December 4 & 5 – Escape from Al(gid)catraz
Sunshine and a Purple Cactus – December 4 & 5, 2013 – Escape from Al(gid)catraz
Note from Jan: This month of columns will be more like a travelogue – geared for folks like us who think that sun, food, friends, and hiking (wandering) are gifts from God. Laur would add a few more things to this list, but I’m writing this update!
Another note: The word “algid” means freezing cold.
*****
Thursday, December 4, 2013
Laur had a morning meeting at Laurentian and I did not want to miss my last BodyFlow for over a month – so we headed out in the early afternoon. Good thing too because there was freezing rain in the “am.” I always get a chuckle over our last meal on our way out of town because we eat up everything we can’t freeze or don’t want to refreeze. How does a wilted lettuce/kidney bean/overripe avocado/cooked peas salad sound? Plus some toasted bread that looks like it’s getting ready to grow a new kind of antibiotic. Oh yes, and “browning” bananas (and I don’t mean the poets.)
I’m glad to say the drive to Toronto was “unremarkable.” I use this word because it reminds me of how truly remarkable it is to be able to travel from Sudbury to Toronto in less than five fours at the same time as thousands of others are doing so. That we mostly all make it safely never ceases to amaze me. Thankfully Laur likes to drive because, whereas I have trouble sleeping in bed, put me in a car and I zone in and out quite easily.
Laur got a deal on Wag Jag for our hotel – a story in itself. Suffice it to say we got a room at the Crowne Plaza for half-price. We felt like the Beverly Hillbillies – this is a truly elegant hotel, and we are not. http://crowneplazatorontoairport.ca/ Our counter attendant – Sheena – was exceptional in her service. My only regret is that they offer a full breakfast as part of the deal, and we had to be up and out before the kitchen opened.
OK, the big event of the day – supper. We went to Boston Pizza, simply because it was within easy walking distance and I was “carred” out. A gal I know, who once worked at BP to help put herself through university, said she would never eat there because the chefs added huge amounts of fat (in various forms) to everything. She was right. Our garlic bread, Mexican-style salad, and Mediterranean pasta just glistened – and it was so good; and our server, Jessica, gave amazing service.
Back at the hotel I dropped myself into a hot bath and read. Laurence enjoyed reading in bed without feeling he needed a toque and mittens. (I’m a tad Scots about the heat in our house.) No surprise, I couldn’t sleep very well. I was afraid we’d miss our wake-up call, and I have a fear of flying – so while I enjoy counting the planes going overhead – what I am really doing is waiting for each one to make it safely. No big thud and brightly lit sky – I’m happy.
*****
Friday, December 5, 2013
Our wakeup call came promptly at 5 am. We were in the lobby by 5:45 and at the Toronto Pearson Airport by 6:15. We went through check-in and customs very quickly, save that we had to go to a “suspicious persons” line because we were there too early! I bought a bag of cashews and doled them out meagrely – I felt (and Laurence didn’t) that we had eaten enough the night before to last us until we got to Phoenix.
On the plane, my TV unit didn’t work. Much better that the plane worked! I had downloaded many lectures by Robert Adams onto my MP3 player so I was pretty content. http://ww3.tvo.org/guest/169861/robert-adams As we circled into the Phoenix airport, we could see SUN! BEAUTIFUL SUN! Laur asked me if I felt we’d “arrived” yet, and I said that until we pulled into our Seniors' Trailer Park in Green Valley, I would still feel I hadn’t quite escaped from Sudbury. Don’t get me wrong. I love many things about my life in Sudbury, but the grey skies and cold weather are not two of them.
Something pretty cool happened on the shuttle bus to pick up our rental car. I started talking to a couple and learned they were from Toronto – just staying in AZ for a week to warm up. I told them we were from Sudbury were staying in Green Valley at a Seniors’ RV park. They said they knew folks – the Bissets – who stayed there. Al and Lynne Bisset are brother-in-law and sister to John and Lauren Vary, we and visited with the Bissets a lot during our January to April 2013 stay.
Small world; big mouth (Jan’s, that is.)
Note from Jan: This month of columns will be more like a travelogue – geared for folks like us who think that sun, food, friends, and hiking (wandering) are gifts from God. Laur would add a few more things to this list, but I’m writing this update!
Another note: The word “algid” means freezing cold.
*****
Thursday, December 4, 2013
Laur had a morning meeting at Laurentian and I did not want to miss my last BodyFlow for over a month – so we headed out in the early afternoon. Good thing too because there was freezing rain in the “am.” I always get a chuckle over our last meal on our way out of town because we eat up everything we can’t freeze or don’t want to refreeze. How does a wilted lettuce/kidney bean/overripe avocado/cooked peas salad sound? Plus some toasted bread that looks like it’s getting ready to grow a new kind of antibiotic. Oh yes, and “browning” bananas (and I don’t mean the poets.)
I’m glad to say the drive to Toronto was “unremarkable.” I use this word because it reminds me of how truly remarkable it is to be able to travel from Sudbury to Toronto in less than five fours at the same time as thousands of others are doing so. That we mostly all make it safely never ceases to amaze me. Thankfully Laur likes to drive because, whereas I have trouble sleeping in bed, put me in a car and I zone in and out quite easily.
Laur got a deal on Wag Jag for our hotel – a story in itself. Suffice it to say we got a room at the Crowne Plaza for half-price. We felt like the Beverly Hillbillies – this is a truly elegant hotel, and we are not. http://crowneplazatorontoairport.ca/ Our counter attendant – Sheena – was exceptional in her service. My only regret is that they offer a full breakfast as part of the deal, and we had to be up and out before the kitchen opened.
OK, the big event of the day – supper. We went to Boston Pizza, simply because it was within easy walking distance and I was “carred” out. A gal I know, who once worked at BP to help put herself through university, said she would never eat there because the chefs added huge amounts of fat (in various forms) to everything. She was right. Our garlic bread, Mexican-style salad, and Mediterranean pasta just glistened – and it was so good; and our server, Jessica, gave amazing service.
Back at the hotel I dropped myself into a hot bath and read. Laurence enjoyed reading in bed without feeling he needed a toque and mittens. (I’m a tad Scots about the heat in our house.) No surprise, I couldn’t sleep very well. I was afraid we’d miss our wake-up call, and I have a fear of flying – so while I enjoy counting the planes going overhead – what I am really doing is waiting for each one to make it safely. No big thud and brightly lit sky – I’m happy.
*****
Friday, December 5, 2013
Our wakeup call came promptly at 5 am. We were in the lobby by 5:45 and at the Toronto Pearson Airport by 6:15. We went through check-in and customs very quickly, save that we had to go to a “suspicious persons” line because we were there too early! I bought a bag of cashews and doled them out meagrely – I felt (and Laurence didn’t) that we had eaten enough the night before to last us until we got to Phoenix.
On the plane, my TV unit didn’t work. Much better that the plane worked! I had downloaded many lectures by Robert Adams onto my MP3 player so I was pretty content. http://ww3.tvo.org/guest/169861/robert-adams As we circled into the Phoenix airport, we could see SUN! BEAUTIFUL SUN! Laur asked me if I felt we’d “arrived” yet, and I said that until we pulled into our Seniors' Trailer Park in Green Valley, I would still feel I hadn’t quite escaped from Sudbury. Don’t get me wrong. I love many things about my life in Sudbury, but the grey skies and cold weather are not two of them.
Something pretty cool happened on the shuttle bus to pick up our rental car. I started talking to a couple and learned they were from Toronto – just staying in AZ for a week to warm up. I told them we were from Sudbury were staying in Green Valley at a Seniors’ RV park. They said they knew folks – the Bissets – who stayed there. Al and Lynne Bisset are brother-in-law and sister to John and Lauren Vary, we and visited with the Bissets a lot during our January to April 2013 stay.
Small world; big mouth (Jan’s, that is.)