Category Archives: Uncategorized

May19

Hodge Podge

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Hodge Podge

Two phones and just over 1500 photos since May 2020, the month my ASUS laptop went to hell finally. I hated that computer from almost day one. I arrived in Mexico about a week after buying it in Canada and had nothing but problems with it.

I got a tablet shortly after arriving in Leavenworth last fall. I love it and use it for everything. That is, everything but pictures. I need a computer to get those onto my Seagate backup.

I am so grateful for my friend Gene who graciously took on the task of getting the 1500+ photos off my two phones and onto my Seagate. He is an angel!

I know I will buy a new laptop before I head back to Mexico, but the pressure has subsided since I now have all those photos backed up.

Of course I have no idea yet when I’ll go back to Aguascalientes. Right now Canada still isn’t on the radar. But I do intend to start traveling here in the USA next month.

Where am I going? The only hint I’ll give you now is that it will involve Amtrak and that I’ll be taking lots more photos. You’ll just have to keep reading my blog to find out more.

Tomorrow we start teaching fitness classes again. Everything is really opening up here in Washington state, although we’re all confused about the mask situation. I just wish that vaccination card wasn’t such a weird shape and would fit in my wallet.

Later today I’m off to the hairdresser. I can’t believe it’s been two months since my last haircut. But then again I’ve been in the USA for eight months already.

Yes, it’s definitely time to think about traveling again. The nomad is getting restless.

May16

J’ai Fait Une Erreur

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J’ai Fait Une Erreur

I usually publish a post on Wednesdays and Sundays. This past week I woke up extremely very early on Tuesday, hadn’t had my morning coffee yet, and for some absurd reason I published a post, thinking it was Wednesday.

But today really is Sunday, so we’re back on schedule. Today I’ve decided to write about an afternoon I spent in Waterville this week. A half hour away from the hustle and bustle of Wenatchee, this quaint little town is quiet and peaceful.

First stop was the museum. Although the website stated it was open, the sign said closed.

Waterville Museum

The last time I was there we spent several hours there with a very personalized tour given by a local. I enjoy conversations with locals when exploring new towns. And on this visit we had two really interesting ones with locals.

We were walking toward the Douglas County Courthouse when we met a retired couple who were eager to strike up a conversation with tourists.

Douglas County Courthouse

They were preparing for a community wide garage sale taking place this weekend. They have lived in Waterville forever and had a small art gallery with a cafe and bakery. They have now converted this into their residence. This is one of the artistic pieces still adorning the entrance.

On our walk past Pioneer Park we saw the remains of a business destroyed by fire. In the antique store one of the staff provided us with the details. It had been a car repair garage. A car being worked on backfired, resulting in a fire. The owner went back into the building in an attempt to get the sprinkler system activated. Unfortunately he died and the building burned to the ground.

We were also brought us up to date on the historic Waterville Hotel. The only way to see the inside is to actually book a room and stay there. Unfortunately it closed last season due to Covid and there are no plans to open it this season.

Waterville Hotel

Here are pics of the thrift shop and the antique store.

I also had to add these pics of the lilacs. Note the two colors.

I hope to return to Waterville again and find the museum open. And I’d also like to book a room at the hotel and see if it is indeed haunted!

May11

Dryden Days

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Dryden Days

I’m living in Dryden for the month of May. This is a small town between Cashmere and Peshastin. Here is a pic of the house where I’m staying.

The house is surrounded by orchards, along with a lovely view of the mountains .

My bedroom has a spectacular view of the river, including a fish ladder, and the mountains.

It’s quiet and peaceful here. While Leavenworth is a quaint Bavarian village only ten minutes away, I do not miss the constant tourist traffic. I enjoyed a walk along a back road yesterday and marveled at the beautiful trees and wildflowers.

I have truly found a piece of heaven on earth here.

May8

Mother’s Day Memories

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Mother’s Day Memories

My earliest memories of Mother’s Day date back to my childhood in the form of handcrafted cards created in the classroom. Friday afternoon after recess out came brightly colored craft paper and crayons. Of course there was the obligatory verse to copy from the blackboard.

I also recall getting together throughout the years with grandparents and other extended family members to celebrate this special day. But then things got complicated. I got married and now there were two sides to the family. Naturally I wound up hosting these holiday dinners to keep the peace in the family.

I never really felt special on Mother’s Day until my son Kyle was born. He was just over five months old and I was now actually a mother. Here is a four generation photo taken with Kyle, my mother and my grandmother.

Mother’s Day 1981

In 2021 I had hoped to be with one of my kids on Mother’s Day. But somehow plans just never seem to work out, which is why I despise making long range plans.

I’ve spent Mother’s Day in several different places in the last decade……Culiacan, Tlaquepaque, Tototlan, Mazatlan, Puerta Vallarta, Aguascalientes, Winnipeg, Leavenworth, Cashmere and Wenatchee. This year I’ll add Dryden to the list.

Four years ago I was still in Mexico and had this really deep gut feeling that I should go back to Winnipeg and be with my son on Mother’s Day. And I’m glad I did. I haven’t seen him since then and I am long overdue for a visit. My alternating visits to my kids were thrown out of sync when my daughter had a baby. But even now with Covid it’s been almost two years since I’ve seen them either.

My laptop packed it in last spring in Mexico and I still haven’t replaced it, but thankfully I do have access to some of my photos on my phone. Here is one of my daughter and I on her wedding day.

October 26,2015

Here is my favorite photo of my mom and I on my wedding day.

June 17,1973

The featured photo on this post is my kids on Mother’s Day in 2016. They were at a Blue Jays game in Toronto and texted it to me in Mexico. It was a beautiful gift knowing that they were together that day. My son lives in Winnipeg and my daughter lives in Kelowna so it’s quite difficult to get us all together. But I can always hope that maybe next year we may have a family reunion. Maybe it won’t be on Mother’s Day……but it will certainly make this mother’s day.

Happy Mother’s Day everyone! Enjoy your day!

May4

My Long Range Plans

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My Long Range Plans

I have no long range plans. My short range plans never seem to work out. So why bother with long range plans? I can’t even blame it on Covid either. If anything, I can thank Covid because these days I don’t think any of us can really make long range plans. So my friends have stopped bugging me about what comes next in my life.

I actually do have a few things in mind of what I’d like to have happen. Whether these will come to fruition or not is up in the air. Just for fun, I’ll share them with you. If nothing else, this post will be amusing when I look back at it some time in the future.

It’s a given that I’m not ready to settle down yet. Since I arrived back in Washington state in September I’ve lived in Peshastin, two different homes in Leavenworth, Wenatchee and I’m now in Dryden. I have done some traveling but before I leave the state in about a month, I hope to go on a couple of short train trips.

Then my travels get longer. I have friends in other states that I’d like to visit. In all likelihood, I’ll be returning to Mexico sooner than later unless things change drastically in Canada. I want to see my kids and my granddaughter. But right now that seems like an impossibility.

My friends marvel at how I thrive so well in a continual state of limbo. In the beginning, it was more an issue of survival. But as time goes on it has just become one great adventure after another, and has given me more of an appreciation for wherever I may find myself living or whatever I may find myself doing. And isn’t that what life is all about?

Perhaps I should change the term “long range plans’” to “long range dreams.” But I don’t even think that’s an appropriate expression. Somehow the word “ideas” may be a better word. It offers far more flexibility.

May2

Yep! I Did It Again

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Yep! I Did It Again

I moved. For the month of May I’m living in Dryden, a small town about 10 minutes down Highway 2 from Leavenworth. I’ve become the master of packing and unpacking and was quite comfortably settled in within hours. I even found the time to dive into my craft bag and play with acrylic paints yesterday.

The air is so fresh out here and of course the traffic is much lighter than in Leavenworth. The house where I’m staying is nestled in nicely between the river and the orchards. And of course the mountain view is outstanding.

I’m looking forward to a peaceful and relaxing month here.

Apr28

Thanks For The Memories

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Thanks For The Memories

Every day on Facebook I check out the Memories section. And I reflect on my life and all the different places I’ve been. I also can’t believe how fast the time has gone by and how much I’ve changed throughout the years.

Two years ago I was volunteering at Camp Heartbeat in Peshastin. It was the beginning of my annual children’s ministry experience at LCN.

Three years ago I was in Toronto visiting my friend Deborah. I recall long walks along the lake and the beautiful view of the water from her backyard.

Four years ago I was in Puerto Vallarta enjoying walks along the malecon and gazing out at the ocean from my lounger on the beach.

I found another memory where I was actually in Winnipeg at this time six years ago. That was a year before I discovered Leavenworth.

And then I found a memory from ten years ago. On my way back from a visit to my friend Rochelle in Los Angeles, I had stopped for some beach time in Mazatlan before returning to Culiacan.

Today I’m moving from Leavenworth to Dryden, a town about 10 minutes away. Not quite as exotic as other places I’ve been, but it will be a memory nonetheless to look back on one day.

Apr25

Open? Closed?

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Open? Closed?

When I talk to my friends in Canada I feel like I live in a completely different world. Yes we still have Covid here but we have a lot more freedom. I enjoy a quality of life far superior to what I’d experience if I were back in Winnipeg.

I know we’re far from out of the woods yet. However it is encouraging to hear that 80% of seniors in the USA have been vaccinated. And almost 30% of Americans have been vaccinated. Perhaps herd immunity is on the horizon.

Traveling is once again on my mind. In April I enjoyed a couple of short trips in Washington state. And I’m planning two more short trips within the state in May.

But my plans do not include travel to Canada at this time.

My American friends are appalled at what they read about forced hotel quarantines. “Just let them try that here” they tell me.

I’m not a big fan of FOX News, but I have to agree when they refer to the hotel quarantines as forced internment camps. There is no excuse for this violation of human rights and the deplorable conditions Canadian citizens are forced to endure.

Canadians were quick to condemn Trump for the mishandling of the Covid crisis. I think it’s time Canadians took a long, hard look at their own country and the disaster that has been created by Trudeau.

I not only worry about my family and friends in Canada, but I actually fear for them. There is something very wrong when sufficient vaccines are unavailable by appointment in Winnipeg, and here in Washington state people are encouraged to come by clinics as drop-ins to be vaccinated.

As much as I long to see my children and my granddaughter, I won’t be traveling to Canada under the current circumstances.

Apr21

A Tale Of Two Peninsulas

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A Tale Of Two Peninsulas

Gorgeous sunny weather in Seattle in April is rare, so it was a perfect day for an outing to the peninsulas.

We boarded the ferry in Edmonds and arrived in Kingston on the Kitsap Peninsula. A short drive later and we arrived in the delightful town of Port Gamble.

Back in the car, we headed for Poulsbo. The bakery everyone raves about is well worth the trip, although we did eat breakfast at a small cafe across the street. The sweet almond pastry was dessert!

We were soon off again and crossed the Hood Canal Bridge to the Olympic Peninsula. Port Ludlow was another quaint town with a peaceful marina.

Our final stop was Port Townsend. I think this was my favorite town that day and I took the most pics there.

All too soon it was time to head back to the ferry. We went back across the Hood Canal Bridge.

On the ferry ride back i snapped this photo of another ferry with Mount Rainier in the background.

I hope to return to the Olympic Peninsula one day and explore Port Angeles and Sequim.