News Update

Another week has passed, and we have returned to my hometown on the shore of Lake Superior, where the women are strong, the men are handsome, and all of the children are above average! We enjoyed a few more days in Regina, but with stormy weather threatening, we headed east on Wednesday morning. We stopped overnight in Winnipeg, hosted by Dean & Cassie, and fed the "fatted calf" courtesy Bob & Linda—thanks a lot, folks! It was great to catch up with the events of their lives. We continued east on Thursday, arriving in the early evening. It is nice to be home again. The weather has been nice here lately, and the snow is gone. We're enjoying warm, sunny days, and seeing how the lawns and trees have passed the winter. The golf courses are still closed here, but some of the greens have been uncovered, so it can't be long! The markets were all up about 1.5% this week as oil prices rallied to over $40. Producing nations are having a meeting this weekend; we'll be surprised if something productive comes out of that! Still, I had a great week, and have recovered to being on quota for the year to date. The World Curling Championship ended on Sunday, and Kevin Koe has brought back the gold to Canada; I was very happy to see that! This week they're playing in the Players Championship in Toronto, and they're in the playoffs again. In golf, the Masters also ended last Sunday, featuring a surprising collapse by Jordan Spieth. This opened space for Danny Willett to win the green jacket. NHL playoffs have begun, and some of my picks are struggling! I picked Washington, Pittsburgh, Florida and Tampa in the eastern series. I picked Dallas, Anaheim, San Jose and St Louis in the west. The Blue Jays are not playing well in the early season; I need them to pick it up! Go Jays! 

Erica had a followup meeting on Monday about the potential job in Prince Albert. That went well, so now we wait to see whether it turns into an offer. Liam is home again this weekend for a visit; it is always nice to have the kids come home. They got the motorcycles out of storage. Erica looks forward to riding back and forth to work whenever the weather cooperates. Eric has started teaching a class on Wednesday evenings. We think it's about anger management for teens. Haaken found out he gets some disability funding, so that will help bridge the gap until he finds suitable employment, or gets into school. This summer is projected to include a crash course in gardening. Their church is doing a community garden in cooperation with the city, and Erica is taking part. She's planning to grow corn. 

We are very thankful to Erin and Kristian for taking care of us the last few weeks. It's been great! I was able to help her get her barbecue repaired and operating, and then she treated us to a few meals featuring grill cooking. We also helped Kristian revamp his bedroom. Kristian has picked up the pace at school recently, and we're delighted when he comes home with no homework! 

Travis, Joanna, Gemma and Andrew managed the home place. Thanks guys! It was Gemma's 16th birthday on Friday. She celebrated by getting her learner's licence, and taking her family for a spin! We also enjoyed birthday supper and birthday cake. Minnie took us for a walk this evening.

Trav was awarded the coach of the year award for his hockey efforts! We are very proud of his work with the young men. 

And that's enough for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. The weather has been nice and I've been able to get out for golf practice regularly with Erin's clubs. Some courses are open here, but I haven't considered playing since my clubs are back in TBay. Kristian is back in school, and Wendy has been up at the hospital most of the time, so it's quiet around here all day. I've been fighting a cold since Tuesday. I could do without that! I've tried to get some extra rest, but with markets opening 7:30 here, and Wendy being her usual nighthawk, it's not easy! The markets turned over, as I suggested, but I finally got a green day on Friday to provide some relief. Still, it was a red week for me. Dad has been in the hospital all week, and was finally released today. They were unable to find a definitive answer to his low hemoglobin score, but after five units of blood, his numbers are holding above 100, and he feels much better. Villanova surprised UNC (and me) and won the NCAA basketball championship. Nothing left there but the shoulda, woulda, coulda! The hockey season is grinding to the end this weekend, and the playoff matchups are set. The Masters is set for an exciting final round on Sunday with Jordan Spieth, one of my favourites, leading the pack. I could see challenges coming from Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, or even a couple of lesser lights. Baseball opened another season this week; I'll be hoping the Blue Jays can have another good season. Men's Curling has gone wonderfully for Kevin Koe, and he's in the final tomorrow against Denmark. Japan and USA play for the Bronze.

Liam picked up a top hat at a shop in Saskatoon. It is pretty sweet!

Epic, Amazing, Cool!

Erica had an interview on Tuesday for a possible job in Prince Albert. She has another followup meeting scheduled for Monday. We are waiting to see how it all turns out. Haaken has made some final additions to his portfolio and it is now in the hands of Capilano University for consideration. Entrance is based entirely on the quality of his portfolio as compared to other applicants. He has also received word back from University of Regina asking for his transcripts, so that's another possibility. 

Kristian has had a good week in school. Erin had a good week at work. We had a good week staying at their place. Our plan was to head east last Monday, but Dad's illness intervened. Now, we are ready to plan our exit once again. We'll see how that goes! 

Trav's team completed their playoff run with an overtime goal to win the championship. Trav & Joanna and crew are still fighting to see the sunny side of Spring in Thunder Bay, so we're having many second thoughts about when we should return! 

We are the Champions, my friend!

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. We spent last week at the Baileys—thanks for a good and restful weekend! We drove down from PA on Sunday afternoon. Highway #2 was terrible, so we went east on the Yellowhead, and came down #6 to Regina. The weather has been more variable, but Kristian and I have been able to get out to play catch. We also checked out the golf course, but it still had the covers on the greens. It was over 20° here today; meanwhile, it's a snowy entry to Spring in Thunder Bay, so we'll have to stay here longer! Dad has been struggling throughout the winter with a lack of energy, and has lately been experiencing breathlessness. He went to the doctor this week, and after some blood work, he was admitted to the hospital on Friday as his hemoglobin was very low. He was given three units of blood and feels some improved today. They have scheduled further investigations next week, and we're glad to hear that. He was diagnosed with low hemoglobin four years ago when he had his accident, but it seems there has been no follow-up since then. Sigh! The markets remained helpful this week, but are showing signs of topping out again. However, I was able to complete a great month, and achieved quota for the first quarter of the year. NCAA basketball completes their playoffs this weekend, and I'm picking North Carolina to win it; they play in the final against Villanova. The NHL playoff picture is becoming clear. I am paying more attention to that, and will be choosing my favourites soon. The World Men's Curling championships opened today; Kevin Koe won his first game, which was against Finland. I'll be following that all week. It's also Masters week coming up—oh, the schedule! 

Liam was home for Easter break. Erica was back to work on Monday, but the rest of the crew enjoyed Easter Monday, hanging out, practising driving, and watching Netflix. Erica got called for an interview for a job in Prince Albert. We'll be watching to see how that all works out, and whether it's the change they're looking for! Haaken is updating his portfolio. The cutoff for submissions is April 5th. Since he's received some advice from one of his profs, he's working to make those improvements this weekend. Erica and Liam have joined us in Regina this weekend as they take LST training. Eric and Erica have decided to join the group as chaperones for the trip to Estonia this summer. 

Here in Regina, we have moved into Erin's basement. Kristian was off school for the week, so he's been taking care of us while Erin works—thanks buddy! Erin has come down with a cold; she's not enjoying that. Today, she took lessons on cooking ribs which we enjoyed for supper. It's been a good week; we've managed to get a few projects done here. We may prolong our stay until the situation with Dad becomes clear. 

Travis & Joanna are holding down the old home place in TBay. Joanna has gone down to southern Ontario this weekend to help out her mom. Trav's team is in the league finals, and we hope they finish it off strongly and successfully! They won the first game of the series, so they only need to win half of the remaining games to win it all!

That's about enough for this week! 

Happy Easter!

Another week has passed, and we have continued to move along from place to place. We enjoyed our Sunday morning with the folks at North Bend, and I was the featured speaker! We prolonged our stay with Howard and Diane until Wednesday so we could take in the Pizza & Pickin' night with uncle Bordie at the local diner. It was a good time! Thank you How & Di for the lovely stay. On Wednesday, we drove north and east to Hinton where we spent the night. We continued eastward to Prince Albert on Thursday where we moved in with the Baileys. On Good Friday morning we enjoyed a multi-church service with them, where Erica was one of the featured singers. We've enjoyed some down time here, and both got after some household tasks today. The markets were open only four days, and zigzagged up and down on alternate days, but with an overall small gain for me. There have been plenty of sports action with NHL teams playing out the last of the schedule and attempting to lock up playoff positions. On the other end of the standings, teams are looking to maximize their chances at the #1 draft choice! Women's curling has been the main attraction all week long with Chelsey Carey working through the struggles to nail down a playoff spot. She fell to Russia this afternoon, so she will move on to the bronze medal game tomorrow against Russia again. Japan has advanced to play Switzerland in the gold medal game. The Jayhawks ran out a comfortable win over Maryland on Thursday, but failed to take their place in the final four with a loss to Villanova this evening. This has been my expectation for them all season; I am very disappointed that they haven't made the final four. 

It's a wonderfully full house weekend at the Baileys with Liam home from school and now we are visiting as well. Eric and Erica were at their final French class this morning. They are doing a final presentation en français about a member of the family! I'm sure it was good and fun. After the multi-church service on Good Friday morning, there was also an Easter egg treasure hunt for Haaken and Liam, and lots of shared chocolate treats! And this is the weekend for Hometown Hockey in Prince Albert, so there was plenty of extra activity and excitement over that. 

Erin and Kristian are also on holidays for an extended weekend. Kristian continues with school break all of next week, so we plan to stay there and provide day care for him. This weekend they're helping Shawn, Astrid and Liam celebrate their new home. 

Trav & Joanna have been fighting snow in TBay and keeping up with work. Trav's team swept the second round of the playoffs, and are ready for the finals. Trav wrote a special feature on the team's "flow game" this week, which received notice by TSN. Nicely done! Gemma and Andrew are back from southern Ontario and into school again, but enjoying the four-day long weekend all the same. 

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

Another week has come and gone, and so have we! On Sunday, we took our leave from Bern, Alicia, Logan and Dad to drive up to Edmonton. We thank them for the delightful and gracious way they took care of us over our weeks there. Once in Edmonton, we moved in with Jim & Carol; this was a great time as well—thank you so much! The first evening, Scott & Margaret (Dolly) came over and we enjoyed the time with all of them over a lovely meal. After another day with them, we headed out on Tuesday, taking time to check out their new house in Sylvan Lake as we drove to the Okanagan. There we moved into our reserved suite at John & Marion's. They took care of us famously for the rest of the week. Thank you very much! Around our visiting with them, we were also able to work in short visits with Warren & Evelyn in Vernon, and also with Lyndon & Janelle in Salmon Arm. It's been a full week! Finally, we drove out to North Bend today. We are staying with Howard & Diane. This evening, we enjoyed another meal as Uncle Bordie joined us around the table. The markets ran green most of the week, and by Thursday I had improved on my portfolio to the point where I had my quota for the first quarter—unfortunately, there was Friday, so I've fallen back, and work remains to be done! The Brier concluded on Sunday with my favourite, Kevin Koe earning the championship. He will proceed to the world championships in the next while, but this week, he's playing in the Grand Slam event, so we've been following that. Today, the women's world championships began in Swift Current with Chelsey Carey carrying the red & white! She opened with a win over Denmark this afternoon. I'll be following that all week. March Madness has begun, and my Jayhawks have had a successful first week, winning both games and moving into the Sweet Sixteen. There have also been a lot of upsets which keeps college hoops very exciting. 

Erica turned forty-two on Friday! Time certainly flies! Liam made an impromptu trip home to help celebrate his mom's birthday. He will head back tomorrow as he has four days of school left before the Easter break. He continues to prepare for his play. While Erica was searching Haaken's computer for tax information, she made an exciting discover about his grades from Capilano University last summer. There was an email detailing his achievement of a 3.91 GPA for his four summer classes, and his placement on the Merit List. However, he still has not been accepted into the Animation program. He is updating his portfolio in preparation for the April intake. He has also applied to the University of Regina Film program. 

Erin & Kristian are enjoying another week of normal activities. The weather has turned a bit cooler in Regina. We get regular updates on Kristian's school work via email each week. We are very thankful that Erin set that up for us. 

Travis & Joanna are holding down the fort in TBay on their own as Gemma and Andrew are visiting in southern Ontario. This made the 40 cm of snow that fell this week weigh particularly heavily on them! This also means that we cannot go home just yet! Trav's team is on hiatus as many of the players are on school break, but they'll be back to the battle in the second round soon. 

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. The weather has continued to be unseasonably warm and we're enjoying it very much. It was a winter of almost no snow here, and what did come is long gone. Golf is in the air! Wendy continues to limp with her sore knee; the meds provide some relief, but nothing in the way of healing! She celebrated her 66th birthday throughout the week, and was delighted with a special gift from her children in the form of a hot wax spa for her arthritic fingers—thanks folks!  The markets have continued the uptrend—that is good to see! The DOW and the S&P500 have both achieved the "Golden Cross", so I'm hope-filled! I managed to pick up almost a full month this week, so, I've gained quota for March, and trying to make up for the lack I had in February. It's been a full week of curling, and my four picks made the playoffs. Gushue beat Jacobs last night to advance to the final. Koe beat McEwen this afternoon, and then beat Jacobs in the semi-final tonight. So, it will be Gushue vs Koe in the final tomorrow and while I'll be cheering for Koe, I'll be happy either way. Golf is starting to get serious as we're in the countdown to the Masters. Hockey is in the homestretch and playoff races are tight—it's time to start paying attention! Basketball's March Madness is launching as the conference championships played out. The brackets will be announced tomorrow. Kansas had a good week with three wins, and enters the Tournament ranked #1 in the nation. Rock Chalk, Jayhawks!

Erica was sick most of the week, and stayed home Tuesday through Thursday with tiredness, cold and sore throat. She's limited to singing low notes for now! Eric is preaching this Sunday in PA. His topic is "Isaiah Points to Jesus". He wishes he had an easier topic, but Erica feels he'll do great and tell some deeply emotional story to leave everyone in tears. Eric/A continue their French lessons, and Haaken went along today to check out Saskatoon's delights. He went to a drawing class. Afterwards, they checked out a French bakery called Little Bird Patisserie. There are many interesting shops along 20th Street. They picked up a book call pop sonnets which features pop songs turned into the style of Shakespearean sonnets. They enjoyed reading those on the way home. Liam is in a play at school. They are in rehearsal just now, for a play date in late April. Haaken continues to wait on job possibilities, as well as hoping to hear from Capilano. He is also considering other universities. 

Erin has been busy with work, and with helping Shawn move into his new house. The place looks good, and only some minor renos were needed before he moved in. Kristian had Thursday and Friday off school so he spent them with us. He managed to get some homework done, along with a lot of down time and late nights with Grandma! He even scored a new jacket courtesy of one of Grandma's many shopping trips! 

Trav, Joanna and crew are managing things back in TBay. Trav's team has completed the regular season, and this week won their first round of the playoffs. Now, it's on to the semi-finals. Otherwise, we not hearing much, so we're assuming it's all good news on the home front. 

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. We had a cold snap on the weekend, but the weather has returned to mild, and we're enjoying 16 degrees today. We took a road trip over to Mortlach on Thursday to visit with Robert & Marilyn Peterson—they send greetings to all who know them! Robert sent us home with some deer sausage, and we enjoyed that with eggs for our brunch today—yummy! Wendy finally went to the doctor about her knee, but did not get much of a diagnosis—the doctor prescribed some extra strength pain killers and sent her on her way. The markets are showing positive signs; I hope this is the start of an uptrend. At least I had a good week, and picked up two weeks' quota. As expected, Carey (AB) beat Krista McCarville in the Scotties final. I'm okay with that. Kansas won big in Texas midweek, and then closed out the schedule with a win over Iowa State today. Now, it's March Madness time, and they're ranked #1! The Brier started today; it's a star-studded field. There are so many high profile teams it's impossible to pick a favourite. I'll be cheering for Kevin Koe, along with the SK team (Laycock), and also hoping Jamie Koe of the NWT plays well. 

The Baileys are here this weekend. We are glad to have some time with them. We're taking advantage to hold an early celebration of Wendy's birthday. We picked up Liam from school on Thursday, so he could get to the orthodontist on Friday (Yay!), and to his LST training today. He is planning to go back to Tallinn, Estonia this summer. Nothing has been heard back concerning Haaken's application to Capilano. 

We're enjoying spending some precious time with Kristian and Erin while we're in Regina. Erin had a positive job assessment this week, and was awarded a raise as well. Well done! She also set us up so we can follow Kristian's school progress on-line. We're glad to be able to keep track. 

Trav & Joanna continue to keep the home fires burning, and the home dryer drying! Trav's team has moved into the playoffs. They ended the regular season in third place, so they play the sixth place team in the first round. Wendy and Joanna talked on the phone for almost three hours one morning this week, so we should be updated—I've heard nothing! 

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairies. We continue to enjoy the favourable weather as winter avoids Regina this year. Friday was +14 when I grabbed a golf club and went for my afternoon walk. The week has gone well. Wendy has been busy as she completed several tasks in preparation for the weekend with the women (including Erica) at the Spa! She's in Moose Jaw this weekend, and reports to be enjoying it just fine!

Lookin' Good@Goofy Gala!

We're batching here at home, and struggling to keep body and soul together! The nice week of weather culminated in a BBQ supper tonight—thanks for the burn, Bern! The markets continue to be dismal, and with only one trading day left in the month, I feel I have no prospects to make quota this month. Fortunately, Friday was green, and I managed to make a weekly quota in just one day! I've been watching curling all week. Chelsey Carey of Alberta is in the final tomorrow, and tonight's semi-final saw TBay's Krista McCarville, beat Jones to advance to the final against Carey. Kansas played two good games, winning both to clinch the conference championship for the twelfth straight year. It is likely they will also be moved back to #1 ranking when those are announced later this weekend, and probably guaranteed a #1 seed in March Madness. 

The Baileys enjoyed the time in Paris and returned home to enjoy Spring! Paris was amazing; they report the highlights were Juno Beach, Disneyland Paris, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, Versailles and the Eiffel Tower! Although, chocolat chaud, and le pain au chocolat were right up there as well! They also caught colds over there, but Haaken seems to have been hit the worst—he's still coughing up phlegm. They flew back in on Wednesday evening, and we were able to give them a break by driving to Saskatoon, and ferrying Liam down to Caronport for school! They had already had a long day, and were very tired, and very thankful—pas de problème! Now they're all back at work and school and checking travel deals for the next big adventure! Haaken is anxiously waiting for a positive response from Capilano University—we pray that may be so.

Erin and Kristian have both been ill during the week and missed both work and school. They seem much recovered now, and we're enjoying Friday night together. Today, they enjoyed swimming, Boston Pizza and movie time! 

Trav & Joanna along with Gemma and Andrew are holding down the fort at home. There were some internet issues there, but finally we got enough of Shaw's attention to get it fixed. Otherwise things are progressing fine there. Trav's team picked up another couple of wins as they tune up for the playoffs. 

And that's about enough for this week! 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairie! They have no winter here. We've been enjoying above zero temperatures, although several days were cloudy. I have been suffering with gout all week in my right foot. It was brought on by a sweet dessert last weekend that contained high fructose corn syrup which seems to be my kryptonite! Thus I am unable to drink ordinary pop, and most sweet confections. I am able to enjoy the sweetness of honey and maple syrup, at least! I was to the doctor finally on Friday, hoping to get a prescription that would remove the uric acid from my system, but I ran into a Catch 22 that I've hit before. This doctor explained that using such was not approved during an attack because it caused increased pain. Then, if I return when I'm not having an attack, it's not prescribed because my uric acid levels are too low to warrant it! Sigh! Anyway, the pain is diminishing, and I have been able to get out for walks each day. Wendy slipped on the ice last weekend, and suffered bruises, scrapes and abrasions on her arms and legs. She's been hobbled all week, and is not fully recovered yet, but is much improved. The markets were closed on Monday, but ran nicely green on Tuesday through Thursday, and I was able to achieve some good gains. Sports have turned very busy with Scotties Curling on TV two or three times each day, Hockey surging into the trade deadline, trying to decide who will be buying and who will be selling. Basketball is driving toward March Madness, trying to get a favourable seeding. The Jayhawks scored two impressive wins this week, while some of their rivals fell back; they've been raised to #2 once again. The Scotties opened with upsets as the defending champs, and the highly ranked Ontario team, both lost. Alberta looks strong, and have the benefit of playing at home. 

The Baileys have been in France this week enjoying the cultural and historical richness of Paris and the WWII memorials. We look have been following their trip via FaceBook and look forward to hearing even more about it in person upon their return. 

Erin had Monday off (Family Day), so we enjoyed spending the day with her. Kristian had the whole week off from school, and we enjoyed having him with us. Grandma scored him a new pair of jeans as well, so it was a good week for him. He got all his homework done, and learned to play his recorder a bit better. Shawn's house sale fell through, and he's still looking. 

Trav and his team went through the tournament in Wisconsin undefeated to win the championship trophy. Now they're focused on completing the season strongly so they can get a bye in the first round of the playoffs. Joanna remains busy; Gemma and Andrew are back at school. We are so glad to have them all there taking care of the place. 

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed and we have moved from the shore of Lake Superior to the shore of Lake Wascana in the middle of the prairie. The snow stopped in Thunder Bay, but the weather turned cold. Now they're promising to moderate the temperatures as we move into the new week. In the meantime, we drove out to Regina on Friday where they're still waiting for both snow and winter. I don't know where the snow stopped—the ditches were full west of Winnipeg, but suddenly, in the dark, we noticed there was no snow in the ditches, and it stayed that way the last hours into Regina. There is no snow and mild temperatures here as well. And we get to enjoy the warm hospitality of Bern, Alicia and Logon while we stay at Dad's place. The markets continued to be very bad the first four days of the week, but Friday turned green, and I was able to make a recovery back into the green. I'm no where near quota, but at least I'm green again. 

Al Kweyder Family

Our Syrian refugee family arrived on Friday. We have much work still to do, as we help them adjust and integrate into our country and community. A furnished house has been made available and we have attempted to get it cleaned and ready. 

The Jayhawks were upgraded to #6 in the rankings, and they may rise again after they put in good efforts in two big games this week. Early in the week, they avenged an earlier loss to #10West Virginia, and then today, they went into #3Oklahoma and got a road win over the Sooners. Rock Chalk! And they're back in first place, too! Curling continues with Brier representatives being named in the remaining provinces. My guy, Kevin Koe, is in the semi-final in Alberta. Steve Laycock won Saskatchewan for the third straight year. Jamie Koe is back from NWT. Pat Simmons will return as defending champion. Brad Jacobs is in the final back home in northern Ontario. The NHL is grabbing attention as teams start making trades to build for the playoffs, or to start a longer term process. 

Eric/A and boys are off to Paris. It has been a busy week getting everything ready and completing their three French classes as part of their preparation. It's a good thing they have Liam and his eight years of French Immersion! They did take time to install the new washer & dryer, so that's in place for their return. Haaken launched a web comic this week while he waits to hear about this application to Capilano University. They are all excited to get going on their adventure; we wish them an enjoyable and useful time in France. 

Erin and Kristian had a favourable report from the optometrist on Monday, but the vision in his right eye remains somewhat weak. However, nothing was considered in the way of glasses so I guess it's within tolerances, although his left eye is certainly stronger. Erin got a new set of knives for her kitchen, as Kristian showed new aptitude and interest in cooking, and assisted in making homemade soup! Shawn bought a house; we look forward to checking it out. 

Travis is off this weekend with his hockey team to a tournament in Wisconsin. That last we heard they were in the semi-finals. Joanna, Gemma and Andrew are holding things down in frigid TBay. They will be taking care of things back home for the next month or so, as we sojourn in the west. 

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 continues to be nice with single digits of frost only, and little in the way of new snow. As usual, the streets and roads remain slushy in the salt treatments they use here, and the driveway was able to burn off in the sunshine despite the below zero temperatures. Wendy continues to work on the shower selection, but we're not prepared to open that can of worms in light of our imminent departure for the west. The markets have been down again this week, and even more so on the US side as we seem to be back in the "good news is bad news" phase. We haven't had good news in Canada, as the energy sector continues to fall despite some improvement in oil price. I have been working on some new investment plays to deal with our troubled situation, and finally moved from paper plays to actual investment on Friday, and there's always some initial excitement on a new play. We've had news that our refugee family has been identified. We look forward to their arrival in Thunder Bay. The focus this week was to collect clothing now that we know the make up of the family—dad, mom and four children. We had a memorial for Adam on Tuesday evening—that was the young man from our congregation who was killed in La Loche. It's another weekend with lots of curling as the provincial playoffs for men is underway. As expected, the Jayhawks were dropped and now sit #7 in the country. They won their games this week, and looked pretty good for the first half of the game today against TCU. It's Super Bowl weekend, and since my guy, Peyton Manning, is there, I'll be monitoring that, but his team is actually given no chance to beat Carolina. Hockey is beginning to heat up as we're into the last half of the regular season and playoff races are attracting attention. 

The Baileys have had a quiet week. They have been completing preparations for their trip to France, and completing assignments at work. Liam is advising that only twelve weeks remain until something happens! Inquiring minds wonder what that might be! Liam turned 16 this week, and Haaken hits 19 tomorrow. The family celebrated last weekend when Liam was home. Eric took the air hockey table to work which cleared off some space in the basement. Their laundromat posted new hours which makes it more difficult to use, so they're now contemplating the purchase of a washer/dryer combo of their own. 

Erin, Kristian and Sadie have also enjoyed a quiet week. Kristian has had lots of homework, but he's managed to keep it completed on time. His eyes have improved, so they're looking forward to his appointment with the optometrist on Monday. They are continuing to learn how their house operates through the first winter there, but all seems to be going well. 

Travis, Joanna, Gemma and Andrew have continued with their usual activities. Joanna was hired on a contract basis as a phlebotomist. Congratulations! We'll now wait to see how much time they'll be asking of her. She keeps plenty busy without this new job, but it is her training and she wanted to keep her foot in that door. Trav's team has been busy with both league hockey and a tournament. They continue to pressure the front runners in the league, but haven't yet made up for their poor start to the season. 

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. We've had several dumps of snow, so we've been busy on the driveway. Wendy helps out with that. It's above zero again this weekend and water is running on the streets and driveways. The markets have remained volatile, but it appears they may have turned the corner as gains were achieved this week. I had an excellent week, and almost made quota for the month; this is gratifying as the TSX is down 1.5%. The US indices also seem to have turned upward, but remain further in the red to this point. In basketball, my Jayhawks lost in Iowa early in the week, but returned home to beat Kentucky this evening. Their mediocre work last week dropped them to #4 in the rankings, and they may drop again after this week's efforts. Rock Chalk boys! I've been watching the Junior Curling championships this weekend. It'll be BC vs NS in the women's final, and MB vs N.Ont in the men's final; both games are set for tomorrow. 

Liam is home for the weekend. Friday was a school holiday, so they picked him up on Thursday. He's been having issues with an ingrown toenail, so they made use of the bonus day to get that operated on—these folks know how to have fun! This weekend features a celebration of the boys' birthdays with movies, pizza and crazy cake—that's more like it! Liam turns 16 on Thursday, and Haaken turns 19 next Sunday. Amazing how they're aging so quickly while the rest of us remain the same! Haaken continues with work around the house while he is applying for jobs and following up with potential employers. We pray something will come through soon. 

Erin and Kristian have had a good week. Erin's pushing has moved the school forward toward a new FM system for Kristian's hearing. Kristian had a good week in school. Sadie got her hair cut and styled! Kristian got his hair trimmed as well! 

Travis & Joanna remain very busy with work, and Joanna has received an invitation to apply on some contract work. She's somewhat interested. Gemma and Andrew are in the transition phase between semesters with exams and new course work to consider. Gemma made a nice batch of cinnamon buns, and both have helped out on the driveway clearing. 

That's about it for his week. 

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather was cold over the weekend, but has moderated to just single digits below zero, and the driveway has burned off in the sunshine. We got the renovated washroom ready in time for Travis and Joanna's return from the Dominican Republic, but there will be more work there once the new shower stall arrives. It's looking better anyway, and the new, insulated floor surely helps. I replaced the bad ABS joint, so that part is good now. Wendy primed the drywall, and we'll paint the whole thing once it's completed with the new shower. The markets have remained volatile, but I had an excellent week, and have moved into the green for the month, although the index remains down 4.8%. North America won the Continental Cup of curling, but it was close. The Jayhawks played two more subpar games this week, but won one of them. However, they've been dropped to #3, so I hope that encourages them to work harder! Women's provincial curling championships are on; I'm tracking results as well as watching a few of the games. 

Haaken continues to apply for jobs and call back to potential employers about his status. We do pray for job for him, although now there is the complication of a planned family trip in three weeks. Eric has been able to end the bus commute, as they got their CRV back on Thursday from its deer inflicted damages. Eric/A are in Saskatoon this weekend as they've begun French classes in preparation for the trip. Liam continues at school, but expects to rejoin the family next weekend. They continue with their downsizing efforts. Next in line is to eliminate Partylite and Tupperware! They are also finalizing plans for the trip to Paris. A small recovery in the loonie may allow them some savings on the exchange!

Erin has been working over some options for improving Kristian's hearing experience. She's pressing the school to upgrade their FM system, so Kristian can receive sound directly through his hearing aids. Otherwise things continue well as they experience their first winter in their first owned home. Erin now has a blood pressure machine, so she can monitor her BP at home. Kristian got to go skating and sledding this week; he had a great week in school with no extra homework because he was doing so well. 

Travis and Joanna returned on Tuesday evening. They really enjoyed the time at Punta Cana, and had clearly been absorbing a few rays while there. Now, they're back to business. Gemma and Andrew are in exam time for the end of semester 1. They both do well at school. 

And that's about enough for this week. 

News Update

Winter has come to our home on the shore of Lake Superior. We've had a good dump of snow, and I've been clearing the driveway on Thursday and Friday. We've been working all week on a renovation of the downstairs bathroom. I have the plumbing done, although I may buy a replacement for one joint where the glue set up before I had it at the angle I wanted. We got the new flooring down for most of the room, except under the shower, since we're still waiting for the new shower stall to arrive. I got the first coat of mud on the drywall this evening. The markets have continued their downward slide although I did get my first two green days of the year. Still, not making any gains, but at least I've stopped the bleeding. The opinions of the experts are not encouraging. All indices are down over 7% already this month. I've reduced my investments, but if this continues, I will reduce further next week. Brad Jacobs and Jennifer Jones won their respective Skins championships last weekend. This week it's the Continental Cup in Las Vegas. Kevin Koe, Pat Simmons are representing North America on the Men's side, while Jennifer Jones and Rachel Homan are on the Women's team. To this point, the World Teams are leading, but the big points are tomorrow, and nothing has been decided yet. The Jayhawks played two mediocre games after their big triple overtime win over the Sooners. They lost earlier this week, and made a better effort to win today. Still it seems certain they will lose their #1 status when the new rankings are announced tomorrow. Rock Chalk Jayhawks!

Liam is home this weekend. He's playing drums for the worship team! Baileys are also making some final plans for their Paris trip. Part of those plans is hoping for the exchange rate to improve over the next few weeks, but their financial advisor advises that that's not going to happen! Haaken has submitted his application for Capilano University. He is putting the finishing touches on his portfolio as well. He continues to apply for work and make follow up calls on resumes he's distributed, but nothing has come through yet. Tonight, they are enjoying The Martian in 3D. Later, they may enjoy a non-festive showing of Die Hard in honour of Alan Rickman.

Kristian has experienced both ups and downs at school! We're cheering for more ups! Erin is back in good health, but intervention continues on her blood pressure medication. Sadie seems to be having a solid week!

Trav & Joanna started the week with more photo shoots of the hockey teams in Nipigon. They're narrowly missed getting stranded by the bridge failure there. On Tuesday morning, they left for a week in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. They seem to be having a great time there! Gemma and Andrew are keeping us company here in the frozen north!

And that's about it for this week. 

News Update

The first week of a new year has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. The weather has continued very mild (most days above freezing) with some snow and showers to add to the mix. It has turned colder today, -10, so now it's icy on the vehicles and driveway. The streets that haven't had much traffic are likewise slippery. Wendy has been busy with puzzles, and I try to locate an occasional piece! We've had a terrible, no good, very bad week on the markets. It's been the worst opening week ever recorded, and I suffered along with the indices. According to my definition (short term average falling below long term average) the TSX has been in a bear market since last June, and now others who use the -20% definition have joined my analysis. Anyway, it's been hard to make money in the current circumstances. However, there were strong economic indicators both sides of the border as jobs data were positive, although some pundits question the quality of jobs created here. However, it seems the main issues are elsewhere, where softness in China meshes with softness in the rest of Asia and Europe and leaves investors feeling negative. The World Juniors had an exciting conclusion as the host country Finland beat Russia in overtime to win Gold. The NFL season has moved into the playoffs and my guy (Peyton Manning) is back at the controls, so I'll be following that. The Jayhawks were awarded #1 seed after their win last Saturday, but were sorely tested before beating the Sooners in triple overtime on Monday night—it was fun to watch!. They travelled to Lubbock and beat TCU tonight in a poorly played game—still a win! This weekend is the Skins game in curling, so I've been enjoying that. Sweeting and Jones are in the women's final. Gushue will face Jacobs on the men's side. 

Eric/A and the boys are still basking in the after-glow of the Force Awakens! Their FaceBook entries continue to be dominated with references to the movie and expectations of the next one! We really enjoyed it as well. Erica had some extra excitement this week as she hit a deer on her way to work—some repairs may be needed to the bumper and grill. The deer ran away—should be charged with leaving the scene! Otherwise they're involved in a version of Spring Cleaning—they're searching, sorting, and discarding stuff! Since it's still Winter, we'll call it, "Searching for the Camera!" 

Erin has experienced much improvement in her infected finger, and it appears to be well. She is also being treated for high blood pressure, and more work remains to be done there. I told her that high BP is an inherited disease and she thought I meant because Wendy has high BP, but I corrected her understanding—we get it from our children! Since she was working with Kristian on his math, she was quick to agree! 

Travis and Joanna are busily engaged in the Puckshots business again. They had eleven teams scheduled for photographs this week to raise their total to ninety-three this season. I noticed one cute piece of photographic magic that Trav uses to provide better-than-expected service to these teams. Why should a picture lose value just because one guy is not wearing skates?! 

And that's about it for this week! 

The Year/Week that Was

Another year/week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown. It has been another year of adventure with my best friend, Wendy. We began the year with two months on Vancouver Island,  where we were hosting Haaken as he finished his high school program. We took a tour to visit family and friends in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas in the early Spring. We spent most of the summer in Regina providing day care and golf practice for Kristian—that was a pleasure! For October and November we joined a team for a mission to India where we enjoyed working in the schools and congregations connected to Ray McMillan's work there. After another short sojourn on the prairies, we closed out the year in the comfort of our house on Lake Superior. We have spent the week leading up to the new year making great efforts to clean up the turkey and baking leftovers! I've enjoyed too much of both! The weather has remained unseasonably warm, but we did get a little snow at least. The Santa Claus rally in the markets ended way too soon as Wednesday and Thursday suffered deep losses and I barely had any gains for the month. World Junior Hockey has completed the preliminary round and moved into the playoffs. Our guys did not perform well, but we made the playoffs. However, we lost today to Finland, so we're out of the tournament. The US college football playoff began yesterday, but my Sooners lost out, and my interest died with them! The Jayhawks have completed their preseason schedule and enter the regular season ranked #2 in the country—I guess that means they will try harder! They did today, opening conference play with a win over Baylor. 

News from the family in Saskatchewan has been slim as they're busy enjoying the festive season as well as getting back to work. We wish them all well in the new year. The weather has been nice there also, so they've been able to get outdoors to play in the snow and enjoy the scenery. Trav, Joanna, Gemma and Andrew are managing some relaxing, but also have some photoshoots and hockey card orders to complete.

And that's about it for this time. 

Money Management 2015

Happy New Year! 

2015 was a year many in the investment community will wish to forget. All North American indices struggled, and most were down. The TSX, which I invest in, suffered the most (-11.1%), and only the Nasdaq was in the green, gaining 5.7% for the year. The broadest index, the S&P500 was pretty much flat (-0.7%), so that gives the clearest definition of how things went. There were opportunities, especially for those who play the markets both ways, and also for little guys like me who can manage their buys and sells more nimbly. In the final summation, I did well, not quite up to quota, but at least managing to cover the payouts we have planned for our retirement needs. It helps that both of us qualified for our OAS this year, hitting the magic 65 for the government to begin paying us! That lowers our needs from the investments, and we've finally begun building up our TFSAs once again. Big thanks are due to Wendy, as she does the work to maintain our household budget, and keep us on track with our expenditures. It has also been great to have my brother to chat with every day; we are able to bounce ideas off each other even though we invest in different markets. And, of course, it always leaves us with someone else to blame!! 

We are well blessed financially, and it remains my assignment to continue to try to learn better ways to manage and invest the accounts. I hope for positive markets in 2016. 

Boxing Day

Another festive week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. We have enjoyed another round of giving and receiving; and we now acknowledge even more blessings. We have been glad to spend time with our family here at home, and also to FaceTime with the crew who gathered at Erin's house in Regina. What a special blessing it is that Erin & Kristian now have a nice place to set up their home! We certainly rejoice with them. Eric/A and the boys have a nice place in PA as well, and both have work that is rewarding; we only wish their work places were closer to each other! Travis & Joanna, Gemma and Andrew have established themselves in the downstairs suite here, and that has been a double blessing for us as we not only have them close by, but we can hit the road whenever we wish! The weather has continued mild with above zero temperatures again this week, and some rain to wash the streets clean. We got a dusting of snow for a white Christmas at least. The markets have finally launched a Santa Claus rally, and even though they were only open 3.5 days, I managed to gain more than a full week's quota. The Junior World Hockey Championship is underway, and Canada dropped their opening game to the US—Go Canada, Go! There are a plague of college football games on the TV, but I'll only be following the playoff games and cheering for Oklahoma—Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner!  

And that's about it for this week! It will be the New Year before another weekend rolls around, so I'll take this opportunity to wish you all the best in 2016! 

Twas a week before Christmas!

Merry Christmas! 

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my hometown! The promised snow has arrived and it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! We received a dump of slushy snow on Sunday afternoon and Monday, so it's been difficult on the streets as drivers fail to adjust quickly to the vastly changed driving conditions. I've been working on the steps and driveway most of the week, and it's gradually getting better. I think today's scraping has the steps in good condition. The rain, snow, and near freezing temperatures have conspired to leave the driveway in less desirable condition. We don't have an expectation for any sunny days in the near future, so we'll keep at it with scrapers and salt.  I have decided to cover some of my cedars against sun burn this winter, so I worked on that for a bit. I think I'll need some ropes to tie their white robes on—it looks like the clan is in my back yard! Wendy has been busy with shopping and Christmas baking. I'm enjoying omitting the former, and engaging the latter! The market has continued to be troubled. There was a buying frenzy around the US Fed Rate hike, but that died out into big losses Thursday and Friday. I had a very good week despite some pull back on Friday, however, I only have two holiday-shortened weeks left and much quota left to earn! A new face won the Canadian Open as John Epping beat Brad Gushue in the final. Rachel Homan won the women's Open, continuing her dominance. NFL is nearing the playoffs, but Peyton is not playing, so I haven't been watching. Jayhawks won big again today in university basketball and are ranked #2 in the young season. Riders are making a big splash as they hired the Grey Cup winning coach away from Edmonton, and fired about half their players! Can you say, "Rebuilding?"!

Eric/A and Haaken continue with life in PA. Liam has completed exams at Caronport. They are arranging Christmas and Kristian-care together, which has relieved us from another trip west—thanks guys! Erin suffered an infection of some kind in her finger. She had to get it lanced, and is now on antibiotics. We hope this will take care of the problem.

Trav and Joanna have been very busy—too busy with PuckShots, Bucket Decals, and the other aspects of Ulrich Design. They even got the old man into the harness briefly this week! Apparently, I didn't set them back too far! Gemma and Andrew have completed the term and are on break from school. They both came home with excellent report cards.

And that's about it for this week. Merry Christmas! 

Home Again!

We enjoyed a wonderful family reunion in Regina last week, closing it off with a celebration on Sunday as a morning of fellowship at Glen Elm was accented by a great Sunday dinner at 55 Laird, where we noted the engagement of our niece, Ashley, with Barry. Feeling suitably recovered from jet lag, we set out Monday morning for TBay, but we didn't make it. Plenty of fuel in the car, but I ran out of gas at Dryden, so we stopped there for the night, and completed the drive home on Tuesday. It is good to be back home, and we are enjoying catching up with the family here to complete the reunion cycle. The weather remains unseasonably warm and I managed to get the leaves cleaned up from the lawns, and watered-in the cedars. They are promising snow overnight, and winter must arrive soon. The markets were volatile this week with three very bad days around two good days. The action leaves the TSX down 4.7% this month, 12.6% for the year—sigh! I was down for the week, and with the US Fed rate story next week, and the holidays coming up, I am despairing of making quota for the year. My man, Kevin Koe, won the Canada Cup of curling on Sunday. This week is the Canadian Open, and Koe once again made the playoffs. He lost his semi-final game tonight, but it was another good showing. The hockey season is about 1/3 through, so I'm paying a bit of attention to the playoff races there. Basketball season has started, and I've watched three Jayhawk games since we got back—all wins! Rock Chalk. 

We caught up with Eric/A and the boys in Regina last weekend, as we were getting our recovery time at Erin & Kristian's. They are looking to have Christmas together in Regina, but we're planning to stay home for Christmas this year. Trav, Joanna, Gemma and Andrew are off to Minneapolis this weekend for a hockey tournament. We're hosting their other creatures here at home! 

And that's about enough for this week. 

The Voyage Home

Tuesday was a quiet day for us as we prepared ourselves for the departure from India after midnight, and the 14-hour flight to Toronto. There was some shopping, much resting, packing, and Carter was trying to work through a case of Delhi Belly. We boarded the flight as scheduled and flew ahead of the sun before finally arriving in TO about 5am Eastern. We cleared customs there, and prepared for the morning flight to Regina. That marked the end of our team travels, although Janelle and Carter still had to travel to Salmon Arm via Kelowna, and Tyler had to fly home to Yellowknife. We began the process of time zone adjustment at Erin's place in Regina, and plan to drive home next week. The first three nights have featured interrupted sleep, but we're gradually feeling more clear-headed during the day time. We're certainly appreciating a quiet, downstairs room here at Erin's. My eye has continued to improve, and now I remain only to complete the regimen of antibiotics. We drove over to Caronport to retrieve Liam on Thursday evening as he and Kristian both had dental appointments on Friday. Grandma took them to their appointments. Eric/A and Haaken arrived on Friday evening, so we are enjoying a reunion with them as well. Canada Cup of curling is on, occupying some of my awake hours! My guy, Kevin Koe, is in the final tomorrow. The markets have been troubled by various news stories all week, but ended with a bit of a rally on Friday, so I was at least in the green for the week. As I had called it, Edmonton won the Grey Cup; now, it's time for them to change their nickname in keeping with the times. 

And that's about all I remember from this week! 

Taj Mahal—My Eye!

Something got in my eye soon after our arrival back in Delhi, and I don't like it. Our friends here accommodated me by obtaining some eye drops to lubricate the problem, but that didn't seem to be easing the pain or leading to a solution. So, Wendy led me through some further steps! Her investigations did not find the speck in the upper outside quadrant of my left eye, and the redness continued to disgust the viewers, while the pain continued to dismay me. Finally, we found a clinic open with a doctor in attendance—yay! Nope, he was reluctant to even touch my eye let alone look in it! He did proffer a prescription for Ciproflaxin antibiotic eye drops. These, he assured me, would destroy the infection troubling my eye and its observers! Clearly, I was left to my own devices. Following the advice of a friend who had informed me that Q-tips were not to be used in ears, I obtained a Q-tip, and used it on the inside of my upper eyelid—man, was that uncomfortable! Then, I began dosing it with the Cipro, on the hour as recommended by the good doctor. Today, I have continued the treatments every second hour (I'm good at following some of my doctor's recommendations!), and it both looks and feels better this evening.However, I may have to get it looked into (If I can find someone who will actually look into it!) when I get back to Canada! 

And, as to that other little point—we visited the Taj Mahal, and the Agra Fort today. The Taj Mahal was duly spectacular, but I was actually more impressed with the fort. We found ourselves at a loss to get a picture that would do justice to the Fort, but here's one Wendy took of the Taj Mahal. 

Taj Mahal

Delhi-Closing the Week

QTUB Minar

We flew down to Delhi on Thursday, and plan to spend the remainder of the India trip based here. On Friday, we did a number of tours to sights around the city. The QUTB Minar (the tallest brick minaret in the world at 74 metres) and the ruins left from the Islamic period were very impressive. On the other time extreme, we toured the Lotus Temple which is of very recent vintage. It was also very impressive, and both places of worship remain in use. Then, we traveled to the India Gate, which is a remembrance of the war dead from the World War I time, and closed off with a viewing of the nearby Parliament Buildings. On Saturday, we endured a small tour of an unknown part of the city while our drivers tried to find the location of the India Social Institute. With the help of street vendors, they finally dropped us off close to our destination, and we walked the remainder. Once there we had a prolonged meeting with a group of Ray's friends from Manipur who are located here in Delhi. It was a good time! Throughout the last couple of days, I've been troubled with something in my left eye. None of the rest of the group wants to dig around in my eye, and Wendy seems able to find anything in there. It keeps irritating the eyeball, so I'm wandering around with a red eye that also alarms those unfortunate enough to see it! We hope to find a place of first aid that can get it cleaned out for me—soon!

Lotus Temple

Things seem to be progressing just fine on the home front; we were able to FaceTime with two of the children, but could only see the third! It kept saying it was 'connecting', but we didn't get to talk. We are looking forward to getting back there next week. The markets have continued to wobble their way forward, and I had a decent week, but remain short of quota and with only one day left in the trading month. My pick, Edmonton, takes on Ottawa in the Grey Cup tomorrow. We'll see if they can finish it off for me! 

And that's about it for another week. 

Chandigarh

We flew over to Delhi, and caught a flight up to Chandigarh on Monday. It was hard to know if we were still in India—the traffic lights were working, the drivers were (mostly) staying in their lanes, and the beeping was much diminished! Chandigarh was a planned city built by a team in response to the partition of India after it gained independence and Pakistan opted out. As a result, the traffic system is (I was going to say, "much more") organized, and getting around feels very efficient. There are traffic circles for most intersections on the arterial routes, and there are signs to explain where we are, and where we are going—what a concept! We are mostly on the wind down aspect of the trip, and we enjoyed several touristy destinations around town. We also got to meet many more of Ray's old friends and contacts from years gone by. We enjoyed the Rose Garden—even though it was not in season, there were lots of blossoms. We marvelled at the Rock Garden—one person's dream for turning trash and waste into an artifice. Some of us enjoyed the museums, but we only got started on checking out what was available there. Others spent much time and money shopping! It was a good time. Today, we flew down to Delhi once again. We will spend our last few India-days based here.

Another week in the books—Bagdogra

Bill in the Posies!

I scheduled Saturday as a day of rest and recovery for me. I have been fighting a head cold lately, and it finally appears to be breaking loose. So, after breakfast it was Tylenol Cold & Flu, and back to bed for me. The rest of the team has also been experiencing similar effects of being used up! Some are already on the mend, but most of us are less than 100%. Ray is much better; he's been gaining strength and energy toward this weekend. Next week, we begin to head west with a trip to Delhi. We shall see what adventures await us. 

It has been a good week in the markets although Friday had a bit of a downturn; still, I was able to gain more than double my weekly quota, so that provides some catch up. We don't hear so much about sports from home. CFL playoffs continue with the conference finals this weekend, and the Grey Cup match up will then be set. 

Internet provision here has been strange in that it drops off every so often, and then we have to get a new password. We have little slips of paper all over with expired passwords; it's hard to imagine who thought this was a good idea! When we do have connection the bandwidth is not great, however, we were able to get some FaceTime with Erica this evening, and that was a start at least!

And that's about it for this week! 

Bagdogra Part 2

Thursday and Friday were spent at Morningstar, another fledgling school focused on teaching English here in West Bengal. Here in the Darjeeling tea plantations, and near the border with Nepal, the Nepalese connections are strong. Upon our arrival, we were feted with scarves, garlands and bouquets—one after another after another! It was overwhelming. I believe I collected ten scarves, six or seven garlands—mostly of marigolds, and many bouquets. This is, apparently, their tradition for welcoming people! We felt very welcomed! This was accompanied by songs and dances under the hot sun until the shiny parts of my head were beginning to feel uncomfortable! On Thursday, we worked primarily with the children, and I also did some preparatory investigations on the teachers to focus my workshop which took place on Friday. Both sessions went well, and we hope will be of lasting benefit as this school plans to continue adding classes each year. It currently has three pre-school levels, and the first four classes of basic school. They have obtained registration from the district inspector of schools; this seems to be based on adequate facilities and adequate curricular match—progress! 

This completes are scheduled work with schools for this visit to India. We feel quite satisfied with our attempts in all localities except Chennai. We have continued to track the situation there, and it has not improved! The continuing rains led them to release water from a local reservoir, which in turn, caused further flooding, evacuations, power outages... We can only imagine the ravages of exposure and disease that still remain for them. The rains have not stopped yet, so who knows when clean up and recovery may begin! 

Bagdogra Part 1

We have enjoyed working with the first of our schools in this area. We were able to revise the schedule to get in two days of activities with the children, and still have occasion for a teachers' workshop. Both efforts went very well. The school enjoys high enrolment in the Nursery, Lower Kindergarten and Upper Kindergarten classes which bode well for the future. They are currently offering schooling through Class IV, and plan to continue expanding with one class per year until they reach Class X. Considerable development of labs and the like would be needed to complete a high school program, but it does remain a distant dream for the staff. They plan to add to the facility each year as they expand grade offerings, so their ambitions are high and commendable. The structures and program they have already is impressive. I know we are an encouragement to them, and I hope we have also provided some further tools to help them progress. 

Yesterday, we also paid a visit to Lenin Colony, a lepers colony near here. We met some of the families and entertained about twenty-five children. The children are all clear of leprosy, but we did note the ravages of the disease on some of the grownups. It was a humbling and gratifying experience to spend time with them. Tomorrow we move onto the second school in the area. 

Chennai in the Rear View Mirror

It has been a difficult and discouraging visit to Chennai, and we feel a certain sense of relief to see it behind us. When Ray fell ill, that was enough to put our program into turmoil, but it was considerably exacerbated by the rains. Thunderstorms continued to dump water on our heads, on the streets, into the parking lot of the hotel, into the hotel, into our rooms, into the elevator shaft—do you get the picture? Due to Ray's illness, he could not take the pulpit on Sunday morning, so that task fell to me. I was not expecting to face 800 to 1000 smiling faces! Fortunately, they remained smiling, and Emmanuel must have done a good job with the Tamil side since the message was well received! When we got back to the hotel, the parking lot was filling again, and by supper time it was coming in the front doors. We were hearing reports of flight cancellations, and the vehicle people were doing lots of hand-wringing about how long it might take to get to the airport in the morning, and jacking up the prices! To make a long story short, we have arrived in Bagdogra, India. It's a suburb of a bigger centre called Siliguri, and you may be able to find that one more easily. The longer version—it's been a long, tough day. We were up at 4:45 to attempt a run to the airport through the flooded streets of Chennai. The hotel was back to taking on water after another night of thunderstorms, so we had to wade into the water to get to the vehicle. The vehicle price had more than tripled, but we were stranded, and they knew it! We made the trip successfully, and were promptly informed that our flight was delayed, so we had an extended stay and they wouldn't even let us check-in until 8:30. After that things got better. The flight was about 1 hour late, but we had the same plane from Chennai to Kolkata to Bagdogra, so at least we didn't have to worry about connections. Once here, we have made connections with the school, and met with Naresh over the program at his school for tomorrow and Wednesday! It feels very good to see the prospects of a good program coming together. We feel very badly about how little of our program worked out in Chennai, and even though it's in the past now, we feel like there remains unfinished business there—another time, I hope! 

Saturday in Chennai

Saturday in Chennai went much better with drier weather. However, Ray has fallen ill as the head cold he has been battling, has gained control and extended into his chest. We have called the hotel doctor to check on him this afternoon. So, plans had to be cancelled, postponed and revised—same ol', same ol'! He has asked me to have some messages ready for tomorrow, so I'm busy with that this afternoon. We went for a tour this morning, sans Ray. We visited St. Thomas's Mount, which includes a shrine for St. Thomas. I climbed to the top in honour of my own brother Thomas since he's laid up with a partial knee replacement! After that we toured Little Mount which includes Thomas's hideout cave, and the spot where he was finally killed—just as well you weren't here for that, brother! We got in a brief stop at the Marina Beach, so we could wet our feet in the Bay of Bengal. Carter got a little bit more than his feet wet! I have been testing out my constitution with solid food today, and so far, so good! We have another day here in Chennai; Monday is travel day, and we're set to fly to Siliguri in northern India. We have two schools to work in there, and the teachers in one have already asked for a teachers' workshop as well, so I'm prepping for that. This week has been a bit disjointed as plans keep falling victim to changed circumstances, and that can get discouraging. 

We're continuing to suffer through troubled stock markets as strong data out of the US has made investors anticipate a rate increase there, and troubled economies in the rest of the world have prompted them to worry about growth overall. The double whammy condemned me to a losing week, and I've fallen off the pace I've been trying to maintain. In sports, the Riders closed off the regular season with a win in OT. Way to finish Riders! The CFL is into the playoffs this weekend, and I'm picking Edmonton to win it all.

We have had better internet connectivity here, and we've managed to FaceTime with our children. They're doing fine, and we're reassured. Eric/A have Liam home for the weekend, and Greg visiting, so the whole family is together. Kristian has been sick a couple of days, but he's better now.

And that's the end of another week in India. 

Flooding in Chennai

We flew into Chennai (Another renamed city, as it used to be Madras) on Thursday. It was great to be greeted with flowers, warm smiles and handshakes, in 30 degree comfort! Thursday evening we paid a visit to a local orphanage (more flowers, warm smiles, handshakes) and enjoyed supper with a family here—good friends of Ray, and now our friends as well. Ray has put together plans for our weekend here, and like other Indian plans, it is subject to change! We awaken several times through the night to the crash of thunder, and the splash of rain. We patter to breakfast through the splash of wet hallways. Our hotel is not only surrounded by flood waters, it's flowing in through the front doors about an inch above floor level. Sandbags and towels are used to improvise a dam; staff are working frantically in a losing battle to keep the floors safe and dry. Ray informs us that today's plans are cancelled and that for now we are stranded in the hotel. It's a low-key day which is just as well for me as I'm down with Delhi Belly, and cannot wander away from safe access to a washroom! Several visitors brave the water to visit us here. One group took several hours to drive about 10km to the hotel. Another group was in transit for half the day to get to see us. We are honoured by their efforts. The rain stopped in the afternoon of Friday, and we're hoping our other weekend plans may go forward. The team has gone out for pizza supper, while I remain in my room. I think that I'm improving! 

Oh Kolkata!

Oh Kolkata! "That which we call a rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet." The name has been changed, but the City of Joy stills smells as much, and is vibrant with life. We got here in time for Diwali, the festival of lights. The official start this year is November 11th, so that means the tenth was Diwali Eve, so fireworks started that evening, continued all night, and then accelerated in intensity on the evening of the 11th. Talk about Remembrance Day? We thought we were in a war zone. Regulations being what they are, we sometimes found ourselves in the midst of a shower of falling sparklers. After our first evening visit with long time friends, Swami and Violet, this was a tourist stop. On Wednesday, we paid a sombre and humbling visit to the site of Mother Theresa's work. Her tomb is there, and her small room has been maintained as a shrine. Then, we made a disturbingly easy pivot to the world of KFC, ice cream and shopping. After we were shopped out (It happens more quickly for some!), we rode the subway to a station within a few km of the hotel, and then the six of us packed into one small Ambassador Cab for a memorable ride the rest of the way. This morning, we packed up and headed to the airport for our flight to Chennai. We've arrived to a rain-soaked city, and the discovery that November is the rainiest month of the year in this part of India. 

Good Bye to Imphal

We have completed our tour as far as Imphal is concerned. We are now in Kolkata a city of 15-20 million at about 9m above sea level, and 30 degrees above zero! On Sunday, Ray had the pulpit and I had the day off! We enjoyed our time with the Langol congregation, and several young people came back to the hotel to hang out with some of our team. Then, on Monday we toured Joshua's school, Brighter Academy. It is serving about 1000 children in Nursery through Class XII. I had a chance to discuss some aspects of the program with Joshua. It was good to learn about his approach, and have a chance to offer suggestions. In the afternoon, I headed for bed in an attempt at heading off a cold, and the remainder did some sightseeing, and also managed another school visit. I am sorry to have missed the school visit as the reports made it sound quite exemplary. Joshua and I had discussed it, as it is operated by another family member, and he would like to move his school figuratively and literally in that direction. It is located a bit out of town, on a larger tract of land and seems to have many upgrades over his current situation. Tuesday was travel day, so we packed up and flew about one hour south west to Kolkata. I'm feeling better, so the extra rest may be paying off! 

End of the week in Imphal

Another week has ended for us in India. It has been another full week of activities, but also filled  with rewarding experiences. Today, we worked with students from a couple of schools who attended to us on their day off. We enjoyed participating with them, and even took advantage of the occasion to practice some Manipuri—the local language. One of our hosts supplied the lessons, and we made an attempt. Our efforts were to their great amusement, but some admitted to understanding what we were trying to say! Communication is not so easy. It is one of the lessons we are trying to pass on from our time here. Even when using an interpreter, one is subject to the failure of understanding that occurs with a troubling degree of frequency. Did the interpreter understand me? What did the interpreter actually say? One is left to rely on the good faith of the participants to grant you a favourable intention if not an accurate message. As usual we found the students attentive and respectful. The demonstrated great athletic ability during our games break, and we were all struck with their artistry in interpretation of a pencil crayon activity. This was a new aspect of expression for us. 

Back to the more mundane, the markets have been mixed, but at least up a bit this week. I have returned some good gains and am near quota once again for both this month, and the year-to-date. The Riders complete their season tomorrow, and we will cheer that they can go out on a high note. The Jays are in the offseason and player movement is being considered. The Royals at least paid off my call with a World Series victory. 

The internet here has been very poor, and we haven't managed to chat with our children. We have heard from them in other ways, and all seems to be going well. It is heartening to feel that they are well-able to take care of issues that develop in their families even without our being near at hand, but parents always wish to know anyway! 

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

Tampak

We flew into Imphal on Thursday, and immediately started fielding requests from schools and other groups for attention. It is a bit daunting, and certainly encourages us to make maximum effort! Today, we drove out to Tampak, a rural community south and east of Imphal. Our local expert confidently asserted that we could make the trip in about 45 minutes. It is only 70km! However, Ray was not so sure; he felt double that would be optimistic! We left at 8am, and 2 hours later we arrived at the small village school. The children had been informed that the Canadians were coming, and had assembled at the school sometime before 7am. As usual for here, they were waiting quietly and respectfully on their benches in the classroom. The room serves as the educational centre for about 40 children under  the guidance of six staff members. So, it's like a one-room school of my childhood, but containing about 30 additional children, and 5 extra teachers! We worked with the whole group for some time, and then sent the younger ones out for games and sports while we focused our attention on the older students. Later, we switched the groups. It all went well, and we were quite impressed with the children's attention and quick learning both in the classroom and on the playground. Tampak is in a small village area, and this little school is providing the only opportunity for these children to get an education, so we were delighted to provide whatever encouragement we could. Construction has begun on new classrooms, and plans are in place for more. It was a great experience for us; I hope the staff and children benefit as well. 

Bye, bye Guwahati!

On Sunday morning I was privileged to speak at Bread of Life Church. It was with a translator, and I found it hard to maintain the flow of the message. Sunday afternoon, we packed our bags for storage and for the trip to Kaziranga National Park and Wildlife Refuge. As soon as breakfast was over on Monday morning, we packed into the vehicle and headed toward Kaziranga. It is about 200 km, but the vagaries of travel in India turned that into a five-hour drive. It was four-lane for the first half, but still it was impossible to make good time. Thankfully, the driver knew of the lodge we had booked, as I failed to see any road signs pointing to it, and it was several back lane roads off the highway. The lodge appeared Olde English in style, and we estimated it had been built before the turn of the century, the 19th century! There was a great hall adorned with various animal and historical artifacts; that was enjoyable; we took our meals in that room. The rooms were of the era as well. Our room was on the ground floor, and we could see the ground between the floor boards. We were called at 5:30am for our game drive. We boarded elephants for the occasion; that was pretty special. The mahout sat on the neck with one barefoot on the top of each ear. Three of us rode behind him. We had a great time and managed to see several of the one-horned Assam rhinos. We also saw buffalo. After breakfast we stopped by a shop to view the goods produced on the handloom by an acquaintance of Ray's. I enjoyed watching the loom in action. After lunch we drove back to Guwahati. On Wednesday, we had our final set of classes with the schools in Guwahati. That seemed to go well, and there were many heart-tugging good-byes as we realized we would be leaving Guwahati the next morning. Now we're off to Imphal, where the prospects are for cooler weather as we gain elevation from 55m in Guwahati to 785m in Imphal.