Holiday Review

Well, Christmas 2017 and New Year's 2018 have both come and gone. I'm on my last day of vacation before returning to work; the weather has warmed up considerably but with the warmer weather came the snow so sometime today I'll be out doing the driveway and making trails for the dogs.  Thankfully with a snowblower and not with a shovel.

I took two weeks off this year; it made for a really relaxing holiday. I didn't do as much as planned but that's okay too.  I did go with some friends to see the light show on Parliament Hill. We lucked out with warm weather. We had dinner at the food court before heading up to the Hill to see the show. It was our last Canada 150 event.

Rideau Centre Christmas tree

Canada 150 Lights Across Canada

Christmas Lights Across Canada

I thought I was all prepared for Christmas quite early this year and, the last week before Christmas, was busy in the evenings wrapping gifts; then one day I came home from work to find a strange powder all over the place and empty plastic bags. It took me a moment then I realized that the dogs had eaten a bag of dried pasta and two bags of pasta seasoning that I had brought home from Rome as a gift for my brother-in-law. They had also opened some stocking stuffers.  Now in the last weekend before Christmas I needed another gift.  I also had planned to buy a flower centerpiece for my sister and brother-in-law but had mistakenly thought Christmas was on Tuesday. It really was on Monday so I didn't have enough time left to have an arrangement made up and it turned out the florist, that I used to go to, had closed. Anyway I found another gift for my brother-in-law and bought a Christmas centerpiece at Micheal's where they were all on sale being so close to the holiday.

This year again I joined a Sheltie card exchange as so few of my friends and family send out cards any more.  This way I received many cards from all over the US and Canada as well as some from the UK and Australia.

Sheltie card exchange

Sheltie card display

This year saw changes in how we spent the holiday; in the past most of it was spent at my sister's place but now that her kids are out on their own things changed. My nephew and his wife hosted a Christmas Eve dinner. It was the first time I had been to their place.  We had an enjoyable evening with dinner before they went to Mass while I took my dogs for a walk then started a puzzle until they returned, then we had dessert and opened a few gifts.  Christmas morning was a bit more relaxed too as my niece and nephew planned to have each their own Christmas morning so we were able to sleep in a bit. I got up and let the dogs open their stockings. For two dogs who had opened other people's gifts on their own they certainly weren't in any rush to get their own gifts opened and I had to help quite a bit.

Afterwards I loaded the car and headed over to Juanita and Joe's where we had a late Christmas brunch with just the three of us.  We spent some of the rest of morning doing a puzzle while waiting for the rest of the family to show up. My nephew and his wife were the first to arrive around 1 pm; we knew they didn't have a lot of time before going to her parent's so we started opening gifts then my niece and her family arrived. It worked out rather well, we finished with Dan and Katie's gifts and then continued on with opening gifts for Jessica, Zini and Adrian. And of course some for us too. I had put a little note in with the pasta spoon, all that was left of Joe's pasta gift, to explain what had happened; everyone got a little laugh from that.

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner as always and even the dogs enjoyed their turkey dinner. After dinner, we played a Christmas dice game that Jessica had planned which was quite fun. Keltic couldn't seem to settle for some reason and I had to take him out twice, once he did do his business but the second time he just went up and down the street; because of that we headed home but it was already about 9:30 pm and I had a brunch to prepare for anyway.

Boxing Day, I had a few friends for brunch. I used to do a brunch for family but most all have their own plans now so I hadn't had a brunch in a few years.  It turned out rather well. When I got home on Christmas night, I cooked the potatoes for hash browns so they would be ready in the morning. Brunch was very relaxing and we sat and chatted for a number of hours.

The day after Boxing Day I did a bit of shopping. Most stores had already sold out of much of their Christmas stuff, they put the sales on so early. I did find some stocking stuffers and a couple gifts for next year.  I was looking for a Smart watch for myself; after checking online, I visited the two Best Buy stores near me. Not a single sales person approached me in either store so I decided to order online but at least by going to the stores I was able to pick out which model I liked best. I got the Asus Zenwatch 3; it has 55 different faces you can choose from.

Smartwatch with Starry Sky face

We had an extreme cold snap so the dogs didn't get much time out of doors between Christmas and New Year's, we kind of just hibernated.  I built my Lego.

For a number of years now on New Year's Eve, I've hosted some friends for a pot luck and gift exchange. Last year, we had to cancel because of a snow storm but this year, other than the fact it was so cold that the Canada 150 New Year's Eve on Parliament Hill was cancelled, the weather was clear. We had a nice evening of food, conversation and fun. Finishing up 2017 (Canada 150) with a little Frisky Beaver; it seemed appropriate.

New Years's Day was spent with family; first at my nephew's again for a brunch with both our side of the family and his wife's family too. It was actually traditionally her parents who hosted a family brunch but I guess now my nephew and his wife will make it their tradition. New Year's Day supper was again at my sister's place; some people were a little worse for wear from the previous evening's activities but everyone enjoyed dinner. There was super moon on 1 Jan 2018. The camera in my phone doesn't do it justice; it was huge.

The tree and most of the decorations are down now. The tree will be out at the curb tonight for pick-up tomorrow. I left some decorations and my village up as it seems so bare if I take it all down at once.

Looking forward to 2018 which will be my last full year of work; I retire in 2019, the planned date is 5 June 2019 but with vacation time I could be done in early May 2019.   We start back at agility next weekend, I haven't done any trials since August as my Achilles tendon took so long to heal. Hopefully I'll stay fit this year as Nationals are just an hour away in Maxville, Ontario. It may be Beckett's last and hopefully Keltic's first.

By the Sea

So I got back from my vacation down east on Monday, it was a long drive back, not sure I'll do it in one long day again.  The vacation was over too soon, aren't they all but we had a good time with really only two days with a lot of rain; it was warm and sunny all the rest of the time.

Since my Dad was in the military we were raised all over, most of my childhood was spent in central and western Canada but still I feel an affinity for the seaside. I just love going to walk on the beach especially in New Brunswick where there are such high tides. It's great to walk on the sand bars that just a few hours later will be underwater.

This year the dogs didn't seem to mind wading at all and it wasn't much of a struggle to get them to swim short distances to get to the next sand bar.  Beckett did pretty good, keeping his front feet in the water when he swam paddled. Keltic still kind of tried to climb out of the water, if you know what I mean. The second time we took the dogs to the beach the tide was coming in. Keltic ran out after some birds and  leaped right into a pool deep enough that he had to swim. He was a little more cautious after that. I so wish we had that on video.

The beach that we go to is adjacent to Parlee Beach Provincial Park but is not actually part of the  park since dogs are not permitted in the park. You have to cross a little tidal stream to get there but at low tide it is only a few inches deep.

Tidal Stream

Entrance to dog-friendly beach at Point du Chene, New Brunswick

The beach

Low tide with other dogs playing

We did some of the usual things, took in the big lobster, did some shopping, walked down to the wharf and visited with my mother.  We also went to see my Dad and visited the memorial to the three Royal Canadian Mounted Policemen killed in the line of duty in Moncton three years ago. The families helped personalize each of the statues, one officer was a K9 handler.

Visiting Dad

A partner's foot prints

RCMP Memorial

This time the tourist thing we did was with a company called Taste This, Goûte ça.  They do food walking tours of the downtown restaurants. We did the evening tour with them; my sister and I were the only ones booked on that tour so we had a very pleasant private evening with our guide. We did six restaurants, each one served us an appetizer and a couple even had wine and beer to sample.

Shediac, New Bruswick is a nice town that gets busy in tourist season, so busy that the main street often is a parking lot.  When we went in town, we parked and just walked to what we wanted to see.

The big lobster

The boys and the big lobster

The boys and a local fisherman

3D mural at the Lobster Shoppe

Another mural at an auto shop.

The boys at the town fountain

Point du Chene is a nice area that is still actually part of Shediac. The cottage we rent is in walking distance to the wharf  where there is a public marina, two restaurants, a bay cruise company and couple gift shops, an ice cream shop and in the lighthouse,  public washrooms, always important. New to us this year was the swing, benches and picnic table at the side of the road leading to the wharf.

Point du Chene wharf

Coast Guard vessel

Some of the residents must be quite the characters if you go by the decorations outside their cottages or even by the name of the cottage. One cottage is called Whale Oil Beef Hooked, say that five times fast. The picture below is of a shed in the area.

All in all it was a very good vacation, just a little sad it had to come to an end.

New Ride

Hey dere eberyone, is me Beckett. Mums hasna been blogging too much lately so weese got some catchin up to do.

She says she'll write more about her boat trip, da one we didna get to go on wid her but for today I gets to tell you about our new ride. Mums has been talking about a new car for a little while now, she wanted to go test drive a few but things happened real quick and we ended up with a new car after just one test drive. Keltic and me didna get to go on da test drive either. You'd a thought she'd want our opinion.  

Anyway we gots our new car last Saturday. Keltic and me still hasn't had a ride in it but Mums says we'll get a ride dis weekend. I hopes it's some wheres good.

Mums Note: the ride this weekend is to the groomer, don't tell.

Mums got another Ford Escape. Dis one is Keltic-coloured on da outside and Beckett-coloured on da inside so Mums did think a little about us when she picked it.

Mums Note: I actually didn't think of it until I got it home. Canyon Ridge was the only exterior colour I really liked. It just happens to match Keltic quite nicely. 

The new Ess-cap-eh!

Keltic and the new ride

Beckett and the new ride.

Doesn't smell like a dog-mobile?