2022-2023 The In-Between Year

    

The busy Verwey Family  August 21, 2022 -- 14 members in total

We left Quebec in May of 2022 and a day later we arrived back home. The pandemic restrictions were being phased out and things were getting back to normal for us. We did not publish any blog posts because we were very busy during the year.

Building a Basement Apartment

    Once back to our home in Newmarket, the work began. We were having a basement apartment built for us to move into and use as our home base in Ontario. Better than having to sleep on our kid's couch when back visiting in Ontario. In this way we would have our furniture and things set up and not packed away. But a lot of work was needed to be done. The people renting since 2016 had moved on to another location and we had the whole house to ourselves again. First thing was that we had to move everything that we had stored in the basement upstairs so that the construction of the basement could began and we only had a month. We got it all done, moving various categories of things into different rooms. Each room in the main house was designated as the book room, the photo and scrap book room, the craft room, the sorting room, the room with items we would give away, donate or sell and finally a room of things we would keep and use in the apartment. I basically looked after the curation of these rooms. There were many things to look through and decide what to do with them. We had way too much stuff to fit into the apartment so culling was the order of the day.  Al was busy with the demolition of the walls, etc. in the basement before construction started. July 4 was the scheduled date but it came and went with no sign of a start date. Finally in the middle of July the work started. We were first told that the project would be 4 to 5 months to complete but 10 months later the last finishes were completed.

A view into the open kitchen with laundry cabinet beside the entrance door.

Another view of the kitchen. The hub of the apartment.

Across the 9 ft island is the stove.

Dining area. The two doors in the back ground lead into the bedrooms.

The living area at the end of the kitchen.

The bathroom.

Custom designed shelf for over toilet in bathroom.

Celebrating 40th Wedding Anniversary

On August 21st ,Al and I celebrated our 40th anniversary. We gathered all our immediate family to help celebrate. We had a great day with 6 adults and 6 children between the age of 3 months to 5 years. Lunch was a big charcuterie table. There was something for everyone. We played games and had a great time chatting. The adults even played "The Not So Newlywed Game". The Couple that won was the couple married the least amount of time and of course Al and I lost. It must be the memory loss over the years.

So how would you answer these questions:

"Who is your spouse's celebrity crush?"
"What is your spouse's best feature?"

"If your spouse needed a lift at 3 a.m. who would they call?"

"Who is most likely to spend all day at home in pajamas?"

The photo at the beginning was our formal anniversary photo but of course, we had to do the silly photo!!! Fun!

The charcuterie table -- lots of healthy food along with "junk food".

40 cupcakes -- one for each year. Lilac was the colour at our wedding

Al's Mom Ilse

    During our time in Ontario we frequently visited Al's Mom, Ilse. In November of 2022 she reached the fine age of 94 years old. As her health declined we spent more time with her, even staying overnight. Unfortunately on December 22 she passed away. Ilse was a character and knew what she wanted at all stages of her life. Born in Indonesia, as a child, Ilse was a Japanese prisoner-of-war during WWII. When the was ended, now as a teenager, she moved to Australia and trained as a nurse. She moved to Canada, met and married Jo Verwey (in the Netherlands), had two children and lived in Toronto for most of her life. Ilse was a wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She was a nurse, an athlete (swimming, tennis, and table tennis), a world traveller, a photographer and she took on many causes during her life. Along with Al's sister, we assisted in packing up Ilse's apartment as much as we could before going to Tahiti for a vacation.

Al and his Mom enjoying a leisurely walk 

through Edward's Gardens in Toronto in July 2022

Winter Trip to Tahiti

    On December 27, 2023 we took off to Tahiti to cruise around the Society Islands and Tuamotus.

Here is the route we took on the Paul Gauguin cruise ship

    We spent 11 days cruising the islands. We bicycled, swam, sun bathed, exercised, did crafts, took a bus and a car tour. Of course, Al did one scuba activity. The weather was great and we enjoyed our time relaxing and regrouping after a busy year. Here are photos showing highlights of our trip.

On the plane, Bev being cautious.

Over water cabins at a hotel with the beautiful view of another island.

Unfortunately we did not stay in one of these cabins.

We were greeted at the ship by the entertainment team.

They were so great and this small group did everything from

nightly entertainment with dancing to hosting craft workshops and lessons for the passengers

Bev was treated with care concerning her diet. The head

waiter was responsible for making sure that the food was

compliant with my food plan. The fruit was always fresh and 

so delicious. Above shows melon and pineapple.

Fresh fruit was always available.

There were different varieties of passionfruit.

So fresh....I have never tasted such lovely flavours.

Every morning we would walk with one of the entertainment

team on the upper deck for a one mile walk. Most of the time we

were the only people participating which was just fine. We got to know

members of the entertainment team better.

On a tour on one of the islands with our cruise ship in the background.

Vanilla bean plants at a plantation.

The beans are picked and dried in the sun then

processed into vanilla extract.

Sun, sand and water. What could be better?

The entertainment on the ship was wonderful. Lots of dancing.

One of the male dancers.

Another walk on the upper deck. Passing by Bora Bora.

Bora Bora was an interesting place with an unfortunate history.

During WW11 the Americans had a military base on Bora Bora. 

Many of the trees were cut down and used for various things which

means that today the island is not as lush as the other surrounding islands.

Each trip I have my photo taken in the ocean. just to prove

I do go in the water. Shhh.. don't tell anyone. My one 

ocean photo op. It was very nice clear water.

Looking up into the trees but be careful!!

Nice white sand and blue skies!

On one small island we rented bicycles and rode across the island.

We found a nice beach although rocky where Al could snorkel and Bev

could rest comfortably in the shade and read.

Buoys were used to decorate the small road way.

Al standing alongside the trees decorated with buoys.

A decommissioned light house which was built with stones.

Always stay protected from the sun

The ship's dancers greet us on the island with music and song.

Want a drink? You don't even have to get out of the water.

The floating bar will come to you.

Al drinking from a coconut.

Relaxing on the beach. Remember, never sit under a coconut tree. You never know when

one may drop. There are many signs warning visitors to be careful. Injury or death may occur.

Thinly sliced pineapple for lunch. The 

pineapples are small and oh so sweet.

Relaxing on the ship

Nice vista!

Mountain through the trees.

Papaya trees. Yum!!

We visited a pineapple grove. No, pineapples

do not grow on trees.

We went on a bus tour on one island and one of the stops

was to see these eels. There were about a dozen or so of them.

They were about 2 to 3 feet long. Apparently harmless.

The blue everywhere!

Every day we played Bananagrams. We actually brought the game.

It is a scrabble-based game but you make your own grid of words. 

The faster you use up all your letters, the better.

Beautiful waterfall and, oh yeah, there is a good looking guy there too.

A fellow traveller took this photo while Al walked up to the falls.

Well, won't you know it, roosters can be found in a bamboo forest. 

A strange sight and I was thrilled.

Most people envision Tahiti as having white sands

but in reality most of the beaches have black sand.

Remember that the next time you see a postcard from Tahiti.

Camping

During the camping season we did some camping with our trailer. We took Peanut (cat) with us so that she could get used to travelling.  

    We went to the Lilac Festival in Warkworth, Ontario and camped in a nearby town's campground. The town of Warkworth is quaint and the Lilac Festival occurs on a path along a river. It was a beautiful walk. I love Lilacs and I never knew there was so much to know about them. We met my cousin Karen there and spent a lovely afternoon with her. The next day we went for lunch at her home in Bridgenorth not too far away.

At the campground I got to feed the goats at their little farm.

My favourite farm animal

The festival was all along a pathway in a beautiful setting.

A small river ran along one side of the path. Along the path 

were vendors of all sorts, best lilac contest, information 

signs, and of course bushes of lilacs. Just lovely!

There was even a lilac-coloured piano along the

way for anyone interested in tickling the ivory.

Bev's cousin Karen joined in the fun for the day.

Usually the lilac flower has four petals but if you 

find one with five you will have good luck.

So beautiful. Purple flower with white trim.

    When in Ontario, we try to go camping with Kyle and his family. They go each year to Point Farms Provincial Park on Lake Huron. We have a great time with our three grandchildren.

The Verweys camping edition 2022

A camping family

A busy afternoon at the beach on a sunny day

A beautiful sunset

Ending the day with a campfire.

    We went camping in Algonquin Park and had a nice relaxing time.

A & P hanging around the trees

Beautiful scenery

You always have to be prepared for all kinds of weather.

    We spent some time at our Newmarket neighbour's cottage in the Kawarthas. It was a great time of relaxing, reading, kayaking and playing games with our friends.

Al relaxing in his own way

Bev relaxing with a book and cup of tea

Bev out kayaking with Vanessa who is also kayaking

and Mike in the sail boat in the background. Note 

that A & P are also riding along with Bev

    In September, we went to Harmony Ranch near Baldwin where many Barbershoppers have trailers that they stay in all summer. We took our trailer and went during a weekend where an international quartet was there. This quartet travelled through the camp ground and sang for the camp members at their nearby campfires. It was fun and the singers were funny and excellent singers. The next day we went to a performance where any quartet could perform for the campers.

Here is a sample of some of the performances given.

This given by a Ontario quartet.

    Besides working on culling out our stuff and moving into the basement apartment, we always seemed to be very busy with all sorts of activities. Visiting family and babysitting was a top priority and we tried our best to accommodate everyone.

Now we are caught up for last year. Onto our travels to British Columbia and the Yukon.