By Maryanna Gabriel
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| Rich Minerals Cause The White Circles |
I stop to
look at Spotted Lake, a mineralized body of water that is as it was since
prehistoric times in the Okanagan, used by the First Nations people as a cure
for illness and aches. It was also a place for spiritual restoration. A sign
tells me that this is one of the most mineralized inland lakes in the world.
Concentric circles of white demarcate the presence of Epsom salts which become
more exaggerated with water evaporation in warmer weather. I pick a bundle of
sage and deeply inhale the pungent scent. A flood of memories immediately assail me with this wonderful smell of earlier years working in archaeology as a university student. No wonder the smoke of
this plant has been used for centuries to purify and clear energy.
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| Dabbling By Cool Rushing Waters |
Moving on, sparkling,
clear rivers flirt with the highway as the road curves and snakes with their
flow. I take a creek side rest and dabble my hands in the cool rushing waters.
There is nothing like this anywhere in the world. I should know. I have traveled to over 33 countries. I send a silent prayer of gratitude to my
father who taught me to love and appreciate the wild beauty of nature. I wonder and applaud it is all still here. I ask myself for how much
longer? My soul is soothed by the exigencies of living as I listen to the
sounds, the birds, the waters. As ever when I do these trips I grit my teeth
and ask why is it that I am always in such a hurry. I make a silent note to myself
to add doddling and dabbling, not to be confused with doddering, to my list of things to do.