Visiting Canada, Summer 1970

Stopping to enjoy a view in the Okanagan

All aboard for the Columbia Icefields!

Peyto Lake viewpoint

The two intrepid travellers prepare to leave Vancouver...

103 Years Ago Today.....

...a baby girl, Phyllis (Phyl) Hilda, was born to Maud Carrie and Harold Hier-Davies, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Her parents had left England in 1906, to homestead in western Canada. They had made several stops along the way, planning eventually to settle in British Columbia, but by the winter of 1909, had only made it as far west as the adjacent province of Alberta. In the Edmonton area, Maud and Harold had friends, so this was where they decided to settle for a while, and it was here that Phyl was born. However, shortly after this happy event, life for this little pioneer family took a disastrous turn, when Phyl's dashing, adventurous father contracted polio, dying when Phyl was only ten month's old. Phyl always regretted never having known her father, and was always eager to learn as much as she could about her father's side of the family..... Having no means of supporting herself and baby Phyl, Maud returned to England, where a couple of years later, she married a former beau.

It wasn't until the summer of 1970 that Phyl next set foot on Canadian soil, but she was always very proud of her Canadian roots - and she herself would definitely have made a great pioneer! During the next 25 years, she paid several visits to Canada, initially with husband, Jimmy, then after his death in November, 1979, became quite a jet-setter in her own right....

On May 5, 2012, Phyl's earthly pilgrimage drew to a close, but on this her birthday, we cherish lovingly the memories of her that we all share...... 

Hurry Up and Wait.....

....has been the order of the day here in  the Toronto airport. Doug dropped me off in good time, but the line-up at passport control moved extremely slowly, such that I began to wonder whether I'd make my flight, as I still had security to contend with. However, that went quite quickly, but there was confusion as to whether the flight was on time or delayed, one story being that the captain hadn't arrived from Halifax....Now, just informed that the flight is further delay....ah, well, the best laid plans etc. etc.!

A brief comment on the posted pictures; my layout was quite different, but it seemed Blogger didn't approve, meaning the second pic is only partially there, but a quick click on it allows you to see the whole thing.

It seems that our departure from Collingwood on Friday was very timely, as the snow decided to come a little earlier than predicted. Collingwood itself just had a few skiffs, but further along we encountered some serious winter conditions - beautiful to see the snow on the trees, but the driving was horrendous for a while, especially with a semi glued to my back bumper and no possibility of my pulling over or him passing! Was so thankful when conditions improved, the pavement was bare and dry and the grass green.....
 

Thanks for Staying Tuned ...

Roxanna by Georgian Bay - when it wasn't actually raining!

 

Scrap-booking

Cover of Roxanna's book.

The first page of Tony's book...

.... and the first page of Alex's.

Enjoying dinner together at 'Memories'....after making memories!

Pumpkin carving.....

....BOOO!!

What we could have done - had we wanted to!

What we did do was a  beautiful time! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(A picture on the wall, not a sunset while we were there...)

 

 

Busy as Beavers...... and Happy as Clams!

In fact, Roxanna and I have been so busy that I have hardly had a moment to check my e-mail, let alone post anything here! (You may have noticed that!) Despite the wild, wet weather - courtesy of 'Sandy' - we are warm and snug, in our 'home away from home', enjoying ourselves immensely, as we reminisce over the pictures we're scrap-booking and watch old b & w comedy shows! Our project is progressing well and the set-up here is ideal; a large dining table (now covered with the tools of our trade) a gas fireplace flaming cheerfully in the corner, and everything we need in the way of food etc. close at hand. ( I'll try to post some pictures, so stay tuned for those..)

On Sunday, we were able to take advantage of a break in the rain and explore our surroundings. Apparently, the resort extends over some 750 acres, so we obviously haven't seen everything there is to see, but we did wander down as far as Georgian Bay and the Collingwood Marina. There were just one or two boats left in the water - obviously time to vacate, in anticipation of the winter storms. We walked along by the water, encountering a few other hardy souls out, armed with umbrellas, 'just in case'! By the time we returned 'home', we felt that we had inhaled LOTS of good fresh air and we were ready for a cuppa by the fire before settling down to tackle all those pictures...

Yesterday, we were out and about bright and early (relatively speaking!) to attend a breakfast (free!) up at the hotel, where we were briefed on the various activities available in the area. I won a discounted 'Hummer' trip up the mountain and through the back country, but we decided that, a) even with a discount, it would be an expensive activity and b) would be decidedly more of an adrenalin rush than we needed!! Some pool time was more what we had in mind...this we found  to be very relaxing, particularly as we had the pool to ourselves for a good chunk of the time.....

Apparently, there was quite a significant earthquake on the west coast, in BC, in the Prince Rupert/Haida Gwaii area, but from what I gather, damage to life, limb and property thankfully doesn't seem to have been serious I haven't had the TV on this morning, but the pictures last night of the eastern seaboard of the US, as 'Sandy' made landfalll, were very dramatic, and I really feel for those whose lives are being so affected...

Here, at Club Cranberry, Collingwood, the weather this morning seems to be surprisingly calm and dry, for the moment, so perhaps it's time to head out for some fresh air, before getting busy with the scrap-booking, once again. (I can certainly see how it could become quite addictive - Roxanna and I are certainly having a grand time!) 

Club Cranberry, Collingwood

Today was a day of rain - the first of many, up in this region? - but Roxanna and I are warm and dry and very happily settled in our 'home away from hom'e. We haven't yet had a chance to explore our immediate neighbourhood, but that is on the agenda for tomorrow, after a good night's sleep... zzzzzzzz

Shopped 'Til We Dropped!

Shopping was the activity of the day!! Visits to Michael's, Wal-Mart and Len's Mill Store were on our agenda, as we checked out prices for various items for the scrapbooking projects Roxanna and I are going to be tackling. Once we had done our research, we then made return visits to purchase our materials - just the beginning of our fun!
Not sure whether Roxanna and I'll be heading up to Collingwood tomorrow or Saturday. Elaine has a 'flu bug so, depending on whether she is well enough to fly, she may or may not be home from Regina tomorrow evening. If she is able to come, we'll stay around until Saturday, so that we can see her; if not, we'll set off for the Cranberry Club, Collingwood, tomorrow.
A beautiful warm and sunny day today, but it sounds as though it will be cooler and duller over the weekend....