Author: Margaret Murray

Darryl and I went on holidays to Minneapolis and Chicago the week of August 7-16. We spent both of the weekends with our Canadian friends Tony, Cindy and their daughter Taylor. Some of the highlights of our trip to Chicago included experiencing the Science and Industry Museum, Chicago Art Institute and running the Lakeshore Blvd which is very similar to Vancouver’s sea wall.

Relaxing after long walks included indulging in double scoops of chocolate and butter pecan ice cream at Ghiradelli chocolate shop. Waking up and dashing out of our boutique hotel which was one block from the famous Magnificent mile, we ran 4.5 miles along Lakeshore Blvd. We dined at some familiar places including Luxbar, Rosebud and Eataly. This holiday was so relaxing and of course we celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary with Tony, Cindy and Taylor at Terezo near 50th and France.

Darryl, Tony and Joel spent the day boating on the Minnetonka Lakes while Cindy and I spent the afternoon at Wayzata  by the water. We treated ourselves to the ambiance on the rooftop bar at Slate 6 what a glorious day of celebrating good memories and creating new ones.

I had an extraordinary visit with mom and dad while in Charlottetown this past week.

One of the best island treats that a former islander, myself and my mother experienced was the wonderful opportunity to attend a most delightful strawberry ice-cream social held at my grandparents Colin and Charlotte Murray’s church now known as West River United, Cornwall, PEI.

Strawberry Socials on the island provides us “Home From Away” with hearty conversations and laughter with the locals and people from many places. The tables were set with plates of homemade tasty sandwiches and decadent sweets. However, the selling feature of this event is the heaping bowls of vanilla ice cream drizzled with island strawberries. So delicious!

Events like this one is a memorable way to experience island hospitality at its finest. Family friends and community members both male and female served well over 300 people. A heartfelt expression of thanks goes out to all of the volunteers who orchestrated this event. Both my mother and I will treasure this rich island memory.

Whether it is walking or running I am loving the moments shared with my husband or with friends. So many conversations evolve and Beauty is found in each of these topics. Yesterday, Tina and I walked through High and Middle Gate near Misercordia Hospital. The gardens surrounding each of these homes are stunning and what made us stop and appreciate this beauty was the fresh droplets of rain on the leaves. It is important to slow down the pace of life and treasure life’s moments.

Walking to Academy Starbucks to capture the moments of reading the Metro paper and sipping my Americano is always a fresh start to the day. While sitting outside, a dog owner had two beautiful golden retrievers in the back seat of his car and he purchased a Starbucks treat for them. These two dogs patiently extended their heads out of the window and thoroughly lapped up their treat from their master. How beautiful this looked from afar.

One might wonder why I chose to name my blog Uncommon Beauty. Everyday we can discover small samplings of beauty while walking or running. Today, that beauty unfolded when Kim and I were walking along our summer path known as the crescent. Many white-haired individuals were sitting in lawn chairs near a cluster of trees and sketching or painting something of their choice. We engaged in a conversation with one lady and admired her love for nature. This type of tranquility was the backdrop for my 2015 blog’s name.

What a remarkable evening. It was such a honor to be a part of their retirement evening. Both  Sherry and Rhonda  looked amazing after teaching 35 plus years. Many words were echoed of how we affect many students’ future lives. The idea of retirement is to refocus our lives with traveling, and doing things we always wanted to do but never got done.

Holidays began with intriguing conversations with friends and enjoying a glass of wine. This was a different type of holiday because many friends were out of town. However, I had a few coffee dates with friends. One must live each day to the fullest and learn to discover beauty in each of the days.

What a beautiful way to begin the holiday by brightening Mom and Dad’s Easter. We sent them a gorgeous pink hydrangea. We also mailed them chocolate caramel eggs. Darryl and I celebrated with chocolate moguls and wine. Also we watched the last Jets game and unfortunately we lost in overtime. However, our fans were amazing all through the season. This morning we awoke to cooler temperatures and we treated ourselves to Starbucks and walked to church on Lanark. Spectacular church music ringing through the air.

Warm March breeze brings several runners out of the winout of the cool winter. Both of us had no difficulty running the crescent and the park. Warm sun on our backs was refreshing and energizing.

March 10 was such a warm springlike day. We walked through the park and experienced many puddles. Parents were having fun chasing their little ones on sleds and kids were stamping through puddles. What a glorious day.