The Trip part 3

Elder and Sister Rhodes with Val d'Or behind them (Taken up on the Rotary Tower)

It was so nice to see Dad and Tina. They met me at the bus and after meeting the  missionaries next door, visiting and getting settled we headed to bed to be up for church in the morning.

My room for the week

The view from the apartment before church

Packing up for Sunday meetings

I woke up in Quebec. My high school french was not going to cut it so I had to use the translation headphones during Sacrament meeting. I attended the English Sunday School class and then I sat with Cindy, another non-francophone, in Relief Society,  following along in the English manual and scriptures and trying to keep pace with the class. I remembered spending the greater part of my mission doing this in Korea. Despite not having a high council speaker this Sunday, the branch met for soup and sandwiches after the meeting.

Primary painted Prayer Rocks, Lunch after meetings, Dad doing dishes - his way, I'm sure

Monday was Victoria Day - not the biggest celebration in Canada but maybe especially so in Quebec. So while some businesses were closed and people enjoyed a day off, we went on a walkabout on the main thoroughfare - 3rd Avenue, Val d'Or.  I was familiar with the area all ready because of my virtual tours using Google street view, so it was fun to see it in person. Up and down the avenue, businesses had set up front sidewalk cafe seating by adding boardwalk extensions into the parking spots. Clever idea if the parking isn't essential.

This is the front door of the church (meeting rooms and offices on the 2nd floor) on 3rd Avenue.

Third Avenue, Val d'Or

Monday night was Men's Night. We dropped off Dad and went to visit with Josette. Loved her home and garden. She has a very welcoming place and it was a great visit.

Josette

Men's Night - we arrived in time for the end of the game and snacks. 

Tuesday included some shopping:

This is obviously a favourite spot considering all the great deals on items now in their apartment. Dad was looking at silk ties and leather belts. Tina found a next to new spring green jacket that looked great on her. I resisted but browsed the books, art and knick knacks.

Entertainment in Val d'Or - Thrift store shopping

We stopped in at the mall as well. I found a new t-shirt (my luggage included more formal clothing than I wanted to wear - especially in the humidity in Ottawa. After the mall, we picked up some groceries and I learned about the availability of some new sweet treats - I've never heard of sugar or maple syrup pie before. So I bought the maple syrup pie to take home. Yum - especially warmed up!

Sweet treats in Quebec

I was also called to action to teach English class that night. The topic was already chosen for me and I didn't have a good sense of how comfortable everyone was with their English but we worked it out - I always know after what I would have done differently but it was fun. I made puffed wheat squares for the snack afterwards.

English Class - Working with partners

English Class - sharing Puffed Wheat squares after the lesson

Gold was discovered in this area back in 1923 and Val d'Or (which means Valley of Gold) is surrounded by mines. Copper, zinc and lead are also important resources in the area. On Wednesday, after walking up the Rotary Tower and taking pictures of Val d'Or,  we drove over to an area of Val d'Or called "The City of Gold". It is the mining village of Bourlamaque, and the Lamaque mine, closed in 1985 when the supply of gold was exhausted. It is now used for mining training and was declared a National Historic Site in 2012.

The Historic Mining Village of Bourlamaque

Lamaque Mine (taken from the Rotary Tower)

We also drove a half hour out to visit the nearby town of Malartic a hub of mining in the region since 1923. In 2008, Osisko Mining found an untapped reservoir of gold under the town and is now the largest open pit gold mine in Canada. While I was there, this mine was setting records in gold production with a value of $72 million recovered. The mine has a viewing platform that is opened for visitors when blasting isn't taking place. I enjoyed watching the gigantic equipment at work. You can see more pictures of this area on Elder and Sister Rhodes' blog here.

Osisko Gold Mine

Before we went out to dinner, Tina and I stopped in to visit Madame Gabrysz, landlady for their apartment. She was delightful to visit - a real treasure and graciously took me on a quick tour of her home.  I could have spent more time visiting with her. She has quite a rich history and an creative and artistic sensibility. I took some pictures but more didn't turn out than did. I am still learning about my camera - inside close shots are not its strong point - it does much better with outdoor landscape shots and zooming.  But here are a few - more are here, including a photograph of her with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

This is a great photo of Madame, one that she is quite pleased with. 

This room has items of significance from WWII. (She put her hair down for me - gorgeous)

The mannequins are adorned with furs, scarves, jewelry, hold instruments and have Barbie dolls perched on their shoulders. Whimsical and so much fun to see the kitsch mixed in with items of real value - gorgeous Inuit sculptures, paintings, etc.  

Her artistic creations are whimsical and so much fun, you will see the kitsch mixed in with items of real value - gorgeous Inuit sculptures, paintings, etc.   Madame Gabrysz is featured in a French documentary about her and the priest from the local Ukrainian church, The Cossack and the Gypsy.  Here's the trailer.




Our final meal in Val d'Or was poutine - what else would you eat in Quebec?

I am so glad I was able to come to Val d'Or and share in this missionary experience. Dad and Tina are happy and making a real difference in people's lives - they are loved and they love the people right back. I know they will be sad to leave but it will be great to have them back home again.

Elder Thia and Elder Luggo- saying hello

Elder Luggo and Elder Thia - saying goodbye

My visit in Val d'Or wouldn't have been the same without the Elders next door. 

They greeted me my first night and bid me farewell before I left. 

And in between, we had fun sending messages using the communication method of a clothesline that extended from our balcony to theirs. The interesting accessories when they came to say goodbye was referencing a picture that had been delivered earlier. 

It all started when we noticed the message "Hello Lovely Neighbors!"  

Grab your scriptures (or click on the links) if you would like to follow along with the rest of the messages.

#1 Hello Lovely Neighbors!
#2 Hebrews 13:22
Psalms 44:23 (first 4 words only)
D & C 109:8
D & C 123:14
D & C 30:8

#3 2 Timothy 4:7
Luke 24: 29-30
Amos 8:2 (2nd sentence)
Matthew 10:42
Psalm 34:8

#4  1 Corinthians 7:29 (1st 9 words)
3 Nephi 13:31
2 Corinthians 13:11

#5 2 Thessalonians 3:16
D & C 75: 15 (your name)
1 Thessalonians 5:26, 28
Alma 45:18
Hymn #152 (Title)

Messages to the Missionaries - using the clothesline delivery system

The Elders ready to teach the people of Val d'Or

We left Val d'Or Thursday to head down to Ottawa for some final sightseeing before I returned to Calgary. We stopped at the Chutes du Lac Roland as we headed south. 

The three of us on a roadside break at the falls

My trip is not over yet - a few more days left to tour Ottawa. More in the next post!

The Trip Part 1

En route to Ottawa from Val d'Or with Elder and Sister Rhodes 

It started out to just be a trip to visit the missionaries (Dad and Tina) in Quebec. It grew into a bit more -  Regina, Phoenix, Ottawa, Val d'Or, Quebec and back to Ottawa. Well, I had never visited the capital of our country before and this was something I was definitely going to take advantage of since Val d'Or is part of the stake in Ottawa. Then the timing lined up with my attendance of  the TESL Canada conference in Regina where I was giving two presentations so it was a pit stop on my journey east. BUT then I was invited to join my sister's family and my mom in Phoenix between these two - Mother's Day in the sun. So the trip was set.

The girls in Phoenix on Mother's Day 2014 (mom's pic from Facebook)

It is always nice to come home but I had a great time on the road! Here are the highlights:

Regina: Excellent conference. I attended some great presentations - had some good conversations connecting with colleagues from across the country. Not enough time to attend all the sessions I wanted to see. Gave two presentations (which is part of why I spent my first day in Regina on the computer in my hotel room working on documents needed back at MRU and finalizing my notes and didn't get to visit the MacKenzie Art Gallery), but both were well attended and I felt good at the end of them.  Loved the last night - Nancy found an improv show "Red Hot Riot with Jayden Pfeifer" and coordinated tickets for us. It was just a few blocks from the hotel and was an Improv/Talk show held in a renovated church, the Artesian.  Hilarious! There was even a legitimate guest for the talk show - Lowell Dean, director of "Wolf Cop".  And a musical act, Poor Nameless Boy. I bought his CD at the end of the show - if you get a chance to check him out, do so!

Last night in Regina - Improv fun at the Artesian

Phoenix: I arrived Sunday afternoon for a couple of days in the sun with just the Mom, Janelle and Madi. On Monday we visited the Phoenix Desert Botanical Gardens and saw the Chihuly exhibit!! I'm so glad I was able to see this. It's like I've been chasing Chihuly installations with a number of my trips. Missed it at Chatsworth. Missed it at Kew Gardens. Missed the first exhibit in Phoenix and left Arizona one week before this current exhibit with hopes to get back before it was packed up.  This was now the last week before it was all over. Fantastic pieces and when you look around, there were plants in the garden that could be seen as inspirations for the glass works.

Madi at the Desert Botanical Garden Chihuly art installation
Red and Yellow Assymetrical Tower, 2013 

Summer Sun

Erbium Pink Fiori, 2013

Blue Fiori Sun, 2013

Sapphire Star, 2010

To see more of my photos from the Botanical Garden, click through for the full set on Flickr.

We were then joined by Rob, Tanner, Sam and Jazz on Tuesday for another couple of days of fun.

An early visit to the new Gilbert Arizona temple.

Lots of pool time and I had fun playing with my camera settings.

I took sooo many pictures to get this great shot!

Last night in Phoenix - the full moon

Part one of my trip done... on to Ottawa and Val d'Or in the next blog post. 

March 10 Photo: Loud



Photo of the day: Loud! Well - what do you expect with a 6 year old and an 8 year old all hopped up on SUGAR!

 Saturday fell somewhere in between Bowen's birthday and Ashton's birthday. (My cousin's boys) I've missed having them as neighbours since they moved across the city and so it seemed like a good idea to have them both over for a movie party to celebrate. I had a wide selection of movies to pick from - half were mine and half were from the public library. After reviewing all the choices (and it was looking like a difficult decision when every choice was a strong YES!!) it settled out quite easily on two favourites - Jumanji and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We had a bit of lunch first - had to put some healthier food into them before all the treats and then moved into the "cinema" to dish up at the concession table and settle in for the movies.

An early mishap (my fault!) with rootbeer on the sofa was not so bad since I had covered it with a sheet (and caught most of the rootbeer in my lap!) They were basically bouncy throughout both shows - but it was fun and since we had all seen both movies, it was more of an ongoing commentary on the plot and frequent breaks to sample different items from the table.

The party ended with some heart rate raising Oompa Loompa dances and the singing of Happy Birthday with our "party" Oreos.  I was happy to send home as many of the leftovers as I could with them. I doubt they wanted any dinner - sorry for sending them back home in that state but we had a GREAT time together! Love these boys! Enjoy the rest of the pictures!

Welcome to the cinema - treats and movies all afternoon!



The movie "Concession table"!

Love this one! The little Korean 'yogurt' drinks are a MUST when we get together!

All smiles!

Ready to learn the Oompa Loompa dances!

No cake - Birthday oreos instead! (I don't even think they ate them!)

A little too much sugar, do you think? And I sent all the leftovers home with them as well. Sorry cuz!

Because of St. Patrick's Day... a post from my family history blog with pics of the Irish relatives

Rhodes Family History: Sam and Jenny Muirhead: "Until now, I'd only seen one picture of Sam and Jenny Muirhead. Sam 'the butcher' - with his wife Jane sitting in front of their home..."

Just set up a blog for my nephew's two years of service in the Guatemala City Central Mission. He will be reporting to the MTC on April 25. The blog is still in development - I will be seeing Tanner tomorrow and I'm sure he'll want some input on the look and content of the blog but the address will remain the same in case anyone wants to follow along.

Elder Tanner Hopkins: Saying Goodbye: "Hola! As some of you may know, I have been called to serve a mission in Guatemala for 2 years. I will be giving my farewell talk on April 1..."

Looking for a Theme

The beginning - a very young group of wizards and witches

It started with a party that was all things Harry Potter.  I loved the books and the first movie had just come out.  I borrowed some kids so it wasn't just a party for me but in actual fact, I think that is how it started.  I turned my living room into the Great Hall with a long dining table  and a roaring fire - wizardy decorations and a list of activities for the night. We decorated our personal wands (out of chopsticks with glitter glue and paint) and the children were sorted by the sorting hat.  We had a charms lesson and levitated our animals (stuffies), potions class where we mixed coloured ice cubes into our clear seven-up. Herbology was planting magical looking 99cent plants into Harry Potter cups of potting soil. We dipped some gummy frogs into chocolate and had Bertie Botts every flavoured bean. We walked down to the dungeons (the basement) where the picture frames had living art behind them - a mirror of erised to look into and a few other surprises. The last activity was a game of quidditch (looking for golden ping pong balls hidden around the house). I had a lot of fun planning the night and I think we made some great memories.

My very elegant guests



I didn't at first plan for this to be a reoccuring event but there have been a few other special parties (Barbie get together, a Nancy Drew detective party)  that followed. Initially a plan to get my neice Madi together with my cousin's Vi's girls (as we all lived in the northwest but rarely got together) it became quite a bit more formal this past year with a girls tea party. - not quite Mad Hatters and much more Victorian. The plan now is to get the "girl's tent" occupants together before the reunion to renew friendships and make more memories. I know it is even more important as it took a bit of time for the girls to warm up to each other at the tea party but by the end - they were all playing twister together and had lost all the initial awkwardness. That day was about the food, the costumes and photo session and stories and photos of ancestors. And again - it was probably more of an opportunity for me to pull out all the tea cups I could gather, share the stories and photos I had been collecting and justify the dress-up tub of old fashioned dresses in my basement.

In order to save a Saturday, I need to start thinking now of my theme and invitations. It is harder with the age range of girls increasing - I would so love to invite the little ones but it makes the theme and activities that much harder. It was so easy when they were all within a few years of each other.  But I'm sure a theme exists that will make this work. So ideas are certainly welcome!