Travis Smith: my resume, bio and photos back to the main blog page

While Susie was speaking at a seminar at the Banff Center, I got to be a Banff tourist.  Normally, I would have joined in, but Susie’s group was the Canadian Women in Communication, and I’m neither (b) nor (c)—though I did still occasionally come sit at their table for dinner.

Instead, I wandered around Banff, alone and with my friend Stone.

We went wandering around downtown Banff, which has about six candy store in a 500 meter stretch.  I’m not complaining.  I bought fudge and candy rocks, and remembered wht time when I was young and my friends would buy the SUPER big jaw breaker that would take two weeks to finish, and you would walk around with it in a plastic bag in your pocket all licked and sticky, and at night you’d set it on a piece of paper beside your bed to dry.

In the morning the cat had knocked it onto the shag carpet so you’d rinse it under the tap before you headed for school.  Finally, you’d go out to the garage and whack it with a hammer and eat the shards and leave the hammer all sticky and sweet for your dad to find.

(I didn’t get a picture of the jawbreaker.)

We went east from downtown and found the train station, closed for the winter.  A little poking around and we were able to climb into a parked train snow plow—that is one mighty piece of iron!  It was windy cold, but excellent fun, to see a train go by. Stone’s camera took many pictures, too.

When Stone left town, he took me with him on a drive up the old Banff highway towards Lake Louise.  Yes, that’s the actual highway—not an unshoveled driveway.

On the drive, we saw an eagle’s nest on the steel bridge we crossed.

The next day, I took a hike by myself along the Elbow River Valley.  I borrowed Steve’s dad’s boots.  The snow crunched under my feet.  My breath froze in my thin scarf, and smelled of must and toothpaste.

It’s always amazing how hot you get hiking in the winter.  On the hike out, the wind was in my face, but on the way back, it was behind me, and I took my jacket and hat off once I really got going.



 
 

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Overheard

“The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.”

...who said it?

“Almost every American I know does trade large portions of his life for entertainment, hour by weeknight hour, binge by Saturday binge, Facebook check by Facebook check. I’m one of them. In the course of writing this I’ve watched all 13 episodes of House of Cards and who knows how many more West Wing episodes, and I’ve spent any number of blurred hours falling down internet rabbit holes. All instead of reading, or writing, or working, or spending real time with people I love.”

...who said it?

“Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.”

...who said it?

“I play with variables constantly.”

...who said it?

“Only the person who has learned Continual Love coming from a heart of Gratitude/Worship can effectively deal with the problem of loneliness.”

...who said it?

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