this week

It has been another busy and HOT week since returning from Vancouver Island.

John began sessions with a physiotherapist to see if she could help to strengthen his chronically dislocated shoulder. The result was painful but he is determined to continue with the exercises that she recommended before his next session.

On Friday evening we carried our chairs over to the park and joined 60-70 others to view a performance of Romeo and Juliet on the local outdoor stage. It was a very ambitious attempt to combine Shakespeare's words with martial arts movements. At the intermission we folded our chairs and wandered home.

Last night we were invited by friends to a BBQ in White Rock. There was a group of about 65 guests gathered in the garden area of their apartment complex for the third annual Strata Council BBQ. The Pacific Culinary Institute prepared and served the food...teriyaki chicken, maui ribs, salmon, salads and gorgeous piles of local berries...blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and cherries. It was a delicious meal with good friends.

Yumiko, Toshiko and Almuth

Today we were thrilled to have a visit with Shelly and her dog Boomer...he enjoyed a piece of cheese and some pieces of carrot while Shelly and I shared paninis, veggies and sweet watermelon before Shelly's daughters arrived. It was great to hear about the young womens' lives and their educational pursuits. One is studying for a career in Interior Design while the other is working toward her Veterinarian degree. Whew! They are young enough to handle the challenges of schoolwork while working part time!!

It is definitely the hottest day of this heatwave so far! Our small A/C unit has been activated periodically today and we are hoping for cooler temperatures overnight!

Vancouver Island

We just returned from a six day trip to Vancouver Island...three days in Campbell River with my sister and three days in Comox with our daughter and family. The weather was perfect and we had a wonderful time. Unfortunately I kept forgetting to take my camera along on our little forays to beaches and towns...so...not many photos to share.

On our first morning we walked down to the beach from my sister's home in Campbell River. We had agreed that it was an early start at 9:00am...an unspoken promise that it would be a cooler walk than if we waited until later in the day. Beach combing always takes longer than anticipated so it was near noon when we finally returned to the house, overheated and exhausted!...with many treasures in our pockets!

The next day we drove into town to see

the chainsaw carvings on display.

In Comox we spent time with Heather, Chris and Augie...

...enjoying delicious meals and visiting gorgeous(almost deserted) beaches.

I finally managed to enter the chilly water on our final evening...

...joining Chris and Augie for a refreshing swim!

Travels since 2000

Every now and then we become focused on the past...wondering where our travels have taken us. So...today we sat down and reviewed journals, drawing books and photos to come up with a travel history for the eighteen years of this century...an astounding reminder of our travels.

Since the year 2000...we will have flown to Greece 14 times (including the upcoming trip in September) and visited 27 Greek islands. Our friends Theo and Kalliroi have been our guides for many of the island trips, introducing us to locations that we would not have found by ourselves.

There have been adventures in 18 European countries. During our stay in England we spent time with a long lost stepsister before searching through graveyards in Scotland for family history. Through the Balkan countries we travelled with a group of young friends who were very attentive to the older couple from Canada who were extremely grateful to be included.

We explored Turkey with old friends...sharing hot air balloon rides over Cappadocia and many encounters around the country with friendly carpet salesmen. A later visit to Turkish friends in Istanbul confirmed that their city is one of our favourites!

In Mexico we have explored Puerto Vallarta during 9 visits that included road trips to Sayulita, Guadalajara, Tlaquepaque and Morelia. In the United States we flew to Chicago for a 90th birthday party, appreciated the galleries and museums of Washington DC and the donut delights of Portland, Oregon.

While travelling through the Canadian maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, PEI, New Brunswick and Newfoundland we discovered the French islands of St. Pierre and Michelon. Research into our heritage took us to Sherbrooke and Trois Riviere in Quebec and into the parliament buildings in Ottawa. John's grandfather was the Federal MP for BC and the Yukon at the turn of the 20th century and we were able to read some of his comments in the Hansard records. Meanwhile relocation of family members has encouraged two road trips to Saskatchewan and several ferry sailings to Vancouver Island.

All of these travels have been woven with tales of friendships and sharing...encounters with people from around the world that have left a lasting legacy of memories. Why would we stop?

As usual, our feet are starting to feel itchy! 

There are three trips scheduled for the next 12 months. 

Hope to see you along the way!