A full day of flying and hanging out in airports but it was worth it when we arrived in Vancouver to find out it was nine degrees and it didn’t matter that it was raining. That’s because we knew a blizzard was heading towards Nova Scotia and we weren’t there to deal with it…..thank The Lord! Following a disappointing deal with Avis and not getting what we reserved for the price we reserved, we left the airport following the crystal clear directions from our Airbnb hosts, Tammy and Will. Another great place and a good night’s sleep woke us up to a day of sunshine and warm weather and an early start to the ferry to Victoria. On the way over on the ferry we were treated to a live killer whale show…..spectacular!!!
A couple of nights with Dawn and Yves reminded us of how much we value our friendship……..and Yves’ barbequed lamb……thank you both. Picked up Kathleen on Saturday morning and later in the evening Adam and his Aunt Connie joined us for dinner and it was great. Unfortunately Jory had to leave early to play hockey…..but that, of course, meant there was a designated driver for those who enjoyed the wine during and after supper.
Went for a great hike on Sunday and in the late afternoon Kathleen, Yves and I went to meet Adam, Connie and his cousin at a great jazz bar in Victoria while Dawn and Jim decided they needed a siesta!!!! A good time/snooze was had by all and another great supper followed. On Monday Jim, Kathleen, Adam and myself drove to Nanaimo to catch the ferry to Horseshoe Bay and then take the Sea to Sky highway to Whistler…..what a fabulous and scenic drive! About ten minutes before we arrived in Whistler it started to snow, and little did we know that this would continue until the day we left, three days later! All of this snow, of course, made for fabulous and very challenging skiing especially for me who skies so rarely. Anyway once we arrived we checked into our air bnb condo, which was great, went to the hot tub and off to the pub for a beer and a bite to eat…….excellent.
The following morning we faced the ski hill and although I thought nothing could ever beat Lake Louise, I was pleasantly surprised by what Whistler had to offer…….absolutely stunning! Skiing is not my forte but I am so thankful that I had the chance to ski Whistler and forget about my experience at Lake Louise last year where I ended up with a minor concussion after a freak fall/slip on the ski hill……nothing serious, just one of those freaky things that sometimes happens. Anyway, Whistler helped put that behind me…….I think!!!! Overall we had a great visit with Kathleen, Adam and Adam’s family who all gathered there for a wedding……and then we left for a night in Vancouver on our own. Next we were off to Calgary to spend the weekend with Bissy and Mike and luckily enjoyed the evening with their sons Keith(and his lovely girlfriend) and Ian before he took off to Nigeria for a couple of weeks. Of course we have been visiting Bissy and Mike for years and they are not only wonderful family but are great hosts so we were treated to hospitality second to none. We enjoyed excellent meals and on Saturday night Diane and Vic and Shirley joined us for supper and a super evening of catching up on each other’s lives. Shirley’s husband, Neil, was out of town judging skiing so we met up with him on Monday for lunch and caught up on what’s been happening in their lives since their house was destroyed by the ‘not so great’ flood of 2013! Shirley had shared with us some of the details on Saturday night but seeing Neil and listening to his telling of what had happened, and their decision-making process in deciding to tear down their exquisite home of 30 years was quite moving and I realized, once again, how strong and determined they both were……an amazing couple!
Before we knew it Kathleen and Adam were back from the family wedding in Whistler and were needing to recoup but there we were for a few more days! Adam bravely(and probably thankfully) went to work and left us in Kathleen’s capable hands so she, Jim and I did a lot of walking, a little shopping(while jim swam), and cooked a couple of excellent meals. And of course Kathleen had a drop in on Tuesday evening of family and a couple of friends(and their delightful baby boy) so once again we were enjoying good food, wine and ‘tight pants’! The next day before we left we enjoyed a birthday lunch with Bissy and then a great birthday supper for Kathleen at a restaurant that I have already forgotten the name of….?But the food was excellent.
Overall a great trip, once again, to the west where we have great friends and wonderful family although we missed Gerry and Wilf who were visiting their daughter, Amber, her husband Mark and their two grandsons in North Carolina. I suspect there will be many more trips west as Kathleen and Adam make a great couple, seem to be settled in Calgary and visiting them as well as other family and friends is something we sure hope to enjoy in the years to come. Next time we hope to be joined by Andrea and are also hoping that she finds her way in Halifax as that way Kathleen will also find her way home from time to time!