Hurrah for Teacher's Pets!

 Today is the last day of school.

Hurrah!

 Celebrations and Awards!

And here we have Drift, The Teacher's Pet.

I was reminded that  we also acknowledge Dog Celebrations.

Looks like Drift took many awards at his agility class this last week,

as he proudly takes his spot on stage.

Soon he will be visiting...so I've preparing my home. 

I've been on a hunt to bring a new spark to his life.

He arrived on my doorstep this week.

I found him stuffed in a corner, whining, with pillows toppled on top of him at Grand Pappy's.

The owner thought he needed a new home.

 We looked at each other, smiled and made a swift deal.

I was the proud owner of a new dog and we promptly named him, Spark.

He sits quietly in the family room and

waits for me to come home.

Guards my front door step.

Never digs in the flower beds, but rather appreciates their  beauty.

Most recently, I've allowed him to sleep on my bed.

As you can see, he's added a real Spark to our family.

It's just the beginning of another journey, but I think I'm going to like it.

I'm sure the Teachers' Pet will be astonished.

The Travelling Bag!

I'm barely home from one cruise and off to the next...

Do you still remember that hand bag from my Disney tour?

Well, here it is again...only things have changed.

My passports are in hand and I'm just about to board 

my last flight home from Amsterdam....with a bag full of tulips.

(not baby wipes)

My last four days were spent in the beautiful city of Amsterdam,

but what made this time so special...is that I met Ellen, the owner of this quaint little gift shop.

She answered all our questions about shopping in Amsterdam.

She suggested that we visit and shop at a nearby village of Amstelveen,

a suburban municipality in the Netherlands.

She did not even know us more than 15 minutes, and she offered to drive us there.

She just looked at me and sized me up to be about 40 and said, 

"This is the place you need to go..and you will enjoy yourselves, and

don't forget the fresh cheese market," she explained.

Oh, did I forget to tell you, that this was the ladies shopping excursion,

while the men decided to opt out and check out the farm tours.

She new exactly what we needed, but we braved the metro system and found out that we 

could actually read maps and make sense of them if you turned them in the right direction as you walked.

Thank you Ellen for your wonderful hospitality. 

Her little boutique left you with the real charm of Amsterdam.

You were a jewel for us.

 Wow, that Bag seems to carry all the things that women like, not what little boys need.

That BAG has held out and wants to share with you, the good and bad about it's travelling days.

By now, some of you are wondering and others have figured it out.

In the past three weeks, we travelled with some wonderful  friends to Scandinavia.

They made sure that all the bags were there, counted and packed frequently.

Thanks Frank & Elma for taking such good care of us during our travels,

and making sure that we arrived at the airport and returned in a fashionable manner.

There's nothing like being chauffeured around in a big farm truck and

nothing feels better than being safely HOME AGAIN.

PS...Thanks Judy for your technical advice today.

Only Once!

Screech!

Halt!

Oh My!

What will HE say?

I drove my SUV into the garage with the back door lifted up!

Quickly, I threw it into reverse...

By then HE was at the door....

"Leave it alone...go for a walk....I'll deal with it."

I went for a walk.

Came home...

Noticed some changes.

What would he be doing on top of my SUV?

He installed a marker...
so that when the window hits the marker...
Marg knows the vehicle is in perfect position.
I've done it for how many years?

Only Once!

We're Home Again!

Towards the last day,
they were eagerly waiting to return back home.

Our tour guide, Steff, had done one amazing job.
You can see, she is checking over the list once more,
making sure that our luxurious limousine would deliver us HOME!

Oh to see the sights of Vancouver and know that we had arrived.

Is there a normal, again for me?
What would I do without all those wonderful moments
with using my hand bag as a catch all for all..
I can still remember those words,
"Oma, I'm hungry..."

And the older one said,
"I need to find your blog called
Marg's Home Again...so I can read about our good times."

Characters of all Styles!

As you can see, we all became different characters...
from Minnie, to Goofy, To Mickey.
We all celebrated life!
It was such a fantastic time to visit with all!

This is one of my favorites...
When this little one wasn't sleeping,
he sure was having fun...
From young to old!
Enjoy!

Fantasize Forever!

You've seen most of us in many different poses.
That's what makes us so unique...
It was such a wonderful time as I reflect over the past weeks.

Each evening we all gathered together to watch the
live Disney performance in the Disney Theater.

And leave us with this message.

And here he bids us his final farewell in rainy Victoria.

To watch those young innocent eyes reach out...
and touch...
and feel the snow trickling down.
To hold and cherish these moments for ever!

I'd do it all over again!

What Is He Doing?

I found my quiet spot...
The Cove!
Just a place for adults, no youngsters allowed.
Just a quiet place to sip on a nice quiet coffee...
so I thought!

UNTIL!!!

My beautiful ocean view was totally interrupted by this guy.
Strangely enough, he had harnesses, tie-backs, chains,
belts...swim caps..and you name it.
He carefully tied his belongings to a chair.
I'm watching with interest, as I wonder
"What is this guy up to?"

On goes his hat...
Off goes his jacket..
I'm thinking..
"Maybe I should sneak down and untie this yellow bag."

He jumps in the water making a huge splash as if to say,

"Hello World.. Get in Shape.. Stay Healthy!
I'm over 70 and I'm still having fun!"

Oddly enough you've got the picture.
He tied himself with a harness onto the a ledge of the pool deck.
And now he was beginning a work out that lasted 45 minutes.
I was tired just watching him.
But I noticed the folks in the Cove, all, just like me, perked up
and watched him set up all his contraptions,
while swimming and splashing like crazy,
as he enjoyed his own resistant method of swimming.

Most of the people raced for dry chairs!

Then it came to me...
He looks like one of our family members.
We had fun...more than you can imagine...
And we laughed many times as we identified our family quirks.

Way to go Klaus!

What Time is IT?

Any of you taking a trip in the near future with grands?
Make sure they have a DSI
(modern day version of a game boy)
Guaranteed that they will not be asking you the same questions.

"What Time Is IT?"

It entertained them in the airport lobby.
Timothy who was part of the family,
became like a big brother.
Those three were inseparable.

On the San Fransisco cable car.
Do you think they were interested in going up and down hills?
Not the least...except when the driver halted suddenly on a
steep incline and decided to go into reverse...
They all remember that shrieking moment.

In the park...
Don't they almost look bored?
Yes, we finally put some restrictions on there fun.

They could play two hours a day during our formal supper.
It actually gave us time to visit and enjoy each others company,
except when in the middle of everything...
they all needed to take their bathroom breaks.
You'd think by now they would of schemed this outing a bit better.
No, only when nature calls.

All the boys will have memories of a Mickey Mouse Ice-Cream bar
which complemented their evening meal.
I'm wondering where I can buy those?

The Golden Bridge

We spent a day in the Port of San Fransisco.
What a remarkable day as we took a tour of this magnificent bridge.
This was the longest span in the world till 1937.
Today it is the 9th longest suspension span.

We had a tour in the morning....via bus,
but to sail under the bridge, toward evening
was another view I never anticipated.

• Total length: Including approaches, 1.7 miles (8,981 feet or 2,737 m)
• Middle span: 4,200 feet (1,966 m).
• Width: 90 feet (27 m)

The real "Golden Gate" is the strait that the bridge spans. It was first named "Chrysopylae," meaning "golden gate," by Captain John C. Fremont in 1846.

It towers 746 feet above the water.
500 feet above the roadway.

It was an unbelievable journey to cruise under this span with clear skies.

Yes boys, some day you will ask us about this bridge,
and we'll be able to tell you that we took you there....
Now they were anxious to go back on the cruise boat.

Disney Welcomes Young at Heart!

The final moment for boarding arrived.
Eager faces and voices that have been waiting.
"How much longer?"
"What time is it?"

Young and old were more than delighted to see the water park.

Our captain aboard, rang out his too familiar tune....
which we all recognized quickly.

They made sure we felt more than welcomed as we
knew this would be home for the rest of the week.

Off to the sunset we sailed...
knowing there would be good times ahead.