April 14, 2014

The dizzying round of restaurant lunches with mom and dad is drawing to a close.  They still get out on their own in the car with mom driving, oh, my shattered nerves, but the radius of their excursions is becoming shorter and shorter, so they enjoy going a bit farther a few times with me driving.  We had one trip that was wearing on all of us because we aimed at a place they remembered as being an easy drive away on quiet roads.  Well, that was about 20 years ago and the route Google maps suggested was anything but peaceful; it involved highways that didn’t even exist the last time they went.  We finally reached our destination after being flung off in the wrong direction at two exits and having to stop at both to ask how to get back on the right road.  I don’t know if the destination was worth the effort it took to get there, but it was on the ocean and we saw lots of swans and ducks.  Heading home, we were able to take the quieter route and calm down to such an extent that we realized we were hungry.  We were able to do something they’ve missed for a few years, have an A&W burger.  That was the highlight of the day.  They’ve also been happy to take Barbara and Terry and their friend Marilyn for lunch at the Marina, which means I’ve been there twice and had oysters both times.  These fancier occasions have meant that mom and dad have worn their better clothes.  In so doing, they have confirmed their suspicions that they are getting shorter by the month.  I have now shortened both of their ‘good’ pants.  It’s so easy for me to do, but mom says she can’t face any work like that any more.  Each time I see them they are able to do less but their will to stay together in their apartment has not wavered.  It’s only that iron will that keeps them there.  Mom’s legs still work but she tires easily now and dad has no feeling in his legs or feet so he completely depends on the strength of his arms and the power of his will.  The other day at the Marina restaurant, he was not aware of the fact that his feet were not flat on the floor as he was preparing to push his walker away from the booth where we had been sitting, but when I told him that, he lowered his heels and moved on out.  Yesterday was sunny and warm, and we all enjoyed our Sunday, Tim Horton’s breakfast in the car at Willows Beach and then walked quite a long way along the water. 

I’ve spent most of the afternoons by the water while mom and dad are napping and gone on a couple of good walks with Barbara and Terry along the Gorge, the Galloping Goose and in the area of Vic West, so in spite of the frustration that is part of every visit here, there’s a lot that’s positive.  I have a holiday in a beautiful place and being with parents who are in their nineties makes me feel that I’m faster than a speeding bullet and capable of performing amazing tasks. 

A windy afternoon on Clover Point

Parts of Oak Bay became Gracepoint for the filming of a tv series of that name that was going on while I was here this time.  Nick Nolte's in it, but I didn't see him.

Lunch at the Marina with Barbara and Terry

Babara and Terry by a mural on the Galloping Goose path