Our Last Full Day

We found out this morning that Freija (Norse Goddess of War) had demolished the top of our Skip-Bo box.  She was appropriately contrite.

Supposedly a mix of Border Collie and Coon Hound, she looks more like a Greyhound from the front shoulders back.  But a great pet for the family.

After Mardi drove Chloe to school, we headed for Duncan to meet Wayne and Judy for lunch.

Spent some quality time getting up-to-date and reminiscing about "the good old days", like when we, at ages 5 and 7, would hike up the escarpment and be gone all day.  And built forts to watch for Germans, as the Harvard trainers roared overhead (when the war ended I was 8 and Wayne was 6).

Or the time we shot a hole through his dad's garage wall with this gem.

Just pop a cannon cracker down the barrel, light it, add a marble, and do some damage!

Wayne offered to let me fly the gun and ammo home to show Roger, but I decided I would rather avoid jail time.  Got away with the original crime - why push my luck?

That gun is over 70 years old.  You have to make another trip west to see it brother.

After saying adieu to Wayne and Judy we headed a bit north to Chemainus, the home of murals.  For those of you who were along for the ride on our Alaska trip this will be a repeat.

The first one we saw was unique.  Three dimensional - the cart is outside the building.

My favourite.

Another three dimensional.

The Goddess of Earth.

Chemainus was bypassed by the highway, but ensured its economy would thrive by having murals on virtually every building, making it a "must see" tourist destination.

On the way back north we stopped in Ladysmith.  Barbara and Jo-Ann spent their hippie days in a communal house here.  Back then the harbour would be filled with logs being shipped to other countries - not any more, just driftwood on the far shore.

We catch our plane at 5:35 a.m. tomorrow.  The early flight allows us to have six wonderful hours twiddling our thumbs in the Calgary airport waiting for our connecting flight to Toronto.  I may, or may not, be in the mood to give you a final update - you might have to wait for late October and our Myrtle Beach/New Bern sojourn.  We'll see.