Erica Hargreave

Bringing Stories to Life as a Speaker, & Digital & Immersive Media Strategist & Storyteller

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Reconnecting with Nature, Like You Did As A Kid

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Recently I had the pleasure of spending some time on Salt Spring Island, as we shot the Pilot Episode for a new documentary series, Naturally Ours – on parks, and how and who they inspire.

Filming Naturally Ours at Ruckle Heritage Farm
Kelly Conlin filming Mike Lane and his Highland Cattle at Ruckle Heritage Farm.

Now for those of you that know me well, you will know that among my great pleasures in life are travel, spending time in nature, and storytelling.  So really I was in my element on Salt Spring.  However, and as should come as no shock to many of you, in order to get away to spend time telling tales, I had been doing too much before I left, and my mind was still reeling with all that needed doing, along with work calls coming in from the big smoke.

For all of these reasons and many more, I feel so fortunate to have met a wonderful woman, Cornelia J Krikke of Transformative Practice Studios, who ended up being one of the subjects of our documentary. In the course of filming, Cornelia introduced me to some of her practices in reconnecting people with nature – to ground, to bring peace, to open up your mind to the world around you, to awaken your creativity …

In the trees.

While in reality I was working at the time, by the end of the interview I felt like I’d just been to the spa. It was so much fun, I felt so present and connected, and it relaxed me.

I am not going to begin to attempt to explain the philosophy in what Cornelia did in reconnecting me with nature – I will leave that for the documentary. I do, however, want to show you a few of the simple things that we did in our short time together that relaxed me and made me feel like a kid again.  While some of it might give you a chuckle, I do recommend it as the best kind of anti-anxiety medication for all that is going on in the world at the moment, and a great pattern for taking a bit of ‘me time’ in the New Year.

Take off your shoes and visualize Earth’s energy flowing up through you, or your own roots growing deep into the Earth.

stocking feet in the snow

Lie back in a natural space, get comfortable, and enjoy a different perspective on  the world.

Erica Hargreave making snow angels

Introduce yourself to a tree.

(No really, introduce yourself to the tree first – especially if you want to give it a hug, as can you imagine someone you’ve never met, all of a sudden hugging you?  On this note: my apologies to all the trees I’ve hugged without introducing myself. Really I am not a tree hugging harlot. Again, my apologies.)

Touching a tree.

Climb to a safe branch on the tree, that you can lie back on, and simply be.lying on a tree

Now, if this isn’t safely possible to do, lean with your back to the tree instead, and let the energy flow between the two of you.

hug a treeNow that you’ve spent a little quality time together, it should be okay to hug the tree in thanks, before parting ways for the day.

Yes, you may be chuckling and pondering whether I fell out of the tree and hit my head, but think back – you’ve done such things before too, when you were a kid.  Do you remember how it felt?  Pretty gosh darn good, I bet.  So why did you stop doing it?

Ultimately for me, this is what my New Year’s Resolution is – taking the time to reconnect myself with nature, be a kid again and not care who is watching.

History & Technology Merge with the Fairmont Château Laurier’s History App

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I am a bit of a history buff!  One of my secret desires is to one day write a historic thriller.

For that reason, one of my favourite past times in a new place is actually taking a historic tour of the place I am staying in.  I can almost hear as I say this, the cringing of some of those I’ve travelled with, who find hotel tours to be a sales / marketing pitch, and while some can be, others can be the most magnificent journeys back in history.  As I write this, I am remembering a glorious afternoon in Memphis spent with the Assistant Duckmaster & Hotel Historian at the Peabody, Doug Weatherford. I really could not have asked for a more delightful way to have spent the afternoon, then walking back in Memphis history with Doug.  In fact, this visit was one of the highlights of trip to Memphis, better than my tour of Gibson Guitars, better than my visit to Stax Records, and WAY better than the circus that was Graceland. At any rate, I will write more about my adventure back in time with Doug another day on Roamancing. Today, I want to to put my tech specs on in combination with my historian hat, as I take you further North to the Fairmont Château Laurier.

Fairmont Château Laurier in Ottawa
Fairmont Château Laurier, an Ottawa hotel rich in history.

This past spring on a visit to Ottawa, I was fortunate enough to stay at the Fairmont Château Laurier, a hotel steeped in history, a history I wanted to learn more about. Rather than give me an actual tour, the hotel asked me if I could try out their new interactive history tour.  Being a bit of a tech nerd, and loving seeing and experiencing examples of technology being used to educate and tell story, I readily agreed.

Right now the Fairmont Château Laurier’s history tour is available on iPads and tablets, although I rather hope that it will at some point be available on other devices, like smart phones. Anybody with an iPad or tablet can take the tour for free, whether they are a guest or not, they just need to download the Fairmont Château Laurier History App (from the links I’ve provided in this paragraph).  If you don’t have an iPad or tablet, but are fortunate enough to be a guest of the Fairmont Château Laurier, you can borrow an iPad for the tour from the front desk.

Fairmont Château Laurier History App
Beginning my walk back in history at the Château Laurier.

Once begun this digital tour takes visitors to the Fairmont Château Laurier on a walking tour, starting in the hotel’s lobby. It provides an informative and interesting narrative, including historic photos, as it walks you through various rooms of the hotel, intertwining history with the current space visitors see before their eyes.

Fairmont Château Laurier History App
Discovering fascinating past visitors to the Château Laurier.
Fairmont Château Laurier History App
Wandering through the historic halls of the Château Laurier.

So my take on the experience?  I very much enjoyed it, as it gave me context to the space I was walking through (oh, if the walls could only talk), and snippets of history I’d been hearing about (like, did you now there is an historic connection between the Château Laurier and the Titanic?). It also got me to explore deeper into the hotel, right into the depths of the basement.  I only wish that I’d taken this tour at the beginning of our stay, rather than at the end, as it would have ensured that I made it down to the basement for a dip in that fabulous art deco pool, and would have enriched my stay so much more, with the stories of the history that surrounded me.

Now does this compare to the kind of tour that a Hotel Historian and Storyteller, like the Peabody’s Doug Weatherford gave me?  No, but afternoons such as that one are special, to be cherished, that cannot happen all the time due to scheduling and the likes. There are after all only so many Historians and Storytellers, like Doug Weatherford around, and they can’t be scheduled around the clock to suit visitor’s schedules. Catering to visitor’s schedules and the access to historic imagery are what made this technology driven digital walk back in time such a win in my mind. The weary traveller could even take the tour digitally from the awfully comfy Fairmont Château Laurier bed, as a form of a bed time story, or the uber organized traveller could watch in prep for their stay, even on-route to Ottawa on the plane or train. I, however, think it is enjoyed best as a leisurely stroll through the Fairmont Château Laurier’s historic halls.

Enjoy!

The Green Chain: A Film Review

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Full Disclosure: The Green Chain’s producers, Tony Wosk and Mark Leiren-Young are friends mine, but that does not mean that I’d automatically like their movie.  And to be honest I didn’t like it ….. I loved it!  I knew Mark was a good writer, but this isn’t just good writing, this is great writing.

If you don’t know what The Green Chain is about, here’s the synopses:

The Green Chain is a powerful, funny and thought-provoking film about the conflicts between people on both sides of the battle who love trees — and are willing to risk anything to protect their personal visions of the forest.

The Green Chain by emmerogers.

 

‘Powerful’ is the perfect descriptor for this film.  It really hit a chord for me and rang so true to many of my own experiences.  I’ve worked in the forestry industry, am a biologist and been an environmentalist, and I saw so much of the dialog and characters in myself and the people I met along the way. It’s uncanny how Mark writes them so perfectly. In my late teens, I was the kid that would have found it to be an adventure to live in the tree and as a biologist I would have been there for many of the reasons that the Raging Granny shared.  As I matured and spent more time in the smaller towns of BC, I discovered that my youthful ideals were a little naive.  It doesn’t matter that I now recognize that the story has more sides, to the forestry workers in the small towns I will always be seen as an educator and one time forestry researcher, and they’ll be too busy defending their right to log to hear me say, ‘I understand’.  My cousin will get into actual fights with me where I don’t say a single word, because in her mind I’m still that scrappy, tree hugging, granola eating, 19 year old, who’d still love to live in a tree (I’d be lying to say I’d never considered it).

I love the way in Mark’s account of this age old story, all the characters touch each others lives.  He does this so seamlessly, but so that it really pulls at the heart strings of our own connectivity, just like that of the ecosystem.  And the beauty is this isn’t just a story about logging.  This is a tale that speaks to many small towns and natural resource based industries. Speaking from the BC perspective, this story could just as easily be fish or rocks.

 

Photographed by Robert Shaer

 

Oh and I don’t think you have to be an uber science geek like myself to enjoy The Green Chain.  It is simply a good story and I’ll be the first to admit I am a critical audience.  I’m critical of science stories as I am a scientist and storyteller.  There’s nothing to be critical of here, it’s just a darn good story and accurate.  And unlike some science stories, it’s far from boring.  In fact, I will likely watch it numerous time, as I enjoyed it that much!

Go see it!  You still have time to make the late show!  It starts at 9:10 pm.

Failing that, the daily show times of The Green Chain at Fifth Avenue Cinema, between now to Thursday March 11th, are 1:30, 4:45, 7:10 and 9:10 pm.

Snow Etiquette for Vancouverites

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Like a respectable Canadian gal, I love the snow!  It’s my version of winter magic. I love writing away and hearing the little girl next door as she steps out for the first time in the morning and exclaims in awe, ‘Oh look Daddy!!!  Isn’t it beautiful!!!’  I still feel like that little girl. So I am in a state of delight and awe this morning as I look outside and see the beautiful white stuff falling.

 

 

What I do not like about the snow, however, is Vancouverites in it and their incessant whining about it.  Vancouver – the rest of the country complains about our citizens being cold and about us being unneighbourly.  Well I have a theory on this.  My theory is that in Vancouver our climate is very mild and unlike the rest of the country, we rarely get snow.  As such we have missed out on the snow bonding experience that the rest of the country gets.  We’ve missed out on meeting our neighbours as we shovel the walks and teaching our young people to help out the elderly neighbour across the street.  Well nows our chance.  Rather than grumbling – lets embrace the true beauty of the snow – the beauty of being neighbourly and building community.

 

He Might be Ancient .. by you.

 

Snow Etiquette for Vancouverites (inspired by a snowy afternoon tweets on twitter and encouragement of @hummingbird604 to make this a blog post):

1) Buy a snow shovel and don’t leave home without it.

2) Dress for the weather! Honestly people, this isn’t your first snow day of the year, you think you would have learnt by now.

3) Dress your kids for the weather – boots, hats, coats & mitts.

4) If you live in a townhouse or condo and there is only one caretaker, would it kill you to help a little with the shoveling.

5) Just because they’re calling for rain doesn’t mean you shouldn’t shovel. If the temperature drops the snow or slush will turn to ice.

6) Courtesy of @yoyomama_van If your tires slip day 1 in the snow, they will slip on day 10 too. Get all weather tires or leave your car at home

7) Courtesy of @kulpreetsingh If you can’t get sand or gravel, keep a bag of cat litter in your trunk in case of ice.

8) Courtesy of @WinnieYeo If you don’t have salt, gravel or kitty litter and are stuck, you can use the car’s floor mats. Just be careful they don’t shoot out from under your tires and hit someone.

9) Courtesy of @petequily If your wheels are spinning on ice, flooring it = more ice.

10) Courtesy of @CrunchyCarpets Leave early, look around, slow down and chillax!!

11) Courtesy of @CrunchyCarpets Please pick up dog poop..snow or no snow. It doesn’t disappear under the snow. It just becomes a poohsicle and when the snow disappears, a smelly, slimy mess for someone to step in.

12) If you’re going to open schools on a snowy day, then plow the staff parking lot. First school day of 2009, I just spent an hour digging cars out of an unplowed, iced over school parking lot.

13) Parents: Your precious little deers can walk a few feet through the snow. They are children, not witches and will not melt from touching ice crystals. Don’t drive your car into an iced school lot where cars are already stuck.  Thinking this should be common sense, but based on the number of parents I’ve seen do this, I feel it is worth noting.

14) If you see someone in need of help and you can help, then do help. And teach your children to do the same.  Teens kept walking by their teachers digging and pushing cars in the aforementioned lot and not one stopped to help.  Huge failure on societies part in my mind.

15) One of the joys of the snow is in building a sense of community by helping others. Don’t deprive your kids of that joy. Take them out (yes – even the little ones) and get them helping you to shovel the walks. Have them help an elderly neighbour. The small ones don’t need to be all that useful, but this will build a sense of social responsibility in them.

 

img_0405 by you.

 

Off to help the caretaker at my place by doing a bit more shovelling today.  Loving the fresh air and exercise!

Dreaming of a White Christmas

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Frozen Tisle by erica.hargreave.

For the first time in my lifetime, it looks like Canada is being given the gift of a white Christmas across the entire country!!!!  Despite having to listen to masses of Vancouverites complain about this on twitter, I think it is a beautifully magical gift.  Thank you Merry Old Kris Kringle!  Snow slows us all down a little.  Rather than chasing about the countryside after that ‘perfect gift’, we stop running about and do what is really important, which is actually spending some quality time with the people we love.

The Golden Girls (and Guy) by erica.hargreave.

Snow pulls us together in another sense too – it causes strangers on the streets and subways to smile, laugh and talk with one another.  We remember to play and be young again as we are all taken in by the snows magic and have a snowball fight, make a snow angel or slide down a hill on a makeshift toboggan. We meet our neighbours as we dig our homes and our cars out of the snow.  We help our neighbours and for once the young actually remember to help the elderly.  And we pull together and share as we take on the hardships that snow poises on our lives.

Grunt by erica.hargreave.

I make fun of Vancouverites in snow, because they seem so overly dramatic about even the littlest bit of snow, but the reality is they live in a city thats unprepared for the snow – whether it is planes being able to take off from the airport or the many people that unlike myself don’t have a home or warm clothes and live on the streets in Vancouver.

Icy Seat by erica.hargreave.

Enjoy the snow this Christmas, but take a moment this holiday season and see if there is something you can do to help those less fortunate.  Whether it is donating warm clothes you no longer need, helping to bring safety and communication to others by donating old cell phones through campaigns like Fearless City, or spreading a bit of holiday joy with organizations like Beauty Nights.  And for those of you that are sitting in airports trying to get home to loved one, I do hope that you are indeed able to get to your destination.

Wishing you all a happy, safe holiday season filled with love, warmth and beauty!

Shoreline Decour by erica.hargreave.