Retorno a Mi Casa

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Buenos dias a todo! And I'm not talking about Dorothy's dog. Past time to get into the Habitat conversation following a soul-building sojourn in central America. There are no words (even for me) that describe the power of the experience of building homes for wonderful families in el Salvador with a magnificent team. Already planning my next build - or at least dreaming about it. I'm back at work with CBC (and mourning the cancellation of the program I worked on for so long, Country Canada - this is a travesty) and spending my spare time getting my visual memories of el Salvador and Guatemala together. I plan to share, soonest, I promise. In the meantime, stay in touch. It was a hoot!

International Stories

Even though I appear to be the only one reading this, I guess I should update. And it HAS been a very long time. Let's see. Just back from three weeks in Central America - building homes with Habitat for Humanity and bumming around Guatemala solo. Marvelous experience! Highly recommended to anyone wanting an inexpensive, warm (in every sense of the word) and authentic international experience. Spent most of my Guatemalan days in Antigua, a charming and historic city of cobblestones and churches and rich culture. This was after the Habitat build, in a small community called San Lorenzo. Seventy international volunteers and a similar number of Salvadoran volunteers built 12 small but sturdy homes in the space of a week. Hot, heavy work but extremely satisfying connecting to both the volunteer group and to the families who are now living in those homes. What a nice thought. Worked shoulder to shoulder with Uncle Gustavo and Santiago, under the watchful but generous eye of Rosa Rodriguez, the grandmother and retired teacher who will live in the home with Margot and her two lovely children Laura and Gabriella. There is much need for housing in el Salvador. It was nice to make a small difference.
On the home front, Patrick is off in Thailand - worrying me at the moment because he phoned this morning. I missed the call. And I don't know what occurred that required the unusual contact of a phone call. I will keep my imagination in check.

Great kids Great moments II

And here I thought Puck was a happy spirit. Well, he probably is when his parents aren't taking his picture on Hallowe'en night. Under the makeup and the ears is my much-loved son, Patrick. His passion is theatre, and he has compiled an impressive resume with performances at Edmonton's Citadel Theatre in Midsummer Night's Dream and A Christmas Carol as well as numerous Fringe Festival roles over the years. One that is particularly memorable for me is Azdak in Caucasian Chalk Circle. It's always eye-opening for a parent to watch their 15-year-old stagger around an outdoor theatre venue with a bottle of liquor in his hand, roaring about justice. Patrick's latest venture is a long drive to Carolina with a friend to launch the Good Ship Edmonton Oilers on a steady course in the Stanley Cup Finals. I have always told Patrick to find his dream and chase it. Not certain this is what I had in mind. But the memories!

Great kids Great moments

This is my much-loved daughter Brenna, performing at the age of 16 on stage at the incredible Winspear Centre in Edmonton.
It's a very special memory for her, her mother and me. A talent show (one of many she has braved) in the middle of a run of "The Sound Of Music" at the neighboring Citadel Theatre in which Brenna had a role as a singing nun. So it was: "Give it your best shot, run across for the performance, and leave Mom and Dad behind to hear the results." She won. And her mother had to go up and accept the flowers and the award.
I was shaking like a leaf when I let Brenna know after her theatre show in my usual corny, "make it a surprise" way. Not because I don't believe in her. I always have and always will. But there was a lot of impressive talent - much of it adult - on the Winspear stage. That she was chosen was a testament to her talent and her promise and her ability to make people feel the music she performs.

A sunny day in Mexico.
Now if I could only
WRITE like Hemingway.

Off the coast of Malcolm Island
in British Columbia
during a shoot for a story
on abalone farming.

One of my rare moments in front of the camera, and a fond memory
of a much loved location
(B.C.'s coast)
and a much loved program
(Country Canada)