Whirlwind Canada

At the end of June, obliged as I was to get out of the USA, i headed north to Canada.

Canada was quick. I was in and out of the country in 2 weeks, which meant everything flew by in a blur. It is one of those vast spaces in the world I often think of as needing months, if not years, to be properly introduced to. I take things in very slowly, so this screaming in and out of places business is something i dislike very much.

I don’t have a lot to say about my time there as a result, as i only figured out how to engage with the country – considering how different it is from the USA, which I spent 3 months in – around the time I left it. I will leave you with pictures instead.

Montreal

Montreal was a whiz of high speed impressions. My friend David was my host, most enthusiastic tour guide, and a fount of nonstop energy. Among what felt like 3 million things we did around the city in the week and a half that I was there, two stood out:

#1: The Tam Tams drum circle in Mont Royal Park. The first Sunday we went there, I was completely sucked in by the incessant, ever-changing beat. There is something heady, magical (and maybe herbal) about spending a while in the drum/dance circle, being a part of that pulse; I came away lightheaded, knees wobbly, unable to keep from bouncing on my toes.

#2: And then there was the Montreal Jazz Festival, where I was introduced to two outstanding (non-jazz, as it happens) acts in the best way possible: live, and right in front.

Ontario and Erin Wilson

Erin Wilson is someone I’ve been talking to for a while over the internet (there is a pattern here), and is making some tremendous changes in her own life this year.

We agreed it would be good to meet up, but instead of a cup of coffee, threw our lot in and decided to go on a road trip for a week around the southeastern bit of Ontario. Two sister nomads, a car, some beautiful country and the insatiable urge to drive – it could be a mad and magic one.

It’s a big thing to decide to spend a bunch of time constantly around another person, especially one you’ve never met and essentially don’t know. Neither of us made secret of our worries on that front, but as it turned out, between our mutual sugar and internet addictions, love of the open roads, and the fact that we are completely capable of running around the shores of Lake Superior catching tadpoles and giggling like small children, we got along stonkingly. I don’t think I’ve talked as much to anyone in my adult life as I did to Erin in that week: she’s an astoundingly encouraging listener. I might literally have talked her ear off in between exclamations of “wow” at every heartbreakingly beautiful scene that unfolded in front of us… so my apologies to anyone who is finding her a bit hard of hearing these days!

I feel insanely privileged to have met Erin. For that alone, I’m glad to have made the quick swing by Canada.

Hasta la vista, mi amiga. Godspeed and fortune favour you always.