Grand Events and Memorable Moments

It's been very quiet here on my blog for the past six months, but behind the scenes a lot has happened.  Life goes on and time seems to be slipping through my fingers.   

While I'm sorting through photos from the recent past, let me share just a few of the happenings of 2024 over here. For the record!

We had two grands graduating from high school this year. From two different high schools...two nights in a row.  

Ryder graduated from Sardis Secondary and will be attending Trinity Western University in fall.

Well done, Ryder!

Cousin Maggie came to celebrate with him too.

Ranen graduated from G.W. Graham Secondary.

What could be more fitting...

than a grad photo of Ranen with a violin?

After playing violin through all her school years...

she will be attending Biola University in California with a music scholarship.

The violin will be travelling with her.

In July she took competed in the North American Irish Dance Championships in Grapevine, Texas. 

She did well. It was a good finale to her many years of  Irish dance.

We took the two of them out for dinner one night...

and gave them our blessing as they go on from here.

How quickly these school years have flown by!

We watched Maggie compete in several track meets

...including the BC High School meet in Nanaimo.

She brought home two gold medals.

As the school year ended...

 she was honoured to receive many awards including the junior 'Grizzly of the Year' trophy for academic excellence and the Athlete of the Year trophy.

We are always among her cheerleaders!

The younger grands are all busy this summer...

with summer jobs and summer sports.

Early this year, Tim (our son-in-law) was diagnosed with cancer. Since that time he had surgery, has battled infection, and completed his first round of chemo. He is about to start round two. He continues to forge on, refusing to miss work and determined that he will beat this thing. He may have lost his hair, but he has not lost his sense of humour. We are thankful for the support and prayers of many, not only for him but for Heidi and the girls as well..

Early July found us on a cruise of Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

We met up with my family (sisters, brother and spouses plus a family friend) in Barcelona and spent a few days there before the cruise. 

We visited Sagrada Familia, Park Guell,
 and everything else Gaudi. We strolled the famous fresh food market, 

sampled the local cuisine and toured the city on the hop-on/hop-off bus.

Cadiz, Spain. An ancient city built by the Phoenicians some 3500 years ago. It was from here that Christopher Columbus set sail for the Americas. We toured the city…saw Roman ruins, beautiful beaches, toured the cathedral and ate in the town square. 

Sintra, Portugal...with all its UNESCO heritage buildings. The Sintra National Palace served as the royal residence of Portugal for some 400 years.

Cobblestone streets, Portuguese tile, delicious pastries, narrow alleyways, beautiful blooms and white sand beaches. 

We spent two days in Lisbon with a tour  guide who knew the history of this ancient city, and showed us around. Tiles in abundance, parks, canopied avenues, sidewalk cafes, and Portuguese pavement. 

We were in good company with tourists from around the world. Tourism accounts for 20% of Portugal’s economy. 

Belem Tower, Lisbon...still stands proudly on the waterfront after some 500 years. 

Porto, Portugal. 

 

Known for port wine, many bridges, cork, colourful tiles and thousands of motorcycles every Sunday.

We took a river boat cruise on the Douro River, ate, shopped and left with good memories. 

Tangier, Morocco.

We had a most excellent tour guide take us on a walking tour of Tangier…

through back alleys and food markets where tourists aren’t usually seen. 

Then we drove along the coast where the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean meet...

and where the King of Saudi Arabia has a sprawling complex along the beach. 

Being on the Strait of Gibraltar, Tangier has been a strategic gateway between Africa and Europe since Phoenician times. 

The five siblings on the Baerg Cruise 2024...Bill, Judy, Kathy, Dot and Mary Ellen.

There were six of us when we last cruised together five years ago.

We missed Bev!

Closer to home...

we found some other adventures.

In June we took our bikes along to the island when we went to cheer Maggie on at her track meet. 

We spent a day cycling around Victoria...

The next day we rode the Cowichan Trail...part of the Trans Canada Trail system. 

We cycled from Shawnigan Lake to Holt Creek and back, over three historic trestles. 

The Kinsol Trestle is one of the tallest timber rail structures of its kind in the world. It was built by local farmers and loggers and completed in 1920. 

A few weeks ago, we caught a ferry with our bikes one morning and explored Mayne Island, somewhere we had never been. 

We visited the Japanese Gardens, had lunch overlooking Bennett Bay, read books in the park next to the lighthouse. We took the last ferry back to the mainland and were home before dark. 

And all for free.  There are some perks for being a senior! 

We ended the month of July with a few days of camping at Edgewater Campground in Fort Langley.

 Friends joined us there and we celebrated our 53rd anniversary on the banks of the Fraser River.  

It was on the banks of that very river that we were engaged all those years ago.

And that is my semi-annual re-cap of a few of the happenings on My Front Porch!

I am thankful for the blessings of 2024...

and look forward to tomorrow.

Costa Rica ~ Pura Vida

I said it would be quiet on my blog this year, but here I am some six weeks later. We are back from our first stay in Costa Rica and I can't think of a better way to document our time there than with a blog post.  One week at a resort gave us a wee glimpse of the country...though it was mostly about relaxing in the sunshine and spending time with family.  We flew into Liberia and then took a 90 minute shuttle through the countryside to Joba Bay.

What's not to like? It was warm and sunny all week...with an ocean breeze. 

The beach was always quiet. 

Being on the Pacific coast, the water is cooler than on the Caribbean side...but quite refreshing.

The sunsets on the beech were quite lovely!

Our deck was 'garden view' with the ocean in the distance. 

It was also the 'monkey view'!

The monkeys hung out in the trees nearby...

and came to peek into our patio doors on occasion

hoping that we may have left them ajar!

Did I say that they 'hung out'? 

Literally!

The iguanas lazed nearby throughout the resort...

...and occasionally hopped onto the table!

We were in Costa Rica with my brother (Bill and Jeanne) from Iowa and my sister (Kathy and Jim) from Manitoba.  

We played in the waves, read books by the pool, played cards in a quiet corner somewhere and ate all our meals together at one table or another.

The food was great...

particularly a few of the specialty restaurants. 

We passed on the chance to have a sunset dinner on the beach...

...but thoroughly enjoyed the Japanese restaurant.

Not only was the food delicious...

but watching the chef was like being at a show. 

Our Mexican meal ended with a waterfall of flaming coffee.

Since we were so close, we decided to do a day trip to Nicaragua.  

It was a long and full day, but we are glad we did it! 

Getting through customs (coming and going) was a bit of a process!

We visited the Masaya Volcano National Park...

...a large park with two active volcanoes and five craters.

From the lookout we could see the surrounding valley...

and the signs of volcanic activity. 

The Bobadilla Cross was placed at the top of Santiago Crater in the 16th century...

by a monk who believed it was the gateway to hell and hoped to ward off the devil.

Bill & Jeanne, Kathy & Jim with us at Masaya Volcano Crater Lake.

We spent some time in Granada...a city that played an important role in Nicaragua's history.

It is one of the oldest Spanish settlements in the Americas.  

We had lunch in a courtyard restaurant and took a horse and buggy tour.

Granada has many cathedrals in and around the city square. 

The Cathedral of Granada was originally built in 1583.

Later in the afternoon we took a boat tour on Lake Nicaraugua...

a large lake with an archipelago of  some 300 islands. 

Set against the backdrop of a large volcano, there was much to see...

birds, fish, monkeys swinging from trees, and beautiful island estates.

By evening we were back at our resort in Costa Rica...

but thankful for our Nicaraguan adventure.

 

Our week in central America flew by and soon we were on our way home.! 

'Pura Vida' 

It’s the Costa Rican greeting meaning 'pure life'...

used to say hello or goodbye in a happy way.

We are thankful that we went...

and will treasure the memories!

And now...

we wait for the warm spring weather here at home.

Coming soon!