The Real Santa Claus

Hi Santa

I know you are not the real Santa, that you are one of Santa’s helpers.

I got a letter in the mail from the real Santa. He told me that I made the ‘Nice List’ again this year.

Conversation with Santa

Exactly how many Santa helpers are there?

I have a question?

Rudolph is my favourite reindeer. I love his shiny red nose.

Why?

Why don’t the other reindeer allow Rudolph to join in anyone the reindeer games. It’s really mean of them.

I have an idea

I want to wish you, Santa, and all of the rest of Santa’s helpers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

The Nutcracker

Jubilee Auditorium Alberta Ballet

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.

Story time, before the Ballet begins.

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

Lounging before the excitement begins.
Ballerinas….

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.

A Ballet slipper Christmas tree…
Waiting for the Ballet to begin….

Our favourite character is the Mouse King!

A very special day, witha very special little girl!

Springwater Provincial Park

Four reason why I love Springwater Provincial Park!

Beauty to be experienced by every age….

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

gathering of families…

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

Remembrance Day

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

Indigenous ceremony

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

Magical mirrors….

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

Sculpted wood on rock.

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.

Car art!

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

Magical moments deep in the forest.
Photographing the photographer!

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

The glimmering forest.
A different kind of magical mirror!
Capturing the photographer, again.

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.

Capturing moments.

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