Family, French and the Heart of Canada

We left Denman Island two weeks ago today.  And I'm glad to say that we are both still happy to be "on the road".  Maybe I'm actually a little happier "off the road", preferring the non-driving time but luckily we've had a lot of experiences that have changed my perception of the middle of Canada. 

Winnipeg is close to the geographic "midpoint" of Canada.  A place we actually drove through called Landmark Manitoba...Tom mentioned the significance of the place as we powered away from Winnipeg, Ontario bound...but lets go back to my time in Winnipeg.  

Winnipeg is the city Tom was born in and spent, in total, 46 years of his life.  He has always given me the impression that he is very glad to be back on the west coast but he was keen to show me his home town and all that it had to offer.  Not as keen as Mac, his son and Adrian, who quickly became the "tour guides' for both of us.  After saying our hasty farewells to Jo Turner who had dropped in to surprise me and once again spend time with her new "sons", we toured The Forks, the place where the Red River meets the Assiniboine River in downtown Winnipeg. It is a scenically developed area, which also houses the Museum of Human Rights, a bucket list destination for me on this trip.  

Perhaps I was dazed and confused in history classes back in the 1960's but I clearly did not remember that Winnipeg played such a huge role in the arrival of the French to Canada and the interplay between the First Nation's people and the French settlers.  The evidence is everywhere we looked. 

 

Here we found the grave of Louis Riel, the Metis leader who championed the right of Metis, the Canadians whose heritage is the mix of French and Aboriginal, and died here in Winnipeg. 

Nearby the primarily French community of St. Boniface, which is home to the fabulous cathedral is an area where French is prominent and the homes, architecture and culture is evident.  The cathedral burned many years ago, but the facade is a wonderful example of "old Canada". 

 After a quick dinner, we headed to the Rainbow Stage, a big Winnipeg tradition,  in the north east quadrant of the city.  The third show of the summer season was the beloved "Beauty and the Beast".  No photos were allowed, but trust me when I say it was gorgeous...scenery, costumes, singing and acting all superb and the biggest surprise was all Winnipeg actors and staff are responsible for this great theatre.  

 The next morning found us at "Yoga in the Park" the annual fundraiser for yoga in schools. Assiniboine park is a beautiful jewel in the middle of the city which reminded me of the best parks found in Vancouver, or Victoria.  

 After a busy day touring around we were feasted at the home of Adrian's Mom, Izabella and her Mom, Maria and partner Norman.  Adrian is Polish and during his visit to Denman he had asked his Mom to prepare a polish dinner for us...we were not disappointed.  Not only was the food amazing, the music played by her partner Norm on guitar and piano, and Iza on piano kept us entertained while the food settled.  

Then to end the day...off we all went, (83 year old grandma included) to the late show at the Irish Pavillion's folklorama presentation.  Riverdance done by a Winnpeg Irish dance troupe with special guest performance by the real deal, a high stepping stomper from Ireland. 

 The next morning while Tom went for a run with his old friends, Mac and Adrian took Ollie and I to the dog park, where Ollie met one of his "brothers'.  From the same litter...it was a true surprise, but it was like they knew each other from the moment they entered the dog park. These are wonderful dogs.  I'm thinking very seriously of adding a miniature "goldendoodle"  to my life next spring.  I think Ollie needs a sibling fulltime and when you have one...well, why not more?    

 The next day, Tom had arranged for Cathy, one of his 3 sisters to meet us in St. Boniface.  Cathy is a retired nurse and just the right combination of humor and down to earth sensibility.  They are a "matched pair" and I felt so glad to have the opportunity to get to know one more member of his family.  

After a quick lunch, we had planned a visit to Ross and Shelagh, friends of mine from Zihuatanejo, responsible for my sponsorship of Doraliz, they will always hold a special place in my heart.  Ross and Shelagh are living the dream of having 2 of their 3 children and their grandchildren back in Winnipeg.  With a cottage at Victoria Beach and a home in the city, their summers are almost as  busy as their winters in Mexico.  We loved seeing each other.  One can never take for granted time to see people who we know in such special ways.  

For dinner, Mac suggested we eat simply, and order from "Skip the Dishes" a Winnipeg based startup which has grown by leaps and bounds.  Having just been featured on an episode of "The Canadian Race" we loved it when our driver peaked around the doorway with our order of Thai food to go.  It's companies like this that have the next generations support. Clever, reliable, honest and without cost,...food delivered to your door all using an app on your phone.  Why not?  

The next day was one of those days which changes your perception of someone.  We started the day by driving to meet one of Tom's aunts, the 3rd last member of his Dad's large French Canadian family.  The fondness and respect shown by Tom and to him will always remain in my heart.  From there we toured old neighborhoods and jobs and then wound our way to the museum of Human Rights.  This seems especially relevant in the present times of rising xenophobia, racism, and hate based crimes.  My thoughts were primarily how much has changed since my parents generation and also how the world has struggled with genocide in so many places.  I hope that the next generation will uphold the values of Ghandi and that the current state of inequalities of income, housing and opportunity will be creatively overcome.  Equality for all is more than just a dream, it is what our world needs if we are to live in true peace.  

Our last evening was spent with Mac and Adrian at one of the new upscale areas of the city..a blue collar city in transition.  

Mac, a new teacher starting off his second year of teaching in his state of the art school in a culturally diverse neighborhood in the suburb repeatedly enquired "did I like Winnipeg"?  I loved the people, the story of the city's birth and the diversity between various areas.  But I do not love traffic and long commutes...no...it is foreign to me who lived in an inner city neighborhood of Victoria most of my life and often walked to work.  My life is remote from big cities with traffic congestion and confusion.  But do I like new experiences?  Absolutely!!  

Saying goodbye is never easy but especially for Tom who is so proud of his son, it will always be hard to spend time apart.  We wish Mac and Adrian continued success as they become the teachers of the children of Canada...wherever those children happen to arrive here from.  

As I write, we are now in Ontario, having spent the last two nights at two of Ontario's beautiful provincial parks.  Leaving Manitoba. one is immediately struck with the changing landscape.  The green treed landscape undergoes various subtle and obvious changes as you enter the "Whiteshell" and then the vast Canadian Shield.  I should have paid more attention in Geography class but I'm happy to report I can still learn new things!  More later........when I have access to reliable internet...the long journey around Lake Superior is one where computers, cellphones are not the center of the world.