Travel, hiking, milestones and other reasons to wag your tail.
When our dear friends, Kathy and Don suggested that we meet them in California for a mid-winter cycling holiday, we immediately said, “Yes!” Saying “yes” has been our mission statement for almost everything since the pandemic. We decided to extend the trip and add some golf to both ends of the cycling week and voila,…
I am not sure why I felt trepidation as we waited to board our Taiwanese EVA Air flight for the longest flight of my life, half-way around the world, to Asia. It was midnight at Toronto Pearson Airport, and I was about to turn into a pumpkin, as we patiently waited amongst a sea of…
We love to explore the world with our kids and have done so since they were very young. The pandemic put a stop to our grand family adventures, however, in late 2022, with quarantines and lockdowns behind us, we checked our calendars and booked a cycling trip to beautiful Burgundy, France. Two of the kids…
Paul and I love the beautiful island of Nevis in the West Indies. We love everything about this island- the people, the food, the tennis, the golf and a special stray dog we befriended on our first visit, named Coco. We first met Coco on the golf course, where the drink-cart attendant told us her…
Friends and family looked at Paul and me with bewilderment when we told them that we had booked to go on a riverboat cruise. They asked, “Isn’t that something you do when you are old?” But this was no ORDINARY riverboat cruise. Our Newfoundland friends, Mark and Sandra, invited us to join them and a…
Paul and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary on August 8th, 2022, and to mark this tremendous milestone, we decided that an epic trip was in order. Our worldly adventures had been put on hold for over 30 months, due to the pandemic. It was finally time to see the world again and The Dolomites,…
I have been in my book club since 2002, when a good friend gathered a group of like-minded women to meet monthly and discuss books. Many of us had put our careers on hold to raise our families and support our ambitious and hard-working husbands, as their careers soared. We were living within blocks of…
Hawaii has always been on our travel bucket list, yet until now, has been pushed aside for more exotic, challenging or nearer destinations. Friends and family have travelled to Hawaii and come back with rave reviews. When we could not decide where to travel for our November 2019 trip, Hawaii appeared on our shortlist. All…
Our family has been travelling the world together since the kids were born. Lexi travelled with us to Banff, Alberta when she was four months old, beginning a tradition of summer family adventures. We know that our time as a party of five is fleeting, as in the near future, the dynamic will change when…
It all began with a chat around the lunch table, after golf one day in June. We were talking about hiking holidays and my friend Trish said that Newfoundland was on her travel bucket list. I mentioned that I had been to Newfoundland many times and would be thrilled to visit again. Remelyn, another friend…
I do my best to embrace Canada’s long winters. We own a lovely ski chalet in the Caledon Hills and participate in our ski club’s adult ski racing program. I take long, rigorous walks in the snow and I have a closet full of winter gear to keep me warm. That all said, there comes…
In July 2006, our family travelled to Newfoundland for an adventurous family holiday. Little did we know at the time, soon Newfoundland would become a place of business and regular visits for Paul for the next ten years and an annual destination for me. In our travels to Newfoundland, we have visited only a small…
Our airport limo bobbed and weaved around horse drawn carriages, scooters, pedestrians, donkey carts and yellow cabs, as we made our way to our hotel, just outside the Medina in Marrakech. We felt a rush of excitement at arriving in this exotic and magical place. We arrived at La Mamounia, a stunningly elegant hotel that…
I first heard about the Camino de Santiago when I saw the Martin Sheen movie, The Way a few years ago. While it was a sad story about loss, it showcased a beautiful part of the world where people from all over have walked since the Middle Ages. What could be better than a hiking…
There is nothing like a week in the sun in the midst of the long, cold Canadian winter. For the third time in six months we convinced the kids to join us for a family holiday. I know that these family holidays are fleeting, as the kids get older and busier. We look forward to…
Paul and I were married on August 8th, 1992 in Toronto, 25 years ago. To celebrate we travelled to the “Ends of the Earth” for a hiking expedition holiday with Butterfield and Robinson, in panoramic Pategonia. It was spectacular. Our journey began with an overnight flight from Toronto to Santiago, Chile, a brief layover and…
A few years ago my Dad sent me an email with a picture of a spectacular scene and jokingly said, “I have found the hike for you!” It was part of a collection of the “Best Hikes in the World” and the picture was of Pulpit Rock, a rocky cliff overlooking a fjord in Norway.…
Paul and I knew that we wanted to take a special trip to celebrate our 50th birthdays. We chose California (believe it or not, a place I had never been) and booked the trip to fall between our two big days. As my birthday loomed (I am the older woman by 3 months and 2…
In the last few years, Iceland has become the “hot” place to visit. Maybe it is the name, suggesting a very cold, remote place. Maybe, it was the stories about erupting volcanoes disrupting air travel in Europe. Maybe it was the result of a very successful marketing campaign by Icelandic Air. For whatever reason, I…
Costa Rica’s unofficial slogan is Pura Vida, meaning pure life. After spending two weeks there in March, I understand the meaning and why the Ticos (Costa Ricans) say it so often. Life in Costa Rica is simple and beautiful. It was Ross’ final high school March Break, so we decided to change things up and…