PEI - the small and the mighty

Although I’d said that we were not going to do anything but visit family on PEI - and enjoy the memories evoked by red soil and rolling hills, we called AIDS PEI - just in case. “There are only two of us here, and I’m heading out in about 20 minutes, but if you can, drop by this afternoon,” said the kind woman on the phone.

We enjoyed a wonderful reception at their centrally located (and easy to find) office. I was thrilled to find both staff members had practiced Therapeutic Touch. In fact, they said there is a Rainbow Room at the Hospital in Halifax where anyone wishing treatment can receive it. Sadly, the Charlottetown Hospital was not ready to embrace TT, yet.

We talked about isolation, the lack of anonymous testing  and HIV specialists (which means AIDS PEI staff drive people to appointments in Halifax and Moncton), and learned that women are not using the office - something I could not understand having been so pleasantly surprised by the gender balance in this office.

Sexual health is not a topic that islanders seem ready to embrace, and yet taxpayers are willing to pay the costs of HIV medications - a strange way to operate when you look at the cost savings of prevention. To that end. one of the volunteers spends almost all his time doing school presentations. We were moved by the mighty hard work that a dedicated few are doing on the smallest of Canada’s provinces.

 

And we did share with family. I am so blessed by the enormous gift of acceptance and support. 

Et Maintenant, en Francais

Cathy and I have been on the road for 27 days and we've spoken to over 425 people. Most of the time we were bathed in sunshine, although lately we are wondering about the glow of the blue-sky-attracting antennae. We've had several days of problematic rain. We tried stapling plastic to the side of the roof where there was a leak, and that worked very well while we were stationary. That, and a light inside the the box, dried things out enough while we were in Quebec city area that we were full of confidence when we left Carol Anne's house. Our plastic roof lasted about 200 km before it lifted and today the weather has done the same.  It looks like a beautiful day to drive to PEI. Within a couple of days we will be taking the sculpture out of the box and it will face the weather unprotected, so all this is just preparation.

One of the Belle Maisons de St Antoine de Tilly

Delicious Local Cheese factory

Une autre belle maison

Bubbles in the truck at night

Back to St Antoine de Tilly, where Carol Anne hosted a soiree formidable! Her friends began to arrive a little before 5 p.m.. to see if we needed help setting things up. We were prepared, with at least 10 plates of delicious food, punch, et aussi, a film loaded into the DVD player and ready to roll! Everyone chatted about their recent activities, their families, their health and the images of the sculpture around the room for about an hour, then gathered a plate of fiddlehead salad, mini pita pocket sandwiches, homemade chips with chickpea and eggplant dips, and sat ready to hear about the sculpture. I managed a slow presentation in French, with only a little assistance with vocabulary. Amazing what I can recall from so many years ago when I did my eleventh grade in Quebec. I knew I had succeeded when the questions began. "What would I say to my Parliamentarian?" "Why do we ignore information, evidence, that sexually transmitted diseases are all around us?" "What are the biggest differences for women living with HIV?" "What is the pill burden, for someone diagnosed today with HIV?" I had explained to everyone that taking the pills each day reminds me not only that I am not 100% well, but also of the time when I was infected - a moment in my life that I would rather strike from my memory. It is never easy to live with HIV.

So much easier with friends and support.  I have that because people know I live with HIV. We talked about the need for some to keep their status a secret, and the emotional weight of that burden.

Yesterday we arrived at the home of a couple that I met in Zimbabwe in 1988. They did not know until they just happened to hear my voice on CBC, that I lived with a disease that several of their servants, cooks, guards and gardeners had contracted. Their reaction was to find out how to reach me, phone, and open their home to Cathy and I.  We are always so grateful for these friendly oasies along our route.

even Dandilions are beautiful

Welcome patch of Blue sky in New Brunswick

We noticed cocktails on this truck - Is the motive catching on?

For the next couple of days we will visit family and friends, so will only post after the sculpture is erected at the garden in St Andrew's. I'm looking forward to that, and I'm nervous. One of Carol Anne's guests spoke to me about the romantic atmosphere at Kingsbrae Gardens - the acres of themed flower beds that will become the carpet at the home where "This is Not a Cocktail Party" will spend the summer.

We are safe and sound - well safe!!

Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec

In Ottawa we shared food with a few friends from the city. We hoped that it would be an informal way to say thank you for all the work that people did to get create an event and put us up for the night.

Driving between Ottawa and Montreal was faster than we imagined - somehow in the rain we are less likely to dawdle. Our British pilot (GPS) delivered us to a parking spot right in front of the first venue, where we met with a group of women who were very supportive of our mission. I was able to practice my French. I think they understood because before we left they told em that they were sure that I will win first prize in St. Andrew's. For Cathy and I, the prize has been meeting amazing people along the way. I embraced an old friend who has gone through a couple of difficult years with her health and made sure that I would be able to keep in touch.

The parking situation looked grim - but we found a spot right at the door of our engagement

We headed to the English-speaking AIDS Service agency, which is housed in an old church, near a Hospital.  Cathy and I told stories about the trip so far before the film seemed a good idea, as we find the film leaves people speechless. I have to apologize to anyone in Montreal who wanted to see the sculpture. I thought that the events arranged by our host were private affairs, but now realize that I likely could have invited people to the last event. I am getting tired - but advise anyone on the East Coast to call me if they would like to see the Cocktail glass. We will be in St Andrew's on May 30th.

 

Making a toast - one cocktail bottle to many!

Before leaving Montreal, our host, Janice, put Montreal on the back doors of the truck, a new friend peered into the bubbles on the side of the truck, and soon we headed into the traffic. As we made a right turn to head onto the Pont Jaques Cartier, we were pulled over by a Montreal cop. Apparently we turned right on the red part of an orange light and for this we must pay $161. Conversations today informed us that this is how the City raises the funds it needs to operate. Certainly not a way to encourage return visits!

SUNSET over the St. Lawrence River

Keeping things in the truck dry when the rain is driving in from all directions requires ingenuity

It seemed to take a long time before we were not in a crowd of vehicles heading east. But we arrived At Carol Anne's before sunset! We will be here for a couple of days.

Wonderful TIme at the Parliament Pub

Cathy and I rolled from Brockville to Manotick to the Museum of Science and Technology. Would the museum be a good home for the cocktail glass? The chatter of excited youth greeted us as we saw examples of several Canadian inventions and looked at ancient but fascinating scientific equipment. Our host was occupied with a training session so were on our own.

We learned that Joseph-Armond Bombardier never intended his snowmobile to be called a Ski-doo. He registered the name Ski-Dog but the patent office made a mistake and name is now iconic.

We tried to get an event on Parliament Hill - someone suggested Mike Duffy's office was vacant, but it seems he is still on the Hill.  An aide to Murray Rankin tried to get permission for us to drive up onto the Hill, but we were seen as promoting something - wonder if it was the pills on the sculpture, or drinking martinis! None-the-less, with the help of an Ottawa friend, we were able to host an informal gathering at the Parliament Pub, across the road from the Parliament buildings - and miles from any parking!

I ordered a martini and sat facing the door, while dear Cathy parked the truck. I overheard someone ask about this woman who had made a giant cocktail sculpture. I waved over one of Murray Rankin's aides - Dave Cannon. Within minutes, we were a crowd engaged in conversation about pills, empty pill bottles, HIV awareness, place-based science education, history, plastics,... Exciting and fun, but we were missing Cathy. She was driving in ever widening circles looking for a place to park Babe - the blue truck with dragonfly wings! 

David Pantalony saw the truck as he was heading over to the pub from a workshop at the University. He helped Cathy navigate the traffic, before running off in this direction. At the table, he shared his desire to see that the collection of the Museum of Science and Technology (90% of the collection is not what we see when we enter the interactive space that feeds curious minds) is open and available for use, as well as preserved and protected.  We talked for about 30 minutes before he and I left to go see the sculpture in her safe bed within the truck.

When Cathy came in, she tried to order Canadian wine. You'd think... But not here. The menu was easier - one clear choice - the Elizabeth May salad!

 

This evening we are sharing a meal with some dear friends before we have to leave them all to head to Montreal, where we'll meet with women at CASAM in the morning. I'm looking forward to that.  The last time I was there was for a Blueprint meeting and one of the most tragic cases in the criminalization of HIV involves a woman from Montreal.  

Looking for Two more

I am still looking for the following two HIV medication bottles - Enfuviritide (Fuzeon) and Tipranavir (Aptivus). please pass this request on to anyone that might be able to help me add these two bottles to the stem. Email or phone me if you have them and I will find an address that they can be sent to in St. Andrews. 

Thanks to help along the way, the stem illustrates the diversity of medications that people take to control the HIV. It is almost a complete set of antiretroviral medications.

Relaxing, Fife House and Running with the Rain

We've had a couple of days to slow down and catch our breath. A friend in Milton treated us to an afternoon by the pool, gin and tonic, and some really great ice cream. May 20th was our first day without getting into the truck since April 30th. It felt so good that it was sad to say goodbye, as our pal headed off to work.

We met Peggy's family for lunch before heading to Fife house were we shared the movie - Positive Women Exposing Injustice - with an intimate group. The movie left us sitting in stunned silence, but sparked candid conversation.

 

We left Toronto in the pouring rain - cats, dogs and elephants.  The wipers could not keep up - it was a slow trek to Brockville.  We arrived just before midnight and spent the next day catching up with missed Mother's and Father's Days, and changing the oil in the blue truck with dragonfly wings.

The traffic was heavy, but nothing compared to rush hour in the Big Apple.

The rain ended by morning and a new magic greeted us - St Lawrence tankers in the fog

A happy truck after an oil change and full of Franks

Toast on the River that flows to the Atlantic Coast - more than half way!