The long way home

Thanks to everyone for your lovely comments about the wedding. Can you believe that, even though I am always taking pictures, I have very few from that day! I have no pictures of myself and only three shots of the bride and groom. No pictures of any guests and none with other family members. What was I thinking? 

But they had a photographer who took a ton of photos, so I guess we'll have to wait until those come and try to get a few shots. 

We were busy that day, and yet we were not. I'm happy that we took M's advice and lived in the moment, and not for the sake of photos. And it's hard to believe that my little girl is married!! And she picked a great man to marry, and I'm so very happy for them. 

Well, it was a sad morning yesterday as we said our final good-byes to M and Dillon and started our long journey home. 

BUT WAIT!!! There was still time in the morning to get in one last bike ride.

But first things first. Bear and I had our last walk on the beach. He is such a character, and I took some great videos of him and sent them to his mom. Yes -- I got way more photos of Bear than I did of people on this trip. He has such an attitude and is quite the little man. He seemed fascinated by walking in these shallow areas of water. 

Little Bear is walking in the water.

I left him in the room with DH, got a bike, and off I went. It's only a 15-minute ride into town, but what a glorious ride. It wasn't nearly long enough to warrant this donut, but what the heck. I'll have to eat light for the next couple of weeks to compensate. This one was a strawberry cheesecake, and I asked them to put it on a plate rather than in a bag. 

The breakfast for champions! 

I then sat on the deck and watched people go by. It was a wonderful, enjoyable morning and a great way to relax and get the day's events organized in my head. Not that I had much to organize, but I had stuff that had to be done before we left. 

I would love to have a "real" bike with more gears and ride the entire road between Ucluelet and Tofino. I'm sure one can rent a bike somewhere in either town. The path along the road looks amazing and, in some parts, is "hidden" in the forest, while in others it winds right along the road. I MUST get my bikes serviced when I'm home. While the path won't be so spectacular, it will still be fun. 

On the way there, I saw a box sitting at the roadside, and it looked like a donation box waiting to be picked up. WAIT -- maybe it was for someone to pick up. Anyway, I spotted a puzzle in the box and on my way back, I decided to stop and check it out. Of course, I had to! 

The donation box by the road

I was going to leave it, and I actually rode away, and then I thought—NO—I'm going to go back and get the puzzle and carry it home on the bike. I know --- how silly of me. So I did. It's an interesting puzzle -- it's one of the Post puzzles dated from 1943. I'll get more details on it when I'm home -- it's packed away, and I'm not about to unpack it to get you that information. 

What I noticed as I was packing it is that there are things "wrong" with the picture, and once you assemble the puzzle, the idea is to identify them. There is a lengthy list of those items on the back. How fun is that!!!!

After I got back, Mister Bear and I sat by the window for a bit. The poor little guy is still pretty exhausted, although he was much more himself on the beach earlier. He'll spring back when he's with his peeps. I bet he was confused as to why he got to see M, and then she was gone! 

Grandma -- I'm still exhausted.

The staff at the Wick Inn are amazing, and they must have codes to remember guests' names. I had been looking for some of the missing items of the rental stuff we picked up/ Thankfully, I had asked the front desk to search for them ever since the wedding. When I went to the car in the morning, I noticed the missing items still had not been loaded. So I got the staff hunting for the items again. They had found some, but not all. 

Eventually, all the items were found and put in the car. But good planning on my part to ask a couple of hours before we left, so it wasn't a mad scramble when we were leaving. 

OH - and there are two buildings on the property. They are relatively close to each other. Anyway, as I walked up to the desk in the second building, the guy called me by name, and I had never seen him before, and he mentioned that they were still looking for the items. The staff was extremely attentive, and I was very impressed. 

I also chatted with another staff member about the Lynn Whitaker wind sculptures, and I was given a brochure listing all the sculptures. OH MY --- I would so love to have one of these on my front lawn, but I'm afraid it would go missing. They are stunning. I believe Steffich Fine Art on Salt Spring Island is the only place in Canada where you can buy the sculptures. 

A brochure with ALL the wind sculptures

There are so many different ones at the Wickininnish Inn - it was fun to see them all. 

And I love these downspouts, which are called rain chains. How fun, and apparently, they make beautiful noises when it rains. I want them!!!!! But where the heck would I install them at my house? I need a new house! Wow -- when you Google rain chains, a HUGE variety pops up. I'll try to find these ones because it would be fun to install one in the backyard. 

Rain chains

We spent the last hour visiting with M and Dillon, and then we were off. It's only a temporary goodbye, so while bittersweet, it's not the end of the world. But we had to leave Little Bear behind. I missed him all day. 

But there we were with all the party rental items back in the car. The flowers were still attached to the arch, and they smelled beautiful. 

Party rental items have finally been found.

I drove to Tofino, so DH drove back. We had such incredible weather - I really can't believe the luck. It was cool when we started, then the wedding day was perfect, and after that it got hot. And yes -- I got sunburned from sitting in the sun the day before. Not bad, but I should have had sunscreen. The young people had sunscreen! 

I snapped a few pictures of the road. The first part is very twisty and turny, and the trees are beautiful. 

The road back to the populated side of Vancouver Island

And then we were finally back in civilization. We dropped off the party supplies, and then we had one more stop, which I'll share with you tomorrow or at least this coming week. 

I think if we were ever to go back to Tofino, we would fly. You can take a wheeled plane or a float plane. We had to drive this time to get Bear and the party items. It's a long drive. 

We filled the rental with gas and were lucky enough to be able to drop it off at the seaplane dock. We didn't have long to wait before we were ready to get on the plane. I got lucky and got to sit up front with the pilot on the smaller plane, which had room for only five passengers. 

Up front with the pilot

And YES -- I had to get a picture of me with the headphones on. I have no clue how they can understand a single thing - I hear babble the entire time. and OH MY -- look at that sunburnt face!

On the seaplane

I spotted the Canadian flag on Grouse Mountain that was set out for the FIFA tournaments, but it was very far away. And the next thing we knew, we had landed. The airport shuttle arrived within five minutes, and we were whisked away. Now, if we were adventurous, we could have taken the red-eye flight home, but I don't think that occurred to us. Our friends did it the night before. We had booked a hotel near the airport and will fly out this morning. Besides, you lose a day due to a lack of sleep. 

We had to wait a bit for the hotel shuttle to come and pick us up. But as soon as we got checked in, we looked around for a restaurant, found the neatest little place, and decided to walk there. 

On the way, we spotted this building. It's an Escape Room place - E-EXIT!!!!! I was tempted to go and have a better look, but I don't think it was open. How fun, but I don't think I could handle the stress of getting out with the clock ticking!!!!

Escape room

So the restaurant was called The Story Cafe, and it's relatively new. There are a lot of antiques in the place, as everything has a story. I LOVE the concept. 

The story! 

I think it would be more fun if there were an actual story attached to each item, but let's face it, many antiques are floating out there with zero provenance. But the concept is very cool. This was an antique cash register!!!! Remember—back in the days when people used cash to buy things! 

Antique cash register

And while the food at the Wick Inn was amazing, I really wanted some good old-fashioned burger and fries. And this was my dinner! We had not really had lunch along the way - I had gotten a huge fruit parfait before leaving, but it was only fruit and yogurt. I really wasn't too hungry after eating that giant pastry for breakfast. 

Dinner last night

And this car sits outside the restaurant! The staff was very friendly, and we had a great meal. 

The car outside The Story Cafe

As we walked back, I spotted this sign. Can you tell me what it means? Is it that there is no parking at this point in time, but there will be in the future? It just doesn't make sense, or am I missing the point of it? 

What does this sign mean?

Our hotel is right across the street from the Costco in Richmond. As we walked down the street, it was amazing how many grocery carts were abandoned along the way. I guess the parking lot isn't big enough, or do people avoid it and park along that side street? Anyway, someone is responsible for rounding up the carts each night for the next day. 

Carts on the street near Costco

At the end of the street and around the corner, there were a few that had been put together. But what a job. If I need a cart for something like dog food, I always take it back to the store. It's not a big deal! And it wasn't huge, but it was amazing how some people left items in the cart they didn't need, like extra packaging. I guess it could have been worse than it was, but still—take that home with you!!!!!

While we didn't do much all day, and I have been sleeping well, I was exhausted when we got back to the hotel. I lay on the bed and was out in seconds. I did get up to plug in my phone, but then I was back in bed. I had to get up this morning because my back isn't happy if I stay in bed too long. 

And that ends another crazy day. 

We have the shuttle booked for the morning, then to the airport, and then home!!! I bet the girls will be very excited to see us!! Flying west is great because the time is in your favor, but going home, we lose three hours and don't arrive until very late in the afternoon!!! But that's OK. I have a book, and I need to watch the next Harry Potter movie! 

And we did NOT get upgraded. We are number 5 and 6. There are two seats available, so two people will get upgraded. Four people still haven't checked in, so it would only be by a miracle that four people don't show up that we would get upgraded. I suspect we will not be upgraded. I'm OK with that! It's only a five-hour flight. It goes by fast. 

On that note, I'm out of here. Have a super day!!!!!

Ciao!!!

Makers gotta make!

Three nights into this trip and three different beds! 

After finishing the blog, I left M's house, got my stuff packed back into the car, and headed out to Tim's. OK -- so if you are from Toronto, there is a Tim's on every street corner. OK - perhaps not that bad, but there are three of them that I can walk to from our house. The maximum distance is probably 2 KM. Here? They are few and far between. There are loads of other options, but when you're in a hurry and not familiar with the terrain, you seek out what you know. 

At this location, they sold little buttons. It's Smile Cooke week, and if you want something permanent, you can get this. 

Smile Cookie buttons

It didn't take long to get to the airport because at 5 AM on a Sunday morning, there isn't much traffic. I returned the rental car, which was easy, but it takes time to get yourself organized. I had to get all my little bits out of the car and into my suitcase or my hand. I left the large bag at M's house as I don't need it for the next couple of days. 

A new art installation is happening in the main terminal. Several different totem pole sections - I'm not sure what it will look like, as there are large pieces still wrapped in plastic on the floor. 

A new art installation at the main airport

Once I got myself organized, ate the rest of my breakfast, and had my tea, it was time to get moving to the next destination. I had to take the shuttle bus to the seaplane dock. It's quite a distance from the main terminal, and I wasn't sure how often it ran, especially on Sunday morning. But the shuttle was sitting at the curb, and shortly after I got on, it departed. 

The airport shuttle bus

It is still dark at this time of the morning. I made it to the seaplane dock and checked in. My plane didn't leave for an hour. See how good I'm getting at not rushing things!!!  

As we walked down and along the dock, it was very windy, and this is a tiny little plane! But the skilled pilot had no issues dealing with the wind. It was a smooth take off and all the landings were smooth as well. 

The seaplane

 

There were only two passengers on the plane , and the other scooped the front seat, but I'm OK with that. I've sat up front, and it's no big deal. I'd rather sit in the back so I can take pictures without anyone thinking I'm a geek!!! 

It always amazes me where the main runways for the big planes are located. They are right along the edge of the land! A false landing and you're in the water! I wonder if that has ever happened here? Anyway, we were up and off to drop off the first passenger at Pender Island. I LOVE how they do a steep bank to get down into these waters in the Gulf Islands. After my open-door helicopter ride in Hawaii - that's no big deal! 

The main runways at Vancouver Airport

After dropping that passenger off, we were airborne again, heading to Salt Spring Island. Yep, my aunt still lives here, and I haven't been to the island in a couple of years. We used to be here every summer for many summers. And we had lots of family gatherings here as well. Loads and loads of memories about Salt Spring Island. 

It was easy to use Google Maps to see which island was which! You have to love that! Because we flew in from the back of the island, it required another steep bank to turn around to get into the Ganges Harbour. We were slightly ahead of schedule because with only two people, once we were on, we could go! 

Flying over the Gulf Islands

We taxied around the Vancouver harbor a bit before leaving to warm up the engine! You have to love seaplanes. It's not that expensive, and in thirty minutes, you'll be here! Of course, we've taken the ferry many times, but I only recently started taking the seaplanes. When you are traveling alone, with minimal luggage, it works! 

My aunt was there to pick me up, and it was very quiet in Ganges at 8 AM on a Sunday morning. I wasn't a fan of traveling that early, but the next option was 2:30 in the afternoon, and that would have wasted most of the day. At this time of year, there are only two flights a day, so I picked the early morning flight!!

It's so nice to settle in for long conversations, and while we don't see each other often or talk that much on the phone, it's just like nothing has changed. Well, we both may have a few more gray hairs, but who cares?! 

She has this fabulous collection of Dutch houses that KLM gave away to business-class passengers. They came with booze in them!! She had collected some, and some were given to her. They are adorable. I always admire them when I visit, as they sit in the kitchen. When we traveled business class this past summer, it was on Belgian Airlines, and we got a box of chocolates!!!! Hmmm -- a porcelain house or a box of chocolates? 

Half of the Dutch house collection

I had to chuckle because I got home-made cookies, but one at a time in a small tin. Homemade cookies are the best, and of course, we had to compare them to the store-bought ones, but the homemade ones were much better!!! It sounds like I'm going to miss all the church bazaars and such, where all the good home baking comes out, and artisan works, but that's OK - I don't really need anything and certainly not a lot of cookies. 

My cookie ration!!! 

While I was prepping for this trip, I hadn't really given thought to bringing something to do. I have my ebook, but no hand work. It was only on the plane over that I thought I should have thrown my little bag of hexagons that was sitting on a table back home. I didn't, and there isn't really a place to buy craft supplies on the island. 

After chatting with my aunt, she mentioned there is a new yarn shop in town, with fancy yarn! Hmm, then she showed me these cowls that she had knit, and I saw the vest she was knitting with this beautiful yarn. It was my grandmother (my aunt's mother) who taught me how to knit many, many years ago. I don't even dare say how many! 

So we got out the pattern for the cowl, and there was some red knitted worsted yarn, and I'm knitting a cowl!!! The red yarn will be perfect because it can replace my red scarf!! 

The start of my cowl

It's going to be the perfect thing to keep warm. I could live without wearing a jacket, but I need something to keep my neck warm! This is going to be perfect. I just hope I'm not knitting it too tight! I made pretty good progress last night, but then I was tired and had to leave it. I even had a nap in the afternoon. All this moving around and being in a different bed, I guess it took a toll on me! 

I had a pretty good sleep last night, and well, I'm ready to get back to my knitting today! I should be able to finish it today. Knitting is like riding a bike - you never forget the basics! However, we had a chuckle because every second row on the vest my aunt is making has two increases, and they are done in a way I've never seen before. So we are NOT allowed to chat when she's knitting that row!!! I do not want to be blamed if she has to rip out! 

Thankfully, the cowl is the same row repeated over and over, so it should be easy! 

I'd love to come to the main island because there are people there I'd love to visit. There just isn't time. That is the problem when you take a vacation to visit family because you all live far apart. There isn't time to see other people or places. But I'll just have to take a long trip next time! There are so many people I know around here! 

However, I did manage to visit all my parents' siblings this year! Not that there are many, but I got to visit with them all. I have to do that at least once a year because - well, we are all getting older. All five of the kids on my mom's side and two on my dad's are still alive. That's incredible!!!

On that note, I'm out of here. My aunt lives in the country, and it's dark here! And not many cars on the road. Well, except when the ferry comes in or is about to leave - then you see the ferry traffic!!! But at least there was no rain yesterday, and while we only saw glimpses of the sun, it was not raining! 

Have a wonderful day!!!!

Ciao!!!

A new city!

 A new day -- a new city! I'm in Vancouver now. Yep --- my Aunt and I took a trip back to the galleries and got photos of the artwork we loved. I'm not going to share this morning. I'll wait until I get home, but hopefully, you had a chance to check it out because the stuff is absolutely stunning. 

Then we were off to the seaplane dock and waited a few minutes for the seaplane to arrive. Goodbyes are never fun, and I need to come back more often! It was a wee bit windy (not really), but little planes, open water - wind? I wasn't sure how much fun that flight would be, but it was terrific. If ever you are in this area, you should book a seaplane ride as it's the best and easiest way to get around if you travel light! Ferries are fun but take more time. OK -- the plane is more expensive!

Seaplane over Stanley Park

This time, I flew directly into Vancouver Harbor, not the airport. I wish I had been sitting on the opposite side of the plane; although I could see, it was a bit hard to get photos. But we flew right over Stanley Park, and it felt like we dropped out of the sky to the dock close to the convention center. I wish I had known that last year when we were here for Quilt Canada. I flew to the airport and then had to wait for the shuttle and the Skytrain. 

There were two cruise ships at the port as well. 

The seaplane dock

M and Bear met me, although we had to text a few times to find each other, and then we walked to her place. Of course, only in Vancouver (West Coast) would you still find flowers in bloom at this time of year! And look -- there's a fuzzy little bear!!!! He is so cute when he's fluffy, but alas, he had to go to the groomer yesterday and is no longer fluffy. 

Bear and the flowers

While we were waiting, we stopped for lunch at a waffle place. I know -- sweet waffles for lunch! Why not? It was a great little place, and we could have had savory waffles, but that will have to wait for the next time. 

A sweet waffle for lunch!

I had a nap in the afternoon -- good grief --- I guess all the toing and froing is tiring, and so Bear and I snuggled in for a nap on the sofa while M did an errand.

We had a great visit, and seeing how your kid turns out in life is exciting. So much more mature and grounded, and well, I wish we lived closer. Remember when I said that we have no ties to retiring in Toronto? Could Vancouver be on our radar? Not just yet!!!! 

She lives in a tiny apartment, so there is no room for me to stay, but you can stay in Vancouver for less than $100. I'm in the Hi Canada hostel, which was a little walk last night but not far! I'm in a 4-bed dorm room for women. After all my travels on the Camino, this is a breeze. 

They have excellent light and power outlets on the bed, so you can read as much as you want and charge your phone. You didn't always get that on the Camino. And while I didn't seem to sleep as well as I would have liked, I still got a good sleep. No snorers, but there's one thing that amazes me. 

Can you tell me why some people are heavy-footed? I swear when they walk, they are MARCHING to the next destination. Walk light-footed when you are in a building with many people. This goes for hotels as well. I don't know how often I've been in a room where some heavy-footed person is above me. Learn to walk softly!! 

Take a walk in your house heavy-footed and then light-footed. Which are you? Do you know that walking with a heavy foot can be very noisy and annoying!!!! If you live in a two-story house, get someone to walk upstairs in both heavy and light mode -- OH -- now I see the difference!!!!

The second thing is the darn doors. These doors close automatically, and I swear from 8:00 PM (when I arrived) to when I fell asleep hours later, every 30 seconds, a door would slam. That's just the nature of a hostel, I suppose! So you get used to it. But no one seems to close the door quietly -- they just let it bang, although the doors are noisy, even when you close them quietly.  

But I survived and didn't need a costly hotel. I swear, they need to make smaller hotel rooms for those single travelers who just need a bed for the night. 

I'm now sitting in a lounge (meeting room) somewhere in the hostel to write the blog. There are two other people in my sleeping room. One was in bed when I arrived, and the other person arrived after midnight! Hopefully, they'll be up when I return so I can pack my stuff, although I can do it in the dark! While not heavy, this backpack feels heavy as it's not made to walk for any distance. The hostel was only 1 KM from the apartment, so it was not far, but the streets are sure dark here! I guess there are so many trees that the lights don't show up, and thankfully, the sidewalks are in good shape because if there was a hole or a deviation in the height, I'd have been toast! 

There was a bit of rain last night, but not enough to bother me. So there'll be some more visiting and exploring today, and hopefully, the rain will stay away. 

My shoulder is starting to bother me -- it was never good at holding a backpack on one shoulder, and I know better, so I'm trying to use both shoulders for it. That's why I carry a backpack and not a bag. I wrecked my shoulder years ago on the Metro in Montreal from carrying a bag on one shoulder and it's been fine for years until I was searching for a geocach in a tree and slipped, bringing the injury back to life. This past bit, with all the traveling, has not helped it heal! 

Well, that's it for me. I'm off to finish packing, find a place to eat breakfast, and then work my way back to M's apartment. 

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Planes, trains, and automobiles

Have you ever been so exhausted that everything hurt? That was last evening. And then you finally get to check into your hotel room at 10:30 PM, and typically the first thing I do is turn off the AC; well, I didn't even do that. I crawled into bed and fell asleep. But not before I put my Mom's quilt on the bed to keep me warm. 

I have tried to turn off that stupid thing this morning, as it's like an ice box in here! And noisy to boot. I MUST figure it out - at least, I've got it on low but cannot turn it off. I HATE AC. 

And I couldn't get myself out of bed when the alarm went off, and I don't have a ton of time before I have to get out the door, so I'll do what I can. While working, it doesn't help that the Wi-Fi isn't fast, or should I say -- my pictures are somewhere in limbo-land. 

Oh -- just found them -- they had been downloaded earlier, and I didn't see them. 

I know my aunt will kill me for posting this picture of her, but it was tradition when we visited their house to get our photos taken on the front step. I have many pictures over the years, so as we exited the house, I got this selfie. First off -- I hate taking selfies, but we had no choice as it was just the two of us! 

And we have to remember that my aunt is -- well, I don't want to reveal anyone's ages, but let's just say that she's a few years older than I am, and I have to say that she is doing amazingly well. Thank you, Aunt Yvonne, for all your hospitality!!! Can't wait to come back!!!

Aunt Yvonne and me

I'm so grateful that we got to spend some time together, and I MUST make a point of getting out here more often. 

As she drove me to the harbor for the trip to Vancouver, we spotted two deer on the side of the road. Shoot -- I thought I took a better picture, but obviously, I did not!! You can just see his butt in there! 

A deer

Then we were at the harbor so I could catch a ride to Vancouver. Was this my ride? Of course not! But we got to see the other side of it. According to our research, it's called the Summertime, which we thought was the name of the yacht, but it turns out that is the model, and it's not a yacht, but a SUPERyacht that you could buy for $74K US. It sleeps 12, so we could have a retreat on it. Any takers????

A super yacht

Oh, as we waited, we spotted this guy -- was he the newspaper delivery person? I'm not sure, but he was buzzing around the harbor, and what was in his boat? His two dogs were happy to lie there and enjoy the ride. Can you see Murphy and Lexi doing that? Lexi would be cowering, and Murphy would be trying to jump in! 

A man, his boat, and his dogs

AH   -- now my ride is arriving. Yep -- I was taking the seaplane back to Vancouver. How cool is that? It was my first time in a seaplane, so big luggage or lots of it is frowned upon! There just wasn't room, and there was room for five passengers. 

The seaplane arriving

Passengers disembarking

Why do I think? Well, because I got to sit up front with the pilot! Yes -- that was very cool. And it's not that expensive when you think about it. 

Me in the cockpit of the seaplane

I could take the seaplane and be in Vancouver in 20 minutes, or I could take the ferry and be in Vancouver in three hours. That was a no-brainer since I needed to get to work. 

We flew over the ferry

I arrived at the Vancouver terminal, only to see the airport shuttle arrive and leave before I could get to it. So I had a thirty-minute wait for the next one/ I had a cup of tea and didn't stress. My boxes arrived at the hotel, and my colleagues got them from the desk and took them to the convention center. 

So I caught the shuttle and got on the SkyTrain to downtown Vancouver. We drove Pam's car back to the hotel after the long day. So it was a plane, train, and automobiles (and bus) kind of day! I like to travel light because there are many options, and I'm still carrying that quilt for my Mom as it won't fit in my suitcase!

On the Skytrain

I was supposed to meet up with M and her new boyfriend for dinner, but the setup day went much longer than anyone had planned, so they were able to stop by, and we got to chat for about 15 minutes. I know -- it wasn't ideal, but I could NOT abandon my group when there was still so much to do. Bear was thrilled to see me and settled into my arms in no time, but not until he gave me a thorough lick with his little tongue. What a cutie!!!

Dillon, M, and Bear

I'm getting spoiled as before we left the convention center, we went to eat as we were all exhausted and unsure the hotel restaurant would be open. So we were off to some pub on the harbor, and I had this, which was delicious. 

Dinner

And then I had this -- yep -- another decadent dessert. How crazy is that? Well, this will be the last one. 

Key lime pie

What can I say about setup day -- it was long. There were five of us, and we had many sewing machines, embroidery machines, quilting machines, and a quilting frame to get set up. And you know how it is -- everything takes longer than you plan, especially when some of the stuff is new or relatively new. 

Other than a bruised thumb, which hurt like crazy at the time, and almost falling off the ladder once, but we won't go there, it was the usual chaotic setup day. The best news is that it is done! And I can't wait to take it all down in a couple of days! NOT!!!

Samples got hung, and we have loads to share with those that stop by our booth. We were going to go to the awards ceremony last night, but there was no time for that either. 

I've not been getting in my quota of steps each of the last three days, so today, I'm going to walk to the convention center. It's about 2 KM away for a 20-minute walk, and I can handle that, and I've got an umbrella in the event it rains. 

Well, I'm off to get ready for the day. We'll get there early, and I'll get the quilting machine threaded and see how it goes. 

And if you are at Quilt Canada, be sure to stop by and say HI. I had a few people stop by yesterday to say HI. You know that hairband of mine? The one with the orange flowers? People recognize me by that! I really need to get a new one with updated flowers. Margaret has made me some new flowers, so I need to make that happen when I get home!

On the homefront, this is what happened yesterday. I have to say that DH has been doing a great job at keeping me up to date. The girls were unhappy because they didn't get outside once yesterday- well, not with the freedom they usually enjoy- and I think DH took them for a short walk. They were probably beside themselves with joy!!!

It was a concrete pouring day at the house. 

The cement truck

And now the sidewalk beside the house is poured. 

The walkway

And here's the front step. There's more work to be done for sure, but this will make it much easier to get up and down than that giant step. 

Progress on the front step

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!