Canada - Part 3

Nadine and I left Banff, Alberta, Canada and headed for Ainsworth, Canada. Our destination was the Hot Springs. The way my muscles felt, I was ready for some steaming, hot mineral water. Perhaps I could feel 60 years old, instead of 70 years old. Perhaps feeling my own age was too much to ask for....
We made a quick stop at Lake Minnewanka. Gorgeous!!



As we drove towards Ainsworth, it was evident that winter had already arrived.



Here is one of the many sites that mark the Continental Divide...





But before I started feeling anxiety about being behind in my Christmas shopping, the landscape once again turned to Autumn.



We stopped along the way to view the great Columbia River.



The sun was setting behind the mountains before we arrived at the ferry to cross over to Ainsworth.



Alas, we missed the ferry by only 4 minutes and had to wait 1 hour and 40 minutes for the next one. We were the only ones in a dark parking lot. Now being from a metropolitan area, I'm looking over my shoulder every few minutes anticipating a car-jacking or robbery. I never expected Nadine to say, "There is a coyote beside the car. No, it's too big, it's a wolf." What???? I look and see something the size of Cujo running towards the treeline. The unexpected is sometimes worse than the expected. Thankfully the wolf found fresh meat elsewhere and never returned.

The next morning I saw this view when I looked outside my hotel window...



And I ate this delicious breakfast...



The Hot Springs consisted of a large pool heated to 97 degrees...



A plunge pool that was 32 degrees...it took my breath away...



And a cave and pool that was somewhere between 104 and 108 degrees.



It was a relaxing and interesting experience. My muscles never felt better.

But it was time to move on. The time had come to once again watch the landscape of Canada change as we headed towards Osoyoos, Canada...

But first I sat on a moose.



And so did Nadine.



Never be too old to do something silly........

To be continued......

Canada - Part 2

Nadine and I spent two days in the town of Banaff, in Alberta, Canada. It was a picturesque town. I thought it was a touristy, ski town. However, I found out it was much more than that.



The first afternoon we took a gondola up the mountainside to really survey the landscape.

Destination: The top of this mountain...



Is this thing legal? Do the Canadians inspect their gondolas????



The view as we ascended up the mountain became more spectacular every minute.



At 7,500 above sea level, you can look across the valley and have a birds eye view of the Rockies...



And look across a lush, green valley.



The town of Banff is just to the left of the picture.



I came, I conquered, I rode the gondola....



Back down on solid ground, I visited Banff Park, with it's beautiful glacier lake.



Pretty typical of my husband, he found a live webcam, 3,000 miles away that he could view me on. I stood across the street of this building, while he stared at me and asked me to wave. Every time I did, people would look around and wonder who I was waving at....crazy American....



This is Nadine and her sister Carla. Carla has lived in Banff for 20+ years. From her, I learned this tourist destination is also a wonderful, close-knit community, where everyone looks out for each other.



Carla is so laid back and welcoming. Sitting in her kitchen watching her cook, is a place you could stay for days. She is the consummate hostess. She prepared a wonderful meal without ever breaking a sweat. This salad, which she created, was not only beautiful, it was absolutely delectable!



She also made a delicious lasagna and a chocolate zucchini cake. She invited a close friend of hers for dinner, who was a wonderful and gracious dinner companion. I would love to be neighbors with these women.



But all good things must come to an end (why??) and so my time ended in this wonderful and beautiful town.



O Canada, our home and native land....



To be continued.......

Trip to Canada-Part One

I left on October 18th for a trip to Vancouver, British Columbia. My friend Nadine offered to fly me out to visit with her. Although the flight went well, I must say I'm no fan of flying. I now seem to spend a part of each day trying to figure out someway to get Bill to drive out here to pick me up. But I spend the rest of my day enjoying the beautiful country that Canada is.

I landed in Seattle, Washington, and Nadine came to pick me up. On the way back, we are going to stop and sight see some in Seattle. For now, it was just a drive-by.



Seeing this sign let me know I really survived the airplane ride. I could quit asking people to pinch me....



This is Nadine and her mother. I've known Nadine for 14 years. It was great to finally meet her mother after hearing about her all these years. What a wonderful woman she is.



Letting no moss grow under our feet, we headed out the next day for a two day drive to Banff. The mountain scenery was breathtaking.



Staying off the freeway to enjoy beautiful Frazer Valley, was rewarded by a three hour delay when a truck dumped its lumber load on the roadway. We were stranded in the only part of the trip that had no view. It also had a dog the size of a baby moose, which ensured we stayed in the car....



On the road again, I never got tired of seeing the beautiful Coastal Mountains.



I woke up to this view in Revelstoke, British Columbia. What a beautiful town. However we didn't stay long, as our destination was Banff, Alberta, Canada.



Shortly into the drive, I got my first glimpse at the snow-topped, Canadian Rockies.



Sometimes they didn't even look real, but like a beautiful painting...








Eventually the sometimes scary drive (Canadian truckers!!) came to an end, and we arrived at The Caribou Lodge.



Dinner was at The Keg, and was a scrumptious meal of steak, scallops, shrimp and asparagus served with a Bearnaise sauce. Yum!!!



You gotta love a country whose currency looks like play money, and has a pic of Richard Dreyfus on it....jk....



To be continued........

A Living Legacy....

(Liberty taken from "Oh Danny Boy")

Oh Mother dear, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountainside
The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying
'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide....
________________________________________________

Billy with his grandma, August 2010



Autumn has finally arrived in my neck of the woods. It will be a short lived autumn, I can already tell. It won't be long before the frost is on the pumpkin, and all the trees are bare. But for now, the air is crisp, the trees are more colorful everyday, and the smells of stews and soups fill the evening air.

This Autumn is different though. This one doesn't have my mom here. I want so badly to call her and tell her about my upcoming trip to Vancouver. I want to tell her that something hurts, and ask her advice. I want to share the everyday with her, like the results of my most recent mammogram. It's like something doesn't really have meaning until you tell Mom. Holidays are coming and she will be absent.

I will make no further memories with her. All the memories of my mother end in the Summer of 2011. There are no more pictures, phone calls, or visits after that season.

When Christmas comes this year, I know it will be sad because she wanted a big family Christmas, with everyone present. But, like my Father, July was the month in which she was to end her journey through life.
_________________________________________________________________________________

John and Janice Bulmer, 1957, at the beginning of their life's journey together.



She is now where seasons and holidays no longer matter. There are no changes in the weather, no sickness, tears, or death.

But I am still here, and I miss her so much. As I see Autumn unfolding before me, I remember it was her favorite season. She loved to drive to Skyline Drive and see the leaves at their peak. She enjoyed feel and smells of a cool Fall day.

_____________________________________________________

Mom holding great-granddaughter Cassidy, 2006.




Ecclesiastes 3: 1-2 tells us:

For everything there is a season, and a purpose for everything under the sun. A time to live and a time to die....

Her time and purpose lived out, it was her appointed time to go into eternity. My purpose and time may stretch for decades, or end before today's sunset. What matters is what you do for God. What is important is the legacy you leave behind.

Make thousands of memories with the people you love. After you are gone, they will be your legacy of love.

If you are the one who is left behind, then the memories of your loved one will be carried into the future. You will take them with you while you journey through life, past the point where their journey ended. Hopefully, you will pass your memories of them down to future generations, so that they too, will know the one who shaped your life. The person who once lived, will live again in the hearts and minds of future generations.

I love you Mom. You were my past and my present. Your life will be known by my grandchildren,great-grandchildren, and beyond. Your life's story will be written on their hearts and minds....
________________________________________________________________________________

A living legacy, of two people who fell in love and shared their life...the family of John and Janice Bulmer...continuing on into the future.

The RV Nightmare Has Come Full Circle....

In June, 2008 we picked up our brand-new RV. Dreaming of fun vacations, long weekend trips, and spur of the moment getaways, we were ready for this new adventure in our life. Ahh, what a difference three years make.

You see, we didn't know that there was such a thing as an RV that doesn't like you. Or one that doesn't like to travel. After all, it's called a travel trailer, I didn't think it was up for negotiation.

"We've travelled 100 miles, time to pump some grease into the wheel."



After two years of our RV standing for (R)uined (V)acation, we thought we'd finally gotten all the "Kinks" out of the beast. Since it didn't like to travel, and let us know by leaving us stranded on Interstate 95 on the hottest day of August two years ago...we thought we'd leave it in South Carolina. There it could rest, relax, and be towed on site by someone other than us. Expensive? You betcha, but when something bigger than you tries to kill you while doing 65mph, you try to appease it.

Bill had already spent a thousand man hours caulking and sealing every inch of the Big Turd to prevent the inevitable window leaks with each rain shower. We repacked the wheel bearings every 6 months, had the brakes replaced, and offered animal sacrifices if it would just behave...and it seemed to work. For one year, other than Bill using up one week of each vacation to care and nurture, caulk and seal, wash and dry, and feed and burp this ungrateful moron, it seemed like everything was finally okay.

"I only have to stay up here for a week, then I can enjoy my vacation."




While we'd never say RV stood for (R)elaxed (V)acation, perhaps it would let us have some peace.

"Please don't hurt me or cost me anymore money" chanted over and over like a mantra, seemed to help.



So for one year, the (R)otten (V)ermin lived at the beach, and seemed to behave, and the whole time, it was delaminating. Like an insidious cancer, water was seeping behind the laminate finish and warping the walls of the trailer. IT practically laughed out loud as we discovered the extensive damage in June. That is why we brought it back home, unwillingly, and had it towed to Indiana.

It would love to back up over Bill right now, but then, who would it torture???



Well, for one, the poor guy who towed it, ...but he's going to live. Let's just say the trailer didn't cotton to that fella...but after surgery, ICU, and three weeks off work, he'll be okay. I secretly suspect the Travel Turd thought Bill was towing....

On Wednesday, Bill drove to Indiana to pick up the (R)eason he will have a
(V)ascular incident. The folks at the Forest River Company replaced both sides, the rear wall, and roof. Gotta love a company that stands behind their (possessed), er, product. They even threw in 2 new axles for good measure. They gave Bill a tour of their facility.

Somewhere between here...



Here....




And the finished trailer, is where the possession with an evil spirit takes place.



Oh yeah, there is an Army of them, just waiting for an innocent owner, looking to have some Recreational Vehicle fun....



So Bill hitched up the Big Rolling Turd, and white knuckled it home, waiting for a tire to blow out. But IT behaved. That's because the (R)uined (V)acation maker knows we will have to take out a loan for the amount of caulk and sealant that will be needed to seal the new windows and roof.



Last night Bill whispered, ever so softly, that maybe it was time to sell. I heard IT giggle from it's broad perch in our driveway. Why stop now, the big, Travelling Torture Trailer seemed to say...the fun is just beginning...again!