Canada, the Free and Canada the Brave

I am not exactly sure what inspired that heading that tries to be sentimental , but somehow it feels right. I have come to a new place in my sense of presence here  in this country . I am seeing just a tiny piece of one corner but I feel right about being here. In simple terms, there are a whole lot of enormous trees that are the landscape in this region and it feels as though each one is the voice of the people living here . Even though its a very easy thing to say, and of course i have not researched it beyond the end on of my arms, Canada is a country of quietly mindful people who are one of a seriously solid voice saying, "leave us alone"

Surrounded by these magnificent old growth douglas fir trees  makes me feel reassured that planet earth can sustain and correct the mistakes and misguided choices of so many. I think that a frequent view of vast expanses of water, helps to  create a sense of endless calming assurance that the planet is in safe hands. That is to say, to the naked and untrained eye, oceans of water look constant in their ability to send a placatory message of never changing, apart from low and high tide.  We all know this is not true.

As an example of the rapidly changing planet, for me, at my age even the simplest update on my increasingly dependable phone becomes a cause of trepidation. I only just figured out how to navigate the  update from last week, but now today, there is a whole new way of doing a basic procedure. Feeling angry at myself for not wanting or needing an upgrade on anything much beyond painting effectively,  I had a moment of clarity. I think the human body and brain have been designed , pre AI , to use those 7 stages of "man" to good affect.. As kids we learn , grow, perfect, master , perfect even more and maybe even teach . Then we stop needing to learn because we were  designed  to reflect and perhaps report on what we have already experienced. .We were not designed to do weekly retraining of outdated tasks  that were introduced a week ago..  So I have to remind myself that only technology has to be updated, not me !!! I can grind to a halt and live in  bliss by pretending that I am allowed to be confused or misled. It's not me that is at fault; I am  not allowing my quality of life to be determined by technology. 

On day 2 of the car rental I finally made the drive to Duncan and a couple of other coastal small towns., Ladysmith and Chemainus on the interior coast . Duncan is the traditional territory of tbe Quw’utsun people . The name loosely translates into Cowichan Tribes . in this small and very pleasant town are several totem poles made by the people who live in this area. Each carved pole is denoted with a plaque that tells about the story behind the carving and also a brief biography of the carver artist. The small town felt as though it was self-contained and it not in need more orf anything much.- totem poles to provide and history and reason, coffee shops, and enough funds to attract a like minded folk but not create an overflow of investment . I liked this town. and perhaps that is why i wanted to visit , without really knowing what was there .

The malahat overview . on highway 1

The same place my rental car broke down 2 weeks earlier 

totem poles made by lysol trees people 

 Ladysmith  a small town but very pleasing 

not an unusial sight except there are so many of these!!