... try and find us

 I have come to Vancouver Island to visit my mom, aunts and eldest kid, but have taken a day off from the homemade family reunion to visit local attractions. The old railway trestle over French Creek.  I've always wanted to walk across this. Many times I have been on my way to and from the ferry and whizzed by places that have looked really, really interesting from the road. Many times I have said to myself, "I wish I had time to stop and explore."  On the drive from Victoria to Parksville (where my family has gathered), there is a roadside collection of rusty-but-unusual forestry machines at the BC Forestry Discovery Centre .  The wooden Banfield Lifeboat. There are historical boats and ships under weather covers in places like Port Alberni and Comox.  There are local museums and collections of both post-European settler and indigenous artifacts in many of the town along the Alberni Highway, but when I asked my Aunt Jan for advice on which ones I had to see, sh...

Canmore is still beautiful ...and back in Canada we land, and promptly both get sick!  A BIG thank you to Ruth and Terry for allowing us to hole up at your place while we recuperated.  Nothing like the joy of house guests coughing and snivelling. It's hard to stop snapping pictures ...  ... particularly when the weather is so glorious. Upon recovery, it was a whirlwind of life administration - renewing passports, drivers' licence, doctor, dentist, optometrist, accountant, bank.... everything to keep the plates spinning.  We voted in the municipal election and caught up with friends and family, slipping in a 65th birthday party and a high school reunion. Engadine Lodge, a five-star backcountry lodge, the perfect place for a school reunion We may be a few years older, but we can still winter hike! Mountain Sheep on Highwood Pass Packed lunch (Thanks Engadine Lodge staff!) at the Peter Lougheed Discovery Centre Looking through school...