Lake Winnipeg

Hello and welcome to a pensive Saturday at the Wanaskan Almanac. Today is May 21st.

This past week I took my first trip to Canada since the pandemic. The last time I was there, I visited a cheese factory in New Bothwell and a warming huts exhibit at the Forks in Winnipeg. I remember squash soup for lunch at Stella's. It was snowing and I slid-skittered on one of those cloverleaf on-ramps to the main highway, but held steady and made it home safely.

What a thrill to enter the necessary data on the ArriveCAN app for my first trip in two years. I double and triple checked my passport's validation and headed north on HWY 89 with another friend for an adventure on Lake Winnipeg. Driving north on HWY 89, felt like we were already at Lake Winnipeg, with flooded fields on either side of the road; whitecaps licking muddied waters, lapping the dirt shoulders of the road.

My friend and I stopped at a gas station in Steinbach. We cheered at the sight of treats like CoffeeCrisp, Wunderbar, and ketchup-flavored potato chips. We got our favorite Chicago-style popcorn that we can only get in Canada. "Look! Perogies in the freezer! At a gas station!" We celebrated being in the presence of Canadians - even if they were strangers. "Hi! This is our first trip back to Canada!" I couldn't help but gush to the cashier, who said, "Welcome! We're glad to have you!"

Many years ago, when the teens were probably still toddlers, a Canadian mom told me that all I had to do to get to Grand Beach on Lake Winnipeg was stay on Highway 12 all the way to the end. And the Canadian mom was right. It was both a momentous and silly moment. Momentous because what the mom had said was true and a truth confirmed feels significant (even if it is just directions to a destination). And silly, because, well, it was just directions. My destination, however, was farther - just beyond that - to Belair, Manitoba. 

When we arrived at our friend's cottage on Lake Winnipeg, we whooped and shouted, "We're here!" I hopped up and down, the exuberance giving me an extra lift, while my calmer friend checked out the gorgeous cottage we'd be staying at. Then our Canadian friend arrived a few minutes after us. Together at last! I was prepared for tears and a long group huddle. Instead, there was more hopping and cheering and a "Where's the wine?" and "Break out the chocolate!"

We spent three days together at the cottage - a retreat that was part work, part celebration - in the quietest place I have ever experienced. Even though there were neighboring cottages, the stillness spoke volumes. Maybe it was the weather. Maybe it was the middle of the week. Maybe it was a unique post-pandemic standalone moment in time. While I joke that being in Wannaskaland is like living "at the end of the earth" - this place actually felt like the end of the earth - like the "Beyond the Beyond" of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series minus the desolation and volcanoes - the Beyond the Beyond of Grand Beach but in the best way.

Having spent half my childhood on Lake Superior, I was eager to experience the vastness of Lake Winnipeg, which did not disappoint. Rocks the size of my fist littered the beach. Some looked like agates, reminding me of my agate-hound grandmother. Boulders perfect for perching and stone-stepping reminded me of the Oldest who found a love for rock hopping at a young age. Waters stretching across the horizon to a thin band of brown shore - Gimli on the other side - swelled in my heart and opened the spaces in my busy mind for calm and creativity. I stepped on a wet patch of dark sand that sucked my leg into a muddy pit. I laughed.

Lake Winnipeg fun facts: Lake Winnipeg is the 10th largest freshwater lake in the world, the 6th largest lake in Canada, crosses four Canadian provinces and 4 US states and is the last remnant of Lake Agassiz. A shallow lake, its maximum depth is 36 meters (118 feet). (Source)

Nestled in the cottage in clean clothes, a warm fire, delicious nourishing food (and a saskatoon pie!), and the company of great friends, I was able to finish two big work projects. I also did a lot of personal writing and reflection. The quiet, peaceful environment dulled the normal roar of "do, do, do" and "just one more thing, just one more thing," in my brain, creating new spaces for new thoughts. With no one to take care of - to cook for, supervise homework, clean clothes, council, etc - an interesting thought occurred to me: If I removed service to others from my life, what would my life look like? Would it look like these intensely quiet days with only my thoughts and art?

I pondered these things. I took walks. I found the complete Anne of Green Gables series on VHS tapes in the Little Free Library one road over. My friends and I did a kitchen dance party like I do at home with my kids.

I hit the ground running as soon as I crossed the border back into the U.S. - church school wrap-up, two band concerts, reconnecting with kids. The First Grader cried, "I'm so hungry!" as he explained that the meals under dad's watch had consisted of frozen pizza and eggs. I cooked a hearty dinner of vegetable soup, tender pork loin, and salad. We had ice cream for dessert. The kids happily packed ketchup chips in their lunchboxes. I shared my Wunderbar.

I think the answer to the question raised while on retreat is this: If my life was void of service toward others, I think I would seek ways to fill the void.

And that makes me feel happy.

On This Day

Historic Highlights (credits)

1991 - Former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, is assassinated

The attacker was a woman believed to be linked to the Sri Lankan separatist militant organization, the Tamil Tigers. At least 14 people lost their lives in the suicide bombing.

1979 - Violent clashes follow the lenient sentencing for Harvey Milk's murderer

Milk, the first openly gay U.S. politician, had been shot and killed together with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone. The assassin, Dan White, was convicted of voluntary manslaughter only, triggering the White Night Riots.

1951 - The 9th Street Show opens in New York

The ground-breaking art exhibition showing works by artists like Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning is considered the birth hour of the artistic avant-garde referred to as the New York School.

1932 - Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic

The U.S. aviatress' disappearance on an attempted round-the-world flight five years later is one of the most discussed unsolved mysteries in the history of flight.

1904 - FIFA, the world governing body of association football, is founded

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association is responsible for the organization of the World Cup, which is one of the world's most viewed sporting events.

Happy Birthday to You!🎶 

1980 - Gotye, Belgian/Australian singer-songwriter

1921 - Andrei Sakharov, Russian physicist

1844 - Henri Rousseau, French painter

1527 - Philip II of Spain

1471 - Albrecht Dürer, German painter, engraver, mathematician

Remembering You

2006 - Katherine Dunham, American dancer

2000 - John Gielgud, English actor, director, producer

1991 - Rajiv Gandhi, Indian politician, 6th Prime Minister of India

1935 - Jane Addams, American social worker, Nobel Prize laureate

1771 - Christopher Smart, English actor, playwright, poet

Take a break from the busyness, enjoy the silence, and make it a great Saturday. 

Kim