Sunday Serenity: Routes and Reasons

Posted on by Annie

This past few weeks I’ve been thinking about routes and reasons. Specifically, I have been debating where to spend the winter. I had been working on a plan to get me to the Pacific Northwest by end September and then down to the southwest by the new. year. But despite it sounding good on paper, I haven’t been moving ahead with things like reservations and commitments. Something was holding me back and I wasn’t sure what. I’ve been doing this trip planning thing long enough (more than two years now) to know that I needed to wait it out and…

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Smurf Houses

Posted on by Annie

While I was camping at Blomidon in Nova Scotia, my friend Andrew took me down the road a piece to what he said was a magical little place. And indeed, it was! I’m totally stealing his name for these little cottages: Smurf Houses. The stones are all colored by hand, over time, set into concrete. It’s amazing to look at and think about how long it took and how creative the person/people who did it. Each house is different, as if each expresses a different personality for whoever might want to rent one. Find the house that fits you! This…

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Weekly Update: Jun 27, 2018

Posted on by Annie

Still in Canada, still amazed by the beauty and diversity of the place. This past week was mostly on Prince Edward Island (PEI), finishing up my eight-day stay there with a beachside spot at Jacques Cartier Provincial Park. No hookups, but worth it to get so close to the surf and see the Gulf out my back window when I woke up every morning. And the beach itself was long stretches in both directions, which I enjoyed immensely in my daily walks. Just down the road, right at the turn off the highway into town, the most beautiful water spot….

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Sunday Serenity: Calm in Storm

Posted on by Annie

It amazes me how much the weather affects my mood. The last few days here on Prince Edward Island (PEI) have been stormy ones, with strong winds, crashing waves, and mostly grey skies. And I’ve felt edgy and antsy, not sure what was up but not feeling at all content about life in general. Being in Canada has meant I’m mostly away from US news, unless I choose to read online newspapers. I hadn’t realized how much the constant news cycles of outrage and frustration, intimations of conflicts ahead, strife with formerly trusted countries and partners, was wearing me down….

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Weekly Update: Jun 20, 2018

Posted on by Annie

Last Wednesday, I made the short, backroads drive down the Glooscap Trail from Truro to Five Islands, where there’s a nice provincial park right on the Bay of Fundy. And my site? Best view in the campground. Every time I looked out my window or my door, I was a very happy camper. I watched the tides go in and out for five days and the view never, ever got old. I went hiking down on the floor of the Bay at low tide, with Alto friends Kathy and Wayne. We met a painter in town for the Plein Air…

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