I will be home for the next nineteen days, and then we’ll head to Canada for the Fourth of July. The Canadians probably won’t be putting on much of a fireworks show. Their national celebration is actually on the First, Canada Day. it celebrates the anniversary of July 1, 1867, the effective date of the Constitution Act, 1867 (then called the British North America Act, 1867), which united the three separate colonies of the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick into a single Dominion within the British Empire called Canada. The real celebration, however, took place last night after the Toronto Raptors smuggled the NBA title over the border. It’s a Wrap-tor! (See Post # 971)

Butchart Gardens and an Outstanding In The Field dinner await us in Vancouver. The dogs will also probably get their first ride on a Ferry across the English Bay. They are very well-traveled pups, just back from a walk on a Pacific Ocean beach yesterday at Netarts Bay. It will be a six or seven hour drive to get to our destination, and another check-mark on my wife’s bucket list. Here are some of her travel and personal goals that include me:

  • Bora Bora/Tahiti
  • Cruise around the world for 8 months on a fabulous ocean liner 
  • Live on the Amalfi Coast, Italy for a year
  • Live in Hawaii for a year in retirement 
  • Thailand trip 
  • Dalmatian Island/Croatia trip
  • Greek Island trip
  • Venice 
  • Monet’s Garden
  • Bali trip
  • Fiji Island trip 
  • Travel to ALL the countries in Europe
  • Spain trip/Rock of Gibraltar & Puente Nuevo bridge 
  • London, England trip with London theater tickets and Stonehenge
  • Ireland trip kissing the Blarney Stone
  • Trip to Vancouver, Canada (coming soon)
  • French Laundry dinner 
  • Trip to Belize 
  • Trip to Costa Rica 
  • Jungle Safari in Africa 
  • Philippine Island trip
  • Singapore trip 
  • Egypt trip to see the Sphinx and the Pyramids (booked)
  • Hong Kong/China trip to see the Great Wall, the Emperor’s Palace, and the Terracotta Warriors (2021)
  • Japan trip to see the Palace & sites 
  • New Zealand trip 
  • Australia trip 
  • Hike Cinque Terra to all 5 villages
  • Argentina/Chile/Rio trip 
  • Easter Island trip
  • Be a General Manager for a top rated TV station in the US
  • Seychelles’ Island trip
  • Trip to Iceland 
  • Trip to South Africa/Cape Hope
  • Trip to Venezuela 
  • Live in a beautiful Home in a warm lush place with ocean views on a lovely beach with low humidity in retirement.
  • Billy Joel Concert 
  • See Pink in concert
  • See Bruno Mars in concert
  • See Lady Gaga in concert
  • Trip to the Florida Keys 
  • Las Vegas trip every 5 years 
  • New Orleans trip every 5 years
  • See Mt. Rushmore
  • See the Grand Canyon
  • Rock N Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland
  • See the Chicago Cubs play baseball every year
  • See NYC and Broadway musicals every year.
  • Return trips to Bora Bora & Phuket
  • Kentucky Derby 
  • Super Bowl with all the VIP parties
  • Cruise to Alaska
  • All remaining 50 US states (MT, ND, SD, NB, Delaware, Vermont, Maine, N. H. & Alaska) 
  • Autumn in New England
  • Eat at Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami
  • Take up photography as a hobby
  • Have a nice vegetable/flower garden
  • Helicopter Ride for fun/sightseeing
  • Hot Air Balloon Ride
  • iFly experience

We’ve managed to cross-off about 10 of these over the past three years. However, destinations continue to be added. As I look at some of the June dates on the 1000 Places to See Before I Die Calendar, I realize that I better live for a long time and have lots of money. They show pictures of Kangaroo Island, Australia; Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen; Cook Islands; Patagonia, Argentina; Zaandam, Netherlands; Hallstatt, Austria; Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia; Slieve League Peninsula, Ireland; South Island, New Zealand; Penang, Malysia; Petra, Jordan; Chobe National Park, Africa; and The Ring Road, Ireland. None of these places are on our radar, but certainly on somebody’s bucket list. It’s a matter of one step at a time, and our first step will be just across the border into Canada. Eh!