The Old and the Restless

On Sunday December 30, Megan and Paul invited us for dinner. Who is taller? Cutting up in the kitchen Family photo Time for a game Mahalia chose to stay downstairs.

This year Margot and Mark had Christmas dinner at their new house. A drink before dinner. Ella and Joshua working on their craft boxes While Mark carved the turkey, Kai watched hopefully Kai is allowed on this part of the couch Mark, Dolores and Bob. Dishes done (by Mark and Bob). Resting.

The church on Toronto Island Into the church Order of service Wedding vows  Margot solo Trio Throw airplanes, not confetti At the picnic Yuko, Yiu-Yin, Dieder Mark, Ella Margot Joshua As the married couple prepare to leave, they need to change their shoes before canoeing back to shore. The rest of us took the ferry.

July 27 2018... The evening before... ...we had an after-the-rehearsal dinner with the bridesmaids and Paul's family Paul's brother Stephen, Shoba, Margot and J.J. The next morning, July 28 2018... Ready to begin the journey... Since the wedding was to be at St. Andrew's church on Toronto island, a novel method of transport was used. Early morning on College St. Guests took the ferry. Here Dieder and Yuko who came from Vancouver are leaving the ferry. Margot, Ella, Mark and Joshua brought their bikes. It was a nice early morning walk to the church. We caught the first ferry to Centre Island at 8:00 AM Members of the band had their instruments as well as food for the pot luck luncheon afterwards. We gathered at the boathouse dock to watch for the canoe. The minister, Mother Jennifer arrived before us by taking an earlier ferry that went to Ward's island. She had a longer walk to the church. While waiting for the canoe, ...

A week after the storm, Sandra and I walked a mile south from Hiles Avenue to look at the damage to the dunes protecting the expensive houses on Van Kleek Drive (New Smyrna's "millionaires row"). Paul is standing in front of the first house south of the Hiles ramp (in the background). The dune has been eroded back about 15 feet closer to the house forming a "sand cliff" about 8 feet high. Sandra is standing in front of the eroded dune sand cliff (?12 feet high?) that protects a huge house. Sandra is standing in front of a damaged beach stairway very close to another Van Kleek house. The dune just south of a sea wall has eroded 20 feet right back to the swimming pool foundation. While the municipal beach walkways were better built and withstood the storm better than private walkways, our "favourite" municipal walkway to the south end of Van Kleek lost its side railings in the storm. The huge house in the background is under co...

At the end of the first week of January 2018, the authorities declared a "double red flag" alert for 3 full days. This level of alert, which prohibits all driving and walking on the beach, because of strong undertows and very high waves, has apparently only been declared during hurricanes before. After spending 3 days strengthening off of New Smyrna Beach, the storm "bomb" continued to strengthen as it moved northwards leaving inches of snow in Savannah and even more snow in Charleston SC. Since neither city has snow removal or salting equipment, their streets and airports were closed for a couple of days. Then, the storm strengthened to about the same level as Hurricane Sandy as it moved north up the coast creating blizzards from Chesapeake Bay to Canada's Maritime provinces. On January 5, Daryl's 70th birthday, the winds dropped enough that Sandra and I decided to go for a "beach inspection" walk north from Castle Reef to the 27th Avenue park...