On my way to my daughter’s wedding in Punta Cana last month, my travels found me in Toronto. It’s been decades since I’ve been there. As a teenager I always loved this city and even at one point had aspirations of moving there, until a boyfriend and marriage intervened.

My friend Deb lives in Toronto and we hadn’t seen each other in almost ten years. Deb was my supervisor for a few months when we worked together at Hope Centre in Winnipeg. She left and pursued another career in a different city. We emailed and sent messages on Facebook, but it was great to finally get together again.

Deb and her boyfriend live in a charming apartment in Long Branch. They are only three blocks away from the lake in a a quaint neighborhood. We went for a walk and I realized just how much I miss autumn in Canada. The leaves were turning brilliant colors while others already fallen and crunched beneath our feet. That night we all enjoyed a wonderful dinner at The Keg Mansion. An additional treat was watching the Blue Jays win their game.

Deb and I sat up into the wee hours of the night, sipping wine and talking. Our lives had both changed so much since we worked together in Winnipeg. We had both pursued new careers. Deb had broken off an engagement and my marriage had come to an end. She had settled down in Toronto and I had moved to Mexico. We talked about our kids and how they had grown up, become independent and were now leading lives of their own.  And of course we talked about the many adventures we’d had throughout the years.

The next day we went to a delightful Greek restaurant for lunch. We did a little shopping and then it was time for me to move to the hotel to be with my daughter. I was supposed to spend another night with Deb on the way back from the wedding, but Westjet had another idea when the plane had mechanical problems and our flight back to Toronto was delayed by a day. I arrived back in Toronto just in time to get my flight to Puerto Vallarta via Regina.

Deb and I never did around to taking a selfie together, and my purchases from shopping that day are still at her apartment in Toronto. But here are some photos and memories.