A picture taken somewhere in my crossing of the country - can you identify the place?

Good morning. I woke up this morning to see the sun burning off a mist that had come in off of the mountain last night. Everything is muted and glowing. I feel like I am in a landscape painted by an imaginative and loving hand.

I am sitting thinking about Canada and what it means to be in a country that stretches between 3 oceans and 5 time zones. I am still in awe of the size of it and of the people who call this place their home. In the nearly two months that I have been on the road I have seen geographic variations enough to boggle the mind. I have also passed through huge cities that have taken up space on the land and tiny communities that are so tucked into the surrounding earth that they are hard to identify. I have met people who have made their livelihoods in many ways and who hold different things dear to their hearts but I have been unfailingly treated with generosity and caring.

In the small communities nestled close to the bosom of the earth, the politics of the country and the province seem very far away and yet decisions made with the broad stroke of pens by people who have probably never even seen some of the landscapes under their jurisdiction have broad implications and probably affect the lives of those living further away from the centers of power in bigger ways than those pen wielders can imagine.

So, how should Canada Day be spent? Well certainly in a huge celebration of the idea that brings us together as one unit, one people, Canadians. I also think that we should open our hearts and minds with generosity and love to all of the others who live together under this amazing and often flawed Canadian umbrella. If I could have a wish on the Canadian star my wish would be for each and every policy or law maker/governor of this great country to be required to take a trip similar to the one I am on. I would hope that their venture would give them perspective on the job they are about to take on.

Looking back over these words I realize that my trip so far has not cured me of my romance with my Canadian roots, if anything I am more infatuated now than ever. Maybe too much so to give me an unbiased view…but then again it is Canada Day and it is a day to celebrate the good things. Everything else can wait until tomorrow.

Have a good one.