Mary's Personal Pages

Welcome family and friends to my personal page of pics, slideshows and movies of my beloved family and home.

For high speed users: The slideshows will take up to a minute to download.
For dial-up users: Slideshows will take too long to download. View pics instead and click to enlarge if you wish to see a bigger version of each.

If you can't play these movies and slideshows on your media player, please download a Quicktime free player. It is available for Mac and Windows.

Phil Keaggy - "Salvation Army Band" - I include this clip simply because I love to listen to this guy. He's amazing, and as an ex-Salvationist, the song really touches me.

A Favourite Song - My eldest daughter Erin is Mormon. She is also a wonderful musician, and we share the same taste in music. This song is one of her favourite LDS (Latter Day Saints) songs, and it has become one of mine.

Erin has experienced prejudice for being Mormon, just as I have experienced prejudice for being gay. This song is entitled "Walk Tall, You're a Daughter of God" and it speaks to my heart that we will always have people challenge us from time to time. But as long as we can remember that we are children of God, we are loved unconditionally by our Creator, and for that reason alone, we can walk tall, and be proud to be the person that God created us to be.

Click Here to listen, and then follow along with the words. (You may have to move the pop-up window out of the way.)

Walk Tall, You're A Daughter Of God
Words and Music by Jamie Glenn, sung by Janice Kapp Perry


Right now I have a prayer deep within my heart.
A prayer for each of you there is a special part
That you remember who you are and He who lives above
Please seek for Him and live His way; You'll feel His love.

Chorus
Walk tall you're a daughter, a child of God.
Be strong, and remember who you are.
Try to understand, you're part of His great plan.
He's closer than you know, reach up, He'll take your hand.

Long before the time you can remember,
Our father held you in His arms so tender.
Those loving arms released you as He sent you down to earth.
He said, "My child, I love you, don't forget your great worth."

(chorus)

This life on earth we knew would not be easy.
At times we lose our way, His path we may not see.
But remember always that you are not alone.
He'll take your hand, He loves you. He will guide you home.

(chorus)

Bev Sings At "Girlz Like That" BBQ - Labour Day Weekend 2005

I am blessed to have some of the BEST friends! My friend Bev, a terrific singer/songwriter (and numerous other talents and abilities), accompanied me to the Annual "Girlz Like That" BBQ this year. The "Girlz" are a great band, and their farm is just about 10 minutes up the road from my home.

Every Labour Day weekend (first weekend in Sept), they have a fabulous BBQ where they set up the sound system outside in the field. Lots of musicians come to the party and everyone who wants to, takes a turn at the mic. Bev did a whole set, and this is my favourite song.

The quality doesn't do her justice because I just recorded it with my little video camera, but you'll still be able to appreciate her talent.

My friend Jo-Ann, who was sitting beside me, was right into the spirit of things - as she always is - and you'll hear her joining in singing, playing the tambourine, and generally just whooping it up. We had so much fun!

Click here to watch Bev singing.

To add to the evening, the sky was quite spectacular that night.
Click here to see a pic.

PS: You can buy Bev's CD's as well as "The Girlz" CD through me.
Drop me an email if you'd like more information.

Edmonton Again With Spencer - July 2005.

This is the first movie I've loaded up on the website although I've taken lots since we arrived in Edmonton, but watch Spencer's feet in this as he goes down the big slide. Then play again and again till it cracks you up. Click here for a good laugh. It will take a few minutes to load.

My Favourite Pics of Grandson Spencer - up to May 2005.

He is now 20 months old. Click here to see the thumbnails. You can click on each thumbnail to enlarge.

Mary's House - Movie

There is a Garden MakeOver Contest that I have decided to enter. They require you to tell them why they should choose your house and you must include pics. I thought that I might have a bit of an edge if I tried to make a movie, so this is a first attempt - far from perfect, and compressed for the web so that the image is much smaller and fuzzier than what they will see. They will have a clear, full size movie.

I also compressed the sound quite a bit to reduce the file size (downloading time) so that it is not as clear as the original, but it will give you a little tour of my property.

This movie is fairly large so it may take at least 3 or 4 minutes even on a high speed internet connection. Watch the status bar along the bottom of your browser to see how quickly it is loading, or watch the spinning icon top right corner. As long as it is still spinning, the movie is loading. Have patience.

Update: Alas, the contest is over and I didn't win. Ah well, it was fun learning to make a movie.

Mary's House - Pics

My house is 147 years old. Being in a rural area, it was very cheap. $86,000 for 2,400 sq ft.!

When I bought it, it looked like a barn, or as a neighbour called it, a dark little rabbit hutch with lots of dirty little rooms. Well I love to renovate and I saw its potential, so I took out some walls, renovated the kitchen and bathroom and made a powder room out of what was a toilet in a closet. It had big planks with protruding knots for floors, so I laid underlay and then hardwood floors over top.

It only had two space heaters to heat the whole house, so I put in central heating which involved making a room for a furnace. I used part of the garage for the new furnace/laundry room, so now the garage is not big enough for the car, but it makes a great workshop. I have a passion for tools, so I have the BEST workshop.

The door to the garage was just two 4' x 8' pieces of plywood on broken hinges, so they didn't open, so I replaced them with an automatic garage door which I absolutely love.

Of course I fenced the property before we moved in so that the dogs would be safe. They have a dog door so they (and the cat) can go in and out as they please. I love my house and continue to do renovations on it as money permits.

Renovations - Pics

These are some before and after pics that I took of some of the renovations that I've done.

Odessa - Pics

I am blessed to live in a little piece of heaven called Odessa, ON Canada - population 320. I am surrounded by nature and lots of lakes and rivers. The farms vary from grain and vegetable farming to livestock including horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, deer, ostrich and buffalo, and of course lots of poultry.

The village has a post office and bank, and the best hardware store you could imagine. They carry a lot of food too, so it's almost like a little grocery store. The people are very friendly and nobody seems to have a problem with me being gay.

Our weather can get very warm in the summer. It's just that our summers aren't very long. I have always loved being a Canadian and have no wish to be American - YES! There is a HUGE difference between Canadians and Americans, but I do wish that Canada was just a little further south so that I could enjoy the nice weather that you get.   

New Decks Added To My House - Pics

I added a new upper deck to the house in 2000 which includes a shed with two access doors to store the snow blower and lawnmower and bicycles.

I removed a concrete sidewalk that broke the back yard into two sections, then removed the top soil in front of the old 30' shed and added it to the back yard. That prepared the second driveway for gravel and now brother George has a place to park and I have a place to keep my trailer.

A couple of years ago I added a cedar trellis to the long shed and planted Virginia Creeper against it. It is growing well and now covers the shed in beautiful green vines.

Mary's Animals - Pics

Al, my dear husband of 33 years has passed away. All my children are grown and have moved away. I thank God that I have my animals. Holly has now passed but she was with us for 19 years, so I think she deserves to have her pics here too.

All the other dogs and cat (Cobi) are rescued animals. Shiloh (lab/retriever) and Oscar (pointer/lab) are in their mid-teens now and Charlie (beagle) is about 10. Cobi cat is now 11. Shiloh is in congestive heart failure and renal failure and is now anemic, but she still plays like a puppy. Oscar has always been on meds for a thyroid problem so he's a little lethargic but he always has been. Charlie is in very good health, and is a very active, (scared-of-his-own-shadow) watch dog.

If you are considering getting a dog, I highly recommend getting a rescued dog. They make the very best pets!

Al's (my dear deceased husband's) First Family - Pics

God has blessed me with some new sons and grandchildren that up until recently I did not know existed. It seems that my dear husband Al was married before me and had three wonderful sons, Albert Jr., Mark and Wayne. Each of the boys has several children (and Albert and Mark have grandchildren), so my family has increased by leaps and bounds. For me, it is a little like having some of Al back again, since his sons look so much like him, as does his grandson Jason. I have put some pics of Al at the beginning so that you can appreciate the family resemblances. Please enjoy meeting my newest family members. I don't have pics of them all yet but I'm working on it.

Oct 31, 2004 - Spencer (13 mo old) pretends to be Tigger for Halloween.

Darling Spencer fell on the bathtub and broke his front tooth a little while ago. He is now affectionately referred to at his daycare as "trailer trash". Bless his little heart!

Enjoy the Pics of Spencer. Don't forget to click on them to make them bigger so you can see how beautiful my darling grandson is - or watch the Slideshow.

Thanksgiving 2004 - Clinton Goes Fishing with Nana and Aunt Shannon

Grandson Clint is now 9 yo and needs to get his fishing badge for cubs, so Nana offered to take him fishing while the family was visiting for Thanksgiving. Aunt Shannon brought 4 mo. old baby Stella to help us. We didn't catch anything this time, but perhaps next time.

Pics of Clint Fishing - 388 KB. Remember to click on the pic if you want to make it larger.

Aug/Sept 2004

God is so good. Landra took me with her again, to Edmonton this time, to babysit Spencer while she trained another client with a new guide dog. We were gone for most of the month of August. Spencer was MUCH more active this trip and was just learning to walk around the furniture, but not steady enough that I could take my eyes off him for a moment in case he fell. We spent lots of days at the park down the street in the baby swings. He just loves the swings. Pics in the pool are with his Dad (webmaster Jeff) and his Auntie Lauren (Landra's twin). I wonder if he knows who is Mom and who is Auntie. They look so much alike, I had to ask which one was in the pool with him. Last pics are in the tub with his rubber ducky, but OMA likes ducky too. Spencer is now 10 mo. old.

Enjoy the Pics of Spencer or watch the Slideshow.

Stella is now 3 months old and is getting to be a lot of fun. She is smiling all the time now and just starting to laugh. She drools all the time, just like her dear mother did 35 years ago. :-)

Enjoy the Pics of Stella or watch the Slideshow.

July 2004 - Lucky Nana

First Landra & Spencer came for a visit and then Shannon & Stella, all in the same week!    6 Pics - 212 KB    (Click on pic to make larger.)

June 2, 2004 - Hurray! Stella Arrives!

First daughter of Shannon and Mark and my first granddaughter!
Slideshow - 980 KB    Pics - 412 KB

Clinton's Page

Clint is now eight years old and I only started putting pics out this year, so I can't leave my very special FIRST grandson out, so here is Clint's first page of pics.     Slideshow - 564 KB     Pics - 792 KB

June, 2004 - Spencer Sits Up

Check out the flashy boxers. :-)    Slideshow - 536 KB     Pics - 208 KB

May 2004 - Spencer Laughing - Short Movie - 1.1 MB

This movie of Spencer laughing went on and on and on, and it was just so precious, but I had to shorten it and compress it so that it wouldn't take so long to download. It will make you laugh when you see it.

April 26, 2004 - Spencer Doesn't Like Beans!

Just 5 pics but they're precious!    Slideshow - 468 KB     Pics - 264 KB

April 2004 - God is soooooo GOOD!

Many of you will know that Landra trains guide dogs for the blind. A client in the beautiful Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, just outside of Osoyoos, needed to be trained. Landra needed a babysitter for Spencer while she worked, so BC Guide Dogs paid for me to accompany her. Who would believe it! Here I am, unemployed and have not had a holiday since 1998! God certainly does work miracles! To say that this was a holiday was an understatement. It was the holiday of a lifetime! So I have created 6 slideshows to share some of the highlights.

Landra's client Sue, her dog Pinta and husband Naga (Suna Farms) were the most wonderful, generous hosts, giving Landra and I our own separate house in which to stay. Sue has become much more than a client now. She is a real FRIEND!

Spectacular Scenery of BC                    Slideshow - 3.5 MB     Pics - 560 KB
The Orchard - 10 Acres of Fruit Trees    Slideshow - 3.9 MB     Pics - 1 MB
Sue, Pinta & Naga                               Slideshow - 1.3 MB     Pics - 360 KB
Sue & Naga's Beautiful Home 1            Slideshow - 2.9 MB     Pics - 700 KB
Sue & Naga's Beautiful Home 2            Slideshow - 3.1 MB     Pics - 816 KB
Spencer on Holidays in Osoyoos, BC     Slideshow - 1.7 MB     Pics - 1 MB

First Pictures Taken of Spencer John Scott Berwick
     - born October 9, 2003 to Landra & Jeff

     - birth to Dec '03 - hockey puck announcements
          SlideShow 1 (1.4 MB) or    Pics 1 (708 KB)

     - Dec '03 to Mar '04 - cradle built by Nana
          SlideShow 2 (2.1 MB) or    Pics 2 (1.1 MB)

     - March 14, 2004 - Nana's house
          SlideShow 3 (2.4 MB) or    Pics 3 (764 KB)

Music for Spencer's SlideShows is from his own CD, "A Smooth Road To London Town" by Kathy Reid-Naiman.

Music for all other SlideShows is by "JustMelMusic" which will soon be available for sale on the website.

Thanksgiving 2002 - pic of some of my family

Charlie's Ears - 20 sec. movie - trip to Picton soon after I got him - summer 2002 - Charlie has the biggest ears I have ever seen on a dog. He is soooo cute!
- 1.3 MB file size for downloading

From this point on, the pics/movies have absolutely nothing to do with me, other than that I think they are terrific, and I want to be able to share them with my good friends and family. So they are either humourous, or beautiful, or inspirational, or about animals, or whatever. The point is, I think that they are worth showing, and I really hope that you'll enjoy them.

Sand Drawing Artist - This is a link on another website. It is 18.4 MB which is huge, so dial-up users, forget it. High speed users, it will take about 3 - 5 minutes to download but it is definitely worth the wait!

This movie require Windows Media Player. Download here if you don't already have it installed.

Turn up the volume and sit back for 5 minutes of enjoyment to watch a talented sand drawing artist perform in Seoul. This is really quite spectacular!

Juggling Pianist - This is another 19 MB file, so those of you on dial up, sorry, you'd better forget it unless you have a lot of patience.

For many years, both my family and my lover's families went to the Fellowship of Christian Magicians Conferences every year, for a week of learning puppetry, magic, juggling, chalk art, balloon sculpture, etc, etc. to teach Sunday School using creative methods.

My daughter Shannon is a great juggler, and my ex-lover's husband, Paul, was also excellent. He used to juggle fire torches, and my husband was the BEST magician! So this fellow just brings back a little of my past and I'm very impressed with his talent.

Avista - cute commercial that I just loved
- significance to Lauren teaching English in Korea
- 1.7 MB file size for downloading

Kitty Easter Hats (204 KB) - has absolutely no significance except that I LOVE animals and these pics were just too cute not to show. Click each pic to enlarge if you wish.

Mary's Control Panels CPanel WHM Virtuozzo WebMail