Play time on the marge of Lake Audy ...

Rush Hour in Riding Mountain ...

When the road is blocked by a herd of animals

that are ALMOST as big as the vehicle you're in,

you wait until THEY get off the road before proceeding:

These images are what greeted Noahkila and I

as we drove through the Bison Compound at

Riding Mountain National Park,

on our way to the Trailhead for the Strathclair Trail.

Good Day to be Outside ...

The sun was shining, and even though the air temp was hovering around 7C, it was a fine day to be out and about ... Taking the two dogs, a family excursion to Riding Mountain National Park was embarked upon ...

I took my bike in the van and pedalled on the trail ahead of everyone else ... they walked and whined ...

We met up two and a half hours later for lunch ...

Though there were Whiskey Jacks (or Grey Jays)

in abundance, only this lively fellow alighted on a branch

long enough to be photographed ... his kin folks were less amenable.

One last glance before I biked off into the distance ...

My Bike Grind of the day ... (Part 1)

The Sun was shining,

the temperature was a balmy 7C (42F),

and the wind was blowing gustily out of the west ...

... so, throwing on my longjohns, my sweatshirt,

and my full fingered biking gloves,

I hopped on my bike and started heading NORTH

on the Strathclair Trail ...

The Strathclair Trail descends from

about 590 m (1925 ft) above sea level

to 440m (1460 ft)

over the 23 km (14 miles) length.

It's not a bad ride ... but it IS a GRUNT!!!

My Bike Grind of the Day ... (Part 2)

It's NOT easy to take a picture, and ride a wilderness trail at the same time!!

BUT, I DID IT !!!

ME, panting after a 21 km (13 miles) bike ride!!!

NOW, I have to turn around and go BACK!!!

The Road NOT taken ...

My Bike Grind of the day ... (Part 3)

Heading back - tackling the 20+ km return trip ...

Out here, the traffic you may encounter is

NOT

vehicular but animal.

The marks of moose, elk, wolf, coyote, and deer

was evident AND abundant on the trail.

NO sightings beyond birds though.

Still smiling after over 40 kms (25miles)!!!

A River So Wide ...

There have been MANY, MANY days in the last couple of years when I've felt swept away by events in my life that are beyond my control ... I've over reacted to things, I've made foolish decisions, and I've tilted at the wrong DAMNED windmills ...

I've been abused, misused, taken for granted and dumped on ...

I've made mistakes compounded by mistakes, I've chosen some friends poorly, and I've done incredibly stupid things ...

My life is in a place of turmoil and transition ... the last three years have been anything but settled ... but what has hurt most is the utter nonsense being spoken about me ... lies, gossip, and untruths are passed around the tables of local coffee shops as true, with no consideration of the effect such tripe has on my life, and the lives of others ... I just wish my life was as interesting as the coffee shop chatter has made it out to be ...

In the face of such small minded foolishness, I've hopped on my bike and pushed my mp3 player in my ears and headed off, trusting in God to see me through ... The music has been a balm ... a soothing presence that has continued to whisper hope in the darkest of moments ...

Pounding Rock beats have carried me up the steepest hills ... haunting jazz has danced with me across the undulating prairies ... and rippling folk songs have lifted my spirits, my heart and brought strength to rubbery legs ... But more than ALL of that, many of the songs loaded on my mp3 have spoken to my soul and offered me that whisper of HOPE ...

One song in particular (the one below) has helped to remind me that when the currents swirling around me threaten to sweep me away, and when folks are trying to stomp on my tenuous finger grip to set me adrift in the roiling waters, that time will see us through ...

I offer this as a celebration of the journey of wholeness and healing I've been on for many months, a journey that continues ... BUT most of all I offer it to those who come to my blog and read my words with an open and caring mind and may find themselves in a place where the ebb and flow of life seems poised to overwhelm them ... The river is wide, and the waters are deep ... but in time, we will be free ...

Tiller's Folly is one of my favourite Celtic Folk Bands from BC ... So, as a means of saying "Thank You" to those who read these words as a supporter, and fan I can only say - "Enjoy" and Good Luck on your journey. Remember, you're NOT alone:

Bumper Stickers I'd LIKE to see ...

-

I found the following quotations in

Shopping for God by James B Twitchell:

-

Religion consists in a set of things which the average man

thinks he believes and wishes he was certain of.

- Mark Twain

-

Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully

as when they do it from religious conviction.

- Pascal

-

Religions are founded on the fear of many,

and the cleverness of the few.

- Stendhal

-

At present, there is not a single credible

established religion in the world.

- George Bernard Shaw

-

Religion is the great unmentionable evil.

- Gore Vidal

-

Religion is the most malevolent of all mind viruses.

- Arthur C. Clarke

-

The sad thing is ...

these voices bridge several hundred years of

critical thought about religion, yet for some reason

the leadership of those religions continues NOT to heed them.

Maybe if bumper stickers like this started showing up

in mall parking lots and in the odd church parking lot,

their sentiment and message might finally be heard ...

-

One can always hope ...

... in the meantime, maybe I need to find a

bumper sticker printing company !?!?

-

We dare NOT to listen at our peril.

Over Our Heads ...

Three views of the Prairie Sky over Minnedosa.

... and around our feet !!

Some of the delights in our front yard today !!

It's JUST a Ride ...

Comedian, and dare I say philosopher Bill Hicks

and musician (and so much more) Francis Dunnery

have become two of the powerful influences

that I've discovered in the last year ...

(both are thanks to a wonderful friend)

Today I want to share two of my favourites with you ...

First Bill, then Francis !!

Together they offer Hope that the World

can become a better place.

And one day it will ...

I Believe I Change My World ...

Francis Dunnery offers the words ... maybe one day we'll listen ...

FIND THIS BOOK !!!!!

SERIOUSLY,

find this book Shopping for God

by James B. Twitchell.

He touches on the commodification of the modern church,

and how faith has become nothing more than a consumer item.

His reflections on church, ministry, and advertising

campaigns like the UCC's Emerging Spirit/Wonder Cafe

are intriguing, enlightening, and challenging.

I'll have more from this book in the coming days ...

For now - FIND IT - READ IT - and

take time to reflect on it ...

Today !!!!!

Today I realized that all my talk recently of
WANTING to be a writer

demands more than TALK.

-

Today, I decided that the three articles I've already

had published in three magazines in Canada,

represent a good start.

-

Today I have DECIDED that I WANT to WRITE.

=

I WILL BECOME A WRITER.

-

I WILL make it happen ...

-

... and you can all say you "remember when"!!

Playing as I type ...

Just letting his groove carry me ...

... and it's ALL good !!!

Laughter is the Beginning of Prayer !!!

The last couple of days haven't found me out and about on my bike for a number of reasons ... I hate to admit it, but the rain played a role too ... but today, it was cloudy and overcast, but not too chilly, and just right for biking ... So, at 10:30, I set off to see how long my legs would last ...

Two hours later I returned home for lunch and a shower ... In the intervening time I had stopped a few times to chat with folks, picked up the mail and had two encounters with my new absolute FAVOURITE person Tomson Highway.

I told Tomson that the concert last night was ABSOLUTELY fabulous ... he smiled and said - "yes, it was a pleasure for me too. Any time I can stroke a magnificent instrument like "that" in public is wonderful !!"

Tomson Highway is OUTRAGEOUS, OUTSPOKEN, BRILLIANT, and utterly wonderful ... I will look back on the fall of 2007 as an enchanted period in my life when the cosmos directed me to chance encounters with a remarkable artist with many, many, many talents !!!

Those encounters have inspired in me the passion to WRITE ... not as a hobby ... but to write as a writer. There are many stories floating within me, and at least three tomes on life, ministry and the challenges there in ... and today, thanks to the encounters I've had with Tomson and his partner, I know for the first time in my life that I WANT TO WRITE !!!!!! And THANKS to both Tomson and his partner, I have been given suggestions on HOW to make it happen !!!

My bike ride ended today coming home, hot, sweaty and with rubbery legs ... but a deep feeling of contentment ... then I opened my computer to check the various blogs I read each day, and I was THRILLED to find two entries over at The Laughing Pastor, that made me smile, then laugh, and then utter a joyous Hallelujah !!!

The brilliant creator of The Laughing Pastor and I have been trading emails for a number of weeks, and he and I are sharing stories, reflections and experiences with the goal of creating a published book ... (there, the cat is out of the bag !!!) Along the way, I've written him about my biking and quietly challenged him to give it try ...

WELL, today he dusted off a bike in his garage, got it ready and managed to go out riding for about 4 miles (about 6.4 kms!!). By my current standards that's just the warm up lap ... but for someone who hasn't been on a bike for YEARS, that's an impressive start.

So join with me in offering my new Blogger Friend - The Laughing Pastor, a hearty round of applause for taking up my challenge and getting out there biking !!! It is not only impressive - it's down right COOL !!! For more pictures click here - he did TWO entries about it today !!!

The other part of today that was nice was having several (not just one or two - but SEVERAL) people stop me and express their appreciation for THIS little ole blog of mine ... Often the negative voices and the criticism of those who take exception to something here have clouded my horizon and left me wondering - "WHY??" ... but today the voices that appreciate what I do here, and why I do it at all, broke through the cloud and the overcast and brought a much needed sun into my soul ... so for that (and they KNOW who they were) I say - Thank You ... YOU are why I do this ... life is too precious not to be celebrated and savoured ... and That's what I try to do along with facing life's tough questions and challenges ...

And the cherry on top of a sundae-kind of day was going to my Doctor for a much overdue physical and having the first thing he said be: "Man, you've lost a LOT of weight. You're just fading away ..." then adding, "You look great though, whatever you're doing, keep it up !!!"

That just felt good ...and THAT is why I encouraged my friend, my colleague, and my bud The Laughing Pastor to get out on his bike and enjoy the ability to BIKE ALL year round !!!

Who knows, maybe I WILL have to do that road trip sometime and take my bike along ... Stranger things have happened !!

Today was a feel good kind of day filled with laughter ... and like the wise man said - "Laughter IS the beginning of Prayer !!"

To that I say simply - AMEN !!!!

Science Experiments in the Driveway ...

This afternoon after school was a time of PLAY ...

First the "volcano" was given it's inaugural run:

vinegar and baking soda - resulted in a column of foam

and the above photo as it calmed down.

Very impressive !!

Then four mentos dropped in a bottle of Coke

didn't result in the fountains of foam shown all over the net,

but it put on an impressive show nonetheless.

All in all Ms H and Beetle, and Ms H's best bud M,

were pretty happy with the diversion and the outcome !!

The driveway is now a sticky mess ... oh well, the joys of afterschool fun!!

Homecoming to Horrors ...

Over 130 dead ... hundreds wounded ...

the streets of Karachi torn with senseless violence.

Yet, Ms Bhutto has come home,

and today the talking heads of the world media

are offering their armchair critiques of her and

her decision to "go home."

Meanwhile hundreds of families mourn the fallen,

and weep for the wounded.

Who knows where these things will lead the people of Pakistan,

and our world ... but we MUST cling to hope ...

Hope that justice, freedom, prosperity,

and democracy will one day reach corners of the world

with names like Myanmar, Pakistan, Iraq and Afganistan ...

and every where else people yearn to be free ...

May it be so ...

An Evening With Tomson Highway !!

A few days ago I finished reading "Kiss of the Fur Queen" by First Nations author Tomson Highway ... I have been trying to put into words a description and a crituque of the book ... and to be honest, I have been at a loss for words.

The book, like its author, is simply and utterly amazing ...

Highway's use of language - the way in which he weaves words to describe events, happenings and scenes is stunning ... and the story itself is poignient, powerful and enchanting. The auto-biographical nature of the book charts its course through the many challenges that native people have been forced to endure. The story touches on Residential School, life in the north, the clash of cultures, violence against Native women, struggles with sexuality, the hypocrisy of Church, alcoholism, and the tone of live familiar to First Nations people across this country ...

Every word ... every sentence ... every page resonated with in me. The pieces of the story Tomson shares is an echo of experiences I heard a dozen times a month sitting with folks in Bella Coola as they told me about their journey ... I would offer "Kiss of the Fur Queen" as one of my top ten books ... it is a book that I would read again ... and it definitely is a book I would highly recommend. Not only is the story powerful, but the writing style itself is simply stunning. It's worth finding.

Before I wrap this posting up though, I have to offer some words on the man behind the words ... Tonight at the Community Conference Centre Tomson Highway shared his talents as composer, pianist and storyteller in an hour long concert that had him tickling the ivories of the magnificent grand piano. Like his writings, Tomson's luminesent and very ample talent is hard to simply describe ... The playing was so enchanting that 8 year old Beetle refused to leave when big sister Ms H HAD to go home half way through ... it take alot to catch the interest of an 8 year old musically, but Tomson did it.

But the whole night was an amazing meld of story, reflection, and music ... all provided by one man - Mr Tomson Highway ...

I'm delighted that for a brief period this fall Tomson has been a resident in our community, and has been so willing to share his talents and abilities ... I look forward to the book he is currently working on ... and I like many others in town tonight have become Tomson Highway fans ... and after reading his book and hearing his piano prowess ... all I can say is - Rightly So !!!

Thanks Tomson, for stopping by and making Minnedosa home.

Welcome Back ...

Cue the theme from

"Welcome Back Kotter"

It's premature to say that Ms Bhutto is the beacon of hope in Pakistan, but the simple fact that she is being welcomed HOME by thousands of citizens of her country, and many of them see her as the beacon of Democracy in a troubled country should tell us that the prolonged War on Terror needs to move in a direction different from open combat ...

.

So as the wave of enthusiasm and excitement builds here's hoping that the future for Pakistan gets brighter and better ... and with it rides the hopes that ONE DAY the same will be true for all of the children in our human family ...

.

One country at a time!!!