I finished Harry Potter today.....and no I will not spoil the ending. Suffice to say it's full of action and complexities and is riveting. I do find, when reading a book like that, I cannot stay glued to it as do some. I need to rise out of it and take a breather and do something else. I cannot fathom how someone can write like that, in that style, keeping a plotline going for that long a time......well..yes I can imagine...but it never fails to put me in awe of the writing talent. How does she sleep at night with so many characters running around in her brain????
The last few months have been very hectic with weddings and a birthday party...all out of town. The upside to that is we were able to stay with J&C in Aldergrove (they have a two bedroom suite now!!) and spend some quality time with our grandson. We were also able to spend quality time with T&D in Victoria (before the move!) as we stayed at their place on our visit to Victoria. There are definitely benefits to offspring having two bedroom apartments (or at least a comfy futon!).....it saves on hotel bills!! Some observations of our recent travels....
- Car rides are exhausting.....fun...but exhausting.
- I will NEVER travel the prairies in summer again. I'm of the opinion that you have to be born there to actually appreciate all the positive aspects of "The Prairies" (We had a wedding in Prince Albert, Sask. and did a road trip ...going there wasn't too bad....coming back.....hmmmmm.....what can I say....even in an air conditioned car ....ARRRRGH!!!) I think the town and cities have lovely areas....but outside the towns and cities......endless telephone poles......
- the way to cure a dog of car sickness is to take him on a loooong car ride over a period of days and stay in hotels and he'll eventually settle down. By the end of all our driving, Chauncey, dear little laddie, is happy to hop in the back seat and settle down with no drooling at all. What a trooper!!
- Pedicures are very nice!! A friend offered to give me a pedicure in Leduc and I accepted the offer...first time ever for me and it was a treat!! It did, however, make me realize how much I really should have it done regularly....or at least once in a while.
- Weddings on a lakeside beach are very cool and relaxing and informal...as are weddings in back gardens. Weddings in golf clubs are very relaxing too, in a different way. They have the formality but still retain that more casual atmosphere. All four weddings were different and all were wonderful. I am so glad DH and I were asked to attend the weddings of T's dear friends of many years. The nice thing about that is that you reconnect with the parents that you haven't seen for years, some since your kids were in high school. It was a good wedding summer!
- I love my camera!! I spent a lot of time taking random shots, over DH's shoulder, through the car window (between the bug spatter!!) and just pulling over and taking a shot of a great looking rock formation. I'm just not sure what I'll use them for...but some are pretty cool.
- I also took some pics of the fire devastation still visible around Barriere and the damage of the Pine Beetle Infestation.....somehow those two enemies of the forests will connect to do major damage in the years to come, I'm sure. Our beautiful green province, it's fast disappearing ......when we were in the Alberta side of the Rockies the green was everywhere and lush, no red and no grey....for now.
- If I ever win the lottery or make a pile of money, I will sell up and move to Victoria in a heartbeat!! Every time I go there I realize how much I have missed the ocean and the whole living near the ocean state of mind over the years. It wasn't as noticeable when we were in Langley because we were near the ocean (well....1/2 hr away....) and we did go over to Victoria to see my mom. But up here in Kamloops....it's sooo dry......and hot.....and well...not as green!! Judging by present house prices in Victoria now, one would have to win the lottery or be prepared to have a mortgage....something we're just not prepared to do.....especially on a pension. So.....sigh.....it'll have to be regular visits.....and deep breaths of sea air :-)
- Speaking of which....when we were down in Victoria for the birthday party of my cousin, DH and I took a little drive around and ended up at Ogden Point, the cruise ship terminal in Victoria. In the space of 1 hour 3 huge cruise ships arrived....and I was just over the moon. We had opera on the radio, sea air and a huge ship slowing coming into dock....how much of an ocean fix can you get!!
.....I get weepy just looking at the pics. When I was a child, my Gram lived one block off Dallas Road and when we would visit her, we would take a juice can and a sand shovel down to the beach and play among the logs. Dallas Road has always been my place to regain my "sea self". Sitting on a park bench facing the water, memories flood over me... watching the CPR ferries heading for Seattle and Vancouver and telling which ones they were by the number of funnels that they had. Dad and I had them all pegged. Growing up in Victoria ....one has to go back eventually...and I hope I will.
- The birthday party was wonderful....lots of people there, some I knew, some I didn't. T&D came for a while and probably knew much fewer than I did....but the family were happy to see them...some not even knowing that they were back from Massachusetts. Caught up on family news .....
Slainte!
