The Nutcracker

The Nutcracker was written in 1816 by Prussian author E.T.A. Hoffman.

Starting our afternoon by enjoying a refreshing Shirley Temple.

The Nutcracker is a story where a favourite Christmas toy, a Nutcracker, comes to life.

After defeating the evil Mouse King in battle, the Nutcracker whisks Clara away to the magical kingdom populated by dolls.

In 1892, the Russian composer Pyatr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and choreographers Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanou turned Alexander Dumas’ adaptation of the story into the Ballet, The Nutcracker.

Our favourite character is the Mouse King!

A very special day, witha very special little girl!

I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas

A Canadian Winter

As the cold wind blows,
it freezes your nose. 

Eye lashes freeze,
with a light breeze.

The layers keep you warm,
as you walk through the storm.

Of a cold,Canadian winter.

A snowflake dances,
as Jack Frost prances.

Painting the autumn grasses 
white.

Everything, 
sparkles and
twinkles.

And a dog's face,
smiles!

Springwater Provincial Park

Four reason why I love Springwater Provincial Park!

Traveling down forest lanes lit up with hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights in anticipation of Christmas, the birthday of little baby Jesus.

For decades now, Springwater Provincial Park has been a gathering place for emigrant families…..a tradition that continues to continue.

A very special and intimate spot to honour the lives lost to keep our land ‘strong and free.’

A partnership between the province of Ontario and the Beausoleil First Nations, operates and maintains the park. The park remains a spiritual place where ancestral ceremonies continue today.

The Fearless Chick-a-Dee

A chick-a-dee

lands

On an out stretched

hand.

Confident,

Bold,

Self assured.

A human friend

Among the flock.

In a treetop,

down on the

ground.

It peeks,

and it peeks,

at the seeds,

inside.

A suspended

perch,

above

the ground.

Dew drops, and Rain Drops

Raindrops,
like dew drops,
glitter
on the ground.

They sparkle
and
they shimmer.

They don't make a sound.

Water for spiders,
for bugs,
and for flies.

For beetles, 
for slugs,
and bees
near their hives.

Gathered like lace,
their patterns 
sublime.

Beautifully placed
in the swirling 
abyss
of time.

The Tree Museum…take two….mirrors in the forest.

We were a bit better prepared for our second venture into The Tree Museum.

An earlier start, on a much cooler day, fortified with a healthy supply of water and snacks, the trek into the forest was a much more pleasant adventure.

We left the lens caps on our cameras until we completed the 1.5k hike to the gates leading into The Tree Museum.

We came upon an area of the forest enchanted with magical mirrors. Magical mirrors that reflected revolving images of sky, earth and trees.

At the end of the day. At the end of an 8k hike. A camera full of photos. A mind full of memories. A hot fire. And a cup of cocoa.

Water….

water ebbs
water flows
over fingers
over toes

it washes your face
it cleanses your soul
leaving a trace
making you whole

it swims through your mind
it tickles your feet
it makes you smile
at those you meet

I love it
as water
I love it
as ice

water
it waters the world
making 
everything right

Looking Between the Trees…

The things you see, when you look between the trees, is sort of like. Reading between the lines.

The Colours of Black River Wilderness Park

A 180 acre park, Black River Wilderness Park is owned and operated by the Chippewas of Rama First Nations.

The different colours of the Black River

On the red trail, or was it the yellow one, or maybe the green trail? No, I think it was the blue trail.

The Black River, moving it’s way throughout the park.

On this last day of the season, the tents and the RVs have left the grounds. A single campfire fills the air with an earthy smell of smoke.