We are moving west for several reasons. One is a lifestyle change. I’ve adjusted to living in the sprawling suburbs, and while we living in a (rental) house, it was nice. But for the last 2-1/2 years we’ve been living in an apartment. A nice apartment, and a large one,
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wmtc: two weeks in northern ontario: the good, the bad, and the mushrooms
Our Ontario trip was a mixed bag of ups and downs, but mostly ups. Everything is pretty good with some not-so-good mixed in. Traveling with Diego. We loved it! It was so much fun having us with him all the time, and seeing him so happy and content. Downside: Traveling with
Continue readingwmtc: we head north
We’re going glamping! Allan, Diego, and I are hitting the road. Driving this: Going here: Killarney Provincial Park Lake Superior Provincial Park Sleeping Giant Provincial Park Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park Pancake Bay Provincial Park Grundy Lake Provincial Park Plus quick visits to Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, and Thunder Bay. Doing
Continue readingwmtc: two days in new york city
This is one of those posts I write only for myself. This blog functions as my travel diary, and I like that diary to be complete. So here I am. Feel free to ignore. Which of course you always are, and you don’t need me to tell you that. I
Continue readingwmtc: vancouver island day eight: nanaimo, qualicum beach, parksville
Our final full day on the island, we did a little of everything. We drove through different areas of Nanaimo, went into more bookstores, went food shopping to make a simple dinner at the house, and drove a little further north to the towns of Parksville and Qualicum Beach. Parksville has
Continue readingwmtc: vancouver island day seven: chemainus, ladysmith, nanaimo
Poor Allan, the only non-morning person in our little group, being faced with three high-octane coffee drinkers every morning! In Chemainus I let him sleep in a bit as we had breakfast in the hotel. I’ve been emailing frequently with both the NDP search committee and the riding association, as
Continue readingwmtc: vancouver island day six: mill bay, duncan, chemainus
After breakfast, we packed up and said a reluctant goodbye to this cozy spot — mostly the deck with the view — and headed north on the Trans-Canada Highway, towards Nanaimo. Allan and I drove on the Trans-Canada Highway in Newfoundland, so we’ve been on the easternmost and westernmost points.
Continue readingwmtc: vancouver island day four: downtown victoria and to sooke
After our last lovely hot breakfast at the Beacon Inn, we hit the road to downtown Victoria. It was much closer than we imagined! It’s amazing how quickly you are out in the country or small towns here — very little sprawl. Completely by accident, we ended up parking right
Continue readingwmtc: a note about vancouver island
Vancouver Island has several regions, but the first division is between the south island and east coast, as distinct from the north island and west coast. The south island is home to the Greater Victoria region, Nanaimo (the second largest city on the island), and many smaller towns and population
Continue readingwmtc: vancouver island day three: sidney and saanich peninsula
The B&B had self-serve coffee starting earlier than breakfast, but for guests whose internal clocks are on eastern time, it was a long and painful wait! I watched the clock until I could get that first cup. We had our first breakfast together — another amazing breakfast — and talked
Continue readingwmtc: vancouver island days one and two
Getting from Toronto to Vancouver Island is a long haul. Getting from pretty much anywhere to Vancouver Island — except a few places on the west coast — is a long haul! We had booked a bus/ferry combination from the Vancouver airport to the island, but even that was a
Continue readingwmtc: retroactive travel blog: vancouver island april 16-24
In April, we spent a week on Vancouver Island — an exploratory trip with an eye towards a possible (probable? definite?) move there. I had already been contacted by the Ontario NDP search committee, and as part of the vetting process, had taken my blog offline by making it “by
Continue readingwmtc: sheraton hotel’s "green choice" is really just precarious work
These days, most hotel rooms contain some sort of green messaging, as companies are expected to show how eco-friendly they are. Usually guests have the option of not having their towels changed daily, which is supposed to yield big energy savings. Last week at the Sheraton Parkway in Toronto, I
Continue readingwmtc: our papyrus painting is finally on the wall
You can read the story of how we got these: here. This, below, is the smaller painting that the salesman added to the pot after the price would budge no further. It is possibly painted on banana leaf, a cheaper and less durable papyrus substitute. There is also a third,
Continue readingwmtc: in which old photos make me think things
I’ve been scanning some old photos — some of Allan and me through the years, others with my siblings at various ages — and have been posting them on Facebook. This experience has led to two insights. The thoughts themselves aren’t new, but this walk on memory lane has recalled
Continue readingwmtc: amman to cairo to home: in which things out work very nicely
EgyptAir, we love you! I’m writing this from an airport hotel, where I did not expect to be. After Ridiculous Breakfast #3, we did a little negotiating (see below), then packed up for the airport. On a tip from the concierge, we stopped at the beautiful Zalatimo Brothers for Sweets
Continue readingwmtc: amman to cairo to home: in which things out work very nicely
EgyptAir, we love you! I’m writing this from an airport hotel, where I did not expect to be. After Ridiculous Breakfast #3, we did a little negotiating (see below), then packed up for the airport. On a tip from the concierge, we stopped at the beautiful Zalatimo Brothers for Sweets
Continue readingwmtc: unesco world heritage sites i have visited
The United Nations Educational, Scientic, and Cultural Organization — better known as UNESCO — has created a list of natural and human-made sites that “are of outstanding universal value” and meet a selection criteria. UNESCO: Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we
Continue readingwmtc: unesco world heritage sites i have visited
The United Nations Educational, Scientic, and Cultural Organization — better known as UNESCO — has created a list of natural and human-made sites that “are of outstanding universal value” and meet a selection criteria. UNESCO: Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we
Continue readingwmtc: amman
I’m writing this from the beautiful lounge of the Amman Marriott Hotel while drinking a Bailey’s hot chocolate. Allan is drinking a Bailey’s martini and working with the guidebook for tomorrow’s adventure, the final day of the trip except for flying. We decided not to do any sightseeing today, but
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