News Update

It's been a busy week here on the shore of Lake Superior. Wendy has me doing many errands in preparation for the wedding next Saturday. The garage has been cleaned out, and some stuff has been disposed of, while other stuff has found a new storage location. She has activated two of our fridges that are stored in the garage, as she needs more capacity for the wedding cake and other wedding preparations. Travis also has me helping with preparation of the house. We manage to complete installation of his new pedestal sink; we also install a fancy-dancy mirror. Sylvia and he have repainted the bathroom as well. I also work on his wireless system and finally manage to get that going after downloading new drivers from an internet source.

I find a little time for golfing with Eric, and another round with some local people I was placed with when I arrived as a 'walk-0n'. Both rounds were satisfactory; my iron play seems much improved, and the three-wood is keeping me in play off the tee most of the time. I scored 83 and 81. Always, it seems, there are places where I feel I could do much better, and places where I feel I have escaped with several saved strokes!

I get the pool filled and operating. I have installed a make-shift pool-heater by adding some garden hose into the filtration cycle. This seems to gradually assist in raising the temperature. I also get more yard work done, and continue my battle with the weeds and undergrowth.

Erin and Kristian are continuing to keep each other occupied, although lately, I think Kristian is winning the activity war! He gets around much more quickly now with his crawling, and sometimes terrifies his mother with what he can get into!

My computer is expected back tomorrow. It will sport a new hard drive. I still have no news on how much, if any, of my files can be restored.

And that's the kind of week it has been.

News Update

Another week has passed here on the shore of Lake Superior. We arrived back in Ontario on Monday evening after ten days out west. Work is basically over for me until September, but there are always some small items to keep working on. I have a teleconference with my opposite number from northeastern Ontario. We have agreed on a student management system for our schools and are now trying to arrange training for our secretaries, teachers and principals. This is moving forward well.

I got back to golfing with some reminders from my brother, Tom. He was quite helpful, but would have been more helpful if he had given me the advice before my game with him!! I have been able to achieve some respectable scores this week--78, 82, 83--after the 89 I managed last week with Tom. (I actually scored 91, but had to remove two strokes for handicapping purposes.)

The wedding planning continues apace. In addition to the usual stress, these plans are also bringing no small measure of distress. We hope all will be worked out before the special day. Wendy is working on the wedding cake; this has caused (allowed) a large amount of extra shopping as she looks for just the right pans and display options for this particular cake. She has also been working on bedding plants for the front and back yards. And she has dispatched me to do battle with the weeds! I have also begun work on the setting for the pool. I hope to get it set up next week.

Erin and Kristian keep busy around the edges. Kristian is always finding avenues to engage his cuteness into our activities. Erin managed to get another batch of pictures up on his website:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kristianleif/
and it was a good thing as my computer suffered a catastrophic failure! Apparently it got dropped or badly jarred while the hard drive was reading/writing and the hard drive is toast. I have passed it along to my friend to see whether anything can be salvaged, and to get the hard drive replaced. I am mourning a major loss of files. (Why weren't they backed up?!)

Special events are the order of the day at school, so Haaken and Liam are involved in trips and special days, and kindergarten graduation. They are also getting ready for their starring roles in the wedding.

And that's the kind of week it has been.

Golfing 201.5

I practise with my newer driver, the Taylor-Made Burner Bubble with the stiff shaft. Then I decide to retire it as well! I just can't make it go with that stiff shaft. I shall try to trade it in on something usable. I would like a Burner Bubble with a regular flex shaft. We'll see what Play It Again Sports has to offer.

Then I head back to the golf course with my new swing, and my newly refound confidence and my new discipline. You will remember that I scored a seven over, 78, the last time out, for my lowest recorded score! And sure enough, I also scored seven over this morning. I hope I do better on the back nine! Well, I had a little talk with myself and reviewed my swing, my confidence... and I scored a very satisfactory plus four on the back for a total of 82. Quite satisfactory all the way around but with lots of room for improvement in the consistency department.

Golf, an endlessly interesting game; much more than a good walk--spoiled!

Golfing 201

I had plenty of time to think about my golf game while I drove back to Thunder Bay. A couple of comments that Tom had made continued to percolate from my subconscious. "On the shots that go astray, it looks like you're hitting at the ball, rather than making a swing. You have to swing; just let the ball get in the way." I recall telling lots of friends and family that same advice! Now why wasn't I heeding it myself?! Tom also noted that a weaker left hand might help to avoid the snap hooks. So, this afternoon, I was back at it. And it worked. And it works!

I determined to take a practise swing before every shot. I figured that this might help me keep my mind on the swing, rather than on the result. I took the precaution of giving my driver the day off, which may have contributed some benefit as well! I had a consistent draw with my three-wood, so if I started it out down the right side it usually ended up in the centre of the fairway. Wow! So this is how Wayne feels! I still pulled a few irons, including the tee shots on two par threes right into the water hazard! I only played fourteen holes before coming in for supper, but I was at six over! And four of those strokes were penalty strokes. I went back after supper to complete my round. It continued to go well, except for a visit to the sand trap on the 7th hole (I played the back nine first.). I had pars on the other three holes, although one took a putt from the fringe to make it! I scored a new low of 78! Now I need to see if I can figure out how to swing this well on a consistent basis. The 89 and 91 the past two weekends were frustrating, although Chapples is two strokes easier than White Bear, and one stroke easier than Quarry Oaks. I will also dig out my newer driver and try to learn to hit it, or replace it. I hope I have permanently retired ol' scatter-gun!

News Update

We have had a week—mostly in Saskatchewan!

We are staying at Wendy's dad's place in Regina for most of the week. The weather is grand, until the rains begin on Thursday. On Friday, we start our trip back by driving to Winnipeg. Here we are staying at Tom & Mariette's place.

I enjoy getting in some golf practice, doing some long-distance phone work back to Ontario, and getting a few odd jobs completed at my father-in-law's place. Wendy gets in some shopping (mostly unsuccessful), and a lot of puttering around at the house. She does gardening, cleaning and beautification projects. Now dad will get to try to keep up with watering flowers and vegies, and holding back the weeds! We hope this will provide decoration, and some tasty vegies as the summer progresses. Erin & Kristian continue to add to our enjoyment and entertainment as we watch the progress of Kristian's life. He is now crawling, although he is using only one leg for pushing!

On Friday we drive down to Winnipeg and settle into my brother's place for the weekend. We have a wedding scheduled here for Sunday afternoon, and then will head back to Thunder Bay on Monday. On Saturday, I manage another golf outing with Tom & Wayne—one of the Olson brothers. I manage to continue my inconsistent play. I make some good shots, but a lot of wasted ones before finally completing at 91. Not good! Wendy suggests I need more practice! What a woman!

On Saturday evening we enjoy a barbecue with our nieces from Winnipeg, Angie and Damaris, along with their children. It's wonderful to catch up with them.

And that's the kind of week it's been!

'67 Cougar

Our first car, purchased just days before our wedding back in 1970, was a 1967 Cougar. This was the first year of Cougar production, and it was acclaimed as 'car of the year'. I needed no such third party acknowledgement, as I thought it was a beautiful car anyway! We eventually had to sell that car, and always missed it. We began searching for a replacement about ten years ago, and my brother John found one in Kelowna about five years ago. It is green, not white as our original had been, but it is still a pleasure to drive and to use as a source of reminiscence.

As you can imagine after 35 years, a car is no longer in showroom condition, and even though this one has lived in the enjoyable climes of BC, it still suffers from rust. After four more years of waiting while we were in Zambia, we finally found a body shop willing to take on the task for a level of funding we felt we could manage. And just last week, the body work was completed. It sports new rear quarter panels, and many places on the remainder of the car where the rusted parts were cut out, and new steel was welded in. It looks great, as you can see in the photos.

Ontario has a program for Classic Cars that allows us to add it to our insurance policy for only $150 per annum. However, they require a safety inspection, and will not accept Manitoba or Saskatchewan's inspection. So, I had reluctantly decided to drive it all the way back to Thunder Bay to get it licensed. However, while we were in Regina, I checked out what Saskatchewan had to offer. And their deal is even better! They will license it as for only $120 per year, and do not even require a safety. This is obviously minimal insurance (as was also the case in Ontario), but they will allow me to insure it for whatever I wish up to the appraised value. So, we decide to get it licensed in Saskatchewan, and leave it here. And my father-in-law graciously agrees to store it at his place. So that is what we do, and I get to drive back with the rest of the crew.

Golf Saskatchewan

Back in Saskatchewan, I manage a golf game with the Olson brothers: Brent, Mark and Wayne. Wayne plays his usual steady game, with the usual collection of, "Oh Wayne... oh Wayne!", and the occasional, "Oh Wayne, you dummy!", but he still scores in the low 80's and blows the rest of us away. I do not play well, and eventually stagger in with 89. I am at a loss to understand my wayward shooting. I am hitting both to the left and right, and even occasionally down the centre just to confuse my corrections!

Today, I head out to the course to try to work out the kinks. Everything is working well during my short time before the rain moves in; now, I'm really confused. I shall try to get some more practice time this week, before an expected golf date next Saturday in Winnipeg. As always, hope springs eternal.

News Update

We have had another week, but it has not been all spent on the shore of Lake Superior.

Monday and Tuesday were very busy as we completed necessary tasks before setting out for the prairies. On Wednesday morning, we packed up the car and set off for Winnipeg. Erin and Kristian were travelling with us. We enjoyed dinner and the night at Tom & Mariette's. Then on Thursday we drove out to Dauphin. Sounds rather uneventful, doesn't it? However, somewhere west of Dryden I suffered from the problem of too much thinking time while driving along. And I casually mentioned to Wendy, "You know, I can't remember putting the computer into the trunk!" Sure enough, when we got to Winnipeg and we checked the trunk‹no computer. So, I phoned my helpful daughter in Thunder Bay, and it seemed like no time before she called back to say the computer was on the bus and would be in Winnipeg in the morning. And it was; it was a great relief to have it back in my possession. Thank you, Erica! You don't know what a special gift you have of getting things accomplished. I value and count on that a great deal.

Once we got to Dauphin, I went to check on the '67 Cougar. The body shop considered it complete, but I demurred. I pointed out some imperfections on the trunk lid, and they agreed to repaint it. I should be ready on Friday morning. Well one delay followed another and I finally got it about 2pm on Friday. In the meantime we enjoyed our time in Dauphin. Dick and Sue Kirkpatrick treated us to a fine meal, and we retired to Mabel Bailey's for the night. We enjoyed getting caught up with her on the subject of her
recent tour in Africa.

On Friday evening and Saturday I took part in a men's weekend at Kenosee Lake, while Wendy proceeded to Regina with Erin and Kristian. I plan to drive up to Regina on Sunday afternoon.

And that's the kind of week it's been.