Travel
Family vacations
With Doug busy, sometimes very busy, with long hours at the shipyard, the free time required to actually go on a family vacation was a luxury. However, it was a luxury that Gwen insisted upon, because she thought everyone needed a break and a change of scenery. She was right.
The destination wasn't always exotic (though sometimes it was), but she always insisted we go somewhere. And so we did.
Our first family trip to Disneyland, when Michael was five and Jason was three, was filled with adventure, punctuated by the plane being forced to divert because of a bomb threat. But boy were we lucky to go somewhere so fun.
We spent many summers at the beach, alternating between Qualicum and Parksville on Vancouver Island. But our mum’s favourite location was always Lincoln City, Oregon, close to where she and Doug had their honeymoon. It became a staple of the "non-exotic" locales. As a kid, there were fewer things more fun than running around on the wide open, sandy beach and plunging into the arctic cold Pacific Ocean, flying a kite, or having a breakfast at the Pixie Kitchen or Sambo’s. Mum liked to shop, and there would eventually be plenty of that in Oregon too.
When Mark came along, it was time for him to go to Disneyland, too, and as Michael moved away to Pennsylvania, there would be trips to visit him on the east coast, plus road trips across Canada and the United States, as well.
Finally, there would be trips with her granddaughter Natalie, where the fun of a family vacation to Disneyland, Disney World, and the Oregon Coast would be shared with another generation.
Once her sons were grown and had responsibilities of their own, the time was right for Gwen and Doug to explore the world as a duo. Their transportation mode of choice was cruise ships. Gwen absolutely loved to cruise.
When she wasn't on a cruise, she was busy planning the next one. That, we're sure, was all part of the fun. Where would we go next? What ship would we go on? What do we want to see? What are we going to eat?
Gwen was an accomplished vacation planner, and no matter where she went, the choices she made were almost always perfect. And oh, the places she went. She had the chance to experience everywhere from Alaska to Mexico, Northern Europe to the Mediterranean, the Caribbean to the Panama Canal, and Hawaii to New Zealand and Australia.
She made many friends along the way, saw many sights, enjoyed fine dining, and had many a glass of wine, gazing out at the ocean and the endless horizon. There were still places that needed to be seen and experienced, but Gwen made the most of her short time with us and saw more of the world than many ever will.
Even though Mum won't be going on any more cruises with us, we all know she’ll be there in spirit whenever we’re sailing the high seas (or saddling up to the buffet).
