Tandem – Page 6 – Skelton Sketches

Recalling 2012…

Posted on January 3, 2013April 28, 2017 by lindaskelton

Lindy in stroller - 63 Well the year rolled in with this little chickadee turning fifty…and it ended with all but one of her fledglings having flown, one at year’s beginning:

The other at its end:

Still there is the ‘baby’… P1050105

…who is counting days till she can move away to warmer climes and be done with math and science and all such things…

Meanwhile the emptying nesters are pulling together…

Our tandem was shiny new and untried last January. It has now carried us along safely for 1,100 miles. Lots of them were routine rides in 20 mile increments, but there was one longer stint–our now annual bike trip to tour the Gulf Islands we missed last time around!

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Summer had its usual share of leisure in water and sun, of sailing and cycling and swimming… [P1060368%255B4%255D.jpg] P1060708

P1070275 Manson's Landing

and of tending the garden and smelling the flowers…

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P1080231 P1070050 Rachel's sunflower

Meanwhile prayer hikes ceased with the passing of our fearless and persistent leader, Maureen

The crowning event of the summer came in late August with a text message received while we sat and sunned at the top of Scout Mountain: “He looks like a fish!” Another grandson had been born and we hit the road to welcome him.

P1070975 P1080102 [He bore no resemblance to a fish, as far as I could see!]

The summer extended itself into an especially beautiful fall…allowing us to get out sailing and cycling some more…

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October finished with the passing of Jim’s mom to glory and a trip to the prairies to commemorate with family a life well lived.

50th

And of course we caught up with the growing progeny:

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Then came a month of ordinary days dappled with light and shadow…

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till the Advent season came round again… and with it our 29th anniversary

P1090042 P1090172 and the coming together of the whole family under one roof to share all our fondest traditions of Christmas. Wonderful!

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And then they were gone. The decorations came down. The fridge emptied. And quiet returned.

And at last, today, I got out for a walk….

And that has been our year in a nutshell!

Wishing you all God’s best for you and yours in this new year!

–LS

A Savary Saturday

Posted on October 10, 2012April 28, 2017 by lindaskelton

We seized the sunny Saturday, and stowing our golden oldie tandem on the deck, motored away across calm shining waters to Savary Island for the day…

It’s a happy 4-1/2 mile pedal down (and up!) an old dirt road to reach the farthest tip of the island—Indian Point, where we rendezvoused with friends for lunch and a stroll…

… on this fine (Canadian)Thanksgiving weekend…

We have much to be thankful for!

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Ps.103:1

–LS

Splash!

Posted on August 15, 2012April 28, 2017 by lindaskelton

It was magical (as in surprisingly wonderful and unexpected!)–What better way to end a day of pedaling up and down hill and vale than with a refreshing dip into a warm lake to freshen up, followed by an easy ride down a fine bike path in the cool of the day…into the heart of Victoria, the inner harbor. We rolled into place, our tandem bars making a handy roost in a standing room only crowd, just minutes before the stirring anthem began…O CANADA, of course.

We were about to be treated to our first experience of Victoria Symphony SPLASH!, an annual event put on for the people of Victoria, and hapless cyclists passing through!

The custom-composed “Inner Harbor Overture” opened the concert utilizing horns of boats big and small throughout the inner harbor. Delightful!

Day faded slowly into night as the symphony wound its way through classical and popular works—Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Liszt, a John Williams tribute, and Star Wars music—to the grand finale, the 1812 Overture complete with a real live cannon and concluding with spectacular fireworks!

What could be more magical than that? How about walking back through the throng to an open space, mounting our tandem and pedaling off at high speed into the inky darkness, down a smooth windy trail, (finding ourselves following another tandem stoked by ‘old people’. How likely is that!) back over the little wood harbor bridge…and back to our waiting vehicle (after a little detour, a little getting lost trying to find the right street, a little of the less ‘magical’ nitty-gritty of real life)…

And what sweet summer’s night would be complete without a soft-serve cone at McDonald’s?!

The day was a splashing success and lives on in our memories to buoy up the ones where you wake with a stiff neck, devoid of enthusiasm even for having fun…(like today?) Thanks for joining me for this re-lived memory of last week’s adventures.

–LS