Canoe trip

I was supposed to be on a canoe trip this week. A group of friends is canoeing along the Rideau, camping at a series of locks along the way. Because I can’t paddle (radiated rib, shortness of breath, etc), my mom and I agreed to visit their campsites and help shuttle an extra car from site to site.

The first day was unfortunately a wet one for the paddlers. We met them at Jones Falls where they set up their tents and cooked dinner in the rain. We stood under a tarp and ate a fabulous Indian dinner, despite the weather.

Mom and I checked into the Kenny Lodge next door and our sun porch became the party room for the evening. Breakfast came with our room and we sat in the window of the lovely dining room overlooking our friends’ campsite on the other end of the locks.

Katey’s ‘aunties’ agreed to take her with them on their canoe adventure for the day. She looked a bit uncertain as they headed off through the locks but she had a great time. (If you look closely at the picture below you can see her little head next to Margot). Her Nanny was worried that she’d fall out of the canoe but she had her life vest on and I knew the aunties would take very good care of her.

We all met up at Chaffey’s locks yesterday afternoon and the sun was shining. After participating in a scavenger hunt and trying to have a nap, I decided that I was too tired to stay longer and we headed for home. (OK, truth is, my mom was worried about me, but that’s what mom’s do).

BTW - Everyone on the canoe trip has had breast cancer. Sometimes I forget that, because we are just wonderful friends who happened to meet up on the Busting Out dragon boat team.

Cottage dreams

I’m just back from a week of eating, drinking, swimming, napping, socializing and relaxing at a beautiful cottage in Minden Ontario. (Notice I put eating and drinking first?).
The week was arranged through a cancer recovery initiative called Cottage Dreams, which offers recent cancer survivors the opportunity to reflect upon and celebrate recovery in a positive and relaxing setting.

After showing us around on our first day and making us feel very comfortable, our very generous hosts, Jim & Victoria, left us to enjoy their beautiful cottage for the week. The 5-bedroom cottage overlooks a picturesque lake and was the perfect place to relax and enjoy the company of my mom and some ‘extended family members’.

Mom & Mary & I were there for the full time, with visitors coming in two groups. Jennifer, Frances & Joanne left because of other commitments after the first few days. Unfortunately they missed the best weather days but I think they had fun anyway. Dianne, Anne & Sylvia came later in the week and enjoyed the warm and sunny weather.

So, in total, 8 cancer survivors were able to benefit from the donation the owners made. We were all amazed at their generosity and trust in handing over their lovely cottage to a group of strangers. I guess we didn’t look like the types to go all ‘rock star’ and trash the place. :-)

This was definitely a positive experience for me and I would recommend it to both cancer survivors and cottage owners. I was glad to see the recent addition of fall cottage visits on the Dream Cottages site. Unfortunately the deadline for applying was July 13th and has now passed.

Cottage Dreams

Play week

This is the week I get to play: the week just before my next chemo, when I'm feeling my best.

I was happy to be able to do the full hike on Friday. It was a wonderfully sunny day and we stopped at a cabin for lunch. (I think it was McCloskey, but I always forget the names).

On Saturday I took a raw food course. I don't think I'm ready to adopt the full 'lifestyle' as they call it, but I did get a few good recipes.

Only a few more days to go before chemo #4 and lots to do before I have to take it easy again...

An early winter in the Gatineau Hills

Although the snow in the city has melted, there is a generous covering in the Gatineau Hills and some people have already been skiing. I joined the hikers last week, but Mary and I took a shorter route and finished early. The combination of new snow, crisp air and bright sunshine was a great lift to the spirit. All of that fresh air must be doing the lungs good!

Skiing in Shorts!

The temperature has taken a turn for the better and my neighborhood spent the weekend barbequing, cleaning up the debris that was buried under the snow in the yard, and just enjoying the feeling of sitting in the sun after an especially long winter. I personally spent a good part of the weekend on my back deck.

How can it be that we were cross-country skiing just last Wednesday? It’s hard to believe that there is still snow in the Gatineau Hills, but it was perfect for skiing -- especially in shorts!

In the picture: Chris, Jean, Judy & Peg

What a wonderful way to end the season. Peg took this picture and sent the message below to some of our friends.Today,
Chris - being of sound mind and body!!! - willingly skied down Kyber Pass ... one of the most challenging hills in Gatineau Park.
She was still standing at the bottom - as the photo verifies!!
Thus, she finished the ski season with a great achievement and a HIGH!!
CONGRATULATIONS, CHRIS

Goodbye to Winter

This has been a long winter with record snowfall. While most people in Ottawa have been praying for spring, I wanted winter to hang in there for one more weekend of fun in the snow.

Last weekend I enjoyed great spring ski conditions at Gray Rocks with a group of friends. Some of us hit the hill, some headed for the cross-country trails, and some strapped on the snowshoes. Whatever we did, we enjoy the snow, the weather, the food, and especially the company.

Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Life

When I first started this blog, the plan was to write good news cancer stories. Somewhere along the way I just started writing about my everyday life. I guess my own story really is the best good news cancer story I know. A year after being diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer and having surgery to remove a tumor from my lung, I’m cancer free and living my best life. I’m often too busy just living to write about it; too busy doing things like….

… skiing at Nakkertok and staying overnight in a cabin.

A few weeks ago, Peg took a group of us to one of her cross-country ski club’s cabins in the Gatineaus. We skied, snowshoe'd, cooked our dinner on a wood stove, ate by candle light, and slept in sleeping bags on the floor. Maybe the fact that we are all cancer survivors makes us appreciate our adventures even more fully. Yet another wonderful winter weekend spent with wonderful friends!

Skating on the Ottawa canal

This was the perfect weekend to be on the Ottawa canal. The sun was out, the ice surface was good and, while there were lots of people on the canal, there was still lots of room to navigate.

After nordic poling for about 12 km in the morning, Jennifer & I probably did about 10 km on skates today. That's in addition to the 14 km I skated yesterday.

We asked a stranger to take a picture of us with the Chateau Laurier in the background, but I guess she didn't know where the Chateau Laurier is ...

Snow Shoeing

Despite the blister, I still managed to get out and snowshoe on Sunday morning and even made it to my “Help with hills” x-cntry ski lesson in the afternoon.

The duct tape did the trick!

My lovely snow shoe companions were Dianne, Jennifer & Anne.
As you can see, it was a beautiful day for winter activities!
This picture was taken from the park just east of the Hog's Back Bridge.

And now for something completely different...

In case you are wondering, this is a picture is of the back of my right foot.

I'm totally peeved with myself because I wore the wrong boots nordic walking and now have a huge blister on my heel. The other heel is only slightly better. I've been itching to go skating on the canal and couldn't go yesterday for obvious reasons.

Today I am planning to use duct tape to secure the blister so I can go snow shoeing this morning and for a x-cntry ski lesson in the afternoon. Not sure how I'll get the mess of duct tape off afterwards, but I'll deal with that when I have to.

OK, maybe some of my blog postings are self-indulgent. But I'm happy to have 'normal' every-day problems to write about! They say not to sweat the small stuff, but sometimes the small stuff is a pain in the ... heel :-)

Nordic Walking

Today is day 2 of the Nordic Walking Clinic and I’m feeling sorry for myself because I’m missing it. A rather ungraceful fall in the hallway at work last Thursday has rendered me out of commission. Ironically, I managed running on icy sidewalks the night before and skated at lunch on same day of the fall without incident. I felt fine when I started skating but couldn’t put any weight on my right foot a few hours after, so obviously skating wasn’t a good idea after falling that morning…

Nordic Walking involves walking with poles that have special handgrips and rubber feet on the bottom to help absorb the impact. I thought I could do it with regular hiking poles, but found out quickly that they can take a toll on your wrists and shoulders. I’ve joined a clinic that was set up for the Busting Out breast cancer survivor (aka thriver!) dragon boat team. (I’m no longer a member of the team, but it helps to know the organizer). It’s great to get outside and I’m hoping to benefit from the claim that it burns twice as many calories as regular walking.

No, the picture is not me, but maybe if I keep at it I’ll look like that by spring.

Hiking in the Gatineau Hills

Today I played hooky. Well, not really, I just took a vacation day… but it was delicious to go hiking with friends on a day that I would normally be slaving away at my desk.

A group of my dragon boat friends meet on Fridays and hike in Gatineau Park. I decided to ditch work a few Fridays this fall to join them.

Today’s hike was led by my Didi (Nepali for sister), Peg. While I can’t tell you the names of the trails that Peg led us on, I know that we ate lunch at Keogan cabin. It doesn't matter where we go; the trails are lovely and the views are spectacular. The shining sun and the sound of the leaves crunching under our feet created an ideal setting for spending time with friends and enjoying the beauty of the park.

What a great day to be alive!