Out with the old

It's December 31, 2015.  Life in Vernon carries on as I guess it does in most families with three generations living together and trying not to dwell on the small stuff.  I'd become used to planning my life in advance because when you live alone that's what you do if you don't want to be by yourself all the time.  I continue to do that in the part of my life that I have some control over, but for the rest I find that the best times come when I least expect them, when I sit back and see how the others shake things out.  Christmas Day was a good example of one thing leading happily to another as if it had been choreographed when the real reason why it worked so well was that it hadn't been.

 The one constant here is the glorious sun and snow at Sovereign and Silver Star.  Cross country skiing this morning, amidst the tall spires of dark Montane Spruce that appear to pierce the luminous blue sky, unbent by their burdens of snow, was as uplifting an experience as my Protestant spirit could bear.  

I was thinking of going back up to Silver Star this evening to watch the torchlight parade and fireworks as I did last New Year's Eve with Mo and John, but I couldn't muster much enthusiasm among the other members of the family.  It's cold and dark, so we are going to eat Korean food that May and Jay have made and then settle down on the Christmas couch and watch the new James Bond movie, 'Spectre.'  That is, Jay, May and I will do that.  Min Hee is out with her boyfriend, and Jin Hee has just declared that now that she is a teenager, she has to stay by herself and text her friends, her many friends.  She is pleased to be popular and quite prepared to do all the networking that that entails.

More Peace, some Joy and Good Health to all in 2016.

Miriam skiing amid the Montane Spruce at Sovereign Nordic Centre this morning.

FIVE MORE SLEEPS

CHRISTMAS IS COMING.  The goose isn't getting fat, but the turkey is out back keeping cold in Jim's Eccentricity.  We haven't put any pennies in any old man's hat, but we left out lots of canned food for the Vernon realtors to pick up during their food drive for the homeless.  The woman realtor who has organized that program for the last few years received the 'volunteer of the year' award this week.  She deserves the recognition.  Her system is really efficient, and they collect MANY boxes of food for those who don't have enough each Christmas.  Whether you have a ha'penny or not, may God, in whatever form you imagine, bless you, wherever you are.

Our family has a lot to be thankful for in 2015.  Min Hee and Jin Hee are adjusting well to school in Canada, especially Jin Hee who is younger and more enthusiastic.  But Min Hee is making a real effort; at 16, life is not as easy as it is at 13.  Now that May and the girls are officially immigrants, they can take advantage of all the help that Immigrant Services offers with training, job searches and just providing a staff that can answer most of their questions and give them a place to meet others.  As I'm a volunteer ESL teacher with IS, I am also invited to some functions.  May and I went to a great Christmas lunch there last week.  The food from all over the world was delicious and the ambiance was lively.  Jay is working every day with a framing crew.  They are roofing a huge home at Predator Ridge, a golf 'venue' just outside of Vernon.  They're working at quite a height, but he likes it and takes pictures of the views of Kal Lake, etc. from the peak. They have all gone through a lot of changes since Bert and I picked them up at the Kelowna airport in early July.  

Who knows what 2016 will bring.  

Peace and good health to all, I hope.

Ghost trees on the snow shoe trail at Sovereign Lake last Friday morning.

Our house in the setting sun, around 4:30 that same afternoon.

 

Bringing in the tree

The first Noel in Vernon for all of us is fast approaching.  I have spent every Christmas since I moved west in Victoria with mom and dad and Barbara and Terry.  Jay, May and the girls say that Christmas in Korea is a very 'maimed rite.'  So this year we are going to do it right.  At first I thought we would never get underway, but that's because I'm still getting used to Filipino teenage time.  I had the weekend schedule planned.  On Saturday we would drive up to Silver Star to watch the turning on of their Christmas lights.  I've seen it once before.  It's a beautiful spectacle with hot chocolate, blazing fire pits and tall dark spruce instantly glistening with lights.  We didn't do that.  My enthusiasm was not contagious enough to infect two teenage girls intent on becoming the most popular people in their schools.  Dates and sleepovers came first.  My hopes were dimmed for Sunday.  Would we make it to the Christmas Tree Ranch in Lumby to get our tree.  I had never been there, but the web site looked good.  MILAGRO!!!!!  We went.

Everyone was keen.  We took two cars; mine for the tree and Jay's for the gang.  I got us lost, but that just meant we drove down more backroads in the Lumby countryside.  The ranch was great: lots of trees, an outdoor fire with benches around it and a workshop/ hot chocolate place to warm up in.  We went for a walk along a semi frozen stream to a perfect miniature house and back to the main ranch. Jay had brought a saw because we intended to cut our own tree, but just before heading out we decided to look at the pre cut trees; one of them was plump and the perfect height.  The tree rancher came over to explain that it had been cut earlier in the morning and then abandoned by the feckless people who found it because they had broken its top branch.  We happily bought the orphan at a $10.00 discount. We don't have an angel to place at the top anyway.  It filled my car from door to door to door.  From that moment everything went from Filipino/teenage time to a New York minute.  Jin Hee and Jay put up the tree.  It was Jin's first time and she wasn't spared either the excitement or the cursing that always goes with that ritual.  Jay began confident in and proud of the tree stand he had bought, but he descended into frustration and the odd curse as he struggled to make it work, while Jin and I took turns holding it and Min Hee sat near by, looking up from her cell phone once in a while when asked to tell us whether the tree was perpendicular to the floor or not.  Before this part of the season's traditions was completed, I left to enjoy a Sunday hot tub and dinner with Mo and John, as I do every week.  When I returned around 9:00pm, the house was transformed for Christmas.  The tree was alight, decorated and even had presents under it.  It turned out that May, planning ahead as usual and only too eager to shop, had beaten us all and bought some Christmas presents last week.  The lights were strung in the livingroom window and the whole house was aglow.  Today there are even more gifts under the tree.

So  our first Vernon Noel is well underway.

At the ranch

Walking along the stream

Skiing with Mo today

Our chubby tree 

THEY DID IT!!!!!!

It's 4:30pm, they're back and they're now officially immigrants to Canada. 

Jin Hee, Jay, HRH Queen Elizabeth ll, Min Hee and May. This is the official picture,taken  by a Canadian border guard. 

South of the border

Jay, May and the girls left early this morning to drive to Osoyoos, BC and then cross the border into the USA so that they can come back through the Canadian border and thus receive the entry stamp that will complete their acceptance as immigrants to Canada. It was either that or drive to Surry, BC, which is farther away. I hope all goes well. Jay had what I hope will be the final heart-stopping moment of doubt this week when he realized that both the girls and May were classified under "spouse". He made a joke of it at first by telling the girls that they were now his wives. Their expressions of shock and disgust when they finally understood what he had said gave us a good laugh. But Jay himself was a bit worried about what might be an error on the forms. For the first time since he began the whole procedure he had been given a phone number with the final papers. He tried calling twice with no answer. Finally someone answered the phone but couldn't answer his question.  After much careful rereading of the obfuscating language on the CIC form and consulting with my Korean friend Lusia he decided that because the girls are minors they are being accepted along with their mom, who is the official immigrant and his spouse.  I can only hope this was the case.  It's 3:20pm, already getting dark, and they're still not home. I think that's good news. They're celebrating. 

I had four days of excellent cross country skiing this week, so winter is well underway. There's still no snow in Vernon, but the hills are white. 

My latest Immigrant Services ESL student is inspiring. She is Russian. She has plan. She has dream. I don't think the Russian language has articles. Her enthusiasm to learn English has inspired me to offer her classes of 2 hours each, two nights a week. She also takes 3 hours of ESL a day at Okanagan College in Kelowna; she gets there by bus, which takes 2 hours each way. They've been in Canada four years, but as the mother of three teenagers she was the last in line to learn English and get back to work. Now she's making up for lost time. 

Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre

Miriam celebrating the snow. 

BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!

Jay received an email this morning from CIC informing him that the files he submitted for May and the girls have been processed.  They will soon receive the cards that prove they have been officially accepted as immigrants to Canada. WOW!!!!

He spent over a year carefully compiling everything, and it's paid off well before he was told it would. Last week, he was thinking about what had to be done before Jan. 4, 2016 the date when it would have been necessary to renew the visitors permits for another 6 months.  He's happy now that he decided to put that off for a while. What a roller coaster we are on; yesterday there was a teenage crisis with Min Hee and today jubilation with CIC. I thought it would be ages before I could make the latter part of that statement. And so it goes. We rise to meet the challenges that knock us down.  

When I phoned Mo to tell her the good news, she suggested that the new Liberal government might have sped things up. I kind of doubt that. It takes more than 22 days to turn the rig that is CIC around. But I would rather give the credit to the Liberals and Justin Trudeau than to the Harper Conservatives. I remember how immigrants who were welcomed to Canada when Pierre Trudeau was PM remaind loyal to the Liberal Party for years afterwards. Now Jay's gang and 25,000 Syrians will perhaps feel tha same connection to his son's Liberals.

We had a hard frost last night, so when I finish this, I will go outside and cover the roots of the roses for winter. On Tuesday morning I woke with a start, suddenly thinking, for the first time since the last ski of last March, of my duct-taped boots. I had meant to buy new ones at the spring sales, but family turmoil overwhelmed such considerations. So I spent the day shopping and finally bought a pair up at Silver Star. There was a complete covering of snow up there.  Cross country sking began yesterday, but much as I love my new boots, I'm going to wait until the blanket is thicker and softer. 

Jin Hee and Min Hee dressed for Hallowe'en. 

Home again

I made it over the Rogers Pass in summer tires.  There was a skiff of snow on the sides of the road but nothing to compare with the slush storm west of Sault Sainte Marie. It's been a warm, bright fall between Quebec and BC. By driving west, I passed through about four different Falls, with colourfull leaves at both ends, even if West Quebec wasn't as brilliant as it sometimes is. The most extreme one-day change was between Calgary, where most of the leaves had fallen but it was still quite warm, over the Roger's Pass where some of the peaks and glaciers of the Rockies were puffy white with a seven minute frosting of fresh snow and then down into the valley of the North Okanagan where the temperature was cosiderably warmer and the trees were still brightly in leaf. 

The warmest part of that day was the late afternoon when I walked in the door to see Jay, May and the girls. The house was steamy from May's "making food".  The basement that I had left with bare beams and duct work in the ceiling, cobwebs everywhere and plumbing trenches in the floor was utterly transformed.  It's not your father's fifties 'finished' basement, but a professionally built bathroom and bedroom that fits perfectly into the rest of the house. The girls are sleeping there now, and May spends happy hours there decorating it and transforming an 'L' shaped space under the stairs into her own hidaway. Jay even put a rug on its floor and painted one wall the same red as the doors. It's festooned with hooks from which hang all her favorite purses, dresses, hats and jewels. 

Now we are preparing for the girls' first real Hallowe'en. May, Jin Hee and I went to Value Village to buy the costumes. They are going to be twin clowns. We went to the corn maze at the O Keefe Ranch the other night and screamed our throats sore. Min Hee was running so hard she tripped and lost her cell phone. That was really scary for her and aggravating for the adults who had told her to put it in a zippered pocket before we were let into the maze. We carried on running and screaming and being chased by aliens. I was terrified twice. Both times it was because I was at the back of our gang when an alien, one waving a chain saw, burst out of the corn stocks behind me and began chasing us. It took my breath away, my back withered and I screamed so loudly my throat hurt later. Min Hee was lucky. The people in charge found her phone; she got it back at the main gate. I think she thought she was going to take a selfie with an alien or something. She doesn't do much without her phone. 

Today Jay and I drove Jin Hee to her basketball game at BX School. We stayed to watch them win. Jin scored 3 baskets. Tomorrow is her birthday; she will be 13. 

Downtown Calgary from a hill above the Elbow River near Jo's. 

A view of the Rockies from the Roger's Pass. 

Yellow larch amid the spruce and pines in the North Okanagan. 

Mom and Dad

Saturday, October 17 was a bright blue fall day in Winnipeg. I drove to Elmwood Cemetery where I met my cousin Barb and her husband at the Liddle plot, where mom's parents are buried. We then went to the Boyce plot to wait for Bill and his family. When they hadn't arrived by about 10:10, I went back to the main gate to look for them. They had just arrived by taxi; the limo. Bill had ordered in advance had not arrived to pick them up at their hotel. That was the only flaw in the ceremony. Bill had flowers and pictures of mom and dad. A piper played and walked in front of us to the Boyce plot. Bill and I placed the urns in the earth, Bill said a few well prepared words, the piper played "Amazing Grace" and now mom and dad are together forever. We all went for brunch, and then I went back to the hotel with Bill's gang to watch the Jay's game. 

I had a good visit as always with Danny and Rita. After three days of driving and some mild anxiety about the burial, I needed that. We had a delicious dinner and evening at their daughter Dawn's on Sunday and lots of walks in the warm fall weather. Last night we drove to Portage La Prairie for dinner and to watch mixed doubles curling, a new form of the sport that is popular in Europe and will be in the next Olympic Games. I think there are a few changes to make in the game so that it will be more interesting for spectators, but we had fun watching because there were some very good players participating and one of the teams was the son of their friends and his wife. I also went to the Museum of Human Rights with my cousin Barb. In spite of the fact that from one angle the exterior resembles a WW1 German soldier's helmet, the architecture inside is fascinating. The displays are hands-on, interactive and multisensory but still a bit pedantic; although, some are quite moving. The interior stairway is impressive, as is the view of the Red River and Winnipeg that you get from the 8th floor. 

Today I drove from Winnipeg to Swift Current, Sask. After dinner and a long, hot bath, I'm ready for bed. 

The election suspense is over, but baseball is still a nail biter. Harper's gone and the Jay's are still going, but??????

The piper at mom and dad's grave. 

Patrick, Marley and Matti

Bill and I at the grave site.

A quote from Pierre Elliotte Trudeau that I saw in the Human Rights Museum and thought was especially apt as he speaks of the "willingness to share the risks and grandure of the Canadian adventure" and it was the day after his son Justin was elected Prime Minister of Canada. 

Winnipeg

The iceberg is closing in on the Titanic. Bill represents the latter; he has done most of the preparation. I am the former, looming in from the east not the north but  at times at the mercy of the forces of nature. I will end this laboured comparison with the hope that our meeting is less disastrous than the original.  

Nature on my return has provided more than mere backdrop. It began strictly scenic on Wednesday with better Autumn colour than I had seen up 'til then, especially between Sudbury and Sault Saint Marie.  On Thursday, there was a thick fog in the Sault at 7:30am as I pulled away from the Water Tower. This combined with the fact that my myopic eyes misread the GPS meant that I had to stop at a corner store to find out how to get to Highway 17 West. It turned out I'd been on it. After just a few kilometres the fog had cleared and the sky was a pale grey, against which the leaves were a subdued but beautiful tapestry of reds, orange, yellow and green. The horizon was very dark. Small drops of water appeared on the windshield, then more and larger. A brilliant streak of lightening rent the black sky ahead and then the deluge came. The first huge gouts of rain were soon followed by deafeningly solid sheets that the wipers could hardly clear away. I slowed down and moved to the right until I almost lost control of the car in the thick slush on the shoulder. Fortunately there were no cars behind me and very few coming the other way, so I gripped the wheel and hoped the summer tires would hold the road in spite of the quickly thickening layer of icy muck that was covering it. More lightening and thunder burst around me, the like of which I've only seen north of Superior. But it was all over within ten or fifteen minutes. As I dropped down to Agawa Bay, I saw a partial rainbow close to Twilight Road, the place where Jim and I camped in the Boler on our drive west. Shortly after, fortunately before I had the confidence to get back to 100km/ hour, a young moose walked across the highway. After all that sound and fury, the blue of Lake Superior and feathery yellow plumes of tamarac against green spruce formed the backdrop of an uneventful drive. 

However, I was still wound up when I arrived at Liz and Ross's, so I readily accepted her suggestion that we go to see "Suite Française". She had read the book by Irène Némirovsky and said it was very well written. We both sat spellbound through the movie. I had a good chat with both of them this morning because I had the time. I gained an hour heading to Winnipeg, where I am now seated in Danny and Rita's. They are out for dinner but left me a key and dinner. What a blessing after a long drive. 

The Sleeping Giant

The statue of Terry Fox where he ended his run, just east of Thunder Bay. 

Heading back west

Today I drove almost non stop from Ottawa to Sault Sainte Marie. I said good bye to Mela at about 7:15am, after spilling the coffee she had put in my travelling cup all over everything in my odds and ends bag. She filled my cup again, I set the Tom Tom and began an incident free day on the road. When I arrived in The Water Tower Inn in The Sault at about 4:20pm the Jays were losing their fifth game against Texas. Now I have had a sauna, cold shower, pummeling in a hot tub, dinner and watched the Jays beat the Rangers 6-3. The 7th inning was spectacular. So it's still, "Go Jays Go," and "Stop Harper."  The latest poles raise my hopes for the latter too.  I'll probably be in Winnipeg for election day. 

I was sad to say goodbye to my dear friends in Wakefield and Ottawa. I felt completely at home with them again. 

Tomorrow I will see Liz and Ross, this time in TB. I'm looking forward to that. If I arrive on time, Liz and I might make it to a movie. And then it's back to Danny and Rita's, my home away from home in Winnipeg. If all goes according to plan, Bill, his kids and I will meet in Elmwood Cemetery at 10:00am Sat. morning to bury mom and dad in the Boyce plot with dad's mom and dad. I thought we might not get it together,but it looks as if we might. If we do, I'll be happy.  

The Baughans around the table for our traditional delicious family dinner. This time it was Indian food and crème brulé for dessert. 

Caroline with the rude carrot that grew in her garden. 

Thanksgiving dinner at Pollock's. 

Blake and Margaux in the garden at Don and Mela's. 

Meanwhile, back in Vernon,

Hallowe'en approaches!!!!!😈👽😡💀

Back on The Gatineau River

I'm sitting on Barb's couch looking out her livlng room window at the barbecue, deck chairs, lawn, leaves and perfectly still river. The leaves on the far bank might be marginally more colourful than when I arrived but still mostly green and more shrivelling than turning the bright reds and yellows of fall that I had hoped to see. 

Aside from that, the weather's been splendid. Caroline and I worked one day in her community garden, collecting the last vegetables and seeds to dry and plant in the Spring.  Miche and I had a good bike ride along the Quebec side of the Ottawa River from 'Hull' to the Aylmer Marina, and a few days later Don inflated the tires on Mela's bike so Caroline and I could ride along the Ontario side. Today I will join Barb's group for a bike in the Wakefield area. I'm as lucky as the Toronto Blue Jays; although, when I left Pollock's, Albert was watching the game that would determine whether or not they would have home field advantage in the Pennant and they were losing. I don't know what the final outcome was, but I hope they win the World Series this year. It seems as if across the country the people are cheering, "Go Jays!" and "Stop Harper!" I'm with them. 

The evening that I arrived in Wakefield was the last of the TaDa Festival, so Barb and I went to 'The Midnight Birth Show' which was a two person show, the Montreal rapper All-Ever and the contemporary dancer Kim Henry. I was really impressed with her dancing and his music, especially the lyrics. They performed in front of a large screen of moving light and Animé-type figures; it was very professional. However, I was the only one I talked with after the show who was so impressed.  I was also lucky to arrive for the last weekend of the Wakefield artists in their environment tour so I saw Marilyn's latest works, which I like very much. While in Ottawa, I went to a movie with the Pollocks, Don and John. It was about the debates between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr., on ABC television in 1968 during the Republican and Democratic Conventions. They were two extremely intelligent and eloquent men, but many parts of the debates degenerated into personal animosity, the confrontational style that continues on American tv. but with more banal thoughts less well expressed. 

This evening Barb and I are going to go to a 'cinq à sept' at Michelines, where I will see as many of the WWW as are able to make it. 

Caroline in her garden with two of her giant  cauliflowers. 

Balancing stone figures on the shore of the Ottawa River. 

Archie and Marilyn with my favorite of her recent mixed media works. 

The Walefield bike group enjoying a beer and lunch on Barb's lawn after a morning ride along the river. 

Meanwhile, back in Vernon, Jinhee gets ready for her first basketball game with the Harwood Heat and

Minhee chills. 

Port after stormy sea

Barb and Norm left for the north early Friday morning. I had a leisurely breakfast, waitimg for rush hour to pass, locked up and left in high spirits around 10:15. I plugged the device Dana had given me into the place where a cigarette lighter used to go, attached my iPhone to it and prepared to be navigated along the route Barb and I had chosen on Google Maps the night before. All went well for a while. My mind slipped into its default mode, neutral. There wasn't much traffic, and I was taking in the scenery. Finally, I wondered why the female voice hadn't told me where to go lately. I glanced down at my iPhone and saw that the triangle representing my car was in the

middlle of a pale blue screen with no roads on it. Something was wrong. I began reading signs, HAMILTON!!!  Even I knew that I was heading in the wrong direction, but there was no hope of turning for quite a while. After travelling in circles, taking a toll road that took me even farther out of my way, asking twice for directions and narrowly avoiding being rear ended by a woman who was tailgating as I was driving irritatingly slowly while I looked for the correct exit, I finally got on the 401 East heading for Kingston. As all this was going on I slowly figured out why my iPhone had stopped working and got me in this pickle to begin with. Actually it's a miracle it carried on as long as it did because I have no phone plan. It had pulled wifi out of the air for quite a while before it faded out. 

I had about a minute to rejoice that I was finally on the 401 before I saw the mass of traffic ahead, CONSTRUCTION! I didn't break out of the jam until almost 1:00pm. I stopped around 2:00 for gas and something to eat, set the GPS for Pollock's and took the route it suggested, nothing scenic. When I arrived at Caroline and Alberts', rather frazzled, it was after 5:00pm. I had reached my destination, a motionless oasis of friends,good food and a comfortable bed.  What a relief after the hardest day of driving of the trip so far. 

Sunday was Caroline's birthday. We had Dim Sum with Gabe, Suzanna and their lovely baby Rhys and spent the rest of the day doing exactly what Caroline wanted to do, nothing. Since then we have gone for walks, shopped, biked with Micheline, watched the eclipse of the super moon and some Blue Jays games and relaxed in general. I have reached my destination. 

Albert and Caroline at the Yangtze Restaurant for dim sum on her birthday. 

Gabe, Joanna and Rhys at the Yangtze 

Me with Rhys after dim sum. 

Jay's new sleeve

You have reached your destination

Today I drive to the Ottawa/Wakefield area and Dick, the voice I chose for my Tom Tom, will announce, "You have reached your destination."  That is if I use Tom; I'm going to try my iPhone first. Barb and I found a route on Google Maps yesterday that she said was a good one, so I will start with it. 

I have just waved good bye to Barb and Norm. They're going to a charity quad weekend event about 21/2 hours north of Toronto. Norm spent yesterday afternoon and this morning readying all the gear. Barb made sure this morning just before they left that he had packed a half decent shirt for the banquet and that she had her Kindle and cell phone; she doesn't like too much roughing it in the bush. My only job is to lock up and leave the secret key under the canoe as I go. I'm going to wait until 10:00 to avoid morning traffic. 

Dad reminded me not long ago that when he used to warn me against doing something he thought was risky, but which knowing me never even approached extreme, I would say,"Sometimes you're lucky."  And I have been on this trip. Again in Toronto the fall weather has been perfect, sunny and warm. Barb, Norm, Jen their dog and I have gone on some wonderful long walks, around marshland, on the shore of Lake Ontario and along the Credit River. I saw the Toronto skyline from across the lake and from the top of the AGO. Barb and I took the Go Train downtown on Wednesday. We walked, took a trolley and the subway, had a tasty lunch at an Italian restaurant she and Kate go to and visited the AGO. We climbed the circular interior stairway to the 3rd floor to look at the Anne Colier photography exhibition. It's part of the AGO's Year of Photography. It presented her work from 2002 to the present. I especially liked some of the 'Woman with a Camera' works. Then we climbed to the top where you get a good view of the city.  I had mistakenly thought the Jean-Michel Basquiat exhibition was still on but it was long gone, so I was merely able to buy Jay a pair of Basquiat flip flops for half price. 

Barb, Norm and I have enjoyed wonderful dinners and evenings on their back deck. I hadn't spent as much time with Norm before. Now that we are all retired, we can relax and enjoy each other's company more, chatting and watching the moon fill and cross from behind the big pine into the clear dark blue between the trees. 

On Sunday I will be with Caroline and Albert to watch the supermoon eclipse, if I drive carefully out of Toronto. 

A moose in Oakville

Punk cedars in downtown Toronto near the Italian restaurant where Barb and I ate lunch

Barb and Norm heading north. 

Fellow Travellers

I do not regret the decision to drive across Canada, from Vernon to Wakefield. It seems as if the family back home is making real progress with the basement bathroom and bedroom, starting school and harvesting the fruits of the Okanagan, while I am experiencing the joys of reconnecting in real time with friends and family in the east. It's one thing to keep in touch through phone calls, emails and my blog but it's much better to be with people, talking, eating and doing things.  I discovered that recently when Jay, May and the girls came home and now again as I return to the east.

I do like driving. It's a slow but sure way to learn about things as varied as the landscape of Canada and the best fast food latte, McCafé's is better than Tim's. I discovered the latter today. Cathy sent me off with a lovely little Shoefly Boutique bag containing an orange, an apple and 2 of her butter tarts.  She also gave me clear instructions for how to drive to Orangeville. Had I followed them, I'd be in a Tim's now but I stopped at Tiviotdale to set the GPS for Barb and Norm's. What a mistake. It went right into its pattern of directing me down shortcut sideroads. I ignored many of them and stuck to Cathy's route, but I weakend too soon and ended up on a ringroad around Orangeville which meant I missed Cathy's Tim's. The road became 4 lanes, there was hardly a house to be seen, and I had to pee in the worst way. Fortunately a PetroCan station appeared on my left. It had a McCafé attached to it, where I am sitting now, much relieved, in the car, in the sun with the windows open, drinking a latte.    

When I thanked Cathy this morning for all she had done for me, she said, "Nothing's too much for a fellow traveller".  I was sad to be leaving after such a good visit with their family. Neither of us said much more, but as I drove out of town, the word 'sojourner' came to mind and I realized that she's right, whether we go from place to place or not, we are all equally on a relatively brief journey through time. We are 'fellow travellers', and I feel lucky to have this opportunity to share a bit of our trip with friends and family. 

The part of Fall that I spent in Walkerton was lovely, warm and sunny, aside from 11/2 days of rain. Cathy, Dana, Alex, Zach and I even spent a day at a beach near Port Elgin. We didn't actually swim but when we walked to a sandbar Alex and Zach got up to their necks. Mark picked me up early one morning to drive with him and Dave to a cider press. They had a truck loaded with bags of apples. The press was impressive. I had a great time. Brian, Cathy and I had good long talks on the deck in their back yard. Cathy and I went for some walks, and her meals were delicious as usual. I stayed long enough to eat all the treats: one of their big chickens, a standing rib, vegetables from the garden, fresh eggs, sausage, green pepper and pineapple skewers as well as 3 different pies. I was worried that I wasn't going to get butter tarts, but I have 2 beside me now. Perfect!  

Cathy on their back deck with her giant colious plants. 

Mark and David at the cider press. 

The final cider filter is a woman's knee high nylon. 

Mark and Jen's kids, Evan and Emilie, at Brian and Cathy's for one of Evan's 3 four years old birthday parties. 

David, Dana and their kids, Alex and Zach, in front of Brian and Cathy's house. 

Back to the future

It’s 8:20pm, Sunday, Sept. 13, and I’m in Algoma’s Water Tower Inn and Suites in Sault Sainte Marie, Ont.  I arrived at about 5:00pm and have had a sauna, shower, hot tub and dinner.  What luxury.  It was a long but wonderful drive today from Loon Lake.  The red and pink rock cuts, evergreens and spectacular views of Lake Superior accompanied by National Public Radio, CBC, Leonard Cohen, Tina Turner and Dire Straits kept me ‘mindful’ most of the way, so time often passed enjoyably and quickly, sometimes too quickly.  I was cruising along east of Wawa when I realized too late that the approaching car was an OPP.  After it passed, I looked in the rear view mirror, just in time to see him make a 'U' turn and begin to follow me.  I slowed down to about 110km, in a 90 zone, but too late.  He had his blue and red flashers going.  I pulled over and stopped.  He said he had clocked me at 117km.  He asked for my licence and went back to his car.  I waited in mine, but I had a hopeful feeling because he was young and he had been very pleasant and only asked for my licence.  He returned with a smile and a warning.  I thanked him and carried on to the Sault, a little more mindful of my speed.  A friend of Ross and Liz’s mentioned this hotel, and I’m glad he did.  

I had a good visit in Winnipeg as usual with Danny and Rita.  I saw Dawn, Leno, Aidan and Livia one night and had dinner with Laurie, Steven, Robin and Charlotte another.  We drove to Pat and Joe’s place the next day.  Pat fed us mostly from her garden and Joe gave Danny and me a tour of the property.  He’s been working on it since 1986.  What he has done is impressive and entertaining to see.  Jin Hee would call it ‘unique’.  I had a good dinner with my cousin Barb and her husband Denis, and left mom and dad’s urns and papers with her.  Her daughter Shannon and husband Christian stopped by for dessert.  It was the first time I had seen them.  We were able to contact Lisa and arrange to meet her.  Danny took the three women to lunch at a place Lisa suggested near St. Boniface Hospital, where she works.  Just before I left, Danny checked the oil and filled the tires on my car and then took me to fill it up for the Thursday special price of 94.5 cent a liter at a local gas station.  I was well rested and prepared when I hit the road for TB on Friday morning. 

The GPS had a bit of trouble finding Danny and Rita’s place because of all the construction in the west end of Winnipeg.  I had to resort to my old solution of asking an East Indian cab driver.  As it turned out, by the time I did, I was within blocks of their place.  But it did much better finding West Loon, and as soon as it instructed me to turn off the highway I knew exactly how to get to Ross and Liz’s place.  It was as if I had been there recently. The entire visit with them was a flashback to the past.  Liz and I began as we walked along the beach road and continued over dinner the first night.  Then when Ross returned from the east we carried on through another dinner.  We started again this morning at breakfast.  One memory led to another with a clarity that surprised me.  Of course it helped that there were three of us, each adding a piece to the puzzle.  I finally had to force myself to leave much later than I had intended to.  To be continued on my return visit to TB.

The Boyce plot in Elmwood Cemetery in Winnipeg.  Only the headstone was clearly visible.  Danny found the buried marble name plates for grandma and grandpa Boyce and mom and dad.  In the years since dad had the grave site improved in 1992, they had been covered by sod.

Danny and Rita at The Forks on the day we walked along the rivers and toured downtown Winnipeg.

Liz preparing the table for our dinner at Loon

Ross doing his share

Lake Superior in all its glory at Agawa Bay