July – August – September – 2024

Summer finally arrived and with it “Music in the Park” at Riverside Park.

Always lots of great and free entertainment each night from July 1st (Canada Day) to August 31st We are so fortunate to have this all summer long in Kamloops Another plus this summer was that the smoke from wildfires was not too bad this year

August arrived and our social calendar became a whole bunch busier

Dean and Judy came down from Prince George for a visit and the four of us went on a wine tour We had purchased a wine tour package for them for their 70th birthdays; and we finally got to use it? The tour was with Terri from Divine Tours, she does such a great job Our tour started at Privato Wineries, then on to Sagewood Wineries and finally we ended at Monte Creek Wineries All were different and all were great? Plus the real benefit was we didn’t have to worry about driving as we were chauffeured around by Terri

A day after the wine tour Brenda and Dean’s cousin George and his wife Eva from Gabriola Island came for a short visit It was great to catch up after not seeing them for a couple of years A real enjoyable part of their visits is that George and I have an after dinner music jam session that goes on until are fingers are tired

Not too long after all our company left we had Sage and Conrad come for a short visit? They are so much fun to have for a visit and they like shopping and going to the movies So it was off to Aberdeen Mall or Specialty Stores and then up to the Cineplex where we saw the newest movie out “DeadPool” We also found time to go on a cool hike in upper Barnhartvale

Then right after Sage and Conrad we had Zach and Oliver for a few days
Those two always come with a long list of activities that they want to do
Here is a partial list: Disc golf, Scoopz Ice Cream, Mini golf, Scoopz Ice Cream, Riverside Park Dinner, Scoopz Ice Cream, Wildlife Park, Scoopz Ice Cream, Bowling, Scoopz Ice Cream, Morning Cartoons in Bed, Scoopz Ice Cream – Kind of a reoccurring theme here

At then end of August and into early September we headed to Kelowna to drop off the guys and then look after them as their parents were off to Nashville to se the band “Green Day”

Early September was quieter with a chance to catch our breath and get back into normal routines, Music, Dancing, Walking, etc etc? It also was time to start planning for our next trip with Wells Grey Tours?

However before that there was our annual friends Reunion? Judy and Dean were the organizers this year and they found us a great house with a pool near Tappen This was first reunion since Rick passed away last year? So lots of remembering, a few tears but more important a lot of laughs and Rick was or would have been laughing with us

At the end of September we booked another Wells Grey Tours adventure which was a repositioning cruise from Vancouver to San Diego and a side visit to Las Vegas We boarded a shuttle bus in Kamloops headed to Merritt where we met up with a coach to take us to New Westminster for the night Had a great dinner at the Boathouse in New West?
Then the next morning we boarded the coach to get us to the Cruise Ship Terminal to board the Neuw Amsterdam for a 5 night repositioning Cruise to San Diego with a stop in San Francisco
We had a sea view cabin which was great to get some natural light into the room
After cruising for 3 days we arrived in San Francisco We did our own onshore excursions which basically meant we walked a lot of steps for the 16 hrs the ship was in port, I think that day we did between 26000 and 28000 steps
We saw the major attractions, Fishermans Wharf, Ghiraridelli Chocolate Factory, Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street and we road the longest route on the Cable Cars
After leaving San Francisco we cruised for another day and a half and arrived in San Diego
We stayed at the Embassy Suites which is a great location near the waterfront market, plus the hotel has a great evening manager reception and the breakfast in the morning is outstanding
While in San Diego we went to the San Diego Zoo, The Maritime Museum and the Birch Aquarium
Leaving San Diego on a coach we headed off on a 7 hour drive to Las Vegas across the Mohave Desert
The lunch stop was in Barstow CA and it was the best Mexican style food we have ever eaten
After the seven hour bus ride we ended up in Las Vegas We stayed on Freemont Street at The Golden Nugget The location was alright, the hotel was a little older but in the end it all worked out okay

While in Vegas we took a day trip/tour to the Hoover Dam and got to stand on the border between Nevada and Arizona

Also included in the Wells Grey trip to Vegas was a tour of Freemont St, A visit to the Mob Museum with Moonshine Tasting 3 different evening shows; Ventriloquist Terry Fator, Cirque du Soleil Mystique and Excalibur

The four days we had in Las Vegas went fast but we have no desire to go back
It’s just not our thing, we aren’t big gamblers