tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48096356131297245832024-03-05T03:01:13.747-04:00Sabbath RoadLloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.comBlogger174125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-20208417158382091082017-06-26T09:19:00.002-03:002017-06-26T09:19:13.801-03:00A Blanket of HumilityA Sermon Preached Sunday June 25th, 2017 based on Luke 10:25-37<br />
<br />
Jesus told a story in today's Gospel reading so I shall begin by doing the same – it’s a story of an experience I had a few years ago taking part in the Blanket exercise with other Chaplains and Elders serving with the Correctional Service of Canada.<br />
<br />
The floor of the prison gym is criss-crossed with colourful blankets. We move from blanket to blanket, greeting each other quietly, occasionally trading items – a cornhusk doll for a braid of sweet grass, a piece of leather for a dreamcatcher.<br />
<br />
The blankets represent the northern part of Turtle Island, or North America, before the arrival of Europeans. The participants in this exercise are immersing themselves in the world, 500 years ago, of the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island, its original inhabitants.<br />
<br />
Then, the the world changes. A facilitator folds up corners of the blankets, making the land “smaller” as the participants learn about the Indian Act of 1876 that, among other changes, created reserves that were a tiny fraction of the original territories.<br />
<br />
The people on the blankets explore the federal policy of enfranchisement that took away legal Indian status from First Nations people for a variety of reasons. These included pursuing university education, entering professions such as law or medicine, serving in the military, and, for women, marrying non-Indigenous men. Several individuals are taken away from their blankets, symbolizing the people alienated from their communities because of enfranchisement.<br />
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Over the next hour, we learn about the policies and actions affecting Indigenous Peoples. More individuals are asked to step away from their blankets. More blankets are folded; some are taken away entirely.<br />
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“You represent the Beothuk, the original inhabitants of what is now Newfoundland. Your people starved, died in violent encounters with settlers trying to take your lands, were hunted, or were taken captive for reward. Your people are now extinct. Please step off the blanket.”<br />
<br />
At the end of the exercise, only three “survivors” are left, each one standing precariously on a tiny square of blanket. The remaining 20-odd participants are at the sidelines, having lost their lands, their identities, or their lives.<br />
<br />
The blanket exercise was created, in 1997, by KAIROS, an ecumenical program administered by the United Church of Canada. Developed in response to the 1996 Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal People, this exercise has been repeated in schools, churches, community centres, and workplaces across Canada – and is being offered here in Sackville tomorrow evening. More about that later.<br />
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Jesus once said that it was more blessed to give than to receive, but it often seems to me that it is a great deal more difficult to receive than to give.<br />
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Often when we give, unlike practices in First Nations Communities we aren't really giving at all, we’re just trying to even up the score between us – or, from a place of power we don’t want to make ourselves vulnerable in being open to receiving from another.<br />
<br />
Sometimes, a gift from someone makes us feel we are in their debt - we have to give something back of equal or greater value. We all know how awkward it is at Christmas if we get a splendid Christmas present from someone who we've just given a cheap box of chocolates too - or worse still have forgotten completely.<br />
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The same is true for gifts of time, energy and love too - especially true when they are gifts given in a time of need - money to tide us over, emotional support when we are in pieces. We don't like people to see us as vulnerable and weak - in need of help. We hang onto our dignity by trying to repay them, even though that is often impossible.<br />
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So what has all this to do with the story Jesus told?<br />
<br />
The Good Samaritan - it's a story about how we should help others, whoever they are - isn't it? Well, no, not quite.<br />
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We've called it the Good Samaritan - we've made the helper the focus of the story - but that's not how Jesus tells it. He focuses on the victim – the man bleeding and naked by the roadside as the centre of the story. "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho." begins Jesus. We are supposed to see the story through his eyes - this Jewish man, attacked by robbers on a lonely, dangerous road. It's not a story about the Samaritan; it's a story about a very needy, vulnerable, powerless Jew. That's who Jesus wanted his hearers to identify with.<br />
<br />
So, let me try and tell Jesus’ story with a fresh slant:<br />
<br />
An indigenous person was minding their own business on Turtle Island when a ship from Europe arrived and over the next hundred and fifty years people from the ship passed on their diseases, destroyed and appropriated the land, took indigenous children away to residential schools, devalued their culture… and left him half dead.<br />
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What if? What if the one beat up and left for dead on the side of the road IS THERE as a result of the actions of our ancestors?<br />
<br />
Thomas King in his book, The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native Peoples in Canada says this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
What needs to be said is that the removal and relocations, as federal policies… allowed Whites to steal Aboriginal land and push Native peoples about the countryside. I know this sounds harsh, and although its accurate, I have to concede that if theft is legally sanctioned, it is no longer theft. So, I should probably apologize for using the verb “to steal”.<br />To appropriate might be more generous and less inflammatory.<br />Moving Indians around the country was like redecorating a very large house. The Cherokee can no longer stay in the living room. Put them in the second bedroom. The Mi’kmaq are taking up too much space in the kitchen. Move them to the laundry… And what are we going to do with the Blackfoot the Mohawk… the Piaute? <br />Do we have any garbage bags left?</blockquote>
Beat up, left on the side of the road feeling as if the nation called Canada would like to see them in garbage bags…<br />
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What do we people of privilege and power do with that? What do we generous, thoughtful liberal minded people of faith do with that and with this story that Jesus tells?<br />
<br />
We may never have been beaten and left for dead, but perhaps we know what it feels like to be feel helpless through illness, redundancy, systemic oppression, depression or family trouble. The initial problem is bad enough, but often it is the sense of humiliation and indignity that is the last straw.<br />
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Most people struggle when they find themselves dependent on others. That's how this beaten-up Jewish man feels; he's not just hurt, he is also embarrassed at his powerlessness.<br />
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When he sees a priest and then a Levite coming towards him it must be a bit of a relief. If anyone had to see him in this state, it is better that it be a Jewish priest or Levite. It is their job to be holy and caring, and they are of his own race and religion. But the priest and the Levite walk on by. What now? There's someone else coming - but that's no good, it's a Samaritan. He is not only a total stranger; he is the wrong kind of total stranger. Many Jews wouldn't even have accepted a cup of water from him.<br />
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He's the last person this victim would choose to look to for help – surely he will gloat, rub salt in the wounds. But he doesn't. Instead he cares for the man, and pays for his stay at a nearby inn.<br />
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It is essential we remember that the trigger for this story was the question of a Jewish lawyer "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answers, "love God and your neighbour".<br />
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We have tended to assume that loving your neighbour is about imitating the Good Samaritan - helping those less fortunate than yourself. That's a role most of us like - helping others. We still have the power if we choose that role. But actually, if you read the story Jesus told, rather than the story we would like him to have told, he is setting us a much more difficult challenge. Loving our neighbour - in the context of this story- is about having the humility to see our own neediness and be open to the possibility that our help might come from unlikely sources. It means accepting that sometimes other people have wisdom that we don't, or strength that we need, that we are the ones who are vulnerable and bleeding by the roadside.<br />
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My guess would be that the lawyer who asked Jesus the questions that triggered this story was used to striving for power - always trying to win his arguments. He was used to having the answers, having right on his side - or at least sounding as if he did. I suppose that's fine in a court of law - but it isn't the way we are called to be in the rest of life, with each other and with God.<br />
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"What must I do," asked the lawyer, "to inherit eternal life?" He expected an answer that demanded something costly or clever from him. Instead Jesus tells a story, which is all about receiving, even from those who he might have thought, had nothing to give. Only then will he, and we, be able to live the lives - eternal and full - that God wants for us. <br />
<br />
On Wednesday at National Aboriginal Day celebrations in Amherst, Elder Donna Augustine quoted Charlie Labrador, founder of the Acadia Band of Mi'kmaq:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
‘500 years ago we were standing at the shoreline with our hand extended in friendship. Here we are 500 years later, still extending our hands in friendship.’ We open our hearts and we open our ceremonies to all the other races of humanity because this is what we’re told through prophecy from generation to generation.</blockquote>
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Maybe it is time for us Whites to wrap ourselves in one of those blankets from the Blanket Exercise and receive the extended hand from a place of deep humility – even shame? <br />
<br />
And wrapped in that blanket of humility, maybe its time that we own our history of oppression and subjugation. Examine our place of power and privilege as we work toward right relationship and acknowledge that the land – stream, mountain, lake, valley, desert, ocean and field upon which we live and move and have our being has been stolen… and take steps to right the wrongs.<br />
<br />
Negotiate land claims in good faith.<br />
Examine our own racist past and present.<br />
Learn about indigenous spirituality and culture.<br />
Read a few books that challenge your thinking.<br />
Go on Monday evening at 7PM to the Sackville Commons and take part in the Blanket Exercise being hosted by the Town of Sackville.<br />
Cease honouring past policies of oppressions…<br />
And yes, rename a few buildings. <br />
<br />
As offered out by Tabatha Southby in the Globe and Mail on Thursday:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Some have pointed out that, given the issues still to be resolved, if we are to achieve reconciliation with Indigenous people, renaming a building is merely a distraction. But it is a gesture asked for by Indigenous MPs. In February 2016, Liberal backbenchers Don Rusnak and Robert-Falcon Ouellette and NDP MP Romeo Saganash, as well as Independent Hunter Tootoo, called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take Mr. Langevin’s name off the building. Do it, it was argued, in deference to survivors of the residential schools who shouldn’t be subjected to constant reminders of a man who “devastated their lives.”</blockquote>
<br />
On this Sunday after National Aboriginal Day as we move toward July 1st and the celebration that is the 150th Anniversary of Canada I invite you to ponder the position of power that Canada has fostered over the First Peoples of this land and how humility and a spirit of openness to the wisdom indigenous communities have to share could benefit us all. Amen<br />
<div>
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Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-40477036879460349552015-09-22T09:51:00.000-03:002015-09-22T09:51:06.945-03:00NSW (Day 9) IPCA VII Grieving, Strength and Landing on Your Feet<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the shelter of the tree: strength begets strength!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's late on this 2nd full day of the IPCA Conference and yes, its been another full day: workshops, plenary sessions and regional meetings with a 2 and a 1/2 hour tour of the Sydney Harbour thrown in for good measure. <br />
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With supper over I'd had enough of crowds and it was decided that Peg and Greg and I would gather in the lounge in my residence building with a bottle of red wine that Greg had purchased the day before.<br />
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With the wine open we began to share... deeply of how we were experiencing this event, how we were feeling about the news of August 20th and what it has meant for us to be together on this journey of service together for the past two years. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg0wiwRmmLhq07jUxzKbee-QG-NrJ6t_6Ngsf1B1wOdF6cYN2-w361auyfvhZhdFKaXvhAzBFUL5UXOlSW2iUU0k4EsAZNxeoemRrG55q-5vFpzvGCckoFstVtdDYZtjTEWLhckgwGRk0/s1600/IMG_5330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg0wiwRmmLhq07jUxzKbee-QG-NrJ6t_6Ngsf1B1wOdF6cYN2-w361auyfvhZhdFKaXvhAzBFUL5UXOlSW2iUU0k4EsAZNxeoemRrG55q-5vFpzvGCckoFstVtdDYZtjTEWLhckgwGRk0/s320/IMG_5330.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Said simply, it was a sacred time. Deep honest sharing. Some tears. Much laughter. Even more gratitude. And still more sadness for the place at which we find ourselves... but, as we reminded one another - we have each other - and there is incredible strength in that. We have the memories of where we have been and what we have accomplished and why we put our heart and soul into it...<br />
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And so, with the bottle of wine empty - hugs all around the room - as by this time our circle of conversation had expanded to include others... I ended the day most grateful for all that has been and for all those who are part of my life. And yes, still concerned about what tomorrow will hold... but, and perhaps it was the wine...<br />
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Our last point of agreement was a theological one. We all came to agree on what we called "cat theology". Cats always land on their feet. <br />
<br />
Yes, they may land harder or softer. <br />
Yes, the may land a little disoriented. <br />
Yes, they may land and even be slightly injured after the drop...<br />
but cats, they always land on their feet...<br />
and so we believe will these cats...<br />
<br />
As some of you know, I've developed this habit of ending each day identifying that for which I am thankful for as each day comes to an end. It seem appropriate to share it here:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTpjfjU1-LSYcwwySjvBYY1VGvDHW0jTsZXUv7J8iUDBnjrsCIV3LGs7nr34HkgAAzwhLVg1rkU2y1KCGyQxKwOItCg-UbZdlyvRxOkG3jj8FkJLCFezSxDusUi67hV5umuQcrt7ev28/s1600/IMG_5324.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGTpjfjU1-LSYcwwySjvBYY1VGvDHW0jTsZXUv7J8iUDBnjrsCIV3LGs7nr34HkgAAzwhLVg1rkU2y1KCGyQxKwOItCg-UbZdlyvRxOkG3jj8FkJLCFezSxDusUi67hV5umuQcrt7ev28/s320/IMG_5324.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
Gratitude:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>for deep honest conversation with colleagues and the continued commitment of so many who work with those who are incarcerated;</li>
<li>for the two Muslim participants in this gathering who shared so deeply of their commitment to the work of prison Chaplaincy;</li>
<li>for the boat tour of the Sydney Harbour and all I was privilege to see;</li>
<li>for nice red wine and the opportunity to grieve and be fully present with two of those who have shared in the journey of KPC Inc.;</li>
<li>to know that I am loved and that the love I offer is received with gratitude;</li>
<li>that I am one sleep closer to being home...</li>
</ul>
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<br />
... on the Sabbath Road...Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-38619722698541459312015-09-21T20:41:00.000-03:002015-09-21T20:44:58.312-03:00NSW (Day 8) IPCA VII Hospitality, Bushwalking, A Cook's Tour and Stumbling in the Dark...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgToL3sExOW3JrxKtbdKOYaXue9UjYWten_GN3zzG1BwrtTdhu4heeyAeNxhxPea2Gf0tH1E4oRPx7LPnxRaQvjNp46Id-9Qo1IqQhXis7KLeLU612jioiza7TPIuwlMsez-jz46rnjdXo/s1600/IMG_5296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgToL3sExOW3JrxKtbdKOYaXue9UjYWten_GN3zzG1BwrtTdhu4heeyAeNxhxPea2Gf0tH1E4oRPx7LPnxRaQvjNp46Id-9Qo1IqQhXis7KLeLU612jioiza7TPIuwlMsez-jz46rnjdXo/s200/IMG_5296.JPG" width="150" /></a>Second full day of the conference... and it was full! Beginning with breakfast and devotions followed by a very informative lecture by Ulrica Fritzon from Sweden on the place and value of restorative justice within Chaplaincy.<br />
<br />
As lunch was preceded by some free time, Peg and Greg and I headed to the town of Lane Cove… about a 4km walk… uphill for lunch. We didn’t think it was that far… but it was and we made it – with some encouragement for Peg of the reward at the end!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8HTbs81TpT6eo1eLcldBAIDRoXibrEchpFXLNCk6lgHoXIn10hydPPHW7hqLDCvdm7b_EAJbrQJ5hiBa1j75qgRUSCslYL9aSYNG08-CGjQNWlAbEBGl7YyPUe2hAqt2xjnG9TdswcpU/s1600/IMG_5298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8HTbs81TpT6eo1eLcldBAIDRoXibrEchpFXLNCk6lgHoXIn10hydPPHW7hqLDCvdm7b_EAJbrQJ5hiBa1j75qgRUSCslYL9aSYNG08-CGjQNWlAbEBGl7YyPUe2hAqt2xjnG9TdswcpU/s200/IMG_5298.JPG" width="150" /></a>Along the way I was admiring flowers and taking pictures. I’m captivated by the beauty and diversity of the foliage and flowers… and it was as a result of this that we met Bill who was tending his garden. As we said hello, he proceeded to take time to identify some of the plants and trees for us, asked what brought us to the area and then… he invited us to dinner that evening. I love these encounters when travelling! Peg and Greg declined as they were going to the Opera House that evening… but I accepted, making plans to return at 6pm and he said if there was time he’d take me on a tour! Little did I know what was in store for me!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0jc3B-yNMZsToJmHxzPN39iLtBxYuvZpNk8WOlcK0xFOr4O6UampEuSrngQfWj1-YSg-iqt5MBtdNPa7bxbsLAwxF-clNeEhJ4HWf6fKRpidQ6-meq2AMvt-sdgbc5gAGBj3U4Go9Dqk/s1600/IMG_5297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0jc3B-yNMZsToJmHxzPN39iLtBxYuvZpNk8WOlcK0xFOr4O6UampEuSrngQfWj1-YSg-iqt5MBtdNPa7bxbsLAwxF-clNeEhJ4HWf6fKRpidQ6-meq2AMvt-sdgbc5gAGBj3U4Go9Dqk/s200/IMG_5297.JPG" width="150" /></a>Eventually we made it to Lane Cove and found a restaurant in the town square – what a lovely space – a pedestrian mall creates such a sense of community! Lunch consisted of panko-breaded fish and battered fries with a local beer and it was all "some good" (as they say in Newfoundland).<br />
<br />
Returning to the venue we engaged in the workshops we’d signed up for, I offered leadership where I’d volunteered to do so and as a result had some deeply engaging conversations with colleagues near and far… and as a result, left feeling affirmed for all that I have offered.<br />
<br />
On about 6pm I met up with Greg and Peg who had arranged for a cab to take them into Sydney and I jumped out of the cab at Bill’s home – a large stately stone home at 71 Tabbourine Bay Road, surrounded by beautiful gardens. Bill met me at the door and informed me that we were heading out “straight away” to go on a bush walk and a little cook’s tour… I passed him the bottle of wine that I’d brought and he graciously accepted it even as he told me that he and his wife did not drink alcohol. That little awkwardness aside – we headed out…<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCuYZAD3ZOKBT3wA-SODpMGv3SnaRzXouQVOKRySqj5FugtdQWrF3ueeVtGQSxMgH11dAJpVcpnXDKPZ-2m_HYhLxCjpWCwiwN2c-pNSjZ-SnFntmWWP1vvbvIr1InpcGdmCKEqHydKE8/s1600/IMG_5302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCuYZAD3ZOKBT3wA-SODpMGv3SnaRzXouQVOKRySqj5FugtdQWrF3ueeVtGQSxMgH11dAJpVcpnXDKPZ-2m_HYhLxCjpWCwiwN2c-pNSjZ-SnFntmWWP1vvbvIr1InpcGdmCKEqHydKE8/s200/IMG_5302.JPG" width="150" /></a>First stop was the trail that runs along the waters edge. I’d travelled some of the trail previously, but what a different it makes to walk with someone who knows the area. Bill told me about the local termites, showed me their trails and nests, shared some of the history of the area, walked me to what used to be the only source of water for the community, one of the few natural springs in the area… and was generally a wealth of stories and information! You cannot plan such encounters!!!<br />
<br />
It was dark now… we safely made it back to the car and set off on the<br />
“cook’s tour” that took us to Neutral Bay (where ships regardless of nationality or state of war with the commonwealth could find safe harbour for repairs and resupply), the official residences of the Prime Minister (vacant at the moment… and Bill was looking for good trash at the curb), Governor General and a tourist park on the north side of the harbour where we drove under the Harbour Bridge and he graciously allowed me to take some photos of the beautiful cityscape!<br />
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Before returning to Bill’s home he stopped along the way at a friends home that he was looking after as they were on an extended vacation to ensure that their son had put the “wheelie bins” at the curb side garbage collection. <br />
<br />
In no time we were back at the house where his daughter Eleanor had prepared a wonderful meal of lasagne and salad for us. A friend of their family, Eileen from the southern highlands was present as well and a full and lively conversation ensured as they shared with me and I with them. We were not long into the meal when Bill’s wife Louise arrived home from her medical practice and joined in the conversation. Bill graciously opened the wine I had brought and Eleanor and I each had a glass with our meal. It was fascinating to hear of Louise’s work as a GP and other Australian medical system, her travels as a doctor to the various pacific islands and of Bill’s career as a communications – and of their deep and abiding love for the land they live on. The meal concluded with ice cream (richest ice cream I’ve ever eaten) and a tour of their great room where I had the opportunity to appreciate some of their art collection and Louise’s collection of handmade woven bags from around the world.<br />
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It is encounters like this that so enrich the experience of travel… it is not about seeing… but rather <br />
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about connecting and building relationships. To connect is to meet people where they are at – and trust what they offer at face value, and be open to the experience as it may unfold. <br />
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All too often our relationships (especially familial) get hijacked by our individual biases and judgements, our own histories and struggles, and we don’t really hear what the other is offering, because our filters get in the way. I know this to be true for me – and I’m working at trying to be more aware of this tendency and as a result, be more open… not always easy when dealing with your own hurts and worries.<br />
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The walk home from Bill’s home was a quiet one… in the pitch dark – not a street light in the area until I drew near to the college. I had a few stumbles along the way as I tripped over sidewalk slabs that had been pushed up by the roots of trees along the way – a good metaphor for growth: that the growth of one, is not always easy for others – sometimes tripping them up and unsettling their world. But in the end… the tree cannot cease its growth – to do so is to die… and so, we make our way, cautiously, sometimes stumbling, in the dark… toward the light… on the Sabbath Road…<br />
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Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-35488319711185206752015-09-20T21:57:00.000-03:002015-09-20T21:57:07.190-03:00NSW (Day 7) IPCA VII On Being Known... and Not Knowing Your Future...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIvadwYGGXVsW-6P1d7n3Um5xlhLcwbsBLY56SLAumRh1JgeRj6FqPrp-viHkAzRnCTbOY-X71UvXUovuHbrp_O2PjbobYwtjq7qFgz-bFBFUAYDY0aPx9YIHpg8TU-tbhGV_veiS7CLc/s1600/IMG_5278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIvadwYGGXVsW-6P1d7n3Um5xlhLcwbsBLY56SLAumRh1JgeRj6FqPrp-viHkAzRnCTbOY-X71UvXUovuHbrp_O2PjbobYwtjq7qFgz-bFBFUAYDY0aPx9YIHpg8TU-tbhGV_veiS7CLc/s320/IMG_5278.JPG" width="320" /></a>Lord Byron once said, "What is fame? The advantage of being known by people of whom you yourself know nothing, and for whom you care as little." Harsh words, but I was drawn to them for the first part of the phrase... If fame is about being known by people of whom you know nothing that I never want a part of it...<br />
<br />
Let me explain.<br />
<br />
For the past years I have served as the manager of the International Prison Chaplains Association website. I was responsible, on a regular basis for communicating with over 1,500 prison Chaplains around the world. They got to know my name. I am sure that some of them even set up spam filters to keep my name out of their inbox... the point being, anywhere I go these days during the conference people know me... and while I know myself, I don't know my future as it may relate to IPCA in the future. Right now it looks pretty bleak. And that makes me extra sad when so many people know me and my deep commitment to this work...<br />
<br />
And so... much of my time in conversation with other delegates is spent telling the story of how I got to where I am today... and the story my own uncertain future in relation to prison chaplaincy.<br />
<br />
The theme of this conference is "Telling Our Story" and the story of KPC Inc. has been all consuming for me for the past number of years... it is an awkward place to be... to be so known for your commitment to this important work... and so uncertain about what you know about the future of your connection to the work... and so... I pause. Pause and listen to the double edged question so aptly posed by Parker Palmer:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>"What do you want to let go off and what do you want to give yourself to?"</i></b></div>
<br />
Some may see it as a cop out... but I see it as being fully authentic: I want to let go of yesterday and give myself fully to today... for today is all we really have.<br />
<br />
And so for today:<br />
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<ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr4NPBV5hjtMuTo0aAN-l2hXBWMWFIgH_11hmRE9xUM5YzaJ9jEilD7JXruu_XAvc3e50f8_Zohb8HGPaJN7i7ApWYqEqSOqvQ7EFFpHPTZCFNHcppSx7YyKx-PN8DXL3JEFaTf7q-Jzw/s1600/IMG_5275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr4NPBV5hjtMuTo0aAN-l2hXBWMWFIgH_11hmRE9xUM5YzaJ9jEilD7JXruu_XAvc3e50f8_Zohb8HGPaJN7i7ApWYqEqSOqvQ7EFFpHPTZCFNHcppSx7YyKx-PN8DXL3JEFaTf7q-Jzw/s320/IMG_5275.JPG" width="320" /></a>
<li>I will tell my story, the story of my deep commitment to prison chaplaincy as fully and authentically as I can. </li>
<li>I will speak truth as I know it, in as respectful a manner as possible so as to contribute to the greater good.</li>
<li>I will listen deeply to the stories of those with whom I share the journey and seek to honour and establish meaningful connections.</li>
<li>I will offer my knowledge, wisdom and skills to the community I am part of in a small effort to contribute to the making of a better world, and</li>
<li>I will be open to what tomorrow may bring... </li>
</ul>
<br />
... on the Sabbath Road...<br />
<br />
PS... and yes, I am going to climb into this tree and revel in its strength and beauty before I leave this place!!Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-53876933787000108752015-09-18T07:13:00.001-03:002015-09-18T07:39:01.668-03:00NSW (Day 6) IPCA VII I Can Do This Hard Thing...<div class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6qBKiQFng6DiM0I1ZQtgoCnlaPfgNLqkcbQM4t5PIR_meBuMMf41ebzCm0LvwXKj5x2-hlS1G5tWYlRXmiXg61CivOTOgbjCzoNGLofXmFCS1kqGxg-8HmG_-YQQsx99rawloNn8BZc/s1600/you-can-do-hard-things.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6qBKiQFng6DiM0I1ZQtgoCnlaPfgNLqkcbQM4t5PIR_meBuMMf41ebzCm0LvwXKj5x2-hlS1G5tWYlRXmiXg61CivOTOgbjCzoNGLofXmFCS1kqGxg-8HmG_-YQQsx99rawloNn8BZc/s320/you-can-do-hard-things.jpg" width="318" /></a>I'm writing this on Friday evening. <br />
<br />
Tomorrow Peg and I will make our way 10km to the north shore to St Ignatius College Riverview, a Catholic Boys School where the seventh gathering of International Prison Chaplains will take place. There we will meet up with Greg Rodgers, one of the other partners of Kairos Pneuma Chaplaincy Inc. and countless other Chaplains from around the world.</div>
<br />
I was privileged to attend the sixth gathering in Stockholm Sweden and up until August 20th I was excited to be attending this gathering, representing Kairos Pneuma Chaplaincy Inc. and its services to the Correctional Service of Canada and the men and women in their care.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, on August 20th we were informed that we had not been successful in our bid to continue - that we have been underbid by a competitor organization, and as a result, our service delivery would cease as of March 31st 2016. It's going to be a hard thing - being here: so deeply connected to chaplaincy - but with no future in the work beyond March...<br />
<br />
I'd thought seriously about staying away... but I'm here. I can do this hard thing. I can do it because the work of caring for those incarcerated, the critical mission of holding hope for those who cannot hold it themselves... that is always more important than who does it... And so I am here. And I will try to be fully present, bring my best self to this work that has so drained me and filled me... I'll share my wisdom and passion... and I'll treasure the moments as they unfold.<br />
<br />
Carrie Newcomer posted a song the other day that moved me to tears - likely because of the hard thing to be faced tomorrow and the hard things still to be done in the months ahead when I get home.<br />
<br />
You Can Do This Hard Thing. A dear friend typed out the words for me as I was not hearing them all... Thanks so much!! XOXO<br />
<blockquote>
<b>You Can Do This Hard Thing</b> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
There at the table with my head in my hands,<br />
With a column of numbers I just could not understand.<br />
You said add these together, carry the two, now you... </blockquote>
<blockquote>
You can do this hard thing, you can do this hard thing<br />
It's not easy I know, but I believe that it's so, you can do this hard thing. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
At a cold winter station, breathing into our gloves<br />
It would change me forever leaving for God knows what<br />
You carried my bags, you said I'll wait for you </blockquote>
<blockquote>
You can do this hard thing, you can do this hard thing<br />
It's not easy I know, but I believe that it's so, you can do this hard thing. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
Late at night I called and you answered the phone.<br />
The worst it had happened and I did not want to be alone<br />
You quietly listened, you said we'll see this through </blockquote>
<blockquote>
You can do this hard thing, you can do this hard thing<br />
It's not easy I know, but I believe that it's so, you can do this hard thing. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
Here we stand breathless and pressed in hard times<br />
Hearts hung like laundry on backyard clothes lines<br />
Impossible just takes a little more time. </blockquote>
<blockquote>
From the muddy ground comes a green (volunteer)?<br />
In a place we thought barren new light appears.<br />
Morning will come whistling some comforting tune for you </blockquote>
<blockquote>
You can do this hard thing, you can do this hard thing<br />
It's not easy I know, but I believe that it's so, you can do this hard thing.</blockquote>
Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-36173236913658567882015-09-18T02:45:00.002-03:002015-09-18T07:33:06.811-03:00NSW (Day 5) Sydney with PegTo bed around 9pm and slept until 7:30am... wow... I guess I was tired! Peg didn't rouse til almost <br />
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9am and slowly, with the assistance of caffeine we made some breakfast and talk about what we might do today. Neither of us had a lot of energy!<br />
<br />
Eventually we decided that we would head down to the Rocks where we could see both the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House. It was about a 10 minute walk - we turned it into about 20 minutes and we looked at things along the way and stopped to talk in a nice little park that we came across.<br />
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Initially we thought about taking one of the ferry boats to Mission Point or some other such destination so we could see things from the water... but the more questions we asked the more complicated it seemed to get... and then we realized that a Harbour Cruse was part of the conference activities next week... so we just went walking.<br />
<br />
We walked along the cruise ship dock, took pictures of the Opera <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZIuZqLufOAG7oVHbU4UI4ytyFxMrzLRbuFsYTg3MhYdCzXghlVcmlPlFK28jmQKx3FiR0QPb78gmZbKIMbyvMC1Dpw-uwlndxmB7iFgGvb3J5QvqGQ_qJpAZYOJU5berJtr_yV9NQcCg/s1600/IMG_5141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZIuZqLufOAG7oVHbU4UI4ytyFxMrzLRbuFsYTg3MhYdCzXghlVcmlPlFK28jmQKx3FiR0QPb78gmZbKIMbyvMC1Dpw-uwlndxmB7iFgGvb3J5QvqGQ_qJpAZYOJU5berJtr_yV9NQcCg/s200/IMG_5141.JPG" width="200" /></a>House and Harbour Bridge, and then strolled along Argyle Street where we found a little cafe and had sandwiches for lunch, and then, as it was Foodie Friday Peg bought some handmade chocolates for us to share and I found a booth selling gelato and bought us each a cone. And, with our bodies nourished and our feet sore we headed back to the hotel...<br />
<br />
We lounged around the room for a bit... had a nice long soak in the hot tub and before long it was time to go for supper. We'd decided to go down to the waterfront for supper so that we could see the Harbour Bridge and Opera House lit up. It was beautiful. We dined at a restaurant right near the ferry terminal and could see the bridge lit up right beside us. The only disappointment was the rain that began as we headed back to the room... we didn't melt... and it was so good to connect with loved ones back home if even for a few moments. Those moments of connection have come to mean so much being so far from home.<br />
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All in all, its been a beautifully quiet, restful day... just what this weary traveller needed! <br />
<br />
Seven sleeps and I'm on a plane heading home...<br />
Eight sleeps and I'm home...<br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">As said George Moore, "A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it." Just <b><i>Thinking Out Loud ...</i></b> on the Sabbath Road...</span><br />
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Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-7918518869163848432015-09-18T01:48:00.001-03:002015-09-18T02:50:59.315-03:00NSW (Day 4) Hunter Valley to Sydney<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This will be a brief entry. I woke well rested to the sun falling on the grape vines outside my door but there were dark clouds on the horizon and the forecast called for rain in Sydney.<br />
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I took my time getting my breakfast (fixing were provided in the room) and then loaded the bike and suited up. No word of a lie. The minute I started the bike it started to rain!!!<br />
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I gamely headed out in a driving rain, refusing to put on the rain gear because it was almost 30 degrees! I would have melted.<br />
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After an hour I'd had enough. I took the GPS off the scenic route and headed straight for Sydney. I was stressed worrying about traffic anyways and by this point... I just wanted off the bike.<br />
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Soon I was pulling up to Bike Round Oz and in no time the bike was unloaded and the owner had called me a cab. $20 later and I was at the York Hotel where Peg had left a key to the room at the front desk. The room is a nice set up... a bed and sofa bed, kitchenette and washroom with a washer and dryer!<br />
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I spent the afternoon reading and doing laundry and about 5pm Peg arrived and we spent the evening trading stories and catching up, moving downstairs to the restaurant for supper. By 8pm Peg was in bed and by 9pm I was too... Two road weary travellers on the Sabbath Road...<br />
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Its good to be off the bike. Its been a long trip and I've been reminded of my mortality more than enough times on this trip... I long for the safety of a familiar road, the comfort of a familiar face and voice...<br />
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The image that is fixed in my mind these days is that of the grape vines outside my room in the Hunter Valley... and the many other grape vines I saw in that area where there was delicate new growth springing forth from what to my eyes looked like ancient weather vines...<br />
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... it got me to thinking about my own life, and what has been pruned, what has been cut back and removed... and the fragile new growth that is springing forth in this 50 year old vine...<br />
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Somedays I feels pretty fragile - all that is new is tender and unsure... Other days I feel very exposed and vulnerable to all that is around... but then I remember that my roots are strong and deep. I have the support and care of a network of friends, and the soil from which a draw my life is composed of many good memories and much gratitude... on the Sabbath Road...Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-24491358195184420082015-09-16T03:30:00.002-03:002015-09-18T01:48:41.208-03:00NSW (Day 3) Katoomba to Hunter Valley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After a wonderful breakfast at Lurene House, in the company of a pandemonium of parrots... yes, thats what you call a group of parrots... and it fits given the noise they make as the vie for a place at the feeding trough!<br />
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The hosts of the Lurene House are both originally from Cambridge and met while travelling in Australia as young people (that's a common theme I've noticed). They returned from a backpacking trip to Cambridge 22 years ago and six month later were emigrating to Australia. 11 years ago they began running Lunene House and it is so clear that they both enjoy what they do.<br />
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I ate early and both came regularly to the table to speak with me, talking of the climate, events going on in the area, their travels etc... and as I was loading the bike others joined in the dining area and it was such a hubbub of activity. Such community as they took me table to table and introduced me as the only North American in the house that night...<br />
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Having been introduced all around I jumped on the bike and headed out. First stop was the lookout over the Three Sisters and then... I rode.<br />
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Whoever planned this route sure knows good motorcycle roads.<br />
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From Katoomba I took the road towards Blackheath and Mt Victoria. Along the way I passed Govetts Leap and then kept going to Bell where I turned onto the Bells Line of Road.<br />
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This was spectacular riding along the edge of Mount Banks - almost like an escarpment with vertical drops on each side with many curves and elevation changes - and no places to stop for pictures... and so I rode...<br />
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Kurrajong Heights lookout would have been a good place to stop for a picture but it came up on me so fast... and driving on the left has me a little dubious about doing U-turns. I just don't feel safe. So I motored on.<br />
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I really should have stopped for apple pie at one of the many vendors along the next stretch of road. All kinds of apples were for sale... and you could literally smell the pies cooking in the many cafes and bakeries along the way... but the road kept me engaged... I was in a groove.<br />
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Descending down Bellbird his was an interesting experience... tight turns behind a heavily laden truck going down in a very low gear. I eventually pulled off and let him get ahead.... and thankfully he turned off as I got on Putty Road. Wow. Only way to describe it is wow.<br />
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For the next 100km I didn't see another car and the road opened up before me... sweeping turns, elevation changes, an arid wooded landscape unfolding before me - almost like the Pentiction area of BC... and it just kept getting better.<br />
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Unfortunately there was a fair bit of roadkill along the way: kangaroos and wombats. As at home, dusk and dawn are bad times to be on the road...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_-c1mlYJcWcjNkH0xGg04Wccd5rfH9sSEoel1JQjbF6ogbhlGSjgHf5cneODCHCg1SmyOZmvWkGfzWFne-Gz2IbcU5RFYnYOZZ67oNHk8hVxwiTcM7TBLUlDyKr_LpeTjMoah83CFgg/s1600/IMG_5132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_-c1mlYJcWcjNkH0xGg04Wccd5rfH9sSEoel1JQjbF6ogbhlGSjgHf5cneODCHCg1SmyOZmvWkGfzWFne-Gz2IbcU5RFYnYOZZ67oNHk8hVxwiTcM7TBLUlDyKr_LpeTjMoah83CFgg/s200/IMG_5132.JPG" width="200" /></a>I took my second and third picture of the day at the iconic Grey Gum Café after I had a long black and a piece of their home made apple pie. At this point I was 62km from my accommodations for the night... and they were some of the most interesting 62km of the trip as I came out of the Howe Valley into the surrounding ranges and then back down into the Hunter Valley. <br />
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Its no wonder that this is a popular motorcycling road for riders in the <br />
Sydney area. While I was at the Grey Gum Café I counter 62 motorcycles - and this on a Wednesday afternoon. The lady who waiting on me spoke of over 200 bikes being there at a time on any given Saturday. I'm glad it wasn't Saturday! This would explain why the local law enforcement has some special motorcycle enforcement areas along this section of road: special signs and markers for motorcycles and warning of radar enforcement.... yes Mom, I was a good boy - I stayed under the speed limit the whole trip!!!<br />
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As I entered the fullness of the Hunter Valley the magnitude of the wine production in the region became readily apparent: vineyard after vineyard. Some were small and there were others whose names even I recognize: Lindemans and Brokenwood Wine<br />
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Opportunities for tasting were many... not something I wanted to do alone... and so, I headed to the <br />
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Hermitage Lodge, checked in, went for a swim and here I sit... enjoying the view and sharing a rather short story of an incredible day of riding... my fourth and final picture of the day.<br />
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A little later I'll head down the road to a pub and grab some supper and then return to the room and watch the sun set over the vineyard.<br />
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Tomorrows journey will take me back to Sydney via Wiseman's Ferry. It's only a trip of 234km. As a result, my plan is to take my time leaving so I miss as much traffic in Sydney as possible. After dropping off the bike I'll make my way to The York where I will meet up with Peg and on Saturday we'll make our way to the Conference venue and begin the last segment of this date-line equator crossing adventure... on the Sabbath Road...<br />
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PS: Just back from Harrigan's pub which is just down from where I am staying. I had beef stew with mashed potatoes and green beans. Not bad... but way overpriced - then again, so is everything down here!!!<br />
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<br />Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-64127440055511131742015-09-15T19:19:00.000-03:002015-09-18T01:48:54.274-03:00NSW (Day 2) Kangaroo Valley to KatoombaThe morning dawned bright and warm and after a walk around the beautiful grounds and a full <br />
English breakfast I was on my way... another day of twisty roads and beautify scenery. <br />
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Climbing out of the valley I knew this was going to be a beautifully interesting day... and I'm just going to let the pictures speak for themselves after I ramble a bit...<br />
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At about noon I started to get very lonely. Perhaps it was some of the names of the villages - they were all so very different then home... and then there would be a familiar name: Balmoral and Wentworth Falls...<br />
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Its been a long trip and I'm glad that as I write this I have only today September 16th and tonight on my own before I reunite with Peg and then other colleagues on Saturday at the IPCA Conference.<br />
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I picked up a book in the lounge of the B&B last night, drawn to the title: A Year in the World: Journey's of a Passionate Traveller by Frances Mayes and came across these words:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Everything I pick up seems to lure me away. Everything I do in my daily life begins to feel like striking wet matches. The need to travel is a mysterious force. A desire to 'go' runs through me equally with an intense desire to 'stay' at home. An equal and opposite thermodynamic principle. When I travel, I think of home and what it means. At home I'm dreaming of catching trains at night in the gray light of Old Europe, or pushing open shutters to see Florence awaken. The balance just slightly tips in the direction of the airport.</blockquote>
My balance has shifted... toward home and a desire for a walk to the gentle falls in Wentworth, NS as the seasons change.<br />
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... on the Sabbath Road...<br />
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<br />Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-44740890666445245812015-09-14T05:54:00.000-03:002015-09-18T01:49:16.033-03:00NSW (Day 1) Sydney to the Kangaroo Valley... and yes,,, I saw a 'RooFirst full day in Sydney… well where the day began anyways! The flight was in on time last night <br />
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from Cairns. Note: to pronounce it right drop the “R” and force the rest of the word through your nose. Until you do that most Aussie’s will look at you with a blank stare thinking you’re talking about someplace in the UK!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0-h22xKC0-OszDNG7sh5r4N0O1OUmPL4ZYpgkOc1LBJBJRZU2ADte0toFh-BhB-ljdGTtmAaU81GoiTaWF9ZbBsmb_jP99DPTTB1dNYcHrSXv2bmJ1xnq6wFMIcoC0XicIgXEz3YWSwg/s1600/IMG_5053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0-h22xKC0-OszDNG7sh5r4N0O1OUmPL4ZYpgkOc1LBJBJRZU2ADte0toFh-BhB-ljdGTtmAaU81GoiTaWF9ZbBsmb_jP99DPTTB1dNYcHrSXv2bmJ1xnq6wFMIcoC0XicIgXEz3YWSwg/s200/IMG_5053.JPG" width="200" /></a>I managed to connect with folk back home while at the airport. Gee I miss face to face voice conversations! When texting so many nuances get lost… the language of the eyes and body language and tone of voice is all missing… it all worked out in the end but it was a little stressful when one word significantly impacts as conversation… I think we all have them: loaded words that are triggers for us? And they don’t usually trigger emotions that have us reaching out or opening up – they are the fear, flight fight words because after all, we are a species that must survive… and that is the way we are wired!<br />
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Of course, I was the last one off the shuttle bus! Perhaps because my hotel was furthest form the <br />
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airport or perhaps it was just most efficient that way? Whatever the case, I got to have a conversation with the driver about his work and the area of Sydney I was heading to… and the room sure was welcoming when I arrived… and then I realized I’d not eaten supper and was hungry. <br />
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Too tired to venture out I devoured the orange in my bag – considered some of the snack items in the mini bar (and then saw the prices)… had a shower and crawled into bed… and couldn’t sleep. So I read a few chapters in the new Grisham novel I’m reading. By midnight it was lights out and I didn’t wake til 7am. A good sleep - straight through… a first on this continent!!!<br />
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I stayed in bed until about 8:30 and wondered down to breakfast… and paid through the nose for a breakfast buffet… I figured it was one of two meals today… and I’d not eaten supper the night before… and hey, I’m in Australia! Enjoy. I did. Bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, home fries and toast… yum yum yum.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9VJaQQyWfDmAYPZqFnl5Mbr3xh0zTdX7_GI2SUcc-BsE1jiaotAnVQ0iJU94ZXwi80iZdCGz760dpOkx9knp7iy2sKdHkHlypCz-FVq1Yfx5XDkB9A3GOH8HsQJR5BlBAd0G2dTBjeE/s1600/IMG_5057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl9VJaQQyWfDmAYPZqFnl5Mbr3xh0zTdX7_GI2SUcc-BsE1jiaotAnVQ0iJU94ZXwi80iZdCGz760dpOkx9knp7iy2sKdHkHlypCz-FVq1Yfx5XDkB9A3GOH8HsQJR5BlBAd0G2dTBjeE/s200/IMG_5057.JPG" width="200" /></a>By 9:30am I was in a cab head to Bikescape Motorcyle Rentals where I quickly signed all the paperwork loaded the GS and struck out south. Boy am I glad I spent the additional $40 to have the GPS on the bike. Sydney is a BIG city and signage SUCKS!!! Had it not been for the GPS I’d never have found my way out!<br />
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The GPS is the exact same model as mine at home – the only difference is that whoever used it last had a make voice set up on it… I’ve named him “Mate” as in, “Eh Mate, where are we going now?” <br />
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Mate guided me out of the city and as I enter the Royal National Park I slowed prepared to pay the <br />
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entrance fee and the chap waved me on… ok… I’ll keep my $11 in my pocket. Same thing happened as I passed by the entrance to a second park… “Ok” I thought… “I like this…” and the fact that the road rose and fell, twisted and turned, had no pot holes or frost heaves... it was beautiful riding!!! And the smell… stick your head in a huge garbage bag filled with eucalyptus branches and you will have an idea what I was riding in and breathing deeply of. What a feeling!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixNQnKsf3uuPkQSNQypAhkIsDLHu5CW4SS5xKtQeFBtu-Fqypf0kl8HPl_67r0AGpY9b7Ljs2bHoqbEyk8vXnNivV-wuKLveBoeo2dyq0jfKhS9MRHxexlqXGZkmakR7fou7vwvztpsrA/s1600/IMG_5059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixNQnKsf3uuPkQSNQypAhkIsDLHu5CW4SS5xKtQeFBtu-Fqypf0kl8HPl_67r0AGpY9b7Ljs2bHoqbEyk8vXnNivV-wuKLveBoeo2dyq0jfKhS9MRHxexlqXGZkmakR7fou7vwvztpsrA/s200/IMG_5059.JPG" width="200" /></a>And then suddenly you round a bend and over a rise and before you is one of the best lookouts on the NSW coast. Stanwell Tops is a fantastic lookout along the coast. Wow!!! And from there I followed the Grand Pacific Drive, that winds and undulates, literally taking you over the ocean on the 665m Sea Cliff Bridge. What an amazing road, similar to the Coastal Highway in British Columbia, it hangs out over the ocean and winds along the coast before leading to a series of small towns… I eventually landed on the M1 motorway but found that I could take smaller roads along the coast – so I did and it was a Seven Mile Beach that I saw my first in the wild, live kangaroo. He was on the side of the road eating something. Unfortunately traffic did not permit a U-turn for a picture!<br />
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At Berry I stopped at a “Bottle Shop” aka – private liquor store with shelves and shelves and shelves of wine and craft beer. I limited myself to three bottles of beer for the evening and then mounted the bike again for the climb over the range the forms the Kangaroo Valley.<br />
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What a technical road! 25km an hour… and I did 20km an hour. I’d not want to ride it on a rainy day or in a large truck! Barely wide enough for two cars, its called a “Tourist Road”. I was some glad to be off of it before dark and… to get to see the lovely vista of the Kangaroo Valley!<br />
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I settled into my room and then headed ino the village where I enjoyed a beer, burger and chips at the Friendly Inn. What a cool place. It sure looks like it is a popular gathering place: pub, restaurant, and with a huge playground and bbq pit out back!<br />
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It’s been a glorious first day in New South Wales… on the Sabbath Road...<br />
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Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-81974742882050965972015-09-12T06:43:00.003-03:002015-09-12T07:27:34.000-03:00Day 3 Cairns: The Power and Beauty of Water...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacWUA9ZvTsyBx2JTU058TUskoFQ1pmp4WEL01hWbmbvBEYZqz-eDfxFRntBIABiBWLAqi2mdE41X20E6Y_72TmvK6aNM6chnnad9aRwcl0ZRYkzSn5xOjGAUqsQXkhVFuPd33UpLwL-Y/s1600/IMG_4981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacWUA9ZvTsyBx2JTU058TUskoFQ1pmp4WEL01hWbmbvBEYZqz-eDfxFRntBIABiBWLAqi2mdE41X20E6Y_72TmvK6aNM6chnnad9aRwcl0ZRYkzSn5xOjGAUqsQXkhVFuPd33UpLwL-Y/s200/IMG_4981.JPG" width="200" /></a>It was another early morning. With a breakfast of a croissant, yogurt and fruit I was off... but the shuttle was late. So, I got to connect with folk at home for a few minutes as I waited... and waited. Finally at 7:45am they arrived and the bus was pretty full. I was somewhat worried as I read that more people make the experience a little more hectic... my fears were ill placed. There were only 26 people on the boat and 14 crew. There was going to be lots of individual attention. But first we had to get to the reef! And it was windy!!!<br />
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One by one folk started reaching for the barf bags... I'm proud to say I was not one of them. There was however on young lady who was so very ill it was sad - and then her partner started berating her and thankfully one of the crew stepped in... Men...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIJGiJcTm-aTItu0E-6jIW8KRjm5o80CPCn5n3QY1oa73AWa8a6L33v5Xg-Lm3w_7b2nUO6VtJ7ClQVHaHw7oLcIhHFmxNgwn0KRKsQIMv_M0XQ1INN5zxjBDk1on8bLKt3MCmGLEjZc/s1600/IMG_4990.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZIJGiJcTm-aTItu0E-6jIW8KRjm5o80CPCn5n3QY1oa73AWa8a6L33v5Xg-Lm3w_7b2nUO6VtJ7ClQVHaHw7oLcIhHFmxNgwn0KRKsQIMv_M0XQ1INN5zxjBDk1on8bLKt3MCmGLEjZc/s200/IMG_4990.JPG" width="200" /></a>After an hour and twenty minutes of bouncing over waves we reached the lee side of the reef that we would be exploring. It was considerably calmer - but there was still a significant swell!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyG1e9WBP0tLiRD2z9XSyJVaW3PnyW8qeHsE07Dood8lai7pjPNoDxr1N7vlQqrWg6IJ6GqLl9wIFNHrLK78p4kDMkFkK0jbBJ0mollisYCM8kxaZhH88h5NSSGuy0Vx5CyCI7Rx_xWsY/s1600/IMG_5002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyG1e9WBP0tLiRD2z9XSyJVaW3PnyW8qeHsE07Dood8lai7pjPNoDxr1N7vlQqrWg6IJ6GqLl9wIFNHrLK78p4kDMkFkK0jbBJ0mollisYCM8kxaZhH88h5NSSGuy0Vx5CyCI7Rx_xWsY/s200/IMG_5002.JPG" width="200" /></a>I am too old to be putting on wet suits. Oh my goodness! Thankfully there was staff there to help or I'd still be struggling with my arms half in and it stuck around my waist!! With the suit on - then I had to get the flippers on. I don't bend that well anymore... and coupled with the fact that I was a little sore from yesterday... again, I'm glad there was a high crew to tourist ratio!<br />
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With camera in hand, flipper on feet, mask on face and snorkel in mouth I jumped - no slid into the water and was immediately stuck by how warm it was. 26 degrees Celsius. Beautiful. I can't say that I was that beautiful or graceful in the water.<br />
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Wetsuits are very buoyant... I didn't know this! Coupled with the buoyancy of the suit and my ample flotation device (aka waist) I had trouble staying low enough in the water to make the flippers work - and then - when I was able to do that, a wave would break over the snorkel and I'd take a souvenir gulp...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxA0kYI1L0aRSdmHOGGTCkpHx4emih4J2zK2vslBjX6fkpeWE8-gHGrMDrvHvW9XhySvSsRc-ngg6bvgYTzvjde4Bkk9TT1-nit84qTdCLqbcVV27Oy9RRHG2ea7Sv7D9ryR2siEaRaxs/s1600/IMG_5012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxA0kYI1L0aRSdmHOGGTCkpHx4emih4J2zK2vslBjX6fkpeWE8-gHGrMDrvHvW9XhySvSsRc-ngg6bvgYTzvjde4Bkk9TT1-nit84qTdCLqbcVV27Oy9RRHG2ea7Sv7D9ryR2siEaRaxs/s200/IMG_5012.JPG" width="200" /></a>I did get a few pictures and had a picture taken of me... Not my best moment - but priceless just the same.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBymF6aM-hA1u5tb8DU_ipsFuCvkq4gvQ778Ekz1pZ3WqsXaCWeqV-sBHe6uoWzoBz0ukt8gI43FR8fH7Qp6cAB_WDCIf6lPUGuvSbfub3CfTD7dF8Qfkl5n-o8VR4JpOMhE4qMlCVqO0/s1600/IMG_5037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBymF6aM-hA1u5tb8DU_ipsFuCvkq4gvQ778Ekz1pZ3WqsXaCWeqV-sBHe6uoWzoBz0ukt8gI43FR8fH7Qp6cAB_WDCIf6lPUGuvSbfub3CfTD7dF8Qfkl5n-o8VR4JpOMhE4qMlCVqO0/s200/IMG_5037.JPG" width="200" /></a>After lunch (steak and salad) I had my introductory scuba diving experience. Wow! I can tell you that if I lived here I'd want to be a diver...beautiful. This is not I think any worry of that happening or, of me diving at home as the water is just too bloody cold!!!<br />
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I'll let the pictures speak for themselves... the beauty of the coral reef nurtured by warm waters...<br />
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But that same water is also very powerful. Tides, currents, wind and waves all contributed to making the snorkelling and diving experience a very physical challenge... and boy am I tired having used other muscles I'd not used in a long while!<br />
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By 2pm I'd had enough and found some folks to talk to. Fred was wearing a motorcycle t-shirt advertising some dual sport event in Florida so I gravitated to him. We had a great chat about bikes, my ride on Friday and roads we'd ridden in common in the United States. When his partner convinced him to get back in the water I found myself at the bar with Bill from Toronto. Canadians will always find each other. Bill works in the safety industry and comes to Australia three or four times a year for two day meetings... I don't envy him that jet lag... wow! We nursed our beers and talked about life and the day we'd just shared - then we exchanged email addresses so we could exchange pictures of the day.<br />
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At 3pm the captain announced we were leaving and advised people what side of the sun deck they should sit on if they wanted to stay dry...<br />
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It was even rougher going back in... 15 to 20 foot troughs... down and up. Up and down. I've never experienced seas as rough as that... and with a beautiful blue sky and sunshine.<br />
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Not soon enough for many we were back at the marina and rather than wait for the shuttle I decided to walk the Esplanade home. It was a beautiful afternoon and a fine way to end a fine day...<br />
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I have now seen three of the Seven Natural Wonders of the world: Northern Lights, the Grand Canyon and now, the Great Barrier Reef. I have also seen four of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World: Channel Tunnel, CN Tower, Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge... I'm a pretty lucky guy... but there are wonders waiting for me back home that are much more important than seeing any more on either of the two lists above... on the Sabbath Road...Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-24888905279133426992015-09-12T04:32:00.004-03:002015-09-12T04:36:41.232-03:00Day 2 Cairns: Ride YOUR ride...Friday morning I was off bright an early to the base came of North Queensland Trail Adventures. It <br />
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was an awesome day!!!<br />
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Simmo picked me up right on time and we head up the mountain. A twisty road that runs for about 60km up the mountain. Some people commute it every day. Needless to say, there are many accidents. At least they don't need to worry about freezing rain.<br />
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There is not much to say about the riding except: the scenery was breath taking, the riding was awesome and the lunch was out of this world.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7OSdDfM0F4nZosRnnHzE0iz6c0fQmtVA3zZfPHDJxySLd3xSZxcqbyfweNxRSlzbPGZf3R-ZNkyDBl95dAnhYSwAn286OnasEOz5MzBSIrfBfJzUOALxamWzd8rReJQVPADmYQ3v8kIE/s1600/IMG_5920.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7OSdDfM0F4nZosRnnHzE0iz6c0fQmtVA3zZfPHDJxySLd3xSZxcqbyfweNxRSlzbPGZf3R-ZNkyDBl95dAnhYSwAn286OnasEOz5MzBSIrfBfJzUOALxamWzd8rReJQVPADmYQ3v8kIE/s200/IMG_5920.jpeg" width="150" /></a>I can even begin to describe the scenery. We started off at the Black Mountain Road and then turned onto a single track which runs from the Kennedy Highway near Kuranda to the Mossman Mount Molloy Road near Julatten.<br />
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We were told that many Cassowaries have been spotted along the track and that they should be treated with absolute caution and should not be fed... no worries there. We did not see any and, to be truthful I was not disappointed. The are like Emus - only they take joy in disemboweling you with their big claws...<br />
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The trails rose and fell with the mountain range and went from single track to fast gravel roads and jeep tracks. They were all so well maintained - except for those in the wetter areas - there were ruts there that you had to ride through with your feet almost up on the handle bars so you could get through.<br />
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Lunch was taken at the Mount Molloy Pub and then we basically backtracked to the start point with a few diversions along the way.<br />
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There were only three in the group: Simmo and employee of the outfit, myself and Malcolm, a friend of the owner who just came along for the ride. Greg, the owner was laid up with a broken leg. He'd broken it last week 30km from home after a 5000km trail ride through the outback... thats how it goes...<br />
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There were two truth evident to me in todays ride: keeping company with others who are "better" than you makes you rise to their level. Anyone who plays individual sports with others such as golf or riding knows this. The others alongside of you call forth your best effort. Such was the case for me for most of the day. Malcolm and Simmo were excellent riders and I kept pace with them and received a few compliments on my riding ability. The other truth is referenced in the headline: ride your own ride. Coming on later in the afternoon I was tired and unfortunately I was still trying to keep up... the inevitable happened. I went down. I low sided (look it up if you need to - its much better than high siding!!!) on a gravel road and other than scrapes on my knees, the only thing wounded was my pride.<br />
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We arrived back at at Tallawah Springs at about 4pm where upon we put the bikes and gear away and Simmo drove me back to Cairns...<br />
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I was so tired there was no writing done on Friday night. A shower, supper, some tv and messages and bed... and boy did I sleep - and wake sore... having used muscles I'd not used in a while... and I am really noticing the effects!<br />
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But nothing was stopping me from the Great Barrier Reef Experience!! Watch for that in Day 3 Cairns: The Power and Wonder of Water...<br />
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...on the Sabbath Road...Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-29188067448489552952015-09-10T08:21:00.000-03:002015-09-12T04:37:20.696-03:00Day 1 Cairns: A Day of Travel and Timely Pondering...I was up at 5am this morning and shared breakfast with the Taiwanese family that I'd met the evening<br />
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before that is in the process of considering emigrating to New Zealand. Their English was much better than my command of the Taiwanese language and we did manage to converse a little bit about our respective travels.<br />
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With my breakfast of an orange consumed and coffee made for the road I was pleased to see that I was not travelling to the airport alone. A young lad from Scotland was in the van with me. We'd chatted briefly the night before and he was heading home after a bit of a holiday before going to work for his dad.<br />
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Auckland International Airport is a busy place! There are flight coming and going to and from everywhere! As I appreciated the diversity of the "community" in which I found myself, my eye was drawn to a poster in one of the pubs - a poster for a local beer. In particular, I was drawn to the line: "You don't end up in New Zealand by accident... We are all here for a reason..." I don't think I've fully appreciated the reason yet... but I know it was no accident that I ended up here and there are lessons I am learning from this experience - and so it was I spent the five hour flight from Auckland to Cairns alternating between pondering the twists and turns of my life journey over the past five months and distracting myself with a movies.<br />
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Customs in Cairns went smoothly and after finding the shuttle counter I was soon in a minivan heading toward my accommodations for the next three nights.<br />
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The first order of the day was to obtain an Australian sim card for my phone. It is important that I am<br />
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available in the event of an emergency and I want to be able to stay in touch with loved ones back home. The concerige directed me to the local grocery story where I picked up a sim card and some groceries and then, the check out staff person directed me to the nearest liquor outlet where I picked up four different Australian beets. Hey... I have to find out what I like...!!<br />
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Back in the room I had a snack and set up the phone and then headed out for a walk... I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...<br />
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Around 6pm I headed out again to find some supper and ended up eating at a little cafe on the <br />
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Esplanade. It was a lovely meal - Tropical Pizza (ham and pineapple) and a local beer - together with local music coming from the part across the way and a view straight out of a magazine!<br />
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I took my time strolling back to the room - wandered through the market and then along the boardwalk back to the hotel where I grabbed a beer and headed to the hot tub where I met two Aussies from Melbourne who were waiting for their lady friends to return from shopping.<br />
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Once they found out I was not a Yankee they opened up and we had a great chat about the Australia economy, the current refugee crisis, American <br />
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interventionist policies and so on... it was a fine way to end a great day.<br />
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I'll soon be off to bed for tomorrow I am off dirt-biking in the rain forest ... on the Sabbath Road... pictures will of course follow...Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-342213208026619522015-09-09T01:32:00.001-03:002015-09-09T02:02:27.849-03:00Adiós Auckland...<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
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Peg left Auckland at 5am this morning and I was awake to see her off... And then promptly, after looking at my phone to check the time back home and seeing a couple of messages from loved ones, I rolled over and went back to sleep... next time I promise I'll write back before I go back to sleep!!!<br />
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I slept until almost 7am then made coffee (Yes... that instant stuff again - but hey, its growing on me!!) and watched the last bit of a movie on TV a war movie detailing how an American solider was rescued from the Taliban by a Muslim family... anyone know the title? Not too badly done... lots of action to wake a body up thats for sure!<br />
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When the cleaning staff wanted in the room at 9am I thought I'd best get up and get going! And so, I enjoyed a long hot shower and shaved off a two day stubble whereupon I packed up my meagre possessions and carried them down to the parking garage and loaded them on the bike. And then, I heard Denny's calling my name. Or maybe it was my stomach growling? Either way I ended up over at Denny's where I enoyed the "budget breakfast" of two eggs, hash browns, toast and coffee for $6.90. For your information, at the SkyCity Hotel they wanted $21.00 for the same spread!<br />
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With my belly full I returned to the room hoping that the key would still work... Peg had checked out at 5am and while she said she'd told them that I'd be there til later... it would be just my luck to be locked out of the room! Success, the door opened and I was in. I suited up - opting, as the sun was out and I had a short ride, to leave the rain gear (which goes underneath my armoured coat and pants) off. I should have known better...<br />
<br />
As I returned to the bike and put the last of my possession in their place for the ride out to Henderson, I confess that some of the anxiety returned. But, all I could do was get back on the horse... and so I did... and because I could not find the exit to pay the parking toll, I did manage to squeeze by a barrier (I was lost in the parking garage!!) and saved myself $40.00 in parking fees... Hey! I was lost and surely the bike did not take up $40 worth of room over two days!!!<br />
<br />
Anyways... back to riding. I'm happy to say that within a few moments of being on the road I was at ease again, enjoying the ride... at least until it started to rain five minutes out of the downtown area, on the motorway, where there was no place to pull over and put on the rain gear!<br />
<br />
Thankfully the rain didn't last long - just another one of those very brief showers that exist to remind <br />
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you that you are on an Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that has numerous wind currents carrying moisture from many different directions... in other words... during the spring in New Zealand... plan to get wet!<br />
<br />
Back at the rental place, I unloaded the bike as I waited to the owner to return and when he did, he made me coffee as I recounted my adventures of the past five days. He was just a little shocked at all that I had seen and experienced and asked me to take the time to recount it for him in an email - I told him about the blog... that he could read all about it there - that I was trying to put the memories behind me...<br />
<br />
And I think I'm succeeding - for the most part... but it all comes back to vulnerability. Somehow what each of these experiences have reminded me is how vulnerable I am - and anyone of us is, when we "put ourselves out there". This is a significant learning for me as I've always understood myself to be pretty much in control of my world... And yes, I thrive on the experience of leaning into a curve with only gravity to hold you up... and I always fancied myself to be in control... now, I'm not so sure that I'm in complete control...<br />
<br />
Does that mean I stop doing what I'm doing? Does it mean that I stop riding, stop exploring, stop leaning into curves, stop putting myself out there? No, I don't think so. But perhaps it does mean that I need to exercise a little more caution? After all, I am fifty now...<br />
<br />
Maybe my age is also influencing how I've experienced the events of the past few days? There is still much that I want share with others, to see and do and experience in this "second half" of my life - though I'm not sure I want to live to a hundred...<br />
<br />
Perhaps my perspective on the world is changing? For as said Muhammad Ali, “The man who views the world at fifty the same as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.”<br />
<br />
So… how has my view of the world changed or how is it changing? Well, for one I come to believe more fully in the power of vulnerability as a positive force for change… to expose one’s self… to speak the difficult truth… to risk reaching out… is to allow for possibility. To be vulnerable is to create space for something new.<br />
<br />
And so, I am forced to ask myself as I deal with the events of the past few days, events that I am beginning to understand as ‘vulnerability overload’ what is the something new that is being created?<br />
<br />
Truth is… I don’t know fully… but I do like some of the elements and practices that have become part of my daily living:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
truthfulness with myself and others about my longings, hopes and fears<br />being grateful for what is and what I have<br />an openness to what will be… will be</blockquote>
I came across these words the other day as I sat in the quiet of the hotel room with Peg. They seemed like a comfortable sweater that I needed in that moment:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
No amount of regret changes the past.<br />No amount of anxiety changes the future.<br />But any amount of gratitude changes the present.</blockquote>
And so, as I prepare to say, “Adiós Auckland” I am doing my best to minimize the feelings of regret and anxiety that I have about various circumstances in my life... and to leave with the memory of gracious people and beautiful scenery of Auckland cluttered with the memories of witnessing three tragic accidents… and be grateful:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
for those who wait for me at home and wish me safety on the journey<br />for those who have met me where I was at (and where I am) and loved me just the same<br />for the opportunity to “get back on the horse” and trust that “It’ll be ok…”</blockquote>
…on the Sabbath Road…</div>
Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-77635603951153481322015-09-08T02:54:00.005-03:002015-09-08T03:01:19.919-03:00Sometimes You Just Need A Friend...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMN8y8SV7alSbHwU4E7APh2hoB_leKXEnuHFQJlIpkDoKmlyYTbjk42E_Xd4DaZw-lmOlZW8I4erOxHdLIYiA-qms3DWTLPb71gH1I5yReaqQb9xxm-YrLC6LJUsosHcr_rq5RA_o3-k/s1600/IMG_4881.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMN8y8SV7alSbHwU4E7APh2hoB_leKXEnuHFQJlIpkDoKmlyYTbjk42E_Xd4DaZw-lmOlZW8I4erOxHdLIYiA-qms3DWTLPb71gH1I5yReaqQb9xxm-YrLC6LJUsosHcr_rq5RA_o3-k/s200/IMG_4881.JPG" width="150" /></a>It is amazing what good company and a good night sleep can do for one’s spirit! Peg arrived back from her tour at about 8PM and after getting my stuff squared away in the room we headed next door to a little Irish Pub where we had a couple of beers and talked and talked and talked… about what we have each seen and experienced thus far. And, I must confess, Peg gave me lots of space to talk through my experience of witnessing three automobile accidents in the last four days and how those experiences were affecting me and my larger outlook on life.<br />
<br />
It was important for me to hear from Peg how she perceives me as coping with all the changes in my life – and this allowed me to begin to reclaim the core of being. As I lay in bed last night I took some time to inventory what I know to be true about myself… an exercise in self-affirmation in the face of feeling so unsettled was a very helpful exercise as I fell asleep last night. It was also very helpful to hear that Peg was experiencing similar sleep pattern issues as a result of the international travel. It sound bizarre, but it was so helpful to hear her say “Me too” when I told her of waking every morning at two am…<br />
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And the good news: I didn’t wake at 2am this morning. I didn’t wake until 4:45am – and at that – it was to an encouraging text message on my phone, and I was able to roll over and go back to sleep until 7am… and then, lay in bed until about 8am only getting up once I knew Peg was up and ready to face the day!<br />
<br />
After a shower and a couple of cups of instant NESCAFÉ coffee (don’t get me started on this one… ugh) we headed off to Denny’s where we had the closest thing we could to a back home breakfast: sausage, bacon, eggs and hash browns with toast, and the New Zealand flare included grilled mushrooms and tomatoes… But the highlight: “filtered coffee” as they called it – with free refills!!! Yeah! Small mercies for a road weary traveller!!<br />
<br />
With our bellies full and our hearts content from good food and even better conversation we returned <br />
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to the room and each of us did some browsing on the internet, sent some emails home and shared in some texting conversations with friends and family – even as we continued to enjoy each other silent company… good friends are like that: they can be just there in the same room and it makes all the difference in the world!!!<br />
<br />
And then… Peg decided she needed a haircut…. The concierge recommended a place and it turned out to be easier to find than we ever imagined: right across the street!!! I left Peg to get her hair cut and returned to the room where I make a phone call and got another much needed boost of care and connection… and then Peg returned… and lets just say the stylist must have used my mop as a model for the “do” he gave her… she won’t need another cut until at least January!!!<br />
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We sat for a few moments laughing, turned on the TV for a moment and watched a New Zealand dating game show were contestants had to accept the baggage of another and if they did, they got to go on a date with one another… too funny… we turned off the TV when Dr. Phil came on and headed out for a walk down Queen Street: shopping district for the rich and famous!<br />
<br />
We browsed. We walked. We talked. We laughed. We took some <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaGxigff0lk5Vi0SJqwq2h9Agtt5_BOQxlctkEjw1vaojBKVXo-8DorOfZynekgExRqFMPrf5Iyp9eqT2gXfSq9ppC2BTMAWiTjt5rX0MV1-HOtozZQEf2e30zPkMej6rK9bepx9_sBE/s1600/IMG_4884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaGxigff0lk5Vi0SJqwq2h9Agtt5_BOQxlctkEjw1vaojBKVXo-8DorOfZynekgExRqFMPrf5Iyp9eqT2gXfSq9ppC2BTMAWiTjt5rX0MV1-HOtozZQEf2e30zPkMej6rK9bepx9_sBE/s200/IMG_4884.JPG" width="150" /></a>pictures. We stopped for a coke down at the waterfront ($4 dollars for a coke), did a little shopping in a card shop, picked up some postcards and then stopped for coffee in a little café. Peg had a caramel/chocolate concoction and I had carrot cake and we both had a “long black” and wondered why we couldn’t just get plain old black coffee – even Maxwell House would be nice… Ah well, when in New Zealand – do as the Kiwi’s do… and sip your long black and watch the Pigeons on the back of the sofa in the coffee shop!!!<br />
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Its been a good day. In a little while we will head out again for supper and maybe a beer in the little Irish Pub. We’ll not be out too late as Peg has to catch the shuttle at 5am. Yes, it’s been a good day! Not too terribly exciting – but familiar and comforting and this road weary soul who has witnessed three too many accidents needed that… on the Sabbath Road…<br />
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Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-36429265668678224642015-09-07T07:21:00.000-03:002015-09-07T07:21:33.811-03:00Rainbow or not... I Got Wet!Well, I thought that with the morning beginning with a rainbow that I might be in for some good <br />
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weather... It was not to be. I no sooner took the picture and it started to rain!! Not to be defeated I set out toward the north with Cape Reniga as the first destination of the day. 40 minutes later I turned around. I was drenched!! Squalls were blowing in from the west and if the rain wasn't enough, the wind threatened to blow me off the road - or at least into oncoming traffic. My life is worth more than a visit to a lighthouse at the end of a spit of land jutting into the Pacific Ocean.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Back on the outskirts of the town I'd just left I stopped at a cafe and had a hot breakfast. As I was eating I was joined by an individual who was taking the tour bus to the Cape and he was going to walk the 90 Mile Beach from the tip back down to the South Island. Pretty extreme is you ask me...!<br />
<br />
Filled with bacon and eggs with a deep orange yolk I headed south in a gap between showers... and the gap did not last long... before too long I was in the thick of the rain again with the visor fogging up and the crotch of my pants getting wet - the only place that gets wet besides my feet!!<br />
<br />
I drove on and soon exited the shower only to enter another one... and so was the day all the way along the coast. It was as if I had this little grey/black cloud following me and any time the sone threatened to come out the clouds opened and I got rained on.<br />
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And so I did what I came to do: I rode. Because of the rain and the emotional space I was in I did't stop to see the glow worms, I didn't stop at the geysers or the gum digging... I didn't even stop for the fun park... I just rode and when the road was dry and did my best to enjoy every twist and turn I came upon... until the third accident.<br />
<br />
I was just north of Whangari when I noticed a truck stopped ahead of me in the opposite lane. It had its signal on to turn right into a drive way across my path of travel. As I passed and was along side, a white van struck the back of the farm truck shearing off a corner of the box, spinning the truck into the lane behind me and I saw, out of the corner of my eye, the white van nose into the ditch...<br />
<br />
By the time I pulled over there were a couple of other cars stopped and I made the decision to move on... shakily I put the bike in gear and set off wondering if that was three of nine lives...<br />
<br />
Seriously though I was very shaken and still am. Shaken because I am so far from home. Shaken because I am alone. It took me a bit of riding and a conversation with a friend to figure it out... but in this moment I know why I am so shaken - its because I am feeling so vulnerable... these wrecks in a very physical way have brought me to a place of recognizing the vulnerability I find myself in in my larger life...<br />
<br />
With a brief stop in Whangari and a walk along the inner basin I came to the conclusion that I needed company. I needed to be in the company of another human begin. This was confirmed a little later as in a texting conversation as I sat on the beach at Waipu Cove.<br />
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<br />
I am feeling very much alone - and lonely - and with good reason, given all that has transpired in the past few days,<br />
<br />
Initially I reached out to my couch surfing host to see if I might stop there again. Not hearing back from her, I realized that Peg may still be in Auckland... and so, after a couple of text messages and a call to the hotel where she was staying, at 8PM I met up with Peg and she has, as only a good friend can, over a beer this evening, walked with me through the experiences of the past few days and helped me begin to wrestle with some of the deeper feelings of my heart.<br />
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This evening as I shared conversation with Peg and have now settled into the room the anxiety has <br />
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eased. We've made plans to spend the day together tomorrow and on Wednesday she flies off to see the penguins and I'll return the bike and plan for my departure on Thursday...<br />
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A wise woman said to me... there are no tests on this journey... but there my be lessons... and so... I begin to identify the lessons:<br />
<br />
"You don't need to travel 15,000KM to see a pretty beach..."<br />
"Worry changes nothing - except your own anxiety level..."<br />
"Being alone and feeling vulnerable is a scary place to be..."<br />
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Paul Tillich once wrote, "Loneliness expresses the pain of being alone and solitude expresses the glory of being alone." Right now, I am experiencing the former - and hope that I can again get to the latter... on the Sabbath Road...<br />
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Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-67330877947448348832015-09-06T16:35:00.001-03:002015-09-06T16:35:04.675-03:00North then South Along the West Coast...<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, after a decent sleep, albeit with a couple of times of
waking… I really think the time zone change is the curlprit… I’m up for the day
with coffee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The sun is shining and the
wind has diminished to nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really
do hope that these conditions hold for the rest of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Driving in the wind and rain yesterday, even
in the interior of the island really tooks its toll on me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, after a quick jaunt up toward Cape
Reniga I will head south along the west coast: Coopers Beach, Waipapa,
Kerikeri, Paiha, Okiato, Whangaruru and likely end up in Whangarei for the
night.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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But before I set off let me say something of the external
journey yesterday.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I left Mungaturoro via the Gorge Road toward Waipu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Gorge Road is gravel and follows a river
most of the way through landscape that can be only described as
prehistoric.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trees and vegetation
are such that I have never seen before – and realizing it is spring, I suspect
that the vegetation is that much more lush and full during the height of
summer!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once on Hwy #1 I continued along the west coast and suspect
that it was at Kawakawa that I made a “mistake” and turned kept on Hwy #1
instead of #11 which would have taken me along the coast.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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At Okaihau I passed through the western edge of the Wairere
Boulder field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Howerver, it was raining
too hard to stop and get a picture…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The landscape is hilly and green.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very green and there are more cows and sheep
than you can shake a stick at!!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Once past Mangamuka Bridge the road began to climb and I
soon found myself on a road that, for turns per mile, matched the Tail of the
Dragon in the USA as it traversed a mountain range while following a
gorge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had the road been dry and it not
been as windy I would have enjoyed the ride all that much more… as it was, the
rain and wind and stress of the road had by this time caught up to me and it
was time to stop.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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At Kaitaia I found a room and set about drying out and
making plans for the next day… followed by a walk through the downtown area, a
stroll through the local grocery store where I picked up some supplies and then
I settled in to watch some New Zealand television: rugby, a sitcom, the news or
a still image of a handsome man on a ventilator… 5 channels… one way to keep
the kids off the tv!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I’ll try and share some more this evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its difficult as internet is not easy to come
by here and when you do – there are significant limitations on usage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For instance, in my room here last night I
had 24 hours of use but was limited to 300MB of upload or download.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, by the time I uploaded my pictures I
had used up all of the allotment…<o:p></o:p></div>
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On the Sabbath Road…<o:p></o:p></div>
Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-32092504477283968602015-09-06T14:32:00.000-03:002015-09-06T14:35:11.146-03:00Be Patient Toward All That Is Unsolved...<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s Sunday in New Zealand and I am feeling every mile of
the distance that separates me from my <o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHObEkCWaTroSTM-1eemrkgQKfZsrHyznh0Ye2XH4hLZTNd6G1MSlrW0Im6nCT0o_zJJZPztDhtyftFmx29iuKwv8WQlMEdICbTkW1IPo6aQtmvkoNZt2HTT_7yoWJfm_elb2JXfaxdk/s1600/IMG_4851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAHObEkCWaTroSTM-1eemrkgQKfZsrHyznh0Ye2XH4hLZTNd6G1MSlrW0Im6nCT0o_zJJZPztDhtyftFmx29iuKwv8WQlMEdICbTkW1IPo6aQtmvkoNZt2HTT_7yoWJfm_elb2JXfaxdk/s320/IMG_4851.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
cozy place in Sackville and those I am
apart from. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s been a very full three days… yes, its only been three
days that I’ve been on the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s kind of hard for me to get my head around as so very much has
happened, I have seen so much, and there is so very much on my mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At this moment I am in the space of thinking that I should
have just stayed home… but, I’m here and there is no going home at the drop of
a hat… so, I’ll just do my best to be fully present to what is happening around
me and within me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps this little
writing exercise will help me identify what it is that is stirring within me,
what is unsettled…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I sat to write I was reminded to the words of Rainer
Maria Rilke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve gone to them before
but they seem so appropriate for how I am feeling in this moment:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try
to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now
written in a very foreign tongue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do not
now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to
live them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the point is, to live
everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Live the questions now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps you will then gradually, without
noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Be patient…” this is the first difficulty for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so used to making things happen on my
schedule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am notorious for getting
things done and have long struggled with being patient when there is something
that needs fixing… I’ve gotten better at being still and quiet over the past
six months but its still a growing edge for me – and even more so when the
urgency seems so real.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What will I do
for work after the end of March 2016 when KPC Inc. winds up?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How will I support myself?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is unemployment an option?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even deeper than what will I do is the
question: “Who will I be?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll no
longer have a job to define my identity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Nor am I married anymore and as a result I will no longer be Anna’s
husband.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, I’ll still to that point
be serving the McCully Pastoral Charge, so I guess I’ll still be a minister in
the United Church of Canada.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yes,
I’ll still be Zack and Justin’s father – but even that role is limited these
days as they both become more and more independent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who will I be?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Or, maybe the question is better put: Who do I wish to
be?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do I want to utilize the gifts,
knowledge, skills and experience that I have accumulated over the past fifty
years as I live into the next twenty five years of my life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How will the values, wisdom and longings of
my heart shape what I do and work toward in the next half of my life?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And the point is, to live everything…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Said another way: be fully present, enjoy the
moment, live the question.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve been trying to do that since I landed on this long thin
strip of land in Pacific ocean – but – today it seemed as if the rain, the
trauma of the past few days and low lying clouds conspired against me and I was
struggling to say attuned to the moment – let alone be positive about the
horizon that was spread before me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I woke at 2am this morning I found myself troubled by
the events of the past two days: the accident where my host hit the young lady
who walked out from behind the bus, and the accident I came upon yesterday
where a car was overturned in a swollen ditch and I helped the driver to
safety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These two events together have
really thrown me for a loop in respect to my enjoyment of riding these beautiful
twisty roads and I began to think this morning about the road that lie before
me… and then I began to think about the bigger road… my life… and the many
unsolved things that await me at home: the ending of a marriage, the winding
down of a company, a new relationship, my changing role as a dad and son as
children and parents get older, trying to find a new job etc. etc. …<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I finally got back to sleep by repeating to
myself a mantra that I came up with in that moment:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I am loved.<br />
I am loved in so many ways.<br />
We’ll figure it out.<br />
It’ll be ok.</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> </o:p>“And the point is, to live everything…” I fell back asleep and woke again at 7am
where, after a piece of toast, coffee and an orange I set off with resolve an
optimism on the Gorge Road toward Wapiu… and my optimism lasted for about 10km
until the skies opened in a torrential downpour – and such was the rest of the
morning. Sunny break. Torrential downpour. Sunny break.
Torrential downpour. There was no
getting dried out… and the wind was strong and very cool…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the end, I made a wrong turn and rather than coming up
the coast as I had intended, I came up the middle of the north Island on Hwy
#1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was a little confused as to why I
was not seeing more coastline… now I know why.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
About 11am I arrived in Kaitaia and I’d had enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was wet, cold and feeling very unfocused.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not a good space to be in when riding a
motorcycle over unfamiliar roads – or familiar ones for that matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made the decision to stop for the day and
regroup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m glad I did.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With a hot shower, a cup of coffee, and shelter from the
rain the fog that was clouding my mood began to lift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I went for a walk down town, had a look
through a few of the stores and was surprised to see signs for Father’s Day
sales… I thought Father’s Day was celebrated on the same day the world over…
shows how little I know!!!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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I found a little café and picked up a couple of sausage
rolls for lunch and then ducked into the local liquor mart and got a couple of
bottles of local beer and then came back to the room and made a couple of phone
calls home… and here I sit now, doing my best to “live everything” in part, by simply
trying to identify what it is that is unsolved in my life: quite a bit
actually… and resolving again to be present to the questions… on the Sabbath
Road…<o:p></o:p></div>
Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-44823462693319429402015-09-02T08:40:00.000-03:002015-09-04T15:22:09.430-03:00Gratitude in Maungaturoto, NZI started this entry before I left home on Wednesday and it seems even more appropriate to continue it today, on Saturday, 15 hours ahead of those I love back home. <div><br></div><div>A number of months ago I started a taking a few moments to ponder what I was thankful for at the end of each day. I started this practice after hearing Carrie Newcomer's interview with Krista Tippet where she said:</div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div>"<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Each night as I go to sleep I say out loud three things that I am grateful for, all significant, insignificant, extraordinary, ordinary stuff of my life. Its a small practice and humble and yet I find I sleep better holding what light has softened my life... every so briefly at the end of the day... and after three things I sometimes find that I'm on a roll and I keep going..."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">It's a simple practice really. And please note: I don't call them prayers. I'm not talking to God or any such mysterious mystical supernatural being... I'm simply identifying in my life what I am thankful for. Things that may have occurred at random, or be things that I or someone else I care about, or who cares for me, directly or indirectly is responsible for. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">And then, I started to share these lines of gratitude with a new friend. What a powerful point of connection this sharing has become. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">When I identify those things that I am grateful for, in so doing, I name that which I value, what is important to me. It is an act of vulnerability to disclose that which is precious to you. For when you name what it is what you treasure, the other is given a glimpse into your heart.</span></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">And so today... after two full days of travel halfway round the world to a place below the equator where the water goes down the drain in the reverse direction to home...</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">... after a full day of riding beautiful New Zealand roads and only experiencing the briefest of spring rainbshowers.</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">... after the experience of a traffic accident on the way to the Farmer's Market, where my couch surfing host (in who's car I was riding)!struck a teenager who walked out from behind a bus and I was experienced the graciousness and care of human beings for one another. </font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">... after a glass of brandy, a warm fire, a dog at my feet to pet, a simple meal and a good sleep...</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">I am grateful:</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">- to be alive</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">- to be loved</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">- for safe travel thus far and for the care and gracious of all those who responded to the accident</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">- for this opportunity to experience a new country and culture</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">...on the Sabbath Road ...</font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">Written and posted on my phon as I do not have internet service where I presently am. I will update the blog later with pictures. </font></div><div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><br></blockquote>
</div>Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0Maungaturoto Maungaturoto-36.126005 174.345493tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-60146426699611885252015-09-02T08:20:00.000-03:002015-09-02T08:21:25.651-03:00Flying into the Sun... Toward Tomorrow...<div class="tr_bq">
There are two things about this upcoming trip that I am trying to get my head around: flying into </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBg29n1yw9bdoeSYNnt1YXINRxSnMoZ5bdOVDItbgt_5ceaUdTUrtm_fFm0Ouvz0M_cuzb55_rJarR5Kk_8x4Ay_J7y6Szw-mfbngPpZLxPCanf3j0qFkBmFMa4oQ0oyU6mM04YSRW6EI/s1600/IMG_4739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBg29n1yw9bdoeSYNnt1YXINRxSnMoZ5bdOVDItbgt_5ceaUdTUrtm_fFm0Ouvz0M_cuzb55_rJarR5Kk_8x4Ay_J7y6Szw-mfbngPpZLxPCanf3j0qFkBmFMa4oQ0oyU6mM04YSRW6EI/s200/IMG_4739.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
tomorrow and flying all night with the sun not setting.<br />
<br />
By the time I leave Moncton later this morning, it will already be tomorrow in New Zealand. That's not an easy thing for this simple mind to comprehend... an imaginary line that runs from pole to pole separating today from tomorrow as the world turns.<br />
<br />
Early travellers and those who needed to keep specific dates were the first to identify the issues related to circumnavigating the globe. They coined the phrase "circumnavigator’s paradox" identified by French Philosopher, Nicole Oresme who wrote:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From this it follows that if this [equatorial] zone were everywhere habitable, one ought to assign a definite place where a change of the name of the day would be made, for otherwise Socrates would have two names for the same day and the other [Plato] would have the same name for two days.</blockquote>
This reminds me of a conversation Krista Tippet had with Carrie Newcomer on her blog, On Being where Carrie spoke of of what it is to cross thresholds of fear and new opportunities. You can listen to the interview here: www.onbeing.org/program/carrie-newcomer-a-conversation-with-music/7049<br />
<br />
Carrie captured some of her reflections offered in the interview in her song, A Light In the Window which is found on the album A Permeable Life<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
Looking out at the night, the only driver's wheel<br />
Curving hips made of snow in the withered fields<br />
There's a house up way back where the lamp light glows<br />
Left a star out in the cold for the people I'll never know</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Who left the light, left the light in the window?</blockquote>
<blockquote>
What would I change if the choice were mine?<br />
I was doing the best I knew at the time<br />
And every door and was opened and door that closed<br />
All the things that made me glow, set me off down another road</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Out to look for a light, for a light in the window </blockquote>
<blockquote>
Now the old has already passed away<br />
But the new is too new to be born today<br />
So I'm throwing out seeds on the winter snow<br />
As the cold wind begins to blow<br />
Standing here on a new threshold</blockquote>
<blockquote>
I can see a warm dim light in the window<br />
And the world is a little storm<br />
And the world is a little close<br />
And the world is a little light<br />
And it's moving very fast<br />
<br />
I pass from mystery to mystery, so I won't lie<br />
I don't know what happens when people die<br />
But I hope that I see you walking slow<br />
Smiling wide as the sunlight grows<br />
Drop my map with a thousand folds<br />
In the distance I see a glow<br />
There's a light, there' s a light, there's a light<br />
In the window</blockquote>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAHPAp6rM8jvlLEwdSJl0XtFvrz60GZoEtQ7CR5bUb8lOdMwNDugbRgonhkQmrHDLz2hNcTsYq5_CQROnt8VJDGgZrmkyUByGUcYbYOXlmxx57UyB2T5zbbLziMpgB2XD0pCoWee87n0/s1600/IMG_4730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoAHPAp6rM8jvlLEwdSJl0XtFvrz60GZoEtQ7CR5bUb8lOdMwNDugbRgonhkQmrHDLz2hNcTsYq5_CQROnt8VJDGgZrmkyUByGUcYbYOXlmxx57UyB2T5zbbLziMpgB2XD0pCoWee87n0/s200/IMG_4730.JPG" width="200" /></a>It is a beautiful song that caputres many of the themes that resonate within me as I prepare to set off... "I was doing the best I knew at the time... the old has already passed away... standing here on a new threshold..."<br />
<br />
The other element of the upcoming flight that will be a new experience for me is flying into the sun - flying into tomorrow. Others who have made a similar journey, flying west out of Vancouver tell me that the sun will not set - and yet, you will arrive in tomorrow... and that requires trust, trust that even in the sun not setting that it will still rise tomorrow...<br />
<br />
And so, with coffee and an early morning visit with the light of a new day, I've put the final items in their proper places, taken out the garbage and answered some last minute emails...<br />
<br />
Westward... into the setting sun, into tomorrow... on the Sabbath Road...Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-26157291811482322372015-09-01T10:51:00.001-03:002015-09-01T10:56:50.876-03:00Preparations and Packing...I've been doing a lot of this lately: preparing and packing to leave. In the last year I've logged over 100,000 miles of air travel and spent many many nights in hotels, motels, dorm rooms and guest rooms... and met so many wonderful people of various cultures and faith traditions!<br />
<br />
Tomorrow I will board an Air Canada flight to Vancouver, where after dinner in the airport with our Regional Manager there, I will board and Air New Zealand flight to Auckland, NZ. I will arrive in Auckland at 5AM on Friday and at that point will be 15,057 kilometres (as the crow flies) away from those I love. Being that far away is not lost on me. There will be no running home in the event of an emergency - and, its a long ways away if something were to happen to me... but still, I'm going...<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8B96xEcRBOQ0cvTeHfnfX4AnsimDp60ff3Mov7fZzDujML60EyjTTRI_vP2WSZwsWwW70HFnjpAUQdqv1sXiyphQVwV6p_QZ5w4Fjv7ur-n-wjcWrTHLSDlenLwTlBqR2pKfxf1I5L3A/s1600/cropped-cropped-gonewalkabout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8B96xEcRBOQ0cvTeHfnfX4AnsimDp60ff3Mov7fZzDujML60EyjTTRI_vP2WSZwsWwW70HFnjpAUQdqv1sXiyphQVwV6p_QZ5w4Fjv7ur-n-wjcWrTHLSDlenLwTlBqR2pKfxf1I5L3A/s400/cropped-cropped-gonewalkabout.jpg" width="400" /></a>Despite all that has happened. Despite the difficult decisions I have made and the very challenging news received on August 20th, still I will set off on another adventure and treat it as something of an Australian walkabout, spirit-walk, an inward journey, a quest in which I will reflect on where I've been, what I've done - and yes, where the next stage of the journey might lead...<br />
<br />
I say, "might lead" because if there is one thing I have learned of late is that there is much in this life that is beyond my control. The only thing I can really control is myself and how I respond to what happens around me...<br />
<br />
Don't get me wrong... I'm not at all being fatalistic here. I choose my destiny. My choices determine to a large part how I will move forward... all I am saying is that my life happens in a larger web of being and much of that web I do not and cannot control. <br />
<br />
All I can do is be fully present in each moment and choose the best response to circumstances as they occur... asking myself always, "What is the next best action..?" Again and again... "What is the next best action?" giving myself permission to pause and be still and quiet as needed.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnOB0E5oH2up_-4iDDhtM9ptTVAAqKn19ZZeTqmWJQKKahu9x5QJczekxRkjgL_5YAEc-KTa7un-u6icWQKT0eHBtOJobvirLMeTj1QL-KpL5J7SH9STezAA2yZ6RHg03DdGz7QJ2s4A/s1600/quotetravel5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvnOB0E5oH2up_-4iDDhtM9ptTVAAqKn19ZZeTqmWJQKKahu9x5QJczekxRkjgL_5YAEc-KTa7un-u6icWQKT0eHBtOJobvirLMeTj1QL-KpL5J7SH9STezAA2yZ6RHg03DdGz7QJ2s4A/s400/quotetravel5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
I came across the image to the left earlier this morning as I was looking for another quote and it captured why I decided to go on this trip despite all the reasons why it might make more sense to cancel it all and stay home.<br />
<br />
In the end, I decided that there is more to be lost by not stepping out into the unknown then there was in remaining in the safe harbour... or, as Mick Jagger puts it, "The past is a great place and I don't want to erase it or to regret it, but I don't want to be its prisoner either."<br />
<br />
And so, the bags are more or less packed... one filled with motorcycle gear and the other with clothes. Two carry on bags are sitting by the door: one containing a helmet and the other will soon hold a computer and all the stuff one needs for more than 27 hours of aircraft travel...<br />
<br />
And my heart? My heart is ready too: for, I have come to believe "that there exists in the universe <br />
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something I call "The Physics of The Quest" — a force of nature governed by laws as real as the laws of gravity or momentum. And the rule of Quest Physics maybe goes like this: "If you are brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting (which can be anything from your house to your bitter old resentments) and set out on a truth-seeking journey (either externally or internally), and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue, and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher, and if you are prepared – most of all – to face (and forgive) some very difficult realities about yourself... then truth will not be withheld from you." Or so I've come to believe.” (Elizabeth Gilbert).<br />
<br />
... on the Sabbath Road ...Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-32096804718341895982015-08-25T09:41:00.000-03:002015-08-25T09:49:50.305-03:00Off the Road... Repacking and Regrouping...Its been a full, very full 10 days since my last entry...<br />
<br />
On August 16th I arrived in St. John's to begin preparations for the Annual General Meeting of the <br />
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Board of Directors of Kairos Pneuma Chaplaincy Inc. On the 17th my colleagues arrived and on the 18th and 19th we held our meetings filled with cautious hope for the future. <br />
<br />
I had planned ahead for the 20th. This date would have been Anna and I's 27th wedding anniversary and I knew it would be a difficult day for me... grief and sadness mixed with all the other feelings of self affirmation and hope that were part of making a very difficult decision. I knew that Dad would understand and I wanted him to be close. And so it was on this day that we rose and did a little 'tour around' as they say in Newfoundland: Signal Hill, Quiddy Viddy, Outer Cove, Middle Cove, Torbay, Flat Rock and Pouch Cove. At Pouch Cove we did a little off-roading trying to get to Biscayne Cove... lets just say the adventure spirit does not carry well in a rental car on a jeep path! We turned around after about 30km and headed back toward town.<br />
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On the outskirts of St. John's we stopped at a Mary Brown's Diner. Now I'd never eaten at a Mary Brown's before and I don't think I am likely to ever eat at a Mary Brown's anywhere else in Canada that has cod tongues on the menu!! Dad had a good breakfast, Greg Rodger's had something healthy (he told me I had to write that Arlette) and I had Mary Brown's chicken. It was all good... and we headed back to the Hotel where we met the rest of the gang and boarded the shuttle bus to Bay Bulls for a Puffin and Whale Tour with OBriens. It was my third time on this tour... and it was still awesome! The guide makes the trip! Music, good information and even better stories! Too soon the trip was over and we were heading back to shore.<br />
<br />
Back at the Hotel it was decided that we would have an early supper before Greg Frazer departed for the airport. Little did we know how important this decision would be... We made our way down Duckworth Street to the Duke of Duckworth Pub, put in our orders (if I never see another french fry for a month or more I'll be happy) and then John checked his email - and that's when the wind was sucked out of our sails...<br />
<br />
We had recently submitted a response to a Request for Standing Offers for the delivery of Chaplaincy<br />
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services over the next six years and in that moment we found out that we had been underbid. Another organization, Bridges of Canada had submitted a lower bid and as a result, there is now an end date in respect to our plans to deliver chaplaincy services to those in the care of the Correctional Service of Canada: March 31st 2016.<br />
<br />
We were stunned. We always knew that this was a possibility. We'd been very careful in drafting our response, building on our two previous successful bids. We'd analyzed our costs very carefully against some needs we had identified for the next six years: continued increase of salaries, training and professional development, a National Chaplaincy Conference, continued interfaith policy development, increase of benefits and so on... and in the end we were outbid by a few dollars per hour over the six year period...<br />
<br />
Our food came. We ate. Greg Frazer headed to the airport and the rest of us returned to John's room where we continued to process the events of the day even as we tried to make some tentative first steps into this new reality.<br />
<br />
As we shared that evening there was much gratitude in the room: thankfulness for the wonderful people we have had the opportunity to work with thus far, gratitude that we were together when we received the news, and even thankfulness that we had as much time as we did to assist the Chaplains, our employees, as much as we can in what will be yet another period of transition in their lives...<br />
<br />
And so, with deep deep sadness for all that had been lost and what would be ending, we drafted a <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJO-hSjZN-MlS16z4fImLyiDMA6NDnNE3HdkFMOQM7EijOP-zt-zLF__X8YK4S6yceV2F5X-hPhY92tfMfJtUCgZZc2Wi6FCBW-1ZO2OhQXfToKbXZlAqDg1RTJZI5EA5pyBRrptFDnxo/s1600/IMG_4624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJO-hSjZN-MlS16z4fImLyiDMA6NDnNE3HdkFMOQM7EijOP-zt-zLF__X8YK4S6yceV2F5X-hPhY92tfMfJtUCgZZc2Wi6FCBW-1ZO2OhQXfToKbXZlAqDg1RTJZI5EA5pyBRrptFDnxo/s200/IMG_4624.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Storm"<br />
A bottle of beer Dad <br />
bought for me on the 21st.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
communique to the employees and sent it to our translator knowing that the first way we could try and care for the Chaplains was to provide them with timely accurate information. We quickly realized that there will be much of this transition period that is beyond our control... the best thing we can do is focus on what we do have some control over and do that well...<br />
<br />
Sleep did not come easy that night. Despite the love that I experienced that night in the voices of those who care for me and believe in me, I still felt that I had failed. Failed myself. Failed my family. Failed my partners and colleagues. Failed the vision of interfaith Chaplaincy service delivery and failed the many individuals who had put their trust in KPC Inc. as a means to pursue and fulfill their vocation of service to <br />
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incarcerated women and men.<br />
<br />
I had put so much of myself into this vision and venture... as a result there are still moments when I go to this place... but, I am more and more being able to remain grounded in a place of gratitude and hopefulness and this is largely due to <b>ALL</b> that has been my life to this point as I remember daily what is most important: showing up with your best self and offering it to the world.<br />
<br />
I was also reminded that night, and since that night, again and again, that I am valued. Not because of what I do, or what I say, not because of what I create or even what I bring to others... but, as I am. I fell asleep that awful night reading again the words of a poem, that I had shared with a friend who beautifully and wisely sent it back to me:<br />
<br />
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<br />
As I am... far from perfect, but hopeful, quiet, thoughtful, gentle and generous... some of the best I have brought to the world thus far and what I will continue to try and offer to the world as the days unfold before me.<br />
<br />
On Saturday the 22nd, after spending Friday driving around in the fog (both figuratively and literally) with Dad as we toured the Irish Loop, he got on a plane and flew home to PEI and I drove to Argentia, NL to catch the Atlantic Vision for the trip home. <br />
<br />
While sitting in the Three Sisters Pub in Placentia Bay, having a final taste of Newfoundland before boarding the ferry, I realized that it was the anniversary of Jack Layton's death and recalled with deep appreciation his words to all Canadians:<br />
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<br />
And so, today, I regroup and I am beginning to think about repacking for a week from tomorrow I set off on a journey "down under" that will be bittersweet on so many levels - but, I will do my best to treasure the moments as they unfold before me remembering that this moment is all we really have.<br />
<br />
"Let us be..." <br />
<br />
Not, "Let us plan...". <br />
Not "Let us seek to..." <br />
Not, "Let us endeavour..." <br />
<br />
Simply: Let us <i><b>be </b>in this moment </i>loving, hopeful and optimistic...<br />
<br />
... on the Sabbath Road...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-62765413605615661402015-08-16T21:39:00.001-03:002015-08-16T21:50:40.579-03:00Music and its Mystic Ability to Hold Joy, Sorrow and Hope at the Same Time...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7Y7jfjdYu0OHo1YZZFATJ3jr7ux4PdUkZdsVb6HMWoNOP-J2eR4m4oCq1YOVHF-h-hXQQVduTpucRwOXi2CMcAURW4mheIWVfetdLDZWUVqXmERwN1k6yw3_R13antGtB_dkGryhccw/s1600/IMG_4502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7Y7jfjdYu0OHo1YZZFATJ3jr7ux4PdUkZdsVb6HMWoNOP-J2eR4m4oCq1YOVHF-h-hXQQVduTpucRwOXi2CMcAURW4mheIWVfetdLDZWUVqXmERwN1k6yw3_R13antGtB_dkGryhccw/s200/IMG_4502.JPG" width="150" /></a>It was a rather uneventful day on the Sabbath Road... I spent the morning working in the the room and connecting with folk back home including Zack, hearing of his hopes and plans for travel and with Justin, and of his new kitten and furniture building project... awesome boys... so proud of them!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoutSoQz8Ty44RDtAiRCxq87APp328gxv3syAvACJvCJsox_CB0Ucv-WVdhNYb0mMrG19BjmmCXVMlxqyaWdU2GZ5wOXwG7GYUs1cZqC47WuonXzVYiBCvR9SF20vNjmqY-y-_7RllRc/s1600/IMG_3861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGoutSoQz8Ty44RDtAiRCxq87APp328gxv3syAvACJvCJsox_CB0Ucv-WVdhNYb0mMrG19BjmmCXVMlxqyaWdU2GZ5wOXwG7GYUs1cZqC47WuonXzVYiBCvR9SF20vNjmqY-y-_7RllRc/s200/IMG_3861.jpg" width="200" /></a>With my work done I packed the bile and headed to the Courtyard Marriott - my home for the next week. I checked in with their new app and was disappointed to learn that my room was not ready... Oh well... there must be something to see in St. John's! <br />
<br />
I put my meagher possessions in storage and headed off: Signal Hill, the Battery, Water Street and back to Duckworth Street...<br />
<br />
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It was hot... and humid... a rarity for St. John's this summer!!<br />
<br />
I enjoyed the air conditioned room and ironed my clothes... and boy did they need it after being in compression bags for a week! I should have taken before and after shots!!<br />
<br />
With the clothes ironed I went looking for the swimming pool and was saddened to learn that there was not a pool in this facility... ah well, a shower and a beer...<br />
<br />
While drinking my beer I learned on Facebook (you learn everything on Facebook these days) that Jane Johnston and Kelly Burke were at O'Reilly's pub... and so, with my beer consumed, I went looking for Jane and Kelly, music and fish and chips - wondering what on earth I was ever going I was going to write about in this blog entry...<br />
<br />
I had a brief visit with Jane and Kelly, enjoying the music and watching two senior fellows dancing...<br />
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And when Jane and Kelly left I found myself sitting next to two British sailors on shore leave. We exchanged pleasantries and I found myself drawn deeply to the music: a ballad where the words were sad and the melody hopeful, a reel where the story was of brokenness and the tune lively and free, and a jig where joy met joy in completeness... and then, the last song of the set was a song that I first heard played in prison by a young man who, had it not been for alcohol and the demons of his past, could have been a top notch bluegrass artist: The Fields of Athenry<br />
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<br />
As I listened to the music I was taken back to to all the relationships I have been privileged to have with the men who came through the Chapel at Springhill Institution... pondering the choices that landed them in prison, their loss of freedom, the pain that was caused, the hope that some of them had for the future, and the reality that some of them are doing life on the instalment plan... and of course I remember and gave thanks for those who came through the doors, left and have never been seen again...<br />
<br />
Life is like that isn't it... a multifaceted experience where we can simutaniously know sorrow, joy and hope... its not linear... sorrow does not move directly to joy... nor does hope easily find its way into the midst of sorrow... and sometimes they are all present at the same time... Nor, is life clear cut. Just because I do "X" I cannot be sure that I will know joy... or if I do "Y" that hope will sustain me...<br />
<br />
This complexity of being can makes it extremely difficult to discern the "right" path... and so, I would suggest that it helps to listen to music and read poetry. Music nurtures our ability to hold life in creative tension and poetry helps remind us that the most awkward combinations of syllables can make sense...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>“Mysteries, Yes”</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
“Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
to be understood.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
How grass can be nourishing in the</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
mouths of the lambs.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
How rivers and stones are forever</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
in allegiance with gravity,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
while we ourselves dream of rising.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
How two hands touch and the bonds</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
will never be broken.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
How people come, from delight or the</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
scars of damage,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
to the comfort of a poem.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Let me keep my distance, always, from those</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
who think they have the answers.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Let me keep company always with those who say</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
“Look!” and laugh in astonishment,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and bow their heads.”</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
- Mary Oliver</div>
<br />
I have always found myself wary of those who think they have the answers... of late I am drawn more and more to those who say "Look!" and laugh in astonishment, and bow their heads...<br />
<br />
...on the Sabbath Road...<br />
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<br />Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-21119123362866140152015-08-15T18:59:00.001-03:002015-08-15T18:59:46.680-03:00Winterland, Around the Historic Loop and into St. John's...Today was a huge loop followed by a fast and direct drive into St. John's and as I rode I found myself <br />
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thinking about another individual who has come full circle and the pain and trauma that has resulted...<br />
<br />
I was up at 6AM or so and shortly thereafter Leo arrived back from Marystown with Tim Horton's coffee. Its a morning ritual of his... to drive the 15 minutes or so into Marystown, get coffee and sit with a few of his friends and catch up before the day begins... he'd said last night, with a sly grin, that he was taking the day off... Shirley rolled her eyes and smiled... he is retired and has been for a while!<br />
<br />
Leo and I enjoyed our coffee and we swapped a few hunting stories. We have this in common: the game need not fear us as we are both poor shots! Leo then got on to telling stories of moose collisions in the area... and these stories were fresh in my mind when I hit the road that morning.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpglvhZ8a_NQ25hrogCHisuXpyIZRfBARlTDpsYFU1oPxIQD7-Ij4a_xg2GAhB3SqOx-XT25DUNZ5KpB9vndn4Ys2YAZAs3rU9BuKmnf3lcaR7ohsiS6sF0r2bKJpUAiQCGkW5IhfmKGk/s1600/IMG_4459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpglvhZ8a_NQ25hrogCHisuXpyIZRfBARlTDpsYFU1oPxIQD7-Ij4a_xg2GAhB3SqOx-XT25DUNZ5KpB9vndn4Ys2YAZAs3rU9BuKmnf3lcaR7ohsiS6sF0r2bKJpUAiQCGkW5IhfmKGk/s320/IMG_4459.JPG" width="240" /></a>As he told stories Leo made me breakfast: toast and eggs. Boy was it good - and I didn't have to burn a tank of gas first either! With breakfast tucked away and the bike loaded I was off - and I wasn't 10 minutes from Winterland when I saw a car pulled over... I had to turn around and have a look... it would appear that someone didn't have a good night. Poor moose... I am sure the car is fine... hope the occupants are too!<br />
<br />
I was heading for Grand Bank. Not sure what I expected to find there - but the name is synonymous with Newfoundland and the cod fishery... and I did expect to see some beautiful scenery!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoiK2WTqtrbEkrlUD0LE5XlgCG6wb-gnVNJbmtILrZNKLFMAUMw044RFYfRvrPee6KODhiJrGiUvFOU5iYPfakLTUZdXx3fs6WqZWO2uMZEBCAddGS5D4rj004m2vinX8Dnii-XyoZa4A/s1600/IMG_4460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoiK2WTqtrbEkrlUD0LE5XlgCG6wb-gnVNJbmtILrZNKLFMAUMw044RFYfRvrPee6KODhiJrGiUvFOU5iYPfakLTUZdXx3fs6WqZWO2uMZEBCAddGS5D4rj004m2vinX8Dnii-XyoZa4A/s320/IMG_4460.JPG" width="320" /></a>But... before you get to Grand Bank you need to pass by<br />
<br />
Grand Beach. I could not pass by without going in to have a look see! And there I sat for a good 20 minutes enjoying the sounds of the morning as the ducks fed in the bay.<br />
<br />
Gand Bank was clearly once a hub of activity and a very prosperous town. Look at the size of the town hall - and the old home had such character. It is however clear that times have changed... <br />
<br />
The big boats have taken over. No longer is there the small inshore fishery... and the processing plant appears idle... As Leo said last night, "The inshore fishery was never a threat to the cod stocks... its the factory freezer ships that fish off the 200 mile limit."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAAhIfR_UsD4wzgd7UkSQtlHiEfxiD2fNSXxriBp3HcD8Z0JvbbJZkXP_4NVsZwDuQOl33Ua8yFGJyqr_P-04lZ4CU2g-H1RPHqv2yKeagX9D0HDTDZx0OhwEmzx8UGuyaDBqN4Z9Dijs/s1600/IMG_4464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAAhIfR_UsD4wzgd7UkSQtlHiEfxiD2fNSXxriBp3HcD8Z0JvbbJZkXP_4NVsZwDuQOl33Ua8yFGJyqr_P-04lZ4CU2g-H1RPHqv2yKeagX9D0HDTDZx0OhwEmzx8UGuyaDBqN4Z9Dijs/s320/IMG_4464.JPG" width="320" /></a>The next community on Hwy 210 is Fortune. Shirley had suggested that I might see the ferry from Saint Pierre and Miquelon arrive if I timed it right. Well, I missed the arrival but I did get to see it depart.<br />
<br />
I found my way down to the wharf and made my way out onto one of the jetty's and there I enjoyed the view and the sound of the gulls as I connected with loved ones back home...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUDGN2C8wmUmWLQz7LHsTqZdRGQusD9dRcci8qCSQN_DOi1DeE1_lhIl2TzS1-u-Xfb_TpdrBhg4g4JrxBpjqmzraOIzT5-tAbG9ClYqdd8U_TNjfig-ClANGrGyZuxZ_db9a4sljZgvA/s1600/IMG_4472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUDGN2C8wmUmWLQz7LHsTqZdRGQusD9dRcci8qCSQN_DOi1DeE1_lhIl2TzS1-u-Xfb_TpdrBhg4g4JrxBpjqmzraOIzT5-tAbG9ClYqdd8U_TNjfig-ClANGrGyZuxZ_db9a4sljZgvA/s320/IMG_4472.JPG" width="320" /></a>I am so blessed... so fortunate! To have this opportunity for travel. To be loved and supported. To see the sights I have seen and to meet the people I have met... it is never lost on me what a privilege this is... and so I don't take one moment for granted - seeking to enjoy every turn of the wheel and click of the shutter.<br />
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From Fortune the road swings south and the next community is Point May... but not before miles and miles of barren scrub land and the smell of surf pounding on the shore.<br />
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I turned off at Point May and took a little gravel road right alongside the shore... until the water from the springs made the rocks I was driving over too slippery for safety... It was worth the journey though! The sound, the smell and sense of vastness was all encompassing... and I could see Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the distance.<br />
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I got to thinking what it might have been like to be arrive on these barren shores as a settler or as a result of a ship wreck... and then my thoughts turned to another wrecking of lives...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Saint Pierre and Miquelon<br />in the distance</span></td></tr>
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Last night I learned that one inmate I'd known at Springhill was dead and another was charged with his murder. So tragic. I don't know the circumstances... and I don't need to... I'm just so sad that one person's life has been taken from them and another life is wrecked... It is my hope that those who grieve may be surrounded by love and care and are able to cherish those memories that bring forth life and hope!<br />
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From Point May the road turns east with the next stop along the way being Lord's Cove... as I approached I was drawn to a spit of land that jutted out behind the local Catholic Church... and yes, it was a graveyard - a fitting place for those who go down to the sea to have as a final resting place.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back toward<br />Point May</td></tr>
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I stopped for a few minutes and enjoyed the view - understanding why someone might want to be buried in this place: a horizon that has no end... and the feeling that somehow you could reach out and touch it.<br />
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I also had to take a few moments and fiddle with the GPS as it is being a bit of a pain. I really think that the miles and miles of being shaken within an inch of its electronic life is starting to take its toll on the components within... alas... I was able secure the battery door a bit tighter and I was good to go!<br />
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The island in the distance is not named - as far as I can find. The cemetery is to the right on the highest rise in the photo below. I can almost imagine the funeral procession making its way from the church carrying the casket up the hill with the horizon extending its welcoming embrace... earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust and life goes on...<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPIPGdThpbncXzhWJUfpFzVT0xahGp4WTaBoQaMhDTfT-j9NnrYwhHV2Ek3ePtMbJ0eKuoOeW5FDwIuemg7miHHOedMoCbLw-GbWREttkejjGHh0Torl9EvQaZSfkaiOl01ZfucXy_ns/s1600/IMG_3835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPIPGdThpbncXzhWJUfpFzVT0xahGp4WTaBoQaMhDTfT-j9NnrYwhHV2Ek3ePtMbJ0eKuoOeW5FDwIuemg7miHHOedMoCbLw-GbWREttkejjGHh0Torl9EvQaZSfkaiOl01ZfucXy_ns/s320/IMG_3835.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Life goes on....<br />
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The last time I was on the "Rock" the trip was cut short by the death of Randy Czapalay - Anna's cousin. Joan, Randy's mother had asked me to officiated at his funeral service and so, when he died and Al and I were at Walter's we headed to Port aux Basque and did not get to ride this part of the Island... <br />
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He and Deanna have I think since been over this way... but its not the same Al! The smell of the sea, the scent of the scrub spruce and the wind - the ever present wind that wants to push you back, put you in your place and keep you from getting ahead... you were with me in spirit today Al... and tomorrow I hope to get to Cape St. Mary and I'll take you along on that run too!<br />
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I stopped quickly in St. Lawrence and took the picture above of of the bay, and made the decision that I needed to make some some time... and so I did!<br />
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With the camera safely stowed and Carrie Newcomer singing reminders of the holy moments of life and love I made tracks...<br />
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Salmonier, Lewins Cove, Burin, Marystown... and back out the way I came in - riding the same road twice... breaking my cardinal rule of not riding the same road twice - but there was no other way back to the TCH!<br />
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By 2PM I made it to Goobies... yes, that is a real place! And from Goobies I put myself into the traffic heading toward St. John's... by 3PM I was checking into the Delta... so ready for a butt break!<br />
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With the bike unloaded and safely parked within view of the front desk (their idea not mine) I shaved and headed downtown to see what I could see! Popped into a few stores and then found myself at the Yellowbelly Pub where I enjoyed their sampler tray and an order of onion rings. Yum!<br />
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While chugging back the third big glass (a mouthful and a half) I just about choked when I saw this lady coming toward me carrying a male blow up doll... by the time I figured out it was for real I missed the opportunity to snap a picture! She had a veil on and there was a crowd of women around her... I added these up to equal stagette party... on George Street... wonder if they'll have to pay the cover charge for the guy she is lugging around with her?!?!<br />
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On my way back to the motel I saw a poster that may interest Dad... and if he buys the beer I just might tag along!! Hank Williams!! Should be fun! I may have to have a nap that day! It doesn't start til 10PM!! See you on Wednesday Dad!! Looking forward to it!!<br />
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Well, I just got back from the Signature Club lounge where I snacked on meatballs, nachos a chicken skewers and a potato skin... I'm thinking that supper is complete and i'm gonna wait for a while then go out for a walk and enjoy the warm evening air... and see what I can see...<br />
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Its been a fine day... a day of deep privilege... a day remember the gift of deep friendship and sadly, also pondering how quickly lives can be wrecked by one choice that leads to another that leads to another...<br />
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And so, as I end this entry I am thankful... thankful for all the good choices I have made that led me to this (yes privileged) moment in time... on the Sabbath Road...<br />
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Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4809635613129724583.post-38725256024032990622015-08-14T20:35:00.001-03:002015-08-14T21:03:41.114-03:00Flat Bay to Winterland via Buchans (on an ATV Trail) and the Wind Blows On...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;">Following a quiet evening of visiting with the Legge family and their daughter and company where I was presented with a gift of moccasins, I slept like a log and was up at 6AM. By 7AM I'd consumed a breakfast of champions (toast and peanut butter) and was ready to hit the road.</span></div>
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The day was overcast but the sun was working hard to break through the clouds! A great day for riding east...</div>
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The scenery was breathtaking! At every turn I was reminded how small and insignificant I am in this vast land... and that I was not alone.</div>
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At the Borgeo turn off I briefly debated turning south and going to Boergeo - just to say I'd been there... and, I'll not likely be this way again... after doing the math I quickly vetoed the idea - an hour and half down, at least an half hour to poke around, and an hour and half back... too far as I had a lot of ground already to cover...</div>
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The road was in fine shape. No hidden rim crushers... nice packed gravel and it stretched on and on... this was gonna be fun! Lots of changing light, and my head was constantly swivelling, trying to take it all in!</div>
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The bridges were a particular joy as the vista afforded of the expanse of water always brought forth an involuntary intake of breath in sheer delight of what was on display around me - on either side - the water of life flowing onward... never to be in this place in this manner ever again...<br />
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And then... the road began to narrow... and narrow some more until it was as if I was riding an ATV trail! By this time I was 80 or more kilometres in. Do I keep going or do I turn around? I wrestled with this question at each washout (no pictures as I was too busy picking a line) and at each water crossing (no pictures as I was too busy dumping the water out of my boots)... </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCnRFbduBrhYALJWFIgn8H_BmjCZ3Z_aEBqXRB8dyy2xupZik4dlLyEOG2HIVjvV0jwZ0OL25fCwM6wphvsXXUyT6xc6RDxL5q6WkxkqY_fTYpmf7kJ3fvxd52RnZEfCTcEJlN5HxJi4/s1600/IMG_4429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzCnRFbduBrhYALJWFIgn8H_BmjCZ3Z_aEBqXRB8dyy2xupZik4dlLyEOG2HIVjvV0jwZ0OL25fCwM6wphvsXXUyT6xc6RDxL5q6WkxkqY_fTYpmf7kJ3fvxd52RnZEfCTcEJlN5HxJi4/s320/IMG_4429.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Eventually I came to a sign. Buchans. This was good news. I knew I was going the right way. I also knew I was closer to the end then the beginning... so I kept heading onward toward the NE.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEYjEVwzlvziSSEkhagqyOmC-MJ2UJUmeoEWWVGlaNtP1FpOT21eX3HCxPA-IE2ZTOOKlqf7LIGT_tcfVAj1VZinRFOG6xdoOZYTNSI8BlYdsJ9PvcBd3yp6b1QFcN7T8dfXKyDtUQMI/s1600/IMG_4430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEYjEVwzlvziSSEkhagqyOmC-MJ2UJUmeoEWWVGlaNtP1FpOT21eX3HCxPA-IE2ZTOOKlqf7LIGT_tcfVAj1VZinRFOG6xdoOZYTNSI8BlYdsJ9PvcBd3yp6b1QFcN7T8dfXKyDtUQMI/s320/IMG_4430.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The further north I went the closer I got to Red Indian Lake. What a huge body of water!! It was at about this point that I came across five moose who were making their way across the road as they travelled along a power line cut. I'm glad they didn't pay me any mind. Unfortunately I was unable to get a picture of them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvusYH2ZXTfy7VfZqxhGd9SPaRlYhSgstfILwVtsnjHZOsUuxVjcpUM867o7tSuJdGYvlprtXSSFEHcViGV6QmSnuo2B8dYhs-XCQOnww5Pl6Bhi419x5KIlujO6XjPrBfaQSbJKT6KI/s1600/IMG_4439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvusYH2ZXTfy7VfZqxhGd9SPaRlYhSgstfILwVtsnjHZOsUuxVjcpUM867o7tSuJdGYvlprtXSSFEHcViGV6QmSnuo2B8dYhs-XCQOnww5Pl6Bhi419x5KIlujO6XjPrBfaQSbJKT6KI/s320/IMG_4439.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Above is a shot of the aftermath of a 700lb motorcycle falling over when the operators stops on an off kilter hill and can't hold it up as it starts to go... I'd stopped to get the picture below and when I put my right foot down there was nothing... and over she went. No harm no foul. Picking it up took two tries... and yes, I had to put my back into it!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XnGyxLt_uh_CggdbGXCgpS0myRHLIDU9ysgKQy9JAWdWC32ZwRmDjnU9i_YOMsKrlX69DhC7bLYte3L1FnYjf5N9bEOWDwE1lHiuJgW706pzqxwDzc789jH8u6iBiwaQ7YHB8lE6vJo/s1600/IMG_4431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8XnGyxLt_uh_CggdbGXCgpS0myRHLIDU9ysgKQy9JAWdWC32ZwRmDjnU9i_YOMsKrlX69DhC7bLYte3L1FnYjf5N9bEOWDwE1lHiuJgW706pzqxwDzc789jH8u6iBiwaQ7YHB8lE6vJo/s320/IMG_4431.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I took this picture below to give you an idea of the "rim busters" that littered this road. Sharp pointed rocks that are three quarters buried and there is a pointed part jutting up - ready to crack your rim if you hit it the wrong way. There is no casual riding on a road like this! Standing up on the pegs looking far ahead picking your line...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6vhYi6CGb2tgcQLpfedERjdMKeuNfb_2GzdRYFNeMB5ylcNDs9PKLIsrlVfkWNUFJ2pBJlwe3Orqlp4DuwXHKE6cY3CWfx8X19B6xwvw_GRbXyCeKn0Kxi5wXMkSo1ZphOcNUdDysrPw/s1600/IMG_4432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6vhYi6CGb2tgcQLpfedERjdMKeuNfb_2GzdRYFNeMB5ylcNDs9PKLIsrlVfkWNUFJ2pBJlwe3Orqlp4DuwXHKE6cY3CWfx8X19B6xwvw_GRbXyCeKn0Kxi5wXMkSo1ZphOcNUdDysrPw/s320/IMG_4432.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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And then you come across this... a sentry in the road way! No way was he moving... and I wasn't getting close... as long as I moved slowly along he trotted in front of me. If I stopped he stopped... and so I putted along until we came to a "Y" in the road. He went left and I went right... and I think that's why I ended up north of Buchans instead of coming out in Buchans... oh well, more gravel is good right!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kLV8t_jbvUzCX1q4gnpgDsH3X8ZXmlb48jgfnLCXreDWH9_4_7Ta_xn2y5YTVhY5BnKHOPMNnzECkUTOx1TSJnbbjs8k8rRi2MMQsTW1HmhtRXIFn7G08S31F5dCW5JTtuA0aUN0luA/s1600/IMG_4435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kLV8t_jbvUzCX1q4gnpgDsH3X8ZXmlb48jgfnLCXreDWH9_4_7Ta_xn2y5YTVhY5BnKHOPMNnzECkUTOx1TSJnbbjs8k8rRi2MMQsTW1HmhtRXIFn7G08S31F5dCW5JTtuA0aUN0luA/s320/IMG_4435.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Another river crossing...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAfhnVQ-YcCyAZ2OowheXEq39q73bZ63IVrDCYgthyYDoa6BlRsL1I9iuEDhSjlwV6eNLwvAjV_aqQzNlwGariFC3mZPt7DsLKiC6rwh-4aWuC2nxJf4Rg7tUeBSxSievmi4f9F2bV4w/s1600/IMG_4437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyAfhnVQ-YcCyAZ2OowheXEq39q73bZ63IVrDCYgthyYDoa6BlRsL1I9iuEDhSjlwV6eNLwvAjV_aqQzNlwGariFC3mZPt7DsLKiC6rwh-4aWuC2nxJf4Rg7tUeBSxSievmi4f9F2bV4w/s320/IMG_4437.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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A final view of Red Indian Lake...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQ69oeJqdIlaUvk7MlCySq-f6Le1xQonLHdwu4f5t3T-9lp1ZD-L3N51-7p__BKaAwXvnPC-9RLbokkSymBk2jU7FpTR1q-uQnIlPtS4ljHwD_zs8EkDk_OS-6Af1XpS7UrzP4EB8xhU/s1600/IMG_4438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQ69oeJqdIlaUvk7MlCySq-f6Le1xQonLHdwu4f5t3T-9lp1ZD-L3N51-7p__BKaAwXvnPC-9RLbokkSymBk2jU7FpTR1q-uQnIlPtS4ljHwD_zs8EkDk_OS-6Af1XpS7UrzP4EB8xhU/s320/IMG_4438.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And then a ride on the pavement into Buchans to find coffee... alas there was nothing to be found in Buchans... nothing! I'm told it was once a happening place... but there is not much happening there now. The one cafe is closes up and even the swimming pool is empty...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLowOox1eOTb89jiWKdEgVLh72aZKlCl6GSN15ZNjpQoQHbBqfUhRi8kahuYLJT1LzvhjFlJpwJhS_eelFeBTtaouVHwUA11__GTWUjsov7kZTI-7IwyQTcZrMxe1CD4OpVLZDX0HTVPk/s1600/IMG_4440.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLowOox1eOTb89jiWKdEgVLh72aZKlCl6GSN15ZNjpQoQHbBqfUhRi8kahuYLJT1LzvhjFlJpwJhS_eelFeBTtaouVHwUA11__GTWUjsov7kZTI-7IwyQTcZrMxe1CD4OpVLZDX0HTVPk/s320/IMG_4440.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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From Buchans it was on to Badger and then Grand-Falls Windsor where I fuelled up. With a full tank of gas my belly needed filling so I stopped for a lunchtime breakfast at Bishop Falls and from there is was quick moving in the rain on the TCH until I reached the turnoff to Marystown.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmpbJocUfiUZTVKYvVFqJfj3-XjKqNLbm6dzHJg8-6BuUO84fLeK-iBzVYyckskw9pEUz55-7h90rcotISQXxAisUCtga954Esi9c4ZWH6AMfdN-NAfFjE20A1GXiBeQpmseWq0qWAQY/s1600/IMG_4442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCmpbJocUfiUZTVKYvVFqJfj3-XjKqNLbm6dzHJg8-6BuUO84fLeK-iBzVYyckskw9pEUz55-7h90rcotISQXxAisUCtga954Esi9c4ZWH6AMfdN-NAfFjE20A1GXiBeQpmseWq0qWAQY/s320/IMG_4442.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTBGlaa9PLrI8PXMXeXrRRuLvrnjGFrH3Hr48kBim7GMEBNIC2Tup0Jk5B6F6zRpcRacWGV1auSt09Ts3ALf1C5WoeR_-9EAzT2sp3A9WzhW6oECigioY7oWPrhaoR8TcK1CuT3rOJDo/s1600/IMG_4446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTBGlaa9PLrI8PXMXeXrRRuLvrnjGFrH3Hr48kBim7GMEBNIC2Tup0Jk5B6F6zRpcRacWGV1auSt09Ts3ALf1C5WoeR_-9EAzT2sp3A9WzhW6oECigioY7oWPrhaoR8TcK1CuT3rOJDo/s320/IMG_4446.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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About 70KM out of Marystown my eye caught movement off to the left. I pulled over and sure enough it was a Caribou. This warranted getting out the camera...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQ6lM2fmRbeO9Ohf7tQRq-zRmOFb_eBwrBVrA2i4HvNIJaTIySnqToprsHS-CwXi1pULQTEQqcTltsdqWS2u-jMKC9FzYN2IRidxNHoJRlSwieWwGeo_57TTuzJwXGFhWk1zeQpeMOLE/s1600/IMG_4452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQ6lM2fmRbeO9Ohf7tQRq-zRmOFb_eBwrBVrA2i4HvNIJaTIySnqToprsHS-CwXi1pULQTEQqcTltsdqWS2u-jMKC9FzYN2IRidxNHoJRlSwieWwGeo_57TTuzJwXGFhWk1zeQpeMOLE/s320/IMG_4452.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The iPhone didn't quite capture it...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdzgBlRa5K1wuyZ_xkSRXPblK9SfKSfRpr8bjdKfSfGx8APPGCSYxjXOxthb-413TQ-fNwLGOytEYmCZjVZND-f7KJKZq77W_JF6PbfOlnQliBKAO9dYURBJ9FJphRDCEzzY4BMUnNcU/s1600/IMG_3821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHdzgBlRa5K1wuyZ_xkSRXPblK9SfKSfRpr8bjdKfSfGx8APPGCSYxjXOxthb-413TQ-fNwLGOytEYmCZjVZND-f7KJKZq77W_JF6PbfOlnQliBKAO9dYURBJ9FJphRDCEzzY4BMUnNcU/s320/IMG_3821.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even with the DSLR with a Zoom Lens<br />
he was still a ways away...</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-qZxoAz9mjrj_o2a0_80ocsAfGSarDpDP4_ot2tsRNJOwf6Re4LnoZzUcXUafyGjbK2LncgjkeqjpmlYLJVjdJPimiC5CbobduMAsVqox0XnUzcrc2vWkK97p4Lh4ywe2xRGVxJ25JzM/s1600/IMG_4448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-qZxoAz9mjrj_o2a0_80ocsAfGSarDpDP4_ot2tsRNJOwf6Re4LnoZzUcXUafyGjbK2LncgjkeqjpmlYLJVjdJPimiC5CbobduMAsVqox0XnUzcrc2vWkK97p4Lh4ywe2xRGVxJ25JzM/s320/IMG_4448.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">And the wind blows..</td></tr>
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As a navigated boulder strewn roads, whacked my mirrors on tree branches as the road became an ATV trail, and then sped along the TCH in the rain through Terra Nova National Park there were four constants in my mind all day:</div>
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<ol>
<li>My God its windy...</li>
<li>What vast barren beauty...</li>
<li>Am I ever small in the grand scheme of things...</li>
<li>My God its windy...</li>
</ol>
And wind is not likely to stop anytime soon... so like the trees perhaps all we can do is seek to grow where we are planted... and, if you look closely at those firs that point to the direction the wind blows there is lots and lots of tender new growth... tender shoots of varying shades of green... roots planted deep they <b>will</b> prevail against the harsh bitter wind... and they <b>will</b> provide shelter for the new seedlings that sprout below their limbs in the fertile soil of the bog... Those firs, they may not be the prettiest, they may not be the straightest... but they've grown in the harshest of conditions and in that - there is always hope for the rest of us...<br />
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...on the Sabbath Road...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUV4QEwZv-5Wde1Iyyn2ZmjHjsl7eAk4UpvTNU_WuEsCCH1Pjz_64GMI2ni7hYsY-P8Ph3Obn4Wjlq3rOC5lF9GvH63_cNACnsExQO33I_iK_FGgvjWOcUicDbRBgl_dC7a2pEqrEQJk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-08-14+at+10.01.55+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUV4QEwZv-5Wde1Iyyn2ZmjHjsl7eAk4UpvTNU_WuEsCCH1Pjz_64GMI2ni7hYsY-P8Ph3Obn4Wjlq3rOC5lF9GvH63_cNACnsExQO33I_iK_FGgvjWOcUicDbRBgl_dC7a2pEqrEQJk/s400/Screen+Shot+2015-08-14+at+10.01.55+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">717KM with an average speed of 71 KM/H<br />320 KM of Gravel Road</td></tr>
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Lloyd Brucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13143206345403687053noreply@blogger.com0