Cold Night, Hot Flame As the Torch is Passed

The Olympic Torch arrived in Owen Sound at 7:38 pm in a wind chill of -25C. About 5,000 people showed up at the celebration zone beforehand to pose with the mascots, get their picture taken with a Torch, jostle for free light-up Coke bottles (each one numbered, like limited edition art prints), and listen to local bands. Despite being bundled up like the Michelin Man the crowd made a lot of noise and lifted each other's spirits during the wait after dark.

Then the escort trucks plowed through the snowy streets, themselves escorted by cops and mounties (no protests happened here). Then a huge cheer as the flame was spotted down main street. We knew to stand at the spot marked for the transition (for your future reference, it's the numbered orange dot stuck on the light pole!) and sure enough the flame was passed in front of us. One of the world's iconic rituals, for sure.

The honoured last torch bearer in Owen Sound was Jason Crone, a local minor league hockey player who took up wheelchair rugby (aka Murderball) after an accident damaged his spine and who was on Canada's Paralympic team in Beijing. Lucky guy, the torch warmed his face as he grinned all the way to the stage surrounded by cheering toques and mittens.

Our exposed skin glowed as red as the giant Canadian flag projected over us. The overnight cauldron was lit, the anthem was sung in Ojibwa, French, and English, and Jason encouraged the kids present to have fun in all they do. Next up were the politicians which instantly caused almost everybody to scatter to our cars and the warmth of home.

This morning it's still brutally cold and the Torch left at 6:30am to the sound of Ojibwa drumming, marking the steady beat westward to Vancouver. See you there.

Waiting For the Olympic Torch

The Olympic Torch is due to arrive in Owen Sound this evening, after a very cold and blustery-snowy day in central Ontario. We're here to cheer with the crowds because our personal Olympic excitement is staring to burn. We leave next week for our jobs at the Games and suddenly we're in prepping mode.

But my thoughts are straying to when I carried the Torch --- twice --- and envy those on the route tonight. The first time was for the Montreal Games July 1976, before the internet and big TV coverage and major sponsors. It seems so primitive now, just a couple of vans on the backroads of eastern Ontario. We were required to run at a steady pace for one kilometre.

Then for the 2004 Athens Games the Torch was run around the world (no longer allowed) in all former Olympic cities. So there I was in Montreal on June 21, 2004. Easy to remember the date because it was both the first day of summer and Father's Day! I always felt my dad ran with me that day. Coca-Cola sponsored me because I had been a Torch bearer for Montreal 1976 and they thought it was a great nostalgia story, the timelessness of the Olympic spirit.

Torch bearers are dropped off at their start points, in full uniform and with an unlit torch, in groups on school buses. On my bus were various past Olympic champions, Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau, and a teenage girl whose mother had arranged her run as a graduation present!

When the Torch is in sight, the heart starts pounding --- you hope you don't mess it up, you hope you don't miss the moment. Then you're off (this time only 800 metres was required), surrounded by 4 escort runners and cheered on by thousands of onlookers. It is truly some of the most exciting minutes you can imagine. You wave, you smile hysterically, you break into tears at the thought you are sharing a ritual from ancient Greece.

Too soon the flame is passed on to the next runner, but you are swarmed by families whose kids want to hold the Torch, want to pose with it for posterity. Thankfully, Pat was there to take pictures like a crazed sports photographer.

Torch bearers this time only have to cover 300 metres. Even so, tonight as the Torch is lit for its overnight stay at the Town Hall, we'll be thinking back to that beautiful sunny day in Montreal ---- and forward to that day next February in cold Vancouver when we again rendezvous with the ancients.

Going home With the Help of a Virgin

We are on our way home to Kemble today to join the memorial service for Keith tomorrow. We are expecting snow and some bad driving. But there have been some signs that we are in good hands. For example, yesterday a sea otter frolicked in the river directly below our balcony --- and about a half mile from the sea! I'll take that as a sign that we also will be arriving near fresh water (Georgian Bay) after leaving salt water (Pacific Ocean).

And the processions for the Virgin of Guadalupe have begun here. For 12 days hundreds of groups (e.g. neighbourhoods, hotels, families, even Mary Kay!) will advance through the central streets to the landmark Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The Virgin of G is the patron saint of Mexico and the tradition of these processions started in 1531 when a 57-year old Aztec-converted-to-Christianity saw Holy Mary the Mother of God in an aura of blazing light. (You can Google the rest.) At the church the groups receive a special blessing, and since we were in the church at the time, I figure we got the good wishes too. Of course, every group gets the full church bell treatment so our last night here is still ringing in our ears!

And finally, the banner I mentioned on November 26 has been changed from turkey to snowman. That must be a sign that we're going north safely, to build our own.

So we're en route home today. Thanks for checking in on this blog ---- more soon from the Vancouver Olympics!

THE Gardener Goes to PV Gardens (Part 2)

The PV Gardens are beautifully contoured in the hills and amazingly diverse, with everything from grape vines to pineapples to tobacco to spices to the biggest collection of orchids in all of Mexico. There's even a small pond about the size of ours back home, but with 3-foot long fish! Pat especially liked the cactus and agave gardens. To my eye it was overwhelmingly green, with shades of green from fern to banana to banboo to coffee plant. So my personal favourite garden is still Pat's at home because her planting has created a riot of many different colours from April to October!

THE Gardener Goes to PV Gardens (Part 1)

Through friends here our last excursion was to the sprawling PV Botanical Gardens. Pat was guided personally by the creator and curator. In only 4 years he has carved out and planted gardens that would take over 12 years to flourish back home. Of course he says "it's easy to have a green thumb in Mexico --- just stick it in the ground and it grows!" We learned some interesting facts such as the vanilla bean is the most labour-intensive crop in the world. And visitors can commemorate loved ones by dedicating colourful step tiles. But I'll put up two postings of pictures and in Part 2 tell you my favourite of the gardens....

Keith Jackson 1945-2009

Pat's dear brother-in-law finally succombed to cancer this past weekend. We are ending our trip early to be at his memorial service on Friday.

Keith Jackson was born and raised in rural Ontario. By all accounts he had a rambunctious youth in central and western Canada. For a time, he worked as a lineman in all kinds of weather for Ontario Hydro before beginning a successful career in real estate. His ongoing passion was for fishing, which he pursued from shores and boats in many waters. He will be missed.

For the Birds (Part 2)

Here are more pictures of local winged wonders. Which one doesn't belong??

For the Birds (Part 1)

We're lucky to overlook one of the few greenspaces in PV. And because a river flows around it, we see more birds in the trees and pools than we expected. The different hummingbirds and parrots fly too fast for me to photograph, and others like pelicans are common. But there are some birds totally new to us, or just more interesting here.

Yalapa

Along the Pacific coast south of PV are dozens of coves formed by mountains meeting the sea. Large sandy flats are formed in each cove where the rushing downhill rivers smash into the daily tides. The coves are accessible only by bone-jarring wave-slamming small pangas.

One of these coves is Yalapa, with the usual basic dock, palapa restaurant, and primitive jungle scenery. The big attraction here is a 150-foot waterfall, reached by a steady uphill climb. The paths are too narrow and steep for vehicles, so burros are used to transport everything from cement bags to cases of cerveza. If you'd like to stay a while, see Aldo!

Thanksgiving Day

We weren't in PV for Canadian Thanksgiving Day on Oct. 12, but today is U.S. Thanksgiving Day and it is being celebrated among the gringos here. There are more Canadian flags in sight than U.S., and there are no big sales tomorrow. But if you look carefully the U.S. traditions are noticeable.

Restaurants have full turkey dinner menus (but with a topping of hot sauce that isn't cranberry!). Grocery stores have imported stuffing mix and pumpkin pies. Sports bars like the Cheeky Monkey or Dick's Halfway Inn entice with NFL games on widescreen HDTV. And next door has changed their banner from autumn leaves to a Pilgrim Turkey. (Will the banner change to Christmas by Monday?)

So we pause to give thanks for our blessed lives and the ancestors that made it possible. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Peek at Ajijic

Mexico's largest lake is Lago Chapala, about 5 hours drive inland from PV. At only 50 miles long and 20 miles wide, it is small enough to fit into greater Toronto! And the water level rises and falls in extremes because of alternating droughts and rains. Ajijic (ah-hee-HEEK) is a village on the north shore with many gringos living fulltime in its moderate climate and low cost of housing.

This past weekend started the Festival of San Andres, the patron saint of Ajijic. The town is already full of bright coloured walls and colourful street people, but add booming cannons and brass bands and you get a real eyefull and earfull.

And I finally found some classic cars --- a car club from nearby Guadalajara set up in town: about 20 cars and about 500 cans of beer. Thankyou Saint Andrew!