Adrian's at the Airport

Our Notary's office called this morning to tell us that the condo purchase was finalised and we are now the owners of a new home....still don't have the keys until Thursday morning...but...we decided to celebrate anyway! So...I began the research for Greek restaurants in Langley. Much to our complete amazement we discovered "Adrian's Restaurant at the Airport"! How perfect! Greek food in a restaurant with our son's name at an airport...Langley Airport.

We shared a delicious dinner(lamb for me and prawns for John) in a funky place that resembles a diner from the road and is quite nice inside. It is owned and operated by a Greek fellow who named the place after his grandson...a great discovery!

Salmon Arm and Langley City

In 1991 we moved to Salmon Arm from Richmond B.C. We left my family and all of our community connections behind in order to start the next chapter of our lives in a small town. Not long after arriving in our new home we read in a Canadian magazine that Salmon Arm was one of the most intolerant, bigoted communities in the country. What a scary idea! What could we expect on the job, in the schools, on the streets?!

To our relief we were soon welcomed into the arts community, minor hockey, rotary and everyday life in our neighbourhood. I am sure that there were intolerant people out there but we were rarely exposed to their ignorant behaviour. For over 24 years we enjoyed the support of our friendships, our community connections and a peaceful life in Salmon Arm.

Now we are ready to move into Langley City. With a population of 25,000, it has recently been designated by McLeans magazine as the 6th most dangerous community in Canada! Another scary place to live!! Again...what can we expect on the streets?

There are homeless people on the streets who seem to keep to themselves. There is social housing for a large number of people with special needs. It is encouraging to see these people welcomed into the Community Centre and library, to see them enjoying coffee with their assistants, to witness the patience of clerks in the grocery store as they help to process orders.

We have joined the community centre with its modern facilities and friendly staff. The Red Velvet Cafe has already become a favourite hangout for morning coffee served with smiles from Pam and Daphne. The Opus Art store has everything that I will need and John hopes to become active again with Langley hospice.

So...after we have time to settle into our new home...we will see if it is a comfortable fit. If not...there might be another chapter waiting for us!

birds and bags

winter days are filled

with strange images 

of birds and bags

as we wait for the keys

to our next chapter

Almost two years

The end of November will mark two years since we sold our home in Salmon Arm...two homeless years dedicated to travel and new experiences. We spent a total of six months in Greece on three separate trips to share Easters, John's 80th birthday celebration and a special baptism with our Greek family and friends. There was also a tour of several Balkan countries with our group of Balkaneros from Greece and Turkey ...wonderful friends who happily shared adventures with a couple of ageing Canadians.

In between these European trips we managed to fly to Mexico twice for visits with friends who generously hosted us in their new Mismaloya home for two months on each visit.

The other days, weeks and months were filled with house sitting gigs in Vancouver, Gibsons, Saltspring Island, Surrey and Cloverdale.

Added to all of these adventures was a test of endurance for our relationship. It seems that we can still laugh at each other's foibles in between occasional gasps of frustration!

So, at the end of November we will start a new chapter in our lives...as condo owners! But... before we get settled...we will fly to Mexico again at the end of December for a couple of months in the sun!

After living out of suitcases for two years...there is no rush!