Suddenly it is May

 My word, I have no idea where to start. 

Firstly, there are a lot of birds in our new yard, so much so that their songs fill the air from morning until night. And here's something--last night was our first one in the house on Campbell Street and it was one to remember because storms raged throughout the night, including a tornado in the next town! Fortunately we had no damage but others are without power or water along with downed trees/limbs. 

We closed on the house last Friday, the 3rd of May at a downtown law office. We met our realtor Donna there and David Cowan, the attorney who is in practice with his dad. It was all so easy and sweet if you want to know how it is in a small town.

The transaction was complete when he had his assistant come in the room with a check for $50 as a thank you for using their services. Unreal! Immediately we drove the two blocks where Donna took our first photo, probably soon to be many photos, on the front steps. Looked okay on a tiny phone, but not so much in this space but you get the idea!

As is our wont, we immediately went to work, moving things trip by trip from the cottage.

We both agreed that we have accumulated more than we thought! Our time at the cottage was so special that I have to admit, more than once I was teary eyed while packing. We just so love Laura and John and the family. The deer!   

I was really feeling nostalgic when the closet, once packed looked like this. Those would be my pickleball shoes that we left there because I participated in ladies doubles yesterday, late morning when it was hot as the dickens. Let's just say that Lori and I improved with each successive game! 

I still have the refrigerator to clean at the cottage, but for the most part we are moved out. Bittersweet would be a good way to describe our feelings right about now. 

Last Saturday it was raining, but still our friends Cobby and Diane met us with their truck at the nearby antique marketplace to transport the dresser we bought to use as a buffet. Bruce worried like mad that the raindrops would damage it, but all's well that ends well.

I may have mentioned that the living room at the cottage looked like a lamp store? Or did I? Anyway we had seven lamps clustered on the floor, mostly bought at TJ Maxx or Homegoods, and above are two of them. Generally,as you well know, I am more of a colored lamp person, but we bought what we could find. I've yet to even show you how pretty that drive to Cleveland, TN was. Hopefully I will get there once we are more settled.

It must have been Friday after the closing that we went straight to Walmart for any number of things.

Excuse me a moment, I must go down to the basement to get something out of the dryer as it keeps reminding me to do so. Amazing that I can hear it in the new office upstairs but it has been relentless. 

The fact that I typed the above sentence is almost unimaginable, or so I would have thought a year ago! The porch cushions were in there for drying after last night's monsoon. The big rugs we bought are now drenched! Hank came over Sunday afternoon for a visit, bringing us a housewarming gift of an azalea. Unlike the azaleas at home, here they are absolutely laden with blooms unlike anything I have seen outside of Vancouver. He is doing so well here and is brimming with enthusiasm for this little town he's called home for two years now.

Tomorrow will be a hard day for him as it would have been Carol's birthday, although as the years pass it becomes easier.

Bruce had a fellow come change the locks on Monday,

and while he was still here, the furniture arrived, minus the dining room, which is still in transit.

Before they walked in the living room looked like this:

After delivery it looked like this:

Can you even believe that Japanese Maple out front? It is glorious and a haven for birds.

Now we were ready for company! Mark and Mary Beth arrived, followed soon thereafter by John and Laura. Bruce insisted John try out his new chairs! which are in what we are calling the parlor, adjacent to the living room. Lots and lots of small rooms my friends.

We have been absolutely saved by the previous owners who have left all manner of small tables. Seriously, maybe ten? We did pay for them, but we very much got more than we paid for. The little table between the chairs has a cupboard and a marble top. Perfect! While Bruce was touring John and Laura, Mark and Mary Beth rested in the new "thrones" after just returning from five weeks away the night before. It was very sweet of them to make that effort! 

I'm giving advance warning that their will undoubtedly be plenty of house photos in the near future and that is because it seems as if the light is very nice inside.

I was a little leery of the size of the kitchen, but I've cooked dinner two nights now and it is working just fine. I figured if I could prepare meals at a picnic table I could do so most anywhere. Plus, the refrigerator is nearly new and takes magnets! Hurray! Art work was also left in every room.

We are leaving the cottage just when the irises are blooming alongside the front steps.

And for the first time ever, there were Rose-Breasted Grosbeak at the feeder.  In spite of one not looking like the others, it is the female version that has the brown coloring. 

Honestly I was flabbergasted because before last week I'd never seen one in my life! During our time away in Florida, most of my small birds took off to parts unknown. It was a sad moment when Bruce put the screen back up! When I got up to check on the dryer, passing through the long hallway,  I could see birds on the front porch! Where the feeders will go here is ytbd. One thing is with the super old glass, I won't be taking photos through the window because it is, while crystal clear, a bit wavy.

The good news is we have peonies! Two bushes. Along with a lilac tree, hydrangeas, hostas, and a whole host of goodies that I know nothing about, including the fact that the peonies are SO fragrant. 

Slightly droopy after the storm, but still hanging in there! We have met most of the neighbors and the first thing each and every one of them have said is how much they love the neighborhood. 

Bruce is already a regular at Lowes where he bought the lumber to make the shelf that is holding all manner of shop supplies. 

The car this trip was about two-thirds full of tools and that brings me much joy to see him in his element once more. Seven years ago when he divested himself of so many tools in order for us to move to Vancouver it was painful so all these years later we are in the process of healing that wound. Speaking of wounds, Bruce is suffering from an seeming out of the clear blue, onset of carpal tunnel syndrome which has made some of what we've been doing very painful indeed. He left me to either walk home or get a ride yesterday in order to go to the doctor in nearby Blairsville, hoping to get some relief. They ordered a nerve conduction procedure which does not thrill him in the least. We shall see what comes next! Turns out Linda drove me home with Nancy accompanying us to see the house. After the tour you can probably already guess where we spent our time visiting. If you assumed I meant the porch you did good.

A few other things worth noting: both of us are going to probably be losing weight what with all of the steps needed to navigate the house between all three levels. For those worried, both of us are being very mindful of our limitations and are keeping safety at the forefront of our minds. Were we crazy to do this at our age? Maybe but so far it has been fun! Secondly it cannot be stated often enough how grateful we are for both the opportunity to own this historic house AND how clean and tidy they left everything!! When Linda was here yesterday, as she cleans houses when not playing pickleball, she remarked on how perfect they left everything. We agree! Plus, they left us this gorgeous tree!

Just when you thought I had fallen off the face of the earth, here I am, once again sitting at my iMac, using fantastic wifi, I might add, writing stories about life whatever it may bring. So far so good!!

I remain,

your friend, 

Gail

We've Been Busy

Gosh, is it possible that we only have two more months to enjoy this spectacular location? The answer is yes, so we are making the most of the fine weather and beautiful sights to see while we can. As to the weather, while it is raining cats and dogs in Orlando, for the most part, May has been very dry here with nearly 16 hours of daylight! Quite the contrast to a few months ago, that's for sure.

Mr. Peck hit the big milestone of 65 last Friday and has begun enjoying his senior discount with glee. Saturday afternoon, after arising at 4 AM to watch the royal wedding, we walked to the movie theater to see Deadpool, curious about what we would recognize from the next door filming. Amazingly, we ran into both Dale and Jackie there! Proving the point that every big city is a small town if you stay in your neighborhood. To tell you the truth, I was pretty excited about it because, well, after a lifetime of seeing people I know while out and about, it has been strange not doing so. Not that it should be unexpected when you move somewhere new, however, I think you get my drift. That's the thing, we are getting very comfortable here and it is nearly time to leave. I'm actually a wee bit proud that we've gotten to know some folks because isn't that what makes a life great? Enough of my rambling, let's get to some of those activities, shall we?

Rather than a cake for B's birthday, after seeing rhubarb at Nesters, I decided to make him a rhubarb crisp instead. He is crazy for rhubarb. We also had steak at home, something we've had only a handful of times because it is crazy expensive here, despite the fact that Canada produces a lot of beef.

Funny story about the crisp though as this is my second attempt. I prepared everything the night before with plans to bake it first thing in the morning for his breakfast. Except once I began putting it together, I got the notion that I should have peeled the rhubarb and threw it all away. Dumb, I know. I bought another batch and tried again, this time being more careful. While I was out buying the rhubarb, I stopped in to see Wendy at the liquor store for vodka to make Bruce a Caesar as a treat. He is crazy for that drink. What is a Caesar, you ask? Basically a Canadian Bloody Mary. The spicier the better is his motto. Wendy allowed me to take her photograph.

She gave me all sorts of tips about our trip to Victoria, including the romantic place I booked for Bruce's second birthday celebration. Not only has she sold me loads of wine while we are here, but she's become someone I might call a casual friend. She's lived here for ages, having moved from England.

We also can absolutely not forget the pastors at the church we've been attending. Both Gary and Dan are dynamos, and we can't thank them enough for welcoming us into the church family. Somehow they have managed to make the church service a fantastic blend of old and new.

Someone else we don't want to forget is Penny, a former nurse with a sharp wit that keeps us laughing every Sunday.

On his way to and from work, oftentimes Bruce cuts a diagonal through a large parking lot, slated  to become home to a new Vancouver Art Gallery. Anyway, last week he saw them dumping truck loads of sand in said parking lot, so after church/lunch, we walked over to see what we could see. Turns out it was a polo demonstration, as well as some jumping. So crazy in the middle of the city! Before they started, the horses were warmed up and shown to the crowd.

Followed by a man who smoothed the sand in preparation for play.

That would be a VIP tent on the right. 😀After a humorous introduction to the players, the mini version of polo began. As it turns out, we'd moved to not face the sun, ending up directly behind the goal; slightly unnerving to be honest.

We didn't hang around long enough for the jumping, mostly because we'd gotten there too late for a seat, but what little we saw was fun, not to mention, added to our growing list of new experiences.

On our way to church Sunday, we passed by the Davie Street community garden and while time did not permit us to stop that day, I made my rounds Monday morning. Bruce was home because it was Victoria Day, one of many reminders that this area of the world was once ruled by the British. Because so many people live in apartments, without a piece of land to call their own, these types of gardens are not uncommon around the city, in this instance on busy Davie Street.

Many people have told me just wait for the roses to bloom and now I see why. Some are beginning to flower, and just as every other blooming plant I've seen, there are abundant blooms. Plus, most of the roses I've seen have been very fragrant, a wonderful surprise. Naturally, I was loving this color.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bruce went to replenish our wine supply, going with his motto of, if one is good, two are better.

These are the steps we use to get to loads of places and it just so happened that as I was in front of the building, returning from my rounds, I called B to see where he was. Lo and behold, he was just across the street, thus the funny photograph using my zoom lens. After lunch we took a walk. A very long walk to Stanley Park, around most of the seawall in a first for Bruce. "Honey", I said, "you can't live here without doing it at least once!" Seeing the cliffs, and in general, enjoying being along the water is a must-do when in Vancouver.

But first I showed him the heron's nests which are filled with activity. Then we watched the lawn bowling for a bit, which looked very fun. The lady in all white, or so we were told, is 90 years old and a former national champion of the sport.

Further we were told that lawn bowling is an easy game to learn, and a hard one to become good at. On our way to check out the pitch and putt, lo and behold, we watched a raccoon scamper up a tree, and, well, climb in!

There was a slight chill in the air from the wind, however, with such abundant sunshine, the walk along the water was wonderful.

Bruce kept asking, how much further, to which I replied, just a little bit. I lied. Not intentionally, however, once you are walking it is not so easy to bail out. Plus, I wanted him to see Siwash Rock, another Vancouver landmark.

The bridge, featured prominently in Deadpool and other movies, was our next destination, further than I remembered, however we were energized when this appeared from behind the cliffs.

Pretty awesome, huh? It was low tide during our walk, giving the seagulls a nice place to land.

Fortunately I carry around a map of SP in my backpack, so using that, we veered off the seawall into the interior, coming to Beaver Lake which is jam packed with hyacinths blooming in various shades of pink.

As well, there were both yellow and purple irises blooming along the shoreline. Seeing them, I was reminded of one of the first photographs I put out for sale, same subject matter. I also remembered being so thrilled, showing it to Regina like it was something out of the ordinary. Naive, I'll admit.

Which brings us to Tuesday when we set out on another new adventure to Victoria, another must do if you are here for any length of time. Packing a suitcase, we drove the thirty or so miles to Tsawwassen where you board the ferry bound for Victoria and other Gulf Islands.

So far, so good you think and why would you think any differently? We sure did. Following the cars, we got in line, driving onto the ferry like we knew what we were doing. Watching the other folks, after parking your car, you go up some steps to the seating, except in our case, I convinced B to go up to the very windy viewing deck for takeoff.

All of a sudden we were on the move, and this is where it got a little crazy. Looking at my watch, I saw it was 10:35 and I asked B to check his phone as our ferry was meant to depart at 11. Uh oh. What's going on? I'll tell you what went on, in the above photo, see the ferry ready to dock? Of course you do! That was the boat we were meant to board!

We laughed and laughed, or at least I did. Bruce just kept puzzling over how in the hell we could have gotten on the wrong ferry. No harm though, although it meant we had to drive down the island about an hour longer to get to Victoria. Instead, we are looking at it as an introduction to Vancouver Island, and a dry run for when we return in a few weeks for a big fishing trip. We won't make the same mistake twice!

Lots to tell about Victoria, but I'll save that for a different post. Suffice it to say, I checked something off my bucket list, well, actually I don't have one, but we did make it to the Butchart Gardens, a spectacular place that I'd been wanting to see ever since Angela showed me her photos from there.

Peonies and Himalayan blue poppies! Unreal! Until next time...

yours truly,

Gail