Now a quarter century and more later I'm still shopping at Costco and loving it. Tom and I provisioned my sailboat, GIRI, in Costco Honolulu when we sailed 34 days back to Vancouver, using a spanish turnkey to jury rig a solution to a broken mast. All our Costco food and supplies were well appreciated when the mast fiasco slowed our progress adding another week to our ocean crossing.
When I stay at the RV park in Burnaby the nearby Costco is often visitted. I outfitted the RV there with sheets, comforters, kitchen accessories and yes I love the fresh salads, and other foods that make for quick meals. Invariably too I fill my fridge freezer with frozen pies and other microwaveables that make for an easy after work dinner. I've bought most of my casual shirts and slacks there as well and even some electronics.
No surprise my financially wise brother loves Costco too. He especially loves the photo department in Kanata Ottawa where, as a photographer, he loves to get prints made of his digital pictures.
What I haven't done at Costco is make it a family outing. In the past I was mostly going alone or with a friend like Tom or Laura. This time though it was a real family outing with my brother, sister in law, their three sons and Andrew's girlfriend, Tanya. Tanya, it turns out had heard from a co worker that she'd got an especially sweet deal on quality cutlery and wanted to check it out. Andrew and Tanya having a tastefully decorated apartment overlooking the Ottawa River are highly selective about what they add to their elegant minimalist urban chic abode. Ron wanted to pick up prints. Graeme was having the family thanksgiving dinner this year so he was searching for seating for his new town house along with food items. Adell an accomplished chef and house party hostess was assisting her son with decision making. I wanted to contribute a pumpkin pie and Alan was mostly along for the ride.
The consequence was much wandering about, lots of family conversation, losing and finding of members and finally using cell phones to arrange a departure rendezvous time and place. It was in the end alot of fun and truly an adult family outing. The last time I was here they'd got me bowling and I confess I liked that too but this Costco Family Outing event I got more alone time talking with my nephews, albeit in the sock or hardware section and my brother and I had some really good family time discussing future plans by the fresh salmon. I was also amused by Graeme's general appearance of being on a mission. I knew he was looking for party chips but he still approached the task as a serious intellectual exercise requiring concentrated effort. I wanted to get two huge pumpkin pies and a huge apple pie while Alan showed restraint. Adell and Ron decided one pumpkin pie would be sufficient as others were bringing deserts too.
Tanya never did get the cutlery which occasioned the expedition. Andrew wanted something heavier and more substantial for the hand. A half dozen of the family contributed to this discussion with unsought opinions, stories about cutlery others had liked and generally a Martha Stewart cutlery moment was had by all. Personally I enjoyed the easy manner in which the young couple respectfully considered each others opinions and tolerated the opinions of family.
Shopping at Costco then was much more than just acquisition. I'd put it right up there with bowling, that's for sure. The pumpkin pie really was terrific too. And thank you Andrew for the delicious ice cream cone.
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