Catching up with friends

Friday
Yesterday evening, we were joined by some friends we haven’t seen in quite a number of years. We first met Jean and Ian many years ago, when we were in France for the first time. They were from South Africa, and Ian was studying at the École des Mines in Fontainebleau for a couple of years. They are both committed Christians, and we met through the English speaking church. They returned to South Africa, and started a family, but decided for the benefit of their children, from an education and job availability point of view, they would emigrate to Canada, and they have been living there ever since, in Burlington, just west of Toronto. It wasn’t an easy choice for them, as they are very close to their family, most of whom still live in South Africa. They called in to see us once, as they were returning home from Florida, and we have kept meaning to visit them in Toronto, but never got round to it. Their children are grown now, their daughter still living in Burlington, their son in Seattle. They are younger than us, and not yet retired, but after much thinking and praying, they have downsized their home, bought a pick up truck and a travel trailer, taken a year off work, and are embarking on a year long tour of the US and Canada, with the likelihood of turning it into two years, though they will return home in November, to have Christmas at home, before setting off again this time next year! We are their first port of call, but leaving Canada in January, their exact departure depended on the weather. Despite having 20 cm of snow on Wednesday, the roads were still clear enough for them to get off yesterday morning, and arriving with us around 6.30. It was so good to see them again, and we spent a lovely evening, catching up over a meal.
This morning, the catching up continued over a leisurely breakfast. We were all delighted to see that instead of the forecast cloud, there were largely clear skies and sunshine. Once everything was cleared away, we drove downtown to show them some of the city. We started across the Ohio river in Covington, showing them the Roebling murals and the view off the city across the river, taking a little walk along the river, then we drove back to the Ohio side, and drove up to Mount Echo Park for the view. We then had lunch at the Incline restaurant, before finishing up at the Conservatory. I had to get back home, in time to make some brownies, as in the evening, we unfortunately already had another engagement, dinner out with the church friends we went on a mission trip with to Mayfield Kentucky last summer. Jean and Ian opted for a quiet evening in, planning out their next few days in a bit more detail, including finding a campground in the Nashville area, before having an early night.
Step count: 6,356