Well here it is probably 4 1/2 months since I last sat down to update this!! And what a lot of water has flowed under the bridge, both literally and figuratively!!!! I’ll go back to March and proceed in an orderly fashion, but first let me tell you that as I‘m writing, we’re camped on the boat at an island in the 1000 Islands, and the weather has been absolutely gorgeous!!!! We’ve been 4 nights getting here, through fascinating views; and as I write this, here’s Anne’s view! –I’m draped so that I can see the screen, not to hide from her! 
OK, I couldn’t resist showing you that, but now I’ll go back to W.A. and pick up roughly where I left off!There were family birthdays, gatherings, Easter, and an early Yule dinner in our honour before we left, a month early this year. Mif and the kids moved in end-Nov last year for three weeks before they went off to Queensland to join Nick over the school holidays, came back,- and they’re still there !! 
Actually, and anyone who reads this, ssshhh, don’t let on to them, 
but it worked out quite well .
This years trip to Canada was TOTALLY different, and it’s all Alison and Graham’s fault! (or credit). Anyway, listening to their cruise plans gave Anne ideas (what’s new, I hear??), and we ended up on two back-to-back repositioning cruises from Sydney to Vancouver, leaving home a month earlier than we 
usually do. We had a great crossing as far as Hawaii, with stops at Vanuatu, Isle of Pines, Fiji, Samoa (x2) and I may have missed one somewhere??, before we reached Honolulu. It was great to make all the little South Pacific stops that we’ll probably never go to as destinations in their own right. And we love the cruise lifestyle;- do as much or as little as we like, meet people from all compass points, ----and we 
won’t even talk about the fffoooood! We caught up with Alison and Graham and other friends at intervals, met for dinner and/or theatre, but did our own thing much of the time, so we weren’t in each others pockets. And I tried a new skill –got through the first two levels of difficulty on the climbing wall!!! –(Applause!!!) The second half of the cruise from Hawaii to Vancouver had stops on Mauii and the Big Island before the long hop across the more northern Pacific. Sadly, we weren’t able to enjoy all it had to offer, as we both 
got severe colds which became bronchitis and didn’t fully clear until after we reached Ontario, but we still got out and enjoyed the evening shows most nights. 
Then what a change sailing into Vancouver and seeing the snow-capped mountains behind the harbour! After a too-brief but excellent city tour that transferred us to the airport hire-car office we headed straight into the U.S. for a 17 day tour which touched on parts of 5 N.Western states.
We thoroughly enjoyed Seattle, even though we were ‘sleepless’ for different reasons than the movie,- still coughing and hacking at night,- so much so that we gave our Travel club hosts the option and they declined to have us stay. That was understandable, but a disappointment, as they live in a floating 
house;- more than a conventional houseboat,- an 
actual complete floating house. There’s a whole community of them along the lake in inner Seattle, and we were quite looking forward to the experience. However, despite all, we toured inner Seattle and its harbour, and enjoyed it, especially the remnant underground city and all the history of gold rushes, smuggling and ‘seamstresses’. It was spring and Mothers Day, and the city was alight with every type and colour of flowers!!
Our next stop was Anne’s cousin Edna, in Aloha Oregon, just south of Portland. She toured us to 
the Pacific coast, to Cannon Beach and Seaside, and briefly into Portland. But more importantly she made us feel at home, fussed over us a bit, sent us to her doctor and generally helped us rally for the trip ahead. Nothing like family when you need support. Thanks Edna!
Now,don’t go ‘way folks;- there’s lots more to tell!! But this is my umpteenth try at this blog and someone has suggested (thanks Ted) that the blogspot may not cope well with too much content per blog. So I’ll take a break here and try to post this first half. Wish me luck!!
Kathie
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