Christmas Fun with the Seniors

I left home on Friday morning December 10th. I only went up for the weekend. Along the way, I stopped in at Ragfinery in Bellingham. It is an interesting thrift store focused on textiles. A sewing/quilting friend recommended it to me. 

I crossed into Canada without any problems. There was a 10 minute wait in the car line. I was asked for negative Covid test results but wasn't asked to show my vaccine card. That was surprising. Apparently the rules have changed in that if you visit Canada for less than 72 hours, a test isn't required anymore. I'm glad I had one done just in case.

I presented my mom with the quilt that I made for her. I started it in February. I didn't work on it all the time in the months previous since I also made a quilt for A. The piecing was done by hand. I machine quilted Mom's quilt using a machine that I borrowed from a book club friend. Quilting by machine saved me weeks, maybe months of work. Here is the quilt, finished, ready to give. 

I was so anxious to give it to my mom that it was the very first thing I did on Friday afternoon when I arrived.

Sometimes older people and smart phones don't mix very well. My dad tried multiple times to take a photo of me and mom with the quilt, to no avail. Here's a selfie instead.

Mom sitting on the quilt.

On Saturday morning I enjoyed breakfast the Village Restaurant in the little neighbourhood of Esteven which isn't too far from my parents' apartment. This is what I had.

My family and I have eaten there many years before. Here is a photo of J and the boys eating outside in November 2012. I'm glad the restaurant survived Covid. 

I "crashed" the Seniors banquet on Saturday afternoon. The "Prime Timers" met in person for this event for the first time in 2 years. When my parents signed me up, I was number 49 of the 50 person limit! We had a turkey dinner, sang Christmas carols, and heard a short message. I won the table prize which is funny since I'm not a senior. We had Christmas crackers. That's why we are wearing paper hats.

On Sunday morning I drove my dad to church. My mom stays home and watches the live stream. I enjoy seeing how other churches decorate for Christmas since I instigated the decorations at my church.

Sorry, Mom, but the Grey Cup was boring. I couldn't get excited about Hamilton vs. Winnipeg. I don't know any players nor do I really care about either team. I had to resort to reading a book! At least it was a good book - God's Hostage by Andrew Brunson. 

On Sunday evening we had dinner at the Oak Bay Hotel in the Snug Pub. We were here back in September to celebrate my parents' birthdays. This time we were just celebrating being together. 

The Grey Cup went into overtime so that kept my parents' attention for a while. I took this sneaky photo of them watching the game on the TV.

Mom and I had salmon with tropical cheesecake for dessert. Dad had a chicken sandwich, if I remember correctly. The Christmas tree in the lobby of the Oak Bay Hotel was beautiful.

On Monday morning I had a lukewarm shower and had "tea" made with water that wasn't hot. I really didn't like the Craigmyle where I stayed. The only thing I enjoyed was sitting in the dining room (which wasn't serving breakfast) and seeing the Craigdarroch Castle through the window.

I left the hotel about 7:30 am and made the 9 am ferry. The coffee (called cappuccino) from the machine was actually drinkable.

I had a little trouble at the border. My green card expired in September and I forgot to bring the paperwork that proves that I have gone through all the hoops for the renewal (paid the fees, had fingerprints taken, etc.) and I'm just waiting for the new card to come in the mail. I was held for 30 minutes until they finally found me in the system and let me into the U.S. They seem to enjoy making you sweat! I felt like I was in the penalty box.

As I reflect on the trip, I'm glad I was able to go be with my parents in the Christmas season. We haven't been together at Christmas for many years. I'm thankful that I could give the quilt to my mom in person.

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Fall Mantle 2021

 

This year's fall mantle is pretty simple. 

I bought a bunch of book pumpkins (pumpkins made out of books) at Pickin at the Barn (a vintage market in early October) from Tamara of Vintage Nest. I realized I needed more so a few days later I went to her booth at My Eclectic Home in Snohomish to get more. Yes, I can make these myself but getting the scale just right is tricky. As well, the stems she used are real and I couldn't figure out how to get a bunch of real stems in a cost effective way.

The peach coloured pumpkins are real. I found them at Trader Joe's.

The rest of the pumpkins are faux, ones I had from previous years.

I can leave this mantle as is until after Thanksgiving when I'll do a Christmas one.

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Going back to Canada

After two full years apart, I was finally able to see my parents again. The border closed in March 2020 and still hasn't fully reopened. In June 2021, Canada began to allow fully vaccinated Canadians living in the U.S. to return without a quarantine period.

I had to do the following for gaining entry to Canada.

- be fully vaccinated for COVID at least 2 weeks before travel date.

- have a PCR COVID test done within 72 hours of arrival at the border.

- sign into the ArriveCanada app and give them all the details of my trip including the address of the place I was staying. 

Both of my parents have birthdays in September so I picked a date to visit that was close to those birthdays. 

I was really nervous about crossing the border into Canada. The border guard questioned me because the COVID test was done more than 72 hours before my arrival at the border. She sent me into the building after she said "is there a reason your test is expired?" The big burly male guard inside said "you're going home right?" I said yes. He said you can go ahead. I think male border guards are better to deal with.

I needed to find a Canadian SIM card to fully use my phone in Canada. I wasted time trying to find a WalMart without being able to use the Maps app. Once I found one, I bought a SIM card but I found out that it wouldn't work after I had already purchased it. 

I tried to buy a paper map in WalMart and struck out. I got a photo of directions to the ferry from the Walmart computer. I liked the woman who worked there. She tried all she could to help me. To communicate with my family I had to be on WiFi and use e mail. So old fashioned!

I missed the 3 pm ferry by 2 cars. Many times there is a ferry every hour but not at 4 pm. 

A view from the ferry.

And a lighthouse that I spotted as the sun was going down.

I stayed in a very modern Air BnB in the North Park neighbourhood of Victoria. Sort of a studio apartment. Photos here.

I was able to help my parents with some practical things. I found a smaller filing cabinet for them to use. I helped with filling out some things online for them. I moved my mom's clothes to accommodate the changing season. I did some cleaning as well. 

Can you tell what my dad's favourite colour is?

I took them on a scenic drive on Dallas Road. Victoria is indeed a beautiful place. No photos from that since I was driving!

We went to Oak Bay Hotel to celebrate both of their birthdays which are in September. We ate in The Snug. The photo of us with our desserts is at the top of this post. We had a fantastic view. The only issue was the door to the outdoor dining area was open and it got chilly. I asked for a blanket (which they provide for outdoor diners) for my mom. I had salmon, of course. Here is the view and the sunset.

The province of B.C. started on September 13th to require proof of vaccination for dine in restaurants. Here is a sample sign.

I'll refrain from sharing my opinion on this development. 

On Thursday we had lunch at Mattick's Farm at Adrienne's Tea Garden. I felt very young there. :) I had the afternoon tea plate. Very yummy.  We ate outside.

Mattick's Farm reminded me of Bothell Country Village which was sadly torn down a few years ago. 

I enjoyed all the greenery.

I spotted some blooming wisteria on the arch pictured above. Amazing since wisteria is a spring flower.

We were blessed with gorgeous weather during my visit. It only rained once and that was at night. Here are my parents enjoying the sunshine at Mattick's Farm.

I went up on a Monday and returned on Friday.

The weather on the ferry ride back to the mainland was perfect. I spent a lot of time out on the sundeck. 

When I came to the US border, I was again nervous. My green card is expired but I have proof that my application for a renewal has been received and things are in process (a renewal notice). I didn't know if there would be any COVID questions.

The border guard just asked for my green card and renewal notice, looked at them for a bit, and didn't ask for any other papers or ask any other questions. He said quickly, you're good to go. I actually didn't hear him and paused. He said you're good! What a contrast with the Canadian border. 

There is an inscription on the Peace Arch 

that says "May these gates never be closed." 

How ironic! Those gates were closed for a very long time!

I plan on visiting my parents again in a few months. I praise God for keeping them healthy during these past 2 years, despite some health scares.

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Dahlia Festival

There was a one day Dahlia Festival at Triple Wren Farms in Ferndale, Washington on Saturday September 4th. I asked about four of my girlfriends to go but none were available. J was my companion.

Ferndale is about a 90 minute drive north of us. Entry was 10 dollars a car. I had prepaid.

There were food trucks and a folk band playing. For lunch, I had a buttermilk fried chicken sandwich and J had a Rueben sandwich. This was the food truck we bought from.

You could cut dahlias to take home. It was $1 a stem, plus a fee for a bucket and snippers. If I go back next year, I'll bring my own bucket and snippers. 

Each row of dahlias was well labelled with a QR code to scan for more information about the variety and ordering for later. Dahlias are planted in the Spring.

At random places, there were dahlias artfully displayed on the ground.

There were multiple bouquets on display. I wish I had taken more photos of the bouquets.

We ran into J's supervisor who was there doing his photography hobby. We cajoled him into taking our photo with his great camera (we'll see that one later) and also one with his phone (at the top of this post).

We stayed about 2 hours which was about the right amount of time. I now have about 20 dahlias in multiple vases at home. 

I loved it so much! Better than the tulip festival, better than the lavender festival, for sure.

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College Drop Off

The moving kicked off on Thursday Aug 19th when J and A set off by car for California. 

They took 2 days to get to Los Angeles. They stopped in Yreka, CA for the night.

J did all the driving. The majority of cars were going 75 plus in CA and J wasn't comfortable with A driving and A wouldn't be comfortable going that fast.

On Saturday they did a bit of shopping and drove around to get a feel for the area. On Sunday morning they visited a Presbyterian church nearby.

Move in process started at 1 pm on Sunday afternoon. A had to have a COVID test done (administered on campus) and they verified other health requirements such as other required vaccines. The COVID vaccine is not required.

A moved into his dorm. He kept missing his roommate and I joked that he was actually a robot. J never got to meet him.

This is A under the bells. They are from the original Biola building which was located in downtown Los Angeles.

Sunday night there was a Torrey event (the Honours program) and J happened to meet a family from Ottawa whose daughter is attending.

On Monday morning J said goodbye to A and began the drive back.

A had "Torreyentation" on Monday and Tuesday.

I flew down on Wednesday morning out of Paine field (which is fantastic).

View of Seattle.

I flew into John Wayne airport in Santa Ana, which is closer to Biola than the airport I used last time - LAX. My wait for the rental car was really long and that area wasn't air conditioned.

My first assignment was to drop some things off for A. I was still dressed for Seattle so while I waited for him I was dying in the heat! Here is the thermometer in the rental car at some point during my visit.

I got to see his dorm. J took this photo soon after they arrived. He hadn't unpacked at this point. 

I wish I had a photo of his room once he'd properly settled in.

Wednesday night there was a Torrey event in Calvary Chapel with worship and a speaker.

I took this photo of Calvary Chapel in April when we visited and did the drive thru tour of campus.

 Afterwards there was a reception with hors d'oeuvres. I met A's mentor for the Torrey program. He got his PhD from the University of Toronto and his two sons were born in Canada. We had a brief chat and I quickly realized he was a good fit for A.

A will have this mentor all the way through the Torrey program. I met one of his new friends in his Torrey cohort (small group) and connected with his mom whose name is Mary. They are from Nashville. We got along very well.

Official orientation started on Thursday. There was a banner welcoming all the undergrads by name.

That is A's name circled. You can click on the photo to enlarge.

I bought a sweatshirt from the campus store. I didn't have much to do during the day. 

I love this fountain. I was tempted to get in, since it was so hot.

There were regional meet ups in the afternoon. Ours was Pacific Northwest which included Oregon and Montana. We connected with 2 girls who went to the same middle school as A. Our pastor's daughter and her parents were at this meet up as well. I met a mom who lives in Bothell. We got some good information from that meeting.

There was a CMA dinner that night outside under a giant tent. After the dinner, the dean spoke as well as various faculty members. 

I got a photo of A with his roommate!! His name is Tucker. He is from Colorado Springs and is in the same things as A (CMA and Torrey).

Following that event there was a welcome for all the students from the president out on the big lawn. 

On Friday parent orientation started at 9 am. Spiritual development, Safety, Heath, Wellness, and Academic Success were the sessions that I attended. 

A and I had lunch in the cafeteria with the Hitchcock family. Here is the view from the outdoor (covered) seating of the cafeteria.

In the afternoon, I  played hooky and went to an upscale mall 30 minutes away, just for fun.

That evening there was a free BBQ for everyone on campus. Long line. It was worth it.

I ate with A. We had a great chat. 

Next was the worship service and goodbye. 

I saved this photo from the President's Instagram page.

Saturday I picked up something from pharmacy for A in the morning and went to Long beach which is a 30 minute drive from La Mirada.

It really is a long beach. So much space!

I found these hibiscus flowers on a random light industrial street near the hotel.

I checked out of hotel at 1 pm and dropped off medication for A when he had a break in between activities. I was "breaking the rules" since we were supposed to say our goodbyes Friday night and leave. I hugged him and left. I killed some time in Santa Ana and then went to the Santa Ana airport. My flight was at 7 pm.

The only tears that I shed during my trip was when I prayed for A at the end of the Friday night communion service.

Here is the beautiful sunset view from the plane. 

I'm very content with his college choice and I know that he will be happy there. Setting one less place at our dining room table seems so strange!

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