Saturday, August 1. 2009
My parents 50th wedding anniversary today...Sid and Connie Hucul
50 years ago today, at Circlebank Hall up near Hythe, which is west of Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada my parents, SIdney and Connie (nee Burbee) Hucul were married.
My parents met in the RCAF, Royal Canadian Air Force, which they had both joined. Mom had been raised on the homestead all her life, and her family came from Edmonton, and before that, Scotland, France, and Norway.
My Father came from strong Ukrainian blood, and of course, was mostly raised in Manitoba as most good transplanted Ukrainians were at that time, and became a young adult while in Toronto Ontario. I remember being shocked at how young my father was when he quit school to go to work. He was raised by a single mother and he did everything from deliver telegrams to newspapers, groceries and prescriptions.
My parents RCAF career had just begun back in 1958, and there was not a lot of money back in those days. It is amazing that they were even married as my father decided to gamble away ALL his money just before coming out to get married, and mom had to pay for about everything. I am sure she was not impressed with him one little bit!
My parents loved traveling, and after marriage they were to Saskatoon, where my brother Danny and I were born, to Goose Bay in Labrador, to Toronto in Ontario where my sister Sydney was born, To holberg on the Northern End of Vancouver Island and then the dream posting came up! A posting over to Belgium to SHAPE for three years and a further year in Lahr Germany before returning to Edmonton Alberta for a llllooonnnngggg time. This picture was taken in the 1970's...
They smartly hit retirement age from the service about the time they ended up in Victoria BC and have been retired for almost 20 years now! Hard to believe!! One of the things i can say about my parents is they truly do love their children, and grandchildren, and since retirement have gotten quite a bit of enjoyment out of their truck and camper, taking it all over the continent many times. Their children ended up scattered three sheets to the wind (in more then one way at times!) but they take it in turn and try and see us all as often as they can. I have had the pleasure of having them down on the yacht with me many times over the years.
With my parents becoming 50, that means that I am only one year away from that milestone myself. It is a sobering thought! The older I become the much better friends I become with my parents and the more time I want to spend with them. The more information about the past I want to dig out of their minds. I hear the pride in their voices when they talk about their children, any of them, and it brings tears to my eyes when I hear it now. Especially because in my wild and younger years, there was usually a lot of talk about my "potential" as opposed to their "pride"!
This was the last full family gathering a few years ago with my brother and sister, down cruising the Virgin Islands...
Today is my parent's 50th anniversary, and I am very sad that I cannot be there. It just did not work. That is what happens when you run your own business sometimes. My mother received flowers today, from many, and she LOVES flowers. I did not inherit that trait, but decided that I would share her flowers today, as it has been a tough week.
Why has it been a tough week? My father, who has had two quadruple bypasses and is in his mid 70's landed in hospital about the day we picked up this charter. We had no diagnosis, just my dear father on morphine every couple hours. This left me on charter, my mother to not only worry about him, but put together the open house they are having next weekend for their 50th for friends. I tossed and turned around the getting in a freelance chef so I could go up there, but was convinced to wait and see. Therefore, although I may be cooking and posting blogs, my mind and emotions are not here. I think about my father wondering what is wrong, and hoping that this is not the time we will be saying good bye to him, near a 50th wedding anniversary. I love this picture of him, I took it in May at Anegada... (Damn, wipe all the tears away so I can finish typing here)
I think this is about my favorite picture I have taken of them, on the beaches of Anegada. I have another one I like better, but they are walking AWAY from me on the beach, and I am not ready for that. We need to make more good memories.
I love you mom, I love you dad, I feel terrible that I am not there today and I am so sorry that you have had to spend your anniversary watching dad in hospital, and listening to the morphine hallucinations. I am so sorry I am not there.
To my wonderful parents, thank you for getting married 50 years ago today.
This picture was taken this spring in front of the Hall they were married in. It is now in a heritage park! What does that say? It says that 50 years is a long time for a building to stand nowadays I guess never mind a marriage.
You may wonder what did I get my parents for their 50th anniversary?
Genetic profiling! So we can more accurately follow the geneology lines back in history and find out who is related to us, something my parents have researched for at least a dozen years!
So, we still don't have a diagnosis, although my father came home this afternoon. I apologize for the emails I have not returned this week, I have stared at some of them in my in box, but that is all I have done. I, as well, have been worrying about my youngest son, who we put through rehab a few months ago. I knew what he was doing every day and where he was and that he was safe every day until this past Monday or Tuesday, the same day as dad. I have not heard from him since then. I will hope to have my perky self back tomorrow, but not for this entry, not for today. My heart is a mixture of sadness and love and I think that is where it is going to finish up the night.
My parents met in the RCAF, Royal Canadian Air Force, which they had both joined. Mom had been raised on the homestead all her life, and her family came from Edmonton, and before that, Scotland, France, and Norway.
My Father came from strong Ukrainian blood, and of course, was mostly raised in Manitoba as most good transplanted Ukrainians were at that time, and became a young adult while in Toronto Ontario. I remember being shocked at how young my father was when he quit school to go to work. He was raised by a single mother and he did everything from deliver telegrams to newspapers, groceries and prescriptions.
My parents RCAF career had just begun back in 1958, and there was not a lot of money back in those days. It is amazing that they were even married as my father decided to gamble away ALL his money just before coming out to get married, and mom had to pay for about everything. I am sure she was not impressed with him one little bit!
My parents loved traveling, and after marriage they were to Saskatoon, where my brother Danny and I were born, to Goose Bay in Labrador, to Toronto in Ontario where my sister Sydney was born, To holberg on the Northern End of Vancouver Island and then the dream posting came up! A posting over to Belgium to SHAPE for three years and a further year in Lahr Germany before returning to Edmonton Alberta for a llllooonnnngggg time. This picture was taken in the 1970's...
They smartly hit retirement age from the service about the time they ended up in Victoria BC and have been retired for almost 20 years now! Hard to believe!! One of the things i can say about my parents is they truly do love their children, and grandchildren, and since retirement have gotten quite a bit of enjoyment out of their truck and camper, taking it all over the continent many times. Their children ended up scattered three sheets to the wind (in more then one way at times!) but they take it in turn and try and see us all as often as they can. I have had the pleasure of having them down on the yacht with me many times over the years.
With my parents becoming 50, that means that I am only one year away from that milestone myself. It is a sobering thought! The older I become the much better friends I become with my parents and the more time I want to spend with them. The more information about the past I want to dig out of their minds. I hear the pride in their voices when they talk about their children, any of them, and it brings tears to my eyes when I hear it now. Especially because in my wild and younger years, there was usually a lot of talk about my "potential" as opposed to their "pride"!
This was the last full family gathering a few years ago with my brother and sister, down cruising the Virgin Islands...
Today is my parent's 50th anniversary, and I am very sad that I cannot be there. It just did not work. That is what happens when you run your own business sometimes. My mother received flowers today, from many, and she LOVES flowers. I did not inherit that trait, but decided that I would share her flowers today, as it has been a tough week.
Why has it been a tough week? My father, who has had two quadruple bypasses and is in his mid 70's landed in hospital about the day we picked up this charter. We had no diagnosis, just my dear father on morphine every couple hours. This left me on charter, my mother to not only worry about him, but put together the open house they are having next weekend for their 50th for friends. I tossed and turned around the getting in a freelance chef so I could go up there, but was convinced to wait and see. Therefore, although I may be cooking and posting blogs, my mind and emotions are not here. I think about my father wondering what is wrong, and hoping that this is not the time we will be saying good bye to him, near a 50th wedding anniversary. I love this picture of him, I took it in May at Anegada... (Damn, wipe all the tears away so I can finish typing here)
I think this is about my favorite picture I have taken of them, on the beaches of Anegada. I have another one I like better, but they are walking AWAY from me on the beach, and I am not ready for that. We need to make more good memories.
I love you mom, I love you dad, I feel terrible that I am not there today and I am so sorry that you have had to spend your anniversary watching dad in hospital, and listening to the morphine hallucinations. I am so sorry I am not there.
To my wonderful parents, thank you for getting married 50 years ago today.
This picture was taken this spring in front of the Hall they were married in. It is now in a heritage park! What does that say? It says that 50 years is a long time for a building to stand nowadays I guess never mind a marriage.
You may wonder what did I get my parents for their 50th anniversary?
Genetic profiling! So we can more accurately follow the geneology lines back in history and find out who is related to us, something my parents have researched for at least a dozen years!
So, we still don't have a diagnosis, although my father came home this afternoon. I apologize for the emails I have not returned this week, I have stared at some of them in my in box, but that is all I have done. I, as well, have been worrying about my youngest son, who we put through rehab a few months ago. I knew what he was doing every day and where he was and that he was safe every day until this past Monday or Tuesday, the same day as dad. I have not heard from him since then. I will hope to have my perky self back tomorrow, but not for this entry, not for today. My heart is a mixture of sadness and love and I think that is where it is going to finish up the night.
Power Loungers and Lemon Sharks at Jost Van Dyke
My day did not to seem to start out well! I dropped the grated cheese all over the floor (it forced me to give it a good clean and realize that Brent may not be the best floor wiper at night!)
Our guests went snorkeling at Monkey Point and were quite concerned that they did not see any silversides, but they eventually found them! It was a long lazy spinnaker run all the way to White Bay on Jost Van Dyke, where dolphins were swimming around the boat as we came in. By the time I had the camera together they were gone!
The guests did what guests normally do at the beach, and it included the lounger and cold drinks!
We made our way around to Great Harbour for the trip out to Willy T's, that I don't believe is happening, I think it is more fishing! Barbecued steak tonight....
Bazza has the casting net out...
And the first fish caught was a Lemon Shark. Funny, if we are going to catch sharks here it is normally Lemon Sharks, they must like this area!
It is 10:30 and fishing is continuing, dishes are being washed, but I am tucked up in my bed writing blogs!
Our guests went snorkeling at Monkey Point and were quite concerned that they did not see any silversides, but they eventually found them! It was a long lazy spinnaker run all the way to White Bay on Jost Van Dyke, where dolphins were swimming around the boat as we came in. By the time I had the camera together they were gone!
The guests did what guests normally do at the beach, and it included the lounger and cold drinks!
We made our way around to Great Harbour for the trip out to Willy T's, that I don't believe is happening, I think it is more fishing! Barbecued steak tonight....
Bazza has the casting net out...
And the first fish caught was a Lemon Shark. Funny, if we are going to catch sharks here it is normally Lemon Sharks, they must like this area!
It is 10:30 and fishing is continuing, dishes are being washed, but I am tucked up in my bed writing blogs!
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