Category — Travel

July 3rd and July 4th
Sunday morning was cool and wet and foggy but we decided to hike to Signal Hill no matter what the weather was. We headed down the city walking path and then started the climb up to the top of Signal Hill. Signal Hill is where Marconi sent the first wireless transmissions across the Atlantic Ocean to England.
Once we got to the top it was fogged right in and from 50 yards you could not see the Tower. So a bit of a downer as normally you can see all the main harbour of St. John’s and all the way to Cape Spear. Anyway we decided to take the hiking trail down and it was much better because at a certain point we got out of the fog and could see the harbour lighthouse and the rest of the harbour basin.
Monday morning we woke up and the sky was clear as could be and visibility was unlimited so we decided to hike to the top of Signal Hill once more. This time we were going to take the trail up and then come down the main road.  
The only difference besides the fog was that now the wind was blowing at 60+ km’s so we were getting blown all over the place walking the trail and you had to make sure you were holding on at certain points and had secure footing.
The interesting thing about this hiking trail is that it is part of the Trans-Canada Trail system and probably the only place that part of the trail crosses a persons home deck near the end. Oh and it is probably the only part of the trail in Canada where you have to hang on to a chain secured to the mountain because the ledge in narrow and it’s a 300 ft drop to the ocean.

Finally, not too far from where the trail comes back into the City is the Memorial of Mile “0” where Terry Fox started his Marathon of Hope.

July 2nd and it is time to head to St. John’s Newfoundland. After a couple flights and a bit of a long layover in Halifax we ended up in St. John’s and it was time for dinner.
So, off we headed to George Street as we had heard from the Hotel front desk that they were having a Canada Day celebration which included a street party and concert by a local band and the Maritimes best band “The Fables”.
The organizers had blocked off 2 city blocks and you could wander from bar to restaurant to pub with drink in hand and enjoy the festivities. The first band was the Derina Harvey Band a Celtic Rock Band, they were very good and they got the smallish crowd warmed up and dancing on a cool evening.
Then on time at 9:30 The Fables started playing and the crowd tripled in size and excitement and dancing, etc. etc. Check out this You Tube link to a short bit of their song “Heave Away”. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkfYRy3oj4M

The Fables played all their standard songs plus a few other local ditties that had the crowd jumping for 1 1/2 hrs. We had a great time there and danced and stomped the night away. What a fun evening.

July 1st and it is Canada Day
The festivities and ceremonies are schedule to start at 9:00 a.m. So we headed over to Parliament Hill around 8:30 a.m………. bad decision and a little late. Lined up outside were about 50,000 people so, we stood in one of the many line-ups at the various gates and waited for the gates to open at 9:00. We forgot to mention that they were performing body scan and bag searches and security measures.
Well on schedule the gates opened and the Pageantry started on time, so we got to see the Bands and Pipers and Guards go by to begin the ceremonies. Now a key learning and a note for the future. The changing of the guard etc occurs on the east side of the lawn and that delays the people getting allowed into this area. In the future we would line up down near the gates into the west lawn area.
We finally made it inside and somewhere along the way we got a few pictures and saw the Snow Birds, sang O Canada. After about 1 1/2 hrs or so we left the Parliament Hill area and headed over to Major Hill Park for the other Canada Day festivities. Well, in our opinion Kamloops has as good, if not better vendor displays, food concessions, etc as they have in Ottawa.
This is when we learned another tip for Canada Day in Ottawa. We thought we would head back over to Parliament Hill to get back into the lawn area to watch the entertainment……. Wrong. They closed the gates when they estimate that there are about 50,000 on site. So there we are with probably now about 80,000 people standing in lines trying to get in and going nowhere.
However, the real surprising thing is that by about 2:00 p.m. they wrap up the entertainment until later in the evening when they repeat the show they did in the morning. Once again we believe the variety and scope of entertainment that we have in Kamloops easily beats what they had going on in Ottawa.

The evening finished with a great fireworks display, which they thought was going to be canceled as there was a lightning storm headed towards the City, but it fizzed out and the show went on!

THE NEXT FEW POSTS WILL BE WITHOUT PICTURES….. Those will come later when we have a more reliable wifi connection.

So, Early on Wednesday June 29th we headed off on our adventure to Ottawa and continuing on to Newfoundland after Canada Day.
All the Westjet flights were on time and we arrived in Ottawa on schedule. We came out of the airport and caught the Ottawa Transit bus to downtown, it is the fastest and cheapest way to get to the City centre. Well, it is as long as the President of the United States isn’t in town. So, a normal 30 minute bus ride took 2 hours. Oh well, we are here in Ottawa.
After checking in we headed out for a walk and came across lots of people, hundreds of security officers, barricades, etc. etc. Everything you would expect for a visiting dignitary who was speaking in the House of Commons. So, we stood around for a while and along came the President’s 38 Vehicle Motorcade…..yes, 38 vehicles….and we got to catch a slight glimpse of Barrack Obama himself as they sped by.

Later that evening we walked around the grounds of Parliament Hill, or as least as close as we could get with all the work setting up for the big Party tomorrow.

June has arrived and our focus is pretty much all about our upcoming Ottawa and Newfoundland trip.

On June 29th we set the house alarm, head to the airport early and our first stop is Ottawa for Canada Day. We have done a bit of research for Canada Day in Ottawa and have a rough idea of some of the events and venues we want to attend, so that should be a busy fun day.

After Ottawa we then fly to St. John’s NFLD and we have been scoping out some things to see and do in that City. After that we then start driving across Newfoundland and have a tentative route and searched out local events, celebrations, etc. along the way.

As far as activity on the home front, we have been busy with regular stuff like exercising at the “Y”, Line Dancing, bus driving, golf and Kamloops City Strummers practises and concerts.

The last weekend of the month we headed to Kelowna for Oliver’s 4th birthday party. We have made all the grandkids birthdays up to their 4th one; after that Pops and Namma feel that the kids have their friends who they want to invite and have sleep overs, etc. etc. and so there isn’t much sense in us attending after the 4th one.

Anyway, Oliver’s party was at Bertram Park in Kelowna, the weather cooperated and it got nice and warm in the afternoon after a cloudy start to the day. The kids played in the water, kicked balls around, ate pizza and veggies and fruit and of course cake.

Attached are a few pictures.

Earlier in the day we attended Oliver’s graduation/year-end ceremony at Little Owl Academy where he attends pre-school. The kids were all so cute in their Caps and Gowns, plus they performed a few songs for the audience and all received certificates of completion:)

March has arrived and in just 9 days we are headed to Hawaii for a family vacation.

March 3rd the Kamloops City Strummers performed for the Royal Inland Hospital N.L. 610 Radio “Foundation Radiothon”. Definitely a new experience for our group; performing while there was a Radiothon Fund Raiser going on.

However the major event in March was our Hawaii Family Vacation!

On Thursday March 8th we drove down to Kelowna to stay at the Kelowna Airport Sheraton prior to all of us flying to Hawaii. Kevin, Tamara, Sage and Conrad arrived about 15 minutes before us and they were all over excited. After a few minutes getting settled in they headed to the swimming pool and had a bunch of fun:)

Friday morning was an early one, we all got up at about 4:50 a.m.. Jeff, Lindsay, Zachary and Oliver arrived at the airport just before 6:00 a.m. and then we all boarded the plane to Vancouver with a connection to Honolulu. This is a great picture of Kevin leading the way to the baggage claim area of HNL.

The flight to Honolulu was 6 hours and the time went by fairly quickly; plus due to favourable winds and we arrived in Hawaii a few minutes early. Once we got to the Aqua Pacific Monarch Hotel the kids and their parents quickly changed and they headed to the beach; since it was just before 3:00 p.m. local time.

Friday March 11th was a big day as it was Conrad’s 8th birthday. Happy Birthday Conrad!

There were so many things he wanted to do and see for the day and he got a lot accomplished being “Boss for the day”. In the evening we all got together for a birthday grab bag party and celebration. What a lot of fun and laughs.

On the first Sunday we went for a family photo shoot out at Magic Island which is part of Ala Moana Park. We are still sorting through all the photos the photographer shot and we may post a couple here once we decide on the ones we are getting.

Getting to Ala Moana Park involved catching the City Bus and here are a couple cousins pretty happy to be sitting together.

After this we settled into a regular Hawaii vacation which included time at the beach every day.

Generally nothing really planned and a pretty free flowing schedule for everyone. We are so fortunate to have all our family here and able to see everyone and spend some quality time together.

Saturday March 11th was a Honolulu Celebration with a parade. The parade was supposed to be about an hour or so, but it was so poorly planned out that there were 2 block long spaces between the entries, we finally gave up and went back to our rooms. However, that evening they had a fireworks presentation that is definitely the best fireworks show we have ever seen……. WOW !

Monday, all the ladies went and made flower leis at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. Aren’t they all beautiful!

Thursday March 17th was St. Patrick’s Day and another parade. This parade was a little shorter and a little better organized…. No evening fireworks though.

In the afternoon we visited Dukes Lane with Sage, Conrad, Tamara and Kevin. It was fun watching the kids amongst all the trinkets, stalls and many coloured displays. Conrad was trying to “photo bomb” every picture we took….. what a guy!

Friday, March 18 was the day selected for a tour around the island. Kevin and Jeff picked up the vehicles early and we were all on the road by 8:30 a.m.. First stop the Dole Pineapple Plantation. The day started out a little drizzly so it worked out great to spend time in the car. No, that’s not how we transported them around the island:)

Once at the Dole Plantation we rode the train and toured the site. The Dole Plantation staff was moving on Island Time but we finally got back on the road again and headed to Haleiwa for lunch.

After lunch we stopped near Bonzai Beach to watch the huge surf come in. It is very impressive. No surfers today as the wind and waves made it too choppy and uneven for the good guys and gals to get out there. We also stopped at some road side markets for fresh coconut, fruit and other Hawaiian treats.

From here we headed to Waimea Valley and a hike to the waterfalls and swimming hole. It was a pretty long hike and all the kids did real well with only a few “piggy-back” rides required to get there and back. Here are some great pictures of those brave enough to get into the colder water to swim in the pools and to the falls. You’ll notice everyone was required to wear a life jacket, they were handed out by life guards.

After this adventure the rest of the days kind of melded together and everyone got into their own routine whether it was off on another adventure or just sitting at the beach.

The final night the kids treated everyone to a family dinner/last night gathering at our room. Lots of Silliness, lots of laughs, lots of smiles and whole bunch of fun.

We had an absolutely amazing vacation and wonderful time with all our family.

We are so blessed!

Stay tuned for April adventures.

February started and there we were roughing it in a top floor condo in Yaletown. The view was fantastic and the condo was well outfitted for a week long getaway.

Check out Spectrum 31 https://www.emrvacationrentals.com/vancouver-bc/property-details.ihtml?id=500

On Monday we took the Sea Bus over to North Vancouver to meet up with our good friends Fred and Barb. We had a great lunch at The Tap and Barrel which is located near Lonsdale Quay. Plus we got all caught up on grandkid activities and adventures:)

For the most part our stay in Vancouver was a little overcast and rainy, however we still went for lots of walks and always had an umbrella at the ready. On one walk we headed towards Stanley Park and about half way around the Seawall. Part of our adventure included finding the statue of Lord Stanley who the park was dedicated to. Lord Stanley was Canada’s 6th Governor General and he was the one who donated the Stanley Cup which was later passed on to The National Hockey League. Whaddda ya think? Is this about as close to the Stanley Cup that Vancouver is going to get this year?

We also found some wild Crocuses coming out, few early Cherry Blossoms and a very large Western Red Cedar tree.

Also, somewhere during the week we found some really big pieces of Lego and built a Vancouver Killer Whale 🙂

The weekend after we got back home Jeff, Lindsay, Zach and Oliver visited for a couple nights. It was great to see them. Plus Jeff helped me set up a Web Page for the Kamloops City Strummers. Check out this beauty http://kamloopscitystrummers.ca/

Then the next weekend our nephew from Prince George/Fort MacMurray visited for a few nights. It was a chance for Blake to get caught up with all his family in Kamloops.

The remainder of February was planning and coordination with Kevin, Tamara, Jeff and Lindsay for our upcoming family vacation to Hawaii in March.

So, stay tuned, March is going to be exciting.

Has it really been 6 months since we last did a post 🙁

Look, we have all sorts of excuses, like too busy being retired and trying to fit everything else into the day and/or night.

So, with out further ado and with a few pictures attached here is a month by month update of the last 6 months.

MARCH

So after coming back from Hawaii all of a sudden March arrived. That must mean it was time for our annual Family Ski Vacation. We rented a 5 bedroom condo in the Bridgegate area of Sun Peaks. It works real well for our group. The condo is ski in and ski out and although it is a bit of a way from the village, it beats everyone trying to cram into something smaller.

Of course there was the annual Treasure Hunt with all the kids and parents searching for and finding hidden surprises.

Just look at these “wing nuts” to figure out whether or not we have fun times on these weekends

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The only disappointing part was the snow conditions. It was so warm at Sun Peaks that the grooming crew were having to move snow from other areas to keep some of the access trails open. The groomed areas were a little icy, but in the end everyone had a great time.

Right after the Sun Peaks weekend everyone came back to Kamloops to visit GGMA and GGPA. The kids took a walk down to the park…… isn’t this the cutest photo ever of the four Cousins?

Then in the last week of March I attended a weekend Ukulele Workshop hosted by the Ukulele Orchestra of Kamloops. The instructors were Peter and Paul Luongo from Langley. They were fantastic and I learned so much and it really has helped my growth in playing the ukulele.

APRIL

April was quiet for the most part as we settled back into a regular routine after our time traveling.

Near the end of April we finally took the time and visited Brenda’s cousin George and his wife Eva who live on Gabriola Island. They live in an idyllic location inland on the island surrounded by lots of forest. While there George took us on a tour of the island and a very interesting area that we stopped at was called “The Galleries”. These are sandstone cliffs on the ocean that have eroded over the centuries mostly from the wind and the saltwater. Pretty cool aren’t they, they look likes cemented and suspended waves.

From Gabriola we stopped for a couple nights in Vancouver. We made the Tuesday night Vancouver Ukulele Circle where there were about 80 other Ukulele enthusiasts. Also, I bought another Ukulele; an 8 string Kala Tenor Uke……. it’s a beauty.

Finally at the end of April I started a small group to form a bluegrass, country, folk band. The first night we had three at our house for a practice and general discussion of how this might work. There was a banjo player, a guitar player and of course I played ukulele. My idea was a to add a fourth person, on upright bass…… more on this in the next month(s).

MAY

May was a busy, fun and another great month.

Early in May I was able to get an upright bass player to attend a practice. What a difference it makes to have that deep bass beat added to the music; we are actually sounding not too bad and have some plans and ideas for the future…… more later.

In May we made a trip down through Washington State and along the Oregon Coast. The final destination being a visit with a former work pal and his wife – Jay and Shari Jackson. Jay and I have kept in touch since I retired and although he formerly lived in Mississippi, he has moved back to Oregon for a few years.

Since Jay and Shari are both still working we planned our arrival for a Friday night and to spend the weekend. So, our trip down was really relaxed with stops in Tulalip, Astoria, Lincoln City and Florence prior to arriving in Coos Bay.

Beautiful weather and scenery all the way……….. but windy 🙂

We had a great couple days with Jay and Shari and their friends. We got in a lot of catch up visiting, a golf game and met many of their friends and acquaintances. Now it’s their turn to come up to Canada for a visit.

JUNE

June was one month were we stayed home for a change…….. well except for a visit to Kelowna for Oliver’s 3rd Birthday.

Also, the small 4 piece group I formed has been practicing on a regular basis and we now call ourselves “the Kamloops City Strummers”. The objective of our group is to get together and grow musically, to learn from each other and to give back to the community by entertaining at Senior Residence’s. We are aiming for our first public concert in early July.

June was also the month we hosted our annual Friends Reunion… year number 38. Everyone made it to Kamloops and boy was it warm and toasty in Kamloops. Almost record temperatures, so we tried to tailor our activities to keep everyone cooler. One day we spent up at Lac Le Jeune campground and in the evening some of us headed down to Riverside Park for a cooling off dip in the river. A great time was had by all.

JULY

Well all of a sudden July arrived and the weather in Kamloops was fantastic!

Early in July we made a overnight visit to Princeton. It’s been quite a awhile since we had been there and we needed a grand-kid fix. We arrived in time for a local parade. Sage and her friend were busy catching candy being thrown and if you look close you can see Conrad tossing the candy from the fire truck with Kevin driving. Also, Brenda had planned out a bunch of outside science experiments for the kids. So, lots of fun and lots to catch-up on in Princeton.

The Kamloops City Strummers played their first gig at The Shores Residences. It’s where Brenda’s Mom & Dad live. a good crowd for an evening performance and everyone seemed to enjoy the songs we played.

We followed this gig up with a street performance in front of the Kamloops Public Library. This was totally “ad-hoc” and we weren’t sure what to expect. My plan was to get us in front of a less than familiar crowd and see how we performed. Worse case people would not stay and listen….. but that never happened. Folks stopped, listened applauded and moved on. So, overall a success, but lots of room for improvement.

We also played a gig at Ridgeview Retirement Residences. The residents in this facility are a little further along in their personal illness and were tough to perform for; however there were smiles on their faces and people clapped along as we played.

Brenda and I also headed to Kelowna for a 5 days to look after Zach and Oliver while Jeff and Lindsay went to Quebec City to see the Rolling Stones.

AUGUST

August started with a visit from Prince George of Sabrina, Mike, Amelia and Mikayla.

The Kamloops City Strummers held their weekly practices and also performed for the residents at Overlander Extended Care.

Then Jeff, Lindsay, Zach and Oliver arrived for Hot Night in the City Car Show and Ribfest Weekend. In addition to all the activities going on downtown Brenda and her Zumba friends did a “Flash Mob” on Victoria street.

Then as soon as they left Brenda and I headed off to Whistler for a week. We kayaked, biked, hiked, swam, shopped and enjoyed a week of spectacular weather in Whistler. We rode the chair lift from Whistler Village right to the very top of Whistler Mountain and then took the Gondola that spans the almost 2 km’s between Whistler Peak and Blackcomb Peak. What a ride, what a view and what a great week 🙂

We drove back to Kamloops just in time to empty our suitcases and load them with some clothes for Retro weekend up at Sun Peaks. This included tribute bands for The Blues Brothers, Credence Clearwater Revival, Fleetwood Mac, Rod Stewart and Motley Crue. A bunch of Brenda’s exercise girl friends came up and we had a fun time with them watching the shows and going out for dinner.

SEPTEMBER

Early in September just prior to school starting Kevin, Tamara, Sage and Conrad came for a quick visit for some last minute school shopping and Halloween Costumes. What fun to have them stay with us……… always lots going on and lots of laughs. Plus we had GGPA and GGMA over for dinner.

Also in September Kamloops City Strummers performed at Kamloops Seniors Village. 

So, that’s about it for now. Our plan is to keep this updated at least monthly.

See you all in October.

Today we decided to walk around Diamond Head, this time in a clockwise direction.

So, the following is a self guided tour complete with a few pictures…… enjoy.

From our Hotel, the Pacific Monarch you head east down Kuhio Ave.

At the end of Kuhio Ave. you come to Kapahulu Rd. you cross the road and turn left and head north.

You are now going around the outside of the Honolulu Zoo. At the next intersection turn right and follow the pathway till you come to Monsarrat Ave.

At Monsarrat Ave. turn left and cross the street. You’ll be right at Queen Kapiolani Gardens.

Follow Monsarrat up the hill towards Kapiolani Community College. You will now be walking through a residential area complete with shops and stores, gardens, etc.

Part way up you will pass by a couple of stone structures that were formally military gates built during the Second World War to protect the area as Diamond Head was a military installation.

Once you reach the crest of the hill you will be at Kapiolani Community College…… it’ s a great stop for bathroom break.

After you leave the College the road turns into Diamond Head Dr. and you walk past the entrance to Diamond Head State Park. This is where you enter Diamond Head to walk across the crater floor and climb the stairs and walkways to the top.

You are now about 1/2 way around and you start heading downhill around the back side of Diamond Head.

A little further along Diamond Head Dr. meets up with Kahala Dr. and you turn right to start heading back towards Waikiki.

About this point the road heads uphill a bit more before levelling out and you come to the first of two lookouts.

The second lookout has a Memorial to Amelia Earhart. It commemorates her 1935 flight where she was the first person to fly from Hawaii to the USA mainland.

These two lookouts are a great spot to watch the real surfers catch some waves…….. there are always quite a few in the water. They must really like to surf in this area because it is a heck of a walk down a very steep hill to get to the ocean.

Once past the lookouts you head downhill towards Waikiki. You’ll go by the Lighthouse and some pretty awesome and expensive homes.

At the bottom you can either head back through Kapiolani Park or take the beach walk back to the hotel.

The total distance around the base of Diamond Head is a walk of about  9.5 km’s.

Well we made it to Hawaii!

The weather has been great and we are really enjoying our time here.

The days have been pretty lazy, but that’s just how we like it. We walk everywhere and have been averaging 10 to 12 kilometres a day.

Mornings start with a long walk and then coffee on the beach…… so perfect that it’s hard to describe. After breakfast it’s off to the beach for a swim and some sun. This is followed with swim and some sun in the afternoon.

The first week I went to 4 different ukulele lessons; that was to figure out which ones I would go back to or continue with. So far it looks like I will attend the Tuesday and Thursday lessons with Wainani Yim at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Centre. She is a great teacher and makes the lessons and learning a lot of fun for players of all ages and talents.

Late in the afternoon we head back for Happy Hour at a local watering hole or our condo and watch the sunset. We have a great view from the 22 floor. 

Last Saturday we hiked up to Kapiolani College where they have a weekly farmers market. A great selection of fresh fruits, vegetables, cooked food, flowers, etc. It was a fun way to spend the morning.

These are Avocados……… Brenda was being a brat with the photo to try and make it look like I had “Boobs”:)

Next update???? Who knows, but check back.