Our journey started at 4:00 am as we headed out from Deep Bay for the 5:45 ferry from Duke Point... I know, I know! The ferry leaves at 5:15!! No worries, we simply took a quick trip to Timmy's and then headed for the 6:20 am from Departure Bay! Not such a bad deal as you aren't on the ferry as long and we even got to see Robert who is now working on the ferries (we did confirm that he wasn't driving the boat as none of us were up for that). Once in Horseshoe Bay we grabbed a small cab to YVR (picture Gran, dad, and I all shoved into the back seat of a toyota corolla!). The flight was relatively uneventful and the seating room was quite spacious so before we knew it (5:00 pm BC time) we were in Toronto.
We arrived wednesday so there were two days before the wedding (today is the wedding day) and Cameron quickly put us to work. Dorianna had to work Thursday and Cam managed to schedule a number of appointments that kept him (and dad) away from the yard which left Gran and I with the yard work! As you can see from the picture the front flower boxes were a mix of lawn (grass) and flowers, and Cam and Dori had managed to cultivate the tallest dandelions I've ever seen! Gran managed to clear both of the front beds before the heat chased us inside, while I mowed (hayed really) the front and back lawns. After trips to the barber (for dad) and the dentist, Cam did managed to stay home long enough to put together the new deck furniture so that we could eat dinner on the new deck! Gran took this opportunity to point out the other yard work that we could do on Friday (fortunately it rained Friday morning!!).
Friday morning mom flew in on the red-eye and after a wonderful breakfast she headed off to bed for some sleep and I headed out shopping with Dori. I knew that I was coming to "Little Italy" but man-o-man, I was not prepared for the groceries to have entire Italian sections...within each aisle. We picked up the same cookies that we had brought home for Dad from Genoa and I managed to find some very Genoanesce focaccia bread so I was really happy!! Dori had taken me for gelato the night before and as we were heading over to her parent's place for dinner she assured me that I would get another taste of Italy!!
Last night was the first time the two families met and it was great! Dorianna has two sibs, an older brother (Anthony - married to Maria) and a younger sister (Angela married to Dave), one niece (Vanessa) and one nephew (Alexander) and a new niece/nephew who we are all hoping does not appear until after the wedding but I'm thinking that Angela would be happy to deliver soon after (due Aug 3). Dori's parents are Anna and Nunzio and they are incredibly welcoming and lovely people! We were greeting with warm welcomes and almost immediately the food, drink, and stories started! One day I would love to travel back to Italy with Anna and Nunzio (and maybe Cam and Dori) as it would appear that there were in fact Carbs left behind, and salamis, sausages, and many many other foods that I should have tried!! Dori's sister in-law Maria's family is from Sicily (which despite what maps tell you is NOT the same thing a Italy!!) and it sounds like there is a lot of diversity there too!
Dave cooking lamb spaducci
Dorianna warmed us all to 'pace ourselves' when it came to food and suggested that our late lunch was a poor decision... she was right! We started off with lamb spaducci, a skewered dish that involves a lot of work but is soooo worth it! For dinner we had a variety of salads, olives, and steak and then came the fruit, and then the cookies! One of the highlights for me was when Nunzio asked "What's wrong with you people? Come and eat!" This of course was directed at his own family as we were already to chow-down on the lovely dishes!!
The night also involved a playing the "world cup of rummy-o" (trademarked by Cam & Dori) - Dad like this as it had him playing inside with the cookies while mom occupied at an outside table!! Cam was the only one of us to make it through the group stage and while Gran's prediction of an early exit (which would allow her to read her book) was realized, she continued to play on with Anna's sisters (Donna and Rosa). I ended up subbing in for Nunzio in the quarter finals but was quickly eliminated by the Simone brother - sister combo! I'll post the video of Dori reading the rule out - you'll all see why her family and ours will do well together!
The evening was a lot of fun and Gran and I managed to make it back to Cam and Dori's (I was driving!!) with only a few wrong turns - I didn't trust the Darth Vader GPS and turned too early!!! I'll post a slideshow of photos from the BBQ and will of course add more from the wedding today. Cam's got breakfast ready (his last as an unmarried man) and soon we (the ladies) are off to the beauty parlor while the men are off for massages! Stay tuned for it is sure to be an interesting, food filled event!!
Ag
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