Lots To Be Thankful For This Weekend

This Thanksgiving was one of those long weekends that seemed like a vacation.  Invitations arrived unexpectedly.  Everything lined up perfectly for three solid days of non-stop mirth and merriment.

FRIDAY

We received an invitation to join a young American friend and his family to celebrate his recent graduation from Simon Fraser University with a Master's degree.  We were tickled to be included!

Our friendship with this family goes back to 1987 when we moved to Seattle for Joe to study statistics at the University of Washington.  We were neighbours in student housing.  We quickly became close friends spending lots of time together.  Since then we have visited back and forth to wherever our families were living.  We vacationed together for many years when our kids were small.

And now our babies are grown and doing amazing things with their adult lives.  Jobs, marriages, university degrees, children of their own, living on the other side of the continent, successfully standing on their own two feet.  We parents are proud of who our children have become since those salad days living on the shores of Lake Washington.

Our two families don't see each other very often as we live in Squamish and they live in Idaho.  But when we do see each other, the intervening years melt away and it feels like we were together only the day before.

How do the years fly by so fast?

How did we go from this...

Nancy, Paige, Molly, Paula, Fran and Dominic.  Seattle 1989.

...to this?

Dominic, me and Paula.  Vancouver 2014

How is it possible our babies looked like this just a few short years ago....

Paula, Paige, Dominic and Molly.  Seattle 1990.

...and now they look like this?

Paula, Paige and Dominic.  Vancouver 2014.

Honestly, it seems like the photo below was taken last week but it was taken 21 years ago!

Paige, Marie, Molly, Paula, Will and Dominic.  Mount Vernon 1993.

We used to look like this...

The Sothams and the Trevisans.  Squamish 1994.

...and now we look like this.

The Sothams and the Trevisans.  Vancouver 2014.

Congratulations, Dominic!  Thank you for inviting us to share in your celebration.  It was wonderful to see you and your family.  Please keep us in mind when you graduate with your PhD!

SATURDAY

Saturday was fantastic.  

I went on a long walk with three friends in the morning, I watched an episode of my favourite television show 'Project Runway' in the afternoon and Joe's cousin invited us to join them for a Thanksgiving dinner in Whistler for the evening.  Just how did I get so lucky on a Saturday?

 Babes in the woods.

Me and my favourite canine.

We had a wonderful time in Whistler with Joe's cousins and their friends.  I love meeting new people at parties.  The food was out-of-this-world delicious, the conversations were thought-provoking and interesting, and it was so much fun to sit around a table chatting and eating with thirteen other people, most of whom I had just met.

 No Thanksgiving feast is complete until two of the younger cousins jive in the kitchen.

 And no jive is complete without dipping one's partner at the end of the dance.

A huge thank you to the Clarks and Grants for having us for our first Thanksgiving dinner of the weekend.  We always enjoy our time with you. We are so happy we are family.

SUNDAY

Sunday was our turn to cook.  And by 'our' I mean Joe's.  

Paige, her boyfriend Jordan and my mom arrived mid-afternoon.  Jordan arrived guitar in hand and serenaded us with old songs and new, contemporary and gospel, country and blues.  What a great way to spend a rainy afternoon.

I can't remember what they were singing but they sure were having fun with it.

 A turkey dinner has GOT to be one of my most favourite meals.  I never tire of it.  Never.

We took this photo to send to Molly, our far-away girl in Toronto.  We miss her.  Her absence is keenly felt during the holidays.

MONDAY

Joe put on an incredible breakfast spread.  Baked ham, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, crepes and mimosas.  How he does it is beyond me.  If breakfast were up to me, we'd be eating Lucky Charms out of the box.

Our three overnight guests left mid-morning and Joe laid down for a well-deserved rest.

The majestic Stawamus Chief in the rain.

Later on in the afternoon we went for a walk at the tip of Howe Sound and reflected on our Thanksgiving weekend.  We both agreed we had lots to be thankful for.  Family, friends, food, music and fun topped our list.

Thank you to everyone for contributing to our wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.  We are grateful for you all.

Two Birthdays And A Party

My mom and her twin brother celebrated their 78th birthday this past weekend.  My cousin and her husband hosted a wonderful party in their backyard to honour these two special people.

I don't get to see this branch of the family all that often, but when we get together the years seem to melt away and it feels as if we were in each other's company just yesterday.

That's how it is with family.

We are connected.

It doesn't matter if we don't see each other for months or years at a time.  We just pick up where we left off and carry on.

Thank you to my zany and fun-loving family for such a wonderful day.  It was fantastic to be together again.  I can hardly wait for the next time.

Last Thoughts On Spain

We have been home from our summer vacation for almost a week now.  I have been poring over my 2,393 photos trying to re-live the magic of our glorious six weeks in the south of Spain.

Here is what I learned this summer:

You do not need to understand another's language to be kindred spirits.

People work incredibly hard.  Day after day, this Moroccan man sits on a piece of cardboard on a concrete floor while he creates very intricate tile patterns for table tops.

Joe's love affair with Jamon Iberico will never be over.

The Spanish siesta is the best invention in the world.

Spanish food is DELICIOUS!  And the scenery ain't bad either.

Warm Spanish evenings bring everyone out of their homes and into the streets for walking, eating, drinking, laughing and generally having fun.  These people know how to live.

Tapas bars are the best way to eat and drink.  (If you are ever in Sevilla, you MUST go to 'Eslava'.   The food here is incredible.)

I miss sleeping in a tent.  My plan is to return to Morocco when I retire in 2017 to travel over the Atlas Mountains and into the Sahara Desert so I can sleep under the stars every single night.

My hair does not do well in the hot Spanish climate.  I suffered through 42 out of 42 bad hair days.  My hair was either bathed in pool water, sea water or sweat.  I washed it, conditioned it, used different styling products.  None of it worked.  I swear, Rumpelstiltskin could have used my hair instead of straw to spin his gold.

Spanish people are so friendly and helpful!  

Case in point:  Joe went searching for a particular ceramic beer mug on our last day in Granada.  He wasn't having much luck.  After several hours of looking, he went into one final beer store and asked the proprietor if he carried the mug.  The shopkeeper said no, but his friend (who was in the store at the time) said, "I have one at home.  Wait here.  I will get it and give it you."  And he did.

This will not be our last trip to the south of Spain.

Please consider doing a house exchange.  Check out Intervac's website to discover where your next holiday destination could be.  Joe and I are already talking about where in the world we are going to travel next year.

Not the Ending I Was Expecting

We left La Zubia on Thursday evening.  But not before we did these three things:

1.)  Said good-bye to these fine people.  Abuela fed us something delicious from her kitchen every few days.  Abuelo came each evening to water the planters and hose off the tiled patio.

Our favourite Spanish neighbours.

2.)  Watched the 6th stage of Vuelta a España, a multi-stage cycling race similar to the Tour de France.  We walked into downtown La Zubia to cheer the cyclists on as they sped by in 37 degree heat.

I do not know how these athletes race in the blistering heat.

3.)  Took one final swim in the pool.

We loved bobbing around the pool.

At 8:00pm we drove to Malaga.  We stayed overnight at a hotel, getting only 4 hours of sleep.  The first of our three flights left at 7:00am the following morning.  

Our flight from Malaga to Paris was uneventful.

Our flight from Paris to Amsterdam was uneventful.

Our flight from Amsterdam to Vancouver was eventful. 

We boarded the airplane and quickly found our seats.  I was carrying a very large Moroccan ceramic platter in my shoulder bag.  While the bag fit under the seat on the first two airplanes, it did not fit under the seat on the third.  I stood up and turned to give Joe my bag to stow in the overhead bin.  

And that's when it happened.  My body turned toward the aisle but my foot and knee didn't.  I heard a loud POP and instantly felt a pain on the outside of my knee.  I abruptly sat down.

Joe finished storing our carry-on luggage and sat down beside me.  

"I think I've hurt my knee."

Joe called one of the flight attendants over to explain the situation.  The KLM crew was at once caring and helpful.  Bags of ice were brought to me on the hour.  They kept checking in with me to see if I was okay.

It wasn't until I needed to use the washroom that I discovered how painful my knee actually was.  I stood up and tried to walk.  My knee wasn't having any of it.  I could not straighten my leg or touch my foot to the floor.  So I sat back down and held my bladder for the remaining 9 hours.

Seven hours into the flight I told Joe there was no way I could walk off the plane.  He called an attendant over and asked if a wheelchair could be waiting for me when the plane landed in Vancouver.

The plane landed, all the passengers disembarked and there I sat.  Joe grabbed our 2 carry-on suitcases, his backpack, along with my bag containing the platter from Morocco and headed down the aisle.  I had to get myself from row 27 to the front of the airplane.  I grabbed each armrest and hopped on my good leg.  What a gong show.

And there, waiting at the airplane door was a wheelchair!  Not only a wheelchair, but the entire crew had gathered to make sure I was okay.  HOW EMBARRASSING!

I plunked myself in the chair and this tiny woman grabbed the handles.  "Honey," I said.  "You are going to push me up the ramp?"  And with that she turned the chair around and pulled me all the way into the terminal.

And where was Joe throughout all of this you may ask?  He was front and centre taking photos to document the ordeal.

So many helping hands.

I also got to ride in one of those big goofy golf carts. 

And the icing on the cake?  Joe and I got to bypass hundreds of people and went directly to the head of the line at the customs and immigration booth.

Me and my fellow passengers going for a ride at YVR.

This was not the way I envisioned my trip ending.  But thank goodness it happened at the end of our vacation and not the beginning.

And there was even more good news!  I went directly to the emergency ward when we arrived in Squamish and the good doctor told me it was only a very severe sprain.  No torn ligaments.  No surgery needed.

I am taking Advil, resting, hobbling along with the help of a cane and a set of crutches.

I will be fine.  Just fine.

¡Adios Granada!

We are leaving town today.

Yesterday was our last full day in La Zubia and Granada.  We had a very lazy morning, began packing our bags and spent the afternoon bobbing around the pool on foam noodles.

 La Granada

In the evening, we drove in to the city to meet up with our Grenadine friend Manuela.  We met up for tapas and beer and to see her one last time before we left for Canada.

Joe's final meal of jamon iberico.

We strolled around the streets of Granada.  She was a wonderful tour guide.

Fuente toro.

Good-bye, Manuela!  It was lovely to meet you.  I hope to see you again.

Afterwards, Joe and I went to see the Palacios Nazaries inside Alhambra one more time.  This time in the dark.  It was eerie and beautiful.

And now I am sad.

Our amazing vacation is over.

As you may know, returning to reality is not a favourite activity of mine.

This summer will be one for the books.  I do not know how we will ever top this experience.

This last photo perfectly sums up our summer holiday.

WE HEART ESPAÑA!

¡Hasta luego La Zubia y Granada!  We will be back.  Insha'Allah.