Chicago - October 18-21, 2015

I travelled with Robyn and Randi to Chicago for our Platinum Mastermind - an amazing group of retailers from around North America who gather 3 times a year to discuss ideas, problems and issues. We even laugh a bit.  Robyn had her customary chicken wings at 7 am at the airport and we arrived Chicago around 2 pm.  We checked in at the Warwick Allerton hotel and then headed to Giordanos for Chicago Deep Dish Pizza - delicious.  We attended the group's cocktail party and then headed to bed.

On Monday, we met all day - ate at Eataly for lunch and Zed451 for dinner with the group - Zed451 is a brazilian steakhouse (but not as good as Pampa).  Dropped into bed.

On Tuesday, we all day again with lunch at Shake Shack and dinner at Paesanos - even had a non-carb sausage crust pizza - had to try it.

On Wednesday, we met in the morning and then Deborah took us out to her Quilt Shop - a great store.  We had lunch and then Pete took us to the airport.  Home at 10 pm.

Didn't really see Chicago at all.

Lunenburg - August 12-15, 2015

On Wednesday, we had another great breakfast at the B&B (we love the communal table where everybody chats in the morning).  It was raining so we hopped in the car and and drove out to Blue Rocks, Stonehurst South and Mahone Bay.  We had lunch at Rebecca's in Mahone Bay and it was delicious - scallop and beet salad (guess who had that - "salad" should give you a clue) and a scallop burger (guess who had that - "burger" should give you clue).  We ventured back to the B&B and rested and did a little reading.  We walked to town and had a little bite (I mean little) at the Bay Leaf Eatery.  We were not that hungry and ordered the lobster dip ($18) - it was the size of a small poached egg.  Oh well, can't win them all.  We then went to a Kitchen Party at the United Church ($5 donation) and listened to some locals as well as Steve Keith from New Orleans.  We wandered home in the dark through the cemetery.

On Thursday, we had yet another great breakfast and then checked out of Ashlea House (they only had a room for us for 3 nights).  We went to the Farmer's Market, drove around town, went to the Fisheries Museum (it was great) and had a quick lunch at The Old Fish Factory - Jan had a sampler of 3 glasses of wine and I had a sampler of 6 kinds of beer and we had some lobster filled mushroom caps, some lobster dip and some scallops.  We then checked in to our new B&B - Pelham House - owned by David and Michael.  Charming B&B. We went to Glimpses - a musical with vignettes about the town's history - it was entertaining but a bit cheesy.  We had a light dinner at the Grand Banker - lobster roll and fish cakes.  Again, delicious.  I have been quite successful at my goal of having lobster almost every day.  We walked back on deserted streets.

On Friday, Michael made a fruit salad, waffles and bacon - all delicious.  Had a great chat with some people from Nelson, North Bay and Virginia.  We planned a lazy day and Jan suggested that I go for a massage as my back has been sore.  I called and they were able to get me in right away.  I had a great massage and learned many things on many topics from my massage therapist including, belly dancing, flamenco dancing, living in Spain, teaching, the Americans in Acapulco, why she should be Prime Minister, numerous muscles, being robbed while in Spain, Cirque du Soleil, Belgium, Budapest, the bad angry energy of Prague, almost moving to Turkey until you know who took over (I don't know who that was but agreed anyway).  I then met Jan for lunch at The Fish Shack where we had fish and chips.  We went for a coffee and then back to our room for a rest and to pack - after 3 weeks, it is amazing how your suitcase just explodes into the car.  Dinner at Magnolia's Grill - Jan had fishcakes and I had a lobster linguini - probably the best meal on our trip - the lobster linguini was recommended on You Gotta Eat Here.  Back to our room for our last night's sleep.  Going home tomorrow - we drive to Moncton (about 4 hours) for our flight home at 6 pm arriving home around 10 pm.

Cape Breton and Lunenberg, NS - August 9-11, 2015

On Sunday, we had a very lazy day and stayed at the B&B for most of the day.  We had a great breakfast (Dave made waffles).  At around noon, we drove to the local farmers market (about 10 vendors) and bought some peas, mittens and a growler of hefeweizen beer. We then went to Ross Ferry park for a hot dog and fries (a local fundraiser for the community) and back to the B&B.  I had a nap while Jan read.  We went for dinner at Fitzgeralds on the highway (22 km away) - it is the closest restaurant.  When we came back, we congregated in the common room with Terri and Dave and Ni and Fraser and chatted until about 11 pm - we also drank the beer.  

On Monday, we got up and had another great breakfast and then we were off to Lunenberg on the South Shore of Nova Scotia.  We stopped in Baddeck to visit the Alexander Graham Bell museum.  He was an amazing man.  Not only did he invent the telephone, but created a visual language for the deaf,  was working on flight and airplanes at the same time as the Wright brothers, created hydrofoils and many other things. He predicted and was working on sending pictures by telephone in the 1880's (does fax sound familiar).  We went on a behind the scenes tour.  And then off to Lunenberg - we took the scenic route following the coastline after Halifax and stopped in Peggy's Cove.  The South Shore of Nova Scotia is what we were expecting.  We arrived at Ashlea House B& B about 7 pm.  this place is amazing - it is a house built in the 1886 and has 7 bedrooms and 3 common rooms and 14 foot ceilings.  Wow ... and it is located a short walk to downtown.  After settling in, we walked downtown and ate at the Salt Shaker - had delicious scallop linguini ... and then back to the B&B for bed.

On Tuesday, we had breakfast with 4 other couples at the B&B - the breakfast consisted of quiche, french toast, beans, bacon, stewed apricots, potatoes, yogurt and fruit.  Delicious and plentiful!  Small world - the couple across from us were from St. Albert and after talking we find out their son, Ted, grew up with our nephews and they know my brother.  We spent the day wandering around downtown in the various shops.  We stopped at the Savvy Sailor for lunch and had sweet chili mussels and a scallop po boy along with beer and wine.  We then went on a walking tour with Sheilah - we started at the Academy and then we wound our way through town stopping along the way and going into the Lutheran Church and the Anglican Church.  It was a great tour.  The most interesting fact - the colourful houses everywhere (kinda the signature of the town) only started 8 years ago when a developer came into town and bought several properties and painted them these crazy colours like lime green, orange and cranberry red. The town was in an uproar, but the mayor calmed everybody down and told them that there were no rules about colour (there are many rules about construction here to maintain the historical feel and designations) and that the developer was pouring a lot of money into the town.  They were then ok with the colours and it has become their signature - most other buildings in the downtown are now many different colours.  Prior to 8 years ago, all white with black trim.  Lunenberg was founded originally by the French but then they left and the British brought in Germans to settle the town.  There are seven founding families (in the 1780's) and those families still run the town to this day.  In fact, people who move here are called CFA's - Come From Aways.  Stopped for ice cream, had a look at some real estate brochures and headed back to the B&B for some reading and rest.  We went to go to a play called Glimpses, a musical about the town, but it was full when we arrived.  We went for dinner at The Knot Pub and had deep fried pepperoni, fish and chips and a sausage burger.  Another great day!

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia - August 6-8, 2015

We left Halifax for a 3 hour drive to Cape Breton Island.  We arrived in Baddeck around 3 pm.  We stopped at the info centre and walked through town doing a little shopping.  We had dinner at Baddeck Lobster Supper where we had seafood chowder, all you can eat mussels and lobster.  Again, delicious.  We were then off to Seaweed and Sod Farm B&B about 40 minutes away.  You can actually see Baddeck from the B&B across the water but have to travel 20 minutes up the highway and then another 20 minutes down the peninsula where the B&B is located.  On our arrival, we were greeted by Fauna (dog), Shamus (dog), Toodles (cat), Boot (cat), Milly (cat) and Pirate (cat).  Terri, the owner, then came out and showed us to our room.  This is a great B&B!  It is located smack dab in the middle of nowhere.  It has 2 rooms with a shared bathroom.  We settled in and were looking at some maps and brochures when Terri asked if we wanted to go for a walk to the top of the hill.  They own 100 acres.  We walked up the hill with Fauna, Shamus and Jack (the inside dog) and got a beautiful view of the sunset.  We opened a bottle of wine and Terri joined us (her husband Dave got caught up at work).  We chatted until about 10:30 and went to bed.

On Friday, we had a great breakfast of bacon and eggs and then headed off to the Cabot Trail.  We stopped at many little craft shops along the way and had lunch of a lobster roll and fish and chips at Cal's.  Delicious.  We made our way through Ingonish and up to Neil's Harbour where we had some seafood chowder (just OK).  The views along the Cabot Trail were great.  We wanted to attend a Ceilidh (pronounced "kay-lee") - a small gathering of people where musicians play celtic music (the also call them kitchen parties) - and found one at St. Ann's church near the start of the Cabot Trail.  It started at 7 pm (or so we thought) and it was 5 pm.  We decided to head back to the B&B for a rest but waited for 2 ferries and didn't get on.  By now, it didn't make sense to go back so we turned around and went back up the trail to the Clucking Hen for a coffee and pastry.  We headed back to the Ceilidh.  It didn't start until 8 pm.  A group called The Narrows (5 musicians were playing that night).  It was FANTASTIC!.  They played mostly Irish music and were FANTASTIC.  One of the members would start a song that the others didn't know but they would all pick up on it.  Some audience members got up and played with them as well - at one point there were 8 people on stage.  Some audience members also got up and danced Irish jigs on a whim.  The evening was capped when one of the band members said "Do we have some time for the the pipes?"  He pulled bag pipes out from behind the piano and played for about 15 minutes non-stop and good stuff - not the typical parade music.  Definitely one of the highlights of our trip.  Cost $10 and they stopped midway for a break and the church sold coffee and oat cakes and brownies as a fundraiser.  We ended up sitting beside a guy from Calgary who has a summer cottage here.  On the road after 10 pm arriving back at the B&B at 11 pm.

On Saturday, we went to the Fortress of Louisbourg - about 1.5 hours away.  It was the major French Port in the area (until take over by the British twice and then forever).  The Fortress has people in period costumes meandering throughout the ground and buildings.  They were very informative.  We had a tour with Louise who was great.  We stopped at the laundromat and did laundry which should get us through the rest of our trip. We had dinner at Grubstake in Louisbourg - it was just ok.  WE arrived back at the B&B at 8 pm.  We sat with Terri, Dave, Fraser and Ni (new guests) until about 11 pm.  We had a great evening.  We are going to stay another night here to have a relaxing down day - Terri is fully booked but found us another room in the house which will work just fine for us.

Halifax, Nova Scotia - August 5, 2015

Slow start to our day with coffee and carrot cake for breakfast.  We spent the majority of the day at Pier 21 - the Canadian Immigration Museum.  Most immigrants from the early 1900's to the early 1970's arrive through Pier 21 in Halifax.  It was fascinating.  This is a great museum.  We tried to do some research on my parents who arrived at Pier 21 in the late 1940's but the records were not available.  The only public records available are those from ships from the UK.  I think my parents came on ships from Germany.  In order to gain access to the the records in Canada, privacy laws require them to request the records themselves or have passed away more than 20 years prior for next of kin to access the records.  We had lunch of a lobster roll and burger and caramel cake and creme brûlée at The Bicycle Thief on the waterfront.  Very good.  We then went on a tour of Alexander Keith's brewery - it was quite good with staff in period costumes and accents and we finished the tour with beer (I got Janice's beer too).  We went to the hotel for a nap and then walked the harbourfront and stopped at the far end at Salty's for some mussels (they were huge) and a couple of drinks.  Off to the Seaweed and Sod B and B (working farm) in Cape Breton tomorrow...

Central PEI, Moncton, Bay of Fundy and on to Halifax - August 2-4, 2015

On Sunday, we stopped for breakfast at Linda's - a great little coffee shop in downtown Charlottetown near the waterfront and walked through the farmer's market.  Then we were off t explore Central PEI - we drove up through Cavendish and North Rustico - the north central area of PEI is definitely the the most populated with tourists as there are several great beaches and a National Park.  By late afternoon, we were on our way back to Moncton over the Confederation Bridge (toll the leave the island over the bridge is $45).  We drove through Shellac and arrived at the Wild Rose Inn, a B and B just outside of Moncton.  This B and B was fabulous and I would recommend it to anyone - it is 10 minutes from downtown and 5 minutes from the airport.  Dennis and Regina were great hosts.  We drove into Moncton for dinner, but most places were closed as it was Sunday on the long weekend - we ended up at Swiss Chalet.  We went back to the Inn and relaxed outside - the Inn sits on 30 acres.

On Monday, we got up early and had breakfast at the Inn and then we were off to Hopewell Rocks on the Bay of Fundy.  This was a fantastic day.  At 9:08 am, the lowest tide occurred and we arrived around 9:45 am - it is about a 45 minute drive from Moncton.  We went on a tour and were able to explore the ocean floor for about 2.5 hours and then we came back up for lunch.  At 1:45 pm, the entire beach was covered in water and the water had risen about 35 feet.  Yup.  The high tide was at 2:58 pm and by that time the water will have risen 45 feet - we decided not to wait for the extra hour.  This was a great experience.  The tides rise so high because the water is funneled into the bay and then into the Petitcodiac River all the way into Moncton - even the river has a tide.  We were there during test highest tides and perfect conditions - the sun and the moon were aligned and we had a super moon - when the moon is closest to the earth during its rotation - this creates the greatest gravitational pull on the water.  On the way back we stopped at Magnetic Hill in Moncton where you drive to the bottom of this hill, put your car in neutral and you are pulled up the hill backwards.  Yup  Really.  Everything was closed for Holiday Monday so we stopped at Boston Pizza.  Yup.

On Tuesday, we had breakfast and then went to the Moncton Zoo. Stopped for lunch at Hynes - great and busy restaurant in Moncton and then went to watch the Tidal Bore.  As the tide rises, the water from the bay coming into Moncton meets the water leaving Moncton which creates a single wave coming back into Moncton.  It is big enough that people can surf the wave for miles. In fact, we saw some people surfing the wave.  Very Cool.  We then dropped Kate and Delores off at the airport for their trip home - we switched to a smaller car - Chev Cruze and were off to Halifax about 2.5 hours away.  We arrived at the Westin (I got a great rate of $125 per night).  We walked along the waterfront and had dinner at McKelvie's - it was good, but the creme brûlée was the best we ever had.    We walked back to the hotel and fell into bed.  Tomorrow we explore Halifax (and by the way, we are booked into a working farm called the Seaweed and Sod B and B in a few days in Cape Breton ...

Eastern PEI - August 1, 2015

We started the day with coffee at Beanz and then had breakfast at Yolk - isn't that the greatest name for a breakfast place?  We did a little shopping in downtown Charlottetown and then off for a drive along the Points East Coastal Drive.  Our first stop was Point Prim Lighthouse - we had a tour of the lighthouse and got to climb to the top - 60 feet above ground.  This lighthouse originally sat on 9 acres of land, but with erosion now sits on 4 acres.  It is the only lighthouse on PEI made of stone and  the light shine 17 miles and is now all automated.  it was a very interesting tour.  Our next stop was the Wood Islands Lighthouse which is situated at the ferry terminal to Nova Scotia.

We stopped at the Rossignal Winery and had some samples and purchased some wine.  We then stopped at the Cape Bear Lighthouse which was not well maintained and drove to the Murray Head Point.  Our next stop was Panmure Island - lots and lots of people on the beach here and, of course, there was a lighthouse.

We drove through Montague on our way to Cardigan - we were looking for a Lobster Supper there.  The Cardigan Lobster Supper is in an old general store and we were able to sit on the deck overlooking the river.  We had seafood chowder, fresh rolls, salad, mussels, fresh PEI potatoes and corn and, of course, lobster.  Outstanding.

We drove to East Point - on the eastern tip of PEI - to the lighthouse and saw two foxes playing.  It took us about 1.25 hours to get back to Charlottetown arriving home at about 9 pm.  Long day but a great day!  We are going to explore Central PEI tomorrow before heading back to Moncton for a few days tomorrow night ...

Tracadie to Shediac to Charlottetown to Summerside to North Cape - July 30-31, 2015

We packed up and left Tracadie in the morning arriving in Shediac around 1 pm to meet up with Barb and JP.  We met at the giant lobster and took some pictures.  We stopped for lunch at La Coast - it was delicious - I had seafood chowder, there were a couple of orders of fish and chips, some scallops and lobster poutine.  We then took off for PEI over the Confederation Bridge - 12.9 km long.  We arrived on the other side in about 12 minutes and stopped for ice cream.  Then off to Charlottetown about 45 minutes away.  We arrived at the Best Western to drop off Barb, JP, Robyn and Scott and had quite a chuckle - it looked pretty rough and Barb said "it sure isn't the Hilton".  Apparently it was worse than pretty rough, but they toughed it out.  Us, on the other hand, had a great little one bedroom suite above Brits Fish and Chips in the downtown area - in fact we had to check in at the restaurant ... always looking for something a little different.  The Noel crew went for a drive to Walmart while we went for a walk in the downtown area - we came across some great little restaurants.  Scott texted and said he made reservations at The Gahan House - it was one of the restaurants we walked by and is the only brewery (in the basement) in PEI.  We walked over and got to try some great beers and food - mussels, PEI potatoes, halibut tacos and bacon wrapped scallops - and all reasonably priced.  Oh yeah, Kate and Delores had quesadillas.  Yup.  We went to our suite for a good night's sleep while the Noels went back to ...

Apparently the Noels made it through the night.  Jan and I had coffee at Beanz in the morning (and I had carrot cake).  We all then travelled to Summerside to look around and started on the North Cape Coastal Drive which follows the west coast up to the North tip of PEI.  We took it part of the way and then the Noels left for Moncton - they fly out tomorrow.  We took the coastal route a little further and then hopped onto the highway as the day was getting away on us.  We took highway 2 up to Tignish and stopped for a bite to eat at Shirley's Cafe ... and then off to North Cape a the northern tip of PEI.  On the way back we stopped in Tyne Valley because they are having their annual Oyster Festival - we lined up for an oyster dinner only to find out we had missed it and that we were lining up for the Oyster Grading and Shucking Championships - we decided to pass and got back on the road.  We took Highway 2 back to Charlottetown (as opposed to Highway 1) and it was actually faster, more scenic and had way less traffic.  We arrive back about 9 pm and stopped at Water Prince Corner Shop - famous for lobster.  I had a lobster roll and fries (fresh PEI potatoes), Jan had a seafood chowder, Kate had a salad and Delores had a baked potato.  Yup.  Must say that the lobster roll was not as good as Barbs.

Tracadie-Sheila, NB - July 29, 2015

Quiet day in Tracadie on Wednesday.  We just relaxed at the cabin most of the day.  We drove into Tracadie for some ice cream and a coffee.  That's it.  Pre-supper snack of lobster and bar clams - JP got canned lobster from his brother - they put 1.5 lobsters in a small jar with salt brine.  The jar lasted about 10 seconds.  This is what lobster is supposed to taste like!  Supper consisted of scallops and lobster rolls at the cabin made by Scott and Barb.  JP, Barb and Andrew left for Moncton about 6:30 pm as Andrew has an early morning flight.  We will meet up with them tomorrow again in Shediac, NB for lunch.  Quiet evening at the cabin.  What a great end to our stay in Tracadie ... we are off to PEI tomorrow.

Bathurst, Beresford and Tide Head, NB - July 28, 2015

On Tuesday, we started the day with lobster omelets.

We then spent the day driving up to Bathurst and Beresford in Northern New Brunswick to see where Scott grew up until about 10 years old.  JP, Barb, Scott and Andrew lived in Bathurst and Beresford and we saw the houses they lived in.  We stopped in to see Therese (Barb's friend) at the Mall.  We then carried on to Tide Head just outside of Campbellton to visit with Guy and Nicole.  They have a beautiful trailer on the shores of the Restigouche River - we visited, drank and ate (get the common theme running through these blogs yet?)  Guy and Nicole made fresh salmon and cod, fresh potatoes and fiddleheads.  I have never had fiddleheads before and they were delicious!!!  And we topped it off with the most delicious carrot cake.  Guy and Nicole are fabulous.

Real estate in this area of New Brunswick is crazy cheap.  You can get a cabin on 5 acres on the water for $40-50,000.

Forgot to mention something Therese (JP's sister) mentioned to Jan and I at the bonfire last night.  She said that the door has now been opened and that we are welcome anytime.  To me, that is New Brunswick!

Tracadie-Sheila, NB - July 27, 2015

On Monday, we had a touring day today with JP as our guide.  We drove north through Six Roads (obviously different from Four Roads), Pokemouche, Caraquet, Evangeline (JP's mom was born here), Inkerman, Lameque, Shippagan, and Miscou Island which is on the north eastern tip of NB.  We had our first seafood feast at Steve's Terrace on Miscou Island - lobster, scallops, oysters, mussels, lobster sushi ... on the way back we stopped at Dixie Lee for a snack of chicken, fries and poutine.  We stopped at Robert and Margaret's for a little visit and then back to the cabins.  in the evening, we went to the beach at Four Roads for a bonfire and visited, laughed, drank and ate.  Giselle brought lobster sandwiches and bar clams - they obviously thought I was looking a little thin as every time I turned around, I had another plate of bar clams.  Delicious!

Off to Campbelltown in the north west part of NB tomorrow to visit with Guy and Nicole ...

Tracadie-Sheila, NB - July 25-26, 2015

We started the day with a drive out to Therese's (JP's sister) house in Saumarez, NB (just outside of Tracadie) to pick up some food and party decorations.  We then went to the hall in Saumarez to set up for the big party.  It is JP's 60th birthday party, but it is kinda a surprise for him - he thinks we are all out here for  some visiting and to celebrate some family anniversaries.  We set up the hall (a former schoolhouse) for 80 people and then stopped for some booze and for lunch in Tracadie at Pizza Delight.  Had a little nap and then off to the surprise birthday party.  Everybody brings their own booze and goes out to the vehicle for their drinks.  Once again, one week's purchase of booze lasted the night.  Robyn and  Therese both arranged for a birthday cake for JP and both were guitars and Robyn made a poster. Robyn, Scott and Andrew gave a Top 60 list speech of things they love about JP - there were a few tears shed.  We met many more relatives and friends and they made us all feel like family.  They had music and dancing.  Got home about 1 am and went for a nightcap at Barb and JP's - in bed by 1:30 am.

On Sunday, we slept in and then headed out to Michael's (Emelien's son) house on the river.  Both Emelien and Michael have their fishing boats there and 32 of us hopped on them for the day on the river.  We went into Tracadie for lunch at the Up 'n Down Pub (called that because the main street - Rue Principal - was known for cruising up and down with the muscle cars in JP's youth).  We had fish and chips (delicious), poutine with sausage (delicious), deep fried scallops (delicious) and deep fried clams (not my thing).  The ride back was a bit cool.

We arrive back to the cabins about 8 pm and then the party started again.  A bunch of family came to the cabins and JP and Michel broke out the guitars and Margo was the lead singer.  What a great night!

The highlight of the trip so far is the people!  They are genuine, friendly and happy.  They would give the shirt off their back to a stranger.  They have made us feel like we are part of the family.   

Tracadie-Sheila, New Brunswick - July 23 - 24, 2015

We are off to the Maritimes for 3.5 weeks.  We have never been before and are so excited.

Our flight left at 7 am on Thursday.  Jan and I were joined by Delores, Robyn and Scott and Barb and JP (Scott's parents).  JP is originally from Tracadie and still has a lot of family here - we are going to have a big party on Saturday night.  We met Kate at the Moncton airport as she arrived from Ottawa after visiting Amberly for a few days.  We arrived about 4 pm and went to Dixie Lee for dinner - a staple in the Noel household - JP said his mom would have Dixie Lee every week.   Fried chicken and scallops. Delicious.  New Brunswick is the only Province in Canada that is officially bilingual.

After leaving Moncton, we drove about 2.5 hours north to Tracadie to Deux Rivieres Resort where we checked into our great little cabins on the water.  We went to Superstore for groceries.  We visited until about midnight with a few beers and laughed a lot.  It was a rainy day in New Brunswick.

On Friday, we slept in until about 9 am.  We had breakfast in our cabin and then off to the Mall (spelled Mail on the building - not sure why).  We spent about 30 seconds there - just kidding, but it wasn't very long.  Robyn, Scott, Kate and Andrew went to Miramichi for some "shopping".  JP, Barb, Jan, Delores and I stopped at the liquor store and stocked up for the week and then went for a drive.  JP showed us many of the places he frequented while growing up around Four Roads, NB.  We stopped at the beach where he has some land and at Emelien (JP's brother) and Giselle's house.  We met Guy and Nicole there as well - we had a beer and then off on another little drive to Inkerman and stopped at the church where Barb and JP got married and the cemetery beside the church.

Then back to Emelien and Giselle's for a dinner of salt beef and vegetables. So delicious.  We met JP's brothers Robert (Margo), Albenie (Therese), Edgar (Aurelie), his sister, Therese, sister in law, Bella and many cousins and others.  We had a great visit with everyone - they made us feel so welcome! ... and no beer left ... oh well ... one week's supply of beer gone in one night.  Robyn and Kate had to drive home ... oh well.

Can't wait for tomorrow ...

Reston, Manitoba - July 2-8, 2015

After having arrived home in the afternoon on July 1, we (Jan, my Mother-in-Law Delores and myself) left with our trailer at 6 am on July 2 (my birthday) for the 12 hour drive to Keith and Lynn Boulton's farm (about 10 km outside of Reston, Manitoba - a town of about 500).  The drive was uneventful and we arrived to chili for dinner.  

Kate and Greg arrived later that first night as well and Robyn and Scott arrived the next day with with a Taj Mahal motorhome (borrowed from his parents).

It was great catching up with everybody (Keith, Lynn, Todd, Stacey, Avery, Brooke, Tyson, Shaundell, Brian, Taylor, Braden, Kayleigh, Ryan, Gerri, Dale, Tara, Abby, Casey, Brenda and Marg) and unplugging for a week.  We ate, drank, slept, visited and played cards.  Even went and checked the crops once - they looked fine from what I could tell.  

Back on the road home for 12 hours on July 8.  We will be home for a couple of weeks and then off to the Maritimes for 3.5 weeks ...

Grand Rapids, Michigan - June 28-30, 2015

We had a great dinner last night at Grand Rapids Brewing Company ... tried a few different beers and had fish and chips.  Great visiting with Russ, Susan, Cathy, Matt and Linda.  Jan went to a Mexican Restaurant.

We enjoyed our second day of the Mastermind and got some great ideas for the store.  We ran into Dan Holman (our inventory planner) in the lobby and had a drink with Dan, Lynn, Lisa (Lynn's store manager) and Genevieve (Robyn met her at a Promotions Seminar last fall).  Trudy and Julie (the Retail Success Summit self described mascots) were also in the lounge.  Miranda, Kate and Shawna showed up late in the afternoon and we went for dinner at the Sports Pub in the hotel.

The Retail Success Summit started on Monday morning and we had a full day of learning.  We went for dinner at San Chez. We stretched Shawna out of her comfort zone a little with tapas and the San Chez version of a Bellini ... the stretching would continue, but that is tomorrow's story.

The last day of the Summit was another full day ... and then off to The BOB - a restaurant/bar (what a great name!) - its actually stands for Big Old Building. Trudy organizes this after Summit event each year.  It is great to visit with other retailers.  We visited with Sharleen and Brendan from Elevate and Crystal, Pauline and Julie from Crystal Media, Deb from Mastermind and Bob, Susan, Sam and Joe Negen.  Then, believe it or not, off to Karoake at Sharleen and Brendan's urging.  Robyn, Kate, Miranda and shy Shawna got up and sang Shania Twain.

Early flight in the morning on July 1 and back home in the afternoon.

Grand Rapids, Michigan - June 25, 26 and 27, 2015

Jan, Robyn and myself left for Grand Rapids in the afternoon on June 25, 2015 and arrived just before midnight at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel - a grand old dame like the Hotel MacDonald in Edmonton.

We had Friday to relax.  Jan and I spent the morning at Starbucks reading and doing a little work and Robyn slept.  We (Jan, Robyn, Lynn and myself) went for lunch at San Chez - our favourite restaurant in Grand Rapids.  I had a delicious Reuben soup.  Yup.  A Reuben sandwich in soup form - sauerkraut, corn beef and a delicious broth.  Back to the hotel for a nap and then Robyn and I were off to a cocktail reception for the Platinum Mastermind group that we belong to - this is a group of very talented and successful retailers from around North America who meet 3 times a year to discuss issues and opportunities.  It was great to see everyone again and we were able to greet our newest member Cathy.  After a few beer (Grand Rapids is the beer capital of the US) and some appetizers, we dropped in to bed.

Our Mastermind sessions started on Saturday.  We spent the entire day learning, giving advice, taking advice and laughing.  Great day.  Some of us went to a mexican restaurant for lunch.  We are off to the Grand Rapids Brewing Company for dinner with everyone.  Ciao for now.

Jasper - March 13-15, 2015

Jan, Robyn Randi, Scott and I attended the PJ Party at Jasper Park Lodge (well the girls attended - we helped with set up and packing up).  We had a small pop up shop and the girls networked all weekend. Quite a success.  Scott and I ate!

Las Vegas - February 28 - March 3, 2015

Jan, Robyn, Scott and I booked a last minute trip to Vegas to attend a trade show which we learned about in Clearwater.  Another busy few days with a little eating (Shake Shack, Fulton's Fish Market, Bachanal, Yellow Tail, Tom's Urban) and a little gambling (too much apparently as we were not so lucky this time).  We stayed at New York New York.  Found some great buys for the store!

Clearwater Beach, Florida - February 15-19, 2015

Sunday. Robyn and I are off to Clearwater Beach, Florida for some meetings with a group of 15 retailers from around North America to discuss issues and help each other grow our businesses. We left Edmonton at noon and arrived in Toronto about 4 hours later. After a 3 hour delay and several gate changes we left Toronto and arrived in Tampa around 1 am. In bed at 2 am.

Monday. We slept in (Robyn longer than I). I went for a walk for about an hour and then came back to meet Robyn for breakfast. I had grits and biscuits with sausage gravy. Love Florida!  We spent the day on the beach mostly sleeping.

The rest of our trip was all business related and we were exhausted at the end of each day and dropped into bed early.  It is draining when you are meeting with such great individuals from great businesses and sharing ideas.  So many ideas, so little time ...

La Cruz - January 21 - 24, 2015

On Wednesday, we had a leisurely breakfast and waited for Jim to pick us up. We met Jim and Jeanie at Glorietas last week. We were having dinner and they walked in. I said hola to them and a conversation ensued. Turns out Jim is a lawyer from Edmonton and we crossed paths in Law School. They own a couple of places in a complex called Punta Esmeralda and they invited us to come see their place and the complex on Wednesday - we are always curious about real estate so we took them up on their offer. It would be a great place to own down here. We had lunch with them at their Beach Club and they asked if we wanted to go whale watching the next day. How nice!  And at no cost - they had chartered the Chica Locca - capacity 80 - for 20 people including us.

We came back in the afternoon and went to the pool. As we are running out of time here in Mexico, we decided to start at Tacos on the Steeet (3, 3, 2 and 2 tacos respectively), then we wandered down to Glorietas for coconut shrimp and bacon wrapped cheese stuffed shrimp (we shared) and then wandered down to La Ballena Blanca for shrimp tacos, cheese cake and the most delicious carrot cake. They were actually out of carrot cake but when Eva saw us arrive she left and came back a few minutes later with carrot cake for us from another restaurant that gets the same carrot cake from a local baker.  That is service. They had music again and they were great. 

On Thuraday, we were up early and off to the Chica Locca. Jim and Jeanie were hosting some friends from Punta Esmeralda, some of Jeanie's family (2 sisters and her dad) and us. What a great day!  We saw numerous whales, many moms with their cubs, dolphins, many different species of birds including the blue footed booby birds which apparently can only be found here. We had great food, drinks and visiting. We stopped at the Marietas Islands to swim, dive, and paddle board.  The guides were fantastic.   We went to Masala for dinner (tuna steak x 2 - what else - fettuccine alfredo with jumbo shrimp and a cornish game hen the size of an actual chicken). They had a group called Tatewari playing flamenco - amazing.  See below for pictures.

On Friday, we hung out at the pool all day.  For dinner, we started at La Ballena Blanca with shrimp tacos, a Shrimp burrito and 2 pieces of carrot cake. We planned to do the reverse tour tonight going from there to Glorietas to Tacos on the Street, but we had such a good time, we stayed and drank and listened to music again. 

On Saturday, we had to check out of our room at 11 am but they gave us another room to use for the day because Robyn and Scott were not leaving until 3 pm and we didn't have to leave until 7:30 pm. We had a breakfast of champions as we had to finish off our groceries - ice cream, Nesquik cereal, taco chips with salsa and refried beans, margaritas, coffee with baileys, potato chips and eggs.  Not so delicious.  We spent the day at the pool.  Robyn and Scott left in the afternoon and Jan and I went to La Ballena Blanca for one last time this trip.  Our 10:30 pm flight left on time and we were home in our beds about 4 am.

Another great holiday!

Dolphin swimming with boat

Scotty off the slide

Robyn off the slide

Bob off the second deck

Groovin'

La Ballena Blanca

Adios Mexico!

La Cruz - January 19-20, 2015

Monday was breakfast, pool, lunch, pool, dinner (at Raixes - the onsite restaurant - average food), bed.  We did get to have the big italian sandwiches for lunch that we bought the day before at the market.

Tuesday was breakfast, pool, lunch (at Raixes), pool, dinner at Sanzibar (again), ice cream at home along with a nightcap of mojitos.  At Sanzibar, we had tuna (what else?), mahi mahi and a seafood pasta - all delicious.

Starting to get used to this life ...

La Cruz - January 18, 2015

Sundays are market days in La Cruz.  Today we walked to the market - it is about a 45 minute walk from our place in the hills.  We were starving so we went straight to the major food section on the wharf.  We had a Moroccan sandwich of roasted pork, paella, a chicken quesadilla (to die for), 2 big italian sandwiches (as a reminder: italian sausage, spicy italian sausage and roasted pork) and 4 fresh juices.  We then wandered the market but didn't buy anything else.  We saw some huge tuna at the fish market.  We stopped by the Big Italian Sandwich place on the way out for 3 more sandwiches to go (lunch tomorrow).

We spent the afternoon at the pool, had a few dirty monkeys at happy hour and then headed into town to Masala for dinner.  We hit four home runs.  Scott and I had tuna steak (best yet), Jan had herb crusted mahi mahi and Robyn had jumbo shrimp with a ginger sauce.  Cheesecake and creme brûlée for dessert and then we were off walking to the best new little place in La Cruz - La Ballena Blanca. They had a band again - actually 2 members of the 4 member band we saw there a few nights ago.  The place was hopping, the band was great, and the cheesecake, cervesas and margaritas were outstanding as well.  They closed the kitchen as we got there because they ran out of food - not in a bad way - there were just so many people - great problem to have.  The young ones running the place were so busy ad happy.  We stayed until 10:30 - whatttttttt? Probably sleep in tomorrow after such a late night.

Our tuna supper!

Le Gato (our Mexican cat)

La Cruz - January 12-17, 2015

These past few days have been pretty much action replay.  Wake up, have coffee and breakfast, go to pool, sit there all day, go for dinner, come home and go to bed (usually by 8 pm).  A couple of specifics:

On Monday, we went to the pool and had dinner at home - spaghetti and chorizo sausage … and our Gato (cat) is back from last year.

On Tuesday, we went to the beach club.  Our place is loaded in the hills and they have a beach club on the beach (where most beach clubs are located).  It is small but fun area - we spent the day there.  We had dinner at Sandzibar.  One of our best meals in PV.  They made a fabulous tuna steak (Bob and Scott), mahi mahi (Robyn) and homemade sausage (Jan).  We were the only people in the restaurant.  What a shame because it was a fantastic meal - we sat beachfront and Leo our waiter was outstanding.  Robyn mentioned that she loved the bread and they sent some fresh bread home with her.

Sanzibar

Good Morning!

Beach Club

Beach Club

On Wednesday, we went to the pool and had dinner at Frescati's - great italian food although I had a tuna steak (I can get italian at home).

Frescati's

Frescati's

On Thursday, we went to the pool and took a margarita making class form 4-5pm.  It was really interesting - we made strawberry, classic lime, tamarind and jalepeno.  The jalepeno margarita was delicious with only a hint of jalepeno taste.  We had dinner at Xocolatl.  Great view of the bay - we had fajitas (Scott), coconut shrimp (Jan), mahi mahi topped with lobster sauce and a jumbo shrimp (Robyn) and chile relleno topped with a lobster sauce, a jumbo shrimp and a shrimp enchilada (Bob).

Margarita Class with Jairo

Margarita Class

Xocolatl

Xocolatl

On Friday, we went to the pool and then decided to wander around town eating a various places for supper.  We started at Tacos on the street but limited ourselves to 3 tacos each (Scott and I) and 2 for Jan and Robyn (not our usual 7-8 each).  Delicious as usual and very hard not to order more.  We then walked to El Asadero on main street and shared a BBQ plate of chorizo, chicken, flank steak, fried onions and refried beans.  Delicious.  We then wandered round town until we came across a little gem - La Ballena Blanca (The White Whale).  You walk in and there is no roof, just tarp like sails stretched across various places.  The menu is limited - Tacos (much like Tacos on the Street) - shrimp, marlin, fish - we tried the shrimp and marlin, both excellent, but the shrimp were better.  We had some cervesas and a margarita (excellent).  A band started playing at 8:30 (a half hour past our bed time), but we endured and the place was hopping.  What a great little place!  They only opened the previous Sunday and it is being run by a bunch of young adults and they were fantastic.  I would recommend this place to everyone.  It is owned by our waitress's father, but the building was once a restaurant owned by her grandfather which was destroyed by a hurricane a long time ago (hence no roof).

La Ballena Blanca

La Ballena Blanca

On Saturday, we had a spa day and had massages and pedicures.  What a great day.  We returned to Glorietta's for dinner.  Ismael (my bro apparently) offered us a seafood feast.  We jumped in.  The huge platter came out with lobster, coconut shrimp, breaded shrimp, garlic shrimp, octopus, mussels, grilled mahi mahi, breaded mahi mahi, rice, baked potato and salad.  We met 2 couples from Edmonton and they offered to show us their place at Punta Esmerelda one day.  We then walked down to La Ballena Blanca for dessert - shrimp tacos and had some cervesas and margaritas.  We wanted to support these great young ones in their new endeavor.  Back to our place and in bed by 8:30.  Can't party every night.

La Penita/La Cruz de Huanacaxtle - January 10 - 11, 2015

Our last morning in La Penita.  We packed up and went for breakfast at Hinde y Jaime's.  On our return, we checked out and waited for a taxi … as we were waiting the bread lady was driving by so we bought bread, donuts and muffins from her out of the back of her truck.  The drive to La Cruz was about 50 minutes.  As we arrived at Puerto Bahia (our home for the next 2 weeks), it was like we were with family again.  Our place is massive - as you open the front door, it walk into an open air foyer.  Each room (bedrooms, kitchen, living room are all rooms by themselves connected with open air covered hallways).  We hopped into our little pool and waited for Robyn and Scott to arrive.  They arrived about an hour later and they hopped into the pool for awhile too.  We went to Glorieta's for cheese stuffed bacon wrapped jumbo shrimp, coconut shrimp and garlic shrimp.  Delicious.  WE then took a cab to Mega for groceries - about $400 worth of groceries should get us through breakfast and lunch and drinking for 2 weeks.

The next morning, we went to the La Cruz Market - it is a great market - we like it better than the 2 markets in Guayabitos and La Penita.  We bought some smoked marlin, hummus dip and had our traditional Big Italian sandwich (a combo of italian sausage, spicy italian sausage and pork) at the end of the market.  We went to the pool for the afternoon and then came back to our room for Scott's famous Mojito's in our pool.  Dinner was at Tacos on the Street - essentially one menu item - rib eye tacos (but there are several variations, cheese, flour or corn tortillas, quesadilla style).  They also bring you a bucket of beer and charge you for the ones you drink.  16 tacos, 3 quesadillas, 6 beer and  glass of wine later, we hopped in a cab back to Puerto Bahia - we brought 10 tacos back for the staff too.

Our Front Door

Looking through our front door

Our Pool

Looking at a bedroom with the front door on the right

Kitchen

Living room

Glorieta's

Glorieta's

Buying Bread from the back of a truck

Tacos on the Street (that is actually the name of the restaurant)

Good Morning La Cruz!

View of the front door from the kitchen/pool area

La Penita - January 9, 2015

The day started with coffee.  I the heard the bread guy walking down the street yelling that he had bread for sale and bought 2 cinnamon bun type buns.  We went to the beach in the morning - we were the only people on the beach all morning - went for a swim in the ocean having to dodge the odd pelican floating nearby.  The ocean was quite warm.  We went for lunch at a street side taco place and had chicken tacos and a quesadilla.  I then went for a massage for one hour - cost $20 - while the ambience is not the same as those fancy massage places, the massage was great (see picture of the venue below).  Stopped at Hinde y Jaime's for a few shrimp tacos and a margarita, bought some hand made leather sandals for $18 and back to the Casita for a Mango Margarita party hosted by Bob and Linda.  Great time chatting with everyone.

Friday nights are Chile Relleno and karaoke nights at Hinde's.  The Chile Relleno's were amazing - i had to have a second order.  The entire Casita crew went for dinner including Bob and Linda.  We ate (a lot), drank(a lot), sang (a little), danced (a little) and had a lot of fun.  Our bill for the evening: $30!

Our beach

Jan on our balcony

Dirt road separating the Casita from the beach

Got to the top!

Great massage!

Hinde y Jaime's

Outside Hinde y Jaime's on Friday night

La Penita - January 8, 2015

Starting to get used to the early morning coffee by the pool visiting with Mike and Colleen from the Ottawa area.  The Tianguis Market was on today in La Penita.  It is a huge market being a combination of a flea market where you can buy new and used clothing, kitchen utensils and stove parts to traditional souvenir type items and hand made Mexican crafts.  We started out eating - surprise surprise - from the vendors in the market.  We had fresh made potato chips, fresh hand squeezed orange juice ($1 for a 20 ounce cup), my favourite Mexican dessert - Tres Leche cake (three milk cake which is a white cake soaked in evaporated milk - sounds delicious doesn't it?), a fresh bun and croissant.  We are now officially eaters of street food in Mexico - something that would not have happened only a few short years ago.  I bought a couple of tank tops and Jan bought a table runner, some napkins and an beautiful apron.  We donated some money to a local charity which Bob and Linda help organize to help  locals go to University (they have provided 17 scholarships so far).  We went for lunch at Cesar's and had grilled shrimp sautéed in garlic and butter.

We spent the afternoon by the pool.  Dinner was at Rincon del Arabe (LOL not at Hinde y Jaime's) with the Judy, Phil, Lynn, George and Georgina (the crew from Mackenzie BC).  Jan had curry shrimp and I had hawaiian shrimp stir fry - both very good.  3 of us ordered Pina Coladas and a rum punch like drink showed up - the owner Hitham decided we should try this concoction instead.  It was great.  Hitham bought us a round of drinks at the end of the night.  We went for a walk downtown and arrive back around 10.

A Mañana (until tomorrow).

Tianguis Market

Tianguis Market