Petcretary Came Back! With Guest Selfies

 Yes she did, but it was like 87 hundred days or something like that. (Actually 6)

She had a great drive of 320 miles to her sister, and she went via the new Gordie Howe Bridge. But..um...she forgot to take any pictures of that bridge! Sheesh! The weather was coolish and the sun was out, to enhance all the pretty scenes she saw as she went along.

After a day of relaxing, she and her sister went to the airport in Toronto. There they met up with their niece and great nephew. (He just had turned one a couple weeks before.) After going through all the hoops and loops to get on a plane these days, they went to a waiting area and enjoyed eachother's company for a few hours. (You have to get there way before a flight leaves...) Eventually they all got on a plane and spent about 5 1/2 hours to get to Vancouver where Petcretary's brother lives.

After dumping all the luggage at their hotel room, they got in a rented car and drove to his house...and had fun with the little great nephew, and enjoyed a pizza supper.

The next day was the 40th wedding anniversary of Bother and Sister in law. (Which is why we all went there...) Petcretary and her sister went to Stanley Park in the morning enjoying walking around the seawall, and the lovely sunny warm weather. After walking around there, we got back in the car ands drove around the whole park a of couple times. So much to see there...and it was BUSY! Likely because it was a holiday weekend and the weather was excellent.

Then it was back to the hotel to get all dressed up...and then on to the fancy restaurant for a celebratory meal. There were 14 of us there...all of brother's girls with their spouses and partners as well as some of sister in law's family including her Mom. Little great nephew was having a great time with all those people giving him love and attention! We ate all kinds of delicious courses, and there were oodles of leftovers...they did get into doggy bags, (Actually big boxes...) but they did not come home with petcretary, LOL! It really was a fun visit!

The next day petcretary and her sister drove back to the airport, and gave back the rental car...and then went through more hoops and loops to get past the security. Such a drag, but these days we all need to be kept safe. It was also Thanksgiving Day in Canada, but they did not serve a turkey dinner, LOL! So...that means we will have to wait until it is time for that feast to be held here at OUR house! (Or maybe one of the unfurbro's homes...)

The plane ride back to Toronto was uneventful, but when we got out of the airport, it was dark and very warm. Way too warm for almost mid October. So back to petcretary's sister's house...from where the next day petcretary chugged all her stuff into her car and drove the 300+ miles back home. At the border is was 87F!! At least there was a good breeze to help keep her cool.

We were so glad to see her back...we jumped and woofed and arrooed!! Over and over again!

The next day after it rained a lot overnight with a few loud thunderstorms, it was much more seasonal weather. And the trees have been painted by the fall paintbrushes. And frost is also expected very soon. That will bring the leaves to their color peak.

So now here are some pictures taken...(No  pictures of the attendees...no permission ~ Petcretary forgot to ask...)

Leaving Toronto...the spots are from the dirty window, LOL!

Approaching Vancouver Airport. That's the shadow of our plane!

A solitary heron...he stood there for ages. almost like a living statue! Stanley Park. walking along the seawall.

A lovely image from Stanley Park on Octobert 11th.

Ambling along, while I took a picture...of my sister!

Interesting driftwood here.

I am standing inside this huge hollow tree!

There is quite a story attached to this image...after the nice lady took a picture of petcretary, she said, now I will take a picture of you and your father...so she put her own phone in her pocket, and took the other lady's...then she backed up to get them in the viewfinder...and backed right into that big rock in the foreground, sat down very hard on it, and continued to reel backwards, falling right off of it in a kind of summersault, landing flat on her back and hitting the back of her head on the gravel ground. OUCH! But she got up again, dusted herself off and felt very silly...and still managed to take the couple's picture. She has a good bruise on her scalp, but is fine, thankfully!

The Lion's Gate Bridge, a beautiful landmark that 'attaches' Stanley park to North Vancouver, on the other side of English Bay, at the channel called the First Narrows. We went over that bridge many times in the two days we were there! The next image was taken from inside the car, while driving across the Lion's Gate Bridge. Blogger is wonky and would not allow me to put a caption on it directly...

Flags just outside of the driveway to our hotel.

The celebratory cake! Very fancy and delicious. Made by a friend of my brother's family.

This is the plane we flew back to Ontario on. They are getting it ready for us to get in and take off.

A beautiful web in my brother's front garden!

A clamshell (?) doing it's best for a selfie!

We met this kitty taking a shoulder ride with her Mom, walking along Stanley Park's seawall.

An Old English Sheepdog that we also met near where we saw the kitty.

He tried his best to sit still for a selfie.

We encountered this huge Chinese Praying Mantis when we arrived back at my sister's house after returning to Toronto. YIKES!

This dapper dude keeps watch over all the comings and goings at the duty free shop at the border. There wasn't anyone around to ask for help in taking a picture with him, or the following big dude.

Mr Moose was guarding the other side of the doors that the gentleman was at.

We hope to be back to 'normal' next week! Um...what is normal?

Thanks Kitties Blue for being our hosts!