This is a longer than usual post. You may want to pour a cup of tea or a glass of wine and find a comfortable spot to sit. This was a long time coming. Although the idea began a year or more ago, the experiences that make this post worthwhile have taken over 10 years to accumulate. I hope you enjoy reading about it, at least a little bit as much as I enjoyed the journey of its creation.

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I was looking through my photos and revisited a collection from a recent trip to Ucluelet with our mothers. It was four days of mixed weather; the stormy ocean was amazing. We did not do a lot – mostly choosing to stay cozy by the fire and watch the waves augmented with an occasional stroll and delicious food (crab was killed).

That little New Years adventure caused me to reflect on the many, many adventures we have shared in the last 10+ years….

It all began in 2013 with a family trip to Italy for our wedding. Our mothers were 86 and 79 respectively. Neither one had been to Europe (Nikki: I did double check this fact with Rick so if I am wrong, please let Rick know).

They both took the entire adventure in stride, and except for a bunch of questions at the airport, they showed up like a seasoned travellers. They shared a room wherever we stayed, and somehow always managed to get a better one than we did – even though we were the bride and groom. The one in Venice was particularly spectacular.

We walked the streets of Rome, the very first night, in the pouring rain, climbed the narrow cobblestone alleys of Tuscan hill towns, took a cooking class, rode a Gondola in Venice and … well, you get the picture. So many experiences.

Their friendship was cemented during this first adventure, as was our desire to share as much of the world as possible, while they were still willing and able to travel.

Just a few months later, Laura and The Moms accompanied me on a business trip to San Francisco. While I was in meetings in the office, Laura acted as their guide. I was not with them as much as I would have liked, but at the end of the day I would hear all about their adventures: Fisherman’s Wharf (where vast quantities of crab were consumed), The San Francisco Zoo, The California Academy of Science, Alcatraz, Castro and the Mission District were all on their must see list. And see they did.

We were particularly lucky to stumble into the America’s Cup while returning from Alcatraz; my mother was overjoyed. I was pretty impressed by the amazing sailboats that flew above the water, barely touching and barely adhering to the laws of physics one expects from a boat. The were beautiful, and a marvel of engineering.

In 2014, we took a spontaneous trip to Nashville. It had been on my list for a while and I was preparing to start a new job in the fall. When I say “spontaneous”, I mean I suggested it at dinner one night and we were on a flight 10 days later. It is not at all my norm to forego weeks (months?) or research and just go with no particular plan in mind.

We spent most of the week in Nashville proper. There was music everywhere. We visited the Grand Ole Opry for a backstage tour and a concert. It was my first time seeing Brad Paisley, an astonishingly good guitarist – the country music version of Mark Knopfler. He regularly appears on my music playlist. The Johnny Cash Museum and The Country Music Hall of Fame were also on our list.

There were no peddle tavern adventures for us, though we saw them everywhere. The BBQ was excellent. There was music coming out of every doorway and on every corner when we walked down the street. We loved the tour of the Jack Daniels distillery and my mother recently reminded me of the walk we took on the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge as the sun was setting. Much fun was had in a random hat and boot shop.

We took one very long day to travel to Graceland and Memphis. I knew his music, but very little about Elvis himself. He was a very generous man who looked after his mother and supported countless charities. We all felt a bit teary as we shuffled past his grave.

Any Civil War buffs out there may be interested to know we stopped at Carnton House – where the Battle of Franklin was fought. The tour was awesome. Canadians don’t know much about the specifics of the Civil War; my knowledge largely originated from “Gone with the Wind” and “Little Women”. Seeing an actual battleground made it much more real.

In the Spring of 2015 it was New Orleans. This time it was Rick who had to work, while The Moms and I explored the city, the museums and the beautiful old graveyards. We especially enjoyed Mardi Gras World, a giant warehouse beside the Mississippi River where all the Mardi Gras floats are created. It was as if we had stepped into Alice’s Wonderland and I loved it.

We managed to fit in an airboat swamp tour, complete with a Cajun guide and a chance to hold a baby alligator – which may in fact be the only baby anything that fails to be cute. OK – maybe it is a little cute. The vegetation was amazing. The full grown alligators were exactly as imagined, slowly wending their way through the muddy water, just below the surface, with only their eyes and nostrils visible.

New Orleans food is an experience in itself, extending beyond the sugared beignets at Cafe du Monde. We celebrated my mother’s birthday with dinner at the Captains Table. Rick and I went through a long period of cooking gumbo, dirty rice, and my personal favourite, etouffee, when we returned home.

(Oh my, I can tell this is going to be a long post if I don’t start get moving….)

In 2016 our first adventure together was Cancun for the wedding of my nephew, AKA my mother’s grandson. The lantern ceremony and the wedding were truly lovely. It is hard to get a poor photo with a white sandy beach and turquoise blue water. This trip included a myriad of Tyler and Chantal’s friends and family, as well as my brother, Tyler’s Dad, and my son who was part of the wedding party.

A trip to Chichen Itza and fulfilling my Mother’s dream to swim with dolphins capped off the holiday.

** Please note that I am much more aware of the serious impacts of swimming with dolphins than I was at the time. I am not sure we would make the same choice today.**

In 2016 there was a trip to New York; my mother had never been, though Nikki had grown up in a cold water flat in Brooklyn and Rick was born in Queens. It was loud and bright, especially Times Square at night. We walked all over, supplemented by the Hop On Hop Off bus. We enjoyed fabulous food, saw a Broadway play “American in Paris” and did a tour of Radio City Music Hall. There were galleries and museums, and views from the One World Trade Centre and Rockefeller Centre and a wee bit of shopping – my personal favourite was the pencil store. We were also able to spend some time with Nikki and Rick’s family – and that was nice.

We had a whirlwind trip to Maui in 2017. There was business to be taken care of, but we also managed to squeeze in some of the beauty of the Hawaiian islands with a Road to Hana day trip, a sailing adventure, helicopter tour and a luau. Not too shabby.

And then it was time for another big trip – back to Europe, Spain this time. We started in Barcelona where we had a number of adventures before joining a bus tour. I kept a copy of a map where I documented the many kilometers travelled: Madrid, Bilboa, San Sebastian, Toledo, Cordoba, Seville, Valencia… you get the picture.

We experienced art (neither were impressed by Picasso though Rick and I both love his work). We all loved The Prado. The architecture was amazing: Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia, Parc Guell and Casa Batllo, Dali’s Teatro, The Guggenheim in Bilboa, and the Plaza de Espana in Seville. (As an aside, it seems many places we visited had a Plaza de Espana.) We passed through a multitude of churches, mosques and synagogues; many had begun life as one then evolved into another. And – big moment – took our first selfie together at Parc Guell! (We are more practised now.)

We went to a Flamenco performance where my Mother was challenged to keep her feet still. Though she did come home with her own castanets.

The food and drink were delicious. We drank a surprising amount of sangria, Cava and wine (I saw at least one tipsy Mama on the Rioja wine tour) and ate wonderful food that went far beyond pinchos and paella. I really enjoy pinchos, they are beautiful to look at and flavourful, yet I was stunned at how many our aging mothers were able to consume in a single sitting. Perhaps it was the result of all the walking?

Most importantly, we defied the odds and survived a blazing 45 degree C afternoon at Alhambra. This involved a lot of water, to drink, and to pour over oneself. It was probably one of our most physically challenging adventures navigating the hilly paths in such gruelling heat. It was stunning, no regrets. It has become an even more epic story of survival in its frequent retelling.

I confess that selecting photos that sufficiently convey our Spanish adventure was a challenge. These are merely is a teeny. tiny sampling.

Our last trip big was just before COVID hit – Israel. When I say last – this one really was it. The Moms both had some challenges, managing the cobble stairs and streets of Jerusalem was the most obvious one. We took more frequent walking breaks and took an occasional time out to rest in their room. This was a change from their “sign me up for anything” attitude on previous trips.

I hope it was still an amazing adventure for them. We loved the Church of the Annunciation, built over Mary’s home; it is filled with amazing artistic impressions of Mary Magdalene from around the world. We visited Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity, behind a giant wall with guarded crossings to the West Bank There were a lot of churches including The Church of the Holy Sepulchre where Christ was crucified and The Church of the Ascension where Christ ascended into heaven. The golden Dome of the Rock was stunning; we could only view it from a distance. However, we were able to get close to Kotel, the Wailing Wall, from above and the tunnels below. It was a moment – to be able to touch that wall.

We all floated in the Dead Sea and waded in the Red Sea.The visit to the Negev Desert was beautiful in a very different way from Haifa and the Bahai Gardens. Our visit to a kibbutz was enjoyable and I was surprised at the vibrant natural beauty of the Golan Heights – oddly pristine due to the large number of unexploded shells scattered through the region – large swathes of land cordoned off for safety. We loved Safed, a quaint little town overflowing with art and artists everywhere.

Our day trip to Petra was long and a bit onerous, in a very old and rather uncomfortable van. We were required to walk across the border between Israel and Jordan, with multiple check points along the way. Rick and I hiked Petra, while the mothers wisely choice to take a horse and carriage to meet us at the bottom for lunch and return to the top some time later.

We spent our few last days days in Tel Aviv, enjoying the turquoise ocean, some art, and amazing food.

There were patterns and similarities that emerged and became part of our travel stories. We would often see The Moms, heads together, deeply contemplating something. Or heads up looking to the sky or the top of a building at some surprising thing they had discovered.

The constantly changing hotel rooms were always a bit of a mystery to them; how to turn on the lights, the TV, the shower. And one of my favourites: why was there a mans voice in the bathroom? (It was a speaker connected to the TV and that voice was the newscaster.) After a few misadventures, we knew to take the few minutes required to escort them to their room and do a walk through. This is also how we discovered they almost always had better rooms.

The Moms had their ‘things’. Oatmeal for breakfast was a must. Even the most impressive breakfast buffet suffered demerits if there was no oatmeal. Early risers, we often would arrive for breakfast to find them already ensconced at a table for two, finishing their meal. When it came to breakfast – we were on our own.

They kept an eye on each other and would make sure we were aware of the other’s energy levels and requirements. They knew each other’s preferences and made certain we knew too. I am sure there were times we frustrated them, but we did our best.

Many people we know are puzzled or confused when we tell them of our travels with The Moms. I acknowledge that this is a rare thing – to be able to share these adventures as adults. It is also a rare thing to be blessed with mothers who enjoy being together so much (they never care if it is one bed or two). It is fun to see them awed and entertained. We have seen sides of each other I am not sure we would have had the opportunity to see in any other situation.Through it all we we talked – for hours and hours. We laughed and learned about new places and things and about each other. That time would have never been available to us in the normal flow and expectations of our busy lives.

This year The Moms will be 97 and 91 respectively. Our small adventures are close to home now; day trips to Victoria, long weekends in Ucluelet, and dinners together, or with the entire family. I appreciate all of those moments. I don’t even mind the cleaning and the cooking and Rick is always willing to jump in as chauffeur so we can be together.

My mother frequently expresses gratitude for the adventures we have shared. Mom, please hear me when I say this, it is I who am grateful.