Never walk alone- Walk on - 2. Chapter 2

Chapter 29 - North ............!

After a good nights sleep, the Mason's joined them for breakfast the next morning before they hit the road, heading for the Rockies and their first stop in the mountains, Lake Louise. The almost two hour drive took them west from Calgary on the Trans Canada highway to the town of Canmore, where they entered the Banff National Park.
Andrew would have loved to have stayed at the Chateau Lake Louise, but eventually settled for a lovely five bedroomed mountain villa right on the lakeshore, with stunning views and within sight of the iconic hotel, to make life a little easier for Rascal.

While Paul did the driving and Ryan rode shotgun, Andrew, Marie and Janice discussed menus and worked out a roster for the meals and and cleaning up. They made a stop in Banff for lunch and to do the food shopping for the four days they would be at Lake Louise and then made the drive to the villa.

It turned out to be everything a mountain retreat would be, the sprawling ranch style house constructed entirely with thick logs and natural stone. All the front rooms opened onto a wide, slightly raised, covered veranda that ran across the front and one side of the house making the most of the awe inspiring views across the turquoise hued lake to the mountains beyond.
A short flight of stone steps led down from the veranda onto a swathe of lush green grass that swept down to the shore and flowerbeds filled with bright flowers and shrubs surrounded the house. The veranda also sported a round fire pit.
The villa had a small swimming pool out front and a boathouse with a private dock, which housed a large wooden power boat. The vessel was solar powered as conventional motor boats are were not permitted to sail on Lake Louise.
The interior of the villa was also rustic, but very comfortably furnished with a central open plan lounge, dining room and kitchen with two large en suite bedrooms on one side and the master suite on the other.
A loft with a balcony ran the length of the lounge/dining area and contained two slightly smaller bedrooms with a shared bathroom.

Jonathan, Cameron and Elizabeth immediately took off to explore the grounds with Rascal hot on their heels, but not before a stern warning from their parents not to go near the water.

The three younger men unloaded all the luggage, while David, Janice and Marie carried all the supplies to the kitchen.

Andrew offered the master bedroom to Paul and Marie, but they insisted that Andrew and Ryan make use of it as they were paying for it, so they distributed the luggage and started unpacking. Ryan opened the French door onto the patio and in the quiet peacefulness, the sound of Rascal's excited barking was immediately noticeable. Then Cameron's head appeared as he scrambled onto the grass and started running to the house. Even at that distance, Ryan could see his little boy was distraught.
Ryan stared across to where he was and turned to Andrew in the room.

"Babe, something is wrong!", he said urgently and took off running. Andrew spun around and yelled,

"Paul, Marie, mom, dad, there's a problem with the kids" and dashed after Ryan who was already halfway across the garden. Rascal noticed him approaching and ran up to him barking and running back to where he had been. Andrew saw Ryan stop momentarily and speak to Cameron, then both of them turned and ran to where Rascal was, still barking frantically, and then Ryan jumped down so that just his head was visible for a few seconds , before it too disappeared.

When Andrew got to Rascal a few seconds later, he was shocked to find a 2.5metre embankment down to the beach and Ryan was kneeling next to Elizabeth who was lying on the sand crying with Cameron and Jonathan close by. Jonathan had his arm around the little boy who was also crying bitterly. Andrew's heart jumped into this throat.

"Oh god, my baby girl", he moaned, scrambling down the embankment. Cameron came running to him and clutched at his leg.

"Daddy, daddy, 'Lisabeth fell and she's hurt dad!, he sobbed.

Andrew held Cameron to him as he knelt down across from his daughter and husband, concern etched on his face.

"I think she'll be okay, Drew. I don't think anything is broken", Ryan told him then spoke to his daughter.

"Elizabeth, where are you sore, my baby?"
"Just my head and my arm daddy", she told him between sobs.
Ryan gently moved the hair and sucked in his breath.
"She's got a huge lump on the side of her head. I think she must have hit her head on one of these rocks. But it's not bleeding.".
He took the arm she was holding and gently probed until she reacted when he touched her wrist. After examining her wrist the looked at Andrew again.

"It's not broken, just sprained. I'm a bit worried about concussion, but I think she'll be okay. I think we can move her and get her patched up. We'll just have to keep an eye on her and keep her awake for a while to monitor her"

"Dad, is 'Lisabeth going to be okay, dad?", Cameron asked, still upset, but not crying anymore.

"I think she'll be fine, baby boy. So don't worry. Can you tell me what happened?

The rest of the party were now standing around them as well and Jonathan answered.

"We were standing looking at the lake, Uncle Ryan. I told her not to go too close to the edge. But she did and suddenly the ground she was standing on just collapsed and she fell down"

Andrew turned to took at the face of the embankment, which had been partly eroded at the base, leaving
an overhanging lip of soil and grass, and the part that had given way was evident to everyone.
Ryan slid his arms under Elizabeth and picked her up, cradling him to his chest.

"Okay, let's get you back to the house, my baby girl. Then we can fix you up", his voice thick with emotion.

They had to walk a short distance along the beach to where the embankment was just a slight slope to the grass and then returned to the house, where they cleaned all the mud off Elizabeth, changed her clothes and then lay her on the couch with a cold compress on the bump on her head while Ryan gently rubbed in some salve and wrapped her tiny wrist with a bandage. Andrew sat with her on the couch and turned on the TV for the very subdued kids to watch.

Andrew and Ryan hovered close by for the rest of the afternoon, one of them always keeping an eye on her and making sure she did not fall asleep. She complained about having a headache, so Andrew gave her a junior pain-killer and she had some milk and choc chip cookies at teatime. By the time dinner came around, she seemed a bit perkier and the colour had returned to her cheeks. She wasn't entirely herself, but it seemed she would be okay. The cold compress had done it's work and the bump was almost gone, but would be tender for a day ot two and the sprained wrist would also cause some discomfort for a while as well.

At Paul's request, Janice had made her chicken and prawn curry with basmati rice, rotis and sambals for dinner. It was also a dish that Elizabeth loved, and when she finished her good portion, both Andrew and Ryan began relaxing a little, reassured that their little girl was going to be okay.
The kids were all initially going to be sleeping in the two loft bedrooms, but given the drama of the day, both sets of parents moved mattresses downstairs into their bedrooms for the children to sleep on. It would also be easier for Andrew and Ryan to check on Elizabeth during the night. Cameron and Rascal had not moved from her side since Ryan had carried her back to the house. They woke her up a couple of times during the night and she reacted normally to their questions.

The next morning she was fine, if a bit subdued, the only signs of her misadventure being the bruise on her temple and the continued discomfort from the wrist. She ate a good breakfast and sat watching cartoons afterwards with the boys until they decided they wanted to swim, when she got a bit weepy, thinking she would not be able to go swimming. Her dads comforted her and told her they would go swimming as well. They both got a bit emotional when she beamed at them, hugged them both and said,

"I love you both this much", spreading her arms wide.

They helped her to change into her swimsuit as the wrist was a problem, and after applying sunscreen to all the children, everyone trooped out to the pool.

Jonathan and Cameron jumped straight in and began splashing around while Elizabeth sat on the step for a while before sliding into the water. She doggie paddled for a few strokes before coming back to where her dad's were sitting on the step, looking sad.

"It hurts when I try to swim, dad", she told Ryan as he pulled her onto the step.

"It will hurt for a little while, my angel. It's going to take a whole week or so before you will be able to use your wrist properly. Try not to move it too much. Okay?"

She looked pensive and chewed her bottom lip, before nodding.

"Okay, I'll try. Will you take me into the water with you?", she asked.

"Anytime my angel", Andrew replied."Come on, let's go! Get on my back and put your arms around my neck".

When she was settled, Andrew paddled around the pool with her riding on this back, a happy smile on her face. Of course, it was only time before Cameron also wanted a ride, so Ryan and Paul joined Andrew and they spent the remainder of the morning cavorting with the kids and Rascal in the pool, while Marie, David and Janice lay under umbrellas on sunbeds observing the activities in the water.

The sun started getting really hot as the day wore on and they all sought the coolness of the house at midday and had hot dogs for lunch, the kids suggestion. Immediately after lunch, Andrew prepared some salads for the evening as it was his turn to cook. He and Ryan were going to do a BBQ with steaks, pork sausage and chicken kebabs. And he made a banoffi pie for dessert.

In the late afternoon they all boarded the boat and took a cruise on the lake. The boat was actually more of a cruiser, with an enclosed cabin and partly sheltered rear deck with very comfortable seating. With Ryan at the helm, they made a sailed to the far end of the lake and then slowly cruised back following the shoreline. Elizabeth was still not completely herself and sat snuggled against Andrew for the whole trip, quiet and subdued. She favoured the wrist and the bruise on the side of her head was now quite evident, but she was alert and engaged, so her dad's were not too concerned.

They arrived back just as the sun began sinking behind the western mountains and, while Ryan got the BBQ grill going and built a fire in the fire pit, Andrew put the twins into the bath and got them into their pyjamas and gowns. He dressed Elizabeth's wrist and rubbed some vitaminE oil onto the bruise. Both children ran out of the bedroom to the lounge, and Andrew heaved a sigh of relief. His beautiful little girl was going to be okay!

Dinner was far more relaxed than the previous night and afterwards, the adults all sat on the patio next to the fire pit, chatting and sipping wine. The kids were watching videos in the lounge. While they were sitting there, the moon rose spectacularly from behind the mountains and threw a shimmering pale gold path across the lake. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Ryan stood up and went to call the kids to see the moon, turning all the lights off so that the entire property was in darkness, which only served to enhance thebeauty of the scene.
There were a few groans that they had to pause their video, but that soon stopped when they saw the lake.
Jonathan stopped dead and whispered in awe,

"Wow!"

He and Cameron went to sit on the edge of the patio to gaze at the lake and Elizabeth snuggled against Andrew, saying softly,

"It's very pretty daddy"
Andrew lifted her onto his lap and she lay her head on his chest.

"Yes it is pretty my angel. But not as pretty as you"
She squirmed round in his arms, put her arms around his neck and pecked him on his lips.

"I love you daddy. And dad Ryan".
Andrew hugged her against him and she giggled, saying,
"Daddy, you squishing me! I can't breathe"

Cameron walked over and stood next to them, looking up at his father and sister. Andrew grinned at him and whispered to Elizabeth, but loud enough for a Cameron to hear,

"I think Cam wants a squish as well. Can I give him one?"
She nodded her head energetically, slid off Andrew's lap and went to Ryan who picked her up. Andrew reached out and lifted his son onto his lap. Cam knelt on Andrew's thighs and stared at his dad seriously

"Daddy, is 'Lisabeth going to be okay?, he asked softly
Andrew hugged him close and replied equally softly.

"Yes, my baby boy, she's going to be fine".

"I was so scared when she fell daddy"

"I know you were, Cam. Her head and her arm will still be a bit sore for a day or two, but it will get better, I promise you"
The little boy looked at his dad then hugged Andrew.

"I love you daddy. Very very much"
Andrew kissed him on his forehead.

"And I love you to, my boy"
They all sat in quiet, comfortable contemplation as the moon rose high over the dark mountain peaks, bathing the landscape to golden moonlight and causing the entire lake surface to shimmer. The only sounds were the slight rustling of the leaves on the trees, the lapping of the water on the shore and Rascal's soft snores from under Ryan's chair.
A few lights twinkled along the shore from other properties and the palatial hotel stood out like a beacon
on the left hand side of the lake.
Eventually however, the kids wanted to go back to their video and the spell was broken. But yet again, Andrew was left feeling unbelievably blessed with having his amazing family around him.

The next morning at breakfast, David and Paul told them that they wanted to go fishing to see if they could catch some fresh fish for dinner. Marie nearly fell off her chair laughing.

"I don't know about you David, but I can assure you, my darling husband knows absolutely nothing about fishing. Fortunately, we've got some frozen fillets in the freezer just in case".

Undaunted, the two intrepid anglers collected some rods from the boathouse where there was a large tub con-taining damp earth with worms, and a box with lures, and walked to the end of the dock with all the inquisitive kids following them like they were Pied Pipers. After a couple of hours, and just as the novelty began wearing off for the kids, there was a sudden flurry of excitement when David landed a nice sized salmon, followed shortly after by Paul repeating the feat. The two of them sauntered back to the house, with the children in admiring attendance, grinning broadly. Marie groaned when she saw them coming over the grass.

"Oh god, me and my big mouth. I'm never gonna hear the end of this"
Paul walked up to her and kissed her, smelling decidedly fishy and grinned.

"Oh ye of little faith", he said to her. "We caught dinner, my love"

"So I see my darling, and are you going to gut and clean them as well. Because I most certainly am not", she asked them.
They both turned to look at Andrew, who held his hands up.

"Oh no, you two. Not a chance in hell. I do it on board 'Belle Catherine' because I have to, not out of choice. I will give you pointers, but there is no way I am gutting and cleaning fish"

And that's exactly what happened. With Andrew giving verbal advice they prepared the fish to a passable standard leaving enough meat on the fillets for them to have an enjoyable meal. And Marie did them proud, preparing oven baked salmon with hollandaise sauce, buttered potatoes, steamed broccoli and roasted baby tomatoes.

On their last day, they boarded the launch early and headed over the lake in the opposite direction to their first trip, going to the Chateau Lake Louise for a leisurely breakfast before returning to the house to swim and enjoy their last day at Lake Louise. After lunch, the kids watched videos while the adults packed, and for dinner Andrew, Janice and Marie combined to make a slap up three course meal.

There was still quite a bit of the baked salmon from the previous night which Andrew turned into a lightly curried salmon cocktail with avocado. Janice was in charge of the main course and produced a roast leg of lamb with roast potatoes, yellow squash and peas, and Marie made chocolate mousse for dessert.

The next morning they ate a late breakfast before loading up the vehicle, closing up the house and making the forty five minute drive to the Banff Springs for lunch before driving to the hotel where they would spend two nights and Andrew could tick another item off his bucket list.

Although Andrew had made the room reservations, through his hospitality contacts, Paul the managed to get the accommodation at reduced rate with complimentary breakfast for the duration of their stay.

The imposing 757 bed-roomed hotel was just as Andrew imagined it would be and far more. The sprawling rock clad exterior reeked of age, grandeur and character. And the interior decor was even better, taking them back to the grand hotels of the past, just with all the mod cons and services discreetly fitted. And it felt like they had stepped into a much larger, far grander version of The Cameron.

Andrew had not been aware that the magnificent building was modelled on a Scottish baronial castle and that the lobby decor, especially, echoed this theme. They even had tartan carpets, although he never did manage to find out if the tartan was authentic or not.
Andrew had reserved three suites on the 5th floor of the massive hotel, two two-bedroomed suites for them and for the Masons and a Junior suite for the Majors.

The rooms were beautifully appointed and both Andrew and Ryan immediately felt 'at home', in stark contrast to their room at the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand, where although superbly appointed, they felt lacked warmth and homeliness. The king bed in the main bedroom was huge and the twins each had their own double bed in the second bedroom. The living area was comfortable with two leather upholstered armchairs and couch and had awe inspiring views of the mountains.
Rascal wandered around the room, sniffing at everything which Ryan noticed immediately.

"Babe", he called out to Andrew who was in the twins bedroom, "I'm taking Rascal into the garden. I think he may need to go".
Andrew appeared at the door to the bedroom.

"Thanks my love. Yeah, we don't want any accidents. Not that he's likely to have one. He's very good in that respect. But let's just be on the safe side"

Ryan picked the little dog up and left the room and Andrew returned to the room where Elizabeth was trying to decide what she wanted to wear to dinner that night. Her wrist was much better, although she stillfavoured it, but had asked Ryan to remove the strapping. Cameron lay on his bed playing on his tablet.

Later in the afternoon they strolled through the hotel gardens and down to where the Bow and Spray Rivers meet, which border the hotel property to the north and east, and after taking Rascal back to the room, went to the Rundle Lounge & Bar where they all had high tea. It was fantastic and even the twins were catered for with a special menu for children. Andrew resolved to speak to Richard and Claude when they returned home to possibly introduce a high tea at either Blue Bay or The Cameron.

After tea, they took a slow ten minute stroll into Banff and wandered around the picturesque, bustling town. It was well after 6pm by the time they arrived back at the hotel, and even though the daytime temperatures had been quite warm, it had dropped markedly once the sun had slipped below the mountain peaks.
Rascal was elated to see them and they took him downstairs to the garden before returning to the room to play with him for a while before showering and getting dressed for dinner which had been arranged for slightly later than usual due to the big tea they had enjoyed earlier.

Paul had reserved a table in the Vermillion Room, the hotel's French brasserie and the next evening they would be celebrating Ryan's birthday with dinner at the 1888 Chop House.

The large room was elegant and beautifully decorated in creams, dark wood, navy blue upholstery and lots of brass. Service, as expected, was slick and attentive and everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meal. True to form, Ryan, David and Paul all had red meat, while Janice and Marie had chicken. Andrew ordered the Manitoba pickerel, although he stole a bite of Ryan's beef short rib, which was melt-in-the-mouth tender, while Jonathan and Cameron both had cheeseburgers and Elizabeth had chicken which Andrew had to cut up for her as her wrist was still bothering her. Marie had fed Michael earlier and he was fast asleep in his baby chair next to her. Ryan made sure to squirrel away any leftovers as a treat for Rascal as well, so everyone was well catered for. After creme brulees and coffee for the adults, and ice cream for the kids, they left the restaurant and wandered down to the hotel's bowling alley where they played a quick game before heading back to their rooms for the night. Rascal enjoyed his impromptu buffet before Ryan took him into the garden, and on their return, the little dog immediately jumped up onto Cameron's bed and fell asleep, cuddled close to his little master.

The next morning, Ryan was rudely awakened just after dawn by two screaming banshees and a yapping dog, when the twins and Rascal all leapt onto the bed, while Andrew grinned like the village idiot from the doorway with the video camera in his hands.
Cameron and Elizabeth clambered all over him, giving him birthday hugs and kisses, while Rascal bounced around on the bed wanting to be part of the excitement as well.

Then just as quickly, they both jumped off the bed and ran out of the bedroom, disappearing with Andrew. Ryan grinned as he heard a lot of whispering and rustling, and when they reappeared singing 'Happy birthday to you', his heart swelled and happy tears flooded his blue eyes.
Cameron was carrying a chocolate birthday cake that Andrew had arranged with the chef with a single lighted candle and Elizabeth held a small wrapped package in her hands. Andrew followed, still grinning, with a bed tray that he passed to Ryan who placed it over his legs, before Cameron put the cake down on the tray in front of him. Andrew helped Elizabeth up onto the bed, before reclining against the headboard, still capturing the scene on camera. Elizabeth scooted closer to her dad with a very serious expression, and placed his gift on the tray next to the cake.
Andrew leaned closer and kissed him.

"Happy birthday, my love", he said, wiping the tears with his thumb.
Ryan sniffed.

"Thank you babe. I had no idea you three were planning anything." He leaned over, a bit awkwardly, and lifted Cameron onto the bed next to him as well.

"And thank you my angels, for the lovely cake and my present", he said, kissing them both on the forehead.
Elizabeth was kneeling next to him, her hands clasped together and her eyes shining expectantly.

"Blow out your candle, dad. We want some cake!", she told him bossily.

"And then you must open your present", Cameron added.

Ryan grinned at his little family sitting on the bed with him, feeling very grateful and lucky. He leaned forward and said,

"Will you help my blow out the candle? Ready, one, two, three, blow".

They both leaned forward and blew out the candle, then sat back looking very satisfied with themselves.
Ryan picked up his gift and the twins practically bounced in excitement. He looked at them and said,

"Do you know that they say the smaller the box, the more expensive it is. So this must have cost a lot of money because it is very small", grinning again when they both nodded eagerly. He unwrapped the box and opened it, inhaling sharply as the looked at the contents, suddenly teary again.

On black velvet lay a gold heart charm consisting of four pieces. A frame, a complete heart shape and two halves, that all clipped together to form a whole. The whole heart half contained a picture of him and Andrew, while the two halves each contained a picture of one of the twins, both with Rascal.
He reverently picked up the frame and fitted it all together, his eyes brimming with tears.

"It's beautiful my angels, thank you" and he kissed them again.

"Dad, you must kiss daddy as well. It is also from him. So he must get a kiss a well", Elizabeth informed him. He leaned over and kissed Andrew.

"Thank you my love. It's perfect. Did you get it here or bring it from home".

"All the way from home. I had Mr Ramazotti make it. He outdid himself yet again"
Cameron bounced on the bed.

"Can we have some cake now please!", he asked pleadingly.

Andrew giggled, got off the bed and went into the lounge, bringing back four plates and a knife.

"You can each have a small piece. We will take the rest down to breakfast to share with the others as well".

They both nodded happily and made themselves comfortable next to Ryan. Andrew cut them each a small sliver and the twins ate it quietly but quickly. He was pleased to see they both left a titbit for Rascal who lay looking at them with big eyes. Andrew set the camera down, focused on the bed, and then joined them on the bed while the twins nestled contentedly on either side of Ryan. Andrew moved Elizabeth so that he could lie close to Ryan and let her lie on his chest. The timer on the camera eventually turned it off and the family lay cuddling for a while until Andrew roused himself.

"I hate to break up our cuddles family, but we must start getting ready for breakfast. Paul has arranged our excursion today, so I'm not quite sure what we will be doing. So let's get ourselves mobile. Cam, will you feed Rascal before we go downstairs please?".

"Okay, daddy, I'll do it now while Lisbeth is in the bathroom".

The twins disappeared into the bedroom or bathroom while Andrew and Ryan also showered and got dressed and when they were all ready, they headed downstairs for breakfast with Elizabeth carrying Ryan's birthday cake. The Masons and David and Janice were already sitting at a table on the sunny patio when they arrived and after everyone had wished Ryan, they all settled down to eat and take in the fantastic view. Rascal lay quietly on the bench seat between Ryan and Elizabeth, his tummy full.
Once they all had something to eat in front of them, Andrew turned to Paul.

"So what have you got planned for us today, Paul?"

"We got an hour to finish breakfast and get anything we need from the rooms. Then at 10am, a driver will pick us up and take us to the lower station of the Banff Gondola. From there we will take the cableway to the top of Sulphur Mountain for a bit of a walk around. There's a fantastic viewing deck that we can get 360° views of the scenery" he told them and then looked at the kids.
"360° views means that if we turned right around we will be able to see views all around. If we want to, there's a boardwalk from the observation centre to Sansons Peak. It's about 1km long. I thought we could go have lunch up there as well".

"Hmmm, sounds great", Ryan said, "Eat up family, let's get this show on the road!"

They all had a good breakfast and then headed back to their rooms for last minute items like cameras, sunhats and something warm in case it was cool at the top of the mountain. When Cameron brought out Rascal's leash, the little dog got very excited knowing that the was not going to be left behind while his family went out. Then they all gathered in the lobby and when the shuttle arrived they all piled in and headedto the lower gondola station.

On arrival they discovered that the gondolas could only seat four passengers and after some discussion between the kids, Cameron decided he wanted go up with his grandparents. Jonathan said the would go with them as well, as he and Cameron seemed to be joined at the hip. Paul, Marie and Michael were in the first gondola, followed by David and Janice with the two boys and then Andrew, Ryan and Elizabeth with Rascal.

The eight minute journey to the upper station saw them rise 698m (2292ft) over the valley and trees and the kids were very excited when everyone was finally at the top. The observation centre was quite busy, so in the interest of safety, Ryan carried Rascal in his arms instead of putting him on his leash, and they went straight up to the observation deck on the top level of the building. And the views were just spectacular with Banff town below them, the Bow River valley and six mountain ranges to be seen. They spent quite some time on the observation deck while Ryan used the video camera and Andrew took photographs of, not only the amazing views, but the family as well. Of course it wasn't long before small voices began moaning that they were thirsty, so they went down to the coffee shop for something to drink. While they were there, they decided to do the boardwalk to Sansons Peak and the Cosmic Ray Station, a Canadian National Historic Site. It took them almost thirty minutes to walk the roughly one kilometre to the weather station, having to negotiate 368 stairs in the process. Ryan had Rascal on his leash and he was quite happy to trot along with the group as they walked. They also took it a bit slower to accommodate David and Janice but in the end they managed the walk with no problem at all and the views helped to make the walk very enjoyable.

The admission tickets that Paul had got for them included lunch at the Sky Bistro restaurant, so they all headed there when they returned from Sansons Peak. Then it was back down to the lower gondola station where they took the Roam shuttle back to the hotel. They all had a rest in the afternoon and then began packing for their departure the next day.

Dinner that night in the 1888 Chop House was bittersweet, knowing that the two family groups would be going their separate ways in the morning, but Ryan's birthday was well celebrated. Ryan wanted to splash out and insisted that all they all have the restaurants decadent Wagyu beef, informing everyone that he and Andrew would be picking up the entire tab for the dinner which Marie were not entirely happy with.

"Ry, we know it's your birthday, but it's really expensive, even by our Canadian standards", she argued.

"Marie, thank you for your concern. I appreciate it. But you and Paul paid for the entire excursion today including lunch. So humour me on this, okay. It's also our last evening together, so I want us to have a good time and make it special".
Marie nodded.

"Okay, I won't be a party pooper. Thank you"

When the maitrè d came to take the order, after a short discussion with him, Ryan ordered four 7oz (+/-200grams) Wagyu filet mignons and four 12oz (+/- 340grams) Wagyu New York strip loins with roasted potatoes, farm mush-rooms, roasted vegetables and all three listed sauces. Then he proceeded to scandalise Marie even further, turning the meals into an upmarket surf and turf by adding four buttered lobster tails to the order and that the order be split between six plates for the adults and four smaller ones for the kids.

A few minutes after the maitrè d left to take the order to the kitchen, a chef arrived at the table and smiled at them.

"Good evening folks. Which one of you is Mr Devlin-Major? ", he enquired.

"We are", Andrew and Ryan both said in chorus, indicating one another, then laughing.
The chef grinned too and replied,

"Which one of you is the birthday boy".

"That would be me", replied Ryan.
The chef nodded.

"Ah, well happy birthday. Thank you for the amazing order. I want to make a suggestion as to how we serve it", he told them."I would like to slice all the meats and the lobster tails and arrange everything on a large platter that we can then serve to the table and then you can just help yourselves to whatever you want. It's no problem individ-ually plating it, if that's what you prefer, but I just think it would look more impressive served on the platter".

"We'll leave it entirely up to you. Do what you think is best"

"Thank you sir. Enjoy your meal", and he hustled back to his kitchen.

Although they had all ordered pre dinner drinks on arrival, they had delayed ordering wine until the food had been decided on, so the sommelier approached Ryan and enquired whether they wanted to order wine. Andrew perused the extensive winelist and was elated to see Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir on the winelist and was very tempted to order it. But in deference to where they were, he turned to the sommelier.

"What can you recommend to pair with our Wagyu beef and lobster tails. Something fairly local preferably?"

He suggested a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley and when the ladies requested a white as well he recommended a Pinot Gris from the Okanagan Valley. The wines , when they came, were worthy of the recommendations and when the food was served to the table it looked amazing.

The beef had been carved into thick slices and attractively arranged on a silver platter with the lobster tails also sliced and and replaced back in their shells. The three sauces were in silver bowls placed down the centre of the platter. The vegetables came in three large silver bowls on a round platter. Everything was placed in the centre of the table with serving gear and they tucked in. The meal was a triumph, the Wagyu finely marbled with white fat and meltingly tender, and the lobster tails succulent in their buttery juices. It was unashamedly decadent, but absolutely delicious.
They had a short break before ordering dessert with the kids all having the Baked Alberta, the hotels take on Baked Alaska and the adults having Key Lime Pie and Nanaimo Bar cheesecake. When it became obvious that the twins and Jonathan were flagging, Michael was already asleep, they finished up their coffee, signed the bill and headed for their beds, where after getting the twins settled for the night, Andrew gave Ryan his last gift of the day, before they too fell asleep.

It was still quite dark outside when the alarm woke them up, with just a faint pink glow behind the mountains proclaiming that dawn was not far away. Leaving the twins to sleep a while longer, they bustled around the room packing the last minute things. When the coffee they had ordered the night before arrived at 6am, Andrew went to wake up the twins up so they could get ready as well.

They had to be at the Rocky Mountaineer station terminal by 7am to board at 7.30am, so it necessitated the early start. Breakfast would be served on the train after departure from Banff.

Going down to reception, Ryan checked out while Andrew confirmed with the concierge that their transport to the station was as arranged. It would drop them off and then wait for Paul and Marie, who were going to see them off and then return them to the hotel for breakfast before checking out themselves for the drive back to Calgary.
It turned out that only Paul would go to the station with them as his boys were still asleep, but Marie came down briefly with David and Janice to say goodbye. She was a bit emotional as she hugged them and the twins, but was buoyed by the knowledge that it was less than six months before they would be inCape Town.

When the van arrived, all the luggage was loaded in along with Rascal, who was not happy being in his travelling box again, albeit only temporarily. When they were all seated they drove away with Marie waving tearfully.

The station at Banff was not as busy as they thought it may be, which they hoped meant that the train would not be full either. On check in, they were given their coach number, the hotel they would be staying at overnight in Kamloops and the number of the motorcoach which would transport them to the hotel. They watched their luggage being loaded onto the truck that would take it to Kamloops by road and be in their hotel rooms when the train arrives with Janice muttering,

"God, I hope we see it again".

They said goodbye to Paul and went in search of their coach which turned out to be the last coach of the train. Their very comfortable seats were situated on the upper deck, while the restaurant was on the lower deck. The upper deck was enclosed with huge windows and a domed glass roof through which the scenery was perfectly visible. They were greeted by a friendly host and hostess who helped them get settled and advised them of their seating for breakfast and lunch. The restaurant could only accommodate half of the occupants of the coach so meals were split into two services. On day one, they were on the first service while on day two from Kamloops to Vancouver they were on the later service.
Fortunately, the coach was not fully occupied and whether by design or just sheer coincidence, there were a few unoccupied seats around them, so Ryan took Rascal out of his travelling box which he was very happy about and settled down beside Cameron, staring inquisitively out of the window. They were seated in two rows behind one another with the twins at the windows and their dads occupying the aisle seats. David and Janice sat across the aisle.

They pulled smoothly out of Banff exactly on time to begin the day long journey to Kamloops where they were scheduled to arrive between 6.30pm and 8pm Pacific Time, the varying time being due to track being used mainly by freight trains and the Rocky Mountaineer schedule was often affected by the movement of the freight trains.

Not long after departure, they were advised that the restaurant was ready for them, so they went down the stairs for breakfast, leaving just a handful of passengers waiting for the second sitting.

The table also had a large window through which they could watch the passing views as the train wound through pine trees along the Bow River and passing the impressive and imposing Castle Mountain. Cameron went to sit with his grandparents and Elizabeth stayed with her dads.

The meal began with a small fruit plate, fruit juice and a basket of pastries placed on the table. Then the twins both had the buttermilk pancakes with blueberries and strawberries, while Ryan and David had the Sunrise Skillet and Andrew ordered the Smoked Salmon and Egg Scramble. Janice had Eggs Benedict. Ryan requested an extra sausage which was surreptitiously passed on to Rascal.

While they were eating, the train pulled into Lake Louise for a short stop to board a few additional passengers.

The adults all had tea or coffee, while the twins had small glasses of milk, and ate the pastries and just as they were finishing up, they pulled out of Lake Louise.
Breakfast over, they returned to their seats on the upper level to relax and enjoy the unfolding scenery until lunch. The carriage was now almost full with only a handful of seats remaining unoccupied.

The hosts in their carriage were very informative, telling them about any passing places of interest, advising them of any wildlife along the tracks and keeping them supplied with snacks and beverages.The coach had an open viewing platform on the lower level where they spent some time filming on the video camera. The twins were amazed at being able to be outside the train while it was moving and were absolutely facinated as the tracks disappeared in the distance behind them.

During the morning, the train had to pull into sidings twice, to allow freight trains to pass on the main line, and they took the opportunity to stretch their legs and let Rascal have a run.
The tracks crossed the Continental Divide, marked by a small monument, the boundary between Alberta and British Columbia and where rainwater falling to the east flows to the Atlantic Ocean and rainfall to the west goes to the Pacific. Here they were advised to put their watches back one hour as BC was an hour behind Alberta

About fifteen minutes later they passed Wapta Lake and entered the first of the famous Spiral Tunnels. In the Upper Spiral, the train descended in a complete loop, emerging facing the direction in which they
had come before crossing a deep wooded valley and entering the Lower Spiral and descending even further. There was a cutaway diagram on the tour guide they had been given on boarding and one of the hosts gave an explanation of the procedure. The twins were wide-eyed with excitement, not quite understanding the enormity of the engineering feat they were travelling through, but knowing that they were effectively inside a mountain, going round in circles. Andrew was amazed that neither of them had yet to make use of their tablets, instead having their noses practically glued to the window.

Although the scenery remained stunning, the next major point of interest was Kicking Horse Canyon, a bit more than an hour after emerging from the Lower Spiral. They had stopped briefly at Field, where a large Canadian Pacific operation was located and they once again stretched their legs and let Rascal have a run, then back on board, headed into the canyon following the blue, fast flowing river for 30 miles (48 kilometres), crossing and re crossing the river several times. After that came the Rocky Mountain Trench, where the train runs alongside the Columbia River through a wide, pine tree filed valley and then they crossed the Stoney Creek bridge shortly before being advised that the restaurant was open for lunch which was a 3-course affair, with a soup or seasonal salad to start, which only Andrew and Ryan ordered
.
The twins went straight to the main course, with both of them ordering the garden flat bread 'because it sounds like pizza', as Cameron put it. When it was served, it actually looked like a pizza too, albeit a very upmarket one and they attacked their plates with gusto. For this meal the twins had swapped tables.

Ever the carnivore, Ryan had the Alberta Striploin Steak with a green peppercorn sauce and Andrew enjoyed his Pacific Salmon. David and Janice both had chicken. Naturally, Rascal got a few titbits as well.
They all had a glass of the complimentary Rocky Mountaineer own - label wine and dessert was evenly split with Ryan, Andrew and Janice having the Raspberry Cheesecake, and David and the twins tucking into Chocolate Mousse.

After lunch, the twins pulled out their tablets to watch videos and play games, while their dad's just kicked back and watched the wild Canadian countryside pass by. David and Janice also reclined their seats and dozed on and off.

In the mid afternoon they passed Craigellachie where a small monument and museum marks the spot where, the host told them, the last ceremonial spike was driven in completing the Canadian Pacific Railway linking Montreal to Vancouver on 7 November 1885.

Shortly after, they passed along the shores of the huge and beautiful Lake Shuswap where a long line of tele-graph poles and trees, known as Osprey Alley, were home to dozens of osprey nests. They also saw several bald eagles soaring over the lake. Lake Mara came after that and then the mountains slowly evolved into rolling hills, more rocky and sandy, with fewer trees. It was very different to the scenery they had seen in the morning. Elizabeth eventually snuggled up against Ryan, put her head on his leg and fell asleep and Cameron did likewise with Andrew a bit later.

They had to wake the twins when they pulled into Kamloops for the overnight stop just before 7pm where motorcoaches were waiting to transfer them to their hotel. A board in the lobby of the hotel advised that their
motorcoach would be departing at 7.20am to transfer them back to the train.
The little ones were a bit grumpy and hungry when they arrived in their interleading room at the hotel, and to Andrew's immense relief, their luggage was already in the room.

"Wow, what great organisation. I really had my doubts our luggage would be here", he commented to Ryan.

"Yeah", he replied, "They obviously have the whole operation down to an art. Very impressive"

Ryan let Rascal out of his box, and the puppy ran around the room, very happy, jumping up against their
legs for some attention which he readily received.

Cameron wanted to shower, so Andrew got Elizabeth into the bath, while Cameron shared the shower with Ryan after which Andrew had a refreshing shower while Ryan got the twins dressed for dinner and then he and Andrew got dressed with the twins urging them to hurry because they were hungry. They knocked on David and Janice's bedroom door just down the corridor and waited a minute or two for the older couple to come out.

The buffet restaurant was about half full when they arrived and were shown to a table by a waiter. The twins were so eager for a plate of food that they barely managed to place a drinks order with the waiter before the two imps were up and heading for the buffet where they opted for roast chicken with veggies and potatoes. Andrew and Ryan helped them carry the plates back to the table and got them settled then returned to the buffet to get their own meals adding extra meat for Rascal in addition to the chunks he had been given before they left the room.

Elizabeth's wrist seemed to be healing well as she managed to cut her meat with no problem at all. The bruise on the side of her head was fading, but her soft pale skin was still had a greenish- yellow tinge to it.

They dined quite quickly, surprised at how weary they felt despite them having done nothing but sit, eat and watch the Canadian countryside pass by their windows. Ryan popped up to the room to fetch Rascal and they went for a short stroll after dinner and then returned to the rooms, wishing David and Janice good night when they got on their bedroom door.

Cameron and Elizabeth immediately started getting ready for bed. They got into the big queen sized bed in their bedroom and Ryan turned on the TV for them to watch for a while.
Andrew and Ryan layed out clothes for themselves and the twins for the next day as it would be another early start and then got ready for bed themselves. When they peeked into the adjoining room, the little ones were fast asleep with Rascal snuggled between them. They gently made the children more comfortable, tucked them in and kissed them and went to bed themselves, falling asleep almost immediately.

The morning was a bit of an ordeal. The twins were not happy at having to be up early again and had to be coaxed to get dressed. When that didn't happen fast enough, Ryan raised his voice which he didn't often do and made them both a bit weepy, but got them going with some help from Andrew.

Ryan accompanied the luggage to the lobby, stopping at his parents room to collect their luggage on the way,
to ensure it got loaded onto the motorcoach and check out while Andrew finished organising the twins..
When they arrived in the lobby with David and Janice, they both went to him and nestled against his legs. He squatted down and they both hugged him.

"I'm sorry dad", Elizabeth said softly with a sniff.

"I'm sorry too dad", echoed his son.

"Thank you my babies. I'm sorry I shouted, but when I ask you to do something, I expect it to be done", he told them softly. "Do you understand what I'm saying?".

"Yes dad", they both said, nodding their heads.

He gently wiped their remaining tears with his thumbs and hugged them to him, kissing them on the forehead. He looked up at Andrew who stood close by with Rascal in his arms, and his parents smiling and a bit misty-eyed. There were a few "Ah cutes" from other passengers who were close by.
Janice walked to him as he stood up and hugged him.

"I am so proud of you. You are an amazing dad", she whispered to him.
He hugged her back.

"Thanks mom. It gets tough sometimes, but I guess you know that. It means a lot coming from you".Ryan reached down and taking both the childrens hands, turned and walked to the motor coach, helping them up the stairs and waiting for Andrew and his parents to board before following them.

On arrival at the station they were surprised to find the train had grown in length, another three coaches being added to both the Silver Leaf single decker section and to their Gold Leaf section. They were told that the 'Journey through the Clouds' train from Jasper had been tacked onto their 'First Passage to the West' train during the night. Their coach was now the third of six which meant that the unobstructed view to the rear that they had from the viewing platform of was no longer there, which was a bit disappointing
.
They were in the same seats as they had on the Banff - Kamloops leg and after getting settled, they watched the truck carrying their luggage pull away for Vancouver and they pulled out of Kamloops five minutes later.

Leaving Kamloops, the train crossed the Thompson River, passing a small timber church that was apparently a location for the movie 'Unforgiven' starring Clint Eastwood. When the first breakfast sitting was called down to the restaurant the twins asked why they were not having breakfast "like yesterday", and Andrew had to carefully explain how the sittings worked. The host who was standing in the workstation close by was highly amused as Cameron went to explain to his grandparents why they had to wait for breakfast, and soon after brought them tea or coffee and a warm pastry each to tide them over until their breakfast time.

The train reached Kamloops Lake and ran along the shore for almost an hour before reaching the end of the lake and crossing over the Thompson River. The scenery changed yet again, becoming even more arid than before and they had just passed Ashcroft, the driest town in Canada, when they were told that breakfast was ready. The twins were up immediately, heading for the staircase down to the restaurant, the host grinning at them as they passed him.

"They're gorgeous", he mouthed as Andrew and Ryan also passed him.

As on the previous day, breakfast kicked off with fresh fruit, juice and a basket of pastries. Cameron, who was with David and Janice, opted for the Sunrise Skillet, which he couldn't finish and fed Rascal what was left. Elizabeth had the Smoked Salmon & Egg Scramble where Andrew had to remove the smoked salmon and he and a Ryan both had the Eggs Benedict. David and Janice both had skillets. With the pastries, the twins had milk while the adults all had tea or coffee.

They had by now reached Black Canyon where the track curves along the banks of the Thompson River below a black lava cliff before crossing the river on a steel girder bridge.
Back in their seats on the upper level, Cameron and Elizabeth were less engaged than they were on the first leg and were engrossed in their tablets, watching cartoons and playing games, earphones plugged into their ears. The host just shook his head and grinned as he observed them.

After crossing the river, the landscape began changing again, from dry and sandy to rocky with pine trees. Late in the morning they entered Avalanche Alley, where the train travels at the very edge of the river bank beneath a sheer cliff wall of coloured rock. The track had several places where it was protected by avalanche shelters. On this section the twins were glued to the windows and Ryan had to explain what the avalanche shelters were. Ten minutes later, and just as the first sitting were going to lunch, they reached the confluence of the Thompson and Fraser Rivers and then crossed the Fraser River over a bridge. A few minutes later at Cisco Crossing, the train crossed to the other side of the river again over a distinctive orange painted steel girder bridge and then pro-ceeded alongside the Fraser River between Cisco and Hells Gate.

They were having lunch when they passed Hells Gate, the narrowest and fastest flowing point on the Fraser. Lunch was much the same as the previous day. The twins both had one of their favourites, Mac & Cheese, Andrew and Ryan both had chicken. David and Janice both had salmon.

After leaving the canyon in which Hells Gate was situated, the river started widening and flowing more sedately and they left the river to travel through a wide, flat valley with farms and greenhouses visible, also passing the historic Fort Langley in the mid afternoon.

The train was now not far from Vancouver and just before 5pm it slowed as it passed through the freight yards before crossing over the Fraser River again and threading it's way through the outer suburbs, the skyline of the city now very visible. Their two day, 594 mile (725km) journey was almost over. The arrival was a bit strange however.

The Rocky Mountaineer rolled past her terminal, some distance from the platform before coming to a stop for a few minutes and then reversing back on the platform line where the motorcoaches were waiting to transport those passengers who required it to their hotels.
Andrew had made reservations through the Rocky Mountaineer website at the Fairmont Vancouver Hotel for the night, ahead of their flight to Orlando. Consequently, the Rocky Mountaineer organisation had undertaken to deliver their luggage to the hotel.

Andrew and Ryan thanked their two hosts and handed them each a generous gratuity, then gathered everyone and everything to disembark. The Canadian leg of their trip was almost over and the USA lay ahead of them.

It appeared there were several other passengers who would be transferring to the Fairmont Vancouver as there were a number of people already seated on board and some standing close to the door when they approached the bus and once everyone was aboard, the drive to the hotel took about 20 minutes, arriving at just after 6.30pm.

The hotel was very impressive, opened in 1939 by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, it was a former railway hotel situated in the downtown area of Vancouver, a few blocks from the Waterfront and built in the iconic Canadian château style.
Once again they were very impressed with the arrangements and within five minutes of stepping into the lobby, they were in their rooms where their luggage was waiting, safe and sound. Ryan and Cameron took Rascal downstairs to the small park close by the hotel to run as he hadn't had as much opportunity during the day as he had the day before, and then returned to the room to feed the little puppy, after which Ryan showered with Cameron and changed for dinner. Andrew had already showered and was busy getting Elizabeth bathed and dressed.

The kids were wanting burgers, so they found a casual restaurant close to the hotel and walked to dinner. The choice was a good one as the restaurant had an extensive menu with something of everything. The twins had their cheeseburgers and fries while Ryan had a huge rack of ribs. Andrew and David had crumbed pork chops and Janice ordered a chicken schnitzel. There was the usual doggie bag for Rascal.
Dessert for Ryan was a no-brainer . New York cheesecake. Andrew had chocolate brownies with ice cream while David, Janice and the twins all had ice cream sundaes.
Then it was back to the hotel to fetch Rascal for a run and Cameron asked Ryan if he could go with him.
On the way to the park, Cameron asked Ryan quietly, taking his hand.

"Dad, do we have to wake up early in the morning again", obviously still thinking about that mornings drama.

"No baby boy, we can sleep a bit later tomorrow".

" 'Kay dad' he replied.
When they got back to the room, Cameron ran straight to Elizabeth.

"Lisbeth, dad says we can sleep a bit later tomorrow", he told her excitedly.
Elizabeth looked up at Ryan and asked,

"Can we really, dad?"
Ryan nodded and knelt down next to them, feeling a bit guilty at the effect his outburst earlier that morni
ng had had on his children.

"Yes, baby girl, you can sleep a bit later. But not too long because we have to be at the airport later in the morning. Tomorrow we are going to Disneyworld so that you can see Mickey and Tinkerbelle and Cinderellas castle"
Her eyes got very big and she threw her arms around his neck.

"Thank you dad. I love you very much".
Cameron joined her and also put his arms around Ryan and he hugged them back.

"Thank you my angels. And your dads love you both very much as well", he replied as Andrew came to sit on the bed next to them. They turned and hugged Andrew as well.

"We love you daddy".

"And I love you too. Now I think you must get ready for bed. Do you want to watch some TV or do you want a story?"
Elizabeth bounced up an down.

"A story, please daddy".

"Okay, go put your jammies on, brush your teeth and get into bed. Dad and I will be there now"

The two children hurried to their bed, quickly undressed and put on their pyjamas. Andrew waited at the bath-room door to lift them up onto the vanity to brush their teeth. When they were done he put them back on the floor and while Cameron put Rascal on the bed, Elizabeth went to the bag that held all their story books, pulled one out and clambered onto the bed pulling the covers over her and sitting up straight against the headboard in anticipation of their storytime.
When Andrew and Ryan came to the bed, the twins scooted to the middle so that their dads could sit on either side of them. It also meant they they could snuggle against them.

Elizabeth had chosen The Three Bears and she handed the book to Andrew.
"Daddy, can we read it with all the voices please?", she asked.

And so Andrew started reading the story. When it came to the "Whose been sleeping in my bed" part, Ryan would read the Papa Bear part, having the deeper voice, Andrew would read the Mama Bear part and he would get the twins to alternately say the Baby Bear part. When it came to these parts, they would break out in fits of giggles, especially when Ryan and Andrew said their dialogue. The twins loved their storytime and it was always a special time for all of them. When the story was finished, Andrew and Ryan tucked them in and lay down next to them until they fell asleep, then carefully rolled off the bed, kissed them and got ready for bed themselves.

A hand patting his back woke Ryan and he glanced at the bedside clock which showed it was just after 6am, and then looked at his daughter.

"Morning, monkey. I thought you were going to sleep a bit later this morning".
Elizabeth pouted at him with big eyes.

"We wanted to come cuddle with you and daddy"
He glanced to the other side of the bed where Cameron was standing close to Andrew.

"Come on up you two", Andrew mumbled

Both children beamed and clambered up onto the bed, squeezing in between their dads. They were no sooner settled when there was a yap from the side of the bed and Andrew groaned.

"Oh god, the circus is in town. How's anyone supposed to get some sleep around here?" he grumbled before rolling over and reaching down to pick Rascal up onto the bed as well.
Ryan grinned at him when Andrew rolled back with a look of resignation on his face.

"So much for sleeping in!"
"Maybe it's just as well, my love. We have to get ourselves ready, have breakfast, check out and get to the airport, all before 10."

"Yeah, I know. But just another half an hour, okay".

They woke up again an hour later and there was panic stations.

Ryan showered with Cameron again, while Andrew got Elizabeth into the bath, then he showered while Ryan got the twins dressed. When he and Ryan were dressed, Ryan took Rascal for a walk and Andrew finished the packing. When Ryan got back with Rascal, they went down to breakfast to meet David and Janice.
Janice noticed immediately that they were looking a bit frazzled.

"Morning boys, running a little late aren't we?"

"Morning mom, dad", Andrew huffed. "Yeah, we overslept, but I think we're just about back on track. All the packing is done. We just have to check out after breakfast"

"Morning guys", added Ryan. "These two minxes woke us up at 6 to cuddle for half an hour, and we only woke up at 7. So it's be a bit mad this morning".

"Well sit down, have breakfast and relax. We are still good for time. There's no need to rush", David told them, ever the voice of reason.
They had a good breakfast and then went to request a porter who accompanied Ryan upstairs to collect the luggage and Rascal, while Andrew sorted out the hotel bill and checked that the shuttle he requested to the airport was arranged.

At Vancouver International, the shuttle dropped them outside the Westjet terminal and they headed for the business class check in counter where Ryan was handed their boarding cards and invitations to the business class lounge and fast track security passes. American immigration was conducted at Vancouver, so there would be no need to do immigration at Orlando. They had almost an hour before boarding, so they made themselves comfortable in the lounge and had some tea and coffee and a snack.
The boarding gate was very close to the lounge and Andrew was pleased to see that their flight was being conducted using one of Westjets recently delivered Boeing 787 Dreamliner wide body aircraft.

When boarding time approached they left the lounge and waited a few minutes until the gate was opened. Boarding was divided into groups with the number printed on their boarding passes and they were in Group 1, so when their number was displayed they had their boarding passes verified and then walked down the jetway to the door of the aircraft where they turned left into the business class cabin.

The seats were configured in a 2-2-2 layout and as with all their flights so far, Andrew and Ryan had window/aisle seats with each of them having one of the twins sitting beside them at the windows.. David And Janice were across the aisle in the centre section. Rascal was tucked into a convenient cubby, where he would not be in the way, with Andrew and Cameron. Andrew had slipped some Rescue into his self -feeding water container to keep him calm, and the puppy was sleeping peacefully.

The sleek looking cabin seats were dark grey leather, almost black but not quite, accented with the blues
and greens of the airlines corporate colours by way of headrest covers and pillows which were on the seats. Once they were seated, a flight attendant offered them a warm cloth and then brought a pre-departure drink of sparkling wine or orange juice. Andrew took bubbly for himself and a glass of juice for Cameron. Ryan did the same for him and Elizabeth. When the lunch menus wss handed to him, the flight attendant said,

"Mr Devlin-Major, we have a few kiddies meals on board if you would prefer the little ones to have those. I'm not aware that you specified any kiddies meals on your reservation, but they are available should you want. We have Spaghetti Bolognese and Chicken Nuggets with Savoury Rice".

"Thank you. I'll have a look at the main menu and we'll see what happens".

He heard the flight attendant telling Ryan the same thing and he basically received the same reply.
The main meal options on the menu were Braised Beef Cheeks with Potato Mash, Carrots and Broccoli, Grilled Canadian Wild Salmon with New Potatoes, Asparagus and Lemon Beurre Blanc, and Vegetarian Pasta option.
Ryan leaned over the seat and asked,
"What is Cam having for lunch", glancing down at his son who was oblivious to everything, being absorbed in the cartoon he was watching on his tablet, his ear buds plugged into his ears.

"I think I'll get the beef cheeks for him. They had junk food last night, so I think some vegetables are called for. I might get him one of the kiddies meals for dinner before we arrive."
Ryan nodded.

"Hmmm, good idea. I'll do the same for Elizabeth then"

He returned to his seat and not long after, the plane jerked as they began their pushback and the attendant
gave the welcome and safety announcement while the safety video played on the big screens in front of them. That got Cameron's attention and he tapped Andrew on the arm.

"Dad, I got my own TV", he whispered. "Can I watch that one instead of my tablet?"
Andrew grinned down at him.

"Of course you can. Just plug you ear buds out of your tablet and plug it in there", indicating the audio jack at his seat, "and you will be able to hear what is being said. After we take off, I'll show you where the movies are".

The little boy quickly did as he had been told and grinned at Andrew when he heard the audio, giving his dad a thumbs up. When the safety video ended, the tail camera was turned on and Cameron was facinated when Andrew told him what he was watching.The massive engines whined as they powered up and they began a fairly lengthy taxi to the runway where they paused briefly. Then with a muted roar they hurtled down the runway and lifted off bidding Canada farewell.