Where has summer gone?

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

In answer to the question "What did you do last summer?", here is a quick recap of our last 4 months...

Usually, when we are back in Canada for such an extended time, we would spend at least some of our time on the road, visiting the mountains, or BC, or some such.  However, this year we stayed pretty much within the confines of Edmonton.  While part of the blame is the fact that this year we had no access to a vehicle of our own, most of it was actually my fault.

Immediately upon arriving in Edmonton, I paid a visit to my Optometrist to try and get a new prescription, as my vision had not been too good for the last 6 months or so.  Unfortunately, I was informed that my cataracts had progressed to the point where something had to be done if I ever wanted to have good eyesight again.  Thus, much of the summer was spent with various appointments with doctors, for evaluations, surgeries and follow-ups, spread out conveniently at about 2-week intervals.  For most of the time, my vision was compromised for one reason or another which made travelling less than appealing.

On the plus side, the summer weather was really terrific.  We got to spend some time with friends, hanging around the pool, etc.  And we took in many of the summer activities that Edmonton offers, most of which we had not done for many years.

Later, after my eyes started to see the light at the end of the tunnel, we did take a short mini-break vacation to Jasper for a few days, where we were able to do some serious hiking and general communing with nature.

Edmonton K-days

 

A Taste of Edmonton

Triathlon

 

Victoria harbour

A couple of weeks ago, Susanne's brother lent us one of their vehicles and I was able to take a more extended drive to the west coast (Susanne elected to stay behind in Alberta).  I got to see some good friends in Victoria and Nanaimo and snagged a couple of much-needed boat parts at my favorite marine chandler.  All in all, a very welcome break from Edmonton and, as it turns out, very well timed.  Just a couple of days after I got back, winter finally arrived.


Our old home-port marina (Stones) and the new pub

Looking outside, it appears that we may have overstayed our welcome - I hardly remember how to deal with snow anymore.  Fortunately for us, it won't be for long.  We depart for Ecuador on the 17th of November, just a short week away now.

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