Erin's Journals

Hey there – and welcome back. If you missed yesterday’s journal because of Easter Monday, we took a quick side trip to Paris with some special pictures that you might enjoy, including some banners that were hanging in Notre-Dame. Please check it out here. 
 
We had a peaceful Easter Sunday; after putting on our Rotary aprons and volunteering downtown for a few hours, we came back, got changed, got snacks out and started watching the hockey game on the PVR. In case you didn’t see it on Facebook or Instagram, here’s our table, replete with chocolate and some eggs (nestled in blue shell candle holders) that I blew out and painted YEARS ago. How long? There were 12. I think five survive.
 

 
The snacks, by the way, were mixed nuts combined with Cadbury Mini Eggs and Hershey Eggies, but the real star – sorry I didn’t take a picture – were the devilled eggs that had a little “nest” of shredded Tex/Mex cheese on top and a few (real) bacon bits. I picked and chose elements of different recipes and ended up adding puréed dill pickle relish, a hint of curry (my usual touch for eggs as well as turkey) and even a dash of Tabasco.
 
They went over very well and certainly kept our tummies full while we rode the rollercoaster ride that was the Leafs/Bruins’ game 6. So here we go again tonight. A seventh game. In Boston. Isn’t it time we changed the trajectory of this team’s recent history? Let’s do it! (And GO RAPTORS!)
 
Hey – while you’re near the TV tonight – I’d like to remind you to set your PVR for tomorrow’s Marilyn Denis Show on CTV. The network is airing the conversation that Marilyn and I had along with her regular guest, family therapist Joe Rich. Here’s a shot they took after the interview of Marilyn and me.
 

 
I hope you’ll see our episode tomorrow at 10 am Eastern (and throughout the day on various CTV affiliates). It was pretty special. Tomorrow I’ll tell you why – there are a lot of layers to this one that go back decades – and then we’ll get back to tulip pictures, I PROMISE!
 
Okay – here are a couple from one of the most special places in the world, the Keukenhof. I’ll explain later!
 

 
Have a great day!
 

Oh, I hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend and that the Easter Bunny was good to you. Me? I decided (rather unwisely) to answer the question: which are better, Cadbury Mini Eggs or Hershey Eggies? I’m not sure I’ve come up with an answer, but I will leave my sugar-coated body to science and let them work it out!
 
Actually, yesterday, Rob, our friends Charles and Nancy and I volunteered to serve meals to the homeless in downtown Victoria. It’s the first time I’ve done this (as we were always away or cottage cocooning on long weekends in the past) and the experience is still settling in. Maybe I’ll write about it in the future; maybe I won’t. We’ll see.
 
Ah, but the international news was tragic yesterday and our hearts ache for those who’ve suffered so horrendously on a South Asian island named by Lonely Planet as the country to visit in 2019. As of this writing, 290 innocent people have died and over 500 were injured in numerous Easter Sunday explosions blamed on religious extremists, but for which no one has yet taken responsibility. So much sadness, pain and loss.
 
Before the news headlines yesterday were darkened with the horrific toll out of Sri Lanka, my thoughts were with another church that has also been on front pages and at the top of websites for the past week now. 
 

 
Rob and I have been fortunate enough to visit the City of Lights a few times; our favourite spot is the Musée D’Orsay, a former train station that was converted into an incredible art gallery, set on the shores of the Seine. It also affords a stunning view of another famous gallery, the Louvre, across the river.
 

 
But it was a venture to Paris that we shared in April of 2005 that will always stay in my mind now, especially in light of the awful conflagration that hit the beloved Unesco World Heritage site, landmark and place of worship and admiration, Notre-Dame de Paris, one week ago today.
 
You see, we visited in the days just after the passing of one of history’s most beloved popes, John Paul II. Rob and I were just two of the some 30-50,000 visitors to Notre-Dame that day (as there were every day) and I just had to capture the image of these massive banners.
 

 
And now, we wait and watch as the rebuilding begins and the inventory of what musical, artistic, historic and religious treasures were saved, and which have been lost to the inferno.
 
I came across this story about the timeline of the firefighters’ efforts to save the treasures inside Notre-Dame. One of those is this tunic, from the 13th century, worn by Saint/King Louis IX (who is purported to have brought the precious Crown of Thorns – which also survived the fire – to Paris).
 

 
And safely ensconced in this elaborate display is the relic of the Cross of St. Claude. Just imagine the pieces that were hidden in the massive vaults below the cathedral. 
 

 
I was amazed to read of a robot that was doing some of the salvage work in those incredibly tense hours during and after which the flames blazed. Of course, at the top of the list of heroes and heroines, though, are the firefighters who lugged immensely heavy equipment up the narrow steps of the Cathedral to fight the flames with careful urgency. No doubt their efforts saved the bell towers and give the city hope of rebuilding this massive and majestic piece of history once again.
 
Have a gentle day and I’ll be back here tomorrow with a salute to a former competitor who welcomed me like a sister.

Isn’t that quote just perfect? Before we let the good times roll again today, I’ll be linking at the end to this week’s Walmart piece on getting the place spruced up before company arrives this holiday weekend. Give it a look and good luck!
 
Whatever you’re marking: Easter, Passover or even just an extra day or two to sleep in, I hope you have a great weekend. Come by Easter Monday for a few Notre Dame memories, but for today, more stories and pictures!
 
Wednesday of last week saw us venture into Belgium. While Rob and I opted to relax on the boat, others took bus trips into Ghent and Bruges. It’s a good thing we stayed behind: Rob spent hours downloading music on WiFi for a rather impromptu “Coop’s Classics” dance that night! Thanks to Mali Bickley for the photos of the evening which started with me goofing around on the piano…
 

 
…and then The Captain joined Tennille….
 

 
As the dance began, Mike took the reins…
 

 
And all three of us – Rob, Mike and I – worked together to pick just the right song!
 

 
When all was said and done, Holy Hannah, we had fun. The shiny tile floor was jammed for two solid hours (we were supposed to play for one) while Mike and I traded off hosting duties and Rob had two laptops practically on fire mixing and alternating great songs. It turns out the next day lots of guests from outside our group – all of them Americans – were raving about the party the night before; just think if we do this next year and we get to take over the whole boat…OMG. AmaWaterways won’t know what hit them!
 
If you’re interested, just click here to email Gerry Koolhof, our host from New Wave Travel in Toronto, and let him know. He’s putting this together as soon as he returns from his trip to Paris. I can only imagine the stories he’ll tell of his experience in the shadows of Notre Dame on Monday. I’ll have a few memories of my own here this coming Easter Monday.
 
Here are some (hopefully MOST) of our group at the week’s second private dinner.
 

 
Heck, no wonder Rob and I slept ’til 11am the next day. It helps that we were up against another boat, moored in port, so it was dark in the cabins AND no one’s doors ever slam on this boat (a big plus when you’re trying to sleep, whether on a ship or in a hotel, as you well know). Perfect for catching up on that 9-hour time difference Rob and I experienced as west coasters.
 
I feel that after a week of pictures of Amsterdam and Belgium I haven’t even begun to show you the beauty of our trip. So I promise many, many more pictures next week and thanks for sharing in them. See you here Monday for that side trip to Paris.…
 
Now here’s a link to that piece I wrote this week for our friends at Walmart. So the Easter Bunny doesn’t find his cousin Dusty when he visits this weekend! LOL
 

One of the wonders of the week we spent meandering through the canals and waterways of the Netherlands, and later Belgium, was seeing a dear friend come back to life.
 
Last summer, my former radio partner Mike Cooper let us know, some eight months after signing on with us, that he just couldn’t see himself coming along on this trip through the Netherlands after all. He was having trouble picturing life going on, so deep in the midst of grief was he as he watched his wife’s fight against colon cancer come to its conclusion. Fortunately, before Debbie left us, her oncologist told Mike he was going to need things to look forward to when she did – and boy, this cruise managed to tick all of the boxes.
 

 
To every person who wrote and told us to give Mike a hug: trust me, he was well and truly hugged. And kissed. And listened to and laughed with. He held court at dinner, entertained us all and laughed heartily through our many hours together. The service staff got to love him too – especially Michaela, who teased him with the “cup’s full” trick….
 

 
If you look closely, you’ll see how the trick is done, but it was a great sight gag and his face was EVERYTHING! (Thanks to Deb Hill for the photo.)
 
Mike himself was hilarious, too. He’d go around at the Chef’s table dinners we held with our group and take “selfies” – only he was the only one in the pictures. Trust us, it was hilarious. Oh my goodness, we laughed. More on that in a bit.…
 
For a time, he really did find his center, his happy place again. I don’t know if a heart so utterly shattered can ever heal completely, but there were signs of it being gently sewn back together again, that’s for certain.
 

 
So, now, back to our travels! Our second full day on the cruise, Tuesday, was spent in Middleburg and nearby Veere. Rob managed to get a few shots of both towns. I’m sorry I stayed back in the cabin to rest up and missed the more bucolic and tranquil cycling sights…
 

 
…and the stop at a dairy farm where Rob enjoyed a taste of buttermilk. He said it’s the first time in his life he’s enjoyed that beverage – probably because it was raspberry-flavoured and tasted like yogurt. And it was undoubtedly fresh!
 

 
Plenty of historic sights greeted cyclists, too, including a church that Napoleon had converted into three floors of barracks (as well as stables below – which made for a fragrant cot above, I’m sure). The building is currently being restored and turned into an events venue.
 

 
More hospitable is the Roosevelt Hotel (the oldest hotel in the Netherlands) which used to be – you guessed it – a fort.
 

 
Of course, if the edifice didn’t give you a good enough hint as to the building’s origins, perhaps this might have.
 

 
Middelburg and Veere were very peaceful and much less busy than Hoorn had been the day before. What a lovely area!
 

 
That night’s exquisite private dinner was held for half of our group of fifty (hosted by Mike and me) at the chef’s table, a quiet remote dining room, with a menu made up of specially-chosen tasting selections. We enjoyed wine pairings, desserts, unique flavours and presentations and lots and lots of laughter!
 

 
More of those dinner shots tomorrow here.
 
Every time we took the microphone or were addressing our guests, I kept wanting to call these men and women “winners” and some – including Sandra Rye, Mary and Ralph Larin and Andrea and Bill Bates – did win a trip with CHFI (to Ocho Rios) with Mike and me. It just felt like a “winners’ trip.” All of the couples (and a handful of single women) were genuinely glad to be travelling with us, just as we were with them – even though, this time, everyone had paid!
 
This group shared a real camaraderie right from the start. Some folks who hadn’t booked with us (mostly from the US) joined in the fun, too, especially the night we took over the lounge and played Coop’s Classics and had a not-so-Oldies Dance. Funnily enough, some of those non-Toronto folks said when they filled out the survey at the end of the cruise that the dance was their favourite part! (Maybe we’d have to have two of them if we took the ship over entirely.…)
 
Of course, in addition to having a great week, visiting new places and, for some, river cruising for the first time in their lives, people truly wanted to make sure that their Mike – our Mike – was going to be okay. (There were a few single ladies on the trip who wanted to ensure the same thing…!)
 
I am pretty confident that, after this past week, we can all know that he will be. It won’t be tomorrow or the next day, but I think if we DO go ahead and do this in fall 2020 (maybe an entire ship of us on the Rhine in Germany?) we’ll see even more signs of that heart gently mending. (Email Gerry Koolhof to find out more. We truly want to take over the boat!)
 
Mike and I are so grateful. More amazing pics and adventures and stories tomorrow.
 
Hugs, 
 

Like most everyone who’s ever seen, walked past or entered into it, my thoughts today are with Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral, and the devastation that was wrought upon this 700-plus-year-old signpost on the journey of humanity from the middle ages to modern times. It’s truly heartbreaking to bear witness to the conflagration that gutted this majestic monument yesterday and I have a few personal memories to share. I’ll do that here on Good Friday. I hadn’t planned a journal that day, but it seems fitting.
 
Today our thoughts are with our frères and soeurs in the City of Light, whose spirit finds itself, no doubt, struggling deep in the dark. I’m thinking, too, of our friends Gerry and Ian, who left for a week’s vacation in Paris after Gerry put together our Amsterdam cruise. No doubt they were immersed in the same sadness and incredulity as everyone else in the city – and indeed around the world – yesterday.
 
And on to trivial things.
 
I’ve so many more pictures from our fantastic Tulip Time cruise from Amsterdam down to Belgium and back to Amsterdam. Don’t ask me why we passed this ark on our way, but there it is! It’s known as Johan’s Ark and it’s moored in Dordrecht. 
 

 
I’ll have more pics tomorrow – and thanks to Mary and everyone else who posted their own pics on my Facebook page yesterday – but I had to do something else today.
 

 
You see, this is a second big “birthday” of sorts for Mourning Has Broken and for readers here who have been asking for an audio version of the book.
 

 
Sitting there next to my microphone is a mug Rob bought me for Christmas down south and the tiny travelling urn that we take with us: a little blackbird containing a few of Lauren’s ashes. I wanted her there at the mic with me as we did this.
 
When first the idea of writing Mourning Has Broken was suggested, we were told that it would be up in the air as to whether an audio version would be needed; Canadians, we were told, weren’t that into books in that listenable format. Today, we hope to disprove that notion.
 

 
Throughout the month of January, between visitors, Rob and I would steal out to the little Shasta trailer in the backyard of the property we rented in Palm Springs. Truth be told, that little white and yellow retro unit was one of the main reasons that we chose that property!
 
We would sit out there for hours, waiting out bouts of rain that sounded like sizzling through my microphone, praying that neighbours’ leaf blowers would soon stop or that the sky-writing bi-plane overhead (yes, a real thing) would give it a rest. Somehow, amidst all of those obstacles, we got this book recorded.
 

 
Only a few times did I have to stop to cry or get my emotions under control; mostly they came during the chapter about saying good-bye to Lauren and playing our little 20 Kisses game. Rob, on the other hand, would sniffle quietly as he sat at his computer at the other end of the small trailer. While I was concentrating on holding it together for a few brief parts and being true to the words on the page, he was hearing our story in my voice. It was hard for him, no doubt about it. We both knew this wasn’t going to be easy and it’s another reason why we were quite intent on recording it ourselves, together.
 
And then, once our hours and hours of putting my voice into a mic and computer were done, Rob’s job was to edit. And edit. And edit. To eliminate the many throat-clearings that resulted from cream in my coffee (or so I believe). To cut out the stumbles, wrong words, slurs – all of those things that, in radio, we just barrelled on through, but would not DO in an audio book!
 
To add music to sweeten the chapters’ beginnings and endings, to enhance the story with a few special sounds (including Lauren’s voice) and to cut in the foreword as narrated by Jann Arden in her own words. You will also be treated to a rendition of the lovely Celtic poem “She Does Not Leave” from our friend Lisa Brandt. And you’ll love Lauren’s laugh after the little joke at the end of the book.
 
This is certainly an uphill climb, but I’d love to prove that audio books – especially in the author’s own voice (like the one we enjoyed from CNN’s Jake Tapper last summer as we drove to Utah, Idaho and Nevada) – really can be successful. So I’ll ask you to pass this journal and/or link along to any of your friends who either has a long commute or prefers to listen to audio books and podcasts over actual reading. Thank you for that.
 
And what a joy it was signing books on the cruise! Thanks to all who brought theirs or had me sign dedications for friends.
 

 
And here’s to new beginnings – AGAIN! We’re about to post details on two fundraisers in Ontario that you can attend if you’d like – the evening of June 4 at Markham Theatre (for Markham Stouffville Hospital) and on the afternoon of June 6 in Alliston (for Matthews House Hospice) – or book signings at Indigo stores in Mississauga and Kitchener that same week. I’ll share details as soon as I get them 100% firmed up in the What’s UP section of this website.
 
In the meantime, more stories and pictures of our Netherlands travels here tomorrow. I think you’ll love our update on how our friend Mike Cooper is doing! Take good care and thank you for sharing this entire journey. What a joy it’s been to bring you along!