Sorting & reviewing

Dad made these wooden boxes. 

Dad made these items. Who would like to have them?

Did this little jug belong to Granny? Who will look after it now?

Do you remember who gave this to Mum?

My sisters and I are sorting our late mother’s possessions.

One of Mum & Dad's squirrels. 

Since my latest return to Canada at the end of April, a major focus has been helping my siblings sort the contents of our late mother's house. We have made a number of trips to the farm where our parents lived for most of their 61 years of marriage and our mother lived alone for 5 more years. 

Apple blossoms in May.

Peonies in June. 

On each trip to the countryside this spring we have appreciated seeing the birds and the squirrels our parents enjoyed. 


We have delighted in the sight and scent of trees and flowers in bloom, both the wild ones and those in Mum's garden. 



However, the house where we grew up is now nearly empty and virtually unrecognizable. We carry away photographs and furnishings that will remind us of our parents and gifts we gave them over the years. We hope these items will help us retain some of the warmth of our family home as we knew it. 

Gift I got my parents Summer 1967 when I worked in Jasper National Park.

I try not to take much and only small items as I have nowhere to put anything large. I have been downsizing the past 5 years since my husband’s passing, our son’s moving out with friends, and my relocation to a small apartment then to a nomadic life once I retired. 

Starting to fill my storage unit October 2011.

One sister suggested I may have been downsizing much of my life as I have had frequent moves over the years, several of them across continents.

As my son is relocating to British Columbia this summer I am on standby to assist him with his move. Finally, I plan further sorting of my own treasures, in storage nearly 4 years.

Too many boxes.

Searching through my storage unit for seasonal clothing or other items I need is inconvenient and I know the unit still contains a good deal that is unnecessary. Books, mementos and my genealogy files are the hardest problems to solve. 

How much can we recycle?

In recent years I have appreciated no longer having a house and yard to maintain. I have enjoyed travelling light and plan to live as minimalist a life style as I can. Wish me luck.

Boiling up a pot of memories

Rhubarb relish ingredients ready to boil.

Back in my home province of Alberta, my sister and I are chopping rhubarb and onions. We are makimg rhubarb relish, which our mother and grandmother used to make and several of our siblings still do. 

Soon the kitchen is filled with the scent of spicy, sweet vinegar and the sounds of the relish bubbling in one pot and our jars bouncing as they are sterilized in another pot.

Well used Purity cook book with rhubarb relish recipe.

The recipe our mother and grandmother used comes from the Purity cook book, published by Purity Flour Mills in various editions since the 1930s. The book has been a reliable reference in Canadian kitchens since then.

We use a modified recipe with more rhubarb to the given amount of sugar and improvise with the spices.

Jars of rhubarb relish for the months ahead.

After filling the jars to store on the cold room shelves, we have some relish left and sample with bread and cheese for lunch – delicious.

Our relish is great with bread and cheese.

Rhubarb has been valued as an early fruit on the Canadian prairies since the start of European settlement. Ours has been harvested from our late mother’s garden, increasing its value to us. 

Rhubarb is ready for harvest in the spring. 

Trekking on

Vulcan, Alberta has unique tourist information signs. 

Travelling from the Edmonton area to Southern Alberta I often make a stop in the prairie town of Vulcan, just an hour from my usual destination of Lethbridge. In Vulcan I visit the Tourism and Trek Station near the highway. 

Vulcan's Tourism and Trek Station.

Visitors from all across North America and numerous more distant countries have signed the guest book at the Station, developed on the Star Trek theme. Even years ago we would stop at the town’s model of the Starship Enterprise. 

Vulcan's Starship Enterprise model. 

I have enjoyed Star Trek since my children were young. In fact my younger son heard plenty of Star Trek episodes while in utero.

A drive through Vulcan shows a prosperous community, apparently a turn-around accomplished largely through a marketing campaign based on its name coinciding with that of a fictional planet from the Star Trek televison and movie series.

Roddenberry memorial at Tourism and Trek Station.

Vulcan was the Roman name of the god of fire, first described in Greek mythology. The Alberta town was named by a Canadian Pacific Railway surveyor. The most famous citizen of the planet Vulcan is, of course, Spock, played by actor Leonard Nimoy.

Poster from 2010 visit of actor Leonard Nimoy.

Last month on my latest stop I also saw, for the first time, the town’s bust of actor Leonard Nimoy in his role as Spock. Other visitors had left candles and small stones acknowledging the actor’s death on February 27, 2015.

Bust of late actor Leonard Nimoy as the Vulcan Spock. 

I will leave you with Nimoy’s widely reported, last tweet, from shortly before his passing: “A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. Live Long and Prosper.” 

Live long and prosper.

Sweating in Broome

I met this frog one evening in Broome. 

Frangipani trees are common.

One of my strongest memories of Broome will be the heat and humidity. Even the bus schedule varies with the wet (mid October to April) and dry (May to mid October) seasons, with greater service in the dry, the main tourist season. 

One of Broome's boab trees, this one planted in 1897.

During my visit in April it didn’t take long after a shower to be damp with sweat again. As darkness fell, the humidity tended to rise noticeably. Walking was guaranteed to soak a person's clothing.

Town Beach. 

Since the buses do not run until nearly 11 a.m. on Sunday I walked to Town Beach that day. At Fong’s General Store I got a frozen juice bar. My face must have been red as one of the staff asked if I needed a chair to sit down. Another day a woman said hello and asked where I was going and if I had a car. Maybe she too was wondering if I should be wandering around in the heat.

Broome Shire Offices.

Broome is an isolated town 2200 km north of the Western Australian capital of Perth. The resident population of the town is 15,857 according to the web site of the Broome Shire. During the peak season the population triples.

Broome's main attraction for me was its unique culture and history. From its founding in 1883 Broome has been multicultural, not always harmoniously.

Pinctada maxima on cushion & smaller shells on top.

Aboriginal woman diver.

Australia's largest mother of pearl shell, the Pinctada maxima,is found in the Broome area. Broome was built on shelling, the harvesting of pearl shells to make buttons. This industry, starting in the 1860s, was reliant on the forced labour of local Aboriginal people, mainly women and children, and indentured Asian workers. 

Acknowledgment of the exploitation and abuse of Aboriginal people by the pearling industry.

Dive boots & helmet.

By the late 1800s divers who held their breath were replaced by hard hat divers and the Japanese came to dominate that dangerous occupation. Broome's Japanese cemetery is the final resting place of over 900 divers.

One of two restored pearl luggers.

Japanese cemetery.

In the 20th century two world wars and the advent of plastics led to the collapse of the shelling industry which was eventually replaced with a cultured pearl industry. In WWII Broome suffered 4 Japanese air raids and during the war the resident Japanese were interned. At that time “Japtown” became “Chinatown”.

Asian look bus stop.

The history of Broome can be explored in the local Historical Society Museum, the Sisters of St. John of God Heritage Centre and Relationships Exhibition, a pearling lugger tour, the Japanese, Chinese and Pioneer cemeteries, and the streets of Chinatown. 

One of Chinatown's original buildings from the 1890s.

Ready for the show.

A traditional Broome experience I took in was attending an open air movie in the 1916 Sun Picture Gardens where old projection equipment is on display.

Old projection equipment.

Camel rides for tourists.

Broome has two beaches, Town and Cable, and the bus service runs between them. At Cable Beach several companies offer camel rides for tourists and one section of the beach is clothing optional. The town is also a centre for adventure tours of the region.

Walking to the airport.

On my last day in Broome a 10 minute walk from my accommodation brought me to Broome International Airport. After a quick change of clothes I was ready for departure. As the plane took off over Cable Beach I said farewell to Broome, a place I am glad I visited. 

Broome International open air departure lounge.

Travelling in the company of young adventurers

Climbing down to rock pool in Karijini National Park.

“All right travellers, how are you?” This was the standard greeting of the energetic tour guide, driver, cook and general trouble shooter, who brought to my mind Johnny Depp’s character Captain Jack Sparrow.

4x4 tour bus.

I wanted to visit Broome, a Western Australian town with a unique history. How would I cover the distance of more than 2200 kilometers from the state capital of Perth? Should I fly in and out? Take a bus? I wasn't about to drive on my own. The best option seemed to be a tour which would allow me to see some of the sights along the way and even some off the main road. 

Watching all the 20 somethings board the bus the last Monday of March I wondered what I had gotten myself into. There were a few people apparently in their 30s and early 40s but I was by far the oldest group member. We were 6 men and 15 women of varied occupations from England, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland and Canada. 

Up close with the dolphins at Monkey Mia. 

Over the next 10 days we chatted about our homes, families, travels and career paths. We commiserated about the heat, flies, long periods of sitting on the bus and some of the toilets we encountered. On the bus we listened to music or watched videos about Australian culture and history and some of the areas we were visiting. Some of us read and most of us dozed off occasionally.

A fly veil was a necessity  for much of the trip - here in  Kalbarri National Park.

Ashburton River in flood due to recent heavy rains.

This was a shed before a recent cyclone. 

We visited several distinctive ecosystems that are World Heritage sites. Activities included hiking (usually down into gorges and back up) and swimming in the sea and in fresh water rock pools. Some people went snorkelling which I have done before and did not try this time. There was an extra day trip to swim with whale sharks that several of us, me included, decided it did not fit the budget.

The Pinnacles in Nambung National Park.

Termite mound.

We camped 4 nights and stayed in hostels and 

cabins. We worked in teams to prepare meals and clean up. After sunset, Orion, the Southern Cross and other constellations filled the sky. Over Easter weekend the moon was full.

We saw this cute lizard on a gorge walk.  

Keeping our water bottles full was vital.

Our second campsite was in Karijini National Park, home to several species of poisonous snakes, where our guide patrolled the camp ground before he let us off the bus. Despite the shrieking from the toilet one night, the small snake curled up there was a non-poisonous variety and the only one we spotted.  

Preparing lunch.

Campers sleeping outdoors in swags on camp cots. 

My green tent is to right. 

I suppose if I had looked harder I might have found a seniors’ tour – with more comfort at greater expense but not likely so enjoyable.

We reached Broome & Cable Beach by sunset April 8th.