Loving Retirement!: Measured in Friends - it was a Fantastic Trip!

A journey is best measured in friends

rather than miles.

-Tim Cahill

It is nice to be home although things are a little crazy as is normal after a long trip.

Our water leak is resolved. About 40 years ago, Ray's dad re-plumbed our house. He evidently did not glue one side of one connector. Yesterday when Ray turned the water on, it leaked for the very first time! It's now been glued and no harm was done.

I did spend some stolen moments in the sewing room today - in between things I had to do. It was wonderful!

I wanted to include this one last post about our Jasper, Alberta, trip. Quite often, the news is full of bad things that people do. We know that there are lots of good people too. We think we've met some on our travels This post is mainly for us so we remember.

We met some delightful people - some new friends!

First, our wonderful hosts -

Cory and Robin in Rochester, MN.
Kathy in Fargo, ND.
Jason, an oil field worker, and his family including a new baby and a cute little girl, in Minot, ND.
Corinne in Regina, SK. Although we did not meet in person, she was so helpful in our planning.
Wendy and Don who prepared a wonderful breakfast for us in Lloydminster, SK.
Mary and Neil - Neil grew up in Jasper and I think his grandfather settled in the original Jasper from Scotland; Mary spiffed up our home each day. They were interesting to talk with.
Shy in Canmore, AB. We did not meet Shy in person but she was in contact and made sure we were happy and left no stone unturned.
Jennifer and Jeff, who just last year in Columbia Falls, MT, at age 69, received the highest, level 3 rating for a ski instructor.
Jane in Bozeman, MT, was another host we didn't get to meet in person. Jane was really on top of things and always text me before I had the chance to ask a question.
Tammy in Sheridan, WY, who showed us a beautiful old, renovated house and who insisted we walk in the park and have ice cream.
Doug and Denise in Nemo, SD, who cleared a space to get our car out of the impending weather and gave us homemade cookies.
Danielle in Kadoka, SD. Although we didn't meet in person, Danielle went above and beyond to accommodate us early. We were hoping to arrive a couple of hours early and do lots of laundry, Danielle made it happen.
Clay and Kathy in Spirit Lake, IA, who were so welcoming, gave us breakfast foods, and invited us to stay longer when I had the allergy problems. They continued to check on me daily until I was totally out of the woods.
Matthew and Joy in Spooner, WI. Matt just retired and we finally got to meet them half way through our 8 days there. They insisted on cooking for us one evening; we had a fantastic spaghetti dinner, a fun boat ride, and a very enjoyable evening.

And some other new friends we met along the way -

The fellow that did sculptures with bicycle parts and his cute little dog Lucy in Rochester, MN.
The lady that owned the Norwegian village and gave us a tour in Minot, ND.
The three teenage waitresses at Fresh and Sweet in Regina, SK. They were so interested in us because we were Americans.
The three ladies at Regina Floral Conservatory; they wanted to be sure we enjoyed our time in Regina.
The three Northern Ireland Medical Students we met at Medicine Lake, AB.
Dillon and Anna from the Edmonton, AB area. We hiked with them on the Old Fort Trail when there was a bear in the area. Dillon thought it was so neat to talk with Americans at length.
Jan and Ashley, the mother and daughter from Chicago.
The workers at Patricia Street Deli in Jasper who chatted and laughed with us like we were regular customers and visited every day. We felt like we were at Cheers where everyone knows your name.
Our Filipino friends from California, New York, and New Jersey, with whom we shared the viewing of an avalanche.
The fellow from Yorkshire, England, that walked with us in Canmore one day. He was visiting his daughter who lived in Canmore.
The workers at Sugar Pine Quilt Company that found the fabric I wanted (it was packed for a show) and told us where to eat lunch.
The two guys at the bike shop in Canmore that became our impromptu tour guides.
The front desk people in Canmore at Solara that answered all of my strange questions.
Abby, her brother and parents whom we met on our Lake Minnewanka boat trip near Banff.
The couple we met from London, England when we were at the red chairs near Norquay ski area in Banff.
The waitress/bartender and the chef/BBQ master at Home Ranch Bottoms Polebridge, MT.
The two people working for the University of Montana in Glacier National Park. They were doing some study on trail usage. She was from Russia and a student; he was from the area and had just graduated.
The two flaggers we met near East Glacier.
The young lady forester traveling alone in Glacier National Park.
The girl from Alberta with the blond pigtails and her mom who was eating strawberries. They greeted us like long lost relatives.
The fabric store co-owner in Sheridan who kept offering me discounts. She gave me 25% off fabric when I emptied a bolt and a great discount on rulers.
Aaron and Erin at The Carriage House Theater in Sheridan, WY. He has a cabin in Spooner, WI; she spends time in Chetek, WI.
The little boy and girl and mother from Wisconsin that I met in Spearfish. I was talking with the girl and the little boy wanted to talk with me too. They were on a camping trip with a pop-up tent and were so excited to tell me of their camping experiences.
The lady working in Custer State Park that was eating her lunch outside and told us where to find the buffalo.
The lady at the Quilt Shop in Chamberlain, SD, who shared so much about the statue Dignity, including the different colors at night. She also showed me some original ideas she was working on for a quilt.
The professional, caring, health care workers at Lakes Regional Healthcare ER and Lewis Family Drug store.