July 30 - Milano Centrale

Not all tourist attractions are written about in guide books.  Yesterday, Lyle and I arrived in Milan, Italy.  We took the train from the airport to the central station, Milano Centrale.  The station was huge, very old, and crowded.  We followed the rush of passengers leaving the main hall to the exit. The lead us to a long staircase of worn, uneven stone steps with no railing.  This was somewhat difficult for Lyle with our suitcase, but it was even more difficult for me with my white cane.  I like to use a railing when I am going down steps.

This morning after a good night's sleep we walked around the area and found a beautiful city park. There were many large shady trees with easy walking trails, but also a large number of homeless people sleeping in sheltered areas.  On the way back to our hotel we walked through the train station again, looking for an easier entrance/exit for our train trip this afternoon.  There was!  At the far end there was a set of escalator ramps from the street level to the train platforms.  We will head back to this entrance this afternoon for our train trip to La Spezia.  It was cool here early this morning but now at 10:00 a.m. it is already humid and muggy.

July 21 - Summer Camping

The weeks and months of summer camping are way too short for my liking so Lyle and I tend to push the seasonal boundaries at both ends. Although these days we tend to camp in our motor home, on occasion we still enjoy the tenting experience. In the past, we have set up our tent as early as the long weekend in May and as late as October 15. Both dates stand out in memory because of the cold night and the frost on the ground the following morning. I think that winter campers must be very hardy souls indeed.

This past week when we took our motor home to Cardston to attend the summer theatre, we also took a day trip into Waterton National Park. What a beautiful spot. I like it because of the proximity of the mountains. They are close enough for me to see, and in my mind I think that I can almost feel their close presence. The water in the lake is clear and cold. The view from the Prince of Wales Hotel is awesome and the hotel lobby has all the signs of past grandeur.

This time we did the Waterton drive with friends. We walked along the lakeshore and ate our picnic lunch together at one of the tables by the water. We saw a few deer and two of our group spotted a young bear near the Prince of Wales Hotel. I must admit that that is one of my fears – not that I would see a bear, but rather that I wouldn’t see one until it was too close for safety!

In the picture below I am standing by the lake with the view of the mountain in the background. The picture is a little fuzzy because of the smoke blown in to Waterton from various forest fires around the province. 

Sue at Waterton National Park

July 19 - Summer Theater

On our first date many years ago, Lyle and I drove for two and a half hours to attend a performance of Man of La Mancha. It was then that we discovered our mutual love of musical live theatre. 

At the beginning of this live theatre journey I had twenty-twenty vision. Now that I have limited sight I am glad that I can still enjoy live performances. I like musical productions because the story line obviously incorporates sound. I might not be able to see the costumes or facial expressions of the actors, and I can’t always see the movement on stage, but I can certainly hear what is going on.

One of our favourite places to enjoy musical theatre is at The Carriage House Theatre in southern Alberta. The theatre is relatively small – audience capacity is 333 – and if we reserve early enough we can get front row seating. All of the performances we have seen have been of very high caliber. Many of the cast are university fine arts students. We have never been disappointed in any show during the almost twenty years we have been attending.

This year we were treated to performances of Tarzan, the Musical, and The Scarlet Pimpernel. Years ago I read both books.  When I saw this year’s titles I found it hard to imagine either story being performed as a musical.  We were in for a surprise. Both shows were excellent.

I especially like the shows in Cardston at The Carriage House Theatre because after each nightly performance, the cast members usually come outside to the street to greet the audience. This is great for me because it gives me a chance to see the actors close up and also to see at close hand the last costume they were wearing on stage.  The costumes for Tarzan were quite amazing. Tarzan himself had quite a wild look about him. It was a curious feeling to shake the gloved furry hands of the actors who played the parts of the apes.

We saw the The Scarlet Pimpernel on the next night and the costumes were even more amazing.  After the show I spoke to Paul McGrew, who played the part of Citizen Chauvel.  His costume was mainly black (as he was the villain) but his vest was brilliant. Paul described the vest to me and invited me to touch the fabric. It was quite a tactile experience with beads, buttons, ribbing and woolen tufts of material.

On this night I had remembered to take my camera.  We spoke at length with the two performers who took the lead roles.  Johnny Wilson played the part of Percy Blakeney, The Scarlet Pimpernel.  Twyla Wilson played the part of Percy’s wife, Marguerite.  This was especially appropriate as not only are they talented actors and singers, they are husband and wife in real life.

They graciously agreed to pose with me for the following photo.

Sue with The Scarlet Pimpernel cast

I would recommend The Carriage House Theatre to anyone, but for someone with limited vision, the intimacy of the building and the friendliness of the performers is an added bonus.

July 17 - What's in a name?

What’s in a name? Well, Peaceful Valley sure lives up to its name. Peaceful Valley is the name given to a day lodge run by the Alberta Government. The lodge and trails on the grounds were designed specifically for use by seniors and people with disabilities. The facility is only open during the summer months and is supervised by a volunteer couple who live on the premises. This past week the Camrose VIP’s peer support group organized an outing to the lodge and Lyle and I were fortunate enough to be invited as part of a neighbouring support group. It was a good social occasion. As Randy, the Camrose president said in his greeting, when we meet and talk with someone else who is also visually challenged we have something in common. Without having to explain ourselves, we simply understand the other person and we know that they can understand us. After the group lunch and singsong, Lyle and I wandered around the grounds. The trails were hard packed and easy walking. At one point we walked along the crest of the hill overlooking the valley and at another we meandered through a shady grove of aspens so typical of the Alberta parkland. In many places I could smell the sweet scent of clover. It was quiet in the trees and a wonderful place just to be and to listen to the trill of the birds and the hum of the dragonflies and other insects. I am adding three photos to this post. The first shows the outside of the lodge with the picnic table and barbeque on the east side. The second is a picture of me with the valley and Battle River in the background. In the third picture I am walking on one of the trails through the trees.

Peaceful Valley Lodge

Sue in front of Battle River

Sue on trail