Things To Do

Our day was spent back in Ontario but we kept moving.  We were up around 6:00 am, back to the routine.  I was so tired.  

Sarah and Ron left shortly after 7:00 am.  Sarah was off to school and Ron was getting new tires put on the car.  He stopped on the way home and had a visit with the cous’ clan.  New additions had been added to their herd. 

After my hair appointment, we went to Kingston for my uncle’s wake.

Uncle Johnny was always a big part of our family.  His wife was my mom’s sister.  Uncle Johnny and Aunt Juanita stood up for mom and dad in their wedding.  

A few years later when I came along, Uncle Johnny chose the name, Penny for me.  Years later when Ron and I got married, Uncle Johnny and Aunt Juanita’s sons’, Paul and Tim, were both in our wedding.  Uncle Johnny was always a big personality and one of my dad’s best friends.  There are lots memories of our two families doing things together.

We checked on Sarah to see if she wanted anything brought home.  She had decided to make herself dinner and I was quite impressed.

She had also stopped to pick up the mail.  We were excited to open something from our great niece.  Taylor has worked hard and her dedication has paid off.  Congratulations sweet girl!

Our evening then turned to game five of the playoffs. The Leafs didn’t disappoint this time.  They beat the Sens and are moving to the next round.

It’s time for bed now….hoping for a little longer sleep.

Edmonton to Prince George

We got on the road early this morning.  After a quick breakfast at Tim’s, we started our drive west on Highway 16.  It was my day to drive and it was a long one.  

When we got into the park we saw some of the locals.  First the bighorn sheep welcomed us as they strolled across the road.

The elk were hanging around further down the road.  It is interesting to see how drivers can be so different with wild animals.  Some slow down, put on their hazard lights and take pictures.  There are some that keep going almost pushing the animals off the road and then there are others that pay no attention as they speed along.  It is surprising that there aren’t more road kills by those uncaring drivers.

We stopped in Jasper and went for a walk to stretch our legs and grab some lunch.  It is such a pretty town and the weather was amazing.

After a little break from the car, we continued west.

We made a quick stop at Mount Robson. This was the first time for us on this stretch of the highway but Ron remembered that his mom had told him how much she had enjoyed this stop when his parents had travelled along highway 16 so many years ago.

It’s the highest mountain in the Rockies and we understand why Donna thought it was so beautiful.  It would have been nice to be able to call her and tell her that we made it to one of her favourite places. 😥

From there to Prince George, we spotted black bears along the side of the road in three different places.  Stephen told us that we are just starting to get into bear country.  We will be watching for them tomorrow.  I’ll have my phone on the ready for pictures.

We settled in at the Best Western after getting our 10,000 steps.  We watched the hockey game and were cheering for the Leafs. They tied the game in the third period and went into overtime and kept our hopes alive for a few more minutes. We were hoping that they could pull off a win but it was not to be.  

And all good Leafs’ fans say, “there is always next year.”  We have been saying it since 1967…😳

Our holidays are just getting started.  I guess the Leafs were jealous.

Old Friends

We packed our little civic full with as much stuff that it would hold and headed north.  I was the driver today.  It seemed like it took us forever to get to Three Hills but we arrived right at lunch time as planned.  We met Marion and Merv at the restaurant.  I was so excited to see them that I forgot to take a picture.  Thankfully, I found an old one to use.  We haven’t changed that much???

I met Marion when I worked at Prairie Bible College.  It didn’t take long for us to know that we would be forever friends.  Marion had told her son that she was sad that I would be moving to Ontario and that she might not see me again.  Her son’s response was “don’t forget about heaven.”  I’m hoping that we will have more visits before that but yes, there is always heaven and texts and video chats.

We drove around Three Hills to refresh our memories of the little town that we called home for three years.  We enjoyed living there and getting to know the special people that touched our lives.

We continued north to have supper with friends from way back.  I remember Kevin from Sunday School days and then youth group.   I also remember how much Kevin and Ron would laugh when they get together.  Some things never change!  Leanne is a bit younger and was a friend with my sister, Tina.  We spent some time reminiscing and a few tears were shed.

We had a delicious supper with them and they surprised Ron with cake.  So thoughtful and so delicious.

After a good dinner and some chocolate cake, Leanne and I went for a long walk with the dogs.

They live in a beautiful place and it was good to get some steps and see the area.

Ron and Kevin stayed behind to cheer on the Leafs and they won!!!  We got back in time to see the Oilers have a victory too.

We visited for a bit more and then it was way past our bedtime.  Kevin and Leanne were so gracious to feed us, take me for a walk and give us a bed for the night.

Our first day of our post retirement trip was pretty full and nice.

A Perfect Day!

Perfect days to me can be a nice hike with great weather and muscles that hurt just enough.

It might be a day with my grandkids when we do something that everyone enjoys and there is no whining or fighting.  This, of course, has never happened.

It has been times with my son and his sweet wife.  It doesn’t matter what we do because it just always leaves me feeling good.

It will hopefully be times with my daughter when we move to Ontario as we bake, enjoy a tea or maybe shop.

It is always when Ron is home and we have plans or perhaps we do nothing at all.

It can also be those days when you reconnect with a friend and enjoy catching up.  That was my day yesterday.  

I haven’t been driving much lately and rarely by myself.  Yesterday, I changed that.  I drove three hours to Medicine Hat to meet my old tea buddy. She’s not old…just older than 10 years ago when we had spent time together.

Picture taken 10 years - two working ladies

Fourteen years ago I started working at Innovation Credit Union in Swift Current.   

I sat at the front desk on the third floor for the first year and every day this lovely lady would walk by at 9:30 a.m. and come back with a Tim’s.  I decided that this was a friend that I wanted to have.

I soon was leaving every day at 9:30 and coming back with my tea and a new forever friend.

Through the years we have kept up to date with our tea times but it has always been virtual. Yesterday, we had our visit face to face.  Virtual hugs are okay but the real thing is much better.

Catherine was a wonderful tour guide.  We walked around chatting and catching up.  She picked a cute little bistro for lunch and we talked some more.  To make the day complete, my tour guide took us to Police Point Park and even suppled me with a bottle of water.

It was a great place to explore with lots of intersecting paths along the water and no hills to climb.

We walked and, of course, talked some more.

We sat along the shore and enjoyed the sun, scenery and friendship.  We had to take a selfie to mark the occasion.

Two retired ladies 

It was such a nice day and we even managed to find the vehicle after all of our twists and turns. Our next chat will most likely be virtual but it was extra special to have this day.

I then drive the three hours and got home just in time to watch the Leafs play.  What an exciting game!

When Tampa Bay was leading there were some sad faces in Ontario.  I tried to stay calm with the thought that at least they would go to game seven….the dreaded game seven,

And then Austin Matthews tied the game.  We had a chance.  The end of the third period came and the Leafs were going to overtime and the captain came through.  He got the puck in the back of the net and everyone went crazy. They won!  It got a little loud at our house and in Ontario. 

They made it past the first round.  They haven’t done that since 2004!  

What a way to end the perfect day!