News Update

Kristian enjoyed time with the relatives in BC!

Another week has passed and we have journeyed from the banks of the Fraser, to the shore of Lake Okanagan, to the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. We enjoyed visiting with many relatives at Bordie's birthday party which extended into Monday, then we headed east. We stopped for supper with Lyndon and Janelle in Enderby, and then returned to our favourite Okanagan digs with John—thanks John! We spent Monday and Tuesday nights there, and enjoyed a visit with Warren and Evelyn who came out Tuesday evening. Then, we packed up once again and headed to Calgary where we enjoyed a night in the outpost cabin at Gary and Barb's—thanks! Finally, we drove back to Regina on Thursday, where we are once again ensconced with Erin and Kristian—thanks again! This weekend has featured the provincial championships in fastball, and our old home town, Earl Grey, is hosting this year. We drove out Friday and again today to watch them. They have advanced to the medal round which is set for tomorrow, so we'll be hoping and cheering for them to continue to win. The markets have had a dreary week, and I didn't manage to even break even—sigh! The Jays have now sold off three players, and more are on the block before the trade deadline at the end of the month. The Riders hosted the first place Stampeders tonight, and fell behind 24-0 early before staging a spirited comeback to make a game of it at least. They lost by 8. 

Eric and Erica enjoyed having the family together this week as Haaken was home from Victoria. Progress continues on the renovations, and plans are in place to complete another bedroom upstairs. 

Erin has continued her painting, and is making good progress on Kristian's room. We have also reviewed the plans for a drop-leaf on two sides of her kitchen island. That may proceed next week! In the meantime, we're eating tomatoes and trying stay ahead of her productive garden. The cucumber vines continue to suffer with powdery mildew, and we continue to treat it, but without much success! 

Kristian learning to drive

Travis and Joanna installed a projection TV in their room. Gemma has returned from Europe, so the whole family is together again—yay! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Happy Birthday, Uncle Bordie!

Another week has passed and we have been travelling—same ol', same ol'! The Canadian team lost out in the playoffs, so we headed back to Regina a bit earlier than expected on Sunday. Australia ended up winning the World Junior Men's Softball Championship with a win over Japan. New Zealand took the bronze. We spent Monday in Regina, and then headed west on Tuesday, arriving in the Okanagan at John's place on Wednesday. We enjoyed several days on the shore of Lake Okanagan, where Scott, Margaret and Tori have been holding down the fort for the last three weeks. We enjoyed our time there very much. Wendy got some lake-time, Kristian enjoyed boating and a trip to a game farm with some very special game! 

Thanks for the boat ride, Scott!

Kristian and a Joey

John hosted us to some great relaxation, and a Rider win! Yay! The Blue Jays are enjoying a good series against Baltimore, but then, most teams are enjoying games with Baltimore this season! The markets enjoyed two good days at the start of the week as Trump returned much-weakened after the meeting with Putin, but then the Republicans decided they wouldn't stand up to him, and he gained courage to launch more trade threats against China, so the markets took a three-day dumper, and I lost my early gains—sigh! This morning, we drove over from Lake Country to North Bend to celebrate Uncle Bordie's 90th birthday. It was a good trip across. We saw the areas currently suffering forest fires near Kelowna. There was a lovely gathering in the community hall with much talk, laughter, eating and singing! 

Erica continues her recovery from her most recent surgery. Both she and Eric are back to work, while Liam continues the home improvement program. Haaken is expected home soon. They have also taken charge of the house-sitting assignment that we began. 

Kristian is travelling with us. Erin is continuing with her regular work and also trying to complete the second coat of paint on Kristian's room while we're away. Her garden continues to produce, but the peas seem to be reaching the end of their season. The cucumbers have fallen victim to a powdery mildew fungus, so we hope her treatment regime helps out there. Alicia has the same malady over at 55 Laird on her yellow zucchini, and is trying the same remedy. 

Trav is holding down things in Thunder Bay while Joanna and Andrew are visiting in southern Ontario. Andrew is recovering well from his toe surgery. Gemma continues her travels in Europe. 

Gemma makes a friend!

Trav has had to make a change to his icon for Bucket Decals as another firm thought his 'bucket' looked too much like Gretzky's old Jofa helmet! True, but sad all the same! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed and we remain on the shore of the South Saskatchewan at the northern end of the prairies. The weather has been fine with some very hot days, but cooling off nicely in the evenings. We open up the house, and it's generally been pretty comfortable for the boys, while we retreat to the air-conditioned comfort of our house-sitting arrangement! Project work is going well. Wendy and Kristian have done a lot of demolition upstairs, while Liam and I have been installing ceiling tiles on the main floor. Eric and Erica arrived home on Friday, so Eric and I completed the window areas of both the living room and the dining room today. I think it turned out well. 

Dining Room

Living Room

We've been attending the World Softball Championships all week for Junior Men. It's been very good and entertaining ball. Our guys won their pool to join three other teams in the medal round, but they did not fare so well there, losing to Australia and New Zealand to finish fourth. Japan is also still alive for the final day tomorrow. 

At the ball games!

Otherwise, we've been taking care of lawns and garden at the house-sitting, and enjoying our time in Prince Albert. The markets continue to be volatile with two up days and three down days this week, however, I did manage to make quota for a change! The Riders had a bye week, while the Jays continue to play and shop their better players, sigh! 

Eric and Erica started the week in Germany where Erica was convalescing after her most recent surgery. She got a final check from her doctor, new prescriptions for compression sleeves, and did a lot of sleeping! They flew back to Canada on Thursday, and then drove out from Saskatoon on Friday. Erica is feeling pretty good today. Haaken will be home soon for his summer break, and has made his determination to return to school in the Fall. 

Erin has made great progress painting Kristian's room. She showed it to us today via FaceTime. We'll get pictures for next week! Her garden is producing lots of tomatoes, lettuce and peas, along with a few cucumbers. The cucumber vines seem to have picked up a leaf fungus, and we don't know whether anything can be done about it. I've suffered with that in my garden back in Thunder Bay, also. Kristian has been doing great work here with us. He likes using the hammer to knock off the plaster and lath. He's also pretty good with the gooseneck taking structures apart!

Travis and Joanna are taking care of things back home, and it's a good thing! They discovered that something had been leaking in the main floor bathroom. They got the water turned off to the vanity faucet and sopped up the water, so that's good. We'll have to check out the extent of the damage when we get home. Thanks guys for being on the watch! 

And that's enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed, and we're on the shore of the South Saskatchewan River on the northern end of the prairies. After our weekend reunion at Weyburn, we cleaned up as much as we could on our Regina projects, and drove up to Saskatoon on Tuesday morning to meet Eric/A for breakfast and wish them well on their way to Germany. Then, we filled up with groceries at Costco and headed over to Prince Albert. Liam is hosting us here, and we're working on the living room ceiling as well as some demolition upstairs. Kristian is along with us, so he's been working on the projects as well.  

Kristian Demolition!

Living Room Ceiling

It's quite hot here, so we're relieved that Eric/A set us up for house-sitting in an air-conditioned place. The markets have continued to be rocky with Trump continuing his trade-war rhetoric and even extending more tariffs this week. I did manage to make a small gain, but well short of my quota for the week. The Junior Men's World Softball Championships are on here. They began today. I took in some games this morning, and Wendy joined me for the US/Canada game tonight. We won that one handily 10-3. The Riders won their game this week; that was a relief! The Jays continue to play, but are now considering selling off some of their players while rebuilding. On Wednesday, we celebrated our 48th Anniversary. Here's another picture from our wedding day. Wendy is wearing a cute "going away" outfit.

Eric and Erica flew to Germany on Tuesday. Erica had surgery #3 for lipedema—this time they focused on her arms. Liam is hosting us here in PA. He did some painting in the dining room. We're working mainly on the Living Room ceiling. We're applying decorative tiles, and installing pot lights. 

Kristian is along with us, so Erin has begun a painting project in his room. She's hoping to have that completed before he gets back. Her garden is producing lettuce and cucumbers. There are a lot of tomatoes forming, but they're not ripe yet.

Erin: cutting in the grey paint.

Trav & Joanna are taking care of things back in Thunder Bay. We hear it's living up to its name with big thunder storms, and plenty of heat! The lawns must be growing wildly—sorry about that! Gemma is getting ready for her trip to Europe to visit cousins and explore the area. 

And that's about it for this week!