123 FIRST FULL DAY

Sunny, 18C with a slight breeze, and a few puffy scattered clouds.  Warm enough to be comfortable in shorts and a Dri-fit T-shirt but not so hot that you dehydrate from sweating.  My favourite kind of day.  I got downstairs for breakfast, and I was hesitant to eat in the cafeteria again after my $26 Cuban sandwich and a salad last night.  But I was hungry and went to a different segment.  Breakfast was only $10 and was scrambled eggs (not my fave, but all they make), 5 strips of bacon, 2 sausages, hash browns and a biscuit.  That’s much more reasonable.  Also had my first Starbucks in almost 2 years, just like I remember it.

After breakfast, I was off to find the Universal City Walk.  It’s within walking distance at just over a mile, but I took a wrong turn and ended up walking the entire circumference of the Cabana Bay Complex.  It’s huge.  It paid off though as I got some pretty good photos of, I think a small Egret hunting, capturing and eating a lizard.  This was right on the center median of the roadway.

Then I spotted the signs and followed along to find City Walk.  This is a free section of the whole Universal complex.  Then I started walking and shooting for hours.  There’s a river complex that links up several of the hotels in the area.  There are shuttle boats on the river that are free to take, and you can just do a water tour on them.  I jumped in one and headed off.  It was nice to get off my feet for a bit.

I came back and had to have a soft pretzel.  I went to a little stand called Auntie Annie’s.  Kind of ironic because that’s what we called my Dad’s sister Anne.  The pretzel was excellent and the water cold, the price?  Not so much.  $20 for a pretzel and a 500 ml bottle of water.  But, as I said, the pretzel was good, and I was thirsty.

The camera and 600 mm lens were a real conversation starter.  I had more people stop and chat with me about the camera.  Even the security people at the entrance.  Speaking of which, security is tight.  It’s like going through the airport.  Everything goes through an x-ray machine and the guard’s wand you.  I never knew this was being done here.  Apparently, the security at Disney is even tighter, but they don’t have the x-ray machines.  I’ll let you know when I go.

I know what the cleanliness is like at Disney, well it is the same at Universal.  There are wastebaskets and recycling bins every 50 feet or so and people use them.  On the rare occasion that there is a spill, or someone accidentally drops something, the cleaners are right there picking in up.  It seems to be the same wherever I go.  Orlando is just a clean city.  Unlike the Vancouver Metro area.

While there, I saw the theater from the Blue Man Group and went up to ask some questions about bringing my camera in and using it.  They told me it was no problem bringing it in, but I had to swear not to use it.  I’ve wanted to see one of their concerts ever since seeing them on a talk show and watching clips on YouTube.  I wasn’t ready to buy tickets just yet.

I wandered around checking everything out and chatting with a variety of people from everywhere.  I ended up with a total of 10.3 miles walked for the morning and afternoon.  My feet and back were sore so I went back to the hotel for a couple hours of rest and then things were up in the air as to what I’d do next.  It was then I discovered that there is a free shuttle bus back to my hotel.  I was spent, so I jumped on.

After resting for a bit, I suddenly decided that I would go to the Blue Man Group tonight.  So, I went online and booked a ticket.  I got a seat in row 6, center stage, which is just outside what they call the Poncho Zone.  Everyone in the first 4 rows is wearing a large plastic bag.  The reason became apparent very quickly into the show.  There is lots of splashing of paint and other things from their percussion instruments.  The paint is washable, but I guess they like to protect the audience.  They are very talented musicians.  There are the three main stars and a backing band of 4 more.  It is very funny, great music and lots of audience interaction.  It’s a very good show for a reasonable price of $63.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Then it was time to make the long trek back to the bus stop and jump aboard the shuttle back to the hotel.  I’m knackered and should fall asleep quite quickly.  Unlike last night when I was up until 3:00 AM.  To be fair that is only midnight at home, but I must transition to Eastern time now.

122 OFF WE GO INTO THE WILD BLUE YONDER

So, here I go.  I’m feeling a little queasy, but that seems to happen whenever I travel, even when going up to the lake.  So, I’m not terribly concerned.  An hour and fifteen-minute drive and I have parked my truck in Jet Set parking, where I get a discount with BCAA.  The shuttle driver was more than helpful, loading my heavy bags onboard for me.

The previous night I logged on to the Air Canada site to confirm my booking.  Well, at least I tried to.  Between my internet being stupid and Air Canada’s servers being down, what should a been a few minutes exercise, turned into a two-hour marathon.  But it was finally done, and I am confirmed for my trip.

I walked into the airport after finding a cart to carry my suitcase, camera bag and backpack.  In I went to find the Air Canada counter, absolutely jam packed.  There had to be 600 people there and I was 4 hours early for my flight.  Here’s one of the perks of flying Business Class.  I was led past the travelling hoard to a counter where I was the only one checking in.  She weighed my suitcase and carry on camera bag.  The suitcase was 40 pounds and camera case 35.  I’m entitled to two suitcases of 70 pounds each, so I’m well under.

I then went and purchased my American money.  99% of my purchases will be with my VISA card to build up points for my next trip.  But it’s always handy to have some cash with you.  That done, and it hit.  I went racing for the bathroom, and now I know it wasn’t just the usual butterflies.  I don’t know what it was, but I did have a Subway sandwich for lunch.

I finally made my way in, to take advantage of another perk, thanks to all of you.  I had gone out and gotten my Nexus card.  When I got to the security checkpoint, again, I was able to breeze right past the crowd, that was even larger than the Air Canada counter.  Total time when I walked through the door, to the time I was through security, 10 minutes.  Excluding the time spent in the bathroom.

Next perk, I went into the Maple Leaf Lounge to relax before my flight.  There was a buffet with snack type foods.  Another buffet with about 8 different types of wine.  A selection of hard liquor and liqueurs.  A fridge full of various beers.  I was almost sorry I’m a non-drinker.  There were pops, juices, bottled water.  The kicker to all of this, everything is free.  But I still wasn’t feeling great.

The flight was scheduled to be on a Boeing 777, But when we loaded it was onto a brand spanking new Boeing 787.  I don’t think it had ever been used before.  There wasn’t even a scuff mark to be seen.  I went to my seat 5A, and into my pod, which included a large screen TV.  We were given a choice of various drinks and snacks.

One strange thing that happened, is that Business Class usually loads first.  But in this case, maybe because the jet was so new, the catering company was having trouble filling the Business Class pantry, so Business class loaded last in this case.

Once we got past that delay, we had to wait for the plane to be de-iced.  So, we were delayed further.  When we did get on the runway and those Rolls Royce engines kicked in, man did they kick in.  I was literally pushed back into the seat.  I’ve never quite felt anything like that before.  The takeoff run was short as well.

The Pod I was seated in has fully reclining seats.  It was awesome as well, however, I’m 6’3” tall and I would bet that anyone over 6 feet would have the same problem I did.  My feet were jammed into a tiny space and my head was jammed against the back wall.  It literally felt and I hesitate to use the term, in a coffin.  With the way I was feeling by now, probably a good analogy.  In any case, I passed out and a few hours later I was awakened for breakfast.  Served on real plates, with real cutlery.  I had a couple of bites and was up and racing (well as much as I can race) to the bathroom.

Skipping forward, the second leg of the trip from Toronto to Orlando I was on Air Canada Rouge on an Airbus 319.  It felt like 3 of these would fit in the 787.  The engines didn’t have the oomph of those Rolls Royce engines and the takeoff run seemed to take forever.  I had taken a Gravol, so I kept passing out throughout the flight and the one engine sounded “funny”.

The first thing I did after getting checked into my hotel was go up to my room and have a snooze.  I woke up at 4:00 PM and decided to see if I could eat anything and keep it down.  I went down stairs, leving my camera and cell phone behind.  I had my first ever Cuban Sandwich and a salad, it was awesome but for $26 American, I’ll eat elsewhere next time.  But it stayed down.

As I headed back to my room, I ran into Harry Potter in full costume.  He was an adult version and works nearby at the Harry Potter Wizarding World park.  He stays in this hotel in between shows.  It would have been great to get a pic, but maybe another time.

121 FLORIDA BOUND

So here I am, waiting for departure.  No, I’m not at the airport yet, I’m on the red-eye tonight.  Over the last few days I have packed, unpacked and repacked my rolling camera bag more than a half dozen times.  I have added lenses and removed lenses, added flashes and removed them, only to add them back in again.  Yet, I had not touched my suitcase, until 9:00 PM last night.

Last time I travelled, I only had a Nikon D-50 and a couple of lenses to choose from as well as a small Sony point and shoot.  Now I’m taking my D4s, a D7100 as backup.  600 mm lens for birds and wildlife as well as other distant things. A wide angle, a macro lens, a 50 mm and a 135 mm a flash unit a macro flash unit, batteries for all and other nick-knacks.  Oh yes, a GoPro which I still haven’t figured out how to use and my iPhone X.  A laptop for editing and my iPad for entertainment.

I am flying Business Class as a result of my VISA card points, I figured I would treat myself.  Not to mention that with my body as banged up as it is, I really don’t think I could fly economy.  I get a little pod all to myself, one that can totally recline into a bed.  I’ll post something from the aircraft tonight.

So, at 9:00 PM when I went up to bed, I finally got busy and packed my suitcase.  A lot of shorts and T-shirts, some jeans and a pair of long pants, plus the usual other stuff.  Oh yeah, a few more pieces of camera gear that wouldn’t fit in the camera bag.  What can I say, my mission for this trip is photography and may include a bucket list item.  I want to be sure to have every conceivable option for getting the shots I want.

I’m also taking sweatpants, a sweatshirt and the warm jacket I’ll be wearing tonight.  Yes, Florida is generally warm, but when I was last there in 1984, we ran into the coldest winter in Florida history.  Oranges were freezing on the trees and they lost something like 50% of their crops.  We had no warm clothes and it must have been funny to see us wandering around Disneyworld with me wearing 4 T-shirts.  This time, I’m ready for anything.  It’s better to have it and not use it than to get stuck again.

The primary goal when I started out is to see The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  What can I say, I’m a big fan of the books and movies, and to be able to see Hogwart’s, Diagon Alley and all the other things in person will be awesome.  It’s still relatively new, but this is not the bucket list item to which I referred.

Kennedy Space Center is just over an hour away and has a launch scheduled during my time in Florida.  This is the bucket list item.  From my days as a kid, being so avidly into the space program, that I received a nickname of “Major Tom”, think David Bowie, the ability to witness a launch has been something I always wanted to do.  The only stumbling block will be if the mission gets scrubbed because of weather.  I originally planned to rent a car and drive up, but then discovered there are shuttle buses that go everyday.

I have been to the Kennedy Space Center twice before.  Once when I was a teenager, in the middle of the Apollo program, but I was there in-between launches.  The second was a few years after I got married and we went on our honeymoon to Florida.  Again, no launches as it was between Apollo and the Space Shuttle.  This time it’s a resupply mission by SpaceX to the ISS.  So, fingers crossed.

I’m staying in an awesome, 50’s themed hotel called Cabana Bay Beach Resort and it’s in the middle of the Universal Studios theme park complex.  Harry Potter World is right there as well as Universal Studios and Volcano Bay water park.  All within a short walk of the hotel.  I have a 5 day all parks pass.

I will also head over to Disneyworld/Epcot center which is a short Uber ride away.  That will be a first for me as well since we don’t have Uber.  It will be interesting to see the changes and additions to the park since 1984.

It’s not that I haven’t travelled before, and in fact I used to travel quite a bit, mostly for hockey or baseball tournaments, but the last time I travelled was in 2006 to Hawaii.  Things have changed so much security wise and technology wise that I feel like a rookie again.  I’ve been peppering my travel agent with all sorts of questions.  I have also been bugging Trevor and Caitlin as well.  I’m sure everyone is sick of me.

So, anyway, tonight is the night.  A red-eye to Toronto and then an early morning connecting flight to Orlando.  Really early here but a more civilized 8:00 AM EST flight and arrive in Orlando before lunch.  That will allow me to get oriented as to the lay of the land and get rested up to start my Harry Potter explorations on Thursday.  Tally Ho!

120 2018 RECAP FINAL

Christmas Day was very quiet.  I was all by myself.  Not really a new thing for the day, but I usually would head over to Renee’s place in the evening and we would go upstairs to her friend Carol’s place for Christmas dinner.  That would not be happening this year, or ever again for that matter.  I will admit, its kind of got to me just a little bit, especially when none of the kids called either.

I was looking for new photo ops, and I had heard so much about how nice the lighting displays were at LaFarge Lake in Coquitlam.  So, using, logic, I know, bad choice, I figured a visit there on Christmas night would be the perfect time.  I figured if I got there at 4:00 PM, just as it was starting to get dark, would be perfect.  Everyone would be off at Christmas dinner.

Oh, how wrong I was.  I forgot how large a population there is in the area that don’t or can’t celebrate Christmas.  There was between 40,000 to 50,000 people there.  It was literally wall-to-wall people for the entire circumference of the lake.  The lake is 1.5 miles all the way around and you had to shuffle when you walked.  Not difficult for me as I shuffle when I walk, all the time.

The funniest part of the night was the two people who ignored some fencing to stand on rocks on the edge of the lake to take a “selfie”.  Of course, predictable consequences, they fell in.  I heard the splash but didn’t see it.  I don’t know where their iPhone ended up.  I did see the sodden couple hurry past me towards the parking lot.

Anyway, I ended up with just under 1000 photos again.  That seems to be my standard when I photograph an event.  Of course, not all are great shots and a lot are duplicates because of shooting in 5 frame bursts.  Editing will usually cut those down to around 100-200 usable shots.  I have been posting all my good ones to Instagram, so if you want to see them all, you can look for them there.

The next hurdle to get through, was New Years Eve.  I’m not a “party person” but again, Renee and I would usually head over to Caroline and Jim’s place for a New Year’s Eve crab feast.  We would usually be joined by Carol.  It didn’t happen every year depending on their schedule and wasn’t going to be happening this year anyway as they would be in Mexico.  It still felt kind of strange not going and knowing I wouldn’t be going anymore.

Instead I planned a large celebration on my own.  I ordered Chinese Food for dinner and planned to watch some TV Series episodes, and a movie.  The final kicker that Karl told me about was that if you start the movie Forest Gump at exactly 10:37 PM you get to celebrate New Year’s with Lieutenant Dan.

So, I had my dinner, watched TV and then headed up to bed at about 8:00 PM.  So, I watched one movie and then turned on Forest Gump at 10:37 PM.  I started to watch and by 11:00 PM I was fast asleep.  I woke up at 2:00 AM, January 1, 2019.  I had missed the whole thing, both in real life and on the movie.  What a boring guy, eh?

So, that is 2018 all recapped, with all the important events that I can remember, chronicled.  The whole point of doing this was to fill in the gaps and resurrect the Blog for the upcoming trip to Florida.  We’ll see if I can maintain it throughout the trip, filling in updates, reviews and photos of the whole thing.  Much like I did in another Blog about our trip to Hawaii in 2006.  That Blog was called “Sir_Fuzz Travels”

Anyway, I’m looking forward to the trip and the adventure.  2019 is full of new possibilities and possibly more travel and photo ops.  I may even be able to make it back to the lake this year, but we shall see.  It’s still a long way off.  It will all depend on when my first Grandchild decides to make an appearance.  I must be around for that.  So onwards to the new year.  Wishing all a Happy New Year.

119 2018 RECAP PART 3

Around this time, Caitlin and Trevor got a new puppy, that they call a Bugg.  They named her “Blitz after the Seattle Seahawks mascot.  My job became, going to their house to puppy sit each day around noon.  Caitlin and Trevor hosted Thanksgiving dinner doubling as a house-warming party, and I had trouble walking across the street into their house without help.

I couldn’t do it anymore and the next day I stopped taking the drug.  My symptoms slowly started to improve.  Within a couple of weeks, I was able to start walking again and slowly built it up to 4 kilometers a day.  A far cry from the 10K, but it was a start.  Weight was coming off and my blood pressure stabilized on its own.

Halloween went well.  I did a bunch of modifications on the Darth Vader costume.  I obtained a new, more accurate helmet complete with sound effects.  Then I started trying to modify the helmet by adding fans for ventilation and a Blue Tooth speaker to allow me to “speak” with Darth Vader’s actual voice.  I got a photographer’s vest with pockets to hold ice packs for under the suit.  I then had a tailor modify the one-piece suit to turn it into a two-piece, jacket and pants.  I had the suit custom fit as well.  The two pieces gave me easier access and the ability to put the suit on by myself.

The fans didn’t work where I had them placed, so I will modify them for next year.  The heat and carbon dioxide buildup over the course of 3 hours had me ready to pass out.  The cooling vest was too bulky to fit under the suit and I had to move the speaker to underneath the shoulder armour.  Even with all that, Darth Vader was a big hit with kids and adults alike.  I had purchased 400 pieces of candy and had less than 50 pieces left.  I lost count at 250 visits.

I finally got the pain in my hands under control.  It turned out to be “gouty arthritis”.  I started taking a drug called Allopurinol, to help control the attacks.  It helped, and I was finally ready to start skating to get ready for the season.  I switched back to my old blades and headed off for public skating.  It took me 40 minutes just to lace up and tie my skates.  But when I stepped on the ice, I could not skate.  I had better control because of the deeper grooves, but when I first stepped on the ice at the end of March and couldn’t skate, I quickly became comfy and was able to resume playing, badly.  This time I could not do it.  I could not let go of the boards.

I hated to admit it to myself, but after 55+ years of playing the game, I knew it was over.  The other kicker to this whole scenario, was that unlike when I got out of hospital and was focussed on playing again, this time I found I was not missing the game, and new it was time to “retire”.  So, I say down and wrote retirement letters to both of my teams, and just like that, I was done.  There was some sadness, but also an acceptance

I met and spoke to Renee for the last time at a get together at VanDusen gardens for the Festival of Lights.  First time I’ve ever been to it and I took lots of photos of the lights.  I didn’t spend a lot of time with Renee but drove her home after to drop off all her belongings from my place.  That was it, 15 years over.

The end of November came around and I started decorating for Christmas.  Last year I had one inflatable an 8 foot Frosty the Snowman.  But this year, after the motor in my Halloween Ghoul named Norbert fried itself, I went online to find a replacement.  It turned out to be cheaper to get a new one, mail order from Minnesota.  At the same time, I ordered a Santa Claus and a Rudolph reindeer.  These were $160 each at Canadian Tire and I ordered these for $45 American and even with the exchange rate, duty and shipping they were half the cost.

I had already put up all the lights on the house when they arrived.  My plan was to leave Frosty on the deck and put Santa and the reindeer on the driveway.  I had no idea how big they were, 12 feet, and when I inflated them, they covered the from of the house and blocked all the lights.  So, I moved Frosty out front, put the reindeer on the deck and put Santa beside the house.  It looked great, until our huge windstorm hit, and I had to deflate them all and weight them down.

Usually I host Christmas at my place on Boxing Day.  But this year for various reasons it was moved to Christmas Eve.  Plans were laid in for the usual 8 attendees and the dog.  However, this year it was whittled down quickly.  Renee was gone, Tamara’s boyfriend Stephen had to work, and Karl’s girlfriend Lizeth couldn’t come as her Dad was dying of cancer and she wanted to be with him.  So, 8 became 5, but there was a dog as Caitlin and Trevor brought their dog “Blitz”.

We had a great time together, just me and my kids.  It was then present opening time.  Everyone insisted that I should open my gifts first, and I was handed two packages from Caitlin and Trevor which one got opened first.  The first was a new coffee mug which said, “absolutely the best Grandpa ever”, I was shaking by now.  The second was an ultra-sound photo in a frame that said, “Grandkids are made with hugs and kisses”. The first photo, of my first Grandchild. This is how I discovered that I would be a Grandpa for the first time in late June 2019.

118 2018 RECAP PART 2

Caitlin and Trevor, who were engaged with their wedding coming up July 7, were also waiting for their new house to be finished, came to live with me.  They took over the spare bedroom and it was awesome having them here.  The house, literally 10 minutes away, also in Maple Ridge, kept getting delayed.  It was hoped that they would move in shortly before their wedding.  It didn’t happen.

In the interim, I had to get a new suit for the wedding.  I kept teasing them I was going to show up with a “James Bond” tuxedo.  But, they convinced me that it wasn’t that formal, in fact Trevor and his groomsmen weren’t even going to wear jackets.  So, I headed over to Tip Top in Langley to get a new suit.  I have bought every suit I have ever owned at Tip Top because they are good quality and reasonably priced.  Nothing off the rack would fit and by the time I walked out of there I had my first $1000 + suit.  I couldn’t wear dress shoes because of my mangled feet, and went with a black walking shoe.  It worked.

I wore the suit for the first time at my 45^th high school reunion. As at previous reunions, I became the “official” photographer and ended up with over 1000 shots. It was a chilly night, but with my body thermostat all screwed up, I was sweating big time and wondered what would happen if the weather was hot on July 7.  I was about to find out.  I had not been able to find a proper card, for them and Josie, my neighbour came through, doing a custom card for me to give to them.  I wrote out a heartfelt verse for the card and then decided to also read it out at the reception.

We had a rehearsal at Trevor’s parents place, which I again of course photographed, taking over 1000 shots of the festivities.  A great time was had by all.  There was lots of laughing and joking, and large amounts of drinking by most.  But, it was awesome.

Finally the day arrived and it was hot.  Caitlin had  left a couple of days early to stay with ber wedding party.  Trevor did the same the day before.  Meanwhile, I was trying to get ready, but the dexterity in my hands is really bad now and I had a bitch of a time doing up my shirt buttons.  After 40 minutes, I got them all done up and headed for the wedding.

The air conditioning in the truck kept me comfy for the hour long drive.  But once I was out and into the hotel, I was sweating buckets.  Thankfully the jacket hid most of it, but that made it hotter.  We got through the ceremony, and the whole wedding went off perfectly without a hitch.  Caitlin had done all the planning herself.  There was a professional photographer to shoot the ceremony and post events.  But if you think I wasn’t bring my camera, well.  I shot 1300 photos of just the reception.

A couple of weeks later, their house was ready and moving day came.  I was sad to see them go as we had a lot of fun while they were here.  Although between their jobs and wedding plans on weekends, I didn’t really see them that much.

In August, I brought up the suggestion of going to photograph the Abbotsford Airshow.  After some hemming and hawing, Renee surprised me by agreeing to go.  The day of the show dawned with rain, which was going to be a major disappointment, especially since I bought Grandstand seats.  But by the time we got there the rain had stopped and the sun was attempting to come out.  It made it pleasant because it was much cooler.  This time I ended up with over 1500 shots, some of the outstanding variety.

Later in August, I discovered the PNE was having an event called Knights of Valor which involved real jousting.  On the spur of the moment, I decided I had to photograph it and so I grabbed my gear and headed to the PNE on a Tuesday evening.  Over 1000 shots later I staggered home in agony.

At the end of August, I started to get ready for the coming hockey season.  I added new steel to my skates, a wider blade called Flare, that was thought would give me more stability.  It didn’t.  I have always skated with a deep groove 3/8” in my blades, which gave me more “grip”.  These new blades were a much milder ¾” groove.  I couldn’t control them and ended up straining my groin badly.

At about the same time, I began to experience severe pain in both hands and wrists.  I thought it was just over use of the camera, and sort of let it go.  Hockey season came around and I couldn’t plaay.  Not only could I not do up my skates, I couldn’t hold a stick.  The pain was the worst I have felt in my life.  I finally got a new family Doctor and coincidentally, it was kitty corner to the Vet where Toby took his last breath.  Hopefully not an omen.

She did my blood pressure, and because I was in such pain, it was through the roof.  She immediately put me on a blood pressure drug.  Unfortunately, it didn’t do much and resulted in a wicked cough and other side effects.  She switched that up after a couple of weeks, but the new drug was way worse.  I literally felt like I was dying.  I went from walking 10 kilometers per day, to not being able to walk to the end of the driveway.  The same thing that happened to Toby.  Was this another omen?  God, I hope not.

117 2018 RECAP

A lot happened in 2018 and I’ll do a little recap here, to get things up to date before resurrecting the Blog for 2019.  I’ve already written about the loss of Toby, and I won’t rehash it as there is a complete story already in place.  After he left us, I just couldn’t get back into writing in the Blog.  My spirit was sort of drained by that loss.

In March after receiving my Custom-Made skates, it was time to prove the Doctors wrong.  I was told I’d never play hockey again, but I was determined to do it.  We all went for Public Skating and with Karl’s help I got my skates and some protective gear on and out on the ice we went.  It was a disaster, sort of.  To be fair, my body was still banged up and I was breaking in new skates.  I got on the ice, and it was like starting all over again as a kid.  Within a half hour, I was comfier and skating.  Two weeks later, I played hockey with the Sunday morning crew, badly, but I played.

The following Wednesday, I played with the UBC guys.  Again, badly, but I played.  I ended up playing a total of 8 games at the end of the season, 2 with Sunday and 6 with Wednesday.  So, I proved the Doctors wrong.  I was looking forward to next season, to see how far I could come back.

June came along and while I should have been getting ready to head up to the lake, it wasn’t happening.  There were several reasons for this.  I was still dealing with the rehab issues from the previous summer.  As a result, I discovered doing my morning walks that I could no longer walk the gravel path behind the townhouse.  The uneven ground was causing me balance problems and causing considerable pain in my feet, knees and ankle.

Not to mention this, but there was a real fear lurking deep inside me, about going back to the lake.  I don’t really know why, maybe because after almost dying in a place I have always felt comfortable and secure.  Anyway, I did not go to the lake in 2018.

My boat did however make a week-long appearance at the lake.  Karl approached me about borrowing the boat to go to the lake.  I told him, I couldn’t allow it because he didn’t have his boat operators permit, he also didn’t have a means of towing the boat.  I made him a deal that if he could get his licence and find transport, then I would ok it.

He studied hard and passed his boat operators permit and his friend Jeff not only had a truck, but plenty of experience driving trailers.  So, at the end of July Karl and Jeff picked up the boat and headed off to meet some friends and head up to the lake.  Everything went well, and they had a great time.

While I was in hospital, I noticed Renee starting to distance herself from me.  It continued after my release.  But it became very pronounced after Toby died.  She had told me years ago that she was only here because of the dog and when he was gone, she was gone as well.  I didn’t think she was serious.  Things began to take a more ominous turn when she didn’t come out here on Fridays as had been her pattern.  The previous two Halloween’s she had been keen on coming, but this year she said she wasn’t.

We had travelled to Hawaii, shortly after I retired and had always said that we would travel more after Toby was gone.  During that time, she booked a trip to India for herself and another for Cuba.  India, I had no interest in, but would have gone to Cuba, but I needed to stay with Toby.  After he died, she booked a trip to New Orleans and told me I was not invited.  The final kick came when she booked a trip to Vietnam and Cambodia and again made it clear I was not welcome.

So, in response I went and booked a trip to Florida for myself during the same time frame she was gone but didn’t bother to tell her.  I wanted to reveal it in person but did not see her again to do that.  I did splurge though, by using my VISA points I was able to upgrade my flight to Business Class and my hotel to stay right in the middle of Universal studios park.  My primary focus was the Wizarding world of Harry Potter.  Something should would never have gone to.

When our 15^th Anniversary passed without acknowledgement and then suddenly she stopped returning phone calls.  The writing was on the wall.  I finally got a call from her that suggested meeting in my old neighbourhood at our old hangout, The Slocan Restaurant.  Right then, I knew what was coming.  Sure enough, she told me then that it was over.  I asked for my house key back and we had a previously scheduled event to attend, so I arranged to pack up all her stuff and bring it to her.