Christmas 2012

This year we spent Christmas in Canada with our great Canadian friends. We flew from San Antonio to Portland, ME and picked up a 4WD rental.  Just as well as it started to snow and the usual 4 hr drive from Portland to Fredericton, NB took 61/2 hrs.  You have to agree though that the scenery is just fantastic.

All of our friends in Canada have live Christmas trees something we do not see so much in Australia.

We had a very social time with our dear friends.  We enjoyed a great evening with Debbie and George who invited our Beaver Dam friends over for a spectacular dinner of jambalaya, followed by one of Debbie's fantastic desserts.  It was just like we had never left and this was so with all of the friends we have in Fredericton.
Next evening we were invited to dinner at Blair and Barb's home and another great meal with lots to talk and lots to laugh about.
On Christmas Eve we went to church with our friends and afterwards to Cathy and Doug's place for the annual Christmas Eve get together.  We joined Blair, Barb, Cathy and Doug for the group photo.

Andrew, Cathy and Doug's son, Michael, Blair and Barb's son and their good mates added to the joy of the evening.

It was also an opportunity to catch up once again with Diane,  Doug's sister and Angie, Cathy and Doug's daughter.

Angie, Laura and Andrew pose for the family shot.

We also caught up for brunch with Suzanne,James, Evan and Ryan.  Suzanne and James were our next door neighbours when we lived at Beaver Dam and now own the home we used to live in.  You will note the snow through the window.

Christmas day started off with opening Christmas presents at the home of Blair, Barb and Michael.

Then back to Jacqueline and John's.  Here the day started off with a huge brunch.   Jacqueline and Ross in the kitchen preparing the food which we really enjoyed.

That evening we had a fun time sampling the great turkey, Jacqueline had prepared, and the Australian lamb roast, Ross had cooked.  John and I were very appreciative of the chefs who had prepared this great feast.

Meagan and Bryn also enjoyed their day.

We also took the opportunity to get our lobster fix.  The lobster was CA$7 a lb and we really enjoyed this.

It was great to be back in the snow once again and to spend time with our dear friends.  If all goes to plan we will be spending next year with them again.

More to follow.

Bev and Ross

Las Vegas Part 2

 Las Vegas is a great city to walk around and at the time we were there the weather was cool enough to make it very pleasant. The Forum Shops (attached to Caesars Palace obviously) now even have their own Trevi Fountain

And we found this on display in one of the shopping centres.

On of the amazing things about Las Vegas is that you can have this beautiful foyer complete with marble statue (again Caesars),

Directly across the road from Toby Keith's bar,

And just down the street from the Harley Cafe.

Live entertainment is still very big here. (We managed to see the show "Jersey Boys" at the Paris while we were there).

With even Australia getting a mention.

Still a great place to visit but for us 5 days is enough.
Remember what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas - even if it is just your money.

Cheers
Bev and Ross

Las Vegas Part 1

In late November we had the chance to spend a few days in Las Vegas with Joy and Adam who were visiting from Australia. It had been 15 years since our last visit to the city and although almost everything had changed, in another way almost nothing (except the architecture) had changed. It is still totally over the top, totally outrageous and totally fun. From the glass sculptured ceiling in the foyer of Caesars Palace,

 

To the amazing Christmas decorations,

To the life sized moving animals in the jungle bar of the MGM Grand.

Las Vegas is still home to some of the best restaurants in the US and Gallagher's is no exception.

The architecture and streetscapes are exceptional and the general feeling in the city appears to be that another boom time is on the way.

The lake in front of the Bellagio with Caesars Palace in the background

And the Canals both interior and exterior at the Venice

More to follow soon.

Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving is about sharing good food with nice people.  Kaci, Keith and the triplets over the road from us presented us with this cheese ball decked out as a turkey.  A great conversation piece which also tasted delicious.

Turkey is central to this feast and here Steve has taken charge of the Turkey fryer.  Ross is supervising.

 

Here is the result.

Dennis was a most gracious host and is ably assisted by Erica one of the 8 female soldiers who celebrated the day with the extended Reilly family.  For many years Dennis and the family have warmly welcomed soldiers into their home on this day.

As you can they were afforded a lot of encouragement.

 Then it was time to eat.  The fare was amazing and everyone at the lunch had contributed in some way.

Second course wasn't too bad either.

This was the first Thanksgiving that Joy and Adam had ever been to so they took the opportunity to chat to these 2 young soldiers from Wisconsin.

At the end of a great day it was time for the happy snap.  The smiles on the faces of all says it all - a great day, great food and wonderful people.

Our thoughts go with these young soldiers and we pray they will remain safe as they do the bidding of their country.

Thinking of you all,

Bev and Ross

Austin revisited

Earlier  this year we visited Austin, the capitol of Texas however we had to leave early as it decided to rain very heavily resulting in Hurricane Issac. Austin is a very nice city so when Joy and Adam came to visit it was a great excuse to revisit this city once again.  We took the opportunity to spend some time in The Bullock Texas History Museum which is most impressive. It covers several floor and is loaded with heaps of information regarding the history of this great State.  

The impressive State Capitol building is just down the road from the Museum.

The architecture throughout the city is interesting which lends itself to an interesting skyline.

Just as we had done on our last trip to Austin we took the Duck Tour.  To see more about the Duck Tour have a look at  www.austinducks.com
The day was just perfect and with the remaining trees still displaying their fall colours it made for a pleasant day on the pond.

Last entry on Austin we showed Willy Nelson in the day light this is how he looks lit up at night.

Austin is now know as the music center of Texas and as one walks around of an evening the strains of music are ever present.  Sometimes it is better just to keep walking (depending on your taste in music).

Best wishes
Bev and Ross

Regina, SK. Canada.

 Last month we had the opportunity to visit central Canada, an area we had not previously been. It was a work trip for Bev and involved a meeting of Aspen Medical personnel from the various global branches (Australia, Great Britain, Canada and the USA). We left Texas at a balmy 80f and arrived in Regina late at night to a somewhat cooler 30f. During our first night there it started to snow and did not stop for 3 days.

Luckily after our last 3 years living in New Brunswick we were familiar with the conditions and had appropriate clothing. Even shopping at Sobeys in winter coats was familiar and fun.

The Aspen Canada office is a converted warehouse that was more recently used as a bar/nightclub. It has been modified into a very modern office space but keeping all the old exposed timber beams.

Following the business meetings in Regina, a number of delegates then flew to Kelowna in British Columbia for a meeting with First Nation leaders. This is the view from the plane as we crossed the Rockies.

It was great to be back in Canada even if only for a visit and we are heading back there (Fredericton NB) for Christmas.

Cheers Ross and Bev

Ginger - The Kitten

As many will know we are more dog people than cat people however, recently we found 5 kittens in our back yard.  Over a couple of days the mother cat collected 4 of her offspring but left behind the ginger boy.  Clearly we could not let the little chap fend for himself so we looked after him until we could arrange his adoption.  As you can see he is a lovely little kitten and we really enjoyed having him in our lives for 3 weeks.  He particularly enjoyed exploring.

Fortunately the local Vet was happy to take him and we are hopeful that he is now bringing great pleasure to some lucky family.

You never know what will cross your path.

Best wishes,
Beverley and Ross