Toronto - The more things change, the more they stay the same!

We enjoyed four quick days in Toronto, as a waypoint before heading to the ship in Halifax.   The boys finally got to spend some time with their cousins from Toronto, up at their cottage on Lake Muskoka.  We had a great couple of days on the lake!

Monday and the days following saw us venturing down to Toronto for a visit with Jay’s grandfather John and Mom and Spencer.  Luke got the chance to visit on his own with Nana D and explore her art work.

In just a few days, we managed to hit many highlights – at least for Jay – visits with family, a Swiss Chalet dinner, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Granite Club, lunch and beers with friends and the chance to buy Canadian junk food – a quick trip back in his childhood!

Colorado - Leaving on a Jet Plane

We had a frantic final several weeks in Colorado as we prepared for our nine months of travel – not just Semester at Sea (SAS) but also the five months of travel to follow our ocean journey around the Atlantic. 

It was tough enough to get all the usual tasks associated with long term travel complete – applying for visas, getting poked with needles, researching destinations, arranging care for the pets and house, visiting the doctor and dentist, packing for months away and taking care of financial affairs – but on top of that we had scheduled a week vacation in Canada, purchased a ranch property with its own large and varied set of issues.  And of course Jay had a golf tournament and Christy had bike races!

However, we managed to get it all done and have left many of our cares behind in the hands of people who will help keep real life running while we take the boys on a discovery voyage around the world.  We left home for SAS with 6 large checked bags, 2 roller bag carry-ons, and 4 backpacks – 12 bags to keep track of!