Summer begins

Summer started with a trip for Eric to (smoky) Manitoba. He went to help out his dad for a week and a half and was there for father's day. 

Portage la Prairie, MB

Dan, Veronika, and Elizabeth came out for a visit as well. 

After returning home, we decided to take Wendy's mom's best friend (since high school) Anne out to dinner at a Ukrainian restaurant in Etobicoke that we had previously visited. Little did she know that Parker and Jaclyn plus Anton and Tanya would already be there!

Eric, Anne, Wendy at Barrel House Korchma

Raspberry season kicked into high gear with all the heat and sunshine, so Wendy took her friend Rahil from work, while Eric acted as photographer and raspberry sherpa.

An odd sight that Eric and Ruby came across on one of their morning walks. It was so hot during the day that early morning was the only time to go out. 

Before the raspberry season ended, Wendy wanted one more batch to go into the freezer. Eric got co-opted to pick this time. The freezer is now full!

Eric has been working on an abstract/mosaic stained glass to go into an old wooden frame. He just finished cutting all the glass and has the daunting task of foiling all the pieces next. 

Next for the summer? Eric, Wendy, Parker, and Jaclyn head out this week for a short visit to Portage la Prairie for the Celebration of Life and interment for Eric's mom. 

Spring visitors

It has been a while since our last post, and the early spring of 2020 has been... shall we say...eventful.

We have had several visits from family and friends to keep us busy. My sister, Cathy, came out from B.C. to help her daughter Carrie. We stopped by for a brief visit and to pick up Maddy after our Vegas trip. Carrie had many random days of school closures for the provincial teachers' strike and she also hurt her foot while out with Maddy.

Eric, Maddy, and Cathy

Our friend Carolyn came by and had a quick visit. We hadn't seen her for a while, so it was great to catch up!

Eric, Carolyn, Wendy, and Maddy

Not long after Carolyn's visit, my sister's youngest child Daniel and Veronika came for an overnight visit. I have to say, in my opinion Dan seems to be getting taller every time I see him...must be the Army!

Veronika, Wendy, Dan, and Eric

It is always a great time to have people come to visit, but as the spring of 2020 progressed, that became far more complicated. More on that in a later post...

Family and friends

We took a few trips into Toronto and Cambridge over the fall, mostly to see family and friends. On one trip, we had lunch at the Dagu Noodle restaurant just off Bay St. in Toronto. Took some effort to get there, as the Toronto Marathon was in full swing at the time.

A month or so later, we went to a noodle restaurant in Markham during a quick trip to a large T & T Asian grocery store. Parker tagged along with us, as it was the same day as our great-niece's birthday party.

In Cambridge, we visited with Eric's sister Cathy and all her children at the same time! This was our last chance to see everyone before Christmas, as Cathy was soon headed back home.

Cathy, Dan, Leanne, and Carrie

All of Cathy's grandchildren were also there!

Laura, Elyse, Cathy, Jacob, and Brynn

We were thrilled to go to a hockey game to catch up with our friend Clara - she was on our Iceland trip and was in Hamilton for her granddaughter's hockey tournament. 

Clara, Wendy, and Eric

Ying has met several fellow visiting scientists at the university (each with one child), so we invited them over for a lunch at our place. They will be coming back for a dinner on Christmas day for a combined traditional and Chinese dinner!

Maddy enjoyed a visit with her friend Abby for a few days, and especially liked that Abby shared her rawhide chew. Maddy loved borrowing it and running around the house, only to noisily drop it whenever her neck muscles became tired. It really is as big as her whole body, but she doesn't care!

Maddy also got her hair cut just in time for Christmas. The pretty bow she received lasted less than a minute after she got home.