A Frelighsburg deck is a response to views of nature, the Adirondacks and Vermont's Lake Carmi.
Escaping to another country, practicing one's favourite sport, having fun at one's leisure, and discovering new things have always been some of the objectives while vacationing away from home. Destinations such as Disneyland, Banff, Niagara Falls and Florida have greeted thousands of visitors because of their unique experience and the Eastern Townships region has also met with a certain success.
Some values, however, have changed. The zoo is no longer the only place to observe an animal - to observe it in its natural habitat is preferable. People travel far and wide to watch whales, to observe lions, kangaroos and rare butterflies. There's a need to understand an authentic product before appreciating it. This phenomenon has made such events as the Tour des Arts, La Tournée des Vingt, Festiv'art and la Clé des champs popular success stories.
Later, destinations offering little luxury appeared and scaled the international chart of popular destinations: the summit of Kilimanjaro, the heart of Africa, the great North, the Sahara, Iceland... with a down to earth experience leagues away from the fantasy found at Disneyland.
In fact, we call it geo-tourism (an expression coined by the National Geographic Society). A form of tourism that highlights the geographic attributes of an area, its environment, its culture, its aesthetics, its heritage and the well-being of its inhabitants. One of the main ingredients remains the integrity and the originality of the site. In such places the word authenticity takes on its full meaning and to respect it, sustainable development principles must be applied. According to ‘Globe-veilleur', many qualities must be present to offer authenticity of a site. It must be ethical, natural, honest, simple, beautiful, rooted, and human.
The immanence of such authenticity has always been present in our region, but only recently has it been identified as a tourism value. We notice it here during events, activities, shows, while practicing sports or when in contact with nature. The Summer season is ideal for discovering it further during visits to the orchards, the vineyards, the markets, the market gardens, the art galleries, exhibitions, shows and outdoor activity centres such as Arbre en arbre, Au Diable vert, le Parc d'environnement naturel Sutton.
Let this issue of Le Tour become your guide, consult the calendar, read the articles and peruse the ads from product and service providers to discover much authenticity.
Happy reading!
Denis Boulanger
In the hyperbole of the recent boom, the corporate media defined the ideal home as a grandiose "McMansion," a commodity to be "flipped" for quick profit, and a personal ATM for extracting home-equity cash.
Most Townshippers never bought into that myth, but now, like everyone else, they are planning their renovation and new construction projects with greater attention to the fundamentals of residential design, construction and economics. If we can discern a trend, it is a renewed quest for what could be called the "Essential Abode."
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A Frelighsburg deck is a response to views of nature, the Adirondacks and Vermont's Lake Carmi. |
The Essential Abode concept includes the search for the highest level of efficiency, sustainability and quality of life that one's dwelling can reasonably provide. This involves a thoughtful, comprehensive design process whose goal is to custom-tailor the home to the family's actual needs, identifying, and not gratuitously exceeding, the essential. Careful and creative planning can result in surprisingly generous spaces within a greatly reduced physical footprint or floor area, thereby lowering the project's cost as well as its carbon footprint. Seeing the home as a long-term investment in quality of life helps owners to justify high-quality materials and "green" technologies such as geothermal radiant floors whose costs take many years to recoup. But the Essential Abode is about more than the economics of shelter; it also involves the home's unique place in its environment.
Townshippers have always been connoisseurs of the relationship between architecture and landscape. Just as the ancient Greeks aligned their marble temples with sacred mountain peaks, our region's earliest settlers demonstrated an uncanny ability to site their buildings so that their pleasing geometries sat perfectly in nature. What factors encouraged that spirit of ancient architecture to thrive in our own bucolic region? Perhaps one link occurred in the 1800s when the Greek Revival movement captivated our New England neighbours, from whom we imported so many of our own settlers and master carpenters.
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Luminous vertical and horizontal spatial volumes intersect within a modest 40 x 27 ft. rectangular plan. |
Since World War II, the mind-numbing banality of the suburban subdivision has been the norm in North American residential planning. A typical sad result: a developer's generic house model is unthinkingly replicated on both sides of the street - if the west-facing house enjoys the sunset from its family room, its east-facing twin will not.
Today, in their search for the Essential Abode, owners and architects focus on the particular qualities of the property: its local context, topography, climate, vegetation, solar orientation, prevailing winds, boulders and rock formations, alignments to landmarks, and so on. These are a constant reference for all internal and external planning decisions, such as the placement of windows, doors, gables, balconies, fireplaces, bedrooms, terraces, and so on.
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The plane of an "interior bridge" continues as an exterior balcony with a dramatic view of Jay Peak. |
With a greater sensitivity to the unique essence of the immediate natural environment - the "soul of the site" - there is a far greater chance to create memorable spaces, both interior and exterior. For example, an L-shaped house oriented to the southeast can create a delightful patio or garden protected from the west wind and flooded with morning sunlight. If it has a vine-covered pergola aligned with a mountain view, the owner is truly blessed!
Ideally, to celebrate its immanent relation to nature, the house should provide an internal "architectural promenade" that draws one unconsciously but inexorably toward vantage points that reveal something new about the structure and the site. Whether these insights are provided by a window framing an unexpected view of the landscape, or by a sun-drenched double-height atrium, they are by definition unique to the house and property. You can't confuse your Essential Abode with any other house!
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Downsizing to simplicity: 3D software evaluates shadow and light in a 3-bedroom Bedford cottage with a tiny 24 by 34 ft. footprint. |
It is only by carefully analyzing, adjusting and balancing hundreds of these kinds of design choices and trade-offs that one arrives at the optimal solution for a particular owner, house and site. When the process succeeds, the resulting home can engender a profound sense of well-being and inspiration as well as a vital and integral connection to nature. In the end, today's search for the Essential Abode is the aspiration to achieve a satisfying contemporary architectural experience that both the ancient builders and the early Townships settlers would have appreciated.
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| An 1859 Frelighsburg residence receives a corner window with mountain views that sweep from Jay to Stowe. |
Eden Greig Muir
Architect
41, Principale, Frelighsburg, J0J 1C0
450-298-1212
I have a hat, a wonderful large, black wool-felt beret, which I dearly love. It's really become a part of me, perhaps too much so. If you know me, you've surely seen my beret. But you've probably seen the beret around Sutton even if you don't know me. I like to think my hat loves me too, and would hate, as much as I would, to become separated from me.
I guess technically it's not an immanent part of me. It was not there at my creation, nor have I always had it. But it has become more than head gear. Good or bad, it has become a part of my persona.
My beret looks a bit Basque or Italian, but it's not. I bought it in Argentina, in a small shop northeast of Buenos Aires in a town called San Antonio de Areco. I bought it mostly because the shopkeeper looked so good in his. It's a gaucho cap, really, and fearing I would do it injustice so far from its home I took several photos of the shopkeeper in his, just to remember how to wear it. It was round and flat in his shop display, but he told me it would mold itself to my unique pate. “Just orient it on your head the same way every time; use the label inside as a marker.”
When I came home from South America in Novem-ber 2006 I wore my beret through the winter. In August I took it with me to Ireland, Finland and the Baltic States, Belarus and Ukraine, and to Moldova, Romania and Hungary. Of course it stayed home last year when I departed for Asia but my reunion with it eight months later was like rejoining an old friend, and I took it to England and Wales to celebrate.
It was only when I lost it that I realized its importance to me. We were in Montreal for a belated birthday celebration and were set to take in the cheap Tuesday matinees on rue Ste-Catherine. We decided to pass the 45 minutes before show time in the adjoining Simons store. After visiting several departments and making a minor purchase we headed for the exit. Only then did I notice that my hat was missing.
I'm a bald-headed guy and have been since my 20s. I need a hat almost always. In winter it stanches the heat loss from my uninsulated dome; in summer it keeps my unprotected scalp from burning. I never leave home without a hat. So questions like “Did you leave it in the car at Place des Arts?” were of course ridiculous; the winter weather on St. Catherine would surely have driven me back to the car.
But what was most alarming was what I least expected: the feeling that I was missing some part of my persona, some bit of who I am. It was as though, without my hat, I would need to make peace with the new person I would become or, God forbid, revert to. I had often said that I should have bought a second one, a spare against the day that the first should wear out. Was it merely that it is nigh impossible to replace? Or had my hat achieved some genuine immanence for me?
Things do creep into your soul, like the feel of greeting friends on rue Principale. They come to seem as though they have always been part of you, and that you could never live without them. But a hat!?
After retracing our route several times (searching not only the store but the heads of those around me), visiting ‘lost and found,' and despairingly contemplating life without my beret, my girlfriend Lynda had a stroke of genius. Where might a hat go before it could be declared “lost”? The woman at customer service had admonished us to wait a day or so before calling back; it took time for things to get to ‘lost and found,' mostly because they must first be determined to not be part of Simons' inventory.
It was only a small step in logic from there, but one that had eluded me entirely. Lynda wandered off, heading away from anywhere we had been. I started to protest but was cut off by her whisper, “There it is!” And there it was, indeed, in the men's hat department a good distance from where I'd made my purchase. Someone had laid it over some random rack, awaiting assessment by some hat-department employee. It looked somewhat old and worn next to all the new hats, a bit like me, I guess. I checked the label inside, confirmed its provenance, and buttoned it securely into the pocket of my coat.
We got to the movie late but enjoyed it greatly. I usually despise missing the beginning of a film, but this time it was fine. A contented feeling of completeness had returned to me. Later, waiting to be seated at a restaurant, I hugged Lynda and told her she was wonderful. “Nah,” she said, a smirk creeping in. “That's just your hat talking.”
Jay Sames
jay.sames@gmail.com
From Self-Deconstruction to Self–Liberation
Would you believe me if I said that going through my own recession has helped me to feel more abundant?
When facing the financial and environmental crisis of our planet, I am comforted by my own experience of deep inner crisis. I believe this collective experience is good and necessary and one from which we will all benefit.
After almost a year of caring for my mother through her cancer until her death, my perspective on life changed profoundly. It was only much later however that my awareness of this caught up with me. It was beyond mourning and the void I felt in me, after my mother's passing, was the reality and the illusions of life and death that awaken and help you confront your most existential fears.
The transformation that ensued led me to a growing inner freedom and power. I was quickly freeing myself from many restrictions and inner rules that no longer applied. This new freedom allowed me to take some risks that were previously off limits, the kind that went against the good old judgment of reason and restraint. Despite the incessant questioning and self-doubt, I had a pervading feeling to trust myself in making decisions that would previously have seemed outrageous to me.
Having an excellent credit record, I was offered a $20,000 credit line by my bank and I was able to lease a car for four years without any proof of sufficient income even though I was enjoying a two-year sabbatical without revenue. I saw this as a positive sign that I was heading in the right direction. I was feeling more creative and confident than ever and truly believed I was on the road to success.
What I was not aware of was that, being more open with myself, I was freer to express the deeper hidden desires of wanting to be seen, recognized and valued. In our society, the vehicle for expressing those longings is by looking for proof of our worth through our performances and achievements and with money, possessions and status.
After a year and a half of an idyllic and abundant existence between the city and Sutton, spending quality time with both my daughter and the man I love, I was about to discover another reality. In my mind there was no excuse for me not to create sufficient income. I am laden with an arsenal of high employability qualifications and have a history of being financially independent.
My conditioning was clashing with my inner stirrings; a strong contradiction emerged. On the surface I felt my issues expressing the need for recognition and proof of my worth the only way I knew. Yet I was feeling my powerlessness and lack of impetus of going in that direction as something much stronger in me was pushing the exact opposite way . Despite my inner voice insistently repeating, “Trust yourself”, I felt as if I was heading towards a precipice - one I was resisting with all my might.
What was to come was the furthest of anything I could have fathomed. I was facing all of my worst fears, which began with the fear of losing my daughter; and not being able to provide for her. It resumed with the terror of my not being able to provide for my most basic of needs.
It all happened very quickly. I declared bankruptcy, sold most of my possessions, and gave away the rest to empty the apartment I could no longer afford. My daughter moved in with her dad, step mother and new baby sister. I returned the car and got rid of my cell phone. I cut back most of my expenses by moving to Abercorn with my partner, Normand, who himself was struggling with accepting and enjoying his retirement. The truth is that I was ready and able to face my worst fears: to disassociate from the things I used as an illusion of strength and fulfilment. As tragic as it felt, for a short time it was the greatest of my successes - inner success. I understand now that the clear message to trust myself and the feeling that I was on the road to success came from a much deeper source than my conditioning. A part of me with tremendous trust in my strength and ability was cheering me on in a direction that appeared self-destructive.
I have not only survived my worst fears of subsistence, I am freer to feel what lay beneath the illusions of my not being enough - a truer sense of who I am. I am not only freer to live the kind of life I have always longed for but more open to take in its bounty.
I am living at a much gentler, loving pace, surrounded by open spaces. I have a deeper, truer relationship not only with my partner, my daughter and myself but also with life. It is evident now that I needed a great big push to help me to break free from the obstacles within myself.
It makes me wonder if what we need the most is not what we fear the most.
Marie-Noëlle Gagnieux
mngagnieux@gmail.com
Living Immanence: Sharing Experience and Presence as a Family
The musician picks up her guitar or sits down at the piano; the storyteller opens his book to the title page and begins to read. The kids in attendance who sit at the feet of the storyteller are drawn in, closer to the thumping speaker, - in English or in French, in Spanish or Korean, they sway a little bit to the music, throw up their hands in celebration, pick up on a note or a key that sounds familiar, recognize the book that they have at home. They're drawn in because they know that what's going on is important. They're really good at expressing their appreciation and sharing it with the people around them. Instinctively, innately, they share their joys, their curiosity, and the magic they feel in the act of creating.
“Immanence.” I had to have it spelled out to me over the phone, and even then I had to double-check the spelling by email later. Not a word that you use, or even hear, every day. According to Immanence, a magazine based in a community on the Sunshine Coast of BC (where they spend a lot of time thinking about this sort of thing...), “immanence” is derived from the Latin in manere, “to remain within,” and “refers to the philosophical and metaphysical theories of the divine as existing and acting within the mind and the world around us.”
... a synonym of “inherent,” the opposite of “transcendent?”
... the ethic of immanence, the plane of immanence, a founding concept in the ontology of French philosopher Gilles Deleuze? “Living the chaos-mosis,” the “world of potentials,” “feeling the collective breathing?”
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Chaosmosi is an adaptive strategy, both physical and mental, given an environnement flux. M.R. Photo: Chaosmosi.net |
...As George Carlin might have said: “Riiiight.”
Seems like a pretty heavy existential knot to be untangling, for something that should be really quite simple. Unconditional immersion or embeddedness. The very “being” of being. Could it be that we have ‘un-learned' something that's really, really simple, but important, something that kids just know?
A series of articles dating back to the mid-1990s coined the term “kindie rock,” with taglines that said things like “Roll over, Raffi!” (follow the link below to an Audiofile primer that presents a pretty good sampler of the bands making this kind of music today). NPR and the CBC have both featured some of the ‘new' offerings for families with young kids: “Indie music for indie kids,” proclaims the website for Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child, a Saturday morning radio show with Bill Childs and his kids, Ella (9) and Liam (7). There are absolutely no fuzzy pink bunnies in their playlists -- just cool music that the whole family likes to listen to, together. When something has overtones of ‘duty' -- when you're popping in a Baby Einstein CD because it's supposed to develop some aspect of your child's brain -- the magic of that music is lost.
I invite you to send in some of the things that you share with your family: a series of books that you recently read together, a trip that you took, an annual tradition, a website that you visit regularly for activity ideas, a gift or a craft swap... The resulting list will appear in a future edition of the Tour!
Recommended reading, for different creative/community/family experiences:
51 Dad blogs:
http://dadthing.com/2007/11/13/51-dad-blogs/
http://www.kerismith.com/blog/
http://imaginechildhood.com/blog/
http://angrychicken.typepad.com/
http://www.hilltownfamilies.org/
http://www.salon.com/ent/music/feature/2006/06/24/kindie/
http://www.salon.com/ent/audiofile/2006/06/23/kindie/index.html
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/services/wonderground/
http://blog.speakingoffaith.org/post/65022616/robert-coles-on-the-spiritual-intuition-of
Kelli Ann Ferrigan
ferrigan.kelli@gmail.com
Vive la Compagnie et Essayez le théâtre anglais!
English theatre in Quebec and the Theatre on Mont Echo Road in Knowlton are synonymous. Since 1988 Theatre Lac Brome has produced plays and musicals by notable playwrights such as George Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, Graham Greene, Cole Porter and Noel Coward along with English language premieres of Quebec playwrights Michel Tremblay and Michel Marc Bouchard. The 2009 season is no exception. Beginning Saturday June 27, Theatre Lac Brome summer repertory season of professional theatre has programmed five special musical events.
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Nicholas Pynes Photo by Helen Rainbird |
The sound of the summer starts with a return engagement of Day Tripper, a Tribute to the Beatles with the same four lads who enchanted and rocked the Theatre last autumn. The first stage production, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, written by Richard Alfieri, has been performed in London, New York and Los Angeles and will open in Knowlton on Saturday July 4 directed by Ellen David. It is a comedy with music about an unlikely association between a spirited retiree and a provocative young dance instructor.
The second stage production, Putting it Together, is a unique and inventive piece by the master of musical theatre Stephen Sondheim. He has created a review which highlights his words and music with selections from: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, and even songs he wrote for the movie ‘Dick Tracy'. Sondheim's music will be performed by an ensemble of actor/musicians lead by the Theatre's Artistic Director Nicholas Pynes. For each of the Theatre's two staged productions, special opening night events will be held at the Theatre on Saturday July 4 and July 18.
At the end of August, Naomi Emmer-son brings her bilingual presentation of Piaf, Love Conquers All to Knowlton. Written by Roger Peace, Piaf is an intimate evening of songs and stories featuring John Gilbert at the piano.
And finally, the summer in Knowlton would not be complete without the wit and music of George Bowser and Ricky Blue who will appear on Labour Day weekend with a new show entitled Bowser and Blueish.
This year the popular Knowlton House and Garden Tour will be held on Wednesday July 15. Discover the hidden corners of Lac Brome during this once a year event.
Don't delay, plan your summer around the Theatre's activities and make your reservations as soon as possible! Theatre Lac Brome's intimate and air-conditioned environment awaits your visit.
For further information about the season consult the Theatre's web-site at www.theatrelacbrome.ca. To order tickets telephone: 450 242-2270 or visit the Theatre Box Office at 9 Mont Echo in Knowlton.
Nicholas Pynes
The Independence of Frances Sophia
Heather Darch
Musée Missisquoi Museum
It is hard to imagine what was going through David Adams' mind when he signed a written indenture on March 6th, 1884 that permitted his fourteen year old daughter Frances Sophia Adams to be sent into ‘debt bondage' to Rodney H. Reynolds. Was he saddened by the fact that he could not pay his debts and needed to send his child into bonded labour? Was he thinking that it was a practical step for his daughter to learn domestic skills that would serve her later in life?
David Adams was a farmer in the parish of St. George de Clarenceville and according to the Census record of 1871; he was 68 years old when his daughter Frances was born. (His wife was 28!) Perhaps with poor economic prospects he saw indenture for his daughter as a means to lightening his own financial burdens in his advanced years. A farmer unable to provide land or education for all of his children might arrange to have one or more of them indentured to a wealthier merchant or land owner. Perhaps he knew his own demise was imminent and realized his young wife would not be able to care for all of his children.
An indentured servant was a bonded labourer – a labourer under contact to work for an employer for a specific length of time. In Frances' case she was to work for Mr. Reynolds until she was twenty-one years old. Typically the employer provided little if any monetary pay, but was responsible for accommodation, food, living essentials and training. Contracts varied from situation to situation with no standard regulations. Upon the completion of the contract, the labourer sometimes received permanent employment, the promise of land, a lump sum payment, clothing or tools. Any and all of these might be promised to those who stayed for the duration of their indenture agreement.
Once a bond was signed, the indenture was upheld by the law. “Debt slave” was another phrase used to describe the arrangement, especially in the case of a youth who had no choice and no other opportunity to repay the debt of his or her family.
Traditionally both black slaves and white indentured servants could be bought and sold, could not marry without the permission of their owner, were subject to physical punishment, and saw their obligation to labour enforced by the courts. Unlike slaves however, indentured servants could look forward to a release from bondage.
By contrast “domestics” were distinguishable from indentured servants and slaves in that they received payment. They were also free to leave their employment at any time, although socio-economic conditions often made that difficult. Indentured servants, slaves and domestics were customary in Lower Canada and historians have estimated that over half of the immigrants coming to Canada in the late 18th and early 19th centuries were indentured servants. In the 1786 St. Armand account book of Philip Luke, ‘servants' are referenced throughout the text. What makes Frances Adams unusual was that her indenture occurred in the late 19th century and although modern-day involuntary indentured servitude still exists around the world, in Canada it was all but abandoned by the 1850-60s.
In a special “notice and protest” letter written in 1889, Rodney Reynolds sent Samuel J. Adams, a brother to David Adams, a notification of discontent concerning the agreement established between himself and his “late” brother. The Census records reveal that David Adams died at the age of 81, the same year he sent Frances into servitude. As Samuel was more than likely Frances' senior male relative, he became responsible for her once her father had passed away. The letter clarified the terms of the indenture and stated:
…The late David Adams has let and hired to me his minor daughter Frances Sophia Adams…until she becomes twenty-one years old and agreed and promised there that his said daughter would work during the said time for my benefit and advantage…”
In addition to this detail, Mr. Reynolds also revealed that all of Frances' “dresses and clothing, one bed and beddings and one Dominion piano for her exclusive use” were sent with Frances when she came to the Reynolds' home.
Mr. Reynolds also disclosed that he was a more than fair owner of Miss Adams as he “…received and always kept the said Frances Sophia Adams according to the said agreement and…allowed her for writing friends or relatives, and to work out for her own benefit, and upon her own request…and provided her with good sufficient board, meat, drink, clothing and beddings…”
It was to his dismay therefore that on June 6th 1889 her uncle Samuel Adams “abducted” Frances from the Reynolds' home and brought her to his own home where he “kept, received and harboured her and… refused to bring the said Miss Adams back to my domicile…”
Some contracts were similar to apprenticeships while the terms of other indentures were harsh. According to Mr. Reynolds, Frances was well treated and he bound himself to receive her into his own family “as one of his own children”. Perhaps in one of the letters Frances was permitted to write, she told her uncle of how unhappy she was in her employment. Abuse was not uncommon but we may never know the true nature of Frances' servitude or why her uncle felt that fulfilling the last two years of her contract was impossible. Apparently she left all of her clothing and possessions behind her and Mr. Reynolds declared that he would not be responsible for her “board, dresses or other expenses while away from my said domicile and out of my said care”.
Occasionally the historical records reveal notices of runaway indentured servants. Philip Luke mentioned a “John who ran away” in 1832 from his service. Unhappy with the treatment by their owners, servants broke their own contracts and left their employment. Their families were required to compensate the loss and as many servants knew their families could not afford to reimburse the debt, they fulfilled their contracts to the end. Mr. Reynolds charged Samuel Adams and Frances and “all others for losses, costs, damages and interests which I have suffered and which I may yet suffer for and by reason of the said Frances' disobedience and abandonment…” He demanded her restoration to his home within 48 hours but did not allude to the consequences failing her return.
The fact that Frances left all of her material goods behind indicates that her flight was sudden. Did she need to be rescued? Something concerned her uncle enough that he risked his own financial security to free his niece from Mr. Reynolds' bond. Unfortunately, the Census records for 1891 do not indicate what happened to Frances Adams as she is absent from the record. Both Samuel Adams and Rodney Reynolds are listed with their families but Frances is not identified as living with either of them. She would have been 21 and legally free to pursue her own interests in the world. A happy ending to her story would be that the bond was reneged and she remained with her uncle and obtained enough skills during her five-year indenture to acquire work on her own terms.
As educational and employment opportunities grew, the need for indentured servants to ensure a work force ended. The 20th century loomed ever closer with new possibilities for young women. It is to be hoped that Frances found peace within as she found her freedom in the world beyond her small village.
Sources: The Voice of the Pike River Vol.16 Missisquoi Historical Society; Indentured Servitude in Colonial America: Deanna Barker; Indentured Servants: June Payne Flath; Account Book of Philip Luke 1786-1838 MHS Collections.
Musée Missisquoi Museum
2 rue River, Stanbridge East Qc J0J 2H0
(450) 248-3153
info@museemissisquoi.ca
www.missisquoimuseum.ca
Get A Real Life--Not a Virtual One
By Catherine Canzani
When I was growing up on our farm at Auberge Schweizer, it was tricky for my mother to track me down on the 150-acre property, let alone drag me out of the barn or the pond to come in for meals. My sisters and brother and I practically grew up outside. There were times when on starry summer nights we would set up our sleeping bags on the lawn and even sleep outside.
I'd say things have changed. What with satellite television, YouTube, Facebook, ipods and xboxes, it's getting increasingly difficult to get both kids and adults to go outside. You can even get your exercise inside – pull out the wii-fit and you'll never have to go outside again.
A few weeks ago, on a balmy spring evening, I managed to peel the kids away from the computer after they had each fed and played with their virtual pets on Webkinz. We put the real dog on his leash, pulled a couple of bikes out of the garage and headed down to our favourite field by the cemetery in Abercorn. The dog, who gets much less exercise than the kids' virtual pets, was thrilled to be allowed to freely race around the field like a greyhound. It took just minutes for the kids to drop their bikes in the path and start exploring the swollen puddles in their new rubber boots. It only took seconds for them to go too deep and get water into their boots but I chalked it up to exploring the beauty of spring.
The dog decided that he wanted to explore a little further, so we dutifully followed him around the field. He led us down a bank, which the kids rolled down, and through some thorny bushes towards the railroad tracks. “Watch your eyes!” I warned the kids as twigs snapped behind me. Suddenly one of my daughters yelled, “Watch out, there's glass!” She scooped up our dog, Rasta, and we continued walking. “There's more glass,” my son told us but, upon closer inspection, we noticed that there was more than just glass. There were old rusty nails, tops of sap buckets and rough, decomposed pieces of timber when I noticed something speckled blue and white. All three kids began to dig and in moments they had unearthed a broken antique-looking jug. They pulled it from the earth as though it were a treasure.
This discovery led to all sorts of theories about who had been here and why. Had there been a house? Had it burned down? Was it a sugar bush from long ago? Suddenly my son called out, “There's something else! Let's dig it up.” All three went back to work until they had pulled out a rusty, dented metal kettle. Their excitement was palpable – and so different from the static glazed expression of winning a video game on the computer. Their excitement was loud and alive.
It made them wonder, and question and cherish a personal discovery.
They carried their finds to the biggest puddle at the edge of the field where they washed them out with care. We put the dog back on his leash and the kids proudly brought their treasures home to show their dad.
Technology is ever-present in our lives but we still need to get out and feel alive, real, and in touch with the beauty of nature around us. That broken jug and dented kettle are now proudly displayed on our doorstep – a reminder of how people used to live and of what's available right outside our very own front door.
When we look at the tradition of dancing in any culture, there is always a reverence of some higher power. What the dancers are worshipping depends on the people, the tribe, and the culture. It could be their god, it could be the weather gods, the mountain gods, the food gods and the list goes on. There are many names for God so, to simplify things, when the word ‘god' is used here, it includes all gods.
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Northern Illinois University School of Theatre and Dance |
Since the beginning of my spiritual journey approximately 18 years ago, I've been hearing that God is within you and not without, just waiting to punish you if you do something wrong. I've come to believe in my universe and practice, that I must take responsibility for my actions rather that being a victim. With this in mind, whom are we really worshipping? When I dance, I allow myself to be moved by the music and as my feet guide me across the floor, my head tilts back slightly and a smile from within sweeps over my lips. A sense of gratitude engulfs me for the gift of this incredible body, no matter what shape or size, that moves with ease, can adapt to different temperatures, moisture levels and physical activities.
We are worshipping ourselves of course. Look at yourself and enjoy everything about you. In this Western society, there's a tendency to be unhappy with the way our body looks, the way it moves, the way our voice sounds or even the way we draw a picture – and you might add to the list things you personally despise in yourself.
But instead of hating yourself, try to list things about yourself you like and try to make that list as long as you can. At first you may find yourself feeling strange and silly but don't give up. Start with a simple body feature, like your nose perhaps or maybe the nails on your toes. Try adding to your list everyday, and you will see it will get easier and will grow.
When people first start dancing most feel the same way, strange and unsure of their steps and their body movements. “Get out of your head”, I say to participants in my classes, your body knows what it wants to do, so just let it and you will be amazed. Get rid of any preconceived notion and let the music move you from the inside out. So maybe you can't Tango or Salsa, it doesn't matter. Do whatever comes naturally as your body interprets the music. Just keep dancing and move to the inspiration as it comes and as you move, you may surprise yourself.
Ultimately, we dance for ourselves because we feel the need to move. Have you ever heard a song playing and had a burning desire to get up and dance? That is coming from within and nobody can explain why or from where, it's just there. So why fight it? Those who already dance on a regular basis know the benefits and can't live without it.
So go on and dance for the sake of dancing and when you dance be grateful that you can, no matter how you look doing it.
Ilia Kavoukis
In this time of major economic changes, many theories and practices have emerged to help us deal with it all. One of these is the idea of buying locally. This seems like a logical thing to do even without a crisis.
Last year when the price of gas went through the roof, many started looking for ways to use as little gas as possible. It was not called buying locally, it was just what common sense told us to do and as it turned out it gave us a taste of what was to come.
As more people explored creative ways to adapt to this economic reality, there was a global and a local awareness and a rising consciousness of the economic, environmental and social impact of investing locally. For sure it meant more prosperity for the established businesses and it had the potential of drawing others in or outside the area to fill the gap of unavailable services and products. This also offered young people the possibility of working close to home.
The direct relationship between producer and consumer often provides an occasion to understand and appreciate what goes into the production. These contacts give many the chance to see what experience went into the work, the hardships confronted and the joys achieved. The fruit of one's labour can be seen as more than just a product to be sold. Being exposed to so many aspects of production and services can also give one a chance to see it as a human and even as a universal experience. One can also consider that above and beyond the monetary value, there is something else, something more important that is expressed and achieved.
In recognition of how the fruit of one's labour has more than a monetary value, goes beyond it or cannot be fully paid for, many exclaim that their work is a 'Labour of Love'. Echkhart Tolle in A New Earth speaks of all actions and relations reflecting love. Certainly some actions and relations reflect more than others. If there is a recognition of love in our actions and relations, it is possible to see it in ourselves, in others and in everything that is expressed and produced. According to St. Augustine, again in Tolle's book, if there is love you can do anything. In other words, if there is love in all that we do, there is no limit to what, to how or to when we can express or do it.
This is one way to understand immanence. One of our children may look at a tomato and simply like it. A local chef may look at it with a more complex appreciation such as its colour, its taste, its freshness and more. Anyone can like the beauty of a greeting card made by a local artist. Someone who particularly appreciates art may understand the technique, the expression, the creativity and more in such an accessible piece.
As we live in a material world with so many variations, the sheer number of choices can distract us. If the focus is on the immanence, the good in our material world, there will probably be a whole other experience of it.
In the same sense that many are reviewing their way of buying, many are reconsidering how they are acting and being. The economic upheavals help us to bring home the consequences of our actions and our responsibilities. The impact of our actions, thoughts and even our consciousness as we interact locally is certainly food for thought.
Maaike Zuyderhoff
“Thou shalt embrace IMMANENCE in the garden of Eden”
Robin, chapter 1, verse 2
Just to put this into context, my job is to do a survey and ask Suttonites what their perceptions are on the present theme of Le journal LE TOUR. If someone can convey to my editor that he spends too much time in the fresh mountain air, (it seems to go to his brain!) maybe he wouldn't come up with these most incongruous words. Anyway, this time I carefully chose my victims. Stalking is a very male sport, but I did show some fair play. I decided to forewarn my prey. The word is IMMANENCE. So ladies and gents, though the chase is now over, I would like to share with you the spoils of my hunt.
Thomas Sise is a very interesting chap. He always wears an Australian-type hat and walks around with different T-shirts every day on which are printed very provocative statements. I guess we can state that he dresses in his IMMANENCE. Used to be, he would spend a few months in our area, make a few bucks, then live the rest of the year in Cambodia. Seems that a dollar a day in Canada could stretch many a day in Southern Asia.
Now he resides at the top of a hillside strip called L.A. Smith on the way to Glen Sutton. I dare you to find it. “May I call you the fool on the hill?” I humbly requested. He clemently agreed and then we both laughed.
We agreed to follow up on this search by phone where he graciously shared his take on IMMANENCE. Many adjectives and synonyms were brought forward such as innate, intrinsic, abiding in, etc. But the most interesting sweep on this topic was that, through his research, he had stumbled on the word IMMANITY.
I have yet to check on this and shall probably not but, like throwing a pebble in the water, I will just admire the waves. It seems that IMMANITY has to do with barbarity, monstrosity and cruelty. Have fun with that one.
Sylvie Dandurand works at the tourism office in Sutton. Personally I hate the word ‘tourist' (too many $ signs associated with it) I much prefer 'guest'. Sylvie was more then ready to share her outlook on IMMANENCE. It was kind of scary. How come she spontaneously knew the inner meaning? “Take it easy girl!” I said. I was not ready to swallow the sudden input so we agreed to further this discussion at some other time.
IMMANENCE turned into imminence. The clock was ticking. Had to write this article so I went back to see Sylvie. This lady really emanates a certain air of assurance and insurance. By working at the tourism office, I guess we can say she has found a comfort zone in this area. I learned that Sylvie and her hubby were originally from the Longueuil-Montreal region and at one point had discovered Sutton where they fell in love with the mountains, the scenery, the local inhabitants and the fresh air.
Basically, for Sylvie, IMMANENCE is the energy that emanates from someone or any living entity. “Radiance” could just about be the closest term to express this sentiment. In many ways she feels that whatever is material becomes secondary when compared to the IMMANENCE of life and all that it as to offer.
Robin Pitt-Taylor runs the ATELIER ROBIN DES BOIS and LA FERME CHARMANTE on Macey Road. This rural boulevard happens to be the extension of Dyer Road in Sutton. It leads to Dunham, Frelighsburg and the rest of the Universe. It can become confusing if you have to explain to someone how to get there yet, in reality, it is very simple. Get on the road that is just before the Catholic Church. Drive, ride or walk as far as you can. At some point, right after Alderbrook Road, on the left hand side IMMANENCE will emerge.
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Photo by Denis Boulanger |
One day, in the village, I stumbled into Robin's path. Having known each other for many years, I instantly recognized my last quarry. What a feast this will be. IMMANENCE was in the air. I might even get a homegrown banana out of this. Robin is the only known Canadian who as managed to grow bananas in this northern climate. The dedication, affection and protection he bestows on his “heritage” seeds have been the main course of many of our discussions.
I must mention Kathy. She is the ying of his yang. Or maybe she is the yang of his ying; I always get confused with that one. The lady is amazing. Presently her mission is to rewrite, by hand, all pertinent information relating to the products offered in our stores and boutiques. Her calligraphy is like the lotus that we often admire in the images of Buddha. Talk about IMMANENCE; walk into LA CHOCOLATERIE BELGE MURIEL on rue Principale in Sutton. It's a double whammy. Your eyes roll and rock between the chocolates and the written descriptions that Kathy has created.
My safari is now coming to an end. I sit in Robin's greenhouse. At that moment, I see the muses hovering over his plants, his herbs, the vegetables and his affectionate dog.
Rolland Potvin
The Immanence of Time for the Cyclist
By Stephan Marcoux, Velo-Zoom
In the world of cycling, time is of the essence. What do I mean by that? Well, there's only so much time for training, for staying in shape, for winning races, and for having the right mindset to tackle the whole thing. Without a doubt, the place to start is with a goal in order to get you from point A to point B. Which road should I chose to get there?
My motivation must be intrinsic. It must come from a place deep inside me that has nothing to do with extrinsic factors. I have to be able to maintain my training regardless of weather conditions – super cold northern winds in April to rainy days in May to scorching hot days in July and snow and thick mud during cyclocross season in December. My training must not depend on how I'm feeling that day but rather on the fire deep within that keeps me moving. I must trust that the desire to better myself will allow me to follow a regimental training session and I must believe that there will be fruitful results when it is time to race.
If my motivation were extrinsic, I would never be able to keep at my gruelling training regimen. It's very clear to me that training is not about putting on a show so that others can see me out there, and it is not about maintaining any kind of weight or muscle mass, it's really about me, my bike and my goals. I don't need to prove anything to anyone except myself. I'm out there battling the elements and it just feels right.
Is it ever too late for you to start? I don't think so. I have customers in their sixties who have taken up cycling. These people start with baby steps and before I know it, they're putting in 60 km rides. They inspire me as I cross them on the road. If you want to be out there riding your bike, there is nothing stopping you. Dig deep, ask yourself what you want to accomplish, even if it's just to get out there to enjoy watching nature go by and do it. You don't need to look good, or bike well, you simply have to ride towards your own personal goal. I hope to see you out there this summer. Happy riding.
“Down by the Bay”: 400 Years of the Use and Abuse of Missisquoi Bay
In 1609 Samuel de Champlain came down the Richelieu River and into Lake Champlain to claim the region for France. This year marks the 400th Anniversary of his visit to this region and it marks the 400th Anniversary of recorded activity at Missisquoi Bay. The 2009 exhibit “Down by the Bay” at the Missisquoi Museum looks at the uses and abuses of Missisquoi Bay over the past 400 years and the rich history that can be found along its shoreline. The Missisquoi Museum will partner with “La Corpo-ration bassin versant baie Missisquoi” to present the museum's collection of early 19th Century objects from the community living by Missisquoi Bay as well as the current environmental issues facing this region.
The exhibition also highlights United Empire Loyalist objects, community life in the 19th century, personal and household items from Missisquoi families and Hodge's General Store, which features dry goods from the 1940s.
Located just off Route 202 along the Route des Vins, between Dunham and Bedford in the picturesque village of Stanbridge East, come and explore this jewel in the Eastern Townships.
Open daily 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. May 31st to October 11th 2009. For more information, admission prices and for group reservations: Pamela Realffe
Tel: (450) 248-3153 Fax: (450) 248-0420 Email: info@missisquoimuseum.ca
«MISSISQUOI MUSEUM: HISTORY AVAILABLE – INQUIRE WITHIN»
www.MissisquoiMuseum.ca
2 River Street, Stanbridge East, QC