Myriad Memories

Invaluable time learning Saskatchewan's northern provincial forest.

My family has lots of Ukrainian traditions that have been passed down through the generations. Making pysanky (Ukrainian easter eggs) is one of my favourites when I think about my heritage.

My family is from the Netherlands and as a plant designer I chose to submit one of the plants its known for.

My Opa always grew raspberries, picking the best ones from the middle of the patch for his grandchildren with us having no knowledge as to where his love of them stemmed from, only to find out this past year that Malina, his hometown in Poland, translates to raspberry in English.

I received R.E.M.’s Murmur album one Christmas and now its an annual listening tradition. 

Close up of a traditional beaded smock floral motif from the Timis area of Romania where I was born. Romanian crafts are celebrated around the world: fine textiles, carved wooden furniture, ceramics, hammered copper utensils, painted eggs, delicate glasswork, and hand-worked leather are among the items traditional Romanian craftspeople have brought to an amazing level of artistry. 

A Christmas morning walk along the Brighton Seafront with my husband and our labrador – a cherished tradition during our time living in England.

Valenzuela City in the Philippines where I grew up.

My daughter on our family farm in Macdonald, Manitoba.

Sunsets with family at Hillside Beach.

My dad's photographs of Trinidad showcase both our roots and the beautiful diversity of the landscape.

The challah, the traditional bread for Shabbat, had a prominent spot on the tables of my ancestors in Galicia and Germany as well as our home in Canada.

My mom’s Scottish raisin scones, a recipe passed down from her mom to my kids.

Fond memories of visiting this waterfall with my family, growing up in the Northwest Territories.

The Cape Floral Kingdom in South Africa, my home, is the world’s smallest and richest concentration of plant species. 

My great grandfather was a carpenter who built many structures that still stand in Souris, Manitoba – that tradition was carried on by my uncle, who helped build the famous swinging bridge. 

Modbury, Devon, England: ancestral village on my mother’s side. One of my very favourite landscapes.

Picking blueberries with my family in Belair Provincial Forest.

Played at our memorial services, this hymn carries a sense of connection in nature and continuity through generations of my mother’s family.

Our Canadian family Christmas gatherings include big groups, seasonal chaos and many prairie settler recipes, such as Company’s Coming series and this Overnight French Toast recipe. 

The general store built by my great-great grandfather in St. Lupicin, Manitoba.

Embroidery worn on traditional Ukrainian clothing for celebrations.

When my grandparents lived in Paraguay, my grandfather used leather pyrography to make the design on this guampa, used for drinking tereré (cold yerba mate tea).

The parol is a traditional Filipino lantern displayed at Christmas time.

 My grandparents' village.

My great, great grandparents’ home in Lesse, Belgium.

A bird’s eye view of my Volga German great-grandparents' hometown in Holstein, Lower Volga River, Russia.

The ‘mati’ wards against the evil eye – a look that brings bad luck due to envy or dislike – was seminal growing up in a Greek household. My mom made sure I, and later my children, wore a mati and would symbolically spit on us for protection if we weren’t wearing it.

The world’s largest mangrove forest near my home in Bangladesh.

Soft, fuzzy coats of prairie crocus herald spring in Manitoba.

I am of Scottish descent and wear the Earl of St. Andrews tartan for bagpiping.

My family is from Miðvágur, a small village on the Faroe Islands.