See the world through my eyes! Experience it through these blog posts.

Workshop Tour Day 5: En Route to Labrador City

IMG_8484I spent most of my day Thanksgiving Sunday far above this gorgeous planet with my head in the clouds 🙂  Indeed, I had plenty of sitting time in airports and on planes to reflect on all that I am grateful for.  So much! I especially loved doing that up in the air, closer to the Heavens.  Less interference.

Day 5 was a travel day – from Deer Lake on the island of Newfoundland to Goose Bay in Labrador on the mainland, and a few hours later, from Goose Bay to Labrador City, with a brief stop in Churchill Falls. You’ll see from the photos that this is really a land of lakes.  There definitely aren’t as many colours here as on the island, but the floors of white lichen between the pine trees were captivating.  No snow yet. The lakes seemed laced with orange patterns – fascinating! When I arrived at Wabush airport (5 minutes drive from my hotel in Labrador City), it was cold and rainy. I knew I was in a smaller place when the car rental agent just handed me the keys and directed me to the parking lot with a “Just press this button and she’ll beep at you. You’ll know which one it is.”  I got to my room in the Two Seasons Inn at about 5pm and after putting my feet in hot water (that last plane was cold), I ordered a pizza and watched a movie on TV.  The restaurant was closed for the holiday and the place was hauntingly quiet. I didn’t mind at all.  It was just what I needed.

I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving Monday – may it be filled with an abundance of tiny, small, medium, large and huge things to be grateful for.  I’ll be heading into nature this morning and teaching a community workshop this afternoon.  Perfect!  Of course, you’ll hear all about it in the next post.

 

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Workshop Tour Day 4: Last Day on the Island

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I had such a great time on Saturday! More importantly, so did 13 participants in the community workshop in Grand’Terre.  The workshop was held in the same school cafeteria I was at on Thursday. It is also part of the community center in this town that you’ll find called Mainland in English on some maps.  This central location was chosen so that participants from Cap St. George, Grand’Terre, Lourdres, L’anse-aux-canards and other neighbouring towns could gather easily.  The youngest was 2 weeks old (accompanied by Dad, a teacher at the school I taught Friday, mom, and visiting grandmother from New Brunswick)! After 3 hours of fun, we again took the time to share what we had learned. I was thrilled to hear as the first comment:  “To not be scared”. (Thanks again to Leslie Quennehen of the FFTNL for the workshop photos.)

As you’ll see in the photos, there’s also a filmmaker in the crowd, who came to film me for a short clip that will air on TV5-Unis in December. I’ll get to share my story on TV. Fun! I’ll also admit that as a professional artist who relies on painting sales for her living, this kind of exposure is priceless!  We met Laurence Mathieu-Leger and her business partner of Bicyclette Multimedia (based in Ottawa) at the Cape Inn the night before.  They’ve been traveling the country with Laurence’s newborn to film footage for a series of clips that air on this French television station. Her featurettes are on teachers, French immigrants, grandparents/granchildren, and radio personalities. She was interested in the fact that I was a nomadic teacher, not just in the arts, but in English Second Language, and personal/spiritual growth workshops (intuition, simplifying your life, etc.).  Our conversations really helped me reflect on how I love to share what brings me joy and what inspires me.  It also helped me realize that I’ve spent most of my life either as a student or as a teacher all over this planet. It’s all about being inspired and opening others to potential inspiration.  Very satisfying!  I look forward to seeing the clip – she does an amazing job!  I’ll let you know when it airs, of course.  Even if you don’t speak French, her visuals are incredible!

After the workshop, Louis Christophe, Leslie, and I had a quick take-out meal in the cool breeze and then headed off the peninsula, with a few stops along the way to see Hidden Falls, the alpaca farm, and the dolomites along the side of the road.  The colours once we were off the peninsula were simply breathtaking – it was getting dark and we were on the highway, so no pictures of that unfortunately… By dinner, we were in Deer Lake, where I slept very well indeed! I leave in 30 minutes for the airport to fly to Labrador City where I’ll be teaching 2 workshops on Monday and Tuesday.

Happy Thanksgiving!  As must be obvious, I have so much to be grateful for.  As my reader, with whom I can share all this joy and adventure, I am also truly thankful for you!

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Down the Long Narrow Road in Port-au-Port

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I’ve already posted about the workshop on Day 3, but that was only a part of my spectacular day on Friday.  After breakfast, I grabbed my camera to pay homage to a wonderful sunrise over the ocean. A tripod would have been useless in that wind. Instead, I held my long lens against the corner of the inn to try and hold it steady.

The wind didn’t let up all day – quite a difference from the day before.  I left the tripod in the car and shot at high speeds with my long lens, hoping I’d capture something close to the framing I had wanted. They were challenging shooting conditions, but fun for sure! It was much cooler too and the ocean was dramatic. At one point, we got caught 20 minutes from the car in the pouring rain.  The rainbow over the lobster fishing station, however, made it worth it.  I am so grateful we had this sightseeing time in addition to the workshops.  In the afternoon, after class, our very knowledgeable tour guide, Louis Christophe (my program coordinator), drove us from Cape St. George all the way to the end of that long point on the map below- several kilometers down a narrow dirt road. It was a great adventure and new territory for me.

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Workshop Tour- Day 3 – Wow!

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Our second day in class went even more smoothly than the first! We had access to the room early and had everything set up by the time our nine Grade 5 & 6 students arrived at the Notre Dame du Cap school in Cape St. George.  That meant that we got through the warm, cool, black & white, and glazing layers. Students even had half an hour of free time to repeat whatever steps they felt moved to as they added to their layers. The results? Wow!  They then shared what they had learned and which aspects of their painting or the creative process that they enjoyed the most.  To end the morning, we were invited to join the whole school in the gym for their Thanksgiving lunch.  I’ve so much to be grateful for and today was definitely a part of that.  Thanks to Leslie Quennehen for taking all these photos for the FFTNL and sharing them with me.

After our morning, we headed out to visit more of the peninsula.  I’ll have lots more photos of that to share with you later, but there’s something new and unexpected happening right now … I’ll fill you in later on that too.  All is very well indeed!

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Workshop Tour – Day 2 – Creating & Sightseeing

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What an amazing day!  It had been a rainy and windy night, and we drove to Grand’Terre in the thick fog, but after a great morning leading my first workshop, we reveled in the beauty of the Cape.

Les Mains dans l’Art – École Sainte Anne (painting workshop):

Leslie Quennehen FFTNL__DSC0172We all agree, it was a great success!  Three hours of high energy exploration of paint and colour with 11 students of the Saint-Anne school at the very end of the Port-au-Port peninsula. This was the first of several cross-province French workshops sponsored by Heritage Canada and organized by the Fédération francophone de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador. Thank goodness I had Louis Christophe and Leslie with me to help set up, clean up, and take pictures.  It was non-stop!  When the children had their 15-minute recess, I was busy with the hairdryer to help speed things along.  By the end, the students had played with 1) a layer of warm colours; 2) mark-making with cool colours and a variety of tools; 3) free mark-making time with more warm colours; 4) adding contrast and imagery with black & white, and; 5) glazing with a coloured wash (not everyone got to that stage).  We chatted about colour theory, depth, texture, intuitive painting, indefinite layering, letting go of expectations, the impossibility of making mistakes, and lots more.  The students had fun and now have the tools to keep working on their paintings if they choose to.  I’m really happy about how it all went.  A great morning!  Note: you won’t see any of the students’ faces to respect their privacy.  All workshop photos by Leslie Quennehen.

Great Scenery:

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photo by Leslie Quennehen

We got lucky.  It was still raining while I was teaching, but the sunshine greeted us as we left the school, and so we got some take-out and went by the beach to eat. After walking along the beach for a while, we drove through another bout of thick fog to the Boutte du Cap Park at the end of Cape St. George (between the school and our inn).  We walked through fragrant paths of wind-blown pines and along spectacular cliffs to the famous Boot.  What can I say, but WOW!  Enjoy seeing it all through my eyes.

Goodnight. It’s 8:30 and I’m ready for bed!

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Workshop Tour- Day 1

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What a gorgeous day! The colours are out in full here in Newfoundland and a 9-hour drive across the island gave us plenty of time to admire them. I took a few photos out the window, but these really don’t begin to capture the amazing scenery we saw, even from the highway.

Another bonus to driving across the island instead of flying is that I was immersed in French for 9 hours with the program coordinator and communications agent for the Fédération francophone de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador.  As explained in a previous post, French may be my mother tongue, but if you don’t use it, you can lose it.  Thanks to this program, I’ve found it again. Yay!  I deliver my first workshop tomorrow morning at l’École Sainte-Anne in Grand’ Terre on the Port-au-Port peninsula – a land rich in French ancestry.

We arrived on the peninsula as the light was lowering in the sky.  Luckily, the Alpacas of Newfoundland craft shop was still open. Since the place is up for sale, I decided to invest $80 in 2 pairs of these amazing alpaca wool socks that I don’t react to (which I do to sheep’s wool).  Those I had bought during my 2011 road-trip are wearing thin in spots and I had expressed my need to come back here to get more the day I received the call about this job.  Love that story!  I also love having warm feet!

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We’re staying at the Inn at the Cape in Cape St. George.  I have a gorgeous room with a gorgeous view / balcony and the buffet supper was sooooo very good.  We’re here for 3 nights.  Nice!

OK – time for bed (which one will I sleep in…. all these choices?). I want to be in great shape for my morning workshop tomorrow.

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Photo Break – Petty Harbour

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Once again, am I ever glad I said yes.  I was fully absorbed in another painting marathon day recently when the phone rang and a friend invited me to drive out with her to Petty Harbour.  She wanted to see if she could find fresh fish.  I decided to take advantage of the warm sunshine and this ride out to one of the most scenic little villages near St. John’s.  It’s close to Cape Spear, the most easterly point of North America.  It may be small, but I’ve always come home from there snap happy.  Thanks Eva – for the ride, the company, and the soft serve ice cream! What a refreshing 1.5 hours!

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Nature Break – Photo Walk in Chapel’s Cove

Dominique Hurley_Chapels Cove_DLH_7729I can’t believe I almost said no.  Glad I didn’t though.  You see, it’s often challenging for me to transition from one state to another, especially when I’m focused on a project.  It’s rare, however, that that I’m not absolutely thrilled to get out of the house and into nature. What a blessing I did this week – especially since I haven’t done this kind of thing as much this summer as I’m used to.  Sure, I’ve walked through Bowring Park and downtown, where I stopped at The Rooms to look at the view of the harbour on one day and went to sit on the dock another to watch a cruise ship leave St. John’s. But without a car, I haven’t headed out of town very often since I returned in July.

Truth be told, with so many fulfilling projects in my painting studio, I’m definitely going through a hermit phase. Since I started painting full time, I’d say I average a 60-hour work week. I’m often in the studio by 6am and stay there until 10pm.  What can I say. Time flies when you’re having fun.

Dominique Hurley_Chapels Cove_DLH_7522 copyAnyhow, I’m so glad I said yes to a ride out of town this week.  My housemate and her sister were going blueberry picking and asked if I wanted to come along.  Winters can be very long in Newfoundland, so the mild sunny weather alone could have been enough to get me up and out the door.  The thought of walking by water with my camera & tripod, however, were what really pulled me out the door.

Dominique Hurley_Chapels Cove_DLH_7472While the sisters reveled at the abundance of blueberries on a burnt-out wooded hill by the ocean in the Town of Harbour Main, Chapel’s Cove & Lakeview (about 30 minutes out of St. John’s), I walked along the road from the ocean and past a series of ponds (lakes, really) all the way back to the main road.  Although I had more than one lens, I shot everything with my 70-300mm. What beauty! And what a great picnic too- Orinda had baked ciabatta bread that I had lathered in pesto and filled with roast chicken and organic romaine lettuce! I also had one of her famous spelt bran, wheat germ, flax seeds & blueberry muffins with me … just in case.

Dominique Hurley_Chapels Cove_IMG_8276Dominique Hurley_Chapels Cove_DLH_8005When I got to the main highway 5.5 hours later, it was getting dark.  I sat on a unique bench at the end of someone’s driveway for an hour, listening to the sounds of nature and neighbouring households, but then thought it best to knock on a door to ask to use the phone to see what the girls were up to.  By the time they came to pick me up, we all had lots of stories to share.  Thanks Charmaine & Orinda and thanks to the folks of Harbour Main, Chapel’s Cove & Lakeview! I invite you to experience this beautiful part of the world through my eyes.

 

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One Month Later… A New Chapter

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Bless us all – it’s been a month since my last post.  No, this is not a confession.  It’s really a celebration.  What an amazing month it’s been. Although I thought about my blog a few times, I had no inclination to write, so I didn’t.  I didn’t judge it, but simply accepted it for the break that it was. Since many of you were used to almost daily postings, however, I’ve started getting emails asking how I am.  So here’s a summary – I wouldn’t say a short one…. I’m still me, but believe me, it’s much briefer than if I had been writing about each of these things all along.  I’m glad I’m finally taking the time to share.  If I haven’t answered your questions, feel free to post them in the comments and I’ll respond next time.

So here’s the gist of where I’m at – literally and figuratively.

  • After leaving Vienna, I spent a week with my family in Ottawa. I hadn’t seen my parents and siblings since Christmas, so time with them was wonderful.  I’m glad I planned my travels this way.  Ottawa is also a great place to spend Canada Day, but at 40 degrees Celcius, I was quite happy to watch the celebrations on TV … I survived the heat of Bali, but don’t know if I could have handled the crowds on Parliament Hill in that sweltering heat & humidity.
  • DLH_7114I moved back to St-John’s, Newfoundland on July 2nd.  My friend Ted picked me up at the airport and drove me to my new home, where my new housemate Orinda greeted us with a a big hug and a delicious cod dinner.  Ted and I then went over to my friends Kim & Darryl’s house, where I met their new baby and picked up the 9 boxes/suitcases I had in storage there.  Two days later, I had emptied all my boxes and had done 10 loads of laundry, which I hung out on the clothesline to dry – a novelty for someone who has lived in apartments most of her adult life.  After living with the contents of 2 suitcases for a year, however, I felt like I simply had too much stuff.  It’s led to my playing a dress-up game; I haven’t worn the same outfit once in 3 weeks… We’ll see how long I can keep that up.  Hard to imagine I gave, sold, or threw out a lot of my stuff before leaving for Europe… I’m not missing anything, but am open to a comfortable bike like the one I borrowed from my friends in the Czech Republic a few times.
  • After having corresponded with my new housemate Orinda for a month or so by email before my return to NL, it was like we were old friends.  In fact, after only 2 days together, it felt like we had been living together for months (in a good way). I’ve already described how we were guided to each other (see point 3 in previous post). I can see why – this is wonderful for both of us.  I’m quite a loner/introvert and need a lot of time on my own – but I also love sharing time with like-minded friends.  Being here with Orinda is a very good thing. At first, I thought I was “taking” so much and not “giving” much- but she’s expressed how much my presence was adding to her life, so there you have it.  Our ways of being with each other are very complimentary. I’m so used to living alone (even with roommates), so this is quite different. I’m enjoying it. As some of you know, my creativity doesn’t extend to the kitchen. Organic healthy food is a priority in my budget, but I often cook the same thing and it’s not so exciting anymore. Anyhow, Orinda loves to cook, and I love to eat. Great combo! And when I cook, she also enjoys it.  Perfect! We’re keeping the lines of communication open though- not staying fixed in any role or way of being – it will evolve and change as we do. No expectations.  This is just so different than with my previous 3 sets of roommates here and in Vienna, where we had completely separate lives, and I could go days without even seeing them and then, when we did see each other, conversations would stay very superficial.  Orinda and I are so much alike – we definitely speak the same language and are both committed to learning to being more unconditionally loving. Indeed, our spiritual paths are quite similar.  You can imagine our conversations – deep, open, honest, and interesting. Love it!  Then, when I’ve had too much social time in a day and I need to recharge my introvert batteries, I simply retreat to my room for a movie, and all continues to be well.  By the time I meet the next man in my life, should that be meant to be, I’ll be much better equipped – i.e. better at loving unconditionally. Until then, I will continue to be single and happy, this time with a God-sent housemate in a beautiful home.
  • The photos my friend Cheryl sent me of the house while I was still in Vienna didn’t lie. I had asked her to be my eyes and energy-meter. The first line of her report was “This is perfect for you!”. She was right.  Orinda’s home is absolutely lovely – inside and out. I really like my room upstairs with the slanted ceilings and lots of natural light (see the photo of my desk with mementos of Vienna, Bali, and Italy as well as treasures from my life before that). I’m thrilled about having a private little shower room in the finished basement (next to my spacious studio). The kitchen (with dishwasher!) is spacious and has everything I could possibly need. There are also lots of comfortable couches to lie and read on, surrounded by lots of beautiful things. I do get some exercise from going up and down stairs a lot… That’s the inside.  Outside, the house is surrounded by nature, including a small river in the back yard. I love spending time on the deck or lying on cushions in the grass and taking it all in (correcting essays or reading a Byron Katie book).  After 3 weeks, the Queen Anne’s lace and rhododendron are no longer in bloom, but sweet smelling honeysuckle vines embrace the deck and fence and the day lilies are coming out too. I look out the back window and all I see is green.  There’s a highway hidden in the trees nearer to the Southside Hills, the equivalent of several blocks away, but I’m slowly getting used to the sound of traffic.  I was oversensitive to it on both sides of the house when I first moved in.  I now understand that any suffering around that is a result of my resistance to the idea of noise.  Now, I sleep with the windows closed and  I keep remembering my favourite movie, August Rush, and how everything can be music if I choose to perceive it that way. So that’s the house.  Basically, I love living here!  Every day, I walk around and find a new place to be and breathe in with gratitude.  What a great space with such lovely energy.  Yesterday, Orinda and I gave the whole house a smudge (spiritual cleansing) with sacred palo santo smoke. It releases stale energies in the corners and anything else that doesn’t serve this new chapter in our lives and our Highest Good.  Basically, it’s about consciously loving the space and putting our intentions and attention into that. The house and property feel even more nourishing because of it.  I usually do it right after I move into a new place, but that felt like perfect timing.
  • Although a bad chest cold slowed me down considerably for a bit over a week, I still managed to say hello to a few friends and to the ocean. I went hiking up Signal Hill with Chery & Ted and their 2 dogs. There were still icebergs around at that time.  I also went to sit on the pebble beach at Beachy Cove with Eva, a friend of Orinda’s who went swimming in the cold water while I sat and soaked in the view and some healthy vitamins for a while.  Last weekend, Kim and I went hiking near Flatrock, where we saw some whales, old war bunkers and radar station, and I breathed in the sweet smells of Newfoundland forests.  My friend Janice came over a couple of times with her son Alex and we went for a long walk to Bowring Park, a huge park near where I’m living.  There’s a trail close by that leads to it and the park is filled with trails.  Next, my friend Leslie and I went to MoMondays together, and I got to hear her speak during the pre-show to this monthly North American-wide motivational/inspirational event. She’s being strongly guided to spread love and beauty through various projects – it’s truly inspiring.  yet about it, but stay tuned.  I also got to say hello to some of my other friends at MoMondays, including fellow artist Lori Reddy, but we’ll be spending more time together Monday. I look forward to catching up.  I haven’t seen all my buddies yet, but my days have been rather full – lots of doing, but also lots of simply being in the moment, grateful for all that is.
  • IMG_7961Part of why I’ve been busy is that I started full-time work at Memorial University 2 days after I got back. I’m now finished 3 weeks of a 5-week English as a Second Language teaching contract with a delightful group of 19 students, mostly from Quebec.  I teach the most advanced group, and they’ve been both motivated and cooperative – a teacher’s dream.  I spent a lot of time back in Vienna and here in Canada adjusting my curriculum and materials to improve on what I offered during the previous 3 summers that I taught in this government-subsidized program. I’m very happy with what we’re accomplishing together this year.  After being a full time student myself for a year, I’ve gained a new perspective on both teaching and being a student.  Thankfully, my partial loss of voice after 2 days in class (due to the chest cold) didn’t slow us down much.  The teaching has been great and as an added bonus, this contract will help cover a part of the costs of stocking up my studio again.
  • Ah yes, the studio! In addition to Orinda’s wonderful company and the ways we’re sharing the space, I’m really enjoying setting up my studio. In preparation for my arrival, Orinda was inspired to go through a major de-cluttering of the house, and the huge room in the walk-in basement that used to be her storage room has now become my studio. She used to have 15 people gather in that room for Course of Miracles meetings – that gives you an idea of the size… and the energy.   In the past week, I filled my “canvas closet” with 52 of my favourite Apollon canvases that I bought at Art Cansel.  As a bonus for shopping local, the owner let me choose any canvas for free. Nice!  My friend Leslie helped me get them home – can you believe they all fit in her Honda Fit hatchback? Appropriately named… I also just got the bulk of my Golden Artist Colors paint & medium order from Urchin Art Materials and Papery. I had had such a good experience in the past placing a special order with Shannon at that shop as compared to a very disappointing experience shopping online via a big Toronto store, so I was glad to shop local again. She gave me an extra discount on top of the regular quantity discount for the repeat investment.  She’s even doing some detective work to find a few things on my wish list and will be throwing those in at no extra cost. Wow!  Now that’s service! Although Shannon offered to deliver my order, Orinda drove me right there and my organizer self spent a couple of happy hours that night placing everything on the shelving that had been waiting for me in my new studio. I also took a bus trip to Michael’s Arts & Craft Store to pick up a bunch of my regular 3-D paints there… fun!  They had a 50% off canvas sale on and so I couldn’t resist bringing a 4′ x 4′ canvas home on the bus – just to see if I could do it…  it would have never fit in Orinda’s car.  It took a while with the regular delays and transfer, but I got it home with no problem.   I’ll be painting soon! Very soon.
  • Taking the bus to school has been the biggest change and challenge from the way I usually like to live.  Public transportation here isn’t like in Vienna, that’s for sure.  In the past few decades, I had chosen to live 30-60 minutes from school/work, so that I could get my exercise.  When I have a destination to walk to, I simply do it.  The university is now 1.5 hours away on foot on city streets, so I haven’t even tried it.  When I lived in the Battery (at the foot of Signal Hill), it used to take me about an hour, but most of it was along nature trails.  That isn’t the case now.  So I’m taking the bus.  Had I not felt so guided to living here, that may have been a deal breaker, but it’s really not such a big deal. I’m patient at bus stops, but I just have to motivate myself to go for a walk for the sake of walking, and I haven’t been too good at that so far.  Grant it, I was sick for over a week and chose to sleep instead.  I did choose to walk Rennie’s River Trail from school to my old grocery store (40 minutes) and take the bus from there a couple of times.  That was nice.  I wasn’t there though when a moose was using the trail last week. I also missed one on campus 2 days ago in the pond next to my students’ residence… I’m not totally sedentary though – at least I’m walking 10-15 minutes uphill to my bus stop every morning, but then I sometimes stand there 40 minutes if a bus doesn’t show up.  It hasn’t been earlier than 10 minutes late, even at 7am near the beginning of its run.  What will it be in the winter?… maybe I won’t teach for that term. We’ll see.
  • Note: For the first time this morning, I decided to take the 8am bus to school instead of the 7 or 7:30 am bus, so I could work on this blog a bit. By that time though, the sky was pouring down in buckets. No worries. I have good rain boots, pants and a Gortex jacket – my first summer here, it was like this every day for the first 4 weeks, plus it was so cold I needed my hat and gloves for the hour’s walk to school.  Just as I was getting ready to go, however,I heard Orinda calling and she insisted on driving me to school with a delightful “How could I stay in bed sleeping knowing you’re out there in that. I have a car. That’s what it’s made for!”.  What a blessing!  After my independent self resisted for a couple of minutes, I just let go and accepted the generous gift – one of many life (and Orinda) has offered me. Nice!
  • I’m definitely open to part-time teaching contracts to get my bank account back up to my comfort zone after a year overseas. Plus it gets me out of the house and around people.  Once I get my art business back on its feet, I’m sure finances will pick up.  I’m not worried.  I am curious though – every time I get an email inviting participation in a Christmas Craft Fair or other business opportunity, my intuitive guidance tells me to relax and not jump into anything. This is strange since I have an equally strong left brain that wants to push ahead and get going on the business / marketing, even if I haven’t started painting yet. Something is brewing. Months ago, I expressed my dream to be able to take a year to simply paint and see what evolves from integrating what I learned overseas with my own intuitive energy-based artistic style/voice – no pressure for sales, exhibitions, etc. Maybe that is what’s in store for me.  I did buy a lottery ticket, but didn’t win.  That same day, however, after my first bus ride home from school, I found a $20 bill among the stones next to the sidewalk.  Have you seen the film “The Grand Seduction”? It’s based in Newfoundland, and I saw it in the movie theater in Ottawa.  The main character, a doctor that the small out-port town is trying to seduce to stay so that they can fulfill the requirements to build a factory, keeps finding $5 bills that were planted there for him to find.  I keep looking, but I only found the one so far.  Still, I’m staying and very grateful to be here. I did take that as a sign that I am indeed abundant and have nothing to worry about – I may not have won the lottery (yet), but the Universe is supporting me in many other ways.  I’ll let my right brain/intuition lead as I’ve learned to trust; indeed, I’m keeping my antenna up to see what my next out-of-the-box miracle might be.  No expectations – just going with the flow and seeing where that takes me.

That’s what my life has been like in the past month.  My year overseas was amazing AND  I’m happy being home to embrace the mystery of what this new chapter will hold.  Fun!

 

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Heart Warming Goodbyes in the Czech Republic

Dominique Hurley_DLH_7043I know that nothing or no one can make us happy. That’s up to us – a choice we make in every moment.  I’ll admit though, there are people and places that make it easier for me to open my heart and feel connected to the Truth – of my Self, of others, and of the world.  There’s nothing quite like the feeling of unconditional love – when we give it or receive it.  It’s no wonder we think others make us happy.  But the truth is that we make ourselves happy by being in a state of love.

How’s that for an introduction to today’s post about my farewell visit to the Czech Republic?!  Being there with my friends in Omice, Brno and Blansko just warmed my heart – helping me to choose love and happiness in most every moment.  Ah… that feels good. I truly hope it won’t be another 22 years until I return to the Czech Republic or see my friends again.  I was blessed during these past 10 months overseas to see them 5 times.

I’m not much into emotional goodbyes, but I am very much into celebrating friendship and love.  When you realize that the origin of the word “goodbye” is “God be with ye”, it perfectly suits my wishes for those that have shared my path this year – those I’ve known for decades and those I’ve recently met in the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Italy, and Bali.  But back to this past weekend…

In 4 days, I slept in 3 friends’ houses, had some wonderful conversations, great dinners (albeit not always healthy… still, couldn’t miss this opportunity for my last Czech deep fried cheese with a side of fries), lovely walks, lots of warm feelings, a fun game of bowling, and time outdoors. Oh – and I got to speak Czech to my heart’s content – such a joy in itself.  I am so grateful for it all.

Nature Hike:

Dominique Hurley_DLH_7023

I realize now that I didn’t take any photos for the first couple of days.  I was still in a state of low energy after weeks of high energy, hard work, and long hours. It was just great to relax and be with friends. On Saturday afternoon, however, a few of us went for a hike in the hills around Blansko and that put my body and mind right back into shape.  Exercising in nature is so invigorating – just what I needed!  There were parts of the path that were both physically and psychologically challenging (those with steep slippery slopes, for example), but I was reminded how I can better handle these if I breathe and take one step at a time (duh!), follow closely in someone’s footsteps (to look at their shoes instead of the drop ahead), or hold on to someone’s hand (thanks guys!).  I have no trouble asking for help, and I’d much rather appear scared or weak than end up at the bottom of a cliff. I knew what I needed, asked for it, and received it. Isn’t life great!?

Our hike took us past a memorial to a young poet, where throngs of lovers meet once a year in May,  an old castle called new castle (Novy Hrad), and lots of beautiful scenery.

Downhill Cycling:

This was great fun!  We decided not to go back to Lednice as was originally planned. Instead, we stayed in the region to experience something new.  Perfect!  We biked from the apartment building down the hill to the bus station where we put our bikes on a trailer at the back of the bus.

We rode the bus uphill for a little more than an hour through the countryside to the very last stop.  We then rode our bikes all the way back down, mostly through forested paths and trails and a few bits on the road.

Screen shot 2014-06-23 at 5.40.41 AMThis is a web screen-shot from the program Antonin uses on his phone to keep track of his walks, runs, bicycle trips, etc. (http://www.sports-tracker.com/).  It measures almost everything as long as he’s moving. Very cool!  As you can see, we biked 31.6km at an average speed of 16.4km/hr (maximum 38km/hr), ascending 597m and descending 998m.  You can see all the little ups and downs on the right.  We were actually in movement for 1:55 hours, but that doesn’t include our stops for lunch or breaks.  In reality, it was more like 4 hours.  Along the way, we saw a weather radar tower, a hideout cabin for two factions of the Resistance during WWII, an orientation marker, lovely little villages, and beautiful scenery.  I really enjoyed the mountain bike I borrowed during my 2 cycling trips here – so much better on my back than my old 10-speed I sold before leaving Canada. The gear systems was so easy and effective.  I only got off to walk twice – simply because it was as fast to walk those hills and I could enjoy the view better that way.   This time, the bike even had a new saddle on it, which amazingly wasn’t painful at all! That certainly added to the enjoyment of this day – that and the company of beloved friends, of course. We ended our day together with a backyard BBQ (including a try at target shooting with a pellet riffle … without success on my part (I had mixed feelings about trying – not much into guns, but wanted to be skillful and hit the target … Julia got it right on though!  Impressive!)

The next morning, I had breakfast with the Karaseks and Tony walked me to the train station for a final heart to heart conversation and God be with yee hug.  Once in Brno, I took the bus back to Vienna and was at school by 12pm for my shift at our graduation exhibition.

Last European Post:

This will likely be my last blog post from Europe.  In my last two days, I need to finish packing, take care of government paperwork, and manage my silent auction and leftover paintings.  My friend Regine from Ainring (near Salzburg) is driving down to spend my last hours in Vienna with me and to drive me to the airport.  So sweet!

Thanks for following me on my adventures.  I hope you’ve enjoyed the trip (264 posts since I was guided to embark on this chapter). ! I have so many of you to thank for it.

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