Mary birthday + 30 years

On September 21 we celebrated Mary's 58th birthday. The night before we had a Mexican dinner together with some of the family. It was a bit chilly, but we had a good time. Note the winter hat and gloves of Carly.....

 

It was also today 30 years ago that Mary and I got married. Time flies! Still going strong as much as there are a bit more body aches and pains. Mary cycled with Mark and Carly to the Mexican restaurant and back (some 40 kilometers); on the e-bike but still....

And on Saturday we had a nice dinner with old friends from London; we picked a restaurant halfway between London (Ontario) and Niagara in the small town of Paris (also Ontario.....)

Goodbye to Toronto soon

Carly and Mark enjoying the life in downtown Toronto with friends. In two months they will move to their new home in Stoney Creek. Big move...
 

Mountain goat Hilary

Hilary and Shayd made an impressive trek into the mountain area near Banff. What a beautiful photo she just send us yesterday. Their week of leisure in the mountains is soon ending and then it is back to work again for both of them. A few nurses in the ER in her hospital tested positive for COVID; we hope they will recover soon. And hopefully Hilary and Shayd stay safe and sane also.

I had a healthy dinner tonight of left-overs while Mary was out & about on her electric bike....

Updates

Big news: Carly and Mark purchased a house in nearby Stoney Creek. Wow. They take possession of the place in late October. Promises to maybe be a busy Fall. Photos later after a visit. Mark completed an on-line course with the Harvard Business School financed by his work; certificate received and mounted on our kid's wall of fame.....

Hilary and Shayd are making a tour through some beautiful areas of BC and Alberta (Jasper and Banff national parks). What a lucky couple to live near such amazing natural settings....

Weeks go by

 In July I joined the Welland Rotary Club again after being a member of the Markham Rotary Club during the past four years. The Welland Rotary Club was founded 100 years ago....

Mark cycled about 650 kilometers with a friend from Toronto to a cottage near Timmins. He said he would cycle on even level forever, but the hills were killers.....

Former colleague at Niagara College, Kyla, acquired a nice sailing boat and today I assisted with figuring out the mounting of the sails. Too much wind to go out on Lake Erie today, but we'll do that on a future occasion. Kyla learned to sail last year and is always looking for a sailing companion. She has her boat in the harbor of Port Colborne....

A new project

 Recently I have started to think about writing a book. Possibly a novel based on real life people and experiences. I will start this project with a former IYIP intern who was in South Africa for six months about ten years (IYIP = International Youth Internship Program). Jason has afterwards always contacted me once a year for a meal to catch up. We met again last week in Fonthill.

We brainstormed about the initial ideas. It will likely take us a few years to come up with the storyline, the characters and other details. Do required research on facts and then go through the sometimes lengthy editing process. But it will be worth the try and fun to work on.

Hilary and Mark

Hilary and Shayd moved into a new rental apartment in Vancouver last week. After having her accommodation paid for a while by the contract company she worked for in BC, that ended once she started a FT contract at one of the hospitals in North Vancouver. Hilary then moved in with Shayd for a while in a shared house with several other "Kiwis". Now they have a place of their own....

Mark and Carly enjoyed a week in two different cottages, first with friends and then with the "Sarnia Vandenboom gang". Mary, Susan, Fiona, Ralph and I decided not go this summer because of the risks with the pandemic. In two weeks time Mark is going to make a cycling trip all the way to Timmins.