Travel days are the BEST

 What is more exciting than a travel day? NOTHING -- that's what! 

I was up early, and YES -- I finished the urgent paperwork, including using my scanner (part of the printer), which will scan but will not print. At least not from that computer. Can you tell me why that is? Obviously, there is some feature that isn't turned on or something. I shall have to investigate when I get home because it's a royal pain, to say the least. 

And then I got the binding on the wallhanging. Yep --- thankfully it's small, so that was easy. 

The binding is on the quilt

Isn't this fun?   It has a few reasons why it was made, and all the flowers you see were done with chenille yarn on my PFAFF creative icon 2 and the new embellishment attachment. I love it, and it was super fun to play with. I modified the flower from a design in the software --- I'll provide more details later. The bottom line is that the binding got put on the piece and packed. 

Speaking of packing, I got out my SMALL suitcase and was determined to get everything packed in there. The small piece above and the quilt I'm taking for my Mom wouldn't fit. The small piece went into the backpack, and I carried that quilt for my Mom. It's a bit of a pain since I'll have to carry it for a couple of days as visiting with parents is the last destination. No worries -- it's all doable!

I got a notification that my flight was delayed by 30 minutes. I can live with that - I did NOT want to get a message that it was canceled. A delay is OK. We still left for the airport at 7 AM to catch the 8:55 (original time). One never knows about the lines. 

I did not get a boarding pass on my phone, so that took all of 1 minute to print that at the kiosk. And then off to security, where I use my priority pass. This was the first time I saw a line, but it went pretty quickly, and other than taking out my laptop (which is normal), it was a breeze to get through. It's the putting yourself back together at the other end of security that takes time. The non-priority line was busy, but not overly so, and Monday mornings are supposed to be the worst time to fly. It was busy but not crazy. 

Off with the scarf, jacket, and small purse. Computer and small toiletries bag out. I even took my hairband off as I did NOT want a repeat of that last time, and everything went fine. Now I have a LONG wait before boarding.

I wandered down to the Tim's line, which was HUGE. And there is NO Tim's here on SSI  -- there are NO chains of any kind. 

The line for Tim's was HUGE

I got in the line and thought, why am I waiting in this line? So I left and found a spot to sit and read. But only after I bought snacks from another place for the plane. 

The flight was full, and the seats were small, and for the most part, I was OK. There was the advantage of sitting beside the window so I could move my backpack to the side, giving me ample room for my feet. I was tired and dozed on and off the entire flight. Nope -- I didn't even dig my laptop out! I suspect I won't look at pictures the whole time I'm out here, and that's OK. 

Gosh, the skyline of my city is ever-changing. All those highrises are apartment buildings, and a very few are office towers. 

The skyline of Mississauga

And then we were off. I wasn't a fan of how many vibrations there were in the wing as we taxied to the runway, but I'm not a mechanic. 

Toronto skyline

The sky was clear when we took off, and I think I was asleep within seconds. When I finally woke up, we were over the Great Lakes. Then it was a solid cloud all the way, so I did NOT get to see the mountains. I've flown over them many times, but it's still fun to look at. Then the clouds parted, and we got to see Vancouver. 

Downtown Vancouver

I haven't flown to Victoria in a long time, so I don't usually get to see this view of Vancouver. 

I'm not a talker on the plane, but as we were waiting to get off, I had a chat with my two seatmates and SHOOT --- it would have been fun to talk to them. One of them was a hiker on her way to the West Coast Trail and hikes a lot in Ontario. Oh well! The other was from Salt Spring Island and had been in Quebec City. She had spent the night in the airport as her flight to Victoria was canceled.

I guess I should be more of a talker on the plane! I'm sure I could have picked up some tidbits from both. Next time! 

Oh, did I mention that we got another notification that the plane was going to be further delayed -- another 20 minutes. There was some issue with the plane arriving late in Toronto. OK -- so instead of landing at 11 AM, it was now 12:30. I have to catch a ferry! The lady from SSI said she had caught that ferry with a lot less time, so I was reassured, and what is a travel day if there isn't a bit of excitement in it?

I got out of the airport -- NO time for a bathroom break as there was a line-up, and headed to the taxi stand (No UBER here). Fortunately, the ferry is only a 10-minute drive (more or less), and I got to the terminal on time. Well, at 12:51 to catch the 1 PM ferry. I bought my ticket and then had to walk to the ferry. I've never been a foot passenger on this ferry before -- it was weird -- I've either been on my bike or in a car. 

However, the agent told me to go to Berth 3, and when I arrived, there was NO ferry. AHA  -- but at the next berth (Berth 4), that looks like the ferry to SSI. I walked over, and yes -- they were boarding and almost ready to leave. 

Before I even got myself settled on the top deck, we were off. That's cutting it close, but I still had about 3 minutes to spare! 

On the ferry to SSI

Every time I'm on that ferry or on the water here, it makes me want to move. It's so stunning and so beautiful. We've thought about it numerous times, and it seems that this is the place to hike. Maybe I need to move? I doubt it -- we've always talked ourselves out of it. 

I got a couple (who have been hiking here) to take my picture. Let's just say that it's pretty windy on that ferry. I have several stories about that ferry -- like getting explosive residue on me on one of our voyages and almost didn't make my plane. And let's not forget the time when the Captain (or are they a pilot) spotted whales on the aft of the vessel, and everyone ran to the opposite end because none of us knew one end of the watercraft from another! 

On the ferry

My aunt picked me up from the dock, and we had a great chat all afternoon. I won't mention our ages, although that topic came up. Let's just say that for her age, she is fantastic! But we have longevity in our family so let's see what happens. 

On the homefront, I did get some pictures of the work. It looks like the new steps are formed. Hmm -- I thought there was supposed to be a landing there? I'll have to send an e-mail. 

Forms for the new step

And the plan for the rest of the front yard is mapped out as I guess they have to set out the forms for the concrete. That's probably their job this week, and they are slow and methodical, which I'm OK with. So you can see, there will be some grass, but there will be other things. 

The plan for the rest of the yard

Well, it's ridiculous o'clock here in BC, but notice that I got up early just so you could read the blog on time. Actually, I had to go to bed early as I was tired. So after my 7 hours, I'm awake! 

Today is a rest day, and then I'm on the move tomorrow. Not sure what the agenda calls for, but I NEED to go for a walk. I haven't walked much in the last two days, which is OK, but now I have no obligations for anything and so I can walk. I have to find a geocache to drop off something, so that is my only urgent thing today. 

Om that note, I'm off to catch another half-hour sleep. 

Oh, and I still have travel arrangements to change. I hope they don't cancel my rental car when I get there. I hear that cars are being canceled due to a lack of cars, and what a hassle. Fortunately for the Vancouver part of the trip, I'm not relying on a car rental, but some of my group was, and that will be a hassle, to say the least. Fingers crossed!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!