The potential of time

I have been thinking of time quite a bit lately - perhaps because it may be the first time in 30 plus years that I am not confined by time - deadlines, meetings, events and at times even have time on my hands - yep we use the word time often.  I am currently listening to CBC radio and the program Q and they are talking about time - in particular about the leap second - hmmm... just a bit weird that I sat down to ramble about time just at this moment...  interesting...

As noted above - this is the first time in a very long time that I have limited commitments (or at least commitments that I get to choose) which I have to admit is liberating and a bit challenging - I am so used to being on that I don't know how to be off!  I am slowing getting use to it and fear that I will have it down pat just in time to head back into the rat race ;)  

I found this definition on www.thefreedictionary.com that I really like:  "time is the continuous passage of existence in which events pass from a state of potentiality in the future, through the present, to a state of finality in the past"   I think it is quite applicable to those of us in the protocol and event business and I love the phrase - "state of potentiality" to me that means anything is possible.   I recently attended a retirement celebration for a dear colleague (held in East York - had to get this in here) and the potential of time was very evident in the joy expressed by Betty on the opportunity to spend more time with family and friends and the list of travel booked for the rest of this year - Congrats Betty!! 

So it is back to opportunities and to what that means - right now - for me it is time and all that potential. 

2012 New Year's Dip!!

Happy New Year everyone! I celebrated the entry of the new year with wonderful friends and a glass or two of fine bubbly.  I hope you all had a lovely and safe evening.  The Dip part of New Years came today - January 1.  Good friends Ellen and Kathleen decided they were going to jump in the lake today and I tagged along to provide support - no - I did not even stick my toe in that cold water!!  But Ellen and Kathleen were soooo brave - I am in awe. 
Thankfully not the coldest day but temps are just above freezing and it is still cold and rainy - not beach weather at all. We arrived at Woodbine Beach and trekked across the sand to the holding tent for about a 45 minute wait - I'm sure it felt like 45 hours to Ellen and Kathleen. Slowly they peeled off the layers of clothing until 5 minutes out - they were in swim suits and a fleece top - then it is time and the fleece was left in the pile and they made their way to the tent entrance. Then they were off down the beach to the waves of water.   Here are some photos from their adventure.

Kathleen and Ellen - fully clothed

the start of the clothes removal

Yes - it really is freezing out...

look at them go...

Proof - they did it!

Wow!! frozen feet but lots of laughs

This was all to raise funds for the Great Canadian Chill - Stopping Kids Cancer Cold http://www.thesearsgreatcanadianchill.ca/ 

So the big question is - will we see you next year at the lake?  I am thinking about it but no promises. 

Down East for Christmas

I am down east in New Brunswick for Christmas, quite a change from travelling in Argentina. While it is not a frozen winter land yet - today the snow in gently falling and we are all hoping for a white Christmas. My niece Kim, calls it icing sugar snow.  As you can see - not much snow here but it is prettier than it was this morning.   These are some trees near my sister's house in Jardineville, New Brunswick.

I wish everyone a wonderful Christmas full of laughter and joy. 

Cooking in Mendoza

We took a cooking class at Finca Adalgisa - a small winery that produces about 4000 bottles of wine a year.  Christina, the chef led us through a delicious menu of empanadas, chimichurri sauce, baked potatoes, steak, vegetables and baked fruit.  There were 8 'students' in total representing US, Holland and Canada and we all sat around an outdoor kitchen area under a tree.  It was a gorgeous night - full of good food, fun and great wine.

Mendoza, Argentina

We are in wine country and boy are we enjoying the wine!! The Malbec, Sryah, Torrentes, and more...  We stayed at Club Tapiz in the very middle of a vineyard with a view of the Andes in the distance. Our rooms were in Club Zolo - the former Governor's residence - large gracious rooms, our own pool and a lovely airy veranda. 

We toured wineries and tasted wines.  One of the vineyards we visited makes wine in the traditional way in concrete vats while most vineyards use the steel vats.  All use oak barrels - American and French oak though all have a different 'recipe' for each wine including the length of time in the barrels and in which type of barrel.





Jesuit Mission near Iguazu

We took a day trip away from the Falls and visited a couple of sites - the first was the Wanda Mines (though the 'w' sounds like a  'b' - the guide stressed this a couple of times - I am not sure why...) where they mine for amethyst, quartz and citrine - it is a bit of an open mine and tunnels.  There are 11 miners at this mine and it is all manual labour.  They blasted with gun powder in one of the tunnels shortly after we arrived - very strange to hear the muffled blasts and see the dust coming out of the mine tunnel.

 

before

after

We then went to the ruins of a Jesuit Mission - the San Ignacio Mini - a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Between 1609 and 1818 the Jesuit Guarani Missions were developed in the territories of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.  There were 30 settlements which registered 141,182 inhabitants in 1732.  The settlements were run by the Jesuits but the inhabitants were abandoned to their own luck in 1767 after King Carlos III expelled the Jesuits from Spanish territories.  This site fell into ruins and was claimed back by the jungle,  though the centre square remained clear of any trees the soil was packed so hard from the many warriors and horses through out the years. It was fascinating to wander the grounds and we had an excellent guide who has traced his heritage back to the Guarani people. 

There is a centre square - as you can see - still no trees.

entrance to the church

entrance to the priest's area

no cement - the rocks are layered

Iguazu Falls - Argentina

We arrived in Iguazu Falls later in the afternoon but after dropping bags we headed out for a hike to the Falls. They are very amazing and even though I am a proud Canadian and believe Niagara Falls are the best in the world - Iguazu Falls are quite impressive.  There are 3 main trails and we took the Lower Trail - the closest to the hotel (we are lucky to be staying in the park and just a quick walk) as our first adventure.  Iguazu Falls lie on the border of Brazil and Argentina - there is a Brazil side and Argentina side (sounds familiar...) The Falls are a network of more than 275 falls covering many acres - the tallest drop is 82 metres.  Due to the spray and high humidity, the surrounding area is lush rain forest with more than 250 butterflies species and more than 400 types of birds.  Here are a few photos of the Falls...

This was so cool to be so close - we got soaked but as it was so hot it felt wonderful - you could feel the power and thunder of the water.

This is such a beautiful orchid and a bug decided to land just as I took the photo...