Transitions-Oakville, Burlington and Mississauga Real Estate Blog

Robertson Creek Fish Hatchery near Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, British Columbia is a state of the art fish hatchery producing millions of Coho Salmon, Chinook Salmon and Steelhead Trout yearly.

It was amongst my favourite places to visit in September when we were in British Columbia. Of course, being a zoologist, I love all aspects of the animal kingdom and am especially fascinated with fish and their life cycles.

Here are some photos taken at the Robertson Creek Fish Hatchery. If you go, be alert and watch for bears who frequent the hatchery site looking for a free meal.


Adult salmon trying to return to the tanks where they began their lives.



The lake (filled with salmon - see the ruffling on the water surface?) at Robertson Creek Fish Hatchery, BC.


Fish tanks at Robertson Creek Fish Hatchery. When we were there, we saw a young river otter sneaking in around the tanks looking for a tasty morsel.

©2009JoSmith

M Merriment and laughter that brings a lightness to your step and a floating feeling to your heart and soul on each of your daily journeys.


E Excellence that comes easy to you in all of your personal and business activities.


R Rare and precious gifts that appear to you every day, and the gift of insight so that you may recognize them when they arrive.


R Reliability in all of those who's paths you cross, so that your life will flow along more smoothly and you will know you're going in the right direction.


Y A Youthful heart so that you may see the world through the eyes of a child.

C Caring - May all of those who enter your life show you a great degree of caring and kindness.


H Healing energy and Hope whenever you find yourself needing it the most.


R The Respect that you deserve from everyone who is in your life.

I Inspiring moments sprinkled here and there throughout Christmas and the coming year, and especially when you need them the most.


S Silence when you need to take respite from the world and peace is all you need.


T Truth that brings clarity and positive movement in every corner of your business and personal life



M Miracles that appear in your life during times when you you are at your wits end and hope seems depleted.


A An Abundance of Positive Action in every area of your life.

S Always enough Sustenance for your body, mind, spirit and soul to keep you balanced, happy and healthy.

Merry Christmas everyone..... and thank you for the gifts of your friendship, support, knowledge and inspiration this past year,

Jo

Make Sure You Vist the Hot Springs Near Tofino at Least Once in Your Life.

This past September when we took a two week trip to British Columbia, one of the most memorable parts of our trip was the three days we spent in Tofino. I've never been to a more beautiful spot in my entire life.

I'll write about Tofino in my next blog, however I wanted to tell a bit about the surrounding beauty that is to be found within a short boat, plane or car ride away.

One morning we got up early, packed our sunscreen, water, lunch, windbreakers, sunglasses, bathing suits, towels and of course, camera and headed to the docks in Tofino to catch the boat Louis had booked tickets on the day before.
We were going on a whale watching and hot springs tour!

We traveled by boat over the swells of the ocean dipping in here and there into quiet coves in search of the Gray Whales. We saw many.

In the picture to the right you can barely see the blow of a Gray Whale surfacing.

Their majestic beauty was awe inspiring and I felt sorry for these gorgeous gentle creatures of the oceans who's numbers are dwindling each year.











We then continued on to our destination...Hot Springs Campground. Hot Springs Campground is on the mainland of Pacific Rim National Park and can only be reached by boat or by plane. Once you dock, you have a 40 minute hike ahead of you through beautiful rain forest.

We saw many ancient trees on your hike and a friendly marten seemed to want us to stop and chat, so we did.

He followed us for quite awhile and seemed to want to ask us a question.
Perhaps it was "Hey you! Do you have anything tasty in your knapsack for me?"

Louis gave him some of his french loaf but this marten seemed to be more carnivorous in nature and wanted something more substantial.

















Once we neared the hot springs, we crossed over a lovely steaming hot stream coming down the mountain side and knew we were near to our destination.

                                               








Louis has much tougher skin than I and he was the first to jump right in and take a shower in the VERY hot water that streamed over the sides of the cliff.

I timidly entered the hot pools and found a cosy spot in one of the rock crevices where the cool water coming in from the ocean moderated the hotness of the hot spring water to make it tolerable for me.

















We ate our lunch on some rocky cliffs that looked out over the ocean and then hiked back to our waiting boat. Some of our boat mates chose to fly back to Tofino via Tofino Air, the local float plane company.

I hope everyone gets to experience the natural hot springs near Tofino at least once in their life. They're  absolutely heavenly.

©2009JoSmith

Staging Your Home for Christmas Guests.

We're having many guests here over Christmas this year (one is already here!) and I always make sure that the guest bathroom has lots of facecloths, enough giant thirsty bath towels for each, Dove soap (the best for your skin), extra shampoo and conditioner and a little basket of extra things they might need like nail clippers, lotion, etc.

The spare room is a bit cool as it sits above the garage so I always make the bed up with cosy flanelette sheets, two wool blankets and a big duvet. This way they're sure to stay toasty.

Other than that, we've made sure the larder is filled with everyone's favourite foods so they'll all feel at home and we keep fresh ginger root on hand in case anyone gets indigestion (gingerroot tea is perfect for an upset stomach).

Janice Ankrett ASP, a wonderful home stager in my area, has written this lovely Christmas home staging poem that I thought you would all enjoy. It's easy to see her talents extend well beyond home staging!!

Hiking the McDougall Rim in Westbank, BC.

             This past September when we visited my sons in Kelowna and Westbank, we hiked up the McDougall Rim trail where much of the forest fires had raged in late summer.

                                                                                                                                                                            The trails are very rocky and dry and one could see how easily fire could have started in the tinder dry forests of the mountainsides.




                                                                                                                                            The trail traverses over the McDougall Rim of the mountains surrounding the Okanagan Valley. In the picture above, my son Iain is standing on a cliff that looks out over the valley.


                                  The view from the top is incredible with the beautiful blue Lake Okanagan stretching out below and the new floating bridge which joins Westbank to Kelowna seems small in the distance.

                                                                                                                                                                                          The incredible beauty of Kelowna is very evident from the top of the trail with a sandy ribbon of beach following the coast of the city.

Remnants of the fire are clearly evident on one side of the trail where all that's left of the forest are blackened stumps rising from the dusty soil and rock.

                                      We had a beautiful afternoon hiking and I'm looking forward to hiking the trail again next year.

©2009JoSmith

All the Smiths Down in Smithville, the Tall and the Small....

Yesterday we spent a wonderful afternoon and evening at my brother Curt and sister-in-law Wendy's home in Ajax, Ontario. Many of my family members were there and we had a grand time telling tales about the old days and roasting the odd family member over things they had done in the past.

My nephews and neice enjoyed the day playing ping-pong, computer games, drawing (home-made cards from Trevor and Tyler that were just beautiful!!) and catching up with their cousins.

My Dad, always one for making sure everything is recorded on film, had many different groups of people stand together for family photos and we all put on our best faces.

Even Lucky, the bulldog, posed for the camera (she was totally pooped out here after a long day of partying and far too many treats. I think she wanted to head for her comfy bed but was too afraid of missing out on something so stuck with us all til the end).

My Sister-in-law Wendy once again bought the tallest tree on the lot.

This year's  towered 13 feet high into the cathedral ceiling of their family room and was absolutely stunning.

Her Christmas village lay in wait on the mantel for the tiny elfin people that come out at night, after all the big people are gone to bed.

We had a giant 'who' feast complete with roast beast, meat balls, salmon, shrimp, potato salad, green salad, lasagna, cheese, crackers, rice and assorted cakes. The little ones all loved the chocolate cake the most.




After everyone was stuffed above the ear lobes and all of the presents had been opened, my two musical brothers, Curt and Clay, broke out into song.

Curt played the guitar and harmonica and we all sang along. A few of our favourites ( we sing at every family get-together) that we all joined in on were:

Dear Abby (an old John Prine tune)

Christmas in Prison (another John Prine favourite)

Long Black Veil (one of my favourites)

He Stopped Loving Her Today (not a dry eye in the house whenever we sing this old George Jones tear-jerker)

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (Gordon Lightfoot is a favourite amongst all of my family)

Farewell to Nova Scotia (we love those old Irish kinds of songs...I guess they play to our Irish roots)

The Unicorn Song  (for the little ones, who all love to sing along and do the body motions that go with the song)

and many more...

As the evening wore on, sleepy eyes and yawns started to appear on the odd person's face now and then, so we decided it was time to don our warm coats, pack up the presents and kids, give hugs all around and load into our vehicles for the hour long trek home.

It was a wonderful day and will live in my memory for many years to come. If only every day was like the special days we spend with family and friends during the holiday season.

©2009JoSmith

Hardy Falls, British Columbia - Hiking Next to the Brook to See the Kokanee Spawning.

In September of this year, we visited my sons in Kelowna and Westbank, British Columbia. Every morning during our stay, we would plan an outing to some beautiful and wildish place unique to the Okanagan Valley.

One such trip was an enchanting hike along a rocky path at Hardy Falls Park. My son, Iain, is in the picture above.

We just happened to be visiting a the right time to see the brilliant orange Kokanee salmon swimming upstream to spawn. Like glittering jewels in the gurgling waters, the salmon held their spots in the tiny pools of  Deep Creek long enough to spawn and fulfill their life's purpose.

We stopped numerous times along the path to watch in amazement these beautiful creatures who still followed the same paths their ancestors had followed thousands of years ago.
One can't help but be in awe of all of nature's glory at times like this, especially when you've never seen salmon spawning before.

Hardy Falls Park is at the south end of Peachland just off of Hardy Road. The hike to the falls takes about 10 minutes (depending how often you stop to gaze into the creek at the beautiful Kokanee).

This is a hike with my sons that I will always remember and I'm looking forward to visiting it again next year!

If you want to see the salmon spawning, be sure to time your visit for September/October. The weather is still beautiful and warm in the Okanagan that time of year and is perfect for getting out and enjoying the beautiful natural beauty of British Columbia.

For more beautiful pictures of Hardy Falls Park visit this link.

©2009JoSmith

With Christmas once more soon upon us, my thoughts turn to Christmases past when my Grandparents were still alive and I find myself drifting off in revery to visits north on snowy two laned roads in winter and dusty, gravel strewn roads in summer.
A soft quietness comes over me and with a heavy heart, I think upon all of those who still graced my life in those days and are now gone.

A distant train whistle lulls me out of my complacency as I am carried back to an early evening many years ago and to the house my great grandfather built in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario. I was 6 years old that evening.

I remember laying there in bed in the soft twilight, a fresh scented sheet covering my small body, the train whistle carrying through the screened window, the ghostly sheers blowing softly across my legs as the breeze carried in the elements of the evening; soft winds, train whistles, damp evening air.

I thought that moment would last forever. I thought I would stay small forever and growing up would never happen.
I prayed daily to grow up fast so that I could live my own life. I asked my Mother a thousand questions a day about when I would be old enough to do this and when would I be old enough to do that. Following her around the house as she did her many chores, I would relentlessly bemoan the same sentence over and over ‘I can’t wait until I am old enough to do this and I can’t wait til I am old enough to do…..’ .

She had incredible patience, my Mother. She still does. She would softly reply ‘Don’t wish your life away.’.

I never really understood what she meant. I thought she was just giving me something to confuse me and shush me up for a bit so she could get her work done.

Only as I got older and began missing things from the past, such as my son’s little smiling faces or funny sayings they would come out with , did I realize the full implication of what she was saying.
She was telling me to cherish each moment.
To be happy with where I was now, in this very moment, living the life I have at this very second.

Time waits for no one. If there are people
you love , tell them. They might not be here tomorrow. If there are things you want to do, don’t wait for 'some' day. ‘Somedays’ often have a habit of never coming.

Grasp this moment you have and fill it with all that brings joy to your heart and with as much as possible of that which feeds your soul. This is the true meaning of life.

I will forget about time now until the next time I hear a train whistle and it takes me back to that long ago evening that I thought would last forever.

May you cherish each moment that this Christmas season holds in store for you and carry it with you all of the days of your life, and more importantly, may you cherish the people who are with you this Christmas and hold them dear to your heart forever more.

©2009JoSmith

As 2009 draws to a close, we begin to set goals, write plans and make changes with an aim to make 2010 one of our best years ever.

It's within our reach to attain these goals as long as we make a plan and follow the plan.

I've heard that self-discipline is a key to a healthy self-esteem and when we think of the consequences of being self-disciplined, we can easily see why having strong self-discipline is one of the keys to success.

Self-discipline leads to accomplishment which leads to pride and increased self-esteem which in turn leads to greater accomplishment and so it goes.

As we work towards setting our goals and laying out the plans to achieve them, there are a multitude of things we can do for ourselves that will help us on our journey.

Possibilities~Anything is Possible!

The universe is non static and non bounded. The only bounds exist within our awareness or the limiting beliefs that we place upon ourselves and others.


Always remember Phil Daniel's words, 'Reward excellent failures, punish mediocre successes'.

Dare to go for it, dare to be different and try outrageous things.
Failing while trying something innovative and outrageous, is far better than succeeding while doing something totally mediocre and predictable.

Engaging our right brain enhances our imagination. It's a gift, use it!


Step forward and be counted.

Each one of us matters and makes a difference every single day whether we are 'out there' or 'within ourselves'.
No moment is wasted when we are out there 'doing' and' receiving'.


Believe and commit.

Entrench. When we 'entrench' something within our mind, we take it fully in and lodge it in a firm place.
Then we move forward.

Entrench within your mind the simple and profound fact that you are powerful. You matter. You make a difference, no matter what you are doing.
What kind of difference will you make today? In your own life, in the life of another?


Stand in the centre of the light.

When we stand in the centre of the light, there is peace. Nothing can harm us or throw us off balance.
We are protected and safe.

Always stand within the centre of the light and know that you belong there.

If you step outside of the beam, guide yourself gently back in until you feel that balance and wholeness once more.


Connect.

Draw yourself closer to the people around you. Don't be afraid of rejection or of not receiving the reaction you're hoping for.

Remember, their reactions are 99% about them, not about us.
Not everyone is going to respond to us the way we might be wishing. Don't let this ever stop you from drawing close to those who you are attracted to and feel have a message for you.

Sometimes the reaction that we didn't want, is exactly the message we are meant to receive and there is a deep kernel of new wisdom to be found in that reaction, if we only stop and peel back the layers.


Handle yourself gently and with great reverence.

Be kind to your mind, your soul, your heart and your physical being.

Filter and censor all that you come across and be very careful what you are putting into your body.
Our body and brain are fine tuned machines that can be greatly enhanced when we supply them with the finest of inputs.

Steer clear of excessive fats, salt, sugar, meat, artificial ingredients and processed foods.
Steer clear of negativity, news that you do not need to hear, people who don't uphold you with respect and gentleness, places that make you feel uncomfortable.

Listen to your intuition and instinct. Your body does not lie to you. It's signals are based on tens of thousands of years of trial and error.
Listen to them.


Love from the deepest core of your being.

Find the good in each person and love that part of them. From there we grow to love and see the entire person.

Each person brings something to us, a gift that we may not at first recognize, however the gift is there never the less.


When you have an idea , act upon it.

Ideas are messages from the universe. It's up to each of us whether or not we grasp on and put the idea into action.

Make it a point every day to act upon at least one or two of the ideas that come to you.
You'll be amazed at the results.


Recognize that fear is often unfounded.

When it appears in your being, stop and examine it. Don't let it freeze you.

This is a realm where actual 'doing' is rewarded. When we allow ourselves to be frozen or withdraw in fear, we stop ourselvesf from 'doing' and miss the whole point of our lives here.

This is a 'realm of action' and only action will move us further in the direction we desire to go.


Live in the moment you are in.

When the past appears in your thought process, recognize that it is surfacing in order to be processed and let go of.
It's part of your healing process.
Allow it to surface quietly, observe it carefully, then let it go and return to what you truly have. The moment you are in now.


Recognize that the future is not here yet and hence there is no need to fear it.

Imagining what you would like the future to look like may be a fine exercise to do in certain moments; however always recognize that there are numerous variables that you have no control over and the future you are planning for, may not appear in the format you are aiming for.

It is much better to immerse yourself in a positive field at this very moment and realize that you do have control over your actions and reactions in each moment as it presents itself to you.

Give your wishes to your subconscious mind and then let them go.

Never hoard your ideas, your love, your knowledge, your material assets or your kindnesses.

Every gift we have is meant to be passed on and only by passing it on when-ever the opportunity presents itself, will we be able to open ourselves up for more to flow in.

The universe is in a constant state of becoming and so is each of us.
By remaining open and allowing ourselves to be a conduit for the gifts of the universe, we will enrich our own lives and all of those whose lives we come into contact with.

We each hold the power within ourselves to make 2010 one of our most powerful and successful years ever. Recognizing that fact and then consistently acting upon it will enable us to achieve all that we are hoping for and more.

©2009JoSmith

Giving Thanks for the Trees - Cathedral Grove, Vancouver Island, BC

This time of year, when everywhere I look there are Christmas trees beautifully decorated, I am reminded of the beautiful Douglas Firs in British Columbia.

I often think that of all of the gifts we have given here on this earth, none other than water is greater than a tree.
Trees produce our oxygen, our warmth, our shelter, our food, our furnishings, our medicines and are a great solace to our souls.

In September of this year we visited Vancouver Island and on our way to Tofino, stopped to walk the great Cathedral Grove. No visitor to Vancouver Island should miss taking a walk down this beautiful trail.

When standing in the shadow of a giant tree older than my Great-Grandparents, were they still alive today, my breath is taken away and I feel a great surge of love and awe.

Cathedral Grove on Vancouver Island, Bc is located in Macmillan Park and is one of the world's most easily accessed old growth temperate rainforests.

As we go about our holiday activities, I hope we all pause to think about one of the most beautiful and enduring parts of  the season, the Christmas tree and all it stands for.

We are greatly blessed here on earth with such an abundance of beauty all around us in the form of trees, from the tiniest to the most majestic.

©2009JoSmith