Erin's Journals

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?

Just a thought… Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. [Neale Donald Walsch]

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

Before I get going, I’ll tell you that even though I’m out of the country, there IS a new Drift with Erin Davis sleep story coming tomorrow since it’s Tuesday, for free, wherever you download your podcasts. Appropriately, given my coordinates, it’s The Good Ship Rover about a little boy who’s ailing, but finds hope by the seaside. A lovely tale.

Thanks so much for joining me here – even though I’m not even “here.” As I write this, I’m on an AMA Waterways river cruise with my dear friend and recent birthday boy Mike Cooper and several dozen former listeners, many of whom were with us on our last trip three years ago during tulip time in Amsterdam.

We didn’t hit our goal of taking over the entire river boat this time; there were people who had to cancel as the trip got postponed and rescheduled again and again. I was to the point where I didn’t know if we would actually go, or if I wanted to, for that matter, but bless Gerry Koolhof and New Wave Travel in Toronto, they actually made it happen. We’re stepping through Covid; not over, but through, and treading carefully. And the best news is that we’re meeting a whole lot of new friends who signed up after seeing what a great time we had the last time around.

I hope to post pictures or upload to my social media sites on Facebook, Twitter and maybe even Instagram, as we slowly sail along, but honestly, I don’t know what the internet on board will allow and how successful I will be, so I can’t make any promises. I am writing and remembering so I have stories to share with you.

We’re seeing the sights along the Rhine and the spots on the map here.

The whole bunch of us will talk and laugh, walk and cycle and gather, hopefully safely, day after day. Rob and I fly home from Switzerland on Monday with an awful four-hour wait at the end in Vancouver for our little flight to our island home. It’s such a short flight that we can practically swim home from that airport where we’ll be stuck. Anyway, then we’ll catch our breath, adjust our body clocks and dive into another busy week.

This Thursday, I really want you to come back because I have a very special little video of a chat I had with Colin. It’s so perfectly adorable – so very HIM – and it broke my heart to watch it again and again as I thought of families in Texas in the light of last week’s tragedy.

We live in gratitude and in the moment; we try not to let fear lead the way. I promise you I was masked on the flights no matter who looked at me sideways, and Rob and I will be as safe as we can be.

We’ll be back here Thursday with that video. May these last two days of May be peaceful and nothing but smooth sailing.