INSPIRED 55+ lifestyle magazine
JANUARY 2019
BALLERINA EVELYN HART
THE JOY OF CRUISING SOLO 10 TIPS FOR WEIGHT LOSS SUCCESS FAMILY CRUISING HAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
Inspiration for people over 55
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Evelyn Hart: En Pointe by John Kelly Cruising into Russian Culture by Marilyn Jones Off the Cuff by Design by John Kelly Hike or Bike by Day, Cruise by Night by Bob Cooper The Joy of Cruising Solo by Ian Carter Fashion: Warmth Without Bulk by Callie Martin Try Cruising on Your Next Family Vacation by Marilyn Jones
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55+ lifestyle magazine
Cover EVELYN HART One of Canada’s most beloved and accomplished ballerinas. Photo by Aleksandar Antonijevic www.aleksandarantonijevic.ca 4 2
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EVELYN HART:
EN POINTE by JOHN KELLY
Liam Caines, Dmitri Dovgoselets and Evelyn Hart in 2017 Vespers. Photo by Stanislav Belyaevsky
“My sister has an exceptional voice, a natural voice. My other sister has quite a wonderful voice, and my brother had perfect pitch. That’s why I ended up in dance. Everyone else had their particular talents, and I needed to find something of my own.” She’s a Companion of the Order of Canada, has received a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, and was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. I inadvertently stepped on her star-shaped leaf on Canada’s Walk of Fame for crying out loud. And, until a few weeks ago, I couldn’t have picked her out of a police line-up. Now, well, now I’d name her as one of Canada’s most beloved and accomplished ballerinas and the perpetrator of some of the most unimaginably beautiful dance anywhere. If you’re looking for another Karen Kain piece, buddy, sorry, you’re at the wrong station. She’s Evelyn Hart, and she’s a study in grace and beauty, elegance and courage. But a deeper examination reveals a dash of the unconventional and a healthy dollop of stick-toitiveness. “It really had nothing to do with dance. At 10 or 11, I watched Veronica Tennant dance in Romeo and Juliet on CBC TV. I’d always been interested in acting. My father was a great musician and we all took music lessons. And all of a sudden, it put everything into perspective. Dancing had drama. It had costumes. It had music. It was gorgeous. I had no idea about it, but I knew at that moment, that was what I wanted to be,” says Evelyn. Her first audition at the National Ballet School was unsuccessful. They told her something most pre-adolescents wouldn’t be averse to hearing: her body was more normal than abnormal. Where other kids may have packed it in and tried something else, 11-year-old Evelyn couldn’t. She didn’t let being normal, at least in body type, discourage her. She took lessons at the YWCA, where her teacher was a former student of the National Ballet School and encouraged Evelyn INSPIRED | JANUARY 2019
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Snapshot with Evelyn Hart
If you were to meet your 20-year-old self, what advice would you give her? “Listen only to the things on the inside. Pay attention to your inner voice and follow it. It’s the driving force, and in the end, it’s you that has to live with you.” Who or what has influenced you the most? And why? “My parents, my father’s and mother’s spirituality, their sense of humanity, decency, sense of the world and caring for others really fashioned who I am on the inside. So, whatever I do artistically is a product of my inside.” What are you most grateful for? “I am most grateful for the privilege of being an artist, being able to live creatively and being on the stage sharing what I have… living in an emotional world where the values are about love and expression. Living in a world of intangibles is not easy, but it is fulfilling.” What does success mean to you? “I have to quote Anna Pavlova. She said, “When I was young, I was rather foolish because I thought that success meant fame and fortune, and now I’ve come to realize it is actually the realization of an ideal.” |
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to persevere. This time, she was invited to attend their summer school, but after sweating it out there for a couple of months, yet another rejection followed. The family then moved from Peterborough to Dorchester, just outside of London, Ontario. Evelyn begged her parents to let her train with Dorothy and Vicky Carter. They agreed and, after three months, she was asked to go to the National Ballet School. And she went, as a full-time student. The school worried Evelyn was getting a little too thin and, eventually, sent her home. At this point, anyone, let alone a child, could be forgiven for not putting much stock in “try, try again.” But Evelyn stubbornly refused to give in and give up. Her teachers thought she might do well in a new program that was being developed in Winnipeg. After completing Grade 12, she went. Toes pointed. Fingers crossed. “I never looked back. I was there for three years, and then I joined the company in 1976. Four years after that, I was promoted to principal,” says Evelyn. In 1980, Evelyn and her partner won a bronze medal at the World Ballet Concours in Japan. That was followed by a gold medal in Varna, Bulgaria at the International Ballet Competition. It was there that Evelyn received the rarely awarded Certificate of Exceptional Artistic Achievement. “That opened a whole new world for me,” she says. “I was jet-setting around the world, guesting while I was continuing my career with the Winnipeg Ballet.” For Evelyn, it’s all about expression. Technical virtuosity, athletic prowess, unparalleled grace. They’re all wonderful, but fail for Evelyn if they do not elicit a deep human response, something more profound than “wow, did you see how high she kicked her leg?” “If I see something that is being done beautifully but there is no expression, I’m not taken by it.” Evelyn feels that these days the pendulum has swung back a little in the direction of the gymnastics element in dance, what with the Cirque de Soleils of the world, but remains philosophical about it. As we privilege and enjoy watching the extremes to which the human
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body go, we lose something. There is the shirtless rock ‘n’ roll band with their amps turned to 11. And there is the lone folk singer in the coffee house. You can probably guess where Evelyn will be spending the evening. “I lived my whole life using my body. Isn’t that funny? Even yesterday, I was explaining to my students it is about taking in the music and letting my body become the visual instrument of that. It wasn’t how high can I jump; how many turns could I turn. It was how can I mold my body into an instrument that expressed something. I think that’s what made me unique in my career,” she says. Today, Evelyn teaches ballet: positions, pirouettes and pliés. “I teach a small group of very talented and committed young dancers throughout the year. I do a summer program, which I love.” The students are treated like professionals, dancing for eight hours per day over the five-week program. At the end, they put on a performance applying everything they’ve learned. Most importantly, though, she tries to instill in her students that they must find their own connection to the music and use their bodies, make them conduits for the sound. “All of a sudden you find somebody who kind of hits the sweet spot, that has enough technique, but is able to express and then you kind of go, ‘oh, that’s what it should be.’” Modesty prevents Evelyn from saying, “and that’s what I did.” So, I’ll say it. That’s what she did. She took the music and did more than merely interpret the piece; Evelyn became the music, every lilting note and every thundering crescendo. Where other dancers may have been more athletic or technical, Evelyn made a connection with the music and with the story. She amazed audiences around the world and won them over not with a scream but with a whisper. “It was a way for me to express the feelings that were inside, the things that the music made me feel.” Dancers are athletes, but you’d have a hard time getting Evelyn to admit that about herself. “I’m not a physical person at all. My
family were all very athletic. I’m the least athletic person you can imagine, but dancing for me was never really about the physicality. It was much more about the spirituality,” she says. In fact, Evelyn believes the dancers who have a sense of the spiritual are the ones who are more likely to access the singular ability to absorb the music and use their bodies to express it. “When I look at my students, it’s usually the ones with a spiritual background that are able to connect to something greater, and those that don’t are usually much drier,” says Evelyn. While she had many associations with ballet companies around the world, Evelyn’s roots grew for 30 years deep into the Manitoba soil before retiring in 2005. “I hung up my pointe shoes August 23, 2006,” she says. You can take the girl out of dance, but you can’t take dance out of the girl. Performances may be fewer and further between these days, but Evelyn still takes to the stage. She danced in Ottawa at the National Arts Centre this past November. In the spring of 2019, she will dance in an original production for two dancers called Four Old Legs. She playfully refers to it as heartfelt walking. “It’s moving with intent. I don’t feel like I’m not dancing because for me dancing was always about expressing myself and using my body, but I’m not using a balletic vocabulary anymore. But, of course, that’s where I really prefer to be.” These days Evelyn lives in downtown Toronto above the Eaton Centre, and it’s been more than a dozen years since she’s put her pointe shoes on, but Evelyn enjoys nothing if not a challenge. “I need to be near a subway station because I don’t drive. Sometimes I think that’s my next project – to learn how to drive,” muses Evelyn. If she decides to get behind the wheel, Evelyn just may turn that very utilitarian pursuit of getting from A to B into a study in form and beauty. Nah, she’ll probably just drive. But she’d do it with the same enthusiasm she brings to anything worth doing. Her advice for not just young dancers, not just young people, but everyone everywhere is to begin, to throw yourself wholeheartedly into your pursuit. “To not be afraid to commit fully and wholly, and to throw yourself 100 per cent into it because when it’s over, it’s over. While you’re in it, just live it fully. Don’t sit there and worry about what comes after because what comes after will always be fine. My feeling is that some people stand with one foot on the dock and one foot in the boat.” I’m guilty of having done that and had a pulled groin to show for it. “Trust that you are going to end up at a dock. It may not be the same dock, but wherever you go, you’re going to have those life experiences that you were meant to have, and hopefully change other people’s lives along the way,” says Evelyn. Our lives are an expression, one big expression. We seldom have a choice on the score or the choreography but, in every life, there is just one principal dancer. We all choose to express ourselves. And we all choose a style that is unique to each of us. Everywhere there are shiny bells and whistles tempting us away from
what could be our truest essence. Sometimes it is difficult to stay the course, but Evelyn stuck to her guns. She was faithful to her intuition, and anyone who has seen her dance is richer for it. You got a computer? Heard of YouTube? E…v…e… “It’s always been for me the biggest goal… if you can move someone spiritually, the art is doing what it was intended to do.” Evelyn uses the story of the sun and the wind. Which one of us, they argued, can force this man to take off his coat. The wind blew and blew, and the more he blew, the more the man kept his coat wrapped around him. And then it was the sun’s turn. Out it came, quietly and softly. And the man removed his coat. That is Evelyn’s art. Working without a hammer, moving without force. “I think that’s what moves people forward,” she says. Evelyn seems to be always expressing, moving herself toward something, a goal, a sign post. Learning to drive makes sense for her. There’s the road ahead for what’s next and a rear-view into which she can look back on a long road of dance. Maybe she can hang those pointe shoes from that mirror. |
Evelyn at the 2017 Vespers rehearsal with Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Photos: David Cooper
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CRUISING INTO RUSSIAN CULTURE by MARILYN JONES I am often asked what I liked best about a trip when I return home. Invariably I say the people. Most of the world’s population has the same priorities as I do: taking care of their families, cultivating friendships and their faith. Human differences are usually superfluous, proving to me we are all more alike than different, no matter our culture, heritage or religion. This is certainly true in Russia. Viking River Cruises is known for its local immersion. I had the opportunity to meet and get to know many Russians on this cruise bookended by Moscow and St. Petersburg. My Adventure Begins Moscow is the political capital of Russia and the largest city in area and population. It has been a community for eons and first mentioned historically in 871. “Before 1917 there were 1,500 churches in Moscow. Now there are 50 from that era,” my guide says. “There is currently a religious renaissance. Churches are being rebuilt.” Cathedral of Savior the Redeemer, for example, was built in 1839, but destroyed in 1931 on the order of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the church was rebuilt on the site – a tribute to the nation’s Christian faith. Nearby is Red Square with the amazing Saint Basil’s Cathedral, completed in 1561. Each dome has a distinct design. 10 8
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One side of Red Square is a wall on the Kremlin with its Spasskaya Tower built in 1491. Opposite the Kremlin wall is GUM Department Store, which was used as a trading centre throughout Moscow’s history, except for some of the Soviet years. The word Kremlin means a fortified complex at the heart of a city. The Moscow Kremlin includes five palaces and four cathedrals. The complex also serves as the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. A popular tourist destination, throngs of people stream into the Kremlin even on this day when the skies open up and the rain pours down on a rainbow of umbrellas. I pass by cannons and grand buildings before touring three medieval churches.
ABOVE | Matryoshka dolls are a popular souvenir in Russia. PAGE 10 (top to bottom) | Catherine Palace in Pushkin is a dream of gold, marble and the famous Amber Room. Saint Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square is an iconic site in Moscow. During a home visit the author poses with her home host. Photo courtesy Viking River Cruises TOC PAGE | Of the hundreds of churches destroyed during the Soviet years, some are being rebuilt like Cathedral of Savior the Redeemer in Moscow. Photos: Marilyn Jones
Gold and silver domes top the beautiful churches filled with frescoes honouring Russian Orthodox saints as well as past state heroes and tsars. Setting Sail From Moscow our ship heads toward St. Petersburg. Our first stop is Uglich, where several residents open their homes to Viking passengers to better understand the life of an average Russian citizen. I meet a sweet woman who shares photos of her children and grandchildren. Through an interpreter she encourages us to have some of her homemade moonshine. During the toast she wishes us friendship, prosperity and safe travels. She talks about her children and their accomplishments, including her daughter’s beautiful craft work. She says, too, it hurts her to know the free world was afraid of Russian citizens during the Cold War. Her parting wisdom is that she wishes for peace among all nations. Uglich is known as the place where Ivan the Terrible’s 10-year-old son Dmitry was murdered. The Church of St. Dmitry on the Blood was built on the site where the boy’s body was found. Founded in 1010, Yaroslavl prospered as a trading port on the Volga River. This stop includes a local market. With sign language and many smiles, I am able to buy Russian chocolate and bags of dried fruit. On each tour we are given a lot of free time to explore, shop and converse with merchants. We tour St. Elijah the Prophet Church, considered the most beautiful of the city’s churches. Built between 1647 and 1650, it is a monument to the Renaissance era. Another highlight of our morning is a visit to the 19th century Governor’s Palace, a living museum of art, history and culture. After viewing the many fine pieces of Russian art, we are invited into a grand hall. A trio of musicians play as period-dressed dancers perform before asking members of the audience to dance. Kuzina is home to the grand and massive Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery with its medieval religious artifacts, but it is the school visit that most impresses me. A well-spoken 15-year-old student serves as tour guide. Using perfect English, she confidently shows us her school. After a look at student artwork and an enjoyable performance of traditional dance by a charming 13-year-old, we follow our young guide to a classroom where she answers questions about education in Russia. Situated at the north end of Lake Onega is Kizhi Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to the Open Air Museum of Architecture. Dozens of buildings including farmhouses, barns, mills and lovely wooden churches make up the site. Settlements are known to have been here since the 15th century. Our tour includes watching local craftspeople weave and make shingles for the church domes. Mandrogy Village was created in the 1990s to appear as it did before being bombed during WWII. The buildings house artists and craftspeople painting Matryoshka dolls, creating fine woodwork and ceramics, and blacksmiths pounding out metal treasures. I walk the circumference of the village and enjoy this recreated time lost to war.
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St. Petersburg As much as Moscow is the political capital, St. Petersburg is the cultural capital of Russia. Founded in 1703 by Tsar Peter the Great, its named changed to Petrograd in 1914 and Leningrad in 1924 but changed back again to St. Petersburg in 1991 at the end of the Soviet era. Once settled by Swedish colonists, Peter captured the area in 1703 and soon set about building Peter and Paul Fortress followed by the city. He wanted to gain a more accessible seaport in order to trade with the rest of Europe. In 1728, Peter II moved his office back to Moscow, but four years later under Empress Anna, St. Petersburg was again designated the capital. It remained the seat of the Romanov dynasty and the Imperial Court of the tsars as well as the seat of government until the revolution in 1917. One of the highlights of the city is The Hermitage, a world-class art museum. The collections occupy six historic buildings, including the Winter Palace that was once home to tsars and tsarinas from the 18th century until 1917. In this palace all that glitters is gold defined by ornate plaster work, marble, crystal chandeliers and inlaid floors. The collection of the world’s most famous painters, sculptures, jewellery makers, furniture designers and porcelain masters are represented here. In this setting, viewing such beauty and rarity is magical. 12 10
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The Catherine Palace, located south of the city, is named after Catherine I, wife of Peter the Great, who ruled Russia for two years after her husband’s death. Originally a modest home, its grandeur is the result of their daughter, Empress Elizabeth, who chose the location as her chief summer residence. Starting in 1743, the building was reconstructed by four different architects, before Bartholomeo Rastrelli, Chief Architect of the Imperial Court, was instructed to completely redesign the building on a scale to rival Versailles. Completed in 1756, it is nearly one kilometre in circumference. The Great Hall, also known as the Hall of Light, measures nearly 1,000 square metres. Its opulence is staggering, but nothing can compare with the famous Amber Room. To create this extraordinary chamber, panels of amber mosaic were installed by surroundings them with gilded carving, mirrors and mosaics of Ural and Caucasus gemstones. The room was completed in 1770. In 1941, when German troops took over the palace, the Amber Room was dismantled in 36 hours and shipped to Konigsberg in what was Germany at the time. Its eventual fate remains unknown. In 1982, the order was given to begin the recreation of the Amber Room, a process that took more than 20 years and cost more than $12 million. Opened in 2003 by President Putin and Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, the restored Amber Room is a truly exceptional monument and testament to the painstaking care of the craftsmen who worked on it. I also have the privilege to see a ballet performance of Swan Lake in the Hermitage Theatre, once the court theatre of the Romanov dynasty. The performance is a consummate close to my 12 days of exploration and understanding of Russia’s people, culture, heritage and history. Travel is a great neutralizer among nations. It’s the perfect way to understand the world’s citizens truly are more alike than different. | For IF YOU GO information, visit www. seniorlivingmag.com/cruise-russia
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Calling All Travel Enthusiasts! Join us January 17 for details on our next three sponsored tours - and find out more about our plans to gather together a local group of 55+ travel enthusiasts. We want to help make travel even more satisfying and open the door for lasting friendships to develop. We are proud to partner with Collette, one of the top tour companies in the world. Collette’s goal is to give every traveller an experience that removes all the anxiety around planning and organizing a trip. For those who are single, being part of this travel group could be a way to find travel buddies - someone to share the costs and the experience. Once the trip is over, it doesn’t mean the fun has to end. What about a gathering after every trip to relive the adventure through sharing photos and stories with others? Know when new trips are being planned so you can plan to travel with some of the same people again and again. If you’d like to be part of our INSPIRED local group of travellers, come find out more at our January 17th event and get all the info about our upcoming tours:
1) Oberammergau & Imperial Cities Tour - includes best seats at the epic 2020 Oberammergau Passion Play and an 11day tour of Budapest, Vienna, Prague and Munich. Departure date: July 8, 2020. Booking deadline: February 15, 2019.
Oberammergau & Imperial Cities Tour
2) Costa Rica - a 9-day tour of this natural paradise in the company of INSPIRED columnist Pat Nichol. Departure Date: Oct 26, 2019. Booking deadline: April 26, 2019. 3) Australia & New Zealand - join INSPIRED Publisher Barbara Risto on this 15-day adventure Down Under. Departure date: February 25, 2020. Booking deadline: August 25, 2019.
Must Book by Feb 15, 2019
Come join us for refreshments, ask all your questions and meet the hosts of these trips in person. Please RSVP to Vision Travel (see below). This ensures we have seats for everyone. When you call or email, Vision’s helpful team of travel professionals will provide you with the location and time of this Information Session, and answer any questions about tour price or how to book these trips. We look forward to seeing you there! |
PRAGUE
BUDAPEST
INFORMATION PRESENTATION Thursday, Jan 17
Find out more about these amazing tours: Oberammergau
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Costa Rica
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Victoria, BC
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Australia & New Zealand
Refreshments • Bring your questions • RSVP visionyyj@visiontravel.ca or call (250)412-1888 Book Now & Save
Book Now & Save up to
Per Person
Per Person
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$100
Costa Rica
Departure Oct 26, 2019 9 Days • 14 Meals
Discover the magic of this natural tropical paradise. Highlights: San Jose, Coffee Plantation, Guanacaste, Monteverde Cloud Forest, Arenal Volcano & Cruise, Cano Negro Refuge, Zarcero. Hosted by INSPIRED Columnist Pat Nichol*.
Australia & New Zealand
Departure February 25, 2020 15 Days • 21 Meals Join the Publisher of INSPIRED Magazine* on this spectacular trip down under. Highlights: Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Opera House, Auckland, Rotorua, Christchurch, Queenstown, Arrowtown, Milford Sound, Merino Sheep Farm.
Oberammergau 2020 Passion Play Departure July 8, 2020
LIMITED SEATS.
11 Days • 16 Meals
Performed once a decade in the Bavarian hamlet of Oberammergau. Combined with an Imperial Cities Tour to Budapest, Bratislava, Vienna, Cesky Krumlov, Prague & Munich, this is an epic travel experience you don’t want to miss. Must book before Feb 15, 2019.
INSPIRED
*with minimum 15 passengers travelling
magazine
For more about INSPIRED Magazine sponsored tours, visit www.seniorlivingmag.com/tours
For Pricing and Reservations, call Vision Travel Victoria 250-412-1888 • Vancouver 604-687-8836 • Richmond 604-273-1811 INSPIRED | JANUARY 2019 13 Vernon 250-542-5371 • Kamloops 250-851-0211
OFF THE CUFF BY DESIGN by JOHN KELLY “Carve your own course on the sea, or risk being lulled by the wind and coerced by the current.” –Alfred J. Beckwith If you have never commissioned or captained an enormous and beautiful yacht, you might not have heard of Vancouver’s Ron Holland. You probably do remember Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society as the unconventional teacher who inspires his charges to seize the day! Ron Holland probably wouldn’t have stood atop a desk – he was a high school dropout – and carpe’d the old diem. He has, however, throughout his life, grabbed every opportunity that came his way and didn’t look back. And he steered his own course. Captain, my captain indeed! Ron is a world-renowned designer of yachts. His story begins a half a world away (from Canada anyway) in New Zealand where as a child he was given a sailing dinghy by his father. If there’s a bug that makes you want to live with the ocean and design boats, Ron was bitten by it. By the time he was a teenager, Ron had become a much-welcomed fixture on many of New Zealand’s racing yachts. Think prodigy, not barnacle. “I’ve been designing boats all my life starting in New Zealand, then going to San Francisco in ’69 and Ireland in ’73. I’ve followed invitations to design boats, building on commission,” says Ron. I once worked on commission. Door-to-door vacuum sales sucked. In a “what have you done for me lately” industry like yacht building, Ron always hoped for triumph on the seas. It meant work. “Your next job comes from the success of the last boat you did,” he says. Ron credits New Zealand’s unique place on the world map for engendering a DIY attitude amongst much of the Kiwi population. It’s a “work with what you’ve got” outlook that found its way and fits snugly into Ron’s own seat-of-your-pants esthetic. “Our geographical isolation played a very important part. When I lived there, everyone would build their own boats. When I came to the States in ’69, they built production yachts like cars. You’d go into a showroom. We built 14 12
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our own things. That was an influence.” The opportunity to do as he wanted presented itself to Ron in the early seventies. It didn’t have to knock twice. County Cork became home. Ron has joked that he went for the weekend and stayed for 40 years. “If you were in Ireland in the ’70s and could design boats that could beat the English, you were a hero,” he says. Ron did just that, remaining in the southwest of Ireland for nearly half a century creating masterpieces including his Shamrock series of racing yachts and winning races throughout Europe. The jewel of the fleet, though, just may be the Mirabella V, launched in 2003, designed and built by Ron for the former owner of the Avis car rental company. He bought it, by the way. It’s the largest single-masted yacht in the world. The height of the mast prevents it from getting under any bridge in the world. Yes, that was by design.
ABOVE | Ron steers his own boat as Superyacht Clan VIII, which Ron designed, floats in the background. PAGE 13 | Ron’s book, All the Oceans. Photos courtesy of Ron Holland Design
Ron is travelling the world again promoting his book All The Oceans (nearly 400 pages and 200-plus photographs), and he’s eager to point out that amongst all the glamour and world travelling, and self-deprecating in it, the over-arching theme is a simple lesson’s wisdom: just do it. For the record, Nike didn’t become the swooshed juggernaut it is until 1971. Ron was “just doing it” in the fifties. He insists that life has a way of working out, and it’s an outlook he tries to impart to anyone who’ll listen. In fact, the impetus for the book came from the students in his ship builders master class and their incredulity as to how a high school failure with no formal training could do what he has done and teach them how to do it, too. As for the toll a world book tour takes, Ron is as casual as a rock star on the deck of, say, a yacht. “Well, it’s what I’ve done all my life anyway, just travelling around,” he says. Don’t forget the designing of all those yachts for crown princes, heads of state, and the run-of-the-mill rich and famous. Ron has slowed a little bit, but still makes a considerable wake. Just into his seventies, he designs yachts now and again
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for friends. And speaking of friends, Ron still has more promotion to do in Europe, where he has made more than a few acquaintances over the years. Many yachts have been christened and champagne imbibed, but it’s time now for his book to be toasted. Ron’s life story may just be a war on complacency and inactivity. Nancy Reagan be damned, Ron’s slogan ought to be “Just Say Yes!” “If you want to know any more secrets, you’ll have to read the book,” laughs Ron. He’s the type of guy who will never have to say, “that ship has sailed” because if it did, Ron was on it. | To find a local retailer that carries All The Oceans, visit online at alltheoceansbook.com or buy it online at amazon.ca
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HIKE OR BIKE BY DAY, CRUISE BY NIGHT by BOB COOPER Peering down at the blue Danube from atop Budapest’s muscular Buda Castle, a World Heritage Site, I knew this river cruise would be a superior experience to the last one I’d taken on the Rhine, Europe’s other most popular cruising river. That Rhine cruise included castle visits, too, but only after enduring a crowded bus ride. This time, alongside a dozen fellow cruisers from the AmaSerana, we had reached Buda Castle on foot. Our route traced the shoreline on the “Pest” side of the river, crossed the 19th-century Chain Bridge and, finally, demanded a climb of hundreds of steps to the topmost castle turrets. We earned this view. We would relish many more views on the daily hikes and bike rides offered to AmaWaterways Danube cruise passengers. Active river cruising is a flourishing trend that has passengers burning as many calories as they take in when they’re back on board. SWEAT, DINE, SLEEP It was on that first hike that we met Kevin and Susan Garnier, retired teachers in their sixties from Newfoundland and Labrador, who took every scheduled walk from the ship. “We do a couple of hikes a week, so this was an opportunity to see some new places on foot,” said Kevin. It was also on that hike that we met Carolyn Lewis, 68, and her husband, Tom, 70, who we would see on every other hike and bike ride. “We’re avid hikers back home in Montana, but neither of us had spent much time on a bike since childhood,” said Carolyn. “I had to get off and push my bike once on a hill in Austria, but we enjoyed every ride and every hike. And we liked the fact that vigorous and easy walks were separated, so no one was left out, and that the tour guides were so knowledgeable and enthusiastic.”
LEFT (top to bottom) | A church in Linz, Austria, is described by the bike-tour guide at mid-ride. A light rain doesn’t deter cruisers from hiking to the hilltop castle and cathedral in Passau, Germany. On their longest ride of the week, cruise passengers pedaled alongside the Danube for 24km. RIGHT | Cruise passengers take a break on the Danube during a riverside bike ride in Vienna. Photos: Bob Cooper 16 14
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The first bike ride of the cruise was a pleasant two-hour spin in Vienna, past beer gardens on the Danube, over pedestrian bridges and through the park on the Donauinsel – a narrow, 21km-long island of green in the river. “That was a good introduction to riding with a group,” Carolyn told me later. At each berth where bike excursions were offered, the 25 on-board bikes were rolled off the ship to be claimed by passengers. Local bike-touring guides were always ready to take us out and brought extra bikes in case they were needed. The bikes were as comfortable as the pace. Guides ensured that no one got left behind as they shepherded us over the route from the front, back and middle, and we accordioned often at stops for rest, photos and brief talks by the guides about local history and architecture. It’s a commendable way to see a city, a string of villages or the countryside at a speed that’s faster than walking and more intimate than looking out a bus window. The group that day was typical: about a dozen of us ranging in age from thirties to seventies. Most rode as couples.
long as we returned in time for the evening sailing. All that outdoor exertion meant no weight gain – no adding a pound a day, as I did on my first ocean cruise. It helped that the regionally inspired buffet options weren’t all high-calorie as they seem to be on most ocean cruise ships. And there were options. A veggie sandwich instead of a Reuben? No problem. A gluten-free menu? Please take one. If the outdoor excursions weren’t vigorous enough to offset the buffet desserts, we burned extra calories during sunset walks on the top-deck walking track while the ship sailed. We never even bothered with the TechnoGym cardio machines in the ship mini-gym; who needs a treadmill or stationary bike when you can walk or bike on the Danube shoreline? Our final outing from the ship was another castle hike, like in Budapest, but this time beneath umbrellas in a light rain to the castle and cathedral that tower above the Bavarian town of Passau. Carolyn and Tom didn’t let the rain keep them on board. “We chose this cruise because we wanted to see the Danube, but the active excursions were such a bonus that we’re going to look for that when we decide on future cruises too,” said Carolyn. Months later, she emailed me to say they already had plans to cruise the Rhine, Main and Mosel Rivers next – with plenty of hiking and biking included. | For IF YOU GO information, visit www.seniorlivingmag.com/ hike-bike-cruise
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2019 TOURS - Join the Pitmar family on any one of these adventures! PEDALING THROUGH AUSTRIA Our second bike ride took us three hours, but only because the Austrian bike-tour guides were eager to detail the history of local landmarks at stops. The 24km route rolled through villages and woods linking the quaint Austrian wine village of Weissenkirchen and the colossal abbey in Melk. The river path mostly threaded the narrow stretch of level ground between the Danube and the steeply terraced vineyards and forested hills above. Castle ruins and old churches floated past at pedalling speed, with none of the tedium of seeing a place twice. Unlike roundtrip bike rides back home, rides from river-cruise boats offer the advantage of travelling one-way if you start and finish at berthing spots. The next bike ride was quite different: a dizzying weave through the streets and alleys of Linz, Austria. That ride was only 16km, so we tacked on a few extra kilometres on our own – out and back on the river. No guide, but no worries, because the paths hugging the Danube made it impossible to get lost and we knew we could pedal as far as we wished as
MARCH 22 - APR 3 - Palm Springs, San Francisco: Living Desert, Fisherman’s Wharf, California Redwoods (13 days) JUN 11 - 13 - Alberni Inlet & Pacific Rim Nat’l Park: Broken Islands, Cathedral Grove, Coombs Country Market (3 days) JUN 23 - 27 - Oregon Coast: Rose Test Gardens, Evergreen Aviation Museum, Tillamook Cheese Factory (5 days) JUL 21 - 24 - Olympic Peninsula Washington: Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park, Port Townsend (4 days) AUG 17 - 19 - Okanagan Highlights: Kettle Valley Steam Train with wine tasting at Summerland Winery (3 days) SEPT 8 - 19 - Maritimes Coastal Wonders: Collette Vacations: Peggy’s Cove, Cabot Trail, Lunenburg (12 days) DEC 4 - 6 - Butchart Gardens & Chemainus Miracle on 34th St. with Christmas lights of Ladysmith (3 days) DEC 12 - 15 - Warm Beach & Leavenworth (4 days) JAN 5 - 24, 2020 - Panama Canal-Holland Amer. (20 days)
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THE JOY OF CRUISING SOLO by IAN CARTER “I was alone with a suitcase and a reservation. And days to live however I chose” – Alone Time: Four Seasons, Four Cities, Stephanie Rosenbloom (2018) This was my first cruise experience as a nervous solo traveller, and Comedian Julie Barr was working the post-dinner crowd one evening in the massive Vista Lounge aboard Holland America’s ship MS Oosterdam. At one point, she paused and asked if there were any children in the audience. “Yes”, shouted an excited 10-year-old. “Great”, she said, “Is this your first cruise?” “Oh no,” he responded, “This is my 21st!” When the astonished laughter subsided, he explained that he was, in fact, not homeless, but the lucky guest of his well-travelled grandparents. I wondered if they could stuff me into their suitcase. Little wonder this cruiser kid and his family travel the seas so frequently: that little guy would be quite at home in this ship’s video arcade, sauna and pools. But they were a family of three, company for each other, and here I was, simply alone. The Pleasures of Freedom In her April 6, 2018 Globe and Mail article, “Being alone together: How to embrace a universal feeling,” writer 18 16
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Elizabeth Renzetti says, “Loneliness is a sign that the brain craves contact with the rest of the herd.” If you too have been caught alone, grab a copy of Alone Time, Stephanie Rosenbloom’s distinguished book that endorses the pleasures of travelling alone. This powerful little narrative can be life-changing: it is a startling reminder of the sensations of solitary travel and the rewarding emotions you feel when abroad by yourself in a strange location. I was surprised to learn that a large and growing segment of the world’s population is made up of single people. An increasing number of all tourists are people who are either alone by circumstance, like me as a widower, or are people who have consciously decided to travel alone. I was
ABOVE | The author poses at the best-preserved Mutianyu section of The Great Wall of China just 75 km northeast of Beijing. RIGHT | Chasing Easter Island sunrises at Ahu Tongariki. The ancient Moai were a bucket-list favourite. PAGE 18 | A glimpse of the future in Shanghai, China. PAGE 19 | MS Oosterdam anchored off a tiny island beach in Fiji while lifeboats tender passengers ashore. TOC PAGE | Gateway to the World, Panama Canal. Photos: Ian Carter
reminded that it takes courage to confront my fears of the unknown, and instead of bemoaning my solitude, why not exult in the possibilities? And yes, if you have never taken a solo cruise it can be unnerving for the first day or two. But after that, you’ll find your rhythm and it’ll be an enchanting experience. You can do everything on a cruise ship, or nothing at all. I planned to do everything while celebrating the pleasures of being independently owned and operated. Sail Away to New Horizons “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” –Andre Gide That first cruise was just five years ago and, several sailings later, I have discovered that the modern cruise industry offers up an astonishing array of possibilities. The classic cruise lines (Holland America, Princess, Celebrity, and others) deliver colossal and mid-sized ships with all the entertainment possibilities and dining options you would expect to find in a floating city. Smaller ships with Seabourn, Viking, Avalon Waterways and others resemble boutique hotels, a rapidly expanding piece of the market. These ships specialize in expeditions aboard river cruises, luxury yachts and tall ships often going to less travelled destinations such as Easter Island, the Galapagos and Antarctica. Your choice will be determined by whether you’re looking for romance, enrichment, or rest and relaxation. For me, solo cruising is all about enrichment and the opportunity to sail beyond new horizons. On that first expedition, I was determined to learn what a cruise experience could offer me and other solo travellers on my cruise of choice: a 28-Day South Pacific Crossing. I arranged to meet with Mila Castellon, Guest Relations Manager, aboard ship. She assured me there were plenty of onboard activities designed for single travellers, including meetings for lunch, pub trivia, cocktails and Sip and Savour events. New acquaintances would become a bonus, with lots of casual “hellos” and friendly smiles throughout the voyage, and although we were alone, we were never lonely. Five years later, I have now crossed the equator more than 15 times and explored dozens of ports in most corners of the world. One of my significant learnings is that cruising is the easiest and least expensive way to visit multiple cities in a handful of different countries and eat the finest of local cuisines without ever having to change rooms. So, if you are still cleaning up your bucket list, this is the best way to explore a world of infinite possibilities. My family lives in Australia, so Sydney is the launch pad for most of my cruise experiences. This Canadian has to return home somehow, and a cruise beats airport transfers and a 30hour flight every time! My solo South Pacific adventure delivered me home to Vancouver via 15 exotic ports of call, across an ocean that covers one-third of the Earth’s surface. Rosenbloom reminds us that one of the gifts of solo travel is the joy of inspiration, and an occasional reach for beauty. Dravuni Island, Fiji captures that notion perfectly: this tiny island jewel is located within the
famous Great Astrolabe Reef, inhabited by about 200 friendly villagers with a tribal chief – a tender transferred us to a pristine beach in tropical Fijian steamy sunshine at 28C. Well-worn, manicured grassy trails wind among shady palms that snake along the shoreline of this unspoiled beach. A brief visit to the local primary school and a long, leisurely swim in crystal-clear blue sparkling lagoons were the order of the day on this remote Fijian island. Nawiliwili, Kauai is the most northerly island in the Hawaiian chain and the next to final port of call before disembarking in Vancouver. Kauai is so magically captivating that it has been a set for such classic Hollywood films as South Pacific (Lumaha’i Beach, 1958) and Elvis’ Blue Hawaii (Coco Palms Resort, 1961). It is also home to the new Koloa Rum Company – good rums, no tours, takeaways encouraged. I had heard that this is an island where the spiritual energy of mana (life force) of the ‘aina (land) is palpable – it hits when
you least expect it. I had forgotten that curious little item from my Lonely Planet Guide – until a short walk along beautiful Kalapaki Beach and the Kauai Marriott gardens footpath where mana made itself astonishingly real as the hair on my arms suddenly bristled with electricity in the tropical sunshine. I was taken by surprise by this remarkable sensation, discounted it as impossible, then became an immediate believer when the phenomenon repeated itself several times: mana is real in Kauai. I plan to return. A second cruise aboard MS Volendam renewed my love of large cities during a 28-Day Far East Discovery Cruise. Ancient and modern worlds collide in Vietnam and Cambodia and cities like Bangkok and Beijing. The future is embraced in the frantic bustle of metropolises like Singapore, Shanghai and Tokyo. Solo travel in chaotic cities invites total immersion without the distraction of a companion. Last winter found me on a 15-Day South America and Panama Canal Crossing. INSPIRED | JANUARY 2019
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I indulged my passion for early civilizations on Chile’s Easter Island and an acrobatic flight over the mysterious Nazca Lines, 1,000m above a Peruvian desert. On Good Friday morning I am aboard the Celebrity Infinity in the Caribbean Sea, nine degrees north of the equator. This South American journey was a shortcut to the Atlantic Ocean and on to Eastern Canada. We had sailed through four time zones in 15 days, celebrated crossing the equator with King Neptune, and just completed a daylight passage between two oceans in 10 hours. The Panama Canal is a marvel of engineering created more than a century ago in an age before bulldozers and chainsaws. It spans 80km of jungle, swamp and the Continental Divide, and took 33 years to build at a cost of $400m USD and more than 20,000 lives – 90 per cent of the workers were foreign black Haitians paid in a few silver coins, the remaining whites were nurses, doctors, engineers and crew bosses paid in gold. The world is filled with astonishing beauty and cruel injustice.
For me, the joy of solo cruising is not about life aboard ship, admittedly a rare and much appreciated luxury. It is the exhilaration of multiple ports of call, each a new adventure – and this most recent Panama Canal crossing was a singular event. This “Gateway to the World” leads me home, one more time. Cruise Control: 12 Top Tips for Solo Cruisers 1. First, the bad news: the single supplement can be expensive unless you shop carefully. The good news is that an increasing number of cruise lines are starting to offer single cabins for solo travellers. If you prefer, several cruise lines like Holland America will attempt to match up solo travellers with same sex roommates, and if the line can match you, you’ll pay no single supplement. But I prefer to travel alone and always seek out a substantially reduced supplement on an 20 18
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already deeply discounted fare by purchasing the least expensive inside cabin and save thousands. 2. Your choice of cruise line, ship and ports of call will be driven by your goals and budget: if you’re looking for a special somebody, you will want a smaller, more intimate ship. The best way to meet people is get out there and join in on a tonne of activities such as cooking classes, lectures, language lessons, or brave the karaoke and trivia sessions. If you yearn for rest and relaxation, then a library, cinema, pools, spas and a fitness centre will be critical. If you’re looking for more exotic adventures, check out the ports of call and shore excursions. The possibilities are endless! 3. Repositioning cruises are the best bargain in the industry. Monitor fares and special deals for months before sailing – do your research and you will save thousands. 4. Luggage: less is always better and remember to bring a small backpack for day excursions. Travelling light through airports increases your freedom and mobility. 5. Large cruise ships offer several dining options. You can opt for something like “As You Wish Dining,” which means you can walk into the main dining room any time and ask to be seated alone or with others. Sitting alone gives you time for people watching, previewing tomorrow’s itinerary, using your iPad to read a good travel guide, or even listening to a favourite podcast. If you select “Fixed Dining,” you will likely be assigned a table with a group that could also remain fixed throughout the voyage. 6. Internet on most cruise lines is expensive and costs as much as $0.75/minute with several packages including 250 minutes for about $100 – connection is painfully (and expensively) slow. I look for better value, like the free wifi available in most cruise terminals. 7. Consider organizing independent shore excursions to save more money: your pre-cruise research should include online resources providing city maps, suggestions for top sites and local restaurants. You may be deluged by mobs of independent tour operators and taxis at the end of the gangway all competing for your dollars. Just pre-book independently in exotic ports, have a plan, walk past the crowds of hawkers, and remember, the price of a taxi drops dramatically as you walk the length of the wharf. 8. Navigating a new city: do your homework, download city Google maps so you can access them offline, grab print material and useful tips at cruise terminals and hotel receptions, carry a charger, travel in a group, leave valuables such as your passport and an expensive watch and jewellery in your cabin safe, and follow the same common-sense rules you would follow at home in any large city. I travel with several credit cards, but only carry one on my person in case of loss. 9. Shop carefully on board and keep a vigilant eye on your spending. Everything is for sale and there can be intense pressure to purchase gifts from the gift shop and pop-up poolside markets, shore excursions, photos, future cruises, and drinks peddled at every opportunity, including beachside. There are moments when it’s hard not to feel nickel and dimed for all the extras. Your stateroom keycard (crew often call it “your fantastic plastic”) is used to charge all purchases aboard ship – try to keep it in your pocket.
University hearing study seeks participants.
10. Use your Canadian debit card at ATMs in port cities to nail the best currency exchange for cash at the lowest rate: you must have a four-digit password. International bank ATMs are everywhere, and the best part is you will just be charged the spot rate for the day plus a few dollars. Not only is using ATMs the cheapest way to get money, it’s also the safest way since you’ll never need to carry large amounts of cash. 11. Budget for gratuities: a daily “hotel tax” (most recently, mine was $18 per day) is often added to passenger accounts – each cruise line is different but most of them will increase, decrease or eliminate it by request. 12. A plethora of online resources and apps can be found to create a memorable solo cruise; the final chapter of Stephanie Rosenbloom’s book details many. If that’s not your style, befriend a local cruise specialist who understands your goals, expectations and budget, and you’ll be ready to satisfy your wanderlust.
Connect Hearing, with hearing researcher Professor Kathy Pichora-Fuller at the University of Toronto, seeks participants who are over 50 years of age and have never worn hearing aids for a hearing study investigating factors that can influence better hearing. All participants will have a hearing test provided at no charge and if appropriate, the clinician may discuss hearing rehabilitation options including hearing aids. Qualifying participants may also receive a demo of the latest hearing technology. The data collected from this study will be used to further our understanding of hearing loss and improve life-changing hearing healthcare across Canada. Why participate in the hearing study? Hearing problems typically result from damage to the ear and researchers have spent decades trying to understand the biology behind hearing loss. More importantly, researchers now realize the need to better understand how hearing loss affects your everyday life*. In this new hearing study,
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It is estimated that 46% of people aged 45 to 87 have some degree of hearing loss1, but most do not seek treatment right away. In fact, the average person with hearing loss will wait ten years before seeking help2. This is because at the beginning stages of hearing loss people often find they can “get by” without help, however as the problem worsens this becomes increasingly harder to do. For some people this loss of clarity is only a problem at noisy restaurants or in the car, but for others it makes listening a struggle throughout the entire day. By studying people who have difficulty hearing in noise or with television, we hope to identify key factors impacting these difficulties and further understand their influence on the treatment process.
If you are over 50 years of age and have never worn hearing aids, you can register to be a part of this new hearing study† by calling: 1.888.242.4892 or visiting connecthearing.ca/hearing-study.
* Pichora-Fuller, M. K. (2016). How social psychological factors may modulate auditory and cognitive functioning during listening. Ear and Hearing, 37, 92S-100S. † Study participants must be over 50 years of age and have never worn hearing aids. No fees and no purchase necessary. Registered under the College of Speech and Hearing Health Professionals of BC. VAC, WCB accepted. 1. Cruickshanks, K. L., Wiley, T. L., Tweed, T. S., Klein, B. E. K., Klein, R, Mares-Perlman, J. A., & Nondahl, D. M. (1998). Prevalence of Hearing Loss in Older Adults in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin: The Epidemiology of Hearing Loss Study. Am. J. Epidemiol. 148 (9), 879-886. 2. National Institutes of Health. (2010).
My Takeaway CREATION DATE: 10/20/17 MODIFICATION DATE: August 17, 2018 2:54 PM OUTPUT DATE: 08/20/18 “Hey I be gone today DOCKET #: 111150561-23 CLIENT: CHCA DESCRIPTION: Hearing Study Ad - September But I be back around the way FILE NAME: 111150561-23_CHCA_Study_Ad_September_4.75 x 7.25_COL 2.indd Seems like everywhere I go TRIM: 4.75” x 7.25” BLEED: 0" The more I see IMAGE RES: 300 dpi The less I know.” NOTES: –Say Hey (I Love You), Michael Software: InDesign Franti | Version: CC
Professor Pichora-Fuller and her team are trying to find out how people learn to live with hearing loss and how new solutions could help these people take action sooner and live life more fully.
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#600 – 1085 Homer Street, Vancouver BC, V6B 1J4 | p: 604 647 2727 | f: 604 647 6299 | www.cossette.com Ian Carter is a retired educator and mental health professional, published author, freelance writer, photographer, and inveterate world traveller. He welcomes contact at: heritagematters@bellaliant.net
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10 TIPS FOR WEIGHT-LOSS SUCCESS If you made a New Year’s weight-loss resolution, consider these factors to help you succeed: 1. Be prepared. Reserve one day to shop and replenish your supply of healthful foods. If you aren’t prepared, you’ll likely eat foods you’re trying to avoid. Set aside one or two days weekly to prepare healthier choices: bake several chicken breasts, cook a large batch of whole grains, prepare sliced veggies. 2. Avoid skipping meals. When you are hungry, eat! Without proper fuel, your body burns muscle not fat. Muscle is more active than fat, therefore, with less muscle, your metabolism slows. You’ll be less efficient utilizing stored body fat. 3. Exercise regularly. Regular, moderate activity maintains muscle as you lose fat. Muscle is highly active tissue, so you’ll utilize more body fat all day long. Exercising once a week isn’t enough to stimulate these metabolic changes. Do it at least three times weekly and for at least 20 minutes.
6. Find help and support. Mingle with people who support and encourage you. Find someone with similar weight-loss goals. Join a support group or start your own.
by EVE LEES
FOREVER FIT
4. Watch for misinformation, like weight-loss books written by self-proclaimed nutrition experts. Seek advice from the true nutrition/diet experts: a Registered Dietician (RD) will help you separate fact from fallacy.
CORRECTION NOTICE In the December 2018 issue, the final two paragraphs of the Forever Fit column should have read: Work slowly, especially if you are unfit. Take frequent breaks. Always remember to stretch your tense muscles afterward. And stay hydrated too. You still lose water through respiration and perspiration on cold days. Drink water before, during (if it’s convenient) and after exertion. No matter what the activity, winter or summer, staying regularly active all year is the best way to prevent soreness or injury when you suddenly have to exert yourself. | We apologize to Eve and our readers for this error and any inconvenience it may have caused. –Bobbie Jo Reid, Editor 22 20
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5. Lose weight slowly. Quick weight loss (more than one pound per week) shocks the body. It will fight to regain the weight it was familiar and comfortable operating with. Slow weight loss is permanent because the body and mind are allowed time to accept it. Also, it’s physiologically impossible to lose more than one pound of fat in a week. If you’ve lost more than one pound, chances are it’s not all fat – you’ve lost valuable muscle tissue and water, as well.
7. Keep a journal or video diary. It’s easier to stay focused on your goal if you record your exercise and eating habits. You’ll notice patterns leading you to success or failure. Monitoring your progress and achievements will keep you inspired, like recording your measurements and body fat.
8. Set realistic goals. Goals keep us focused and motivated. However, unrealistic goals (like losing 25 pounds this month) are unhealthy and unattainable. Set a sensible major goal and several mini goals to reach it: like losing 25 pounds in five-pound increments. 9. Reward yourself. Losing weight isn’t easy! When you reach each mini goal, you deserve a “treat.” Have a massage, see a movie, or buy an item of clothing. 10. Feel worthy. You are important, cherished and special to many people, no matter what you weight. Think positive thoughts and be encouraging in your self-talk. Being your own best friend boosts your self worth and your confidence. |
Eve Lees has been active in the health & fitness industry since 1979. Currently, she is a Freelance Health Writer for several publications and speaks to business and private groups on various health topics. www.artnews-healthnews.com
WARMTH WITHOUT BULK by CALLIE MARTIN As snow begins to blanket the northern hemisphere and stores begin tidying up after the holiday rush, most Canadians understand the winter season has only just begun. To keep warm, many of us will look as though we’re smuggling tires out of an auto-store beneath a puffy jacket. But being warm doesn’t have to mean being bulky, and this season is the perfect time to prove you can still be chic while keeping cozy. Let’s begin by discussing layers, as it’s usually the first go-to solution when it comes to winter clothing. Whether it’s damp and dark or minus-polar bears outside, many of us begrudgingly sacrifice our figures for the sake of not turning into human ice-pops. Avoiding a chunky look can be achieved by selecting thin, natural fibre layers for BC’s wet winters or investing in a good, warm piece of outerwear suited to frostier parts of Canada. If your city is notorious for bone-chilling winters, high winds and snowfall accumulations that would give even Jack Frost hypothermia, look for a coat that is a) in a neutral colour (black, brown, navy) so you can wear it with any combo of colours, and b) insulated. Sport stores are often well-stocked with these items, and modern technology has allowed many companies to streamline their coats into sleek silhouettes without sacrificing your appendages to the cold. If you need a coat that can transition from casual to a more formal setting, look for one with a detachable hood (be careful to not misplace it in its “detached” state). Of course, a warm, insulated coat isn’t the only cause of fashion-bulk – the other comes from your wardrobe. While many women enjoy re-styling their fair-weather attire into winter garments by adding leggings or a knit cardigan, the material of said dresses/skirts/shirts was never intended to withstand the blast of chilly air. In fact, it was likely designed with the idea of letting air pass through for the summer months – not a great look (or feel) for winter. Instead of bundling up and adding chunky sweaters to your mild-weather outfits to stay toasty, consider different fabric choices for a sleeker look. Merino wool has been a huge favourite in recent years, known for both its ability to hug your frame, as well as insulate your body. Coming in dresses, skirts and sweaters, it can look incredibly professional and be incredibly comfortable – a win/ win for anyone looking for pieces to transition from work to home. Cashmere wool has also been a long-time favourite of many Cana-
dians, allowing for a variety of colours and garment-types. If you’re looking at getting a dress or skirt in one of these fabrics but are worried about how your legs will hold up against the frigid winds, look for a pair of knit tights or fleece-lined leggings to provide some extra heat without adding bulk. Winter can be rough – and feel long – but by investing in the right materials, no one need resemble a blanket draped over a giant bag of marshmallows (at least, until it’s time for hot cocoa by the fire). |
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TRY CRUISING ON YOUR NEXT FAMILY VACATION by MARILYN JONES “Dr. Seuss is on the loose,” children, their parents and at least one grandmother (me) shout as we parade with the Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 and Thing 2, and Sam I Am from one end of Carnival Fantasy to the other. With provided noise makers and banners, we march past shops, the casino, a café and passengers walking along the promenade. Our destination is Universe Lounge and an interactive reading of Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears A Who by the cruise director with the help of lots of little passengers. As much as cruise lines are increasing their fleets and their ports-of-call, many are also increasing their appeal as a multigenerational vacation option. According to the 2018 Cruise Critic’s Cruiser’s Choice, the top three cruise lines recommended for families with children are Carnival, Disney and Royal Caribbean. These and other cruise lines are recognizing the appeal of all-inclusive vacations and the convenience of unpacking once for families as well as couples. Of course, I wasn’t sure when I booked the cruise from Mobile, Alabama to Key West, and Freehold, Princess Cays and Nassau, Bahamas, if this was going to work with 24 22
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my three-year-old granddaughter, Ainsley. My daughter, Olivia Moore, signs Ainsley up for Camp Ocean for children ages 2 to 11. Her age group is the Penguins for ages 2 to 5. She immediately equates it with preschool and often asks to go to “school” – even first thing in the morning! Times are also allotted for children under the age of two, as well as Circle C pre-teens (12 to 14) and Club O2 teens (15 to 17) with their own spaces. Add to this WaterWorks with a pair of 25-metre-long racing slides and Twister Waterslide (a 91-metre-long spiraling tube), a splash pad for toddlers, a nine-hole mini-golf course and a video game arcade and you can see why
ABOVE | The author’s granddaughter, Ainsley, up close and personal with flamingos at Ardastra Gardens & Zoo in Nassau. RIGHT | Thing 2 and Thing 1 with Olivia and Ainsley at the Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast. PAGE 24 | Three generations and fun for everyone! TOC PAGE | Ainsley touches Nancy the snake at Ardastra Gardens & Zoo. Photos: Marilyn Jones
Carnival is highly rated as a family-oriented cruise line. Like the Dr. Seuss parade, there are other activities we participate in together including “Green Eggs and Ham” Breakfast, Broadway-style shows guaranteed to keep the attention of all ages, early dining, swimming and frequent stops at the Cherry On Top candy store. Exploring Ports We have only three Sea Days, so figuring out shore explorations and excursions is a big part of planning. Studying the Florida Keys & Key West website (fla-keys. com), we decide to pass on the planned ship excursions and explore on our own. We start with Mel Fisher Maritime Museum, where items recovered from the 17th century Nuestra Señora de Atocha shipwreck including gold, silver, jewellery and other treasures are featured. We continue with Key West Aquarium before taking the Old Town Trolley Tour with its hop-on/hop-off feature to Earnest Hemingway Home & Museum. We walk the few blocks to the Southernmost Point and The Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory before catching the trolley and riding it back to Malory Square where our tour began. From the sharks, sea turtles and touch-pool at the aquarium, the butterflies and the polydactyl (six-toed) cats at the Hemingway house to riding the trolley, it turned out to be the perfect combination for three generations on our first port adventure.
In Freeport, we decide to take part in a Family Beach Day; a shore excursion organized by Carnival. I am not sure what to expect, but as soon as we arrive, we are ushered into a separate gathering and told by the children’s counsellor what to anticipate from activities to lunch. Ainsley wants to play in the water and build a “sand palace” before deciding to join the other children. The designated children’s area has playground equipment, a small swimming pool and a picnic table where the children ages 2 to 10 gather to paint sea shells and have their faces painted among other activities. Olivia and I often check to see if Ainsley wants to join us on the nearby beach, but she always says no and continues to enjoy her time playing with the other children and joining in activities. The counsellor also takes care of Ainsley during lunch, so
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Olivia and I can enjoy our own lunch lazing on the beach under a bright yellow umbrella listening to the surf. Our next stop, Princess Cays, is an area owned by the cruise company located on Eleuthera Island. The cays offers
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a beautiful wide sandy beach and cruise employees provide lunch nearby. There are shopping opportunities as well. We decide to take a shore excursion to explore the island further. The excursion consists of a visit to a cave and a “shopping” stop, which is really a bar stop. It is not a good excursion for Ainsley; we should have stayed on the beach the entire time, which is included for every passenger at no extra fee. Our last stop in Nassau is a hit. In additional to a city tour by a knowledgeable guide, we stop at Ardastra Gardens & Zoo. It is like being dropped into a park from another time; no glitz and glitter, just attentive employees and rambling pathways past beautiful flowers, small animals and birds. We feed lorikeets, brightly coloured parrots, and watch as flamingos “march” around an arena. When asked if anyone wants to pose with the pink beauties, Ainsley raises her hand and walks out into the arena for a closer look. We leave the ship early on the last day and head towards home. About an hour into our drive Ainsley asks, “When can we go on the big boat again?” My answer to her is simple and quick, “I hope it will be real soon!” | For IF YOU GO information, visit www. seniorlivingmag.com/family-cruising
OT O B RE by VERENA FOXX THOR FROHN-NIELSEN has been tinkering with mechanics since he started dismantling anything that he could find in his childhood home. “I’ve wanted to know what makes things work since I was four when I first took apart my parents’ wind-up alarm clocks,” he says. His career, however, followed an academic path and Thor spent his professional life as a passionate professor of Canadian and British History at Surrey’s Kwantlen Polytechnic University. In his free time, he pursued his love of mechanics. “My job sometimes interfered with my main hobby,” laughs Thor, citing the cycles of his academic year (grading papers) that slowed down his Ocean Park home garage time. “I do the electrical, mechanical, body work, brakes and everything on my car(s). I always like to learn new skills,” says the autodidactic mechanic.
DOUG McMILLAN has been curious about the underpinnings of art since he first visited the Mendel Gallery in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan as a child. “I’ve always wondered how artists plan out their paintings, and how the colours end up as they do,” says the former elementary school teacher, who has visited galleries worldwide for his entire life. “My interest in making art grew out of seeing so many different styles.” Six months after he retired six years ago, Doug took lessons in applying paint to paper at Barclay Manor, an affiliate of the West End Community Centre in Vancouver. “Since then, I travel with a notepad, an ink pen and my travel-sized watercolours and I’ve done “plein air” paintings of the Temple of Poseidon in Athens, the Panama Canal, and images in Cartagena, Colombia.” Doug and his husband, Ken Cado, both avid travellers, live four months per year in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and spend summers between their Vancouver residence and their Whidbey Island, Washington home where Doug has an acrylics studio. Since retirement, they plan many of their trips to destinations where Doug can further his studies with painters who inspire his love of learning the craft. “I had my first commission last year,” he says, acknowledging the only way to get better is to keep moving forward. |
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Now retired, Thor dedicates his at-home time to the mechanical workings of his current project: a 1972 Italian Lancia Fulvia 1600, the winning model of the 1972 World Rally Championship, which he had shipped from a small town south of Rome two years ago. “I drove it in the BC interior’s Spring Thaw Rally last year,” he says. His wife, Deborah Forbes, navigated. “Rallying is a better fit for me than racing.” Thor’s unquenching mechanical curiosity took him on a gruelling 1,000+ km motorcycle road trip on the gravel Dempster Highway from Dawson City, crossing the Arctic Circle and ending at the Arctic Ocean in Tuktoyaktuk, NWT last summer. “I did that trip and then sold my gear,” he says. “I feel more at home in the Lancia,” whose every interior working he is intimately familiar with.
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Caregiver Support for Dementia By Wendy Johnstone Dementia is a broad term to describe a group of signs and symptoms seen in a variety of diseases affecting the brain, such as Alzheimer’s Disease. Dementia affects less than three per cent of all British Columbians. It isn’t considered a normal part of aging, but the risk of developing dementia increases with age; those 85 years and over are affected the most. Anyone caring for someone with dementia understands the physical and emotional toll. Caring for a family member or friend with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia can be challenging, exhausting and, at times, overwhelming. Feelings of frustration, sadness and anger are normal and valid emotional responses when caring for someone affected by dementia. I have yet to meet a family caregiver who didn’t think they could be doing a better job or more. At a recent health care professional event, conversations highlighted the importance of distinguishing between what is and what is not within a caregiver’s power to change. Frustration and anger often arise from attempting to change an uncontrollable condition. Caring for someone with dementia is synonymous with uncontrollable situations and behaviour. Normal and often simple daily activities such as getting dressed, bathing and eating can often become very frustrating, both for the caregiver and the individual with dementia. Other behaviours common to dementia, such as wandering, repetitious movement, shadowing or asking questions repeatedly, can also be challenging for caregivers. Changing the behaviour of a person suffering from dementia is not possible. In most cases, the behaviour is due to the disease, not your loved one pushing your buttons.
There are many experts in the province who can support family caregivers and the person affected by dementia. Connecting with the Alzheimer’s Society of BC and your family doctor are a good first step to help get referred into the right resource, such as First Link and geriatric speciality services. A new educational resource will soon be available for family caregivers supporting loved ones with dementia. Watch for more details through Vancouver Island Health Authority. Many caregivers often find themselves feeling isolated as the time and logistical demands of the disease can make it difficult to stay in touch with friends and family. For some caregivers, a support group can be very beneficial. Many participants use these groups to exchange information, gain support and friendship with others whose lives are affected by dementia. Support groups also provide a forum for sharing practical tips and strategies for coping with the many challenges of caregiving. Even if a support group isn’t for you, we encourage caregivers to stay socially connected. It’s easy to forget to prioritize ourselves when the demands of caring take over. Having a positive support network is key in supporting (and reminding) caregivers of the importance of self-care. Other forms of help include one-to-one support, reading books/articles or professional assistance. Reach out to us at Family Caregiver of BC and we will provide you with resources and strategies, and make sure you are supported in your crucial role. |
Wendy Johnstone is a Gerontologist and a consultant with Family Caregivers of British Columbia in Victoria, BC.
Overwhelmed in your role as a caregiver? Unsure of what to do next or where to go for help? Our Caregiver Support Line is free and designed to give you the support and information you need. Call us at 1-877-520-3267 www.familycaregiversbc.ca Caregiver Support Line 1-877-520-3267 Office: 250-384-0408 Hours: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm 28 26
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Marketplace COLLECTOR SEEKING vintage/collectable cameras, binoculars and microscopes. Nikon, Leica, Contax, Rolleiflex, Zeiss, Canon, etc. Mike 250-383-6456 or e-mail: msymons6456@telus.net Victoria MEDICAL FOOTCARE - corns,calluses, lesions, nail cutting & debridement. Offered at Ross Bay Health Centre. Colette Polard RN, BSN - call 250-477-5433. WANTED: Old stereo/audio equipment.
Any condition. Amplifiers, turntables, speakers, receivers etc. Honest/friendly. Victoria and V.I. Call Bob, 250-896-2268, northtowns26@gmail.com
WANTED Danish Mid-Century Furniture from the 50’s & 60’s. Teak & rosewood, pieces any condition. Wanted records & LPs - jazz, blues, classic rock. 250-3807022. lacknerwayne@gmail.com SENSUAL MASSAGE. Are you missing touch? I’m a Certified Sexological Bodyworker, I work with Couples and Individuals. Sher 250-889-4166 or email sexeducator@telus.net CHANGING PLACES Downsizing and relocation specialists SINCE 1991. Moving? Aging in place? Need help? Don’t know where to start? Let us take care of all the details from start to finish. Call Jane 250-721-4490 Victoria and the Island for a free estimate www.changingplaces.ca KIM’S PROFESSIONAL FOOTCARE, experienced certified mobile foot
care nurse serving Nanaimo and surrounding area. www.kimsfootcare.ca. Direct billing for DVA. Call Kim @ 778-674-0475.
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Dream Downsizing can take the stress out of a move. Sorting, packing, unpacking, advising, and more. Free estimate call Lucy 250-634-3207. Or visit us online at DreamDownsizing.com BBB
FOOTCARE: Happy, Healthy Feet make Happy, Healthy People. The more the merrier. Call FootNurse Marcia R.N.,B. Sc.N. 250-686-3081.
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We can help! Sell your home with us and we will assist with professional downsizing & move management services. Norm de Wit ReMax Camosun - Oak Bay C. 250.858.8560 O. 250.370.7788
Single Seniors Meet & Greet • Victoria Wednesdays • 9:30-11am Location varies. Join our weekly newsletter to get current info.
Our weekly gathering has 20 -30 people. Come see if it’s a fit for you!
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Assisting Seniors through life’s changes. Specializing in Transitional Moves, Downsizing, Estate Clear Out & Sale of Assets. Licensed, Bonded & Insured. 250.858.8560 www.cornerstoneadvocacy.com
ARE YOU A SENIOR who wants a companion or someone to run errands for you? Call 250-216-3039 for a free assessment! WANTED: OLD POSTCARDS, old photographs, and pre-1950 stamped envelopes. Also buying old coins, medals and badges. Please call Michael 250652-9412 or email fenian@shaw.ca. ALWAYS GREAT FEET. Nanaimo’s professional mobile foot care nurses. Debbie Mason LPN and John Patterson LPN. Home, facility, and hospital visits. Experienced, qualified nursing foot care for toenails, corns, calluses and ingrown nails. Direct billing for DVA clients. Call 250-390-9266. PERSONALS SENIOR GENTLEMAN wishes to cor-
respond with a lady perhaps 75 or so. Seeking an affectionate companion to live with me in beautiful & healthful setting in Gulf Islands. Aware, educated, even-tempered & live a holistic lifestyle. Interests: organic gardening, health, spiritual growth. I am financially secure. Please include phone number: Box 4, All Secure Storage, Christie Pkwy, Courtenay V9N 9T6.
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MUSIC IS MAGIC What does music do for you? To you? Do you find yourself bouncing in your seat, or feel your feet twitching to get up to dance when you hear some fun, funky jazz? Are there pieces of music that make your eyes leak? You try to sing along, but tears get in the way? Are you one of the people that gets excited when you recognize the first few notes and then the words dance across you mind and out through your lips? Or are you one of the people happy to sit quietly and absorb, no matter the beat? I didn’t realize until recently how lucky I was to grow up around music. It was a constant in our household. There was a piano in the living room, sometimes a banjo would appear in the hands of an uncle, and we sang, sang, sang. It didn’t matter what, we played the music and we sang. The music became part of our bones. Everything from old favourites to rock ‘n’ roll to jazz. My connection to music came flooding back several Tuesdays ago when I went to listen to jazz at the James Bay United Church in Victoria. We were treated to some swing, some sweet, some bebop. You name it, they played
&
it. Then they taught us the chorus, and we got to sing along. Nothing like belting out some bebop to make your blood happily dance through your veins. Part of an outreach by the James Bay United Church, it is coordinated by Kelby MacNayr. A way to make a small community part of the larger community. The first six weeks happened in November and December and was so successful that it will be repeated this month and in February. What a great way to jump into 2019. Happy musical New Year! Another thought for January: if you would like to spend some time in Costa Rica this October, RSVP to visionyyj@visiontravel.ca to attend an information presentation on January 17th. I look forward to seeing you there, and then joining you on this sensational trip. I can’t wait to try the zipline! |
COURAGEOUS OUTRAGEOUS
Pat Nichol is a speaker and published author. Reach her by email at mpatnichol@gmail.com or visit Pat’s website at patnichol.ca
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The Harrisons, Langley’s Premier Retirement Living Communities
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Happy New Year!
Let 2019 be your Year of No Regrets! Join us and really start enjoying your Golden Years! Here is to new beginnings and
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Harrison Pointe 21616 -52 Avenue Langley, BC V2Y 1L7 604.530.1101 www.harrisonpointe.ca
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