I prayed this day would never come: my husband retired. I enjoyed having the house to myself, and no one questioning how I spent my day. Plus, the money was good. Anyway, I was invited to his retirement party and sent an email letting me know the dress code. I’m not making this up. I decided to dress nicely. I really enjoyed the lovely party.

The next morning, we left on a trip to Canada. We went to a remote part of Manitoba to see polar bears. The only way I can describe the trip is MAGIC. I love being away from people and seeing the world without power poles, strip malls, Starbucks, etc. And this was all that and more.

1. Retirement party outfit - includes EF linen dress and vintage Coach bag.
2-3. Bears sparring - play wrestling - we watched them for over two hours. They usually do this later in the year.
4. This bear swam out to join us for dinner. He thought we would make a very fine dinner!
5-6. This one was checking out the fencing around the lodge.
7. One of the guides winding up to throw a rock at a bear that was a little too curious.
8. What I wore out on the Zodiac boat - hooded top for bugs, jacket was actually a life jacket, and, sadly, my waterproof pants were a fail. I upgraded on this trip from a pocket camera to DSLR with telephoto lens. It was a hand-me-down from my husband.
9. A different guide keeping a close watch on another curious bear. Notice his shot gun. In over 25 years they never shot a bear.
10-11. Beluga whales
12. There was a professional film crew based there. Their documentary should come out in 2021.
13. It was buggy at times.
14-15. Casual outfits for visiting our son in the Twin Cities.
16. Travel outfit home.
17. It took us five plane flights to get there.

If anyone is interested in learning more about the lodge, PM me.