Thursday, September 28, 2017

Love Lives Here

It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength. - Maya Angelou

Peterborough, along with most of southern Ontario and points beyond has just exited a lengthy and lovely heat wave - summer's last hurrah. Although the following images are from earlier in the recently-ended season, some of them express the recent heat and the current mood of the area, in more than one way.

This Saturday is Yom Kippur - the holiest day of the year for observant Jews. And it will be on this date that a lowlife who bears a swastika tattoo on his chest, will lead a white supremacist rally in our beautiful city. It is under the guise that they are protesting our Prime Minister Trudeau and illegal immigration. Make no mistake that these are nazis who also oppose legal immigration, and any skin colour other than white. A large counter-protest in the form of peaceful, solidarity events called Love Lives Here will also take place throughout the weekend. That's the Peterborough I know and love. I feel certain that messages of anti-hate will far outweigh those of the "the deplorables," but it's still all so unsettling and disturbing.

The photos are from a couple of summer day trips to Cobourg - where all of the beach pics were snapped, as well as Port Hope, Warkworth and Campbellford. The shore of Lake Ontario reflects the sizzling days of the past couple of weeks, and some of the various signs echo the prevalent mood around town at all times but especially during this particular week. For variety's sake, I'm going to alternate scenes and signs - some of which are welcoming in nature and some simply humourous. All which make up the fabric of my Canada.

cobourg harbour3
Welcome to the lovely port Cobourg, Ontario. Boats were everywhere and so were people. This was the early August long weekend.





signs5
This image goes back to June - an attention-grabbing Fathers' Day ad.





cobourg sand canada
On the beach, a sand sculpture competition was happening as part of celebrating Canada's 150th anniversary.





signs2 with crane fly
This sign was outside of a more mom-friendly type shop - but didn't want to exclude others - no matter your order of preference.





cobourg - cold water2
A pair of protective arms keeping her safe from the cold water of Lake Ontario.





signs2 with crane fly2
Here's closer look at that crane fly you might have noticed in the previous sign photo.





cobourg - splash
Despite the really cold lake water, some thought it best to charge right in.





signs 3
A coffee shop reminding customers why their daily dose of caffeine is so essential.




cobourg - texting and wading
Others preferred to wade in while texting or perhaps prepping for a selfie.





Signs
These are the signs I like to see in my city. In my country. In my world.





road home
The road home provides a pretty vista.





signs4
And signs at home in Peterborough help to restore faith.





cobourg - gulls just wanna
May love, acceptance, inclusion and respect always soar above bigotry and hate.

Canada is like a bird, it likes to soar freely. ~ Unknown

30 comments:

Linda said...

Beautiful photos and thoughts! I hope the protests go peacefully. I was so disheartened by what happened in Charlottesville, Virginia. It is only a couple of hours from here and a nice town.

Out on the prairie said...

It amazes me what country the white supremists feel they support.NONE only a terrible misjustice.

Marie Smith said...

Diversity is our strength. Having the input from the various cultures makes us stronger. I wish the counter protesters well. We cannot make room for hate and exclusion!

DJan said...

Your post is perfect for my mood this morning. I too am very concerned about what is happening in the world, especially ours. I am hesitant to count the number of homeless I see every day, who beg for money. And the haters make me so very sad. Thank you for this very uplifting post, to remind me that there are plenty of people who feel as I do.

thecrazysheeplady said...

Nicely done. I am so discouraged by all the hate, I guess everywhere :-/.

Anvilcloud said...

The boys running in is the picture of the post.

ellen abbott said...

why is acceptance so hard? why is fear and loathing the first reaction to something that is different? why are white supremacists so filled with hate and loathing when they are so privileged? nice selection of photos.

Maggie May said...

Loved the sand sculptures!
Maggie x

Ruth Hiebert said...

Lovely pictures. It is sad that people are so biased against others.Under our skin, we are all the same.

Pauline said...

Beautiful photos - beautiful acceptance. Fear - our most fatal flaw - feeds anger, feeds hate, feeds violence. Once we can accept that there IS enough if we share, we humans will evolve emotionally. Until then, we're stuck, I'm afraid.

stephen Hayes said...

Great pictures. I'm considering telling people I'm from Canada when I travel to avoid being asked about Trump.

William Kendall said...

Beautiful shots! The sand sculpture is my favourite.

Bigotry is one of the few things in life that disgusts me, and we've got our share of that here.

Karen said...

I am just SICK that my hometown is allowing that display of hate. That is not the Peterborough where our family grew up. That is not the Peterborough my father went to war for.

LOVE LOVE LOVE your photos of Cobourg. I spent every summer at that very beach with my family until I was a teenager. My grandparents had a residence there until my grandfather died.
The photo of the man holding his (large child or small partner?) out of the chilly water was so sweet. I have memories of my Dad having one of us on his back and another in his arms in the same place.

Rita said...

You know they picked that particular day on purpose. You are suffering from the scary craziness in Canada, too. I had hoped you had avoided this hate plague. I LOVE the welcome signs!!! There is always hope and love and kindness in the world. When it is dark...the light shines more brightly. :)

Cloudia said...

Awesome shots. "And signs at home in Peterborough help to restore faith." Yes. There ARE more of us!

Dan said...

Beautiful post :)

Hilary said...

I have to believe that love will win out. It's the only option.

Barbara said...

Beautiful images and what a wonderful mix. I love the welcome signs, and also the 'angel cupping my jewels" - cracked me up! I'll say a prayer that the peaceful counter-protest wins out without any violence. xoxo

Birdie said...

I thought I left a comment here but now I can’t remember!

What is Canada coming to with all the hate! I don’t watch the news anymore because of it.

This is a lovely post. I always enjoy seeing what’s happening in Peterborough.

messymimi said...

Lovely photos, and good for you and your town, planning to counter the hate with love and acceptance.

The crane fly looks a lot like what we call a damsel fly, but i'm not an entomologist so i don't know if they are the same.

The Furry Gnome said...

Now that's a welcoming Welcome sign! May love and acceptance prevail.

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

Beautiful photos as always, Hilary. I think my favorite today is the one of the boys running into the water. What a great capture. Hoping for a peaceful weekend in Peterborough.

Rob-bear said...

I found those pictures relaxing. Maybe I'm just getting old.

Blessings and Bear hugs!

Leah J. Utas said...

Well done.

Unspoken said...

I'm glad you're still here! I've come back to blog and hoped some of my favorites would remain :)!

Daryl said...

to quote John Lennon .. .all we are saying is give peace a chance

Unknown said...

Love the way your pictures and words come together for such a lovely collage of inclusion and love and diversity and common sense! (And somehow I'd missed the Father's day window, that was HILARIOUS!)

I had no idea, Nazi's in Canada too? I always think of your country as too evolved for the kind of ignorance and hatred that seems to be so prevalent in the U.S.

Arrgh, don't get me started. Let's just hope saner times are ahead.

Linda said...

Hi Hilary, Lovely photos as always. The first four are my faves, especially the "dog and husband friendly".

L. D. said...

I missed seeing this collection. The young seagull is watching you as you snapped his photo.

Jenn Jilks said...

I have that welcome neighbour sign! The kids bought some in Ottawa. None of their neighbours wanted one...