Back from Seattle & Vancouver, I return with many memories, including those of the wonderful new friends I met, from both KING 5’s New Day Northeast in Seattle and CityTV’s Breakfast Television in Vancouver. I travelled with my miniature schnauzer, Violet, for the first time, and as luck would have it my “mini’ travels extremely well, making friends everywhere she goes. I guess she’s a lot like her daddy. As I reflect on my trip, I wanted to pause and share some of the beauty I witnessed on this journey to the Northwest.
One remarkable memory was discovering the amazing giant Hollow Tree in Vancouver’s Stanley Park. This red cedar is an example of the giant trees that populate the British Colombia coastal ecosystem; in fact, the red cedar is BC’s provincial tree. This hollow one is also called the “Big Tree” and its circumference measures about 50 feet. I needed to give it a hug – not that I could quite reach! – and when I did I remembered that wonderful book called The Giving Tree, a powerful and inspirational story about a boy and a tree. I was that little boy this past week; as I hugged this tree I thanked it not just for the beauty it offered but its long life and continued majesty. Today it is preserved as a reminder of the land’s rich heritage and the beauty of the forests. Quite a popular spot for generations, too – I saw photos of people posing in front of it in their Model T Fords!
Today I’m off to Miami to take part in the Love and Sunshine Expo – more on that next week – how fortunate I am to be traveling diagonally across the continent this week, from one ecosystem extreme to another! I can’t stretch my arms around the country, either, but it’s nice to know that in all the corners of this world I keep finding inspiring sights and people.
I’ll be back soon my MARtians.
