Wow, people, 2009 and 2010 are looking like good years for Road Trips! Some are by plane, but the idea is the same. Here's what the year (and a few previous ones) looked like: http://www.flickr.com/photos/barbcollishaw/sets/
Had one already: Jamaica in January, to visit Kevin and Kat. Neil & I really enjoyed it.
And Laura had one in February, to visit Patrick in Austin. He’s doing some grad-school stuff there for a semester.
Neil’s just back from a trip right now: 10 days of trekking in India before a World Conference on Smoking and Health. He had a wonderful time and took MANY pictures.
In April, we are heading back to Jamaica. Why not!
The summer will involve trips to the cottage of course: a very familiar road! You should come for a visit.
I hope to get to one Jimmy Buffett concert this summer: the one outside Detroit in August. That week, there will also be a fan festival in Caseville, Michigan, near Bay City, which coincides very nicely with a planned appearance by Rod Stewart (Doug Varty) near Bay City. Sounds like a road trip!
In September, Neil & I will fly to Whistler for a week, to catch up with Mary Ann & Antoine and enjoy the mountains.
And in January, 2010, we will be going on the Road to Zanzibar, an Intrepid Travel trip. Two weeks in Tanzania, finishing on the lovely, much-anticipated island of Zanzibar. There is still room on the trip, so if you want to come with us, check out INTREPIDTRAVEL.COM . Neil's India trip was with Intrepid, and he was pleased with everything. We got great airfare through (you won’t believe this) Cheapoair.com, and we are flying Swiss through Zurich.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Achievements
See some pictures of flying trips, growing kids and Laura's wedding:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/barbcollishaw/sets/
Laura is now a fully qualified Commercial Pilot, who can fly one- or two-engined planes with instruments and land on water (with floats, not like that guy in the Hudson River).Also, she finally learned to skate backwards, and began playing shinny with some other women at the neighbourhood rink.
She doesn't have an aviation job yet, but she's READY! She does have a job, though: she recently started working 4 days a week at the World of Maps, and is enjoying it. That leaves her some time for flying practice, too.
Rachel was chosen for the Teacher's Institute, a program for history and civics teachers, put on by the Library of Parliament. It was supposed to be in November 2008, but circumstances pushed it into February 2009, so she just finished it. It was a wonderful week, and she came back full of energy and ideas, as well as knowledge. During Ottawa's bus strike, she walked to school and back every day, except when she skied!
I am proud to say that I had one of the world's finest scuba diving instructors in January 2009, when I took my Advanced Open Water course. Kevin, of course! I learned lots of great skills, and I did pass the course; I have a new PADI card to prove it. Neil tagged along on my lessons and improved his diving skills and confidence, too. We spent a week with Kevin and Kat in Jamaica, where they are currently working. In fact, we enjoyed it so much that we will be going back again in April.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/barbcollishaw/sets/
Laura is now a fully qualified Commercial Pilot, who can fly one- or two-engined planes with instruments and land on water (with floats, not like that guy in the Hudson River).Also, she finally learned to skate backwards, and began playing shinny with some other women at the neighbourhood rink.
She doesn't have an aviation job yet, but she's READY! She does have a job, though: she recently started working 4 days a week at the World of Maps, and is enjoying it. That leaves her some time for flying practice, too.
Rachel was chosen for the Teacher's Institute, a program for history and civics teachers, put on by the Library of Parliament. It was supposed to be in November 2008, but circumstances pushed it into February 2009, so she just finished it. It was a wonderful week, and she came back full of energy and ideas, as well as knowledge. During Ottawa's bus strike, she walked to school and back every day, except when she skied!
I am proud to say that I had one of the world's finest scuba diving instructors in January 2009, when I took my Advanced Open Water course. Kevin, of course! I learned lots of great skills, and I did pass the course; I have a new PADI card to prove it. Neil tagged along on my lessons and improved his diving skills and confidence, too. We spent a week with Kevin and Kat in Jamaica, where they are currently working. In fact, we enjoyed it so much that we will be going back again in April.
First Installment
Hello, friends!
You may have noticed, but I didn't send Christmas cards and letters, or even New Year letters, for Christmas 2008 or the New Year, 2009. It was due to procrastination, pure and simple. But every card and letter we received was opened with joy, because I really do love to stay in touch with my friends and relatives over the years. I've been thinking that I'd make up by writing little notes to everyone, sending out a mass mailing, or going on a world tour. But, at last, here I am with some words and pictures that I hope you will enjoy.
In fact, the best place to see our pictures is over here at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/barbcollishaw/sets/
The biggest event of 2008 was, of course, Laura's wedding to Patrick Snider. This wonderful event took place at the cottage on September 20. Laura and Neil paddled from the dock to the beach, where her brother, sisters and I met them. Kevin, Rachel and Mary Ann were the attendants and Neil and I escorted her to the ceremonial spot. Patrick was attended by his brother Graydon, his and Laura's friend, Alexander McGill, and his longtime fencing teammate and honourary little sister, Harmony Mah.
It was a most unusual wedding, in terms of organization. Our cottage friends and neighbours and many of Laura's friends, and many other guests all pitched in to get things set up, people moving around, meals cooked and served, music played, and the whole thing cleaned up by the next day. It was great fun!
A few other things did happen to us during 2008. Neil & I had a week-long trip to Paris as the celebration for our 40th wedding anniversary. Yes, it has been that long; time sure flies when you're having fun. We toured some scenic and cultural places that we had neglected before, and we had lots of wonderful food and wine, too, of course. We tried out the free bicycle system, too. Nellie, who was my maid of honour in 1968, and her husband Rolf came to Paris from their home in Aachen, Germany, to spend part of the week with us, in the charming, perfectly-located flat we rented. Our regret was that we only had one week, because of my Parliamentary schedule, and so didn't get a chance to go back to our old haunts around Geneva. (This year, 2009, it will be 10 years since we returned to Ottawa, and that's hard to believe, too!)
Skipping back through time, I might as well tell you now that we began the year with our second trip to Bonaire. This time we only stayed for a week, and we stayed with Sal and Patty whom we had met the year before. Lots of fun, sun and diving.
During 2008, Neil travelled on business to Manila and to Durban, South Africa, among other places. I travelled to Chicago to see Jimmy Buffett. It was also the year for us to see other musical "old guys" who are still performing. We saw Gordon Lightfoot, Jesse Winchester, Neil Diamond, James Taylor and many others at BluesFest, and of course, my brother Doug, who isn't quite their ages yet, but will certainly be going strong for quite a while longer. He does a killer Rod Stewart show!
You may have noticed, but I didn't send Christmas cards and letters, or even New Year letters, for Christmas 2008 or the New Year, 2009. It was due to procrastination, pure and simple. But every card and letter we received was opened with joy, because I really do love to stay in touch with my friends and relatives over the years. I've been thinking that I'd make up by writing little notes to everyone, sending out a mass mailing, or going on a world tour. But, at last, here I am with some words and pictures that I hope you will enjoy.
In fact, the best place to see our pictures is over here at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/barbcollishaw/sets/
The biggest event of 2008 was, of course, Laura's wedding to Patrick Snider. This wonderful event took place at the cottage on September 20. Laura and Neil paddled from the dock to the beach, where her brother, sisters and I met them. Kevin, Rachel and Mary Ann were the attendants and Neil and I escorted her to the ceremonial spot. Patrick was attended by his brother Graydon, his and Laura's friend, Alexander McGill, and his longtime fencing teammate and honourary little sister, Harmony Mah.
It was a most unusual wedding, in terms of organization. Our cottage friends and neighbours and many of Laura's friends, and many other guests all pitched in to get things set up, people moving around, meals cooked and served, music played, and the whole thing cleaned up by the next day. It was great fun!
A few other things did happen to us during 2008. Neil & I had a week-long trip to Paris as the celebration for our 40th wedding anniversary. Yes, it has been that long; time sure flies when you're having fun. We toured some scenic and cultural places that we had neglected before, and we had lots of wonderful food and wine, too, of course. We tried out the free bicycle system, too. Nellie, who was my maid of honour in 1968, and her husband Rolf came to Paris from their home in Aachen, Germany, to spend part of the week with us, in the charming, perfectly-located flat we rented. Our regret was that we only had one week, because of my Parliamentary schedule, and so didn't get a chance to go back to our old haunts around Geneva. (This year, 2009, it will be 10 years since we returned to Ottawa, and that's hard to believe, too!)
Skipping back through time, I might as well tell you now that we began the year with our second trip to Bonaire. This time we only stayed for a week, and we stayed with Sal and Patty whom we had met the year before. Lots of fun, sun and diving.
During 2008, Neil travelled on business to Manila and to Durban, South Africa, among other places. I travelled to Chicago to see Jimmy Buffett. It was also the year for us to see other musical "old guys" who are still performing. We saw Gordon Lightfoot, Jesse Winchester, Neil Diamond, James Taylor and many others at BluesFest, and of course, my brother Doug, who isn't quite their ages yet, but will certainly be going strong for quite a while longer. He does a killer Rod Stewart show!
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