I once heard joy defined as singing, dancing, laughing and playing. In other words, all ways a child expresses herself naturally.
I’m setting off on a daily adventure to explore how joy exists in my life. I’m curious to see where this journey takes me.
You’re welcome to come along for the ride!
Spring is a glorious time of year. Tiny plants rising, expanding, sending out leaves and flowers. June is a favourite month for me. The poppies burst out in neon red, the honeysuckle shares sweet fragrance and the wild strawberries offer bite-sized fruit.
I didn’t plant the strawberries. Wild and free, they wind and twist through the rock garden, setting down roots in soil pockets, and thriving even when it doesn’t rain. Their fruit is often hidden under dense leaves, and available on a first-come first-fed basis. The squirrels and chipmunks share the abundance with me. Always enough for all, and more to come as the summer season progresses.
Next to harvest is rhubarb – the long stalks flush with tartness, a perfect match for sweet berries. I do enjoy picking fruit, and preparing a dessert, but the best part is in the eating. Berries, rhubarb and an oatmeal/sugar topping…fruit crisp!
Of course, I’m not the only one enjoying the gardens these days. There is a rabbit preparing a nest for her young in the garlic bed. To think I planted garlic as a deterrent for rabbits. I guess that bunny hasn’t read the same books I have.
Plenty of room for everyone!
Our latest adventure took us on a road trip that stretched across 6 weeks and more than half a country. There were many highlights on that grand adventure, and this is one that captured my heart.
We happened to be traveling during spring migration, a time when huge flocks of birds are making their way to nesting areas. One day, we took a back road and noticed what we thought were bald eagles circling high above a meandering river in the middle of marshland. Not far up the road, we discovered a nature reserve, open to hikers and birders. We parked and hiked out to the edge of a cliff overlooking the wetlands.
Binoculars up, we focused on the high flyers, holding our breath. Yes! Eagles. And not just a few. There were easily close to forty, some in the air, some on the partially frozen river, others in trees. Spectacular in flight, eagles soar on massive wings, rising on the air currents until they are tiny specks in the deep blue distance.
Here are a few photos from that magical day.
Can you feel the wind?
Some days, you lose your spirit of adventure. Hope seems out of reach, and it’s hard to get motivated. On those days, I often sit near a window and watch the birds fly by, the squirrels leap from branch to branch, and the sun rise, peak, and set. This too is a form of adventure – watching the world around me.
During these moments, something will catch my eye. Perhaps a bird I haven’t seen for a while (a sign of changing seasons), a cloud shaped like a horse, or a stand-off between a wary squirrel and a hungry owl. That’s when I realize a part of me is out there, experiencing life, even when my body is wrapped in a blanket and nestled in a chair.
Recently, I noticed a blossom on a pepper plant that had sprouted in the compost bin in the fall. We brought it inside, tucked its roots into a pot, and it has been flourishing on the windowsill. The blossom unfurled to reveal a baby pepper. I have been spending time each day, marveling at the miracle of life, the instincts embedded in tiny seeds to grow under challenging conditions, and the determination to thrive regardless of it being the “right” season or the “best” timing.
I found hope, in a pepper plant.
Winter offers lots of adventure possibilities that aren’t available in warmer months. If there’s snow, and the outside temperature isn’t bone-chilling, it’s fun to get out and explore the woods on trails. Cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, winter hiking and camping are all options for the adventurous.
Recently we donned warm clothes and skis and set out along groomed trails in a provincial park. It was a beautiful day. The snow sparkled in the sun, flakes drifted down from trees, and we found lots of tracks proving we weren’t the only ones enjoying the woods.
Bare branches carve their own beauty through the winter woods. Leafless, the woods are more open, vulnerable, and inviting. Even the shadows are different – casting a blue tinge across the white carpet. I often wonder what is around the next bend in the trail or beyond the distant hill.
At one point, we passed a centuries-old log cabin, once the home of an early settler family. Isolated yet built near a river. What was their daily life like? How far away were their nearest neighbours?
Near the river, we found the otter equivalent of a good toboggan hill. The otters had clearly had fun sliding down through the snow to the river. We weren’t the only ones enjoying the snow!
A waterway lock system looks a lot like a staircase in profile. It is engineered to move boats from lower levels of water to higher levels and vice versa. When we reached the Newboro Lock on our road trip along the Rideau Canal, we discovered we were at the “top” as you can see in the photo below.
It’s all downhill from here. At least if you are travelling by boat. But, since it’s winter, and we’re in a car, the elevation doesn’t affect our plans. No boats in the locks right now, for good reason.
The Newboro Lock is one of only three mechanized locks in the system. All the rest are manually operated as they were when they were first built.
Our next stop was the Narrows. There is very little elevation change at this point. This lock was designed to drain marshland and eliminate the threat of malaria. Here is one of the original lockmaster stations which were built as military outposts to protect the system from invasion (which never happened). You can see the slits in the walls intended for firing at invading forces.
Our final stop was at Beveridges locks. There are two here and they are on the Tay Canal, a 9.8 km (6 mi) narrow canal created to connect Perth, Ontario to the Rideau Canal system. It was first built in 1854 with five locks, six dams and two swing bridges. Eleven years later, it was shut down. A second version was opened in 1891 and is still in operation today.
Although, obviously, not in the winter months!
Exploring the locks along the Rideau Canal in winter is a different experience from boating through the canal in summer. For one thing, you have to take a car as the waterway is frozen in most areas. And you need to bundle up because taking photos outside when it’s -15C (5F) or colder isn’t a summer picnic.
The advantage though is that you get to see things you wouldn’t see in the warm weather. For example, ice sculptures created by nature. When we stopped at the Davis Lock, at the base of the waterfall, there were these intriguing designs left along the shore by the overflowing stream.
Roots, branches and grass encased in ice.
All the locks are similar in design so sometimes I look for something that makes a lock stand out from the rest. I think this sign, found near Chaffey’s Lock, fits the bill.
I didn’t see any, but then, if I were a mermaid, I’d head to warmer water for the winter!
Road trips in the winter are enjoyable as long as you are inside a warm car looking out. The views are stunning with the sun glinting on the snow and ice. When you step out of the car to take photo though, you remember it is winter, and it is cold.
As we drove up the Rideau Canal from the first lock, we visited Lower and Upper Brewers Locks. At Lower Brewers, the road was closed for the winter, the swing bridge beside the old lockmaster’s house left open so that no vehicles could pass.
At Upper Brewers, there were reminders of summer when the locks are full and water grasses get stuck along the sides of the locks.
From there we continued north to Jones Falls to find a raging waterfall and the round stone walls found at the opening to all the locks in the system.
All on a winter’s day.
In Ontario, there are many lakes, rivers and waterways to explore in the summer months. Some people explore by canoe or kayak; others by powerboat or sailboat. Every year, almost a million people boat along the Rideau Canal system between Kingston on Lake Ontario to Ottawa on the Ottawa River. I do wonder how many are aware of the tragic history of this UNESCO World Heritage site.
The Rideau Canal system was constructed between 1826 and 1832 by the British military. It was designed to create a strategic waterway from Montreal to Kingston via Ottawa as a precaution against a possible invasion by the United States. Such an attack could cut off the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Kingston.
The work was carried out by immigrants from Ireland and Scotland, and many French Canadians. As many as a thousand died from disease, workplace accidents and poor living conditions. When the workers protested, the army was brought in to subdue them. And the canal was completed.
There never was an invasion by the Americans, so the Rideau Canal system became a commercial transportation route and is now used primarily by recreational boats. In the summer.
Ever the rebels, we decided to explore it by car. In the winter.
We began at Kingston Mills, the first of 47 locks in the system. There are three locks here, and a swing bridge.
The large wooden doors at the far end of this lock are opened manually using a push bar, swing bar and chains. Boats enter, the doors are closed, another gate opens, allowing water in, the boat rises to the next level and moves forward into the next lock. In total, the water level rises 50.6 metres (166.2 feet) from Kingston to Upper Rideau Lake, and falls 83.8 metres (275 feet) from Upper Rideau Lake to the Ottawa River, over a distance of 202 km (125 miles).
It is remarkable to realize that the engineering design, and most of the operational technologies as well as the dams, weirs, bridges, locks and walls are almost 200 years old, and still functioning. How much of our modern technology will last that long?
More locks and more adventures to come…
Not all adventures take you far from home. Sometimes you can have the best adventures right outside your door. After an ice storm, that’s about as far as you can go.
There is a particular beauty to the world coated in ice. When the sun shines, the trees glitter and sparkle. There is a glow in the air not seen at any other time. You feel as if you have awakened in a fairyland.
Photos taken from inside the house rarely capture this ethereal magic. It seems you need to go out so you can zoom in, focus on detail, and see the world in miniature. Mind you, it’s slippery under foot so you don’t want to venture too far, even with ice grips on your boots!
So I stayed close to home and found beauty all around. As the sun warmed up the land, the ice began to melt. Trees shook in the wind sending tiny shards tinkling and twinkling through the air. But before that happened, I managed to capture the essence of the moment.
Adventure is always there. Just waiting for you.
The days are short; the nights are long. And we are disconnected from family and friends again this winter. To brighten our spirits, we took a drive through a few local communities to see the light displays.
Some families (and some communities) put extra effort into their festive displays this year. It helps remind us that there is always light in the darkness, and we are not alone. Help and hope are just a phone call or a house away. Video chats have become a mainstay of communication with loved ones in other countries. People have been reaching out to neighbours, leaving notes or surprise packages on their doors. Kind words (since we can’t share smiles from behind our masks) can make a world of difference in someone’s life.
That’s how I felt about the bright lights wrapped around trees, across roof lines, and shining through house windows from indoor Christmas trees. They provided a beacon of hope, a reminder that good exists, and that we will get through this. At some point in the future, we will gather with family again. We will hug those we love. And while many a tear will be shed in the process, laughter will bounce off walls and echo through open windows once more.
Until then, we will find love, joy and beauty where we can.
jules for joy 