What I Wish I Knew Before I Retired
When hiking the trails at Cameron Lake, on Vancouver Island, I came across several old cabins which made me pose the questions: Would you enter? Or dare peek inside? Uninvited? Today? Even if you knew that hauntings, the ghost of Grandpa Bonney, the Cameron Lake Monster and Sasquatch sightings have all been reported in this… Continue reading Enter If You Dare!!
I've been looking more closely at doors lately. Inspired by Montreal blogger, Norm Frampton, who hosts a weekly link up called Thursday Doors, I've begun to see the entrances to buildings in a brand new light. These shared posts, by bloggers from around the world, have taken me to new and intriguing places. They've also… Continue reading Thursday Doors: Christmas on Vancouver Island
My friend, Louise, has a house and family in California. Still, she returns to Vancouver Island for a few months every year. "It's the small towns out here that continue to lure me back," Louise has frequently proclaimed. "There's just so much going on...so many cool things to try out....It's never boring!" Photo Credit Today… Continue reading A Walk in the Hood
Labour Day Syndrome—almost every student and educator has experienced this condition to some degree, even if they call it by another name, or start their school year at a different time. You know, that restlessness deep in your stomach that begins to churn as the last weekend of holidays comes to an end, and a… Continue reading Playing Hooky
You’d think that I would have gotten the hint at Paint Night (or long before that, actually). I seriously cannot paint! But when two friends mentioned that they planned to take part in a mosaic painting activity that was taking place in our town, I immediately signed up! In celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday (July… Continue reading Canada 150 Mosaic: My (Brief) Stint as a Painter
It had been a perfect evening on the beach. The campfire was intoxicating and the s'mores (with their melt-in-your-mouth chocolate, and gooey marshmallows, precisely smushed between two crispy graham crackers) had never tasted so good. While we savored our meticulously roasted treats, marvelled at the majestic skyline, laughed and reminisced, our dog fervently dug a… Continue reading An Unforgettable Evening
In the time leading up to my retirement, if I had been given a dollar every time someone expressed disbelief that I would actually be content not working, I could have retired much earlier. “But WHAT will you do?” and “Aren’t you afraid of being bored?” were common questions. Focussed, organized, passionate and diligent, the… Continue reading Hope for the Driven Personality
I am currently watching the snow steadily stream down outside the window of my home on Vancouver Island. Although snow is not a common sight in this particular area, nothing surprises me here, which makes me love this small town (population 12,300) even more. Shortly after we moved here we noticed that so many other… Continue reading Location! Location! Location!
Somehow I am feeling behind on this blog even before I begin. I retired in June 2015 and had optimistically believed that I would have begun blogging that same month excitedly documenting my transition into retirement, and our lives back in Canada after 14 years living in Beijing, China. Two years ahead of time we… Continue reading Retirement Reflections…and Beyond
Retirement Reflections 