What I Did On My Summer Vacation.......

I've finally gotten the laundry caught up, some groceries in the house, and the suitcases put back into the attic. Now I have a few minutes to update everyone on the great trip we just got back from!!

Steve and I left home on Wednesday, May 7. We flew to Vancouver via Phoenix. It was a nice trip and we were able to view the Grand Canyon from the airplane. Once we arrived in Vancouver we rented a car and took a ferry to Vancouver Island to visit with Steve's Aunt Barbara and Uncle Milton. (Barbara is Steve's mom's sister.) It was very cold that day and extremely breezy on the ferry boat!!

Barbara and Milton took us on a whirlwind tour of their beautiful island. We saw an absolutely beautiful public garden site ...

After the visit to the gardens, we went to the beach on the island. This is nothing like a beach on the Atlantic Ocean. There were lots of rocks, shells and driftwood. Again, it was cold and breezy, but it was a beautiful sunny day and we had a great time.


After visiting the beach, we went to the highest point on the island, Mount Washington. This is a winter sports area. There is downhill skiing, cross country skiing, sleigh rides, etc. It is really beautiful, and while we were there we still saw lots of snow!!! We went from "sea level" to the highest peak in less than an hour!! What a treat!
Next we went to a beautiful forest area. This natural area was called Elk Falls. There are 7 water falls in this park. We hiked a trail and climbed some rocks and had a wonderful time. I figured I could do anything these 70-year olds could do, but I must admit, they are in GREAT shape for their ages!!! We got lots of great pictures in this area as well...


Needless to say this was a very full day. We saw every type of landscape and had a GREAT time. After our great outdoor adventure, we went out to a VERY nice restaurant for dinner. Not only was the food good, but the restaurant overlooked the water and we watched the sun set as we enjoyed good food, good wine and great company.

I also want to mention the community that Barbara and Milton live in. It is called a "co-operative" community and they are very self-sufficient. This community is made up of numerous duplexes which range in size from 2- to 5-bedroom units. All cars are parked outside of the living area and everyone walks everywhere. Also, as a group, these folks are growing lots of fruits and vegetables. They are trying to be as environmentally aware as possible. All of the homes are brand new and have solar power, as well as their own water source. There is a communal water well and filtering system, so the water is pure and natural. Steve and I found this community very interesting, but we're not ready to move....just yet!!!!



After another very restful night, Steve and I had to say goodbye to his aunt and uncle and we headed back to Vancouver City to meet up with the rest of our group. We took another freezing ferry ride and enjoyed the quiet to get ready for our next great adventure.......

THE CRUISE!!!

I will begin the next part of our trip on my next blog. Right now I have lots to do to get ready for my company this weekend. I'm so excited to see Katie!!! As you can probably tell from this blog, we took a ton of pictures while we were vacationing. I think we took close to 2,000 pictures. That is one of the great things / draw backs of digital photography!!!! I'll continue to post pictures as I go along.

Until next time.........

.......Love to all...........

THANK YOU BRYAN!!!!!