This is it! August 2012

Fourteen months have come and gone and I have been blessed with good health, opportunity and one super fun ride! Just thinking about the last year and here are some random facts:

·          Boarded a plane 17 times

·        63,844 km via air travel

·        851 km by Euro Rail

·        8,525 km via car from destination to destination

·        14 weeks away from home

·         Visited 14 of the 962 World UNESCO Heritage Sites: Lunenburg, Nova Scotia; Holy See, Historic Centre of Rome; Piazza del Duoma, Pisa; Florence Historic Centre; Siena; Cinque Terre; Assisi Basilica; Paris – Banks of the Siene; Notre Dame Cathedral; Versailles; Sydney Opera House, Blue Mountains, Australia; Great Barrier Reef; and Monticello VA  (clearly there is more traveling to do)

·        Four different time zones

·        105 blog posts

·        Thousands of pictures taken, 350 made the blog

·        Countless bottles of wine consumed

·        Varieties of Martinis taste tested and finished

·        Encountered 3 bears , one stingray and no sharks

·        Stayed married after trying to find our way out of Rome

·        So many memorable moments but two stand out more than the others, snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef and coming home from Australia in time to welcome our first grandchild Aiden into the world

It’s been a wonderful year and I was so happy to be able to share it with family and friends but none more than Alex.  Abraham Lincoln said, “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” 

I put a lot of life in the past year! J     

Corkums Island, Nova Scotia July 2012

This is the place where there is no schedule, where we love to sit, chill, enjoy the view, the pace, the wine and rejuvenate.

The cottage being prepared for painting

View from the porch

Shore view

Life is good!

Good times in Lunenburg and area (Nova Scotia)

During our cottage stay we were ready most days to head out at the break of noonish time to explore the area, play golf, hit the NSLC (our version of the LCBO) and/or enjoy some of the local cuisine.

LeHave Bakery - an authentic turn of the century shop

Admiring the view - Lehave River

Hirtle's Beach

Mike goes into the "coldest" water ever but he did it!

View of the town of Lunenburg from the Bluenose Golf Course

Just finished a round, sadly I've decided to take up golf

Regatta in Lunenburg as seen from the golf course

Lunch at Magnolia's where there is no fried food, Mike did not have fish and chips 

Dining Out

Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia

Peggy’s Cove is a small fishing community and one of the busiest tourist attractions in Nova Scotia.  There is also the Swissair Flight 111 Memorial located just 1 km northwest of Peggys Cove.

Halls Harbour, Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia

No trip to Nova Scotia is complete without a visit to the Bay of Fundy (world's highest tides); for more info. see post of July 2011.  Walked along the ocean floor and then enjoyed lunch, Janet and Jim biked from New Minas to join us for lunch.

Halls Harbour, Nova Scotia

 I am taking a picture of/for a travel writer for the Chicago Tribune

Good view of how high the tides are

Worth the drive/bike ride to Halls Harbour

With my bff!

Halifax, Nova Scotia 2012 with Marina, Pawel, Mike & Kathy

And so this is it, my last trip for the year.  We spend a day in Halifax with Marina & Pawel, Mike & Kathy.

Took a Harbour Hopper Tour with niece Janis as the tour guide

Pawel & Marina

Kathy & Mike

On the pier in Halifax checking out the Tall Ships

Tall Ship

Remembering the War of 1812 (we won)

Trying yet another Martini the world over and none have the right amount of alcohol

Meeting up with Alex's sibs and mates

Washington DC Review

Our time in Washington has been very busy and it is certainly worth a trip back but not in July; the weather was stifling hot which Washington is apparently known for.  I feel I have a new appreciation for the country and Americans themselves.  And so, another fun filled adventure in the chronicles of  "Where in the World is Mary?"