991 Things Left to do Before I Die.

4 years ago my daughter gave me a special book for Christmas. It was titled 1000 Things to Do Before You Die. The book was relegated to the reading room (you may know it as the loo) where I would pore over it daily, dreaming of seeing the world for real rather than from my armchair.

To kickoff my 1000 special places my husband and I went to a convention in Tuscon Arizona the year he retired. We added another week onto the trip and drove north, visiting various National Monument sites and the majestic Grand Canyon.
That was #1 on my list and I was in no way disappointed. I thought to myself, Now I can die happy!



However, the need for another trip started niggling at me.
Born and raised in land-locked Saskatchewan the Mediterranean Sea was the stuff my fairytales were made of; Azure seas, Canals in Venice, White cottages dotting the isles of Greece, walled cities in Croatia, the ruins of Ephesus, the Strait of Messina, the Acropolis in Athens and Trevi Fountain in Rome and on and on.

Thanks to a Princess Cruise dream # 2 was fulfilled in May 2007.





Which takes me to #3, Pompeii, the ruins of a once-great Roman city buried by the ash of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Dreamed about since I first saw articles on it in an old National Geographic issue my parents bought at an estate sale when I was a young child. So, at the end of our cruise we visited the port of Naples and took a guided bus tour to Pompeii. We walked over streets that were built 1000 years before Christ, touched brick walls that housed families like our own, walked through their courtyard gardens, saw outdoor bread ovens and indoor plumbing of designs still used by some cultures today. Now, I thought, I can die happy!

After spending 12 days touring the Mediterranean, it was easy to add #4, a 5 night stay in beautiful Barcelona and not to miss the Louvre, Eifel Tower and Notre Dame in spot #5, 5 nights in Paris I've blogged about our experiences there already so I won't bore you with more gushy descriptions.

We headed back to Glasgow in May. Again thoughts of just 1 more place to see kept coming to mind, Edinburgh Castle, a REAL castle, smacking of Lords and Ladies, Kings and Queens, Turrets and Towers, Granite Walls and Dungeons, Moats and Iron Gates. The stuff a kids dreams are made of! When I was 8 or 9 I spent every Art class drawing princesses with crowns living in high castles, never dreaming I would one day be close enough to actually see one! Surely this trip would satisfy my destiny and I could rest knowing I'd done it all. Off to Edinburgh we went. The castle did not disappoint, it is a foreboding gloomy rock that lords it over the city of Edinburgh, a show of strength and past glory. Now, I thought, with #6 completed I can die happy!


In the fall of 2007 the thought popped into my mind "Wouldn't it be great to take a cruise with my sister this winter"? A few weeks into the New year and off to Florida I flew, cruise ticket in hand. My younger sister and I sailed off into the sunset, actually we went east so should it be "sailed off into the sunrise"? and 8 glorious days with no cooking, no cleaning, no telephones, no kids or grandkids, (dare I say No Husbands) just pure luxury and I could cross #7 off my list. Now I can surely die happy!

Soon summer was here and once again my feet began to itch. Mount Rushmore! Great leaders of our neighbours to the south, etched forever in Granite Mountainside, can't you see it! The image wouldn't leave me. It was meant to be, this must be #8. Some long passionate discussions with my designated driver convinced him that I could never truly die happy unless I could visit Mount Rushmore. We packed our car in June and hit the road, not quite Thelma and Louise but with as much enthusiasm. We were not disappointed, it is breathtaking. There is an evening program that culminates with the mountainside being illuminated and all vetrans in the audience being invited to the stage to be thanked for their service to their country. I cannot tell a lie, my heart burst with pride and I'm not even an American. Now I can die happy!

On Dec. 16, 2008 we again find ourselves in Glasgow visiting our best friend and only child, thinking "This year we can just visit", when I came across a webpage for Holyrood Palace...We didn't get to it last year, we have the time this year, why not just do it, after all, I've always wanted to see a real palace, maybe Prince Charlie will be home and invite us in for tea? So, next week we're heading off to Edinburgh again with Holyrood Palace in our sights, soon to be #9.

Only 991 left to go, then I can die Happy!!

Oregon in April 2008

A one week hiatus in central Oregon state was like time travelling back to the days of Lone Ranger, Hop-along Cassidy, Roy Rogers etc. The lone pine tree silouetted against the ruddy sunrise and sunsets, cattle moseing along a dusty trail, coyote standing alert in a field of sagebrush and deer looking up at us as we pass by.

The first 2 days were warm and sunny with not even a hint of breeze. Perfect for relaxing on the deck with a hot book and a cool drink. Eagle Crest Resort is NOT a cabin in the woods, more like a luxury hotel with all the amenities one could wish for. We will be forever grateful to our friends for asking us to join them for this trip.

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On the drive down we stopped for lunch in the bustling metropolis of Troutdale, at Shari's, where we chowed down on burgers and Thai chicken salads big enough to feed 2. Did you ever wonder why the extra large servings don't cross the US-Canada border? Another interesting thing I notice is that wait-staff are more cheerful, maybe it's the iced tea. That is the 3rd thing I notice - every restaurant serves perfectly made, unsweetened iced tea, something yet to be perfected in Canada.

Sisters and Bend Oregon were day trips to break up our week

Caribbean Blues

We've had one of the worst winters in recent years with record snowfall, record rain fall and days of grey skies. Time for a break, warm sunny Florida HERE I COME! Arrived Feb. 27th to warm air, blue skies and sunshine.

The vacation was wonderful, more than wonderful! Florida sunshine, lazy afternoons at the pool,rousing bingo games at night and of course lots of shopping shopping shopping. Thanks to Barb and Don I was able to attend my first ever Pro Baseball game. Toronto Blue Jays lost to Tampa Devil Rays - GO RAYS. Another thing to cross off my list of 1000 things to do before I die.


We drove 2 & 1/2 hrs to Port Canaveral to board the Mariner of the Seas. Close to the cape you are treated to some spectacular scenery. The air was clear enough that from the deck of the ship we could see the space station silo where they build the rockets. Unfortunately my wee camera doesn't have the oompf to show it, but maybe Don can photoshop it when I get home.


Caribbean Blue Water, something we never saw growing up in Saskatchewan, still looks fake to me. Nothing can be that blue naturally! When we got home and downloaded all our photos almost half were water shots. Something I'll have to work on if I'm ever going to become a decent photographer.



Our first day onboard the Mariner was quite a learning experience. With 3114 passengers, and length of 1020 feet it did take some getting used to and we certainly put on the miles as we trekked back and forth trying to find our way to various locations.

On day 3 we discovered that by remembering the phrase "laft aft", and turning left when exiting our cabin, we would end up at the rear of the ship where the buffet and adult hot tub resided. What more could a girl ask for?


My present problem seems to be my inability to focus on the mundane things like dusting, cleaning floors, cooking and doing laundry. Cruising has spoiled me for life. We were warned onboard that this could become a problem and now I believe it.The room steward was crafty and left us animal treats on our bed at night, some were just too cute to dismantle.