26 - Sunday, August 18, 1991 - North Shore News LIFESTYLES Seniors tours enrich the learning experience THE FIRST one, I thought, that’s not for me.” It was in Granville Market dur- ing the early days, when one could sul park a car and get in and our inside of an hour. There was this bus, and out of it cmerging a cluich of white-haired old people come to see the sights. I was still in my sixties and fig- ured I was frozen in time, 1 guess. ! said you'd never catch me on one of those old-age buses. Actually, it wasn't just all the white hair and the obvious fabell- ing that put me off — I've always felt that travel with a group in- sulated one from new, maybe challenging, even unsettling expe- tience. When [ went to Japan and Russia and Mexico and wherever, f went alone, getting al! the fla- vors and customs and sights of foreign places unfiltered, un- diluted. Now I know what I’ve missed. Any learning experience is a fine thing, but so is the delicious shar- ing of both observation and reac- tion to same. It broadens and magnifies one’s own, take-home benefits, especialy when the com- panions are ripe with age and rich in curiosity and knowledge and imagination. The brochures neglect to adver- tise this extra benefit of seniors’ tours and seniors’ study sessions — the privilege of the company you keep! And it’s free. This second old-age-bus outing, (the first was to admire the bloom at La Conner), was for the pur- nese of viewing and learning about the petroglyphs on Van- couver Island. We were a dozen assorted elders, early risen, and scooped up in his van by Roy Jantzen whom I’ve tofd you about before. Roy. does a lot of homework to prepare his sight-seekers, so he didn’t fumble any of the locations and carried an armful of il- lustrative material and pamphlets for us acolytes. We began with Petroglyph Park just below Nanaimo, and then were ferried to Gabriola Island, where we had to do a bit of hik- ing which was well worth the sweat. Our last call was back at Nanaimo Museum. The day had started really early, with van-loading scheduled for 7:45 a.m. at the West End Seniors Centre, and it was after 7 p.m. in the evening when we returned. We'd all done a good deal of walking and a lot of to-ing and fro-ing on nothing but a_bag- lunch and some ferry-brand_ cof- fee, but no one begged off any part of che exploration, and all felt exhilarated by what we had seen. Except for Petroglyph Park. It’s being really neglected by the time I saw **Uh-uh, Eleanor Godley THE VINTAGE YEARS parks chaps. There are no bar- tiers, nor even warning signs, to stop the empty-headed from scratching noughts-and-crosses on the historic stones. Information boards have been mostly vandalized, und patrols are a figment. People walk all over the ancient sandstones, multiply- ing the natural erosion caused by weather. Roy’s expert dissertations brought a couple of Swedish women to join our company brief- ly — they have similar stone- history in their own country and were looking for some i!lumina- tion of these sites. One was ashamed of the ob- vious lack of interest on the part of our authorities. I call it very shabby, and wonder that the neighboring communities haven't rallied to the protection of this extraordinary historic wealth. Cain should be raised. On Gabriola there’s a quite dif- ferert situation. The carvings and markings are simply there for you Lions *' Golf Centre CLOSING OUT SALE Due to lease expiry with The Squamish Nation e Everything must go by Aug. 29/91 « GOLF RANGE CLOSES: Aug. 25/91 PRO SHOP & MINI GOLF CLOSE: Aug. 29/91 *Complete all lessons before closing date to encounter if you are an explor- er. There’s nothing to guide your search, beyond a casual reference under **Points of Interest’ on the local **Map and Tourist Guide.** Perhaps that’s the best way to preserve them from the unthink- ing. Some are vertical, which means they've escaped much of the erosion and are almost pristine. These give the amateur a real shock, coming upon an an- cient figure behind the Oregon grape. A tot of others are covered with moss in an area that’s been a games field for generations! Some scraping has revealed a few, but there must be all sorts of treasures still not exposed. Perhaps the Old Tribal People would think that was the best way. Shamans used these petrogiyph sites for inviting the spirits, and young warriors would go through their purification ceremonies in these sacred places. As those customs fade, so do the figures of monsters from the deeps, from the air, from the fields of imagina- tion. Is that perhaps ordained? For me and my companions it was a most unusual and pro- vocative experience. All these strange drawings stirred recot- lections amongst us Of sights seen in Egypt, in the caves of France, in the Peloponnesus. There was talk of Sumeria and Popocatapetl while these indomitable elders scrambled through the satal and the thistles and up and down old logging roads. We knelt on our old bones and made rubbings on a worn pillow- slip and felt a link, felt a connec- tion, and would have sworn we could see shadowy figures in amongst the trees and shrubs. Pretty exciting. And the list of more such available adventures is as long as life lasts. Gate Mount Seymour Soccer Association Registration for Boys aged 6-18 For more information call: "ADULT & ADOLESCENT ALCOHOL & DRUG COUNSELLING Brenda M. McDonail, BA. Cert. Indiv. Couns. Also specializing in ; * Depression « Eating Disorders « Codependen e Children of Addicted Parents « Separation an e Grief and Loss « For Appointment Cail 925-9680 Member, Canadian Guidance & Counselling Association. a ¥ Le Petit Montessori Academy Divorce would like to invite you to the Open House of their new school. Montessori Mes Petits Academy offers a 4-day program for children 3-5 years old. Our school is conveniently located in the Grand Blvd. area at the North Vancouver YMCA. 440 Hendry Ave. North Vancouver YOUTH BAND REGISTRATION Saturday, Sept. 7 & 14 at Highlands School from 9am to ncon The N.VY.B. is now recruiting young musicians ages 9 to 19 from Beginner (no musical exp.) to Junior, Intermediate and Senior. Bring instrument if possible. Fer more info, call Ron Smith at 929-3637 or write to PO. Box 54030, Lonsdale West, PO. N. Vancouver V7M 3L5 BE THE your money's worth |. and more CALL NOW 521-3011 “Limited Time Offer* We encourage you to register now for the school year 1991/92.