mattersofthemoment

We made it to Stockholm safely. It was a long day yesterday flying via Montreal and Munich. Everything went very well. Managed to stay up until 9 PM last night after a great feed of muscles and beer with our friends Judy and Bruce from Barrie, ON. Then we crashed!!

Today we spent exploring ‎the old town on Gama Stan Island. We spent hours touring the Royal Palace including the Royal Apartments, The Treasury, the Tre Konor and the Antiquities Museums. I really liked the Louis XVI tapestries, the military orders jewellry and the Roman and Greek busts and statues.

Saw the changing of the guard and enjoyed a fine marching band concert. After a little shopping we wandered over to the City Hall with spectacular views of the water.‎ On to the church where Sweden’s monarchs are buried.

After a short rest we headed out for a superb meal of Swedish meat balls and ‎arctic char with some great craft beer. Completely exhausted we went home very satisfied.

Stockholm is a very beautiful city spread out on dozens of islands. No wine though! We walked and walked and asked and asked and no one could tell us where the liquor store was. Seems they drink only beer here and quite a lot!

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the Bell network.

I purchased this book in 1981 and finally got around to reading it.  Marie read it first and that motivated me. It is a great story of an amazing man and ruler.

Peter the Great was born in Moscow in 1672 and died in St. Petersburg in 1725.  He was almost 7 feet tall and had the life long curiosity of a young boy about all things, particularly boats and the sea.  He reigned for 42 years, first as Tsar and then as Emperor of All Russia.  Brutal in repressing dissent and with a temper, he was respected by his enemies and much-loved by his subjects.  He is seen today as being an enlightened despot – a precursor of rulers who came later such as Napoleon Bonaparte, Frederick the Great of Prussia and his own descendant, Catherine the Great.

Known as the Great Reformer, he modernized Russian society where all the land had been owned by the nobility and worked by serfs (unfree peasants) for centuries.  He did this by studying first hand (often incognito) in Holland, Germany and France, the technologies and techniques used to advance these nations e.g., boat design and building.  Then he would personally introduce these new ideas into Russia.  For example he:

• adopted western dress in court society and required long beards to be shaven
• modernized the army into a well-trained, lead and equipped fighting machine initially with imported foreign commanders
• initiated Russian boat building, established the Russian Navy and opened up the Baltic and Black seas to maritime trade
• defeating the mighty Sweden at Poltava in the Ukraine and delicately held the Ottoman empire at bay
• built the magnificent city of Saint Petersburg – the Venice of the North on what had been vacant swamp land
• modernized banking, currency, the justice system, foreign affairs, education and church administration

Peter rallying Russia to victory over Sweden at the Battle of Poltava, 1709

This book reads like a novel and is a real page burner.  I particularly like how Robert Massie writes with complete command of the subject matter – his research is amazing.  He often branches down interesting side paths into the character and life of other key figures such as Charles XII of Sweden and George I of England.  There are a lot of details about the Great Northern War against Sweden but also much interesting  information about Peter’s relationship with his wife Catherine, his personality and the type of food and drink he liked (he was a prodigious drinker and eater).  The book is long at 850 pages and well illustrated with images and maps.

Russia in Peter’s Time

Prior to Peter’s time Russia was seen as a landlocked backwater and military laughing-stock of no import.  Thanks to Peter, Russia became a great power indeed as it is today.  However then as now, not many in the West fully understand Russia perhaps partially because of its geographic immenseness and location. Whenever Russia makes a move to protect her own interests, it is seen by many in the West as sinister and threatening to world peace.  I have more sympathy and respect for Russia and their history as a result of reading this fantastic biography.  I give it a 5 out of 5 rating.  It was a great way to prepare for an upcoming Baltic cruise!  Your comments are always welcome.

I am a lay Associate of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), Lacombe Province Canada.  I was called to this through Marie’s contact with the Galilee Centre in Arnprior where I met my first Oblate priests – Fr. Jack Lau and Fr. Roy Boucher, some 8 years ago.

I recently took a course about the life of St. Eugene de Mazenod, the founder of the Oblates.  I wish to discuss a few ideas here so that I don’t forget what I learned!

Eugene de Mazenod was born into a noble family in Aix-en-Provence, France in 1782.  His family had to flee to Italy during the French Revolution, 1789 to 1799.  Returning home, he had a conversion experience in church on Good Friday in 1807.  It led him to become a priest, found the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and become Bishop of Marseilles.  He died in 1861 with his last words practice charity, charity, charity. He was canonized in 1995 by Pope John Paul II.  You can read his full biography here.

The charism of the Oblates is a love of Church and desire to evangelize the poor about the immense love Jesus Christ has for each and everyone of us.  In the process we are evangelized ourselves: Evangelizare pauperibus misit me

St. Eugene taught us “We must strive first of all to lead people to act like human beings, and then like Christians, and finally, we must help them to become saints.”  Oblates live in community where they strengthen each other in faith, in charity, enriching each other from discovery of God and of Christ who lives and works in us and in the world.  As a lay associate I get to know many Oblates, learn from them and strive to live my life in a way that is in harmony with this charism.

It is indeed a privilege, honour and blessing.  What attracted me to the Oblates is their accessibility – as missionaries, they are among the people.  In an Oblate gathering you would not automatically know who are the priests and who are not!  Secondly, they are Christ focused.  My personal relationship with Jesus Christ is extremely important to me.  Thirdly, there is an emphasis on life long formation (learning) and conversion (perfecting my relationship with God and Jesus Christ).

Mary Immaculate is our patron saint and model.  Lastly there is hospitality, something magical that happens at every Oblate gathering. I wish to borrow a few words from Fr. James Behrens a Trappist monk as they gave me insight to write this posting about the Oblates.  He says:

“God reveals himself through the communal ritual of eating and drinking. Through the Eucharist, we believe God remembers himself for us.  He is brought to our midst and once again nourishes us with his very flesh and blood. We consume his life and he becomes, very intimately, a living part of us. When we leave the sacred table and reimmerse ourselves in the mundane routines of life, we bear God within us.  The body and blood of Jesus is indeed food for our journey through life.” (Living Faith, June 3, 2018)

Thank you St. Eugene for your apostolic zeal and the gift of the Oblate charism – love, patience, acceptance of differences and a focus on the poor which the world needs now more than ever.  And, most importantly, being nourished ourselves on the journey to sainthood.

Many of us continue to receive requests for funding of aging bricks and mortar upkeep expenses.  We usually respond with a donation.  Is this the right thing to do?  What are the alternatives?

Of course it is the right thing to do is the simple answer.  If we want to continue to have places to to worship in, to go on retreat or pilgrimage to or to live in, it takes money today to keep the doors open, comfortable and safe tomorrow.  But how does one decide when the time comes to close those doors and seek an alternative?

Usually this relates to the increasing cost of renovations and maintenance of a facility beyond which it is simply not economic to maintain.  We saw this recently in Ottawa where a large number of 60 year old rental town homes are to be demolished and newer structures built as decided by the corporate owner/developer.

For aging churches and religious retreat houses and shrines, the long standing tradition of their presence in the community can be hard to end.  Generations of patrons have supported the facility with funds and participation and would be most upset if they were to suddenly to close.

However, owners of these religious facilities, dioceses and religious orders cannot be expected to underwrite the ever increasing cost of maintaining aging infrastructure beyond the point they believe is economically feasible.  Closure is not only influenced by the available level of financial support from the communtiy but as well by the availability of pastors and lay volunteers to operate and animate the structure.  

So when your local church suddenly closes it’s doors, what will be  the alternatives?  I went to a conference a few years back all about repurposing of religious facilities such as creation of multi-congregation shared worship facilities.  Many churches, retreat centres, convents and monasteries have closed and resurfaced as community centres, concert halls or museums (e.g., in Europe).  Many sites too have been sold to the highest bidder however a portion of the facility is often preserved for heritage purposes.  In the end, it is often a sad day, signalling a change in the local communities support. But what can we do as parishioners now before our beloved church or retreat centre is closed?  I posed this question to an Oblate priest recently and here is his response:

Talk to your local pastor and bishop about your willingness to establish a lay led prayer group that would continue to meet in people’s homes and be supported with visits by ordained priests or ministers. This is the way the church started pre-bricks and mortar. Is this the way of the future?

I spent two-thirds of my 25 year government career working for Measurement Canada (MC).  These are the people who certify the accuracy of gas pumps, weigh scales, electricity and gas meters, either directly or through partners.  It was a great experience working as an engineer, a laboratory manager and program officer.  I got to work with dozens of wonderful people all across Canada as well as travel to the U.S and Europe.

What do they do in the Standards Building you might wonder?  They test and approve new meters and weigh scales before they can be used in trade.  They also calibrate measurement standards used for certifying in-situ measuring devices e.g., test weights.  Hum drum work you may think – but getting what you pay for in trade measurement is a fundamental marketplace right of buyers and sellers that has existed since iniquity.  Weights and Measures was the no. 17 responsibility of the federal government in the Constitution Act of 1867.

Well the other day, I went back for a visit.  The occasion was the retirement of boss and colleague Alan who was MC’s President since it’s inception in the mid 90’s.  Alan is a very affable leader who gained the respect of every one he came in contact with. He is a very gifted speaker, able to toss out one liners and get a laugh on any occasion.  For e.g., Industry Canada the home department of MC, has now been renamed from ‘IC’ (I see) to ‘ISED’ (I said) (Industry, Science and Economic Development), Alan explained with glee.

I had not been in the Standards Building since 2002 so it was a wonderful experience to go back and see colleagues and friends.  Sadly, several people have passed away and some others are not so well.  Some look exactly the same as they did 16+ years ago and there were a lot of new young faces.  There were speeches, lots if memories and we were almost in tears as we reminisced about the good old days.  Alan had us in stitches as he recalled some humerous experiences he had over the years.  He started his government career in 1972 (when he was 3 years old ha!)  He was President of the International Organization of Legal Metrology in Paris for 6 years and well known for his volunteer corporate work in classification and the United Way.

Colleagues

VP Sonia

Retired VP René

Retired VP Gilles

Alan has the last word, IC is now ISED

This was a two stage retirement party.  Two weeks later there was a second get together at ISED at 235 Queen St.  This too was special as I worked there for 8 years in corporate HR after my MC days.  It was great to meet up with my old team members Sawsan, Bernard and Abu and catch up.  The memories are great.  I really miss you guys but not necessarily the commute, endless meetings, etc.

Thank you MC and ISED for the great career experiences, the friendships and all those wonderful memories.  Hope to see you all again soon.  Stay well and have a happy retirement Alan.

Dave Morgan

As we said goodbye to Florida we enjoyed some last get-togethers with our American friends.  It was the last social party night of the season at the pool.  But before that we enjoyed a few other special activities.

Larry, Cindy, Kevin

Cousin Larry from Ottawa, Cindy from Ohio and Kevin from Michigan (brother of Cindy) and I enjoyed a great round of golf at Myerlee. It was a perfect afternoon of fun and not about the score.  It was a great way to end the golf season down here after playing 11 times including a round with son Kyle when he visited this year.   Larry and I made plans to play the Oaks of Cobden later this summer.  Thanks you guys for the great day!

Yoga in the park was another favorite activity for us again this year.  Anna and her husband Chip run the Yoga Bird studio in FM.  They provide an hour of (free will donation) yoga in Alliance for the Arts Park every Saturday.  I find yoga quite grounding, especially when outside, and look forward to continuing under Marie’s expert guidance.

There were some other last call activities.

Deb and the Dynamics at the Tiki Hut, Cape Coral

Last walk on Bunche Beach

The final pool social is organized expertly by Sam each year.  Everyone is starting to think about heading home but needs one more blast before doing so.  This year was no exception and it was another great success.

Sam from the New Jersey shore, knows how to organize a great party

Sam’s wife Susan dancing with John

There is plenty of tasty food – BBQ sausage, burgers, salads, rich desserts and hot dowgs!  There is a DJ that plays music that gets us all up dancing.  There is lots of laughter and gaiety as we reflect on another warm winter down here.  I took a few pics of our American friends for posterity purposes.

Chuck hams it up with the DJs

Janice and Murray, Branson, MO with friend

Dee and Ron, Atlanta, GA

Carol and Bernie, Mentor, OH

Jimmy and Margaret, Boston, MA

Pat and Marty, Boston, MA

Elizabeth and John, Ottawa, ON

Cindy and Chuck, Ohio

‘Sisters’ Marie and Cindy

It’s hard to find something not to like at our condo complex and we made so many great friends.  Nevertheless we have decided to go to Mexico next year to seek a new adventure.  So for now, this was our last get together with our winter family in FM.  We asked Tricia our condo owner not to forget about us as we could be back the following year, God willing.  Going to miss you guys, but never say never!  Until we meet again in FM or elsewhere…thanks for all these memories.  Ain’t that America, eh?

Luv to y’all!

Marie and Dave

Beautiful jacaranda in full bloom

2018 Sanibel-Fort Myers Invitational Mini Putt Championship

Marie and I enjoyed some great times with John and Anita again this season.  John and I met way back in 1969 at U of W in 1st year engineering.  We roomed together for a couple of years and then went our separate ways.  We reconnected at our 40th class reunion and discovered that we were spending winters less than 30 min apart in FL.  Since then, we have gotten together each winter for some fun and to reminisce about the good old days.

John demonstrating his winning style

The grounds of Sanibel

This year their daughter Beth was visiting from Seattle.  The weather was superb so we planned another Mucky Duck sunset experience on Captiva Island.  This time we had to wait well past sunset to get in.

Beth and Anita waiting for our table in the dark

Another great evening together at Mucky Duck

This year we went to a Blue Jays vs. Tampa Bay baseball game up in Port Charlotte.  It was very hot that day and we had great seats.  It is a very nice country like ball park with great hot dowgs!  While the result was close, Jays lost 6-5.

It was another great winter in the sun with you guys.  We plan to get together again soon in Ottawa or Saskatoon.  Thanks for the great memories.  And thanks for all those shells Beth!  Safe trip home and Happy Easter!

Sanibel shells

P.S. This year John reminded me of our first trip to Florida together in 1973.  Friend Rick and I drove my 1970 VW Beetle from Ottawa.  John and Mike (another class mate) drove from Toronto.  The plan was we would meet up at Daytona Beach…  Rick and I drove all night long to Daytona.  After arriving and driving a few miles on the beach we backed into a parking spot with hundreds of other cars around.  About 10 min later along comes John and Mike who just happened to turn in at the right spot and spied us right away.  It was pre-internet serendipity!  We continued on to the Keys for a great sunny stay in our tents.  Here are few scanned pics from that era.

John with Mike, Caffee Gawd!

Rick and Mike in the Keys

My 1970 VW mint

Me in the era

Jennifer and her mother Irene on Sanibel Island

We were blessed with a recent visit from Irene and her daughter Jennifer.  Irene is a dear friend from Arnprior whom we met through Galilee and Jennifer lives in Syracuse, NY.  They were on their annual getaway together and chose to visit us in FM.  They stayed in the same condo complex so it was easy to meet up.

View of the pool from their condo

They kept us hopping.  From great restaurants, to walks on the beach, to shopping, movies, chatting and many a happy hour, we tried to keep up with them.  They enjoyed escaping the late winter weather up north and we enjoyed showing them the sights here.

At the Wednesday night pool party

Shopping at Lakes Park market

Jennifer in the ocean

We went out to a number of restaurants for some great meals together: Cafe Toscano, the University Grill, Nomikis Plakka (Greek), the Lazy Flamingo and the Coconuts pool side restaurant at Casa Ybel.  Our personal favorite was Cafe Toscano – great pasta and eggplant and service at reasonable price.

On the pier in Cape Coral

It was their mutual birthdays so their family bought them a dinner out at Blanc, a new upscale epicurean restaurant that has received rave reviews.  They loved it!

Marie and Dave went out the next day to the 60th annual shrimp festival at Fort Myers Beach.  It was a fabulous peel and eat shrimp boil up on the beach.  Here are a few images of that colourful food experience.

Yes, we likely gained a few pounds, but hey it’s not everyday that Irene and Jennifer come to town on their birthdays.  Thanks you two for your wonderful visit, the fun and great eating, wine and conversation we enjoyed together.  We’ll do it again real soon.  Thanks Jennifer for the great extra photos.

Kyle left, Ashley right

Last year, Michelle, Tim and the boys had a great visit with us in FM.  This year, Kyle and Ashley dropped in for a whirlwind visit.  We had an active time together!  They arrived after visiting Texas, New Orleans and Orlando by car.  We tried to show them the FL lifestyle as they wanted to do everything and never seemed to tire.

Day 1 was a visit to Fort Myers Beach.  That day, Fort Myers was the warmest place in the continental U.S. at 31 deg.  It was also calm and surprisingly uncrowded given that March break was about to begin.  We spent a marathon 6 hours on the beach until sunset.  Ashley and Kyle did the parasailing thing as we watched warily from shore.  Piece of cake remarked Ashley.  No problem added Kyle.

We ended the day with dinner at our favorite restaurant – Doc Ford’s.  Of course we had to have the signature dish – Yucatan Shrimp.  Food and service was great as usual and there was no traffic getting home.  We stopped at Love Boat Ice Cream for dessert and enjoyed some spontaneous singing of Sweet Caroline.  Great start.

Day 2 was an outing to beautiful Sanibel and Captiva Islands.  Friends John and Anita invited us to drop by their beach front condo for some walking and shelling.

With Anita and John on their roof top

Then it was on to Captiva Island for a dolphin cruise.  We boarded the Lady Chadwick not knowing what to expect.  We saw our first dolphin in the mouth of the harbour and then dozens more as we toured around Pine Island Sound Aquatic Preserve.  We were so close to the leaping dolphins, we were getting splashed.  Dolphins love to frolic in the wake of the boat and apparently eat upwards of 30 pounds of mullet a day.  Males travel in 1s or 2s.  Females travel in pods and form a circle to protect a birthing mother.

For dinner we headed to the Mucky Duck restaurant for our 3rd annual get together on Captiva beach.  John and Anita joined us and we arrived just in time for another glorious sunset.  Too much fun – we are getting younger down here with Kyle and Ashley’s influence.

On day 3, Kyle and I started the day with a little swimming in the 25m pool across the street.  We followed that up with a game of golf at Myerlee with two nice young men from Nashville and Baltimore.  Ashley and Marie spent the day shopping at Bealls, TJMax, Rosses and Peltz shoe after getting pedicures.  That evening we went to our local go to sports bar Bucketts for their Thursday evening backyard BBQ – ribs and chicken, yum.

Day 4 was upon us already.  We enjoyed a Blue Jays – Twins game at Hammond Stadium.  It was a 2-1 Twins win after the Jays stranded 2 in the 9th.  John and Anita were there too.  It was very hot in the sun but hey, it was all time record heat all month here.

We went on to Castle Golf miniputt beside Lakes Park for a friendly round.  The men against the ladies.  Scores: Ashley 57, Marie 57, Kyle 57, Dave 58 – ladies win!  It was real fun and we worked up an appetite for Sweet Tomatoes salad buffet restaurant.

The next day Ashley and Kyle sadly had to head home for Winnipeg leaving us after a fabulous visit.  Thank you Kyle and Ashley for spending your precious vacation time with us.  Come back next year!

We love being with our family and let’s hope we can get together again soon.  Luv, Mom and Dad.