Merry Christmas 2024

Happy Holidays 2024

The annual writing of my Christmas newsletter always gives pause to reflect on the past year, and pick out meaningful events or stories to share with you.  It serendipitously becomes a gratitude journal of the year highlighting the good we have shared with friends and family.   

We continue settling into whatever the new normal is.  We find comfort in the steadiness of what stays the same, and awe in what can continue to transform.  As messed up and in turmoil as the world is, I am grateful for the privilege of living in Canada.  Travel makes us appreciate what we sometimes take for granted - like drinking water from a tap.  

We kicked off the New Year with a trip to Monterrey, Mexico.  Valerie and Arturo graciously hosted us in their architecturally unique new casa.  

  

First we shopped...

The most incredible
grocery shops in Mexico.  
The display, freshness and variety!

We did not eat cheese
 bigger than our head

We cooked...

Olé! The mole verde we ate!

We drank a few glasses
of Champagne

Ellen, Alessandro, Valerie, Arturo, Adrian

Visited a former iron foundry

Hiked off some of those tortillas

 

 

Witnessing the eclipse
and catching a few flies

  

Ellen kept fit with
competitive swimming

March break with 
Grandmaman and Uncle Steve

Olaf visited from Albequerque
 Unfortunately, Laura was stuck
in Africa fending off a coup

Olaf, Corry, Adrian and Dan

  

Craving the ocean and the sun, I repeated Surfs Up!  in Cabarete, Dominican Republic

Yoga with Molly

Seb, Alex, me, Cal

Cabarete beach at night

 Veteran women paddling for Dragon boat racing! We entered the races in the lowest division and moved up to B division and won Bronze in the 500m!

photo: Melanie Murphy Photography 


photo: Susan Smith
Dragon Boat racing
with veterans from the Pepper Pod!
A team event full
of love, sweat and mud puddles!

The next monumental event was Ellen's high school graduation.  We are so proud of our smarty pants.  She is studying a year of health sciences with plans of going into paramedicine.

   

Do you think that bear notices us?

June wrapped up with a camping trip with Corry and Jenna, as seen in  Glamping with Corry

 

Cookin' up some deliciousness

 

Sadly this summer, we lost two family members.  My cousins Pete and Les passed one day after the other.  They will be fondly remembered for their kindness and sense of humour.  Pye's Head will feel their absence.  Les was always keen to have me on board his sailboat when I was a little kid.  We never knew what shenanigans Pete would be up to, but certainly making us laugh! 

photo: Sara Ward Staples
Pete and Les

I am lucky to have a large extended family and was able to see many cousins this summer.  This summer's theme was definitely COUSINS!  Apologies to those we didn't get selfies!

Tim even took his hat off!

Lunch with Craig

Cold water plunging
with Andi, John, T, and Jeff

Tea with Brenda

Lakeside with Valerie

Beachside with
Janice and Tante Roberte

And here they are again
in Sherbrooke.
Got to see them twice!

Almost the whole
fam damily 

Aunty Pam, 
technically a level up
from cousin  

The friends that make your life so much richer.  Apologies for the missing selfies of dear friends!

Pickle ball in the barn

Karen Anne and Dan

 

Helen and John 

 

Laurie

Bevvy de La and Angela

Delisa and Bevvy de La

My mama!

Here is a sneak peak of our epic bike tour from Saigon to Bankgok in November.  Sooo, many pictures to go through to create the next humongous blog post.  Not sure if it was a food or bike tour!!  Such delicious food everywhere.

Saigon's colonial architecture

 Loco for coco 
Refreshing young
coconut water!

Coconut ice cream
 in a coconut

Coconuts brought to you
by hard work!

Cambodian
red snow roads!

 

Monk at Angkor Wat

Group of Seven at Ankgor Wat!
Angela, Adrian, me, Mich, Ludo, Ellen and Pat
with Lot, the guide

Angkor Wat in Cambodia is the largest religious
site in the world and can be seen from space!
It dates from the 9th century.  

Lara Croft eat your heart out!

Our new adopted family  
Everyone thought Pat and Ellen were our kids  
They even came with convenient names  

Fishing in the Mekong

Making dried banana slices.  
No skin, no fingers

She told me the peel
was good for wrinkles.

Produce at the markets was so vibrant!

Tune into the next blog entry
to figure out what she is offering.

The food was outstandingly delicious
and so beautifully presented.

 

Pomelo salad with shrimp

Amok - a Cambodian fish stew

 

Oysters
Delish!!!

Crepes with quail eggs

Cooking with fire!  
 Bangkok's Chinatown

Bangkok's Chayo Phraya river 
eventually goes go to sleep...
but not the rest of the city  

It is always hard picking just a couple of my favourite photos from the cottage.  The ocean is sureal-ly (sure that it not a word) beautiful.

Those are real clouds,
not just painted in!

Such spectacular sunsets!

I never tire of the colours in the sunsets

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Pam, Adrian and Ellen