Erin's Journals

First off, a very Happy 25th Birthday to a dear young woman who has, through the most tragic of circumstances, become a beloved member of our family. She’s a mother to Colin and a partner to Phil and our love for her grows daily. Life is full of surprises and some of them are truly delightful. Happy Birthday, Brooke! 
 
As I mentioned here yesterday, we have arrived home from the first of two trips south of the border this summer. The next comes late this month when we embark on a long-dreamed-of convertible ride along the California coast. Leaving Canada in summer is hard, but we had some great experiences along the way.
 
Despite too many “Hillary for Prison: 2016” bumper stickers (okay, two, but that’s still two too many) we managed to avoid any political nastiness. Only one place did we pass by Fox “news” on a TV, so we were able to escape the discord that has so gripped our neighbo(u)rs.
 
Rob arrived down in Nevada after two long driving days and I opted to fly in to Las Vegas to meet him there. Luckily, we were able to find something to do for the days we spent there, including an incredible hand dealt on a machine that was playing so nicely I had just bumped up to dimes from my usual nickels.
 
The first hand paid 3055 dimes.
 

 
Watching carefully in case the machine chilled after that generous a deal, I played on. Then, a few hands later, I was awarded another 9000 dimes! Those two plays were the best pay of the trip and more than compensated us for gas and lodgings. What a lovely surprise!
 

 
We got out of Nevada before the video poker machines could take our money back and headed towards Utah, a state I’ve always wanted to see. Ever since first hearing about it as a young Osmonds fan, the landscape and its people captured my imagination. Mountainous like my native Alberta, it is also dotted with some of the most astoundingly beautiful red rocks in the country. We were able to capture some of the stunning landscape as we sped along the highway towards and into the state and I’ll share it with you tomorrow.
 
First, one more from the casino where we “struck it rich.” Luckily, this guy’s faith-family-firearms-freedom T-shirt didn’t get in my way of winning. Sometimes you’re truly better to keep calm and carry on.
 

 
I’ll be back with you here tomorrow. Get set for scenery!
 

 
Home. Four lettters that carry so much weight. For some, it’s a place to return to that conjures up memories of conflict, of sadness, of a hierarchy that one never truly outgrows. 
 
For others it is, as Robert Frost said, the place where “when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” A safe spot to fall back on when the world and its demands get to be too much. A cocoon of comfort where you can peel off the mask you wear for the world and be yourself: flawed and human, vulnerable and sometimes weary of feeling unloved any other place on earth.
 
For me, home is where, after a long time apart, Molly greets us with unfettered ecstasy: a cacophany of barks, licks and uncontrolled tail wags. A place where the dog hair dust bunnies grow and tumble down hallways to remind us of the last time we cleaned and how long we’ve been gone.
 
It’s a place where the coffee is always exceptional, the WiFi is strong and the familiar, worn furniture bears imprints of long hours of sitting writing, watching the world go by outside the windows over the ocean and breathing deep, contented sighs. It’s where, no matter how much turmoil spins within, there is a soft blanket that whispers, “It’s going to be all right.” 
 
Home. We’re here. After a few thousand fresh kilometres on the odometer and nights of earplugs and unfamiliar beds, we unpacked the car and climbed into our soft, cozy sheets, ready to spend a blissfully quiet night in the cool breeze of an open sliding door. We’re home. And as we count down to our next adventure, one that is sure to make us appreciate our happy place even more, we couldn’t be more content. We even had a little visitor to welcome us back!
 

 

 
I’ll share trip pictures and stories tomorrow, but a few notes: we’re very happy to say that we can no longer call Molly “Eileen,” as her head tilt is completely gone. We have our pup back! Thanks to Susan and Steve (Susan was my boss at Ocean 98.5) and their two dogs, who played with and pampered our girl for the week.
 
And if you’re wondering what has happened to the audio journal, first of all, thank you for missing it! Here’s the thing: after a long and wonderful relationship with the lovely couple behind Caru pet foods, our sponsorship has come to an amicable ending and, of course, we wish them all the best.
 
But the other part of our decision is this: of the 2000-3000 readers who come daily to this journal, only about 80 were choosing to listen to it. I do believe that every listener matters, but it came down to the best use of Rob’s time (and trust me, he worked harder on it than I did). I loved doing the audio journal and it may return someday; I do miss talking to you. But for now, as travels and embracing this new life take more of our time and attention, I hope you’ll be as happy reading this daily blog as I am writing it, and Rob is posting it for you. Thank you for understanding.
 

I’m having a little bit of a moral dilemma, but it’s one I’m going to have to deal with at another time. You see, for now, we have travel plans booked and paid for, and once again, they take us to the US.
 
It’s not that we don’t love Canada: we have travels planned to Winnipeg, Regina, Halifax, Ottawa and Toronto later this year! But it’s a matter of doing something we’ve wanted to do since forever: driving trips through the western US. Following highways along the ocean. Exploring new places and meeting new people, as we did last month during our slow route to Kelowna that took us through parts of Washington state.
 
I can’t help feeling a little hypocritical. I’m so furious at what is happening with the United States right now on their southern border and, of course, in the orange – I mean White House – and my disdain has no borders. Yet, I enjoy visiting parts of the country that have my heart, particularly in the US Southwest. Even if it is around 100F these days. It really IS a dry heat! And who can resist a 25-30% hike on our dollar right now? Ugh.
 
Why not Banff or Jasper? We were hoping to meet friends there this summer, but their plans have been cancelled. Perhaps head “up island,” as we say here, to Tofino? What – and be surrounded by tourists? Naw, I’d rather wait for September to do that. So we point south.
 
What’s echoing in my head are the words of Mark Bulgutch, who wrote in the Toronto Star a few weeks ago after the Trump G7 debacle, when he basically called our PM names and enacted a whole bunch of trade tariffs that take food from the tables of Canadians – especially farmers. To hell with that, says Bulgutch, who basically repeated the stance he held after the Mango Mussolini’s election: stop visiting the US. Fat lot of good that did; Canadian visits to the States rose by 6% (while other nations’ citizens stayed away in droves). 
 
Star readers are a different breed, though: at last check, some 73% said they won’t go until #45 is out of the White House. I checked the box that said I’m indifferent to whoever is in there (although I breathe a sigh of relief when I enter the US after passing through customs and don’t see a portrait of HIM smiling at me).
 
There may come a time when we no longer cross the border, too, but until that day, I’ll gladly play amateur ambassador and show Americans who we really are. (Apparently after Trump’s Charlevoix outburst, US approval of us hit 66%, down from somewhere near 90% just back in February. Is he really that mad that we’re taking his name off our buildings…?) 
 
But as we approach the Canada Day Weekend, I thought I would – with credit, of course – share with you some of Mr. Bulgutch’s words of wisdom. 

It’s summer in Canada. There’s no better time to stay at home. It is no sacrifice to see your own country. From Cape Spear, Nfld., to Vancouver Island, and from Point Pelee to the top of Nunavut, there is something for everyone. There’s breathtaking natural beauty, vibrant city life, charming villages and towns, hunting and fishing, shopping and dining, museums and art galleries, historic sites and monuments, challenging hiking trails and quiet parks.
 
In Canada, your Canadian dollar is worth 100 cents. You don’t need a passport. The person at the amusement park probably isn’t packing a gun. 
 
Tourism is very important to the U.S. It’s a $1.5 trillion industry. It employs 5 million people directly and another 5 million indirectly. Our federal government is doing its part to tell the White House that its tariffs are unacceptable by applying tariffs on American goods like orange juice, mattresses, and bourbon. But only ordinary Canadians can apply some pain to the tourism industry. 
 
Go east. Go west. Go north. Enjoy yourself. Just don’t go south. Empty hotel rooms and campsites send a message.

Happy Canada Day! I’ll be back with a fresh batch of journals on July 9th.
 

No, I haven’t become a spokesperson for a car dealership again! Rob and I have a new resident in the garage, although saying goodbye to the car she replaced was not easy! You may recall last year at almost exactly this time, we found a MINI convertible online and bought it the same day. Gently used despite her age (2005) and mileage (now just over 100k), we loved this little periwinkle blue convertible and seized every day there was to put the top down and let the wind wreck our hair.
 
Last month on our trip to the BC interior, we found ourselves cheating on Little Blue just a bit. My sister Cindy was selling her red Cooper S (with an extra gear and supercharged engine, it has just a bit more oomph), which is one year younger than our MINI and has about 30,000 fewer kilometres on the odometer. We decided to take our chances on letting our lovely little blue MINI go and bought Cindy’s. 
 

 
As luck would have it, we have relatives who were looking for a car just like Little Blue. We sold it to them – knowing full well that she just got a sparkling bill of health – and we know they’ll be as happy with her as we were. (I can’t imagine passing off a vehicle to family if you knew there was something wrong, can you?) I’ve even suggested a name: Winnie. They had a dog named Winston (a lovely Corgi) and who can resist Winnie the Mini? Honestly!
 
So there we go: there’s a new MINI in our garage (new to us) and it’s adorable. In fact, just the other day, as we made our way down the Pat Bay Highway and into Victoria, a man honked his horn next to us. I looked up from my phone (I was passenger, obviously) and an older gent driving a Jaguar gave us the big “thumbs up” and a smile.
 
It’s funny how many people smile at you when you’re driving a cute little convertible. It’s just a happy car! And now that we have the same colour MINI that we had when Lauren was a kid (although it was a hard top with a Union Jack on the roof) it’s just a little bit happier. As for a name…maybe Chili? ‘Cause some days with the top down and 17C, as it was earlier in June-uary (as they call a cool month here), it was chilly indeed!
 
Tomorrow – here comes summer vacation! Where our travels take us, and why that’s giving me a bit of trouble, morality-wise.
 

Well, with so many people talking about and anticipating vacations over the next few months, this couldn’t be more timely. Today’s journal will let you do a little dreaming. Our good friend and travel guru Gerry Koolhof at New Wave Travel contacted us a couple of weeks ago to tell us about a gathering tomorrow night in Yorkville that I think you might want to know about, even if you are still just dreaming at this point.
 
As you may have read or heard, my pal Mike Cooper and I and our travel companions are hosting a European river cruise next April. It’s with Ama Waterways and it’s the Tulip Time cruise which explores the spring beauty of the Netherlands and Belgium.
 
If you’re familiar with cruising, but have never taken a river cruise, you’re in for a treat. It’s a very intimate experience with a group of like-minded people, and you just might make friendships that’ll last a lifetime!
 
Unlike many ocean cruises, on this Ama river cruise, excursions are included. There’s free Wi-Fi on board, as well as a computer for internet access. Wine, beer and soft drinks are complimentary with lunch and dinner and the Sip & Sail cocktail hour. 
 
It’s a seven-day adventure departing Amsterdam on April 5, 2019 and navigating Dutch and Belgian waterways. You’ll have a chance to experience colourful canals, whimsical windmills and medieval art and architecture.
 
Staterooms are filling up fast, but you can learn more at a special reception being held tomorrow, Wednesday, at the Hazelton Hotel in Yorkville from 6 to 8 pm. Our friend Gerry Koolhof and other cruise specialists will be there to answer all of your questions about this spectacular adventure.
 
But you need to let Gerry know that you’ll be coming (so he can plan enough chairs, wine and snacks!). You can reach him at gerry@newwavetravel.net.
 
See you in the spring – and come back here tomorrow for some more immediate travel news. Wish we could be in TO for the gathering tomorrow night, but we’ll be there in spirit and we’ll see you next April! Soon just nine months away….