Cathy and Rob vanNostrand, Halifax, NSÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Seasons of the van Nostrands 2021
We managed to enjoy ourselves again this year, despite the obvious Covid challenges.
Our annual Christmas “yankee swap get together with the kids and their significant others, plus mom was a well timed event before the recent Covid gathering limitations.
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Left to right, Dan and Sara Hamilton, Mom, Cathy, Andrew, Samara, Alex and Aaron
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Description automatically generatedAlberta trip: Our big trip this year was to Alberta w here we were glad to finally meet our grandson Liam for the first time and spend some quality time with Matt and Nicole in the Calgary area.  Our 2nd week was spent in Canada Dream RV truck rental, as we explored the Alberta Rockies in it. Cathy had not camped before, so it was a bit of an adjustment for her. Our next RV rental will probably be a bigger vehicle, maybe Class-C RV. I really love the independence that R exploration provides, to stop and go without regards to hotel reservations and food considerations.  I quite enj yed the trucking experience once I acclimatized to it. There had been forest fire smoke proble ms throughout Alberta from the BC fires during our first week, but thankfully it had dissipated during our camping week.
Our Canada Dream Truck Camper at Sunshine Village ski-hill
Since Matt is a school teacher, they were able to spend lots of summer time with us, which was great. This was in the mid st of them fully renovating their new home, and moving out of their old house, but we made it work. We also did some day trips in the areas surrounding Calgary: Drumheller Dinosaur town, Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump was a very worthwhile visit, Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden in Lethbridge was a pleasant surprise, Heritage Park Pioneer Village was fun with Liam, Nicole and Matt.
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Matt, Liam, Nicole – at the famous Calgary Zoo, Pen guin pavilion
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Description automatically generatedOur cottage in Noel now has high speed fibre Internet, so RobÂ’s summer work at home office w as largely spent in my happy place there.
My photography web site blog has an outline of some content I am putting together for a possible self published book about the joys of the Cobequid Bay area.  See: PerfectPhoto.CA/Blog
We are now officially “Preppers”, having a 48 hour su ply, backpack with appropriate food, water, medical supplies, with two way GMRS radios – just in case 😊
DNA/CRISPR genetics related things have recently caught my interest, after reading the Code Breakers book, about the Nobel price winners in this field, that contributed to the covid vaccine.
Rob in the town of Vulcan, with my official Treckie Vee hand sign
Cathy’s family:  All are staying healthy including her mo m in the nursing home. Visitations ar complicated and frustrating at times but we make it work. Sara and Dan continue to enj oy their work with Halifax Police department, and seem to enjoy the overtime hours at this stage of their life.
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Florence WILSON and Cathy, during Magnolia nursing home visit