Erin's Journals

Just a thought… Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. [Frank Lloyd Wright]

And…here comes summer. Tomorrow morning in the wee hours (5:14 am Eastern Daylight, so 2:14 here on the west coast) we will usher in the official beginning of the sweetest season (in my books, anyway), although meteorological summer, as they call it, began June 1^st.

Are you like me? I keep an eye on weather in places where I have people I love. I check Kelowna, then Calgary, then move east to Toronto and Ottawa. I’ve seen how very hot Toronto has gotten over the past little bit – that familiar swampy feeling comes to mind – but here we’ve not had to turn on our air conditioning once, as temperatures rarely and barely break the 20C mark. We’ve far more El Niña than heat dome this year, which is fine with most of us, except for the people worried about high water levels once again. Thankfully, here on our part of Vancouver Island, we’re not watching rivers rise.

What we are watching for is nature’s gentle renewal. Our yard has already seen the dogwood tree bloom, the rhododendrons are done and even the poppies have mostly come and gone. Whoever planned our seemingly random yard did it well; there’s always something blooming, we never have to plant and, best of all, there’s not a single worry about visitors of the four-legged kind. Let them eat whatever they want. Let the other gardeners worry about their bulbs and blooms. Us? As always, just grateful for the attention.

But guess who keeps coming back? 

I squealed on the weekend when these two showed up. At last – a fawn.

Now usually I’d go out on the deck and not shoot through the window as I did here, but I didn’t want to scare them off. Imagine being as jumpy and totally aware of its surroundings as a deer is on the calmest of days. Then ramp that up times 100 because you’re protecting a baby as well. Oh my.

The little video of their visit (which is included in the video version of this journal on my Facebook page, or here on YouTube) is not as exotic as a trip along the Rhine, not as dramatic as a sail on the Nile or even whale watching (which we’re hoping to do this summer with Colin) but to look out and see a momma who would lie pregnant in the back yard in the spring, now with her new little treasure having arrived? That gives me a Sunday morning feeling no matter what day it is!

Oh, and here’s your weekly reminder that tomorrow, Tuesday, another Drift sleep story. More nature! It’s a favourite of mine that I’d love you to visit – or even revisit – as I wrote it myself.

Sleep Sheep of Provence is about a travel writer (maybe you) who journeys to the south of France to witness for herself the moving of the herds to cooler fields for the summer. Join me – it’s so easy: just click here and do enjoy these gentle sleep stories. No matter how bright it is outside when it’s time to call it a night.

Have a lovely week and I’ll be back with you Thursday.

Just a thought… Life is about perspective and how you look at something…ultimately you have to zoom out. [Whitney Wolfe Herd]

As always, you can watch a video version of this journal on my Facebook page, or here on YouTube.

Before I get going, I want to wish you a Happy Father’s Day this weekend. My dad, seen here, turned 89 last Saturday, quietly, with lots of naps and, of course, at least one chocolate milkshake. We’re grateful to be able to wish him the happiest of days and a healthier year ahead.

This is one of my favourite shots, from last June on Okanagan Lake.

As you know, Rob and I enjoyed a glorious AMA Waterways River Cruise from Amsterdam up the Rhine to Switzerland. The past week has given us time for reflections, like this one in Amsterdam….

Isn’t it just so serene?

Then there was Cologne, where lying on your back can be the best way to get a picture like this. Glad the sidewalks weren’t quite as poopy as they are in Paris!

You can stand in awe while you look at the lighter parts of this cathedral, partially rebuilt after the Second World War.

But it was also a time to look upon the light or shadow that easing out of a pandemic cast on this recent excursion.

First off, masks. Rob and I wore them consistently on planes and in airports, noticing all the while that in Amsterdam, few people did (despite signs at the airport requesting we do), while in Frankfurt’s insanely busy headache of an airport, almost all travellers donned theirs.

On the riverboat, the rules were, like so many places in our lives here in Canada and abroad, a little blurry.

We could take off our masks while seated at dinner and in the salon, but if we were standing or walking (outside of our cabins), the mask had to go on. Those of us who chose to do so wore our masks in crowds and in stores and, of course, on buses and so on. A virus was not something I wanted us to be bringing home.

Covid precautions aside, the feeling expressed by most of us – all 80 or so who were on our trip together – was gratitude to be travelling again.

And there was a feeling of togetherness that I had forgotten. We all had our favourite radio station and memories in common; people were so kind and it felt more like a reunion of sorts than a group vacation.

I want to end on this note of beauty and positivity. Although Rob and I lost our luggage, thanks in part to a too-short connection in Frankfurt and the inevitable staff shortages worldwide as workforces feel the toll of illness and pandemic hangovers, there was one woman who was a beacon of light to us all.

Sharon O’Driscoll is a retired school principal who joined us on this trip. Unfortunately, her luggage did not. She told us this with a laugh on our first day together and then I made a little announcement to our group. Well, it only took a few words, and people stepped up. I lent her a few tops; others gave her moisturizers and toothpaste and other items to help make her week manageable.

But Sharon had the best attitude. She didn’t complain. She laughed and made friends, and she turned a distinctly negative occurrence into a chance to connect, to be vulnerable, to accept help.

Even at the hotel after her cruise, the one little carry-on that she had went to the wrong room. It seems that for someone that light of spirit, Sharon is indeed carrying precious little baggage. It’s just that the universe, with its twisted sense of humour, decided to test her on that, literally. Oh, and her bags did finally arrive – at her home – one night before she got back to Canada. There they were to greet her.

Thank you, Sharon. Thank you to each person who joined us on this trip. To Nick with AMA, to Gerry with New Wave Travel in Toronto, who never disappoints, and to you for coming along.

We won’t be leaving Canada again for a good long while, as family holds us here like a precious magnet. But it was lovely while it lasted. And, yes, the laundry is finally done. Have a good weekend and, again, Happy Father’s Day.

Just a thought… It doesn’t matter where you go, it’s who you have beside you. [Author Unknown]

You can watch a video version of this journal on my Facebook page, or here on YouTube.

Well, we’re home, along with our luggage (more on that Thursday). And I hope you enjoy some pictures I couldn’t wait to share, taken from our home-away-from-home for one week, the stately AMASerena, part of the fleet of Ama Waterways’ gorgeous river boats.

Some of our group arrived in Europe earlier to explore the Netherlands, but Rob and I began our journey in Victoria, flying the smooth 10 hours from Vancouver to Frankfurt. From there we were hustled by bus and eventually ran to our gate; with long lines at customs we made it with just minutes to spare on to our one-hour flight to Amsterdam (a hair-raising experience we’d repeat in Frankfurt on our way home; more on that to come another day).

After a nap, we connected with our dear pal Mike Cooper over dinner at a brasserie. (Imagine how disappointed Mike was when he learned “brasserie” and “brassiere” were two different things. Oh, Mike.)

We had much catching up to do – and, of course, laughing, hugging and telling stories (some of them actually true)!

We had breakfast in our hotel, that Anantara Grand‘s lovely winter garden atrium.

Then we packed up and headed to the AMASerena. Our group was comprised of mostly couples who’d booked the ‘Erin & Mike on the Rhine’ trip; but I guarantee you everyone else had fun with us, too.

We gathered for dinners; Mike and I each hosted a table of ten every night with wonderful folks who hung on for nearly three years (through two postponements) until this river cruise finally took place.

During our stops, we did a bit of shopping and had some outings that may or may not have included more food (this was waffles, cherries and dairy two ways in Rudesheim).

Cycling, bus and walking tours were offered, but what really drew us all in was the scenery: the chance to cruise along the Rhine River. Visually dramatic with its geological and historical treasures, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the largest and oldest cultural landscapes in Europe.

If one kept count, there were some 20+ castles and the views were spectacular. What a way to spend just part of a day!

The social highlight once again this second and final cruise with us was the dance held on Friday night. Even after a long day of sight-seeing and cycling, our group was still ready for a great time dancing and laughing. Yes, there were masks worn on the dance floor, and at one point, a bra being held aloft over the dance floor (not mine) but it was a fantastic time, thanks to the DJ, my Rob, of course, and the incomparable (and, yes, very sweaty) Mike Cooper.

Thanks for coming by. When I come back here on Thursday, what this trip taught me, after years of travelling with listeners who became friends. But for now, I’ll wish you a wonderful week. By the way, there’ll be a new Drift story tomorrow: my kinder, gentler retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. Do join me, won’t you? 

Hello My Friend: 

I had hoped to post a new written journal for you here, but some extenuating circumstances (such as two missing suitcases) prevented me from doing as good a job as I would like. Besides, I (okay, we) have about four loads of wash to do!

In its stead I have a link for you to a little video (very brief) shot in the incomparable Rhine River Gorge, with a shot of two castles in one moment…and a whole lot of peace. What the world, and our souls, need now more than ever.

Be well, have a safe and happy weekend and I’ll be back with a full journal – and lots of photos – here on Monday!

Erin

Just a thought… Teach your children to dream big, that the sky is the limit and that anything is possible if they want it bad enough. [Billy Cox]

You can watch a video version of this journal (and you’ll want to today) on my Facebook page, or here on YouTube.

Hey there and hello from somewhere on the beautiful Rhine in Europe – likely in Germany, where we spend most of the week. I have for you today a video that I’m just so thrilled to be sharing.

It’s not our two-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter Jane playing Mozart. I mean, I’m sure she could if she wanted; the way she runs for the piano the minute she gets in our front door is a joy to behold! (Okay, maybe not.)

Colin? Well, let’s say that seven-year-old Colin doesn’t have Jane’s musical enthusiasm. We had fully hoped that with Lauren’s and Phil’s talents, we had the makings of the next James Taylor or Taylor Swift. Nope…that doesn’t seem to be in the cards. Maybe LeBron James or Jonathan Swift, given his skill set, but probably not a musician. So that’s why one of his answers here came as a surprise. I did suppress my laughter; who am I to question his ambitions? Our job is to encourage, enable and applaud. Or gently usher into another lane, if the opportunity or need arises.

Anyway, enjoy this candid lunchtime conversation and I’ll be back one week today with a new journal for you. Monday we’ll be flying, so I know you’ll understand me missing one. There WILL be a new Drift with Erin Davis sleep story on Tuesday June 7^th. I love this one: it’s called The Necklace, which I’ve also titled, “The Jewel of Denial,” about a woman who just can’t be happy with what she has, and oh, the price she pays! It’s a good one. Take care, my friend, and have a lovely weekend, won’t you?