Old Friends

After a walk and brunch, we got in our oh-so quiet car and drove South. We made a stop at the national historic site York Redoubt. A little like our Fort Rodd Hill - grassy and lots of guns. Boom. Our route took us past many small places like Herring Cove, Ketch Cove and Sambro, now bedroom communities of Halifax, but once would have been sweet fishing villages. A relaxing drive as we wind down our holiday. In the afternoon, we had a reunion with old friend, Chris Majka and his wife Sheilagh. When Doug lived in Moncton in 1971, he became friends with Chris’ mother- the late Mary Majka *. Mary was a force of nature - her enthusiasm for environmental activism knew no bounds. She was a renowned and respected naturalist, and educator and local TV star. She made several trips to Victoria over the years and we maintained our friendship over the miles. And, her son has continued her environmental advocacy and also involvement in Polish culture and Ukrainian refugee sponsorship. We spent a delightful afternoon in Chris and Sheilagh’s backyard, munching on charcuterie and ethnic sweets and recalling past times. *(Member of the Order of Canada, first recipient of the Lieutenant- Governor’s Award for Excellence in Land Conservation, and the Order of New Brunswick).