Retirement
I had a nice send-off, thanks to
some great colleagues. It took me about
two days to adjust to a more relaxed pace, the best part being that there is
always time to do something on another day and to get enough sleep…every
night! I am embracing the new lifestyle
of casual clothing, no make-up, and not being cognizant of the day of the week.
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| plaque from my Science colleagues with a piece of the "CCGS Hudson" |
Tessa
The decision to put down our old
girl was a tough one. She was with me
for fifteen and a half years and I loved her dearly. We seriously considered postponing this trip
but after seeking advice and direction from many trusted friends and family
members, I was able to see that her condition
was as difficult for her as it was for us to watch and try to care for.
On her last day she had a great afternoon outside in the bright sunshine,
with a few neighbours dropping by to say good-bye to the grand old dame of the
street. Adrienne and Wayne and I spent some time alone with her relaxing on the
porch before her vet arrived. She drifted off quickly and peacefully and
we were able to hug and pet her while she made the transition to doggy
heaven. I am sure she is already running and jumping for balls and
sniffing everything and eating whatever she can up there. Thank you so much to the many people who
passed along their condolences. It has meant a great deal to us and it’s really
nice to see how she touched so many people.
The RV
We bought a Forester 2451S and I
am still adjusting. Sometimes we make
decisions which are a little off base.
It is rather big and doesn’t fit the bohemian lifestyle I imagined. It is quite comfortable and very nice,
but I am a little uneasy with the environmental footprint and the ease of
hauling it off the beaten track and through congested areas. I guess we were
thinking of having lots of guests or doubting our ability to live meagerly and simply;
who knows. Now we are now of two minds….to live
with the decision and enjoy it as much as possible ….or to accept the mistake
as a learning experience and try to correct it while enroute by finding
something a little more compact. Will
keep you posted on this.
Transit West
We departed on Wednesday, May 9th,
mid-afternoon. I was a basket case for the first three days grieving hard for
Tessa, totally unprepared for how hard it hit me. Poor Wayne!
Our route took us from Ottawa to Sault Ste. Marie and
then south of the border through the US, which is slightly shorter and with
cheaper gas. Neither of us had driven
the US
route before. Our first overnight was in North
Bay bedding down very comfortably in Marie and Brian’s
driveway. On the second night we stayed
at Meshigamme Shores
in Michigan, and the third night at Turtle Creek, North
Dakota. Our
fourth and fifth nights were in Glasgow, and St. Regis, Montana. The sixth night was spent on a wooded
mountain sideroad about an hour east of Seattle. Notables along the way: Did you know that Devil’s Lake,
North Dakota is the geographical centre of North America? North Dakota is booming with oil and was
very busy, but otherwise we loved the prairies with the endless vistas and
countless baby cows; scenic rolling hills and ranch country in Montana with
many spots that looked like good buffalo jumping cliffs (kind of like mini
grand canyons); Idaho was a nice surprise with the mountains and excellent bike
paths in the panhandle; Washington State – wind-farms, mountains, and
Starbucks!
On Tuesday, May 15 we finally rolled
in White Rock, south of Vancouver and near the BC/Washington border. Jim and I lived here when the girls were
young and it was a sleepy little beach town.
Not so now! We parked the RV in
the driveway of old friends and former neighbours - John and Rosa Verde and
daughter Emily - and enjoyed their wonderful hospitality as well as meeting
their cute little grandson Elliot and son-in-law Paul. We also got to see Bill Dutrizac (an old CG
buddy), his wife Charlene and son Victor who live just down the street.
Sure looking forward to seeing this big
beautiful country in slow play through the mountains, and especially through
the prairies with those wonderful vistas and westerly winds. Can’t wait to be a curious tourist,
discovering some nooks and crannies, meeting different people along the way.
Alaskan Cruise
We left the RV with John and Rosa
from May 16th to 23rd while on Holland
America’s
Volendam with my Dad and Mabel, and my
sister Teri and her husband Dan. The
Alaskan coast is pristinely beautiful, and it was nice to be on the water again
and hang out with family we don’t see often.
Highlights for us were Glacier Bay, the town of Skagway
where we hiked a little bit of the Chilcoot Trail (from the Yukon goldrush of 1898) and a tour of the
bridge and chat with the marine pilot onboard (thanks to another old CG buddy
turned pilot – Ed Lien). Although the Volendam
was an exceptionally comfortable ship and Holland
America’s
service was outstanding, we’d love to explore the area a bit more by smaller
boat and with less people.
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| Glacier Bay and the boat we wished we had boarded |
I celebrated my birthday
onboard. I bet I’m the only 55 year old
in history who received bamboo yoga pants from her Dad! (I really like them, but just had to get that
hilarious dig in).
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| MS Volendam |
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