Pam has six brothers. Most of them live in Southwestern Ontario, and most of them have never left, except on vacation, and then usually someplace close by. But two of her brothers, Russ and Gregg, have been a little more adventurous and now live in British Columbia.

Gregg left Ontario years ago and for a long while worked as a chef in a high-profile restaurant in Vancouver. Getting tired of the stress and constant demands of that position, he took up driving a fork lift in a warehouse. Vancouver is Canada’s largest western port, and Gregg was never without work. The job had decent benefits, including a pension, that allows him to live pretty comfortably in one of Canada’s most expensive cities.

Along the way Gregg met and settled into a relationship that produced a boy, Tyler, that Gregg has raised more or less on his own. The two of them have had a close relationship over the years and Tyler often drops by to check on his dad and make sure he is alright.

Gregg also has an abiding love of motorcycles, especially his ’73 MotoGuzzi on which he spends hours and money getting custom machined parts for his hard to service bike. Steve and Gregg had some lengthy chats about all thing mechanical, including his dad’s Norton, that was UK government issue in WW2.

The three of us then took the ferry across the strait between the mainland and Vancouver Island, which remains for us one of the best ferry rides in the world even after all the sailings we have been on in our long wanderings. The ferry has to turn and weave through the Gulf Islands, offering new views at every turn. The day was gusty and cold, and we could still see some snow on the mountains on the American side of the strait, but it was a wonderfully smooth sailing with calm seas. Unfortunately, no dolphins or whales were sighted on this passage.

Russ now lives just outside Victoria and has had quite a few problems with his health of late. He was delighted to see us, as not many of Pam’s brothers are inclined to travel that far away from Ontario. Russ has had a very checkered employment career, ranging from restaurant management to working for the BC government promoting sports activities. He has always had a gift for building relationships and promoting new ideas. In later years, he studied Facilities Management and eventually established his own property management company.

Unfortunately, a couple of years ago he developed cancer. The surgery and chemotherapy at the height of the Covid pandemic took their toll on his health and led to his decision to retire. His life is pretty quiet now, but he has a lovely little place on the island and we all enjoyed many hours visiting over countless games of euchre.

As you can tell from her smile, Pam was delighted to see her brothers again after such a long absence. We are both hoping that our new positions in the UK will allow us to make this trip out west to see family more often. All of us are getting older and the time spent together this year, although long overdue, was particularly sweet and meaningful.

July 2022