Once the eye of the storm was on us, it felt like the storm was over! It sat on us for probably 6 hours as the storm slowed and the eye started getting bigger. Then as it finally moved away we experienced the second half of the storm but it was no longer a hurricane, it was more like just a rainy windy day at that point.
We lost power on a Friday night at about 8:30 and then we got it back Sunday overnight in time to have power again for Monday. Well, they’re OK because of course we have the generator to run those things but without the AC going the humidity was just ridiculous in the house. LOL
After the hurricane, we unfortunately lost a large branch from our favorite avocado tree, which fell directly on the driveway. One of the banana trees with a bunch of bananas also toppled over, so we’ll be bringing those in, ready or not. As usual, there are a bunch of avocados scattered across the grass. I protected my basil plants, and they turned out great after the storm.
It’s Cup Match weekend! This year, we decided to actually go. And to be more adventurous, we decided to ride the new electric scooter! Boy is that ever a smooth ride!
The event was held in Somerset this year. So much tradition here! It was very hot, but still fully packed out!
Of course, we had some of the must-have foods. I had the Conch fritters.
And of course, it wouldn’t be a Cup Match without the Crown & Anchor tent. We didn’t play, but we felt the vibe!
Other than that, we made one circuit around the field and then called it a day. We were mostly there for the atmosphere, and we got it!
Afterward, we decided to go play some mini golf.
At first, I was frustrated because the greens were pretty bumpy, so I was constantly missing easy shots. But once I resigned myself that it was going to be somewhat random, it was fun anyway. We actually tied over the first 12 holes, but I got wiped out in the last 6. Ah well.
For the first time, we’re taking Bermuda Air. The flight was not quite full and the plane was not quite as big but the seats were very comfortable and there was lots of legroom.
We made a stop at Yorkdale Mall and had a nice lunch at Moxie Grill. The food was actually better than we expected from a mall restaurant.
Driving to Peterborough, I stayed on the 401 but we should have taken the 407 because we hit rush hour traffic and it took forever. Ah well, it’s neat to remember what traffic like that was like, and appreciate Bermuda more. It took well over 2 hours to get there.
The house upstairs expansion is finished! It’s just inside work remaining now, but this meant that they all had a bedroom upstairs, and we had a nice guest room downstairs! Claira was already starting to get ready for her graduation ativities. And of course I had to get cut pics of Mollie, their kitty!
Claira’s graduation had daytime activities as well as the actual ceremony later on. In the gym, they showed everyone’s baby pictures, and people had to guess who it was. They guessed Claira immediately because Simon was in the picture, I think! Then we headed out for lunch.
Claira looked absolutely lovely! I love how the girls all have their own style, and they stand by it.
When Claira went up for her diploma, the principal said some very nice things about her.
“Don’t underestimate her—she may be small, but mighty. This young lady is always willing to lend a helping hand wherever she is, even when eating or packing snacks for our school. Congratulations!”
One of our whole family activities was strawberry picking! You go there, pick your own strawberries, then buy what you picked at the end. The crop was so incredibly abundant, we barely picked 10 feet across 2 rows, and filled all of our baskets! It was wonderful to have those lovely fresh strawberries to snack on for days.
It was Paul’s birthday, my birthday, and a month after my sister’s birthday, so we had a big family birthday celebration and dinner. We got Lily and drove out to The Chemong Lodge. A lovely place in a wooded setting and everyone had a nice time together!
Lex and I took a few days for ourselves. We drove out of Peterborough towards Algonquin Park. On the way, we passed through Bancroft – for a small town in the middle of nowhere, it was actually quite a hub for all the people from small towns in the whole area. It surprised me, and a place like that would definitely be something to consider maybe to live later on should we decide to leave Bermuda at some point.
We found a Couples Resort right near the East gate to Algonquin Park, where we stayed for 3 nights. It was a really quaint place, trying hard to be a 5-star resort. The room was nice, with a balcony and hot tub inside and outside overlooking the river. One evening we even got to experience a thunderstorm in the distance, right from the hot tub, all the while staying dry.
Our resort had bikes, canoes, boats, and paddle boats that we could just use! We checked out some bikes and explored the area once we settled in. Afterward, we took out a paddle boat and floated in the river! It was relaxing because the wind was blowing us one way, and the current was pushing the other way, so we had to do NOTHING to stay in the same place. Perfect!
And later they had bonfires where we chatted with some of the other guests. It was really neat – ALL the guests were in fact couples!
The entire stretch of road through the part is only 45 minutes long, so really all trails are fair game for a day trip, and we had 2 days to spend. Our resort also included free day passes to the park that we could use!
We started with the Lookout trail, which was supposed to be really short. But we started it too early (i.e. the first parking lot), not knowing there was a second parking lot. LOL No worries, it just had us hiking along the road for a half-kilometer each way.
We drove along for a while and stopped for a mid-day snack at the Lake of Two Rivers.
I started noticing a lot of different kinds of mushrooms growing from the trees, so I made a point of snapping them. Here’s the whole collection!
On the second day, we started with the Whiskey Rapids trail. We tried to choose a variety of trails, so this one would be river-focused.
In the afternoon we made the Spruce Bog Boardwalk trail – it was all boardwalks across a spongey bog! I didn’t step on the ground but felt it with one foot, and it really felt like stepping on a soaked sponge. At the end, we saw a little snake on the last boardwalk! It was a Moose Snake. Why? Because the whole time we saw Moose crossing signs, and hoped to see a moose, but no luck. So instead, we declared every animal we saw to be of the Moose variety, like the snake, the Moose chipmunk, Moose flies, and the Moose turtle. 🙂
Our last stop in the park was the Logging Museum as an easy finish to the second day. There was a lot to see along the lakeside trail, and we learned a lot about how logging was done in the early days, and how it evolved into the present day. After a little theatre presentation, the screen and door opened up and we saw the same cabin as in the video, right in front of us. Neat.
Throughout the trip, we had some great food experiences. From One Eighty in Peterborough, to The Chemong Lodge, and from lovely home-cooked meals to Timbits and fancy meals at the Couples Resort.
Heading to Cayman for Sweetie’s business trip! I made sure to try on my wet suit before the trip. We slept through most of the flight and arrived at the hotel in the afternoon, where we had a smooth check-in.
Jun 3
In the morning, our room looked much brighter than we remembered from the night before—we really liked it.
We checked out the pool area and bar.
Later, we went to the hotel restaurant. It was raining and hot, but the food was excellent. The roasted cauliflower had a Middle Eastern flavor with yogurt and cumin spices. I also had the local branzino, topped with ultra-thin potato scallops that resembled scales. Then, we shared a dessert—a banoffee. It featured two whole bananas and two generous dollops of a delightful mix, almost like crème brûlée and caramel ice cream. In the end, we ate way too much and forgot to take a picture of the dessert.
There were plenty of chickens wandering around, and one of them jumped onto an umbrella before leaping into the tree above.
Jun 4
This morning, I went for a run, although I had to run a few blocks on the road before reaching the beach.
I also did my usual stock trading and some Zenith grinding because I need to get to level 100 and obtain my unique boots and bow before they reset for season 3.
It’s so lovely out here under the fans with the breeze where I went out for lunch. The chicken was perfect, and both salads were really good. Then I went back and hung out at the pool for a while!
We went out for dinner with Lothar’s friends, Juan and Sarah. After stopping by their house and seeing this lovely sunset, we headed to The Falls Steakhouse. The company was wonderful, and their son joined us as well. He had just finished his medical degree, so we had plenty of biology-related conversations.
The food was really good, though the steak could have been a bit less done for a ribeye. And I couldn’t resist—I caved in for the sticky toffee pudding dessert.
Jun 5
I went next door to the Marriott for lunch—what a wonderful view! My table felt like a front-row seat, lol.
The crab and shrimp salad was amazing. And since I had such a huge dessert last night, I just asked for mango slices—the mangoes here are fresh and local.
Jun 6
I embarked on an unforgettable diving adventure with Off The Wall Divers, exploring the renowned North Wall. Our first dive was a thrilling wall dive, and I was mesmerized by the sheer drop-off. While the reef life wasn’t as vibrant as I remembered, I figured it was due to the spring season. The warm water surrounded me, and I was relieved that my contact lenses didn’t cause any issues during either dive.
The only hiccup was a brief bout of motion sickness toward the end of the 45-minute surface interval on the boat. Still, the experience was exhilarating, and I fully immersed myself in the beauty of the underwater world.
Once I finally got refreshed and rinsed off, I headed to Kamana Bay for lunch. I stopped by Edgy Veggie and enjoyed some delicious cauliflower “chicken” wings and a falafel salad.
And a nice dinner later together, just the two of us along the water!
Jun 7
Friday was full of delightful surprises. We met up with Lothar’s friend Jack for coffee, and he recommended a hidden gem for lunch—Agua, a waterfront restaurant in Camana Bay. The set menu was perfect for me, offering high-quality, flavorful dishes at a reasonable price. The setting was breathtaking, with turquoise water gently lapping at our feet.
But our relaxing day took an unexpected turn when our flight was repeatedly delayed. Before we knew it, we were rebooked on a completely different flight to Miami, with an overnight layover. Our connecting flight to Bermuda was no longer an option.
Jun 8
Making the most of the detour, we spent the day at Dolphin Mall in Miami. We strolled, shopped, and soaked up the sunshine until it was time to head back to the airport for our rebooked flight. Despite the travel hiccups, we embraced the unexpected twists and found joy in the journey.
The Deloitte summer party was at Elbow Beach, with nibbles at Mickey’s. We got to catch up with friends while there too. It sure was a scorcher though, so it was all about finding shade. There was a DJ on the beach too!
We had a fun time cheering on people running the Bermuda Half Marathon. Some of our friends joined because we live so close to a good cheering spot. It’s also a water station and a relay exchange point, so lots going on!
We went to the Sail GP. Little did I know that the Canadian boat was a top contender!. But as soon as I found out, my excitement level skyrocketed! I was thrilled to cheer on the Canadian team, and I wasn’t alone – a whole contingent of Canadian fans was in the crowd, all of us eager to see the team in action.
We had splurged on VIP tickets, and it was totally worth it. Our seats were perfect, with a big screen to track the race and decent food to fuel our cheering. The sun shone brightly as we enjoyed a lovely day by the water, watching those incredible boats zip past on their foils.
But our day wasn’t without a hitch – we had to navigate a conflict with Formula One, which was happening at the same time! We managed to secure our parking spots just in time, then streamed F1 in the car!
And then we were free to focus on the sailing. And what a thrill it was! The speed, the skill, the suspense – it all combined for an unforgettable experience. Go Canada!
We went early, got our parking spot, and then set ourselves up to watch Formula One in the car.
I joined the Ladies Salsa On2 Tempo team in February. We learned the choreography over 3 months, and performed in April! We started out with 4 girls but ended up performing with just 3. Here’s us at a photo shoot leading up to performance day!
It wasn’t my first performance, but the excitement on performance night was felt by all, both old and new! Some backstage shots before the stage at my prep area
And here are 2 of us ready and waiting to go up. Del and I are new friends now and see each other outside dancing.
The City Hall stage, and some of the other performances.
Finally, some stills from our performance, including our bows at the end.
And here’s our video!
And a couple of pics from the after-party at the art gallery upstairs. Can’t believe I didn’t get one with Lothar!!
So on April 8th, we had a total solar eclipse in parts of North America. Here in Bermuda, we got a 50% eclipse. Everybody contends with a lot of clouds.
I followed a live stream that was put on by the University of Toronto and so I got some good screenshots from their feed. It was funny because everybody initially was having technical difficulties positioning their telescopes to point at the sun because of the clouds. But eventually, we got some really good views.
It was cool how it got all dark and eerie at the highest point of the eclipse.
When it came here in Bermuda, I was able to capture some kind of image with my phone and also glimpse it through some breaks in the clouds. The picture turned out neat because I used an action shot thinking it was going to give me the quickest exposure. I had no luck capturing the eclipse on the sun itself however I got some pretty accurate representations in the lens reflections!
In Peterborough, they were able to go to a lake nearby and see the total eclipse, including what looked like sunsets on all sides.
We gathered at the historic White Horse extravaganza on a windy day.
The kids built kites while the adults found space to stand.
Then, we headed outside for a scavenger hunt, thinking we’d done well, but actually coming in last. Afterward, we enjoyed a piñata filled with candy, made by Sophia’s mom. The kids loved it, and the sweets disappeared in seconds. Despite the wind and surprises, we had a fun day together!
