After the short layover in Iceland we went to Canada for the holidays. It was a lovely holiday in Canada this year, and despite having multiple stops and lots of interspersed visits it went by pretty quickly. I was really lucky that Jordan offered to host a ‘Trask Christmas Extravaganza’ at her place including overnights with the Grand Forks crew and the US-relatives. It was a busy and really fun way to work through the jetlag, with visits to the playground and lots of kid-oriented activities. Next was the Maple Ridge portion of the trip, where we got to celebrate Bernie’s 75th birthday (Diamond Jubilee!). We had a dinner ‘with all the kids’ on her actual birthday, and then the following Saturday we had a nice dinner out followed by a a night at the Arts Club Theatre for their seasonal production of ‘A Miracle on 34th Street‘ with all the kids and partners and grandkids. Tom & Bernie stayed at the Granville Island hotel and Graham and I went to the North Shore to stay with Nathan and Michelle and family, where we had some great meals and nice walks (notably over a VERY full Lynn canyon). Christmas was back in Maple Ridge, and we got to visit Tim & Andrea for a short dinner (We’ll see them again soon when they visit us in the spring!) Last on the mainland was a hike and Sauna with Erica and Jesse and their new dog Banjo, then a final walk and lunch in Tsawassen with Michelle and Nathan. We didn’t take that many photos, but there are a few memories collected below:
David (Bumpa) playing with Charlie, Samuel, Catherine, and Elliot 
David and I in the park with the kids 
Lynn Canyon suspension bridge with Nathan and Pepper in the background 
Unofficial and unexpected memorial in the Thornhill forest. 
MEC is now Mountain Equipment CORPORATION (boo!) but they did have this cute VW bus in their lobby 
Graham and I by the moss waterfall in Belcarra park on a hike with Jesse, Erica, and Banjo the Viszla 
Indian Arm as seen from Belcarra 
Jug Island from the Jug Island trail end 
Great Blue Heron in Tswassen, seen on a walk with Nathtan and Michelle before we left for Victoria
Next we went to Victoria to stay with my Mum and visit a bit with my relatives. There we hosted an ‘Uncles-and-Aunts Lunch’ at Mum’s, as well as a New Year’s Eve gift exchange with Kristina and her financé Shane, along with David and Elizabeth, who brought her new partner Raphaël. It was nice to meet everyone and eat cookies together. I think there were more photos that I didn’t take or see, If you send them to me I can add them below.
Mum being goofy with her brothers. 
Christmas fika at Mum’s place 
Buffet for the New Year’s ‘Uncle Lunch’ 
Burrito bowls on New Year’s Eve 
Menu and grocery planning – this one is for Mum. 
Xmas Wiener dog in Victoria 
Extremely Vancouver Yoga room at the airport 
Finally made it home after 22 hours, and he’s still in a good mood! 
Lucky for us we had a welcoming committee
Thanks everyone for a great visit! Can’t wait to see everyone again (and maybe host some of you at our place!)