Ontario Trip Summary

From this...

My recent trip to Ontararario was really lovely.  The flight out was sunshine all the way, from soon after take off, until we started our descent into Hamilton where it was, unfortunately, a little cold and snowy.

... to on the ground in Hamilton.

As my host for the weekend, I was met at Hamilton International Airport by my sister Sandra, and from there we went to pick up my niece at university - only 20 minutes away.  Both she and her brother were coming 'home' for dinner as it was Sandra's birthday, and there was a family dinner booked as an enticement.  Luckily, I was invited to join them at dinner - a local Thai restaurant!

While celebrating my sister's birthday in person was a bonus, the primary motivation for my trip was to visit with my mother, Jane, who is living in a retirement home in Dundas. I had not yet seen The Georgian Retirement Home, nor had I been able to visit her there. It is a small facility with only about 100 residents, all of whom seem very pleasant and friendly. The building itself is lovely and even though the grounds were covered with a layer of snow, I could see it has a nice garden to stroll through in the warmer weather.

Well, Mom looked great and was always a gracious hostess, showing me around the facility, taking me for walks up and down the hall, and sitting quietly for many a visit in her suite.  We spent some quality time together and I really enjoyed spending the time alone with her.

Mom: all dressed up and nowhere to go.

I cannot say I envy anyone living in a retirement home, mostly because it is not really 'home.'  Even if some of your stuff is there, family visits you there, you sleep and eat there, and it has all the comforts of home - it will never, not really, be your home. It's not where your heart is - and there's nothing you can do about it. And that must be a huge disappointment. And disappointment is not what anyone is hoping for in the waning years. Which is why visiting my Mom was so important to me.  I believe our visits together were full of hope, and love, and even a few laughs. She and I have had a lot of fun and many, many laughs together over the years and it was wonderful to share a few more on a cold January day, even if it was only half a dozen visits over  a period of 4 days.

As an added bonus to the visits with my Mom, my brother and his family invited me to Sunday dinner at their house in Oakville.  The food was wonderful, the table was gorgeous and the kids were hilarious!  We played a new board game after dinner and I (predictably) came in dead last. What was that game called again?? Can't remember. Something to do with trying to guess what the person with the card would answer to the question they pick from a selection of 4. And then all the players get to 'bet' on which answer would be most likely true.  I have to say that trying to figure out what is going on in a teenager's mind is way beyond my current skill set.  Luckily, brother Graham and Cheryl seemed to have a good handle on it, though.

Additionally, on my last day in 'the east', my aunt Ann braved the weather wilds of southern Ontario and made the 1.5 hour drive from Toronto to Dundas to share a birthday lunch with Sandra, as well as sneak in a short visit with me.  She would finish the trip with a visit to see Jane at The Georgian in the afternoon before heading back to TO.

I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to visit with my mother, my sister and her family, my brother and his family, and my mother's sister, Ann, on this trip. I am a lucky, lucky person to have such a wonderful family.  Life is good.

Ann, Sandra and I after a birthday lunch
celebration in Dundas.

Lindsay doing what she does so
well - challenging the crowd.

Keith checking in with his peeps.

Sandra and Bill all dressed up to go to a fairly
formal 90th birthday party.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any photos at Graham and Cheryl's house.  Graham and Janine took at the photos. I imagine some of them were pretty goofy, if memory serves me correctly, so we may never see them!

Unpaid Vacation

Judith was awarded the picnicker of the month award for randomly finding this new spot.

Cruising south for a couple nights on the inside of Vancouver Island.

My cruising hosts. The Skipper, Chef, and Cruise Director.

Cruise Director or Skipper, you be the judge.

The second best part of cruising is when your lovely wife picks you up, and whisks you away for a picnic lunch.

The boat was fun for sure, but walking around in the mountains with Judith tops it all.

Yup, it was thirty plus degree's and we needed a swim at six thousand feet above sea level.

Mount Washington Ski Hill.

August in a nutshell - Part 8

Found these during an after work walk in Beacon Hill Park.

Another lovely evening at the beach (Clover Point).

August 27 - Peter gets his hair cut en plein air at the James Bay Saturday Market.

After a day's walkabout, we had a light dinner and watched the clips from Jack Layton's state funeral.

Dunlins racing up and down the beach scouring the sand for bugs at Willows Beach.

August in a nutshell - Part 5

Aug 13 - mmmmm, roasted bananas for breakfast.

Aug 13 morning - we drove out to La Push, which is on the other side of the Quillayute River mouth about one mile south of Rialto Beach.  Here you can see we are waiting for the fog to burn off and testing the water.

Aug 13 afternoon - Just after our picnic lunch at the beach the sun managed to shine through.  Here we were visited by a flock of pelicans.

Aug 13 - a view toward the mouth of the Quillayute River.

Aug 14 - time to leave the campsite and head back to Port Angeles. On the way out of the Olympic National Park, we stopped at the Salmon Cascades on the word of a young Park Ranger that she had seen salmon jumping.  We did in fact see salmon jumping and in this photo you can just see one below the surface of the water. Really!

Aug 14 - in Port Angeles the Snikles dropped PeJu off at the ferry terminal for their ride home. Here is Peter all packed up and ready to go!

Aug 14 afternoon - after a lovely sunny ride back to Victoria we arrive at the breakwater. So many times PeJu have stood on that very breakwater and waved at the Blackball ferry!

August in a nutshell - Part 2

On the ride over whales were spotted.  Here everyone is waiting for the whales to surface again - except for Alex.

Aug 11 - Our first view of Port Angeles is the Coast Guard Station.

Aug 11 - The ferry arrived arrived about noon, so we promptly went shopping for some lunch items and found a picnic table in need of some love.

Aug 11 - Our campsite at Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort. Bedrooms (tents) on the lower level and the dining room (picnic table and fit pit) on the upper level near the front door (the road).

Aug 11 - after dinner the whole gang went for a hike along the river.  PeJu turned around early and decided to go for swim. Here Judith proudly stands after her first skinny dip of the year (on her birthday no less). The Snikles didn't return until after dark.

Presidential Research & Development

The research team

Dana picked some goodies at low tide to test

Even oysters need friends

Research & Development
Oysters ready for the controlled study

The president is always rolling up her sleeves in the name of R&D even at lunch

After some serious review the group has concluded that fresh free oysters off the beach in front of world headquarters is the "right thing" to do for the growth of the company!