Travel, hiking, milestones and other reasons to wag your tail.
Our dog Lucy was born on June 26, 2001 at Amaranth Kennel near Shelbourne, Ontario. A purebred black Labrador Retriever, Lucy’s full official name was Amaranth’s Lucy in the Sky. We named her Lucille, after a character in the Junie B. Jones book series that Lexi was reading at the time. It also seemed fitting…
Dear Friends, The Ziyadeh family arrived in Canada on July 21st with just four suitcases containing all that they owned. Now, over two months later, they are happily settled in a fully furnished apartment. Thanks to you and many other individuals, the family has received so many donations, all of which have made their transition…
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…
For a long time Peru has been on my list of places to travel and fit my quest of traveling once a year to somewhere adventurous and off the beaten path. We decided to take Lexi and Jack on a holiday in April, once their university exams were finished and before their summer jobs began.…
On March 7th, 2015 my sister Miriam turned 50. Whether she is halfway to 100 or has lived the life of two 25-year olds, Miriam is proof that 50 is the new 40. Miriam is a gal on the go, a leader in her community, a committed mom, a devoted wife and an exercise enthusiast…
A few months ago, I was going through a box of old books and came across Life’s Little Instruction Book by H. Jackson Brown. The author wrote the book as a gift for his son who was heading off to college. With two children in university and another heading that way in few years, I…
Sister, mother, nana, wife, gourmet cook, bridge player, world traveller, civil servant. Born in Brampton, Ontario on April 22, 1941. Died on August 19th, 2012 in Mississauga, of cancer, age 71. Karen was the beloved second sister, in a close-knit family of seven daughters. She was born to Jack and Jeanne Calvert, greenhouse farmers, in…
My Branksome Yearbook Submission for Lexi’s Graduating Year – parents were asked to submit a passage for the yearbook. Dear Lexi, The years have flown by and it is hard to believe that you are graduating from high school and off to university. Each year I have recorded our family news in a letter at…
Mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, gourmet cook, avid reader. Born April 16, 1915, in Toledo, Ohio. Died April 22 in Toronto of natural causes, aged 95. Elizabeth Jane Fraser, known as Betty Jane, was born in Toledo, Ohio, the middle of three children of Canadians John Beverley Fraser and Elizabeth Webber How. Betty Jane’s father…
I delivered my two boys, ages 10 and 13 to their overnight summer camp on Georgian Bay yesterday, after a week of painstaking packing. They are going to camp for 25 days and there is a comprehensive clothing and equipment list that I followed. Everything is clean, neatly folded and labeled. I have sent pre-addressed…
A famous person once said, “To be rich in friends is to be poor in nothing”. Looking around at this gathering today, it is obvious that Derek and Robyn are millionaires. Of course, it is a perfect day! It is 25 degrees, sunny and there is 0% chance of precipitation. This is not surprising for…