“Alexa, drop in on Maxine.”
“Maxine MacLeod’s Echo Plus, right?”
I wait for Echo’s signal at mom’s bedside, room 128, Birchview Home, Birch Hills, Saskatchewan.
“Hello mom,” my voice loud even though I’ve upped the volume on her Echo beyond 80%. “How are you?”
“Not. too. bad.” (Pause) “What. day. is. it?”
And so begins “Maxine’s Newscast,” a daily ritual since COVID-19.
There is a feeling in Old Massett, a quiet power towering above the vicissitudes of life wrought on this ancient village, the heart of First Nations culture, traditions and art on Haida Gwaii.
Once upon a time at the edge of a forest beside a river there was a magical place, Glenora, a golden valley in the northern wilds of British Columbia. Even its name had the lilt of birdsong, Glenora: glenn, the Gaelic word for valley; and ora, Spanish for gold.
One Sunday in the summer warmth of June, a man called Magellan and his wife Spice decided they wanted to camp at Glenora after hearing about its charms earlier that afternoon.
I’ve wanted to see them for decades.
Ever since I saw their photos back in the 70s, mystical figures of ghostly grey imparting a powerful, compelling presence.
The totem poles at Ninstints on Haida Gwaii.
It’s the only place on Haida Gwaii where they still stand. A dozen of them, disciples of the supernatural, silently keeping watch.
Discovering the literature and poetry of a country we’re visiting: for me this is one of the greatest pleasures of travel. And what a thrill when it happens in your own country like it did in the Yukon this summer. Read more
If our marriage lasts, we’ll celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary next Friday!