Cher and Randy Anderson
Cher was meeting me at Pearson International Airport in Toronto and we'd been ticking days off our calendars since 90 days before the day we were to meet for the first time. I had a window seat on the plane and was noticing the green landscape and some lakes as far as the journey took me to Canada particularly remembering a previous visit to Niagara Falls. Cher lives in a small town on the Niagara escarpment. I wondered whether I would recognise her.
As I walked into the departure lounge there she was right in front of all the other people holding up a poster that said: "HUGSAKABUNCHES WIA"!!! Our very own special word for sending lots of "cyber" hugs to each other in our e-mails! The next moment I was enveloped in the grandest "real" hug you can imagine and we were both crying with happiness!!
The welcome poster - Hugsakabunches
After getting out of the airport and leaving the not so pretty parts of Toronto behind (All the airports that I've been to seem to be disrupted by extensive building alterations do they ever stop building at airports?), the trip to her home took us along the scenic route to her home town Eugenia, near Owen Sound in Ontario. We went past farms on a clear sunny day and I was amazed at not observing mountains and valleys like one sees in postcards of Canada until she told me that we were actually on top of the mountain! It was beautiful but the real beauty of the countryside was still waiting for me.
Cher at Lake Eugenia, Ontario, Canada
Eugenia is a quaint little town with a mere 500 inhabitants. Shortly after settling in at her home we took her hearing ear dog Mikey for a walk to Lake Eugenia. The lake is literally on her doorstep!! A crystal clear lake bordered with huge trees and the azure blue sky caressed by silvery white cotton ball clouds! Later on she took me to the exact spot where some of Canada's bottled water bubbles from the earth to fill the lake. We could get this same cool and refreshing water from the tap in her kitchen!! The lake water is so clear you can see the salmon and other fish swimming about fifty feet from where we stood on a bridge. I simply could not get enough of the scene - beauty beyond imagination.
With Mikey
Eugenia Falls
A few days later we went to the Eugenia Falls Park, more or less at the end of the street where she lives. We walked through the huge trees of this forest to where the crystal clear water from Lake Eugenia drops down to the Beaver valley. From there one can look past the majestic pines with new growth shimmering in an almost fluorescent green on their branches right towards where she would later take me to Owen Sound.
The Georgian Bay lookout
Over the next few days even more beauty was in store for me when we drove to Owen Sound through beautiful towns with flowers in hanging baskets on all the lampposts, past farms where cattle and "beefaloes" (Ugly beasts!! - a cross between cattle and buffalo - raised to be slaughtered for excellent steaks) grazed peacefully with mountains, rivers and maple trees keeping guard over them. We stopped numerous times to overlook the Beaver Valley to drink in the scenery from the various outlook posts as we descended towards Georgian Bay and Collingwood. We visited at the Talisman Ski resort where she works during the winter. In summer the resort is closed except for the golf course and there were only a few people enjoying the sunshine while fishing for trout in yet another small lake.
Me in lake Huron (Georgian Bay)
We also drove to Collingwood on the shores of Georgian Bay, which is part of Lake Huron. Our drive took us past the Scenic Caves, and down the valley into Collingwood, famous for its ski resorts. What was interesting to me about Georgian Bay was that the water was absolutely lukewarm and the floor of the lake is not sandy but consists of slate. The slate is used for making the famous Blue Mountain pottery that is exported all over the world except to South Africa!! So I HAD to buy some when we visited the factory and even went on a tour of the factory to see how the pottery is made.
One cannot visit Cher without sharing her love for motorcycles!! The annual Ride for Sight event was scheduled for the weekend after my departure when Collingwood would once again welcome 15,000!! Bikers taking part in a charity ride with the aim of raising one million Canadian dollars for blind people. The evening before the event we attended a barbeque for the workers where I met some of Cher and Randy's many biker friends. What a joy that was to meet this friendly, happy crowd and share their enthusiasm to simply do good to less fortunate fellow human beings while having heaps of fun. The pure goodness of these people left an indelible image of "caring" in my mind.
Biker friends
With Cher and Randy at the Ride for Sight barbeque
Getting ready for the ride back home with Randy – Gail Cohen helping to put on the helmet
The best part of that evening however was riding back to Eugenia with Randy on his huge Goldwing motorcycle! It was the most exhilarating experience I could wish for!! After dressing me up for the part in Cher's black leathers they promised me I would be as comfortable as being in a Cadillac for the ride which indeed was the case! We departed just before sunset and saw the sun go down over Georgian Bay. It felt as if I was in a bubble looking down on the countryside that flitted by because one is sitting much "higher" on a bike than in a car. The best part was that, unlike in a car with closed windows, I could smell the flavours of the countryside scented flowers, people's dinners, freshly cut hay and even some cow dung - as we passed the farms in the twilight to arrive home safely after about 35 fun-filled minutes. Cher was ready at the end of the ride to capture this lovely memory with the click of my camera as we rode past her in the driveway.
Arriving back home with Randy after that unforgettable bike ride.
Apart from drinking in the beauty of Ontario, we also strengthened a friendship that will last a lifetime!! It was with sadness that I got up on that last morning to drive back to Toronto when it was still dark. We had to leave early for me to be in time to fit in a mapping appointment at the Sunnybrook Hospital before I returned to New Jersey.
At Sunnybrook Hospital, Toronto with audiologist David Shipp
Unlike driving to Eugenia upon my arrival we were quiet in the car as the sun rose like a red ball of fire on that last morning as we hit the rush hour traffic in Toronto. A few hours later found us crying as we said goodbye and clung to each other for a last "real" hug.
Thank you my dear friends for the beauty you shared but most of all for the lessons in caring and compassion that you so expertly bestowed upon me.
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