I Float

This picture was taken in St. Pierre and Miquelon, French islands off the coast of southern Newfoundland. My first trip there was only a few years ago (I’ve been back several times), and I couldn’t believe I had been missing out (on all the croissants and red wine!) all these years. It truly is a beautiful place with a great European feel. Anyone with extended time touring the province might want to consider making the extra trip. It takes about an hour on the ferry to get there from Fortune, Newfoundland, which is about a 4 hour drive from our cottages, or you can take an airplane from St. John’s.

Here I am on my first visit, on a day trip to the Ile aux Marins. The tour guide said the translation of “Fluctuat Nec Mergitur” was “I float; I do not sink.” This felt like this could have been my personal motto, so I posed for the shot. Wikipedia has since informed me this phrase is the motto of Paris, and that the direct translation is “He who rises with the wave is not swallowed with it.” Both are profound, and, I hope, a reflection on how I have tried to live my life.