Unforseeable Journey

Getting picked up at 8:15 tomorrow morning after a busy week of farewells to friends and family.  You are all on our minds as we consider being gone for two months, especially our beautiful Calgary grandson, Eli.  This happy three year old warms up a room instantly with his open, smiling personality.  His neuro-muscular disease diagnosis this spring has left us all changed and more appreciative of life's gifts and unexpected turns.  The coming years are suddenly more precious.  I invite you to learn more and if you wish, support Team Eli as we share in his unforseeable journey.  click here to see what his wonderful parents, Jen and Ken are up to next.

We bought our carabiners, slings and harnesses at MEC last Friday and the decades-long dream of hiking some supported routes in the Italian Dolomites is now becoming more real.  Pictures of via ferrati are here and lots of info on specific routes are here .  Don't vorry, we are planning to stick to the easy ones when in Cortina, Italy for five days. 

Ben and Candy and the boys came over Saturday and we celebrated youngest son's 30th with a nice BBQ.  Susan got some extra time to play with Ryan and Silas.  She was benched from KP duties after a little skirmish which ended with a score of Team Henckel-SlipperyYam 1, Susan's Finger 0.  It's healing nicely, though.

Now that I've gone nuts with new found hyperlink ability, it's on to photo posting.  Next post will likely be from somewhere in Denmark.  We should get to Paris about 0800 Wednesday and Copenhagen early that afternoon.

Trip Preparation List Gets Longer

Eleven Days to go and the list gets longer, not shorter.  The weather is good for yardwork (and perfect for biking, but no time for that).  Tonight we'll take time out to get to the Sooke Chamber Music Workshop wind up pot-luck dinner and see old friends from Edmonton that we performed with in San Miguel d'Allende MX two years ago.  Bookings and reservations are a slow grinding chore but we're getting through it.  Susan is excited about going to MEC to buy her harness and slings for the Vie Ferrate (via ferrati = iron way) hikes in the Dolomites.  Pathfinder is excited about getting a long overdue oil change.  Mike is happy to cross make blog off his  list.  I'll figure out how to upload pictures later.