Our First Thanksgiving Turkey Trot in California

Thursday We were up by 7am and got ready for the Turkey Trot. It was held at another suburban city. Another Uber ride. I thought of the money E. spends on Uber each month, it must be a substanial amount as he Ubers everywhere. I am surprised at how carefree young people are these days with their money. It would be interesting for E. to compare the cost of maintaining a vehicle verse the amount spent on UBER rides

A lot of people were already at the Turkey Trot starting site by the time we arrived. There was loud energetic music playing at the meeting site to wake up the participants. There were tables set up for water, energy drinks, fruit and energy bars etc for participants. I think it cost US$80.00 each person to register for the event. It was a 5Km run/ walk event to raise money for local charities, not sure which one though. There was something special to be in a huge crowd. Everyone was pumped up, ready to go. Beofre the run/ walk started, we did some warm up exercises. Then the 1OK runners started followed by the 5K participants. The weather was beautiful, not too hot, or cold, just comfortable for the activity.

E. and his friends took part in the 5K run while we did the 5K walking. Since this was our first time in this Turkey Trot, we took our time to observe, and enjoy our walk. I was surprised at how many people were there for the event on Thanksgiving day. There were people of all ages, young and old. Many families were walking or running together. There were a few young parents pushing strollers with babies sleeping in them. It was heart warming to see families enjoying and doing fun activities together, especially for a charitable event!

By the time we arrived back to the finishing point, E.'s friends had already finished and left. E. was disapoointed that we didn't meet his friends' parents who also took part in this event. But we were able to meet up with them later at a restaurant. We had breakfast while E. was able to spend sometime with his friends. We went back to E.'s place amd I made a thanksgiving dinner. This was our first thanksgiving dinner we had together in a long long time! RT, San Francisco Thanksgiving Day, 2024

A Free Walking Tour of the North Beach Neighborhood in San Francisco

Wednesday We were in San Francisco for a week and staying at the same hotel the entire time. One of the things we enjoyed a lot was the nice spread at the full buffet breakfast offered at the hotel restaurant. It was a pleasure dining in the dining room as the serving staff was attentive and very polite.

A few days ago we reserved our spots for a free local tour. The North Beach Library offers a monthly free tour of the neighbourhood. We were lucky to have been in SF at the right time and took advantage of this free activity. After breakfast at our hotel, we took an Uber to the North Beach library where we gathered and met other fellow tourists. We met the manager of the public library who was our tour guide on that day. The library manager was born and raised in the North Beach community attending the local schools when he was young. The tour started at the library and we walked by colourful houses, parks, coffee shops and a beautiful church. The church is known as "la cattedrale italiana dell'Ovest", or the Italian Cathedral of the West (the use of the word "Cathedral" is merely colloquial, not an official designation). Though not an official cathedral, but the church is a manificent building. The St. Peter and Paul Church appeared in a number of Hollywood movies. The church has served as the home church and cultural center for San Francisco's Italian-American community since its consecration. It currently offers English, Italian, and Cantonese-language services.

As we were led through alleyways and small streets, our knowledagable guide introuduced us to historical buildings and landmarks offering interesting stories and insights on local history and development of the city of San Francisco. I particularly enjoyed our guide's stories about the St. Peter and Paul church and how it had been assoicated with some famous people. After their civil ceremony in 1954, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio returned to the church steps to have their marriage photos taken there as the Catholic church refused to marry them in the church due to DiMaggio's marital status. Another story was about the big mural of a lady painted on a neighbourhood building's wall. The lady's name was Carol Ann Doda who made international news in the 1960's as the first public topless dancer in the United States, based in San Francisco. She danced in the Condor Club right in the North Beach neighbrohood. We also learned how different merchants staking their claims on the land of San Francisco by purposedly sinking their ships along the waterfront of the city.

This free walking tour offered by the North Beach Public Library was enjoyable and educational as we learnt a great deal about this famous district. Two thumbs up and would highly recommend this free tour to visitors in San Francisco! Thank you to the Manager of the North Beach Library for a wonderful tour of your neighbourhood! RT - From Toronto, Canada On holidays in San Francisco USA 112024

P.S. We Went to Ikea after the local tour trying to find a bed for E. I took pictures of the beds which might be of interest to him. Because we spent a little longer time here, we were late getting to E'S condo. However, we were able to help him move some furniture, cleared some boxes and hanged a few pictures. We were glad that we could do something for him. He asked us if we wanted to take part in the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day and regisgered for us. Then he came with us to the hotel and slept over night there at our suite so that we would wake up early and go to the Turkey Trot event on time the next day.

Spending a Rainy Day in Burlingame, Ca. USA

Monday – We walked over to E's place and visited the Millenium Tower, a luxurious condo hotel offering many excellent amenities to its residents such as all day free tea and coffee, a beautiful sitting area with a fireplace, a swimming pool, gym, and a movie theatre plus many organized special events. Unfortunately, the condo has been found sinking about three inches a year. The building is slanting and the developer and its engineers have been working hard to correct the problem for a few years already. E. invited us to visit his new work place in Burlingame and we took an Uber to get there. The ride was about 30 minutes. We would have enjoyed walking around the city had the weather been a little more cooperative. It was raining all day therefore we stayed most of day inside a nice coffee shop pecking away on our computers while E. was at work in his new office. We did get to meet the owner of the business and had some friendly exchanges with her.

Burlingame, a suburban city with a population around 30,000 people, has a walkable downtown. Strolling along the main street, I saw many neat stores, nice shops and fine eateries and resataurants. This is an affluent small city made up of many professional middle class residents and young families. It was delightful watching families with young children having fun and taking pictures beside the colourful Christmas decorations on city streets and some people walking their dogs leisurely on the city sidewalks. With the sweet aroma of baked breads and pastries drifting from the bakery shops, Burlingame felt like a nice village rather than a city.

After office hours, E. called an Uber and took us back to SF for a wine tasting event. E. belongs to a wine club and this wine tasting events happen regularly.

As a member of a wine club, he/ she is committed to buy a certain number bottles of wine every quarter and is entitled to these wine tasting events where one meets and socializes with other wine club members. I had some stomach problems a few days ago but got better since we arrived to SF. But to be on the safe side, I didn't taste any of the wines at all. After the wine tasting, we went to a popular Asian restaurant, the Union Dumpling Restaurant where we enjoyed warm and delicious food.

Tueaday - E. was not well, so we went on our own to explore downtown SF and Chinatown. RT, Burlingame, California, USA

A Powerful Testimony by a Church Minister in San Francisco

After arriving to San Francisco the day before, we had a good night sleep and were well rested the next day. It was a Sunday; as usual we always try to find a local church and attend a Sunday service during our travel. We located a church close by to our hotel and were able to walk there for the morning service. As we were in the city during the American Thanksgiving weekend, we attended the Thanksgiving Sunday service. The last time we visited SF was in 2019, just before the COVID pandemic. We went to the Sunday Service in the same church around Christmas time in 2019.

There was a different vibe at the church this time. It felt different and more energetic. There was good music and prayer request sharing by the congregation. The part I enjoyed the most was the lady minister's message. She shared with the congregation how she was hesitant about giving up her well paid high tech job to become a minister. Finally she did give up her good job and became a full time minister. She thought she was making a sacrifice and doing a favour for God. But little did she know that God's way was the best for her. Not long after she became a full time minister serving God, the high tech bubble burst at Silicion Valley and many of her friends and colleagues became unemployed. Among her peers, she was one of the few being employed full time at the time! What a powerful testimony and we were privileage to have been there and heard it first hand! RT, San Francisco nov2024

Visiting San Francisco For the First Time Since COVID

Friday, Nov.22. 2024 --- I was not sure if we chould fly to the U.S. as I was experiencing some stomach pain almost all day the day before. I went to our famiy doctor who referred me to a full stomach ultra sound exam but I couldn’t get one on the same day. I decided to defer this medical exam until the following week when we would be back. We went home and I called Et and asked him if the hotel fees could be refunded should we decide not to fly to SF the day after. ET was at a wedding and I felt bad bothering him. He told me not to worry about the hotel as he felt my health was more important. He asked me to call him back after a few hours to confirm if we would be taking this trip so that he would know wether he should cancel the hotel booking. I prayed hard about it and also made a lot of organic ginger tea with honey and drank it. My stomach started to calm down and the pain lessened. By the time around 10pm, we made a decision to go ahead with our trip to the U.S. We talked to ET and confirmed our departure for the next day. Hallelujah, thank God for listening to my prayers!

Saturday Nov. 2024 --- Having made the decision of taking our trip to the U.S, I became excited and happy about seeing ET there. I finished packing our bags and managed to go to bed by 1 a.m. but couldn’t sleep at all. The Uber ride came at 6 a.m. and off we went to the airport. This was the first time we flew with Porter Airline, a small Toronto airline with a much smaller plane than we had expected. But the service was pretty good with two services each with complimentary drinks and snacks.

We arrived at the San Francisco airport shortly around 2pm. ET was also flying back from a trip to a friend’s wedding around the same time. We met up and got in the same taxi ride . He took us to sign in at the Hyatt Regency on 3rd / Market St. What a nice hotel, just like a resort! Since it was near Christmas, the hotel was beautifully decorated. We looked forward to spending a whole week relaxing in San Francisco without running around trying to see as much as we did in our younger days. After checking in, we went to the Grove, just across the street from the hotel and had our first meal in the city. ET met a couple of friends and we enjoyed our meal there. Nice décor since it was Christmas time.

Since both ET and we were up very early that morning, we called it a day and went back to the hotel. We discovered the lounge at the Hyatt hotel reserved for speciall hotel guests. There was some beverages, hotel made pizza, cold meat, cheese and crackers, fresh fruits and many other delicious food items included in the evening snack available from 6 to 8 pm. Another great service at the hotel! RT, San Francisco USA nov2024

A Memorial Gathering for My Beloved Friend at the Legacy Funeral Home - Barrie, Canada

I was relieved and glad to hear that Flo decided to have a memorial gathering at the funerla home instead of having an open house at her house in Barrie. We have been concerned about her health and well being since Don passed away a week ago. A loving and dedicated sister, Flo has been by her brother's side since the first day he was admitted to the Royal Victoria Hospital. She was there everyday without any break for a straight 4 month period. Having the get together at the funeral home would make things easier for her and Dou. We arrived at Flor's house shorlty after 10 a.m. and June, Flo's best friend arrived shorlty after. Flo pulled out more pictures from her old albums and asked if I could include them in my ppt for the gathering. I tried my best going through all my albums at home the night before to find pictures of Don and I understood how important it would be for Flo to include more pictures too, so I was busy getting these last few slides ready while the ladies were making sandwiches in the kitchen.

We got to the funeral home a few minutes before 2pm and we had time to set up the slides and the flowers. The room provided by the funeral home was spacious and the set up to receive the guests expected was simple but elegant. There were coffee, tea etc. setup outside the reception room. Another A lecturn with guestbook, and pens and paper to invite guests to write them their thoughts and stories of the deceased were placed just outside the room. Inside the reception room, there was a long table on one side with cookies set out and some space for treats brought in by guests. On the opposite side of the room, there was a table with a nice wooden frame for Don's picture with a flickering candle placed in front of it and two side tables for flowers. At the corner of the room was a good size overhead TV screen where pictures of Don could be shown.

We were glad that we came to this venue for Don's family to receive their friends and relatives wishing to get together and celebrate Don's life. As friends filed in, signed the guest book, they each found a comfortable place to sit, watched the slides about Don's life and had opportunities to talk with one another and shared stories. It was good to hear these stories and funny anecdotes about a man who seemed to be quiet but had great inner strength and could really talk among real friends. It was time to grieve together and accept the reality that our loved ones could just be gone in a matter of a few months' time.

I was grateful to share my storeis with other guests so that I could process my grief. My best friend's death affected me deeply. I still burst into tears often when I talk or think about him.

Farewell, Don McArthur, my dear dear beloved friend. You occupy a very special place in our hearts and we will never forget you. I know you have accepted Jesus at the last moment when I asked you if you wanted to go to heaven so that we could meet again someday. This is a temporary farewell, we will see each other someday in heaven, our eternal home!

God bless your soul! Your beloved friend, RT, Barrie / Toronto 10262024

Spending the Last Few Moments with My Best Friend in a Hospital Room

Christmas time is a joyous time. But for some people it may not be a happy time for them. For the past couple of days during this Christmas holidays, I kept thinking of my dear dear best friend of the past four decades. I would like to remember him this Christmas season and recall the last few precious moments spent with him.

Tuesday/October/2024 ---- It was our Thanksgiving long weekend in Canada. We planned a special thanksgiving dinner for our students in Waterloo. Getting things organized ahead of time, we would normally drive to Waterloo a couple of days earlier. However, we had this intuition that we needed to go and see my friend in Barrie. Taking a detour, we headed toward Barrie on Tuesday to see Don whose health had been deteriorating rapidly. We thought we would see him at his house and we kept calling but no one answered. Later we found that having been discharged from the hospital, Don was taken back home. But there were many complications and he was re-admitted back to the hospital.

We went to see him at the Royal Victoria Helath Centre where he was lying in bed and could hardly open his eyes. I called him and he responded feebly. I asked him if he was thirty to which he replied yes. I fed him a few spoons of my homemade congee. He eagerly took them. But I noticed that he was having problems swallowing as he didn't seem to be able to swallow liquid food easily. Flo, Don's sister informed me the doctors told the family Don would only have a few days. Instead of leaving that night as we had planned, we decided to stay overnight and called to book a night at the Travel Lodge.

Wednesday --- We returned to the hospital the next day around noon; Dou and Flo were already there. This time we called Don but he didn't respond at all. He was breathing deeply with his mouth open. We were very sad to hear that the doctor had ordered no food nor drink for him as he would only have a few hours. I spent the whole day by his bedside while S. spent the time with Dou to keep him company. I realized that this would be the last few hours I had with my best pal. I held his hand and felt his warmth. O, how I treasured these last few moments with my dear beloved friend! I hang on to him. Knowing that this would be the last oppportunity I had with him, in tears I told him I loved him, how much he meant to me and thanked him for his support for me and my family for the past four decades. We spent another day with him in his room.

We decided to spend the night in Barrie while my huaband spent the night at the hotel with Dou. Flo also stayed her third straight night at the hospital. Flo and I slept on the reclining chairs. It was uncomfortable but we spent a few good hours talking about families and catching up with one another. Flo was understanding and let me sleep in the chair by Don's bedside. Knowing this were his last few hours, I held his hand and tried to savour the few moments we had left together. How I loved my dear dear friend! These were the most precious hours I spent with my best friend of 40 years. Tough we didn't want to see him go, we also didn't want to see him suffer.

Thursday --- I hardly slept at all last night but it was time to leave around noon time. We needed to be in Waterloo by 3pm to get ready for our program for the young people in the evening. I held my friend's hand for the last time; S, Flo and I held our hands together and I said a prayer and thank you for the last time. I kissed my friend good bye knowing that it could be our last time together. As this was our Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, we prepared a turkey dinner and shared our Thanskgiving customs and traditions with the U.W. students at our home. We were preoccupied with the dinner preparations and were happy that it went well and everyonhe had a good time.

Friday --- Rosaana came over to our Waterloo house to visit for a while at around 10 a.m. In the middle of our conversation, Flo called informing me that Don passed away around 12 a.m.the night before. My best friend of 40 years passed away just a few hours after we said our good bye to him at the Barrie Hospital.I broke down and sobbed in front of Rosanna. I knew his end would be soon but I didn't expect how much the news of his death affected me. It affected me profoundly. I will miss my dear friend! My family and I will miss you so much! We are grateful for all the love and support all these years! Love you and you will be in our hearts always! RT, Royal Victoria Health Centre Barrie/ Waterloo Ont. Canada 10082024

Decluttering and Letting Go of Things - an Essential Part of Getting Older

Being able to help someone to declutter his/her house makes me happy! In our younger years, we seemed to have so many needs and we all have accumulated tons of things in our houses and our garages. As years go by and we are getting older, we realize that we don't really need all that stuff in our possession. It is time for us to start getting rid of these things while we still have the energy to do so and can decide for ourselves where should these things to - garbage, donations to various charities, loved ones etc. We can make these decisions about our belongings. It's a privileage indeed.

While visiting in Ottawa, I had so much fun sharing my experience with Mar. on decluttering and decorating. We moved things here and there, trying out the placement of different decorative items in the living and dining room. We tried to figure out the theme and colour of what Mar. liked and get rid of things that did not look so good. It worked. I was so proud of what we have accomplished together in the dining room and turning the wall hanging there into a piece of art.

Mar. started getting the hang of it and is on her way to declutter her house of the things she no longer needs/ wants and turning her place into a beautiful, relaxing and calm refuge for her and her other half. RT, Ottawa tue082024

The Repair Cafe, Ottawa - Preventing Fixable Things from Going to the Landfills

We spent a week in Ottawa with a few family members and had a fantastic time together! We visited many interesting places and learned a lot about the city, and how our government and citizens working together to make Canada a great country for Canadians. One special event I attended and was impressed by was the Repair Cafe sponsored by the Ottawa Tool Library. My sis introduced me to this meaningful organization and the good work they have been doing in the community.

The Repair Cafe encourages residents not to toss their things away where they will end up in landfills but instead bring them to be fixed at their special community events. At a Repair Café event these nice folks with expertise on repairing computers, electronics, small appliances, clothes, jewellery, books, toys as well as many other household items, voluteer their time to fix these items without any cost to the owners.

My sis brought us to the Repair Cafe on a Saturday and we each bought one item with us to be fixed. I asked why was it called a Repair Cafe? Would they serve coffee there? Yes they did! Coffee and cookies too, this amazing group of volunteers performing great services to their comunity!

The best part of the Repair Cafe? I met my long lost highschool friend volunteering there fixing my pair of pants! How about that! It was a wonderful experience and I loved it! I also found out that in Toronto, there are Repair Cafe events as well. I will definitely look them up and rescue my broken stuff from the landfills! RT, Ottawa sat082024

A Guided Tour of the House of Common in Ottawa - A Free and Educational Attraction

We were supposed to visit the parliament and senate buildings in Ottawa last Friday. But it was raining cats and dogs therefore we decided to stay home to rest a little instead. Though there was no admission charge to visit the Canadian Parliament buildings, visitors must reserve tickets to do so. We did our homework and reserved some tickets online almost a week ago for a guided tour to the House of Common last Friday. Due to the forecast of heavy rain, we changed our ticket reservation to the following Monday. When the day of the guided tour came, we were ready to go! While we were in downtown Ottawa, we went to visit Shirley at her café. But we found out that she sold her business sometime ago therefore no longer was working there. We were a little disappointed at not able to see her but were happy for her.

The House of Common tour started at 12:20pm but we needed to be there at least 20 minutes before for security clearance procedures. The Parliament buildings are currently under extensive renovation, therefore the Centre Block Building where the original House of Common was located has been closed to the public for some time. The government found a temporary location for the House of Common and some building work was done to accommodate the 338 elected government officials representing Canadians in the Lower House.

The House of Common guided tour was about 40 minutes long and our guide did an excellent job explaining briefly to us in a nutshell about the working of our government and the process of how our laws were made. It was an educational and interesting guided tour and we learned a lot about how our Canadian governement works. After the tour, We had some middle eastern food for lunch at a Mediterrean restaurant downtown. It was Andy and Ya's first time trying this food and they liked it! We were happy to introduce them to some new delicious food!

After lunch, S., Andy and Ya went on their way driving back to Toronto while Mar. came and picked me up as I decided to stay a couple more days in Ottawa! RT, Ottawa, Canada mon082024

Getting to Know Some Congregants Better at a Church Sunday Lunch in Ottawa

We were in Ottawa on a Sunday when it was a day for attending a church service. No matter when we are during our travel, we always worship at a local church. Being in Ottawa was no exception; we looked for a church close by and attended a Sunday Service at 10:30a.m. at the United Church. The congregation welcome us warmly and invited us for a potluck lunch afterwards. Though the church did not have a large number of worshippers, the congregation was very warm and welcoming. The potluck lunch took place in the basement of the church and there was a long table set up for all the dishes brought in by the congregants as well as a few tables and chairs. There were a lot of food! We sat with four members of the church at a round table and had some fellowship time with all of them while we enjoyed the delicious homemade dishes.

The church lunch was an excellent opportunity for the churchgoers to get to know each other better. We enjoyed our conversations so much that we even exchanged contact information with two of the people at our table - one lady with her son attending university of Toronto while a gentleman who used to look after the garden at 24 Sussex Drive, the Prime Minister’s residence. An interesting person and an artist, he talked a lot about gardening. We had a fun time talking about gardening with this gentleman full of knowledge about flowers and plants.

Since we were at downtown Ottawa already, we took the opportunity to visit Chinatown and did some shopping. The Ottawa Chinatown is not a big place, mainly on Somerset Street. With a few Chinese restaurants and some Asian supermarkets . We ordered some take out Chinese food for dinner to share with Dou and Mar. who were happy about the take out food. We had an early dinner. After dinner, we helped Mar. to reuphoster a couple of stools, she was very happy and so were we.

It was the last day of the 2024 Summer Olympics event in Paris. We watched the Olympics closing ceremony together in the living room. It was another frutitful and enjoyable day! RT, Ottawa, Canada sun082024

Enjoying Great Food in Merrickville, Ontario - Canada's Most Beautiful Village

Cooking is something I do out of necessity. However, last summer while staying at my sis' house, cooking became a communal activity and it was fun! With the six of us, we took turn to cook as well as preparing food together a few times. On a Saturday, we cooked together again and enjoyed a good breakfast in the garden under the morning sun. Cooking could be fun and enjoyable when you were with good company!

After breakfast, we drove to Merrickville, about an hour away from Ottawa. The day beofore it was pouring rain but we were fortunate that day as we had beautiful weather with a sunny blue sky. It made visiting and walking around this little town so much more pleasant.

We visited the Merrickville Museum, the brockhouse and the canal locks. At the Rideau Canal lock, we watched a number of boats coming in and the opening and closing of the canal locks. Most of the boats we saw passing through were small pleasure crafts, privately owned tour boats with two or three passengers onbaord.

We also visited the brockhouse which was built to defend the canal locks. Currently, the Merrickville brockhouse is used as a museum displaying historical items and housing an old school classroom teaching visitors about the way of living and the agricultural practices of the past.

We had a marvellous time in Merrickville! It is one of the best preserved 19th century villages in Ontario. Communities in Bloom called it ' Canada's Most Beautiful Village." It has more than 100 historic buildings designated as heritage sites." One of the highlights for us was strolling along the downtown streets visiting these historical buildings, the antique booths, some art studios and numerous quaint shops decorated beautifully with flowers and crafts items made by local artists.

The second highlight of our visit was sampling some of the local food. We found a nice restaurant with a patio open for diners to enjoy outdoor dining. We each ordered different food to try. My favourite was the roast beef sandwich made with blue cheese and some salad which was the most delicious sandwich I have ever tasted! It was lovely relaxing in a beautiful garden filled with colourful summer and wild flowers blooming and enjoying delicious food with your loved ones!

RT, Merrickville, Ont. Canada sat082024

Being a Child Again at the Children's Museum, Ottawa, Canada

It was a fine sunny morning! The birds were singing while the sun shinning brightly in the blue sky. We had breakfast in the backyard. I was grateful that both Dou. and Mar. welcome Andy and Ya. warmly into their home. We enjoyed the breakfast, the company, talking and laughing together. It was great being with family. Visiting Ottawa for a week, we planned to visit a few famous sites here. Being the capital city, Ottawa has much to offer to visitors as it boasts many manificent buildings with spectacular architecture as well as many intersting museums.

There is some good news for families travelling with a few members or people watching their travel budgets - tourists and residents are alike can get a break to see the many museums for free in Ottawa. EVery Thursday from 5pm to closing, the museums are open to the public with free admissions! We took advantage of this free offer and chose to see the Canadian Museum of History in Hull, Gatineau. From the downtown of Ottawa, we drove across a bridge and reached Hull, Quebec, on the other side of the river.

The Canadain Museum of History is located in Hull, Quebec which is the only French speaking province in Canada. The History Museum is a magnificent building with spectacular architecture depicting the natural landscape of Canada. It has a full floor of exhibits on the First People of Canada while it details the history of Canada on the third floor with lots of pictures and explanations from 1914 onward and up to the fairly current events. There is another floor with an exhibit called Hands on History which we didn't have time to see. Of all the exhibits to see and with which to interact in the History Museum, we enjoyed the Children's Museum the most. It brought out the child in us! The Children Museum has been laid out as a global village with colourful houses designed and furnished around the theme of different countries. Like kids in the Museum, we were going through as many little houses as possible trying to see what to do and what were inside of them.

We jumped on the big bus pretending we were the bus drivers; then going inside the Mexican village and stirring the pot. Then we climbed onbaord a sailing ship prentending we were sailors cruising around the world. After visiting Mexico, we went to Egypt to see the Pyrimad, then to Asia and the other countries. What a whirl wind tour of the world and a fun time we had pretending and taking pictures together with my family! The Children's Museum is located within the History Museum in Hull, Quebec. If you have kids or if you are a child at heart, the Children's Museum is a must see in Ottawa! RT, Canadian Museum of History Hull, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada thur08082024

Showing Love and Patience to a Senior with Dementia

Before heading to Ottawa, we made a stop and arrived to Bellville to visit H., my dear friend from my teaching days in Toronto. It was good to see my old friend again and talked a bit. Since we were tired, we went to bed right after dinner. After a good night of rest, we were ready for a breakfast with H. Ra. cooked up a storm and made some delicious French toasts for us using the apple bread we bought from the Big Apple. It was a delicious breakfast and we enjoyed it! I must try to make the apple bread French toast for our grown children when they are home next time. After breakfast, I took out my computer and sang some hymns with my best friend. R. told me that Heb was unable to do many things on his own as his memory has been deteriorating. I was prepared for H.'s silence and unresponsiveness. But to my pleasant surprise, my dear old friend was engaged, enjoyed the hymns and seemed to be immersed in the singing. Once again, I saw how powerful God’s words were. The hymns I chose had lyrics made up from the scripture. H. appeared to be genuinely touched by the lyrics of these songs.

Ya, my sister in law was kind and patient with H. too. Though this was the first time Ya and H. met, they were comfortable in each other’s presence. Ya was caring with Heb. as she held his hands, singing and dancing with him. What a delightful sight! After the singing, we took Heb out for a walk around the neighborhood. He was reluctant to leave the house initially and argumentative. He didn't want to put on his shoes and he didn't want to wear his coat. It was a struggle trying to get him out of the house. But after much encouragement, H. finally agreed for a short walk to get some fresh air and exercise. It was good for him going outside and meeting his neighblours who have not seen him for a while. Walking slowly on his walker and flanked by us, H. took his walk in stride as we guided him along the walkway in the neighborhood. Though initially he was irriated when we asked him to go for a walk, H. appeared enjoying his walk as he felt the fresh air on his face and started being interested in his environment. I was gald that with love and patience, H. was able to participate in an outdoor activity which he has not done in a little while. After the walk, H.'s personal support worker was arriving shortly to his house. We bid our farewell to them wondereding how my best friend would be the next time we see him at his home.

We continued our trip to Ottawa and stopped at Monitique, a quiet little town about an hour of drive from Ottawa. Arriving at the Miller's Museum late in the afternoon, we were too late for any tour as the museum closed at 4:45pm. Strolling along the main street area, we were pleasantly surprised to find a few restaurants offering a variety of ethnic dishes in this small town among which was a Vietnamese restaurant where we rested and had our dinner. We arrived at Marg‘s place well after 8 pm. After exchanging our greetings and hanging out in the front garden to admire D.’s beautiful flowers and got bitten a lot by bugs, we called it a night and went to bed. RT, Bellville/ Ottawa wed082024

A Mini Golf Game at the Big Apple - Bringing a Little Joy to Someone's Life

Ya has been living in Toronto, Canada for the past twenty years. For some reasons or other, she has never been to Ottawa, our capital city. Since we were going to visit Ottawa when the weather was good, we thought why not bring her and Andy along with us. After much discussions and few changes in our dates, we finally decided on a dates that were good for all of us.

We picked Ya and Andy up at their place and we could see that Ya was excited! Finally, her wish of visiting Ottawa came true for her! It was a nice sunny blue sky day, a day perfect for a driving road trip.

Our first stop was the Big Apple. This was the store we always stopped at when we took our children on a trip to Ottawa many years ago when they were young. At that time, there was not much to do at the Big Apple. It only had a few tables and chairs where people could sit and a store selling apple pies where visitors could watch workers making them through a big viewing window.

Today, the Big Apple has lot more to offer to visitors. It has a candy shop, a beverage counter, a bigger store selling different gifts and country crafty items and a proper eating area. It has alos expanded its outdoor facilities such as an outdoor BBQ shop offering BBQ food in the summer, a petting zoo, a couple of table tennis tables, a carousel, a nice pinic area, a garden shop and even a mini golf area! The activity we enjoyed most at the Big Apple besdies eating and shopping was the 18 hole mini golf game! On its website, it stated that there would be a charge to play. But on the day we visited, it was a free game for the four of us, how about that!

We played a mini golf game together enjoying the nice weather while sipping on our apple cider. Fun, love and laughter go hand in hand!I have not seen Ya and Andy smiling so much and having such a good time. The fact that we could bring a little bit of sunshine into another person's day made us very happy indeed! RT, The Big Apple Ontario, Canada 082024