My nephew, Kevin, married his high school sweetheart, Meagan in Bath, Ontario on October 5th. The date was the wedding anniversary of my much loved in-laws, Bessie and Jim.
I had accumulated some airline points so told Meg and Geoff they could join us in Kingston. That was the first hiccup. Turns out Air Canada ups the 'cost' of flying using points over Thanksgiving. Geoff could travel from the States since it's not their Thanksgiving but not the rest of us. So I booked him on United Airlines and scrambled to find cheap flights for the rest of us. Meg ended up flying WestJet while we stuck with Air Canada. At Thanksgiving, there are no such thing as cheap seats.
Due to work constraints, we couldn't fly out a day ahead to participate in the wedding golf tournament organized by the Best Man and our nephew, Christian. A big disappointment for Glen and myself, not so much for Geoff and Meg. So, I booked our hotel rooms in both Toronto and Kingston, and rented a car so we'd make the Friday evening nuptials.
All seemed to be going smoothly until the Monday before the wedding. Our Ion (2003) and the one that had the accident this summer (See Beginning our Summer Holidays), was leaking fluid. The assessment of the problem was not good--we needed a new the heater. The replacement part was not expensive but to install it would cost twice what the car was worth. We decided it was time to buy another car.
We did so the next day and are now proud owners of a 2007 Saab 9-5 Aero Wagon. It has all the creature comforts including heated seats, a sun roof, 5 disc CD player with an MP3 port (7 speakers including 2 sub-woofers) as well as a glove box in which you can chill drinks. The problem was we bought it quickly and didn't even take it for a test drive. It was a private deal under the umbrella of a dealership so we felt we were safe. But when we walked away, I realized we'd paid for a car we didn't even drive home. Talk about stress!
The dealership promised to replace the cracked windshield the following day and we could get it then. Trouble was the truck carrying the glass had an accident and the windshield--yes, cracked. They let us take the car off the lot anyway.
Meanwhile, Glen got a call from his Hilton Honors program to say there was a problem with our reservations in Toronto. His Visa card had been denied. Could they have his card number and the security code on the back? Without thinking, he provided the information only to realize after he hung up that he'd just received an email telling him Hilton Honors never calls to confirm a credit card. He quickly cancelled his Visa card and cut it up. For years, he's carried an Amex card for just such an emergency so he did have a back-up (always have two credit cards when travelling as you never know).
Meg got off work earlier on Thursday than expected so we headed to the airport and had supper at Montana's before boarding. Our planes were due to leave within 20 minutes of each other. In the end, we watched her plane take off as ours sat waiting. Geoff also had issues with his flight so was late leaving Denver. In the end, Meg, who was to land last, landed first so made her way to the Hilton while Geoff waited for us to get our luggage.
The next morning we picked up our car at Avis. In the past, we've had minor problems with Avis but the good experiences outweigh the bad. This time everything worked like clockwork and we were on the road to Kingston within 15 minutes. What a lovely drive it was along Lake Ontario with the leaves in full fall colours. I'd forgotten how much I love the red of sumac bushes.
Geoff is a fan of Tim Hortons but when we stopped for lunch at a highway rest stop, he actually had an A&W hamburger with Glen while Meg and I had a soup and sandwich from Tim Hortons. He did buy a box of Timbits, 'for the road', so we enjoyed their tasty sweetness as we made our way to Kingston.
We had booked at the Travelodge La Salle so while Glen and Geoff did an errand, Meg and I began our wedding preparations. I had much ironing to do. As we left all rigged up in our finery (Glen and Geoff in their kilts), it began to rain. Bath was a half hour drive away and as we pulled into the Loyalist Golf & Country Club, the skies cleared a little. It was an outdoor wedding so this was a good thing.
A piper played as we sat before an island in a small lake. Beyond was a fairways so we watched a couple of men golf. Then the groomsmen appeared and walked across a small bridge to the island's gazebo. All of them wore kilts. The bridesmaids came next, each wearing a lovely shawl to warm their bare shoulders and bearing bright orange bouquets. The bride was beautiful in a stunning dress with a neatly pleated bodice and flowing skirt. Her veil wafted gently in the wind. Vows were exchanged and then Bronwen read an excerpt from Dr. Seuss' Oh The Places You'll Go. During the exchange of their wedding bands, Kevin looked down to admire his which caused us all to laugh. It was a happy event.
After the photos were done, the bride and groom had their first dance then food, wine, speeches and a fantastic DJ rounded out the celebration. The dancing began with fathers and daughters together, followed by mothers and sons. It was a great idea. Glen was happy to let Geoff drive us back to the hotel. Beer and dark country roads do not mix.
The next day, we enjoyed a lovely breakfast in the hotel's dining room (Meg asked why all the hotels in Ontario had stewed pruneson their breakfast menus) then had second breakfast (and elevenses) at Norma (Glen's sister) and Randy's place. Randy ran his standard gauge trains (some had belonged to Glen's father) along the tracks around his backyard while everyone socialized. We left in the early afternoon to make it back to Toronto. We stayed again at the Hilton and after drinks, had a quiet supper in their dining room.
We were up early the next day (Sunday) to say good-bye to Meg and Geoff as they caught their flights home. Once they were on the shuttle bus, Glen and I went back to bed. After a leisurely breakfast, we headed north on Highway 400 (not before getting lost in Mississauga) to spend Thanksgiving with Glen's cousin, Lynn, and Fred at their cottage on Little Joe River in Muskoka country. Alan, Lynn's brother, was there along with his son, Scott, and his new bride, Katherine. After a tour of the cottage and it environs, we all piled into the boat for a ride around the lakes. Seeing the changing leaves from the water was a special treat.
What can I say about our Thanksgiving meal? It was a blast. Seventeen sat down at two tables sharing stories, food, and wine. Laughs resonated through Lynn's kitchen as everyone pitched in to cook, serve, and eat. We all had much to be thankful for. Both Lynn and Fred were gracious hosts.
Next, we drove to the modern Red Leaves Resort. It was also quiet but offered wonderful views of the lake and the fall leaves. The decor was what I think of as modern/cottage. Brass lamps made to look like tree branches complete with acorns and birch-bark-like tables with granite tops. Lynn gave us the story of the hotel and the controversy swirling around it.
Finally, we visited a local cell phone tower. What made it unique was the top was disguised to look like a fir tree! Think of a fake Christmas tree and you have the right idea. Glen said someone should string lights around it at Christmas to give it a festive look.
Supper was a wonderful spread of leftovers and we treasured the time we spent chatting with Lynn and Fred. We were sad to leave the peace and tranquility of the Muskokas the next day. Glen said all the stress of the previous weeks had melted away. He wished he could stay longer and forget all the worries of home and work.
Our return to Calgary was uneventful except we almost didn't get on our plane because it was overbooked. However, Glen's Prestige status saved the day and we even got seats together. Bonus with being the last on the plane, your luggage comes off first so we were driving home in record time.
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