded people to talk about an issue that affects ALL OF US.

I was in awe ... I thought to myself - "Gee, I wish there was something I could do ..."

I should know that when that thought hits, the Cosmos is at work ... things are happening ... my colleague and I are trying to arrange a warm welcome to Brandon for Mr Soharwardy when he arrives in Brandon on Friday, and next week he'll drive back to Brandon to address our Tuesday meeting of Rotary ... All because I clicked on a side bar item that looked positive in the midst of a torrent of negative news stories ...

The Cosmos is truly a wondrous place ... and with people like Mr Soharwardy out there, it has the potential of getting better literally ONE STEP AT A TIME !!!

Click here to learn more about the Multi-Faith Walk Against Violence. (and stay tuned)

It can't happen here ...

I WILL NOT revisit the details of the killing on a Greyhound bus not far from here ... it is simply to horrid to discuss further here ...

My only thought on the whole ugly story is that it is simply WRONG to say "that couldn't happen here ..." and to be gripped with the paralysis that comes when real life intrudes in a quiet corner of creation that we previously thought safe from such perils ...

Moments like this simply tell us that the world can be a cold and unbelievably cruel place and things that defy ALL logic and reason happen ALL the time ... and sometimes they happen close to home ... both literally and figuratively ...

What happened was a profound tragedy ... and it will never make any sense ... and an innocent life ended in an unbelievably tragic way ... there are simply no words to speak ... just the prayer - "God help us all ..."

I still remember ...

I still remember the first time I read "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich"... I was awe struck by Solzhenitsyn and his writings ...

Later I would read The Cancer Ward and I would try to read both The First Circle and August 1914 ... I even tried to read Gulag, but never got through the first book ...

I think when I unpack my books and find the various Solzhenitsyn books in my library it would be a good opportunity to try again ... It's the least I can do now that one of the world's truly great writers has passed ...

But at 89, he leaves a wonderful legacy of hope and the triumph of the human spirit ... his words will remain as a reminder of what is possible even in the deepest and darkest times ... he held a light aloft to show us ALL a path to a brighter tomorrow ... and he died a free man in a free country ... he achieved his words:

"Those same hands that once screwed tight our handcuffs now hold out their palms in reconciliation.''

Rest in Peace Mr Solzhenitsyn ... and Thanks.
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.

Did you know ??

Tonight I was doing some "dreaming" about what I could do next year with the HUGE back yard behind my new little house ... the thought of having to mow lawns doesn't give me any feelings of enthusiasm ... so, I was thinking about gardens ...

Vegetable ... flower ...meditative ... I'll have room for lots ...

As I was doing some reading about possible veggies that I could plant and tend I discovered something I never knew before:

The first frozen vegetable was the humble asparagus that was harvested by Romans and carried up into the Alps where it was buried in the snow to preserve it throughout the year as a delightful fresh treat.

Smart folks those Romans ... rhubarb and asparagus are definitely on my "to plant list" ... and if Ms H's little new potatoes that we had for dinner last night (harvested from her garden as we moved from Minnedosa) are any indication, we WILL be planting potatoes again too ...

Tonight's UNEXPECTED Treat !!!!!

I have been missing my regular coffee lately ... At home I've been enjoying the Kick Ass roast from Kicking Horse Coffee (a wonderful Canadian Fair Trade company), and since leaving home last week was able to have it only when I was at M's mom and dad's because I had bought a bag at the local supermarket ...

The last three days have been whatever brown fluid comes in a cup from Franchises, Gas Stations and restaurants ...

BUT ... tonight I went to fill the van up with gas and when I went to pay for the fill, I decided to grab a coffee - I had had only one earlier in the day and was feeling the urge ...

I stepped up to the coffee counter expecting to find the regular store brand, but was delighted to find a selection of Kicking Horse Coffees including my much loved Kick Ass roast !!!! I let out a gasp that caused the clerk to look over and he said - "Buddy, the pot on the left is fresh, ... I just made it !!!"

I brought the cup of steaming coffee back to the hotel room and was able to enjoy it while I cruised the net and the girls watched a movie on tv ... it was a wonderful surprise ... and as I've said - a totally unexpected treat !!!

Thanks Husky for good taste in Coffee !!!
and thanks Kicking Horse for making it !!!

Fair Trade rules !!!

Zoo Pics ... (Calgary Zoo)

Zoo Babies ...

Yesterday enroute ...

Heading Home ... with a stop at the Vancouver Aquarium ...

Baby Beluga ...

And of course ...
... You MUST have Raffi:

Sleepy Otter (Sea Otter) ...

The wondrous jellies ...