Election Day - October 23, 2011

The long awaited and much anticipated election day has finally arrived.  As luck would have it, our apartment is right across the street from one of the polling stations.  We first became aware of this when the evening before we saw some soldiers being dropped off and setting up posts at this spot, normally a school.

Normally a school, this site appears to be a site for the election "tomorrow"

That's a soldier walking towards the door "patrolling" the area.  I guess they are not taking any chances and careful planning to ensure the polling stations will be kept safe for election day.

Same site, now on election day

This was ~11:00 am on Sunday, October 23rd.  The lineups were long, but it seemed that it was kept moving, so wait times were reported to be under an hour.  There was a real "festive" mood, lots of cheering, flag waving and celebratory calls out to each other.  It was a real honour to be able to be present and witness this very historic event.  And the best news, not a single incident reported.  It looks like all their careful planning paid off.

Here's a short video to give a bit of the flavour of the day:

Now Back To Tunis - Oct 2011

Now the mad rush to get ready for returning to Tunisia.  This time, I insisted that our dog Misha came.  Here she is on packing day, just before heading off to the airport.  Not aware of the major trip that lies in store for her!

And now after we arrived ... yes, I now believe even a dog can suffer jet lag!

A very tired "doggy"!

We arrived safe & sound, and with no issues or problems.  It was quite stressful getting all the paperwork prepared to take a dog on a journey like this.  And not one person even asked to see them!  Then, after we arrived in Tunis, Roy checked with the travel agent and somehow Misha was never properly booked on the flight ---> she ended up flying all the way here as a stowaway!  Funny how all the work to ensure the paperwork was properly done and we neglected the most obvious step ... of booking her on the flight.  Good thing she's such a seasoned traveler ... as usual, I don't think anyone even knew she was on the plane.

Now to beloved Sidney Island - Sept 2011

Sunrise - Taken from our bedroom window ... feels like being in a postcard!

After being away from our cabin for the longest period ever, we were even that much more happy to be back.  And greeted with all the beauty of this amazing place.

Roy kayaking in Miner's Bay

We also took advantage of every minute as we knew our time there would go by quickly.  So went kayaking just about every day, and on the "colder" days, went hiking.

Our daughter, Jessica and her friend, Whitney had joined us for a few days and had to endure one of our "rather too long" hikes.  We seem to never get enough, but the kids probably would have preferred half the time.



One highlight was when friend from my Peninsula Newcomer's hiking group came for a day of hiking.

The "Ol" Newcomer's Group 

Taken by friend, Liz Ball

Time in Calgary with mom - Sept 2011

Mom & I visit dad's grave site.  She also is wearing her newly found wedding ring and posing to show it off.

Mom's alzheimer's had seemed to progress some, but thankfully she still recognized me and had pretty good long-term memory recall.  I stayed with her for about a week and gained a renewed appreciation for the challenges that Susie, her permanent caregiver, has to keep up mom's care.  It was good to have that one-on-one time together though ... very good for the spirit ... although hard at times to see mom struggle through her day.

A Quick Canada "Catch-Up" - August 2011

A chance to visit Cecilia and Peter's new place, near Port Credit in Toronto

Cecilia made the most beautiful bride list for sure!

Time filled up pretty quickly once we returned back to Canada.  Hence, no further posts until now.  First stop was friend Cecilia's wedding.  It was also wonderful to see friend Sakae and family (from Japan) who attended the wedding.  Sakae's mom is the one dressed in a beautiful kimono and Sakae is standing behind her mom.

August 2011 - Return To Canada

After returning back to Canada, first stop had to be Starbucks.  It had been way too long since having a great coffee.  With the time zone change and my desperation, I was first in line ~5:30 am.  The barista that served me had to endure my story about having gone so long without a great coffee.  However, she was sufficiently impressed that my coffee was given "on the house"!  And it was soooo delicious!