Dec 9, 2018 - How Does Six Months Go By So Fast?!

The time seems to fly by so fast and it doesn't feel like we did much. The garden was very successful this year. By the time the rain started in early September there were many, many tomatoes to pick. What to do with them all? Four batches of green tomato salsa, tomato jam, bruschetta and some to eat. It is estimated that we had about 60 pounds of them in all from 22 plants. The potatoes were also very successful and we will grow more next year. We are also hoping to upgrade and increase the size of the greenhouse. Kelly completed...

Dec 7, 2018 - Fri 7th - Peak to Peak

Friday 7th - Peak to Peak Despite all the good intentions, we only managed to catch up with the family 5mins before their departure from the house at 8:45. Must invest in a tutorial on setting alarms. JnR headed off about 10:40 and took a Peak to Peak trip. $60 Snr Ticket covers once up and once back but as many times as you wish crossing from peak to peak (Whistler to Blackcomb). Its the longest single unsupported gondola span in the world. 4.4kms across, and half a km above the valley floor at it's lowest point. It takes 11mins to cross...

Dec 6, 2018 - Thu 6th - walk walk walk walk

Thursday 6th Dec The family were up bright and early after getting to bed very early last night after the big flight. They all had lessons booked (except Tim, John and Mel) for 9:30 and wanted to be there early to grab a coffee of course. JnR took their time getting out of bed, said farewell, then had a leisurely breakfast and cuppa. We eventually managed to leave the house at 10:45. Well!!!! It takes a long time to put on all the layers to deal with a -6deg day. What a fantastic day. Even the snow makers add to the photographs, although...

Dec 5, 2018 - Wed 5th (Australia time)

Wed 5th Dec - fly to Vancouver Good sleep last night and an early start (for us) at 6:30 saw us up and running through the list of last minutes things to do. Our friend and neighbour Rosemary picked us up approx 8:15 to take and drop us at the Int Terminal. Andrew and family arrived only a few minutes before us, so we all checked our luggage in at the same time. 9 very excited family said goodbye to friends who had come to the airport to wish us well and we headed down to immigration and customs and onto the concourse for a coffee before...

Dec 5, 2018 - Wed 5th [Canada time]

Wed 5th Dec [Canada] It was an uneventful trip. Relatively calm with only a couple of bumpy patches but nothing to cause the captain to send everyone scurrying back to seats. All luggage including 4 snowboard bags arrived intact and our hired driver was waiting with a Mercedes Sprinter (new) to take us to Whistler. All the luggage for us 9 fitted no problem. The van became very quiet during the almost 2 hour drive - we weren't asleep but the eyeballs were starting to glaze over. A short stop for COFFEE at Squamish en-route soon solved that...

Nov 14, 2018 - Panama bound

We started early. Somehow when travelling the night before we fly neither of us sleeps well as we are worried that we will miss our flight. We were pretty much ready to go by 4 am. The shuttle was ordered for 415. When we got down to the lobby at 4 the shuttle was ready to go sooff to the airport we went. We arrived at the airport by 415 and had to wait until 5 am for the ticket agents to show up. We found a chair where Barry could plug in and not use any battery power. At 5 am an announcement was made that the ticketing system was down...

Nov 13, 2018 - Had a great sleep

Although the hotel was less than spectacular we did sleep in until noon. This is the first time I have done that since I retired. My body obviously needed it. Thank god the restaurant next door has all day breakfast. We pretty much chilled the whole day. I never got to the Toronto office, by the time we were done breakfast it was almost 2 pm. I also had only a light coat which was far too light to be wandering around in. It was quite cool in Toronto. Because airports are so stressful given Barry’s breathing problems we decided to request...

Nov 12, 2018 - Toronto

Our flight was to leave at 145 so we got up late and took our time. At about 11 am Barry says in a panic “where is the black bag with all my clothes?” We search the room to no avail. I go down to the front desk and ask about the bag in lost and found. They do not have it but will search other rooms it might have been stored in. I frantically call Peter to ask if it was left in his truck. Peter agrees to drive home during his lunch break to double check that it is not in his truck. I call the person checking our house and ask that she check...

Nov 11, 2018 - Departure day

V day Sunday. There was lots to do today including preparing the house for our departure. We drained all the toilets and the hot water tank and put RV antifreeze in all the drains to prevent ice from forming. We will leave the heat on but want to minimize any problems if there are any furnace issues. Pete picked us up and took us to the Edmonton airport hotel. As our departure to Toronto is in the middle of the day we thought it best to spend the night at the airport hotel. As well it is a relaxing way to start. Luckily I still have...

Nov 10, 2018 - Pre Christmas

Saturday day T minus 1 Today was a tough day. We had to take the cats to a kennel. This is always tough especially since our cats are older now. We had planned on taking them with us to Panama however we think due to their health they may not make the trip. Spidey cat the cranky one did not want to go in the crate and I ended up chasing her around the house and closing off rooms behind to prevent her from hiding under furniture. In the end she finally went to to the carrier howling and hissing at me. Usually she is easy to get in the...

Nov 2, 2018 - Drumheller

Drumheller! The capital of dinosaurs!! Being a dinosaur lover, I had to make this stop. Although there weren't any public transportation to get there, or to go around the town, it really was worth it. Day 1: The Royal Tyrrell Museum was just awesome! My favorites were the Gorgosaurus and the Tyrannosaurus rex "Black Beauty". It was also great being able to look inside the Preparation Lab!! Day 2: I booked a tour, which I have never done before for myself. Don from the Wild West Badlands Tours was very nice. Because it was already...

Nov 1, 2018 - Calgary

When I plan a trip to a big city, I always start by looking for a historical place. And I found the perfect spot...Fort Calgary! The fort itself was small, but the museum and the history of the beginning of Calgary was very interesting. Satisfied with this museum, I decided to walk around the city and do some shopping. (At first I was thinking of going to the Glenbow Museum and Studio Bell, but changed my mind.) Calgary might be a good place to live, but as my friend told me, no offense, but was just a big city.