Vancouver...Regina...Vancouver . . . Been Gone Awhile

In a few hours, I'll be hopping on a plane and heading home for Centerville, Utah. The past twelve days have been a whirlwind of flying to Vancouver, B.C. to spend some time with my family here, flying from here to Regina, Saskatchewan to be with my Ursaki relatives (many of whom I hadn't seen in over twenty years) and then back to Vancouver to spend a couple more days with my mom and dad. It's been an amazing journey . . . a trip I'll remember always. I'm very blessed to be related to a lot of wonderful people.
Taken from plane while descending into the Lower Mainland area of British Columbia coming from Saskatchewan. The green is almost startling when you've just come from the prairies, although for me, there is a stark beauty about the the prairies that I love. I guess I've always been a prairie girl at heart!

Looking across Wascana Lake in Regina, Saskatchewan towards the provincial capitol building. My dad was born in a farmhouse in Markinch, Sask. and when he was just a few months old his family moved to Regina where Dad was raised.

Flying out of Regina . . . the patchwork prairie.

Okay . . . back to the beginning. I flew into Vancouver on April 25th and my sister Elaine and her husband Len picked me up at the airport and took me to their place in Mission (mom was sick and didn't want us to come to their place until she knew what she had . . . didn't want to share whatever it was!). The next day, we went on a walk at Hayward Lake with my nephew and niece and spouses and three big dogs . . . Jake, Joe and Clementine!

With my sister, Elaine.

Zac (Sarah's husband), Sarah (my brother's daughter), Brian (my sister's son), Michelle (Brian's wife). I love these "kids".

Mom and I planted dahlia bulbs one morning. This is a pose that I remember from my earliest childhood . . . mom digging in the garden with a spade shovel or a trowel. She's always been at her happiest when she's out in the dirt! You wouldn't know she's almost eighty-one!

My Canadian family are, of course, rabid hockey fans! Here, they're celebrating after the Vancouver Canucks took it to L.A. and won the series. The Chicago series isn't going quite so well. The Black Hawks are a bunch of bullies and they keep roughing up the Canuck's goalie, Luongo . . . at least, that's what I'm hearing in Vancouver! Any rebuttals, Chicago fans?

My cousin, Richard and his wife Sue . . . some of the best people I know. My first evening in Regina, a few of us cousins went out to dinner at the Lakeshore Restaurant. Richard and Sue are showing off their Chateaubriand for two. Mmmmm. Richard and Sue picked up the tab . . . thanks so much! The best seafood kabab I've ever had.
I first starting thinking about making this trip, when my cousin, Lynne, let me know that her son Kris was getting married. Thanks for the invite, Lynne! Kris is a member of the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police). The wedding took place in the RCMP chapel in Regina. I wish I'd taken more pictures of the gorgeous stained glass windows in this building. Here, Kris and Melissa are walking down the aisle after the ceremony.

Clockwise from bottom left: Sue (cousin Richard's wife), me, Kathy (cousin) and Eileen (cousin). Eileen has lived in Seattle for many years and got her U.S. citizenship, like me. We're the only expatriates in the family!

The wedding reception was beautiful and included a dance with these guys performing. They were absolutely great. Kris jumped in for a couple of numbers . . . very talented guitarist!

In the front row of this photo are my dad's four surviving siblings . . . Uncle Frank, Auntie Helen, Auntie Alma and Auntie Bertha. They, along with my dad, are all in their 80's (Uncle Frank just turned 89) and just as sharp as tacks! Hopefully, I've inherited some of those Ursaki longevity genes. Back row from left: Richard, Caroline (Lynne's daughter), Sid (Lois' husband), Lynne (beautiful mother of the groom), Lois, me, Eileen, Alan.

My dear cousin, Lois. I stayed with Lois and her husband Sid while in Regina and loved every minute. Thanks you guys. Lois and I are the same age (within a month) and although we didn't get to spend a lot of time together (she was raised in Saskatchewan and I in Alberta and B.C.) whenever we DID get together we had a lot of fun and got into a lot of trouble! I'm pretty sure it was mostly Lois' fault! (Just kidding, Lois. Sort of) I love her to pieces anyway!

Cousins from four different siblings: Uncle Franks's daughter Kathy, me (my dad is Harold), Auntie Helen's daughter Lois and Auntie Alma's daughter Eileen. I can't tell you how good it was to be with these cousins who I hadn't seen for years.

My cousin Alan (Auntie Helen's son) and his wife Gayla. They invited Lois, Sid and I out to their beautiful place in Deer Valley (Saskatchewan, not Utah) for dinner. Their back yard flows into a golf course in a gorgeous valley. Gayla and Alan, the dinner was yummy and the company was great. Thanks for rolling out the red carpet.

I had to include this for all my quilting friends and my daughter-in-law, Rachel. Gayla saves fabrics and old clothing (material left over from her wedding dress, prom dresses, maternity clothes, etc.) and she and her sisters make pieced quilts from this vintage fabric. They sew it into blocks and then finish it with colorful stitching. Absolutely beautiful. Very awesome to the craft-challenged like me!

No trip to Saskatchewan is complete without a day trip to Moose Jaw, where my sister was born. Moose Jaw was sometimes called "Little Chicago" during prohibition, because Al Capone ran a lucrative bootlegging production and distribution enterprise from here. We enjoyed browsing in the Yvette Moore art gallery. Yvette Moore's paintings are of Saskatchewan prairie life and they're absolutely beautiful. Another prairie artist that I became acquainted with was Henry Riplinger . . . loved his stuff also. Google both of them. I think you'll enjoy their stuff.

This photo of me and Uncle Frank was taken at another dinner at the Lakeshore restaurant with Lynne, her husband Brian and the bride and groom, Kris and Melissa. Thanks for dinner you guys . . . it was delicious! Uncle Frank always made me feel like I was someone special. He reminds me a lot of my dad. Frank is dad's only surviving brother. Uncle Vic died a couple of years ago at the age of 89 and Eddy died in a car accident when he was just fifteen.

Back to Vancouver from Regina and at the home of my good friend, Janice. Janice's yard is beautiful and I couldn't resist getting a shot of her rhododendrons.

Janice and her mom and sister started attending our little branch of the LDS church in Port Coquitlam, shortly after we moved in when I was twelve. I was so happy to have a friend my age at church. We attended BYU together and then married guys from two different countries so haven't been able to see much of eachother. When we get together, however, we could talk for hours, just like we haven't been apart at all! I love this girl.

Mom and Dad and I drove out to Mission to take some of the nieces and nephews to dinner. The Vancouver Canuck-Chicago Black Hawk game was on in the restaurant so this is the view I had across the table! From left: Zac (niece Sarah's husband), Dad, and nephew, Dave.

Peeled them away from the game long enough to get this photo. Clockwise from left back: Me, Matthew, Zac, Rachel, Sarah, Jessica and Dave. All but Dave belong to my brother, Mike. Dave is my sister Elaine's oldest. What a great bunch of kids. I don't get to see them nearly enough.

These photos were taken in front of the newly dedicated Vancouver, B.C. Latter-Day Saint temple. Having a temple built in this area is a dream come true for the latter-day saints in British Columbia. We were able to go and do a temple session last night . . . a great way to wrap up my trip home.

The temple grounds were so beautiful.

I needed Brent's Binford 2000 camera to get a better shot of the new temple!

Mom and Dad in front of the temple before we went in. They were honored, this past weekend, along with several others as pioneers of the Vancouver Stake, at a huge youth celebration in honor of the dedication of the temple. Some of their grandchildren participated in the program, which was apparently very well done. The temple dedication was this past Sunday. My son, Scott, happened to have a business trip planned, in Vancouver, for that week-end so was able to attend all of it. Can't wait to talk to him about it.

I guess I'd better get packing my bags. Once again . . . so good to see all of you, so hard to say good-bye and getting harder every passing year. Thanks for everything, EVERYONE! I'm leaving Canada with a heart full of love for all of you.