We have reached our final Canadian destination, Yellowknife, NT. Yippee, we made it, we landed in Canada over a month ago so it feels good to be at the end of this part of our journey. We are camped out in a friend’s “shack” as he calls it. It is a lovely shack and has all we need except a toilet! The “shack” is located at the back of our buddy’s yard. It is approx. 3 X 2.5m. It has a fridge (stocked with beer I might add) cupboards, counters, a closet and a loft. Ian lived in the “shack” for a year. The bed is in the loft, what more could a person ask for, well maybe a toilet but I am sure Ian and Helen will let us have access to the house to tend to our needs.
We have some apartments lined up to look at, we have found out we can sign a month to month lease. We are going to take a 1 bedroom place that is available immediately for a month. It is a walk up so would not be suitable after Barry has his surgery. Our daughter has some furniture in storage so we are going to look to see what we can use, so the problem of not having anything to sleep on should be solved.
When we arrived in town we went down to the boatyard to see how much ice there was, there was a lot, they won’t be launching for at least a week, if then. I was asked to help put up a new roller furling, mission partly accomplished, a cotter pin is still needed but everything else is fine. We met some old friends; it was great to see them.
We visited the 5 sets of friends and family we had planned on, a bonus being getting to meet our new grand niece, Avery, James and Kendra’s daughter. In Camrose we saw Pat Barbour, now Fields, and her daughter Shona. Years ago in Yellowknife we used to make wine. One night we corked one to many bottles. We labeled it and gave it to Pat, because we would all get in trouble when we were there playing bridge and she would want to open “just one more bottle.” Well that empty bottle of wine left Yellowknife, and went to Vancouver Island; we would pass it back and forth every time we saw each other. Pat gave it to us just before we left in 2006. It made it safely across the Pacific on Cat’s-Paw IV, not falling from its perch when we went aground in the Marquesas, or when we hit those big wind and waves on the way from the Bora Bora to the Cook Islands. Miracle of miracles it was not broken on the return air trip in our luggage. Pat did not have a clue what this thing was wrapped up in four layers of bubble wrap when I gave it to her. Now she is going to have to meet us in some exotic location in order to give it back to us!!
We saw our Mexican cruising buddies Sandy and Steve from Mungo in Edmonton.
We visited Barry’s Aunt Flo, she is in an extended care facility after not being able to get out of bed one day. She seemed in good spirits. While we were there, Barry’s Uncle Ben and his wife came to visit as well. Barry could not remember every meeting him. He looks remarkably like Barry’s Dad. He told me he reads the blog regularly, isn’t the internet amazing, people you have never met can keep in touch with you as little or as much as they want, wow!
Yesterday we went and helped out at the Yellowknife Track Meet, something Barry got started 19 years ago. It is great that it is still alive and well. I had a few moments yesterday when I wondered what on earth we were doing there. It was bitterly cold, a 15 knot wind, gusting to 20 and raining. I had a t-shirt, a hoodie, my down jacket and a rain suit on as well as my hiking boots. I put wool socks on my hands, I couldn’t find my mitts or gloves in the car, welcome back to life north of 60!!
We are going to see our daughter Heather and her children today. I can hardly wait.