En Route to Our New Home

Andrew and I have moved to Victoria, BC. It was a somewhat sudden decision but we're happy with it and looking forward to a milder winter season. 

Full moon over Victoria Harbor

Andrew headed out a couple weeks before I did so that he could be there when the movers arrived. I still had the SARscene 2021 conference and a few other things to finish up. And also to be at the Saskatoon end when the movers picked everything up. 

But finally, I was on the road! I left late in the afternoon and got a beautiful Saskatchewan sunset view just outside of Swift Current. 

Driving through the mountains and seeing the changing colors of the trees . . . no photo can do it justice. 

Andrew and I always stop for a short hike at the bird sanctuary whenever we pass through Creston, BC. It was a sunny day but just as I pulled into the parking lot I could hear a couple drops of rain on the van and soon after there was a literal downpour! With the sun still shining. I waited for a few minutes for it to slow down, started my hike, and caught this beautiful rainbow. 

Next stop was Osoyoos where it was a gorgeous evening for a walk on the beach after supper. 

Since I had a shorter driving day before arriving in Port Moody to visit my niece and her husband, I stopped at Manning Park and enjoyed a short hike. 

It felt great to finally arrive in Victoria, to reunite with Andrew and get to our new home! 

 

Grey Owl and Other Trails - June 2021

One of Andrew's running goals this year was to run the Grey Owl Trail (40 km total). He was continually checking the weather forecast and finally found a day wasn't too hot or too rainy, and that I was able to go with him. 

Before

Finishing strong!

After

He finished the run in very good time and looked strong when I saw him coming back into the parking lot.  Here's his post about how it went.  

While he'd been running, I did a leisurely hike out and back to the Chipewyan campground (approx. 13 km total). There had been reports of bears along the Kingmere Trail on the other side of the lake so we both carried bear spray and both had our inReach devices with us. Andrew sent me a message when he arrived at Grey Owl's cabin so I knew he's made it that far and could guess at what time he'd be back. We arrived back at the parking lot within a couple minutes of each other. 

Not a great photo of this little guy but he sure was cute. That acorn is half the size of his head!

The cloudy day made it perfect for hiking and stopping along the lake helped take a break from the mosquitos that were ferocious if you stopped for too long on the trail.  

So many ferns in the boggy areas. 

Remembered the veggies ... forgot the chocolate bars. Dammit! 

We'd arrived in Waskesiu the day before, early enough to do a late afternoon hike along the Waskesiu River trail. There are so many beautiful flowers out this time of year. 

On our third day, we did a few more hikes before heading home -- Boundary Bog trail, Shady Lake trail, and stopped at Height-of-the-Land Tower. 

A very typical photo of Andrew on most of our hikes.

A lovely evening on the beach at Waskesiu.

Views from Height-of-the-Land Tower

Geese Babies

 Andrew's been seeing a big group of baby geese while out on his long runs lately. Friday afternoon we went for a drink on the deck at Shift and then for a walk along the river. Both the adults and babies were out and certainly not scared of people thanks to all those feeding them! 

Memories, Crocuses and a Vaccine

It felt like a very strange day yesterday. So many emotions on what I thought was going to be a very happy day -- getting my Covid vaccine! 

As soon as my age group became eligible, I booked my appointment. It was about a week quicker to get into the Martensville clinic than Saskatoon so that's where I booked. This was also prior to the drive-thru clinic being opened in Saskatoon. 

As I headed out to Martensville, I started thinking about dad. I would often take him on short road trips to Martensville where we'd stop at Clearcut Coffee for a drink and goodie. On the way, we always pulled off at Ritchie Bros. Auction to have a look at what was in their yard. Today, there were lots of combines, seeders, sprayers, and construction equipment. 

As I arrived at the vaccination clinic, I realized I was feeling quite anxious. I'm not exactly sure why. I've gotten the flu vaccine for years and not even thought twice about it. Maybe all the hype (both positive and negative) about the Covid vaccine had more of a subconscious impact than I thought. 

Because I'd gotten there early, I went for a short walk to get some fresh air and calm down a bit. For a small town, Martensville has a remarkable series of walking paths and community facilities. 

Up until a couple days ago, the AstraZeneca vaccine had only been used in the drive-thru clinics and both Andrew and Penny had recently received the Pfizer vaccine in Saskatoon. I assumed that's what I would be getting as well. 

There's some debate over the AstraZeneca vaccine (long explanation which I'm not going to go into here) but the experts keep saying it's safe and to get whatever vaccine you're offered. Which I agree with 100%. 

However, when I was advised I'd be getting the AstraZeneca instead of the Pfizer, I have to admit that I was a bit annoyed. "That's disappointing," is what I said when the nurse told me. Even though the person at check in had already advised me and I'd had a bit of time to process it. 

Regardless, the process was smooth and I was in and out in about 25 minutes. 

Then it was off to Clearcut Coffee for a London Fog and oatmeal cookie. It's been so long since I've sat in a coffee shop! 

On the way home, just like when I was with dad, I took the road across to Warman (it's paved all the way now!) and back into the city, past Wanuskewin. 

I was still feeling "off" so immediately went out for a nice long hike by Sutherland Beach and past the Psych Centre. There were so many gorgeous crocuses out that I spent a bit of time taking photos. 

The remainder of the day and overnight, I was feeling the effect of the vaccine. Normally, I just have a sore arm but, this time, I was also feeling quite tired and had a splitting headache most of the night until I finally got up and took some Ibuprofen. 

Anyway, today is a new day. I'm still feeling tired but I'm grateful to finally be vaccinated. I'm looking forward to the days when the majority of people are also vaccinated and we can get back to a somewhat more "normal" existence. 

Family Hike at Eb's Trails

 Sept 19, 2020 -- Andrew, Gretchen and Karsten invited Andrew and I to go hiking with them at Eb's Trails. It was a beautiful and fun day! We hiked just over 11 km which was a distance record for Karsten. 

Karsten liked to stop for a short rest on all the benches so, when we got to this one,
I had to tease him by taking up the whole bench!