We squeezed in a quick four-night road trip over to Vancouver Island—part social tour, part something a little heavier. The main reason for the trip was to attend a celebration of life for my (Ellen’s) cousin, who passed away from cancer. Not exactly the usual wine-and-cheezies vibe, but as it turned out, it still fit right into what these trips are really about—people, stories, and time together.

The trip kicked off in classic fashion… with a solid rock to the windshield. At this point, we’re less surprised and more just curious what our windshield did in a past life to deserve this kind of treatment. Another crack, another story.

We started in Victoria, staying with friends Gerry and Joanne. Always a good time with them—easy visits, lots of laughs, and zero effort required, which is really the gold standard of friendship. We also managed to sneak in dinner with Bonnie and George, which felt like a mini reunion in itself.

From there, we made our way up to Qualicum Beach for the celebration. We picked up our nephew Kevin at the Nanaimo airport—efficiently turning this into a family road trip—and then met up with my brother Bill. The gathering itself was exactly what you hope for in these situations: full of stories, laughter, and that slightly surreal feeling of reconnecting with people you haven’t seen in years but somehow fall right back into rhythm with.

We caught up with cousins we hadn’t seen in ages, and even a few familiar faces from school days, thanks to my cousin’s wife being from the same hometown. It turned into one of those weekends where the reason for being there is sad, but the experience itself is full and meaningful.

All in all, it was a really good celebration of life—one that reminded us (again) that these trips aren’t always about the destination, the wine, or even the cheezies… but they definitely don’t hurt.