Christmas morning

                    Chuck was up early Christmas morning.  Everyone enjoyed his pancake and bacon breakfast.

"M-m-m" ponders Taryn.  "What can this be?"

The children haven't stopped smiling since they arrived.  Graham is patiently waiting for his cue to begin opening the first gift.

Oscar received a new toy--one he wasn't going to let anyone throw for him to run and catch--no-sir-ee

The Light Came Into the World

 

"I am the light of the world . Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12

As I began putting our gifts away last evening, I found myself examining the  present given to us by dear friends.  There was a cord attached to the mosaic glass vase-shaped holder (shown above).  I plugged it into the wall and flicked on the switch.  Then, I place the cylinder-shaped piece of scented wax into the recess at the top of the container.  A few minutes later, the heat from the light began to melt the wax. There was a fragrance that filled the air with the sweet, soothing aroma of mildly scented coconut. 

Jesus Christ came into the world over two thousand years ago.  The celebration of the Messiah's birth, every December, is a remeinder of Jesus who is the light that illuminates our otherwise dark world.  The sweet fragrance of Christ will always be with those who love him.  As we continue to proclaim Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we remain walking with the one who is the light of the world.

Christmas in Florida

Our Home in Bonita Springs, Florida

Chuck and I have been in our new home for four days, now.  So far, we have enjoyed the area and also the warm weather---little humidity and lots of sunshine.  Unfortunately, I came down with a cold but staying put in the house is not a hardship.  What is a hardship is trying to keep all germs away from Chuck who, as many of you know, is susceptible to pneumonia. 
Oscar is adjusting well to his new surroundings.  In fact, we were a little worried about him what with being drugged and on a plane for three hours.  Then the poor dog would be plunked into an unfamiliar house.  Because of the hour of arrival, 6:00 p.m., we hadn't eaten dinner, so we decided that we would go to a local outdoor restaurant at Coconut Point and take Oscar with us.   If any of you have been there, you'll know that Coconut Point is one of the most beautiful outdoor malls in North America.  With five or six restaurants to choose from, we decided to go to the Blue Water Bistro.  Oscar was fussed over by all of the servers and given a little bowl of water but he sure stuck close to Chuck's leg---it was all a little overwhelming for him.  He had the intense look of fear in his eyes---worried that Chuck and I would go poof into thin air and he'd be left alone in this strange and foreign land; although, he had been to Florida more than a few times.  He has always been suspicious when he sees suitcases laying about on the floor of our bedroom at home and usually, the sight of them means Aw-w, they're leaving me, again  for Oscar.  He's been quite happy and obedient here.  We think he's fearful of being sent back to Canada if he isn't well-behaved---that is assuming he has thoughts.  It surely is what his body language conveys.

     Oscar knows how to get comfortable and feel secure.                                 

  This is the living-room.  The cabinet faces our couch and two chairs.                            

Living-room.  In background, where people are standing, that's the dining-room area.                

        Our lanai faces the ninth hole of the women's tee blocks. Beyond that is a lake. As this open area faces directly east, we can have a view of the sunrise.              .

   Master Bedroom ~bathroom to the right.

   Partial view of the pool area ~ bathroom door leads out to pool as does the living-room sliding doors.                            

   Our kitchen ~ we like that everything is on one floor.                                    

   The guest bedroom is a good size

 Living-room
The photos on my blog aren't of all of the rooms in our house.  The dining-room, study/third bedroom/ kitchen nook, ( where we eat) and also the bathrooms (but if anyone is really curious about the bathrooms, I will post them on my next blog. )  How interesting can a bathroom really be, though?---essential but not very interesting.

Our Home in Bonita Springs, Florida

As I wasn't able to keep up my blog during our European vacation, I am posting a few of Graham's most enjoyable memories and ours. 
At Landal I learned, for the first time, just how skilled Graham was on the trampoline.  I watched with wonder and awe as he did perfect back flips, landing on his feet and straight as an arrow---close to a perfect 10!  So glad he had something to burn off all of his energy.
He was introduced to his first glass of Sinas, when we arrived in Holland, and like the other two grandchildren, he was hooked.
My favorite photo of the entire holiday was the one of Graham and the dog.  We met he and his owner while walking in one of the squares in Venice.  The woman was throwing a ball but when the dog saw Graham, he saw a potential new playmate and after catching a throwb ball laid it at Graham's feet.  Graham took up the challenge and threw it many meters.  Back he came but this time to Chuck (the dog merely looked at me as if to say "I can tell she can't throw the ball high enough let alone far enough".  That was fine with me because I was able to take the above photo of Graham winding up for another toss.  This went on for fifteen minutes until we all relized the dog was not going to tire.  We patted him "good-bye".  He looked longingly after Graham but doggy had to be satisfied with his few minutes of joy playing ball with these Canadian tourists.

A Few of Our Favorite Things on our Vacation

From Holland to Venice and Our Adriatic Cruise

The boys went off on a bike trip in the a.m. (Wed.).  Graham was interested in visiting the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam so we set off in the early afternoon.  The lineup was 30-40 minutes long with throngs of people milling about.  It was worth the wait and took us about 1 hour to get through it.  I had a hard time keeping up with Graham and felt like I was a kid trailing after my father.  I know Graham enjoyed this exhibit.  He didn't say much but I soon found out that when Graham took pleasure in something, his smile became so broad that it almost reached his two ears.

Venice ~ August 26, 2012

From Venice to Costa Favolosa Cruise

Graham is Loving the Cruise

Finally, our internet is up and connected again.  When we arrived on the ship, there was a bad storm preventing us from leaving Venice on schedule.  It was kind of scary and kind of exciting, too.  Just ask Graham.   The winds were so strong that our suite doors flew open and the rain made it impossible to see the shoreline.  It was short-lived and soon we were headed out to sea.
Graham hasn't stopped smiling---or moving for that matter.  As I write this, he is dancing behind me---doing an old-fashioned jig.  He just dove on to his bed where I imagine he'll stay for all of 30 seconds---he's off again!
(Oh---this is a message from Graham to his mom and dad---"I hope that trampoline is ready for me when I get home!")
He has non-stop privileges---oops he just fell off the floor from his bed---oh---he's up again.  (Gee, I'm tired out and it's only 7:15 p.m. and we have yet to have dinner.) 
The internet is about to shut down again---I have to beat this thing and publish the photos that we've taken so far.
(Graham hurt his is foot when he fell and he is under the bed???  Who knows his ways---not me!!!) He's okay, though, Mom and Dad; a resilient little chap.)

Our first full day at Landal - Tuesday, Aug. 22

As soon as breakfast was over, my boys headed out for the sand dunes and Graham's first bike ride here.  As I am so dedicated to my blog musings :), I had to stay back and update this for any who may be interested.  (With respect to sleeping---we all got up around 10 a.m. our first morning.  Today wasn't much better.  Tonight---we had better set an alarm or we'll continue to go to bed at 2 a.m. and sleep until 10 a.m.)
On Tuesday afternoon, we rode our bikes to Keukenhof gardens---the largest flower gardens in the world.  Absolutely gorgeous with its lush foilage and colorful flowers.   We had hoped to see the castle that was located on the grounds, but weren't told that we had to pay extra as we purchased our admission tickets and  therefore, no admittance allowed!  Once seeing everything there was to see, except the castle, we continued to ride along the variety of bicycle paths throughout the countryside. Graham was amazed that the only thing that separated the horses in the pasture from the paths was a shallow ditch which the horses could easly jump over.  "Well-trained, Graham," I told him.

Graham was a little more challenging to train than those horses, I think.  On the bike paths, he thought it would be fun to ride in and out through the broken lines separating the two sides of the path---for the coming and the going of bikes, skooters and motor bikes .  In and out he zig-zagged until I heard a motor bike coming up from behind us. On my second warning about spending the rest of his holiday in the hospital and missing our cruise, Graham finally gave up his dare devil ways and thereafter rode his bike close to the right side of the path.  "But, I was having fun, Grandma!"  "Try having a little less fun, then," 'no fun Grandma' said.

Our first full day in Landal

Chuck took a bike trip with Graham, in the morning, showing him the dunes in our region.  I stayed back and dutifully updated my blog :) .  After eating lunch here at our cottage, I joined in on the biking.  Our first stop was at the Keukenhof Gardens---the largest flower gardens in the world.  Beautiful and lush, we spent about an hour wandering throughout the grounds.  We, then, did further biking in and around the little towns.  In all, we travelled about 25 kilometers returning to our cottage just before 6 p.m.   
In the evening, Chuck took us to the university city of Leiden.  There was no trouble in getting there but finding a parking spot was like finding a flea on a horse.  After asking two people for directions, imagine that!, the second person, a middle age man, spent five minutes explaining the route to the closest parking lot in the centre of Leiden.  Then, the man opened the back door (to Graham and my surprise) and slid in beside Graham.  I had no idea what was going on because Chuck and this man were speaking Dutch.  "He's going to show us the way to the parking lot," explained Chuck. 
"Wow," Graham said, as the kindly gentleman closed the door as he left our car. "You could never let a guy in your car in Toronto!"  "Just remember that Graham," I said.
We found a very nice restaurant on one of the canals in town.  It was an old converted barge.  The tables were covered in white linen and that seem to sell Chuck on the idea that we would get a good meal.  Our waiter had to take our orders and then cross a very busy street to bring back our food and drinks.  It was quite the experience---one Graham did not want to ever forget and so above is a photo of Graham smiling with approval as he points to the menu on the side of the barge.

Our European Vacation with Graham - August, 2012

We travelled via Austrian Airlines to Vienna---an eight hour flight.  (We booked too late for a more direct route.)  Graham had managed to sleep for five hours during the flight  and Chuck about three---me---don't ask! We had a two-hour layover in Vienna and then, after a 2 1/2 hour drive to our destination, Noordwijk in the province of Zuid Holland, we finally arrived at 4 p.m. on Monday.

 Graham is totally enamoured with all.  He spotted a trampoline, when we arrived, and off he went to burn up all that energy from travelling.  After settling into our cottage, in Landal (a vacation community for families) and eating a light dinner, Chuck and Graham went for a bike ride.  Graham met some young boys around his age.  Although they were Dutch, they spoke very good English and so he was able to meet playmates for our stay here---yeah!  For those reading this who don't know Graham, he has a motor that never stops running---oh---he does sleep like the dead, though.  Whew!

The trip to NOTL, August 15-17, was Jocelyn's birthday present from us.  Part of that gift included taking her cousin, Alexandra.  We stayed at the Canterbury Inn---a place Chuck and I discovered ten years ago.  It's quaint and cozy---a perfect place for a grandmother with her two granddaughters. 
When we arrived, we went into town and checked out the stores.  Jocelyn had some fun trying on clothes but our shopping didn't go any further.  We, then, headed over to the park. 
"Hey, Grandma, isn't that your hairdresser?" Jocelyn asked pointing over to, yes, my hairdresser from Newmarket.  There with his family for the day, Al's two daughters, ages six and three, now had a couple of playmates.  For the first time, Lily, the three-year-old, learned how to climb up the ladder that led to a slide.  With Jocelyn and Alexandra's coaxing, this little girl couldn't stop smiling once she discovered how easy and how much fun it was.  After umpteen dozen times up and down the slide,  my girls took the little girls over to the swings and more fun was had by all!
In the evening, I made reservations at the (Old) Niagara Golf Course for dinner.  I took the girls to a place,there, where their Great Uncle Bob's photo was hanging.  He is/was a great golfer and won many tournaments.  Three photos of him hung in succession.  Alexandra's comment was "Wow he was so young!"  (Bob is now 80 years of age.)
The following day we saw Ragtime and that certainly was an education for the girls.  The music was wonderful but the story had to be explained beforehand.  They saw another side of life through the story. 
All in all, it was a fantastic holiday together.   Rather than being exhausted from the busyness of those two days, my two granddaughters energized me!  May they continue to keep Grandma's spirit forever young.

Niagara-on-the-Lake with Alexandra and Jocelyn

Santa Fe, New Mexico with sister Shirley - May 19 - May 26, 2012



We visited the many galleries along Canyon Road which was a short drive from our Castida.  The weather was beautiful, sunny and warm all week.  Our little house on Rodrigues Road was unique in its decor.  Some days we were content just to stay there.  Shirley would sketch and I would do some writing.



"In Solitude"

The hand extended does not touch
 For want to draw her near
Age has drowned her in the flood
 Of life's surrounding fear

Amid the bustle of the crowd
 He lingers in his glance
Too far to notice blind she be
  If only just by chance

A melancholy look appears
 For once they were as one
In passing, now, the glare too bright
 A blur in the noonday sun