At the crack of dawn, I woke Rick up first, then Helen, so that we could catch the sunrise together and so that Helen could have one last swim before heading back to Ontario. It was cloudy but often the clouds make the prettiest sky with the most vivid colours and the mercury was reading 12C (53.6F). Vern is often at the pool first thing in the morning and today was no exception so when we arrived at the pool, he had already been there for awhile. As reluctant as she was to get up so early, Helen learned why we like that time of day and it was a good way to get her long day started.

After a tearful goodbye at the airport, Helen headed through customs and Rick and I both went to work at the park making our day whiz by. This afternoon, I had a couple of tutoring appointments and this evening Rick and I joined the rest of the “birdcarving class” for dinner. The students, Larry, Gladys, Jack and Rick collectively decided to take Vern and his wife Karolyn out for dinner as a token of their appreciation for Vern’s excellent teaching skills and patience. After researching a few places, we decided to go to the Oasis Buffet at the Spa Resort Casino in Palm Springs for their all-you-can-eat lobster buffet. It turned out to be an excellent choice as not only was the food terrific but with all the different options, everyone was able to find something they liked. We had to wait in a long line-up at the restaurant to get in but we took turns holding a place in line and playing the slots making the time go by fairly quickly. No big wins in the group tonight however, there were no losses either, so it was a good evening and the company was outstanding. Soon folks will start heading north to their summer destinations and it was nice to have this time together before that happens.