The card arrived two weeks before Christmas, 1987. The handwritten message from my Mom and Dad read, “Merry Christmas Henry, Olga, Nicholas & ?” The answer to the question mark was expected on December 25. We had moved into 12 Sigmont Road on November 30 after selling the condominium, riding the wave of escalating values,Continue reading “The Power of Love”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Creating Beauty
The first flowers I remember giving to you happened early in our dating days. I was playing hockey on Sunday mornings in the Dorchester Men’s No Body Contact League. You even drove out to the arena on occasion to watch. Helmets did not require cages and as a result, an inadvertent stick struck me inContinue reading “Creating Beauty”
Scrabble
I expect when Mom and Dad immigrated to Canada in 1958, their grasp of English would have been quite limited. Sure, they had learned some very elementary words years earlier in grade school, mandatory language lessons along with German and French. They may have even picked up a few classes in preparation for their flightContinue reading “Scrabble”
Welcome to the End of the World
Finesterre. It was the end of the world as they knew it. Back then. Predating Christianity, people journeyed to Cape Fisterra on the Costa da Morte (Coast of Death) where they believed the sun died, bringing the worlds of the living and the dead closer together. Finisterre is now the traditional end of the CaminoContinue reading “Welcome to the End of the World”
Santiago de Compostela
“We made it.” My voice cracking, my eyes welling up, Olga crying in joy. “We made it.” An emotional moment that overwhelmed us. We asked a fellow pilgrim to snap a photo in that instant to capture the end of our journey so we could send it out immediately to our family. Then Olga andContinue reading “Santiago de Compostela”
Friol to Melide to Salceda
The Camino has changed. The increased number of people have made the alone times less frequent, reduced even further after Melide when the Camino Frances melds with the Camino Primitivo. The earlier collective comraderie has narrowed to one’s immediate circle. The pilgrimmage is beginning to feel more like a long tourist walk through the countryside.Continue reading “Friol to Melide to Salceda”
Lugo to Friol
Lugo is 100 km from Santiago de Compostela which makes the city a popular starting place for people desiring the certificate at the end of their Camino. The trek today, as a result, was considerably busier with those just beginning and those continuing. Lugo is a travel destination in its own right. Olga and IContinue reading “Lugo to Friol”
Castroverde to Lugo
The hope was for the swelling and pain in Olga’s ankle/shin to subside enough for her to resume walking. We would have four days of down time and skip the mountains to allow for the possibility. Castroverde would be an excellent place to start again as the path is mostly flat and the inevitable inclinesContinue reading “Castroverde to Lugo”
Tineo
The planning for the Camino Primitivo was intended to be fluid. September is still considered the high season and the Facebook posts pointed to challenges in finding space in the albergues. We were not inclined to sleep in these dormitory accommodations, preferring rather to find private rooms, hotel or otherwise. Believing we could manage theContinue reading “Tineo”
Salas to Tineo
When the children were young, our family enjoyed playing a board game entitled, The Tortoise, the Fox, and the Hare. The premise was simple: a race to the finish line, first one crossing wins. There was a pair of six sided dice for each contestant except the numbers were different. The Hare’s dice resembled aContinue reading “Salas to Tineo”
Wonderings 