Auld Lang Syne

      When travelling, you meet so many new people and that has certainly been the case as we have been travelling across Canada. We have met so many new friends through our activities in each province. During this year we have not only met new friends but we have connected with family and friends from the past. What a joy to meet and catch up with them. Here are some:.....

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     On our way out of Ontario, we stayed overnight at the house of Al's niece Paula.  We had a lovely visit with her at her home in Thunder Bay. We got to see how much her son Finn has grown since the last time we saw him.

Paula, Bev and Al in Thunder Bay

     In Calgary, we stopped by to visit Bev's cousin Susan and her husband Bill. They live in a very nice part of the city where most of the homes have been rebuilt. They had done that many years ago and now have a lovely home. We were treated to a lovely meal and got to catch up. Susan and Bill's daughter was home and she had friends staying with them from Australia. Of course the conversation turned to places and sayings in Australia as well as us telling about our travels and our own trip to Australia in 2017.  It was a lovely evening.  There was a little deja vu. We stayed in our trailer outside the front of their house just like we did 30 years ago when we travelled out west with our kids in a motorhome.

Al, Bev, Susan and Bill in Calgary

     Bev's first job as a teenager was working at Alderwood Pool in Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario. She first started out as a locker room attendant but soon became an aquatic instructor and lifeguard and the rest was history. During the years, she worked with many amazing people. We were a great team who worked and played hard together. Over the years, many of these people moved to various parts of Canada. While in Vancouver, we met up with two of them, Barb from Surrey and Harry from Parksville. We spent a wonderful afternoon reminiscing about the past and how we had benefited from being in the aquatics field.

Bev, Harry and Barb in Burnaby.

     Surprise Meeting: While in Victoria, on the Vancouver Island, we went to visit the fisherman's wharf in Victoria's Inner Harbour. More about fisherman's wharf will be in a future blog. After touring through the floating houses and fishing boats we decided to go for a coffee/tea at a local coffee shop. While we were enjoying our beverage, two young police officers in uniform came in. As we were putting away our mugs, Al was surprised to see that one of the officers was an officer that he coached and worked with in the Toronto Police Service when the officer first joined. Jamie had only been in Victoria for a few months, having moved from Toronto. He was in the city alone. His family was going to follow him there once the school year was finished for the summer. Jamie invited us to dinner the next day and treated us to nice meal in a local pub. Al and Jamie had a great conversation about the differences between Toronto and Victoria police forces and reminisced about old times. You just never

know who you will meet.

Al and Jamie, ex-Toronto police officers, in Victoria

     While in Whitehorse, Yukon, we visited with our son's childhood friend Jason. They were good friends that grew up and went to elementary and high schools together. There was always a group of friends who played games (computer), explored the woodlands in the neighbourhood, etc. Jason was an RCMP officer stationed in the Yukon and worked and lived in a variety of small towns for many years. Deciding he would move on to better things, Jason has left the force. He still lives in Whitehorse and one morning while we were staying in the City,  Jason took us out for breakfast. It was nice to chat with him about business, the area and life in general. It felt a little strange but comfortable talking with him as an adult while remembering back to when he was young  That is the thing -- we all grow up. We had

a wonderful visit and meal.

Jason, Bev and Al in Whitehorse

     In 1988, when we moved into our home in Newmarket, the first neighbours we met were Donna and her husband, Geoff. Donna was a piano teacher and of course all our kids took lessons from her. Bev even had a turn with lessons. Donna was a wonderful teacher, very enthusiastic about the piano.  Years later her family moved a few blocks away and lived in a bigger house. Then Geoff got a job in BC and the whole family moved to Maple Ridge, BC. We lost touch with them but when we were Vancouver we were determined to find Donna. We looked her up on-line, knowing that she had a new husband and likely a new surname, but we found her. We phoned and it was a total surprise for her that we were in BC. We arranged a time in the fall to go and visit with them. We drove more than 2 hours from Kamloops to Maple Ridge. Although it was a rainy day, it was so good to catch up with Donna and walk down memory lane. We also got to meet her new husband, Greg, and to see her beautiful home. Greg is a retired RCMP officer so Al and Greg had a lot in common. Oh, it was so nice to hear about Donna going back to school and becoming a teacher and continue her education and then becoming a school principal. This past June, she retired from a career she totally loved.

Donna, Greg, Bev and Al in Maple Ridge

Donna and Bev

     One of the good things about travelling is meeting people but to meet people from your past is so amazing. Who else will we meet? I wonder!