Well, this is it!

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The Di(e) has been cast!

Dianne has sent in her final retirement letter! There are three months left in the school year and we know it isn’t over until it’s over, but this time, it may be over. As I start this blog entry we are on Pender for a few days and Dianne has had a chance to get out in the yard and work on her plants. She is really looking forward to finally fixing this place up.

The renos are done but the property needs quite a bit of work. A lot of overgrown brush needs attention, the low spots (which are currently lakes) need to be levelled and some raised beds need to be designed. A small greenhouse may even appear. She really wants to get at it; I think this time it will happen.

Just to make sure it does, Dianne is busy planning (I mean we are busy planning) our next Big Trip. We think it will take place in September and October (to make sure we are away at the start of school) and places like the south of France, Italy and Crete appear prominently in the discussion. A friend we met in China has some house sitting gigs during this period and we plan to visit with her to see the sites and sights.

In case anyone is wondering, yes, the Superintendent did ask Dianne if she would like to return to a different job next year. Dianne says she wouldn’t mind doing a project or two for any school division but a full year job as Principal is not in the cards.

Christmas holidays

We are getting pretty familiar with the highway between Vernon and Pender. The Christmas Break saw us back on the Island for some much needed R&R. The weather was great but we didn’t get in any kayaking. Too bad.

We did acquire a used Seaward Passat G3, a rather large double kayak. This will be handy when grandchildren come to visit and be much easier for camping trips. The kayak is currently under wraps for the winter and I forgot to unwrap it for a picture.

We did manage to get all the family together for Christmas. Thanks to Steve and Tara who hosted the family in their home and Christmas dinner at their restaurant. It is always a good time when the cousins get together.

The drives back and forth through the Coquihalla were a breeze. On the way back we stopped for coffee in Falkland, about 50 kilometres from Vernon. As we came out of the restaurant we noticed a few flakes coming down. By the time we arrived home it was actually snowing. This was Saturday.

By Sunday night it was snowing heavily. Dianne decided she wanted to go for a walk in the beautiful snow. She bribed me by offering to make the destination one of the coffee shops nearby. We slogged our way down 30^th Ave, the Main Drag. The first coffee shop we came to had just closed. The second one is always closed on Sunday. We couldn't tell if the third one was open and it was too much effort to fight our way across 30^th to check. We turned up 27^th Street and walked from 30^th Ave to 39^th Ave. Normally that is an easy walk. Because 27^th is a main artery, it was ploughed regularly during the storm. This is a “good thing” for the cars but very annoying for pedestrians as the snow was deep and packed down. It wasn't hard enough to walk on so the leader had to break trail. We walked home on side streets.

Monday became a snow day. This was a break for the kids as they got not only a longer holiday but tons of snow to play in. It was a pain for the Principal as she and her trusty henchman had to walk to school through the drifts twice! In the morning she had to set the phone message cancelling school and be there in case anyone actually showed up. In the evening we had to reset the messages. Tuesday was still so bad it was another snow day and we got to repeat the walks.

We think everyone was glad to get back to school on the Wednesday. Of course, as it is now the end of March, the snow is all gone and the buds are starting to appear. We don't mention to the locals how much further along the Gulf Island and Victoria are.

Now What?

As the snow melted things were pretty soggy for a while. Some of the pain was relieved by the planning process for our Cuba trip over Spring Break. In fact, as I finalize this we have just arrived back to Vernon after a wonderful trip. We have reviewed the pictures and will be blogging about the trip shortly.

Three months to go before the final retirement. Planning for the European trip is in full swing as are plans for what goes back to Pender, what goes to the Knights of Columbus garage sale, what goes to the various thrift stores in town, etc.

So… To Be Continued…

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Photos

Post New Year's surprise
The street where we live the night after we arrived home from the Southern Gulf Islands. Our building manager did a great job of cleaning the sidewalk.

The Family
Gathered at Steve and Tara's for a wonderful Christmas

Just kept coming
No sitting around on your laurels or anything else like park benches.

The reward
Long live the cappuccino!

and coming!
We think there is a bench under here somewhere.

Not all bad. The effect
can be spectacular.

On the other hand,
Big Red and Little Green weren't too impressed. I used 4 wheel drive for the first time to get BR out of the snow bank!