Comfort Food

After two weeks of mostly restaurant food --- some meals quite excellent --- it's good to have some comfort food for supper.  Some people like old-fashioned meat and potatoes.  Others like a special pasta dish with salad.  In my case, Szechuan chicken pieces, mixed stir-fried vegetables, and noodles fit the bill.  With a taste for spicy flavours, I love this type of supper.  And, because suppers are my job, I get to choose what's on the menu.  Fortunately, Margaret likes this dish, too.  And, of course, I make lots so that there's enough for our lunches tomorrow.

Supper tomorrow?  Maybe, slow-cooked, melt in your melt, pork chops in a mushroom sauce, with mini-potatoes done up in dill and butter, along side some steamed asparagus.  Sound good?

Home Sweet Home

No matter how good the vacation, it's always good to get home.  The two weeks out west went very well.  Margaret and I really enjoyed our trip out to Tofino, with stops along the way to visit friends and relatives.  But, we're both happy to be home, making contact here with family, and reunited with our dogs.  It's good to be back to our normal routines now.

Abbotsford Visit

I'm up early this morning after a pleasant evening here at my brother Paul's and his wife, Shelly's  home.  Marg and I travelled from Tofino to here yesterday.  We were warmly welcomed by them and my sister-in-law May and later their son, Scott.  It was great to have a home-cooked supper of chicken and ribs and other goodies after days of seafood.  And, we of course caught up on the family news.  After breakfast today, Marg and I will continue our trek eastward to Winnipeg.  We have mixed feelings about ending our holiday but we'll be glad to get home and back into our routines.  We're not sure of our route home yet; we'll just head out and see where we decide to go.  Of course, we'll stop at an Okanogan fruit market and load up on fresh cherries, plums, peaches, and other fruit.  There's nothing like fresh fruit.

What Could be Finer?

Than sitting on the deck of the Garden Cottage on Chesterman Beach, listening to the waves hitting the beach on this foggy morning?  I've had my morning coffee and my toast and hummus and I'm waiting for Marg to wake up and go for her walk/run on the beach.  We both love it here and are already planning our next visit.

Last night, after making our own supper in the cottage, we went for a long walk on the beach at sunset, watching the surfers ride the big waves.  Watching people play with their dogs made us really miss ours back home.  I hope Holly will forgive me for not bringing her along.  I'm really looking forward to picking her up from Waldenway Canine Camp in a few days.

I've taken literally hundreds of photos on this trip and will have a lot of fun going through them all when we return home.  I'll post some here and on my Flickr page as soon as I can.  Amongst those many photos, I think I've gotten some great shots.  They'll be especially valued this winter as we look back on this great road trip.  Happiness is ...

A Fantastic Week

So many dreams coming true all at once.  All it takes is a happy couple driving west until we reach The Beach.  We've had great weather, seen some fabulous sights, eaten some fantastic meals at some first class restaurants, stayed at some memorable places, and we're not even there yet.  Yesterday, after 3 hours of walking in Ladner, we had dinner at Sven and Laura's, friends I've known for about 45 years.

We're enjoying Victoria today --- some neat stores like Murchie's, Rogers Chocolates, Munroe Books, various art and crafts stores --- and going to another great seafood restaurant tonight, a dress-up kind of place.  We lunched on Barb's french fries at a marina filled with house boats, fishing boats, and pleasure craft.  Life is good with Margaret!

Another Dream Come True

The Celtic Woman concert last night was fabulous.  I've been a fan for quite a while now, having seen them on YouTube and PBS and then having bought one of their CDs and videos.  To finally see and hear them live at the MTS Centre was a dream come true for me.  The music and the light show was just fantastic.  And the drumming ... wow!  It was the first time I've ever experienced vibrations inside my chest from music.  Margaret said the same thing.  All of the singers and musicians gave tremendous performances. What a great way to start our vacation together.  Happiness is ...

A Busy Weekend

Yesterday, we were off early to the farmer's market nearby to stock up on more sweet corn, baked goods, pickles and relish for the evening get together and BBQ with Margaret's sister and her family.  After walking our dogs, each of us had errands to run as we prepared for our road trip.

Fortunately, Holly and I had time for a short nap before the evening's festivities began.  I'm quickly learning that I can't start my day in the middle of the night without that nap during the day to recharge my batteries.

Today, I have to finish packing,clean out the vehicle, and drive out to Waldenway Kennels with Holly.  Because she is used to being by my side all the time, it will be a interesting two weeks for Holly, living in a kennel and being cared for by strangers.  The kennel has a great reputation so I'm sure she will be treated well but it's sort of like taking your child to camp and leaving them there.  Mixed feelings ...

Today, Marg and I will be attending the Celtic Woman concert at the MTS Centre here in Winnipeg.  We're looking forward to that after having long admired their singing and performances on CDs and videos.  It's our treat to each other before heading west tomorrow.

More Good Times

Last night, I attended the Tom Jones and the Temple of Doom show again at Celebrations Dinner Theatre with Margaret.  It sure was enjoyable, seeing the cast do their singing and dancing routines again.  Watching young people so enjoy what they're doing (and doing it so well!) really re-energizes me.  It's interesting, too, how you see little things you missed during the previous show.

I also liked it when cast members came around to the tables during breaks and talked, in character, with the members of the audience.  Similarly, the servers.  When one of stars came to our table and tried to get me up to dance with her, it called for quick thinking on my part.  I simply smiled and said that Margaret wouldn't allow me to dance with other women.  Knowing Margaret was 'the boss', I was relieved to see that she quickly backed off and went looking for another 'volunteer'.  I can dance about as well as I can sing (not).

Paper Wars

I'm still fighting them.  I'm still losing them.  I'm realizing I'll never win.  Sure, I can file a lot of paper in a morning but then another urgent form appears out of the blue and I have to spend 3 hours trying to figure out what it means, what I have to fill in and what I can leave out, and who to call to find answers or get clarification.  Then, when I finally complete it and go to send off the form, I find out it'll take the provincial bureaucrats 6-8 weeks to confirm I did it right.  What's wrong with this picture?

I Hate Paperwork

Why?  Because I seem to be disorganized these days.  I can't seem to find what I'm looking for anymore without spending a half-hour searching all the likely spots, whether it's a simple receipt, a bill, a document, or whatever.  Maybe, it's because I don't sit down with all the loose stuff and put it where it belongs.  I end up with several file folders on the same subject, stashed in different parts of the house.  And none of them hold the one piece of paper I want at the moment.  I don't remember having this problem when I ran my consulting business.  Eventually, after going through everything several times, I usually find what I want but it seems to take forever.  Help!  I need a secretary!

Enjoying Some Simple Pleasures

Like going to the new farmer's market in west Winnipeg on Saturday morning with Margaret and buying farm-fresh vegetables and baking.  Like talking to some farm women about the pickles and the zucchini relish they've produced.  Like enjoying some of the super-sweet peaches and cream corn on the cob with supper last night.  Like processing the rest of the corn today, slicing off kernels to freeze in zip-lock bags for use this winter.  Life is good.

Stinking Hot Weekend

Winnipeggers suffered in the heat and humidity this past weekend.  It was definitely a day for hugging your air conditioner yesterday, with the humidex about 40 degrees.  Today's forecast is slightly better, but with a chance of thunderstorms.  Oh, well, it beats snow!

Marg and I had a good weekend, catching up on yard work and taking an afternoon off to wander around the Forks downtown.  Neither of us had been there for awhile so it was fun walk around, to people watch, to do some window shopping, and have to lunch at Muddy Waters.

What a Great Show!

I had a great time last night at the opening of "Tom Jones and the Temple of Doom" at Celebrations Dinner Theatre on Pembina Highway.  It was a good combination of a delicious dinner and a entertaining show.  I loved the singing and dancing.  The cast did a fantastic job.  Of course, the company I was with may have had something to do with my thoroughly enjoying the evening.  See more at http://www.celebrations.ca/celebrations/now_playing.html

No Place Like Home

Years ago, when I moved to Carman, I began to lose interest in my cottage at Canyon Lake.  When I lived in Winnipeg, the cottage was a place I needed to have to escape from the city.  The Carman acreage replaced it in my mind because it was definitely an escape from the city.  You couldn't see the neighbours, it was very quiet and peaceful there, and there was always something to do there.  The only thing it didn't have was water.  A lake to look out over would have been great.  I had to be satisfied with walking to a nearby river or driving a few miles to a small lake not too far away.  Fewer and fewer trips were made to the cottage.

Last weekend, it was really nice to get back to the cottage and to introduce my friend, Margaret, to it but I realized that I felt better getting home to our place in Charleswood.  I knew that the cottage was now an escape for my kids and that, very soon, title to the property would be transferred to them, as promised when they were very young.  I hope the cottage eventually gets passed on to my grand-kids when they start their families.  I think that will happen, even if it's after I'm gone.

These days, I still feel the need to get away to 'a lake' occasionally but not necessarily to 'the lake'.  Now, I'm just as happy renting 'a place' somewhere for the weekend, as long as it's close to water and a beach.  Perhaps, now, as I get older, I also want a more comfortable place to go to, complete with all the modern conveniences and at least one nearby restaurant with good food.  I guess, too, I no longer want to be responsible for the cottage maintenance and upkeep.  Perhaps, too, I just want to explore different areas of Manitoba and Northern Ontario.  There are still so many places that I want to see for the first time or want to revisit that are within easy driving distance of our home in Winnipeg.  Meanwhile, there's no place like home.

Five Eagles

The three days at the Ellis Camp were great!  I had hoped to see one bald headed eagle and saw five the first morning!  The lodge had the boat ready and the staff went out of their way to help load everything up.  The cottage was just where I left it two years ago and I was impressed with the upgrades the kids had made.  The weather was perfect even though we had left Winnipeg in the rain.  I managed to take all sorts of wildflower photos around the property.  Everywhere I looked, there was something else to photograph.

The miracle was that, for once, I didn't injure myself doing something up there; I usually manage to come home wearing band-aids and sporting pulled muscles.  This time, I didn't get involved in building or fixing something (though I was tempted).  But, that's not my job anymore ... the cottage is pretty much the kids now ... their cottage, their projects, and their band-aids now.  I hope someday they install a shower and a more reliable pump system ... and a better gangway to the floating dock!  And, it took me forever to find the hidden inverter so I could recharge my camera battery.  Whose idea was it to move that little black box!? 

Margaret loved the cottage, as I knew she would.  She kept saying, 'it's so peaceful up here'.  It sure was nice not to see or hear neighbours or the sounds of the city for a few days.  It was definitely a great three-day escape.

The First Day of August

I've always looked at the first day of August with mixed feelings.  It's often the best month of summer here on the prairies.  August usually has great weather: lots of fine, sunny days and refreshingly cool nights.  But, I also keep in mind that August is the last month of summer.  Next stop, September and the beginning of Fall.  And, we all know what comes after Fall here in Winterpeg.  So, I'm about to enjoy the best part of this summer.

Today is also, of course, the first day of the rest of my life.  And, I'm going to begin that new life today, with someone very special.  Nothing could be finer.