2012 Fall & Winter

Season’s greetings to all of you, our family and friends!  May a serendipitous peace find a rebirth in each of your spirits, homes and communities! 

We happen to be anticipating a new birth in our lives!  As Idonea fondly and quite accurately puts it, we have a “new bitty baby in the belly!”  Yes, we are expecting the arrival of our second child this upcoming June.   We are very grateful for this opportunity to have another little soul join our lives and Idonea is busy preparing herself to be a caring and thoughtful big sister.

The latter half of 2012 has been quite eventful.  Here at home, parenting, gardening, renovating a utility shed, the annual Ten Thousand Villages sale and hosting an MCC Canada Thrift Store consultant were significant projects.  Kerry had a brief trip to Winnipeg for meetings and we were privileged by a visit from Kerry’s aunt and cousin all the way from Kansas. 

In August, a road trip (and short ferry across the Strait of Belle Isle) took us down to “the Island” (a.k.a. Newfoundland).  On the Northern tip by St. Anthony and Lanse Aux Meadows, we rediscovered that it was in fact Jen’s Norwegian ancestors (not Mr. Columbus) that first completed the circle of global migration westward in the 11^th century, connecting Europeans to North America several thousand years after the First Nations arrived here from the east, allegedly via the Bering Strait.  The sod house reconstructions on this National Historic Site were quite an impressive reminder of the early Viking resourcefulness.  

 Then we headed southward to Gros Mourne National Park where we spent a week connecting ourselves with the traditional music of the Island at Vinland Music Camp.  Surrounded by scenic mountains, salt-water inlets and some of the best instructors in this particular genre, the three of us danced, sang and played the bodhran drum, tin whistle, mandolin and of course quite a bit of fiddling.  Many of these tunes have become frequent on our playlist (and Idonea’s dance-list) here at home.

Then in October we journeyed to the north coast of Labrador.  A small plane bumped and jostled over the vast scenic terrain, landing us in the small Inuit town of Hopedale.  We spent several days staying with friends and Kerry met with folks working on Food Security needs. Surrounded by solid rock terrain (a challenging place for gardens) and countless panoramic islands, many in Hopedale still fish and hunt, but the practices are not always passed on to the youth.  Moreover, animal patterns and populations are changing along with our climate and provincial programs to fly food into these remote communities are expensive and often inadequate. 

In November, work took us near Montreal, Quebec, for MCC’s Indigenous Work and Eastern Canada Leadership retreats.  Spending time with colleagues, who have also become family friends over our years in Canada, was both meaningful and relaxing.  A highlight was a nearby endangered woodland Bison preservation area where feeding time brought them close enough to pet, even giving a few brave hands a big lick.  An even better highlight was Jen’s parents coming up to help with childcare during our meetings, after which we spent several days with them in downtown Montreal. 

Additional excitement came with Kerry’s parents and brother, who also made the journey to see us.  Idonea made sure to break-in each of their hotel rooms with a little bed bouncing and was thoroughly pleased to play with her entire family.  Montreal’s museums, ethnic restaurants and downtown ambiance were a nice contrast to Labrador remoteness.

Winter arrived here later than usual, but we have since enjoyed a good amount of snow and a white and joyful Christmas.  One morning we awoke to the tree branches all covered with delicate formations of glistening ice crystals, a reminder that our creator has a flare for spontaneous artistry.  We are grateful for the beauty surrounding us and a meaningful life.  We have decided to extend our time here with MCC temporarily, so we will not be leaving Labrador this summer.  While we don’t know what the future holds for us, we are content in the new beginnings we continuously experience every day.       

 

Peace to you in the New Year!

Kerry, Jen & Idonea

To browse more photos from the stories above, click the Picasa web links below:

Fall Projects

Labrador Straits, Northern Peninsula and Gros Mourne
Hopedale
Quebec
Winter and Christmas