Travelling!

Another week has passed and we have continued our trip. We began the week in Lawrence KS, saying good-bye to cousin Marti as she headed off to Finland on a Fullbright Scholarship event. We enjoyed a few more days with Aunt Helen (thank you!), and worked on a project for Marti involving air-blocking and baseboards in her front entry.

Foam flowing into the garage!

Wendy overdid the foam work, then I installed the wood, and she finished with fresh paint. It turned out fine; Aunt Helen will remove the painters tape before Marti gets home!

Painted up pretty nicely!

On Wednesday, we packed up Marti's car, and drove down to Stillwater OK where we settled in with Jack and Joanne for the rest of the week—thank you, Jack and family for hosting us so well. We plan to head south to Dallas tomorrow. Life at Jack's is always very busy and very interesting. We spent a lot of time reminiscing about our times in Zambia, and catching up on happenings there, especially the water situation. They've had early rains and the dams are filling up nicely. We pray that the rains will continue to be steady and that next April there will be a great harvest. Jack has obtained another NEW car to add to his collection. It's a 29 Ford Roadster that has been hopped up a bit with electronic ignition and a modern carburetor. 

29 Ford Roadster

I also got to drive his 29 Ford Model A which I had first enjoyed last time through, and this time Wendy joined in the fun!

Wendy driving the Model A

It was another topsy turvy week in the markets as the strong USA economic numbers battled with the FEDs determination to tamp the economy down, but in the end I had a good gain for the week despite the 0.75% prime rate increase. Employment was up big time in both Canada and the USA and that encouraged investors. The Pan Continental Curling served up a surprise on the women's side as Korea and Japan advanced to the championship game while Einarson will battle USA for the bronze. On the Men's side, Gushue will play Korea for the gold, while USA plays Japan for the bronze. The CFL divisional semi-finals will take place tomorrow with Hamilton in Montreal, and Calgary in Vancouver. Toronto and Winnipeg await the winners. The Pens have hit a bad stretch in the early season enduring a losing streak. Oilers ran off an impressive win streak, but now they've lost two straight. Leafs are not performing up to expectations either, but at least they won tonight! Houston captured the World Series tonight despite my picking them to win! Sooners dropped their game to Baylor today. 'Horns beat Kansas State this evening. 

Eric, Erica, Haaken, Liam, Greg and Kiersten are enjoying London. It's about time for them to return to a wintry reality check! Erica writes, "It has been quite a week. It is wonderful to have everyone under the same roof, even if that roof is across the pond. We have been having a lot of fun together as a family and getting to know Kiersten better. We’ve visited the Harry Potter studio tour, the Tower of London, Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, Bath and toured the historic Roman baths, did a walking tour of haunted London pubs, and have seen many other sites along the way. Today, we will go see The Lion King and see what else we can fit in on our last full day."

Erin and Kristian had a good week, although Erin succumbed to a migraine on Friday. 

Travis and Joanna are very busy, perhaps, too busy, with Puckshots as teams are rushing to get photos taken. At least the Fall weather is holding in Thunder Bay, although they have been getting some rain. 

And that's enough for this week. 

Fall—Still Summer!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather remains very comfortable there, but we have left, and are enjoying a comfortable existence in Lawrence KS where the colours are hinting of Fall even while the temperatures are indicating that it's still summer. Thank you, Marti for putting us up, and, in fact, for arranging this expedition. We're enjoying this part even as we look forward to the rest of it. We finished up a few things in Thunder Bay during the first few days and then flew south on Wednesday. That was quite an excursion and way too much exercise for my troubled legs (I still suspect Sciatica even though my doctor demurs). The trip started well as we flew down to Toronto, but sadly, things were not convenient or problem-free there! We had to go through security (again), and then through customs and immigration. It seems the Americans are taking their revenge for ArriveCAN, and have instituted MPC (mobile passport control). If you don't have a smart phone, you may as well stay home! And yet our travel agents made no mention of this necessity, and Travis did not have to use it recently when he went to New York, so, as far as we know, they instituted it just to trouble us. Anyhow, after getting through security, we got to a massive hall, filled with people, and, after finding the row for Canadians, there was a hint of something new in the air.

Clearly it's MPC!

A signboard with a QR code announced the MC, and the attendants assured us that it actually said MPC, and that we must download it! So, we followed the QR code to the app store and downloaded it... now what was our AppleID password? I don't know how these people assume that we all have smart phones, and that we're all so computer literate that we can manage this kind of process while standing in line, and shuffling our luggage forward! Once into the app we had to fill in a bunch of personal information and take a photo of our passport ID page and of ourselves. Sadly, the light was so dim in that area, that we couldn't get a photo. One attendant tried to light up my passport with her phone, but it still wasn't enough, so she took my phone and entered the passport information incorrectly, so I could be informed that the data was incorrect and I could redo it! Once we were through this process, we were awarded a QR code that got to see the customs officer, who considered our situation and finally allowed us to proceed to the gate, which had already been sending texts demanding that we attend there! Then, it was about 2km to the gate as we only had a puddle jumper jet to Kansas City and it required us to walk out side, give up our carryon luggage and climb the stairs to the plane. The gate was closed before we got there, but there was a line-up of similarly inconvenienced passengers, so they held the plane until we all got aboard! Other than that it was smooth sailing! Marti was there to pick us up, and we breathed a collective sigh with that ordeal behind us! Here, we're enjoying catching up with Marti, including a couple of sing songs—thanks! This evening, we've relocated to Aunt Helen's. The markets have had another good week; things were a bit tentative while we waited for the BoC rate announcement, but after they surprised with ONLY a 0.5% increase, the markets closed strongly, and I had another good week. Riders closed out their season tonight in Calgary with another loss—sad! The World Series has begun with the Phillies taking the first game and Astros matching that this evening. I've picked the Astros to win it. My Sooners were back in action in college football and won their game today. Pens have had a terrible tour of western Canada, dropping games in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver. Oilers are on a brief win streak; I hope they can keep it going! Leafs continue to struggle in the early going of the season. Homan and Edin won the Grand Slam event on Sunday. Next curling is in the Pan-Continental curling championships which begin on Monday in Calgary. Canada is represented by the Gushue and Einarson teams. 

Erica writes, "Eric and I met up with Greg, Kiersten, Haaken and Liam in Calgary this Friday. And just for fun, decided to head to London! This week has been focused on getting ready for our trip. We are looking forward to a week in London. Anyway, we are here in the UK all settled in at our air BnB, we’ve been fighting our natural inclination to go to sleep. Some have been more successful than others!"

Erin writes, "We woke up to a pile of snow on Sunday. Tracy (co-worker) had surgery on both feet on Monday, so, we’re short staffed again for a while. I got my winter tires installed on Tuesday. We had our 3-way conference (parent-teacher-student interview) on Wednesday, and Kristian had youth group on Thursday. Kristian got sent home sick on Friday, so today was a day of naps :) Just a regular week. LOL!"

Travis and Joanna are holding down the fort in Thunder Bay, and are busy, busy, busy with Puckshots Photography. We don't know our new tenant well, yet, so it's a great relief to be able to rely on Trav & Joanna to take care of any issues that may come up. 

And that's about it for this week. 

Fall/Summer

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The week began with windy, cold weather, and is ending with temperatures pushing 20° again—salubrious indeed! As a result, we've been able to maintain our outdoor walking, and even enjoying it in shirt sleeves! Such changes are common this time of year even as we head inexorably toward winter. I have continued with therapy on my back, although my discomfort now seems to be almost completely with in my right hip and leg. The doctor has ruled out sciatica, although I'm convinced it's more nervous system than muscular. In any case, I work through a series of stretches with heat and cold treatments, and most days I'm able to keep upright and walking! The Greedy game boards are nearing completion; it's a simple structure with a perimeter of sticks to enclose the cloth-backed playing area. The game operates under several names, and with a large range of rules. My computer-based version is called Farkle; you may also look it up under that title. I'm still planning to stain and varathane the wood pieces, then it rolls up in the cloth which is only attached to the bottom sticks. Maybe I won't bother to attach it—that seems to work, too. 

Greedy Game

Our concerns over the new variants of the coronavirus have reawakened. So long as people keep it going, it will continue to mutate, and there's always the risk that the mutants will be worse than the original. The latest variant seems to bypass the protections of all prior infections, but produces little illness among the vaccinated. While we've experienced more deaths already this year than in any prior year, most folks and governments seem oblivious or at least nonchalant. We're considering plans to travel in the near future, but this certainly gives us pause. We completed our teeth cleaning appointments this week with the trainees at Confederation College. The process takes much longer working with them, but we feel good about providing them the work site, and very good about only paying $20. Wendy has continued her struggle with the banks to get the chorus accounts working properly. It seems she's been at this a long time! It's quite surprising how difficult they seem to find it to put new names on business accounts and make them accessible online. The markets continued to be topsy turvy and volatile. This was another positive week, but only because we had three big green days against two big red days—not the formula for comfortable investing! At least I made quota. In the world of sports, the Riders played their penultimate game of the season against Calgary today. They'll complete their season, next week, with the other half of the home and home in Calgary. And then other teams will begin the playoffs, sigh! MLB has moved into the League Championship series. I managed to pick two of the Divisional series winners—big step up for me! I've picked Astros and Padres to advance to the World Series. Texas moved back into the rankings after demolishing my Sooners last week. This week the 'Horns were substandard and lost to Oklahoma State, while the Sooners took the week off to lick their wounds. The opening weeks of the NHL season have produced a few surprises, and some of them not good ones for my teams (Oilers, Pens, Leafs), well, actually, Pens and Leafs are doing okay. Grand Slam curling is on again this week in Grande Prairie. Koe advanced to the playoffs; I've enjoyed watching both the men's and the women's sides of the draw. Einarson has qualified on the women's side. The finals are scheduled for tomorrow.  

Erica writes, "This week, we heard that one of our friends passed away, much too young. Shelley Lock (nee Waddell) was a good friend at Western. When I moved to Saskatoon, she often hosted us at her apartment and gave us the lay of the land in her hometown in her gutsy Nova. She met and married Chris Lock the same year Eric and I married. Over the years, they have graciously hosted us at their home in Warman. Shelley has battled a variety of medical conditions in recent years and passed away in her sleep this week. Eric and I will be attending the service this weekend in Saskatoon." While we attended on line. 

Erin continues to fight her fall flu, while Kristian seemed to have had only one down day, and then was back to his usual good health. At least she felt well enough to get back to work, as when she is away, the work just waits for her to return! She's feeling much improved this weekend, but the weatherman warns of snow in Regina. Curling should be starting soon for Kristian; they had a curling meeting on Thursday. 

Travis and Joanna are fully into Puck Shots photo sessions now. The Bucket Decal work continues as well, as teams develop their plans for a full season of hockey. We hope that comes true, but, as noted above, we're pretty skeptical about how the various governments are failing to deal with Covid. Andrew "enjoyed" more medical work this week. Gemma and Jonas are progressing in their planning to come home over Christmas break. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Summer/Fall

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The first few days were summery with temps in the 20s, but then we turned to autumn, and daytime highs failed to make it into double digits. We've managed to get out for walks regularly, and I feel this is helpful therapy for my ailing back and legs. The muscles seem to loosen up after a kilometre or so, and there is little pain once that happens. I've also been doing my prescribed stretches, and had another appointment with the chiropractor. She's thinking that one or two more visits may complete this particular intervention. I've been swinging my golf club, and while it's a little tender, it actually seems pretty good. Of course, I can't swing as hard as I'm used to, but, some think, that may be a beneficial as well! I'm currently working on a small set of game boards for Greedy—that's going well. May have some pics next week! I had an ultrasound on my leg to see if there's any progress with the blood clots. I'm expecting to hear the results on that next week. On Friday, we started a series of teeth cleaning at the college. It takes them quite a while as they have to check and get approval from their instructors at each stage, but hey, $20! Wendy keeps busy with choral business and singing practice. It's a little strange for the listener (me), as she's hearing the music in her ear buds, but singing the bass line aloud! The markets have continued their wild swings. The wildest this week was Wednesday when option traders got panicked over the possibility of the markets hitting bottom and went into a surge of buying to cover their short positions! Interesting times—I recall in the early days of my market playing, it would be a remarkable day when we had a hundred point swing in the DOW. These days we sometimes see a range of 1000 points in a single day! Sports action is plentiful these days. The week opened with the completion of the first Grand Slam event of the curling season. The winning teams were Gushue over Edin on the men's side, and Tirinzoni over Einarson in the women's competition. MLB continues with the divisional series where I've picked Yanks, Stros, Dodgers and Braves. I had perfect results in the Wild Card series, managing to pick exactly zero of the winners, but only two of my picks have been knocked out so far in this round, and one has already advanced! In college football, both my Sooners and the #22-Longhorns prevailed today. Hockey season has opened and the teams I follow (Oilers, Pens, Leafs) have all managed to get their first win out of the way. 

Erica writes, "We had a short work week, which was nice. We celebrated Thanksgiving on Sunday with Erin and Kristian, and took a moment to remember our poor family down south that have to wait until next month for their celebration. #NotEveryoneGetsOctoberThanksgiving. On Monday, we had a good, long visit with Grampa. He seems to be doing very well. I noted that he has survived the Queen and he reminded me that he was already a year older then Lizzie, so there! Liam joined us on Thursday to see John Mulaney on his comedy tour. John was funny, as expected, and also has the meaningful story of his journey from drugs. We laughed, we cried… In a couple weeks we head across the pond for a family trip. It’s been years in the planning—we are looking forward to the time together."

Erin and Kristian have had a quiet week in Regina, but Erin has been ill. It's probably that seasonal flu that's going around this year. She has been testing, but is negative for covid, however, it's cost her time off work. We hope Kristian manages to avoid it. 

Cutting Board project

Kristian completed a project in woodwork at school. It looks good to me! 

Travis and Joanna are very busy with Bucket Decals and have now begun booking team photoshoots for the PuckShots side of their business—busy times, but good times! Travis was off to Toronto for a few days to take in the AEW pro wrestling event. 

And that's enough for this week. 

Thankful!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We are enjoying Thanksgiving with full hearts—we are well blessed! We have obtained another vaccine booster; this one covers a couple of additional Omicron variants. We both experienced a bit of shoulder discomfort, but really we were symptom free.

Wendy managed to track down a replacement microwave after ours quit. The new one has a few additional features, and we're liking it a lot. We have sold the old Cougar, so the Santa Fe has now moved into the garage for the first time ever. I'm thinking it will enjoy that this winter, but we're also wondering if folks will think that we're never at home! With the newly capacious garage, I've been working to reorganize my wood shop area for more efficient storage and access to wood and tools. Some have asked about the half-half-half drawer construction I mentioned last week. Here's the Youtube source of that technique. I have continued under the care of my chiropractor, but I am not seeing much improvement. With all the manipulations, stretching and exercise I am now sore across my complete lower back and legs! Wendy has kept busy with chorus business—it seems the banks cannot figure out how to set up their various accounts and cards. She had a follow-up appointment on Wednesday, and that was positive. She also has additional therapies and medications to work through. Getting old is tough! The markets behaved crazily again this week, so in other words "same ol' same ol'"! We started with big time green, and closed with three days of big time red. Over all, we gained a little. The big issue this week was continuing strength in the economy and especially in job gains. That made investors fear the central banks would continue with aggressive rate increases. Sigh! "Good news is bad news" these days. The world of sports continues to distract, but not to match with my expectations or wishes. Baseball season ended, and the playoffs have begun. I picked Rays, Jays, Cards and Mets to win their first round series, and all lost game 1! Yogi said, "It ain't over til it's over!" I'm hanging onto that, but it is over for the Jays, Rays and Cards! The Riders blew another winnable game in Hamilton and their playoff hopes died with it. They have two games remaining, but truly, they only have a mathematical chance. Curling has been front and centre this week with the Grand Slam National event taking place in North Bay. My guy, Kevin Koe, has advanced to the playoffs. On the women's side, my team, Kerri Einarson, has also advanced. In college football, my sad sack Sooners took on the Longhorns today—it was a slaughter! It is a rare event to watch this game as a match between unseeded teams! 

Erica writes, "We started the week with leading worship with a team. Monday was a home day. Tuesday, we attended an event at the Prince Albert campus for the University of Saskatchewan. We got to have a tour of the facilities. Wednesday, we made our grandfathers proud attending an NDP dinner fundraiser. Erica got some nice red gloves. Thursday, we enjoyed our regular evening out with friends. So Friday, to relax, we hit the road to Regina. We will be celebrating Thanksgiving with Liam in Regina with Erin and Kristian." 

As mentioned Erin and Kristian are hosting the Ulrich Thanksgiving Dinner—Saskatchewan section! We wish we could all be together, but know they'll be having a good time. 

Chef—meet the turkey!

Travis and Joanna are very busy with Bucket Decals orders these days. They still managed to take time for an evening visit during the week, and they joined us for Thanksgiving Dinner this evening. An epic game of Greedy added to the enjoyment. We really enjoy the times when the family can get together. 

And that's about it for this week. 

October!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been comfortable and the newly replanted lawns are making good progress. The pain has receded some in my lower back, so on Thursday, I took my courage in my hands and went to my chiropractor—yep, that reawakened the pain! She diagnosed and worked through the muscle groups involved and assigned me further exercises to do at home. As a result, while it's tender, movement is improving, and I've been able to get some work done in the shop. The drawer unit is finished, although I will be adding more subdividers in the drawers for more efficient storage. You can see the half-half-half joinery I used for the corners of the drawer box. 

Completed Drawer Unit

Detail of the Joinery

Wendy has continued with her last week of convalescence. She is scheduled to go back to her doctor next week for a follow-up when we may find out how successful the surgery was. She hopes it has gone well, and that she will be allowed the freedom of more activity afterwards. The markets have continued downward as is usually the case in September anyway, but has been even worse this year! I'm getting mixed results in sports as well. The Riders were trounced by the Bombers this week, and the Sooners were slaughtered for the second week in a row. At least the Blue Jays are thriving and have officially qualified for the playoffs. Their final few series will determine whether they also achieve the advantage of having home games in the first round. Carruthers won the curling event last week. There are several events in this week's curling, but none are at such a high level. 

Erica writes, "Eric and I enjoyed last weekend down in Livingston, Montana. I had a lot of naps! We also enjoyed their “art walk”. All the galleries and shops downtown were open. One had a live band playing. It was really enjoyable, and I found a pair of designer flats for $11 at a second hand store! We drove back on Sunday, and met up with Liam along the way for supper in Moose Jaw. He is doing well and plans to stay in Caronport another year. Haaken and Greg are doing well. We are looking forward to seeing them all in a few weeks as we gather for a family trip."

Shawn helped with moving the Egg Chair inside the house. Then, Kristian dismantled it, moved the pieces down to the family room and reassembled it there! Great work, buddy! I can see that I'll soon be out of work there! 

Egg Chair Inside!

Joanna has been visiting Gemma & Jonas in Vancouver. It is also her first experience with Vancouver and the lower mainland of BC, and she admits to finding it quite lovely, albeit expensive. She has now returned to Thunder Bay. Travis has been very busy with Ulrich Design production, and delights in the speed and output from his new printer. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

It's a Pain!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been comfortable, but several nights with even a risk of frost—Autumn is here! I've been nursing a bad back all week. I don't know what happened, but I was working on the drawer unit in the shop when suddenly I had a sharp pain in the back, and was almost unable to even get up from the floor. After a day of suffering, I decided it might be a kidney stone. The doctor considered it a possibility and ordered an ultrasound to check. It turned out negative for the stone, so we're left to think it was some kind of soft tissue damage—getting old is not for the faint of heart! At least the pain is diminishing, and I've been able to reduce my application of painkillers. The drawer unit remains unfinished—I was hoping to include some pictures of the completed project in this edition, maybe next week! Wendy keeps busy with her chorus management, and taking care of me! The markets were terrible, no good and very bad! At one time this month, I had a full monthly quota gained, but now I'm needing a big week next week! As expected, the FED raised the interest rate by 0.75%, but alas, even though they did as expected, the markets sold off big time—go figure! In my world of sports, Koe lost the final of the Okotoks event last Sunday to Bottcher. This week's event was in Fredericton, and Koe lost in the quarter-finals. It'll be Dunstone vs Carruthers in the final tomorrow. The Riders have the bye this week which rates it as one of the better weeks this season! College football was completely unpredictable this week. First Texas, inexplicably, lost to Texas Tech, and then my Sooners lost to unranked Kansas State, and while this we going on, the usually hapless Jayhawks were improving to 4-0 on the season! Preseason hockey has begun in the NHL. MLB regular season is drawing to a close; the Jays have fallen back a bit, but are still pretty safe to make the playoffs. 

Erica writes, "Eric made his annual run for the border, and third time must be a charm, because he made it through. Eric is attending Family Systems Trauma recertification training. I’m along for the ride. Three years ago, he won a free stay at a cabin, but in 2020 the conference was cancelled. In 2021, the border didn’t let him through. So this year we are both enjoying the quiet and beauty of Montana. The road to the cabin reminded me a bit of driving in Zambia. First a highway, then a hard top road, then a dirt road, and finally, two tire trails through the grass. We return on Sunday. The boys are all well."

Erin and Kristian had a routine week of work and school. Today, they enjoyed breakfast out at the Ecalipurr Cat Cafe. The weather has been cool, with frost, in Regina. 

Travis enjoyed an excursion to the Big Apple this week. He just got back last night after a week of checking out pizza restaurants and taking in the latest edition of professional wrestling. Joanna has been holding down the fort at home, and preparing for her next week trip to Vancouver. 

And that's enough for this week. 

Coming Down!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has taken on an autumn chill and the trees are looking very colourful. Most nights this week the temperatures fell into the single digits, and then on Wednesday it started raining. It has rained the rest of the week, so at least I've been able to turn off the lawn sprinklers on my newly patched areas of the lawns. The turf patches in the back are taking well. The seeded patches in the front—not so much! I managed to get a bit more yard work done before the rains took hold and drove me indoors. I am working on a drawer unit to install under my workbench in the shop. It's coming along well—my first drawer unit. I built a drawer for the kitchen a while back, but the functionality of drawers in the kitchen motivated me to add a set of drawers in the shop. Wendy continues her recovery program, but fell ill this week, and was back into consultation with her doctor who prescribed some antibiotics to try to get her back on the path of healing. Today, she had a chorus event at one of the local schools, so she was off early this morning for that. Otherwise, she keeps busy with her volunteer work with the barber-shoppers—way busier than I expected! The markets have continued their topsy turvy summer, in a deeply red year. Year to Date losses: TSX: -8.7%; DOW: -15.2%; S&P: -18.7%; Nasdaq: -26.8%. So, yes, I'm beating the markets, but that's a low bar this year. In my world of sports, the Riders are deeply disappointing. Their performance against Edmonton last night was inept on both sides of the ball. C'mon Riders! So, it was refreshing to watch the Sooners turn in a sparkling win over Nebraska today. Boomer Sooner! The Jays are on another upswing, going 7-3 in their last ten games and moving into a solid playoff position. Yay Jays! We're back into curling season. This week I'm following the event in Okotoks where many of the newly lineups are getting a test. My guy, Kevin Koe, has three new players this year. They've advanced to the playoffs, so, clearly, positive results so far. 

Erica writes, "We finished up another week in Prince Albert. Liam returned to Caronport after a visit with us last weekend. I had training this week on Myers Briggs. I’ve had the test before, but I thought maybe I had discovered my feelings in recent years. Alas, I still come out as a thinker! I’m borderline Introvert/extrovert, so I come out ENTP or INTP.  Eric, in his professional capacity, informs me, this means I’m either R2D2 or Yoda. We are further along planning our family trip. We are planning to visit the UK together in November. That should be fun! We are also in design mode for our upstairs bathroom. Tomorrow we are off to Saskatoon to see tiles and bathroom fixtures at Home Depot."

Most of the week in Regina focused on celebrations around Kristian's 17th birthday. Some of the festivities have been postponed as he wanted to have Astrid and Liam over, but they're under the weather. Otherwise things are going well for them with work, school, and medical appointments. 

Happy Birthday Kristian!

Another Star Wars Machine!

Travis got a new laptop with the appropriate operating system and finally has his printers humming along! Yay! The pups are thriving, and sometimes even behaving themselves. Moxley came over for a visit one day. He's bigger than expected, but quite a teddy bear overall with a deep voice. Darby continues to ail with a bad leg, and remains much the smaller of the pair. Gemma and Jonas are settling into life in Vancouver. Andrew remains off work since his recent illness. We hope he gets back to work soon. 

And that's about enough for this week! 

Falling!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been very nice, but with overnight lows often dropping to single digits, it also portends the change of season. We're even starting to see some colour in the deciduous trees. I have been busy with the lawns, keeping them moist as the germination has been happening. Not showing up as thickly as I have expected, so I may need to over-seed. We got some showers Thursday and Friday, so that gave me some time off! Wendy keeps busy with the new student boarding downstairs, but he seems to be settling in fine. She is gradually resuming more of her usual activities, and has to be reminded to take it easy! She found me a new chair to replace my old one that was shedding all over the living room (somewhat like its occupant)! I had several appointments myself this week. We had an energy assessment on Wednesday to see how we might make improvements to the house, and qualify for some government grants. I had minor surgery on Thursday to remove some skin tags, but it turns out the surgeon missed two, so I'll have to go back to get those clipped. On Friday morning, I returned to my regular doctor to get my ears flushed. My recent hearing testing had revealed wax build-up, but she got that cleared out. Now, we'll see whether that improves my hearing! The markets are in a phase of bad-news-is-good-news! Investors see anything that might prompt the central banks to slow the rate hikes as positive for the markets. Bank of Canada pushed through another 75 basis point hike this week, and the FED indicated they would probably do the same when their turn comes up. Anyway, the markets turned sharply up, and I had a good month this week. College football was a story of coulda-shoulda-woulda for Texas as they lost a squeaker to #1 Alabama. My Sooners had an easy time of it in their game. Riders were hard-pressed in the second half of the home & home with the Bombers as several players were hit by flu, and couldn't even play. C'mon Riders! Jays had a good series against Baltimore to open up some room in their playoff push; they're winning in Texas this weekend. Canadian women won the world championship over USA in a one-goal game—well done! 

Erica writes, "Liam’s home for the weekend. He has an appointment with the doctor and he now has a referral to an allergist. So, we will see where that goes. We are getting back into fall routines, but at the same time planning for a family trip in October with all the boys. We had a good call with the whole family to throw out ideas on things to do. More to come on that later." 

Kristian has settled into the new year/semester at school—grade 11, and is turning 17 next week. Time flies! He has two new special activities. He has an early morning activity at school called musical theatre. They're doing Freaky Friday as their musical. Then, on Thursday nights he has youth group where he has activities with some of the kids he got to know at summer camp. Erin is extra busy at work as her co-worker is reduced to part time while she helps her daughter manage a difficult new baby situation. 

Travis and Joanna keep busy with Ulrich Design. Travis is still struggling to get his new printer to communicate properly with the computer. The pups are recovering well from their neutering. Darby continues to suffer with his leg problem, but we think he's improving. 

And that's enough for this week. 

Solidarity Forever!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown, bringing us into September. We have been enjoying fine weather with a few showers and a couple of breezy days. I've kept busy watering the new lawns, and hoping for successful germination of the newly sown seeds. I have also engaged in more clean-up and trim around the yard, and am planning the next projects in the shop. Wendy has continued her recovery, and is doing well. She resents the forced inactivity, and chafes against the restrictions to her plans. However, she takes some consolation at the prospect of improved health in the near future and over the longer term. I had an appointment with my doctor on Tuesday over my hearing issues. She noted wax build-up in both ears, and has prescribed oil drops each day until next week when I can get them flushed out at her office. We hope this will help. The markets have continued to be troubled over the prospects of severe rate hikes. Strong economic data both sides of the border have exacerbated the issue as we are once again in the time of "Good news is bad news"! Economists here are predicting a soft landing, while USA pundits are calling for the economy to be forced into recession to combat inflation. In any case, it has made for falling markets, and I have, once again, sold out of my speculative holdings. In the world of sports, college football has started and I enjoyed watching the Sooners win their first. Riders play the Bombers tomorrow in the Labour Day game—a tough assignment for the Riders! The Jays are still not playing up to my expectations and are barely hanging on to a playoff spot. Still, they're playing meaningful games in September and that's always a good team goal. In world women's hockey, we'll be playing our arch-rival USA in the gold medal game tomorrow. 

Erica writes, "Eric’s niece, Marina, is here for a visit this weekend. My work gave us an extra day off on Friday—so I have a four-day weekend! I had a talk with the city this week about our back lane that isn’t a lane. We can organize our neighbours to agree with making the lane legal, which might mean some expense, or we can build a storage building with an overhead door. We also have a request in with SaskEnergy to get our gas line marked. That should happen next week. So hopefully we can design an appropriate storage building. We haven’t heard much from the boys." 

Kristian has begun another year of schooling. One of his classes this semester is Construction, so, I can see that I shall soon be unemployed in that regard! Erin has worked through some plumbing issues, thanks to Shawn. Her main floor half bath had developed a leak, but all is well again. 

Travis and Joanna keep busy with the Ulrich Design contracts, with the family and with the pets.

Two Sad Boys!

The boys have been "to the vet to get tutored" as Larson put it! Darby is also suffering with a sore leg, and is on medication for that—hard to see in a pup! 

And that's about enough for this week! 

Developments at Home!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been favourable, and we've settled back into life here. The schedule of our return was to accommodate Wendy's surgery. She had pre-op on Tuesday and surgery on Thursday. She is now in the recovery stage, and is doing very well. She still takes some pain-killers, but at a lower pace than was prescribed for her.

Filling in the low spots

I have spent most of the week working on the lawns. I got a load of topsoil for the front lawn as it had developed some unwelcome contours due to being built on muskeg. I have it level again, but still need to reseed part of it where the added soil is too deep to expect the old grass to grow through. Then, I also scored some sod to fill in the trampoline cut-out in the back lawn. The markets were troubled all week as investors anticipated what the central bankers might do, and what Powell would say in his speech at Jackson Hole on Friday. He spoke for eight minutes and knocked over a trillion dollars out of the stock market on that day alone! Needless to say, it was not a good week for me in the markets! In the world of sports, the Blue Jays came off the road winning series over the Yanks and the Sox. Now, they need to get busy on their home-stand where they just suffered two shutout losses. The Riders beat BC last night—yay Riders! Women's World Hockey is on from Denmark, and Canada is one of the favourites as usual. 

Erica writes, "Liam finished up his work at camp and is back in Caronport. He is planning to spend another year with RU. We are enjoying the last few weeks of summer. I enjoyed a work party out at Elk Ridge and Waskesiu. Eric is enjoying the quiet before the storm. He expects this fall to be busy. We had a quick chat with Haaken and he is doing well, and Greg continues to heal. That’s about it for us." 

Erin and Kristian are closing off summer with a nice break. Kristian is finally home after four weeks at camp this summer. He enjoyed it all a great deal!

The multi-driver!

Erin got some days off this week, so on one of those Kristian took her golfing. He brags that he was able to drive her out to the course without her becoming scared! They rented a cart, so he got to drive to the course, on the course, and also at each hole! They are also preparing for school to start next week. 

Travis and Joanna are quite busy with Ulrich Design business already. Prospects are for a busy year as things return to normal. We hope there are no flies in that ointment! Trav has been working all week on software installs for the new printer. He had to buy a new laptop to accommodate that, and as is often the case, it's more complicated than the sales agent suggests! 

And that's about it for this week. 

Home Again!

Another week has passed and we have migrated from Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies by the Red River on the edge of the prairies to Lake Superior in the Precambrian Shield! The trip went well except for a weather hiccough on Thursday when my proposed golf game got rained out! We drove to Winnipeg on Tuesday, and enjoyed the hosting by Tom & Mariette—very thankful! We were able to have short visits with some other friends in Winnipeg. Then, we completed the trip to Thunder Bay on Friday. We were just in time to help Gemma and Jonas pack up for their trip to BC. We were very glad of the chance to say good-bye and wish them well in their new endeavours. Now, we're engaged in the process of moving back into our own house and yard. Gemma took care of the lawn (actually, Jonas did that!), but we'll need to catch up with the garden and climbing vine—both have been growing exuberantly! The neighbour's shrubs, raspberries and vine are also encroaching on the side of the driveway. We also have surplus items from Gemma to work through. Some of those will be welcomed to our collection of stuff, others will be passed along to Travis/Joanna, and some will be discarded. Investors have been wavering this week as central bankers have responded to the less dire inflation data with reaffirmation of their plans to raise interest rates. Still, I was able to achieve quota once again. In sports, the Riders put up a dismal display against the Lions and were beaten soundly at home—c'mon Riders! The Blue Jays have turned it around a bit, winning four straight to end the week. In the World Junior Hockey, Canada squeaked the gold medal over Finland in OT! 

Erica writes, "Eric got curious this week and decided to take down a small part of the ceiling in the upstairs bathroom. We were hopeful it was just wall board instead of lath and plaster. What we discovered was—it is both! We, also, now know how they made the smooth curved inside corners in the ceiling. The wall board was nailed in place over the corners, creating the curve. I’ve started experimenting more with intermittent fasting with the diet doctor. I’ve added in a few 42-hour fasts. The first longer fast was pretty easy as it was right after the fabulous meal at Mabel Hill. The last two have been more challenging. However after the most recent fast, I had very little pain and stiffness in my hands. (For those who are concerned, I am taking some vitamins and minerals and regularly meet with my diet doctor counsellor to make sure I’m being healthy) I’ve also noticed an improvement in my energy. Liam concludes his work at camp this week. We hope to see him up in PA sometime soon. Haaken is doing fine in BC, still hoping for a positive response to his job application. Greg is continuing to heal out in Kenora. (For those who don’t know, Greg came to live with us when he was 15 and is another son to us.)" 

Kristian enjoyed another week at camp, taking in Creative Week. He declared it was the best of the four weeks he spent at camp this summer.

He likes to draw!

Erin enjoyed having the house and pets to herself, although work was not so trouble-free since her office was short-staffed, and Erin had to keep up with multiple assignments! Good thing she's not just a great employee, but also very clever! 

Joanna is hosting her sister up from Toronto. Travis has purchased another printer after using parts of his oldest printer to repair number two. The new printer basically provides the same functionality as the earlier two, but has a much greater productive capacity. The flood of orders that have begun arriving is keeping them busy, and portends a regular season of business this year. That would certainly be a welcome return to normalcy for them. Andrew is doing better, but has decided not to start college in the fall semester—get well first! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Ready for Home!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. Our time here for this trip is drawing to a close, so we're trying to complete projects, clean up and pack up with the anticipation of heading home next week. Wendy is still working on the basement here at Erin's, but the painting is completed, the ceiling of the main floor has been bleached, and significant progress has been made both on the main floor and the basement. I got out for a final golf game with Dale on Thursday. I didn't golf consistently, so I wasn't happy with that, but I enjoyed the game anyway!

Lookin' Good!

We visited with Dad regularly—he is thriving at Selo Gardens. We enjoyed Thursday evening at Don & Sandra's for coffee and Canora Poppyseed Cake! Today, we celebrated Erin's birthday with cheesecake and another round of golf with Erin and Kristian. The markets were green this week, and I managed a full monthly quota just this week. Apparently, holding the inflation rate flat for the month of July was enough to encourage investors that the central bankers will not be as aggressive with interest rate increases. Thanks Uncle Joe! Year over year inflation remains much too high, so, I'm still expecting harsh rate increases in the near future. In sports the Riders had the bye week, and tonight, they showed the benefit of that as they won an away game in Edmonton. Blue Jays have added some players during the trade window, but have not been performing well lately. 

Erica writes, "I spent the week up in La Ronge and Eric made do on his own. I got some good news of a promotion at work! I’m very thankful. Eric is preaching this week and we are are on for worship team this Sunday, as well. We haven’t heard much from the boys, but they all seem to be doing well. We haven’t heard any news yet on Haaken’s job application so please keep praying for him."

Kristian has been at home this week. He has been helping Grandma with the downstairs work, and taking me for drives to prepare for this driver's test.

Happy Birthday!

Erin is preparing for her birthday by adding a new barbecue and an egg chair to the back deck. Nice! Kristian and I put those new purchases together for her. He's heading back to camp this weekend for Creative Camp Week at Kenosee. 

Okay, what comes next?

Travis and Joanna took an opportunity for a holiday trip to Minneapolis. Looks like they had a good time. Gemma is taking care of the animals and both houses, even as she packs up and prepares to head west. It sounds like Andrew is feeling a bit better. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Another week of Adventure!

Another week has passed, and we have travelled from the shore of the North Saskatchewan in Sherwood Park to the shore of the North Saskatchewan in Prince Albert to the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. As the last weekend turned, we were enjoying a family reunion in Sherwood Park, featuring much visiting and fun, and three rounds of golf! I enjoyed it all immensely thanks to the planning and preparation provided by Scott, Dolly and Tori. Great job, folks! We are already looking forward to the next reunion being considered for Dallas. We closed the weekend with a sloppy round of golf on Monday. The course had endured 35mm of rain on Sunday, and often required a lengthy trek to get out of the casual water. It probably should not have been played on at all, but we matched the course with some sloppy play of our own, and still had a good time! Then, on Tuesday, we drove over to Prince Albert to adjust the front and back gates, only to be greeted by other issues! The city (no fault of the city, thank you very much) had got sand into the water supply, and it had plugged up several lines. It seemed whichever lines that were used first after the sand incident were plugged. So, the upstairs bathroom sink had no water coming out of either the hot or the cold side; and the washer had no supply from the cold side, and limited supply from the hot side. I was able to open up connectors and get the lines cleaned out. Then, I cleaned out the screens, and all were working well when we left. Then, on the drain side, even bigger problems. It's an old house, and we've seen issues with the drain lines before. It seems the plumbers forgot one of the basic rules of plumbing, "It doesn't run up hill!" The upstairs bath sink drain was plugged when they first moved in. Turns out it had drainage capacity about the size of a pencil! So, that's been replaced with a catch bucket! This time it was the kitchen sink that wasn't draining. We suspected the sand may be interfering there, but it turned out it was exacerbated by an uphill drain there, too! We did manage to get it to flow part way, but the old iron part of the line was completely clogged, so I cut it off, only to have the sewage water flow back at us! Yuck, that's not supposed to happen! So, I built a new connection for that into the 4" drain from the main floor bathroom. Now, it's running happily again. The plumbing work was unanticipated, but sorely needed.

I can see some light!

I planned to check the gates I installed last summer, and make adjustments. Both were rubbing a bit, so I adjusted them, and they're swinging freely once again. We had less success on the garage building front. The city claims the back lane that's been in use by the city for over 60 years, is not, in fact, a legal lane! The city says it's property of the lots behind the Bailey house, and they won't give a building permit that involves driving over someone else's property. Stay tuned! On Wednesday night, the Bailey's took us out to eat. It was a meal unlike any I've ever anticipated or experienced—truly fit for a king! I am unable to recall how many courses there were, nor the number of items for each course. It was at a place named Mabel Hill in Nipawin where they focus on farm-to-table menus. I recall wings, ribs, steak, new potatoes, green beans, arugula, many sauces whose names I've forgotten. It ran on for about three hours and was capped off by coffee and two desserts! Wowsers! Thank you, Eric/A—it was certainly an over-the-top experience for us! On Thursday, we drove down to Regina, where we are now hosted by Erin & Kristian. Investors are at a stage where good news is bad news, and thus they responded to the excellent jobs data from the USA by selling stocks, as it raised the fear that the FED would feel free to raise interest rates by 0.75%! So, it was not a good week overall, but the TSX has come in on my charts, so I'm working on a shopping list of stocks to consider next week. The Riders have this week off to lick their wounds; we hope they come out firing next week. The Jays are doing well, and added some players at the trade deadline, so we anticipate their good results will continue. 

Erica writes, "We started out the week in Edmonton at the Ulrich reunion. We made a motorcycle trip of it and clocked over 3000 km. By the end we were able to do up to 2 hours at a time! We made it home on Monday, just in time to get ready for some family. Mom and Dad stopped for a two days and upon their departure our kitchen sink, bathroom sink, washing machine, back fence gate and maybe front fence gate are all fixed. In addition we have started a minor fight with city hall! Imagine what could be accomplished in a week! We also enjoyed a wonderful meal at Mabel Hill in Nipawin. Liam had a specialist appointment this week and found that many of his levels have returned to normal but he still has a lot of inflammation in his bowel. We had a quick chat with Haaken and he has applied for another animation job. We hope he gets it! Please pray for his success. Greg continues his program of healing. He is working on writing a novel and drawing, both of which he enjoys and also help him recover from his brain injuries. We hope and pray for his continued healing." 

Kristian is home from camp this week and next, but then plans for a fourth week at Kenosee for the Creative Camp beginning on the 15th. We plan to begin heading east then, so it works out well. He is at the Exhibition today with the school group for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing. It's nice that they keep sponsoring social events for the crew. Erin has been very busy with monthend accounting after a holiday Monday put them a little behind. Today, she and her mother went shopping for plants and flowers for the back yard and to take inside for the winter. They look good! 

Travis has rebuilt his main speciality printer, so he's up and running once again. Andrew continues to ail, and is a concern for all of us, especially his mother! Gemma is caring for our house and yard, wrapping up her time in Thunder Bay and preparing to move to Vancouver. Busy times for all of them! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Special Days!

Another week has passed and we have continued our wanderings away from our hometown. The weather has been hot, hot, hot in the Okanagan where we spent the early part of the week. It has been more comfortable here in Edmonton where we have ended the week. On Wednesday, we took a 3.5 hour pontoon boat ride on the Okanagan sharing remembrances, sharing the sights that John loved so much, and finally dropping his ashes into the Okanagan. It was a special time for sure. We were able to share it with family and friends, and particularly were delighted to spend some days with dear friends Warren and Evelyn in their Vernon home. After that we turned our wheels north and east for a two-day drive to Edmonton. Eric/A were supposed to ride along with us on their bikes, but they ran into tire troubles north of Kamloops and were a day late getting here. We're enjoying the hospitality of niece and nephew, Dolly & Scott, along with our niece Tori. They are hosting more of the family at a reunion here. The food, fun and activities have been plentiful and meaningful. We capped off today with fireworks and a birthday celebration for Scott and myself. Thanks folks! Eric/A is here with us; and I heard from Erin and Travis & Joanna, so it was a complete family remembrance—thanks. Kristian has been at camp all week as a camper this time. We enjoyed a golf game today, and plan for more over the weekend. The markets continued their upward momentum and I was able to achieve a monthly quota for only the second time this year—it helps! The Blue Jays are playing better, but are not cutting into the Yankee lead at the top of the division. The Riders are not playing well at all—dropping their postponed Sunday game to Toronto, and then dropping another on Friday to the BC Lions. Changes are needed there! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Heading West!

Another week has passed and we have moved west to the shore of the South Saskatchewan River on the western edge of the prairies. We opened the week at Glen Elm in Regina, where I was the featured speaker. Then, we took Kristian down to Kenosee for his second week as Junior Counsellor. We got to meet quite a few old friends there at the camp. Then, we headed back by way of Weyburn, so we could take in a visit with Aunt Ruby. I don't think she knew who we were, but she made a great show of chatting with us anyway!

Dad & Mom's Marker

We stopped by the cemetery where Mom and Dad's marker is. Then, we drove back to Regina. An early storm this week cancelled the Tuesday morning golf, but I was able to get out Thursday with Dale and Garnet—very enjoyable! 

Wendy has completed the painting,

Cat Approved!

I built a planter from the pallet lumber and the scaffolding 2x4s,

Planter from Pallet Wood

and we also cleaned up another couple of projects. Now, we're on our way to Vernon BC. It has been a good week. We've been able to get down to visit with Dad each day. He is doing well. The markets have whipsawed, as has been too common lately, but at least we gained some good value this week, and I'm back on quota for the month. Baseball was off for the All-star game, but the Blue Jays have returned to action with a bang—28-5 over Boston! They also won today! Yay Jays! The Riders have crashed to earth in more ways than one. They lost to Toronto in the Touchdown Atlantic game, and they returned home with 13 players and 5 staff in Covid protocol, with both #1 and #2 QBs sidelined! Their game has been pushed back one day as they expect to get enough players off protocol to field a team tomorrow, however #3 is listed as the starting QB—c'mon Riders! Makes you wonder what it will take for people to take Covid seriously again. We've met plenty of people in the last couple of weeks who seem to be taking no precautions at all, but our hospitals are filling up with the unvaccinated, and "elective" surgeries are back on hold! Sigh! 

Eric and Erica have joined us in Medicine Hat on their trip to Vernon. They are riding their bikes—quite a trip. Today, we met with them in Swift Current, and also with Liam at Maple Creek on our way west. He is recovering from his basketball accident, and continuing to work at camp out there. At least he reports improved health, and for that we are grateful. 

Erin has been hosting us all week while we work on projects at her house. She is glad to see the painting completed, but has ideas for more projects there as well. Kristian has been away at Kenosee all week where he is working as Junior Counsellor. He reports another good week, and is looking forward to two more weeks there as a camper. 

Travis and Joanna are about ready to produce a book on Bringing Up Puppies! It looks like they're having lots of fun with the boys! Andrew had a medical scare, and is currently under doctor's care to determine the cause the remedy for his illness. We anxiously await an update there. 

And that's about it for this week. 

Hot enough for ya?!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. The weather is very hot with frequent thunderstorms from the daytime heating. We had an alarming time early in the week as we came in contact with potential covid infection. I isolated until Tuesday and our contact was able to report seven days clear testing results. Except for that interlude, we have been able to get down to visit Dad each day, and Wendy was able to carefully visit even those days as she had not had the close encounter I had had. I have managed to get out for three golf games, timing them to be through by about 10:00 before it gets uncomfortably hot. The golf went well, and, even better, I was able to walk three games with only one day of recovery between each—encouraging! Wendy has completed two stages of painting, so I have been able to remove all scaffolding now, and she has only the lowest six feet to complete. I am considering what to build with the now-surplus pallets, but first it needs to cool down outside. I have no interest in working outdoors in 35° weather. We got the windshield replaced in our car on Friday. It had one major stone chip, and a lot of pitting. We hope the new one survives our the rest of our trip! I am scheduled for another 6am golf game on Tuesday, and then, we'll need to prepare for our trip west. Investors reawakened their fears of recession as the Bank of Canada raised the prime rate by a full percentage point. The markets lost value this week, and so did I. The Riders lost their game this week to Toronto. It certainly was a winnable game, but a late pick-six proved the difference. Let's go Riders! The Blue Jays have been on a downer, losing 9 of 10 games at one stretch. C'mon Jays! 

Erica writes, "We are starting to get glimpses of the long range weather for our trip to BC. So far it is looking pretty good, if a bit hot, for a motorcycle trip. We have parcelled out our trip into shorter days so we can hopefully avoid the heat of the day and work within the confines of our middle aged bodies! Five hours on a bike is fun, but more then that and my legs turn to jelly! 

With audio chat up to 1.2km—Nice!

We ordered new helmets last weekend and are picking them up today. The bikes have been serviced and new back tires get installed on Monday. The current tires are pretty bald. Unless the weather changes to storms the whole way, we plan to ride out to Vernon over four days for Uncle John’s memorial, and then take two days up to Edmonton for the Ulrich reunion. Liam is still working at the camp near Maple Creek. He has been affected by allergies like his mom and dad. Eric is doing some proofreading for his brother Neil. Haaken got a new bed this week. Greg continues to work on healing."

Erin continues to put us up in her basement—we're liking that. Wendy keeps working on painting and other renovations. The stained ceiling is now stain-free. It's amazing what a bleach spray can do! Kristian has been at camp all week working as a junior counsellor. He reported that the kids behaved well, and most of them sang the group songs. He got back Friday night. He and Erin took me golfing this morning. Very enjoyable! 

Travis, Joanna, Gemma, Andrew and an assortment of animals remain behind in Thunder Bay. We get frequent reports on the progress and misbehaviour of the puppies—what a pair! Gemma cares for our place, and manages our mail. Thanks! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Into the Dog Days!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. I started the week with an appointment for my car to have the A/C looked at. The A/C wasn't functioning this spring, but I did a DIY recharge before we left, and we had a cool trip! Dave & Rich had recommended a local mechanic, so I took it there. He checked it over, pronounced it fit, and never even charged us. He could not find any leak even with the dye in the coolant I used. The weather is heating up, and producing the usual range of uncomfortable days followed by thunderstorms. We are comfortably ensconced in Erin's basement here in the Queen City, and making good progress on her painting assignment! We collected some pallets, salvaged some other lumber, and only had to buy very little materiel. Then, Kristian and I built the scaffolding so Grandma could reach the 18' ceiling in the stairwell. 

Working on the 12' Platform!

Wendy has completed tier 1 on the 12' platform, and, this morning, I reassembled the scaffolding just 6' off the floor. She has begun repair work at that level, and soon will be priming and painting there. At least, with the stairs, the area-to-be-painted is reduced as she descends! 

Tier 2 Work has begun!

I picked the rhubarb at 55 Laird and prepared a crisp. We picked up some soft-serve ice cream from Dairy Queen, and Dad really enjoyed the treat. (We did, too!) I did a repair job on Kristian's bar stool. It's one that we salvaged from the dumpster. It had a broken lower rung, and that appears to have been the issue that got it thrown away. It serves nicely at the island eating bar for him. The markets have been slowly, and not-at-all surely, turning around. I managed to make quota this week, and two of my targets are getting close to my buy-line! The Riders won again this week, this time over Ottawa—yay Riders! The Blue Jays are not flying well at all, as they dropped five straight to fall back, but still in a playoff position. The main issue seems to be injuries to the starting pitching. 

Erica writes, "Liam tested out his Ulrich genes with an attempt at a basketball dunk. Turns out he’s more Bailey than he thought. He sprained his left wrist, but at least did not suffer another break. Good thing, as he is left-handed. Greg is doing some writing with his time off. He trying to write a novel. He gets feedback from beta readers. We hope this is enjoyable for him and helps with his mental rehabilitation. Haaken is doing fine out in BC. I golfed at a Texas Scramble tournament today and enjoyed myself. My team was amused with my game of a 9 iron and putter. But I managed to get a couple of best balls in the short game. So, I feel good about that. We enjoyed a new-to-us restaurant in Nipawin last week. It’s a farm-to-table eatery featuring locally grown food. It was a good time with good friends."

Erin has had a busy week at work, but that has been considerably aided by having an extra vehicle around to attend to some of Kristian's appointments. Kristian and I got out golfing once—fun times for sure! Kristian had medical appointments and a haircut in preparation for his next three weeks at camp. We look forward to hearing how that goes. 

Travis, Joanna and crew are holding down the fort back in Thunder Bay. Gemma is managing our place—thanks. The pupsters keep growing, and, somedays, improving! Today, Trav & Joanna celebrated another Anniversary—Congratulations! 

And that's about it for this week. 

Happy Canada Day!

Another week has passed, and we have migrated to the shore of La Rivière Rouge, and then onto the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. We have established residence here at Erin & Kristian's for the next while. I played nine holes of golf on Monday, my first play of this season. It was not pretty, but I did finally manage one par, and even better I was able to walk, which led to my attempt at 18 holes on Thursday at the Fly-In Club in Steinbach. I was very pleased to manage to walk 18 holes, and I also played better, so a very satisfactory experience. We enjoyed two nights in Winnipeg at Tom & Mariette's place—thanks folks. I was also able to make contact with Dean, Kelly and family. Dean golfed with us on Thursday! I got to catch Cassie's pitching, and was delighted to see how well she is progressing. In summary, we finished our obligations in Thunder Bay on Monday and Tuesday, then headed west on Wednesday, and arrived in the Queen City on Friday! 

Front door from inside

Today, we have started preparing for the renos here. We picked up some pallets to use for the scaffolding so Wendy can paint. Otherwise, I have completed three months now out of the markets except for my dividend stocks, and still I manage to lose money! I surely look forward to when the markets turn upward again. In sports, Colorado finished off Tampa Bay to win the Stanley Cup! The Riders regrouped from the beating by Montreal and returned the favour tonight—Yay Riders! The Jays are struggling with injuries, but are holding up pretty well. 

Erica writes, "Eric’s week at work has been chaotic. They are trying to hire more people, as with summer there are more referrals and no shows and it’s just part of the season. I finished up the week and am ready for a few days of sleep. It has been a busy month and season. I picked up a book on how to learn Danish by reading. So, now that summer has come, maybe I’ll have time to check it out. Haaken, Liam and Greg are all doing fine, celebrating Canada Day across half the country. We celebrated Canada Day with our friends, the Stenskes. It was supposed to be an outdoor BBQ, but it rained. So, we played guitar, uke-banjo and ukuleles around the living room table instead of the fire pit."

Erin and Kristian spent some time getting ready for their summer guests and we're thankful to have a place to settle in comfort. We're enjoying them and their animals! Wendy has started preparations for the painting project here. 

Trav & Joanna, Gemma & Jonas, and Andrew sent us off with a lovely barbecue and pizza supper. Gemma will be in charge of Kensington Manor while we're away. We're certainly glad to have her there. Gemma & Jonas plan to move to Vancouver mid-August. We wish them well! Andrew is working at Superstore and readying himself for school in the Fall. 

And that's about enough for this week.