Canada 2003 (the Maritimes)

Being home for the summer is wonderful in and of itself.  Being home for the summer and getting married is the cat`s meow!

It was Ryota`s first trip to Canada, and my family and friends` first chance to meet the man I had run off to Thailand to be with.  We thought it appropriate that they should meet him at least a few days before the wedding..

Ryota`s friends Kuroki and Hara flew in from Japan for the wedding.  Here they are with my matron of honour, Julie, and her babes, Cameron and Cole.

Ryota really bonded with Ralph and Charles.  It is apparant that they share the same sense of humour.  Something about those glasses...

Some people remarked that Ryota seemed exotically non-Canadian..  I don`t know.  I just don`t see it.

But in any case it was great to see Canada through Ryota`s eyes.  I gained a whole new respect for quiet country roads and the McLobster Roll.

Speaking of lobsters, that became Ryota`s obsession during our entire stay.  He ate lobster almost every day in one form or another.  It was really quite ridiculous.  My father pitched in by making lobsters and mussels for Ryota, Kuroki, Hara, Krista and I.  Yum!

Kuroki and Hara were known far and wide as the infamous J-boys, and they were loved by all.  Everyone seemed charmed by their warm personalities, excellent decorating skills, dancing techniques and ability to eat copious amounts of seafood.

We only arrived home a few days before the wedding, but we tried to squeeze in a little fun.  To be honest, I had loads of fun just driving!  Which is fortunate, considering the amount of time we spent driving around from one place to the next. I felt really cool.  Imagine if I hadn`t been driving a neon!  Also, I felt really safe.  In spite of the lethal potholes, Canadian driving beats Thailand hands-down.  The only dangerous driving factor was me, as I was averaging 3 hours of sleep a night and dependant on Tim Horton`s coffee to get me through my driving shifts.

What else? Oh- we got in some beach time!  It was Ryota`s first splash in the Atlantic, and possibly Krista`s, too.  Here they are a-splashing.  I managed to get in as far as my calves.

What else?  I ate a lot of Canadian food-especially poutine.  And then there was a sign up at the gas station welcoming us to Canada.  And we saw lots of sunrises because we were jetlegged and kept waking up at insane hours of the morning.

And  Ryota looked not at all less exotic after dyeing his hair.

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