The Master of Library and Information Science

Master degrees are beginning to run in my family.  Not that I have one, mind you, but two of my favourite people do.

Joe graduated with a Master of Science Degree in Math (Statistics) from the University of Washington in 1990.

Why did eyeglasses in the late '80s need to cover half a person's face, I ask you?

A happy graduate with his little family in 1990.  Who knew then that Molly (far left) would follow in her father's footsteps 24 years later? 

This past week we celebrated with Molly as she realized a long held dream of hers; to earn a master degree and become a librarian.

Joe and I flew to Toronto late on Tuesday night and drove with Molly and one of her BFFs Robin through the wee hours of the morning to London, Ontario.  We arrived in London at 3:00am, a little worse for wear, but very excited.

"We love it that we are only going to get 4 hours of sleep before Molly's big day tomorrow!"

After a 7:00am wake-up call, we beautified ourselves and headed over to the University of Western Ontario's gorgeous campus.

Ivy league y'all.

The convocation ceremony was beautiful.  It was held in a lovely venue, the few speeches that were given were heartfelt and inspiring, each graduate knelt before the chancellor to be 'hooded' by a professor and it was over in an hour and a half!  My kind of ceremony.

Molly (centre) kneeling in front of the university chancellor and hooded by her Public Libraries professor.

Master of Library and Information Science

The rest of the day was spent celebrating.

Very proud parents.

Best friends forever.

Posing with a tree.

Kisses for da baby!

The wall of fame.

Thug life.

Once all the photos were taken, the festivities (eating and drinking) began in earnest.

Lunch in London with some of Molly's classmates and their families.

 Molly and her former roommate Katrina.

Molly and her God-dog June Carter Cash.

The girls on the streets of London.

And then there's this guy, Robin's cat Boris.

Dinner with Molly and some of her best buds at 'Bent' in downtown Toronto.

Tears were flowing a few minutes after this photo was taken the next morning.

After a scant 36 hours it was already time to say good-bye.

And the icing on the cake?  MOLLY RECEIVED A JOB OFFER LATER ON THAT DAY!  Starting in August, she will be a children's librarian at Branksome Hall, an International Baccalaureate independent girls school (K-12) in downtown Toronto!

Molly, we are so very proud of you and your accomplishments.  You live your life by example.  You have followed your dream, worked hard, persevered through the difficult times and have an incredibly bright future.  We couldn't be more happy for you.

Enjoy every minute of this newest chapter in your life.  Toronto is lucky to have you as its most recent citizen!

Love you,

Mom
xoxoxoxoxoxo

Colleagues AND Friends

I am a very lucky teacher.  And I work with some of the best colleagues in the world.  Not only that, they are also my friends.  That is a rare combination nowadays.

Not only do we share the ups and downs of our jobs, we also spend time together outside of school hours.  We walk every Tuesday afternoon without fail.  And on Thursday afternoons you can find most of us laying on our yoga mats in my classroom.

This weekend, our Tuesday walking group was invited up to Anderson Lake to celebrate a retirement and a birthday.  It was a time for toasts and telling stories from rewarding careers; food and boat rides; wine and laughter.

I am one lucky teacher to call these women my friends.

Down Then Up

As you may know, the teachers in British Columbia are embroiled in yet another battle with the provincial government.  I won't climb onto my soapbox for very long, but suffice it to say the teachers are involved in rotating strikes as we seek improvements in learning conditions for our students.  And yes, a raise would also be nice as our current salaries are less (in today's dollars) than a decade ago.

On Friday, the teachers in the Sea-to-Sky school district were out walking the picket lines in front of their schools.  We had lots of vehicles honking in support.  Families stopped by with drinks and doughnuts; home-made muffins and handwritten notes of encouragement.

Halfway through my shift, a car slowed down in front of us.  The old man inside rolled down the passenger window, leaned towards us and yelled, "YOU'RE JUST A BUNCH OF OVERPAID BITCHES!"

Our jaws dropped.

That ignorant comment was certainly a punch to the gut.

My colleagues are some of the hardest working, passionate, compassionate and caring professionals I am privileged to know.

How dare he call us down like that?  Disagree with us.  Fine.  Go right ahead.  But let's have some intelligent discourse on the subject, not yelling misogynist insults from a moving car.

THAT was the downer of my day.

But have no fear.  It went up from there!

Later that evening I joined a couple of friends at a Squamish Valley Artists fund-raiser.  We sat out on the sunny patio of Match Eatery under the watchful eye of the Stawamus Chief and enjoyed a delicious burger and beer.

I even had the winning bid on a beautiful painting of the Stawamus Chief!

Stawamus Chief by Wanda Doyle

Things were looking up!

And things continued to ascend today.

This morning Joe and I decided to take the Sea-to-Sky Gondola up to the summit lodge and hike the backcountry Sky Pilot Valley Trail.  We threw some hummus, crackers, nuts, apples, water and beer (gotta have beer) into a backpack and off we went.

Sky Pilot and Co-Pilot Mountains, our destination 

Don't look now, but I think our destination is moving further and further away from us.

After a 2 hour uphill climb, we're almost there!

Looking down Sky Pilot Valley from the headwaters of Shannon Creek

When we hit the snow line we decided it was definitely time to stop for lunch.

Happy hikers

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!  

And if you happen to run into any teachers, please give them a hug and let them know you appreciate the great job they're doing.

ROAD TRIP!

I love a road trip.  The kind where you throw a few clothes in a bag, jump in the car and go.  We were lucky enough to do just that last weekend.  Friends invited us up to their cabin on Little Shuswap Lake and we were out the door the next morning.

We decided to take the slow and scenic route through this fair province of ours to reach our destination.   It even involved a sleepover at my youngest sister's home and a visit with an old friend.  We stopped all along the way; going for walks, snapping photos, eating at old hotel restaurants in small towns.  Like I said, I love a road trip.

Green Lake and Whistler Mountain.

Mount Currie, Pemberton, B.C.

We stopped at Joffre Lakes Provincial Park to hike in to see the glacier.  We were surprised to see so much snow!  I only fell once on the icy trail.

Lower Joffre Lake and the glacier.

Duffy Lake and Mount Rohr

Seton Lake, Lillooet, B.C.

What is it about toasted white bread sandwiches eaten in roadside cafes that make them so damn delicious?

An overnight visit with some of my favourite people.

I hadn't seen this beauty in quite a while.  It is so great to connect with old friends!

And then there's this guy.  My nephew Fred.

Our weekend abode on Little Shuswap Lake.

Patio lanterns.

Friends.

Friends.

Beer tasting with hooded bottles.

First time kayaker.

Tile rummy.  I lost every game.

Good-bye Little Shuswap Lake.  Until we meet again.

And in other breaking news, many trees in my garden are blooming.

Tree peony.

Weeping Robinia tree.

Laburnum tree. 

This Is Where I Live!

The Sea-to-Sky Gondola opened last week.  I am so happy!  It is a world class destination in Squamish and I am very excited to take my friends and family up there.

Joe and I bought season's passes last November and we could hardly wait to go up the mountain to enjoy the beautiful hikes and spectacular scenery.  Last Saturday was the day.  The first of many.

We went up in the morning.  The skies were cloudy in town, but as we reached the top we were enshrouded in the clouds!  No matter.  We walked the trails and enjoyed the silence.  Even in the fog it was beautiful.

Into the fog...

Reflections of Western Red Cedar trees

The Stawamus Chief viewing platform in the fog

We decided to return later in the day if and when the sun came out.  The sun did not disappoint.

Big Daddy rides the gondola

The suspension bridge

Beautiful Howe Sound

The Stawamus Chief viewing platform in the sun

Looking down on the Stawamus Chief and up the Squamish Valley.  I can see my house from here!

Sky Pilot and Co-Pilot mountains

Half of Squamish was on the patio at the end of the day enjoying a beer in the sunshine.  Here's Joe talking to the fire chief about his as-yet-to-be-built wood fired pizza oven.

Open Invitation to family and friends:  Please come up and enjoy this experience with us!

And in other breaking news:

Joe's newest project involves over-seeding the field behind our house.