MOTHER NATURE WEARS MANY COLORS

BY JANET STEINBERG

Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain (ROYGBIV).  This mnemonic (pronounced nemonic because the first "m" is silent) is a memory device that will help you remember the colors of the rainbow… red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.  However, Mother Nature needs no such device.  She wears, and paints, these colors around the world 365 days a year.  The following are some of her best renditions of those colors.

BUTCHART GARDENS located on Vancouver Island is near the city Victoria, BC, just off the mainland city of Vancouver.  Victoria is the city known as "The Sunshine City of Gardens". During the summer months, a blaze of blossoms in front of the magnificently domed BC Legislative Building, spell out the words: "Welcome To Victoria".  Roses bloom at Christmas and, in early March, tulips and daffodils are shipped all over Canada from this area.   There are flowers everywhere, but you haven't seen anything until you've seen Butchart Gardens.    

BUTCHART GARDENS

ICEFIELDS PARKWAY TO LAKE LOUISE/BANFF

BY JANET STEINBERG

Seldom does a drive between two hotels, approximately 150-miles apart from one another, become a highlight of one’s journey.  However, the drive between the Jasper Park Lodge and Chateau Lake Louise did just that.  

Our spectacular Canadian Rockies journey followed some of the same mountain paths that were forged by explorers, traders, prospectors, and the First Nations people, who crossed this challenging terrain on foot, horseback, and rafts. 

On this historic route, that took us through some of the most rugged and awe-inspiring landscapes in North America, we passed lush valleys and towering peaks; photographed glistening lakes, cascading waterfalls, and regional wildlife; and walked on icy glaciers descending from the largest icefield in the Canadian Rockies.