Family Life Archives - Page 5 of 12

Christmas Greetings from Denman Island

December 24, 2019 By JPMcLean 10 Comments

Christmas Greetings from Denman Island

December 24^th is my favourite day of the holidays. For me, it’s the calm before the storm. The day when I concede that if it (insert: baking/decorating/shopping) hasn’t gotten done, it’s not going to.

Time to grab a nog, hunker down by the hearth, and relax.

As 2019 winds down, I’m reminded how very fortunate I am. Fortunate to have a loving family. Fortunate to have friends to share a glass of wine and a laugh with. Fortunate to have a warm home and food in the cupboards. All this, and more I wish for you this holiday season and always.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, winter solstice, Kwanzaa, New Years and everything else you celebrate!

Thank you for being a part of my good fortune. I’m grateful for your continued support, enthusiasm and the small kindnesses that make my days brighter. Christmas Greetings from my home to yours.

Cheers,

Jo-Anne

You can get Secret Sky for your stocking from your favourite retailer right here.

MERRY Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

Out of the Smoke and Into the Steam

August 27, 2018 By JPMcLean 12 Comments

Out of the Smoke

It’s difficult to get away from BC’s wildfire smoke these days. If it’s not blowing in from the east, it’s coming down from the north or up from the States. My annual trip to Ontario promised a reprieve, but from 30,000 feet, the smoke swirled around the Rockies and was thick on the ground in the valleys. Sad to think this might be our new summer norm.

Into the Steam

Landing in Toronto didn’t provide as much relief as I anticipated—it felt like arriving in the tropics—stinking hot with humidity that sent my hair into alpaca territory.

Thankfully, a torrential downpour soon took care of the heat, and the cooler temperatures prompted my sister and me to venture out to the Canadian National Exhibition, fondly known as the CNE. Neither of us had been to the annual fall fair since our public school days when a CNE pass was tucked in with our year-end report cards.

Though much has changed at the CNE, so much remains the same. The Sky Ride chairlift still crosses high above the midway, carnival hawkers still draw in players with promised winnings, shouts still ring out from ride-goers, and the scent of corndogs and candy floss still rises above the masses. We even spotted a flag with the Conklin clown logo.

On to Haliburton

The following day, we drove to our cousin’s beautiful home on Paradise Lake in Haliburton. We enjoyed wine and appies on the dock, went for a swim in the lake, and talked for hours sharing memories of our grandparents, summer swims and marshmallow roasts in years gone by.

Family cottage on the Manitouwabing River in Broadbent, Ontario — Family Cottage

The next day we travelled north to McKellar to visit our parents and brother. Here the reminiscing continued, bringing back more memories that often sent us into fits of tear-inducing laughter.

I’m writing this post on a warm afternoon sitting on my sister’s deck and watching the river flow by. The heat and humidity comes and goes, as does the rain, and though I never know which friends and family I’ll end up seeing when I visit, I’m so glad this trip has turned into an annual event.

I’ll soon be on my way back to BC, but while I’m here, I continue to work with JD&J Design on the new and rebranded book covers. It’s taking longer than I anticipated, but we’re making steady progress.

Meantime, I’ll enjoy the peaches and cream corn which is in season and as sweet as it comes. I’ll swim when it’s hot and enjoy my family’s company. I hope you are able to carve out some quality summer time as well.

Have you done something exciting this carnival season?

If you’d like to spend some quality time on an adventure set on the west coast, pick up Secret Sky from your favourite retailer right here! Or click on the image for more purchase options.

Alpaca photo by Greg Lippert on Unsplash

Conklin clown logo used with permission.

From My House to Yours . . .

December 22, 2017 By JPMcLean 19 Comments

From my house to yours . . . happy holidays and all the best in 2018.

Watching the caboose of 2017’s freight train speeding out of sight is usually the time I ask myself, WTH? Where did that one go?

It seems my parents were right: each year speeds up and our lives get busier.

Before this one slips away, I’d like to hit pause to thank you for visiting me here each month. I appreciate you taking the time to drop a note in the comments, share my posts, or recommend my books. I hope these posts and my books entertain you and provide a much-needed escape from the speeding train.

From my house to yours, Merry Christmas, and here’s to a happy, healthy 2018.

Happy reading, happy writing!

The Gift Legacy books are available in paperback and digital formats. Pick up Secret Sky from your favourite retailer right here! Or click on the image for more purchase options.

Water Babies, Snow Babies, and Bonfire Aficionados

August 31, 2017 By JPMcLean 18 Comments

I almost didn’t make my annual trip to Muskoka this year—didn’t want to wear out my welcome; I’d visited twice last year, once for my parents’ 60^th wedding anniversary, and again at Christmas. Happily, all it took was one phone call from my big sister to change my mind. Guess I was looking for a push. The cottage fills me with childhood memories of when we were water babies, snow babies, and bonfire aficionados.

First stop: Toronto

This year, my vacation didn’t quite sync with my sister’s time off, but it meant I got to spend some time in downtown Toronto, which I haven’t done for years.

Photo of the spire of St. James Church in Toronto Ontario I love the old stone buildings and the towering spires of the Cathedral Church of St. James is a beautiful example.

Photo of a mural painted on the end of the red-brick Flatiron Building in downtown Toronto, Ontario Red brick is a Toronto staple and found everywhere. I snapped a pic of the Flatiron building with the Trompe l’ceil wall on the rear.

Photo of iconic Toronto City Hall building City Hall made me pause. I remembered finishing a ten-kilometre Miles-for-Millions walkathon there when I was a pre-teen (though I can’t remember where the trek began or what we were raising money for).

I stopped to watch dogs and their owners enjoy a whimsical spouting fountain in Berczy Park that made me wish I still had my dogs.

Photo of red-brick facade of Toronto's St. Lawrence Market The St. Lawrence Market hasn’t changed, though the pork chops weren’t piled sky high in the butchers’ cases like they used to be.

Next stop: Cottage Country

At the end of the week, we headed up to my sister’s cottage, which is our grandmother’s former home. It’s next door to our parent’s place on the Manitouwabing River.

Photo of JP's family cottage on the Manitouwabing River in Ontario Photo of the manitouwabing river running in front of JP's family cottage in Ontario View from the porch of JP's family cottage on the Manitouwabing River in Ontario Photo of a waterfall on the Manitouwabing River in Ontario Photo of an ornamental water wheelhouse on Manitouwabing River in Ontario

I had a terrific visit with parents, sisters, a brother, a great aunt, cousins, nieces, and many friends. We spent time reminiscing, as we inevitably do, and adding to each other’s memories.

When I was young, I didn’t appreciate the cottage like I do now. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy being there, but the drive up was torture. I got terribly car sick (still do) and it was a four-hour slog. I hated leaving my friends in the city and missing all the weekend parties (good planning, my folks would say!).

These Muskoka visits take me back in time to magical summers, winters, and weekends. We were water babies, snow babies and bonfire aficionados. I treasure the memories and look forward to going back each year.

On the writing front

Not many words made it to the page during my time in Ontario, but Emelynn’s next book sits at 65K. It’s coming along and I’m looking forward to getting back to it this week.

Another note on the rebranding front: at the August long weekend’s Denman’s Saturday market, after his wife bought Awakening, her husband, Frank, told me he’d avoided my table because he thought I was peddling religious material. That’s yet another vote for rebranding!