Winding up our visit home to Canada - October 6th 2009

My little alien friend Anne - looking lovely and getting better
Captain Pedro and Michel, wedding date - August 7th 2010

Tony, Tim and Ray on Lazy Bones







Peter and Wendy and Peter's Boat










Did all of those things really happen to us over the last 12 months. We've told and retold our stories so much in the past 10 days to our friends and families, and the more we were complemented on our bravery and adventurous spirit and all of the other complements it definitely seemed that we were talking about someone else's experience - to me. I think that's called something - 'the imposter syndrome'.

How could that have been me - its all gone by - water under the bridge and if it weren't for the thousand or so photographs we've taken and this interminable blog I keep writing I would probably have lost alot of those memories by now. Incredible how that happens.

But this entry is about being here and meeting up with our good friends and our children and more than once being taught about the kindness of people. And the indiosyncracies of people. That's what its all about isn't it - people.

While visiting Mary in Courtenay Johnny asked her if, now that she's settled in her new home, she would take Grey Cat, our family cat, now 18 years old. Grey Cat lived on Moondancer with us for 2 years, but we did not take him offshore with us and I am so grateful to my kids for seeing him in the same way that I did. Having looked lovingly and sometimes angrily at that furry little face for 18 years I have grown to respect his tenacity and wisdom, but mostly he is very much a part of our family. So the kids, Mary, Josie and Johnny have done their best to look after him, and he has travelled back and forth from Vancouver Island to Vancouver and now back again to the island where he will live with Mary and their new little kitten, Mole, until I return and can take him back again, or time will take him.

After Tony and I delivered Grey Cat we drove down to Victoria, where we stayed overnight with our friends Tim and Denise on their sailboat in Victoria Harbour. That's where we met them when we spent our first winter on Moondancer on the causeway in Victoria. We had a lovely dinner together on Lazy Bones, then our other neighbours Peter and Wendy and Ray came over. Peter is a gentleman in his late 70's who has almost completely rebuilt a 38' Union sloop right up to the teak decks. He is also a professional e-by buyer and finds things like $4000 water makers for $300. Of course we aren't envious at all. Peter and Wendy are planning to take their boat offshore. As will Ray, who is waiting for his wife to return after an extended trip to England where she is looking after a family member.

From there we moved along to Sidney where we met Captain Pedro and Michel at our yacht club, the Sidney, North Saanich Yacht Club. A few other friends who are also members joined us and we had a great impromptu dinner party.

Peter and Michel put us up for that night and sent us on our way after a very gourmet breakfast.
Got to go, just to reiterate 'ITS ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE'

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