Hughes-Thomson Blog

2012 Happy New Year

2012-01-21T08:07:00.004-06:00

It's been forever since I posted, and seems like forever since I got my camera out. I'll try to get back at it, seems like life is always getting in the way of leisure! I did update my links so at least they are now accurate, please check them out! This photo was taken last year in Nosara Costa Rica where my niece and nephew live. I am thinking of Nosara this morning because I have a flight booked in February and it can't come soon enough!

Frenchman Street New Orleans

2010-11-06T09:39:00.000-05:00

Gibson Guitar Factory

2010-11-06T09:35:00.000-05:00

Holiday 2010 Photos

2010-11-06T09:29:00.003-05:00

There was this weird vine covering the trees in Tennessee. I asked someone about it and they told me it was from Japan???

2010

2010-11-06T09:22:00.002-05:00

Wow I haven't posted since January! Time flies as we get older! This year John and I did a three week road trip starting here in Toronto, stopping in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, Arkansas and ending up in New Orleans Louisiana. We have a little pop up tent trailer, pulling it with our 1996 GMC van, had a great time!

Huatulco

2010-01-16T12:11:00.007-06:00

Wow it's been way too long since I posted on our blog, sorry, but here I am! I have just returned from a week away in Huatulco Mexico with my best friend Linda. We have known each other since we were 9 years old and stayed connected through all sorts of life changes. Linda moved away to New York City for about 18 years and still we visited, wrote letters, and called each other regularly. Email and the internet only made it easier! Linda now lives in Canada again, and this year we decided to go on a trip together. It was our first time in Mexico, our first time at an all inclusive and our first time away without our spouses and kids! We've decided we'll be doing it annually. There's nothing like travelling with your best friend! I'll post a few more shots as well, but this will get me started!!

Jackson, the newest addition!

2009-09-17T23:17:00.004-05:00

John's niece Amy who lives in the basement has a new puppy. He's a Boston Terrier and what a doll!

Liam

2009-07-01T08:14:00.002-05:00

I haven't been taking a lot of photos lately. My 70-300 lens isn't working properly and I have a ton of other excuses like shift work and so on. Anyhow John's grandsons were here for the weekend and here are a couple of shots of Liam that I like. John caught Liam asleep on the kitchen floor with his hand inside my shoe!

CN Tower

2009-04-17T15:57:00.002-05:00

This shot was taken while in traffic on the Gardner one grey morning. I like the angle but it's always difficult to get a decent shot through the windshield!

Papa and Oma get visitors!

2009-03-31T00:38:00.003-05:00

Today we spent the day being Papa and Oma, John's son in law Mike brought Liam and Owen down for a visit. We took the train up to Sheppard to see Papa driving his subway, we all had a great day!

Spring is Here!

2009-03-28T16:28:00.002-05:00

Home Depot only gets a fixed amount of these picnic tables each year and they go like hot cakes. We managed to get 16 of them in the van! See craiglist for our ad!

Games Night

2009-03-16T12:07:00.002-05:00

If you know my brother Sion you'll know he is a really fun guy. He and his partner Kelly started a family tradition about a month ago, he calls it "Games Night". We gather at someone's house and play a game. This night was at Trina's, and Sion and Kelly brought a game called Quelf. It is really a hoot, try it sometime!

Costa Rica Memories

2009-03-16T12:01:00.002-05:00

Here are Matt, Vene, Zoe and Joellen at the Black Sheep Pub

John's grandson Liam

2009-03-16T02:06:00.003-05:00

We drove up to Barrie tonight to take John's daughter Yohanna out for her birthday, here's a shot of her youngest son showing off his belly. The second shot was taken by the waitress!

John and Zoe Working on Straw Techniques

2009-02-28T08:26:00.006-06:00

These shots were taken at the Gilded Iguana poolside bar in Nosara, Costa Rica. John claims he taught Zoe to drink with a straw!

Sunset at Playa Guiones

2009-02-27T20:45:00.002-06:00

We spent the last ten days with my niece Joellen and her family in Nosara Costa Rica. What a little piece of heaven they are in. Joellen and Matt run the Gilded Iguana, a nice little oasis in the heat. This beach is about a 4 minute walk behind their home through the trees. More photos to follow.

John and the boys

2009-01-26T08:33:00.002-06:00

We made the trek to Barrie yesterday to visit with John's daughter Yohanna and her family. Little Liam has chicken pox but he was a real trooper and we all had a great afternoon.

Hazelton Lanes

2008-12-19T16:34:00.002-06:00

Here's a shot of a laneway in the Yorkville Area, pretty eh?

The Chariots Await

2008-12-16T09:56:00.002-06:00

I was out for a walk this morning and came across this congo line outside the daycare. Strollers have come a long way since I used one for Matt!

Toronto sneaks by

2008-12-01T08:45:00.000-06:00

Toronto was braced for a big storm yesterday and somehow the temperature stayed high enough that all we got was a little wet snow and a lot of rain. No shovelling for me this morning!

Joanna's 50th Slide Show

2008-11-16T19:44:00.001-06:00

I did this for Joanna's 50th birthday. Hope you enjoy it.

Dreaming

2008-11-11T00:25:00.002-06:00

This photo was taken while John and I were on vacation this fall. We stayed at a B & B near Killarney Park, what a pretty spot, and wonderful hosts.

2009 Schedule

2008-11-05T16:58:00.001-06:00

Life at the TTC can be tough, they pay me well but the shifts are killers. Here's where you'll find me for the next year!!

Joanna Turns 50

2008-11-03T09:49:00.005-06:00

Turning 50 isn't so bad when you have good friends and family to celebrate with! Here are a couple of shots from the Blues Brothers Theme Party that John arranged for me at the Legion. John was Jake Blues and I was the Penguin! Lots of great music provided by Chloe Watkinson and Frankie Foo and the YoYo Smugglers. If you missed it, stay tuned, John turns 60 in about 8 years!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-10-11T21:47:00.003-05:00

We're not traditional at our house. Instead of turkey on Sunday we had salmon and steak on the barbeque tonight for Thanksgiving supper! Here's a shot of us with Papa and Deedle (John's parents) Trudy (my mum) Amy (John's niece) and Josh (John's nephew) at our Thanksgiving gathering.

Bike Ride Along the Don River

2008-10-11T21:41:00.005-05:00

Well all good things must end, and sure enough three weeks vacation is over. John has more seniority so he has another week, lucky duck. Here are a couple of photos from our recent bike ride along the Don River.

Vacation

2008-09-29T03:56:00.006-05:00

John and I are on vacation and just returned from a week of playing tourists! We started with a weekend at the Orillia Beatles Festival, moved along to a beautiful little B & B on Rock Lake near Killarney Park, then on to Sudbury where we spent two days and visited Science North and Dynamic Earth. Next stop was Sault Ste Marie where we boarded the Algoma Railway Train and headed off to the Agawa Canyon Park, which is only accessible by train. We spent a second day in the Soo exploring, including the Bush Plane Museum and the Art Gallery. Our last stop was to visit friends on Trout Lake near North Bay, always a favourite, thanks Rob and Marsha!! This week we're staying close to home, mostly puttering!

Dad

2008-09-02T17:48:00.011-05:00

Thanks to everyone who sent messages, your support means so much to me. My Dad passed away suddenly in the night on Friday, he was 82 years old and lived a full life. He leaves 9 children 14 grandchildren and one great grandchild. Dad will be cremated tomorrow at noon in a private setting with family. We are working on plans for a memorial gathering in the future. Donations and Comments can be made on this Cancer Society Memorial Page, Dad was a two time survivor.

Joanna at Work

2008-07-15T18:57:00.003-05:00

Here are a couple of shots of me at work!

Feeling Hot Hot Hot

2008-07-08T10:26:00.005-05:00

Do you think perhaps we should place our thermometer somewhere else? Is it really this hot in the direct sun? Summer's here folks!

The Finale

2008-07-07T20:36:00.002-05:00

Isn't it beautiful? All we need now are curtains! Thanks Marsha and Rob! And thanks so much John you're truly my hero, and you really do spoil me! I love you!

The Process!

2008-07-07T17:20:00.011-05:00

The Old Bed

2008-07-07T17:13:00.008-05:00

For the past two years we have been sleeping on a king size mattress on the floor of our bedroom, it's a little house, the roof is sloped and the stairs are an obstacle course for furniture, no way we were going to get a king box up there. I miss so much being in a real bed. When our friends Marsha and Rob offered us a queen size bed, complete with bedding, I was thrilled! Little did I realize that the queen box was still too big for the stairs. Seeing my disappointment my hero John went online and found a DIY site which explained the process of sawing the box in half and re-building it! And guess what? OK, never mind, I'll let the pictures tell rest of the story!!

Georgian Bay Sunset

2008-07-07T17:10:00.003-05:00

A familiar scene at the cottage!

Hibiscus

2008-07-03T10:41:00.002-05:00

I have always loved the hibiscus plant, it reminds me of the first time I was in Jamaica, where I saw a hibiscus hedge! My last plant kept getting bugs and finally succumbed to the little white things. This is a new plant and it's looking pretty happy in our front window!

Visitor

2008-06-29T13:44:00.002-05:00

This afternoon I was out pulling weeds and I heard some noise coming from under the garage. I knocked a little on the wall and sure enough this darling little raccoon came out for a visit. I know, they're a pain and all but what a little fluffball! S/he wasn't afraid at all!

Papa turns 80!

2008-06-28T14:49:00.003-05:00

This afternoon we all met at the Beach Cafe on Queen Street to celebrate Papa's 80th birthday. Great food and good company!

Trout Lake Weekend

2008-06-15T04:55:00.005-05:00

I know, my bad, I haven't been posting at all lately. I even forgot to take my camera out missed some awesome shots of Emily performing....when will I learn? When will I buy a small camera bag? Here are a couple of shots of our visit to Rob and Marsha's house. Dave Wilms was there too with Spike, it sure was fun hanging out with old friends!

Spring is springing

2008-04-16T17:19:00.003-05:00

Here are a couple of shots taken with my new Tamron 70-300 lens. Proof that spring is actually springing up in our back garden!

Mum and I out Shopping

2008-04-13T12:20:00.003-05:00

Mum and I were out on the town the other afternoon and ran into some of my co-workers. Pierre keeps his camera at his side at all times (like a good photographer should!) and snapped a quick shot of us outside Spadina Stn.

Hippie Power

2008-04-13T12:01:00.003-05:00

A Facebook Friend made a hippie comment this morning, thus the impromptu photo shoot. John and I will always be hippies at heart. Peace and Love!

Joanna's Nephew Keelan

2008-03-26T08:59:00.003-05:00

This photo was taken on Easter Sunday at my brother Jan's house. Jan and Lisa's youngest, Keelan, is a real ham, loves the camera!!

Emily Hughes, aerialist extraordinaire

2008-03-15T10:34:00.001-05:00

This is Emily Hughes Joanna's niece. The video says it all. Enjoy!!

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T18:09:00.000-06:00

John surprised me today with a beautiful ring and three white roses, we are calling it a promise ring, and we promise we'll let you know when the promise will be fulfilled!! Isn't it gorgeous and aren't I the luckiest woman on earth? Thanks John, I love you too!

February in Toronto

2008-02-08T15:37:00.001-06:00

View from St Mike's Hospital

2008-02-05T06:01:00.000-06:00

I've spent a bit of time at St Mike's this week and found the view from the 16th floor interesting. Unfortunately I didn't have my Canon with me, (will I ever learn to carry it always?) but used my cell phone!

The Neighbourhood

2008-01-29T06:10:00.001-06:00

I decided it's time I started carrying my camera again when out on my daily walks. Here are a few local shots taken in my neighbourhood. I love being back in Toronto!

Grandkids!

2008-01-27T11:29:00.000-06:00

John's son in law Mike came over yesterday and brought the boys Owen and Liam. It was their first visit to Oma and Papa's house. Greatgrandparents Deedle and GrandPapa came over too and Auntie "Bicky" popped in as well. All in all a great afternoon, thanks Mike for stopping by! Don't forget you have avid babysitters here any time you like!

Ellipsis

2008-01-06T13:23:00.002-06:00

This is my son Adam's band Ellipsis. He plays the bass and the band is doing very well. They just recently played in Toronto and are playing in Barrie on Jan. 20th and in Midland on Jan. 26th. They play hardcore music. It's very fast and very loud and they are very good at it. The lead singer is Ryan Beach, guitarists TJ Smith and Ryan Harkness and Graham Bumstead on the drums. They are doing very well so remember their name as I think they will be well know very soon.

Wishing you all the Best for 2008

2008-01-01T21:32:00.000-06:00

I hope that all you wish for comes true and that we can spend more time together this year. My New Year's Resolution is to make sure I find the time to see my friends and family. Shift work is a pain and it makes it difficult to socialize, but I hope you all know that John and I enjoy your company and miss seeing you, especially when our schedules conflict.I've posted my work schedule here on our blog so you'll understand a little better. Most days I am leaving for work before John gets home, he is leaving when I am sleeping. I am sleeping when he is working...well, you get the picture. But as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder, so as we are missing each other, we're missing you too! Hope to see you all soon!

New Years Day

2008-01-01T08:48:00.000-06:00

Woke up this morning to more snow here in the big city! This is heavy stuff, lots of fun to shovel! Should be a busy night at work!

Joanna's New Lens

2007-12-23T08:17:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Christmas early this year, cause John and I are both working on the 25th. John's Mum and Dad spoiled me rotten, giving me a 70-300 lens, here are my first few shots with it!

Toronto Gets Hit by Storm

2007-12-17T21:55:00.000-06:00

Yes we all know we live in Ontario and winter means snow but we still feel like we've been seriously walloped this weekend. Here are couple of photos taken by our house while we dug out.

The Wizard

2007-11-16T21:45:00.001-06:00

This is my favourite song and the first song I learned on the acoustic guitar. This is not done by Uriah Heep who wrote it, but it is well done none the less. The film is from Lord Of The Rings, my favourite movie. For my 50th Birthday I had a dream come true...I got to perform it live on stage with my daughter Victoria singing it and my son Adam playing the bass. Doesn't get better than that. The song is both a story and a lesson. So please, listen and enjoy.

John's newest grandson Liam

2007-11-12T11:49:00.000-06:00

One cool thing about getting older is everyone around you is having babies and we get to spoil them, visit them, and hand them back!! Here is Yohanna with baby Liam, Yohanna and Mike's little guy, who is growing fast! He's 11 weeks old in this photo taken on the weekend in Barrie.

Ladies Man

2007-11-09T19:40:00.000-06:00

John seems to attract women wherever he goes! Above is John and Heather, who thinks he's a "hot dad", below is Shelagh, John's dear friend from work. Luckily Joanna's not the jealous type!

Joanna's nephew Toby

2007-11-09T19:20:00.001-06:00

Meet Toby! As you may know, Joanna has a huge family, (six younger brothers and two older sisters) and it continues to grow. It's sad to say, but because his Mum and Dad (Joanna's brother Ivan and his lovely wife Angela) live in Squamish BC we haven't met little Toby as yet. We are hoping that a visit west is in the works for 2008!

Linda's Birthday

2007-11-08T01:07:00.000-06:00

My best friend Linda is 8 days older than me, when we were kids she used to love to rub it in, but 40 years later she isn't so vocal about it! In true tradition she and her family got on stage at the Pic a Deli to celebrate. My nephew Dimitri got up to jam too!

The Pic a Deli

2007-11-08T00:55:00.000-06:00

Ever popular, here's Johnny with our favourite servers at the Pic a Deli, Laura and Marianna.

Joanna is now Great Auntie JoJo

2007-11-08T00:50:00.000-06:00

Here are a couple of pics of my niece Joellen and her Husband Matt's new little one Zoe. They live in Costa Rica so I haven't had the chance to hold her yet but thank goodness for the internet where we can stay in touch through photos!

Road Trip 2007

2007-10-03T21:52:00.000-05:00

John and I have just returned from a fantastic two week road trip. We started out with a weekend at Linda's cottage on Georgian Bay, then headed east through Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine to visit our friends Angus and Betty in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. While there we visited Louisbourg Fortress, Sydney and the Cabot Trail. We started back towards home after four days via New Brunswick and Quebec, stopped off in Ottawa to see Matt for a couple of days and from there we headed along the Trans Canada to Trout Lake near North Bay to see stay with our good friends Rob, Marsha and Pam. The pictures tell about half the story.

Yohanna's new boy!

2007-08-29T20:07:00.000-05:00

Little Owen has a new brother, born August 26th, both mum and the little guy are doing well, more to follow!!

Visiting Yohanna in Barrie

2007-08-25T16:39:00.001-05:00

We stopped by to visit John's daughter Yohanna, her husband Mike and little Owen earlier this week. As you can tell Yohanna is due anytime with her second baby. In fact she is in labour right now, and we're all thinking of her and looking forward to seeing everyone again on Monday! Here are a couple of photos taken in the driveway of their home in Barrie.

Where did Georgian Bay go?

2007-08-25T16:34:00.000-05:00

Seems like every time we go to the cottage the shore gets bigger and the water gets shallower, here are a couple of recent shots.

I'll be sleeping but maybe you'll see it!

2007-08-25T16:32:00.001-05:00

Two moons on 27 August the whole world is waiting for it! Planet Mars will be the brightest in the night sky starting August. It will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. This will occur on Aug. 27 when Mars comes within 34.65M miles of earth. Be sure to watch the sky on Aug. 27 12:30 am . It will look like the earth has 2 moons.The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287. Share this with your friends as NO ONE ALIVE TODAY will ever see it again.

LOVE YOU MORE

2007-08-04T15:04:00.001-05:00

This is our friends Paul and Linda. This was done a while back. If you get a chance to go see them at either The Moonshine Cafe or the Pic-A-Deli it's well worth the drive to Oakville.

Jessica the Hippo

2007-08-02T23:04:00.001-05:00

She's amazing!!

Elvis Festival in Collingwood!!

2007-07-29T21:18:00.000-05:00

John and I stopped by to check out the Elvis Festival in Collingwood this weekend, what a fun time! How many can you spot?

The "Mattchelor"

2007-07-17T10:30:00.000-05:00

Last weekend Matt, John and I drove to Ottawa to look at apartments. After a year at University of Ottawa Stanton Residence Matt figured his marks and his sanity would improve if he found a place of his own for second year. We saw about 6 apartments and found this terrific two room bachelor in Sandy Hill, a great neighbourhood near the University. The deal was signed yesterday and we are all thrilled.

Hockey at Maple Leaf Gardens

2007-07-04T10:06:00.001-05:00

My Brother Jan and friends play the Gardens!

Siamese Human Knot Batgirl

2007-06-24T23:05:00.001-05:00

LOL this will take you back!!

Fleetwood Mac - Landslide

2007-06-24T13:51:00.001-05:00

Joanna bought me 2 tickets to see Stevie Nicks at Casino Rama for my birthday. This is for both of us. She was, is, and will always be great. Enjoy!

Neil Young - keep on rockin' in the free world

2007-06-24T13:30:00.001-05:00

This one is for me!

Neil Young A Man Needs A Maid

2007-06-24T13:21:00.003-05:00

For Joanna

Neil Young - Heart of Gold

2007-06-24T13:21:00.001-05:00

Does it get better than this.

Neil Young - Old Man - Live at Massey Hall

2007-06-24T13:18:00.001-05:00

This is one of our favourite songs. This was done when the song was new. If you haven't bought the CD, Neil Young Live At Massey Hall, then do youself a favour and get it. It'll take you back.

GCDC Plays at the Oakville Waterfront Festival

2007-06-24T01:16:00.000-05:00

Our favourite band GCDC played at the Oakville Waterfront Festival on Sunday June 24th 2007. As usual they did a great job. They added Dave Toms on drums for this show and he was fantastic. Maybe they'll keep him on as a regular band member. John Marlatt has left the band as his place, The Moonshine Cafe, has taken off and his time now is taken up. GCDC plays there all the time so I'm sure he'll still jump in from time to time.

It was really great to hang with the guys for a bit again today. Since moving to Toronto we don't see as much of them as we'd like but we go to as many of their shows as possible.

Collingwood Scenic Caves

2007-06-23T08:39:00.000-05:00

We've been on vacation for two glorious weeks, spent the first week working around the house and the second relaxing. Yesterday we took John's son Adam and his girlfriend Sarah to the Collingwood Scenic Caves near Blue Mountain at the highest part of the Niagara Escarpment. There is a 126 metre suspension footbridge, the longest in Ontario, 300 metres above Georgian Bay with a beautiful view of the area. It was quite a climb up but well worth it!

Paul sings Nessun Dorma high quality video/sound

2007-06-17T08:48:00.001-05:00

Another great act!

Introducing Lissa

2007-06-16T10:57:00.000-05:00

Our friends Paul Linda and Luke have adopted a little girl from Estonia, she arrived on Thursday. Last night John and I went out to Oakville to meet her. As the pictures will show you, she is a real sweetie. We're looking forward to getting to know her better as our Estonian and her English improves!

Connie sings Somewhere over the Rainbow

2007-06-16T10:49:00.001-05:00

This little girl is amazing!

Russ Hilder Retires!

2007-06-12T09:27:00.000-05:00

Our friend and co worker has Russ Hilder has retired after over 30 ears at the TTC! John and I started off our vacation at 3 Monkeys on Warden, great place for a party! It was great seeing our old friends and being able to say farewell to Russ. See you on Facebook Russ!

Owen's Birthday Party

2007-06-12T09:08:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe little Owen is already two years old! We took these photos at his birthday party on Saturday afternoon. It was a beautiful day, and our first day of vacation, thanks for having us Yohanna and Mike!

Lobsterfest

2007-06-03T09:40:00.000-05:00

Last night John and I attended Lobsterfest at the Eighth Street Legion. Um yes you're right, John is allergic to shellfish and I am vegetarian! But it was a good cause! The benefit dinner and dance was for Lakeshore Community Childcare Centre, the daycare that Matt went to for about 5 years when we lived on Eleventh St. I am still friends with many of the mums I met from the daycare, we're called the Swell Gals and we meet up at one of our houses once in a while to chat and have a laugh. Here are a couple of photos of the night.

The weekend

2007-06-03T09:29:00.001-05:00

This weekend Matt asked me if he could invite a couple of buddies over. See he's 19 now and living in the big city, so naturally they want to go clubbing. Michael and Matt met when they were in grade school back in Etobicoke, Dan was a high school friend from our days in Burlington and Jeremy and Matt met at the University of Ottawa. Our little house only has two and a half bedrooms, so the boys pulled in mattresses from the garage and luckily Vic was away for the weekend and graciously gave up her bed. Mum came over, we had Thai supper, then Pam turned up and we had a great evening chatting out on the patio enjoying the warm weather. We were even visited by a baby racoon! Later we dropped the boys off downtown.

Bryn and Jillian's Wedding

2007-05-27T07:13:00.001-05:00

My nephew Bryn and his lovely wife Jillian were married in London Ontario at the University of Western where they met. It is rare that we get so many of our family together in one place, as we are scattered around the world! Oma was there of course, as well as 8 of 9 Hughes siblings and their partners, as well as 11 of 14 nieces and nephews. Dearly missed were Ivan, Angela, Thea, little Toby and Lindsay. Hope you enjoy the photos.

Spring at the Cottage

2007-05-14T17:44:00.000-05:00

Did I tell you we're so lucky? Our dear friends Linda and Paul let us come up to the cottage pretty much whenever we please. We try to pull our weight, rake a little, paint a bit but mostly it is a great place to relax and get some real downtime. I read an entire novel over this past weekend. John and I were up alone this time and ended up at Ted's Range Road Diner (no Luke not Road Rage Diner!) for supper on Saturday. Ted serves bison, aligator, emu, quail, venison and all kinds of local fish. It's an out of the way spot and from the outside (as the photo attests) you'd never guess what's inside!

Here's Johnny!

2007-05-03T23:52:00.000-05:00

As promised, here's John with his new spring haircut. Doesn't he look good?

Matt got a new do

2007-05-03T12:20:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Matt and John went to see Bedran for their summer cuts! Stay tuned for John looking 10 years younger!

Hello OPerator Live

2007-05-03T11:49:00.001-05:00

Here's an up and coming Toronto band, Justin Bunn taught John last year, we wish them big success and a great time on their tour.

operacion barocco

2007-05-02T14:51:00.001-05:00

Another crazy Hughes brother, Sion!

Frankie Foo at the Black Swan

2007-05-02T14:49:00.001-05:00

More of my brother Toby, (he's on the sax)

Mossman Skank

2007-05-02T14:48:00.001-05:00

My crazy brother Toby!

Bringing Matt home!

2007-04-29T16:56:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we drove to Ottawa to pick up Matt from University. Time flies, I can't believe how fast the school year has flown by. I guess it is a sign of my age! Seems like just yesterday we were sharing the two elevators of Stanford Hall with all the other first year students, their parents and all their worldly possessions! You'll see a shot of Matt saying goodbye to his friends Justin, James, and Alero, and a there's a hilarious picture of one of the residence rooms on his floor which was duct taped closed the night before, with people sleeping (read hung over) in it! We packed up the van quickly and then spent a few hours in Ottawa, walked around the Parliament buildings, acting like tourists, as the pictures will show you. Had a pub lunch and hurried home to get Matt's room ready before we return to work tomorrow. I sure am glad to have him back home in Toronto!

Adam at work

2007-04-24T12:39:00.000-05:00

On our way to the cottage we stopped by the Subway shop to harrass Adam at work, doesn't he look thrilled? The subs were great Adam!

Cottage Weekend

2007-04-24T12:15:00.000-05:00

We've just returned from helping our friend Linda open her cottage on Georgian Bay, only one plumbing leak this year! John's daughter Yohanna, her husband Mike and son Owen came to visit and we had beautiful weather. The pictures tell the story best! The highlight of the weekend was getting their news that Yohanna is expecting a baby, due in September. Congratulations Yohanna and Mike! Linda and Luke were there with us, John's son Adam and his best friend TJ came for the afternoon Sunday. Linda's husband Paul is away in New York, and was missed by all.

John's first home

2007-04-20T09:16:00.000-05:00

Here is the first house that John lived in. It's a lovely neighbourhood, in the Kingston Rd Victoria Park area, not far from our house now.

This Little Piggy

2007-04-20T09:10:00.000-05:00

Came with the house! He's looking a little shabby but I just don't have to heart to send him off to piggy heaven, so he still stands guard over our little patio!

Gail's River Cafe

2007-04-18T18:11:00.000-05:00

Soon after we moved back to Toronto we discovered the best kept secret on the Danforth, Gail's Thai Food. Gail as been in the country for about two years now, working 7 days a week more than 12 hours a day. We eat at Gail's (or take out) at least once a week and have recommended her to everyone we know. If you want authentic, delicious Thai food at a great price go and see Gail. Oh, and she makes great burgers, eggs, pancakes etc for those with a more traditional palate! 2789 Danforth Ave at Dawes 416-913-2241

Our New Powder Room

2007-04-15T17:41:00.000-05:00

Here is the cupboard that turned into a bathroom! John is working furiously at getting this ready for when Matt returns home from University for the summer. With 4 adults and 1 bathroom we thought it was a smart idea!