Deana J. Driver's Blog, page 16

Homegrown and other poems book released

Ta da! Here's the latest book published by DriverWorks Ink!

Homegrown and other poems is written by Bryce Burnett (below), a rancher and well-known cowboy poet from Swift Current, Saskatchewan.


In Bryce's book, you'll read heartfelt poems about his family and community.
Bryce tells stories of the pioneers who settled in his region of the Prairies decades ago.
He also shares his love for the land, and his respect for the animals that help sustain his ranch and rural way of life.

There are 44 photos in the book - many of them were taken by Bryce Burnett - to go along with his 63 poems. Here are two excerpts from the book:



The poem below, Rubber Boots, is one of the many humorous poems in Bryce's book.

Ah, yes. The Homegrown poem continues on page 61 and The Rubber Boots poem/story doesn't end on the one page either. You'll have to buy the book to find out what happens next.
See more excerpts here.Buy the book here.

The metal silhouettes of Melville, Saskatchewan

As publishers of Prairie books, we've visited many communities in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba. This weekend, we were in Melville, Saskatchewan at a trade show hosted by the Melville Chamber of Commerce.

Melville is a 90-minute drive northwest of Regina and about half an hour south of Yorkton. We enjoyed the small-town feel of this city and the friendly people here.

One of the unique features of Melville is its metal silhouettes, produced by local welders. There are more than 30 metal statues placed throughout the city. We took photos of a few of them.
This silhouette stands in front of St. Henry's Church. I spoke to students at St. Henry's Jr. Elementary School on Friday afternoon, before the trade show started. The students were attentive and had many questions about my writing, our publishing company and specific books we've published.


This silhouette announces the Kung Fu studio.
This one stands at attention in front of the RCMP building.
This silhouette commemorates E.J. Motter, the first tradesman to set up shop in Melville. His plumbing firm was owned by the family from 1980 to 1978. 
You can't have statues - or silhouettes in this case - in a Prairie town without giving a nod to farming. This farmer is looking up to the sky for weather signs, for a better future. The silhouette is surrounded by historic wagon wheels, a walking plow, rock and native plants.
Our trade show was held at the Merv Moore Sportsplex. These skaters hold their places outside the building. 

Here are some friendly folks from the Melville Chamber of Commerce.
We had a great weekend in Melville. If you're ever in east central Saskatchewan, we highly recommend that you stop in this friendly city.

Celebrating Saskatchewan's 10-time Paralympian Colette Bourgonje

One of the most amazing events I've ever experienced was the 2010 Paralympic Games in Whistler, British Columbia. I was privileged to be there with Saskatoon author Mary Harelkin Bishop and some of her family as we cheered for Saskatchewan cross country sit-skier Colette Bourgonje, who was competing in her ninth Paralympic Games... AND... we launched Mary's book Moving Forward: The Journey of Paralympian Colette Bourgonje at the Saskatchewan Pavilion during the Games! What an exceptionally wonderful weekend!

Colette won two medals at those Games and was awarded the gold medal for the woman who most personifies the spirit of the Paralympic Games. What we didn't know then was that Colette was not yet done competing at the Olympic level. She is in Russia right now - to compete in her tenth Paralympic Games at Sochi 2014! We couldn't be more excited for her - but more about that later.

Colette was born in Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan, and was an accomplished athlete in several sports as a teenager. In 1980, just before her graduation from high school, Colette lost the use of her legs in a car accident. She quickly had to rethink her desire to become a phys ed teacher and athlete. The accident slowed her down for only a few days. She went on to become the first disabled student to graduate from the University of Saskatchewan and the first female student in a wheelchair to graduate in Physical Education from a Canadian university. She began competing internationally within 10 years and competed in her first Paralympic Games in 1992.

Paralympians are remarkable. They're talented, amazing, inspiring athletes who have overcome much - including their various disabilities. Here are some photos of my trip to the 2010 Paralympic Games. I hope you can catch some of the spirit that fills the Games.

The inukshuk welcomed us to Whistler, north of Vancouver, B.C., where the skiing events were held.

This plaque below the International Paralympic Committee symbol explains that the three symbols mean 'I move', with the centre point representing the IPC's role in bringing athletes together from across the world. 

Author Mary Harelkin Bishop (right) and I posed with the sign leading to the cross country ski venue. We were slightly disappointed to see 'Vancouver 2010' and 'Olympic' signs at the Whistler venue for the Paralympics, but we understood the costs involved in changing it all for the Paralympic Games. More than 2,500 athletes competed in the 2010 Olympics while about 600 athletes competed in the 2010 Paralympics.
The first Paralympic Games were held in Rome, Italy in 1960 and featured 400 athletes from 23 countries. In 1976, Örnsköldsvik, Sweden staged the first Paralympic Winter Games. The Games are now the second biggest sporting event in the world.                                                                              - History of the Paralympic Movement
Shortly before we arrived in Whistler, Colette's name went into the history books as the first-ever Canadian to win a Paralympic medal on home snow after she won the silver medal in the women's 10-kilometre sit-ski race. We were very excited for her and pleased that we would soon be watching her compete in a 5-kilometre event and a relay.
When we arrived at the cross country site, Mary and I happily noticed the flags of all the different countries.
We did our best to 'represent' our country. Go, Canada!Go, Colette! (Which is what our shirts said.)
Between the members of Colette's family (on the left standing below me and Mary) and Mary's family (everybody else in the photo), there was no confusion as to who these Canadians were supporting.

I will never forget being in those stands and seeing people from so many other countries. To our right and directly behind us, we met people from Japan, China, Italy and the United States. 


In front of us and to our left, we could reach out and touch people from Germany, Finland, Russia and more. It was quite overwhelming.
The skiers began their races in front of us, then went up the track to our right, turned and continued over the hills in front of us, then proceeded along the track into the trees to our left. Their progress was shown periodically on the giant screen, then finished their races in front of us again.

Colette is in the forefront here, heading to the right while warming up for a race.
I will never forget the feeling of joy and celebration that went through the stands every single time an athlete came to the finish line. The entire crowd stood up and cheered for every athlete - no matter whether they were the winner of the race or so far behind that everyone had to wait an few extra minutes for them to finish the race. The cheers and clapping were equally loud.
I watched in awe as athletes with only one leg crossed the finish line. Some had artificial legs. Some had no arms or only one arm. The big screen showed our hero Colette fall over on her sit-ski partway through the race. Somehow, this strong, courageous woman righted herself and, at age 48, still came in third in the 5-kilometre race - competing with athletes who were half her age. We couldn't believe our eyes.
I can barely stand up on cross country skis, and these Paralympians were defying the odds and working past so many barriers - perceived and real - to achieve such greatness. Talk about inspiring.

Colette and the other two medallists for the 5-km race received flowers and recognition at the site, then were given their medals at an evening ceremony (below).

The medals were presented, then we turned around to see the flags being raised.


A big screen captured the 5-km medallists for all to see. What a great image of Colette - on the left.
The next day, Mary Harelkin Bishop signed Moving Forward books at a Whistler bookstore.
Then we headed to the Saskatchewan Pavilion for an evening launch.
We were pretty excited to not only have two real-life Royal Canadian Mounted Police pose with us, but their stoic (wooden) counterpart as well. Many jokes were made about this stiff recruit, but none are appropriate to mention here. Seriously, though - did you know that every RCMP officer takes his or her training at the RCMP training centre in Regina, Saskatchewan? Yes, we're very proud of that fact.
The gracious RCMP officers also posed with Mary and Colette.
Colette and Mary then signed Moving Forward books, including this one for Dustin Duncan, Saskatchewan's then-minister of Minister of Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport.


 Mary (centre) and members of Colette's family listened as it was announced that Colette had just been named the female recipient of the 2010 Dr. Whang Youn Dai Award for the female who best embodies the spirit of the Paralympic Games.
Colette Bourgonje believes in sharing her love of sport, her desire to help others get physically active, and her rewards for doing so herself - including her Paralympic medals. Here, I was privileged to wear her bronze medal for a few moments while Mary Harelkin Bishop enjoyed wearing Colette's silver medal. Colette thought she'd be funny with a 'they took my medals' pose. 


As I mentioned earlier, Colette is in Sochi right now to compete in the 2014 Paralympic Games. We wish her well and we'll keep on cheering for her as she and fellow athletes compete for the love of sport and to encourage physical activity for all ages and abilities. Colette says it best herself in this wonderful Canadian Tire video that shares her journey to the 2014 Games.
You can also read Colette's Canadian Paralympic Committee bio here.
Go, Colette!

Way to go, Prairie Women On Snowmobiles!

On February 4, Al and I were honoured to once again hang out with the inspiring eight-time cancer survivor Dionne Warner and her wingman/husband Graham. This time, we were at a fundraising event in Regina, Saskatchewan for Prairie Women On Snowmobiles . These 10 warm-hearted Saskatchewan women were in the midst of their eight-day journey through Saskatchewan to raise money for breast cancer research.

We were pleased to attend the fundraiser and support these women on their quest. We were also pleased they had invited our favourite multiple-cancer survivor to be the guest speaker for their event in Regina. Dionne is the subject of our award-winning best-selling book Never Leave Your Wingman , by the way.

Here is a photo essay of that evening. Enjoy!

The women who participate in this ride come from different communities in Saskatchewan. Some have joined for the first time this year and others have participated in the ride in other years as well. The 2014 trek had riders from eight different communities. They met in Prince Albert, then took the zig-zag route down south and were heading back up north again, ending their ride in Nipawin.

Eight-time cancer survivor had a visit with Gerri Moeller of Meadow Lake, SK, the lead rider for the 2014 trek. Although a little fuzzy, this photo shows the Prairie Women on Snowmobiles crest, which the riders, pit crew and executive proudly wear on their vests.

We were all touched when the Prairie Women On Snowmobiles asked breast cancer survivors to come forward to receive one of their pins. Here, eight-time survivor Dionne Warner receives her pin. Standing behind Dionne is Linda Rattray, who is another strong, breast cancer survivor from Regina.

What a nice moment for these courageous survivors!

Shortly after arriving at the event, PWOS rider Sancia Diebel of North Battleford came up to us and asked, "What is DriverWorks Ink? It sounds familiar to me and it's driving me crazy!" We laughed and recalled that we met each other at the North Battleford Agri-Mex Home, Trade and Farm Show last year, where we had a booth to sell our books (and we'll be there again from April 3-5 this year).What makes Sancia special - aside from the facts that she put her life on hold for 10 days to participate in this ride and that she remembered meeting us somewhere before? Sancia is from England and came to Saskatchewan nine years ago, following a 'cowboy' and making her new home in North Battleford. England's loss is definitely our gain.

All of the riders introduced themselves and told us why they were participating in the Prairie Women On Snowmobiles 2014 ride. They've lost moms, grandmas, godmoms, sisters, and friends to this disease. It's a cause near to their hearts, and to ours.
It was time for Dionne Warner to share her story of being diagnosed with breast cancer at age 30, and overcoming not only that but seven diagnoses of other cancers since. 
You could have heard a pin drop as Dionne shared her story of courage, love and hope.
"I'm never gonna give in. I'm never gonna give up, and I will fight back with every breath I have," Dionne said.

Prairie Women On Snowmobiles' treasurer Shannon Scott thanked Dionne for her words of strength and encouragement.
Prairie Women On Snowmobiles' president Carol Lueken shared statistics about the ride, which began in 2000 and has raised more than $2 million for breast cancer research to date! Way to go, ladies!
Here are the riders for this year, joined by Dionne and Graham Warner. Graham is the tall guy in the back row. Bet you don't hear that too often, do you, Graham?
Al and I posed with Dionne and Graham, surrounding the executive of this wonderful organization. (They're holding our Never Leave Your Wingman book. Nice, huh?)From left to right: Al and I, Wanda Kiefer, Carol Lueken, Shannon Scott, Dionne and Graham Warner.
Thank you for the invitation to this great fundraiser, Prairie Women On Snowmobiles.Ride on, ladies!

Time to Do Something About Cancer, World!

It's World Cancer Day and, frankly, I wish this day didn't exist.

I wish there was no such thing as cancer and that we didn't all have to even think about it. 

But wishes are wishes and this is reality. Cancer exists and we have to join together in this battle to raise awareness, to work on prevention, and to raise funds to beat this evil disease.

People are being diagnosed all the time. Canadian Cancer statistics note that:

• An estimated 187,600 new cases of cancer (excluding about 81,700 non-melanoma skin cancers) and 75,500 deaths will occur in Canada in 2013. 

• More than half (about 52%) of all new cases will be lung, breast, colorectal and prostate cancers. 

• Cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada and is responsible for about 30% of all deaths.

• About 2 in 5 Canadians will develop cancer in their lifetimes and 1 in 4 will die of the disease. 

Frankly, that sucks.

But here's some good news:

• 63% of Canadians diagnosed with cancer will survive at least 5 years after their diagnosis. 

• At the beginning of 2009, there were about 838,724 Canadians living with a cancer that had been diagnosed in the previous 10 years.


And we're making more strides all the time to eradicate this disease or at least reduce it to the level of a disease that isn't so devastating or so deadly.

I enjoyed this article listing 10 Things We Can Do About Cancer, including how to live well, take care of ourselves, take care of others, and support the cause. 

My mother died of pancreatic cancer in 2011. We have also lost numerous other family members and friends to this horrid disease. Enough, I say.


Tonight, we're going to a fundraising event to support the Prairie Women on Snowmobiles as they ride through Saskatchewan and raise money for breast cancer research.  Eight-time cancer survivor Dionne Warner, the inspiring subject of my book Never Leave Your Wingman, is speaking at the event. My husband (and book publishing partner) Al and I will be there with Dionne her wingman, her husband Graham, and we will keep on spreading her story of hope and courage in this journey.

Let's keep on spreading hope and fighting cancer, world. Enough, I say.

The inspiring Dionne Warner, subject of the Never Leave Your Wingman book.

Pobody's Nerfect #5 -

As in all things, pobody’s nerfect... er... nobody’s perfect in the process of writing. But it is important to strive to be accurate, to use correct spelling and to fix typographical errors, and to use the correct words and phrases for what is intended.
These are lessons I’ve learned along the way related to the use of words and phrases. I hope they help you in your writing.
1.     Alternate – alternative. Alternate, used as a noun, means something used when the first item is not available. e.g. The book I wanted from the library wasn’t available, so I found an alternate. Alternative is used when there is more than one option. I don’t like French fries, so I ordered salad as the alternative. Also, see this explanation.
2.     Immigrant – emigrant. An immigrant is a person who comes toa country. An emigrant comes from one country to another one. Here’s another explanation.
3.     Accept – except. Think of the word ‘acceptance’ when you consider using the word ‘accept’. It means to welcome someone or something, such as accepting an invitation or an award, for example. Think of the word ‘exception’ when you consider using the word ‘except’. Except is used to differentiate one item from all the rest. e.g. All the towels were blue, except for one that was white. 
4.     Affect – effect. ‘Affect’ is most commonly used as a verb – to affect something – while ‘effect’ is most commonly used as a noun – the effect of what happened. Here’s an Oxford blog link to give further explanations and examples. When you affect something, you effect a change, says this blog.
5.     More than – over. Less than – under. When discussing a quantity, such as 10 carrots compared to seven carrots, the correct phrases are ‘more than’ and ‘less than’. When discussing an object’s relation to another, use ‘over’ and ‘under’. Think of these words as short forms of ‘over top’ and ‘underneath’. ‘The bridge is over the water. There are more than a dozen fish in the water. I placed my shoes under the table. There are less than three shoes under the table.’
6.     Ensure – insure. To ensure is to make certain. To insure is to guard against financially. For some great examples and the addition of the word ‘assure’ as well, see this link.

One of my journalism instructors taught me this: If in doubt, leave it out. 
I’ll add to that: If unsure, look it up. I know it doesn’t rhyme, but it makes sense. Use a dictionary, a thesaurus, or the Internet (find a reputable site) to make sure you are using the right words when you write. You see what I did there – right and write?
Okay. Good writing, everyone!

Swiss Cows, French Statues & World Peace - Blog Part 14

Switzerland! The last country we visited on our exciting European adventure. I was SO EXCITED!

I'm the Never Leave Your Wingman book and I've been blogging about our summer trip to Europe. I wasn't nearly as excited about seeing Switzerland as my author Deana and her husband, Publisher Al. They were anxious to see this country known for its alps, independence and beauty.





Where does Swiss chocolate come from?  Swiss cows, of course!
We saw Swiss bison, too. That was unexpected.
Here I am, sitting on the dash of our rental vehicle, watching the world outside - including this Swiss ambulance.
We stopped at this shopping mall which extended over the highway. We wanted to see if we could buy a small souvenir of Switzerland without breaking our budget. Switzerland is expensive, you see. We'd already paid 40 Swiss francs (about $40 Canadian) for a permit to drive through Switzerland that day. 
We bought a quick lunch at a Burger King in the highway mall. One Whopper meal with fries and a drink plus an additional Whopper burger cost 24 Swiss francs - about $25 Canadian! That's probably close to double what it would have cost in Canada. You could have knocked our sandals off with a feather at that point!
Speaking of footwear... ...we saw these fashionable shoes in a mall shop and I had to pose for a photo with them. My subject - seven-time cancer survivor Dionne Warner - loves shoes, so I just couldn't help but think of her when I saw these shoes. Especially the pink ones. Have I said before that I LOVE PINK! I have? Well, there you go.
Have I said I also love silly things... like this cow and calf that were advertising a store in the mall. I wanted to get a close-up look at them. They're not the kind of cattle you see every day. 
Nor do you see this sight every day...   ...two balloons randomly hanging around in an elevator in a mall. It puzzled me and my author, so we took a photo. Just because.


So here you'll see my author/publisher and Publisher Al just standing by our rental vehicle in the Switzerland shopping mall parking lot. Again - just because.

A short while after our drive through Switzerland, we arrived in the town of Colmar, France. A woman we met at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris told us that we should visit Colmar because it is so beautiful. So we decided to follow her advice.We knew pretty much nothing about the town except that it is in the Alsace region of France, near Germany's Black Forest. So imagine our surprise when we saw this view at a roundabout (traffic circle) on the northern edge of the town as we got closer to our hotel. Yep. It's a replica of the Statue of Liberty. In France!
Why, you ask? 

Well... Auguste Bartholdi is the man who created the Statue of Liberty that sits in the harbour near New York City. And he was born in Colmar, France. So this is the world's largest replica of the statue. It was unveiled in 2004 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Bartholdi's death.
We were among many, many passersby who stood in front of that 12-metre-high statue for a photo. Can you see me in this photo?
How about now?

Colmar calls itself 'La Petite Venice'. It does have a couple of canals. Pretty but definitely 'petite' compared to Venice or Bruges even.
This corner honours local artist Bartholdi. 
This hat honours.... um... storks?
My author and I found this statue to be quite fascinating. It is called Monument Pfeffel. Theophile-Conrad Pfeffel was born in 1736 and lost his sight in 1757. The monument says he "devoted his life to literature and teaching: in 1773 he founded a military academy for training young Protestants unable to attend the Royal Academy, and in 1803 was made president of the Evangelical Consistory of Colmar. He left a collection of poems, fables, stories and short stories. This statue which was made by Charles Geiss in 1927 is a sandstone copy of the original work by Andreé Friedrich (1859)."
Colmar has some beautiful historic buildings, like this chruch, ...  
Fancy door knockers...
... interesting intricate latches for window shutters...
... and a camel? Yeah, it surprised me, too. I think it was outside a Moroccan-themed restaurant. Publisher Al looks like he wants to take it for a walk, doesn't he?













What’s on the menu at this restaurant? Well, there's pork ... And me!
Thumbs up from the chef. Thank you, kind sir.



So Colmar, France marked the end of our wonderful trip to Europe. We returned our rental vehicle to the agency in Frankfurt, Germany. Publisher Al drove 9,348.3 kilometres during five and a half weeks. We saw parts of eight countries plus Vatican City and Monaco and had an absolutely wonderful time. 


We boarded our Condor plane for the long flight home, and enjoyed the view en route.
We flew over Greenland and Baffin Island - two more places I thought I'd never see.








We landed in Calgary and transferred to a WestJet flight to Regina.

Home Sweet Home.  The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) train in Regina, so this mighty moose is a reminder of that fact.  
Oh, yeah - the Saskatchewan Roughriders won the 2013 Grey Cup ... on their home field in Regina this fall. It had nothing to do with our trip but everything to do with where we live. Go Riders!  
So that's it. This is the final blog in my series. I hope you enjoyed following me as I revisited my Excellent European Adventure with my author and publisher. I had fun reliving our trip and showing you some of the sights we saw and emotions we experienced.
So...  with a French macaron tree...
...and a prayer candle we lit in a church in France, 
...we wish you and your loved ones a blessed holiday and a wonderful 2014.
We especially wish you and the whole world Peace.

From Concentration Camp to German Castles - Blog Part 13

When my author/publisher Deana Driver and her husband (Publisher Al) planned their special vacation in Europe for this past summer, they knew that visiting a concentration camp was one of the stops they wanted to make on their journey. They took me - the Never Leave Your Wingman book - along on this day, and this is my report of what we saw at the camp memorial site in Dachau, Germany. (I've been blogging all fall about our trip. Here's my first blog in the series.)
Dachau Concentration Camp was the first of about 20 such camps in Germany set up by Adolf Hitler's regime during the Second World War. The camp was built for 12,000 prisoners but from 1933 to 1945, more than 200,000 prisoners went through the camp. About 40,000 of them died there. Prisoners were experimented on, starved, beaten, tortured, shot by firing squads, and horribly abused using methods that were later used in other concentration camps.We spent about two hours walking through the memorial site, looking at the remaining and reconstructed buildings, and visiting the museum. It was all very sad.
This is the International Monument art installation to commemorate the prisoners of Dachau. In the background are two reconstructed barracks buildings. This monument says it all - Never Again.
Here`s my author in front of the barracks. A guard tower and section of the outer wall are behind her.

The prisoners were packed so tightly in the barracks that they slept head to foot on these bunks.    


This is where the other 32 barracks buildings used to sit, behind the first two that have been reconstructed.

The crematorium building on the left is yet another testament to the terror. On the right, a photograph shows when it was in use.
There are 12 stops along a Path of Remembrance leading from the concentration camp memorial into the town of Dachau. We could only walk to the first seven before we were overwhelmed with sadness and had to head back to our vehicle.
 The town of Dachau itself is more than 1,000 years old. This article answers some of the questions we had about how the people of this town could live in a community with such a horrid history. Survivors, history buffs and members of the new generation are honouring the history while trying to move on from the past.



We left Dachau the following day and headed for the town of Füssen in the Bavaria region of Germany. Here, we expected to see hills, mountains and beautiful castles. We were not disappointed.Oh, we saw several Ausfahrts, too.
Publisher Al is the one who drove us everywhere on our long European vacation - and he couldn't stop himself from laughing every time he saw one of these signs - Ausfahrt.Fahrt is German means ride or drive. Ausfahrt is the exit. Einfahrt is entrance. But that didn't stop Al from smiling at each one of these signs. It’s a guy thing.

Sights near Füssen include the mountains...
...all variety of bird houses on the side of a large building....
a lovely river...
...and unique treats like these large cookie balls.

My author bought a couple to try them out. She didn't like them, but at least she tried.
It’s always fun when a local person takes an interest in me - in this case, a local statue.Did you notice she even put aside her own book to check me out?
Ah yes. While she is reading me, her friends are having fun with the watering can.What a fun idea for a statue.
“Prost!” says Publisher Al, as he hoists a glass of beer at our German hotel. 
“Yummmmm!” said Publisher Al and author Deana, when they enjoyed homemade apple strudel – complete with both whipped cream and ice cream – the only way to eat strudel in Germany! 
And now it`s off to the first of two amazing castles.

Here are my publishers on the grounds of the Hohenschwangau castle. It was the childhood home of King Ludwig II, who as an adult spent 18 years building the opulent Neuschwanstein castle you see in the background. I’ll tell you about that castle later.
Castle Hohenschwangau is a beautiful castle...
...overlooking the town and providing a breathtaking view.We weren’t allowed to take photos of the inside of the castles, so you`ll have to either do a Google search or take my word for it - they were ridiculously plush and amazing.
These are some of the gorgeous flowers in its garden and, at the bottom of the hill...
...we were surprised to see this lonely swan swimming so close to the shore of Lake Alpsee.Schloss Hohenschwangau means High Swan County Palace, and the castle walls are full of references to swans. So I wondered if this swan was raised there to be part of the local story or if the swans came first and continue to make this their home. Hmmm...


This is one side of the Neuschwanstein Castle. It’s amazing already and we haven't even gone inside!  
The front of the Neuschwanstein Castle is only visible by air from the opposite mountain, or in this glimpse from a nearby viewing spot. Walt Disney based his Sleeping Beauty Castle on this incredible German palace. He sent artists to Neuschwanstein to take photographs and to make sketches of the castle. When they returned to the U.S., they created the famous Disneyland castle from those images.

Neuschwanstein as seen from below.
Paintings in the town’s shops offer idyllic views of this spectacular castle.
While inside Neuschwanstein Castle, we saw people walking on Mary`s Bridge - which provides a great view of the castle as well as the waterfall in the gorge below the bridge.We did not walk across that bridge. I don’t like heights - or being on a bridge high above a waterfall. This pretty picture will have to do for a memory of that spot.
“What’s that, you say? This is a good book?”
Ah, yes. My story does make people – or in this case, horses - fall in love all over again and my story gives them hope. Isn't that nice?
So that pretty much finishes our adventures in Germany for the summer - except for catching our flight home from Frankfurt, but that will only be a stopover night. 
From here, it’s on to Switzerland and France for a couple of days - and  then home!Stay tuned...

Never Leave Your Wingman book visits Prague - Blog Part 12

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine myself going to the Czech Republic. But then again, I'm a book - and I never imagined going anywhere other than home with people in a book bag, to be read and enjoyed and shared with those they love and care about. Usually, that sharing involves someone who is fighting cancer or has been affected in some way by cancer.

You see - if you haven't been following my blogs this fall, - I am a book about an inspiring, fun-loving, walking miracle. Dionne Warner is a seven-time cancer survivor in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, who dresses in costume and dances into her chemotherapy treatments with a smile on her face and joy in her heart. Alongside her is her wingman - her equally fun-loving husband Graham - who is also dressed in costume to support his beloved Dionne and help her bring hope and laughter to everyone she meets on the journey.

This is Dionne and Graham Warner during two of the 78 costumed 'themes' they'd had by the time I was written and published in summer 2012:



But enough about them for now. This is about me. And Prague, Czech Republic.

My author/publisher Deana Driver and her publisher/husband Al Driver travelled to Europe this summer and took me along for the journey of a lifetime. I've been blogging about our travels (see my first blog in the series), and we've visited eight countries to this point: Austria, Italy, France, Monaco, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany - not necessarily in that order. Well, Vatican City might be considered a country, too - so make that nine.

And here we are, in Prague, Czech Republic - a city resplendent with beautiful old buildings, incredible bridges over the Vltava River, and culture that just oozes from every corner.

The hotel we stayed in was built in 1895 - see the date in the floor tiles at the bottom of the stairs. The country of Canada - where I live - was founded in 1867, just a few short years before that. Wow. We could just feel the history that these walls must have seen. 

We smiled when we noticed the name of this place – Typical Czech Restaurant. I wonder what all the other restaurants in Prague are like if this one is typical.
We saw this bridal shop on our way downtown... ...so that reminded me of this little ditty:

"Something Old...
...Something New...
...Something Boar-owed (hee hee)...
...Something....  Pink...?" Sure, why not? I LOVE PINK!
Everybody loves pink!
Moving on.... 
In Prague, we saw a likeness of Hermes . I love his winged headgear. 
The downtown market had fruit and vegetables for sale, as well as a new treat we'd never seen before -   ... a long strip of pastry dough that was wrapped around a spindle and baked over coals, then sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.
This Czech-style doughnut was very yummy!
My author and Publisher Al also tasted wild boar sausage in the Prague marketplace. “Tastes like pork, except more free-range,” quipped my author. (She thinks she’s funny.)

This man was working with his loom in the marketplace.

This woman was making glass jewelry.
The Rudolfinum in Prague was designed as an art gallery and housed the Czechoslovak Parliament in 1918-1938. It was showcasing the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra the day we were there. I loved the winged creatures on and around the building.


Now this is not a girly-girl statue.It reminded me of one of my cancer survivor’s favourite new songs by Katy Perry – ‘Roar’. I am sure that if this statue could make noise, it would definitely ROAR! You go, girl!
Oh, and this man. Oh my.   He reminded me of the strong, handsome man I met in Barcelona. Ooh, I get shivers just thinking of him again. Sigh…


The 600-year-old Charles Bridge is the most famous of Prague's bridges. It has 16 arches and is adorned with 30 stone statues along its edges. 

Before we crossed the bridge, we met this young lady. She was inviting passersby to go on a river cruise - on a boat called 'Regina'! How cool was that? I was pleased when she offered to hold me for this photo.
On our way up to the Prague Castle, we saw this couple getting their feet cleaned by fish in a tank in an Asian shop.  It kind of creeped me out actually - but they said it tickled.
This woman was painstakingly hand-painting the lines on a huge door to one of the homes/businesses we saw on our way up to the castle.
The castle has several magnificent buildings on its grounds, including St. Vitus Cathedral. We were intrigued by many of them, but we had to giggle when we stopped for a sit-down break and saw this...
This young man’s private parts are definitely not private. In fact, every third person who passes by this statue in a courtyard at the Prague Castle stops to grab hold of his protruding part – to the point (ooh, sorry for the bad double entendre) that it has become quite the shiny bronze part compared to the rest of his tarnished body. We had to smile watching the various reactions of passersby – everything from shocked to disgusted to hilariously gripping the part and posing for photographs. People-watching is always fascinating.
The view from the Prague Castle is really something to behold. Although this guard did a good job of pretending he didn't care so much about anything around him, my publishers enjoyed the view. 


Holy Heels, Ladies! These Czechoslovakian woman walked downtown for at least 20 blocks in front of us on Prague's cobblestone streets and sidewalks – in these shoes! I was impressed.
We also saw what might be the oldest busker in Europe. He couldn't sing very well, but he sure could play.
 Don’t ask me what a life-sized shark is doing in the middle of downtown Prague. 'Freaking people out' would be my guess.
We saw this fellow, hanging from a harness and using a sander to polish the copper on these balconies. He yelled at passersby to stay out from underneath him as the corroded bits fell to the sidewalk below him.

Well, that's enough from Prague for now. So from my author, her solid friend, and me - 

Thanks for taking in the scenery with us. I'll see you again soon.

Our Inspiring Cancer Survivor's book visits Berlin - Blog Part 11

Berlin. Capital city of Germany, more than 3.4 million people and tons of rich history. No wonder we were so busy and overwhelmed when we were there this summer.

Hi. It's the Never Leave Your Wingman book  again, and I am reporting to you from this intriguing city that is such a contrast of styles and stories - incredibly modern mixed with remnants of Communism and old-war history. So in case you haven't been following my blogs up to this point - I am the true story of a seven-time cancer survivor in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, who dressed in costumes and danced into her chemotherapy treatments alongside her supportive husband - her wingman - when she was fighting Stage IV liver, lung and bone cancers in 2009 and 2010. Her name is Dionne Warner (her husband is Graham Warner), and she is very much alive and well. She still dances into her chemo treatments for her eighth cancer diagnosis - liver cancer again - but that's not what this blog is about today.

As I said, I'm a book and I was written by author/editor/book publisher Deana Driver, and she is the person who usually writes this blog. But this summer, she surprised me and took me in her backpack as she and her husband, whom I call Publisher Al - because that's his name, and he is Deana's husband and business partner in their company DriverWorks Ink ... Oh, wait. Where was I? Oh, yes. I was in Regina, Saskatchewan, when they scooped me up and took me with them to Europe on their once-in-a-lifetime adventure this summer. So I've been blogging about what I (and we) saw and did in Europe.

So here we are in Berlin.
Well, okay, that really wasn't our FIRST view of Berlin, but you gotta admit he's kinda cute. And the German guy beside him wearing Lederhose is also kinda handsome. Ha Ha Ha!
Okay, seriously now. The random parking was something we still weren't quite adjusted to, even after we'd spent several weeks in Europe.
But my author took an immediate liking to these little guys - the 'Walk' and 'Don't Walk' characters that appear on many of Berlin's traffic light stands.
Turns out the little guy is called Ampelmann. He came to life in East Germany and became very popular. His popularity increased even more when there was a move to replace him for more traditional pedestrian 'walk' symbols after the 1990 reunification of Germany. Public outcry ensured that his image is now in Western and Eastern Berlin and merchandise bearing his likeness is extremely popular.


My author thought she would see if she could be Ampelmann.
Um... No.

Berlin was heavily bombed during the Second World War and there are many modern buildings...

...mixed with some more traditional-looking styles. But what is most striking about Berlin is the vibrancy of its people, who are constantly building, rebuilding, and preserving the history of this most historical place.
This chalk artist was representing the scene in front of him - the rebuilding or constant building of his city.
In 1933, the Third Reich burned 20,000 books that came from Humboldt University's library. This made me sad. I had to sit down and think about that for a while.
I was also sad to see the many plaques in the sidewalk outside the university that honoured many professors who died during the war - many in concentration camps.

It lifted my spirits to see this angel...
...and this one.
The Reichstag is Germany's parliament building and features the most incredible glass dome. Here's Publisher Al and my author outside the dome. This is what we saw inside the dome as we walked up the spiral walkway around the dome. The Reichstag uses solar energy and the dome has a large screen attached to its centre piece which moves with the sun. We enjoyed the audioguide as we walked up to view Berlin from the rooftop.
Berlin is a city of memorials. This is a 2005 art installation of 2,711 gravestone-like concrete pillars to honour and remember the Murdered Jews of Europe.
The pillars are of all shapes and sizes. A walk through these pathways, complete with hills and valleys, fills one with awe, sadness and gratitude.

With this beautiful historic church as a backdrop, these circular displays honour some of Berlin's builders, intellectuals, artists and teachers who died during the Second World War.

My author and I were particularly moved by the memorial on the top here. Else Ury was one of Germany's 'best-known and widely read' children's book authors. 'She was deported to Auschwitz and murdered immediately after her arrival.' Writing this blog led me and my author to find this wonderful tribute to Else Ury. It made us happy to read about this talented author's life and how she is being remembered.
The most common tourist attractions in Berlin are the Brandenburg Gate... 

...Checkpoint Charlie... 
 ...and the Berlin Wall.  We saw several different sections of the Wall which stood from 1961 to 1989, separating West and East Germany. Above was a section at a memorial near Checkpoint Charlie.
Here's a piece with murals and memorials on it. Passersby could get their passport stamped here - for a fee - with the original East Berlin visa. We didn't bother. We looked at and read the concrete wall instead.


This section of the wall is still in its original position but is now protected from the 'woodpeckers' who came and chipped away sections of the wall for souvenirs and resale after 1989. 
And this was our favourite section of the Berlin Wall - the East Side Gallery. It is the biggest remaining stretch of the Wall, covering 1.3 kilometres. With more than 100 paintings by artists all over the world, this International Memorial For Freedom is known as the 'world's longest open air art gallery'.  We'll let the art speak for itself...




I was delighted to see another artist working on his piece. Very cool.
So that's it for this part of our wonderful Europe trip. For now, we'll say goodnight - from beautiful, vibrant, complex Berlin.

I'll see you again soon.