Settling in.

We’ve had three full days here now and are getting to know our way around a bit, although we haven’t ventured too far from home. Tuesday Eric and Kathy took us grocery shopping. It was a bit of an experience. It’s going to take a while to figure out what everything is and what brand to buy. Kathy was a big help . A big thing here is where to buy things like butter, cheese, bread and coffee. The Mexican brands are not so good. Ian and I are going in to shop for those items today. We are down to about a tablespoon of butter. I’m also out of wine and the small convenience stores near to us  only sell beer. YIKES!😱 On Wednesday I joined Kathy and friends for their weekly luncheon. They choose a different restaurant each week. This week was a place called Lucky Bees. It turns out that it stands for Lucky Bastards. At any rate it was a great place. The food was fantastic and the service was excellent. There were two tables of us. Twenty women and our waiter had all of our names memorized before lunch was served.
While we were enjoying our lunch Eric and Ian went to get my phone activated. After waiting in a long lineup they were informed that my phone was still locked. So I wonder what the guy from Bell was doing all that time I was on the phone with him. After an hour he assured me it was unlocked. Oh well, it’s unlocked now and all is good.
Yesterday(Thursday) was a quiet day for Ian and I. We walked the beach and then just sat on beach chairs and enjoyed a few Pacifico’s. In the evening I went to bingo with Kathy and the girl’s. It was a lot of fun and I even won a game. Kathy won two, one of which was the final blackout. Big money! Not as much fun as darts but still a nice way to spend a couple of hours.
So I’m off for my morning walk now. Ola.

We’re Here!

We finally made it to Mazatlan. We didn’t get out of Salem until 11:40 so it was another long day’s driving. Fortunately we made it over the mountains and through the pass without even a trace of snow. Temperatures made it up to 19 degrees in some places. We got into a little place called Galt which  is not too far south of Sacramento. Stayed at the Best Western ($84.00) and went to a really nice pub/grill for some lovely beers and wine. Another long haul the following day........weather good except for lots of smoke and smog. Traffic was horrific from well north of LA all the way to Palm Springs. They had jacked up the hotel prices in anticipation of New Year’s Eve. We stopped at the Comfort Inn and they wanted $199.00 plus taxes so we went next door to the Motel 6. Just an absolute dive and they wanted $104.00 plus taxes. That’s what we paid at the Red Lion in Salem and it was lovely. Fully equipped and a really good hot breakfast. Anyway, at the Motel6 we did not get a microwave, fridge, coffee pot, kettle, tea, coffee, hair dryer or even shampoo. Thank you Motel 6!
The following day was a much better experience. We stayed at another Red Lion (recommended by Judy.......thank you Judy). We were upgraded to a suite, which was lovely. The following morning our shuttle bus driver didn’t show up (perhaps one too many New Year’s cocktails). So the hotel called a cab. He got us to the airport on time but the cab was so filthy that I felt as though I needed a shower after I got out.
Our flight landed on time and Kathy and Eric were there to greet us. They brought us to our resort to drop off luggage and then back to their place for Happy Hour and a lovely Mexican dinner. Kathy made enchiladas, Mexican rice and a lovely salad. What a great start to our trip. So off we go to grocery shop this morning. I think in the afternoon I will be playing cards with Kathy and some of her friends. Sounds like a good day to me.

Stuck in Salem According to our helpful dealer

Well, we made it as far as Salem, Oregon our first. For the most part the roads were pretty good and we were making food time......until we go closer to Portland and then it was gridlock. Altogether it took about two hours to get into and then out of Portland. Can’t understand how people do this everyday. Anywa, we’ve been having an ongoing problem with our car over the last six months or so.  According to our helpful dealer up in Vernon there is nothing wrong with the car. Because they can not replicate the problem (which is a very distinct miss in the engine). Maybe they could if they tried but they don’t seem to like to do that. So the problem was becoming quite severe so we decided to go into the Honda dealer here in Salem. We couldn’t believe our reception. They treated us like real people and believed us and everything! Boy could the dealerships in Canada learn a thing or two from them down in the States. We’be also had good luck with them in Phoenix. Anyway, they found the problem and it will be fixed between 9:00 and 10:00 this morning. They also gave us a courtesy car to use last night. So hopefully we get away at a decent time today. And then it will be drive, drive and drive some more. We have to make up time so we don’t miss our flight to Mexico. So....wish us luck!

Going to Mazatlan

Well, tomorrow we are heading south to Hermiston and then west to Bigg’s Junction. From there we will take the I-5 and continue south. Final destination is Phoenix where we will stay at the Red Lion Inn for New Year’s Eve. The following morning we fly to Mazatlan where we will meet up with Eric and Kathy. Looking forward to seeing them and getting out of this cold!

Christmas Day in Kelowna.

Well, it’s Christmas Day. We’ve had the quietest Christmas morning we’ve ever had . Just the two of us for breakfast. We then spent the morning doing some last minute things to get ready for our upcoming trip south. The plan is to be on the road by six on the morning of the 27th, hoping to spend the first night in Biggs junction.
We went to Three Links Manor to have Christmas dinner with mom. She was in good spirits and we had a good visit. My brother Rob and his wife Evelyn stopped in for a visit with mom as well. This evening we are going to Brenda and Basil’s for another Christmas dinner along with Brenda’s brother Bryan and Don and Bonnie Hanes.
Tomorrow will be spent finishing up packing and making sure that we get off to bed early. This, of course, will depend on how well behaved we are at Brenda’s and Basil’s. We do have a habit of not behaving too well there. Anyway, getting pretty excited about getting out of here. We have lots of snow and pretty darn cold. (Minus 9 this morning). BRRRR!

Almost home!

We arrived in Vancouver at about 4:00 Wednesday afternoon to about 2 degrees. We knew what the weather was like but it was still a bit of a shock. It felt really good to be back on Canadian soil. The air was crisp, the sun was setting, Christmas lights everywhere, there's no place like home! Ian's brother Brian (Barney) picked us up, took us home, fed us beer and wine and cooked us a great meal. I slept 9 hours that night and Ian slept about 14. He stayed up later than I did and had a little more Christmas cheer.

Anyway, in the morning I got up, had breakfast, a really good cup of coffee and off I went to Christmas shop for my son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. I had so much fun shopping in familiar stores where I knew where to find things and I was by myself!  The only sour note yesterday was that we found that the gifts that I had purchased for the granddaughters as well as my camera had been stolen out of my carry on bag. Before we boarded our flight in L.A. an announcement came on asking passengers to please check their carry-ons as the flight was full and space was going to be tight in the overhead. So, I checked mine. I will never do that again. Ian has put in a claim so we shall see. But there will be no replacing the pictures. Fortunately the chip in the camera was replaced about 2 weeks ago so we will still have the previous ones.

Today I am going to stay with my son's family just for overnight and have a pre-Christmas visit with them. Ian is going to visit his son's family and then on Saturday we will visit Ian's sister Kathryn and her family. The plan is to head for Kelowna on Sunday before any nasty weather comes in. We are going to visit Ian's mom on Sunday morning and then carry on. Look forward to seeing you all!

Linda and Ian

One More Sleep!

The morning we left Tauranga the sun was shining and it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day so we decided to try to find a nice little place by the sea that was close to Auckland to spend our last few days. It is only about a 3 1/2 to 4 hr. drive from Tauranga to Auckland so we thought that we could find our perfect little place with time to spare. I thought that maybe we'd have a little time to beach comb or suntan before Happy Hour. After driving for about 7 hrs. and investigating every nook and cranny between Tauranga and Auckland I can safely tell you that no such place exists. I guess we got spoiled on the south island.

So we finally stopped for the night in Waiuku at the oldest continuously operating hotel in New Zealand. (1852) We pulled into the parking lot and before Ian turned the engine off we could hear the music. The place was just rocking! There was a live band (using the term loosely) and the place was packed to the rafters. But they had a room for us and that was all that mattered.

We headed down the street to a great little pub called the Wolf and Beaver, neither of which lives in New Zealand. There was a few bikers and two young couples in the place when we arrived but they soon left and we had the place to ourselves. The quiet was heavenly and the food was very good. No chips for a change. We had a good chat with the staff---they had bets going on in the kitchen as to whether or not we were Americans or Canadians.

We went back to the hotel where , thank heaven, the band had quit and gone home. We couldn't figure out why on a Monday night, out in the middle of nowhere, this place was so busy. Turns out it was a local business Christmas party. Never even occurred to us. So we got talking to some of the locals (as we often do) and had a few drinks (as we often do) and met an old guy who is about to be knighted. He  heard we were from Canada and wanted to join our table as he had been there many years ago training air traffic controllers in Vancouver. Very interesting man.

The next morning we left there and after much more searching wound up at the Best Western at the airport. The problem has been finding a hotel that had room for us for 2 nights. We really didn't want to have to move again.

Today was spent trying to find sweaters that are actually made in New Zealand. They have the same problem here that we have in Canada. Everything is made in China or Bangladesh.  Actually, finding them hasn't been the problem. Finding them under $400-$500 is the problem. We finally were successful this morning. We found a family run wool shop that had some lovely things for reasonable prices.

And now this evening we are off to the local British- style pub for our last dinner. Up early tomorrow morning to pack (caught up on the laundry yesterday) and then we'll have a few hours to kill before heading for the airport. I guess we won't be meeting up with Alan Spence (Ian's cousin) as he has been ill with angina this last few days and he also just returned from Thailand with a flu bug. We sure don't want to bring that home. Anyway, Georgina has advised us to stay where we are because the weather at home is so crummy, but we are getting a little homesick for friends and family. So we look forward to seeing you all soon!

Linda and Ian