Season's Greetings 2010

Picture taken at Holly Farm, Duncan B.C.

Hi Friends

I trust that this greeting finds you enjoying winter and the festive season. Snow has come early this year in Ottawa! 2010 has passed quickly but before it comes to a close, let me share a few highlights.

My Network for Educational Leaders (NEL) consulting work continues with the Ontario College of Teachers, Ontario Ministry of Education and Avon-Maitland, Halton, Near North, and Wellington Catholic School Districts. In the arts field I’m still involved with the UNISONG Music Festival, the Ottawa Regional Youth Choir, & community development work in the Vanier community with the Coro Piccolo Children’s Choir. Am now doing double-duty with my Condo Board of Directors as Secretary-Treasurer. As you can imagine, certain times of the year are very busy. Most of my work is now done electronically from my home-based office (we’re in the 21^st century!) but I still get to do some travel to meet with clients.

Personal travel was not so great in 2010. In February I returned to delightful Waikiki Beach in Hawai’i. This annual winter holiday won’t occur again in 2011 as I was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) and was hospitalized for one week in the Straub Hospital and Clinic in Honolulu. Had excellent care in the cardiac unit of a first-class American medical facility! Thank goodness for travel insurance is all I can say. Don't ever leave home without it...just like your credit card and passport. Have had additional treatments back in Ottawa and am currently stable thanks to medication and a change in lifestyle.

In closing, may I wish you and your family and friends good health, happiness, and all the best for 2011.

Warmly Marianna

mkmcvey@rogers.com

Maple Syrup Season 2010

Made my annual trip to Fulton's Maple Sugar Bush and Pancake House.
Yummy best describes this year's wonderful maple syrup.


If you have time, check the short video clip below
to observe maple sap running.
This is the old-fashioned way to collect sap.
Maple trees were tapped and the sap was collected in buckets.
Sap was collected by hand and dumped into large containers
and taken to the sugar shack for boiling.

Below is the modern state-of-the-art equipment for
boiling down maple sap to produce maple syrup.

Enjoy the taste of maple syrup - spring tonic

Waikiki Beach 6.0

Waikiki Beach 6.0 was great this year, but not for me.

Took some wonderful pics from our condo
(click on pics to enlarge)

After a bout with bronchitis, I managed to get myself admitted to Straub Hospital for one week. I was discharged directly to Air Canada's flight home to my own medical Drs and health care system.

If you ever need health care while in Hawai'i, I highly recommend Straub Clinic and Hospital. Be sure you have travel insurance. Needless to say, there are no pics of me in Straub!

GOLD it Is for Canada

What a GOLD Medal hockey game we just played with Team USA. Sidney Crosby is our HERO.

Vancouver Olympics 2010 have made Canadians proud as we showcased our country and athletes to the world.

14 GOLD medals...most ever won by any country at the Winter Olympics!

January 2010 Update

Haven't blogged in weeks!! January has been super busy. I'm completing grant proposals for my Network for Educational Leaders (NEL) clients as well as working for two school districts. Travelled by Bearskin Air to a new location to meet new clients and present an overview of how I can assist them with their Differentiated Instruction (DI) Project.

The Question Structure (QS) Project is still rolling right along in the Near North. When Semester 2 begins in February, there'll be a new wave of electronic data collection and a flurry of e-mails.

One more week to go until I transfer to the Waikiki Beach condo...will update from there...can't wait for the vista & the pics to come....