The trip home was amazing for me...thanks to my incredible sister. She had arranged on her phone a day or two before for a wheelchair to meet us as soon as we were about to line up for baggage check and then again in Calgary.
Now I will admit it was somewhat humbling. That was the first time I had to admit to not being up to normal walking. And after blowing out my knee one year on a cruise, Bill had to push me around Singapore in a rickety noisy wheelchair and it wore him out. I was worried about poor Kathy pushing big old me through ridiculously loooong airports. She kept saying she was fine but if pushing me could tax a huge tough man I knew that pushing me wasn't easy.
At one point we came across a fairly long uphill ramp. I was about to hop out and walk up, no way would she be able to push me up that hill, when a lovely looking pilot came along and told her to drag his luggage up the ramp and he would push me. Which he did!!! During this whole experience I was overwhelmed by the kindness of people.
We landed in a very snowy Calgary. It was nine at night. In the end we spent longer sitting around on a traffic jammed airport tarmac than we were in the air flying to Kamloops. But we finally got to the Kamloops Airport by around three in the morning. And there was Kerry, a very welcome sight, all ready to take us home.
I want to mention Jackie here. She was one of the ladies on the trip. Her dad and Bill signed up for the RCMP at the same time. And way back when her dad was a teen they moved right beside my mom's parents in Kelowna. What a coincidence!
The reason I mention her is she is the one that had the kutzpa to go to the lobby about the lack of decent stairs in the pool. And down below I have put a picture to show what her smarts caused!!! We were all so very proud of her!!!
I had one day at Kathy's before catching the bus to Vancouver. I called Anne and made arrangements for her to pick me up. She invited me to a lunch across town. It was in the back of a thrift shop, run by a Catholic Church. I am not sure if it's everyday or not but they serve seniors a free lunch made by a variety of people from the congregation. And it being the first weekend lunch or something it was borscht and perogie day!!! Now this is not something I would normally feel comfortable just showing up at but she was really wanting me to meet some of the people there. So I agreed.
Well let me tell ya, it was fantastic. Homemade pirogies and sour cream and the best borscht I have ever had. And there were lots of seniors there. I got talking to one lady across from me only to find out we went to Norkam together and knew all the same people. What a head psyche that was!!! She filled me in on how many and who are dead. Yikes. I feel a bit lucky to be alive. Overall what an awesome experience it was. I am so glad I did the trip and did the lunch.
I think over the last seven years since moving to Port I have become people and experience shy. No one visits me on the island (I don't blame them) and I have lost interest in making friends. I think I will revisit joining the senior club in Port. They have about 65 different things I can join.
Well this is getting long and a little diary ish. Til next post TFL&TTYL
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| WHILST IN THE THRIFT SHOP I CAME ACROSS THIS GEM. I WOULD GIVE MY RIGHT YOU KNOW WHAT TO HAVE THESE IN MY LIVING ROOM AT HOME. WAAAAHHHHH!!!!! |
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| JUST A LITTLE NACHOS WHILE WAITING FOR THE SHUTTLE TO THE AIRPORT |
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| THERE SHE IS!!! JACKIE, STANDING ON THE VERY STAIRS SHE TOLD THEM THEY NEEDED. HOW POWERFUL IS THAT????!!!! |
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