Just to give you a glimpse of Salt Spring island and my day yesterday and today, another great sunny day, three games today and I should be home in time to catch the hockey game tonight. Have a great everyone....

It is Saturday evening about 6.30p.m. and what has been a beautiful sunny warm day and I am on Salt Spring Island, a small Gulf Island off Vancouver Island and today I refereed 5 soccer games. It was hard work and my old legs are a little weary, but it was fun. I have missed doing games whilst I the action was away so to get back into on such a great day was wonderful. It is a season ending local tournament so there is no real intensity and all the players are having fun and even the coaches and parents behaved themselves, somewhat of a rareity these days. I am all cleaned up and now sitting by the water eating strawberries and yogurt and hooked to somebodies(I don't know whose) internet. Photos will have to wait till I get home tomorrow, but trust me this is a very lovely island, people very friendly and all is well. I had a busy time since I got home visiting and connecting with all my friends, co workers and customers. It seems I was missed just a little and I am happy to be spending the summer here. For six years I have been fortunate and happy to have been in the company of a special man, Roy, he and I took outings every week day from 9am till 2pm and over this time we became close and he is such a special and funny man. We did many things together and he was such a willing helper and all those years we were together he never once was anything other than happy and smiling. Unfortunately Roy's memory was failing him and for the last 15 months he has been in a wonderful, caring faciltity where he is loved and cherished. I have missed Roy but went to visit him and spent some time with him on Friday, he looks just the same, big smile, a shake of those huge hands of his and of course he his happy. It was so nice to connect with him again and to know that all is well with him. I also resumed my friendship with another equally wonderful man, Ken, on Thursday and him and I picked up where we left off before I started my journey. Ken is a delight to be around, he keeps me on my toes and we have a lot of fun together. You will be hearing more about Ken as we are going to spend a month in the summer together whilst him family go for their first journey in their new motor home. I also went back to my old haunt The Granary and had supper with my poker buddies. This was a special but difficult night for me to go in there. I have worked there for 14 years and every day was a great one. I worked with wonderful ladies, we had a ball every night and I made so many tight bonds with my customers, just a great place to be, I was treated so well by my "Boss" Momma Bird, so to go back in as a customer, to be waited on and served was a novelty. On walking in there were so many friends there it was so touching, they seemed so happy to see me and to hear my stories, it seemed I went to every table and talked to everyone. The food is the best in town (no I am not on commission) and just a great place, I can see me having lots of meals there. Then of course I went and played poker and you think my buddies would be happy to see me after me missing 5 months of play, well they certainly didn't show it as they were quite content to take most of my 20 dollars, don't they know I am retired and need every penny!!!!! I don't believe I have gone on for so long, this was going to be a short post, I do apologize......Way to go Canucks, have a great weekend everyone..

Come on admit it....you are suffering from "blog withdrawal" I cannot let you all be in pain so here is an update. Settled down very well and have already connected with many friends and co-workers and old customers. The apartment is great and going to referee a soccer game in a few minutes. My friends in the referee's association presented me with this plaque before I left, which I was very touched to receive. The other photo is the front entrance of the building where I had my condo. It feels really good to be back and looking forward to the summer and hope it comes soon!!!!! Will add to this every couple of days. This weekend I am going to a lovely little Island called Salt Spring Island, it is about a 40 minute drive, then I take the van on the ferry for about 15 minutes. The island is quite hippy and gorgeous, I have many games to referee on their tournament weekend. Have a great weekend and I will post again sunday night, take care...

Well finally home after an incredible journey of 18,900 kilometres.... Arrived back on the island amidst blue skies and sunshine(even though it didn't last) around 6.30p.m. last night. My friend and owner of the house where I live in the lower apartment, Allison , was there to greet me and she has been busy painting and doing alterations and the apartment, my "summer home" looks great. These photos were taken this morning of the house but it was too foggy to catch the ocean and the mountains on the mainland, which is the view from the solarium. I am going to continue with the travelogue and invite ya all(see I still haven't lost my Texan accent) to join me when you have chance. Thank you to everyone for their e mails and words of encouragement along my journey. I have a busy summer planned, take care and best wishes Les

The first set of photos are of the church and the Tabernacle in Temple Square in Salt Lake City and a glimpse of all the beautiful flowers surrounding the buildings. It was a very interesting morning and one I shall not forget. I drove down town and found a parking spot, traffic was light and as you can tell the sun was shining and the sky was blue. In Temple Square are many buildings all belonging to the Mormons and this is right in the centre of town, there was a Church visitor's booth and I went there and was handed over to young ladies about 25 years of age, one was from New York and the other from London and both were missionaries. These ladies were beautiful, bright, articulate and very dedicated to their church. I had a private tour of all the buildings except the Tabernacle, which is not open to the public. They answered every question I asked and asked me many also. I found a lot of their beliefs very similar to the Salvation Army, where I was raised . The tour finished in this remarkably beautiful church and I was sat at the front and the ladies were stood to the aside and told me the tour had finished and how much they had enjoyed giving me the tour and they wanted to end with singing me a song. Which is what they did, they stood there and sang a verse of a hymn and it was so touching that goose's went up my arms!!!!!! It really was a great and fitting end to my journey. The other two photos were taken of the river running through Twin Falls, I put the golf green shot in for my brother, what a hole that must be. Well I am now in Baker City, Oregon after driving 855 kms today and I have checked the maps and realised I get home tomorrow night, so that is the plan, a long drive tomorrow, then ferry and home. I have received so many gracious comments about the blog that I have decided to keep it going. It won't be every day(don't ask me how I got to type in this print and I don't know how to get out of it) but I shall try and keep it interesting. So my next installment will be fro Nanaimo. THANK YOU everyone for joining my journey, you made it extra special for me.....Les

I now know the true 2 meanings of "Taking your breath away" The first meaning is getting the camera focused and click, the result takes your breath away. The second meaning is to hike miles at high elevation in order to get in position to click the camera, that takes your breath away!!!! A wonderful day this place deserves a Google and also to remember double clicking each photo will enlarge it. The weather Gods have been with me for 5 months now, when I started hiking at 9.30am this morning it was sunny and warm and the clouds came over in the afternoon and wind picked up and I was exiting the Park at 5pm it started to rain like crazy. I then drove a couple of hours through high elevation and pounding snow and now I am in a motel in Provo, Utah and watching the Flames and red wings go into the second overtime period. Tomorrow will be a long driving day, I wold like to spend some time around the tabernacle in Salt lake, but not sure if it will happen. This was the last of the National parks and one thing I learned today is not to go on the weekends, too many people. Hope everyone had a good day, Go Flames Go!!! As an ardent Oilers fan I cannot believe I said that!!!!!