News Update

Another week has passed, and we find ourselves on the shore of the Fraser River at the home of How and Lady Di—thank you! We began the week in Hemet with Uncle and Aunty. That was a great time of rest and recovery after our sojourn in Mexico.

Uncle, Aunty, Wendy in the wind!

First off, I got to lead the singing on Sunday morning, and we followed that up with a boisterous sing song on Sunday evening—great fun! On Monday, they took us on a tour of the wind farm near Palm Springs—over 2000 windmills producing electricity from the strong winds through the pass.

Over 2000!

It was quite a sight. They also drove us down to the oasis toward the eastern end of that desert; it was amazing to see how the water was seeping up courtesy of the San Andreas fault. We thought about the early travellers who came upon this, and wondered what possessed them to proceed further! On Tuesday, we continued our journey northward. We drove up to San Francisco, enjoying the sights along the way. On Wednesday, we got to drive the crazy approach to Lombard Street, and the even crazier descent down the switchbacks of this steep but beautiful one block of San Francisco.

Crazy Lombard Street!

But beautiful!

We drove across the Golden Gate, but didn't see all of it due to the fog which shrouded the towers.

Golden Gate

We drove up to the redwoods, and even got to drive through one of them.

Coming through!

After driving through it! 

We stopped for the night in southern Oregon. On Thursday, we completed the drive up the interstate to Canada. The traffic was bad, even on the interstate, so we did not make good time, but we cruised into our cousin's place in Chilliwack, ready for more rest and relaxation. Thanks Tony and Lisa! On Friday, cousins Craig and Vicki took us golfing, so that was fun as well. Then, today, we drove up to Yale for the community bbq and celebration featuring Uncle Bordie and cousin Brian and their group of guitar pickers! It's been a fun week! The markets have not been having fun, at least not for me. The FED spoke dovishly, but then more data came out showing US inflation heating up, so investors remain nervous despite expecting the FED to cut rates this month. Baseball had their all-star break, but are now returning to play. Blue Jays are staring at the prospect of 100 losses this season—let's go, Blue Jays, let's play ball! The Riders have this week off, I hope they're using the extra time wisely! I've been severely reprimanded over my comment last week about the "first place" Calgary Stampeders! I'm still dealing with all the Blue and Gold bruises inflicted by an irate Bomber fan! So, it is only due that I recognize the Bombers continue their undefeated season. I only hope it doesn't carry on through the Labour Day classic and the Banjo Bowl! Go Riders, Go! 

Erica writes: "Haaken finished up his animation class and now has just one class left, which will wrap up next week. We are travelling out to Victoria on Thursday to attend his culminating activity. The college doesn’t have a formal convocation ceremony. Rather they have a presentation of the students’ work on Friday evening. We are looking forward to that. He is waiting to hear on a job, so please pray for that. We are hopeful that God has a good place for him to use his gifts, and make a living. Things are winding up at my work so it’s been quieter and I was able to take Friday off. It was nice! I managed to do some more scraping on the front posts. We are pricing out the cost of replacing the handrail and spindles. The wood isn’t in bad shape, but there are some rough edges on the handrail. Eric got some sanding done on the back room upstairs. We are getting close to ready to apply another layer of mud. Eric’s mom is planning a visit in August and so we are hoping to get it painted—we shall see! Liam continues with the Tunnels of Moose Jaw."

Kristian spent the week at Kenosee for camp. He reports enjoying it immensely, and is looking forward to the next session of teenage camp. They've also been able to get him scheduled for an appointment with the hearing specialist next week, and he's also preparing for cast #3 on his broken arm. We hope all that goes well.

Joanna is currently down with family in southern Ontario. Otherwise, we've not heard much from Thunder Bay.

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

This week begins on the shore of the Pacific Ocean in Ensenada MX. The climate is mild here down by the ocean, but unfortunately, we're spending the week inland at Ojos Negros where the temperature soars in the upper 30's most days—we're not used to that, and we don't like it! The bigger crew from Canada is arriving, and we're meeting them down at the Ocean, and guiding them up through the amazing, rock-strewn hills into Wine & Cheese country, although truly we are surrounded by massive irrigated fields of peppers, chilis, jalapeños and the like.

Ojos Negros-Rocky Hills

They use drip irrigation on well-hilled rows of the plants that run on for miles. The workers, our clients, are out daily performing the manual tasks of weeding, staking and supporting the plants. Some mechanical support is used as tractors straddle the rows to improve the hilling. Our crew is assigned to the task of building a new classroom/office structure, refurbishing a two-classroom building we installed here some years ago, repairing a roof that had been installed, badly, by others, and generally sprucing things up.

New Classroom/Office for Ojos Negros

Wendy had begun the painting last week. She kept that process going with the new siding materials, while also repainting the older building, and keeping all the equipment cleaned and in good operating condition. This calls for long days in the direct sun with primer and paint setting up way too quickly in brushes and rollers.

Looking Good!

Wendy fell ill during the week and is currently receiving a regime of injections. Apparently, I get the joy of administering the final shot—bottoms up! I spend most of my time on a school system tour. I am assigned to analyze the situation here and make recommendations for improvements. I am finding some good establishments, and a lot of ramshackle situations. The dilapidation includes both the buildings and the systems being used. Nearly all locations suffer from the degradation of time and the depredations of vandalism and theft. Some locales depress us with their dysfunction, but most seem to be trying to make a positive difference in the lives and futures of their children. One is exemplary, but due to its site, on the side of a mountain, it's not even a place where we have the technology to build. We press the educational authorities to allocate them more, or better land to expand their school. As ever, I find that good principals assemble the resources to provide a good educational situation, while poor, vision-less leaders wallow in poor-old-me hopelessness. It's more than a little depressing. I also take some time to complete work on the construction of roof trusses at the beginning of the week, and struggle with drywall, taping and mudding toward the end. On Thursday, we celebrated our 49th Anniversary, and were feted with a cake!

49th Anniversary Cake

Friday evening we had a celebratory supper in Ojos Negros. On Saturday, we braved the US border: 4 hours, 45 minutes in line; 45 seconds to clear, sigh! That was complicated by an untimely visitation from Montezuma's Revenge! Finally, we got back to Hemet, and the comfort of Rob & Sharon's home—thanks! The holidays impacted the markets with lower than expected volumes, but the bigger story toward the end of the week was the strong jobs data out of the US. This puts the lie to the need for rate cuts. Investors who have been pining for the artificial sweetener of rate cuts fled the market on Friday. I have not been able to follow sports action much for my favourite teams, but I did take note of the Riders big win in their home-opener on Canada Day! They hosted  first place Calgary this evening as the underdogs at home. They put up a good fight for the first three quarters, but they were not up to the task—Go Riders, Go! 

Eric and Erica enjoyed the holiday Monday quietly in PA. Their small group got together for BBQ and a bit of rain! They missed some of the excitement—a tree across the way was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. Wow! But still, they got tired and retired to bed before enjoying the fireworks. They must be getting old! Liam is back in Moose Jaw this week with work. Haaken continues applying for jobs. He had had some initial interest from a studio, but we don’t know much as he had to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement. But he does have to do some testing so we will see. Please pray for his success. Eric/A are preparing for a trip to Victoria to take in Haaken's project presentation and his graduation. 

Kristian got his new fibreglass cast on Thursday.

Green, but not enough to help the Riders!

It still precludes pool/swimming activities and he's off to camp next week! More troubling is his hearing loss in his right ear. At this point, we don't know whether it relates to actual hearing loss due to his head injury, or whether it is some other factor. He reports his ear mould is not fitting properly subsequent to the accident. 

Trav, Joanna and crew are managing things in TBay. Travis reports harvesting the lawns, and getting a good yield! Gemma is working three jobs currently, and Andrew, after completing his graduation, is also working for the summer. 

And that's about enough for now. 

News Update

This week begins on the shore of the Colorado River, on the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

Grand Canyon-Spectacular!

It is a spectacular sight which we're seeing for the first time. We spend the day at the Canyon, and then retire to Williams AZ for the night. On Monday we drove to California. It showed 41° as we drove across the desert, and we were certainly glad to have the AC in good working order. We actually caught up with Rob, Sharon, Tony & Lisa as the Palm Springs airport; we look forward to visiting with Tony & Lisa when we get back to Canada. Rob & Sharon toured us around Hemet, including the 25th Anniversary re-release of Forrest Gump! Thank you dear Aunt and Uncle! We look forward to getting back to Hemet next Saturday. After some rest, and a lot of conversation, we headed south on Wednesday. We met our contacts at the San Diego airport, and then followed them south into Mexico and finally to Ojos Negros.

Rocky Hills near Ojos Negros

Thursday saw us back and forth to Ensenada, picking up groceries and supplies. Friday and Saturday, we were working at the site. Wendy took charge of the painting area, and I worked on construction of the roof trusses and the gable ends.

Priming all the wall panels

The heat was oppressive and we both took a little too much sun as well, but excellent progress was made and we're ready for the bigger team to arrive tomorrow (Sunday). 

Eric and Erica closed off this week in Regina. Eric had a conference on single session therapy where he learned to fix all your problems in 60 minutes or less. This reminds me of a Bob Newhart sketch, “Stop it!” Anyway, they made a weekend of it, visiting with Erin and Kristian. Liam was off work and Kristian was off school so they took in a tour of Stonehall Castle - the only medieval castle in Canada. The building is circa 1920’s, but the current owner has spent 13 years and millions of dollars to renovate it into a 1620’s castle. They all enjoyed the tour! Haaken has applied for a few more jobs including one in Victoria. Eric/A will travel out there in a few weeks to see a presentation of his work and figure out where he will go from there. Please pray for guidance and for the right job for Haaken. He heard that the studio in Kelowna is interested. They are going to have him do some testing to see if he is a good fit for them. He will hear more this week. So pray that this process goes well for him.

Kristian is holding up as his arm heals. We look forward to hearing of progress on that. It seems their neighbour across the back lawn has moved, so that may improve their yard usage depending on what the new occupants are like. Of course they also had the pleasure of hosting the Baileys toward the end of the week.

Travis and Joanna are holding down the fort in Thunder Bay. They celebrated with Andrew as he graduated from high school. Congratulations Andrew! Congratulations all of you! Joanna proved her heart and worth as she intervened in the aid and rescue of a women who fell and broke her leg at an event they were attending. Yay Joanna!

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed and taken us farther from home! Tonight we're in Albuquerque, so we need to remember to avoid that left turn! We began the week in Lawrence KS where we enjoyed the excellent BnB of Aunt Helen, and the company of friends and family. Thank you! On Tuesday, we drove down to Stillwater OK where we enjoyed the hospitality of Jack & Joanne, and Steve & Jenny—thank you all! I got to take his 1946 Harley for a short cruise–I've never even seen a motorcycle with a hand shifter before! It was a bit of strange on the weight and balance as well! I also got to take my best girl for a drive in both a '29 Ford and a '35 Chev.

1929 Ford Model A

Both vehicles were a delight to drive around a few blocks. Of course, we got in lots of reminiscing about Zambia, and were able to solve all the problems there once again!! They had suffered a loss, as Jack's brother recently passed away, so we shared condolences as well. On Thursday, we drove over Okeene OK and reconnected with part of the Calder family who we also know from Zambia. Rod is currently away in South Africa, but Sue and Josh were there, so we caught up with them, and remembered many shared memories and made a few more! Thank you for your kindnesses. This morning we enjoyed breakfast, and then got back on the road west.

Got to drive on Route 66!

I missed one turn, so we put on a few extra clicks, but still made good time and rolled into Albuquerque in time for a nice supper. It's been a rich week, and although the markets teetered over news from the middle east, I managed a good week and made quota. The Jays have managed to win a couple of games—from Boston no less! Yay Jays! The Riders played in Ottawa behind their backup QB. Their QB is looking at several weeks to overcome the headshot from game 1. Anyway, the offence played very well, but the defence was sorely deficient and they lost again. Let's go Riders! 

The Bailey's got their roof rebuilt and re-shingled just in time for the rain.

New Shingles brought Rain!

There were quite a few boards that needed to be replaced once they got the old shingles off. It sounds like it was a good thing they got it done this year. Now they just need to pay the bill—yikes! Erica had a meeting in Regina and was able to swing by Moose Jaw on the way home and have a visit with Liam. He is living the life of a paid actor! Next weekend he has training to become a paid camp worker. Haaken has applied for a few more jobs. Some places indicate they are interested in diversity and hiring individuals with disabilities so they have been talking about how to accomplish that.

Kristian had a crash and burn week. He fell at school, breaking his radius and bending his ulna. So, he's in a plaster cast for a couple of weeks and then they hope to switch to the lighter fireglass version. He's been quite a trooper through all this.

Tough break, buddy!

Papa and Uncle Dave signed the cast!

The big event of the week, probably the year, in Thunder Bay was Joanna's birthday celebration. We managed an early occasion to mark the event, but it was official this week as she celebrated the 20th anniversary of her 30th Birthday! Congrats all around!

Happy Birthday!

And that's about enough for this week. 

Happy Father's Day!

Another week has passed and we've begun our early summer tour of western North America. We left Thunder Bay on Thursday, and are now on the flooding shores of the Missouri River in Lawrence, Kansas. But there's a bit of a story to that transition. First off, we completed a few more kitchen renovations, so the island is all ready except for the counter top. 

Island—also Barn Door in background.

Then, we put things away, including the live trap—it'd be hard to call it a "live trap" if we were leaving the poor critter to starve! Wendy got one last car wash, and we headed out on Thursday morning. Our trip has not gone as expected. Our first surprise was as the weather warmed up and we put on the AC—no cool! That was not cool! We're getting that fixed here in Lawrence, to the tune of $200 or so! Wendy had booked us in to a bnb in Minneapolis, but that didn't turn out as expected. We arrived at the location to discover that the owner was not there. Fortunately, another guest just happened to be in the house, so he, somewhat reluctantly, let us in. Turns out he's a student who has travelled from Germany to meet his internet girlfriend. He was a nice young man, and, for sure, saved our day. The bnb had promised to send us an email with the check-in instructions—that never happened. The bnb had promised to provide a fully stocked kitchen and fridge for all our eating needs—that did not happen. The bnb had boasted, "No mobile service—no problem!" Turns out that was incorrect as well. We finally found his phone number, and began making inquiries. "Oh, the food? Yeah, I've cancelled that offer." Not a good surprise. "Oh, towels? Yeah, I'll be right over with those." He finally put some wet towels in the dryer at 4am, but since the dryer was so overloaded, they were not dry in the morning, sigh! "Oh, and breakfast? No, that's not provided either." Puts quite a different colour on bnb! "Oh, TP? There should be TP." Yes, I agreed there should be TP, but there wasn't. We ate out that evening, and bought groceries for breakfast. Somehow, he forgot to offer reimbursement for that as well. On Friday, we headed south again. Wendy used her trusty GasBuddy app to find us a deal on fuel. Hey, it was only 50 km off our course, but at least it was west, so we could then head straight south to Lawrence, right? Wrong! All the roads took us back to Kansas City! The result was we saved $2.40 on Fuel, and spent $2.25 on tolls! But hey, fuel for $2.09 a gallon is pretty good! And, best of all, we arrived at a superior bnb here in Lawrence—meals, towels, TP, everything! Thank you, Aunt Helen! Today, I went golfing with Larry. The regular course I've been golfing here for years has had some great upgrades. It was a nice experience. I turned in 93 for my first game of the year. The markets have returned to troubled. The world economy is suffering a lot under Trump's trade wars, and the US economy is pulling back as well as his tariffs really bite the US consumer. I managed a green week, but not up to quota. A bigger prize was from my dear children who provided me a bench sander for Father's Day. I've long wanted one, even tried to buy one on line (but that's another story!), and now I have one!

Producing dust like never before!

A couple of sports seasons have come to an end. I was delighted to see St Louis Blues win the Stanley Cup, and the Toronto Raptors win the NBA championship. The Blue Jays continue their mostly sad-sack season, but now, the football season has begun! The Riders lost their first game in Hamilton, but more ominously, lost their QB to a headshot on the third play of the game. Go Riders! 

"Eric is playing love the rainy nights on his iPhone. It’s a rainy day here in PA, but we got out to enjoy the street fair anyway. We stopped by a local women’s clothing store and I was pleasantly surprised to find a couple of items that fit me and were on sale! Bonus! (Yes, Dad, another new outfit.) Eric also got a new rain coat as the one he was wearing had a big hole in the side and we found one half price. Liam had an interview and received an offer to work at The Quest camp in August and his employer in Moose Jaw has granted him a leave so he can accept. Haaken continues to work on his portfolio. He has applied to two jobs and is preparing to apply for a third. He would appreciate prayers for his job search."

Erin and Kristian had a good week in Regina. Kristian had a sleepover at Omarion's, and got to hold the new baby sister, Ariana.

with Ariana

He had a PD day on Friday, so no classes that day. The school year is definitely playing out at this point.

Trav and Joanna bought a new pergola for their back deck. They had an assembly party, and have it all in place with their deck sofa. 

Mmmm, comfy!

Makes for a very comfortable set up there. Their new cockatiel seems to be settling in well. 

Dr. Bunsen

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

It's been a week of beautiful weather here on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. Today hit 30°, and that's where I draw the line—just getting too hot! I've managed to get out to the golf course a couple of times, but it seems I'm just getting older, not better! I took some time for a bit of a diversion this week and got the old Cougar out. That's always fun!

Took my best girl out for ice cream!

I've pretty much got the garage cleaned for now, and have returned to work on the renovations and a couple of woodworking projects. With the expected sunny days, I watered my dandelions, and am expecting a good kill rate. The critter has not been back, so the trap sits in place, unoccupied. I'll have to put it away when we head south next week. Wendy has been pushing hard on the kitchen. She has moved a lot of stuff back into the cupboards, and also unpacked other stuff that has been waiting in storage downstairs. She has been working on the painting, staining, and finishing. It's really looking great in the new kitchen.

I like how this is turning out!

I expect we'll wait until after our summer trip to get the countertop for the island; in the meanwhile, a couple of countertop remnants make it quite serviceable. Tonight we were out for a musical event featuring the women's barbershop chorus and other local musical talent—it was very well done. Trump has been traveling this week, but he's still launched a few broadside tweets. However, GOP senators have been expressing some resistance to his tariff wars, and that seems to have brought some moderation, so we had a good week on the markets. Friday was more poor economic news in the US as the jobs report was dismal. However, it's at the point where bad news is good news for the market, as it is seen as assuring the FED will push a rate cut to try to moderate the damage. This weekend, he dropped his tariff threats against Mexican goods, so we look forward to starting next week positively as well. The NHL playoffs are nearing their conclusion, and the Blues are ahead 3-2, with game six in St Louis tomorrow. Raptors are a surprising 3-1 leader in the NBA finals; I hope they finish that off in Toronto on Monday. Blue Jays continue to play sub-par baseball. The young guys show signs of potential, but also signs of inexperience. 

Erica has a date for her Telehealth session. It's set for 7pm, June 20th. She'll be explaining her Lipedema journey to people across Saskatchewan. We pray that this will be successful in getting a good attendance, and that it will help more women who are dealing with this disease. Eric/A have started to settle into a more casual pace as their busy seasons come to an end. They have begun scraping 100 years of paint from the front deck pillars. They hope to have them ready for painting by the time the paint sales come on in mid-June.

Paint Prep in PA

Liam continues to work in Moose Jaw. He is also considering working up at Quest Camp for August. Haaken is in his final term at Victoria College. He is getting his portfolio together to apply for animation jobs. We pray for a workplace for him where he can use his gift, and where people have an understanding of autism. 

Erin and Kristian have enjoyed a quieter week. Work was still really busy for Erin because they're currently short-staffed with Gayle away. Erin has had to learn some new stuff like how to post fleet sales to rental companies. Kristian is preparing a presentation on Golf for his class at school. He has grandly titled it Everything about Golf—I wish I could attend and get that information myself! Kristian also got to go swimming and to the Lawson Fieldhouse. End of year activities have already started. 

Travis and Joanna are looking at the purchase of a cockatoo. They plan to pick it up tomorrow. It is even bigger than Beaker—woe is me, and my toes! They have also been working on enhancements to their house and yard. They've installed a small set of patio blocks so they could move their barbecue down to the lawn, thus freeing up some deck space. They're also thinking about getting a pergola to provide some additional privacy. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been beautiful, and I've got out to practice golf three days. Wendy has continued work on the island, and has chosen the shade of teal for the main colour. We haven't bought the countertop for that, so I applied some of our old counter as a temporary measure and as a test case so we can check on sizes for the eating bar part.

Checking out Island Options

I have continued work in the garage; that's progressing as well. I even had the Cougar running today! We've had some company this week as Bram has graduated from the University. May and Rose stayed with us for a couple of nights. May and Bram were here for supper last night, before they headed west early this morning. Lloyd and Pam were over for supper this evening, and we expect them for church tomorrow. Hay-fever season has arrived for me, and I didn't anticipate it properly, and my Reactine has not caught up with it yet. The losing period for the markets has extended to a sixth week as Trump opened a new trade war with Mexico. As a result, May has been a write-off, and I've even fallen behind my planned pace for the year-to-date. The preseason has begun in football, and the Riders dropped their opener in Calgary. Baseball season continues; the Blue Jays provide entertainment, but not many wins. Stanley Cup final continues; the Bruins won tonight to take a 2-1 lead. I'm even paying a bit of attention to the NBA these days as the Toronto Raptors are playing in the final series.

Eric’s office has been experiencing some turmoil as one of their counsellors is diagnosed with cancer. He would appreciate your prayers for Marlene. On the upside, Eric got some sanding done on the back room. He installed (stuck it in the window) the air conditioner so they can sleep in comfort! Liam informs us that he is dating a girl from Briercrest. I’m not sure why he thinks he is allowed to date as he hasn’t reached 30 yet. Haaken has been posting some of his work on an art site linked to his LinkedIn account. So if you are Linked In with him you can see it. Otherwise check out haakenbailey.artstation.com. June is Lipedema month and the newly formed association is working on possibly doing a webcast! Erica may be sharing her story across Saskatchewan. We’ll let you know more once plans are finalized.

Erin has had a busy and difficult week as a co-worker lost her father and has been off work. She was already covering for her boss who is also away! Then, she got a call from Kristian's teacher that he has not been working up to expectations. She's hoping for a relaxation-break this weekend. Today, they went to Mosaic with Shawn and the kids. They were able to visit the pavilions of Scotland, Africa, China, Ukraine, Hungary, Philippines and Greece, but then Kristian ran out of energy. Still, it was a good day. Kristian also seems to be stuffed up from seasonal allergies.

Trav and Joanna have been working over here several days. Joanna is suffering with seasonal hay-fever as well, and she is not getting the relief she needs through her medications.

That's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been nice, with frequent showers, and a couple of thunderstorms. We've been making steady progress on the building of the island. Wendy has not been feeling well most of the week, but she's kept at the painting while I've been building the legs out of the oak flooring. I've also been working on improvements in the shop. Now that I have a good shop vac, I want to use it as the centre of a dust collection system. We finally moved the china cabinet (built by her dad) from our bedroom to its honoured location in the dining room.

It has finally arrived!

Wendy is unpacking stuff unseen since 2000, and she's moved some of those items into the china cabinet. The Trump Trade War (so easy to win—sigh!) continues to take its toll, and the DOW is on a losing streak not seen since 2011. We don't make much progress when things are going badly for our biggest trading partner, so I'm feeling the pain as well. In sports, the NHL playoffs have finally reached the ultimate series with the Blues taking on the favoured Bruins. I will certainly be cheering for the Blues! The Jays continue to exhibit the blues and took a terrible beating today!

Haaken reports that he finished a project for his drawing class. He is nearing completion for one of the projects he is doing for his animation class. Today, he learned how to do live-streams. Eric joined Erica on a trip up north for work. They encounter four bears on the trip; sadly, one appeared to have been hit by a vehicle.

Didn't appear to be hitch-hiking!

Eric's parents used to live in Beauval so Eric enjoyed looking over old haunts. They stayed overnight in La Ronge, and will head back home this weekend. Liam has been fighting a cold, on top of his regular illness, but he soldiers on.

Erin has been working on summer plans for Kristian. She has him set up for camp at Clearview, and also for a golf camp in Regina. I'm looking forward to taking in the latter with him. She located some pallets for me—I should be able to build a house!

Much pallets for many years! 

Travis had a minor disaster with the support files for his BucketDecals website, so he's put in quite a few hours working on repairing that. Joanna keeps busy, and has also been suffering with her seasonal allergies. We've enjoyed a couple of prolonged visits, all the same, so that's been good. Gemma has completed her semester, and is on to her summer work activities. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

Happy May Long!

Another week has passed, and we're enjoying May Long on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown! The weather has been nice. We've made good progress on the kitchen renovations. It's looking good so far. 

So far, so good! 

Wendy has begun work on the island that will be placed just under that trio of lights. She is also in the process of assessing the kitchen supplies currently in the spare bedroom, and returning some of it to the new cupboards.

Time to move the pantry

It's been quite a process, but we're in the end game now. The old shop vac died this week, but Wendy found a used one on-line that fills the role admirably. On Tuesday, my trap sprang into action, and we caught a skunk. I had designed it in compact size with the idea that a skunk would be unable to spray. Whether the design worked, I cannot say, but at least the skunk did not spray. We hauled him out of town and released him where we hope he'll stay!

A full trap into the truck

Away he goes to his new home!

The trap is back in place. My main purpose is to catch a groundhog which comes by once every few weeks, and does a lot of digging around the back of my garage. I have been working my way through my cohort of doctors since we returned home. This is now pretty much completed except for one follow-up with my oncologist. Blood work has come back with all good results except for my PSA, which remains high, and which keeps me going back to my oncologist. This week, I was to my optometrist; sadly, he had a concerning diagnosis: I am suffering with a corneal pannus in my right eye. This is a condition where blood vessels grow in and obscure vision. He is referring me to another eye specialist, so we'll see what comes of that. At this point, I'm experiencing blurry vision in that eye, and there's no expectation of improvement. Trump was back in action this week with new tariffs for the American people to pay. The farm community is suffering a lot over this. Later in the week, he also launched action against Huawei, which causes great suffering to American chip manufacturers. All told, the markets suffered this week, and I barely managed to eke out a gain, far short of quota. NHL semi-finals continue, with the Bruins already advancing to the final. I can only hope that the Blues will prevail and give me someone to cheer for! Fact is, I'll cheer for whoever plays the Bruins. Blue Jays continue to play entertaining, if unsuccessful, baseball.

Last weekend Eric and Erica attended Lobsterfest—a local fundraiser dinner. It was Eric’s lucky night. He won a $25 gift card, a 45-piece ratchet set, a battery booster and an electric scooter. Guess which of these Eric played with first—the scooter!

Eric scored the big win!

They took in the Raiders game on Sunday night. That didn’t appear to be helpful so they stayed home to watch on Monday and they pulled through to win the WHL championship and advance to the Memorial Cup. Liam is back at work in Moose Jaw. He’s enjoying doing the tours. If you have a chance, check out the tours of Moose Jaw! Haaken continues with school. They found out this week that there will be a presentation evening on July 19th, not the 22nd as previously thought. So they are adjusting their summer plans accordingly.

Erin had a jam-backed week at work with several special events. Shawn and the kids came over to spend Friday evening with Kristian while Erin was at another executive-level function. Today, she is suffering with a wrenched neck, and is on Advil and using an icepack.

Trav and Joanna had a bit more of a laid-back week including a day-trip down to Grand Marais. We didn't see them over here much, but we're looking forward to brunching with them tomorrow after church.

And that's about enough for this week. 

Happy Mothers' Day!

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has been nice, but we've been mainly consumed with the kitchen renovations, so, we haven't even made it to the golf course—misplaced priorities, you say?! The counter tops arrived on Thursday; we got those put together and installed on Friday. Today, we dropped in the sink.

Counter Sink! 

Wendy even has some of her kitchen stuff moved from the bedrooms into the cupboards! I'm enjoying getting back into the shop where I completed the live varmint trap.

Not even catching attention!

I've begun work on the decorative oak trim for second electrical bulkhead. Wendy has decided on the design of the island, so I've also begun planning what needs to be done there. (With enough time spent thinking, imagining, designing and planning, you can delay having to do the work for quite some time!) Today, we enjoyed our annual Mothers Day weekend event as the local barber-shoppers put on their musical show—that's always quite a treat. Unfortunately, Trump has resumed his tariff war, so the markets were decidedly terrible this week, and I lost value. He still refuses to acknowledge that tariffs are taxes your own citizens must pay so they can buy foreign goods, sigh! The second round of Stanley Cup playoffs have been completed, and I've improved my record to 50% for this round! In the semis, I'm picking the Canes and the Blues. The Blue Jays are back to playing about how I expected—the pitching is doing fine, but most games we're failing to score. At the World Cup of curling in Beijing, Canada has qualified for all three gold medal games. Kevin Koe will play China; Jennifer Jones will play Switzerland; and the Walker/Muyres team will play Norway. Go Canada Go! And since tomorrow in China is already well underway, I'm proud to acknowledge that Kevin Koe has won the Men's World Cup for Canada! Jennifer Jones has won the Women's World Cup for Canada! While Norway prevailed in the Mixed Doubles.

The Baileys had a busy week. Liam had his iron infusion. We were praying that he wouldn’t get sick like last time and he felt fine after! Great! He headed back to Moose Jaw on Tuesday and started practises for the Chinese workers tour. He has a lot of memorizing to do. On Monday, Erica was working on a project on Saskatoon, Eric had a meeting there, and Liam has his infusion so they had a mini holiday at the hotel! Eric has been preparing a sermon for Mother’s Day. Also they managed to score some tickets for the Raiders game on Sunday! The Raiders are playing in the WHL final this year—Go Raiders!

Erin and Kristian began the week hosting Kristian's friend Omarion for his birthday celebration. Otherwise, the week has been pretty routine.

Trav has been doing his annual Mothers Day flower deliveries this weekend. That started on Thursday! He's amazed at how many folks order delivery, but have neither house numbers nor working doorbells! We seem to be planning a Mothers Day movie outing with them for Sunday. Rumours are it will include a trip to Merla Maes for the first soft ice cream treats of the season!

And that's enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather cleared in front of us as we drove east from Regina. We spent Sunday night with Dean, in Winnipeg, and then completed the trip on Monday. We were able to review the Mexico plans with Dean one more time, and are beginning to look forward to that trip which is set to begin in mid-June. In the meantime, we have returned to our renovations here, and that continues to progress, albeit slowly. The weather has turned nice, and the golf courses have opened, so we were able to get over to the practice area this afternoon for some fun activity.

First Golfing in TBay this season

My friendly neighbourhood groundhog paid us another visit while we were away, and tried to dig his way under the garage. I have employed a fair number of concrete slabs to slow him down! In any case, I have determined to build a box trap for him, so I spent a bit of time on that this week. I've also managed a bit of millwork in the kitchen—with the cupboards taking up most of the wall-space, there isn't much millwork to do. The markets were troubled this week as the FED chair got in front of the mic and said things investors didn't want to hear. But favourable jobs' data turned things upward again, and I was able to make quota. The second round of NHL playoffs continues, and already one of my picks has been swept away. (Sorry, Islanders, I know you asked me not to pick you!) The young Blue Jays are playing a bit better than I expected, so that's fun to watch. My guy, Kevin Koe, lost the Champions Cup final to Bottcher. Looks like it will be quite a battle in Alberta between those teams for the next few seasons.

Erica reports that it's been a busy week at work! Yes, April 30th has come and gone, but when all your clients are non-profit, the tax deadline means nothing! And when you have a bunch of government entities, the business has just started! Eric was scheduled to speak next week, but found out late this week that the conference has been cancelled. That's too bad, but due to various advertising, he is making connections and might end up with other speaking engagements. (If anyone needs a last minute replacement, he has a fresh talk all ready to go!) Liam is heading home this weekend for a visit, and to get a iron transfusion on Monday. We hope this helps his energy and doesn't make him sick like last time. They had a good visit with Haaken last weekend. On Monday they were able to take him to school and pick him up after to get in a few more minutes before they left Victoria Monday evening. They also enjoyed a second Christmas this week as the snow fell! Fortunately it has quickly melted.

Kristian is back to school this week. Erin has work as usual. This weekend, they're hosting Omarion and helping him celebrate his birthday with a movie and a sleepover. After the storm blew through last weekend, Spring has returned to the prairies, and they are glad of that.

Travis and Joanna enjoyed the week in Florida, caring for and relishing time with Joanna's folks. Her dad is not doing well, so these are bitter-sweet times. They flew back to Toronto this evening, and we're expecting them back home tomorrow. Andrew has been taking care of things here at home, while Gemma was taking care of the grandparents' dog, in Toronto.

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed and we remain on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. The weather has been beautiful and we've been out golfing a couple of days (okay, three, I went out three days!). I got my first lessons in jointing and planing, and was able to assemble a tabletop for my upcoming TV Table—thanks, Dad! It's been a good week. Even the markets, while shaky, cooperated enough to keep me on quota. We got Erin's planter established, so that's ready for her when she's ready to plant. Wendy applied some finish, so it looks great.

Planter and Trellis

Erin took Tuesday off work, so she came golfing with us that day. We played Joanne Goulet—Kristian's first effort on a regular golf course. All reported it as great fun, and Erin even picked up a lovely sunburn! On Friday, we drove up to Saskatoon to sup with the Baileys before they flew west. Kristian travelled along with us, but remarked that it was quite a lot of driving just to go out for a meal! The Champions Cup is being contested in Saskatoon this weekend. Kevin Koe has, once again, qualified for the playoffs. That competition will end tomorrow with Koe facing his young Alberta rival, Bottcher, once again for the championship. The first round of the NHL playoffs is over, and most of my picks suffered ignominious defeat! Although three teams called to request that I not pick them in the second round–here are my round two picks: Islanders and Blue Jackets in the east; Blues and Avs in the west.

Eric & Erica flew out to Victoria early Saturday morning to visit family out there, and catch up with Haaken. Liam is doing well, but not talking to the rest of the family until they see the new movie: Avengers End Game, so as to not share any spoilers! They plan to see it on Sunday—then, they can speak again, whew!

In flight entertainment, anyone?!

The Victoria Baileys are hosting! 

Erin and Kristian have been taking care of us all week—thanks guys!

First game of the season!

Travis & Joanna have flown to Florida with her folks to assist them with their vacation stay down there. While they were away their family suffered a loss with the passing of their conure, Beaker. "Today, our family said good-bye to our beloved feather-baby, Beaker. Beaker loved getting neck scritches, falling asleep on her humans, terrorizing the dog, and eating cheezies. We miss you, Beaker."

Beaker in better days!

So, in summary: Erica and crew are in Victoria; Trav and crew are in Miami; while we are making do in Regina with Erin and Kristian under the threat of a snowstorm!

That's more than enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown, but we are not there! We are now on the shore of the Assiniboine River in Brandon, where we are enjoying the hospitality of Bonnie and Charlie—thanks folks! We are on our way to Regina, planning to spend the next week with Erin and Kristian while visiting in Saskatchewan. Before packing up, we did manage to do some further work on our kitchen renovation project, so, slowly, slowly, it is nearing completion. We have finished the kitchen/dining room floor, and have begun installing the upper cabinets. I completed the oak trim on the one bulkhead—the other will be another level of difficulty higher since I have to trim all four sides.

Glue Up

Installed

Wendy did a great job on the ceiling so this will trim it out nicely. From my salvaged pallet material, I built a nice set of folding sawhorses so Wendy can do her sanding and refinishing on the sliding door.

Folding Sawhorses

I also built a planter for Erin so we could bring it along to Regina in time for gardening season.

Planter

I completed my Spanish class, and got my marks—91%! I'm pleased, but really, I've just scratched the surface on learning the language. The markets continued to fluctuate, but the TSX got to a new record high, finally climbing beyond the level it has attained in January 2018, so it's been a pretty difficult time in the intervening year plus. Anyway, I had another good week. Kevin Koe lost another final, this time to Brendon Bottcher in the Players Championship. There is one more event in the curling calendar, the Champions Cup in Saskatoon. My NHL bracket has been demolished as so many of my picks have failed to advance. I'll have to pick up the pieces and make some picks for round two. 

The Baileys are enjoying the prospect of a long weekend. Their friend, Tanis, is visiting from Kenora. They enjoyed a hike at Waskesiu. Liam is on tour with his RU team; he seeks prayers for improved health. Haaken is starting to explore job opportunities. Several studios are hiring for numerous positions in Victoria, Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa. We pray there is a great job and studio that is just the right place for Haaken to share his gifts.

Kristian and Erin are enjoying Easter Weekend with Shawn and crew. Kristian is looking forward to a week off school, and the chance to catch up on his math homework! We're looking forward to helping both of them enjoy next week. 

Travis and Joanna have cleared up several jobs as they prepare for some time away as well. We hope their trip and family time will go well. Gemma has completed her exams and is looking at several work options. She'd like to find an opportunity with a pharmacy. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. Spring warmth has remained hard to come by, and we even had some white rain on Thursday and Friday! However, they're promising some nice weather next week—are these guys ever right?! I have found a source of pallets that I'm using as a source of wood for some small projects.

Lotsa good wood, but dismantling is tricky!

We've had a good week of progress on the kitchen renos. Wendy did some touch up work on the paint, and that's looking great. That led to beginning work on the new flooring. We've had to do some repairs to the old floor, and since that, we've been working to install the new stuff. We bought it second hand, and some of the boxes were opened. It's tongue and groove laminate, and as we began installing we found some of the pieces had damaged connections. That took a lot of extra time recutting those so they could fit together. These are the kind where you have to put a whole row together at a time, and then you can lock them into the prior row. It's slow going, but it's looking good. The markets were productive this week although we had some downturns over world trade concerns. At any rate, I've been able to remain on quota so far. I have completed my dental work—that's a relief! I do not like dental work! The expense doesn't help either! Kevin Koe lost the World Championship to Niklas Edin of Sweden. This week's event is the Players Championship in Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. Kevin has had a good week, including a victory over Edin! He plays in the final tomorrow against Brendan Bottcher. The NHL playoffs have begun, and already several of my picks are in trouble! I picked Bolts, Leafs, Caps, Pens in the East, along with Flames, Sharks, Preds and Blues in the West. Blue Jays continue to play down to expectations, but they did win today! This is also a big week on my golf calendar as the Masters is being played.

This week brought an end to Erica's sojourn in Calgary. It was a good learning experience and she enjoyed getting to know the team there, but she's also very glad to be home. Liam started his job with Tunnels of Moose Jaw. He is still struggling with his health so we ask for continued prayer that he will feel healthy on a more consistent basis. Eric has one more week of evening classes that he’s teaching. He is also pulling together material for a conference where he is presenting. His topic is Trauma, Tragedy and Stress; his working title is “More Than Coping.” He presents on May 9 in Melfort. They've decided to spend some of their tax refund on a trip this fall. They’ve booked flights and an Air BnB in Amsterdam. They are very excited to be travelling overseas for a visit instead of medical treatment! The Saskatchewan Lipedema Association received official status as a Not for Profit Organization! Haaken continues with classes and enjoys living in Victoria.

Kristian has been suffering with seasonal allergies with the arrival of Spring in Regina. He missed school one day, and could not manage bowling this morning either. Erin is treating him with Aerius, and that is bringing some relief. They have relinquished their foosball table, and have installed an elliptical machine.

They'll be wonderfully fit in time for Summer, no doubt.

Travis and Joanna flew down to Toronto this week for a conference on Graphic Arts and a family visit. That has gone well, and they returned home today. Trav is currently in anguish over the poor start to the playoffs by his beloved Pens.

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has not warmed up as we'd like, and we even had a skiff of snow overnight on Thursday. Now, they're threatening 25mm of rain tomorrow! Wendy has kept at the painting in the kitchen and dining room and has now completed that. We will try to complete the installation of the base cabinets and see how far we can get with the upper cabinets over the next week. I have been working out in the garage. I've found a source of pallets, and have dismantled a few and salvaged some good lumber. Now, I've begun making a set of sawhorses for Wendy so she can do her painting and sanding out there. Her next project is a sliding door for the kitchen access from the side entry. We have picked up a nice used door, but it needs filling of the old hinge and lockset holes, and complete refinishing. I've started a series of dental appointments. My recent teeth cleaning revealed a broken filling, and some damage caused by the clips of my partial plate. So, those fun meetings will continue next week. The markets have run well for me this week, and I've caught up to quota once again. The NHL is completing the regular season this weekend. Then, we begin the second season of about three months of playoffs! Pens and Leafs are in the playoffs. Oilers are not, sigh! Winnipeg and Calgary also made it, so we have three Canadian teams making the cut this year. The baseball season is in full swing, and my Blue Jays are playing right about expectations—sigh! March Madness will conclude on Monday with Texas Tech taking on Virginia. I'll be cheering for Texas Tech. I've been watching the Men's World Curling championships all week. My guy, Kevin Koe, qualified for the playoffs and has advanced to the final with an extra end win over Switzerland, tonight. He has won two world championships and will play three-time winner, Niklas Edin, of Sweden tomorrow. 

Erica is home for the weekend. She has one more week of work in Calgary. She spend some time with cousin Carolyn this week and really loved that! Eric has been practising banjo and ukulele all week while Erica was away. He can almost play Rainbow Connection from the Muppet Movie. Liam was home for a visit last weekend, and had a doctor appointment. His iron is low again, so he is scheduled for another iron transfer. Eric/A have decided to fly out to visit Haaken in Victoria at the end of the month to ensure that he's okay! 

Erin and Kristian had a normal kind of week. Erin's pretty busy with month end activities. Kristian threw two great games this morning in bowling, but he was feeling more and more ill, so they went home rather than bowl the third game. Erin has been working on plans for her summer box garden. I'm practicing dismantling pallets and working on designs for the planters. Should be fun. 

We'll reuse the supports,
but I think that plant is finished!

Travis and Joanna stay busy. Now, they're planning a trip to Toronto for a family visit and to attend a conference. We'll watch over things here while they're gone, and try to take care of ourselves as well! 

And that's about enough for this week.