W is for WONDER

Wonder - as in to be filled with awe, admiration, and amazement. Next to the wonder of the season that is upon us, I "wondered" (as in curiosity) what else one could use in the context of awe, admiration, and amazement. I determined that it is all around me - as in the country where I live - Canada!

Every time I've gone on vacation elsewhere, I've come back "wondering" why I left. Flying into YVR (Vancouver, BC) is a spectacular experience with the Coast Mountain range on the north, the flat delta lands to the south, and the Pacific Ocean behind. Maybe it takes going away for a while in order to appreciate the wonders of Canada - sunsets over the Pacific Ocean, the magnificent mountains and valleys where lakes are tucked away, the fantastic forests full of cedar, pine, fir, hemlock, and our national tree, the maple.

When we lived in Ottawa for a few years, we experienced all four seasons in true form - spring with the blossoms, summers of humid heat and thunder and lightning storms, autumn colours, and frosty winters when the Rideau Canal would freeze over. We bought a truly Canadian treat from a little cabin on the ice - beaver tails, which are flat fried pastries dunked in sugar. That and a cup of hot chocolate hit the spot while I watched my girls ice skating on the canal.

WONDER

Wonder is blue turning red, yellow and gold.

It looks like autumn sunsets on the Pacific so bold.

It sounds like echoes in valleys of stone.

It smells like raindrops and grass freshly mown.

It tastes like sweet beaver tails in frosty sunshine.

It feels like shivers up the timbers of forests so fine.

Wonder is Canada's oceans, prairies and awesome alpine.

And for a special treat of "wonder," here's a photo from Mr. Google of Lake Louise tucked in the Rocky Mountains near Banff, Alberta. Isn't it wonderful?