Travel day and it's all about the dogs!!

Travel days are so much fun! OK -- I know I shouldn't complain, and I'm not because I'm fortunate enough to be able to travel. I would say that half of the travel I do wouldn't be necessary if my family lived close, but we are all over the country, and hence, travel is required. For those of you with family within driving distance? You are lucky! 

Anyway -- the first thing was to get the girls walked and finish tidying up stuff around the house. Can you believe I even vacuumed quickly before I left? It's all about appearances since I have two people at home taking care of the girls. They have a night nanny and a day nanny! Those girls are spoiled, but no one will be taking them for a walk. I don't require that because they are a nightmare to walk, although Murpy is getting better. 

Remember when we saw all those pictures about what people think we are going versus what we are actually doing? Here's how that applies to the girls. To save some time, I walked them together, which I don't do so often. When we got Murphy, I walked them together, and it was a nightmare, and I put up with that for over 1 year before I decided they needed to be walked alone. I bet I would have been able to curb some of Murphy's enthusiasm if I had walked them alone, where I could actually train her. Sigh.......

So, in an ideal world, this is what it would be like to walk with the two girls. Lexi on the left, and Murphy on the right. And they walk at the same distance, no sniffing, and all is good. No arm swinging allowed with a leash in each hand. 

The ideal scenario when walking the girls

And at times in the forest, they aren't too bad. Notice how Murphy wants to be in front. Her leash is a leather lead that started out at about 6 feet long. I swear that her leash is now about 7 feet long!!! When the three of us leave the house, she is beyond herself for the first block as she pulls fiercely at that leash. I have no idea why, but she must be in front at the beginning of the walk. 

MOM  Lexi is so slow - I NEED to be in front

Most of the time on the walk, they are like this. I have both leads in one hand as I took the picture, but they get wrapped around trees; one has to sniff while the other wants to walk, and vice versa. And let's not forget all the times that they would cross each other's paths, and then the leash or at least one of them would be wrapped around my legs. Thankfully, that doesn't happen very often these days. 

MOM -- I hate walking with my sister - she's too slow! 

So the ideal is to walk them separately, and I do, except on a day when I'm a wee bit strapped for time. 

MOM - I like being walked without my sister

Lexi has an extendable leash, which I'm not a fan of, but since she is a pretty good, calm dog to walk, I'm OK with it. Murphy on an extendable leash? That would be the equivalent of one of those ping pong balls on an elastic cord attached to a paddle. That is NEVER going to happen. 

MOM - I loved walking without my sister

Since most people wouldn't have the patience to walk them separately. And I give strict instructions that should they choose to walk the dogs, to NEVER walk them together - NEVER. If we need dog sitters, the girls have to go to the backyard. 

And of course, if we stop for a break (we never do - this was simply to get a picture), they NEVER look at me. There is always something more interesting off in the forest. 

MOM - we are busy and have no time to stop for pictures!

Murphy went nuts when we got home. I gave the pond filter a good cleaning, and while I was outside doing that, Murphy went mad! Like a crazed dog, she jumped into her pool to cool off. Of course, it's not big enough for her to completely lie down, but she gave it a good effort to cool off. Of course, she was wet, but who cares? We live in a house with wild dogs! 

Cooling down in the pool

And so, at around 7:30 AM, we left the house with an Uber driver. It must have been prayer time because we heard chants all the way to the airport. I really don't mind, but you would think that if you are an Uber driver, you would put on some light music or something less specific! Maybe it was for DH's benefit! I don't know. But it was HOT in the car with the sun blazing in as the driver took some back roads to avoid the chaos on the road. I could have asked for the AC to be turned on, but it was only for a few minutes. 

No big deal - at least he got out to load and unload the small bags from the car. That's all I care about. I hate the drivers who just sit in the front seat and let you do all the work. You sure aren't getting a tip from me for that! 

Since we were already checked in and had no bags to drop off, we breezed right to the security area. Oh my -- the NEXUS line was much longer than the non-NEXUS line. We knew that was going to happen one day, and we have been spoiled. I don't think it was so much the length of the line, but the speed at which the bags were being scanned. Perhaps there was a trainee on the X-ray machine. 

I spotted this shirt in the line. It looks like it was made from an old tablecloth - cross-stitch embroidery, and the trim on the bottom of the blouse was the edge of the tablecloth. I still need to make myself one of those!!! I need to make a lot of things! 

A blouse made from a tablecloth

We made it through security with no issues, although DH's bag got flagged for something. It didn't take long to resolve. OH -- might have been the CPAP machine. 

We went up to the lounge to have breakfast - OK - second breakfast for me as I had something to eat while I wrote the blog. While I appreciate the lounge, it isn't the same as getting a Tim's tea. And before we knew it, it was time to board the plane. We walked down to the gate and boarded immediately because they were already boarding Zone 2. 

And this is another area that has become a nightmare in the travel world. I know -- first-world problems. The airlines have been loading by Zones for quite some time, and the Zones are determined by your status, your ticket price, and probably some other mystery algorithm. We were loading in Zone 2, which used to be special. Not quite business class, but ahead of the other 4 zones. 

It's not really a big deal since we all have a seat, but it's all about the luggage. If you get on the plane earlier, there is no danger of finding a spot for your luggage. If you get on later, it's harder. Not impossible, but harder. 

Now that the airline is using its branded credit card to let passengers earn points, the number of people who have moved into Zone 2 is enormous. It's now the largest loading zone, and any special privileges are gone! 

But what is frustrating is that you are supposed to have two items - a small carry-on suitcase and a personal item, which for most is a backpack or briefcase. That second item is supposed to go under the seat. When I arrived yesterday at our seats near the front of the plane (NOT business class), there were already tons of bags and backpacks stowed overhead, so I had to put my suitcase in the overhead bin behind me, not over me. If that makes sense. 

DH had to do the same thing. This was because we were the last to arrive in that area, and there were many backpacks up above. So I complained out loud (to myself) as I found a home for my suitcase, while I tucked my backpack under my seat. Anyway, when the plane landed, I popped up before everyone else and kept anyone in the two rows behind from getting up while I got our suitcases out of the overhead bins. I'm fast—I wasn't obnoxious! And we were both in aisle seats. 

Call me Karen! No one was going anywhere, so it didn't really matter. 

The flight was pretty uneventful. I was exhausted, so I tried to sleep, but kept waking myself up, realizing that my mouth was hanging open. Oh god --- I hope I wasn't snoring. Then I read for a bit and then watched the fourth Harry Potter movie. Only four more to go, and I will have seen them all on a plane. I never saw any of them in person. 

And then we were in Vancouver. And yes—this tile in the washrooms makes me smile every single time. I made a quilt based on that tile, which I'm sure I've shared with you many times. I won't today.

The tile in the Vancouver airport

Once we got out of the airport, it was off to the next airport. We had discussed getting from Vancouver to Vancouver Island—renting a car in Vancouver and taking the big ferry, the passenger ferry (number one on the list, but the timing wasn't going to work), or the seaplane. So we got on the airport shuttle. 

The airport shuttle

And then arrived at the seaplane dock. We thought we might be lucky and get seats on the 1 PM flight, but it was full, so we had to wait for our original flight, which was booked for 3:15, leaving us some time to kill. We went to the nearby restaurant and had something to eat. 

I've been on the seaplanes a few times, but always in the smaller plane, which has just one pilot. The plane to Nanaimo is a little bit larger and has two pilots. And there was my pilot friend Paul! He was the copilot on this flight. He was the one who managed to fly the small plane from Salt Spring Island the last time I was out through the fog that no one else would fly through! 

The seaplane

It's always fun to take the seaplane and those things bank like mad as they turn the corner to come in for a landing. Don't be afraid of heights or don't look out the window!!! Of course, we've been monitoring the travel plans of some of the other family members, and when they took the big ferry across, they all saw Orcas!!!! I watched from the air, but we saw nothing! 

Next up was to catch a taxi from the seaplane dock to the car rental. There was some discussion with the taxi driver about where he would drop us off, but he was right. I was just checking because I didn't want to get the run around - I was getting tired. The address on the retail agreement was incorrect, and the taxi driver knew that. Anyway -- we arrived and got the car. Or should I say the full-sized SUV? More on that tomorrow. 

It had started to rain - it's cold and wet here. I was going to pack my orange jacket, and I didn't. I said I would! I said that, but I packed a jean jacket instead. Silly me!!! Anyway, we will be fine. 

Then we had to make a detour to pick up someone!!! Look who we found at doggie daycare!!!!!

Hello everyone -- it's me -- it's BEAR!!!!!! 

M doesn't have a dog-friendly room at the hotel in Tofino, so they brought him over and dropped him off, and we had to rescue him. Finding that doggie daycare was pretty stressful. I had called and texted so many people. Well, I already told you about it. But there he was in a house of giant dogs, and he seemed to be just fine. 

Our plan was NOT to drive to Tofino yesterday. We still have a couple of errands to run today, so we're staying at a hotel in downtown Nanaimo. A hotel with a view, I might add. 

The view from the hotel

And the room is huge, so little Bear looks much smaller than he really is. I'm guessing they have had other dogs in this room because he needed to sniff the entire space before he would settle down. 

GRANMA -- Is all this space for me? 

But what a cutie. I was exhausted when we got to the room and lay on the bed to read. But Bear needed a walk, and then he needed his dinner. But I managed to get some sleep, and yes --- it's very early in the morning here as I watch the lights out that huge window. DH and Bear are fast asleep, but I need to be up and dressed when he wakes, because he needs to do business as soon as he wakes. Yep -- we got his luggage when we picked him up, and I swear his bags (food) weigh more than my bag. 

When we finally went ot bed, he wanted to play and was trying to lick my face and paw at me. Silly little boy. And he is so cute because when he is cold, he comes to snuggle under the covers. When he is hot, he gets out and sleeps on the covers. We love you, little guy!!!!

Grandma - I'm ready to play with you!!!!

And here's one more view of the harbor. There are planes, boats, ferries, and everything coming into this space. It's a bit quiet because, as you can see, the weather isn't great, but it's all going to work out!!! 

Part of the Nanimo harbor

I started reading a book yesterday that's due in three days. I read a third of it yesterday, but I'm not so sure I can get that much reading done in the next couple of days. We'll see how it goes. 

I had to laugh when we got in the car. I let DH drive as I was tired. The FIRST thing I do when I get into a rental car is connect to the Bluetooth. I couldn't figure out what was happening when he asked me for the doggy daycare address, as he was going to put it in his phone. What? Why don't you connect to Bluetooth? It only takes a few seconds to make that happen. So his phone is connected to the car. Good grief!!! WAIT -- I know why. He doesn't rent cars often. He mostly grabs Uber or a taxi when he travels. 

WAIT -- I almost forgot that I have two pictures to share with you that I've been keeping a secret. But since the two items are now gifted, it's OK to share. 

This has been the year of weddings for us. We had been to one wedding a couple of years ago, but haven't been to many others. Then this year, we have two, and they are both destination weddings. This one is a bit closer than the one in Italy when my SIL got married. 

So the other SIL (the one living with us) wanted to make a quilt for each of them. Robin (the husband) is from England, and wouldn't it be nice to make a quilt with English symbols? Here is the finished quilt before it was spirited away to Vancouver on a plane last week. 

Robin's quilt

As you can see, there are no British symbols on that quilt. I have to tell you the story of the quilt. We started by finding a great pattern with all sorts of English symbols. After looking at it, we realized it was a lot more work than originally anticipated, so we went on the hunt for some British fabrics, since I knew they existed. We couldn't find anything. Or very little and not enough variety to make a quilt. 

Then I happened to be visiting someone who was showing me their small stash of quilt tops that needed to be quilted, and I spotted a small square of British fabric on one of them. OH—do you have more of that? Well, it turns out the entire top was made from British fabric, and she didn't want the top. So we worked out a deal, and VOILA—instant quilt made! It was a win-win for us, and I even had more of the dark blue fabric in my stash so we could make the binding. 

It's backed with Fireside fleece, so good for these damp Vancouver days! It's quilted with a teapot motif and looks amazing!!!! 

The teapot quilting motif

I only supervised the finishing of the quilt. I didn't have time, nor did I want to take that away from KU. She babysat the long arm and put the binding on! 

The other quilt, for her sister, required more work. She made a library quilt!!! This one required many new techniques, including a phototransfer of the couple from their wedding. That required me to resolve our printer issue, which is why we now have a new printer. all for one photo!!!!

The library quilt

We were just about to load the quilt when I remembered that we were supposed to embroider the names of books on the spines of some of them. It was very neat because KU decided to make a book with a specific title for each family member in the new blended family. There were eight of them, and it took some time to write out the titles and get them aligned properly. Here is one for the bride and groom. 

The wedding quilt

Here's a picture of one of the book titles. 

One of the book titles on the quilt

Then we got the quilt quilted while KU babysat that, and then put the binding on. I made her watch my binding video on YouTube because she needs to learn to do this stuff independently. This quilt also has Fireside on the back. This was the one that we were short on. How the heck we were short, I have no idea. The store made a mistake? We told them the incorrect length? I've no idea, but thankfully I had a scrap in a different color, so the quilt got done!!!

I really need to learn how to use the Eclipse tool on my long arm, so if I ever have photos to quilt through again, I can mark out a heart or another shape that won't let the quilting go through the faces. A new thing to learn this summer. 

So that is two secrets we've been working on for months, and all is revealed. The recipients loved the quilts, and they will be used frequently in their library, which they are planning to create in the house. Everyone needs a good quilt for snuggling while reading! 

Well, on that note, I'm off. I don't need to be up this early, and I might catch a few more minutes of shut-eye, but my back doesn't like extended periods of time in bed. 

Have a wonderful day!!!!

Ciao!!!