December 1

December 1...Haley's birthday.  I have a daughter who is 41 years old.  Wow!       

November is past and now Saskatoon has snow, snow...glorious snow.  This is huge for Linda and I because we are itching to cross country ski.  I have been out a couple times already and the conditions are great.  On December 13 and 14, we are going up to our townhouse at Elk Ridge to cross country ski with Haley and Dustin.  

The highlights of November were:

1.  On the November long weekend, Mary and I took Gunnar and Luvisa to Elk Ridge for a couple of days.  It was great to get in some quality time with them.  Of course, we spent ours at the swimming pool. Both kids are comfortable in the water.  Gunnar loves to dive and speed down the water slide.  Luvisa just loves to swim.

2.  I have been getting in a lot of hockey and pickle ball.  

3.  Linda was able to spend some time in Edmonton earlier in November visiting her daughter, Erin.

4.  Haley and Dustin had their house warming party last weekend on the snowiest night of the year.  I love their friends because they always have time to chat with an old codger like me.  Haley and Dustin have amassed a wonderful group of friends.

5.  Mary also has a group of loyal friends.  Her closest friends are members of the Fireside Singers, but she has a great group of friends at pole dancing and she has made several friends through her association with Rushnychok Ukrainian Dance where Luvisa and Gunnar take lessons.  I can hardly wait to see Gunnar and Luvisa perform at Malanka in late January.  I hope Gunnar doesn't get stage fright.  I have no such worries about The Luv Bug.  She has her mother's and her grandfather's love of the spotlight.

Christmas Eve will be at Mary's place this year and Haley is hosting Christmas Dinner.  Linda's kids will be arriving on Christmas Day.  Boxing Day will be spent with Linda's Prince Albert family.

In case I don't make another post before Christmas, I want to wish anyone who reads this blog a blessed Christmas filled with sentimental feelings, warm memories, celebration, hope, good food, generous hugs, safe travels, and hope, blessed hope.  

November 1

 We have been home now for nearly 3 weeks and it feels good to be back in routine...pickle ball, hockey, Piano Fridays, grandparenting, morning coffee while doing Wordle/Connections/Crosswords, and walks along the river.  Of course, it's nice to travel, but it is also nice to be home. 

On October 31, we attended an Arkells concert at Sask Tel Center on October 31.  Although country is my preferred music, I truly enjoyed the energy shown by the Arkells.  Great concert.  The warm up band was Poolside, a band from L.A.  Also good.  Chill wave.  By the way, I am pretty sure I was the oldest guy at the concert.  Rock on!

Linda is off to Edmonton this week to visit her daughter, Erin.  We are looking forward to Christmas when both of Linda's children will be home for a week.

On the November long weekend, I will be at our Elk Ridge townhouse with Mary, Luvisa, and Gunnar.  I'm sure we will be spending countless hours in the pool, on the water slide, and in the hot tub.  

Luvisa is doing well in grade one.  The few times I see her interact with her peers when I pick her up after school lead me to believe she is "no fading flower".  She is a take charge kinda gal who makes her opinion known.  She is loving her dance classes.  In across, she is working on the perfect cartwheel and she is really digging her jazz classes.  I had the chance to watch her Ukrainian dance routine where Luvisa is one of the lead pairs.  She really concentrates and follows instructions well.

Gunnar is getting accustomed to pre-K.  He is not the kind to jump right in.  He needs to warm up to new experiences.  When he had his first Ukrainian dance class, he didn't want to even enter the studio, but now he is getting more comfortable being in class and is amazing Mary and the dance instructors with his abilities.

As for me, I am beginning a new session of hockey with a new set of line mates.  I love playing the two games a week that I play.  Getting out there and working my tail off makes me feel alive.  When I am not playing hockey, I play pickle ball.  Pickle ball is great for socializing.  I try my hardest, but I don't take myself too seriously on the court.  My greatest joy is spinning the ball on my serve.  There are days when I think I should be more competitive and move up a level, then there are days when I think I am well placed at the recreational level goofing around and being a social butterfly.

Haley and Dustin had Linda and me over to their new house for appetizers and hot tubbing on the rooftop patio.  There new place is beautiful. I am very fortunate to have them living close by.  I can bike to their place in about 10 minutes.

Life is good.  I hope it is for the readers of this blog, as well.

October 15

 We are safely home from our European vacation after a 10.5 hour flight from Rome to Calgary, then a short hop to Saskatoon.

I was being quite faithful in making frequent updates detailing our adventures in Europe, then there was a good reason why I was unable to update.  A pickpocket stole my iPhone in a Rome Metro station.  Fortunately, my wallet was safe and my phone was locked.  Furthermore, we had Linda's phone.  

Let me back up a bit.

From Florence, we traveled through the beautiful Tuscan countryside to Pisa.  The Leaning Tower of Pisa is quite impressive.  I had a vision of the tower being a stand alone structure, but there is a beautiful cathedral and baptistry adjacent to the tower.  The funniest thing to me was everyone was taking the same corny photo positioning the photographed person so it appears they are holding the tower from falling over or in my case making it appear I was pushing the tower over.  Tuscany is beautiful with cypress trees, canopy pines, rolling hills, and hilltop villas.  Just like the movies.

After Pisa, we traveled to Rome for two nights.  Linda and I did not participate in the tour of The Sistine Chaper; however, we toured Vatican City on our own.  The main event was a guided tour of The Colosseum, but the crowds, even at this time of year, were enormous. Very impressive!  Later in the evening, we participated in a food tour of Rome a stop in The Jewish Quarter (Probably a bad idea because October 7 was the anniversary of the Hamas attack on the Gaza Strip),

Our tour ended on Tuesday, October 6 in the morning.  Linda and I checked out of our hotel and were taking the Metro to the train station when a pick pocket robbed me of my iPhone.  Rome is crawling with pickpockets.  It's a jungle in Rome.  If you ever go to Rome, be on high alert everywhere!

Being robbed was a definite buzz kill, but we forged ahead taking the highspeed train to Naples.  The train goes 300 km/hour.  In Naples, we transferred to a regional train that took us to Sorrento.  Our accommodation was centrally located so we toured the Sorrento area thoroughly.  Sorrento is all about the lemons.  Lemon dishes, clothing, liquors, tea towels, cutlery, etc.  We ate in several Italian restaurants, sat in outdoor cafes for caffe, ate gelato, and enjoyed the amazing scenery.

The highlights of the Sorrento area were a tour of Pompeii and a boat tour of the Amalfi Coast.  The boat tour took us to Positano, then to Amalfi where we took a bus to Raffalo then we walked down the longest of stair cases back to Amalfi.  Thank God, we decided to take the bus to the top.  Going down the stairs was taxing enough.  The boat that took us back to Sorrento wasn't a large one and the waves were huge.  People were hanging over the edge vomiting, turning green, and praying for the boat to arrive in Sorrento pronto.  We were going to tour the island of Capri, but after that ordeal, we chose to tour Pompeii instead.

Pompeii was awe inspiring.  I will leave it up to the reader to discover Pompeii.  I will say that the level of technology 2300 years ago was beyond my comprehension. Our tour leader was a retired professor who really brought the Pompeii story to life.  Pompeii was probably the best historical site tour in the three weeks we spent in Europe.  Touring Pompeii is a must if you are in Italy.

We were away for a total of 20 days and were quite ready to return home after touring 4 countries and multiple cities.   There were many iconic sites such as the Tower of London and the Eiffel Tower. Throughout the tour, we met interesting people from all over the globe, we ate some great food, and saw beautify landscapes.  

We eventually overcame our horrible experience of being pickpocketed and had a great time in Sorrento.  Now we have a treasure trove of pictures, videos, and memories that are looking forward to sharing in the coming days, months, and years.

There's no place like home.  I love my neighborhood, my city, my province, and this wonderful country of ours.  Moreover, I love my dear family, neighbours, and friends.

Cheers.  

October 3-5

 Traveling southeast from Lucerne, we entered the skiing area of the Swiss Alps toward the Lombardy area of Italy passing through Logano and Milan. We made a stop in Verona to visit the historic area. The big attraction was a balcony where Romeo called out to Juliet. Below the balcony is a statue of Juliet. If you touch her breast…presto…good luck. 

We also had our first helping of gelato in Verona.  Definitely a step up on ice cream. 

Our travel day was dominated by rain. In spite of wind and rain, we took a water taxi into Venice for a 4 course Italian meal. Due to climate change, Venice will likely be under water within 50 years. St. Marks, the main square is the lowest point. Vendors were selling gators to slip over shoes because there was standing water everywhere. Temporary risers were assembled on the stone tiles to keep pedestrians above the water. 

On Friday,  we spent the day in Venice touring the narrow streets, crossing canal bridges, watching glass blowers, eating pasta, sipping wine, and taking a boat tour to the island of Burano. Burano’s buildings are painted a variety of bright colours and the shops sell locally produced garments and lace. 

Today we traveled through Balogna to Florence. Aperol spritz with bruschetta for lunch.  Florence is a beautiful city with amazing churches and cathedrals. Even though October is a shoulder season, the crowds were oppressive. The tour is winding down and we are looking forward to Tuesday when we will be on our own traveling to Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, and the Isle of Capri. 

October 3

 October 3

It is Thursday morning and we are traveling south from Lucerne towards Venice. The Swiss countryside is beautiful…chalets with timbers over stucco, cattle with cowbells, green meadows, mountain forests, compact towns/villages, castles, long tunnels, commuter trains, ornate bridges, and deep mountain lakes. Lucerne is a quaint little city with old German architecture, chocolate shops, Swiss army knives, expensive watches, jewelry stores, and a scenic wooden bridge. 

The Wednesday highlights were taking a vernacular(sp) train up to a gondola ride on Mount Stanserhorn. The gondola was unique. There was an open air viewing deck on top of each gondola. We climbed 6000 feet to a restaurant and observation deck. I did not spot Heidi or her grandfather. 

In the evening, we attended a folk dinner with fondue, oompapa band, elekenhorn demonstration, yodeling lesson, and dancing. Kitschy and corny. 

October 1

 October 1

We were on the bus by 7:30 today on our way to Lucerne. At present, we are traveling through the French countryside near Dijon. Rolling hills, charlais cattle, pastures, forests, castles, and wind farms dominate the countryside. We will be passing through the wine region of Chablis and Burgandy. 

The Paris experience was impressive. Whereas London had narrow roadways and a mixture of architectural features, Paris was dominated by 7 story limestone buildings with ornate carvings and iron works. The statues and landmarks were more grand and stylish. On the other hand, The Tube I. London was more user friendly than The Metro in Paris. 

The plan for later this afternoon is a tour of Lucerne. Tomorrow will include a gondola ride up one of the Swiss Alps and cultural evening of food, song, and dance. Apparently, we will be learning how to yodel too. 

September 30

 Yesterday was a blast!  Half the members of our tour went to a French restaurant for a 3 course meal. Most of the people in our group are Americans and Aussies. They are going to be a fun group to spend time with on our tour. There was a guitar player and an accordion player leading a sing song during the meal. We had a ball. After the meal, we had a night time bus tour of Paris. Of course, the highlight was seeing the Eiffel in lights. Today, we had a bus tour of Paris in daylight. After the bus tour, Linda and I walked the streets of Paris and crossed items off the bucket list…eating croissants, sipping coffee in a sidewalk cafe, enjoying a lunch of crepes along with cheese in pastry, and sipping French wine. Today’s step count was 25 581. 

London was impressive, but I have to say Paris is at a whole new level for architecture, culture, cuisine, artistry, and imagination  wow!

Tomorrow, we have to be on the bus by 8:30 for a long journey to Lucerne, Switzerland. 

September 28

 Another full day in London. Our hotel was only a short walk to The Natural History Museum and The Victoria and Albert Museum so we started our day taking in a very small fraction of the two museums. London ‘s museum quality and quantity is off the charts. It would take decades to do justice to all the displays. 

Linda and I became quite comfortable using The Tube so we travelled to Soho District where we people watched and enjoyed a half pint at one of the many pubs. Tourist advice: never pass a toilet if you have been drinking beer. From Soho, we walked down to The Thames and purchased a London Boat Tour from Westminster to The Tower Bridge. The guide was humorous as most guides are, but his best line was “The Tait Modern Art Gallery has free admission. When you visit the museum, you’ll know why admission is free.” 

Our plan was to have dinner at The Borough Market on the south shore of Thames. Even though end of September is not peak season, the crush of humanity at Borough Market was overwhelming so we settled for a pub meal off the beaten track. There were two soccer matches on The Telly so we enjoyed the full pub experience. 

After our dinner, we took the subway back to Kensington. We stopped at a market to use up all our British money and returned to our hotel for wine and cheese before sleepy time. 

It is now September 29 and I am on The Eurostar Train zipping through the French countryside at 300kph. The trip through The Chunnel lasts only 20 minutes. It hardly mattered we were 300 metres below the surface. Tonight, we will enjoy a 3 course meal in Paris before we spend Monday touring Paris. 

September 27

 We flew out of Saskatoon on Wednesday. After a layover in Calgary, we flew through the night to London. Sleeping on a plane can hardly be called sleep. 

We arrived in London just after noon on Thursday and took The Tube to our hotel in Kensington. After regrouping, Linda and I walked around Hyde Park. The highlight for me was seeing Princess Diana’s Memorial near Kensington Palace. Nicely done. Evening dinner was fish and chips with a pint at a local pub. Sleepy time came early last night. 

Today, we took The Tube to Tower of London and walked our way back to Kensington, a mere 22.4 km…31 000 steps. We just took in the sights: Tower of London. Globe Theatre. Borough Market.  Tate Modern Art Gallery. The Shard. London Eye. Westminster Abbey. Big Ben. Trafalgar Square. Piccadilly Circus. Whitehall. Covent Garden. The Mall. Buckingham Palace. Harrods of London. 

We finished the evening with a delicious Indian meal at Dishoon Restaurant. 

September 16

 Linda and I are back in Saskatoon now after a very enjoyable summer spent at Elk Ridge.  I made great use of my membership at Elk Ridge as I played about 35 rounds.  We also spent our days kayaking the lakes and rivers near Waskesiu, hiking, biking, and playing a little bit of pickle ball.  Over the summer, we made a lot of new friends and had a few guests stay with us at our townhouse.  On the September long weekend, we had Linda's oldest sister and her husband at our place to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary and many of Linda's relatives joined us for a Dawson Family Reunion.  For three nights in a row, we had about 30 people in our place for meals and merry making.

In other news:

1.  I just had a date with a little red head.  Linda was okay with the whole affair.  I picked Luvisa up from school at 3 pm.  Luvisa's grade one teacher is a gal that grew up on our crescent and played with Mary from time to time.  She is an exceptional teacher and she appreciates Luvisa's special talents as a lover of nature and the arts.  

After school, we picked up our Tim's and drove to Saskatoon.  The plan was to tour a large hotel (one of Luvisa's favourite activities) and play a round of mini golf before enjoying a meal at Fuddruckers.  We were a little sidetracked by a stop at Kinsman Park so she settled for about 20 repetitions on the zip line, 30 trips down the giant slide and follow the leader over the jungle gym.  We skipped most of the planned agenda and went straight to Fuddruckers for a meal before I took her to her jazz dance lessons.

2.  We had Gunnar for two evenings last week.  He still keeps me on the go watching monster trucks, playing with the train set, playing catch, batting balls of the tee, and raiding the pantry.  Gunnar is enrolled in Ukrainian dance lessons this year, but he hasn't really warmed to the idea.  He's still searching for his "inner Kolach".

3.  Mary and Morgan celebrate their 12th wedding anniversary tomorrow.  Morgan and Mary are single handedly stimulating the economy by buying new vehicle this summer.  Morgan has a new half ton and Mary has a new Lincoln Corsair plug in hybrid.

4.  Haley and Dustin are moved into their new house on Spadina Crescent.  They have put a lot of effort into the design and functionality of the house and let me tell you, the house has a lot of "wow"!

5.  My 50th high school reunion on August long weekend was a huge success.  I believe there were 22 people in attendance.  A majority of the people who attended were classmates that I had not seen in 50 years.

6.  I have already been playing hockey for two weeks in the Saskatoon Plus 60 Hockey League.  Our league is the largest and best run league for 60 plus players in all of Canada.  We have one player in our league who is 90 years old and is still playing...amazing!

7.  Linda and I are leaving for a European vacation in 8 days.  We will be in England, France, Switzerland, and Italy.  We are both super pumped about the vacation.

That's all I have for now.  Forgive and be peace makers.  Love your neighbours, even the ones who drive you nuts!

July 8

The month of June has passed and July has brought warmer, drier temperatures to this part of the world over the last week.  At present, we are not at Elk Ridge because our townhouse is being rented this weekend.  There are two more times we have to clear out of the condo because of rentals that were booked before we took ownership of the property.  We have to book our condo just like renters.  Next year, we will have more control over when we will be using our condo.  The revenue from renting is nice, but removing our personal items in preparation for renters is a hassle.

We have been using revenue from rentals to make improvements to our condo.  So far, we have replaced the dishwasher and microwave as well as a few little things.  Our latest project has been to sand and refinish the pine coffee table and end tables.  

I have been making good use of my membership at Elk Ridge.  So far, I have golfed about 15 rounds of 18 holes and I am on first name basis with the marshalls, cart girls, and clubhouse staff…real big deal, I am (haha).

In other news:

1. Linda and I joined my crew attending a wedding for my great niece in Wadena on the long weekend.  Linda and I stayed with my friends, The Rennies, on their farm between Wadena and Kelvington.  The kids stayed at a beautiful Airbnb in Wadena.  My brothers, Vince and Wayne, and my sister, Paulette also attended the wedding. I had fun dancing with my grandkids and was happy they had a chance to connect with my extended family.
2. On July 1-2, Linda and I had her sister, Deb, and brother in law, Bill as guests at Elk Ridge.  We enjoyed a couple rounds of golf, some games, and good food together.
3. We wil be spending the next three weeks at Elk Ridge golfing, biking, hiking, kayaking, swimming, reading, and enjoying the good life.
4. On the August long weekend, I am going to the Kelvington Fair.  Over the winter and spring, I arranged an informal 50th high school reunion.  We are all meeting at the fair.  When you are from a small town, coming home for the fair is one of the best times to see folks you haven’t seen in ages.  I have contacted nearly all the people I went to school with and the ones that graduated with me in 1974, then I informed everyone who was going to be joining us at the fair.  The response has been very positive.  Old friends from across Canada and from as far as Texas will be attending.

That's all for now.  Choose joy.  Love always. 

June 4, 2024

 The motorhome came out of storage on April 27 and we immediately began packing Siesta Sam for a 22 day motorhome journey to British Columbia.  We hit the road on May 1.  Our first destination was Edmonton.  Unfortunately, the engine light came on when we were en route, but I was able to get Siesta Sam into the Mercedes dealer in Edmonton.  The issue wasn't anything major; however, the repair bill was still a tidy sum.  We spent two days in Edmonton visiting, Erin, Linda's daughter, and Linda's brother's family.

 After Edmonton, we stopped in Red Deer for lunch with my sister, Paulette, and then proceeded on to Canmore for one night.  We woke up to minus three Celsius in Canmore so after a quick blast of furnace and morning coffee we were on our way to Kelowna where we were booked into a lovely RV park in an orchard.  

We had our E bikes on the carrier for this holiday as a means of getting around at our various stops.  Kelowna is quite bike friendly as were most of the locations along our way.  We spent a day biking Kelowna stopping for a breakfast at a bakery and at a brew pub for lunch.  From Kelowna, we drove to Chilliwack Lake and plugged in our motor home at Linda's nephew's cabin for one night.  

The next day we journeyed to Squamish where we enjoyed the Sea to Sky Tram.  I'm usually okay with heights, but the elevation climb of the tram was at another level.  I really concentrated on the horizon rather than looking down.  Mind blowing.  

After Squamish, we took a ferry to The Sunshine Coast where we spent a few nights at an RV park near Sechelt.  The days were spent biking the area and hiking in the forests and on the beaches.  In general, we didn't have much difficulty booking camping spots because the month of May isn't as busy as mid summer.  We did notice that there were many people who lived in the RV parks permanently because of the shortage of affordable housing.  We also noticed a large number of rented motorhomes on the road.  Apparently, Europeans enjoy paying the nearly $200/day rental plus operating costs to get the BC experience.

Linda's nephew invited us to spend a weekend in Coquitlam where I had the chance to see my nephew, Justin.  On Mother's Day, Linda's nephew had a barbecue so I had the opportunity to meet Linda's second oldest brother and his extended family.

From Coquitlam, we caught the ferry to Nanaimo where we spent the afternoon with Linda's niece before we continued on to Tofino.  I had been to Tofino a handful of times and absolutely love the place.  Linda fell in love with it too.  Just like Maui, but a tad cooler and you use Canadian dollars.  We were thrilled to discover there are paved bike trails everywhere.  In fact, you can bike from Tofino all the way to Uclulet on a dedicated, paved bike trail.  Riding our E bikes on the packed sand of the beaches was another thrill.  The campground we booked was right on the beach and close to Tofino.  Tofino was the highlight of the journey.

On our way back to the mainland, we spent an evening in Victoria area near Sidney before catching the ferry to Tsawassen.  Sidney to Tsawassen journey is beautiful because the ferry weaves through beautiful forested islands such as Salt Spring and Gabriola.  The day was spent getting to Hope where we camped for the evening before traveling to Osoyoos the following day.  We were very impressed with the scenery on the Hope-Princeton highway especially near Keremeos where we enjoyed a wine tasting.

The RV park in Osoyoos was a cut above.  Full hook up.  Overlooking the lake.  Near town.  We were greeted by the manager who invited us to a hockey party in his back yard.  There were lots of friendly people and great conversation. After telling everyone we were taking this trip as a last hurrah for the motorhome before selling the unit, we started thinking maybe we should keep the motorhome and use it for future spring trips before we move to Elk Ridge for the summer seasons.

Twenty-two days is a long time to spend in a 24 foot motor home, but we settled in to a comfortable pattern of making camp, preparing meals, biking, hiking, taking in local attractions, morning coffee, preparing meals, nightly games of cribbage or scrabble, and reading in the sun when it was available.  We seldom ate at restaurants.  Siesta Sam performed very well on the road.  

The day we left Osoyoos, we stopped at Christina Lake, near Grand Forks.  Judy, the girls, and I spent many happy days in Christina Lake over the years visiting Judy's aunt and uncle.  Linda and I golfed at Christina Lake, then we made the short journey to Castlegar where we stayed at the Castlegar Golf and RV Resort.  In the morning, we golfed the beautiful Castlegar course.  I don't think either of us ever golfed a course so picturesque.

Fernie was our last stop.  On our way to Fernie, we stopped at Two Scoop Steve's in Yahk, BC for ice cream.  Yahk is an Alvin Kolach gag stop. I bought a T-shirt in Yahk 30 plus years ago...on the front:  I've Been to Yahk and Back.  I still have that famous shirt.  We only spent one night in Fernie because the weather was miserable with a forecast of very miserable so we packed up and made the long journey home on May 22.

Since we have been home:

1.  We just had Gunnar's 3rd birthday party on the weekend.  

2.  Luvisa's jazz and aero recital is coming up on June 16.

3.  Haley and Dustin's house in Hampton Village is on the market.  They should be moving to their new house June-July ish.

4.  I spent three days up at Elk Ridge golfing to my heart's content.  60 holes in 2 days.

5.  Linda and I are off to Elk Ridge tomorrow for a week.

6.  My brother, Wayne, and my sister, Paulette, visited us a week ago.  Always love to get together with siblings when the opportunity arises.  

That's all to report for now.  Keep smiling.

March 10, 2024

 When I made my last blog entry, I was about to embark on a week long holiday to Phoenix with Mary, Morgan, Gunnar, Luvisa, and Morgan's mom.  The holiday was a great family time.  The Airbnb where we stayed had a swimming pool and a hot tub.  The grandkids were in the pool for hours.  Luvisa learned to swim without water wings and Gunnar is very comfortable in the water now.  Mary and Morgan took the kids to a water park one day and to the zoo on another day.  Morgan and Mary also got in a couple rounds of golf.  We also enjoyed a day in Sedona...beautiful place.  I went to the practice facility for the Colorado Rockies to watch their pitching and batting practice, then on a separate day, I watched a spring training game between Colorado and the Oakland As.  Another highlight was getting together with some of my snowbird friends for a hike and a visit.  An Alberta clipper moved through Saskatoon while I was away.  Thankfully, kind neighbours helped Linda dig out.  On the first weekend after my return, another 37 cm fell on Saskatoon, but I was home to operate the snowblower.  

What else is new?

1.  We had Haley, Dustin, Mary, Luvisa, and Gunnar up to the townhouse in Elk Ridge for Easter.  We had a good time except for having to take Gunnar to the hospital when he threw up multiple times likely because he drank too much pool water.  There was still enough snow to go tubing and Luvisa and I had a skate on the pond.  Linda and I also enjoyed a huge hike on the day the kids left.

2.  Haley and Dustin had a marvellous time in Thailand.  They are defiantly going back to SE Asia.  Their new house on Spadina Crescent will likely be ready in June.  I drive by the house regularly and it's really looking good.  Haley was beginning the arduous task of packing over the Easter break.

3.  Luvisa is turning 6 on April 12. She had her birthday party one week early because she is away for dance competition on her birthday. Her dance recital season begins this weekend in North Battleford then in Vermillion AB the following week. Gunnar will be our frequent house guest while Luvisa is away at competition.

4.  The snow tires are off and the summer tires are on.

5.  Linda's son, Scott, has been with us for most of this week because he is in town for work.  He returns to Ottawa tomorrow.

6.  Ball season is beginning on April 23 and hockey season is ending April 26.

7.  We are taking the motorhome out of storage on April 27 and we should be hitting the road in early May.

Have a great spring everyone.

February 17

Today is Saturday, February 17.  We are still experiencing the brownest winter I can remember.  In the past week, Linda and I enjoyed some time at our townhouse in Elk Ridge.  There was enough snow to cross-country ski, our second time cross-country skiing this winter.  

We are definitely looking forward to spending time at Elk Ridge between May and September.  I just purchased an Elk Ridge Golf Club membership for the year.  Linda is planning to get casual employment at Elk Ridge for the summer.  Employees receive free golf so hopefully, Linda will get a fresh air job of some type.  I will likely make weekly trips to Saskatoon to check on our house, mow the lawn, keep appointments, and pick up supplies.

I am also organizing a 50 year reunion for my graduating class of 74 in Kelvington on the August long weekend.  Those who are willing and able will be going to the Kelvington Fair to renew acquaintances 

Linda and I have been busy in January and February playing pickle ball.  We have met many good people and enjoyed the competition.  I have been playing hockey twice a week.  Again, I enjoy the friends I have made in the plus 60 league and I enjoy the exercise. We also spend time most days staying in shape by exercising in our basement doing yoga, dumbbells, and weight bearing activities.

At present, Linda and I are babysitting the grand dogs because Haley and Dustin are on a vacation in Thailand.  On Wednesday, I am joining Mary, Morgan, Morgan's mom, and the grand kids on a one week vacation to Phoenix area.  I am planning to attend at least one spring training game and hopefully, I will get to join some friends for hiking some trails in the Phoenix area.  Another excursion that we have planned is to travel to Sedona, a place I have heard so much about, but have never experienced.  

Since the last blog entry, I attended Luvisa's Ukrainian Dance recital and Malanka event.  This is Luvisa's third year in Ukrainian dance.  This the first year she has performed without an apprentice accompanying her.  She had to remember many steps and cues to complete her dance and she was marvellous according to this proud grandpa.

Gunnar is learning new words everyday.  He is a real neat freak too.  He loves to vacuum and help with the dusting.  Mary took him to an ear, nose, and throat specialist only to discover that he has a huge amount of fluid in his ears.  He will be having tubes placed in his ears sometime in March.  Having his ears drained should definitely help him with language acquisition.

Haley and Mary have both experienced the challenges of job action by the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation as they attempt to iron out a new contract.

To conclude this blog, I will mention that Linda and I are in the process of making plans for a motorhome trip to Vancouver Island and The Sunshine Coast in May.  We have also booked our trip of a lifetime to London, Paris, Lucerne, Vienna, Pisa, Rome, and the Amalfi Coast for September into October of this year.  I will be blogging more about those adventures in future blog entries.

January 8, 2024

 Happy New Year.  The ground is white and we are getting more snow this evening.  Winter never really started until last weekend.  We received about 5 cm of snow on January 5 and a few flurries thereafter.  January 5 is also the day the furnace decided to give up the ghost.  A Friday... so we had to wait until Monday to have a new furnace installed.  The woodpile beside the garage is down to a few twigs after a weekend of warming the house in the old fashioned way.  The mechanical company was kind enough to lend us some electric heaters to keep the house comfortable.  And now, we have a new furnace with all the bells and whistles.  We also have a lighter wallet.

The furnace was installed on Monday.  All is good.