Merry Christmas! Again, we started the day by sleeping late. We got packed up and checked out, and then we drove around some more:
...and I took a few last pictures:
Cargo ships at anchor
Ducks in a park
We drove back to the hotel for one last indulgence, a Christmas brunch buffet. Then we headed for the airport. But we had some time to kill, so we drove around some more:
...and then caught the plane for home. Unfortunately, it was delayed for over an hour due to engine trouble. But we finally got back to L.A. Then we tried to find a place to have dinner. Not easy at 9:00 on Christmas. But we did eventually get dinner, at the one place nearly guaranteed to be open on Christmas - a Chinese restaurant!
As every good husband who has remained married for 26 years should, Grinnell is letting me have the last word. I have to say that this was a crazy, irresponsible trip, but it was wonderrful. It was irresponsible because I had no vacation time built up yet, but I made up the hours before we left. I gained a great respect for the Canadian people, and for the country in general, and have a desire to return. The history, the friendliness of the people (it was more than just wanting our money), and everything about it was truly special.