Category — Family

By the time we got back from Las Vegas it was almost mid October

We weren’t home that long and we decided to take a trip to Prince George to visit Dean and Judy and do some face to face planning for our early in 2025 adventure to New Zealand and Australia
It was great to go spend a couple days with Dean and Judy, they are such great hosts

In late October we really started getting serious about planning for NZ and AUS
2025 calendars were printed out and dates and locations and routes started hitting the planning papers
There is so much to see and so much to do in both Countries, thank Heavens Brenda is so good at detail stuff like this, we are going to be busy

We had Kevin come for a visit for a couple days in October, he was here for his high school reunion

November arrived and the planning is going crazy
A rough agenda was drawn up We leave Kamloops for Vancouver on January 18th, fly to Auckland NZ on Jan 20th We arrive into Auckland on January 22nd and pick up our Campervan on January 24th
Dean and Judy are heading north and we are headed South and East
We meet up in Rotorua a few days later and then travel together until we take the ferry to the South island where we go our separate ways for about a week and we finally meet in Christchurch to drop off the Campervans
From Christchurch we fly to Melbourne AUS after a couple days in Melbourne we take the southern coastal route to Adelaide for a few days
After Adelaide we fly to Sydney for a week and Dean and Judy are headed North to Brisbane
After a week in Sydney seeing the sights we fly to Brisbane and drive north to Coolum for a week
Then it’s back to Auckland and the long flight home to Vancouver and eventually Kamloops?
This is a real “big picture” condensed trip itinerary there is a ton of stuff we are going to be doing

December arrived and life is somewhat back to normal with dancing, music, painting, friends, etc etc and of course Christmas planning

Just before Christmas we had an evening with 3 other families on the street It’s was called a Snow Ball Event where you start at one house with a drink and an appy then after an hour you move to the next home and every hour you move until you are at the last house
What a great way to connect with your neighbours and enjoy the Christmas Season

Then between Christmas and New Years we had an evening Music Jam Session at Tom and Paulette’s There was 3 guitars, 2 Fiddlers, 2 Ukuleles, a Banjo, an Upright Bass and a Drummer
What an evening, the music was fantastic, the spouses and guests sang along to the tunes, the buffet food and goodies at the break were tasty it was a very memorable night
A West Coast Kitchen Party

We stayed home this year for Christmas
Dean and Judy came down from Prince George and stayed with Sabrina, Mike and the grandkids
They very kindly invited us over for Christmas dinner

Final Note from 2024
Our total focus has been on trip planning for New Zealand and Australia
If we have seemed distant it’s because we are planning this once in a lifetime trip, thanks for your understanding

Happy New Year
Please stop back for a visit to this site we hope to keep it up to date as we travel around NZ and AUS in January – February – March 2025

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

Well after all the hustle, bustle and busy around the family gathering we started to get our somewhat quiet life back on track.

November and December flew by and somewhere in there we managed a trip to Kelowna to watch Zach play the trumpet in the Dr Knox School Band Christmas Concert GGPA was smiling down that night!

While down in Kelowna we celebrated an early Christmas as Jeff, Lindsay, Zach and Oliver planned to be at Silverstar Ski Mountain for Christmas with friends

We also bought all the supplies for Zach, Oliver and their buddy Ross to build Graham Wafer and candy Christmas Villages They really loaded up their individual creations.

For Christmas we headed to Princeton to spend it with Kevin, Tamara, Sage and Conrad What a fun couple days and it was so nice to be invited for Christmas Tamara and Kevin always prepare and serve a delicious Christmas dinner

And finally, a picture of Silly Christmas head wear

The passing of GGMA was very sad for the whole family, however we all knew that she was ready to go and to move on to the next stage of her journey. Thankfully the majority of everyone’s memories of GGMA are happy memories of a life well lived and many happy times.

But the work began while she was still in “Trinity”, as Dr. M. suggested we could clean her suite out at The Shores. Well the four of us (Dean, Judy, Brenda, Larry) started cleaning cupboards, moving out furniture, moving boxes of stuff to the thrift store, sharing treasured gifts among family members and in a few short days we had the place emptied.

Then of course after GGMA passed away the real paperwork began. Funeral home planning, death certificates, burial site planning, headstone design, funeral preparations, interment planning, tax documents, bank forms, Interior Health documents, wills and estate requirements; you get the idea. So much paperwork and so much to do that pretty well ate up the month of September and most of October.

Somewhere in all this mayhem we picked a date and location for a Celebration of Life for GGMA. We chose October 28th at Kamloops Funeral Home for the formal funeral service; which was followed by a luncheon for all.
Then later that night a Celebration with family and close friends was held at Frick & Frack Restaurant. Out of towners’ from Brenda’s family were her cousin Coleen from Ontario and her daughter Bonnie from Vancouver plus long time family friend Jayne from Calgary. From my side there was my sisters Maureen from Vancouver and Donna from Ladysmith on the Island. Tricia who was the official photographer for the evening. What a great evening to get family and extended family together for a Celebration.
One of the few times all the cousins have been together.

We have often reminisced that the ones who would have enjoyed themselves the most at this family gathering were the couple that we were holding this Celebration of Life for. Both Joan and Murray would have had the most fun of the evening watching the family and just smiling at what they were a part of creating.

At the end of July GGMA became quite sick with what we thought was a reoccurring infection. So, on July 31st Brenda took her to Emergency at the RIH. You can imagine what the emergency room was like in the middle of the summer; it was crazy to say the least.

After a few hour wait they finally found her a bed and after a bit more a Doctor came by with all the standard questions and then he started to poke and prod to the point the GGMA even complained. Let me tell you he must have really made it uncomfortable, because she never complained about aches and pains. He said she needed an x-ray because sometimes abdominal issues can have sinister things about them. That was something new we had not heard before. So, he said we may as well go home and wait for the results as it was going to take a while.

Anyway to make a long story short the x-ray showed she had a large mass growing in her abdomen and it was inoperable. After that was discovered the staff did everything required to get her assigned to another floor for more advanced care. As luck or fate would have it her regular family Doctor was away on a family vacation, however the Doctor that was covering for him (Dr. Dickinson) was outstanding. He was kind, caring, compassionate and he was forthright and honest. GGMA was in the final journey of her life and we should prepare for the end.

She was in the hospital about 4-5 days and was then moved to “Trinity Hospice” which is part of Overlanders Extended Care Facility and after about 3 weeks she peacefully passed away in her sleep. Below is her obituary which was written by Dean, Judy, Brenda and Larry.

Joan Mason of Kamloops BC, died peacefully on Sunday August 27, 2023, at Trinity Hospice Overlander Hospital.

Joan was born in Calgary on March 8, 1928, to Edward John and Alice Dean. The youngest of three children she was the last surviving member of her family. 

She married Murray Frederick Mason in 1950 and had two children, Dean (Judy) and Brenda (Larry).

Joan dedicated the first part of married life to being a great mother. She loved camping, going for picnics, spending time with family and she especially enjoyed ice cream at Riverside Park? The family can all remember her saying; “I Scream , You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream”.  She also enjoyed community get togethers, the community dances and especially the Birthday Girls luncheons.

In 1976 she and Murray became grandparents for a first time. They had four grandchildren Kevin (Tamara), Jeff (Lindsay) , Blake, and Sabrina (Mike) and seven great grandchildren, Sage, Conrad, Zachary, Amelia, Oliver, Makayla and Norah.  

Joan and Murray loved to travel, taking trips to India, Japan, across Canada, including the North all the way to Tuktoyaktuk. However, their favourite spots were in Southern California and Hawaii. Locally they became Good Sam Members and enjoyed the many campouts with the Juniper Sams RV group of friends.

They lived in Westsyde for over 50 years, moving to the Shores Retirement Residences in 2015 where she loved all the activities and was an eager participant. 

She was an active volunteer in the Anglican Community with the Church of Cleopas (Westsyde) and later at St Georges Anglican Church.

Joan was predeceased by Murray in 2019, her parents and her siblings (Alice and George).

Joan lived a full and happy life. We will all fondly remember her quick wit, her kindness, her love of family and most of all, the “Gramma Cuts” on dessert servings. 

The family would especially like to thank, Dr Montalbetti and his receptionist J.C?Doctor M. was a kind and caring advocate for Mom. We also want to thank the Shores Retirement Residences and her many, many friends.

The Celebration of Life will be held Oct 28th at 11:00 a.m. at the Kamloops Funeral Home. 

In lieu of flowers the family would suggest donations to a charity of your choice.

Well, after we arrived in Santiago de Compostela at the Cathedral and absorbed a bit of main square activities we headed down to the Pilgrims Office to hand in our Pilgrims Credentials Passport. You are required to get 2 stamps per day in your Pilgrims Credentials to prove that you have met the requirements of completion of our Camino hike and the obligations of being a Pilgrim. After the authorities had audited our credentials we were recorded as hiking 124km on our pilgrimage.

The Pilgrims Office is near the Cathedral and as we got close to the entrance we saw two familiar faces from Kamloops. Ken and Judy (our friends from Kamloops) had just arrived in Santiago de Compostela from doing the Primitavo Camino. They were the couple that talked us in to doing a Camino and were so inspirational with their encouragement, support and planning. So, we talked for a few minutes and they gave us some directions to help speed up the process and we made tentative plans to meet for dinner later that evening.

After completing all the necessary paperwork and purchasing a few Camino momento’s we headed off to our hotel Costa Vella for the next 4 nights. We then emailed Ken & Judy and planned to meet for a traditional Pilgrim’s dinner; they had a restaurant that they highly recommended from previous visits.
We went for dinner at 7:00 pm which is early for the Spanish and we were the second couple in , but it filled up quite quickly. The Pilgrim’s dinner included a salad, a main dish, desert and a bottle of wine shared between each couple and it was cheap, we think we remember it was about 17EU per person.
What a fun evening we had.

The rest of our stay in Santiago de Compostela was taken up exploring the area and enjoying the culture and celebrations in the City.
One event we went to was the Noon Mass at the Cathedral to see the burning of the incense and the Botafumeiro Celebration. The Botafumeiro is 5 ft tall incense burner that is used as part of the Catholic Christian Mass. The 5ft tall incense burner is attached to ropes and swings freely above the altar and at a certain point in the ceremony 5-6 helpers pull the ropes which causes the burner to rise up and then it is given a push to swing. The helpers then time the pulling of the rope with the swinging of the Botafumeiro and it really gets swinging; you’ll see that easily the arc of the swing is 100 ft.
The whole service and celebration was amazing, something we never expected to see. Enjoy the video.

While in Santiago de Compostela we also took a chartered day trip tour to Finisterre and Muxia? Many pilgrims take an additional 8 days (there and back) and walk this route to complete their pilgrimage. Finisterre rough translation is “the end of the world” and the next stop across the Atlantic Ocean is North America. Unfortunately the day we visited there was a lot of fog so we could only see about 500 yards out, but I guess when you think about it all that is beyond there is more water.
Also while we were in Santiago de Compostela they had a big celebration for All Saints Month, so there were various groups going around singing and then on large street party with entertainment, kids games, dancing, etc

After 4 days it was time to leave Santiago de Compostela and to head to Porto in Portugal. Dean found us an Uber type ride and we were picked up right on time and about 3 hrs later we were dropped off right at the front door of our rental unit Santa Caterina Suites. These suites were outstanding, very modern, very clean with lots of little extras, a great breakfast and right in the middle of Porto, so handy to everything. The only thing to watch for were the stairs to the suite level; they were steep and you easily went up 3 standard floors.

One tourist site we had to check out was the bookstore called Livraria Lello in downtown Porto. It is the only bookstore I know of that you have to make an online reservation to get entry to go book shopping. After you make your reservation you arrive at the bookstore and outside the store is a line up area with time markers. Once you find your time marker you get in line and they get you inside within 1/2 hr of your reservation time or sooner. Why the line up? Well “Livaria Lello” is a very old book store, it is 2 levels and has lots of oak and mahogany flooring, paneling, etc but the main feature is the really ornate winding staircase. The bookstore was the inspiration for Harry Potter author JK Rollings and Hogwarts; so no wonder the tourist interest and need for a reservation system.

Porto is a really nice City. It’s very old and lots of confusing streets and traffic and history and it’s right on the Douro River? Porto is also well known for its Port Wine Houses. Thankfully Judy and Dean were with us and convinced us to attend a Port Wine tasting session at Churchill Port House. Now my pallet for wine tasting is pretty much non existent, but even I could taste some of the differences between the ages. Judy on the other hand has an amazing tasting pallet and can pick up all the subtle characteristics. Since we ended up having our own private Port tasting session our Sommelier was even impressed with Judy’s ability and after we had sampled the standard stuff/swill and a couple higher end Ports the Sommelier went into the back and brought out some of the really good stuff; 30 years old or more.

It was a fun afternoon, a way to remember Porto and it was a good walk to get there and a cable car ride on the way back. One final attraction in Porto is the central market area, it was amazing, every type of meat, cheese, bread, chocolate, wine, port, plants, you name it.
We would definitely come back to Porto and do more exploring.

After 2 days we headed by train back to Lisbon and then caught a taxi to Costa De Caparica for our final 4 days. Costa De Caparica is a small seaside town about 45 minutes outside of Lisbon.
Not a lot going on but we stayed at a resort style property right on the ocean, went for some long walks, had some great dinners and just chilled out.

So, that’s about it for our Spain and Portugal adventure.

(Punctuation Disclaimer – I am not sure why, but when I enter a period at the end of a sentence in the post I am working on, once it is published the period sometimes comes up as a question mark at the end of the sentence)

Finally the day arrived for us to head off on an adventure of a lifetime the Camino de Santiago.

We have hiked and walked and walked and walked in preparation for our Camino? The one small change from our initial planning is that due to Brenda’s strained MCL we are going to use a luggage transfer service to move her suitcase from town to town along the Camino route? I am going to carry most of my stuff in my back pack, but will be taking advantage of using spare space in Brenda’s suitcase for some heavier articles?

So let the adventure begin? Well we checked in for our flights 24 hrs in advance as recommended and almost immediately were told that the second flight had been cancelled so we had to reschedule? In the end it all worked out, it was just a lot longer travel and wait times at airports? Our flights were Kamloops to Vancouver to Ottawa to Toronto and finally to Lisbon Portugal.

Once we arrived in Lisbon airport you all of a sudden feel a long way from home? The Customs and Immigration hall was packed with people, little to no direction or signage and complete confusion? After about an hour, which should have taken 15 minutes we got out and headed towards the metro train to the city.

On the way out of the airport we stopped at a cellphone store to pick up a SIM card, so we could be connected to the world; best decision we’ve made so far as we used the Maps feature on our cellphone everyday? The metro to downtown was pretty speedy and after exiting he underground station we found our hotel for 4 nights in Lisbon?

We met up with Dean and Judy who had been travelling the Netherlands, France and Spain prior to meeting us in Lisbon? We got pretty good at using the metro and toured a lot of Lisbon on foot or by train? Brenda was a “trooper” and never complained once about a sore knee even with hundreds of steps, uneven cobblestones and long walks up and down the hills of Lisbon.

While in Lisbon we took a day trip to Sintra? Sintra is on the coast and is a resort town in the foothills of Portugal’s Sintra Mountains. A longtime royal sanctuary, its forested terrain is studded with pastel-colored villas and palaces. The Moorish- and Manueline-style Sintra National Palace is distinguished by dramatic twin chimneys and elaborate tilework. The hilltop 19th-century Pena National Palace is known for a whimsical design and sweeping views? Sintra was very busy and we were glad that we booked a tour versus trying to do this on our own?

So after the 4 nights we headed off by train to Valenca, Portugal for 2 nights? This was our starting point for our Portuguese Camino de Santiago? Valenca is a small Portuguese town and has a walled part of the City or as it is called a Fortaleza de Valenca which is right across the Minho River from Tui, Spain? We stayed at hotel right next to the Fortaleza it was called Hotel Val Flores? It was small but clean and was well situated for the Camino hike and nearby restaurants.
One of the better meals and sangria we had on the vacation was at a restaurant in the Fortaleza? After the meal they brought out a bottle of Cherry Liqueur and just left the bottle told us to serve ourselves???. Yummy!

Today (May 26th, 2023) we started out on our Camino Pilgrims walk to Santiago de Compostela in Spain? On the Camino you hike along paths that are paved and gravel, along or beside roadways, through forests and small villages? The whole time you are looking for the Yellow Arrow pointing the way of St James to Santiago de Compostela? There are lots on granite posts, but many are spray painted on the side of a house or barn or on the roadway? It’s pretty tough to get lost because they are everywhere and also there are lots of other pilgrims on the route?

Our destination today was the town of O’ Porrino, Spain. We got our Pilgrim Credentials stamped twice in Valenca, Portugal the day before before, so we officially started in Portugal?

Today’s hike is about 22 km’s to O’Porrino which is known for it’s granite. There are huge granite mining operations on the surrounding hillsides? So in all the little villages we passed through granite is used everywhere, driveways, roads, fences, grape vineyards, etc? Tonights accommodation is at the Hotel Maracaibo in O’ Porrino? It’s not big, but it’s clean and above a bar for a much needed beer and appies after a long hike?

Well day #2 is here and not too many aches and pains? However, today’s hike looks like it is going to be a bit hillier on our way to Redondela and Hotel A Boa Estrela? Yesterdays hike was through pine and eucalyptus forests and along streams and creeks? Today is about the scenery from high up which means some climbs?It is also the first time we have seen Horreo’s, which are structures like a shed where they stored grains in the past that were mice, rat and rodent proof. You notice they are built of granite as is the wall of the property.

The walk/hike to Redondela was about 22 km and Redondela is a great little nestled on a hillside and has a small rive running through it.

It’s day three and we are headed to Pontevedra and the Hotel Rias Baja? Hiking today was through small villages, some street/road walking and many back alleys; always on the lookout for the Yellow Arrow pointing to Santiago de Compostela?

We are staying in Pontevedra for 2 nights? It’s a chance to recharge our batteries and take a day of down time? Pointevedra is definitely a bigger city so lots to do and see and eat and drink?

It’s day number 5 and we are headed from Pontevedra to Caldas de Reis, total walking of approximately 24 km?

Todays hike was rolling hills and vineyards? The hotel we are staying at tonight is the Balneario Acuna and they have a Hot Spring pool? Our tired feet and leg muscles will enjoy the soaking time?

It’s day #6 and we are headed for Padron, which is about 20 km away? Today was a lot more walking on or right beside major roadways? Until now it’s been a lot of forested trails or small country roads where traffic isn’t as busy? The last 3 km was all uphill and on the road, so it see,ed to take forever?

Our accommodation tonight is The Hotel Scala, it’s not fancy but it’s clean and right on the Camino route?

Well it’s our last full day on our Camino Pilgrimage, which is hard to believe? Today we will hike about 26 km and into the city of Santiago de Compostela and the end of “The Way”? But before we get there we hike through forested areas and past little roadside rest stops?

Then there is the final 10 km that is mostly up hill into Santiago de Compostela

Finally the Cathedral which is the end of “The Way” and it is where the remains of St James are interred

We feel so lucky to have had Dean and Judy join us on this lifetime adventure?

More on our Portugal and Spain adventure with Dean and Judy in our next post?

January arrived and winter got more socked in however it cleared up for a couple days and we were able to get down to Princeton to celebrate with Kevin, Tamara, Sage and Conrad.

Early in January we met with our friends Ken and Judy who have been trying to convince us for years to walk the Camino de Santiago? They are such an amazing couple and so inspirational and after having an afternoon coffee with them we decided that we weren’t getting any younger and if we were ever going to tackle an adventure like this it was going to be now?

Then in the middle of the month we headed off to Hawaii for 5 weeks? One of the highlights of Hawaii this year was we were able to attend a Jake Shimabukuro concert on the day after we arrived? What a great evening of entertainment and I got Jake to autograph my Martin Ukulele for the 4th time?

We had a great 5 weeks in Hawaii and we walked and walked and walked pounded the pavement in training for the Camino? This year we walked around the base of Diamond Head Crater over 18 times, plus there is the distance to get from our hotel to start the hike? Oh, and we also wore our day packs with weight in them to get use to that feeling while hiking/walking?

I found some ukulele jam sessions this year, which isn’t that difficult in Hawaii and Brenda was out and about and seeing the sites? We really like this picture of the Royal Hawaiian hotel she took on one of her many walks? It is one of the original Waikiki Hotels and it is so grand?

Plus Brenda took in 4 line dancing classes at the Waikiki Community Center?

Brenda and I celebrated our 49th anniversary in January????? where did those years go?

As far as birthdays, if he was still alive Murray Frederick Mason “GGPA” would have been 100 years old?

February flew by and the 5 weeks in Hawaii were great.

March arrived and with it a bunch more preparation for the Camino? Booking flights, accommodations, purchasing some needed gear and equipment, plus walking and getting ourselves prepared?

March birthdays included “GGMA” who turned 95 years young and Conrad who turned 15 years old.

Kevin, Tamara, Sage and Conrad visited us on the weekend of Conrad’s birthday; they went indoor rock climbing and had a great time.

The following weekend we spent up at Sun Peaks with Jeff, Lindsay, Zach and Oliver.

That’s about it for January, February and March 2023.

November and life was getting back to normal after a great vacation to Italy.

Brenda was line dancing Monday – Wednesday – Friday and I was back practicing with the Strummers on Thursdays’, plus studio painting classes every 3 weeks on a Tuesday.

The big events in November was that Zach turned 12, Sage turned 17 and Jeff???? well he just got 1 year older? HAPPY BIRTHDAY – Zach, Sage and Jeff.

December arrived and with it much colder temperatures and snowy weather especially around Christmas? In fact we had to postpone our Christmas visit to Princeton till early in January?
Jeff, Lindsay, Zach and Oliver arrived a few days after Christmas to celebrate with us.

Big Happy Birthdays in December include Tamara and Lindsay?

Well on the last day of June we met Dean and Judy and their Cousin George and his Wife Eva at a VRBO that George rented in Clearwater. The plan was to explore Wells Grey Park. See some waterfalls, do a few hikes and reconnect after a 2 year hiatus due to Covid-19.

The home he rented was right in Clearwater on Dutch Lake. It was in a great location and the weather was fantastic. George and I had a chance to have a jam session on a couple of the nights; George has such a wide variety of music and I always pick up a new song or two when we get together.

Things were going along well until the morning of July 1st when Brenda woke up feeling like crap. So we tested her and she showed positive for Covid-19.

Dean had a bad cough all night and he tested negative. I had a sore throat and tested negative. Dean, Judy, Brenda and I all slept in the loft area so were in somewhat closer quarters. George and Eva slept downstairs in a separate bedroom area. Anyway, we wrapped up our visit so I could get Brenda home to bed. In the end Dean tested positive the next day and I tested positive two days later. Judy had already had Covid a couple months earlier and she never caught it. George and Eva never did catch Covid. What a start to the month of July and what a wipe out as far as travel and visiting family.

At the very end of July GGMA ended up in the Hospital and was very sick. This continued on into the month of August. She spent about 11 days at R.I.H. and was still very weak when she went home to The Shores. We never, ever thought that Interior Health could or would release someone at that level of physical incapability. Poor GGMA could hardly walk 12′ from her chair to the bathroom; but to Interior Health home support she was doing just fine. We truly have a health crisis in this Province and it doesn’t look like it going to improve any time soon.
So, our month of August was daily visits to see GGMA and assist her with her recovery. In addition she had and continues to have health Care Aides stop by every morning to check on her and make sure she is getting better.

At the very start of August we had Zach and Oliver for a few days of summer camp. It is always so much fun having them come for a visit. They are very active and keep us moving and tired out at the end of the day. We had so much fun with Mini Golf, Disc Golf and then a some point during the day Scoopz Ice Cream.

The big event for this years Summer Camp was that we got to go up in Cousin Brent’s airplane.

Zach had just completed a week of flight school at Okanagan College and Brent gave him the coordinates (height, direction, etc) let him fly the plane for almost the entire time.

Oliver and I were just happy to be passengers.

We flew from Kamloops out to Shuswap Lake and landed in Salmon Arm for a bathroom break and snack.

After Salmon Arm we flew towards Sun Peaks and Tod Mountain. Brent took over to fly around the village and top of the mountain before handing the controls back to Zach to fly us back to Kamloops airport.

Jeff and Lindsay stopped by for a night to pick up the kids and then continue on north to Jasper for a 5 day hike in The Rockies

I had my 69th birthday on August 11th……… Yikes! Look at these Baby Tag relics I found.

Then on August 18th – 20th we took a Wells Gray Tour to Vancouver to see the musical “Come From Away”; it was fantastic. Plus we had a couple nights at The Inn on the Quay at New Westminster, we have never stayed in that part of Vancouver before it was nice to explore another area.

The very last full week of August we had Conrad come for 5 nights. Unfortunately Sage could not make it as she could not get time off from her summer job. But, what a “hoot” with Conrad; we have never played so many card games. Conrad is so good at cards, he is very strategic with UNO and Monopoly Deal. We had so much fun during the day with Mini Golf, Scoopz Ice Cream and Disc Golf. The highlight of his visit was going to Cliffside Climbing Gym.

He really did well and by the end of his time there he was scaling walls that he never thought he could climb when he first arrived. The almost 2 hrs just flew by.

We had our monthly dinner out with Lynda while Conrad was here and we were lucky because Lynette was in town so she joined us; however we were missing Brent as he was away on business.

September arrived and with it Brenda’s 69th birthday……….. Yikes again!

GGMA continues to improve on a daily basis and after a few hiccups the Interior Health Care Aides have been pretty good about stopping in every day to see how she is doing. We are still stopping by on a regular basis, just not as often.

Kevin and Sage dropped by for a quick up and back visit for the day with GGMA. Of course they stopped in to see us so we had a chance to get a hug from a granddaughter; that was pretty nice.

For the most part September was pretty quiet, after all the excitement of July and August.

Just wait till we tell all the fun stuff we know we are going to do in October.