And we're off !!!!!!

Our newest "Grand Adventure" actually started last night when Arnie and Rita (i.e., our house-swap partners) dropped us off at a motel near the Toronto Airport.  Since our plane was leaving early, we set our alarm for 4 a.m. and believe it or not we practically collided in an attempt to turn it off 10 min. before it went off!!   ;-) 

We've both flown before, but we never tire of the adventure of being able to travel thousands of miles in just hours.  Okay so maybe more than just a few hours, ... but still!

 It's interesting to note that once our plane went beyond the Toronto/Montreal area, the number of towns or for that fact, houses, became less and less.  Once we were over Nova Scotia, even the farms almost disappeared! (From the sky, the farms look almost like blocks of different shades/colours ...  kind of like one of my favourite things ... a quilt ! ) 

We landed in Halifax and then went the last leg of our trip to Gander on a propeller plane. 

We met an interesting fellow while we waited at the Halifax Airport.  He struck up a conversation with us in line at Timmies.  He loved to talk and so the time went really quickly! Turns out he is an environmental engineer whose job was to inspect the "green" aspects of a new school in Gander.  He went to University of Waterloo (small world) and has lived all over Newfoundland - lots of interesting stories!!!

Newfoundland looks beautiful from the air.  So much forest and open land with lakes everywhere.  When you think of how expensive any land is in Ontario, especially waterfront, it is unbelievable that  so much of it here, in Newfoundland, is totally untouched!

I thought about Ann Ouellette and her experience going to and from Ottawa and Toronto in June.  She would have appreciated the turbulence we had just before we landed in Gander. (NOT)  When I looked around, there were more than a few with their eyes closed tightly and looking nervous!!

The airport in Gander is small and cute, but by the time we arrived, we were glad to just collect our bags quickly and set out to find Arnie and Rita's truck.  No problem!! Their directions led us there in minutes!! 

A nice hot lunch at a "Mom and Pop" restaurant, a not-so-quick trip to the grocery store, a run into the liquor store for wine, and we were off for Furby's Cove.  

So..... 3 hours and a bit later, almost 12 hours from the time we took off in Toronto, we have happily arrived at Arnie and Rita's house!  As we drove down the road from the highway and took in the incredible view of Furby's Cove, it felt like we were coming home again!!  Perhaps ...... we'll just stay here and make the house swap permanent!! Shhhh, don't tell Arnie and Rita.........