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Destinations Detours and Dreams March 2017

What's Been Happening

February was a tough month personally. My brother passed away at far too young an age. The last few years have been difficult ones for his family. He was in care for the past two years with dementia and other health issues. Going through photos as we prepared for his service was bittersweet, a reminder of happier times and the special man he was.

Needless to say, I've spent less time on the blog and other writing this month than might otherwise have been the case. I did publish 4 posts. You'll find recaps later on in the newsletter. I also managed to take in a small bit of Festival du Voyageur, Winnipeg's winter festival. Days of mild, above-freezing temperatures resulted in a few of the events on the river being cancelled and melted snow sculptures. But there were plenty of other events to take in and the mild weather didn't dampen the "joie de vivre" of attendees.

Early in the month I met with volunteers of the Costume Museum of Canada at their working space to get a behind-the-scenes look at what is involved with the running of this pop-up museum. It's pretty cool stuff. I will be writing about that in the future.

What's On The Horizon

I am still filled with sadness as I enter March, a feeling I expect to carry with me in varying degrees for some time to come.

But I also hope to experience moments of joy and will continue to explore the world around me. Rick and I have a two-week stint in Victoria, British Columbia coming up, where we will house sit for a friend of a friend. Victoria is a beautiful city. I have family living there and it will be nice to visit with them. Our daughter, who lives in Vancouver, plans to take the ferry over to spend a few days with us. I look forward to both visiting and exploring more of Victoria. I also look forward to our first house-sitting experience, something we have been discussing getting more involved in.

February Stories You Might Have Missed

Six California North Coast Highlights

Mendocino Village, Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, Glass Beach, MacKerricher State Park, Pacific Star Winery and Avenue of the Giants

Three Unique Winnipeg Winter Fun Activities

Ice climbing, Crokicurl, and ice skating on the world’s longest naturally frozen trail with warming huts of award-winning design

Winnipeg Winter Fun at a Nature Preserve

Winter at FortWhyte Alive in Winnipeg, Manitoba

Ice Skating and Architecture: Warming Huts on the River

About Winnipeg’s river skating trail and its architectural award-winning warming huts

From The Archives

Although, we will still have some weeks of winter to get through, spring is getting closer. Here I remember Spring Blooms at the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden.

Donna Janke is the author of Destinations Detours and Dreams, where you can find travel stories from near and far, the familiar and the obscure, the beautiful and the bizarre, with a focus on history, gardens, nature, art, architecture, culture and the snowbird life. She tells her stories through a combination of narrative, photos and personal reflection. Sign up for the monthly newsletter here.

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