Y IS FOR YACHT

Here is an information link for the yacht we rented.

  My Brother

My travel buddy hubby 
whale watching.
TAKEN: FEBRARY 27th, 2026

 

Cousins enjoying the day
TAKEN: FEBRUARY 27th, 2026

The upper view with the captain.
TAKEN: FEBURARY 27th, 2026

One of our many stops for the day
TAKEN: FEBRUARY 27th, 2026

X IS FOR XENIAL

My cousins' hopsitality in Hautulco was xenial.
TAKEN: FEBRUARY 27th, 2026

 

Every year I struggle with this letter, but this year my word seemed obvious.

As I have written through the month, we traveled for a cousins retreat to Hautulco, Mexico that last week of February. My cousin (in the green and straw hat - that is her husband on the end in blue) was the perfect hostess.

Xenial is an adjective describing warm, friendly hospitality or the relationship between a host and a guest. Originating from the Greek word xenos (stranger/guest), it refers to being welcoming, generous, and kind, particularly toward travelers or visitors.

Thanks for the memories!

W IS FOR WHITE

A mere 1,089 days later
and it is finally white!
TAKEN: APRIL 11th, 2026

When I returned home from my birthday trip to Bahamas, I was pleasantly surprised that a selfie I snapped while walking the beach showed the finality of my hair dying journey.

As vain as this may read, I used to take such great pride in my hair. 

Then, on May 5th, 2023, my hairdresser dyed my locks blonde. As a result I began to shy away from any camera, and I wore a baseball cap (or my hair in a bun) 99% of the time that I was out and about.

Well, this birthday proved that my journey to getting rid of the blonde colouring is over.

Now, I could have bitten the bullet and cut my hair, but I really didn’t want to. Short hair has not been in my wheelhouse since the early 1990’s when I cut it off and immediately regretted it.

For the last three years I have repeatedly said to my travel buddy hubby that “my hair won’t look like crap forever.” And though he was quietly supportive, I know he never liked the blonde either; it just didn’t suit me.

Well, as you can see, the photo I am sharing today tells two stories.

That I have officially embraced my sexagenarian status.

…AND, it really IS better in the Bahamas!!

V IS FOR VROOM

 

VROOM VROOM VROOM
Through the Golden Zone in Mazatlan, Mexico
TAKEN: NOVEMBER 30th, 2019

Mazatlan was one of the very few places that I didn't feel safe in Mexico. 

Primarly because we stayed in a massive RIU resort that only receieved two Canadian planes a week. One from Toronto, and the second from Vancouver.

However, we did spend the money to hire a personal pulmonia driver to vroom throughout the Golden Zone and climb to the top where the El Faro lighhouse is located.

Heavily popluated by the Sinaloa Cartel, it is the one place I have no desire to return.

U IS FOR UNUSUAL

 Unusual - /ˌənˈyo͞oZH(əw)əl/

"Unusual" describes things that are not normal, typical, or common, often appearing strange, rare, or remarkable. It indicates a departure from the expected, such as an "unusual sound" or "unusual ability". 

Synonyms include strange, peculiar, rare, odd, and extraordinary. 

Well, this was a first for us. 

Wild, albeit pair of tame chickens that hung out with us and fetched like dogs. This particular poultry pal climbed the stairs and followed us to the beach. If I didn't experience this in real time, I would have never believed it possible.

Unusual for sure!

This chicken was a tame as our dogs
TAKEN: APRIL 12th, 2026

Catching some air to grab the bread
TAKEN: APRIL 12th, 2026

They were so tame they wanted
to come into the house!
TAKEN: APRIL 12th, 2026

T IS FOR TEEHEE

A little humour to capture the political 
climate during this years April A-Z Challenge
Source @Facebook

 

S IS FOR SOAR

My wee Katie Kate doing what she loves.
TAKEN: AUGUST 4th, 2025

Just look at the effort and focus of my pup.

Every muscle extended, her focus sharp on her goal.

Where are you soaring to this week?

You'll be on your way up!

You'll be seeing great sights!

You'll join the high fliers 

to soar to new heights.

~Dr. Suess

R IS FOR RESORT

This resort complex is massive
TAKEN: APRIL 10th, 2026

 This year we went back to the Baha Mar for the first time in eight years. 

The last time we were onsite there was only one hotel that housed the casino. That is the building you see directly behind my travel buddy hubby. Now there are three large hotels on 1,000-acre resort complex; with 45+ dining venues.

Our original intent was to walk over for lunch. With the help of Google Earth, we figured out how to access the employee entrance which made our walk from our AirBnb 1.75kms rather than almost 6kms had we walked around through the front entrance.

Like any typical tourist, we walked the beach and the boardwalk, took a ton of photos, and realized how lucky we were to not be staying there. 

Don’t get me wrong, it is a nice place to visit but $10,000 USD doesn’t go very far. 

Anyway, we decided against a pricey lunch. So, our total dollars spent on resort was a whooping $2.70 USD.

You see, I put a $20 bill in a slot machine, played a couple of rounds then quickly cashed out so that I would have small bills for the jitney to get is to the fish fry at Junkanoo Beach

...Where we had lunch and a cocktail for less than $40 USD with our tip.

The flamingo's that do yoga were cool.
TAKEN: APRIL 10th, 2026

Our AirBnb is beside the taller building
TAKEN: APRIL 10th, 2026

Trying to find our way back out.
TAKEN: APRIL 10th, 2026

Walking out the main entrance
to catch the jitney.
TAKEN: APRIL 10th, 2026

Q IS FOR QUIT

WORDS WE LIVE BY.
TAKEN: FEBRUARY 8th, 2018

P IS FOR PUPPUCCINO

Miya isn't taking her eye off the prize!
TAKEN: FEBRUARY 5th, 2026

I can’t remember when the puppuccino craze started but I personally jumped on board about a year ago.

We don’t go to Starbucks for thier freebie but with a dollar store investment for four expresso cups, $3.99 at WalMart for Redi-Whip, our girls were quickly and firmly on the band wagon.

Now, this is what I consider a 'special' treat. Truth is, the can got buried in the back of the fridge, so the lapse between this specific treater was just over two months apart. 

Could that be what makes the offering so special?

Not a change. Miya and Katie are so food driven that everything is the perfect treat!!

I usually use two hands but they
 did great keeping to thier own.
TAKEN: APRIL 16th, 2026

O IS FOR ORPHAN

Little Orphan Brandy
TAKEN: APRIL 13th, 2026

Peeps, meet my buddy Brandy. 

An orphaned street dog that was recently adopted by a young family on the lane where we stayed on Cable Beach.

She wandered across the lane on our second day and by our fourth day she didn’t want to return home. The little Bahamian boy whose family took her in became distraught when she didn’t want to leave us.

So, I gave him a ten-dollar Bahamian bill and told him that I have two dogs at home. I told him I felt that Brandy knew how much I missed them, and she stayed with us because she didn’t want me to be sad.

He grabbed the cash and proudly announced that we could take Little Orphan Brandy with us to the beach

...My spidey senses tell me that he said we could take her to the beach with us because he thought he would score more cash!

He did not!!

#yagottalaughaboutit

N IS FOR NASSAU

MCS Grandiosa is massive.
One of  five cruise ships in port that day.
TAKEN: APRIL 12th, 2026

I would like to clarify that my travel buddy hubby and have never booked a vacation specifically to visit downtown Nassau, New Providence. We have always stayed in the beautiful area of Cable Beach, giving us the option to venture into downtown Nassau on the jitney.

As I am sure Google can confirm, the Port of Nassau is one of the busiest ports in the Caribbean, so with the help of a cool website CruiseMapper.com (for real time port maps) we know when to NOT go into the downtown area.

We chose the 12^th as it was raining when we left our AirBnb and there were only five ships in port (approximately 20,000 people). With it raining, we figured we could manage a hopeful 50% capacity.

Our big investment downtown this trip was a $14 USD admission price into the Pirates of Nassau Museum. Two years ago, I won the coin toss for the Queen's Staircase and Fort Fincastle, this year my hubby wanted to check out the museum - so we did.

This is our third venture onto the island and this one has been the best by far.  Though we changed the address where we slept, we easily found our bearings with the understanding how to escape the astronomical cost of being a transient vacationer.

For this trip downtown, we selected a second story patio to enjoy lunch.

I couldn’t help but admire the colours of the World Famous Bahamas Straw Market and this size of the MSC Grandios that flanks it in the background. 

M IS FOR MONUMENTOUS

Two thumbs up from
my cool 'cuz' in the middle!
TAKEN: FEBRUARY 27th, 2026

It was definitely a day and evening to remember.

We met the entire group at the dock at 9am and by 9pm we were still going strong. All extremely sun-kissed from a nine-hour day on a yacht; everything about our late night dinner was perfect.

My one cousin, Tootsie (with the orange wristband on the far right) was staying with my aunt at a nearby all inclusive resort. The other four of us were staying together but walked to meet her so that she could join us for the evening. 

What can I say, with all others on our cousin’s trip ‘down and out for the count’, the five of us decided to let the wine and even more childhood stories flow at Villablanca Hotel (Santa Maria, Huatulco). 

Though we are all linked together electronically, there is something about aging and seeing and laughing with the people you love in person.

I guess my point is that the moment you realize how just how precious time is, THAT is when your entire perspective about life changes.

Which in itself is what made this amazing trip momentous!

L IS FOR LONGEVITY

 

Auntie Andy, wee Jukebox, and Me.
On the shores of Lake Temicamang, QC.
TAKEN: JULY 1991

A couple of weeks ago, I got a call from one of my closest friends with a very simple request. She wanted me to come keep her company until her name was called at the local medical clinic.

Working to an early afternoon deadline, I arranged the next best thing. 

I had my travel buddy hubby pinch hit until Goob finished his shift, then once I delivered my proposal, I tapped him out and stayed with her until she was finally seen by a doctor.

By the time I arrived, she was understandably frustrated as she had been waiting for hours. As I settled in she said something to me that spoke to the depth of our deep love for each other. She said, “Ï am glad you’re on the last shift, because I think we are going to need you to channel your inner bitch to get things going!

I burst out laughing and kept her entertained until we left together a few hours later.

Andy and I went to high school together. She lived in a townhouse across the street from my parents, and we eventually bought the house next door to her, which is where we raised our children.

Always known as Auntie Andy (her parents were Nana Anne and Poppa Peter) and she was there in all aspects of our lives for just shy of forty years.

I guess the real heart of the matter is that the true longevity of our friendship isn't measured by the years we have known each other... Rather it is cherished by the unwavering support we've shown each other no matter what is happening through life's ups and downs.

They say you only have a handful of true friend through-out your life, well she's grabbed a couple of those digit and a good portion of my thumb.

What can I say, we all love you longtime Auntie Andy!

K IS FOR KUDOS

This place is perfect!
TAKEN: APRIL 9th, 2026

 I rarely brag about general accomplishments, but that is about to change.

Two years ago, we travelled to Bahamas for my birthday. So, when we looked at what we had saved at the end of 2025, I knew I wanted to travel back to the island to celebrate my 2026 birthday on Cable Beach. 

Over the holiday break, my travel buddy hubby and I looked at booking our spot from 2024 but quickly realized that $1,200 a night was in all cases highway robbery. Then I discovered Little Bahama. I am sharing the photo I took on our way to the grocery store, right after settling in.

Located just a few steps from the amazing beach, this place is far better than the overpriced apartment where we had stayed in previously. Our selection this year is beautifully appointed, in upscale neighbourhood, close to everything we need.

About a kilometer and a half walk to BahaMar, that is where I spent my birthday. Total dollars spent onsite? Nothing!

I found a chit on the floor for .60 cents, put in a $20 USD bill, then cashed out to get small bills for the jitney. 

Look, any Bahamian island is extremely expensive. 

Kudos to us for bringing what we could in our carryon luggage, so to avoid the grocery store. Kudos to us for knowing how to stay out of $40 USD taxi cabs. Most importantly?

Kudos to us for booking the same weekend here next year!

J IS FOR JITNEY

A white knuckle ride
to the fish fry!
TAKEN: APRIL 10th, 2026

There are a few letters of the alphabet I struggle with, and the letter J has always been one of them. I suppose my plight is that I never use the same word twice.

Well, yesterday, as we made our way from Baha Mar to Junkanoo Beach for the fish fry, my word for today became obvious. Just like in Isla Mujeres driving a golf cart, you take your life in your hands riding the local jitney in Bahamas.

One step up from an oversized mini van, it is how the locals navigate the island.

The price is $1.50 Bahamian dollar per ride, and you pay as you exit.

A bargain basement price to travel from Cable Beach though the downtown of Nassau.

Just be sure to keep your hands and feet in the ride at all times - because they drive like maniacs and the speed limit is never something that is respected.

#yagottalaughaboutit

I IS FOR IGUANA

This local tree chicken feel out 
of the same tree three times that day.
TAKEN: FEBRUARY 28th, 2026

It wasn’t until we returned from our trip to Mexico in February that I discovered that the iguanas have been given the nickname of, “tree chicken.”

Well, spending the day by the Villablanca pool under an umbrella after a nine hour day on a yacht, I can confirm that his fella fell out of the tree above us three time and bounced onto the patio stones beside us; once landing in the pool.

Though my immediate though was because they live (and fall out of) trees, but they were given the nickname because they are a popular Central/South American delicacy known for tasting like chicken.

Though I stayed away from local street food trucks while in the center of Huatulco, I was told they are regularly served in stews and tacos here as a high protien option.

I may have had no desire to chomp on this one, I really did enjoy spending a few hours with them.

H IS FOR HIGHLIGHT

Can you find us ?? (Hint - I am raising my glass)
Posing on the 70 foot yacht my cousin
chartered exclusively with other Canadians.
TAKEN: FEBRUARY 27th, 2026

We are what I would classify as easy-going travelers. Though we enjoy meeting new people, we generally keep to ourselves and always manage to find our way.

In this instance, I wasn’t sure how I felt about a commitment to chartering a seventy-foot yacht with twenty (plus) other Canadians we had never met.

Like I do everything, I researched it to death and realized that the $1,000 peso per person (about $75 Canadian) price tag was an opportunity that may never come our way again.

As the date of departure approached, I would continually ask my travel buddy hubby “what the hell are we going to do on a boat in the waters of Huatulco for nine hours?!”

Well, it turns out that the day flew by. We stopped three times to swim and snorkel, stopped for a picnic lunch that everyone had packed for themselves. We whale watched, followed multiple pods of dolphins, and enjoyed really great conversations; yes, I got one guy from Edmonton to discuss politics with me!

I can say with confidence that we have previoulsy done many prearranged resort tours and have never experienced anything like this. 

It was intimate, exciting, educational, but best of all… it was batshit crazy fun.

Definitely a highlight that will offer great memories for years to come.

G IS FOR GOOB

A fun night out with our son... GOOB.
TAKEN: AUGUST 28th, 2025

As you may or may not know, I very rarely use the actual names of people I am referencing in my electronic journal. My husband is referred to at my travel buddy hubby, my oldest is Jukebox, his sister is Sweetie... and this is her twin brother Goob.

An avid lover of music he introduced us to Leon Bridges when he first landed in YouTube. Only twenty-five when his first album Coming Home was released, its R&B vibe that became known for its 1950's and 60's throwback sound. (Official Coming Home video to get the jist of his vibe.)

So, when I discovered his guy was coming to Canada, I bought tickets and the three of us ventured to Budwiser Stage for an night of great music. Goob reciprocated by purchasing tickets for the three of us to see Jesse Wells at Massey Hall last month - but that's another post. 

Though the urban dictionary refers to the word goob as a nerd, geek, or silly person, my son is anything but. He was given the nickname at a very young age as I had never seen as much drool out of a baby in my life.

In his mid thirties now, I am the only one that still calls him by his nickname. And what I will say... 

Is that he prefers I don't do it in public!

#yagottalaughaboutit

F IS FOR FAVOURITE

It is my favourite. 
It is my mantra!
TAKEN: SEPTEMBER 18th. 2018

Not sure about you but for me, there is something about a really great coffee mug. 

As soon as I pick it up in the store, I know I need to have it. There is a certain way that the handle fits in my hand that I instantly know if they are a keeper.

Always in the mood to shop, I know that no matter if it is a grocery store, department store, or specialty store, I make sure I check and seek out their goblets the hold my precious caffeine. I find myself picking them up randomly to see if they meet my specific criteria.

For the last decade or so, every holiday season I buy myself a new Christmas themed mug for the whopping price of $4.97 at WalMart. When I take down the tree in early January, I pack it away with the others I have collected to keep each other company.

The following December, I hold each one of them to remember the holiday season that they spent the mornings with me, keeping me warm.

The photo of the one I am sharing today is my very favourite and it keeps me company at the cottage. 

Think my mug obsession is quirky?

That’s nothing, if you are a new reader, put Petro Canada Glasses in the search and check it out.

I have over two hundred and fifty of those suckers. 

So I guess technically, they are ALL my absolute favourite!

#yagottalaughaboutit