Friends, Family, and a Visit Home.

Friends, Family, and a visit home - an all encompassing title.
But all revolve around the concept of being "settled", wherever that may be.
Uprooting oneself to a new location is never easy, but often necessary for a variety of reasons. For us despite the difficulties and stress of a late career move, it was to have a later in life living adventure & travel opportunities, experience some new career challenges, and to better prepare for semi retirement.
Friends can be made in many locations, but "old" good friends are always special. Distance from family, and a sense of being settled, however are challenges that can be hard to face in distant locales. Although the concept of "home" can at times be hard to define clearly it involves all of these features to some degree. It is not just the physical house and neighborhood one resides in.
It was now April, time for my visit "home", back to Canada for early Spring.

But before that journey took place we took an early morning stroll along the Corniche in Jeddah to catch the local and expat images of friends, family, and home. The sense of community wherever that might be.

After the last weekend morning stroll by the Red Sea, with its sunny clime, it was time to hop my Lufthansa flight for Toronto, connecting from Jeddah through Frankfurt, to Eastern Canadian early Spring weather!
My time was to be split between Toronto and London, Ontario.
Unfortunately Joy was unable to make this trip instead with a plan to visit her family in the US in June.

Of course part of my annual stopover was to visit LHSC & Cancer Centre, to visit with old colleagues & friends, and on this visit to also lay the seeds for my now planned "re entry" home and semi retirement. Unfortunately most of the trip greeted me with rain - however welcomed not having seen rain in Jeddah for two years! However seeing valued friends was clearly a higher priority than the weather. The "annual reunion" organized by Mary Liz was clearly a valued event.

During the visit to London, a busy schedule ensued including visits to valued old friends, a visit to Ed who has continued to look after "Walden" (on the hard) during our absence, and of course Bayfield - although sad to see the low levels of water in Lake Huron.

A reunion with our boat gang was clearly a valued event - thanks to all.

Poor "Walden" (green hull), although she was assured of being in her home waters the summer of 2014.

Last but not least a trip to Toronto was valued being able to spend some time with my son Mike. One of the hardships of being overseas is clearly the separation with family. Toronto continues to boom while London remains much the same - all in all not necessarily a bad thing, as the visiting distances are short to the big city, but the day to day congestion avoided by the older skipper.

A valued treat to be invited to Mike's "local" for a bite & brew.

All in all a hurried but important visit, realizing that the decison felt "right" to plan on going "home" later this year. It is "time".

Although it was sad to leave, to board my Lufthansa flight back, it was also the mixed emotion at this point of getting back to the usual routine, and starting the process of completing my professional responsibilities and starting the process of "packing" again - images of 2010 again in reverse.

 

On return it was also time to bottle my next batch of tea, having been sitting & waiting for my arrival.

Early morning sunrise from our balcony in Jeddah, the start of the next phase of this life adventure. Of course the start of another sunny day - no rain.

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From the Hard Shores of the Red Sea

It has been taking its time, that is the progress in healing of the human structure. Getting "old", although not "old old", does have its limitations.
But progress is happening, despite the impatience of this "old" skipper.
Walking on the level is now comfortable, stairs a different matter. An education in patience and on being a patient myself - not something I'm used to being. And of course time for further reflection on that sand dial of life itself.
Although not permitted yet to walk on a sandy beach, or to go swimming, heaven forbid with fins, it is necessary to take on the salty air from the solid shores of the Red Sea. Although life does throw us these "curve balls" from time to time, it can be viewed as an opportunity to do, and look at things, in different although meaningful ways.
A trip to the Jeddah Aquarium was planned to see the sea from the view of most land based people.

But first the essential early morning coffee on our balcony before the heat of the day arrives - small pleasures being savored.

The aquarium is located in a part of the Corniche that continues to be "renovated", but does allow easy strolling by the sea. Fortunately only a ten minute drive from our apartment courtesy of the hospital transport cars available for our use.

Inside they have done a fairly good job capturing the denizems of the deep. We skipped the Dolphin pool & show having swam and had physical contact with dolphins myself before.

Interesting - more sharks here than what one actually sees while finning the depths - public perceptions continue to be biased. In all my dive trips on the Arabian side of the Red Sea I have never seen a shark, although they do exist, others having had more luck while diving. However on the shores of the Red Sea on the side of Egypt, I have been fortunate to have dived in the company of several sharks (reef, nurse, hammerhead). The marine park system on that side (eg. Sharm) does not allow for fishing, allowing more large marine life to flourish. However the aquarium does allow images of life that is more commonly seen but viewed at a more leisurely pace.

As the aquarium is on the shore, views from its outer structure are worthwhile, being able to see the horizon as well as land based denizens.

A walk along the shore from here illustrates some of the recreational value of this area to the locals - not just sand dunes, but nearly always sunshine.

Yes a weekend outing is good, walking a simple pleasure, an appreciaation of what is taken for granted. Also the simple, but important act of dinner with friends after a "long day" (for my knee anyway). The choice a Lebanese restaurant a five minute walk from our apartment - and of course the many courses ordered by one of our Lebanese Canadian (from Montreal) friends.

Maybe philosophic, but the importance of simple pleasures.
A reminder in some ways of a quote from Epicurus: "Not what we have, but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance".
Also not a bad climate to enjoy winter when ambulatory stability is taken into account - no ice to navigate!

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