Moose and Squirrel

Are you old enough to remember The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show? I loved Rocky and Bullwinkle when I was a kid. The show was a product of its times though, as evidenced by Boris and Natasha, the Cold War Soviet spies constantly being thwarted by Our Heroes.

Once the Cold War ended, whatever happened to Rocky and Bullwinkle?

It seems that someone in Russia is still keeping tabs on them.

Because of this new danger, I think Rocky and Bullwinkle have gone underground, emerging only occasionally to leave coded signals of their ongoing presence amongst us.

Giveaway Winner

Oh, HRH, you always know how to ramp up the drama of any situation!

Thanks to everyone who entered my 5 + 500 Giveaway -- I wish I could send a calendar to each and every one of you! Alas, however, I have but one. And the winner of the 2014 Sacred Celtic Sites calendar is . . . .

Lisa of ANAMCARA 2 !!!

Congrats, Lisa, I'll be emailing you shortly to get your mailing address. I've never posted anything to Australia before -- this is exciting!

Up and Down in Old Quebec City

Le Vieux Québec (Old Quebec City) is built on a large rocky cliff overlooking the St. Lawrence River. This is what gave the city its strategic military importance in days of yore. The magnificent Fairmont Chateau Frontenac hotel crowns Upper Town. Below it lies Lower Town along the river's shore. Both areas feature beautifully restored old buildings full of shops, restaurants, museums, etc.

There are two ways for a tourist to go between Upper Town and Lower Town. First, you can take L'Escalier du Casse-Cou (Breakneck Stairs). These stairs have existed since 1635 (replaced several times, of course, over the centuries). Walking down to Lower Town is fine. Walking back up to Upper Town is another thing. What you don't see in my photo is that, at the top of Breakneck Stairs, there is a further very steep climb via sidewalk past more shops and restaurants and then there is another set of stairs leading up to the Chateau Frontenac. Pretty daunting.

OR you can simply ride the Funiculaire du Vieux Québec! This vertical funicular railway with two cars has existed since 1879. Renovated and rebuilt several times, it now runs on electricity instead of the old water ballast system. It will carry you in comfort up and down from the Chateau Frontenac to the base of Breakneck Stairs. Each one-way trip costs $2 per person and, believe me, it is worth every single friggin' penny.

This is the view of Lower Town that you see from the Funicular. The St. Lawrence River is very narrow at Quebec which also made the City easier to defend and therefore more impregnable.

[Photos by Debra She Who Seeks and My Rare One, June 2013]

OMG, EVERYONE!

Not to be OVER-DRAMATIC about it or anything . . .

. . . but today is the LAST DAY!!!

Yes, the VERY last day to enter . . .

. . . my 5 + 500 GIVEAWAY! Click here to enter if you haven't already. The winner will be announced on Friday!

The Canadian Holy of Holies

Yea verily, hear ye the words of the Gospel of the Great White North:

. . . and on thy sacred pilgrimage, proceedeth thou to Ottawa Street in the holy city of Hamilton in the province of Ontario. Feareth not neither Tiger Cats nor the United Steelworkers Union nor yet even Sheila Copps, for the Lord Stanley shall protect thee on thy journey.

And lo, on Ottawa Street shalt thou findeth the Sacred Way revered by all true Canuckians of faith and lovers of donuts everywhere.

O thou unworthy one, behold the sacred shrine -- hallelujah, the very first Tim Hortons store in all of Canada! Shield thy eyes, cover thy head and kneel before its glory! For 'twas on this holy spot that Saint Tim himself trod in his hockey skates of fire. Yea and here createth he the very first Timbit, like unto the manna of heaven that did sustaineth the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt.

And the hand of the Lord Stanley did cause this plaque of bronze to appear on the front of the holy shrine, so that all who come may marvel at and worship at this sacred spot.

Yea verily, drinketh thou thy double-double and eateth thou thy maple glazed donut, symbols of all that be sacred and holy in this great land from sea to sea to sea.

Here endeth the lesson, eh?

[All photos by Debra She Who Seeks, May 2013. And a special thank you to Lois of Mid Life Fibres who told me of this sacred spot and how to get there this summer while in Hamilton!]

[And don't forget to enter my 5 + 500 Giveaway if you haven't yet! Click here to do so.]

Autumn Equinox Fun!

Today is the Autumn Equinox here in the northern hemisphere -- the first official day of autumn. And a good way to welcome the new season is to make yourself a beautiful Crown of Leaves! It's fun for girls . . .

. . . and boys too!

Even teddy bears like to get in on the action.

It's also fun for Moms . . .

. . . and maybe this beau chapeau could persuade Dad to participate?

[All photos from the internet]

And hey, don't forget to enter my 5 + 500 Giveaway if you haven't yet! Click here to do so.

Simple Math: 5 + 500 = Time for a Giveaway!

Today is the 5th blogoversary of She Who Seeks blog! Where, oh where, has the time gone? It just seems like yesterday that I was a fresh young newbie in the blogosphere. And now here I am, five years later, a wizened old crone of a blogger.

But wait, there's more to celebrate!

My blog has made it to the 500+ followers level! Thank you to everyone who reads She Who Seeks or has read it in the past. I'm honoured that people choose to spend some of their precious, precious leisure time here at my site.

So, put these two events together and it can mean only one thing -- it's time for a giveaway! What's up for grabs? This new 2014 calendar!

The calendar has fabulous photos of ancient Celtic monuments and landscapes in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Rich in myth and legend, these sites are the magical "thin places" between the worlds -- places of spiritual awakening and power. Accompanying text by Mara Freeman explains the lore and significance of each site. (Mara Freeman was our guide when My Rare One and I did a pagan tour of southern England a few years ago. She is one of the world's leading experts on Celtic spirituality).

So if you'd like a chance to win this calendar, here's the contest rules:

1. You must be an official Follower to enter. Old, new or just signed up in order to enter the contest, it's all good. And it doesn't matter where you're from in the world, I'll mail it anywhere!

2. In addition to being a Follower, you must leave me a comment on this post. If you want to leave a comment but don't want to be entered, just say so (and that's okay!)

3. One entry per person!

4. Entries will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time on Wednesday, September 25, 2013.

5. The draw will be made by random selection on Thursday, September 26 and the results posted here on Friday, September 27.

Good luck, everyone!