Bamboo Sketches
by Charity Lee Jennings
Beyond Banff
The beauty of the Rockies inspired me to pick up my sketchbook. I created this drawing of one of the many breathtaking sights we witnessed.
The Minority
minority noun : a part of a population differing from others in some characteristics and often subjected to differential treatment Merriam-Webster When the flight attendant called for families with children to board the flight to...
Blooper In Banff
Their jagged peeks held me captive as a child and I couldn't wait to show my own children the Rockies. We drove in awe, pulling over to take pictures of breathtaking mountains piercing the sky. Not wanting the drive to end we stopped in the touristy town of Banff,...
Creston, B.C.
Mountains covered in evergreen and dotted with snow surround me in a horseshoe. I look away only long enough to cover my Madagascar Vanilla tea bag in boiling hot water, it’s flavor seeping out and swirling into the water. Pulling the cup into both hands, I look up...
Zero Aveue
"Mom, how come all of our friends get to go to America but we don't," our kids asked me while we were in China. Most of their friends are American, so when they go back to visit family, they go to the U.S. It had been a few years since we had been to Canada, so I was...
Just One Question
The sun shone bright and warm though it was only February. We took a seat at an outdoor table on the third floor of our favourite restaurant. Our kids have taken to calling it “The Rat Restaurant” due to the rodents that run freely under the outdoor tables. It was the...
5 Best Things About B.C.
We got to be in B.C. for over a month. What a treat. Our five favourite parts were... 5. Being Surrounded By Nature In China we see towering buildings everywhere but not a lot of nature. The peacefulness of the cottage and the lake was so refreshing. I set up...
Victoria
Brian's Grandpa used to own this Florist Shop in Victoria and it's still in the family. On our last trip to Canada, three years ago, Vancouver Island was the highlight. We went for Victoria week-end in May and stayed at Nanoose Bay Camp, where Brian spent...
Excited to be ‘Home’?
We’ve past the one month mark in Canada now and simple things like figuring out how to release one grocery cart from the long chain, or how to pay with a credit card, seem less intimidating. But the first week Brian and I had to slow down, observe people around us and...
From That View To This View
Out the window of our apartment in China... Out the patio door of our short-time home in British Columbia. The sun hadn’t even begun to brighten the sky and we were pulling our kids from their beds. “Mom, it’s only 5:30,” they moaned....
Brian & I
Brian had just come back from a year in Taiwan, and I had spent several months in Bolivia, when we first met. Our interest in the people and cultures that make up this world and our desire to help others brought us together and now we've been married thirteen years!In...
Raising Eggs
First Trip To The Wet Market We jumped out of the way of wiry delivery men bent in half, carrying sacs of rice on their backs. We maneuvered through customers pushing from every side, either trying to reach a vendor or escaping the masses with their prize; a tiny cut...