Cindy's Excellent Vacation - Part I, Canada

Dear family and friends,

I have recently returned from 5 weeks of visiting with family in the US and Canada. It was a wonderful vacation from my eternal vacation in Mexico and I'll tell you about it in pictures. This blog entry is going to be out of my usual style with only a few pictures of buildings but a lot of the people I love.

It all began at Falcon Lake in Manitoba where Jim and I met up with our kids, Patrick's partner, Emily, and Bridget's partner, Phillip, to enjoy time together in the beautiful Canadian wilderness.


This beautiful cabin was our lakeside retreat for one week courtesy of Phillip's family.





It was the perfect venue for relaxing, which we did like pros - reading, watching movies and episodes of Boston Legal, playing Cribbage and Dominoes . . .







. . . soaking up the ever elusive rays of sunshine ...







. . . and, of course, cooking and eating. Great kitchen, great groceries, great cooks, great home-cooked meals and I didn't have to do any of it - my dream vacation.








Emily reflects our hosts' attitude towards the unusual cool temperatures and constant threat of rain ...

















. . . but we didn't let the iffy weather interfere with our outdoor pursuits. There were kayaks to paddle in search of bald eagles and loons . . .


. . . and hikes across the Precambrian Canadian Shield.


When the rain held off we were happy . . .







. . . to improve on our lawn bowling skills . . .



















. . . take a spin on the lake under Phillip's capable captaincy . . .





















. . . and visit a fish hatchery. (Yes, I know these aren't fish but we were at the hatchery, it's the only decent picture of the family that we have, and pictures of fish are boring anyway so deal with it.)


And on the one sunny, warm day we had we made the most of it - either hanging on for dear life . . .









. . . or letting go for the time of our life.













Rain or shine, cold or hot, we had an excellent time.