Monday, August 07, 2006
Beach on the Indian River
Beach on the Indian River
Originally uploaded by Noisypond.
Wow, what a great day!!!! Twenty-four of us met at York Mills relatively early Sunday morning and headed up together to the Warsaw Caves Conservation Area (we could because we had enough drivers! Yay!!!). Once we (or most of us) arrived, we headed straight for the caves, people pulling on all the extra layers of clothing we had been informed we would need for the chilly caves.
When we got to the caves, we realized that these were not wide caverns that you could walk into, but little crawl spaces between slabs of jumbled rock. It looked a little tricky getting in there! (So I promptly decided that these caves were probably not for me.) Most people, however, did make it down into at least one cave.
Contrary to all that we had read, additional layers of clothing were *not* necessary. I felt so sorry for everyone when they came out of their first cave, beads of sweat dripping from their brows, and panting for breath because they were overdressed! A pile of backpacks, sweaters, and jackets quickly developed outside the caves.
Apparently there were some underground chambers where several people could fit, and enjoy the creepy darkness when everyone turned off their headlamps and flashlights. Someone (JB?) saw a couple of bats, and I heard a couple people mention spiders and slimy surfaces deep in Cave #1, but for the most part, everyone really seemed to enjoy the novel experience. I will never forget how fascinating it was to hear voices coming from under the ground!
While we were at the caves, there were several families who arrived to do some exploring as well. One little boy (about 9 years old, maybe) gashed his forehead in one of the caves and was led out of the area by his father, bleeding quite a bit, but still able to walk on his own and being very brave. The general consensus from our group was that the caves were pretty tricky and slippery in places, and that it would be quite easy to slip and injure yourself. Fortunately, the only incidents we had were two cut fingertips, which were easily taken care of with a first aid kit.
We had such a fabulous, fun group of people yesterday. As Melanie and I waited for the others outside the caves, I started taking pictures of our gang to try to capture the sense of accomplishment that I could see they felt in successfully navigating these caves. While most people good-naturedly endured my “paparazzi” behaviour, the sight of a camera aimed in her direction nearly sent Jennifer B. into a tizzy; she had gone farther than anyone in Cave #1 and her clothes were covered in slimy dirt. (That’s just a variant of battle scars, Jennifer!!!)
Very early on, I realized how photogenic Iman was. And in his good-humoured way, he played up to my camera; unlike everyone else who emerged from Cave #1 with their head down, Iman came out looking up and smiling – ready for the camera!!! It was very funny. (I think Golnaz just smiled and shook her head at his behaviour. LOL)
After a couple of hours of caving (which really only seemed like 20 minutes or so), we headed to the little beach/picnic area for lunch. We took up three picnic tables in the shade, and conversation at each one seemed lively and pleasant. After lunch, many of us took the Kettle Trail, which featured more jumbled rock (left by receding glaciers, I believe), a pretty lookout over the Indian River, and kettles (round holes gouged in rock by debris swirling in water). I hear that Brent did a great job as he fell naturally into the lead position of this hike.
Late in the afternoon, some people cooled off in the Indian River (which was very shallow), while others sat on the small beach or riverside, chatting lazily or watching some of the visiting families enjoying the sand and water. The conservation area seemed to have a lovely refreshing breeze the entire time we were there.
Before we headed back to our vehicles, we gathered together for some group photos, which were a lot of fun to take. (It took some cajoling to get past the Canadian reserve, but soon I got big smiles from everyone and the pictures came out great!)
On the way back home, Jenn P. guided us to Lakefield, where we found an ice cream parlor with delicious product and ridiculously large scoops!
After returning back to Toronto, 14 – 16 of us met up at a pub for some dinner and liquid refreshment. Speaking personally, I enjoyed sitting out on the patio and getting to know Mi Young, Tom, Maia, and Prashanth better; and it looked as though people in both directions down the table were enjoying their conversations as well.
It was a great day!!!!
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Hassan hiding
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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.
Sad but true ... he can live in Darfur in the midst of civil war and genocide, but doesn't like his picture taken. What a girl! ;->
MSF in the Distillery District
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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.
Holy cow – EXHAUSTED tonight! After gym this morning, went to the Distillery District to see new buddy Hassan at the Médécins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) exhibit, then hauled a$$ to Stouffville with Jo and Marianna to help Steph pack for her upcoming move to Toronto. This followed by Korean barbeque (which was only somewhat like the kalbi I loved in South Korea).
Now doing a load of laundry before I can go to bed. Tomorrow is another early day, as a bunch of us are going to Warsaw Caves. (Look it up – I’m too tired to link! LOL)
Give me some fruit!
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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.
Last night, my dear friend Leslie-Ann and I went out for dinner in the Annex. We had a rooftop patio almost to ourselves, and shared a pitcher of sangria between the two of us. It's always wonderful to spend time with L-A.
Here she's grabbing some of the fruit from the pitcher to put in her glass.
Letting go
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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.
Leslie-Ann is one of my most reluctant photography subjects, despite the fact that she is truly beautiful. So to prove to her that there is nothing to fear, I passed her my camera.
So this is me last night. I could point out many imperfections about myself, but I look happy, don't I? :-)
Friday, August 04, 2006
Training day #1 for AIDS 2006 Conference
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Originally uploaded by Noisypond.
AMAZING day today. Today I had my first day of training as a volunteer/volunteer supervisor for the XVI International AIDS conference, hosted this year in Toronto!!!
I met so many amazing people. There’s a certain set of values that you share with other people who have made it a priority to spend an entire week doing something like this. We got along so well. I met Ada (pictured here) who did two years’ volunteer work in South Africa, I met Hassan who ran logistics for Doctors Without Borders in Darfur for several months, I met Neil (will post picture soon) who is responsible for all the logistics of this conference, and a whole bunch of amazingly caring, intelligent, committed human beings. This conference is going to be a phenomenal experience!!!
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Farzanah
Farzanah1
Originally uploaded by Noisypond.
My beautiful roommate Farzanah on her way to her sister's wedding in Kenya. She'll be gone for three weeks. I'll miss her earnest ways, sensitivity, and sweet disposition. We've lived in the same two-bedroom apartment for over a year now. People warned me against getting a roommate, but it's worked out great. She's a liberal Muslim (yes, they exist!) and I think we have quite a few common values. It also helps that we're both introverts and respect each other's privacy. ;-D
Boys and their toys
Today one of my co-workers brought in a couple of new toys he'd purchased: the Lightning Reaction Xtreme Shocking Game and the RC Shocking Tanks. It amazed me all day how he was able to convince other guys in the office (who are normallly pretty intelligent) to participate in these games! They'd jump when they got shocked and shake their hands in an effort to alleviate the tingling, and then they'd play again!!! LOL Funny to watch ...
