A friend recently said she was exhausted reading about our continuing travels. I had to stop and think because even though we've been busy, just having a home base and being a short flight to Calgary and in the same time zone as Brad, Anette and Magnus - well, it just seems we're close to everybody and every thing!
Roger's job in Calgary has gone from a six week stint, to probably going until March. He is enjoying the challenge and we take turns seeing each other so for the time being, it's working well. He's also housesitting his Mom and Herb's home while they winter in Arizona so they're happy and it's great for him.
In November, Kathy and Randy Cardon spent a few days with me and I showed them around to some of my favorite places, and in the process, discovered a couple new ones. They seem bitten by the island bug, and time will tell if they make the plunge or not.
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| Love Rathtrevor Beach - just a short walk from the cottage |
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| Kathy and Randy enjoying a walk through the Filberg Gardens in Comox |
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| Gorgeous day at the Comox Harbour -- one of these days Kathy and Randy will be cruising up here on their boat |
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| We went to a wine tasting at 40 Knots winery - nice way to try out BC wines! |
On December 11th, I flew to Calgary for the Kinley Boomer - a Christmas celebration that has been going on for more than 130 years. We've missed so many Boomers lately that it was wonderful to hang out with a good representation of the family. This year it was made more special by celebrating the 90th birthday of everyone's beloved Aunt Martha.
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| Heather Christie is an incredible baker and created these two cakes to celebrate Aunt Martha's birthday |
Roger has many fond memories of Aunt Martha and while her short term memory isn't what it used to be, she remembers many events from the past. One in particular was when Roger was about 8 years old and an uncle fed him garlic-ladened food at a family gathering. Aunt Martha recalled how she and Uncle George drove Roger home but had to roll down the windows because Roger just reeked of garlic!
A week later, Roger flew home to the island and we prepared for our trip to Bothell, Washington to spend Christmas with Brad, Anette and Magnus.
We arrived on Christmas Eve, and the food, drinks and fun went on for our whole stay.
Anette made traditional Norwegian Christmas Eve open faced sandwiches, which were really delicioius. Later, when Magnus was asleep, we feasted on fabulous seafood we bought at a nearby shop.
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| No better place to be than with family at Christmas |
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| Anette even made the homemade bread! |
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| Roger cracks me up -- look what was in my stocking! |
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| Christmas morning with a toddler -- such fun! |
Magnus loves wooden toys and his imagination shows as he kept us busy playing with him.
On Boxing Day, Brad and Anette treated us to a really delicious brunch at the top of the Seattle Space Needle.
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| Fun seeing Seattle from this vantage point and picking out marinas for us to come with the boat. |
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| Brad and Magnus -- love these boys! |
Brad and Anette went on a staycation at a neat hotel close to their home which meant we had Magnus to ourselves and had a great time with him.
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| Magnus and me -- can't help but smile |
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| Magnus enjoying a hot chocolate -- "It's like coffee" |
We went to a petting farm, and Magnus had fun talking to the animals.
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| "Hello Goat!" |
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| "Come here, pig!" |
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| Magnus keeping a step ahead of Roger! |
Before we knew it, we were packing up and heading back to the island. We've already made plans to rendezvous in Seattle for the boat show at the end of January, so it will be something to look forward to.
It was a big surprise to wake up to a dusting of snow this week -- first I've seen in Parksville since arriving last January. Roger drove to Victoria that day to check on the boat and he said it was a beautiful, sunny day and it was tempting to take the boat out for a spin.
We quietly ushered in 2016 --- grateful for our home and knowing how fortunate we are to have the love of good friends and family.
Roger heads back to Calgary tomorrow, and I'll be rolling out the welcome mat again as more visitors are scheduled to come in January -- can't wait to share our love of the island!
"Always believe something wonderful is going to happen".
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