A moment in time.

We are flying to Nova Scotia. Maia gets her own seat and is adept at putting her seat belt on. She has her baby with her and will be holding her tight during takeoff. (so don't worry). Maia has a not so surprising love of airports and flying as well as a propensity for travelling.We visited Ottawa for a week to visit Maia's Great grand parents and great aunts and a hand full of her cousins. While visiting, we had the chance to visit the museum of civilization. Its a beautiful building designed by Douglas Cardinal who is the same guy who designed the College in Grande Prairie for those of you in the know. While in the kids section, Maia and stopped to study the painting below. She stood unmoving for several moments and I took a seat on a bench nearby. Eventually I asked her what she was doing and she told me " I am waiting in line." Her patience paid off because she was served strawberry/blueberry ice cream and we continued on our way.
This picture shows Eileen and Maia. Eileen is Maia's Great grandmother on her grandfather's side of the family. I wish I could show pictures of her visits with all her extended family as they are all very important to her, but I think the picture below illustrates the enjoyment that visiting family brings.
Grandpa Dave and Maia sharing a moment at a diner back in Halifax. It was a sunny Sunday and we have been staying in the luxurious Radisson hotel in downtown Halifax. We had just finished walking to the museum of natural history but it was closed. We roamed around downtown Halifax until we found a cafe. We made it back to the museum after brunch and Maia made friends with an 84 year old turtle named Gus.
Maia and her Grandma Mary Coyle woke up very early to take the ferry between Halifax and Dartmouth. There are Tim Horton restaurants at both the Halifax and Dartmouth terminals, right beside the ticket booth and Maia received a free timbit in Dartmouth. Before making land, Maia noticed Theodore Tugboat and so...

The Chariot

This photo was taken in the back yard of our house in Edmonton in December, 2007. This is a 1984 Westfalia, it has 200 000+ kms and it is the chariot of choice for the voyage to Central America. We planned a few reparations to prepare the vehicle for the journey and the vehicle is presently at Westside Auto.

Right after I took this photo, I began the process of trying to start the engine. You might be surprised to learn that it started on the first turn of the key. (By first turn of the key I mean tenth with a battery booster and a horseshoe in the tailpipe).

For those of you who haven't been inside a 1984 Westfalia, please lend me your imagination for a moment. The van's sliding door opens into the kitchen. The kitchen has two gas burners, a sink, a fridge and an espresso machine. The fridge and burners and powered by propane. The sink faucet pump is attached to a 50 liter water tank that drains conveniently out of the van and into nature. All of the cupboards and drawers lock when closed and allow plenty of room for the pots and pans. The driver's seat and the passenger's seat turn towards each other and a table can be swung into place. Another table is placed in front of the bench seat in the rear of the van. The nice part about the kitchen is that when the top of the van is popped up, there is plenty of standing room for cooking, laughing and eating. When diner is finished, the tables swing out of the way and the rear bench lies flat to create a double bed. The second double bed is comfortably under the recently popped van top and there are drapes for all of the windows for privacy and a good nights sleep.

I would like to end this blog with a small request from my readers. This van does not have a name or even a gender. At the moment, Emilie believes the van is a girl while Maia is quite sure that it is a boy. Please send us your preference and help us decide. (My personal choice is Optimus).

The House with the Open Door

When Adam and I got married we read a poem by my grandfather entitled “The house with the open door”. In reading the poem we were extending an invitation to all those we knew, and to all those we had yet to meet, to join us in our home wherever that may be.

We bought our first home in Edmonton and during the three years that we lived there, never a week went by that we didn’t have friends or family over. Some people travelled a long way for a weekend visit while others found our house a good launching pad for work in Alberta.

Thanks to all the people who came through our open door to drink wine, break bread, and to soak the walls with laughter and love.

We have sold the "Green House" and are moving to warmer climes but please do not hesitate to come down to the beach and stay with us. We love the conversation and the memories that it creates.