So much for the best laid plans....

We came back from California happy to be home and looking forward to spring that seemed to take forever to arrive. In fact, we might have skipped spring, and jumped right into summer.

Everyone knows I'm a vocal vaccine supporter, and sickened by the vitriol of anti-vaxxers and the abuse hurled at health care workers.  A group was started in the Oceanside area where weekly care packages were delivered to the Nanaimo Regional Hospital and other healthcare facilities.  My cohort in crime and dear friend, Bev Shaw, teamed up with me to show the staff of the Palliative Care unit how much we are grateful for all that they do.  They were so touched by it, and we left feeling that while we couldn't undo some of the horrible stress they've experienced over the past two years, they would have at least known there are those who care.

April brought Roger's cousin Pat and her husband Roy for a quick visit.  They enjoyed seeing the cherry blossoms in full bloom, and we had a great day visiting the Comox area.  We also went camping with Barb and Rob Perry and enjoyed sitting around the campfire.

We also had a great trip to Campbell River with friends, Conni and Ed Lewis.  We shared delicious meals, walked over the suspension bridge at Elk Falls, had lots of laughs, and played cards and a favourite outdoor game called Molkky.

Elk Falls Provincial Park

In early June we visited Brad, Anette and Magnus to celebrate three of our milestone birthdays, and Magnus's 9th.  Roger and I turned 65, and Brad was about to turn 40.  Brad and Anette treated the family to an amazing tasting menu at Cafe Juanita in Kirkland (foodies - check out the website!).  Without a doubt, it was one of the best meals of our lives, made even better by the five of us experiencing it together.

We always encourage Brad and Anette to have a night out while we're there so we can have Magnus to ourselves.  It was fun to have a couple of his friends over for pizza and we had a campfire complete with a bag of peanuts (one of Roger and Magnus's traditions).  

We also went mini golfing, and we took Magnus to launch the sailboat we got him for his birthday.  A friend told us about these neat model sailboats that you can't capsize and it turned out to be a terrific present with Magnus catching on to how to handle it right away.  

There is a fishing line and reel that is attached to the sailboat, and after it sails away, a quick tug has it tacking back to shore.  It will be fun to take Magnus out again on another visit.

Magnus's many faces crack me up!

In June, we attended our 47th high school reunion.  Covid delayed the 45th by two years, and I enjoyed being on the organizing committee.  All the hard work paid off, and 100+ students and two teachers had a great time catching up.  We all had a hard time believing that most of us were celebrating our 65th birthdays -- but reminiscing with old friends made us feel like high school was just like yesterday - but without the flared jeans and "streakers" running by!

It's a good thing we went to Great Central Lake with Bev and Stu Shaw when we did, because the summer went sideways on us. It's always a good day when we're on the boat with them.

Just before going to Calgary, our landlord dropped a bombshell.  After three years of renting a house and repeatedly being told we had nothing to worry about and they had no plans to sell, we were told it was going up for sale.  Because good rentals are few and far between in the area, my immediate reaction was feeling just sick and to panic envisioning us ending up in an apartment with Canadian flags being used as drapes!  

When we decided to rent the house 3 years ago, house prices were going down so we thought we'd rent.  Then Covid hit, and the prices went crazy.  In the last few months, the prices have started going down again with banks forecasting continued softening of the housing market, so we felt it was not the time to jump back into buying. 

Fortunately, a brand new apartment building was opening up in the summer, and we were able to get a unit with two bedrooms, den and two bathrooms on the top floor.  One of the biggest challenges was to downsize from 1700 sq feet to 900 sq feet, but fortunately we've done it before and knew we could do it again.  Not having a garage impacted Roger a lot because he's still working, but between selling/donating and tossing things, and a kind neighbour letting us store some of his tools, we are making it work.

While I was busy selling and packing, Roger had to make a few trips to Calgary to work on his dad's house.  Roger and his friend Dwayne spent several weeks doing everything from replacing the deck, to landscaping, installing a dishwasher, building a fence, etc.  The home is safer now and will hopefully help keep his dad in his home for longer.

In mid-July, Roger came home for a few days and we went to Victoria to meet up with Dwayne and Annette for Deuce Days which is a famous car show.  I'm not much of a car buff, but this was impressive. And being with Dwayne and Annette is always fun.

About 1400 cars were on display throughout Victoria Harbour.  

On the hottest day in July - we moved.  Thank God we had movers!

Once the masks are hung, I know we're home.  Wherever that may be.

The apartment reminds us of the one we had in Medellin, Colombia except we don't hear nightly gunfire!

Four days after moving, we went to our "happy place" in northern Idaho near Sandpoint.  We had planned on Roger taking our RV there first and then bringing the boat, but with Roger having to be in Calgary and the move, we decided to stay in a motel in Priest River and just bring the boat.  It wasn't ideal, but it all worked out.  

We love going to the Sandpoint Festival, and this year we saw the Beach Boys.  With beautiful weather, it was fun hearing the songs of our youth.

Fun times with Paddy and Dave Carlson!

While Mike Love was the only original Beach Boys at the concert, their songs were the perfect music for such an amazing venue.

We were so happy to have Brad, Anette and Magnus join us for a few days. We had a barbeque on the boat, hit our favourite restaurants, tubed, kneeboarded, fished and Brad and Anette took their e-foil out on the river --- much to the interest of those who saw them "fly" by!  For 27 years, summertime in Idaho has been special for our family.  And this summer was no exception.

So fun being able to bbq on the boat then go for a swim!

Roger got a chance to tube - a rare treat - when Brad took the wheel.

Magnus has the boating gene that Roger and Brad have.  He is careful, aware of boats around him, where the ropes are and gives instructions to make sure the ladder is up!  It is a great source of pride seeing Magnus driving the boat and know it will be a lifetime joy for him.

Brad, Anette and Magnus having a water fight in the water!

Cheers!

As the week went on, Magnus got more confident (and silly) on the tube.

Captain Magnus

Brad on the e-foil.  It is so neat seeing the board raise up out of the water, and the quiet sound it makes as they glide by.  Brad took Magnus out on it and Magnus sat cross legged as they buzzed around. Such a cool sport to watch, and to see how much fun they had doing it.

Randy did a valiant job of keeping up with Magnus!

Kathy and Randy stayed at the Eagles Nest Motel along with all of us
- it is known for the wood carvings of bears.

One of the best parts of the trip was seeing Magnus get "hooked" on fishing!  Even when he wasn't catching fish, he said he enjoyed the quiet, rhythmic motion of casting.  While fishing from the docks, two fishermen went into the their tackle boxes and gave Magnus lures to help him catch small mouth bass.  Their kindness was rewarded when he landed the first of two fish he caught.  What a triumph!

An old timer giving Magnus some tips.

Magnus and RaRa doing things together melts my heart

Such joy to see Magnus and his first fish!

While the boys fished, Anette and I had a wonderful evening drinking wine and talking at 74 Main -- a favourite spot in Priest River.  I'm so lucky to have a daughter-in-law that is also a treasured friend.

After Brad, Anette and Magnus left, good friends, Shelagh and John Slater from Alberta came as well and stayed with Shelagh's cousin  (Paddy and her husband David) . We spent a couple of days having a great time with everyone at Paddy and Dave's who have a gorgeous house on Lake Pend O'Reille.  The four of them came and spent a day on our boat where we had a BBQ and Roger made margaritas with the blender powered by an inverter that Roger installed in the boat (doesn't every ski boat have one?)

L to R:  me, Roger, Paddy, Dave and John

Paddy and Shelagh cooling off

Roger brings new meaning to taking people on a "Booze Cruise". 

For the record, this video was taken before any margaritas had been consumed.  The good news is I got up on the kneeboard, and more importantly, the meds for my osteoporosis are definitely effective.  How do I know this....watch and see.  The wipeout was a water up my nose, "tumble dry" kind of end to a good ride!

For the last few days, we were on our own.  One of the people we wanted to see was Dan Burkey - the officer that helped us on the night that Roger had his heart attack in 2016.  Dan is on the Priest River Police Force when he isn't in the Army Reserve, but wasn't on duty when we popped into the office.  

Later that day, we were having a pizza and who walked in but Dan and his family.  We had a wonderful visit with Dan, Ashley and two of their kids: Cohen and their daughter.....wait for it.....Kinley.  Yes - their 9 year old's name is Kinley. Enough to give a person goosebumps. Such a special family and the bond we have with them hasn't lessened in the years since that scary night.  

A very special family 💓
Not all heroes wear capes -- Dan wears a uniform, and he's definitely our hero.

Roger and I took one last boat ride before heading home.

Shortly after getting back to Parksville, Roger returned to Calgary for another trip to finish up some projects for his dad.  It will be good to have him back home and hopefully there will be some more boating and camping trips before the rain starts.

The last three months have been stressful but with enough fun and support from friends and family to smooth out the bumps. And isn't that what change is all about?

"All great changes are preceded by chaos."

Deepak Chopra

Who would have thought?

I realized I hadn't updated Kinley Travels since late November, and thought it was time to look back and record this historical period in our lives, and indeed in the world......

After our trip to New Zealand, we went to Washington to spend an early Christmas with Brad, Anette and Magnus as they were spending the holidays in Alberta.

Magnus and Roger love shelling peanuts by the fire, so we brought our fire pit with us, and they had had fun together.

We went to a Christmas tree farm and picked out a beauty!

Mimosas, presents and the family make for a perfect Christmas - no matter what date it is celebrated.

The following week we went to Alberta for the Kinley Boomer that has been going for more than 130 years.  Held in Ponoka, lots of family members came and we had a great time catching up.

Roger with the family's beloved Aunt Vi

Roger's dad, John and his sister, Vi

 Back home on the Island, we got ready for Christmas!

"Magnus" got lights this year!

Roger mowing the lawn on December 23rd!

We were invited to the home of our good friends, Kevin and Dawn for Christmas dinner, and had a wonderful time.

Left to right:  Roger, Marnie (Dawn's sister), Dawn and Kevin

And then 2020 arrived.

As usual, I was acting pretty smug over how green everything was here as I heard friends and family in Alberta complain about the cold and snow.  And as usual, Mother Nature decided to put me in my place as we got a few days of snow and it pretty well shut the Island down.

And it just kept on falling.....

Roger's first car was a 1956 Corvette that he bought in the late 70s.  When he finally sold it in 2004 I told him not to feel sad and that he'd get another one sometime.

Brad as a baby with me and the '56 Corvette.  Brad grew up loving Corvettes and bought one a couple of years ago.

Well, his dream came true and he bought a 2019 Corvette but the ironic thing is I get to use it as my daily drive.  A win for me!

This caption is definitely: "A boy and his toys".

We welcomed our sister-in-law, Margaret who came from Calgary for a few days in February.  Such an easy guest to have as she loves beach walks, wine and good food -- which we do as well! 

Margaret and Heather

We headed back to Washington for another family fix on February 28th, where there was definitely a sense that COVID-19 was real due to the number of cases in the state.  

Brad spent the weekend ordering food, medicine and household goods in preparation for what he felt would be a shut down of services and a heightened risk being out in the public. Brad started working from home and Magnus began being home schooled on the day we left.  Brad's company has already made the decision to have staff work remotely until at least the end of the year.

We love hanging out with Brad and Anette (and of course, Magnus).  How lucky we are to have them as friends.

When we left on March 3rd, we had no idea we were saying goodbye for what is turning into a very long time with no end in sight.  It didn't take too long after our return to realize that "shit just got real".

By March 17th, I was working from home and "Zooming" took on a totally different meaning and quickly became part of everyday communication and a means to connect with friends, family and work.

Our dining room table became my "office".

I was proud how our team pivoted when our in-person programs were cancelled and switched to on-line programming.  Check out our YouTube channel!

Staff meetings were held over Zoom

We had a "Kinley Happy Hour" that spanned California, Washington, Kansas, BC and Alberta with ages from 6 to 91.

We had regular Zoom and FaceTime happy hours with friends, and those became highlights of our days and a great way to feel semi "normal" by sharing a few laughs and drinks together.

My Book Club also met via Zoom.  One of the girls dressed up like someone who has been in self-isolation for too long ---- at first I worried someone was Zoom-bombing our meeting!  

In March, we decided to start a vegetable garden.  Partly to keep busy, but in the back of our minds we thought there might be food shortages (after all - who expected there would be a run on toilet paper?).  Three months later, we've had prolific batches of green onions, radishes and now peas.  Carrots will be next up!

Yes --- this is what March looks like on Vancouver Island.

Roger meets three friends every Monday for breakfast.  The group went on hiatus for several weeks, but then started picking up breakfast at McDonalds and taking their camp chairs to a quiet spot in Parksville where they managed to still visit while socially distancing.

On a rainy Monday morning, the guys met under our covered patio with the fire pit keeping them warm.
Left to right:  Roger, Stu, Bob and Fraser

Mother's Day was spent on the water, and what a gorgeous day we had.  No filters on these photos - it really was this beautiful blue.

Chrome Island Lighthouse

Roger spent the day fishing - not catching.  Plan B dinner menu was enacted.

Magnus' 7th birthday was coming up, and because of the US/Canada border closure we couldn't be there to celebrate.  Hoping to find a way to make it special, I contacted the Northshore Fire Department in their community and asked if they would do a drive by.  They graciously agreed to do it - and we ended up with a very excited and happy boy.

Brad and Anette supplied the poster (and other fun activities earlier in the day), and the fire department made it a birthday that Magnus will never forget!

Brad with Magnus --- notice everyone wearing masks?

They disinfected the fire truck and let Magnus climb in to have a look. 

What made my day...week....month.....was when we were FaceTiming with Magnus later, and he actually hugged the iPad as a way to give me a hug for arranging it.  So happy our fun and smart Magnus had a great birthday.

In early June we decided to do an overnight trip to Deep Bay, just 18 miles up the coast.  It was a little windy, but the swells were more than we've ever experienced in 25 years of boating.  I screamed twice.  What kept the screams to a minimum is that I trusted Roger with my life, and I knew the boat had power and was mechanically sound.  It took 2-1/2 hours to arrive.  

We cruised into Deep Bay to flat waters and I poured my first glass of wine once the anchor was set. It was a spectacular evening.  Roger caught so many crabs we could pick and choose which ones we kept.  

Happy man

Wine flowed freely and memories of the wild trip faded. Until morning.  Plans of a hearty breakfast were dashed when Roger heard the weather report.  We quickly pulled anchor and headed south. This time it took about 1-1/4 hours but the swells hit us for the last half hour and I screamed again as we pitched into the waves.  We were having our breakfast in the safety of our home by 8:30 a.m.

B.C. has really done an excellent job of handling the COVID crisis.  While I didn't vote for Premier Horgan, I commend him for letting the health professionals manage the communication and protocols.  Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, has become a hero for her trademark saying, "Be Kind. Be Calm. Be Safe." With numbers low, and no new cases on the Island since mid-May, we decided to do a 24 hour getaway to our favourite city, Victoria.

Waitresses at Milestones on the Inner Harbour wearing masks

Cocktails and appetizers at one of our favourite spots - Finns

Il Terrazzo is a fabulous restaurant and we had a wonderful dinner

The dessert sampler is oh...so....very....good!

We were really impressed with the COVID protocols used at our hotel and all the restaurants and bars we went to, and we felt very safe.  The getaway was quick, but it was perfect.

I returned to work in the office in mid-June, and admit to feeling more energized and liking the separation from work and home.  I will be working 10 hours a week for the summer, and we're hoping our programs resume in the fall.

This week, I had more skin cancer surgery and will get my results when I get my stitches removed.

I told Roger that my nose looks more like a snout.  He said it's adorable.
I love that man.

So, that's kind of summed things up over the last 7 months.  Ordinary events in extraordinary times. We have been so fortunate that we've been healthy, don't know anyone who has gotten COVID-19,  we've been able to continue working, have a lovely home where we are safe, and have confidence in our government to do their best.  We know many can't say the same.

I have always said that each experience, good and bad, helps prepare me for the future.  Certainly the years we lived overseas was a dress rehearsal for physical distancing because often due to remote locations, language barriers, or multiple moves, Roger and I have spent lots of 24/7 time together.  I'm grateful to be married to my best friend who makes challenging times seem like just one more adventure.

In many ways, the world hit "Pause", and the environment responded with less pollution, cleaner waters, and thriving animals.  The good in people I believe overshadowed the bad as man's inhumanity against man got the spotlight.  But I hope the events over the last few months will bring to light that we are all in this world together and it is up to each and every one of us to help one another.

We know we're not out of the woods yet - and we don't know how long this "new normal" will be part of our lives.  But I do know that I will learn more life lessons, along with the rest of the world -- and we will all be stronger for it.

"We must learn to live together as brothers, or we will perish together as fools."

Martin Luther King Jr