News Update

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

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

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

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

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

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

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

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

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

And that's about enough for this week.

News Update

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

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

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

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

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

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

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

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

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

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

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

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

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

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

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

News Update

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

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

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

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

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

News Update

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

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

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

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

And that's about it for now.

News Update

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

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

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

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

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

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

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

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

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

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

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

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

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

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

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

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

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

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

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

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

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

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

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

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

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

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

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

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

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

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

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

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

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

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

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

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

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

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

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

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

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

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

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

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

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

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

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

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

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

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

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

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

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

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

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

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

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

News Update

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

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

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

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

Anyway, that's about it for this week.

News Update

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

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

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

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

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