Photo Pause: Village Historique Acadien

Note: Photography is a path to mindfulness for me, a meditative and grounding practice that prompts me to slow down and notice the world around me. May these images offer you a space to pause, a respite in your perhaps busy day, and a reminder to take a moment now & then and notice what's going on in the world around you.

~~~

D. and I just got back from a visit to my beloved Acadie on the East coast of Canada, a return to my roots for a fulfilling five days. While we were there we visited the Village Historique Acadien in Caraquet, New Brunswick. From the Village's Website:

"Originating from 17th century France, the Acadians were the first French settlers in North America. Le Grand Dérangement (the deportation) deprived them of their lands and scattered them throughout the world. The Village Historique Acadien (VHA) portrays the ingenuity and determination of the Acadians starting anew.

...

One of the most authentic historical sites in North America (Phoenix Award Winner), the Village Historique Acadien strives to portray the lives of Acadians between 1770 and 1949. More than 40 historical buildings are staffed with interpreters who will make you relive the ancestral customs and traditional trades during these years.

Each one has a story to tell."  

It was a beautiful and moving day spent exploring the lives of my ancestors. I offer you a few images...

Photo Pause: Bennett Lake

Note: Photography is a path to mindfulness for me, a meditative and grounding practice that prompts me to slow down and notice the world around me. May these images offer you a space to pause, a respite in your perhaps busy day, and a reminder to take a moment now & then and notice what's going on in the world around you.

~~~

We just got back from spending eight nights at a favourite cottage in the woods, by a lake. There was no TV. For the most part the only sounds were the wind in the trees, the birds, the rain, Cassie breathing gently, and mosquitoes.

I could have easily done without the sound of mosquitoes.

Rainy and cold, it was not the entirely blissful week I imagined I would spend lounging on the dock eating potato chips, but it certainly had its blissful moments: the sun and the mist after the rain; morning walks with D. and Cassie; meals taken in the porch, with a view on the lake; the call of the loon; visits to TWO used book stores; meandering drives through country back roads; many naps and a LOT of reading; and an evening spent with our cottage neighbour, a 90 year-old author with a personal library that makes me swoon. As for potato chips, several bags were thoroughly enjoyed in the sheltered comfort of the screened-in porch.

For it all, I am grateful. Today I miss it. Re-entry is choppy.

Below are a few favourite snapshots.