News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown, but we're not there! We headed west this morning, and made it as far as Brandon where we're enjoying a visit with Bonnie and Charlie! Along the way, we stopped in to greet Tom & Mariette and offer condolences and comfort over the loss of her brother this past week. Although brief, it was a nice visit—they're very busy with family activities around the memorial, as well as dealing with lots of feelings, memories and grief. It's been a busy week as we've finished up the bathroom project and tidied up whatever we could in anticipation of our being away for a few weeks. The weather has been mild, but a bit rainy, so we only got out to the driving range once. The markets continue to be troubled and I struggled to make any money this week—only one day left to make quota for the month! The Cubs are faltering in the World Series; Cleveland won again tonight to take a 3-1 lead. The Riders played their final game in the old Taylor Field; alas, they didn't close it out with a win. Hockey is beginning to capture more interest, as my old favourite, the Oilers, look rejuvenated. 

Erica was in Saskatoon this week for work. She was able to enjoy some good restaurants and reconnect with the city. It holds many memories from her university days. Eric had meetings on Friday, so he made his way down to Saskatoon on Thursday evening, and, since they were in Saskatoon, Liam found a ride up, and is home for the weekend. They enjoyed supper at Leyda's restaurant ( a gluten-free place) in Saskatoon before heading back to PA. Haaken decided he'd rather stay in Regina; he must really be enjoying it down there! Eric is preaching on Sunday. You can catch it live-streamed on-line. 

Erin and Kristian are doing just fine as far as we know, but we're headed there to find out for sure!! 

Trav and Joanna continue to be very busy with Puck Shots and Bucket Decals. Still they found time to take us out of supper last evening—thanks guys! They have their office downstairs, so they'll maintain stewardship over the house while we're away. That is a comfort to us. Trav's hockey team has now played five games. You can catch up on his write-ups in the blog. 

And that's all for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather was cooler this week, but still very nice, and I got out to the golf course twice with Wendy. Her game has improved so much this year; I wish I could say the same about mine! Work has continued on the downstairs bathroom and it's looking great. Wendy got the painting completed, so, I have been able to install the electrical and plumbing fixtures. I still need to complete the shower stall. Work has stalled in the kitchenette; it will wait for us to return after the family reunion in Dallas. Wendy has also had two days of babysitting this week. The markets have continued to be difficult, and all US indices remain in the red for the month, however at least this week they were all a bit green, and I had a good week making quota again. I am on pace for quota this month, so I hope that I can finish it off well. Baseball playoffs have moved on to the World Series. My Blue Jays failed to get their bats going, and lost to Cleveland in five games, so that's over. Chicago Cubs advanced over the Dodgers in the National League. All told, my picks won the two wild card games; three of four in the division series, and one of two in the championship series—that's a good percentage, but I'd give up all the others if only the Blue Jays could have moved forward! I am picking the Cubs to win it all, and also cheering for them to do so. I assess them as having the best manager (Maddon) in the game, but Francona is great as well, so it should be an entertaining battle. Go Cubbies! The Riders are playing out the string, and broke their winning streak to Montreal in a dreary, rain-soaked Taylor Field, today. 

Liam went to a student leadership conference where he had to carry a log for over one km! Not to sure what the point was, but I'm guessing there was one! He also got a new laptop this week as his old one (a hand-me-down) has been problematic. Not much news coming from Haaken, so we assume school continues to preoccupy his time. Eric/A have made some progress on the downsizing and reorganization front. They've gone through the Tupperware, and cut their investment there in half! Eric made some progress in reorganizing one of the boy's bedrooms into a music room. 

Look fierce—can't hit anything!

Kristian has lost another tooth, the stomach tooth on the other side. So, he has a matched set of gaps now! Armed with his new knowledge he bypassed the tooth fairy protocol and went straight to the banker to arrange financing on his Hallowe'en costume! Erin is feeling much improved, but still needs work to get her neck in better condition. 

Trav and Joanna are over here most days to work in the office downstairs. They also continue to move stuff to the new house bit by bit. They've also enjoyed visits from two grandmothers this week! Sunday, they were out to Nipigon to photograph 22 hockey teams! And the printer keeps spitting out more bucket decals—a licence to print money! 

And that's about enough for this week! 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We awoke to a frosty Sunday morning, so we have that out of the way, finally, but otherwise, the weather has continued to be very nice. I managed to get out to the golf course twice between work on the projects downstairs. Wendy is now painting the bathroom. She has it primed, and it's looking pretty good. I've solved my electrical issues; now, I'm looking to add some outlets for the kitchenette area. I have the plumbing plan ready—I'm using PEX this time. I had a bit of practice using PEX on Erin's place, so I've decided to go with that. The drain plan is ready as well, and I have bought the materials, but there will be lots of work getting that in place. I've decided that renovations are much harder than building from scratch! With the holiday on Monday, we only had four market days this week, and the markets were not good, but I was relieved to have a great week on my stuff. The baseball playoffs have moved into the league championship level. Three of my four picks are surviving, and I will stick with my choices of Jays vs Dodgers in the Series. Jays are in tough against Cleveland, and have lost the first two games. Our pitchers have certainly performed well giving up just two runs in each game, but the hitters?! Or should I say the swingers, 'cause they weren't hitting much?! Okay! Blue Jays! Let's play ball! The Riders smashed the Argos this afternoon for their fourth straight win! Wow Riders! 

Eric returned the boys to their respective school—since then, it's been pretty quiet. He had a busy week with meetings in the evenings, teaching a course on anger management, and a conference through work. He's decided he might have too much going on, but isn't sure how to fix it. Liam is practising drums. There is an upcoming performance night called Cheesecake Cafe, and he is thinking about performing there. Haaken is back enjoying school again. He seems very happy in his courses. 

Erin and Kristian had a really good Thanksgiving. On Sunday, Shawn's nephews cooked; there were 19 people. They had another good Thanksgiving at Aunty Alicia's on Monday. Erin ordered some new glasses. When she woke up this morning, she wasn't able to get out of bed for a while. The pain in her neck and shoulder was so intense, she got sick. So, she's running on Advil now. The Jays lost again today—more bad news! Kristian has another loose tooth. Erin made a big batch of taco soup today; it was a hit with both boys. They'll be eating it all week! 

Trav, Joanna, Gemma and Andrew were here for Thanksgiving turkey on Monday. They continue to be busy with bucket decals and the printer downstairs keeps chugging them out! They're also getting lots of bookings for hockey team pictures. I guess when you have a business, it's hard to complain about being busy! Trav has set up his production office downstairs now, so we see them most days. Trav's hockey team has opened the season with a couple of wins. Game 1, Game 2. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We awoke to a frosty Sunday morning, so we have that out of the way, finally, but otherwise, the weather has continued to be very nice. I managed to get out to the golf course twice between work on the projects downstairs. Wendy is now painting the bathroom. She has it primed, and it's looking pretty good. I've solved my electrical issues; now, I'm looking to add some outlets for the kitchenette area. I have the plumbing plan ready—I'm using PEX this time. I had a bit of practice using PEX on Erin's place, so I've decided to go with that. The drain plan is ready as well, and I have bought the materials, but there will be lots of work getting that in place. I've decided that renovations are much harder than building from scratch! With the holiday on Monday, we only had four market days this week, and the markets were not good, but I was relieved to have a great week on my stuff. The baseball playoffs have moved into the league championship level. Three of my four picks are surviving, and I will stick with my choices of Jays vs Dodgers in the Series. Jays are in tough against Cleveland, and have lost the first two games. Our pitchers have certainly performed well giving up just two runs in each game, but the hitters?! Or should I say the swingers, 'cause they weren't hitting much?! Okay! Blue Jays! Let's play ball! The Riders smashed the Argos this afternoon for their fourth straight win! Wow Riders! 

Eric returned the boys to their respective school—since then, it's been pretty quiet. He had a busy week with meetings in the evenings, teaching a course on anger management, and a conference through work. He's decided he might have too much going on, but isn't sure how to fix it. Liam is practising drums. There is an upcoming performance night called Cheesecake Cafe, and he is thinking about performing there. Haaken is back enjoying school again. He seems very happy in his courses. 

Erin and Kristian had a really good Thanksgiving. On Sunday, Shawn's nephews cooked; there were 19 people. They had another good Thanksgiving at Aunty Alicia's on Monday. Erin ordered some new glasses. When she woke up this morning, she wasn't able to get out of bed for a while. The pain in her neck and shoulder was so intense, she got sick. So, she's running on Advil now. The Jays lost again today—not good news! Kristian has another loose tooth. Erin made a big batch of taco soup today; it was a hit with both boys. They'll be eating it all week! 

Trav, Joanna, Gemma and Andrew were here for Thanksgiving turkey on Monday. They continue to be busy with bucket decals and the printer downstairs keeps chugging them out! They're also getting lots of bookings for hockey team pictures. I guess when you have a business, it's hard to complain about being busy! Trav has set up his production office downstairs now, so we see them most days. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has was nice early in the week, but has turned cool and damp this weekend. They're threatening frost tonight, so this may finally be it for our first frost. We hope there's enough time left for some improved leaf colours before they all fall off! I only got out golfing one day, but I've managed good progress on the downstairs bathroom, and I've now turned it over to the painter. I'm sure she can cover over the imperfections I left there! But that will have to wait a bit since she is under the weather. Wendy fell sick early in the week and eventually had to give in and go to the doctor who confirmed she has strep. So, she's on antibiotics and is taking it easy for a couple of days at least. I've now started on the kitchenette. The first challenge there is electrical. Once again there's a surprise to clean up, and then some more outlets to install. It gives us something to do, and it's rather rewarding to see the improved house we have here. After this there is really only one big project and that's the kitchen/dining room—we'll have to save up before launching that one! The markets seem to have not realized the bad month is over; they are continuing to lag. The Blue Jays won the top Wild Card seed, and beat Baltimore in that game to advance to the Divisional Series against Texas Rangers. The have won the first two games, but they still need to win one more. Okay! Blue Jays! Let's Play Ball! My picks are Jays over Boston in the American League, and Cubs over Dodgers in the National League; we'll see how that plays out. The Riders played Ottawa on Friday night, and reeled off their third consecutive win! Yay Riders! Keep it going. 

The boys have returned to the Bailey nest in Prince Albert, and they're thankful to have the family together for the weekend. Liam's doctor's appointment provided positive news. His blood work indicates that he's on the mend. Haaken returned from Regina on the bus, and it was quite an adventure! Earlier in the day the bus depot in Regina was evacuated over a suspicious package, and riders were advised to use alternate locations to catch the bus. However, when he got to the new location he was informed that the threat had been cleared and he should go to the bus depot-downtown- in rush hour traffic! He got there, only to find the bus was full. Fortunately, and overflow bus was brought and he was able to make it to Saskatoon. Whew!

Erin and Kristian have the place to themselves this weekend and they're having a relaxing weekend. They enjoyed a date night this week as well—a special time for mom and son. Kristian lost another tooth, one of his stomach teeth, and was unhappy when the tooth fairy didn't come across with the usual pay off! The discussion that ensued allowed him to figure out the identity of the tooth fairy, so he was able to address his complaint more directly! They will enjoy several Thanksgiving meals this weekend as well. 

Trav and Joanna keep busy. Trav has moved his office into one of the rooms downstairs here. We're glad to have him around, although our renovations make it a bit more difficult for him. They're doing a lot of stencil work for Bucket Decals, but they expect that to slow down a bit. They're taking lots of hockey team pictures already, and also added a high school football team. Some developments at the house saw the successful arrival of the replacement dining room table, and the arrival and installation of the dishwasher—progress! They celebrated a Chinese food thanksgiving supper on Friday evening, and I enjoyed that with them. We're planning our turkey dinner with them on Monday. 

And that's enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather was showery early in the week, but turned nice starting on Wednesday. My friend, Bill, has returned from Europe, so he's relieved me of my lawn-cutting duties. We still have not had a frost, so we're not getting the showy display of Fall colours that we love to enjoy. Wendy and I went golfing for nine holes on Wednesday, and I went for 18 holes on Friday. That was fun, but I've been suffering some gout in my left foot this week, so I'm back on Colchicine. And, it made it a challenging hike on Friday. I have continued to work on the mudding of the downstairs bathroom, and it's just about ready for the painter to take over. The markets have completed a typically dismal September, and I ended up red for the month, sigh! The Jays continue their September slide, but with tonight's win over Boston, at least they will make the playoffs! Let's go Blue Jays! The Riders had the bye this week, so that makes three straight weeks undefeated! Go Riders, Go! Canada completed their World Cup championship this week with a two-game sweep of Europe. Oh Canada! The Ryder Cup is on; it's my favourite golf event to follow. 

The Bailey big news this week was a promotion—Erica was promoted to Manager at Deloitte! Congratulations! Ironically, she had just completed Assistant Manager training in Toronto, but surely that training will come in handy anyhow! Haaken continues studies at U of R. He seems to be enjoying it a great deal, because he doesn't even have time to reply to texts! Liam calls each night, and Eric/A are glad of the connection. He went for further blood work this week, and will follow up with the doctor next week. We hope the tests will show an improvement in his red cell level, as that would indicate that the gluten-free diet was having a beneficial effect. He made a few trips to town to resupply his stash of gluten-free snacks at the dorm. He was very hungry when he ran out last Saturday! Fortunately, old friends from high school (Paul & Crystal Quilliams) came to the rescue with some provisions. It's wonderful how friends help each other out! Eric is teaching a course on anger management to teens; he also presented the church budget as Stewardship Elder at the business meeting. He's not sure which task was more daunting!

Not much to report from Erin's place in Regina. Things seem to be going well for them, including their boarder, Haaken! Kristian has been learning lots of sign language at school as his class has determined to learn American Sign Language this year. Erin says he teaches her some new signing each day. 

Trav & Joanna are very busy as hockey team photography is ramping up, and then Trav came down with a sore and stiff neck this week. He's not sure how it happened, but he was surely crippled up with it, and missed time from work. However, he seems to be getting better. This morning he helped me take out a section of their kitchen cupboards in anticipation of their new dishwasher. It's supposed to arrive on Wednesday, so I see another project on the horizon. Joanna has been taking Wendy swimming, and now she's added Gemma and Andrew to the swimming program. It makes me tired to just hear about it. 

And that's about enough for this week.