Christmas Day, Santa Came

The stockings were loaded as usual.

and Santa had been here.

leading to merriment.

Orange juice has vitamen C.

and fun was had by all.

Christmas Day.

 A wonderful family time.

Stocking were a hit and great presents plus a toast!

Christmas coming!

Suzanne gets so excited about Christmas, she likes to celebrate for at least a month.

George is all decked out for the season. And the Christmas tree is up.

We had fun with cousins.

Having a great time.

Christmas Beginnings

Here's Christmas at our Thrift Store. It is the Sunshine Coast Community Thrift Store where the profits go to 34 community organizations that support programs benefitting local groups. Jeanne and Shari are unpacking donations.

We decorated the whole store after work last Friday.

Our Christmas cactus was amazing.

The lights are on, downtown now also. A great group, fun to work with.

Fall Events and ChapCap

I've been cleaning up the yard on the beautiful sunny days and these pretty grasses arrived in our planter by surprise one day. We had Irene and George for Thanksgiving dinner.

 Trey turned 11 on his birthday.

Hana's Leadership Class at school had to think up a sustainable business, make a business plan, handle the finances, sell a product and donate the profits to a charity, Cleaner Lakes. They invented ChapCap, a lip balm made from local beeswax etc and recycled pop caps. They ended up with quite a few products and are selling here a a Dance Studio Fund Raiser.

My Chevy Trax

My new car.

I finally choose a car, a little Chevy Trax. Never heard about them before but it's higher for better visalbility, short, so very easy to park and maneouvre, has most of the bells and whistles so I'm delighted to be independent again. The next thing I did was put 4 snow tires on it. This is my first BC winter in 15 years so it will be a new experience.

A new activity, I started voluntering at the SCCS Sunshine Coast Community Services Thrift Store on North Rd. Julian is our fearless leader, who used to oversee 5 retail stores in Vancouver. We have about 20 volunteers, one is Jeanne Scott Haige, whom I was in Nursing School with in the 60's. Fun to connect again now.

 All the monies go to about 34 organizations in the community from the Food Bank, Counselling, Mom anad Tot, Teens etc, a very well run community benefit .I'm enjoying it and meeting new people.

St. Ann's Reunion

Here we are again - 57 years later.

We met at St. Ann's Aceademy in New Westminster and spent high school together. Great friends still.

St. Paul's 55th Reunion

We celebrated our 55th year since we grraduated from St. Paul's School of Nursing, Vancouver B.C.
I met Penny and Colleen at the Waterfront Station, then we stayed at Colleen's daughters ovenight overlooking Stanley Park and the harbour.

We started with a tour of St. Paul's, wonderful memories.

Our Grad picture, 114 girls started, 91 finished.

We had a lovely lunch at Van Duseon Gardens.

When you live in the same dormitory for 3 years, work 3 shifts, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year, you become closer than sisters.

We still have have incredible closenest today. How lucky we were to have had this experience.

Breakfast with the Cousins

We were invited to Nick and Sarah's for brunch.

Their little ones go to bed by 7pm so breakfast works for a great visit. Nick's famous crepes were delicious.

The crepes were great and the company even better.

Cruise in the Adriatic Sea.

This trip had been planned several months ago so we flew to Rome and took in the sights, Colosseum, museums and many churches.

There was a sea day, then Venice for 2 days, saw St. Mark's Square, Bridge of Sighs and so much more. Incredible.

Dubrovnik, Croatia was a medival walled city, where you could walk all around the top and see old shopping areas.

 Koper, Slovenia, included a 5 hour walking tour of very old history and a delightful salt shop. Many fountains.

Split, a town on Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast, is known for its beaches and the fortresslike complex at its center, Diocletian's Palace, erected by the Roman emperor in the 4th century. Once home to thousands, its sprawling remains include more than 200 buildings. Within its white stone walls and under its courtyards are a cathedral and numerous shops, bars, cafes, hotels and houses.

Corfu, Greece, another sea port did not disappoint.

Olympia, Greece was thrilling. I went to the old original site where this all began in 67 B.C. Only ruins left with the original theater and the altar where the Olympic flame is still lit today for the Games using a parobolic mirror.

Valletta, Malta was surprising. Huge port and again amazing.

I never thought I'd get to Europe but this was a fantastic cruise and cities I've always heard about.

First Day of School

New year of school, grades 6,10, 8, the first year of high school for Lex.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall

I have just loved summer. This is how 10 yr old boys get their laundry out of the dryer.

                                  Lexi is making a new phone case with a 3 D pen.

Beach Glass and Meditation

I have always loved the beach glass one discovers that has travelled around the world. I've found 4 nice benches to watch the ocean and one had this pretty painted rock.

                                       Such a quiet, pretty spot.

Forts, stones, glass, treasures.

Cousins, brunch works well for a visit.

The Solar Eclipse

Lexi's friend phoned and said, 'come on over. We have everything ( special glasses) and we're watching the solar eclipse'. So off we went.

This family was going to go to Portland Ore., to watch but the estimated crowds deterred them. We had about 6 families, 25 people and it was a great experience to share.

We could feel it getting colder and finally warm back up when the sun was back. Great fun.

Welcome to Gibsons Landing, B.C.

Shop, stroll, and dine, all against the backdrop of stunning views of Howe Sound and vistas of the coastal mountains – this is Gibsons Landing. Charming stores, art galleries, and restaurants/cafés line the Landing, complete with Winegarden Waterfront Park – the perfect place to sit in the sun or take a panoramic picture of the harbour. There is a piano put here for the summer with everyone taking a turn playing outdoors.

I'm doing some gardening and visit with our neighbours next door, Irene and George.

Sometimes Suzanne even makes it out of her office.