We enjoyed our first Christmas dinner this Sunday past. It was held at my Aunt Kay's home in Port Coquitlam, BC, 25 minutes west from our home. We had planned to host this dinner at our home but it proved difficult for my aunt and her family to come to us so, we went to them.
 |
| The brand new Port Mann Bridge - crossing over the Fraser River - on the Trans Canada Highway #1 |
We left home and headed west on the Trans Canada #1 highway. It was our second time crossing the new bridge. It recently opened for traffic, following several years of construction. It is one of the widest in the world, offering 10 lanes of traffic. It is also the Vancouver region's second toll bridge. Tolls are presently $1.50 for passenger vehicles. The fee will rise to $3.00 in the months ahead.
 |
| What a treat to drive over the bridge.... without construction or volume delays. |
The photos above and below show the old orange painted bridge to the right side. It is slated for removal.
We have two different routes we can take to get to Port Coquitlam but the new Port Mann Bridge made our drive so much quicker.
It was Jeanette's idea to prepare dinner and invite Aunty Kay and her family to our home for a special Christmas. Scheduling, health and transportation issues proved problematic so we made dinner and drove out to my aunt's home. We were joined by two of her three daughters and their families.
 |
| Auntie Kay - in her late 80's - looking really good following a complex surgery recently. |
Jeanette prepared a fantastic meal of turkey, and many other Ukrainian specialty dishes. Aunt Kay (recovering really well from surgery) insisted on making the cabbage rolls and baking a tasty raisin pie. My cousin Diane's husband, Tom, prepared two fabulous Chinese dishes.
Aunt Kay was married to my mom's older brother. He passed away a few years back but we have always considered her to be our west coast mom. She is just that special!
 |
| L-R Cousin Diane, Aunt Kay, me, Trinity, Elaine and her son Kane. |
Jeanette took the photo above and Diane took the photo below. Tom and Sami (no photos) had not arrived yet and, when they did, we were quick to get at the food. It was truly a multicultural meal. Fantastic! It was so pleasant to finally get together and share in the spirit of the season.
 |
| An awesome meal was shared by all |
We arrived at Auntie Kay's home at 1:30 pm and by 8:30 pm, we were back home. We shared a wonderful day with them. We're it not for these special occasions, we would hardly every see them. Everyone is so busy with work and life.
 |
| Beautiful Christmas decoration in Auntie Kay's home |
 |
| So festive. |
Our 5th wheel hauler - F-350 dually diesel - was due for servicing and that was taken care of yesterday. It's now ready for its journey south.
 |
| March 2012, Desert Hot Springs, CA |
We woke up to the scene below, this morning. That gets my travel juices going!
 |
| A little skiff of snow. |
That's the story from here, for now. We have several other Christmas dinners and festivities to keep us going till departure day, December 29th.
Thanks for dropping by.
Glad to see that you had a wonderful holiday visit with you Aunt. Won't be long til your enjoying lot's of sun and golf again.
ReplyDeleteNice to see you had a nice visit with your west coast mom...her village is gorgeous....you must be getting hitch itch :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic sounding dinner. A little bit of everything with Turkey, Cabbage Rolls and Chinese Food.
ReplyDeleteYour Aunt Kay's Christmas decorations look wonderful - what a great display.
WOW... looks like some dinner was had! Glad the truck is all set to go... got to get away from that white stuff!
ReplyDeleteglad to see you came to the other side of the river! those 20 free trips on the Port Mann are a good thing to have!
ReplyDeleteNice family day and dinner sounded like it was delicious!!