Friday, July 18, 2025
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Whatever Wednesday - Athabasca Glacier
Got to ride in the Arctic Terrain vehicle up to the Athabasca Glacier. Very impressive piece of equipment. Our driver was a lad from Blackpool, England. Another gorgeous day and while cool, it was not bitter coldAvoid the slush parts. (oops, Ray did step in a melty spot and got his shoe, sock, and pants leg wet. Silly boy
The ice chunks were SO clear
I'll pose happily with the Maple Leaf. Oh Canada! You filled my heart with joy
Monday, July 14, 2025
Monday Moments - Lake Maligne
Old dock
glacial colors
Such a view
And a sacred spot for the indigenous folks in the area. Look, but don't think about putting a foot on that Spirit Island.
Very mystical aura.
Friday, July 11, 2025
Finally Friday - By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
Melina Green has written a play about an Elizabethan ancestor, Emilia Bassano. The theater world is tough for women. But her best friend submits the play to a festival under a male pseudonym.
Meanwhile, Picoult also explores Emilia's life in 1581. She becomes a mistress to a wealthy man and sees the workings of the art/ theater world. Her plan - pay an actor named William Shakespeare to front her work.
cover blurb.
Picoult weaves the two tales and interlaces the issues of ambition, creativity, and prejudices for women. Should a writer do whatever it takes to see her story live on...no matter the cost?
I enjoyed this book a lot and the rich characters along with current day and historical backdrop.
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
Whatever Wednesday - Stay Upright on Skates
Rah for the Canmore Eagles. We enjoyed the ice hockey experience. Some films, stories, history of ice hockey, and more.
Ray and I are suited up. You can't see my ankles waver. It's been a long, long time since I was a little girl in PA and went ice skating.
and here we are with a fellow traveler, Gwen. She ended up being quite good on the ice hitting pucks. Ray and I clung to our ice "walkers" and shuffled our feet. I let go for two seconds to attempt a puck hit. Happy to report I did not fall down.
Just getting on all of the gear was tiring.
Alas, while in Canada, our Dallas Stars got beat in playoffs by the Edmonton Oilers.
Then in the Stanley Cup - the Oilers were beaten by the Florida Panthers for the second time.
Monday, July 7, 2025
Monday Moments - Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
My PA book club read Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow. Considered a classic, this lyrical book is set in New Rochelle, NY before the First World War. For the rich, life is good. For an immigrant Jewish peddler, Tateh, it's challenging. And for Coalhouse Walker, Jr, a black ragtime pianist from Harlem - his story brings a shocking climax. (back blurb)
Doctorow weaves fictional characters with famous people of that period - Harry Houdini, J.P. Morgan, Evelyn Nesbit, Emma Goldman, Henry Ford. It's musical, well-paced, and the author orchestrates themes of American innocence, energy, and ambition. The writing seems old-timey and yet it works - it puts you, the reader, into the lives.
Ragtime is piano music with a syncopated melody.
Ragtime is a ragged music book of the ragged times. It's a novel about oppression, social change, and the search for stability in a rapidly evolving world (source - various reviews)
I'd say Ragtime is a very worthwhile read in this day and age as we come off a challenging July 4th and rather wild 2025 so far. Whew!