Ontario Trip Summary

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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!

Ah, September

Well, it seems I mispoke.  Summer is not over.  It may be winding down, but it is definitely not over.  Thankfully.

Tickets and a backstage pass.

Last weekend we had the great pleasure of spending time with our friends James and Eve from Vashon Island.  They'd come to spend the weekend visiting Victoria before the k.d. lang concert on Sunday evening.  James is a part of k.d.'s crew, and the Sunday concert begins a month of touring for k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang gang.

James and Eve had their road bikes with them and Peter joined them on Friday for a nice ride out through Saanich to Sidney and back.  Friday evening was spent sharing salad rolls, some wine tasting and stories and a slide show of their recent bicycle tour of New Zealand, as well as a different trip spent in France.  Nothing like some awesome photos and good stories to get the travel bug active again!  Not that it ever is very far from the surface in this home.

View from the Laurel Point Inn.

Saturday was a lazy day for me.  I'd had a hectic week with 3 days on-the-job training, meeting new people through work, and walking the picket lines for a day (Wednesday - a first for me).  I even got to fly to/from Vancouver Friday via Harbour Air!  Peter met me at the terminal and had a good laugh that it was now my turn to be getting on/off planes, and him greeting me at the terminal at the end of the day.  In any case, Saturday was my down time; time to catch up.  James and Eve, on the other hand, checked into their hotel (great view), changed into their cycling clothes, fueled up with a good cuppa joe and rode off towards Sooke for a ride.  We met them later for some great tapas and live entertainment at The Superior.

Sunday morning was a lazy one for us.  Midday was spent wandering around downtown Victoria, checking out the Eat Here Now: Victoria Harvest Fest, and popping in and out of stores we don't normally venture into.  More stimulating conversation and some of the best coffee around.  It's at Habit on Pandora.  Then more stimulating conversation, some noodles at a Thai restaurant, then off to see k.d. lang at the Royal Theatre that evening.  The show was fantastic - what a character that k.d. is;  and that voice!  Boy, I wish I could sing like that.  Actually, I wish I could sing. Period.

Paid Vacations

July 21st - Another early morning drive from Victoria to Hornby Island.
Ah, the sun and fluffy white clouds!

... watched a remote controlled sailboat race (July 22nd)

... visited friends (July 22nd),

... amongst them Anna and Ava (July 22nd),

July 24th - went hiking up Mount Geoffrey
with the visiting Alberta Snikles,

After our hike up the mountain, it was time to cool off and have some lunch.

That evening we went down to Ford Cove to watch Alex and Paul
swim in the rather cool water.

July 28 - Peter enjoys a much needed chair
massage at the Saturday Market.

Sunday July 29 - picnic at the beach. Here
Meka enjoys a roll in the warm sand.

Some of us attempted a game of frisbee in the frigid waters
of Whaling Station Bay.

Some of us enjoyed the warm sand ...

One of us happily got buried in the sand,

 and all of us enjoyed a bite to eat, al fresco!
Check out Alex's six-pack.

The next day the Alberta Snikles started on their journey home and Judith drove back to Victoria to go to earn her next paid vacation.  Frank and Mary Jane stayed home to recover from 2 weeks of visitors and Peter stayed on Hornby for more 'healing.'  Thankfully, we are all recovering nicely and looking forward to warmer weather in August.

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 4

Aug 12 afternoon - after lunch we drove out to Rialto Beach on the west coast of the Olympic Peninsula to see the Pacific Ocean. As you can see, the fog hadn't burned off yet. This is the view north.

Aug 12 - Rialto Beach: view to the south.

Aug 12 - Rialto Beach: Snikles skipping stones in the Pacific Ocean.

Aug 12 - One of the highlights of the Olympic Peninsula is a stop in Forks, the vampire capital of Washington State.

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.

Trains, planes, boats, automobiles, and stretchers

What the *&^% is that about you ask. This is Judith making me get off my butt! She feels it is good for me to get out and see the world, and make sure I keep in touch with the working people. It all started with a car and boat ride where I ended up on a plane in a city that was taking me across the boarder, and then onto another plane across that other country on this continent and then back on a plane to that huge city in our country where I was for all of twenty minutes before getting on another plane and coming back across our country getting into "not" my bed at 03:00 hrs. It's a glamorous life as my pal Sean says! All this in less than 48 hours. Anyway I ended up in Milwaukee of all places for a twelve hour mega brainstorm session with no air, water, or real food, on a top secret mission (selling US made products to Canadians, oops the secret is out!).
I dragged my butt out of someone elses bed the next morning to get on the float plane to a little city on the big island, where I was met by my loving parents, whom showered me with the good things parents shower a son with. REAL FOOD! And after the ^%$# I had to eat in the airports it was bliss to have a cup of tea and a piece of two of almond paste loaf followed by mother Snikle's home cooking! Yup, MJ cooked up a storm for her little baby boy, and it was great.
I spent the next day at an ambulance trade show, hence the photo above checking out the competitive landscape and looking for opportunities to create wealth for Judith's family and friends. If you ever wondered, wonder no more, that is what I do for Judith, in a nut shell I spy. I guess you could say I am a secret agent huh!
So after the show in honour of Frank and Rob (AKA Peanut) I hit the Bengal room for a nap, I mean tea and gin, not together of course. Cheers Peanut!
The next day it all came together, happy bliss, when I got on the train to come home to my sweeties loving arms. I am not sure what rates higher, your wife or a ride on a train up the island. Hmm, I guess we may have to leave that one alone forever.
Anyway I could see it was killing Frank inside a little as I left him behind as I found my way to a seat on train. If you don't now Frank, well he has a couple of obsessions. One of them being trains. Of course I gave him a full report post train ride. I must say, trains are by far the best way to travel, and as you can see I am a bit of an authority on the subject this week. In the end Judith was there, all smiles, and we rode off into the sunset on our tandem in search of fresh food.
Life is back to normal. Well until Monday, when I am off again this time to the Okanagan. O ya, and if you are wondering where el presidenta Judith was all week. I would guess either playing tennis, gardening, or riding her mountain bike. Dame that woman is smart. I sure hope I get to be a president someday and send off the "workers" AKA Secret Agents"

Home Sweet Home

We landed in the arms of Boris, Liz, and Dean in Vancouver, and spent the weekend visiting friends and catching up on anything we missed before we headed back to the rock to plan our next adventure and catch up on that thing Judith keeps talking about called "work" I still don't fully grasp that concept, but she seems to think it is alright, so I promised to try it if it will make Judith happy.

Till next time in the famous words of Warren, "If you don't try it this year, you will be one year older when you do"