Category Archives: About Bailey

Home and back again

On the way to WhistlerPam and I have been to Canada and back! We returned home to Vancouver for a visit in early October. We rented a car and drove through the mountains to Calgary to visit family as well. We had a couple days in Calgary but a snow storm threatened to strand us in Calgary past our return flight out of Vancouver so we left Calgary a little earlier than we wanted.

The rental car was just amazing. A Ford Taurus if you can believe that. We got a free upgrade from the car we rented, and wow, what a beast that car is. It’s roomy and luxurious with every conceivable upgrade you can imagine. The stereo was one of the best I’ve ever heard, never mind best car stereo! The navigation package was stellar with a really cool feature that told you what the speed limit is… very cool for when you are in the middle of the mountains and it’s been miles since you’ve seen a sign.

Some the the devastation around 100 Mile HouseWe stopped off in 100 Mile House to visit with a couple of our oldest friends, Maggie and Tim. They’ve retired to a lovely home on the banks of Horse Lake, which was the scene of terrible wild fires this summer. Their home was spared, but they had to evacuate a couple of times. The devastation was quite shocking. Miles and miles of burned forest, and lost homes. Quite a sobering experience.

John Hendry ParkBack in Vancouver, on our last day there, we went for a stroll through John Hendry Park, more commonly referred to as Trout Lake. Buck and I used to run around the outer track 4 or 5 times a week. It’s a beautiful little park. Sure brought back a lot of memories of our first dog.

It’s nice to be back in Curacao. After the long flight, we were delighted to come home to a completely pristine apartment, freshly painted and all new tile work. We’re going to be able to relax a little easier here now, with all the stress of renovations complete. We’re interested to see how they handle Halloween here, as well. Should be fun.

Bailey goes for a snorkel

Just a short note. We’ve taken Bailey to several places around the island, some loved her, some threw her out!

We went to a what was billed as a community market in the town of Barber. It is on Sunday, in the morning. It supposed to have plants, and crafts and fresh vegetables, and some stalls that sell food. Well, it’s not that. It’s basically a gathering of the town, with about 20ish booths. 17 sell food. One sells plants, one sells “crafts” and one sells a couple kinds of vegetables.

We were surprised to see kids screaming in fear of Bailey. Their mother was not impressed and tried to get the kids to appreciate a friendly dog, without much success. Every time Bailey turned her head, the kids ran screaming. An older woman confronted us and angrily demanded we get out. Dogs are not welcome here she angrily chastised us.

Bailey swimsWe take her with us to our daily WIFI ritual at the golf course, and she’s a star there. Everyone fawns over her, putting ice cubes in her water dish. The staff adore her, know her name, come over and pet her as soon as they see her. She just loves the attention.

She also loves to go in the ocean. She would always try to get in the Fraser River back in Vancouver, but only a few spots were actually good for her to enter. The cleanliness of the water is not that great on the Fraser sometimes, with al the industrial work. But here – Blue Bay is a great spot for her. The water is always gorgeous and blue. On the 11th of August we took her for a snorkel! Here’s a short movie to show what we mean!

We have arrived.

Bailey in the airportWell folks, we’ve done it! We have arrived in Curacao all in one piece, with Bailey in tow. She was absolutely amazing on the plane. She sat at our feet, calm as can be. The landing seemed to make her nervous; it was as if she could tell the plane was coming down and she didn’t know what that meant. She even yawned to clear her ears, just like people do!

People in the three airports (Vancouver, Dallas, and Miami) were in love with her. There were literally hundreds of people who came over to pet her, and ask about her. People told us stories about their dogs, how they missed them when on vacation, or how well, or poorly, they travelled. It was a great way to pass the time.

When we arrived in Curacao, we had lots of paperwork for her – to prove she had had her rabies, was de-wormed, de-loused, de-everything… When we got to Curacao, they never even looked at the paper work – in fact, they didn’t even look at the dog. We actually told them we had a dog with us, and he said, “Have a nice visit!” Entering the USA at Dallas was much harder, but not at all difficult, as we were sent over to the livestock section. They examined her papers, but it was a mere two minute stop over. Travelling with Bailey was actually a pleasure!

First Sunset as localsWe were worried that our apartment might not be ready for us, in that our funds have not arrived from Canada. The owner was nice enough to let us stay in the place anyway, since we had wired them proof of payment. The picture to the right is from our deck, gazing toward the beach. As you can see, we do not have a view of the ocean, but it’s not like we’re looking at a brick wall!

First snorkel as localsWe got in the ocean today and it was very warm! A super nice first snorkel back in paradise.

Our posts might be a bit sporadic for the first while. We are having fibre-optic internet installed throughout our building, and while all the cabling has been laid, it has not arrived in every suite yet. It should be done by the end of the month, we hope.

Anyway – we’re here, we’re in one piece, and Bailey is loving it as much as us!

 

A few nice pictures

Bailey at Fraser River ParkJust love the crazy look on Bailey’s face right now. She’s having delusions of grandeur if she thinks she can take on this stick!

Bailey at Fraser River ParkMost hilarious.

The Fraser River Foreshore Park is dedicated to dogs – it’s completely offleash, and you are warned when you enter the park that dogs are out and about and you better get used to it. We’ve taken Bailey over there a couple of times – it is over the bridge to Richmond, so about a 20 minute drive, when traffic is good.

Not again

Here’s the snow again in February. It seems to be getting to be a yearly thing, rather than a once in a while. And of course I had another accident. Rear-ended a guy. No one hurt, minimal damage, but still, another blow to my pride as an old man. Should not have been out, but had to try to get Pam to work!

This slide show is actually called a slider. I’ve set this to have some Curacao pics – just playing with the functionality right now. See if it fits our needs here.