I have been away from the porch...

                                                   Sarah...the post grad student

                          Mike and Karin...my bro and his better half...

                                          Stephanie...the birthday girl

                            Bob...Stephanie's hubby waiting for coffee...

                          Stephanie...is the coffee ready yet?

                        Ivan, Marci and Al...my hubby, my sister and her significant other

                                 Hugs...

                              Dave...our host, grilling veggies

                            Brother Mike grilling fresh salmon...

                          Karin, Dawn and Stephanie...what?

                            Proud  Mom and son

                       Niece Dawn, Alice and niece Sarah...with an h...

                                               Hubby and Me

                                 Christine, our hostess and Ivan, her charge

                                     Birthday girl and her consort

                                                      Smoochies

                            The Middle...that's me

                            Help!! No, really, they need help!

A trip to Vancouver, B.C. and Salt Spring Island to celebrate my sister's 60th birthday turned into a family adventure! We hiked, went whale watching, tasted craft beer and wine, shared delicious food, visited a goat farm and fromagere. I looked that up.  We saw Orca whales, sea lions, a kangaroo mouse, star fish and sea otters. We visited a farmer's market on the island where we tasted fresh vegetables and fruits. Dave and Christine shared their downtown Vancouver neighborhood with us. We saw the sights, a former Olympic village, a museum of the First Nation,  the ocean and mountain vistas, and Affogato...
After all that I must say that the best part of the trip for me was spending time with these people. My family lives across the U.S. and Canada. We get together often but this is our first trip as a group to B.C. I enjoyed sharing morning coffee, having the time to just sit and talk. I soaked up the relaxed atmosphere of groovy Salt Spring Island. We all enjoyed the company of our family. Peace and Love in Vangroovy...