TRAVEL THE WORLD - VILLAGE IN RAJATHAN, INDIA

There is great diversity within India, but it can nevertheless be characterized as a country of farmers. Although Rajasthan is one of India's more prosperous states, you can see from the photo that life in rural areas is relatively primitive. Even with many government initiatives to combat it, rural poverty - along with indebtedness and suicide - remains a problem.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - SOMEWHERE IN GUJARAT, INDIA

Bullock carts like the one in the photo are seen all over India, particularly in rural areas, but also on fast-travelled congested highways. These animals have been used as beasts of burden for many centuries in India. This one was photographed in 2007 in Gujarat.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - VILLAGE NEAR UDAIPUR, INDIA

These photos, taken in 2007, show the primitive but effective way this farmer is irrigating his fields. You can see the stream which is the source of water just below the water wheel. Because of its dry climate, Rajasthan agriculture must depend on irrigation.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - VILLAGE NEAR UDAIPUR, INDIA

These 2007 photos were taken from the car on the way from Udaipur to the 14th Century fortress of Kumbhalgarh. It was a very cold December morning with near freezing temperatures. The photos are a fairly good indication of the poverty of small farmers in India.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - VILLAGE IN RAJASTHAN, INDIA

Here is another photo taken from the car on the way to Kumbhalgarh. It is an example of how primitive life is for millions of people in rural India. Most small farmers become indebted to local money lenders, and, as their debts are inherited by their offspring, the hopelessness of the situation contributes to the thousands of farmer suicides that occur every year.The Government of India is currently making available an allocation of $15 billion to forgive the debt of small farmers.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - NEAR MAHESHWAR, MADHYA PRADESH, INDIA

This young girl, photographed from the train in India in 2007, would likely be typical of many rural children raised in poverty in that country. The 2001 census reported a rural population of 740 million out of a total population of 1.17 billion. Although fertilizers and irrigation have improved the productivity of the soil, most of India's rural population remain poor, and many are deeply in debt to the extent that suicide is a major problem. Because the debt passes from father to son, their situation appears hopeless. Experts estimated, for example, that there were approximately 17,500 farmer suicides each year between 2002 and 2006. Recently, the government has initiated a program of debt relief for farmers. Though it will no doubt help, it is unlikely to solve such a huge problem.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - NORTH YORKSHIRE, ENGLAND

In 1994, we spent several days in Richmond, intending to walk in the North York Dales, something I had dreamed of doing for years. However, the weather did not cooperate. Although it was August, temperatures were more like winter, and the rain was never-ceasing. Since we were leaving England for Italy, we hadn't packed much warm clothing. You always anticipate rain in the north of England, but the cold temperatures were a surprise. This photo captures the bleakness of Swaledale in the rain, and, while the dales are beautiful in any weather, we had a disappointing time. We had a Border Collie puppy at home and were very eager to see a herding and jumping competition one evening. The rain and wind were so severe, however, that we very reluctantly stayed indoors.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - DOWNLAND AND WEALD MUSEUM, ENGLAND

A visit to the Downland and Weald Open Air Museum was a unique experience for my mother and I when we traveled to England together in 1984. The objective of the museum is to preserve barns, houses and other rural buildings about to be demolished by moving them to an outdoor museum. Here they can be seen in context, enabling visitors to experience rural life even if only in a small way. We thoroughly enjoyed walking here and admired the concept very much. Located in Sussex, it now includes 45 buildings.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - TREGUIER, BRITTANY, FRANCE

In 2008 we stayed for four days at a bed and breakfast in a medieval manor house near Treguier in Cotes d'Armor, Brittany. It was a lonely place, off by itself, hidden in the depth of the French countryside where the sun never seemed to appear. On a morning like this one, however, the village in the photo, only a mile or so from the manor house, was transformed into a place of great charm and beauty.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ARIMONT, BELGIUM

This field near Malmedy is where my cousin took us in 1997 to show us the location of the family castle. He had come here as a young man with his father who wanted him to see where the castle had been located. It was here that one of the foundation stones had been found. On the road near this field there is a road sign which says "ARIMONT." The family had lived in this area until the late middle ages when they moved to Jalhay.

All of this was a revelation to me, as my father had not mentioned anything about a castle or a coat of arms, likely because he disapproved of the class structure that he felt typified life in Europe.

LIFE OF MY FATHER - 18

MY MOTHER, DONALDA DARIMONT

At this point, I think I should say something about my mother. After her marriage, she led a very conventional life, likely similar to the lives of the majority of her contemporaries. She was content with her role as wife and mother. There must have been ups and downs. However, as a child, I was unaware of the important milestones in her life. For the most part, I took her for granted. She was always there to do everything that needed to be done, without asking for or receiving much credit. So, although this is an account of my father's life, it should not in any way detract from how important she was to me.

My mother lived her first six years on a farm on the banks of the Sturgeon River at Lamoureux, near Fort Saskatchewan. After the death of her father from the flu in 1918, the family moved into Edmonton and lived with the grandparents.

She would frequently be taken out to the country to visit her many cousins. Her Uncle Ernest Lamoureux, her mother's brother, had a big farm on the Correction Line. When he bought one of the earliest cars, family members laughed at him because he couldn't drive it properly, but instead drove it into the ditch all the time. Fortunately, at the speeds of travel in those days, neither driver nor passengers were at much risk of injury.

After completing Grade 12 in Edmonton in 1930, my mother attended Normal School, the teacher training college, for one year. She told me that she had difficulty getting her first teaching post, and was successful only because she was fluent in French. Bilingual teachers were in demand in Alberta's many small French-speaking farming communities. As teaching contracts were for only one year, she taught in several places: Horse Hills, Halkirk, Mallaig, and Morinville are some that I remember. She taught until she married my father in 1939.

Her schools had only one room and accommodated all grades. This meant that when she first began to teach, she had high school kids in her classes who were almost as old as she was! As a young child, I loved nothing more than to look at her scrapbook which was filled with mementos from her teaching days, including hundreds of beautiful valentines. I'm afraid the valentines and the scrapbook itself were much the worse for wear after this, and to my knowledge have unfortunately not survived.

Winter weather in the Alberta prairies was almost as bad as it was in Flin Flon. The schools were heated with pot-bellied wood-burning stoves. The teacher's room and board would be arranged by the School Board at a nearby farm. One day, a bad blizzard came up suddenly and Mom closed the school and sent everyone home. As she lived only a mile away, she set off on foot alone, following the fence posts to find her way. Soon, the wind was so severe and the blowing snow so heavy that she could no longer see anything. It was only by chance that she arrived home safely, terribly cold and frightened for her life.

For all this trouble, she was paid between $70 and $80 a year, and received her money only in the autumn of the next year, assuming, that is, that the farmers had enough money from the harvest to pay their taxes. In spite of the hardship, my mother loved her life as a teacher and considered herself fortunate to be employed during the Depression. From her valentines, I believe she was loved by her pupils. For fun, she went horse-back riding or went into the nearest town on Saturday night with friends. In the winter, they would harness the horse to a wagon full of hay and bundle up warmly. The horse would pull them on the rail line which was always kept clear of snow. She assured me that this was totally safe, as they knew exactly when to expect the trains.

In the photos are:

1) My mother
2) My parents in front of my great grandfather's house in Edmonton
3) My mother
4) Four generations (mother's mother, mother's grandmother, mother and daughter, and
5) My mother in front of one of her schools.

INDIA VACATION 2007

VILLAGE WOMEN IN RAJASTHAN

Although Rajasthan is one of India's more prosperous states, life in rural areas is still relatively primitive. India is basically a country of farmers, and even with many public initiatives, rural poverty remains a major problem.

As depicted in the first photo above, village women in Rajasthan wear the nose ring after they marry. It is considered an adornment that increases a woman's attractiveness. Despite their relative poverty, rural women possess a remarkable a dignity.

INDIA VACATION 2007

SACRED COWS OF INDIA

Cows are sacred in India. The origins of this belief are lost in history, but, even today, it is forbidden to harm them. Drivers will make dangerous moves to avoid hitting a cow on the street or highway.

Cows are to be seen everywhere: sleeping on the street, feeding in a rubbish pile, or taking a leisurely stroll through a railway station. It is thought that veneration of the cow has its roots in the animal's historic role as an essential support for human life and in being the most valuable possession of most people. The cow provided milk, the bullock provided transport, and dung was the major source of fuel.

Cows continue to play a key role today, especially in rural India. While the animals are able to fulfill these functions, people care for and feed them. Tragically, when they have aged, they are abandoned and forced to forage for their food. Hence, the common sight of the cow on the rubbish heap.