We then went by Mountain Equipment Co-op so that I could see if they would replace my bent walking stick (naturally, this meant that I had to carry it onto the planes and the ship as it no longer would slide together to fit compactly into our newly acquired totes. Martin really wasn't convinced that lugging this extra piece of equipment along was such a good idea as he was quite sure that I would not have success in getting it replaced at MEC. But, anyone who knows me (such as my kids) are not surprised at all that I did not throw it out! Of course it is necessary to see if a dollar (or $50.00!) can be spared. Wow, was I relieved (and a little smug, haha) when, within a matter of minutes, the clerk at MEC replaced the middle section and handed it back to me just as good as new! Following this we went to Anton's (our favourite pasta place) on Hastings (near Burnaby) for dinner.
Kyle and Hayley took us to the 10:30 a.m. ferry on Monday morning and we headed back to the island. It was wonderful to see the rest of the family ... Ray, Joel and Tobias met us at the ferry and then later on we saw Charis, Tianna and Jesse and Jonas before heading home to Parksville.
We had some work being done on the outside of the house when we were away; however, they are a bit behind schedule and so someone is, as I type, refinishing our deck; the roof was replaced while we were away and the back steps were replaced. Yesterday we had a bobcat in our back yard ripping out stumps and a sad 'lawn.' Hopefully by the end of the summer we will have some green grass that can now be reached by stairs that are no longer unsafe to tred upon.
This afternoon we will be pick up Joel and Tobias report cards from the school. They will be heading into grades 12 and 11 in the fall. During August they will be working in the Leader's in Training Program at Camp Sunrise; Joel working in the kitchen which he enjoys and Tobias in the counselling area and sports with the kids, which is his area of interest.
This Saturday we will have a family reunion picnic with our children and grandchildren. It was a great blessing to be in Europe and experience all that we did and now it is a blessing to return home to the joys which await us here. Our lives are overflowing and we remain incredibly grateful for the multitude of riches which are ours.
Happy Canada Day to one and all!
Carolyn and Martin
Hey! I am home and was pleasantly surprised to see this post-trip update.
ReplyDeleteYEAH! You didn't have to give up the pole that went through it all. Better to get the old one fixed than a brand new one with no memories attached to it!
I am certain that everyone is happy to see you and I hope the "Family Reunion Picnic" was a lot of fun.
Gotta' go. I have a choking garden. It is really hot and dry here. And, I am off to see the "Sleep Doctor" at 1:00 PM this afternoon. I have no idea what time the computer will say this note is being posted but it is 10:06 AM as I am typing.
Hope to talk to you, Carolyn, on the phone one of these days.
Love to all, Matuga