And I was worried that I wouldn't be able to entertain myself...

On Monday (which seems ages ago) I met up with G for lunch downtown.  We work at the same place and her last day is this Friday.  It was really nice to have a long, leisurely lunch with her on an outdoor patio in Yaletown, instead of the lunchroom with no natural light at work as we have been doing for the past 4 1/2 years.
I truly enjoy G's company and that's saying a lot, given that I dislike most people.  She's moving to Seattle to be with her husband, but I really hope that we stay in touch.
Because I am a lady of leisure I then went to drop my bags off at my mother's, before heading to meet C for dinner and to congratulate him on his very new and very cute little baby girl.  It's always good to catch up, and he was much less argumentative than usual, which I will chalk up to sleep deprivation.
Crashed at my mom's, and then on Tuesday morning we headed to Pender Island to visit my aunt and uncle.  Up until now I'd never seen there place (as until rather recently they were living in Calgary after moving their from Richmond).
Additionally, I've only ever been to one Gulf Island besides Lasqueti: Saltspring.
If you know me and my childhood (and you don't) you know I spent a lot of time on Lasqueti: a pot  growing mecca with gravel roads and no electricity and everyone smells like patchouli, but not in a good way.  Lasqueti boycotted a Frisbee competition, because they weren't allowed to play naked.
I'm not kidding.
Anyways, after seeing a couple of Mercedes and a couple of Jags and an Audi I was definitely of the mindset that I wasn't in Kansas anymore.  Where were the cars driving sans insurance and sans, well, sans doors?
Paved roads?  Electricity?  A golf course?  A sushi restaurant!  A liquor store!  Police?  It was very different than that which I had grown up with.
My aunt and uncle's place was beautiful.  Wonderfully appointed and laid out, with a breathtaking exposure and no expense spared on the interior.  My uncle's "Ladies of the Orchards" scarecrows were dangling in the fruit trees.  My aunt's whimsical taste was evident everywhere.
It's always interesting to go somewhere without any expectations.  Chicago.  Kitimat.  Philadelphia.  Prince Rupert.  Washington, D.C.  Pender.
Pender was wonderful and I would like to return.  We visited Hope Bay, Poet's Cove and Roe Island and had dinner at a great pub at Port Browing. 
I'm sad, in some regards, that we had to let our property on Lasqueti go after my father died.  I think we all wanted to hold on to it because, in doing so, we were holding on to the memory of Gordie, but it wasn't practical or sustainable and we had to let it go.
I am glad that another relative in our family has a place on the Islands that we can go to visit and reminisce, without having to endure the stress and sadness that came with owning an uninhabited estate which was once the source of so many joyous times. 
Their house was warm and livable and accommodating, and they were generous to share with us their pictures from their recent trip to Europe (and also Haida Gwaii).
I will absolutely go back.