What do you think, Mr. Bill?

News Update

2012-01-21T23:04:00.000-05:00

We've passed a frigid week on the shore of Lake Wascana, but they tell us the cold snap has now broken, and the temperatures have certainly improved today. Most mornings this week have seen -30, and sometimes there has been wind as well. I have been nursing my cough, and Wendy has been nursing her dad. I'm still coughing, even though yesterday Wendy broke down and brought me home some Buckley's Mixture! Her dad is doing much better. This morning we got word that he has beaten C.Difficile, so he's no longer in isolation. We hope this will allow them to confirm a date for the surgery that is tentatively scheduled for next Tuesday. Work on the investments has gone well this week as I've experienced five days of gains for the first time in a long time. I've also served as chief cook, while Dave has served as bottle washer. We've made an effective team, and for one more week starvation has been held at bay!

Eric/A and the boys have been enjoying their share of disruptions. Last weekend they made a hurried trip to Regina to visit Papa; we enjoyed the time with them in Regina. Meanwhile their car quit on the way to Winnipeg while making horrible noises and draining fluid onto the pavement. It was first thought this was oil, but subsequent investigation revealed it to be coolant, and after the pump was replaced, the car is back to operating well. At home they had too much water in the furnace room and too little water in the suite. The plumber assures them that a replacement seal will stop the leak in the furnace room. Warming the lines has allowed water to flow to the suite once again, however, tonight the line broke so more fixing is needed. Liam continues with school and karate. Haaken is preparing for his first set of high school exams. He has also won a spot in a school play and practises regularly for that.

Erin and Kristian have been taking care of things at home. They are keeping the house warm, the fridge cold and the driveway clear—although none of those have been straight forward. Kristian is working through a few issues at school, where not-working has been the problem behaviour. We hope he's back on track there again. Erin is babysitting Mini and Andrew this weekend.

Trav & Joanna are in Minneapolis this weekend, where his Elks are in a tournament. They are doing well, winning a thriller last night, and won their semi-final today, so they're off to the championship game tomorrow. His Penguins are also back on track in the NHL, so, much is going right in Trav's world! Office development... meh!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2012-01-14T23:41:00.001-05:00

Another week of our too-hectic lives has taken us from the shore of Lake Superior, to the shore of the Winnipeg River, and back to the shore of Lake Wascana. After returning home last Sunday afternoon, we began collecting our lives and thoughts and getting our errands done. By Wednesday the news coming from Regina had convinced us to return there and see how Wendy's dad was doing. Apparently he was reacting to one of his meds, or a combination of his meds. The staff changed the meds they thought may be having the deleterious effects, but it still took a while for these to wash from his system. In the meantime, he was having an interesting life in his own mind, and creating quite interesting lives for friends, family and the medical staff. We drove to Kenora on Thursday, and on to Regina on Friday morning. Dad was much improved by this time, but has now picked up an E.Coli infection, so he's been moved to isolation. His surgery is still scheduled for next Tuesday, so we hope that goes forward and is successful. Otherwise, life has been fairly dull! I'm continuing to cough—into my fourth week—and I'm getting tired of it! Investments went well the first two days, but then European issues turned things downward and I gave up my gains during the final three days. Maybe next week!

Erin did a fine job of taking care of the snow while I was gone, and the warm, sunny days at the beginning of the week helped clean the ice away as well. The snow has returned, but thankfully, I'm in Regina, so Erin will have to get it cleaned away! Kristian is back and school and doing well. He is reading now, and increasing his vocabulary daily. Friends at school and daycare sometimes add expressions to his repertoire that we need to cull!

Trav & Joanna are busy with work and especially Travis is busy with hockey. His Elks continue to roll; his Penguins—not! This weekend Andrew had a wrestling tournament in Dryden, so Joanna accompanied him there and played the role of proud parent. Trav's office development is moving at only slightly above a glacial pace, but with climate change, that may pick up as well! In the meantime, he's set up a home office to work from, and continued accumulating equipment.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2012-01-07T23:22:00.000-05:00

It has been quite a week as we have returned from the headwaters of the Columbia River to the headwaters of the Winnipeg River in Kenora. In between it has been an adventure. We enjoyed our time in Fairmont even though there was no snow. The hot springs were still operating, and I got to walk the golf course several times, even once with Kristian. He rejoiced to find several golf balls and lots of deer poop! It was especially good to share the time with Eric/A and the boys from the start, and then Uncle Dave joined us as well, so we had a good time there. Eric/A and crew headed eastward on Wednesday since Eric has a Thursday evening class in Winnipeg. While they drove east with the assist of 100km winds, we were getting news of trouble in Regina. Wendy's dad fell and broke his left leg and knee. He is in the hospital while a couple of doctors consult, test and prod to determine what the options are for treatment. We anticipate that decision will be made in the next few days. Of course this has been quite a concern for family and friends as well. We packed up one day early in Fairmont and drove over to Regina on Thursday. After spending some time with Dad, we drove down to Kenora today. The week has gone very well on the investment front, so that's a help. I've continued with the cough I developed just before the trip began, so that's not good at all. We plan to complete the trip back to TBay tomorrow.

Erin has been holding down the fort at home, and attempting to keep the driveway clear of snow in anticipation of our return. Kristian is travelling with us, and takes the various upheavals with a joy that makes life better for all of us. He is scheduled to be back in school on Monday.

Trav & Joanna are back at work, but we've been able to have video chats from time to time. Trav continues to develop his office, but that hasn't gone too far yet. His Elks hockey team continues to do very well, but his Penguins are in a bit of a slump right now.

And that's about it for this week.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T23:25:00.000-05:00

We have continued our trip westward and this weekend/yearend finds us at the headwaters of the Columbia River in Fairmont BC. We began the week with another celebration of Christmas with the congregation at Glen Elm in Regina. Then, we engaged in further gift exchanges with Wendy’s family. On Tuesday, we sacrificed another turkey and enjoyed yet another celebration of Christmas, combined with a celebration of Eric/A’s 18th Anniversary! It was a great week in Regina, with lots of food and talk, and plenty of Mexican Train and Nerf guns! On Friday, we packed up and drove to Fairmont. Driving conditions were not ideal with a lot of ice issues on the TransCanada west as far as Swift Current, and then we ran into falling snow before we even got to the mountains. We are now at Fairmont Hot Springs, a golf, ski and hot springs resort on the western slope of the Rockies. I guess the hot springs are doing fine, but the golf course is bare which implies the ski hills are bare, too. Not a good arrangement for a ski vacation! As good management would have it, they have snow-making equipment, so the local mountain has all runs operating. The TSX was only open for three days this week, but I managed to make a small profit. It is a touchy business when you’re not only managing your own pension, but also drawing from it. With the TSX down 11% on the year, it has not been an easy time, but I’ve managed to show a small gain over the course of the year, so, while I haven’t managed the kind of increase I was planning on, at least the accounts have grown a little bit. In another twist, I left my wallet in Thunder Bay. Thankfully, Travis retrieved it, and mailed it to me in Regina. It arrived on Thursday, to my relief. Eric/A and the boys are with us here in Fairmont, so that makes it even more enjoyable. We have a unit and a half, so the boys are relaxing in their own side, while Eric/A also have a place of their own. It should be a relaxing week.

Erin and Kristian travelled to Regina with us. We enjoyed celebrating with them. We enjoyed a visit with them, Mark and most of the Roberts’ family one evening. Erin flew home on Wednesday evening to snow-blowing and work; well, come to think about it, those are both work! Kristian has continued westward with us, and is enjoying continuing to spend time with his cousins and to build Lego projects!

Trav, Joanna and the children are doing well. They took care of Sadie while Erin was travelling. Aside from a few holidays, they are back at work, hockey and life.

And that’s about it for this week/year. Happy New Year, everyone!

News Update

2011-12-24T23:38:00.000-05:00

Glædelig Jul! Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noël! Feliz Navidad!

Another week has passed, and we have moved from my hometown on the shore of Lake Superior, to another of my hometowns, on the shore of Lake Wascana. It's been a great week on the markets as the long-awaited Santa Rally finally arrived, when for no apparent reason, the markets began moving up, whereas previously, for the same reasons, they were moving down! I gained almost a month's worth of value, so that helps a lot. I was also blessed with multiple celebrations of Christmas, along with the prospect of even more! On Tuesday evening we celebrated with the family in TBay—a turkey dinner with all the fixings, complete with turnips and pumpkin pie! On Friday evening we joined the Kenora section of the family for further celebration—a ham dinner with all the fixings, no turnips, but we did get some lovely desserts! Today we drove over to Regina where we anticipate further celebrations.

Wendy has been occupied with catching up on paperwork and record-keeping this week. Then she was occupied with Christmas dinner. Then she was occupied with Christmas presents. Then she was occupied with Christmas baking. Then she was occupied with getting ready for the next trip. She has not been much occupied with sleeping! Well she did sleep most of the five-hour drive to Kenora and the eight-hour drive to Regina!

Erin and Kristian are along with us on the trip. They've been busy with the special events at school this week, along with getting ready for the Christmas and the trip. Kristian has once again scored numerous Lego sets, and he's loving it!

Trav and Joanna are staying in TBay. They have an extra dog (Sadie) and they have the kids part of the time. Trav's hockey team is continuing to enjoy their winning ways. The latest victory vaults them ten points ahead in first place in the league. Trav continues to frustrate over his delayed office space. He's looking for alternatives. Joanna continues to be very busy with work—blood letting knows no season! In sum: they're doing fine!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-12-17T23:35:00.000-05:00

Our holiday is over and we have returned to the shore of Lake Superior. We concluded our trip with a great week in Naples. We drove up to Orlando on Friday and flew back to Duluth today. There we were reunited with our car for the drive home; we plan to complete the drive tomorrow. Viggo and Nancy joined us in Naples this week. We enjoyed that. Viggo and I got out golfing a couple of times. At Hibiscus Golf Course, I had one of my best games, including my third-ever eagle. Wendy and Nancy got in some shopping, chatting, reading and lying in the sun! There were a lot of beautiful golf courses there; unfortunately, most of them weren't open to me. I had an interesting experience one day. Wendy wanted to do some shopping, so I took note of a couple of nearby golf courses and decided to hit the driving range and practice areas. I must have stopped by a dozen before I found one that would let me on. Most just had gates that I didn't have a code for! One had a gateman, and my chat with him was informative.

Good morning, sir.

Good morning! I was just wanting to go in to use the driving range.

Oh, do they have a driving range?

Well, I'm not sure, but I'd like to check it out.

I'm sorry, sir, but if your name is not on my list, I cannot let you in.

Well, I just wanted to go to the driving range.

Do they have a driving range? I wouldn't know. You see, sir, I've never been past these gates either.

The 1% are doing fine, and they have nice golf courses. At least the views I got from Google maps look good to me! Naples is reputed to have the second greatest concentration of millionaires and billionaires in the world, and they are not interested in having me play on their golf courses! Meanwhile, the markets have continued their unfortunate ways. We did get some recovery on Thursday and Friday, still, it was a down week for me.

We've been chatting with Erin and Kristian on FaceTime despite some spotty internet connections. Kristian got new skates and a new helmet, so he'll be continuing to learn this skating business. Erin got winter tires on her car just in time for an ice storm—she was glad to have them.

Trav & Joanna are doing fine. They are continuing to develop the new place with the furniture we have been storing in our garage, so that's a positive development as well. His Elks hockey team is doing well, although they lost the championship game last weekend in Wisconsin in triple overtime. His Penguins are doing fine also, but Crosby is out again with concussion-like symptoms. Joanna and Wendy are working to organize a Christmas dinner before we head west next week.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-12-10T23:03:00.000-05:00

Our ship came in!

This week has taken us far from the shore of anywhere. We left the Atlantic shore of North America from Port Canaveral on Sunday; we sailed through the night to Freeport, The Bahamas. It was our first time on a cruise, and we both experienced some queasiness the first evening. We enjoyed our time aboard—there are quite a number of activities, and an endless supply of food! Throughout our time on the cruise we enjoyed great food. There was a putt-putt course; the gentle rocking of the boat and constant wind added complication to that game! We had a fully-equipped exercise area with lots of machines for exercise, weight-lifting and conditioning at our disposal—we didn’t make much use of them! After an overnight sail, the first day was spent in Freeport. The second day and night were spent at Nassau where we enjoyed more sightseeing and a lot of shopping in the Straw Market. The vendors were used to bargaining, and were eager for sales, but we’d been to the Vic Falls markets, and these people did not measure up to that earlier experience. Finally, we spent a day and night at sea cruising back to Cape Canaveral where we arrived on Thursday. We moved into a short term time share in Orlando for a couple of nights, and have now set up in another time share in Naples. As suspected, we were out of internet during our time at sea, although we could have bought a connection if we’d been willing to pay the price! We lucked out with a brief connection while we were in Nassau, but finally, we feel connected to reality once again. All in all, it was just okay to be on the cruise and get a feel for how the 1% live. It wasn’t really our style, lots of activity, but nothing to do, so beyond a long held wish to take a cruise up the BC coast to Alaska, I doubt that we’ll be seeking out many cruises in the future. We spent the day on Thursday driving over to Orlando by stopping at the JFK Space Centre. It was great, and we look forward to bringing the grandsons. We couldn’t see it all in the time we had, but we were impressed by what we saw. We went golfing on Friday. We had some difficulties getting everything started, but eventually it turned out very nicely. Wendy even skipped one across the water to a peninsula green! Then today, we moved down to Naples where we will complete our Florida vacation. The markets have been riding the European roller coaster all week with big swings up and down that ended up getting me nowhere. The year is running short, and I’m still short of the needed funds for next year.

One of the retired shuttles

We’ve been able to catch up to Erin and Kristian via FaceTime. They’re doing fine, holding down the fort at home. Kristian has returned to speech therapy program with a formal assessment this week, so we’re glad of that.

Trav, Joanna and the children are also doing well. Trav’s Penguins and Elks are continuing to thrive in hockey and work is going fine. He’s still looking to establish his office more completely in the new building, but nothing much is developing there yet. This weekend he’s in Wisconsin with his team at a hockey tournament.

And that’s about it for this week.

Florida

2011-12-03T23:43:00.000-05:00

World Golf Hall of Fame

Another week has passed; it finds us on the shore of the Atlantic, far from my hometown. The markets were up this week, and, while I haven't been as active as I could have been while we've been travelling, I still managed a good gain. We started south on Monday, driving down to Duluth. On Tuesday we flew to Orlando, picked up our rental car, a VW Passat, and drove over to our timeshare at Ormond Beach. We have enjoyed nice weather here with golf, sightseeing and walks on the beach. We drove up to the World Golf Hall of Fame on Friday, that was a highlight for sure! We played 18 holes there on their grass putt-putt, and we took the challenge of hitting the replica of the Island Green. One of us hit the green, the other hit the water! Today, I found a Bridgestone Challenge site and had my ball-striking analyzed and a golf ball recommended. That was interesting. I've been to the range and practice area a couple of times, but it's been too windy for me to enjoy golf. The weather has been warm, and getting warmer, but nearly always windy. We eased into it at 20 degrees, and have worked our way up to 25—very nice! Tomorrow we check out of here and check in for a cruise. We're looking forward to that.

Hitting to the Island Green

Wendy has been enjoying the sightseeing as well. She even climbed up the highest lighthouse on the coast. Her legs did not enjoy that! We catch up with Erin & Kristian via FaceTime most days. We'll miss that in the next week, as we expect to be out of internet reach while asea. It sounds like they're doing fine, and the weather has been cooperating so she hasn't had to deal with snow since we left.

We've also had email contact with Trav & Joanna. All seems to be going as per usual there except that his hockey team finally lost a game, so they're 11-1 on the season now.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-11-26T23:29:00.000-05:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather turned nice during the week and the snow disappeared, but it's baaaack! We got up this morning to a fresh blanket of the white stuff. So, I was back to the driveway scraping program once again. I've been feeling poorly most of the week, a touch of flu, I think. Erin was also sick, but more severely, with flu-like symptoms, so I think that maybe my flu shot kept me from getting it worse. Anyway, I've been feeling achy all over, like I was taken apart and put together wrong! I'm guessing today's snow work won't ease the situation, and I'm glad Mark helped out with the shovelling. Markets have continued very bad, with the US recording its worst Thanksgiving week since 1932. TSX is down over 15% again on the year, so while I've taken a small loss again, I am reconfirmed in the signals that keep me out of the market at this time. If I didn't have a few small buy & hold accounts (Not recommended by my investment training!), I wouldn't have recorded any losses at all! BC and Winnipeg won their divisions and have advanced to the Grey Cup tomorrow in Vancouver. I really enjoyed the Vanier Cup (university football) game last night. I drove bus on Friday as a spare.

Wendy had a senior moment early in the week. She was commenting, "One of the old ladies at Walmart got a permanent position; well, actually, she's not that old. She's younger than I am." I probably laughed too long when she said that, because by the time I stopped there was a noticeable chill in the air! She finished her Walmart work on Friday, and celebrated by buying two more TVs; that woman is a TV-buying machine!

Erin has had a good week except for the illness. She got good news that Kristian has been readmitted to Speech Therapy. And she's enjoying company this weekend. She is owner of one of the new TVs.

Travis is the owner of the other new TV. He keeps busy with hockey and work. His Elks are still undefeated in league play. He's celebrating the return of Crosby to the Penguins; Sid returned impressively with great play and scoring. He's also celebrating a birthday this weekend; Mark has arrived to help celebrate, I guess, although he doesn't seem to be spending any time with Trav! Anyway, we had a big party here tonight in recognition of the occasion. Joanna, Gemma and Andrew, along with assorted other friends helped make it a nice time.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-11-19T21:34:00.000-05:00

Another week has passed, and we have returned to the shore of Lake Superior and my hometown. We enjoyed spending the weekend in Lawrence, especially the featured sing-song Sunday evening—thank you, Helen & Marti. On Monday we drove back as far as Duluth, and we completed the trip on Tuesday. The weather has turned snowy at the end of the week, and I even did some driveway scraping today. The markets have continued to be troubled; I can't seem to trust either fundamentals or technicals, as the markets seem driven by headline and rumour! Next week features the US Super Committee, so it is unlikely to get better! Hamilton and Edmonton won their semi-final games last Sunday and will travel to Winnipeg and Vancouver, respectively, for the conference finals tomorrow. I have been offered a school bus run, but with our impending trip to Florida, that will have to wait until January. I've been following the President's Cup golf tournament this week from Australia; that was completed this evening.

Wendy got right back to Walmart upon our return and has put in several shifts there. She also completed her teeth cleaning appointments, so I'm thinking we're all ready to head out again!

Erin has made progress with Kristian's speech therapist issues. He is now moved to the top of the list, so we're relieved with that. He's making good progress in school, but it was frustrating to contemplate the idea that he would receive no additional help to improve his language skills. His social skills are doing well, also, and he has birthday parties both today and tomorrow.

Trav's hockey team has continued its winning ways, and his Penguins are doing great as well. Work seems to be continuing apace for both Trav & Joanna. We haven't caught up on Gemma and Andrew this week; their grandma was up from southern Ontario. Wendy enjoyed lunch one day with Joanna and her mom.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-11-12T22:54:00.000-05:00

We have travelled far from the shore of Lake Superior and my hometown; we are down in the land of Dorothy, the Tin Woodsman and friends. We're having a fine time—thank you Helen & Marti! I saw a good joke about Oz: Dorothy asks, "No brain, no heart, no courage? Are you guys in politics?" It has been a busy week. Wendy worked and we both rushed to complete our teeth cleaning sessions, so we could pull out on Wednesday morning. We drove down to Minneapolis-St.Paul that day and enjoyed some time in the Apple Store, Legoland, Lindt Chocolates. We spent the night there in our usual Days Inn at the junction of the interstate, but it was a bad night, especially for me. The thermostat didn't work, so it was just blasting heat as I kept adjusting the thermostat lower and lower. At 12:30 I could take it no more; I turned off the heater, opened the window and the hallway door and cooled off the room to a livable temperature. Then, I went to bed. By 5:30, it was freezing cold, so I scrambled out to turn the heat back on. By 6:30 we were roasting again. I turned the heat off, and struggled to get some more rest, but ultimately we gave up, got up, had breakfast and prepared to continue the trip. Stepping out into the parking lot and seeing the flakes coming down from the sky, it was hard to even be surprised. We just felt that it confirmed that we were indeed on our way to Kansas. It always seems to be a snowstorm on this trip. By the time we got to Des Moines, we could tell the ploughs had been out and the ridges of snow were on the side of the highway, but apparently that had happened the day before as the road was bare and dry with good driving conditions. On Friday night, Marti had arranged for us to attend a Jayhawks game. Since this is where Naismith came to develop the game he had invented, it almost seemed a Canadian rite of passage to attend my first college basketball game here. The Jayhawks dutifully slaughtered their season-opener lambs, and we enjoyed the spectacle with 16 thousand crazed fans. The markets have continued to be crazy and I've been able to develop my animosity towards the Greeks to include the Italians! I managed to get through the week with only a small loss. The first round of football playoffs is tomorrow, but the Riders are just spectators.

Wendy has turned in her resignation from Walmart, but will need to put in a few more days before that becomes official. They have expressed an interest in having her come back after our travels, but I'm hoping she moves on to something else. She is enjoying our trip for now, and looking forward to our flights to Florida and the time there in December.

Erin and Kristian are doing fine. Kristian is doing well at school; we are glad to see the improvement. Erin is persisting in pushing for his speech therapy to be reinstated. We are encouraging her to keep after them. Sadly, if parents do not advocate strongly for their children, it is too easy for them to fall through the cracks.

Trav is completing the busy hockey time. The team continues to do excellently, so he is very pleased and proud of them. Joanna and the kids are settling into their new home. They have much more room there.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-11-05T22:56:00.000-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been very nice, and I even got out to the golf course on Thursday; they haven't covered the greens yet, but they have pulled the flags, so I just played three holes for the fun of it, and packed it in. The Riders played out their final game last evening—another loss to first-place Edmonton. Hockey season is well underway, so that will be attracting our attention soon. It was a down week in the markets. I took some losses. It was not too bad, however, I am developing some bias against Greeks! Bus driving ended on Monday, so I've done a bit more backyard work here. From now on, it'll be a matter of what the weather allows. We're into November now, so snow could come anytime. I got my flu shot yesterday, so I should be good to go now!

Wendy continues with Walmart work on an irregular schedule. She seems to have everything arranged for our Fall trips that begin next week. She's also practised on a new pumpkin cheesecake recipe, and it's a winner! She continues to work on Kristian's Lego sorting. I'm not sure she's staying ahead of Kristian.

Erin keeps busy; she's been bothered with headaches lately. She has an eye exam scheduled, and is looking forward to getting new glasses. Perhaps that will help. I'm recommending Lasik! Kristian had a short shift of treat collection on Hallowe'en. We had a pretty good number of kids collecting here for a change. Kristian continues to have a few issues at school. We're working on it, and we're seeing improvement.

Trav has been busy to the extreme with hockey—nine games and two practices in ten days! He and Joanna have also been busy setting up the new apartment. We may even get some of our excess furniture relocated! Joanna is busy with work, moving, renovating and decorating.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-10-29T23:11:00.000-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been fine, Fall weather, and we've been enjoying the colours. We've had a few showery days, so I haven't been out golfing, but I'm hoping for at least one more round before the end of the season. The World Series ended in disappointing fashion and we're into the "shoulda, woulda, coulda" season. Rangers surely shoulda and coulda won the series in game six! The Riders continue playing out the string; they handily beat one of the playoff teams this afternoon. We have to enjoy what little victories we can get. It's been a good week on the markets. We hope this is the start of a multi-month rally to close the year. I've almost finished my bus-driving stint; I was informed that the regular driver will return on Monday. It's been a good run.

Wendy continues with Walmart. She has completed arrangements for our Fall travels, I think. She has continued to work on Kristian's Lego collection; I'm guessing she plans to buy more when we get to Legoworld at the Mall in Minneapolis. That's fine, because I know there's an Apple store just across the hallway!

Erin has been working on Kristian's Speech Therapy issues. She's making limited progress so far, and she continues to work on it. She's in contact with an advocacy group called VOICE. It's a busy time with Hallowe'en activities. We were out pumpkin hunting last night, and we are planning on pumpkin carving tomorrow afternoon! Kristian's doing better at school after a few heart-to-heart discussions about his responsibilities.

Trav is busy with hockey and work. The team he coaches remains undefeated, and his Penguins are in first place in their division of the NHL, so hockey is going well. He's finding his work pretty busy and pretty successful as well. He's even thinking about adding some office staff, and I've made a recommendation! Joanna is moving this week, so she and Trav have been pretty busy doing that. She is looking forward to having more room; Andrew and Gemma are looking forward to having their own rooms.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-10-22T23:55:00.000-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been cool and rainy most of the week, but has turned beautiful for the weekend! The Riders continue to play out the string, losing last night to Calgary. The World Series continues with St. Louis up a game over my Rangers after blitzing them tonight. I'm still driving the school bus; management asked me if I've heard from the driver I'm replacing about when she's returning, but I haven't. I'll just keep on driving until she returns, or until it's time for us to head south. She was supposed to return the day after Thanksgiving, but we're still waiting! I've had another above average week on the markets, so I continue to recover. TSX is still off over 11% for the year, so I hope it can continue to gain value for the rest of the year. I haven't been out golfing, although today was a good day for it. I've given some deep watering to the cedars and got the lines blown out and put away for winter. I picked the final batch of beet greens, so the garden is done for the year.

Wendy has kept busy at Walmart, but has also been working on final arrangements for our trip. Then, she got notification of auto insurance renewals, so that took some time as well. She will be retiring from Walmart as we head out on our holidays. I hope that if she wants to continue working after we get back, she finds a different job.

Erin continues with her work and motherhood. She's been frustrated this week with issues over Kristian's speech therapy. That has changed since he turned six, and not for the better! Kristian has also been giving her a struggle over his lack of cooperation at school. Children make life so interesting!

Trav's hockey team continues to be undefeated in the early season. His Penguins are doing well also, and are tied for first place in their division of the NHL. Work continues to develop on his own business, and somedays he finds it a bit overwhelming as the wheels of progress seem to turn very slowly. Joanna, Gemma and Andrew all joined us for supper and the evening yesterday. That was nice.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-10-15T23:33:00.000-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We had gorgeous weather for the Thanksgiving weekend, such that we almost were able to accept the dismal Rider performance on Monday. What a sad football season they are having! It's been a good week on the markets such that even though it was just four days, I gained more than I expect to get in a month. I am thankful for that since it's been nothing but decline since May. Bus driving has continued to go well. I keep expecting that one of these days the actual driver will be back, but so far, so good! I have started another round of teeth cleaning at the college. We have student dental hygienists work on us as part of their training (and part of our penny-pinching!) so it takes several hours. It also includes a checkup with a dentist there, so it works out well for us. The weather has turned windy, wet, and cool toward the end of the week, but I did get out for a round of golf with Erin on Thanksgiving. It was her first round on a full course, and we just played nine holes. I was no longer playing excellently, but it went fine and I was +5 for the nine holes which is about what I feel is a satisfactory level for me. In the last couple of years, it has been closer to +9 for nine holes until I had that unexpected result two weeks ago. Another remarkable part of that result was 12 greens in regulation, whereas this week I hit one out of nine—more like the real Bill, I'm afraid! Baseball continues to demand attention, as I have one of my picks, the Rangers, into the final with their win tonight, and tomorrow we'll see if the Cardinals can join them. I had a small disaster with my old Cougar this week; I was driving it back from my dental cleaning when something went wrong under the hood, and it was on fire. I cruised to a stop about a block from home and opened the hood. I was trying to smother it out with some rags from the trunk while someone called the fire department and another ran to get me a pitcher of water. Once the water arrived, the fire was soon out, although the firefighters insisted on tearing the insulative blanket off the hood and dousing it with water as well. It appears it started as an electrical fire above the distributor, so we'll see how long it takes me to get her running again.

Wendy has continued with irregular shifts at Walmart, and cleanup around the house. This week, she is specializing in Lego. She has managed to rebuild several of Kristian's projects, and continues to work on and enjoy that. She has begun the teeth cleaning as well.

Erin and Kristian continue with work, school and day care. Kristian has been pushing buttons at both school and home, testing out the limits and having a lot of fun doing it. I always say there's a problem when the teachers are unhappy and the parents are unhappy, but the child is happy! I recommend that they maximize their efforts to change that last condition!

Trav's team has started the regular season in hockey now. They won their game the other night 2-0, so that was good, although Trav wanted them to score more! His Penguins are also doing well despite missing their captain. Crosby has now been cleared to practise with contact, so, we are hopeful he will return to action soon. Work is going well for Trav in his own business, except that his phone is not working consistently—must be time for a new iPhone 4S. Joanna continues to be busy with her blood-letting! The children are busy in school.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-10-08T23:58:00.000-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather is unexpectedly warm, even hot. After that one hard frost last Saturday morning, we've returned to summery weather with frequent morning fogs. Work has been going fine, but I don't know how much longer it will last. When it started, the expectation was one month of recovery time after the knee surgery and that's almost run out, so we'll see how much longer she is off work. This week I finally have the entire route learned; I'm still working on names. The markets have continued their crazy ways, but I've managed some good recovery this week. The Riders don't play until Thanksgiving Monday; we can only hope it'll be something to be thankful for! Baseball completed the first round of playoffs and I picked three of the four winners. Now we're down to the final four. That round started this evening with a big win by my favoured Rangers. I got the garden shed cleaned out and repaired; we're getting stuff put away for the winter. I was back to my oncologist this week. He affirmed that my PSA levels have improved, but that they're still elevated against what's considered normal. Then again, we've also heard this week that checking of PSA levels is useless! Who knew?

Wendy has been busy this week preparing pumpkin pies, pumpkin loaves and zucchini cake. Thanksgiving dinner is planned for Sunday afternoon. Regular and irregular shifts (7AM? Give me a break!) at Walmart have continued. She also worked the polls on election day.

Erin is enjoying her new work, and getting fully into it. We're planning to go golfing sometime this weekend. Kristian was down with a cold one day and missed school, but he's been working to catch up since. We had the wrong spelling list for this week, so his practice time was not effective. We were able to recognize the test words in his attempts!

Trav continues with his new business. He has picked up a few more good contracts this week with Deepak something or other—nope, not Chopra! He continues to work with his hockey team as they prepare for the season. Joanna and Andrew were over Friday evening, and we expect the whole crew for Thanksgiving dinner.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-10-01T23:57:00.000-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We've had nice weather the first half of the week, but it's turned chilly lately. It finally froze last night, so we have a batch of green tomatoes trying to ripen in the kitchen now. Work has been going well, and I have the routes pretty well learned. I started the week with a memorable game of golf; now I'm afraid to go out again in case I return to reality! The Riders played this afternoon against arch-rival Calgary and it wasn't pretty! I think that moves us into next year country. Baseball has started the playoffs, so that attracts a lot of our attention for the next while. The markets have continued to be in turmoil from one day to the next. I managed a small gain this week, but sustained a loss for the month.

Wendy continues to be busy with Walmart, but she is also into Spring cleaning this Fall! She's been trying to get things developed downstairs for Kristian's room in her spare time!

Erin has now switched over to her new job, and she's liking it. It gives her more comfortable hours, so she gets more time with Kristian in the evenings. He's busy learning sight words, practising for spelling tests; it is hard to imagine how quickly he is growing up!

Trav is busy with his work in his new office. He's also begun the hockey season and his team had a very impressive 7-1 win this week. Joanna must be too busy, because we haven't seen much of her this week, but we do get to talk on the phone from time to time, and she joined us for dinner today—a nice family potluck as they brought rice, salad and veggies to go with Wendy's chicken parmigiana.

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

World Serious

2011-09-29T13:10:00.001-04:00

It is that time of year again, when the world gets serious about baseball. Late last evening, the regular season ended with some tremendously exciting games to establish the complete list of playoff contenders for this year. I was delighted with the results yesterday. After Boston had been anointed the champs even before the season began, I was glad to see them not even make the playoffs. It was particularly heartening to see Tampa Bay make it in, since they are a franchise that I feel is doing it the right way, with drafts and development and a few strategic trades while fielding a lineup that many evenings comes in at less than A-Rod's salary!

On the American league side, I am most impressed with the Texas Rangers. After the heat of the summer, they seem to have recovered to playing the great baseball they were playing about the time of the All-Star break, so they are my pick as Junior league champs. In the Senior circuit, I am picking and will be cheering for the Philadelphia Phillies. The much-loved pitcher, Roy Halladay (formerly with the Jays), was traded there, and we'd love to see him claim a championship.

There is a lot of baseball left, and if last night's heart-stopping action is a prelude, we're in for a treat.

Great Golf!

2011-09-27T13:00:00.000-04:00

Perhaps it wasn't great golf, but it was certainly great golf for me. Fundamentally, that's what matters about golf (probably about most things in life), that I am able to do a "personal best" without too much worry about comparison with others. Last evening I managed a personal best in golf. I scored +2 on my usual course here in Thunder Bay. I did score a +4 there a couple of years ago, but I haven't broken 80 either last year or this year, so it was quite a surprise to score 73. I had only one birdie, on my 12th hole, but ended with one over on each nine. I am left to enjoy the experience, and wonder why it happened! The lack of soreness in my hands, arms and shoulders tells me that I played much more relaxed than usual. Maybe all the recent golfing with Kristian, Erin and Wendy on par three courses has sharpened my approach shots and my short game. Maybe I'm finally getting used to playing with my new clubs. Maybe I just had a sustained period of good luck! I know I took practice swings before every shot. I know I was able to stay focused on each shot despite the impending good score. But now, I'm afraid to go out again! After all, my 15 handicap didn't arrive by accident, and I'm afraid it may still be there when I return to the course!

News Update

2011-09-24T22:50:00.000-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. The weather has been rainy, but it has turned nice for the weekend—a nice switch! I was able to get out golfing today; that was enjoyable. The markets were very bad this week; the TSX crashed 6.5% in just this one week, and we're now down over 15% for the year. I'm only 25% in the market, but even that amount produced painful losses this week. The bus driving has been going well; I've learned my high school run, and I'm getting better on the elementary run. The garden is still producing, but is clearly getting to the end, as we're almost a month after frost might be expected. We've been checking out more potential replacement vehicles. We haven't found the one we like just yet, but we're looking at a variety of small SUV's called cross-overs. The Riders got slaughtered today by BC; that leaves them four points out of the last playoff spot.

On the Zambian news front, it was interesting to watch as The Cobra, Michael Sata, won election to the presidency that he's been seeking for at least ten years. This will bring an era of change to the country, but who knows whether it will be a positive change!

Wendy has been busy with work and birthday cake! The delayed Yoda cake won't make itself! Today was Kristian's birthday party. Erin took him and his friends to the Lion King movie, and afterwards they hit McDonalds. And next... Yoda cake and ice cream. Yummy! She also has been making all the arrangements for our Fall tour. I'm seeing plans for a trip down to Florida including a cruise out to the Bahamas. This will be only slightly after the end of official hurricane season, so, I hope the hurricanes know that!

Erin is completing her two-week notice with Budget; she should complete that on next Wednesday. She is looking forward to her new work, and has been doing some training on the software already.

Travis continues to develop his own business. Recently he's been shopping for business insurance. He and his fellow coaches completed the draft for this year's hockey team. The new-look Elks are described in his blog. Joanna continues to be very busy with her work and children. Happily, we get to see them all from time to time.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-09-17T22:46:00.000-04:00

Another week has passed, and finds us once again on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The week began with another Rider victory, as they took the back-to-back games from Winnipeg. It was reassuring to see their improved performance. Then, today, they scored another victory against Toronto. Still, a lot of work remains for them to gain a playoff spot. The weather has turned decidedly fall-like and we've even seen the threat of frost, but so far so good and the garden continues to flourish. I'm particularly enjoying the tomatoes and wish for even more of those before we return to the low-taste store-bought variety. The markets have continued their troubled ways, but I've managed to have a better-than-average week, so I'm grateful for that. We drove home on Sunday afternoon from Kenora. We enjoyed the CX-7; we found the fuel consumption very similar to what we've enjoyed in our car, but we did find the compartment a little cramped. We shall continue looking at the alternatives; the local Chrysler dealer has a couple of Journeys on the used vehicle lot. I started driving the bus route on my own this week. It was quite a challenge to learn all the twists and turns, but I'm gradually improving my times. I didn't get out golfing until today, but that went fine at least.

Wendy has continued to be busy with Walmart and taking care of the rest of us. This week was a little bit extra as we began the celebrations of Kristian's birthday. That was officially on Friday, but she remains committed to making a Yoda cake, so the extended celebrations may last another week or so!

Kristian turned six yesterday. He got a lot of nice gifts from his teachers and his educational aid as well as from friends and family. The central feature this year is Star Wars, especially Yoda. Erin is back at work, but not for long at this job. She has been offered an accounting position with CarStar, the body shop owned by Halfway Motors, the dealer for Nissan; she'll be glad for that promotion.

Trav continues to be busy setting up his office. He has ended his employment with Impact Promotions, and has taken a service contract with them for his new business, so that transition has gone well. Today was the first draft day for hockey players, then, he'll calculate who is left for them to pick from. Trav, Joanna, Gemma and Andrew joined us for a birthday celebration last evening complete with DQ Ice Cream cake. Thanks guys!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-09-10T23:50:00.005-04:00

The week started with a great bang as the Riders took it to the first-place Bombers. It was a delightful surprise. Tomorrow is the rematch—that'll be the true test of whether these guys have actually turned the corner. The end of this week finds us on the road. We drove up to Dauphin on Friday, took part in Mal's memorial today, and then cruised back to Kenora to ease the drive home, and to apply the chainsaw to a couple of trees. We've had another week of beautiful weather—unseasonably hot, actually, but we're expecting to get back to more comfortable temperatures next week. The markets have been terrible again, and I've given back almost all I gained last week. The Labour Day Monday holiday allowed the family to get out for a round of golf. It was Wendy's first golf of the year, but by wearing two gloves to accommodate her arthritic fingers, she was able to do fine. Erin and Kristian enjoyed the golf as well. And I enjoyed the family experience. I started my new bus run on Wednesday; it is very complex with a lot of twists and turns. I'll be some time learning it! I start driving on my own next Thursday. The garden is continuing to produce, and I'm delaying digging the potatoes until after the first frost.

Wendy is back to work at Walmart. Along with getting the yard cleaned up for Fall, and putting the pool away, she has been busy.

Erin arranged for us to rent a Mazda CX-7 for the weekend, so we're enjoying trying that out. She's been extra busy this week as Kristian has started grade 1. He seems to be doing well in the new situation. He is eagerly looking forward to his birthday, and is prompting grandma with lots of suggestions on how she can make his Yoda cake!

Trav is establishing his own business office. He has begun hockey for another season, and is currently scouting prospects in anticipation of the draft. Joanna keeps busy with her work, and with the kids starting school.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-09-03T21:59:00.007-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We've had pretty good weather, but a couple of raucous thunderstorms accompanied by hail have made unexpected visits for this time of year. I've been continuing the battle with the weeds; I don't expect a final victory to be accomplished. I have drained the pool—all 36,000 litres—on to the front lawn. It seems amazing that all that water can just sink into the ground and never even make it to the curb. The garden is continuing to produce, so we enjoy that. I suppose I should be thinking of digging the potatoes soon; it'll be my first successful experiment with the potato box and I'm curious to see how much it has produced. The markets have continued to be difficult, but I've been blessed with another excellent week even though I'm only 25% invested; maybe it's because I'm only 25% invested! I had a bus drivers meeting this week, and have now been informed that I will have at least a short term driving assignment beginning next week. I've met with my denturist and he is preparing a new partial plate for me; it should be ready after about a month of construction and adjustments. The Riders play their traditional Labour Day game against Winnipeg this weekend; it's quite a challenge for the 1-7 Riders against the 7-1 Bombers this year! They did get some good news this week as one of our veteran receivers was cut by the Chicago Bears and will be returning to the Riders, but not in time for this game.

Wendy has been busy with cleaning up the pool for several days this week. She has also taken her regular shifts at Walmart along with medical, eye and hair appointments. It makes for a busy week.

Erin has Kristian back into schedule as he gets ready to start grade one next Wednesday. The hailstorms have brought extra work for her car rental business. She has continued to practice golf a bit, but we didn't get out for a game until today.

Trav has chosen his office, and is working to establish further work contracts. We celebrated his new business with a party last evening at Joanna's. I was one of Joanna's clients this week as she drew my blood samples for my semi-annual PSA checkup. Gemma and Andrew are also getting ready for the new school year, and seem excited to see what it will be like.

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

News Update

2011-08-27T23:01:00.002-04:00

It has been a week of grieving in Canada as we lost a fine political leader, a man widely respected by citizens of all backgrounds. So much so, that the Prime Minister accorded the unprecedented honour of a state funeral for Jack Layton. Jack's closing remarks to Canadians are remembered on the photo: "Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic, and we'll change the world."

Finally, we are back on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We passed the week here after driving down from Kenora on Monday. I've been catching up on garden and lawns; the weeds have taken advantage of my absence to grow in a wide variety of locations and at a prodigious rate. I've been battling them all week—taking no prisoners, but like the Gaddafi loyalists, there still remain many to root out! The back lawn will take a few cuts to get back in shape, while the front one is pretty much the right length already—thank you, Travis. The garden is producing tomatoes, beet greens, beans and spinach—thank you, Erin. I've managed a a couple of sessions of golf practice during the week with Erin & Kristian. The markets have remained pretty crazy, but I managed to have a great week and recover a bit from the earlier losses. I am hoping that things settle down for the remainder of the year so I will be able to predict things better. Riders took advantage of the week off to fire two of their coaches. We hope they will also use the time to learn how to play football!

Wendy returned to work at Wal-Mart; she definitely found the full shifts on her feet to make for a long day. She has also been catching up on paperwork over household finances as well as the church books. Still, we did manage to get out for a breakfast date yesterday—a nice treat.

Erin celebrated her birthday last week with her first set of golf clubs. She played a few times in Regina, and really enjoyed it, so she was glad to get the set for her birthday and has been practicing and playing this week. Kristian enjoys that as well.

Trav has been working to establish an office for his newly funded business venture. He has picked out a location, and will now continue with the selection of furnishings and equipment. Joanna continues to be busy, but we did enjoy having them over last evening along with Andrew.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-08-20T22:06:00.006-04:00

Another week has passed and finds us on the shore of Winnipeg River in Kenora. We are enjoying a few days with Eric/A and the boys as we wend our way homewards. We have enjoyed a good week with family and friends. Tonight we enjoyed a games evening of Settlers of Catan, and Mexican Train. I got out golfing with Rick & Carolyn last Sunday, and again with Kerry on Wednesday. Then we drove to Kenora on Thursday. The markets have continued to be in crash mode, so it's been a tough week there, and I've 'enjoyed' further losses. I keep thinking and hoping that it's going to turn around, but it's been heading downward since the end of March, so the guys who follow the nostrum, "Sell in May and go away," have been the winners this year. Some progress was made at 55 Laird as the excavation dirt was hauled away, and fresh fill was delivered. Then it was time to call upon Tim and the handy Bobcat—they made short work of filling the trench. Tim also re-landscaped along the back wall to direct water away from there.

Wendy keeps busy where ever she is. Today she's pruning trees and engaging in her ongoing war with the Kenora thistles (not those Kenora Thistles!).

Kristian was the highlight of most occasions in Regina. Now he's having a great time playing with his cousins here. He continues to video chat effectively with his mom back home and even remembered to wish her a happy birthday this week. All too soon, the trip will be over. We have enjoyed having him travel with us. Erin is taking care of things back home since she flew back on Sunday. She has been picking beans and tomatoes as they are ready in the garden.

Trav & Joanna supplied the celebratory birthday pizza (Tropical Chicken from BP) for Erin on Thursday evening. I'm guessing that Trav will try to catch up with lawn mowing this weekend in anticipation of our arrival!!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-08-13T23:49:00.004-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana. We began the week with sad news as we learned of the passing of our friend, Mal, in Dauphin; the memorial service is scheduled for Sept 10th, and we plan to attend. This was compounded as we learned of the marriage breakup of dear friends. The weather has continued to be very nice, and I've been able to get out golfing with Erin & Kristian a couple of times. The markets have been incredibly volatile, and even set a record for gains and losses on consecutive days. I managed to make a good gain overall, although I have two-thirds in cash in view of the difficult markets. The Riders lost another game last evening, and to add to the pain it was at home against Calgary! We keep waiting for changes to be made in hopes of an improvement—after all, at 1-6 there's not too much worse to anticipate! Work has continued on the repairs at Dad's house, and the basement wall is looking great with its new coating, weeping tile and sump pump. Backfill will probably happen next week. We enjoyed nice evenings out at Bernard & Joan's, Barb & Ed's and at Rick & Carolyn's; it was good go visit with them and catch up on their lives. This evening we enjoyed the Canadian wedding reception for cousin Jesse and his new bride, Carly, down in Milestone.

Wendy keeps busy with housework, shopping and visiting. She also has been renegotiating her work shifts as we look to begin the trip home next week.

Erin & Kristian are both with us, although Erin is scheduled to fly back to TBay tomorrow. They have been enjoying getting out golfing, as well as spending time with the family and friends in Regina.

Trav is back home, taking care of the dog, house, garden and lawns. In his spare time, he's also continuing his work and developing the plan for his own business now that funding has been approved. Joanna is keeping busy with her work this week. She's been trying to cut back a bit on hours to get a bit of a rest break as well. We've been able to video chat with them a couple of times.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-08-06T23:27:00.004-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the Queen City of the Prairies. We are continuing our sojourn at Wendy's dad's place. It's been a good week. The weather has been lovely, and when it got too hot we just stayed indoors in air-conditioned comfort. The markets have continued to flounder, although I, unfortunately, jumped on the first positive move after the debt ceiling was adjusted and got tagged with some losses. I need to make some recovery of my own now. It's been a tough time as the markets have headed steadily downward since April, and this week they've been accelerating the losses with multiple hundreds of points in the red! This weekend we've been excavating one basement wall on Dad's house to replace the weeping tile and get rid of the clay that's been forcing that wall to crack. I'm feeling tired and sore tonight. The Riders had a game last night, but it was a poor showing as they lost to the BC Lions and fell to 1 and 5. I think it may be time to bring in some different players who know how to play this game!

Wendy has been occupied all week with feeding the crew that has included Erica and the boys since they got in Wednesday night. One of the motorbikes packed it in about three hours west of here, so Erica & Liam arrived on the bus. Then Eric took the other bike home and has now returned with a truck to haul the other one and the rest of the family home. Dave arrived home Friday night, so it's a full house.

Erin has been taking care of things back home in TBay, but she arrived about noon today, so Trav & Joanna are taking care of Sadie and the house, and (I hope) the lawns. My information is that the lawns were not mown when Erin left this morning, so I hope that got done today. Kristian has been with us all week, but has maintained regular and frequent contact with mom via his iPod Touch! He really communicates well using that medium. He went golfing with me one day. His first action on an actual golf course. We did nine holes on the putting green, but when I asked him if he wanted to go on the course, he said he did. I didn't know how much he'd play before he got tired of carrying clubs and making many hits per hole! But he persisted through every stroke of nine holes with no gimmies. And he wanted to do another nine holes on the putting green on the way out! So, we did that too!

Trav was here at the start of the week, and when it came time to head home, his flight was delayed so he was able to spend another night with us all here. He's now back at work and taking care of things in TBay. He also got a positive response to his grant application, so that was great news as he begins to set up his business later this year.

And that's about enough for this week.

News Update

2011-07-30T23:43:00.005-04:00

Another week has passed; we remain far away from the shore of Lake Superior on the shore of Lake Wascana in the Queen City. We enjoyed starting the week in Dauphin and drove over here on Sunday evening. The weather has been fine with the odd thunderstorm thrown in for good measure! We're staying at Dad's place, and we've enjoyed catching up with Bern, Alicia & Logan who are home from Mexico, as well as with Rich & Sue, and the other family members who live in Regina. We expect Dave to get home from his trip west at some point in the next while. I brought the big D along with me on this part of the trip, so I've suffered with that most of the week. I seem to have put that behind me now! The markets have continued to run downward with the threat of the US default hanging over them. I've remained basically out of the market, so have no progress to report. I have not tried any golf this week. Rich has been leading the work of demolishing the deck and repairing the basement walls. More work remains as it will have to be excavated and sealed. I'm celebrating my birthday today; I am thankful for the many cards, emails and postings about the event. I also received a gift of double-12 dominos (Thanks to the Mexican connection), so we've played several games of Mexican Train this week. Riders got their first win of the season last Sunday by knocking off the previously unbeaten Alouettes, and they played Calgary tonight here in Regina. Another home loss, this time by 4 points, but it's hard to take all the same.

Wendy has been busy with berry picking most mornings. We've been blessed with both Saskatoons and raspberries. She's been making up rhubarb crisp with both combinations, and they have been excellent.

Erin has been taking care of the home place. The garden is progressing, but she reports the lawn-man has not been keeping up with mowing the grass. She has been making regular video chats with Kristian as well as the rest of us. He has an iPod-Touch and calls her whenever he wishes, although we did have to stop him one night since the connection time was 2am in Thunder Bay! (We didn't want his mother to know he was still up at midnight here in Regina!)

We had a great video chat between the crew from Thunder Bay and the family assembled here in Regina to wish good-bye to Bern, Alicia and Logan before they headed back to Mexico this morning. It was good to introduce Joanna to the family here. Trav spent the week at home (without mowing the grass!) but has now joined us in Regina for the next few days. He tried to attend the Rider game tonight, but couldn't find anyone who wanted to part with a ticket.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-07-23T23:36:00.002-04:00

We have had a good week as we have travelled from the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown, and are currently in Dauphin. We left home on Wednesday morning, driving up to Winnipeg and enjoying a visit and overnight stay with Mike & Peggy & Talitha. On Thursday, we completed the trip up to Dauphin where we are staying with Mabel, a friend from Dauphin days, and a connection to Zambia. Tomorrow, we plan to continue the journey to Regina. It has been a good week, although the weather has been wild and changeable. There have been days of extreme heat (high thirties, not including humidex), violent storms (one tore the roof off the Thunder Bay airport transported it across into the parking lot where it damaged many cars) and has ended today with a cool, rainy day. The last two days I've been golfing with a crew of 18 assembled from across the prairies and from Bismark ND. That was a lot of fun—good fellowship, variable golf! The most disappointing aspect of my play is that the short game did not bail me out as well as it usually does. The markets have continued variable while Europe contends with the Greek debt issues, and the whole world is kept waiting over the US debt ceiling negotiations. We hope that gets settled soon. I have managed to gain more than my quota for the week, so that much is good.

Wendy is enjoying lots of visiting along the trip. She worked until late Tuesday, so preparation time for the trip was rushed. Now she's looking forward to settling into the old home in Regina for an extended visit.

Kristian is travelling with us, and is doing very well. He video chats back home with his mom on Facetime whenever we can get an internet connection. Otherwise he enjoys the adventure of new places and people and accommodates the changes quite well. Erin is taking care of things back home and continuing with work.

Trav is helping take care of things at home, carrying on with his work, and awaiting final word on his application for a development grant to set up his own business even more extensively. Joanna keeps up with work, and the kids summer schedules.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-07-16T23:37:00.002-04:00

We've enjoyed a great week on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been comfortable, although 33 today is just too much! The lawns and garden are thriving, and I've had to cut the grass twice this week. I've been cutting rhubarb as well, but I still haven't caught up with production. Wendy made a wonderful rhubarb/strawberry pie; I enjoyed that a great deal! I've been driving charters for children taking day camp; they sing for the whole trip each way, and I've enjoyed about all of that I can stand! Markets have had another floundering week, and I've dropped back to flat for the month. I expect things will continue on this fearful slide until the US agrees to an increase in the debt ceiling. I continue to be amazed by the thinking that they can prevent spending after the fact! They authorized the expenditures, but now they don't want to pay the bills. I didn't get out golfing, but I did have some nice practice that showed encouraging improvement. The Riders were slaughtered in Hamilton this afternoon—not encouraging!

Wendy has been busy, busy, busy all week; in other words, same ol', same ol'! She's at Walmart again this evening. Her backyard work with flowers and perennials is working out nicely. She keeps encouraging me in the battle with the thistles, but it's a struggle to keep even. Next week we take off for a month-long trip west; she's looking forward to that.

Erin has been so occupied she's even been missing the Jays wins over the Yankees this week. She took time to watch today, and sure enough, they lost! Kristian is enjoying summer, and looking forward to travelling with us to Uncle David's house to see Papa! He's been practicing with his two-wheeler, but he still has the training wheels on.

Trav keeps busy with graphical work both in his job and with private contracts. He got to take part in the Skate with the NHL Players in support of Easter Seals. Joanna and kids are off to Toronto to spend time with her mother, and to help clean up the estate after the passing of her step-father.

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

News Update

2011-07-09T23:11:00.004-04:00

It's been a week of mixed weather here on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We've had hot sunny days, the inevitable thunderstorms, and some cloudy days with showers. I managed to get out golfing again, although I was not very happy with my driving this time. The score of 85 was okay, and it dropped my handicap to 15.6. The markets continued to rally in the early part of the week, but then Friday was a dark day as the poor US jobs data cast a pall over investors; still, I managed a good gain for the week. I had two charters this week, and that went well. Next week, I'm assigned charters every day, so I'll be busy with that. The garden is developing well, but I haven't got any further with the back yard developments. They are not happening on their own. I am trying to catch up to the rhubarb patch; it is really producing! Our anniversary celebration over last weekend was nice. Thank you all for your greetings, and to our children for their special recognitions. I remember as a child that it was old people who were celebrating silver anniversaries, and now even young people are noting 41 years! The Riders started the season on a losing note, and, it must be said, did not look good either. This afternoon, they played their second game, a rematch of last year's championship battle, but the result was the same as last week—a two touchdown loss. C'mon guys! Let's get playing some football!

Wendy continues with her usual busyness at home and at work. The yard improvements are looking good, and we are glad to have family and friends enjoying the backyard and pool. Erin's dog keeps finding ways to get out of the back yard, so I'll have to keep working on that. Wendy chased her down across the busy street on Friday night. Wendy has been so eager for shifts at Walmart, she even went in one day this week when she wasn't assigned to work!

Erin had her usual busy week at work and managing Kristian's schedule now that school is out. Her big event this week was the arrival of her new iPhone. She and Kristian are both enjoying using, learning and playing games on that.

Trav is quite busy with the extra contacts he's getting from on line. Enquiries are coming in from across the country, somewhat to his surprise. He, Joanna, Gemma & Andrew all joined us for fun in the pool last evening. Well, actually, we didn't get Joanna into the pool; we'll have to throw her in next time! Joanna is keep very busy with her Life Labs assignments.

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

News Update

2011-07-02T22:59:00.007-04:00

We've had a lovely week here on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has turned very summery indeed with bright sunshine and high temperatures—too high for this old grandpa! I have finished my bus driving for school, but have some charters lined up for the first part of July before we leave for our tour westward. Several thunderstorms have developed in the heat, providing special, natural, celestial displays, and it was just as well, as fog rolled in on the evening of the 1st and hid the Canada Day pyrotechnics down in the marina. Eric/A and the boys came down Thursday to spend the Canada Day weekend with us, so we're loving that! I got in another golf game—41-42:83, twelve over, but pretty good for me. I'm playing at 15.8 handicap right now, and am starting to realize that I may never see a single-digit handicap! Investments went well this week and I've recovered about a month's worth of value. The garden is developing just fine; I've given my weeds another dose of week-killer, but they continue to be remarkably healthy! I set up the pool this week, and the grandsons are getting to test it out. The football season has opened; Riders don't play until tomorrow, but Go Riders Go!

Wendy has continued with regular shifts at Walmart. She has also been adding to the planters in the backyard. She enjoys working on such projects, and produces very nice effects as well.

Kristian has finished his kindergarten program and will begin grade one in the Fall. For the summer he is enrolled in Day Care, and is also looking forward to visiting Papa at Uncle Dave's house when he travels with us this summer. Erin keeps busy with work and extra contracts. She also enjoys catching a few rays in the back yard; she and Kristian tan up very quickly—unlike the rest of us!

Trav has been fretting over free agent signings this weekend—it seems hockey has no off-season! Otherwise work and contracts are going well. Joanna is quite busy, but is also looking to pick up extra shifts when she can get them. This week, she was able to accommodate Wendy for her blood work, so that was a bit special. The whole crew was over for a quiet close to Canada Day celebrations last evening.

And that's about it for now.

News Update

2011-06-25T23:10:00.003-04:00

We've had a week of mostly wet weather here on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. Still, it has been nothing compared to what some are suffering with seasonal and rain-induced flooding. I have been able to continue cycling to work except for one day, although I did get soaked riding home one afternoon. It cleared off on Friday afternoon, and was mostly sunny today except for the inevitable thunder storms produced by daytime heating. I managed to get a golf game in today; I scored 86 on my first try of the year—very satisfactory! The markets have continued along their troubled ways this week, but I have finally managed to make some gains for the first week this month. The garden is progressing well, and both tomatoes and potatoes are starting to flower.

Wendy has continued with regular shifts at Walmart. She is doing well there, and is counted on by management to keep the shoe department in order. We got some more soil, so she is also busy with additional planter pots to display her flowers.

Kristian had his graduation on Friday! He has progressed well, and will now look forward to grade one in the Fall. Erin has taken on extra accounting work in the evenings to help another firm catch up with their accounts. This should be fairly short term. This weekend, she's off to Duluth for a shopping and fun trip with a few friends.

Trav continues to be very busy with regular work and contracts. He's still waiting to hear the decision on his grant application. Joanna is doing well, and keeping very busy. We enjoyed spending time with the whole crew on Father's Day and again for a family supper Friday evening. Trav has been busy following the NHL entry draft this week.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-06-18T21:09:00.004-04:00

Another great week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has continued to be lovely, although it has turned cloudy and cooler today. The markets have remained cold, with the TSX now down 10.4% since April. Thankfully, I've managed to miss most of the decline, however this week marks a third losing week in a row for me. American markets had a gain this week, so maybe that's a sign that we're finally ready for a rally as well. Work continues to go fine. The cycling back and forth is certainly getting easier; my legs feel much better and my fitness level has improved. I wish the spare tire I'm carrying around my middle would start disappearing! The lawns and garden are progressing well. Wendy wants some lawn added to the back yard, so, that's another project on my "to do" list. We got a load of dirt delivered yesterday toward that project, as well as some work in the church yard over the back fence. Erica arrived on Wednesday evening, and after spending Thursday in Toronto, she is spending the weekend with us while she takes a motorcycling course at Confederation College. So, that was an extra treat for Father's Day/Week!

Wendy continues with Wally World work, and work around home pretty much as per usual. We managed a trip to the golf course this week where we spent some enjoyable time on the practice area and on the driving range. I'm trying to get her back to golfing as she was the year we spent in Victoria.

Kristian is having a busy life with school closing special events and birthday parties featured this week. Regular work has slowed down a bit for Erin, so she's accepted an extra assignment to work some evenings doing books for another firm. Yikes!

Trav continues with work and private contracting. We're still waiting to hear a decision on his grant application. Joanna is putting in lots of hours at non-standard times of the day in her work with Life Labs. It's her birthday today, so Happy Birthday Joanna! It was a transitional week in sports. We grieved the loss of the Stanley Cup for the Canucks, but already the pre-season has opened in football—Go Riders, Go! They won last night over Edmonton.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-06-11T23:11:00.004-04:00

Another fine week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. While the weather has been nice, the markets have not been! We have descended to new lows for the year, and I have been fortunate to hang on to gains. While May was my first down month, June has continued the losing streak, and only a short buy on Oil contributed strongly this week and even allowed me to make a nice gain on Friday. I didn't get out for a golf game this week, but continue to practice, plan, and hope! I picked up two charters this week to supplement my bus driving work. The lawns are looking better, and I even 'watered' my dandelions this morning—I hope that kills off this particular crop. The new lawnmower is working great; Wendy gave away the old one. I've decided to work better, and I'll keep watching out for ads to give away an old husband on Kijiji! The garden is looking good. I've got the cages on the tomatoes, and it appears the potato crop will be a success this year. However, we can't count those until the harvest! The rhubarb is growing like crazy. Hay fever season appears to have ended, and that's a relief.

Wendy has continued to be very busy. She's added some hostas to the plantation in the backyard. They sure add a nice variation of colour and fill in some gaps between the cedars. She has taken on almost full time shifts at Walmart, including her first 7am shift just today. In between she still finds time for grandmotherly pursuits like Kristian's school picnic.

Kristian seems to be on another learning surge as he is able to tell me quite comprehensive stories of his daily events. I'm feeling this will lead to another surge in the reading and writing aspects of his language development. He is very busy with end-of-the-year events at school and day care. Erin keeps busy with work, but the hail-damage rush seems to be easing finally.

Trav has heard some encouraging follow-up on his young entrepreneurship grant, so we hope for a successful decision on that in the next month or so. Joanna is busy with work and the kids, but still hosted the whole family for an indoor picnic last weekend. We enjoyed that. The Canucks suffered a couple of severe set backs in their Stanley Cup quest, but got back on track last night and now lead the series three games to two.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-06-04T23:51:00.003-04:00

It has been another fine week on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has decidedly warmed up, and we've had a few thunder storms, so I guess it's officially summer. Bus driving is going fine; we're in the final weeks now. We had a first go-round on the bidding for routes for next year. It was closer than I expected. We've lost thirty-two runs, but there were only eight people before me when the last run was taken. With a few more expected to move or retire over the summer, it will be getting at least interesting when the real bidding is taken at the end of August. Since I just started driving with them last November, there are only about six drivers who have less seniority than I have. The investing business was decidedly bad this week. Weak economic data out of the US dropped markets world-wide. I didn't expect the main damage to come until Friday, but I was wrong and when the markets dipped almost 300 points on Wednesday, I got caught, and ended up down to tune of almost 2% for the week. I'm pretty much out of the market now (12.5% in), but I'll be looking for opportunities again once things have settled on a direction. It has been windy, so I haven't tried playing golf, but practice is going well so far. I received two new pieces of advice concerning my annual allergy battles: Take a program of desensitization, Try nasal irrigation. There were also some references to drugs that may help, but nothing I haven't already tried. Anyway, thanks for the advice; I am going to give both ideas a try.

We had a special event today as our friends, Gord & Nora, celebrated their fiftieth anniversary. We enjoyed the time with them. Wendy had me "purdied up" in the requisite black & white. Otherwise, Wendy has kept up with work at Walmart, and has also been turning some attention to the yard. Our lawnmower is giving up the ghost, but Wendy has sourced me a new electric one, and we're just waiting for it to arrive. She was able to attend Joanna's graduation yesterday; we are very proud of her as she graduated second in her class with a perfect 4.0 average.

Erin has continued to be very busy at work as the recent hail storm still has people working through rental cars as their hail-damaged vehicles are repaired. There is some newer technology that allows them to pop the dents back out for a paintless repair. Their associated body shop has imported a team of guys who are working steadily through the backlog of vehicles needing these repairs. Kristian is doing well; school is in the final stages for the year, so there are lots of special trips and activities going on. His speech just keeps getting better.

Trav continues with work as usual. We are waiting along with him for a decision on his application to start his own business. He enjoyed being able to celebrate Joanna's graduation. Now both of them are focused on developing their careers.

It's Stanley Cup finals, finally, and tonight the Canucks made it two games in a row over Boston. We look forward to them finishing the job as soon as possible!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-05-28T22:14:00.001-04:00

After the long weekend of rain, we've had a nice week of weather on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. Now, we're into another rainy weekend—how does it manage this?! The mornings have been cool, sometimes even frosty, so I haven't been moved to advance the gardening. I've managed to water my dandelions, but with golden fields blossoming around us, I fear it won't be the last battle of the season. I've also continued the annual fight against my allergies; each morning I take my Reactine (Cetirizine HCl), and often supplement it with an expectorant in the evenings to help clear the breathing passages, however, I'm not feeling very relieved! If anyone out there has advice of other products or remedies—I'm listening! I've used a variety of products over the years (Allegra, Seldane, Chlor-Tripolon, Claritin) and only Claritin has shown no beneficial effect, but new products continue to develop, so I look forward to your suggestions. One avenue currently under consideration is that I should spend two weeks of this miserable time of year at the Colonial and the Byron Nelson golf tournaments! Other than that consideration, I haven't felt up to getting out to the golf course—maybe next week. The markets have continued to struggle through a difficult month, but I've managed a small gain this week in an otherwise down month. Bus driving has gone well. Cycling back and forth has been good, and I even managed three straight rides where I made all seven lights successfully!

Wendy has worked frequent shifts at Walmart. She's also getting into the bedding-plants mode; we'll probably be installing those in the coming week. That always provides a quick pick-me-up for the yard.

Erin and Kristian continue with their lives as usual. Kristian is doing lots of reading and speech development lately, and we celebrate his success. He got his Kindergarten grad picture this week—I hope you enjoy it.

Trav has managed to get the Canucks into the Stanley Cup finals. They'll be playing against Boston starting next Wednesday—no one knows why they should be waiting so long to start the series! Joanna is recovering well.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-05-21T23:51:00.002-04:00

Another sunny week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. The warm weather has brought on my seasonal hay fever, so I've been sneezing and hacking, and wondering whether I should scratch my eyeballs! So, I'm back on the reactine and eyedrops, and that improves things a lot, but it's still an uncomfortable season. I have a couple of sessions of golf practice—now to take it to the course! It's the Victoria Day long weekend, so the clouds have moved in and we're expecting showers! It's been another difficult week in the markets, and I've experienced a small loss. I'm now down about 1% this month, but I remain about 50% invested, and ready if we can get an upturn. Bus driving has continued to go well, and with the fine weather I've enjoyed riding the bike each day. It's a bit of hassle with the traffic on the way home each afternoon.

Wendy has continued to be very busy with the shoe department at Wally World. They've recently expanded to a Super Walmart, so she sometimes comes home with food surprises. She is still suffering a lot of foot discomfort, so spending that much time on her feet is not a recommended therapy, but she keeps at it and occasionally heads to the gym just to enhance the suffering experience. It's a head-shaker!

Erin has continued to have a busy time at Budget. She had an interview for another job, but lost out in the final decision. Still it does seem to have motivated her current employers to consider upgrading her situation. Kristian is doing well. He is motivated to read, and is getting into the little books they have for him at school. He also got a special treat when uncle Trav got him a Master Yoda Star Wars book!

Trav is doing fine. Stanley Cup playoffs are currently in the semi-finals and the Canucks are still doing well, leading their series two games to one. Joanna had surgery this week, so she's rather tender. However, she seems to be doing well. Her mom has come to help out while she recovers.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-05-14T22:28:00.001-04:00

Another week has passed on the sunny shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The TSX has dropped another couple of hundred points, and while I've tried to play things carefully, I have incurred another small loss. Maybe the old saw about "Sell in May and stay away" is proving its validity once again! I am about 50% invested, so I'm ready to buy more if the markets turn upward. The warming weather has filled the golf courses as we've had a late start to the season, and people are eager to make up for lost time. I haven't played a game yet, as I enjoy practicing (and need the work!). Bus driving has continued to go fine. Monday featured the memorial service for Louise. That came off well. Trav did a great job on the pictorial tribute. I got to sing with Erica as well as leading the congregational singing. Louise has been aware of the terminal nature of her illness for some years and had put together the entire plan for her service—that served to add to the flavour of it. I guess we're all terminal—if we'd just admit it. Our Mother's Day special was to have a picnic lunch and hike out to the Cascades. It was a very nice day, and everyone enjoyed the outing, including the dogs. Then Eric/A and the boys arrived and we had a family supper with everyone in attendance.

Wendy has continued her blue-vested work in the shoe department at Walmart. I feel she has become victim of her own work ethic and she is often being called now for extra shifts at unlikely hours of the day! She was very busy with the memorial service preparations and execution as well.

Erin continues with her rental car work, but has applied on a new job this week. She got an interview, so we'll see how that goes. Kristian has had a pretty usual week, except for staying over last night at Andrew's place, one of his favoured places for Lego!

Trav is continuing his push to get the Canucks to the Stanley Cup finals. They have won another round and are now in the semi-finals against the Sharks of San Jose. That series starts tomorrow. He is taking part in several volunteer boards in town, including Food Bank; and has applied for funding to go into business on his own.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-05-07T23:43:00.002-04:00

Another week has passed on the sunny shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We have also enjoyed a few showers, and the lawns are greening up nicely. The golf courses are open, but I haven't tried playing one yet. Work has gone well, and I even set two new best times for cycling home afterwards—tailwinds are a great thing! Kristian has passed along his cold, so I'm enjoying the weekend in bed. I hope to recover quickly as I'm slated for singing at a memorial service on Monday. We look forward to having Eric/A and the boys down here as Eric is preaching the service and Erica is singing. The TSX had another floundering week and has now retreated to no gain on the year, so I feel very blessed to be up 8.3%. I've completed some repairs in the backyard, and got the drip irrigation going for the cedars. They should soon be well-established enough to manage on their own. I need to do some more work on the garden beds to get them ready. We've managed to get the Canucks to the elimination game in their playoff against Nashville, but they are not making it easy on us as they lost tonight at home.

Wendy has been busy with church renovations, work and memorial service preparations. She's been doing some baking for the gathering after the service, and we've also been beneficiaries of that! She's had a number of late shifts at Walmart, and that disrupts our normal routines.

Erin is having busy times at work, and with Kristian's school and hearing issues. Kristian got new ear moulds (blue & white this time) this week, and they seem to fit very well. We can't be sure just what he hears, but he is speaking better and better. His reading is progressing very well, and he is counting up to 100. He often displays some stubbornness, and Erin is questioning whether such traits are nature or nurture! Erin has also made a new friend, Daniel, but we haven't got to meet him yet!

Travis is busy with an application for venture funding to open his own business. We are supportive and amazed. This is the kind of adventure that we find fearful; we always found it much more comfortable to just work for a salary. Joanna returned from Toronto after helping her mother through the events surrounding the passing of her husband, Joanna's step-father.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-04-30T23:29:00.001-04:00

Another week has passed, and we have returned from the Winnipeg River to the sunny shores of Lake Superior and my hometown. We drove back down here on Monday morning as Wendy had a shift on Monday afternoon. It was a good time in Kenora, and a good trip. This was another four-day work week, and I managed to cycle my way through it successfully. The TSX completed a month of decline, but I've managed to make a small profit in the end, so that was good. Bus driving continues to go fine. I've started outside work with the lawns and gardens, and am also doing some repairs to the back fence to discourage Sadie (Erin's dog) from crawling out! And I'm back in the annual quest for an effective golf game!

We've had concerns this week over the health of Wendy's dad. He's spent most of the week in the hospital, and but has returned home, and, he insists, is doing fine. We're relieved. More tests and the associated results may shed further light on the matter, so we pray that answers will be found and remedies, if any, taken.

Wendy continues to take care of business in the shoe department at the local Wally World. She has been busy as well with the renovations to the kitchen in the church building. She loves kitchen cabinets! This may have also reawakened her interest in renovations around the house, so, I'm forewarned—unfortunately, there is no forearmed in this case! Wendy lost her friend, Louise, this week; she is assisting with funeral preparations.

Kristian enjoyed the trip up to Kenora to visit his cousins. It was a three-day Lego/Star Wars extravaganza! Erin continues to be busy with work and cheering on the Blue Jays. She is particularly delighted when they knock off the Yankees.

Trav has been family-sitting this weekend. Joanna's step-father passed away, so, she's off to be with her mother, and Trav's taking care of things at home. He is also grieving as his Pens lost out in the playoffs. Now, he is able to dedicate his interest in the Canucks, who opened their next series with a win, but then lost tonight in overtime.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-04-23T23:59:00.005-04:00

Another week has passed, and finds us on the shore of Winnipeg River in Kenora, five hours driving from my hometown. The weather has turned nice again, and I have enjoyed riding my bike to work each day. I even set a record coming home Thursday evening as I had a tail wind! Good Friday and Easter Monday are school holidays, so I get two four-day weeks surrounding a four-day weekend—this could catch on! Investments have continued to be difficult, but this week turned upward again, so I managed to pick up almost a full per cent. On Friday morning, we drove, with Kristian, up to Kenora to spend the weekend with Eric/A and the boys. We enjoyed a church Pot Luck and Good Friday observance with them. We look forward to Resurrection Sunday tomorrow! Today we watched Liam take his Karate test (he now has his blue stripe belt), and caught up with the goings on in riverside life in Kenora.

Wendy has been working all week, and was scheduled to work today, but she managed to switch shifts so we could travel. She has been in a cake-making mode lately—she made another today—and I must say it's serving to defeat most of the benefits of my bike riding! She's also been doing some voluntary work in collecting for the Kidney Foundation and phoning for the local NDP candidate during the current federal campaign.

Erin is busy at work; a hail storm has made for more repair work than the body shops can keep up with, and more call for rental cars than the city can provide. On top of all that, she has to help the Blue Jays break out of an early season slump. Her work kept her from joining us on the trip this weekend.

Trav has managed to get his Penguins and the Canucks to the clinching game in the first round of the playoffs. However, the Pens lost their first try at clinching today, and the Canucks have blown their first two chances to go through. Both sit with 3-2 leads in the best of seven.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-04-16T23:14:00.001-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather was beautiful for the first part of the week, but has turned nasty this weekend. How does the weather know it is a weekend?! The markets were bad all week, and I lost almost 1.5%. I've been otherwise occupied much of the week, so I haven't paid as much attention to investments as I should have. We started the week celebrating as Jeff Stoughton defeated Scotland to bring home the World Curling Championship. I also cheered Charl Schwartzel winning the Masters Golf, although I was really hoping young Rory McIlroy would have been able to keep it together in the final round. I've been riding my bike to work, and wondering about the unlikely combination of a 15 year old front tire, a 25 year old back tire, and a 60 year old cyclist! On Tuesday evening, on the way home from work, the anticipated failure happened! But, surprisingly, it was the 25 year old tread, not the 60 year old retread! Now I have a nice new rear tire! I'm starting a term of teaching on Sunday, beginning with the Pastoral Epistles, so that's taken a bit of study time as well.

Wendy has kept very busy with work and social life. She has also been attending to an ill friend this week, who is now hospitalized. She is also engaged with a committee at church that is supervising some renovations there.

Erin keeps busy with work, and Kristian. There were extra assignments for her as it was time for the Individual Education Plan update for him, and also time for a new assessment of his hearing. He was fitted for new earpieces; this time he has chosen white and blue colours.

Trav had a concluding hockey draft and game with his midget team, and has now devoted his attention to the Stanley Cup playoffs. His Penguins are tied 1-1 in their series, and his second pick Canucks are up 2-0 in theirs.

It's hard to keep up with everything that is going on, but that's enough for this week.

News Update

2011-04-09T23:09:00.001-04:00

We've enjoyed another week of fine Spring weather on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. It is now light enough in the morning, so I have begun riding my bike to work. It takes about twenty minutes, and it's a nice ride in the quiet of the morning. The afternoon is another story—the traffic makes it an uncomfortable trip. I keep searching for alternate routes that may be less busy. The markets have been down most of the week, but I recovered enough on Friday to leave us with only a small loss for the week. I've been cheering the curling all week, and I've managed to get Jeff into the final tomorrow! Scotland will face us in the championship game. It's Masters golf week, the start of the golf season for me. I'm starting to practice again in the endless challenge of finding that one little tweak that will turn my game around! (I fear it may take more than one little tweak!)

Wendy has kept busy with work early in the week, and again at the end; she's working this evening. She's been back into cake-making mode recently; we're enjoying the results!

Erin seems to have been busier than usual with car rentals this week. Kristian is enjoying the warmer weather, getting out to play in mud puddles. He often gets home both muddy and wet.

Trav has negotiated his Penguins into the playoffs in good position with the extra home game in the playoffs that are about to begin. He's got his bike all tuned up, including new tires, and he and Joanna are breaking in their systems for another season of cycling. I think it's still in the painful stage!

Anyway, that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-04-02T23:22:00.006-04:00

A week of fine weather has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. As it started we cheered for Amber Holland and her valiant attempt at the World Curling championship, however, she failed, losing to Sweden. We remain very proud of her effort. Today, the Men's championship began in Regina. Our champion is Jeff Stoughton, and he got off on the right foot with a win over Switzerland this afternoon and Denmark this evening. Investments have gone very well again this week, so that after three months, we have achieved 50% of our annual need. School bus driving continues to go well, and with the warmer weather, I am contemplating riding my bike back and forth to work. It's 5.5km and while I walk it regularly, it takes too long for me to want to do that in the morning. I feel I can comfortably make it in twenty minutes on my bike, and that's only twice as long as it takes in the car, so, as long as the weather is amenable, that will be my plan. I am a little concerned about my bike tires. I got it 25 years ago in YK, and the front tire blew up while we were in Dauphin. So, I have a 15 year old front tire, and a 25 year old back tire, and a 60 year old cyclist! Is this a good combination?!

Wendy worked regularly in the early part of the week and then had several days off. Last night she hosted Dean, Kelly & Cassie, along with Travis, Joanna, Andrew & Gemma, so we had a houseful. It was a good time as we celebrated Joanna's completion of her studies, along with the opening of the baseball season. Wendy is also catching up with her other friends in the area; some of them are suffering illness.

Erin and I have both been suffering all week with a stiff/sore neck. I believe it's some kind of flu, and I feel I am getting over it now. Erin is still suffering. Kristian has had a few 'will' incidents this week, as in, he has decided he will not do what the teacher (or his mom) is asking him to do. I got after him for one of his foot-stomping declarations today, and he confided to his mother that, "Grandpa was angry."

Trav has been coaxing his Penguins into a playoff position in hockey. He continues with his work and projects. He's also involved with seasonal closing activities for his midget hockey team.

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

News Update

2011-03-26T23:50:00.002-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been sunny, but not very warm, so we haven't manage to melt off much snow. Still, the drifts are disappearing and the lawns and fairways are starting to appear. I've been back at bus driving, and that continues to go well. In between trips, I've been working on the investments, and I had a very good week there, earning more than a 1% gain. I've also been cheering on Amber Holland at the women's world curling championships in Denmark. She has had an up and down week, but mostly up. After losing to Denmark in the round-robin, she defeated Switzerland, Denmark and China in the playoffs and has advanced to the final tomorrow against Olympic Gold medalist, Sweden. We'll be cheering! We've been looking at upgrading our main vehicle, and have been looking around the car lots. It seems our car got in a snit about it and quit this week. Fortunately, our mechanic was able to track down the problem, and we're back running again sans a fair amount of cash!

Wendy has been busy with work, and working around our vehicle problems. She has also been doing further consulting over her medical issues, especially her feet. At this point, she has decided to upgrade her footwear and add orthotics to support her better. We hope this will relieve her pain and give her greater mobility.

Erin and Kristian continue with their usual roles. Kristian is showing a great love and interest in learning. Last night he even insisted on shutting down the TV so he could work on his letters! Yikes! That's a little too serious!

Trav is getting geared up for the Stanley Cup playoffs. There remain a few games while teams continue to struggle for playoff spots, but he's mainly hoping Crosby will complete his recovery and be able to get back playing in time for his Penguins to make a long playoff run. In the meantime, he's continuing with work and photography projects. Joanna is taking her written and practical exams. She is not enjoying that, but is really looking forward to being finished.

News Update

2011-03-19T21:17:00.005-04:00

The week of Spring Break has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. The weather has been mild with some showers and the snow has been disappearing. I do not miss it! The city crews are not keeping up with the development of potholes and I've experienced more than a few wheel-dropping, suspension-jolting hits. I had two work days of First Aid Training since that is a requirement for School Bus drivers. I had a charter on Thursday, so in the end I got in three days of work over the break. In between, I've managed to get things turned around in the markets and managed to show a profit for the week. The Brier closed on Sunday; I was glad to see Jeff Stoughton prevail to become our representative to the World Championships. The Women's World championships start today in Esbjerg, Denmark. I'll be following Amber Holland's progress in that event; she has started off with a win over China.

Wendy has had a busy week of work, including today. The car refused to start for her one day, and I don't know if we've figured out why yet. It did get her looking at new vehicles, so we were out checking out RAV4's and Journeys one evening. We'd love a chance to try one out before buying, but in general we're looking for that sort of vehicle, and it seems there's a lot of choice! Escape, Rogue, Santa Fe, Outlander, CR-V... there could be too much choice!

Erin and Kristian have had a good week. Kristian has had a few days of daycare, and a few days of grandpa care. Last night he had a sleepover at Andrew's. Erin is busy trying to make and keep up with her March Madness picks, all the while following the preseason development of her Jays.

Trav is back to work as usual as his hockey season comes to an end. However, the hockey season for his Penguins is just heating up, and he wonders whether Crosby or any others of their extensive injury list will be ready for the post-season. If not, it could be a short playoff run. Joanna came over to make us supper Friday night. Thanks a lot!

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

News Update

2011-03-12T23:07:00.007-05:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. The weather is spring-like with melting clearing the streets and roads, and pot-hole season beginning! I've been preoccupied all week with curling as the Brier is on. Saskatchewan did not do well, and didn't even make the playoffs. My longtime favourite, Kevin Martin, has not performed up to par either; he will be playing for the bronze medal game tomorrow against Brad Gushue of Newfoundland. The Manitoba team of Jeff Stoughton has looked the best, and they're in the final tomorrow against the Glenn Howard team from Ontario. Work has gone fine, but now it is March-break so I only have one charter next week. The markets had a tough week and the TSX was down 5.25% at one point on Thursday. I managed to avoid some of the downturn, and even got a bit of recovery on Friday, but I'm still down over 1% for the week. The effects from the unrest in the middle east and the massive earthquake/tsunami in Japan will continue to play out over the next while.

Wendy has been in Regina celebrating birthdays for her dad and herself. She returned on Thursday evening, and we went out for her birthday supper last night. I always enjoy marking her birthday since it initiates the four-month period when she sports a bigger number than I do! However, despite her advanced age, she was back at work yesterday!

Erin and Kristian have been occupied as per usual with work, school and daycare. Kristian got new running shoes and enjoyed conning Travis to let him take them to school. He's also off for the next week as schools take a March break.

Trav's hockey team lost out in the final game of the semi-final round of playoffs. That was disappointing, but Travis continues to really enjoy coaching, and notes that this year was even more fun than last year. The team is considering taking part in another tournament yet before ending the season. Joanna started work, and seems to enjoy poking people to get their blood! Getting paid for it is a bonus!

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

News Update

2011-03-05T23:58:00.005-05:00

My maternal great-grandparents Jens Kristian & Sørensine Sørensen.
Thanks to Jens Langeland (cousin) for passing this along.

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been quite nice, although a couple of windy days made it unpleasantly cold. The markets have been difficult all week with investors being troubled by world politics, especially the situation in Libya. I had good days on Monday and Friday to overcome the poor results in the middle of the week, so I was blessed with gains above my expectations. We started the week with a delightful afternoon watching Saskatchewan win the women's curling championship. This afternoon, the Brier started, so I'm settled down for another week of curling! Bus driving has been business as usual all week.

Wendy put in a full week of work before her anticipated departure for Regina. On Thursday evening she checked in online and found out that her plane had "taken on a delay". She was afraid it may have "gone mechanical", but was happy with the delayed departure time that meant we didn't have to get to the airport so soon on Friday morning. As we got ready to leave on Friday morning, I suggested she should check again, just in case the plane had "taken on a further delay". Alas, the website informed us the plane had already "left the gate"! Much consternation later, she got rerouted through Toronto and was not too much delayed for her arrival in Regina. She plans to be there for the celebration of her dad's birthday on Monday, her own birthday on Wednesday. She is scheduled to return home on Thursday.

Erin and Kristian have had a good week. Work is going fine for Erin, and Kristian had a good week in school and daycare.

Trav's team is in the playoffs. We watched the final game of the first round; it was quite tense into the third period, but they broke it open late to advance to the semi-finals. Joanna is into busy times with her coursework and is also starting to work in her chosen profession of blood-letting! Actually, she works in diagnostic services with Life-Labs.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-02-26T23:57:00.003-05:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been nice most of the week, but has turned cold for the weekend. We did get a bit of rain and snow midweek to add to the driving excitement! It has been a troubled week on the markets as the stocks declined on all North American indices. However, I was blessed with the decision to buy oil last week and even though I sold out short of $99, I managed to make enough to have a very profitable week. My bus let me down one afternoon this week, as it blew the high pressure oil line and drifted to a halt on the side of the highway with a full load of students. After about 25 minutes, the mechanic showed up with a replacement bus, so I was able to transfer my students and carry on. My bus was repaired and ready the next morning. I had my follow up with my oncologist on my most recent PSA results. The week of antibiotics have taken it down some, so he continues to feel that it's only chronic inflammation that is producing the higher than expected PSA levels. We enjoyed have Eric/A and the boys down for the long weekend; they drove back on Monday afternoon after a lovely family day brunch involving all family members. I've been watching women's curling all week. I've been cheering for my old home province, Saskatchewan. They finished the round-robin in first place, and got into the playoffs. They won the semi-final this afternoon over Ontario, so they'll play in the championship game tomorrow.

Wendy has had a busy week with work at Walmart, taking care of all the rest of us, and battling a cold. She is feeling some better, but still coughing a bit. She's off at work again this evening.

Erin & Kristian are doing fine. She also suffered some with a cold early in the week. Kristian seems to be eating a bit more lately, so we're hopeful he'll put on some weight. It's not a difficulty that I can relate to! He's developing so much in his speaking ability; we are proud of him.

Trav's hockey team has completed their regular season and are now started in the playoffs. Of course, that can end quickly, but we hope for good results. He keeps busy with work and Joanna. Joanna has been quite sick, but finally accepted the need for antibiotics and is recovering nicely.

News Update

2011-02-19T20:52:00.002-05:00

A warm week of melting and showers has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The cold of last week dissipated in the face of +10 degrees, and the streets have cleared and dried once again. Erica arrived several times this week, as she came here for courses, continued on to Toronto for other sessions, and eventually returned for the weekend. Eric and the boys arrived last evening; we're enjoying the long weekend with all three grandsons, and all three children! The markets have been favourable this week, as investments in gold and oil were blessed handsomely and got me back on track for the year. Today, the Scotties (Canadian Ladies Championship) began, so I am settled down to a week of curling overload! Bus driving has continued well, but this week we're informed that there will be thirty-two fewer drivers needed next school year, so my latest career may be a short one!

Wendy has been suffering with a cold all week, but has carried on with work and other duties in spite of it. Even this weekend, she continues to suffer, but is improving. Otherwise her work is going well. She got positive news on her recent medical tests; we're all grateful for those results. She continues preparations for a trip west next month.

Kristian has passed along his cold to his mother and his grandmother; meanwhile, he's back in good form. On Thursday, he finally got a long-awaited ride on grandpa's yellow school bus. He really seemed to enjoy that as he accompanied me on the afternoon run. Erin suffered most of the week with the cold, but maintained her schedule at work as well. She is also feeling much better by the weekend, and is perking up with the Blue Jays spring training news as well. She only wishes she were in Florida enjoying it with them!

Trav is doing well. Work and hockey are progressing. The Penguins remain a concern; injuries have severely depleted their lineup. Joanna has been down with cold or flu or both. As the Zambians would say, "Our family has been hit!" We hope no more will succumb to illness, and that all who continue to experience disease will soon be fully recovered.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-02-12T23:44:00.001-05:00

Here's that young couple with their family forty years later!

It's been a cold week on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The forecasters told us it would warm up early in the week, and then they kept pushing the warming trend off, until it finally arrived on Friday afternoon! Now, they're promising +10 in the next few days, but the cynical among us have determined to believe that when we see it. Canadian markets have been pretty wild this week as investor sentiment roiled with each new rumour out of Egypt. When the welcome news of Mubarak's departure came, commodities took a hit, and our commodity-heavy market along with my commodity-heavy portfolio went down as well. So, it was a down week for me, but I'm poised for recovery next week! Bus driving continues to be an enjoyable excursion each day, and they pay me about seventy cents per kilometre as well!

Wendy continues with regular shifts as Walmart. She is looking at further opportunities there, and also at a job with her chiropractic clinic. The change in weather seems to have got her renovation juices flowing again also, and she's been regaling me with dreams of what the new living room will be like!

Erin and Kristian have taken turns being ill this week. Kristian missed some days of school and daycare. Erin kept at her work, but is not feeling well even now as she sniffles her way through the weekend.

Trav's team had a good result, winning the consolation trophy in last weekend's hockey tournament. They are soon moving into the playoff part of the regular league schedule.

News Update

2011-02-05T23:03:00.011-05:00

Perhaps you will recognize some of these folks: (Photos from our wedding—thanks, Don)

We've enjoyed a wonderful week on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been beautiful, and even more strikingly so as we watch the inconveniences visited upon others in snow and ice storms, or even more drastically, in cyclones. We got a bit of snow on Friday, but otherwise the streets had melted and dried off, and I even enjoyed a walk home from work one day. I plan to do that more than once each week, but it does take a bit of coordinating to get the car home from work while I walk. And the 5.5 clicks is not something I want to do every day—unless it's on a golf course! The markets have been performing surprisingly well, and I have caught up to my goals, so I'm feeling very blessed in that regard. Bus driving is going well; I enjoy the daily interactions with the students and my fellow workers.

Wendy continues with Walmart several days a week, and with the household 24-7! This week she even surprised us with cookies! (Kinda puts the walk home into the useless category!) She is having problems with her feet, so, she's getting some therapy for that.

Erin and Kristian are doing well. Kristian was sick over last weekend, but seems to be back in form again. He's also expressed some discomfort over his hearing aids, but we don't know whether this is real or an excuse! Erin is busy with work whenever slippery conditions help people run into each other and need replacement transportation!

Trav is one of those, as he backed into a parked vehicle this week. The truck is okay, but there was some damage to the grill of the other car, so it needs repairs. We enjoyed supper with Trav, Joanna and family on Friday evening. His hockey team is thriving in the late going of the regular season, and seem positioned for a good spot in the playoffs. This weekend, his team is in a local tournament—so far, so good!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-01-29T23:11:00.003-05:00

Another week has passed here on Lake Superior in my hometown. It was a week of getting back into my routines—daily driving of the school bus, and puzzling over the markets. The TSX has not progressed this month, so I'm feeling blessed to be up a couple of thousand with just one trading day to go. It's much short of my targets, but since the market has lost 100 points in the last four weeks, I'm grateful to be in the green. Bus driving has been going fine, and I'm very comfortable with my route. This week was exam week for the High School students, so they were not on the bus much; on two afternoons I had no riders at all for the High School run. We've had a little bit more fresh snow, so I was back into shovelling, but the weather had moderated so I've spent most of the week in slushy driving conditions. I've been able to catch up on curling in the Continental Cup where we prevailed over the World team, and also the TSN Skins where I watch my old favourite, Kevin Martin, eke out a win over David Murdock of Scotland. This weekend, Kevin lost out to Jeff Stoughton, so, I decided to cheer for Jeff, but he lost out tonight. I've also been following the Australian Open tennis, but was disappointed to see our Danish lass lose out in the semis, but glad to see Kim Clijsters win the final. I'm cheering for Djokovic on the men's side.

Wendy has only had a few shifts at Walmart this week, but is busy again this weekend. I'm guessing this is part of the price you pay as a relatively new person on staff. Anyway, she's doing a great job there, so I have to expect that eventually they'll figure out what a valuable commodity she is, and offer to put her on full-time. By this time, she is the virtual manager of the shoe department, but is not recognized nor paid as such. It is simply the usual dedication and ownership she takes of her job responsibilities. I am proud of her. While she is just glad I'm home to take over the snow removal duties!!

Erin is enjoying her new car. Kristian is not so sure they wouldn't have been better off with a van. He liked travelling in Great Grampa's van with its higher seating and better viewing angles. He's progressing well at school, and is off to another birthday party this weekend—more Lego, I'm sure! He had two special treats this week as he got to talk on the phone with his special aunty Erica, and then she had a brief stopover here on Friday on her way home from Toronto. He just squealed when he saw her in the car!

Trav has continued with his usual program and has taken on additional support of coaching other hockey teams just to help out. I hope to complete his top-corner targets this weekend.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2011-01-22T23:35:00.003-05:00

This week marked my return to the shore of Lake Superior and my hometown. The trip was eventful, so I've given it an entry of its own. Otherwise my week was the grand range from the sublime to the mundane! On Sunday we enjoyed the fellowship of the congregation in Palm Springs where we encountered quite a number of snowbirds. Some have escaped for so long, I'm thinking they've changed species. We found former Torontonians, Edmontonians, Calgarians, even Dauphinites! Glen & Gwen Dods are working with this congregation—it was quite a surprise to find them there! We enjoyed lunch with them and Ernest Andersons before heading out to golf at LaQuinta Dunes. Finally, on Monday afternoon we played our sixth and final round at Indian Canyons. What a wonderful week! Thank you guys for a great time. The weather was wonderful with day time highs ranging from 23 to 32—the latter a little uncomfortably hot for me. The golf was quite satisfactory, although Sunday did bring my thirty-five years of keeping it under 100 to an end! Monday, I started a new streak! My luggage arrived home on Friday morning, so at least I have my clubs for the weekend!

The stock market in Canada has shown a decline this month, so I've struggled to make money. The US markets are up, so I'm encouraged that we'll turn it around. I've bought a few stocks on what I suppose to be dips! Now, I'm ready for a rally! I got back to driving my school bus on Wednesday morning. My body has now experienced +30 and -30 in the same week; I must say, it was easier to get comfortable in the -30 weather here at home. I almost quit the golf game on Monday afternoon, but finally got some relief with an ice-water cloth on my head and neck.

Wendy has been taking care of things here at home including dealing with some fresh snow. The pile on the lawn is getting quite high; I'll have to get the snowblower out and move it away from the edge of the driveway so we have more room for additional deposits. She's also been picking up shifts at Walmart where she does daily battles with shop-lifters. So far, the shop-lifters are winning!

Erin got her new car—a 2009 Nissan Altima! Kristian thinks it's a nice, big, grey car. He's continuing to progress at school, and with his speech. It was clear to hear better sentence composition after just one week away.

Trav has continued with work, contracting, hockey and Joanna; I won't speculate on the order! This week he's trying to build top corner targets for his hockey team to use in practice.

And that's about it for this week.

The Voyage Home-The Search for ?

2011-01-18T23:21:00.002-05:00

This morning I headed for my hometown on the shore of Lake Superior. My flight was at 6am, and Dick and Kerry got me to the airport in plenty of time. It was mostly downhill from there!

I was scheduled for a multi-leg flight: Palm Springs - Phoenix - Indianapolis - Toronto - Thunder Bay, but US Airways wouldn't book me past Indianapolis. They wanted me to collect my bags and recheck there. I finally convinced them that since they were all the same big company (Star Alliance) that they should be able to check my luggage through to Canada. At that point they made the giant leap of checking them right through to Thunder Bay despite my protests that I should probably clear customs in Toronto! And they charged me for each of the bags, a total of $60. But I still only had boarding passes to Indy.

When we got to Phoenix, with a pretty quick connection, I rushed to the next terminal and gate, only to find the plane had "gone mechanical". Air transportation companies are never behind schedule—aircraft "go mechanical" or "take on a delay"! In this case, it was delayed for an hour and as I result I wouldn't make the connection in Indy to go up to TO. So, they started work on a new connection through Philly; it would get me to TO, but too late for my flight to TBay. There was still a chance my original flight would get ready to go in time to make the connection, so I waited a while longer. Then, it "took on a further delay", so I headed back to customer service. I asked them if they could reroute me with a different airline, but they said their rule was only to reroute with a different airline after a four-hour delay. I returned to my line about "all one big company", and after a bit of work on that story, they agreed to call Air Canada about the direct flight from Phoenix to TO. Yep, they had a seat available. US Airways said they would put in an order for my luggage to get moved over to that flight, and I headed to the AC desk to get my boarding cards. AC called down to the baggage area, but my bags had not arrived. They sent me back to US Airways. US Airways admitted they had not found the bags, but that they were still working on it.

I headed back to AC gate and my 1pm flight (Original departure from Phoenix was 9:35am) only to find it had "gone mechanical" as well. It didn't take too long, but we were late getting away, and late getting into TO. Fortunately, I had no luggage, so it was a quick trip through Customs & Immigration. Then I had to go back through security, and try to get to the gate for the flight to TBay. I knew I was late, but this time, the plane had "taken on a delay" for over an hour, and I made the final leg to TBay arriving here at about 11pm without luggage! Maybe it will come tomorrow, but in the meantime, I won't be able to go golfing!!

Palm Springs

2011-01-15T23:51:00.004-05:00

Another week has passed and I have travelled far from the shore of Lake Superior and my hometown. I have joined three friends for a week of golf in Palm Springs, and it has been great! We have been playing a round of golf each day, and enjoying the warm weather. It has been sunny every day and the temperatures have ranged from 23 to 28—almost too hot for me! The golfing experience has been wonderful, and sharing it with friends just makes it more special. We've been mostly cooking for ourselves at the condo and have been enjoying a delicious array of barbecued feasts. Cold Stone Creamery is nearby, so that has made for a featured treat as well.

I left TBay on Tuesday morning, and the trip was an experience all by itself. When I got to the airport, I was informed that I had a piece of missing information, without which, I would not be admitted to the US. I didn't have the precise address where I would be staying while in the US! Fortunately, Wendy was standing by, so I dispatched her to get an address and email it to me while I flew to Toronto. Of course this delayed things in Toronto, so I missed my flight as the US closed down security for the flight before I could get my bags and the new information to them. Fortunately, the Air Canada staff there was very helpful and rebooked my trip directly to Las Vegas and that caught me up to my original flight down to Palm Springs. I was glad to get there!

Otherwise, I spent some time each day working on the investments and that turned out well as I recovered all my losses from last week and gained a healthy profit as well. I've been keeping track of things back home and commiserating with Wendy as she shovels snow, wonders about using the snowblower... ah, what a blessed man I am!

I can't tell you too much about home, Erin, Kristian, Travis etc. but, what I have heard indicates that all is going well for them. Erin still doesn't have her new car, so she's still driving a rental.

Anyway, that's about it for this week. Next Tuesday, I return to the land of snow.

News Update

2011-01-08T23:33:00.003-05:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The first week of the new year was not good in the Canadian markets, although the US markets did well. As a result, I lost over 1% as well. Fortunately, I'm less than 50% in the market, although less would have been better! Well, better luck next week! The weather has been more wintery with normal temperatures of around -20 over night and -10 for day time highs. Fortunately, the storms seem to be passing south of the lakes and hitting Toronto instead of us. I've been driving bus all week; it's going fine. We suffered through the World Junior Hockey Championship as the Russians served up a five-goal third period to come back and defeat our guys in the final game. I was back to Dr. Prowse this week, and he's not happy with an increase in my PSA; he's putting me on antibiotics for a week and then having me do the lab work over; he's hoping that reduces the PSA. He thinks it may just be elevated from chronic inflammation. If this doesn't work, he's thinking of doing another biopsy; trust me, nobody wants that!

Wendy has been working all week at Walmart. She's picked up extra shifts as well as her own, and she's tired tonight! We're also hosting house guests this weekend as Gemma and Andrew are with us while Joanna and Trav travel with the hockey team to Minneapolis.

Erin and Kristian are doing fine. Erin was in an accident last Sunday when another driver making a left turn ran her car down. The car is a total write-off, but Erin is okay. She has decided on a replacement which she's getting from her employer, Budget Rent-a-Car. It's a 2009 Nissan Altima. Kristian has been running the folks at school a little ragged with his little games, but they're starting to catch up! He is an amazing little character!

Trav is off to a hockey tournament in Minneapolis this weekend. His team only won one game, so they're not in the championship games. We expect them back tomorrow evening. In the meantime, he's concerned for his Penguins as captain Crosby is out with a concussion.

And that's about it for this week.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T22:58:00.003-05:00

Another week, another month, another year has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We've had more strange weather with above zero temperatures and rain. Then as the week waned, we got freezing rain and snow. It's a bit of a mess on the streets and coated on the vehicles. The closing weeks of the markets has continued with thin volumes, but some progress in values. I managed a small profit again, and finished the month almost on target. However, spring and early summer losses kept me from meeting my goals for the year, so I shall have to work harder! We've enjoyed having some company over the holidays. Eric/A and the boys were here until Tuesday. Joanna & Trav have been over often; Kristin & Erin are with us all the time. So, it's nice! Trav & Joanna were over for New Year's Eve; Joanna helped Wendy put a puzzle together. This afternoon, we went out to Bob & Linda's and enjoyed supper with them. I'm back to driving the bus on Monday morning.

Wendy has been busy with work at Walmart all week, but not so busy that she couldn't make more tasty treats for all of us to enjoy!

Erin has been back at work, but has an extended weekend to enjoy now. Kristian has managed to get all his Christmas Lego assembled, and reassembled. He plays with his Lego stuff a lot.

Trav had the week off and enjoyed that. But his Penguins lost the high profile outdoor game tonight, and he didn't enjoy that.

And that's about it for this year—enjoy 2011!

Glædelig Jul!

2010-12-25T23:50:00.009-05:00

It is Christmas time on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. We've enjoyed a week of pleasant weather with just enough fresh snow to confirm the Christmas card appearance of the landscape. That it would be a Merry Christmas was confirmed for me at 3:30 this morning as Eric/A and the boys arrived from Kenora. We were not expecting them, so it was a wonderful surprise, and thus we had the joy of having the whole family under our roof once again. Wendy pulled an all-nighter on Christmas Eve as she stayed up to bake, stuff stockings, stack presents under the tree and get ready for today. She climbed into bed at 6am, and was gone again by the time I rolled over at 7:15—crazy woman! I drove a charter this morning, then joined the family for cinnamon buns and opening of gifts. Then I drove the second half of the charter. This afternoon, we all gathered for turkey dinner with all the trimmings. As always, it was very good. It was a shortened week of very thin trading on the markets, but I was blessed with good earnings, picking up more than my target of 0.5%, once again.

Wendy has been working at Walmart all week, as well in Christmas preparations around home. Kristian has been enjoying all the decorations and helping his mom shop for presents. He has been insisting that Grandpa and Grandma want Lego for Christmas!

As I look over his collection of gifts, I realize I should have bought some Lego stock! Liam has scored a drum set as his major gift, and Haaken has added to his DVD collection. As a rookie, Wendy has lots of shifts at Walmart scheduled in the next week.

Erin has been fighting a cold this week, but seems much improved today. She has a pretty much regular schedule at work next week. Kristian has been flying pretty high all week, and now is busy with Lego construction and floor hockey—a gift from uncle Trav. Kristian is on holidays from school and day care for the next while.

Trav has the next week off. Joanna and her children, Gemma and Andrew, joined us in Christmas celebrations. It was great to have everyone together. Joanna only has a couple of shifts next week.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2010-12-18T22:14:00.002-05:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. The weather started off cold, but moderated as the week went on, and we're back into single digits of frost, and some fresh snow. It's beginning to look a lot like a Christmas card! I've been driving bus all week, but school closed on Friday, so I'm off now until January 3rd. I have picked up a charter for Christmas morning. I'll be touring around town to pick up parishioners for St. Dominic's Church, and delivering them home as well. The markets were a little shaky this week, but I managed to eke out a gain of almost my target 0.5%, so, I'm feeling blessed. My cold has finally been overcome, and that's a blessing as well.

Wendy has continued with shifts in the shoe department at Walmart. As a rookie, she also has many shifts during what the rest of us call, holidays! She supplied us with shortbread cookies this week. Trav noticed them as he was dishing up supper and exclaimed, "Oh, no. This is not good! This is going to hurt!" Christmas goodies are the universal diet killer!

Kristian has been more and more busy with Christmas parties and preparations. He's keeping up with his Lego Advent calendar, and is sometimes even ahead! He also finished school on Friday, but he's much too early in his school life to properly appreciate and enjoy holidays. Erin has been busy with work and special Christmas events for Kristian at school.

Trav has been busy with work, extra Hockey photo projects, and his hockey team. His Penguins took it on the chin a couple of times this week, so he needs to get them whipped back into shape as well. Joanna's car is being repaired and should be ready this week. She is completing her exams and practicums in the meantime.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2010-12-11T23:15:00.004-05:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been fairly comfortable, mostly clear, and a little colder. We also got a bit more snow, so I did some shovelling on Thursday night. I've been driving bus all week, a two-hour trip each morning and afternoon. On Wednesday, I had a Safety Meeting for the morning, and on Thursday, I had a Defensive Driving course all day between runs. As a result, I have now completed my licensing requirements. I have put my name on the list for driving charters during the holidays; we are off effective next Friday. The markets were not helpful to me this week; I wasn't around for three of the mornings so that hurt also. In total, I lost a bit of last week's gains. I have continued to fight my cold all week, and I'm still hacking some.

Wendy has kept fairly busy at Walmart; her shoe department won an award for total sales. She's been thinking about Christmas baking lately, so that's an encouraging sign for the rest of us!

Kristian has been working through some management issues at both school and day care. Apparently there's some confusion about who is in charge! He thinks he is! Otherwise, he's enjoying Christmas busyness, lots of treats, his daily Lego advent prize—it's a kid's life! Erin keeps busy at work, and has now taken a gym membership. She wants to improve her cardio-vascular and build some muscle without losing any of her precious fat—I have a surplus I'd be glad to share!

Trav has continued with work and hockey pretty much as usual. Work is going well, his hockey team is in second place in the league, and his Penguins have just won 12 straight games! Joanna had a crash on Friday morning when some one ran her car down. She's okay, but she missed the exam she was headed for; we hope that's not a major problem.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2010-12-04T23:26:00.002-05:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. It started sadly with the Riders losing the Grey Cup 21-18. We certainly had chances to win, but have to give Montreal credit for playing a better game. So, we're back in next year country, once again! I have completed my training, taken my written and driving tests and am now a licensed school bus driver! I bid on a run, and at the end of the day on Friday, I was informed that I have been awarded that run. I have roughly four hours of work per day, delivering 104 students to one of five schools, and returning them home again at the end of the day. The morning run allows me to get back for the opening of the markets at 9:30 each day, so, I continue with that as well. The markets have been flat or slightly downward since November 5th, but I managed to have a good month in November, and have achieved more than my 0.5% again this week, so I'm pleased with that progress. The weather has dried out and turned sunny, so the streets and driveway have cleared off.

Wendy is busy with shifts at Walmart. Her work times vary a great deal, and she often works until midnight. With the turning of the calendar, she relented to Kristian's pleas and put up the Christmas tree and decorations. Kristian is a great help in this effort!

Kristian developed a cold early in the week, and has since recovered, but not before passing it along to the rest of us! Erin continues with her work, and has started a trial gym membership.

Trav continues with his work and hockey. This weekend he is with his team down in Wisconsin for a tournament.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2010-11-27T22:54:00.003-05:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. It started with the glorious Rider victory over Calgary that has propelled them to the Grey Cup game tomorrow. Go Riders Go! I have been in Driver Training each morning this week; that is going well, and they project that I will be taking my driving test by the end of the coming week. They require twenty hours of class work, and twenty hours of successful driving before the test. It's a lot of preparation for part time work, but the safety of the children is important. It's been a difficult week for investments as troubles on the Korean peninsula, and economic troubles in Europe have occupied investors' minds and caused a decline in the markets. I made a good gain on an Oil buy, so I only ended with a small loss for the week. We've had a couple of wet snow storms, so it's a bit messy around town. They're predicting some warm weather in the coming week, so we hope that helps clean up the ice.

Wendy has been busy at Walmart all week. She is enjoying the work, and has decided to help the company by buying a new TV! We look forward to enjoying that for the big game tomorrow. As usual, she prepared the birthday cake for today's big event.

Erin and Kristian have continued with their usual activities. Erin is not enjoying the slushy, icy weather with her car rental business. Kristian enjoyed making a snowman last Sunday. Grandma helped him make it, but then the slushy weather was causing it to wilt, so grandpa tried to straighten the slumping man—alas, the base snowball collapsed and we were left with a short snowman on the lawn. Kristian was not impressed, "Grandpa broke the snowman!" When he got out of the taxi Monday afternoon, he commented on the poor snowman. So, I asked him if we should try to fix it. "No," he allowed, showing his disdain for my snowman building capabilities, "Grandma fix it."

Travis turned twenty-nine today. We enjoyed celebrating his birthday with him. His work is going well, and he has picked up some extra work making individual and team pictures for several hockey teams.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2010-11-20T22:26:00.001-05:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. It started off with an exciting overtime victory by the Riders; now they're set to play tomorrow in the Western final. Go Riders, Go! The weather has turned wintry and we have our first snow. It melts a bit most days, but it's gradually building up on the lawns, so it appears that it may stay. The markets have remained troublesome, so I've been playing lightly and carefully. We had up days on Thursday and Friday, so I managed to make a small gain for the week. My training program for bus driving has continued all week, and promises to run all next week as well. I've also been busy preparing a lesson for Sunday, since I'm the assigned speaker this week.

Wendy has been donning her blue vest and working at Walmart this week. She's doing a good job (of course) and is even enjoying it. The Dollarama people still want her to work, so she may pick up some shifts there if she has any free time.

Erin and Kristian have had their usual schedules this week. Kristian has delighted to see the snow. On Friday, he wanted to play in the snow on the lawn instead of getting in the taxi, so grandma was chasing him around in the snow while still dressed in her slippers.

Travis has been away in Pittsburgh all week. The Pens won two of three games for him, and I expect he had a great time. We're expecting him back this weekend.

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

News Update

2010-11-13T23:48:00.002-05:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been very nice, but we are promised a change, and not for the better! They are predicting snow for tomorrow—I hope the Riders and their Air Show will not be grounded! They play BC Lions in the semi-final Sunday afternoon. The branches and junk that got spread around in the hurricane are getting cleaned up. I cleaned out the eavestroughs and got the hot tub ready for the winter. I bought and installed a new battery in the car—man, that was a pain, you have to take off the passenger wheel and take out the battery from under the fender! I was trying to get an oil change in the truck today, but the weather man has mentioned snow, so Kal-Tire didn't even have any parking spaces left on their lot, so, I went to a quick lube.

It was a troubled week in the markets as investors worried about G20 decisions, European debt and Chinese interest rate hikes. I kept my investments light, and ended up with only a small loss. We'll see if this is the correction they keep promising us, or just a short blip. I am in the training phase for bus driving; that carries on all next week at least. I guess we will see how long it takes to learn all their protocols.

Wendy has been working all week at Dollarama; they've been setting up the store and finally opened on Friday. She found it very tiring, and hard on her feet to be walking on concrete all day long. Today, she went to her orientation for Walmart; she enjoyed that quite a bit. She starts there on a part time basis, so we'll see how that goes. She also intends to keep working at Dollarama for the next while at least.

Erin and Kristian continue with life as usual. Kristian had another birthday party this afternoon. He's progressing well at school; he is ready to read, and will read (or pretend-to-read) books and magazines.

Trav is off to Pittsburgh for the next week; he drives down to Minneapolis tomorrow and flies to Pittsburgh Monday morning. He has tickets for three Penguin games, so it'll be a special week for him. His team lost the final of their hockey tournament last weekend in a shoot out. It was a very good showing for them, but they were disappointed to fall short of the ultimate prize.

And that's about it for now.

News Update

2010-11-06T23:09:00.012-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been lovely, with one particularly summer-like day giving us a respite from the big storm. Economic news has been very helpful and the markets have reached levels not seen since before the Bush crash in the Fall of 2008. The central effect on our economy is the US economy and things have not been going well there for some years.

However, as the chart shows, the job losses in the US, that began back in 2007, have been arrested and jobs are being gained, thanks to the Bailout initiated by President Bush, and the Stimulus initiated by President Obama. Friday's announcement of 150,000 jobs added in October are the latest indicator that the US economy is starting to recover. The improving situation has allowed me recover as well, and I had another week of above-expectations gains with our investments.

Now that it's over, I do apologize to the Texas Ranger fans; my perfect record of picking all the losers was blemished only by the Phillies winning their first round playoff. The World Serious of Baseball was won by the San Francisco Giants. It was the first trip to the series for the Rangers franchise, and the first victory for the Giants since they moved from New York over fifty years ago. The CFL regular season is ending this weekend, and we looking forward to the playoffs there as well. The Riders ended the season on a winning note, and will host BC Lions in the divisional semi-final next weekend. Go Riders, Go!

I have completed all the prerequisites and have been accepted to begin training as a school bus driver. That may start next week. One highlight of my medical was the vision screening as my laser enhanced eyes graded out at 20/20 (20/15 actually) and I still only need to use reading glasses occasionally! I am very pleased with the continuing benefits provided by the PRK surgery six years ago. Wendy started work on the Dollarama job today, and she has continued interviews and the hiring process with Walmart as well. She begins a training phase there next week. It appears we may soon have more employment than we can stand!

Wendy and I have completed another round of teeth cleaning with the local dental hygienists' program. It takes longer, but it provides training opportunities for them, and an inexpensive dental checkup for us. I have finally learned a technique for flossing my teeth—old dogs indeed!

Erin and Kristian have had a good week. Kristian did have a bad time on Wednesday when he discovered he was not a participant in the Pizza Lunch at school! He would not accept that while many other students were getting pizza, he had to get by with the lunch his mom had packed for him! He ended up having a quiet lunch hour in the principal's office, where he finally decided to eat his own lunch.

Trav remains busy with work and preparations for his trip to Pittsburgh. This weekend, his hockey team is in a local tournament, so that is keeping him extra busy. But they're doing well, and have finished the round-robin portion undefeated so they're in the semi finals.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2010-10-30T23:25:00.005-04:00

We've had a spectacular week on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. They called it a mid-latitude cyclone or a weather bomb, but by any description it was a hurricane. It set a record for the lowest pressure reading ever developed on mainland North America, and it produced a category three hurricane. The eye settled between here and Kenora for almost a day, and the winds tore in all directions around it. Northbound winds across the lake were more severe than the gales of November that took down the Edmund Fitzgerald thirty-five years ago. Trees and power lines were uprooted. Semis were blown off roads. West of the eye, the southbound winds brought down Arctic air and produced snow and ice storms across the prairies and down into the Dakotas. It hung on for a long time; friends of ours along the lake had no power for 45 hours out of two days, including 35 hours straight.

Otherwise, life was more like usual. Investments went well, and I completed a month that matched expectations for the first time in a long time—I feel blessed! The World Serious has begun, and I almost feel the need to apologize to Texas Ranger fans for choosing to cheer for them! The series has not been going well. Fortunately, they won their game tonight, so they're kind of back in the series. In the CFL, the teams are playing out the final games of the regular season as nearly all play off spots have been determined. I got my medical for driving school bus, so now I need to pass written and driving tests and take the training program. One special treat this week is that Wendy got me a compound sliding mitre saw. I have long wanted one, and this one is actually a level better than I was hoping for—I will try to use it well.

Wendy got a job this week. She starts next week at a new Dollarama store opening out the back gate and across the street. On the same day she got that job, she also got a call from Walmart for an interview, so she may have a better opportunity there. She interviews there next week as well.

Kristian has had an exciting week of Hallowe'en preparations. The Jack o'Lanterns are ready; the TMNT (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle) costume is ready; the treats are ready—well, truth be told, the treats have been steadily diminishing all week long! He also had a birthday party today. Erin and the rest of us are also enjoying Kristian's excitement. But my big moment with him was yesterday. He read me his little book for the week! It was priceless.

Trav has continued his usual pursuits. His hockey team is progressing well, but his Penguins have had a tough week, although they won tonight. He's still looking forward to going to Pittsburgh for a three-game set in November.

And that's about enough for this week.

News Update

2010-10-23T22:14:00.004-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been more Fall-like, with cool winds and a few showers. Wendy and I have still managed to get out for our hike most days. The week started on a discouraging note, as the Riders fell to Calgary. The loss to Edmonton tonight finishes our quest for first place, but we're assured of second place. As it stands, we need to concentrate on improving the team play, and getting some injured players back in anticipation of the playoffs. Baseball playoffs continue with the World Series (Serious, I like to call it, since it's the time when the world gets serious about baseball!) ready to begin next week. Texas Rangers have advanced to play against San Francisco Giants. We were cheering for the Phillies—next year country once again!

I have been enjoying good progress in my investing since we returned from our summer travels, and I'm up about 5% since then, but this week was not a good one! The markets were mixed, and I made some wrong choices, so I was down about 0.5% for the week. On the health front, I'm feeling recovered! The chiropractor still wants to see me every two weeks, but I'm able to sleep without pain. My arms and shoulders are probably as good as they're going to get in this life, and my ankle is ready for the challenge of trying to curl and skate this winter. I've heard nothing further on my school bus driver training, so, I'm just studying the manuals while waiting for the next phase.

Wendy was to the doctor this week. Her doctor wants more heart testing (echocardiogram, or ECHO) to assure herself (and us) of how the heart is functioning. She continues with her gym work, and walks with me most days. She's also applied on more jobs.

Erin & Kristian are carrying on pretty much as usual. Kristian is excited about Hallowe'en and Jack o'Lanterns and the prospect of candy! This evening we went pumpkin hunting, and picked up three to decorate and turn into pie! His school work is progressing, and he's beginning to read the small pattern booklets. His most recent Lego preoccupation is castles and knights. Somehow this ties in with Lego Star Wars!

Travis continues with Joanna, work and hockey. He has his Penguins playing good hockey even while they wait for injured players to return. The team he coaches is winning as well.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2010-10-16T23:08:00.002-04:00

Another week has passed and we have returned to the salubrious climes of Lake Superior and my hometown. The weather continues to be lovely, and we're enjoying it. We drove back from Kenora on Tuesday, so it's been a short week here. The Autumn colours are rapidly disappearing from the trees, but it was still a pretty drive. A fungus seems to have attacked my tomatoes, so, I shall stop worrying about frost! Some frost is predicted for this coming week, and I'll simply leave them to their fate. In the meantime, we have harvested a bunch of spaghetti squash, the last of the tomatoes, and we're still looking at another feed of Swiss Chard.

We got the desired result in football on Monday, as Montreal knocked off Calgary. Now the Riders have their fate in their own hands—win and they have first place. That game is Sunday evening, so we are hoping they will perform well. It's also the time of year for serious baseball fans, so Erin and I are busy cheering for our favourite teams—we both hope the Phillies win it all, but are otherwise cheering for or against the Yankees!

I had another good week on the markets, achieving my half percent for a change! I have been accepted for the school bus driving job, but now I have to complete several prerequisites: clean driving record, clean drug test, clean criminal record check, clean bill of health, successful written test on the regulations, successful driving test. Some of these are going to be easy; I'm busy tracking down the three manuals to study for the written test. I recall this used to be easy, also; you just picked up a manual from the government office and did a bit of studying. Now, you have to buy the manuals—total cost$56! When did that happen? Anyway, it looks like it would be a good thing to do for a couple of hours each day, and still leave me time for my investing work. We'll see how it goes.

Eric and Erica have both been to Thunder Bay this week as they had conferences in town, but that kept them quite occupied, so we didn't see much of them.

Wendy has returned to her heart issues. She had a stress test this week, and that seemed to go fine. She has been asked to try that again in six months. Then, she decided that if a stress test was good, she should try to stress her heart even more, and has been pushing it on the exercise machines at the gym! That was alarming! I tried to explain to her that the stress test was not to improve her heart, but to see if it would fail! It is not a therapy! We are hoping she will take it a bit easier from now on. She has also applied for another job.

Erin and Kristian continue as per usual. Kristian had a short week in school/day care as he drove back with us on Tuesday. He continues to make good progress. Erin got a nice surprise at work as they cancelled the charges on her weekend rental. She quite enjoyed the Mazda3 and still hopes she may get one someday; she had a headache on the way back here on Monday, so that was not helpful. Kristian's Lego collection continues to explode, so we have his various projects all over the living room.

Trav has been working hard and has managed to get the Penguins into the win column. The team he coaches has also begun the regular season, and are similarly searching for a win. Work continues to be busy.

And that's about it for this week.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-10-09T23:23:00.006-04:00

Another week has passed; I have travelled from the shore of Lake Superior to the shore of Winnipeg River in Kenora. I drove up on Wednesday to help Eric/A with some electrical work. We replaced the sub-panel in the garage with a new one of 100 amps. This required the installation of a new line from the house, so that was quite a job. Then, we upgraded the electricity to the suite from the new panel. All lines were redone, and additional wiring was installed for a range and for baseboard heating. It was quite a job to find routing for the lines through a finished accommodation; most of my previous electrical work was done during the construction phase of our houses in YK. Thanks for the training there, Robbie!

The markets were quite cooperative this week. I sold out on Tuesday before the travel day, for more than a 1% gain, but picked up some gold after the downturn on Thursday, and that paid off as well. The weather has been beautiful with daily temperatures in the twenties. My tomatoes continue to thrive, and projections for the next week continuing to be for above average temperatures. The Riders played badly and lost to Toronto this afternoon, so, once again, we wait and fret about the outcome of the Calgary game on Monday. Next week, we're scheduled to play Calgary. I hope they weren't looking past Toronto to that game, but they certainly did not give a good effort. I got out to the driving range to give my back and my new golf clubs a workout; that went well, so I'm thinking of trying a round of gold next week. I finally got a call on one of the jobs I applied for back in August; I have an interview there next week.

Wendy has had a difficult week as she had a health scare on Thursday. Trav & Joanna took her up to the hospital where she spent most of the day hooked up to monitors and getting various tests. All seems to be well right now, but she'll have to go back next week for stress tests on her heart. She drove up to Kenora today with Erin & Kristian to spend Thanksgiving weekend here.

Erin and Kristian have carried on as per usual. Kristian is doing well at school. Erin is enjoying the transition and pay level of her promotion at work. This weekend, she's trying out a Mazda 3 car; she'd like to upgrade to that!

Trav is quite busy with work, and is just getting going on a new hockey season. It seems they have too much of some kinds of assignments at work, so that's causing a backlog there, and a bottleneck for the whole operation. And, to make matters worse, his Penguins have started the season with two losses, so, he needs to get them back on the right track as well!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2010-10-02T22:24:00.005-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been cooperating with my newly seeded front lawn, as it gives a bit of rain nearly every other day. This grass likes cool, damp conditions for germination, so I'm hoping this completes the job. The garden continues to produce tomatoes, but we're predicted for a hard frost again tonight, and since we're now into October, I have to think it will soon be time for green tomatoes all over the kitchen! The markets started off poorly this week (Just when I thought I had things figured out!), but then the other four days were good. That worked out much better than the last two weeks! I didn't get out golfing, but my back has continued to improve, so I'm ready to give it a go. The Riders beat the Argos this afternoon, but since Calgary won last night, they remain one game out of first. However, they have clinched a spot in the playoffs.

Wendy is back into her routine with gym, home, shopping and visitation. She is becoming quite expert with Lego, and Kristian loves it when Grandma helps with the various projects. We had two young visitors, Bana & Steve, stop in on Thursday night, on their way east. It was nice to meet them. Both of us have start our dental cleaning with the dental hygienist students at Confederation College. They take quite a bit more time than the professionals at the dentist, but with a fee of only $20, we figure we can afford the time!

Erin and Kristian have had a busy week. Kristian had really good news as his hearing check-up revealed that he has maintained his hearing level. There is always a concern with Pendred's Syndrome that his hearing will decline even more. The technician noted Kristian's comprehension of what was going on and moved him on to "big boy" testing elements; Kristian managed that, also. He's a smart little boy! Erin completed her promotion at work. She's enjoying the accolades of her boss, not to mention the increased pay! Sunday afternoon they are off to another birthday party—such a whirl of activity!

Trav has begun the hockey season once again with exhibition games and practices. He also keeps busy with work and individual contracts for graphic design and web site development. One of his recent websites is for Jennifer's Bakery Shop. Check it out!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2010-09-25T23:34:00.002-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. The weather is definitely cooling as the season has changed and the trees are taking on Autumn colours. Wendy spent most of the week up in Kenora with the grandsons there. Eric/A enjoyed a trip down to TO as Erica had a conference in Guelph. Wendy had some interesting adventures there, and drove back home on Friday afternoon. I prepared the lawn for over-seeding, but with rainy weather late in the week, I didn't get the seeding done. Perhaps, I'll manage tomorrow. I had another roller-coaster week in the market as I was up 1% on Monday, but lost it later in the week, only to manage some recovery on Friday. Today, we had an all day meeting of the church leadership team, and that was quite productive in clarifying our situation. The week ended on a high note as the Riders came back from a 15 point deficit to defeat Hamilton; and, since Calgary lost this week, that pulls us to just one game back of first place. The weather cleared off today for a beautiful day, but now they're predicting frost tonight, so that may be the end of my garden. I've covered the tomatoes, so I hope they'll survive. My back has improved from very tender last weekend to pretty solid this weekend; I'm hoping to try golf next week.

Wendy enjoyed her week up in Kenora. She was glad to see the renovations proceeding on the house there, and enjoyed spending time with the boys.

Erin and Kristian had a few extra items on their schedule this week as one of Kristian's hearing aids broke so that needed replacement. He was also invited to another birthday party; he's very popular in his class. Then there was speech-therapy, and as things were so busy, they weren't even able to take in his IEP meeting, so they'll try to catch up next week!

Trav has his usual occupation with work, but the big stuff this week was his hockey team. He and his fellow coaches have been spending lots of time scouting the available players, and this week they drafted their team for this season. Trav was quite satisfied with the players they manage to get.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2010-09-18T23:31:00.003-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has continued to be very comfortable with a few showers. I am thinking I should do the lawn over-seed in the coming week. The garden continues to produce for us. I've harvested lots of tomatoes, more spaghetti squash than we can begin to eat, and a few zucchini. The squash have almost been killed off by the leaf fungus now, and I see the pumpkin vines have caught it as well. I had a pretty good week with my back until this afternoon when I must have done something wrong as it's really hurting tonight and I'm back on the ibuprofen. I had a great investment day on Monday, gaining 1%, but the rest of the week was not good, and I lost over half of it! The Riders had an embarrassing blowout loss to Winnipeg on Sunday, but revived our hopes with an overtime victory last night over Calgary. Today, we celebrated the tenth anniversary for our friends, George & Karen; Eric led them in the confirmation of their vows, and we had a lovely supper with their family and friends.

The big event this week was Kristian's fifth birthday. He enjoyed an extended celebration that lasted all week long. First off, we sang Happy Birthday while he contributed his five dimes to the church Bible fund on Sunday. Then, he celebrated at his day care on Thursday, and with us on Thursday evening. On Friday they celebrated his birthday at school, and finally, today, Eric/A & Haaken; Travis, Joanna & Andrew; Erin; Tom, Charlene & Calvin; Shelly & Kaden; Grandma & Grandpa celebrated his birthday all over again. As I write, the living room is completely infested with Lego!

Wendy and I have heard nothing on our job applications. We're remaining patient. Wendy plans to spend the next week in Kenora, taking care of those grandsons, while I remain here to be available for Kristian when he gets off school.

Erin and Travis are continuing with their usual job commitments and both are doing fine. Travis has begun the hockey season and is scouting prospects for his team.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2010-09-11T23:06:00.003-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my home town. The weather has been very nice with some welcomed showers, and cooler temperatures that make it nice to think about packing up the air conditioner. Of course, there's also the concern that it's time to pack up the air conditioner! We started the week with a special celebration for our friends, John & Diane, as they celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary; it was a good time with much family and friends in attendance. We concluded that day watching the Riders win the traditional Labour Day game over Winnipeg. Calgary has continued to win, so at this point in the season, the Riders are just trying to keep within shouting distance. We had several shaky days on the market this week, but with good buys and a good day on Friday, I managed to eke out a gain. I've continued work with my chiropractor, but my back is still very tender and I've remained off the golf course for a seventh week. The garden is producing well; we're having trouble keeping up with the tomatoes and the spaghetti squash. We're getting down to single digits some nights, so it may not be long until we get a killing frost. We had some excitement with the car as the oil plug failed. Fortunately, the guys at Kal-Tire were able to re-tap the oil pan and install a new, larger plug.

Wendy and I are both waiting to hear on a couple of job applications. Wendy also keeps active at the gym and visiting with friends. While we have assumed ownership of the house, we have not established a plan or a schedule for renovations. Wendy continues to revise the plans! We'd certainly like to extend the gas line and install our gas range and a gas fireplace.

Erin is learning the aspects of her new job quickly. It is going well. She continues to follow the Jays as they play out the season, and try to interfere in the playoff race! Kristian is back to school; he is enjoying that a great deal as well. His communication and use of sentences grows each week. We are quite encouraged by how well this is developing.

Trav continues with the development of his career. He has applied for a business development grant to help the process along. He continues to grow his base of customers even outside of his job. He is nearing completion of another website; I will pass along the URL when it's ready for public consumption.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2010-09-04T23:03:00.004-04:00

We're into September here on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has changed this week, as we spent the first few days in 30+ degree heat and the comfort of air conditioning and ended the week in cool, rainy, blustery weather, thankful for the protection of a warm house. It's Labour Day weekend, traditionally the end of summer holidays, so back-to-school thoughts occupy many. Haaken and Liam are already back to school; Kristian is scheduled to begin on Wednesday. It's been a good week in the markets, and I've continued to catch up from my losses early in the summer. September is traditionally a bad month for investors, so I shall play it carefully. The Riders play tomorrow in their traditional Labour Day match against Winnipeg. We'll be cheering! My back continues to bother me, and I'm continuing with the therapy, but improvement is slow, so, it's another week without golf.

The garden is producing well. I have begun harvesting squash, and tearing up the fungus infected vines. The tomatoes are really producing now, but the beans and peas are pretty much done. We've had a lot of rain the last couple of days, so everything's looking pretty green. I am getting ready for the Fall over-seed on the front lawn; the eco-grass likes cool wet weather for germination.

Wendy and I have each applied on jobs recently, so we're hoping for something to develop there. I applied to drive school bus, and I've also applied on a data project–both hold the promise of lots of free time to continue my main work of investing.

Erin works some on her new assignment each day. The transition will be gradual over the next while. Her replacement has been hired, but is still receiving training.

Travis remains busy with work, but also managed a trip down to Duluth this week.

And that's about it for now.

News Update

2010-08-28T23:52:00.003-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. The weather has continued to be beautiful and my garden is thriving. Unfortunately the fungus has returned to the vines, so I may just take what they've produced so far, and pull up the vines. I suspect there's a chem-lab solution to this as well, but I'm trying to avoid that. So far it has only affected the squash, so pulling them up may save the pumpkins and cucumbers. Wendy has me cutting the back lawn after two months of letting it grow freely. I'm trying to gradually get it down to ordinary lawn length, but it takes time. I've cut it six times in the last week, and there are still some adjustments to go!

It's been another violent ride on the markets, but Friday's big gain has the TSX back into positive territory for the year and allowed me to gain over 1.5% for the week, so I'm catching up a bit. I've continued to get help with my back, and even got out one evening to hit a few balls—a half dozen was enough to know that it was not ready yet. Calgary won their game last night, so with the Rider's loss tonight in Edmonton, first place is a distant memory.

Liam & Haaken have been here all week, so it's been a special whirlwind of activity around here. Kristian has been enjoying Lego and cartoons morning, noon and night! Grandma has also had the crew out for trips to the park, marina and pools. Eric/A arrived last night, so we're having a family reunion! It's nice to have the house full again.

Erin has been getting more details of her promotion and is looking forward to that. She'll be working at both locations at various times of her work week, and gradually moving into the main office.

Trav has continued development of his own business while also working full bore at his job, so he's pretty busy most days. It's going well.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2010-08-21T22:27:00.003-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has cooled off a bit, so that's been more comfortable, and we've had some rain—my lawn thanks you! The garden is flourishing; we're enjoying tomatoes, beans, and spinach. Once again, the markets started the week well, but bad news arrived from several sectors and the last three days were downward, so my gains in the early days disappeared in the last three as most markets ended the week in negative territory. Once again, I'm into "next week" country! The Riders' stay in first place was brief as Calgary won on Sunday, and since this is their bye week, we'll have to wait to see how they respond. Our church leadership team met this week; we enjoyed a fine meal, good meeting, and the chance to raid the garden of our friends Gord & Nora. Thanks!

I have continued working with the chiropractor on my back. This is clearly proving helpful, but there's more work to do. She has me in regular therapy sessions, and also doing a lot of exercises designed to stretch out and strengthen the affected areas. I'm noticing the improvement! I even thought about heading over to the golf course this afternoon, but second thoughts kept me home.

It's been a busy week. Liam arrived last Saturday, so we've been enjoying having him around. This has kept Kristian occupied, and Wendy has been busy arranging some extra events for the boys. Erin took them shopping one evening to help Liam get ready for another school year. And then last evening, we drove up to Ignace to meet Eric and collect Haaken. Now all our grandsons are here for the next week, the last week of summer vacation for Haaken & Liam. Then, they'll be back at school. We don't have Kristian's school schedule yet, but we think he starts after Labour Day.

The other big event this week was Erin's birthday. We enjoyed having a few friends over for the celebration. Erin chose a menu of Chinese food and Cheesecake! It was a good time. Erin has also received more promises of a promotion at work. She's expecting that to take place in the next month or so.

Travis continues with his usual schedule of work. He brought his friend, Joanna, to Erin's birthday party; it was nice to get to know her a bit. He has established his business as an official organization. Check out his website, not only is it his website, it's also his work.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2010-08-14T23:17:00.001-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. The weather has been hot and we've been doing a lot of yard work with garden, lawns and flower beds. We've had a couple of rains, and that has helped. The markets had a good Monday, and I made a good profit, but then it turned sour and the markets were down three to five percent for the week. I managed to get out on Tuesday after losing most of my Monday gains. After that, I just felt good for having skipped the loses the rest of the week! It was a good week for the Riders, as they won easily and moved back into a first place tie pending what Calgary does in their game tomorrow.

Our friends David & Marilyn arrived this evening to spend the weekend with us. It is good to spend some time with them and catch up on the goings-on in Dauphin, and in their lives. They've been travelling in the US and into eastern Canada and are now on their way home.

My back did not recover on its own, so I've been to the doctor. She's diagnosed and corrected the cause of the muscle spasms, and now we're working on stretching those out and letting them recover. It feels much better now, and I even slept through the night last night. She has also given me exercises to assist with my left shoulder and left ankle rehabilitation.

Wendy has been busy catching up on paperwork for both home and church. She has continued with her pruning mode and the various perennials have been trimmed to varying degrees, sometimes extending to the extreme! Weeds have not escaped her attention, and I'm finding them in piles all over the area! And, apparently, it was time for the furniture to move to new locations in the living room, so that has happened as well.

Erin has continued with work, and has been getting some catch up lab work done as well. We hope for favourable test results. Kristian has resumed his busy schedule of work with Grandma and two days of Day Care. Sadie has also expressed a love for Kristian's Lego toys, so we've had to help him manage to keep them locked away from her chewing.

Trav has continued with work and his other activities. We don't see too much of him during the week.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2010-08-07T23:30:00.004-04:00

Home again, we're home again! On Sunday, we left the shore of Wascana, and headed east. Thank you, Dad and Dave for hosting us so generously and so warmly. We truly enjoyed our time in Regina, and the fulfillment of the work there. It was into Monday morning before we arrived on the shore of Lake of the Woods, on the Winnipeg River, in Kenora. Again, we enjoyed warm hospitality with Eric/A and the boys. We stayed an extra day to work on some projects there, and then completed the trip to Lake Superior and my hometown, on Wednesday. It is good to be home. Erin and Trav have been taking care of things. The garden is almost overwhelming the area; the rhubarb is even larger than when I took the big harvest in June for the family reunion. Only the potatoes have failed. I don't know what is wrong with my potato box plan, but I will need to reconsider it for next year. Again this week, the markets started off well, but we had a Civic Holiday, and, it seemed, by Tuesday the bloom was off. We never did seem to catch up to the promise of better things, and by the end of the week, bad economic news had turned things sour again. Still, I managed another 0.2% of recovery. Rider news was not good this week as they lost their game in Montreal by four points. That, coupled with Calgary's win in BC this evening has knocked them out of first place.

My back has not responded, and I'm still suffering a lot of discomfort, and unable to get a good night's sleep. It seems that when I'm laying down, I experience the greatest pain. I have been stressing my back with work, but if rest this weekend doesn't bring relief by Monday, I plan to get things checked out by a doctor. Anyway, no golf again this week.

Wendy enjoyed the house and yard work in Regina, in Kenora, and now at home. She's a regular Energizer Bunny! The flower beds, especially the hostas are looking great! They have grown far larger than our expectations, and some transplanting will be required. I have returned my attention to the front lawn where the grass is struggling to overcome the weeds in the replanted area.

Kristian seems to carry on with life without missing a beat. He rejoiced to see his mother and (Dare I say it?) the toys he had left behind six weeks ago. It seemed his dog was happy to see him, too.

Thank you, Erin & Trav for taking care of things.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2010-07-31T23:17:00.003-04:00

Another week has passed and we remain on the shore of Lake Wascana, far from my home town, but Dave rolled in this evening, so I may get the signal to pack up and drive, soon! This week marked my sixtieth birthday; I am thankful for the sixty years, and the many greetings from far and wide. We may have started a new birthday tradition, as I got both an ice cream cake and a lemon meringue pie for the occasion—thanks Wendy and Joan. I have been suffering all week from my indiscretions of last weekend when I played thirty-six holes of golf in one day. My back is hurting, and my left shoulder is in constant pain. I had hoped that ibuprofen and rest would have me recovered by now, but perhaps that is another "advantage" of being sixty years old! Anyway, no golf this week! The markets started off the week very well, but then ran sideways and down, so the gains I made on Monday were tempered by the tough days during the rest of the week. Still, I ended up with another 0.2% recovery against my June losses! July has been a good month on the markets. We ended the week watching our Riders destroy Hamilton (Although I would have liked it to be more impressive!) and solidify their hold on first place in the CFL West.

Wendy has continued her unrelenting attack on the yard here. The front landscape is rebuilt; the back yard has been renewed; the lawns have been mowed; the hedges are trimmed; the weeds (and her father) have been attacked with Roundup!

Kristian continues to thrive with a new Lego toy nearly every time Grandma goes shopping. This week he's been building various versions of the house package, and driving around it with his RV/Ambulance and the little army guys in the jeep! I think his speech has regressed a bit—perhaps we're getting too efficient at listening! He talks a lot, including covering both sides of the conversations in the little scenarios he puts on with his toys. He is constantly asking us, "What are you doing, ...?" And continually responding to whatever we tell him with, "What?" even though he knows what we've said.

Erin and Trav are running things back home. We've enjoyed video chats with them this week also. Erin reports that she's not only kept the garden growing, but has begun harvesting it. They've also been able to enjoy the World Junior Baseball Championships currently underway in Thunder Bay.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2010-07-24T23:35:00.003-04:00

Another week has passed. We remain lodged on the shore of Lake Wascana, far from my hometown. I have also taken a side trip down to Bismarck ND where we played the annual Pryder Cup competition between Canada and US representatives. This has been going on for eleven years now, and the Canadian team was successful in defending the cup again this year. I have written separate blogs on the event, and you are certainly invited to read them should you wish more detailed information on our exploits. Investing has gone better, and I've managed to post a profit of 0.2%, although I won't feel like they are profits until I make back the 5.1% I lost recently. The week closed with a sad note as we suffered through a loss by the Riders to Calgary. Riders are now 3-1 on the season, and in a tie for first place in their conference.

Otherwise our sojourn has continued in Regina. Wendy has been very busy with yard work, on the hedges and devising a new layout for plants in the front yard. It is all coming together now, and with some maturing, we think it will look just fine.

Kristian has continued to accumulate and build Lego vehicles of many kinds. This week's special addition was a Lego set that allows the construction of several fairly elaborate houses. Kristian seems to get right into these objects as he builds them, and talks through extensive events taking place in them. He also enjoys video chats with his mom back in Thunder Bay, although his first request is usually to get to see his dog!

Erin and Travis remain busy with work and household back in Thunder Bay. Erin has been doing a lot of work taking care of the yard while we've been away. Travis kicks in with lawn-mowing doing when that is required.

And that's about it for this week.

Golf 2010 Day 3

2010-07-24T23:23:00.000-04:00

The final day of this year's event was bright, sunny and hot. I sweltered in the heat, and in the relentless 36 holes of golf. In the morning, I was matched with Mark in a better ball match. Mark started off with difficulties, but I was able to contribute, and when Mark got going, he outclassed our opponents and we won handily, four and three. We were playing Hawktree today, and it is a formidable challenge all by itself. I certainly found the conditions for scoring much tougher, and only managed an 86 in the morning round. Our team mates also achieved some success, so we extended our lead over the US side to 10.5 to 4.5.

The afternoon featured the singles matches. We each played two singles matches at one time in foursomes. I was getting quite tired, and was unable to control my driver as well, so it took a lot of scrambling to save my score. In the end, I had a score of 91, so you can see how I was faltering. However, I managed to win one of my matches easily—five and four, but I was also easily dispatched in the other one, falling four and three. My playing partner for the afternoon matches was Kris. He won one match and halved the other. Our teammates were achieving a lot of success in their own matches, so in the final summation we won easily 22.5 to 12.5.

All told it was a great golf adventure, and getting together with the friends we have developed over the years was a rich part of the event. This completes the eleventh year of the competition. Thanks to Wayne and Mike who do so much to put this together.

Golf 2010 Day 2

2010-07-23T23:11:00.002-04:00

The weather did not fully cooperate today, for the first time in eleven years, and the afternoon round had to be suspended for a couple of hours to let the rain storm blow through. Eventually we got back on the course to complete that round in the evening. I played only in the morning round, as I find I get too crippled up by 36 holes in a day, and I wished to be still able to golf on Saturday! I played with Kent in the morning better ball format. We were matched up against an American team that featured the fellow who had posted the best score on Thursday, so we knew we had our work cut out for us. Kent played really well, scoring 76, and I also played really well, scoring 83. We took a one-up lead through nine holes, but frittered it away early in the back, and found ourselves two down after 13. However, I was able to win the next two holes and then Kent put us ahead to stay. We won 2 and 1 on the seventeenth hole. It was a very exciting match.

In sum, the Canadian teams swept the morning better ball matches and opened a 5-0 lead. The Americans came back a bit in the afternoon, so at the end of day 1, we led 7-3.

Despite the rain, it was a wonderful day. We enjoyed another group meal in the evening, and most of us hit the beds early.

Golf 2010 Day 1

2010-07-22T23:17:00.002-04:00

Kerry and I drove down from Regina to Bismarck. We left at 5:30 in the morning, and arrived in Bismarck around noon. We drove through rain most of the way, but it started clearing up after we got to Minot. After a lunch at a neat diner called Krolls, we headed over to the course (Prairie West) for our first round. The weather continued to improve throughout the afternoon, so it was a very pleasant day for golf. It was a skins competition, and, as it turned out, Dick and I were partners and managed to collect two skins. I played quite well, scoring 86, and driving the ball pretty well (for me!).

After the golf, we drove over to our billets, Hank & Jane (thanks a lot guys!) for supper and the night. They have a beautiful home there in Bismarck, and the local golfers had prepared a sumptuous meal for us. After the meal, and a welcomed shower, we visited a bit before bed time. We have an early tee time in the morning, so after a long day, we crashed early.

News Update

2010-07-17T23:44:00.003-04:00

This week has been spent in Regina, near the shore of Wascana, but far from the shore of Lake Superior and my hometown. We've been enjoying good weather here with only a couple of days that got too hot for my comfort. Golf practice has gone well, but I didn't manage to work in a game this week. Investment work has continued to be challenging, as I finally got ready to buy by the end of Thursday only to have Friday be a down day, so I stayed out. I've returned to the discipline of technical investments, but it demands more patience than I usually have! We ended the week enjoying the Open golf championship and the Rider win over Edmonton to improve to 3-0 in the young season.

Wendy has me employed as landscape engineer while she is enjoying redoing her dad's front yard. We cut and removed much vegetation that was overgrowing the place, and are now replacing it with new plants. It's starting to take shape, and I've learned that landscape engineer means running the chain saw, pruning shears and shovel!

David left this week for a holiday in his newly acquired van. All is going well, and he's made it to the Island now, so he'll have to turn around soon!

We get regular video conferences with Erin via computer. Kristian is now able to carry on chats with her, so that's an encouraging development for him. We are quite pleased with his vocabulary development. He's doing well, and has also acquired several more Lego vehicles for his set—I don't know whether Kristian or his grandma enjoys the toys more!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2010-07-10T23:36:00.004-04:00

Another week has passed and we have begun our journey from the shore of Lake Okanagan, back to Lake Superior and my hometown. We are currently in Regina, where we just enjoyed watching the Riders defeat the BC Lions 37 - 18. Today was also highlighted by a golf game with my friend Kerry out at Tor Hill. He even has some clubs I admire, and would wish to try out, but he stands on the other side of the ball... Anyway, I had a great front nine at one over, but couldn't hold on, and finished with an 81; still very good for me. We started the week at John & Marion's on Lake Okanagan at the Family Reunion. As that wrapped up, we put Travis & Erin on the plane on Monday, and set off ourselves in the afternoon for Airdrie where we enjoyed a stay with David & Shirley. They had invited some other YKers from the area over for a BBQ, so it was great to catch up with all of them: Quinn, Kathy, Trey; Barb & Garry; Kim & Denny; and Bill.

On Wednesday, we drove down to Regina, where we are currently ensconced at Ellis' house. The food is good, the bed is fine; we're enjoying our stay!

We keep in pretty regular contact with Erin via video chat. Kristian often asks to see Mommy on the computer, but usually asks to see Sadie (his dog) once we actually get on line! Erin and Trav are taking care of things back in Thunder Bay. The garden is flourishing, and the lawns are trying to grow in the heat down there.

The markets seem to have turned around a bit, and actually had some good days while we travelled. I have been studying the trends, and hope to get back in a bit next week if the earnings season is promising.

And that's about it for this week.

Ulrich 2010 Song

2010-07-05T08:58:00.000-04:00

Ulrich 2010 Song by Erica & Travis

We laughed a lot, fought some, too.
What else would you expect?
A gathering of Ulrichs, Full of
Logic-filled respect.
We would never shed a tear,
No not this solemn crew,
For an Ulrich's never wrong,
Shows no emotions, too!

Chorus:
John, Verner, Uncle Tom,
Viggo, Bill and Jim,
Ida Marie or Aunty Cindy,
Where did that name begin?
Cousins, spouses, uncles, aunts,
Where else would we go?
To remember Mom and Dad,
And swim... with Ogopogo!

Not long ago, Sven and Elly came
From that "lovely land"
Flag of Danes traded in
For plough and piece of land.
Hardy folks, raised in love,
At times, not much more,
Faith in God, born to learn,
And stubborn to the core.

Bridge:
Ogopogo: We had a magical time.
Ogopogo: In your castle under the lake.
Ogopogo: Your bad William Shatner impressions.
Ogopogo: Your ugly homemade crafts.
Ogopogo: We went halfsies on a Shamwow.
Ogopogo: He only drinks Dos Equis.
Ogopogo: He forwards unfunny Youtube videos.
Ogopogo: You were a Winnipeg Jets fan.

Now you might think there's nothing special,
About this little gig.
A little fun, a little food,
Some wine and visiting...
But between the golf, the lake,
There's something else, you see,
Holding it all together is
The love of family.

News Update

2010-07-03T23:47:00.004-04:00

The week began in Regina, but our travels have taken us westward, and the week completes on the shore of Lake Okanagan, far from my home town. On Monday, we travelled to Medicine Hat, enjoyed the evening, and spent the night with Jim & Carol—thank you very much! On Tuesday we continued to Lake Country, BC, where we established a temporary residence with John & Marion, and where we've enjoyed the remainder of the week! Thank you, John & Marion. Other family members gradually trickled in until all members of my generation were there, and all but a handful of the membership of subsequent generations.

Family assemblies bring a range of eating, singing, story-telling, lying, boating and golfing activities. I have enjoyed them all, and it will be impossible to assess which one I enjoyed the most. However, golf at Predator Ridge was a highlight. Seven of us enjoyed a wonderful experience on that beautiful course. I had some difficulties with driving, particularly in the middle of the round, but I still managed a 93, and was relieved with this measure of my game against a very challenging course. The main aspect was having the chance to play with family, and experiencing the joy provided by my children to play at Predator Ridge. Of course, there was plenty of good and nutritious food provided at regular intervals, and we all partook beyond both need and sane dietary restriction. Singing is definitely a family trait and tradition, so we enjoyed a lot of that. With age we are able to retell many jokes that some have forgotten, but most seem to enjoy; and one special feature this year was the attendance of "The Most Interesting Man in the World!" who provided much good humour. Poetry recitations were featured one evening; lying was not limited to golf, fishing, taxation or economics!

One part of the reunion was the acknowledgement of John's seventieth birthday, my sixtieth birthday, the twenty-seventh anniversary for John & Marion, and the fortieth anniversary for Wendy and me. I am thankful for all the good wishes!

On the stock investment front, it has been a very bad, no good week. When we started travelling, I made a lazy (or greedy) determination to buy and hold a diverse set of stocks. The markets did not accommodate, and I have been able to enjoy the hazards of buy 'n hold that I used to reserve for my professional advisers! As a result, by the time I got located here in the Okanagan and cut my losses, I had lost about 5.1% on my portfolio. That reduces my gain on the year to 0.8%, and my overall gain to 5.7%. So, that was a bad experience, however, if I learn from it, it won't be a total waste! At any rate, I have escaped to cash, and I will need to get studiously to work when the markets return to productive growth.

Erin and Travis worked part of the week before flying out here; they fly back on Monday morning. Kristian is travelling with us. They are all having a good time connecting with family here.

And that's about it for this week!

Family

2010-07-02T23:14:00.004-04:00

Our family has roots in Denmark from where our mother and father migrated to Canada. They eventually met and married and established a home and family on a homestead near Fort St John, BC. Later they moved on to farm in Saskatchewan, and eventually departed to their permanent rest from there. The first generation of that family have scattered from the farm in Saskatchewan to establish residences in Medicine Hat, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Baltimore, Dallas and the Lake Country of BC. We have a big brother who has certainly fought for us, and continues to lead, guide, nourish and bless us. John & Marion have established a lovely home in the sunny Okanagan, and they invite us to share in its blessings. Thank you, John & Marion!

Despite the fact that I turn sixty this month, due to the accident of timing, I have both the role of little brother and big brother in my family. I must admit that I do not manage to meet the privileges of either role very well. As you may know, Danish is practically synonymous with the virtue of stubborn! But even within a Danish family, there seems to be a hierarchy of achievement in this amazing virtue, and I seem to achieved a very elevated level indeed! (That's my wife saying, "Amen!") It is also unfortunately true that this virtue sometimes leads to difficulties in relationships. (A virtual chorus of sisters-in-law and my single brother-in-law say, "Amen!") However, no matter how imperfectly I meet my privileged responsibility to honour, encourage and bless my family, I still remain in the family, and my big brother still invites me to share in the blessings of his home.

Let me direct your attention to a larger family in which all are invited to be members, who have the privilege to love, nourish and bless each other. We can fill the various roles of older or younger siblings, and we have a big brother who has fought, bled, died and lives for us—thank you, Jesus! He also has established a beautiful home, and regardless of the level of achievement in our performance, he invites us to join him there.

News Update

2010-06-26T23:33:00.002-04:00

Another week has passed and we are far from the shore of Lake Superior and my hometown. However, Saskatchewan seems determined to fill its own lake with all the rain we're getting here!

On Sunday, we drove down to Stoughton on the occasion of the interment of our sister-in-law, Diane. That is a tough event at any time, but we were determined to make it there in support of our niece, and family.

I have occupied myself with the task of picking rhubarb, cutting it and preparing it for the freezer. We managed to get four ice cream buckets into the freezer and still had enough left over for a pie! Wendy has been caring for Kristian, but has also completed the task of getting and installing bedding plants and flowers around her dad's yard. The garden is somewhat delayed due to the over-abundant moisture, but it is coming along fairly well anyway. I expect the rhubarb will be ready for another picking when we get back from BC.

I have only monitored the markets a little while travelling, but it has been another disappointing week anyway, as all markets lost value. So, I have again been unable to post a gain, and am certainly experiencing a discouraging month. However, I remain convinced that this will turn around, and I just hope it's soon! I have managed to get out for golf practice and even one rain-shortened game.

Kristian is travelling with us. He and Wendy have both been suffering with sore throats, so they went to see a doctor on Friday and are now on antibiotics for the next while. We expect they will be feeling better soon. Kristian has been a wonderful little companion and is getting on well with extended family here.

Wendy is off to Horse Creek this weekend to a ladies' retreat and trail ride. She intends to confront her fear of horses and actually go for a ride, but she is also walking on a sprained ankle, so that's complicating the issue.

Erin and Trav are back in Thunder Bay, taking care of their jobs as well as the lawns and gardens. We look forward to their arrivals in BC next week.

We plan to head west on Monday as we continue our trip. There are rumours that the TransCanada will reopen over this weekend through Maple Creek, so we are hopeful that we won't have to make a multi-hundred kilometre detour around the washed out area.

And that's about it for this week.

Golf 2010

2010-06-21T11:17:00.000-04:00

The week started off with Fathers' Day; and a great start it was. My children provided a round of golf (to be played later) at Predator Ridge near Vernon, BC. That is now scheduled for this coming Friday. They also provided funding to upgrade my golf equipment! You can see how much they have learned about golf—elite courses must be played from time to time; some new piece of equipment will surely be the missing ingredient in my golf game!! Anyway, it is a wonderful set of gifts. Thank you, my dear children, for your thoughtfulness. I have been agonizing a bit over how to rationalize the exorbitant green fees that Predator Ridge commands, and now the issue is solved! And as for better clubs, well, that's another challenge. I have had some clubs targetted for several years, but I have been unable to get my brother, Tom, to pass them along! However, I shall wait until after the Family Reunion to actually make a purchase. I know my brothers and nephews will have clubs I can try out, and I wouldn't be able to make such a buy with out consulting my nephew, Jon, since he was my main source of support when I bought my current clubs twenty years ago!

I have been practicing between rain showers here in Regina. I even got out for a round on Thursday. I managed to complete fifteen holes dry, then it started raining a bit, and by the time I completed the sixteenth hole, they chased us off the course due to the lightning in the area. It was just as well; we had a deluge—twenty-seven millimetres of rain in half an hour. Yikes!

So, my golf game is not in prime shape, but my heart is full, and I am certain that the new equipment will lead to excellent golf very soon!

News Update

2010-06-19T22:10:00.007-04:00

Our dear friend, Marti Elford, is just completing a tour to Zambia. Her excellent blog is recommended.

Another week has passed and we have wandered far from the shore of Lake Superior and my hometown. On Wednesday we drove up to Kenora, and stopped overnight with Eric/A and the boys. Then, on Thursday, we continued the tour westward in pouring rain to Regina. We noticed a lot of surplus water in the ditches and fields throughout Manitoba and across eastern Saskatchewan. On the radio, we heard lots of lamentations about the rainfall and the difficulties with seeding and growing crops. After resting on Friday, we drove down to Gravelbourg on Saturday morning, to observe the interment of Auntie. We enjoyed time with family, and were grateful to have the chance to say good-bye. Kristian was delighted to play with a large variety of new cousins he'd never met before. It was a very good day.

The markets seem to be showing some resiliency lately, and as a result, I've been making some recovery as well. I am close to profit territory on several of my holdings now, so it's encouraging. Until then, I remain stuck at 10.8% gain, as I'm closing in on nine months of work.

The garden is flourishing, and Erin will care for it while we're away. Thanks, Erin! We have Kristian with us, so we'll take care of him in return!! The rainy weather has delayed the garden here in Regina, but there is a lot of rhubarb ready, so I'll get to work on picking and cutting that.

Erin and Travis remain busy at work, but will fly out for the family reunion later.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2010-06-12T20:58:00.003-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has cooperated nicely as we got some more rain, and enough sun to get out to the golf course a couple times. The markets were difficult, but there was some progress as the week went on, and I am encouraged. I didn't make any sales, but I now have some of my holdings into profit territory. I've been stuck at 10.8% long enough! The garden is progressing, and Erin will take care of it while we travel for the next few weeks. The back lawn is looking great, but the reseeded portion of the front is doing poorly—just didn't get good germination in the unusually warm weather this spring. I'll have to over-seed in the Fall when things have cooled down. The Chicago Black Hawks finished off Philadelphia to win the Stanley Cup, so I'm celebrating along with them. The Blue Jays and the Riders will dominate my sports' attention for the next while.

Wendy is continuing to recover from her damaged ankle and knee. She's getting around pretty well, but she is still experiencing an unfair amount of pain. I think she's got our travel arrangements in place; we plan to leave here next Wednesday. We're currently dealing on a Mac Mini computer for her. We were hoping to get it delivered today, but not so far!

Erin's work has been getting more and more busy as summer comes on. It's going well, and she still enjoys most of it! We're taking Kristian travelling with us next week, so she's fretting about how much she'll miss him.

Trav keeps busy with work. He got a lesson in website hosting this week, as one failed. He seems to have that on the road to recovery, as the files have been found, and the hosting arrangement re-established. He was instrumental in helping us get Wendy's new computer.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2010-06-05T22:18:00.002-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been beautiful, and we've even got some rain to help things out for my lawns and the forest lands of northwestern Ontario. It is very welcome. The rain barrel is full again! The bedding plants are in; Kristian enjoyed planting the tomatoes, and even helps me water them as long as he can still stand on the paving stones. He doesn't like to stand on the dirt! The markets have continued their troubled way, and even took a big turn downward at the end of the week. Another small country holding the markets hostage—this time Turkey. We hope people will get better thoughts into their heads over the weekend. I did not manage to make any money this week.

I had some surprising success with my whipper-snipper this week. We got a battery-powered one some years back, and last summer it failed. It seemed unable to recharge. I tried to figure out why and looked for a replacement battery. I eventually left it out on the deck over the winter. Well, this week, I turned my attention to it again, and it has decided to work! Maybe the tough love over the winter convinced it to behave!

Wendy has continued with her regularly scheduled events, and this week added a crash and burn to the menu! She seems to have misstepped, possibly on a rock, and fell to the pavement, twisting her ankle and getting road rash on her knee and hands. So, she's been hobbled, but is showing improvement by now. She got all the rhubarb crisp prepared and into the freezer, and the rhubarb patch is ready for picking again. She also has our schedule ready for the trip west.

Erin and Kristian continue with their usual events as well. Kristian is adding a few special year end school events as June progresses. He has a wonderful personality, and seems well-liked by teachers and classmates. He is communicating expressively and we can understand most of it. Some letters continue to give him great trouble, but he will persist cheerfully trying to hear and say them. Otherwise his speech is not unusual for a four-year old. It seems work is getting busier for Erin as summer comes on. She continues to sleep through Blue Jay games—enjoying their struggles and victories. This week she had a special treat as she became aware that her little brother from Medicine Hat was in the world championships for ball hockey being played in the Czech Republic. She even got up early this morning to watch the final game on-line. They won in over time! Congratulations, Eric!

Trav continues to do well at work, and has assisted us with a project this week as well. He has started to enjoy the Stanley Cup finals where Chicago and Philadelphia are currently tied 2-2 in games won.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2010-05-29T20:57:00.004-04:00

Another week has passed on the sunny shores of Lake Superior in my hometown. The hot, sunny weather has even caused us to get the A/C going—not something we expect in May! We completed our tour around Lake Superior on Sunday and Monday, driving into Thunder Bay on Monday evening. The delay at the border was over an hour; I guess there's no reason to expect that a lot of folks will be returning on Victoria Day! Why would we open four lanes through customs when two should be enough for anyone! Anyway, it was another scenic drive along the south shore of Lake Superior—much different landscape than the north shore. There were mostly sandy formations with lots of trees and beautiful beaches.

We experienced another mixed week in the markets. One great day, and several poor days. In the end, I posted another 0.2% gain amid hopes (dreams?) of better times that we hope lie ahead. It has been frustrating to see how some obscure European countries seem to hold the whole world on tenterhooks.

I've got the garden going now, and we're ready for bedding plants to go in. Some continue to caution against a late frost, but we're going for it! The new lawn is struggling in the hot, dry conditions, and I'm struggling to keep it watered. Some grass is evident, but I'm afraid I may have waited too late to seed. This stuff likes to germinate slowly in cooler conditions, so I may have to overseed in the Fall to get a good growth.

Wendy has been busy making arrangements for the family reunion in early July. I think she has it all under control now. Kristian will be travelling with us in late June, while Erin and Trav will both be flying out to Kelowna later. Eric/A and the boys will be driving out as well, and continuing out to the Island afterward.

Kristian and I even got to a real golf course this week, but only to practice on the putting green. He also got his replacement hearing aid after Sadie ate one a while back. Erin continues to have busy times at work, but these mainly happen at the beginning and ending of the day, so it makes for a long day. She manages to sleep through the Blue Jay game most evenings!

Trav is only feigning an interest in the Stanley Cup playoffs now that his Penguins have been knocked out, but I'm cheering mightily for Chicago to win it all, and they started on the right foot with a win in game one tonight.

And that's about it for this week.

Congratulations Cindy!

2010-05-22T23:34:00.012-04:00

Another week has passed and we have wandered from the shore of Lake Superior and my hometown, eastward along the lake, then south, past the shores of Lakes Huron and Michigan and down to Lansing MI. It is the occasion of my baby sister graduating from law school. And she is graduating Magna Cum Laude, instead of Lawdy How Come? I am very proud! Soon she will take up her assignment as Law Clerk for a federal judge in Baltimore; again, congratulations are in order! And, at some future point, she will even figure out how to complete her application for Obamacare! Even in these slightly more enlightened days, it is still an 18-page document to fill in (or out, seems to mean the same thing!). Of course, factual correctness requires me to note that few of the improvements of Obamacare have yet become active. Even when they do, very little is changing in the tragedy that is healthcare in the USofA... however, that's a rant I often contemplate, but have yet to write! At any rate, she will also deserve further congratulations if she ever completes that successfully; some people take a course on how to effectively complete health care forms!

We have enjoyed a beautiful trip down here. We drove along Superior for about 800 clicks the first day and, after negotiating the border crossing, stopped for the night in northern Michigan at a small place called St. Ignace. It is beautiful there. We were right on the shore of Lake Huron, and our room had only some 50 metres of lawn between us and the beach. Then, on Friday, we completed the trip down through Michigan to Auburn Hills (suburb of Detroit, at the end of Lake Erie). We're located about halfway between the Palace of Auburn Hills (Pistons) and the Silverdome (Lions, although someone tells me the Lions have moved to a new home now.) sports complexes. Tom & Mariette, Viggo & Nancy are also here, so it's good to spend time with them.

We enjoyed the open house at the Thomas M. Cooley law school, where Cindy took her training, and then enjoyed a family banquet at a local restaurant specializing in Indian food. BK would be impressed! Thank you, Daniel & Cindy. It was good to share in the joy of the occasion with you, and the families involved.

Today, we took a short drive west to Lansing, where the main campus of Michigan State University is, for the graduation ceremony. It was another great affair, and I honoured the event with the purchase of a new sports coat. I contend that it is a rather denigrating comment on society that I can become 'socially acceptable' through the purchase of a used jacket from Value Village! (Wendy insists that I not mention the price was $9.99)

Otherwise, it was another terrible week on the markets. There was a slight recovery on Friday just to keep the suckers biting, I suppose. I managed only one sale for the week, and thus have gained another 0.2% on the portfolio, but I also have some holdings that will need some substantial improvements before they can sell. So, it's tough going these days.

Wendy was quite busy with trip preparations, and organizing things at home before we left. Now, she's the full-time navigator, and despite a couple of mishaps with maps, has managed to get us here!

Erin and Kristian are holding down the home fort. Kristian had a small disaster this week, as Sadie (the dog) ate one of his hearing aids. That has now been replaced, but the earpiece is not fitting right, so he's in some discomfort. He is enjoying 'golfball', as he calls it. I take him out with his new clubs—he can barely carry them—across the street to the school yard and he hits my shag tube of balls (24). He's doing well, and it's a delight each time he comes to say, "Papa, golfball." Eric/A and the boys are down from Kenora for this long weekend, so there is plenty of company.

Trav continues as per usual with work, private contracting, and life. He has taken the better route, whether through wisdom or good luck, of avoiding investing in these troubled markets.

And that's about it for this week.

God bless you, Auntie!

2010-05-15T21:07:00.009-04:00

It has been quite a week on the shore of Lake Superior, in my hometown. On both sides of our family we have lost loved ones. On the Krogsgaard side, Sue rushed home from Zambia on the occasion of her mother's passing out in BC. On the Ulrich side, we lost the last of my mother's generation as her sister, my beloved Auntie, passed on in her 97th year.

Aunt Mary has always just been Auntie to me. As a child, I guess I didn't realize there were other people who were aunts and uncles. She was always a special person in my youth (while we grew up just a few miles away), and I'll never forget how she could make frikadeller (meatballs) with new potatoes and parsley gravy!

After mom's passing, just over thirty-six years ago, Auntie kind of took her place. Not just the physical resemblance, but also the character traits allowed her to take that role for me. So, I doted on her a bit, and was able to give and receive the love that I was missing from my mother. We tried to take in a stop in Moose Jaw every time we were in Saskatchewan, and I shall miss our visits. We would always make her guess who we were, and she would complain about how she couldn't see, and we would drop hints. Finally she would figure it out, oh, the one from Thunder Bay (I should have written that with the h missing, as she said it!), and then she would greet us and tell us our birthdates and anniversary and the names and birthdates of all our children, and ask how they were.

She was spectacularly interested in other people, but for herself, she just wanted to go home. So, for her, this is a blessing. But for us, it is an inestimable loss.

Otherwise things have continued with pretty much the same routines. Investments have been scary as the stock market thinks it's a roller coaster! I made good money in the first three days, and lost most of it in the last two! In the end, I was up 0.1% to 10.4% total. I have continued work with lawn and garden. This week, I got my rain barrel installed with a diverter to collect water from the roof just in time for a shower on Thursday to fill it up! The seed is starting to germinate on the front lawn. The back lawn is lush and demanding regular cutting. On Friday evening, we had a special treat as Dave, Heather and Ariadne arrived from southern Ontario. Ariadne is a new friend from Mexico where she is an English prof at the University. Dave & Heather are old friends since our childhood. It was great to spend some time with them, and send them on their way on Saturday.

Wendy keeps busy. This week provided encouraging news as her hospitalized friend has rallied, and, it now appears, will be released from the hospital. We don't know whether she will return home, or to a care facility. She still must return to the hospital three times per week for dialysis and blood work. Today was very special for me, as Wendy came out and practiced golf along with me at a local course.

Erin and Kristian have continued with work and school, respectively. Both are doing well. Kristian enjoyed getting his first set of golf clubs this week. We enjoy his attempts to use them in the school yard across the street.

Trav continues as per usual with work, and is also concentrating a lot of time on a new friend.

News Update

2010-05-08T23:11:00.001-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. It's been a nice week, with a few showers to help me with the watering of the newly seeded lawn. I have also done a bit more work on the garden, including some seeding as the soil is warming up. I am hoping the strawberries come back, but see no evidence of that yet. The rhubarb is ready for a first picking, so we will be getting back into rhubarb crisp soon! I pulled out a couple of stumps in the back yard, but that's a lot like work! It was a terrible, no good, very bad week on the markets as fear of debt in Europe seem to panic the investors. As a result, I was only able to make one sale, and only posted a 0.2% gain. We hope for resolution in the UK election over the weekend, and a more settled feeling overall, so the buyers will return to the markets. Economic news in both Canada and the US support the view that the recovery from the recession is progressing. The oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico initially pushed oil prices higher, but now fear has panicked prices about $10 lower.

Wendy seems to keep busy with a variety of activities. She did up quite a bit of baking this week. We always need some for Thursday evenings when we host our small group. She was also able to supply some to our next door neighbours who lost husband/father/grandfather this week. She continues to provide taxi service and other care for Kristian.

Kristian is progressing well at school and day care. He continues to produce longer sentences, and is very talkative. We understand some of it! Erin is quite busy at work, and looks forward to a promotion there in the next few months.

Trav is quite occupied with the travails of his Penguins in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Their current series is not going easily, but they're in good shape. He is taking additional training at work, so he will be able to operate their new Swiss-embroidery machines.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

2010-05-01T22:22:00.003-04:00

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. Springlike weather has taken over with showers the last half of the week. We can certainly use the rain, as the forest fire hazard was extreme before this came along. I spent half of the week working in Kenora, and it may have been just as well as the markets were crazy with worries over the Greek debt issues and the Goldman misdeeds. However, I did sell the gold stocks I had been stuck in (thank you, Lord!); that was not only a great relief, but also a great benefit to my portfolio. In total I managed to gain 0.8% to improve to 10.1% overall. I worked on a data project up in Kenora. That seemed to go very well, and they've asked me to assist them more in the future. I drove up on Wednesday morning, and back this afternoon.

I can't say too much about life back at home, but all seems to have gone well. Wendy has been quite occupied with medical and dental appointments, and caring for her friend in the hospital.

Erin and Kristian have had a good week. Since Erica was down for part of the week, they even got to go over to her hotel and enjoy the pool. Kristian seems to be really getting used to the water, and paddling around much more comfortably. I think he got a fright in Florida, and it's taken a while to overcome it.

Travis had a usual workweek for the first part of the week, and now he's off for a weekend in Duluth, Minnesota.

And that's about it for this week.