Perfect!

"Don't let perfect be the enemy of good."

I've had several false starts on a second installment of this blog.  I first remember hearing the saying above about 15 or so years ago from a colleague. It describes me well. So here we go with a hodgepodge round-up of our travels and impressions over our first week in the Maritimes.

PART I

The people are very friendly and helpful.  The roads are in poor shape (except the main highways).  We're here about two weeks too soon, as many things are not open yet and the weather is generally chilly and windy, and often wet.  However, the upside to being here now is unfettered (mind you, at your own risk) access to the Hopewell Rocks and other lookouts, capes, lighthouses, and such...oh and lobster is in season and we're told this is when they are the tastiest...yum.

One very prominent aspect of our trip has been seafood. In fact, finding 'the best' seafood chowder has become an almost daily occupation. Everybody we met seems to have their favorite place and every place claims the title. We've tried many so far and the thing is, they've all been great - not one I'd throw back. 1st place for me though, goes to Dr. Garland Brooks' lobster bisque (yes, I know, not technically a chowder).

Lobster rolls, scallops, fish cakes, crab cakes, and mussels are also starting to come out of our ears, so much so that Trudy and I shared a clubhouse sandwich (gasp) for dinner last night. OK, Trudy did have scallops as an appetizer. We are slowly coming to terms with the East Coast pronunciation of scallops, i.e.'skullops' as opposed to 'skalips' from the West Coast. Trudy is doing better than I; osmosis me thinks.

Ian (L) & Angus (R)

On a more practical note, we had a nice visit to Halifax, the highlight of which was dinner and great conversation with Angus, an old high school friend from Ottawa, and his partner Garland, and their British bulldog Jemma in their beautiful, historic home.

It's amazing to me that 41 years have gone by since then and even more amazing to hear Angus' story between then and now - I had almost no idea!  That said, Angus seems to have really found a home in Halifax.

Noon Gun Crew - No Lives Were Lost!

One of the must-see things in Halifax is the Citadel. We spent several hours there walking the ramparts and exploring the inside of the fortress.  We took a tour of the guardhouse and other aspects of 'fort' life.  A particularly interesting part was witnessing the firing of the noon gun.

Shard from ship's hull found
3 km from explosion

Theodore!

The Maritime Museum turned out to be a great thing to do on a soggy day. 

There were lots of exhibits on the the maritime history of the area, including the Bluenose I and II, the Halifax Explosion, and the Titanic.  

Outside the Acadia lay at berth (but not open to the public)

I finally learned how to tell a schooner from a bark (barque) and just what the heck a frigate really is!  It's far more complicated than I knew!

Bonus - Theodore Tugboat and some of his friends were also on display!  

Our plans to take in local music were sidetracked by our need to cheer on the Jets at a local watering hole. We left Halifax a day sooner than originally planned to take advantage of good weather to visit Peggy's Cove and Lunenburg.




 End of Part I....stay tuned for Part II

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Who Knew?

Who knew preparing a house for sale after 31+ years would be so much work!?  We literally and figuratively are at Wits End.

Trudy and I have not been collectors of kitsch, not even borderline hoarders, so it is amazing just how much stuff we've accumulated over the years....and amazing how many little 'to do' list items there are when you start looking....maybe we shouldn't have looked!

One thing's for sure, we should have started this process a year ago, not six weeks ago!

Our frenetic and frustrating task is not without its quirky, funny moments: I clean up the garage and workshop, Trudy sees the open space as a good place to store packed boxes or put stuff she's not sure whether to keep, pack, donate, or toss.  I'm sure I'm just as guilty of the same sin - or other ones.  U

Preparing to move is akin to wallpapering together - highly not recommended.  Lots of stressful decisions, some which have to be deferred until nerves are calmed and sensibilities return.  Neither Trudy or I are particularly sentimental about things - our memories are good enough for us.  Thank goodness for that, otherwise we would be in even worse shape.  Still, there are some very hard decisions.

All of this is, of course, part of our plan for the next couple of years. Many of our friends wonder if we're serious about having no fixed address - we've asked ourselves that question over and over again and the answer has unwaveringly been 'yes'. Frankly, we're tired of the upkeep of a big house. We're not avid gardeners, carpenters, or anything else that would tie us to a property. We are avid travellers and lovers of music and culture in general, so it makes perfect sense to us to sell and go travelling for a couple of years.

Of course, I have to retire first. In that regard I'm wrapping up a couple of projects and tying up some loose ends at Carte with an expectation of being done at the end of the summer or maybe September.

But at this very moment Trudy and I are in the skies over New Hampshire on our way to Halifax to start a 3 week visit to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland - a sampler trip, if you will, for future, much longer, exploration of the Maritimes. Stay tuned.....

Bluto & Fifi

Mattey Mule 2016

Merry Humbug!

Frankly, I'm just not into Christmas right now...even though it's one day away.  It's not so much that I'm grumpy, it's more that I'm tired.  It seems to have been such a long, busy and frustrating year.  Perhaps the late arrival of winter is a part of it.  Perhaps frustrations at work too.  I think the 'stress' in the world, from Trump, to Syria, to internet trolls, and back to Trump again is a large part of it.  It's hard to be an active participant in life and not get worn down by it at times.  So all I want for Christmas is some peace and quiet at home with my family and close friends and fortunately that is what this year is bringing!

But enough of my whinging, here is my annual (well almost annual) report on the machinations of the Matteys of Winnipeg:  Nothing changed; everything's the same; nothing to see here; go back about your business! Kidding!

The two most significant 'events' of our year were the return of Lisa from her adventures in England and Trudy's decision to retire in a few weeks on January 13th.

Lisa decided to return to Winnipeg about six months before her 2-year visa expired due to a series of discouraging events.  The environment at her place of work changed drastically for the worse, a 100-year rain storm flooded her apartment, and Brexit left everyone in a surly mood.  
She has returned to her prior life of working for the YMCA, volunteering, baking, cooking and being a force to be reckoned with. 

One of her friends from Brighton, Hannah, came for a week long visit recently to see the snow and cold - she got a good dose of both but braved the elements in pursuit of a whirlwind tour of the 'Peg.  

Trudy has been talking about retirement for a while now (and probably thinking about it for longer).  She feels it is time to move on to new things and we're at the point we can afford for her to do this - at least we think so.  Trudy has no specific plans other than joining a couple of her other retired girlfriends at the gym a few mornings a week.  She's heading down to Phoenix in late January to spend a couple of weeks with her sister Wendy, who is also retiring, and her husband Larry.  Lisa will be house-sitting for Wendy and Larry, so I'll be 'batching' it for a couple of weeks - oh well, lots of Jets games on the TV!

Things are very much the same for Spencer and Shyanne.  He's been a journeyman electrician for over a year and continues to enjoy his work. Shyanne continues to work for the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce and seems to enjoy it most days.

They are saving up to put a down payment on the house they're renting when vet and truck repair bills don't get in the way.  It's a small house on a great piece of property with lots of back yard for their dog Eddie.

Spencer and his buddies like to fish - year 'round.  At this time of year they are antsy to get on the ice and start jigging for pickerel.  

Me?  Well I'm still at Carte and still leading the QA team.  Carte continues to grow customers and do well.  Our biggest issue is changing culture and processes to meet the demands of increasing sales.  My boss respects me and my work, treats me well and I work with some great people, so hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work I continue to go.

A significant activity for Trudy and I this past year or so has been being part of a community-based group (SOSRI) sponsoring three related Syrian refugee families to resettle in our South Osborne neighbourhood.  Our primary activity was leading the fundraising.  To date we've raised over $113,000 of our $150,000 goal. These monies have to support the 13 members of the families for a minimum of a year and cover immigration expenses including their airfare here.  Thank you to friends, family, and community members (I'd like to see a Venn diagram) for your generous donations.  If you would like to learn more about these families or support the cause, please visit our Go Fund Me page.  

Travel?  Why yes, I think we did!
Trudy and I like to travel and 2016 was no different with several big and small trips made.

Our first trip of the year was to Cozumel for ten days in late February with our friends Penny and Eric.  Mostly we just wanted to get away from winter but Eric and I did get in some scuba diving as well.  We stayed right on the malycon in San Miguel, the main town on the island.  Did a lot of walking, eating and drinking and drove around the island a bit on a sleepy Sunday.  We took a day trip over to Playa del Carmen to catch Brent Parkin, a Winnipeg institution who winters there, play the blues.

Penny & Trudy in the Gardens at La Parrilla Mission

In May we were off to Italy, where Lisa joined us for ten days gallivanting around Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre, and Pisa before heading back to Brighton for a few days to check out Lisa's UK digs.  Trudy and I took Italian lessons in preparation.  All I can say about Italy is Molte Bene!  

I think my favorite was Venice - I really liked the maze-like nature of the city - getting lost was a new adventure.  We stayed just off a quiet little Campo.

Of course we took the obligatory gondola ride complete with a nice bottle of proseco. Expensive but worth the experience!

We went out to Murano via water bus to see the glass shops and factories.  And we took in the sites on St. Mark's square, including the Bridge of Sighs and Doge's palace.


Florence was very busy and full of things to see and do - definitely not enough time here - I only got a few hours at the Uffizi and didn't even see the statue of David!

We went on a really nice one-day Super Chianti tour while in Florence, courtesy of our wonderful kids - thanks Spencer and Lisa!  The tour included a visit to the mad butcher of Panzano and Greve - both places to go back to one day.

We also took the bus to Sienna one day.

Cinque Terre was nothing short of spectacular!  The five villages are all beautiful and unique - it's just too bad that so much of the coastal walkway is out of commission.  

We stayed in Riomaggiore, which is the southern-most of the villages and used the train to hop one-by-one northward and then the ferry to come back home.  

The Pscyclepaths were off to Oregon in July.  Have to admit before I go any further that there is very little cycling anymore on these trips but there is lots of food, wine (and other libations), friendship, and frivolity!

First stop was a gorgeous beach house at Depoe Bay called the Sea-Glass Cottage.

We went whale-watching, beach-combing, and helped celebrate US Independence Day with fireworks on the beach. The whale-watching was an adventure due to somewhat rough seas but we did see a few Grey whales.  

The coastline of Oregon is tremendously beautiful.  There are lots of fantastic vistas and quaint little towns to check out.

Our next stop was a house in the hills outside Newberg in the Willamette Valley.

On the way from Depoe Bay the guys stopped to take in the Evergreen Aviation Museum where the Spruce Goose and many other aircraft are on display.  

This is wine country so we just had to visit a few of them.  We also sauntered down the Norman Rockwell-like main street of McMinnville and spent another day cycling in a large park on the outskirts of Salem.

The September long weekend saw us take off with a few of the other Pscyclepaths for Dorsett Minnesota.  The cycling along the Heartland trail was great, as it always is.  More fun and frivolity but no wineries :-(

We stopped at Itasca State Park on the way home to get a look at the headwaters of the Mississippi - pictured here. 

In late September I was in the Big Easy for 
the second year-in-a-row for a conference. 

I really like New Orleans - fantastic history, interesting people, great music and great food.  At that time of the year the weather is warm but not too humid. 

It was kind of fun to be at the mouth of the Mississippi having been at its headwaters a few weeks earlier.

Trudy and I were off to Ottawa in October for an extended Thanksgiving long weekend.  The primary purpose was of course to visit Anne and Tim in Prince Edward County and my side of the family in the Ottawa area.

We had a great visit with Anne and Tim - just like old times - miss those two a lot!

We sat down on the shores of Lake Ontario quite a bit or up on their deck watching the waves rolling up on the shore.  Tim and I even did a sauna followed by a sip in the lake - it wasn't so cold!

Oh, there were wineries here too! And another aviation museum.



Our visit with my family started off with Thanksgiving dinner in Carleton Place, where Trudy and I got to meet all three of the new grand-nieces and nephews, Cambria, Haughton, and Audrey - cuties all!

We stayed at the senior's complex in Gatineau where my Dad and Jocelyne live. I must say it is a fantastic set up for them.  

My dad turned 89 a few weeks ago and is in great health physically and mentally.  We are planning a trip to England next fall to visit relatives in honour of his pending 90th.

Scubacation was our final trip of the year...off to Cozumel for the now annual dive trip. Trudy and Lisa came along too!  Every year the diving gets more and more zen-like for me.  I'm now up to 64 dives!  I also did my first wreck dive! 

There were 23 of us, including 15 divers - enough to fill our own dive boat!  Our crew has grown to include folks from Saskatoon, Edmonton, Ottawa, and Colorado.

We celebrated Lisa's birthday with a group dinner for all of us.

Some of us celebrated Halloween with a night dive.  We saw some neat fauna including an octopus that took on all sorts of colours trying to escape our lights.

Some of us went into town a day later to the Dia des Muertes festivities in San Miguel. 

Trudy rented a car for the week so she and Lisa along with some of the others tootled around the island checking out the Mayan ruins, the beaches, Punta Sur park and other sights.


Music, Music, Music
We took in a lot of shows this past year - hard to recount them all but the highlights were definitely Festival de Voyageur, volunteering at Interstellar Rodeo, and the broadcast of the last Tragically Hip concert at Assiniboine Park.  Casey and Gail came in from Edmonton for an all-too-short visit so they could take in the Rodeo.  Music is made all the better in the company of friends.

Next Year?
You'll have to wait and see!

WOW - it's been a busy year - no wonder I'm tired!  

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of our friends and family!  May you enjoy the warmth and comfort of the season.  Hope to see you soon!

I'm Back?

5 years ago I wrote about planning ahead for retirement, which included a fair amount of travel. Trudy and I like to call our travels 'adventures'.  Well, those days are closer than ever now and it seems each week the focus and detail becomes clearer and clearer.

Very recently, when discussing this with friends, I was encouraged to blog about our adventures, much like our daughter Lisa did while in Europe for 18 months.  So, here goes....

As I begin writing this I am sitting at Tim & Anne's breakfast table in Wellington, Prince Edward County, Ontario looking out over the rocky shoreline of Lake Ontario...it's a beautiful warm Fall day and a beautiful view.  It is perhaps fitting that I should resume my blog here, as my last blog, in 2011, concerned a trip to Scotland with Tim. 

A few years ago Tim & Anne bought an older home with good bones here.  Through a series of renovations they turned it into a lovely, lovely home, complete with guest suite on the lower level and sauna shack, pronounced sow-na by Anne (she will correct your pronunciation). Later this evening Tim and I plan to use the sauna and then take a plunge in Lake Ontario.  They rent out the lower level from Spring through the early Fall.

Prince Edward County is a hidden gem of a place. It was one of my late mother's favorite spots to visit. This smallish triangle of land just west of Kingston juts out into Lake Ontario and benefits climatically from the lake effect.  It's been a fruit growing region for a century.  In the last couple of decades wineries have been replacing the orchards.  Following the wineries have been restaurants, cafes, bistros and galleries.  Toronto has sort of discovered PEC but the 'county' as the locals call it, remains very agrarian, its chill and its and its charm.

PEC is a virtual island, separated from the mainland by the long, narrow Bay of Quinte.  Although there are several roads you can take to get onto PEC, the best way to do it is to take the ambulatory drive down the Loyalist Parkway from Kingston to the Glenora ferry. That short, 10 minute ferry ride across to Glenora is like walking through a doorway from chaos to calm. It's not unlike how we feel when we leave the house and walk across the patio to our gazebo at Wits End. Your worries are left behind.

Tim & Anne are doing well and enjoying their life here. They have gone 'local', as they did in Riverview, and I suspect everywhere they've lived. Tim has resumed bee keeping and now has a couple of hives at a friends farm and art gallery...Mad Dog.  I must say that the artwork in the gallery and the gallery itself was awesome.

Today the gals and guys went their separate ways. Tim and I headed into nearby Trenton to the National Airforce Museum of Canada. I didn't know the place existed but I'm glad we went. It's a nice, volunteer run facility with good indoor and outdoor displays. Of particular note are the WWII Halifax bomber and Hurricane fighter.  Only a few of these planes remain. They also have a 1948 RCAF Flyers Olympic hockey team jersey that was the inspiration for the Winnipeg Jets emblem.

After the museum we headed back to the county for wood fired pizza at Norman Hardie winery and a glass of wine of course.

That was followed by a tasting at one of Tim & Anne's favorite wineries, Rosehill Run. Nice whites! I like the fact that most of the wineries here are unpretencious.  We then drove down a number of back roads past corn fields and stands of old growth hardwoods to arrive at 66 Distillery for a tasting. Unfortunately, the distillery had recently changed owners and the new owners do not yet have a liquor licence....bummer!  So back to the house for a nap and PEC prosecco on the deck as the sun sank into the lake somewhere near Toronto.

Well, the sauna and dip in Lake Ontario happened and was very refreshing. The water in the lake wasn't that cold really...I'm sure my testicles will drop soon.  Tim has a salmon on the BBQ and in a moment I'll go get a glass of wine.

Tonight, well the night is young, as they say. Apparently there's a hot new piano bar in town that's worth a look. Not sure if the sauna thing is going to happen - it's windy and the waves are up...but who knows...life is full of possibility.

First Blog - April 2011

Well, here goes....do I really have anything to say that's worthwhile amid the billions and billions of bytes that is the interweb?  Dunno but I guess we'll find out.

Why 'Bucket List' you might ask?  Not planning on dying any time soon but increasingly I find myself thinking and planning for retirement and it's what I (we) want to do as that road unfurls before us, that is the raison d'etre for this blog. 

For us, it really is stopping to smell the roses along the way.  Trudy and I love to travel, not for the sake of 'been there, done that' bragging rights but to absorb the experience of a place and it's peoples.  We love to people watch - we could sit in a sidewalk cafe all day and watch the world go by and we plan to do a lot of that - the 'where' is a bit blurry at this point but we have some ideas, that's for sure! 

Friends have always been a big part of our lives and travelling with friends can be a ton of fun (and sometimes not so much).  We hope some of our friends will join us on our adventures, however, this blog is an attempt to share them with all of our friends, even if somewhat vicariously. 

So what's next?  In one month Tim Swanson and I depart for 11 days in Scotland on a Whisky Tour.  Amongst our planned destinations is 3 days on the Isle of Islay for Feis Ile - a week long Celtic festival centred around the 7 distilleries and 1 brewery on the island.